The Cape Wind project is New England's never-ending story, tangled in debate and litigation ever since it was proposed in 2001. But a group of filmmakers say they've told the tale in about 84 minutes.

AP Photo/Rebirth ProductionsThis October 2008 photo released by Rebirth Productions shows filmmakers Daniel Coffin, left, and Robbie Gemmel on location in the Woods Hole section of Falmouth, where they were recording a scene for "Cape Spin," their feature-length documentary about the battle over the Cape Wind offshore wind farm project planned for Nantucket Sound. The movie has its first screening set for Tuesday, Aug. 2.

JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press

BOSTON — The Cape Wind project is New England's never-ending story, tangled in debate and litigation ever since it was proposed in 2001. But a group of filmmakers say they've told the tale in about 84 minutes.

"Cape Spin" is a new feature-length documentary on the battle over Cape Wind, a 130-turbine offshore wind farm planned for Nantucket Sound.

The documentary will premiere at film festivals in late summer or early fall. A sneak preview for the project's developers and various critics and advocates is set for Tuesday on Martha's Vineyard.

Cape Wind supporters say the first-in-the-nation project will launch a new American clean energy industry, while opponents say it will only enrich a private developer and ruin a natural treasure. And that's not nearly all they've said in the last 10 years.

Fishermen, pilots, bird lovers, Indians, the poor and the rich have come down firmly on both sides, defying stereotypes about who is for or against wind energy. That's seen in "Cape Spin" when Greenpeace activists pursue a yacht carrying environmental stalwart and Cape Wind foe Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to inform he's "on the wrong boat" on the project.

Amid the noise, "Cape Spin" aims to separate facts from distortion and let viewers decide about Cape Wind for themselves.

"We don't hit people over the head," said executive producer Libby Handros. "We don't make advocacy films."

With positions so hardened among the players, that vow of objectivity was met with skepticism from the start.

"It never ends, with people looking deep into your eyes and soul, and being like, 'What, really, is your position?'" said producer/director Robbie Gemmel.

The $500,000 film project started in 2007 with a goal to finish in 18 months. But like Cape Wind, "Cape Spin" took longer than expected. Even though Cape Wind has won federal approval, the $2.6 billion project is still looking for financing, facing numerous court challenges and hoping to produce power by 2013.

Some of the principals on both sides have already seen an early, shorter preview of "Cape Spin," which Gemmel said they showed last year to assure the various parties the documentary was objective.

The pressure from advocates to include this, or take out that, has been steady, and Gemmel said the filmmakers have been open to suggestion.

He added, "I know both sides will object to certain aspects of it, because there are bits and pieces and segments here and there that show things that they would certainly prefer not being shown."

"Cape Spin" was ultimately born in long talks between Gemmel and friend Dan Coffin, who were both fascinated with the project. Gemmel, who had worked in documentary filmmaking, thought Cape Wind had all the elements: a great story with colorful characters, a scenic setting and status as a vanguard project in a critical American industry.

Gemmel decided to make a film and said he wanted Coffin aboard for his work ethic, technical savvy and general smarts. Coffin said yes, convinced the film would draw a crowd if Cape Wind's narrative could be uncovered under the endless process and racket.

Early efforts to win funding for "Cape Spin" fizzled, which Gemmel blames on Cape Wind's thorny politics. Money was available for a film that came down hard on either side, but that wasn't an option, Coffin said.

"Very early on, we realized that the story was much more compelling when you include an honest perspective from both (sides)," he said.

With virtually no outside funding, Gemmel and Coffin plunked down personal credit cards for camera equipment and started filming. Their cameras popped out at anything and everything related to Cape Wind: protests, droning meetings, boat trips to Nantucket Sound, and a holiday festival and cocktail parties where people were willing to talk.

That commitment eventually helped win access to players on all sides, Coffin said.

"At some point, everyone realized that we're going to be telling the story, and you're either going to be in it with your perspective or you're not," he said.

"Cape Spin" ultimately takes viewers to chief Cape Wind opponent Audra Parker's kitchen, a backyard barbecue with top Cape Wind advocate Barbara Hill, and Cape Wind offices when developer Jim Gordon finds out the project has won federal approval.

In 2008, Gemmel and Coffin, and their company, Rebirth Productions, were joined by Handros and editor John Kirby, experienced documentary filmmakers at the Brooklyn, N.Y.,-based, The Press & The Public Project, who had a similar vision for a Cape Wind film.

The work since has been occasionally excruciating, such as weeding through 550 hours of raw footage, and often emotionally and financially draining.

Coffin has squeezed by with technology consulting work, while Gemmel has taken all manner of side work, including house-painting, pedaling a pedicab in Boston and working as a first mate on a sport fishing boat. He lived for months at the Brooklyn office, joining a local boxing gym for its showers. But the payoff, both believe, is close.

The finished "Cape Spin" alternates between the sober, lighthearted and even wacky as it breaks down its complex subject and follows debate and protest around the Cape.

There's "Pirate Jim," a plundering caricature of developer Jim Gordon in pirate garb, and his counterparts, the "Sheiks Against Wind," protesting a technology that might cut into their fossil fuel profits. No one is laughing, however, when residents of West Virginia's coal country speak about the devastation from that fossil fuel, and ask Cape Codders to consider cleaner alternatives.

Kirby sees the Cape Wind saga as serious and absurd all at once: Why wouldn't "Cape Spin" reflect that?

"We're gently poking fun (at) the human condition, but with great sympathy, and with great affection for each side and with great appreciation for what each side believes," he said. "In the end, what you have to do is think for yourself."

Both men have been charged with second-degree homicide and unlawful restraint.

Joshua Makhanda-Lopez was arrested in Springfield in 2009 on drug and motor vehicle theft charges.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) — The two men charged with killing a Bellows Falls woman are due to make their first appearances in a Vermont courtroom.

Police say 29-year-old Frank Caraballo of Brattleboro had been searching for the victim, 31-year-old Melissa Barratt, in connection with drug-related activity before she was found dead Friday in Dummerston.

"Cause of death was determined to be from a gunshot wound to the head," Vermont State Police Maj. Ed Ledo said in confirming Barratt's death as a homicide.

Ledo told the Brattleboro Reformer that Barratt and Caraballo had dated.

Caraballo and 22-year-old Joshua Makhanda-Lopez of Springfield, Mass., have been charged with second-degree homicide and unlawful restraint. Both also face unrelated charges of selling crack-cocaine.

They are due to appear in court in Brattleboro on Monday.

Caraballo and Makhanda-Lopez have been held pending their court appearances.

Makhanda-Lopez was one of four men arrested in Springfield in June 2009 on motor vehicle theft and drug charges.

"Apparently, the four (suspects) were making money selling drugs to the other homeless residents of the shelter," Springfield police Sgt. John M. Delaney said in a prepared statement at the time of the arrest, which came after police spotted Makhanda-Lopez and three other men sitting in a van that had been reported stolen in Holland, Mass. All four suspects had told police they lived at the Friends of the Homeless shelter on Worthington Street.

Makhanda-Lopez was charged in that case with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and violation of a drug-free school zone. Information about the outcome of the case was not immediately available Monday morning.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Two armed and masked men entered a home at 1055 Liberty St. around 6:48 a.m. Monday, holding one man hostage while another man escaped and called police from a neighbor's home.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD -- Police were at the scene of a home invasion reported at 6:48 a.m. Monday in the city's Liberty Heights neighborhood.

Two armed and masked men entered a home at 1055 Liberty St. and held one man hostage, while another man managed to escape and call 911, according to Springfield police reports.

"The caller has snuck (sic) out and is calling from a neighbor's house," a police dispatcher said minutes after receiving the report.

Cruisers from around the city descended on the Liberty Street address, where a 1999 Gray Honda CRV was reported stolen during the home invasion.

The CRV fled the Liberty Street home and reportedly was recovered minutes later with no suspects inside the vehicle. The abandoned CRV was found in the vicinity of Alvin Street and Long Terrace, just a few blocks from the crime scene.

The suspects -- described as Hispanic males, one of whom had a tear drop tattoo near his eye -- were still at large as of 7:30 a.m.

The man who called 911 identified himself as the brother of the man who was held hostage during the home invasion, according to police reports.

As of 7:30 a.m., police were awaiting for a police K-9 unit to arrive at the scene of where officers recovered the stolen CRV.

No further information was available. Check MassLive.com for updates on this breaking story.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a Liberty Heights home invasion reported shortly before 7 a.m. Monday:


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The Senate seems likely to vote first on the measure while House GOP leaders work to assemble support for it.

President Barack Obama speaks from the White House briefing room, Sunday, July 31, 2011, in Washington, about a deal being reached to raise the debt limit. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving quickly on an agreement to avert a potentially devastating default on U.S. obligations, with legislation that mixes a record increase in the government's borrowing cap with the promise of more than $2 trillion in spending cuts.

After a tense weekend of bargaining, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders announced the agreement Sunday night, providing an instant boost to Asian financial markets and a huge dose of relief to an administration and Congress frazzled by months of partisan warfare and the chance that a default could send the still-fragile economy into recession.

The Senate seems likely to vote first on the measure while House GOP leaders work to assemble support for it. Democratic votes are certain to be needed to pass the measure in the Republican-dominated House, just as Republicans will be needed to clear the measure through the Democratic Senate. Liberal Democrats were already carping that Obama had given away too much to GOP leaders.

"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No," Obama said. "But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."

The still-unreleased legislation would slice more than $2 trillion from federal spending over a decade and permit the nation's $14.3 trillion borrowing cap to rise by up to $2.4 trillion, enough to keep the government afloat through the 2012 elections — a key objective for Obama, whose poll numbers have sagged as the summertime crisis dragged on.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, telephoned Obama at mid-evening to say the agreement had been struck, then immediately began pitching the deal to his fractious rank and file.

"It isn't the greatest deal in the world, but it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town," he said on a conference call, according to GOP officials. He added the agreement was "all spending cuts. The White House bid to raise taxes has been shut down."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was publicly noncommittal. "I look forward to reviewing the legislation with my caucus to see what level of support we can provide," Pelosi said in a written statement. But Democratic officials said she was unlikely to do anything to try to scuttle the package.

Passage seemed likely if not wholly assured. Support from Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., should guarantee Senate approval, but the House could prove more difficult because of defections from left and right alike.

"This deal trades people's livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Tea party favorite and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., countered that the deal "spends too much and doesn't cut enough. ... Someone has to say no. I will."

The government presently borrows more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends, and without an infusion of borrowing authority, the government would face an unprecedented default on U.S. loans and obligations — like $23 billion worth of Social Security pension payments to retirees due Aug. 3.

The increased borrowing authority includes $400 billion that would take effect immediately and $500 billion that Obama could order unless specifically denied by Congress. That $900 billion increase in the debt cap would be matched by savings produced over the coming decade by capping spending on day-to-day agency budgets passed by Congress each year.

A special bipartisan committee would be established to find another $1.5 trillion in further spending cuts, probably taken from benefit programs like farm subsidies, Medicare and the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled. Republicans dismissed the idea that the panel would approve tax increases.

Any agreement by the panel would be voted on by both House and Senate — and if the panel deadlocked, automatic spending cuts would slash across much of the federal budget. Social Security, Medicaid and food stamps would be exempt from the automatic cuts, but payments to doctors, nursing homes and other Medicare providers could be trimmed, as could subsidies to insurance companies that offer an alternative to government-run Medicare.

The pact was sealed during a weekend of talks in which GOP leaders Boehner and McConnell dealt directly with the White House, especially Vice President Joe Biden. The final battle was fought over Pentagon spending cuts, with Democrats emerging with a face-saving victory for $350 billion in defense spending curbs.

But Republicans set the parameters of the debate, with Boehner successfully winning spending cuts equaling the amount of the debt increase — though the cuts phase in over time and future Congresses will have ample temptation to find ways around stringent spending caps called for in the pact.

Obama said such appropriated accounts would be left with the lowest levels of spending as a percentage of the overall economy in more than a half-century.

The measure capped a long saga: first, meetings in a Biden-led group that fell apart over revenues; then, efforts by Obama and Boehner to forge a so-called grand bargain, cutting the deficit by $4 trillion or more over a decade, including new revenues agreed to by Boehner.

In the end, the deal was a split-the-differences compromise, with plenty for both sides to dislike. House GOP defense hawks came out on the losing end. So too did Democratic liberals seeking tax increases.

Insurance giant Allstate took a big hit in the latest round of storm-damage claims, HSBC is planning to cut around 30,000 jobs, and more of this morning's headlines.

AP Photo/Cape Cod TimesSome Cape Cod beaches have become so popular with tourists and locals alike, that beachgoers rise early in the morning to stake out a section of beach for the day. Mayflower Beach, located in the town of Dennis, is one of the Cape's most popular bayside beaches. Some people arrive well before the beach opens for the day to be guaranteed access to the popular North Side beach.

• One man stabbed to death, others shot and wounded in bloody Boston weekend [Boston.com]


• Kohl's department store chain eyeing spot in Lenox [BerkshireEagle.com]


• Op-Ed: The myth of the extraordinary teacher [LATimes.com]


• Hartford logs another homicide over the weekend [Courant.com]


• Plane in Guyana crash slid off runway [WSJ.com]


• New Hampshire man drowns at Cape Cod park [CapeCodonline.com]


• Allstate insurance takes big hit from from wave of severe storms [WSJ.com]


• HSBC to cut 30,000 jobs in global overhaul [USAToday.com]


• 1 teenager dead, 3 wounded in Connecticut shooting [Courant.com]




AP video: search intensifies for missing New Hampshire girl

• 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

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Highs could approach 90 before a cold front ushers in a chance for storms

SPRINGFIELD – The National Weather Service warns that scattered thunderstorms, strong to severe, could hit Western Massachusetts later in the day.

Such storms, likely to begin in the early afternoon, could bring large hail, damaging straight-line winds and heavy rain, according to the weather service. Showers and thunderstorms should end by 8 or 9 p.m.

Abc40 meteorologists said temperatures will approach 90 degrees before clouds develop this afternoon. The passing front will usher in sunny skies and slightly cooler temperatures for Tuesday.

Wednesday will bring another chance for scattered storms, according to abc40.

The National Weather Service determined that it was straight-line winds from violent microbursts that caused extensive damage tree damage and power outages throughout the region last Tuesday.

Numerous recent polls suggest a slim majority of Americans now back gay marriage.

Associated PressCouples hold hands as they and dozens of others exchange vows in a mass wedding ceremony in Farmingdale, N.Y., on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

NEW YORK — Same-sex marriage might seem like a straightforward issue: You're for it or against it. Yet for the field of Republican presidential hopefuls, it's proving to be an awkward topic as public attitudes change and more states legalize gay unions, the latest being New York.

Numerous recent polls suggest a slim majority of Americans now back gay marriage. Support is highest among Democrats, but is growing across the political spectrum even while religious conservatives — a key part of the GOP primary electorate — remain largely opposed.

The result, according to political analysts from both major parties, is a dilemma for the leading GOP candidates, most of whom oppose same-sex marriage but tend to avoid raising the topic unless asked.

"They see the polling — more and more Republicans are supporting gay marriage," said David Welch, a former research director for the Republican National Committee. "It puts them in an awkward position with the younger members of the party and also with independents whose votes you need to win."

Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay rights, said the political climate has changed rapidly and dramatically as leading Democrats celebrate the advent of gay marriage in New York and the imminent end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military under President Barack Obama.

"It's now advantageous for Democrats to support gay rights, and a net negative for Republicans to oppose them," Socarides said. "It's become extremely complicated for many of the Republican candidates who are used to using anti-gay rhetoric as a way to gin up their base."

Obama, though still not ready to endorse gay marriage, says he's "evolving" on the issue and is supporting a bill that would extend federal recognition to same-sex couples who marry in the six states that allow it.

New Hampshire is among those six states and also home to the first Republican primary next winter. According to conservative activists in the state, none of the major GOP presidential candidates has yet taken a public position on the ongoing effort by some Republican legislators to repeal the 2009 state law legalizing same-sex marriage.

Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, predicted that most of the GOP contenders would continue trying to dodge the issue because of lukewarm public support for repeal.

However, David Bates, one of the lawmakers pushing for the repeal, says he and his colleagues intend to put some heat on the GOP contenders by scheduling debate on the repeal bill in the weeks leading up to the primary.

"We will be seeing to it that each candidate addresses it," Bates said. "They will not be able to duck it."

In Iowa, where social conservatives are likely to play a key role in the GOP caucus next winter, two candidates — Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania — both signed a pledge denouncing same-sex marriage rights. Former governors Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty were among those refusing to sign the pledge, but both issued statements stressing that they favored limiting marriage to one-man, one-woman unions.

Among the other major GOP candidates, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman stands out as supporting civil unions, which would extend marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a favorite of many libertarians, says he supports the right of states to legalize same-sex marriage but opposes any effort to require recognition of those unions on a national level.

Both Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry — a possible contender — have said they respect the rights of individual states to legalize same-sex marriage, yet both also say they would support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage nationally as limited to heterosexual couples.

For Perry in particular, that stance involved some scrambling after he won applause at a Republican conference in Colorado on July 22 for his remarks about New York's same-sex marriage law.

"That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me," said Perry, who was highlighting his support for states' rights.

Some leading social conservatives were dismayed by such comments from Perry, who they have strongly supported over the years. Eager to soothe the concerns, Perry did a broadcast interview Thursday with Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council to clarify his Colorado remarks and make clear he still supported the federal marriage amendment.

"I probably needed to add a few words after that 'It's fine with me,'" Perry said. "Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me. My stance hasn't changed. I believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman."

Bachmann built her political career in Minnesota on staunch advocacy of socially conservative positions, including opposition to abortion and gay marriage. In recent days, however, she has balked at answering questions about various gay-related topics, including reports that her husband's Christian counseling clinic has tried to convert gay patients away from homosexuality.

Chuck Donovan, a senior research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation, predicted that GOP candidates would face mounting pressure from left and right to be specific about the gay marriage issue, and not just fall back on endorsement of a federal constitutional ban that has no chance of passage any time soon, if ever.

On the other hand, Donovan said he understood why GOP candidates might soft-pedal their opposition to same-sex unions.

"Most of them sense they're not going to get the warmest media treatment if they come out and take a stance on the marriage issue," he said.

Jan van Lohuizen, who has done polling for George W. Bush and other Republicans, said most of the GOP contenders are faced with a common dilemma — if they trumpet their opposition to same-sex marriage to win conservative votes in GOP primaries, do they risk losing moderate votes in a general election?

His advice to GOP candidates on the marriage debate: "I would simply ignore it. The fiscal issues are so much more decisive than the social issues. Why go out on a limb with this one?"

The tea party movement, though its ranks include many social conservatives, has generally not sought to make same-sex marriage a dominant issue at this stage of the 2012 campaign.

"Because all the economic issues are going to explode, nobody except extreme hard-core advocates on each side will be talking it," said Judson Phillips, founder of the Tea Party Nation.

GOP candidates might be better off under this scenario, according to Phillips, who depicted same-sex marriage as "a hugely awkward issue for them."

Sal Russo, a strategist for the Tea Party Express, said the movement's followers are primarily concerned about the size and cost of government and have diverse views about social issues.

"We have libertarians who support same-sex marriage, and Christian activists who adamantly oppose it," he said.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Ismail Cadirov

SPRINGFIELD - Ismail Cadirov passed on Friday at the age of 91. Born in Balakan, Azerbaijan on Jan. 2, 1920, he was the son of the late Murat and Emshtier Cadirov. His mother died when he was young and later his father was killed by the communists and forced out of family home. Under great sacrifices he completed his secondary schooling. Ismail started studying chemistry to be a pharmacist when his studies were interrupted by World War II. After being forced to serve in the communist army, he was taken prisoner by the Germans. During this time he helped to care for the wounded. After the war was over, he settled in Italy and in 1947 met and married Anna (Grani) Cadirov of Veterbo, Italy. He and his family moved to the United States in 1960 and settled in Springfield with the assistance and sponsorship of Rose Tazzini. Ismail worked at the Steiger's department store company, retiring in 1985. In 1967 he was selected to represent New Citizens at the "I am an American Night," which was a patriotic event in Springfield celebrating new Americans. In his speech he said that he was a proud American and that 'All my dreams came true.' As a communicant at Mt. Carmel Church, Ismail belonged to the Holy Name Society and to the Third Order of St Francis.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Bellantuono, JoAnn (Villano)
  




• 
  Cadirov, Ismail
  



• 
  Carestia, Raymond G.




• 
  Cuffie, Darryl
  



• 
  Dillon, Thomas A.
  




• Farrick, Ralph K. "Rudolph"
  




• 
  Gajcowski, Adele (Ziarnik)
  



• 
  Glasser, Taubith "Toby"




• 
  Heath Sr., Michael J. "Mike"
  



• 
  Montefusco, Carmino Paul "Carm, Min"
  




• Ochs, Elizabeth N.
  




• 
  Romanovicz, Walter J.
  



• 
  Skrabely Sr., Frederick J.




• 
  Vance, Morag A. (Mitchell)
  

A member of the Republican leadership in the Senate predicted at least 30 GOP votes.

Associated PressHouse Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speak at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, July 30, 2011.(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A crisis-conquering deficit-reduction agreement struck by the White House and congressional leaders after months of partisan rancor picked up momentum in the Senate Monday, as a member of the Republican leadership predicted at least 30 GOP votes.

"Maybe 35 will support it in the end. There will be some who will pull back," Sen. Mike Crapo, the deputy Republican whip, told reporters, as climactic votes approached in both the House and Senate on the long-sought spending plan.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said a vote could come as early as Monday as he opened the day's session by declaring the deal shows that the often-dysfunctional Senate can come together when it counts. "People on the right are upset, people on the left are upset, people in the middle are upset," he said. "It was a compromise."

Crapo's assessment came as Vice President Joe Biden, who played an instrumental role in successful weekend efforts to hammer out an accord, went to Capitol Hill to sell the plan in separate meetings with House and Senate Democrats.

Relief around the world was indisputable, with Asian shares on Monday enjoying one of the best sessions in weeks. The advance continued in Europe. Wall Street opened higher, but faltered on a report that a key manufacturing index had dropped sharply in July.

"We have averted an economic crisis," declared Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's second-ranked Democrat.

Whatever momentum could be claimed for the deficit-reduction plan, Congress still has precious little time to avert a potentially devastating default on U.S. obligations. And there was little dispute that the endgame product contained plenty to offend lawmakers of both parties, and tea party sympathizers as well.

Sen. John McCain conceded as much, saying he'd have to "swallow hard" to vote for it because of cuts in defense spending. But the Arizona Republican said lawmakers had little choice in the face of the specter of default.

Said Crapo: "It is always dangerous to crawl out on a limb and make a prediction about how the vote will go on something as controversial as this. But I believe in the end we will see pretty strong support in the Senate on both sides."

"I am probably a no," freshman Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ohio, a tea party favorite, told Fox News. " ... We need a bold solution and this isn't it."

Another House Republican, Michael Turner of Ohio said he was not ready to endorse the package as he left a closed-door meeting of House GOP lawmakers. Turner is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and potential cuts to defense spending could be an issue among some Republicans.

The compromise plan agreed to late Sunday would mix a record increase in the government's borrowing cap with the promise of more than $2 trillion in spending cuts.

After a tense weekend of bargaining, President Barack Obama and top congressional figures jointly announced the agreement late Sunday. It provided an instant boost to Asian financial markets and a huge dose of relief to an administration and Congress frazzled by months of partisan warfare and the chance that a default could send the still-fragile economy into recession.

Top Obama aide David Plouffe said Monday the deal was worthy of passage despite the no-holds-barred battle that amounted to a "three-ring circus."

The Senate seems likely to vote first on the measure while House GOP leaders work to assemble support for it. Democratic votes are certain to be needed to pass the measure in the Republican-dominated House, just as Republicans will be needed to clear the measure through the Democratic Senate. Liberal Democrats were already complaining that Obama had given away too much to GOP leaders.

"Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No," Obama said. "But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."

The legislation would slice more than $2 trillion from federal spending over a decade and permit the nation's $14.3 trillion borrowing cap to rise by up to $2.4 trillion, enough to keep the government afloat through the 2012 elections — a key objective for Obama, whose poll numbers have sagged as the summertime crisis dragged on.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, telephoned Obama at mid-evening to say the agreement had been struck, then immediately began pitching the deal to his fractious rank and file.

"It isn't the greatest deal in the world, but it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town," he said on a conference call, according to GOP officials. He added the agreement was "all spending cuts. The White House bid to raise taxes has been shut down."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was publicly noncommittal. "I look forward to reviewing the legislation with my caucus to see what level of support we can provide," Pelosi said in a written statement. But Democratic officials said she was unlikely to do anything to try to scuttle the package.

Passage seemed likely if not wholly assured. Support from Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., should guarantee Senate approval, but the House could prove more difficult because of defections from left and right alike.

"This deal trades people's livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Tea party favorite and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., countered that the deal "spends too much and doesn't cut enough. ... Someone has to say no. I will."

The government presently borrows more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends, and without an infusion of borrowing authority, the government would face an unprecedented default on U.S. loans and obligations — like $23 billion worth of Social Security pension payments to retirees due Aug. 3.

The increased borrowing authority includes $400 billion that would take effect immediately and $500 billion that Obama could order unless specifically denied by Congress. That $900 billion increase in the debt cap would be matched by savings produced over the coming decade by capping spending on day-to-day agency budgets passed by Congress each year.

A special bipartisan committee would be established to find up to $1.5 trillion in deficit cuts, probably taken from benefit programs like farm subsidies, Medicare and the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled. Republicans dismissed the idea that the panel would approve tax increases.

Any agreement by the panel would be voted on by both House and Senate — and if the panel deadlocked, automatic spending cuts would slash across much of the federal budget. Social Security, Medicaid and food stamps would be exempt from the automatic cuts, but payments to doctors, nursing homes and other Medicare providers could be trimmed, as could subsidies to insurance companies that offer an alternative to government-run Medicare.

Plouffe said in a morning network television interview that the administration wasn't giving up on pushing for new tax revenues down the road.

"The only way to really reduce the deficits significantly in a smart way is to make sure there is smart entitlement reform and closing of loopholes and tax reform," he said.

The pact was sealed during a weekend of talks in which GOP leaders Boehner and McConnell dealt directly with the White House, especially Biden. The final battle was fought over Pentagon spending cuts, with Democrats emerging with a face-saving victory for $350 billion in defense spending curbs.

But Republicans set the parameters of the debate, with Boehner successfully winning spending cuts equaling the amount of the debt increase — though the cuts phase in over time and future Congresses will have ample temptation to find ways around stringent spending caps called for in the pact.

Obama said such appropriated accounts would be left with the lowest levels of spending as a percentage of the overall economy in more than a half-century.

The measure capped a long saga: first, meetings in a Biden-led group that fell apart over revenues; then, efforts by Obama and Boehner to forge a so-called grand bargain, cutting the deficit by $4 trillion or more over a decade, including new revenues agreed to by Boehner.

In the end, the deal was a split-the-differences compromise, with plenty for both sides to dislike. House GOP defense hawks came out on the losing end. So too did Democratic liberals seeking tax increases.

Plouffe was interviewed on ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today" show. McCain appeared on CBS.

Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican for August 1, 2011.

Photo by Mark M. Murray/The RepublicanSean R. Wandrei, treasurer of the Young Professionals Society of Greater Springfield, shown here at his office at Meyers Brothers Kalicka in Holyoke.

Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican for August 1, 2011:

Massachusetts young people have a positive economic outlook according to a recent poll
Steven M. Koczela, president of the MassINC Polling Group, said the trend is important for the state because optimistic young people are the ones who will start new businesses and help grow the state’s economy.
Read more »

Western Mass. Enterprise Fund gets federal grant
The award is one of 155 made across the country, and the funds are to be used to help increase financing capital for small businesses in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.
Read more »

Feathers are not just for fishing anymore
Recently, stylists and celebrities have begun using these thin, easily colored feathers as hair accessories. The trend hearkens to the 1970s, whose fashions are back in style. Read more »

More Business Monday:

•v Voices of the Valley: John Lukaskiewicz, Pride Cleaning and Contractors, Palmer

• In wake of June 1 tornadoes, Big Y donation to benefit Red Cross

• American Medical Response treats employees to post-tornado lunch

• Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Massachusetts Restaurant Association donate to tornado relief

• Cellular Connection, owned by Chris Sett, opens in Springfield

• Under construction: WMECO's Greater Springfield Reliability Project

• Gerber Scientific schedules shareholders meeting to vote on proposed buyout by Vector Capital

• Hamilton-Sundstrand gets $6.6 million contract for submarine device design work

• Pratt & Whitney breaks into military market with partnership with International Aero Engines

• Commentary: Leaders from both political parties bamboozling middle class

• Viewpoint: Minority companies get technical support, advice

• Opinion: A lesson from Boston's Fenway Park

• Northampton Martial Arts school built on discipline

Notebooks:

• Boston Business Journal Business bits: Boston's office real estate market looking up, 'moms.com' for sale and more

• Western Massachusetts business calendar: Aug. 1 - Sept. 14

Advocates for women and domestic violence victim ripped the move to repeal Chapter 209A, calling it a desperate effort to remove a lifesaving option for victims of abuse.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Advocates for fathers are mounting a ballot effort to repeal the state’s restraining order law, arguing that it has been overused and misapplied in a way that discriminates against men and breaks up families.

“The real world effect is that fathers, in particular, are instantly removed from their families. If they have children they are instantly removed from the lives of their children,” said Joseph Ureneck, chairman of the Fatherhood Coalition, which advocates to “end the discrimination and persecution faced by divorced and unwed fathers.”

In advance of a Wednesday deadline, Ureneck and 17 supporters filed a 2012 ballot petition with Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office this week that would repeal the restraining order law, also called Chapter 209A, which has been cited by anti-domestic violence advocates as an important tool for victims of abuse. The repeal would take effect Jan. 1, 2013. Ureneck suggested that backers are considering filing a second ballot proposal to amend the law, in case the repeal effort is rejected by Coakley as too broad.

“The way that the law is written now, all that a person has to do is say, ‘I’m afraid of this person and I also don’t want this person to see our children,’ and they just check off a box,” Ureneck said. “Many times there is no allegation that the father has done anything untoward to the children. It’s a horrible law in terms of breaking up families.”

Ureneck said the state could instead rely on existing assault and battery laws to address domestic abuse and violence. He said that the restraining order law was meant as a violence prevention tool, which has allowed disgruntled family members to punish each other and take away access to their children over sometimes-unfounded allegations.

Advocates for women and domestic violence victim ripped the move to repeal Chapter 209A, calling it a desperate effort to remove a lifesaving option for victims of abuse.

“This move in some ways just exposes what our concerns have been about the efforts of this group and others to just completely dismiss the reality of the lives of victims of domestic violence who rely not only on access to services and supportive systems but legal options, such as accessing 209A orders that offer serious, necessary and life-saving protection for thousands of victims of domestic violence,” said Toni Troop, spokeswoman of Jane Doe Inc., an anti-domestic violence organization.

Troop said her organization would take a repeal effort seriously.

Repeal backers "have been trying for years in various ways to undermine the 209A order, to undermine protections for victims of domestic violence. The electorate and our elected officials have seen through their efforts,” she said. “It’s almost like they’re getting so desperate and going for something so bold. My guess is it will backfire on them. Yet we can’t take lightly the threat they represent.”

An effort to place the repeal on the 2012 ballot would require supporters to mount a major signature drive throughout the fall. If Coakley certifies the language of the petition in September, proponents must then gather 68,911 signatures by mid-November. Then, if the Legislature opts against supporting their proposal or offering an alternative by May 2012, backers must gather another 11,485 signatures by July 2012, clearing the way to put the question on the ballot.

Restraining orders, according to the group, carry no criminal penalties alone, but violators are subject to arrest and criminal sanctions, according to state law. Judges may issue restraining orders to protect applicants who face “a substantial likelihood of immediate danger of abuse.” Subjects of proposed restraining orders have the right to argue against them before a judge. Violations of a restraining order can result in imprisonment for up to 2.5 years, a $5,000 fine or both.

According to Jane Doe, restraining orders can include a variety of stipulations, including an order to halt abuse, an order to prohibit contact, an order to force an alleged abuser out of the home or office of a victim, a temporary custody order for children, a temporary order to force support payments, a temporary order to force monetary compensation for any losses caused by abuse, an order to prohibit abuse or contact with the filer’s children, and a requirement that the alleged abuser attend an intervention program.

A judge may also force the subject of restraining order to turn over any firearms and suspend licenses to carry firearms, according to state law.

Peter Elikann, a Boston criminal attorney who says he has represented clients seeking and defending against restraining orders, called 209A orders “absolutely necessary” but agreed that abuses have occurred.

“You don’t’ want to go back to the bad old days when women or abused people have no protection at all,” he said, adding however, “From time to time, people do abuse them.”

Elikann said it’s an open secret that applicants for restraining orders nearly always receive them.

“All you have to do is request one and you’ll pretty much be granted one,” he said. “Somebody’s about to file for divorce and their attorney will decide to just request one to get the other party out of the house, let’s say. If one [member] of a couple gets angry at the other, they can go to court and know they can get the person away from them. It is not totally rare and unusual that they’re abused. On the other hand, it’s such a difficult issue because they are totally necessary … I don’t think there’s any clear-cut answer.”

DeNucci’s cousin, Guy Spezzano – a meat company salesman and professional jazz musician – earned $40,545 a year, plus benefits, until he went on sick leave a year and a half after he was hired.

Joseph DeNucci

BOSTON - Former state Auditor Joseph DeNucci has conceded that he violated state conflict of interest law by hiring his “unqualified 75-year-old cousin” to a position as a fraud examiner, State Ethics Commission officials announced Monday.

DeNucci agreed to pay a $2,000 penalty, according to the announcement, which came 11 months after the commission made the allegations.

DeNucci’s cousin, Guy Spezzano – a meat company salesman and professional jazz musician – was hired to the full-time post in June 2008, earning $40,545 a year, plus benefits, until he went on sick leave Dec. 1, 2009. Spezzano was terminated after he used all his sick time.

State law prohibits employees from using their official position “to secure for himself or others, unwarranted privileges which are of substantial value and which are not available to similarly situated individuals.”

According to the allegations, DeNucci directed his employees to interview his cousin, and he later agreed to hire him. DeNucci’s admission and agreement to pay a penalty cancels the need for a hearing, according to the Ethics Commission.

DeNucci worked as state auditor from 1987 to 2011. He was replace by Suzanne Bump.

According to forms released by the commission, DeNucci signed the disposition agreement on June 20. Ethics Commissioner Executive Director Karen Nober signed it Monday.

When the allegations were first announced in September, DeNucci’s lawyer, Thomas Kiley, said DeNucci planned to fight the allegations.

DeNucci "is a battler, and to walk away from this fight at the end of his career, that's really not like him because there is a principle here that he may be forced to defend,” Kiley said at the time. “It would be wrong for us to just leave that ground uncovered for other constitutional officers.”

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission hopes to approve a Regional Transportation Plan for the Pioneer Valley by the end of the month.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanMotorists make their way up Boston Road past Pasco Road, as this section of the road is expected to be part of an improvement project from Pasco Road to Main Street in Wilbraham

SPRINGFIELD – The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission wants the public to have a say as to which road, transit and trail projects should be priorities and which might have to fall by the wayside.

“We need to be better about how we are using transportation funding,” said Gary M. Roux, a principal planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission hopes to approve a Regional Transportation Plan for the Pioneer Valley Aug. 30, Roux said. The document is due to the U.S. Department of Transportation soon thereafter where, if approved, it will be used to prioritize projects for federal funding starting in 2012 but looking forward until 2025.

Residents of the 43 cities and towns covered by the commission drove an estimated 15.2 million miles in 2009, up from 14.9 million miles in 2000, based on traffic counts according to the draft plan. To put that in perspective, 15.2 million is more than 31 trips to the moon and back.

“This plan is our four-year snapshot of we are with our regional transportation system and where we expect to be in the next 20 years,” Roux said Monday. “Everything we do, whether it is a construction project or a study project, needs to be in this document.”

Regional Transportation Plans are updated every four years.

A draft version is available online at, http://www.pvpc.org/activities/transportation.shtml.

Public hearings are set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at Northampton City Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main Street, Northampton located behind City Hall and at 7 p.m., August 18 at Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 60 Congress Street, 2nd Floor, Springfield.

The draft report includes has a list of 36 high-priority projects. Some, like the $80-million Great River Bridge project in Westfield are already under construction, Roux said.

But others have yet to be put out to bid, including a $9.2 million-reconstruction of Boston Road from Pasco Road in Springfield east to Dumaine Street in Wilbraham. planners have yet estimate when this project would take place.

Another example of a high-priority project is a $690,000-project to improve the intersection of Main Street, Maple Street and Jabish Street in Belchertown that is tentatively scheduled construction 2012. Planners have also included a $691,000 park-and-ride lot to be built near Look Park in the Leeds section of Northampton scheduled for construction in 2013.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day with a loss of 11 points.

Associated Press photoA specialist watches Sen. Harry Reid as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday.

NEW YORK – Leave it to the economy to stop a debt-deal rally.

The Dow Jones industrial average started the day up nearly 140 points after President Barack Obama and congressional leaders said Sunday that a deal had been reached to raise the nation’s borrowing limit and avoid a possible debt default.

But another sign that the economy has slowed erased those early gains and took the Dow down as many as 145 points by midday.

The Dow ended the day with a loss of 10.75 points. It was the seventh day of declines for the blue-chip index.

Many investors remained concerned about the direction of the economy. A report from the Institute of Supply Management said that U.S. manufacturing barely grew last month. And on Friday, the government said that so far this year the economy has grown at its slowest pace since the recession ended in June 2009.

The manufacturing index was the first major economic report released in July. Analysts had expected it to show that the economy was expanding.

“This was a shock to the market,” said Phil Orlando, chief strategist at Federated Investors. “It clearly offset the emotional strength that we saw in the open from this tentative budget compromise.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and many economists have said that the U.S. economy would gain momentum in the second half of the year. But the manufacturing report, sluggish overall growth and concern about spending cuts included in the debt deal have cast doubt on that prediction.

The Dow fell 0.1 percent, to 12,132.49. The broader Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost 5.34, or 0.4 percent, to 1,286.94. The Nasdaq composite fell 11.77, or 0.4 percent, to 2,744.61.

The S&P index traded below its 200-day moving average of 1,280. Many traders use moving averages as benchmarks for when to buy and sell. Orlando said the S&P could fall to 1,250 or lower over the next few days as investors begin to doubt the strength of the economy.

Health care stocks fell nearly 2 percent, the most of the 10 company groups in the S&P 500 index. United HealthGroup Inc., Aetna Inc., and St. Jude Medical Inc. fell more than 2.5 percent after the government said it plans to cut Medicare reimbursement rates 11 percent. The cuts are unrelated to the debt deal.

Bond yields fell to the lowest level of the year as investors moved into safer assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.75 percent from 2.80 percent late Friday.

The manufacturing report led to a worldwide pullback from riskier assets. The Euro Stoxx 50, an index that tracks blue chip companies in countries that use the euro, fell nearly 3 percent. Oil futures dropped 1 percent to just below $95 a barrel. And gold made up its early losses to remain near $1,625 an ounce.

The latest signs of weakness in the U.S. economy also pushed the dollar lower against the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc, two currencies that traders see as relatively safe bets. The dollar touched another record low against the franc, and reached a post-World War II low against the yen.

Before the ISM report was released, stocks rose sharply largely because President Obama and Congressional leaders announced Sunday that they had agreed on a deal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Investors have been worried that the U.S. might default if a deal wasn’t reached. The federal government would be unable to pay all of its bills after Tuesday if a law is not signed. Among them: interest payments on Treasury bonds, salaries of federal employees and Social Security checks to retirees.

The debt agreement would raise the U.S. debt limit by $2.1 trillion. It would also cut at more than $2 trillion in federal spending over 10 years. Under the bill, a new joint committee of Congress would recommend deficit reductions by the end of November that would be put to a vote by Congress by year’s end.

But a vote on the measure had not been scheduled in the House or the Senate by the time the market closed.

Many important details about spending cuts and possible tax increases were to be decided by the new committee, which means it could be months before there’s clarity on how the deficit will be reduced.

“The debt agreement was a step in the right direction but probably a small step,” said Bob Gelfond, the head of MQS Asset Management, a hedge fund based in New York City.

Others remained concerned that the bill would not cut the deficit enough to prevent a downgrade to the U.S. government’s top credit rating. Credit rating agencies Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s declined to comment about the bill’s possible impact on their decision-making process.

“This agreement didn’t resolve any of the fundamental differences in the direction of spending and revenues that would address our long-term issues,” said Kate Warne, the investment strategist at Edward Jones.

Rising and failing shares were roughly even on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was higher than average at 4.4 billion shares.

During a 3-day buying binge starting July 12, Gerald and Marjorie Selbee of Evart, Mich., bought $614,000 worth of the $2 tickets.

SUNDERLAND – Two Franklin County stores’ state lottery licenses have been suspended after accusations they broke the rules to help a Michigan couple take advantage of a potentially lucrative quirk in the Cash WinFall game.

The accused lottery agents are Billy’s Beer and Wine, owned by Paul Mardas, and Jerry’s Place in South Deerfield, co-owned by Jerry Dagrosa.

Gerald and Marjorie Selbee, 73, of Evart, Mich., have traveled to Franklin County once every two months since 2005, said Mardas, who met them through one of his customers. During a three-day buying binge starting July 12, the couple bought $614,000 worth of the $2 tickets, said Gerald Selbee.

The Selbees run a corporation called GS Investment Strategies, LLC. Mardas and Dagrosa are among its approximately 25 members, who also include law enforcement officers, lawyers and finance experts, Gerald Selbee said.

They have picked up on a strategy that potentially allows them to make huge profits: If no one guesses all six numbers to win the jackpot, tickets with fewer matching numbers become more valuable as the jackpot money is redistributed to the lesser winners. The optimal betting periods are called “rolldown weeks” and the lottery announces them in advance.

The jackpot maxes out at $2 million to $2.5 million. By essentially stuffing the game with tickets, it’s possible for a few people to pick up a huge percentage of the winnings. Cash WinFall is the only game in the state that works this way.

The Selbees' scheme, in and of itself, is not against the rules or the law.

“They’re not manipulating the odds in any way,” Lottery spokesperson Beth Bresnahan said. “The more you play, the more likely you are to win ... or lose.”

In the game’s seven-year history, the jackpot has been hit eight times. The odds of winning it are 1 in 9.3 million, Bresnahan said. Gerald Selbee said that’s the group’s goal. If someone else wins the jackpot, the Selbees’ money is lost.

Records show the Selbees so far have claimed $206,649 in prizes from their latest visit.

“I’m holding another $500,000 worth of winning tickets that have not been cashed in yet,” said Gerald Selbee. He said the corporation will pay $63,000 in state and federal taxes.

Depending on how much they invested, the members could make as little as $10 each, he said. In the past, he said, the group has lost money five times, once losing $350,000.

“The operation of the game was not manipulated,” Bresnahan said. “The prizes they won are valid.”

The move got the agents in trouble for tying up the machines and not allowing other players a chance to make their bets. An investigation is underway, but the agents are accused of letting the Selbees bet on behalf of people who weren't present and of opening outside regular business hours for the sole purpose of selling lottery tickets, she said.

After securing contracted part-time jobs at each location, the Selbees made the purchases mostly while on the clock. Only employees of license holders are allowed to operate the terminals, but Bresnahan said the Lottery “discourages” agents from allowing employees to make bets at work.

There is a $5,000 daily cap on lottery sales. The two stores requested increases in the limit. The Lottery agreed and sent “compliance officers” to check out their activity, said Bresnahan. The officers reported the violations.

In an average week, the two stores post $300 to $500 in sales, Bresnahan said, but they will clean up on the scheme. A ticket agent gets 5 percent of sales and 1 percent of winnings, meaning each would earn at least $15,350 from the Selbees' purchases alone. Bresnahan said those profits are valid and payable.

Mardas said he hasn’t done anything wrong. He said the Selbees used the terminal’s “interrupt” button to suspend their transactions so other players could make bets.

He denies that anyone made bets for someone who wasn’t present, but acknowledged that he and the Selbees arrived at the store early and stayed after it closed to continue the transactions. The Selbees performed other work around the store, he said.

“This is very hard on my business,” he said. “It’s trying because the lottery is a profit center for me.”

Dagrosa said the compliance officers watched the operation and knew Jerry’s was open past its usual closing time to sell tickets. They gave Dagrosa their blessing, he said.

“Everything I’ve done has been cleared by the lottery first,” Dagrosa said. “My personal feeling is that we’re getting hung out to dry.”

Gerald Selbee said “the doors were not locked” when they were working outside regular business hours and they served customers.

“In no way did we ever intend to jeopardize the licenses,” he said.

Police said there was no sign of a struggle, and there was no indication she ran away or that someone took her.

File photo / Associated PressCelina Cass, 11, was last seen in her Stewartstown, N.H. home last Monday around 9 p.m.

STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. – The body of an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl who disappeared almost a week ago was discovered Monday in a river less than half a mile from her home, authorities said. The death was being considered suspicious.

Celina Cass was reported missing July 26. Fish and Game divers found the body late Monday morning near a hydroelectric dam that spans the Connecticut River between Stewartstown and Canaan, Vt., and the body was removed from the river Monday evening, said New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young.

“We have brought Celina home, obviously not the way we wanted to bring her home,” said Young, her voice breaking with emotion.

Authorities had said that Celina, who lived with her older sister, mother and stepfather a mile from the Canadian border, was last seen at a computer around 9 p.m. July 25 and was gone the next morning. Police said there was no sign of a struggle, and there was no indication she ran away or that someone took her.

Young declined to say whether there are any suspects in the girl’s death. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday to determine the cause and manner of death.

Friends and family described Cass as studious, reliable, shy and timid. Her disappearance drew more than 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officers to Stewartstown, a town of 800 residents. Because of its remote location, law enforcement officers went so far as to have a cell phone tower erected to assist in communications.

State police and FBI agents from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia turned the local school into a bustling command post and searched a mile-wide area around the home. The FBI brought in a special team specializing in child abductions.

According to several media outlets, Cass’ stepfather was taken to a hospital Monday morning. MSNBC reported that Wendell Noyes was taken by ambulance after repeatedly laying down in the family’s driveway and rolling around, and video showed him dropping to his knees in the driveway and then laying face-down, with his head resting on his hands.

A spokeswoman for Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, in Colebrook, N.H., said she couldn’t comment on whether Noyes was taken to the hospital.

In 2003, Noyes was involuntarily committed to New Hampshire Hospital in Concord after he entered his girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night and threatened to throw her down stairs, according to court documents. An order signed by a probate judge indicated Noyes suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and believed corrections officials implanted a transmitter in his body to keep track of him.

A court motion filed by his attorney at the time indicated Noyes served in Operation Desert Shield before receiving a medical discharge from the Air Force because of schizophrenia. The attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Paper City Development wants to turn the golf course into a $450 million casino resort with 1,500 jobs.

Casino supporters make their case in February outside the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House on Easthampton Road.

HOLYOKE – The City Council Tuesday will be asked to approve an item that supporters say is a routine step aimed at releasing city control over land that could wind up being part of a casino gambling resort.

Paper City Development, a limited liability company with mostly local players, wants to buy Wyckoff Country Club and make it a gaming resort if the state legalizes casino gambling.

For such a sale to go through, the city would have to certify at the Registry of Deeds that it releases right to title and interest in 4.5 acres at the northern end of the property in relation to a so-called reverter clause. That clause states that if the 4.5 acres ever ceases being used for a golf course – which is what would happen if it is bought by Paper City Development – the property reverts back to city ownership, said lawyer John J. Ferriter, representing Paper City Development.

The property was transferred to the country club owner decades ago in relation to construction of Interstate 91 that took part of the golf course, Ferriter said.

The item the council will consider also would surrender city right of first refusal to purchase the property, he said.

It was likely the City Council would refer the item to its Public Service Committee for consideration at a future meeting, he said.

Wyckoff owner Diane L. Wojtowicz, of Holyoke, has referred to Paper City Development as “our development partner.” She has said a casino resort would fit the vision that her late husband Clarky Wojtowicz had for the site.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick and legislative leaders have said the casino issue will be considered after Labor Day.

Discussions have included permission for three casino resorts in the state, including one in Western Massachusetts.

Paper City Development wants to buy Wyckoff and build what its representatives say would be a $450 million casino resort providing 1,500 jobs.

Joseph A. Lashinger Jr., of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a lawyer with casino experience in Pennsylvania and other areas, is manager of Paper City Development.

Other players include media consultant Anthony L. Cignoli, of Springfield; former Springfield City Councilor Anthony W. Ravosa, who now lives in Connecticut; Holyoke lawyer Aaron W. Wilson; David M. Bartley, former president of Holyoke Community College and former speaker of the state House of Representatives; and Martin J. Dunn, former mayor of Holyoke.

If the state legalizes casino gambling, Paper City Development faces competition for a Western Massachusetts resort. Mohegan Sun has been pitching since 2007 its plan for a $600 million gaming complex in Palmer across from Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 8.

The most-endangered list often serves as a catalyst for extension preservation opportunities, according to the statewide organization. Watch video

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanThe steeple of the First Church of Monson lies in ruins on the lawn of the church the day after three devastating tornadoes hit Western and Central Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD – A statewide historic preservation organization, currently compiling its annual list of “most endangered” historic properties, has decided to focus its attention this year solely on the communities affected by the June 1 tornadoes that swept through Hampden and Worcester counties.

Preservation Massachusetts, a nonprofit group, announced last week that it is accepting nominations for its 2011 “Most Endangered Historic Resources” program. However, it is limiting the selections to the tornado-damaged communities including Springfield, West Springfield, Agawam, Westfield, Brimfield, Monson, Wilbraham, Southbridge and Sturbridge.

Benjamin Murphy, president of the Springfield Preservation Trust, praised the effort.

“The Preservation Trust is always pleased when the spotlight is on preservation in Western Massachusetts and specifically in Springfield,” Murphy said. “It gets people to realize there is a danger to losing these historic properties and adds the possibility of having support from the public on reuse and preservation of these sites.”

The tornado caused significant damage to historically significant properties in the Maple Street and Six Corners area, he said. The trust will consider making some recommendations for the list, he said.

The annual listing of the most-endangered historic resources is cited by the statewide organization “as one of the our most important preservation advocacy and education tools .¤.¤. and often serves as a catalyst for extensive preservation opportunities,” Preservation Massachusetts stated.

Prior local properties placed on the “most endangered” list have included Old First Church at Court Square, a fire-damaged historic duplex at 25-27 Elliott St., and the Allis Mansion at the Mercy Medical Center complex on Carew Street.

Nominations can be made by individuals, groups or organizations that are concerned about a particular property, structure or landscape, Preservation Massachusetts stated.

The deadline for nominations is Aug. 5. Additional information and nomination forms are available on the group’s website at www.preservationmass.org.

In related news, Preservation Massachusetts has announced plans to conduct an “Ask the Expert” day on Aug. 11, at Springfield College, related to providing guidance for repairs and rehabilitation of historic properties and landscapes damaged by the tornadoes. The event will be in Judd Gymnasium from 3 to 7 p.m.

Preservation Massachusetts, in the aftermath of the tornadoes, issued a call for volunteers to assist the affected communities with historic preservation efforts. Nearly 100 responses were received including professionals willing to help with the “Ask the Expert” day.

The event will feature professionals with expertise in a variety of areas including architecture and construction, officials said.

In other news, state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, has filed a bill that, she said, would enhance the penalty for fraud and larceny in connection with a declared disaster or state of emergency.

Candaras said it was important to ensure that people already victimized by the tornadoes “are not victimized again by anyone who would seek to take advantaged of these unprecedented circumstances.”

If passed, it would provide a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for anyone who steals from or defrauds a victim of a declared disaster or state of emergency.

The Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School, to be based in Holyoke, and the Springfield Preparatory Charter School made it through several steps of the application process last year.

Republican file photo

Three Western Massachusetts organizations are among seven statewide to submit proposals to open new charter schools.

The prospectuses are the first step in the application process. In September officials for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will select the most promising and request those groups to file a full application.

Two proposals are for schools in Springfield and a third would be focused in Holyoke but draw students from West Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield, South Hadley and Northampton.

Organizers of the Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School, to be based in Holyoke, and the Springfield Preparatory Charter School had submitted proposals last year. Both made it through several levels of the selection process but were not granted charters.

The third proposal for the Baystate Academy Charter School in Springfield is new.

Charter schools are public schools that are funded by the state but have more autonomy that traditional city-run schools.

The number of proposals submitted this year are far fewer than the 42 that came last year. The state granted charters to 16; the Veritas Preparatory Charter School for middle school students in Springfield was the only one approved in Western Massachusetts.

Part of the spike last year was due to the fact the state lifted the cap on the number that were allowed in some communities, said Jonathan W. Considine, spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The number of prospectuses is still lower than average this year, he said.

In Springfield, the proposal for the Baystate Academy Charter School is to create a middle and high school for about 560 students.

The school is following the Expeditionary Learning model and would work in partnership with Baystate Health, said Peter B. Blain, manager of Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership.

The expeditionary model uses life experiences to make learning relevant. It will include internships for older students, he said.

“We would have a health care and a math and science theme,” he said. “We contend and have a firm belief this type of preparation can prepare you for any career field.”

The Springfield Preparatory Charter School, for grades five through 12, would be located in the Springfield Technology Park, across the street from Springfield Technology Community College, said Brian Corridan, a former chairman for the college’s board of trustees and part of the board proposing the new school.

SABIS International, which already runs a kindergarten through grade 12 school in Springfield, was interested in creating a new school in the city and proposed working with the college, he said.

“Synergies will develop with the college. Instead of taking AP (Advanced Placement) courses our students will go right across the street and take college courses,” Corridan said, describing one example of the partnership.

The Paulo Freire Social Justice Charter School was redesigned for students in grades nine through 12, said Robert K. Brick, who is proposing the school and is a past executive director of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley.

“We are trying to offer a positive high school option to the children of Holyoke,” he said. “Making a social change in an urban area we maintain as part of our design.”

The vote was 269-161, but all eyes were on Giffords, who drew thunderous applause as she walked into the House chamber and cast her vote in favor of the bill. Watch video

View full sizeAssociated PressIn this image from House Television, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., appears on the floor of the House of Representatives Monday, Aug. 1, 2011, in Washington. Giffords was on the floor for the first time since her shooting earlier this year, attending a vote on the debt standoff compromise. (AP Photo/House Television)

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON — Crisis legislation to yank the nation past the threat of a historic financial default sped through the House Monday night, breaking weeks of deadlock. The rare moment of cooperation turned celebratory when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords strode in for the first time since she was shot in the head nearly seven months ago.

The vote was 269-161, a scant day ahead of the deadline for action. But all eyes were on Giffords, who drew thunderous applause as she walked into the House chamber unannounced and cast her vote in favor of the bill.

A final Senate sign-off for the measure is virtually assured on Tuesday. Aside from raising the debt limit, the bill would slice federal spending by at least $2.1 trillion, and perhaps much more.

"If the bill were presented to the president, he would sign it," the White House said, an understatement of enormous proportions.

After months of fierce struggle, the House's top Republican and Democratic leaders swung behind the bill, ratifying a deal sealed Sunday night with a phone call from House Speaker John Boehner to President Barack Obama.

Many Republicans contended the bill still would cut too little from federal spending; many Democrats said much too much. Still, Republican lawmakers supported the compromise, 174-66, while Democrats split, 95-95

"The legislation will solve this debt crisis and help get the American people back to work," Boehner said at a news conference a few hours before the vote.

The Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, was far less effusive. "I'm not happy with it, but I'm proud of some of the accomplishments in it. That's why I'm voting for it."

So, too, many of the first-term Republicans whose election in 2010 handed the GOP control of the House and set the federal government on a new, more conservative course.

"It's about time that Congress come together and figure out a way to live within our means," said one of them, Sean Duffy of Wisconsin. "This bill is going to start that process although it doesn't go far enough."

The measure would cut federal spending by at least $2.1 trillion over a decade — and possibly considerably more — and would not require tax increases. The U.S. debt limit would rise by at least $2.1 trillion, tiding the Treasury over through the 2012 elections.

Without legislation in place by the end of Tuesday, the Treasury would run out of cash needed to pay all its bills. Administration officials say a default would ensue that would severely damage the economy.

Beyond merely avoiding disaster, Obama and congressional leaders hoped their extraordinary accord would reassure investors at home and around the world, preserve the United States' Aaa credit rating and begin to slow the growth in America's soaring debt. In a roller-coaster day on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average surged, then sank and finally finished down for a seventh straight session but only slightly.

After months of suspense, Monday night's vote was anti-climactic,

Not so the moment when Giffords' presence became known.

She greeted some fellow lawmakers who crowded around her and blew kisses to others, beaming the whole while. Her hair was dark and close cropped and she wore glasses — nothing like the image America had of her six months ago when she was shot while greeting constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson.

She did not speak with reporters.

As for the legislation, after months of wrangling over a deal, there was little time left for lawmakers to decide how to vote.

The White House dispatched Vice President Joe Biden to the Capitol to lobby recalcitrant Democrats in both houses.

"They expressed all their frustration," he conceded after a session with lawmakers of his party in the House.

He said the deal "has one overwhelming redeeming feature" — postponing the next debt limit battle until 2013 and putting the current fight behind. "We have to get this out of the way to get to the issue of growing the economy," he said.

Republicans lobbied their rank and file as well, and the results were far more positive for them than a week ago when they were forced to delay a vote on an earlier measure.

GOP leaders swiftly drew public pledges of support from some first-termers as well as veteran defense hawks — two areas of concern with the agreement.

Rep. C.W. (Bill) Young, chairman of the committee that handles the defense budget, said, "We're confident that we can make this happen without affecting readiness and without affecting any of our soldiers."

There were critics on both sides of the aisle, some of them anguished.

"I did not come to Washington to force more people into poverty," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

"At the end of the day, Washington's spending still has us sprinting toward a fiscal cliff. And this bill barely slows us down," said Rep. Mark Mulvaney, R-S.C.

There is little suspense about the outcome for the debt-limit legislation in the Senate on Tuesday.

A member of the Republican leadership in the Senate predicted strong GOP support. "Maybe 35 (of 47) will support it in the end. There will be some who will pull back," said Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho.

Already, the legislation was emerging as an issue in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced their opposition, while Newt Gingrich issued a statement without saying how he would vote.

The final legislation reflected the priorities of the two political parties.

It would immediately increase the debt limit by $400 billion, with another $500 billion envisioned unless Congress blocks it. At the same time, it would cut more than $900 billion over 10 years from the day-to-day operating budgets of Cabinet agencies. For the budget year that begins Oct. 1, spending would be held $7 billion below current levels.

The measure also establishes a 12-member House-Senate committee that will be charged with producing up to $1.5 trillion in additional deficit cuts over a decade. If the panel succeeds, Congress will be required to vote on the recommendations without possibility of changes.

If the panel deadlocks or fails to produce at least $1.2 trillion in deficit savings, then spending cuts are to take effect across much of the federal budget. The Pentagon, domestic agencies and farm subsidies would be affected, as would payments to doctors and other Medicare providers. But individual benefits under Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and programs for veterans and federal retirees would be exempt.

At the same time, the debt limit would rise by at least another $1.2 trillion, and perhaps — depending on the results of the committee's work — as much as $1.5 trillion.

Additionally, the legislation requires both the House and Senate to vote on a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.

The measure also increases funding for Pell Grants for low-income college students by $17 billion over the next two years, financed by curbs on federal student loan subsidies.

The result of weeks of negotiations and harsh arguing, the final result represented a product of divided government that gave neither side everything it wanted. Leaders in both parties were emphatic on that point.

"As with any compromise, the outcome is far from satisfying," conceded Obama in a video his re-election campaign sent to millions of Democrats. In a tweet, the president was more positive: "The debt agreement makes a significant down payment to reduce the deficit — finding savings in both defense and domestic spending."

Associated Press writers Jim Abrams, Stephen Ohlemacher, Alan Fram, Julie Pace, Donna Cassata, Andrew Taylor and Larry Margasak contributed to this report.