Preliminary designs show a facility with a kitchenette, bathrooms, storage space and a multi-purpose room, all with easy access to a dock on the river.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanMembers of the Smith College crew team practice this spring on the Connecticut River in Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – The state is about to announce a $100,000 grant that will help kick-start a $4.67 million project to create a boathouse on the Connecticut River in Northampton.

The Connecticut River Community Boathouse would serve as a center for non-motorized boating for high school and college teams, community organizations and, through the Northampton Recreation Department, the general public. In a letter to State Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg thanking him for his help in securing the funding, Mayor Mary Clare Higgins wrote, “We are proud to host a boathouse that will serve youth, collegiate, and master rowers and community human-powered boaters from throughout our region.”

Rosenberg is scheduled to be in Northampton Wednesday, along with state Rep. Peter V. Kocot, D-Northampton, and Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Richard Sullivan, to announce the state grant. Rosenberg said Monday that he helped get the money released after Kocot succeeded in including it in a transportation bond bill.

“It will help take the next step in planning and designing the facility,” he said.

The boathouse has been a long-time goal of area rowers, who have had to pursue their passion out of temporary facilities on the Oxbow. Interest in the sport has mushroomed over the past decade, with Northampton High School developing an avid crew team. According to Higgins, rowing is now the single most popular sport at the high school.

The boathouse would be located on the property of Lane Construction, which owns 22.5 acres of land between Damon Road and the Connecticut River close to Interstate 91. That land includes 1,300 feet of river frontage. According to a budget that Higgins included in her letter to Rosenberg, the project would be financed through fund-raising and in-kind donations, including the Lane Construction land, valued at $500,000. Smith College, the high school crew team and Northampton Youth and Community Rowing will embark on a $1.5 million joint fund-raising effort. Smith and various city departments will also contribute their time and expertise. In addition, the project will seek $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funds.

Rosenberg said the boathouse would greatly enhance the use of the Connecticut River by many parties.

“It could serve the University of Massachusetts and others of the Five Colleges,” he said. “We don’t have a quality facility of this sort in the region.”

Preliminary designs show a facility with a kitchenette, bathrooms, storage space and a multi-purpose room, all with easy access to a dock on the river. The design also shows more than 100 parking spaces. Under the tentative plan, Lane Construction would retain some of the parcel for its offices. Smith College would use some of the space for its rowing, kayaking and canoeing programs, all of which are in demand.

The facility would be located near the terminus of the old Northampton-New Haven Canal, traces of which are still in evidence there. Although not a part of the boathouse project, planners hope the facility’s presence will provide opportunities to interpret and present some of the region’s industrial and cultural history.

For consumers, the accord provides no relief from economic reality, said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer for Harris Private Bank in Chicago.

By DAVE CARPENTER | AP Personal Finance Writer

Associated PressSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is all smiles as he walks to the Senate floor to announce that a deal has been reached on the debt ceiling on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Just like their government, consumers and individual investors will avert immediate disaster if the debt ceiling agreement wins congressional approval by Tuesday. The stock market shouldn't crash and interest rates won't start skyrocketing.

But even before a vote took place, it was clear the deal carries implications for Americans' borrowing, spending and investments.

By slashing government spending more than $2 trillion, state and local governments may face greater pressure to raise taxes and cut jobs. That would only make it tougher for struggling individuals to make ends meet and find work.

And because the compromise stopped short of immediately implementing the more sweeping changes that had been sought, ratings agencies could still downgrade the U.S. credit rating in the coming months. That could jolt investor confidence, prompt markets to drop and make loans more expensive and harder to get.

For consumers, the accord provides no relief from economic reality, said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer for Harris Private Bank in Chicago.

Although the immediate consequences of the agreement may be limited, the deal puts the pressure back on a stagnant economy with little prospect for significant improvement any time soon.

"We're back to the same things we've been worrying about for the past couple of years," said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com. "Job growth is anemic, economic growth is uninspiring, and people have a lot of hesitation when it comes to things like job security and taking the plunge into homeownership."

The outlook for various areas of personal finance:

STOCKS

The short-lived nature of Monday's rally after a tentative agreement was announced underscores just how skeptical investors are in the face of weak economic data. After surging nearly 140 points at the opening, the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled on a surprisingly weak manufacturing report. It was down as much as 145 points before finishing the day down 11.

A "relief rally" of 2 to 3 percent, or roughly 200 points in the Dow, could still occur once a deal is formally passed, according to market pundits. But few foresee the market rising sharply beyond that until signs emerge of stronger economic growth.

"What happens from here is hugely problematic," said Michael Farr, chief investment officer of Farr, Miller & Washington, an investment firm in Washington, D.C. "If you look beyond this particular (debt-ceiling) issue, all of the rest of the news is bad -- GDP, unemployment and housing numbers."

The bright spot is corporate earnings. Even if many corporations are keeping large amounts of cash on the sidelines, awaiting a recovery, their strength gives investors some reassurance that the market won't collapse again like it did during the 2008 financial crisis.

BONDS

If Congress raises the debt ceiling no later than Tuesday, a potential default will be avoided but a downgrade could remove the nation's gilt-edged AAA debt rating. Credit rating agencies Standard and Poor's and Moody's declined to comment Monday about the bill's possible impact on their decision-making process.

If it does come to pass, a downgrade could send Treasury yields modestly higher, with corporate, municipal and other bond issues doing the same. A downgrade means the government would have to pay investors more to take on the additional risk of buying its bonds.

Municipal bonds also could face pressure from the government spending cutbacks, which will increase the crunch for cities and local governments.

LOANS

A downgrade would nudge interest rates higher on a variety of consumer loans. Not only would Uncle Sam have to pay higher borrowing rates, so would everyone else. That's because many interest rates are pegged to U.S. Treasurys. So if a downgrade pushes up Treasury rates, mortgage, corporate and other loans would rise too.

• Home loans: Already-tight restrictions on lending could get tighter. Some borrowers could find it even more difficult to get approved for a mortgage.

Home-loan borrowers have been feeling the squeeze. For example, an Ohio woman with a portfolio of $2 million had to go to 10 banks before finding one that would approve her request for a simple mortgage refinancing, according to financial planner John Ritter of Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory in Cincinnati. A routine issue can negate the value of a large portfolio in the eyes of a lender.

"I don't think it's going to get any easier any time soon," Ritter said. "The creditworthiness that wasn't even looked at before is now really stringent."

The upside for prospective homebuyers: Any increase in interest rates could be partially offset by a drop in home prices. When mortgage rates rise, buyers are willing to pay less for a house.

The rates on home equity lines of credit could also climb.

• Student loans: The debt deal increases funding for Pell Grants, which provide up to $5,550 for low-income students. But the amount will still fall short of what's needed, leaving the program at risk of future cuts, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of the FastWeb and FinAid websites about college aid.

If the U.S. credit rating is downgraded, interest rates would likely rise by 0.25 percent to 1 percent on existing private student loans and more on new private student loans, according to Kantrowitz. That would push up monthly loan payments anywhere from 5 percent to 12 percent depending on the duration of the loan.

For example, someone paying off $25,000 in student loan debt at 10 percent interest over 10 years could see payments rise from about $330 a month to $344, with an extra $1,680 in interest costs over the life of the loan.

• Credit cards: Higher costs on credit cards are not imminent, but rates could creep higher if there is a downgrade.

The federal credit-card act prevents rate hikes on existing balances. But interest rates would go up for most people on new charges if a downgrade leads to higher borrowing costs for banks.

The collective impact of higher loan costs goes beyond the individual loans, as McBride noted. "The more money that individuals are devoting to interest charges on credit cards and home equity loans and student loans, the less available to be spent elsewhere."

However, almost none of the spending cuts in the compromise plan would occur before 2014.

MONEY MARKET FUNDS, CDs

A downgrade would not force money-market funds to sell their Treasurys, so they should remain stable. Although these funds are required to own only high-quality securities, a downgrade wouldn't force an immediate sell-off.

The problem for retirees and others who depend on fixed income from these investments is that their returns continue to be meager. Even the best rates available nationally barely top 1 percent for a money-market fund or a one-year CD and are only 1.8 percent for a three-CD, according to Bankrate. That scenario isn't likely to change much in the near future, even if higher interest rates ultimately are coming.

"Retirees would love to have CDs that pay 3 percent or more," said Rob Russell, president of Dayton, Ohio-based investment firm Russell & Co. But the other side of that, he said, is that consumer loans will be considerably costlier once that happens.

TAXES

The legislation that congressional leaders agreed on does not include automatic federal tax increases. But the Bush tax cuts, extended once already, expire in 2013. Unless extended again, taxes would rise.

State and local taxes, as noted, also could be bumped higher as governments cope with the reality of less money available from Washington.

UNEMPLOYMENT

The deficit deal leaves out extended unemployment benefits for victims of the recession. President Barack Obama had pushed to extend them beyond their scheduled expiration next January.

With spending restricted, the government also would have less available to pump into programs directly aimed at creating jobs to stimulate the economy.

Passage would send the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature just hours before the deadline for a potential first-ever government default.

Associated PressSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., steps out of a closed-door meeting with other senators to take a phone call, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote at noon on Tuesday on a historic measure pairing an increase in the government's borrowing limit with promises of more than $2 trillion of budget cuts over the next decade.

Passage would send the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature just hours before the deadline for a potential first-ever government default.

The House passed the bill by a 269-161 vote Monday night. It links an increase of at least $2.1 trillion in the government's borrowing limit with the promise of an equal level of spending cuts over the coming decade.

It will take 60 votes to pass the measure Tuesday under an agreement between Senate leaders.

The 3 main ratings agencies declined to comment on the prospect of future downgrades, but the agencies have signaled that doubts about the nation's debt will persist. Watch video

By MATTHEW CRAFT and PALLAVI GOGOI | AP Business Writers

Associated PressHouse Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Aug. 1, 2011, to discuss the debt ceiling legislation. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

NEW YORK (AP) — Even if Congress approves a deal to raise the federal government's debt ceiling, the U.S. could still lose its coveted AAA debt rating sometime in the next six months, largely because the proposed agreement does not cut enough spending.

The three main ratings agencies declined to comment Monday on the prospect of future downgrades. But the agencies, along with economists and analysts, have signaled that doubts about the nation's debt will persist.

Moody's Investors Services has said it will probably rate the U.S. debt as AAA for now but with a negative outlook — a rating that indicates a possible downgrade yet to come.

Fitch Ratings has indicated the deficit must be reduced to a "more sustainable level" for the U.S. to maintain its AAA rating. And Standard & Poor's has said any deal to raise the debt ceiling must cut at least $4 trillion from future budget deficits or the rating will probably be lowered to AA.

The proposal crafted by President Barack Obama and congressional leaders cuts only about half that amount, which led at least one expert to suggest that S&P could still downgrade the rating as early as next month.

"The details (of the deal) don't look as pretty as the headlines," said Guy LeBas, chief fixed income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott.

Ratings agencies probably won't look favorably on the fact that most of the spending cuts in the current plan won't be made until after 2013, LeBas said.

"That means you're waiting longer to do the saving, and you would have accumulated more debt," LeBas said. And if the deal is passed, but only by a slim margin, it might indicate to the rating agencies that lawmakers "will reverse or water down the measures" in the future. Both could be the catalyst for a downgrade, he said.

Avalon Partners chief economist Peter Cardillo believes there is a 70 percent chance of the U.S. being downgraded to a AA credit rating within the next six months, as more details of the spending cuts emerge.

But both Cardillo and LeBas said a downgrade — once considered highly unlikely and catastrophic — might not be that bad for the U.S.

A credit rating downgrade usually leads to higher interest rates, said Kim Caughey-Forrest, senior stock research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group. That would make it more expensive for governments, companies and consumers to borrow money. The 10-year Treasury note is considered the floor for all other interest rates, so higher rates could raise borrowing costs on everything from mortgage loans to credit cards.

But the conventional wisdom that rates will rise sharply on a downgrade might not hold up. A study released last week by JPMorgan Chase bond strategists points to a more gradual increase.

The study showed just a slight increase in lending rates when countries lose their AAA rating. In May 1998, S&P knocked Belgium, Italy and Spain from AAA to AA. A week later, 10-year rates had barely budged. In some cases, rates actually fell. A week after S&P took Ireland's AAA rating away in March 2009, 10-year rates in that country fell 0.18 percentage points.

Analysts and bond traders are not convinced rates will rise much if the U.S. loses its AAA rating. Caughey-Forrest and others note the recent high demand — and the resulting falling yield — for Treasurys.

Global investors still consider U.S. debt one of the safest investments. Many mutual funds, money market funds and banks find U.S. debt so safe they hold Treasurys as a proxy for cash. And they've continued to do so, despite the threat of a debt default and a downgrade.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was at or below 3 percent in July and dropped to 2.75 percent on Monday, an eight-month low.

A downgrade could spur a "quick jolt of nervous, knee-jerk selling" of bonds, LeBas said. Some money-market funds could be forced to sell U.S. government debt if they require client money to be invested in only AAA-rated debt. The combination would likely cause yields on Treasurys to rise in the short term, said Brad Hintz of Bernstein Research.

LeBas expects yields on 10-year Treasurys to jump above 3.5 percent this year — not a level traders consider to be a significant increase. When the recession began in December 2007, yields were as high as 4.20 percent.

But Hintz, LeBas and others said demand for Treasurys will return quickly, sending yields back down.

"A downgrade won't frighten foreign buyers away because this is the largest market and there's no other place to go," Cardillo said.

Treasurys have a solid appeal for the world's central banks. China's central bank holds an estimated $1.16 trillion. Japan, the second largest foreign owner, holds $912 billion.

And at $9.3 trillion, the U.S. government bond market is massive compared to other countries. Treasurys are also considered the easiest security to buy and sell quickly. Daily trading of Treasurys runs at $580 billion, far higher than British gilts ($34 billion) or German bunds ($28 billion), according to a recent study by Fitch.

"I think no matter what happens, Treasurys are the safe haven," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG in New York. "No other market is as large or as liquid."

House and Senate lawmakers had previously approved the measure suspending the state's 6.25 percent sales tax on just about anything sold for less than $2,500.

Associated PressMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signs the 2012 fiscal year budget in his office at the Statehouse in Boston, Monday morning, July 11, 2011. Looking on are Lt Gov. Timothy Murray, right, and Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

BOSTON — Shoppers looking for a deal can begin plotting their purchases for the weekend of Aug. 13-14.

Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a bill creating another sales tax holiday in Massachusetts.

House and Senate lawmakers had previously approved the measure suspending the state's 6.25 percent sales tax on just about anything sold for less than $2,500.

Retailers say the holiday boosts sales during a slow time of year, and helps families make much-needed purchases.

Critics of the holiday say it costs the state an estimated $20 million in tax revenue that could be used to fund services already facing cuts.

This will be the state's seventh tax holiday in the past eight years.

Bell was found guilty of killing Julie Ann Nieves, his ex-girlfriend's mother, by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire.

File photo | The RepublicanThis Jan. 8, 2007 photo shows the home at 11 Warner St., Springfield, where a gasoline-fueled fire took the life of Julie Ann Nieves, 49.

The highest court in Massachusetts has overturned the first-degree felony murder conviction of a man who was found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend's mother by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire.

Lastarandre Bell, of Springfield, was convicted in 2008 in the death of Julie Ann Nieves. Bell had dated Nieves' daughter.

Bell was convicted of felony murder in the first-degree based on a charge of armed home invasion. He was also convicted of arson.

On Monday, the Supreme Judicial Court reversed Bell's first-degree felony murder conviction. The court found that the judge should have given the jury instructions on second-degree felony murder based on the arson charge. The court said prosecutors may choose to agree to the lesser conviction or may re-try Bell.

» From the archives: Lastarandre convicted of 1st degree murder

Grossman said Cash WinFall will be phased out next spring.

BOSTON – The state Treasurer has put a limit on the number of tickets for one particular lottery game stores can sell per day following a report that sophisticated gamblers were buying hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of tickets virtually guaranteeing them of turning a profit.

Treasurer Steven Grossman said Monday stores can sell a maximum of $5,000 worth of Cash WinFall tickets in a single day.

He also said the game, which has seen declining sales since it was introduced in 2004, will be phased out next spring.

Grossman acted following a report in the Boston Sunday Globe that said sophisticated gamblers had found a quirk in Cash WinFall’s rules that virtually guarantees them a profit if they buy more than $100,000 worth of tickets at certain times of the year.

And two Franklin County businesses' licenses were suspended following accusations they broke the rules to help a Michigan couple take advantage of the quirk.

Police said speed was a factor in the Monday morning crash.

08.01.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Firefighters used a winch to pull a Ford Explorer off an electrical transformer before they could use the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver, who suffered life threatening injuries. Springfield Fire Department photo by Dennis Leger

SPRINGFIELD – A 62-year-old city man, critically injured Monday morning in a single-vehicle crash at State Street and St. James Avenue, has since died from his injuries at Baystate Medical Center, a spokesman said.

The accident occurred about 4:15 a.m. as Francisco Sanchez, traveling east on State Street at a high rate of speed, attempted to take a left onto St. James Avenue, police said. The vehicle, a Ford Explorer, turned into the wrong side of the traffic island, jumped the curb and crashed into an iron fence and electric transformer box.

Preliminary police reports indicated the Ford Explorer came to rest up against the transformer box, trapping the driver inside the SUV as wires sparked outside the vehicle. Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said firefighters required the Jaws of Life to extricate the victim from the vehicle.

Sanchez lived on Queen Street.

Police said George Murphy, despondent over a breakup with his girlfriend, had threatened to kill himself or anyone who entered the home the Wards were allowing him to use

File photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanA judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Carol and Robert Ward of Granby saying that their house at 95 Cold Hill Road, seen here, was damaged by state police during an armed standoff in 2005.

NORTHAMPTON – A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the state filed by a Granby couple who said state police were negligent when they severely damaged their home during a standoff with a handyman.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported Tuesday that a Superior Court judge ruled police were acting within their official duties when officers fired 92 rounds of tear gas into Robert and Carol Ward’s home in December 2005. The episode was an effort to flush out George Murphy during a nine-hour standoff.

Police said Murphy, despondent over a breakup with his girlfriend, had threatened to kill himself or anyone who entered the home. The Wards were on vacation but had allowed Murphy to stay at the house.

The Wards said their home was uninhabitable. Their insurance covered more than $500,000 of the damage.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Maurice H. Pease

MIDDLEFIELD - Maurice H. Pease, 79, died Sunday, at home. He was born in Westfield on April 3, 1932 to the late Willard and Hazel (Candee) Pease. He grew up in Chester and was a graduate of Chester High School. He attended the former Lenox School for Boys, received a bachelor of arts degree from American International College in Springfield and his master's degree from the University of New York at Albany. He owned and operated Blue Heaven Blueberry Farm in Middlefield for the past 51 years. He was a U.S Navy veteran. He was a member of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, Hampden County Chapter, and was member of Massachusetts Blueberry Association. He was a past master of the Huntington Federal Lodge in Russell, Evening Star Royal Arch Chapter, in Westfield. He was a member of Melha Shrine Temple in Springfield and received the Legion of Honor from the Berkshire Shrine Club. He was also a volunteer at Noble Hospital in Westfield. He served in many capacities in Middlefield town government, including being the assessor, on the Finance Committee, Planning Board and chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals. He was treasurer of Middlefield volunteer Fire Department, a member of the Middlefield Men's Club and Chester High School Alumni Association. He taught business accounting at West Springfield High School for 28 years. He was also a lift operator and manager of Springfield Ski Club in Blandford.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Abert, Fedora M. "Faye" (Benedetti)
  




• 
  Brothers, Francis M.
  



• 
  Burkhart, Susan M.




• 
  Burnett, Jane S.
  



• 
  Carestia, Raymond G.
  




• Charette, Gene A. "Joe"
  




• 
  Dickinson, Meryl (Hopkinson)
  



• 
  Geurrandeno, Joseph T. "Big Joe"




• 
  Gould, Bernice E.
  



• 
  Goulet, Lillian R.
  




• Greaney, Mary
  




• 
  Hoxsie M.D., Russell Sherman
  



• 
  Jackson-Rowley, Sonya




• 
  Lang III, Arthur E. "Arty"
  



• 
  Lascala, Gloria M. (Brown)
  




• Lewis, Barbara J. (Poole)
  




• 
  Mamuszka, Rose M. (Sitarz)
  



• 
  Mandez, Ramona




• 
  McConkey, Ellen B. (Kaboray)
  



• 
  Mead, Fred
  




• Mondoux, Stella (Cormier)
  




• 
  Noel, George E.
  



• 
  Pease, Maurice H.




• 
  Roberts, Alice L. (Audren)
  



• 
  Rozicer, John E.
  




• Skrabely Sr., Frederick J.
  

The two were originally charged with home invasion, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison upon conviction.

Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty III.

NORTHAMPTON – Two Springfield men who broke into a South Hadley home and robbed the occupants at gunpoint were sentenced to state prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to the resulting charges.

Daniel Chandler, 26, and Jeremy Gervais, 22, both pled guilty to two charges of armed robbery and a single count of breaking and entering in the nighttime to commit a felony in connection with the Jan. 14, 2010 incident. According to prosecutor Steven Gagne, the two men broke into an apartment on Lyman Street in the early hours of the morning intending to steal cash and drugs from the occupant, Steven Rondeau. Rondeau was not home at the time, however, but his 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter were. Also at the apartment was Ernesto Ayala, 18.

In his summary of the evidence, Gagne said Gervais and Chandler turned on the lights, waking up the two children. They then held guns on Rondeau's son and Ayala while stealing a flat-screen television, laptop computer, electronic gaming device and other items. Police arrested Gervais later that day and Chandler a few days afterwards, Gagne said.

The two were originally charged with home invasion, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison upon conviction, and armed burglary, which has a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence. The Northwestern District Attorney’s office brought the new charges without going to a grand jury and Chandler and Gervais pled guilty to them. Chandler will serve 8-10 years in prison. Gervais’ sentence is 8-9 years.

Gagne told Hampshire Superior Court Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty III that his office would have been justified seeking the greater sentences but brought the new charges after weighing the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence. Specifically, Gagne said a cooperating witness, the woman who drove the car to the crime scene for the defendants, has given conflicting accounts of the events.

Tanya Nitri, the witness, is still facing home invasion and armed burglary charges as a joint venturer in the crimes. Her case is still pending.

John Drake, who represents Chandler, and Jonah Goldsmith, the lawyer for Gervais, both told Moriarty that their clients are ready to give up their “street ways.”

The suspect attempted to flee on foot and was arrested after a brief struggle.

Paul Lumpkin

SPRINGFIELD – Police said they arrested a 28-year-old Belmont Avenue man after spotting him breaking into a Saab in the South End early Tuesday.

Officers Jose Canini and Daniel Billingsley spotted the suspect breaking into the car on Margaret Street, he attempted to hide behind and then fled on foot, Sgt. John M. Delaney said. Police arrested Paul Lumpkin, of 228 Belmont Ave., on Main Street after after a brief chase and struggle.

Lumpkin was charged with breaking and entering into a motor vehicle and resisting arrest, Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

Now that both the House and the Senate have passed the bill, it goes to President Obama for expected approval.

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a last-minute compromise plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling, which will impose sweeping new spending cuts and will narrowly avert an unprecedented national default, CNN reported Tuesday afternoon.

"The House of Representatives approved the measure Monday by a 269-161 vote, overcoming opposition from liberal Democrats and tea party Republicans. Passage in the Senate required a supermajority of 60 votes," CNN said.

According to the Washington Post, approval would send the measure to President Obama and immediately grant the Treasury $400 billion in additional borrowing authority, just hours before a midnight deadline.

"The measure was approved by a vote of 74 to 26. It now goes to President Obama to be signed into law, giving the government the money to pay its bills ahead of a midnight deadline," the Post said.

More details as they become available.

Police apprehended the suspect in Gloucester early Sunday.

NORTHAMPTON - A Hampshire County Grand Jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging a 51-year-old Southampton man with attempting to burn down an East Street home in that town last weekend.

Jonathan Francis White is expected to be arraigned in Hampshire Superior Court on Wednesday, according to a release issued by Mary Carey, communications director for the Northwestern District Attorney’s office.

An investigation by local police and fire officials and troopers from the state Fire Marshall’s office determined that a natural gas line had been left open inside the residence at 3 East Street which allowed gas to accumulate inside. An aerosol can of starting fluid had been left in a microwave oven programmed to start via a timer, according to the release.

White was apprehended in Gloucester over the weekend and pleaded not guilty in to attempted arson of a dwelling in Hampshire District Court on Monday. He is currently held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Russo.

Both U.S. senators for Massachusetts voted in favor of the bipartisan debt limit bill, one day after both congressmen representing Western Massachusetts voted no.

File photo by Brian TedderHeather Bish is seen during a vigil in 2009 for her late sister, Warren lifeguard Molly Bish. Click on the link, above right, for a report from WBZ radio in Boston about how Heather Bish has offered support to the family of 11-year-old Celina Cass of New Hampshire, whose body was found Monday.

• Sister of late Warren lifeguard Molly Bish, lends support to family of Celina Cass, found dead in New Hampshire (audio) [CBS Boston.com]


• Massachusetts Democrats criticize President Obama for giving in to Republicans in debt-ceiling debate [Boston Herald]


• Massachusetts' senators vote 'yes,' Western Massachusetts congressmen vote 'no' on debt-ceiling compromise [WWLP-TV, 22 News, Springfield]


• Big Dig engineer reportedly fired over ceiling light fixture controversy [Boston Globe]


• Vermont man, acquitted of 2002 murder, now admits role (photo gallery) [Burlington Free Press]


• Family of Springfield murder victim Julie Ann Nieves speaks out after murder conviction overturned [WSHM-TV, CBS3, Springfield]


• Kitten fights to survive after being thrown from moving car in New Hampshire [WFXT-TV, Channel 25, Boston]


• Cop hit by speeding car, chases down suspect (video) [Herald Sun of England]



Officer flung in the air after being hit by stolen car, chases suspect: MyFoxBOSTON.com

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


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The president spoke shortly after the Senate passed the bill to raise the debt ceiling.

This is an updated version of a 12:39 posting.

Associated Press photoPresident Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, following the Senate's passing of the debt ceiling agreement.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the emergency bill Congress passed to prevent a government default is just the first step to ensuring the country lives within its means.

Speaking in the Rose Garden, Obama said lawmakers still need to find a balanced approach to reducing the deficit that includes some adjustments to Medicare and reforming the tax code so the wealthy pay more.

Obama spoke shortly after the Senate passed the bill to raise the debt ceiling and avert a potentially catastrophic default. The House approved the bill Monday.

The White House said Obama will sign the bill as soon as it lands on his desk.

The resulting compromise paired an essential increase in the government's borrowing cap with promises of more than $2 trillion of budget cuts over the next decade.

Associated Press photoSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, center, accompanied by fellow Senate Democratic leaders, takes part in a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, after final passage of the emergency legislation to prevent a default on government debt obligations. From left are, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Reid, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

WASHINGTON — The Senate emphatically passed emergency legislation Tuesday to avoid a first-ever government default, rushing the legislation to President Barack Obama for his signature just hours before the deadline. The vote was 74-26.

Obama signed the bill little more than an hour later.

Tuesday's vote capped an extraordinarily difficult Washington battle pitting tea party Republican forces in the House against Obama and Democrats controlling the Senate. The resulting compromise paired an essential increase in the government's borrowing cap with promises of more than $2 trillion of budget cuts over the next decade.

"It's an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means," Obama said after the vote. "This is, however, just the first step. This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan to cut the deficit."

Much of the measure, which the House passed Monday night, was negotiated on terms set by House Speaker John Boehner, including a demand that any increase in the nation's borrowing cap be matched by spending cuts. But the legislation also meets demands made by Obama, including debt-limit increases large enough to keep the government funded into 2013 and curbs on growth of the Pentagon budget.

"We've had to settle for less than we wanted, but what we've achieved is in no way insignificant," said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "But I think it was the view of those in my party that we'd try to get as much spending cuts as we could from a government we didn't control. And that's what we've done with this bipartisan agreement."

Many supporters of the legislation lamented what they saw as flaws and the intense partisanship from which it was forged. In the end, it was a lowest-common-denominators approach that puts off tough decisions on tax increases and cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare.

"What troubles me about it is that the bipartisan compromise also represents a kind of bipartisan agreement by each party to yield to the other party's most politically and ideologically sensitive priority," said Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn. "In the case of Democrats, it's to protect entitlement spending. ... In the case of Republicans, it's to not raise taxes."

The measure would provide an immediate $400 billion increase in the $14.3 trillion U.S. borrowing cap, with $500 billion more assured this fall. That $900 billion would be matched by cuts to agency budgets over the next 10 years.

The Senate vote was never in doubt after Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and McConnell signed on. But like Monday's House vote, defections came from liberal Democrats unhappy that Obama gave too much ground in the talks, as well as from conservative Republicans who said the measure would barely dent deficits that require the government to borrow more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends.

"This is a time for us to make tough choices as compared to kick the can down the road one more time," said freshman GOP Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas.

The measure sets up a fall drama that promises to again test the ability of Obama and Republicans to work cooperatively. It establishes a special bipartisan committee to draft legislation to find up to $1.5 trillion more in deficit cuts for a vote later this year. They're likely to come from such programs as federal retirement benefits, farm subsidies, Medicare and Medicaid. The savings would be matched by a further increase in the borrowing cap.

There's no guarantee the committee, to be evenly split between the warring parties, will agree on such legislation. But there are powerful incentives to do so because more budget gridlock would trigger a crippling round of automatic cuts across much of the budget, including Pentagon coffers.

And questions linger about the effect the grueling political free-for-all will have on the U.S. credit rating.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told ABC News that he didn't know whether the debt-limit fight would cause America's AAA credit rating to be downgraded. "It's not my judgment to make," he said. Geithner also said he fears world confidence in the United States was damaged by "this spectacle."

Enactment of the measure provides welcome closure for Obama, who has seen his poll numbers sag during the debt-limit battle.

GOP presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann issued statements opposing the legislation.

"As with any compromise, the outcome is far from satisfying," Obama conceded 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."

More details coming in The Republican.

MassLive.com visits damaged areas in Wilbraham, which has now suffered from two devastating storms this summer. Watch video

Nearly two months after a devastating tornado, several Massachusetts communities, including Wilbraham, were struck by another bout of violent weather in the form of tree-blasting microbursts.

One area hit harder by the microbursts than by the tornado was the Country Club of Wilbraham, where half of the property had been ripped apart by falling and uprooted trees.

General Manager Dean Helm took MassLive.com around the site where crews from Northern Tree Service were working to clear massive piles of brush and fallen tree trunks.

Down the street from the Country Club, on Tinkham Road, houses are still covered in blue tarps where falling trees crushed roofs during the June 1 tornado. Residents here told us that compared to that storm, these microbursts were less severe.

At Minnechaug Regional High School a massive brush pile is slowly and steadily depleted by workers from Northern, and the Athletics department is working to re-establish playing fields and sports equipment, which was damaged during the microburst storm and the tornado.

The first hearing will be held Wednesday to look at the 2012 community development grant.

Amherst Town Hall

AMHERST - Town officials will be holding two public hearings to talk about block grant money, the first to hear comments about strategy for 2012 and the second to talk about unspent money from 2009.

On Wednesday the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee and the Planning Board is holding a hearing at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall to hear comments and suggestions from residents regarding the 2012 Community Development Strategy.

The town is eligible again for up to $1 million in money in the so-called mini-entitlement grant component of the block grant program.

The money is given to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which in turn distributes it to eligible communities for qualifying programs.

The grant money has to be used for housing, community development projects and social service activities that help low- and moderate-income people. The strategy is a requirement for the town’s application for funding and helps determine the priority projects and activities to be undertaken by the town and the priority target areas and neighborhoods where projects take place.

The town, meanwhile, has $75,000 remaining from a 2009 grant and wants to hear suggestions about how that money should be spent. That hearing is slated for Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall.

Officials have been talking about combining funds with other sources to buy property for affordable housing; funding for pre-development of the 42 affordable units at Olympia Oaks; conducting a feasibility study that would look at converting the North Amherst School into a permanent shelter or enhanced single room occupancy housing, funding for design and predevelopment of the proposed new Amherst Survival Center and removing the barrier at the playground at Crocker Farm Elementary School.

The Survival Center has purchased the former Rooster’s Restaurant and is in the quiet phase of fund-raising. It is currently now located at the North Amherst School.

Kathleen and Martin Tessier were killed in the July 7 crash.

HOLYOKE - Police are seeking vehicular homicide charges against a Huntington woman after a July 7 head-on collision on Route 202 killed an Easthampton couple, a lieutenant said Tuesday.

Andrea E. Waldo, 23, of 25 Russell Road, Huntington, will be charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by negligent operation and one count of failure to stay in a marked lane if a Holyoke District Court clerk grants the police request. Waldo will be summoned to court for a show-cause hearing, Lt. Michael J. McCoy said.

Waldo was driving a 1994 Ford Explorer that struck a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, killing Kathleen Tessier, 46, who was driving, and Martin Tessier, 47, both of 15 Lawson Drive, Easthampton, police said.

Alcohol and illegal drugs weren't factors in the accident, McCoy said.

Also, he said, the state police accident reconstruction team is still working on the case and it was unclear if Waldo and the Tessiers were wearing seat belts.

The late-afternoon accident occurred as Waldo drove west on Route 202. A witness told investigators that Waldo’s vehicle swerved to the right and then to the left where it crossed the double line and crashed into the Tessiers’ vehicle, police said.

The accident occured west of Homestead Avenue on the stretch of Route
202 between the Ashley and McLean reservoirs, police said.

This is a developing story; it will be updated later this evening.

Republican file photo