Town meeting will consider two request for funding this fall for the Gateway project.

File photo / The RepublicanUniversity of Massachusetts Chancellor Robert C. Holub, left, former Amherst Town Manager Laurence C. Shaffer, center, and Amherst Redevelopment Authority chairman John W. Coull shake hands after signing the Gateway Redevelopment Project agreement.

AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts will not be recommending that a parcel of land once seen as a catalyst to development of the Gateway Project but will continue to participate in the project.

Town officials, meanwhile, will be asking Town Meeting this fall to fund a marketing study and for a consultant to draft some language for zoning that would be appropriate for the site that would link the downtown and UMass.

Despite the UMass decision, “there’s a lot of positive momentum,” for the project, said Town Manager John P. Musante said. “The parcel is less of a catalyst than it might have been perceived to be.”

Last year, UMass and the town signed a memorandum of understanding that UMass would recommend that the 2.1 acre parcel of what was once frat row be transferred to the town once a vision and plan were created for the area. The state Legislature would have had to approve that transfer. The understanding was that private student housing would be part of a mixed use project.

But after meeting with neighbors who strongly opposed any new student housing, consultants showcased a vision that included housing but for faculty and retirees, not undergraduates.

UMass deputy chancellor Todd A. Diacon said UMass decided not to proceed with recommending the transfer because the consultant’s vision moved the heart of the project away from the parcel of UMass land toward Kendrick Park. Also with the building of the new Commonwealth College dormitory that will provide about 1,500 beds, they don’t need more student housing now. That project was created after UMass had signed the memorandum agreement with the town.

But he said, “We can be full participants in the Gateway process without advocating for the transfer of the land. Gateway can thrive and proceed with participation from UMass.”

He said UMass has no plans to develop the land within the next five years and will landscape the property into a park like setting. It will also pay for a traffic study that will look at the how the Gateway project would effect traffic in the neighborhood. That study will be done by December, he said.

The project is still attractive to the university because it would provide housing for faculty and graduate students as well as bring in the kinds of shops they are looking for, Diacon said.

“We’re appreciative they’re continuing to partner with us on this project,” Musante said.

Musante said the marketing study would look at the economic impact of the project. He expects that hiring consultants for both zoning and marketing would cost less than $80,000 for both.

This move in San Francisco drew comparisons to when Egypt shut down the internet to squelch protests there and is the first documented time such a tactic has been used in America.

FILE - Commuters enter and exit a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in San Francisco's financial district in this Sept. 15, 1997 file photo. Officials with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, better known as BART, said Friday Aug. 12, 2011 that they blocked cellphone reception in San Francisco train stations for three hours to disrupt planned demonstrations over a police shooting. (AP Photo/Robin Weiner, File)

By PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Transit officials blocked cellphone reception in San Francisco train stations for three hours to disrupt planned demonstrations over a police shooting.

Officials with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, better known as BART, said Friday that they turned off electricity to cellular towers in four stations from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. The move was made after BART learned that protesters planned to use mobile devices to coordinate a demonstration on train platforms.

The tactic drew comparisons to those used by the former president of Egypt to squelch protests demanding an end to his authoritarian rule. Authorities there cut Internet and cellphone services in the country for days earlier this year.

"BART officials are showing themselves to be of a mind with the former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak," the Electronic Frontier Foundation said on its website.

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the tactic, saying on its blog that it was the "wrong response to political protests."

BART officials were confident the cellphone disruptions were legal. They said in a statement that it's illegal to demonstrate on the platform or aboard the trains, and that it has set aside special areas for demonstrations.

The demonstration planned Thursday failed to develop. "We had a commute that was safe and without disruption," said BART spokesman Jim Allison.

The demonstrators were protesting the July 3 shooting of Charles Blair Hill by BART police, who claimed Hill came at them with a knife. Several people were arrested when a July 11 demonstration disrupted service during the rush-hour commute and prompted the closing of BART's Civic Center station.

A federal appeals panel's ruling striking down the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul moves the question of whether Americans can be required to buy health insurance a step closer to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In this March 23, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. A federal appeals court panel struck down the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health care insurance or face penalties. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal appeals panel's ruling striking down the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul moves the question of whether Americans can be required to buy health insurance a step closer to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Congress overstepped its authority when lawmakers passed the so-called individual mandate, the first such decision by a federal appeals court. It's a stinging blow to Obama's signature legislative achievement, as many experts agree the requirement that Americans carry health insurance — or face tax penalties — is the foundation for other parts of the law and key to paying for it.

Administration officials said they are confident the ruling will not stand. The Justice Department can ask the full 11th Circuit to review the panel's ruling and will also likely appeal to the Supreme Court.

Legal observers long expected the case would ultimately land in the high court, but experts said Friday's ruling could finally force the justices to take the case.

"There needs to be a pronouncement that's nationwide," said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. "It would be almost impossible to implement it if we have splintered decisions from different geographic circuits. The Supreme Court may feel now it has to take it."

J. Peter Rich, a Los Angeles-based health care attorney, said the Supreme Court had never weighed in on an issue such as the provision requiring individuals to buy health insurance.

"They have never ruled on this specific issue," he said. "This really is a case of first impression, although the Obama administration may try to argue otherwise."

Rich said it's not unconstitutional for individual states to have such requirements, noting that Massachusetts has a similar law in place. However, the high court has yet to weigh in on whether a federal requirement passes muster.

In the Atlanta ruling, Chief Judge Joel Dubina and Circuit Judge Frank Hull found in a 207-page opinion that lawmakers cannot require people to "enter into contracts with private insurance companies for the purchase of an expensive product from the time they are born until the time they die."

In a lengthy dissent, Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus accused the majority of ignoring the "undeniable fact that Congress' commerce power has grown exponentially over the past two centuries." He wrote that Congress generally has the constitutional authority to create rules regulating large areas of the national economy.

Dubina was tapped by former President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, while Hull and Marcus were picks of former Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The White House argued the legislative branch was using a "quintessential" power — its constitutional ability to regulate interstate commerce, including the health care industry — when it passed the overhaul law.

"Individuals who choose to go without health insurance are making an economic decision that affects all of us — when people without insurance obtain health care they cannot pay for, those with insurance and taxpayers are often left to pick up the tab," said White House adviser Stephanie Cutter.

The 11th Circuit's ruling, which sided with 26 states that had sued to stop the law from taking effect, is the latest contradictory judicial opinion on the health care debate. The federal appeals court in Cincinnati upheld the individual mandate in June, and an appeals court in Richmond has heard similar challenges to the law. Several lower court judges have also issued differing opinions on the debate.

It's the latest hit the president's taken in what's been a rough month that's included humiliating blows on both the economy and in Afghanistan, while polls show deteriorating public support for both him and Congress.

Obama has been criticized by his Democratic base for his failures, which include dropping his push for tax increases as part of last week's compromise to raise the government's debt ceiling and his inability to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire at the end of last year.

The Atlanta-based court is considered by many observers to be the most pivotal legal battleground yet because it reviewed a sweeping ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, a Republican appointee from Florida who not only struck down the individual mandate but threw out other provisions ranging from Medicare discounts for some seniors to a change that allows adult children up to age 26 to remain on their parents' coverage.

His reasoning was that the insurance requirement was "inextricably bound together" with the rest of the law, but the 11th Circuit concluded Vinson went too far. The panel's ruling noted that the "lion's share of the act has nothing to do with private insurance, much less the mandate that individuals buy insurance."

The provision requiring all Americans to carry health insurance or face a tax penalty has been at the center of the legal debate. The law does not allow insurers to turn away the sick or charge them outrageous premiums. To cover their health care costs, others — particularly the young and healthy — will need to pay premiums to keep costs from skyrocketing. The potential tax penalties are meant to ensure they will do so.

The Obama Administration also has a little-known fallback if it loses the court battle. The government can borrow a strategy that Medicare uses to compel consumers to sign up for insurance.

Medicare's "Part B" coverage for doctor visits carries its own monthly premium. Yet more than nine in 10 seniors sign up. The reason: Those who opt out when they first become eligible face a lifelong tax penalty that escalates the longer they wait.

The key difference is that the Medicare law doesn't require that seniors buy the Part B coverage. Experts say Obama's overhaul could also be changed in a similar fashion.

The challenging states had urged the 11th Circuit to uphold Vinson's ruling, saying in a court filing that letting the law stand would set a troubling precedent that "would imperil individual liberty, render Congress's other enumerated powers superfluous, and allow Congress to usurp the general police power reserved to the states."

The Justice Department countered that Congress had the power to require most people to buy health insurance or face tax penalties because Congress can regulate businesses that operate across state lines, including health care providers.

The reaction was swift and celebratory from the states that filed the lawsuit.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette called the decision a "huge victory in the fight to protect the freedom of American citizens from the long arm of the federal government." Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange called it a "monumental case" for individual liberty. And Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott declared: "'Obamacare' is closer to an end."

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement late Friday declaring that states had "prevailed in preventing Congress from infringing on the individual liberty protected by the U.S. Constitution."

A separate legal ruling Friday also buoyed critics of the law. The Ohio Supreme Court appeared to clear the way for voters there to decide whether to reject parts of the health care law in November with a unanimous ruling that rejected a liberal policy group's challenge of the so-called Health Care Freedom Amendment.

But the administration did get a small dose of good news Friday. The federal appeals court in San Francisco found that a former California lawmaker and a legal foundation could not file another challenge on the overhaul.

The 11th Circuit's ruling didn't come as a complete surprise. During oral arguments in June, each of the three judges repeatedly raised questions about the overhaul and expressed unease with the insurance requirement. And each judge worried aloud if upholding the landmark law could open the door to Congress adopting other sweeping economic mandates.

The arguments took place in what's considered one of the nation's most conservative appeals courts, but the randomly selected panel represents different judicial perspectives.

None of the three is considered either a stalwart conservative or an unfaltering liberal, but observers were quick to point out that the decisive vote came from a Democrat appointee: Hull, a former federal judge in Atlanta.

___

Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington contributed to this report.

Personal information for about 77 million customers of Sony’s PlayStation network was stolen in April.

FILE - In this Monday, May 31 2011 file frame grab of the PBS website, as PBS officials confirmed its official Twitter account that the website had been hacked. (AP Photo, File)

AMHERST – Cyber security is a cat-and-mouse game, with hackers trying to get the upper hand on Web businesses, and those businesses trying to hold on to it.

However, a rash of recent security breaches, in which personal information for tens of millions of customers was stolen from multiple sites, make it appear hackers may have gained the temporary advantage.

Can consumers still feel confident when they bank or buy online?

“Hackers are already incredibly sophisticated. On the other hand, most high-profile online commerce and banking sites take the appropriate steps to make it quite difficult for hackers,” says Emery D. Berger, a professor of computer science at the University of Massachusetts.

“For example, if all data is stored in encrypted form, hackers can do little with the data, even if they steal it all,” he said.

Not all businesses do that, though.

“There has been a spate of cases where companies were compromised, and it turned out that they were not encrypting passwords or other sensitive data,” Berger said.

Among the most notable cases was the theft in April of personal information for about 77 million customers of Sony’s PlayStation network. While credit-card data was encrypted, other personal data was not. Sony acknowledged that such things as customer names, home addresses, billing addresses, passwords and birth dates were stolen.

In May, hackers stole about $2.7 million from some 3,400 Citigroup accounts. And earlier this year, hacker groups reportedly victimized Fox.com, PBS, NATO, the CIA, Bank of America and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

With trust that websites can fend off such attacks in question, what should consumers be doing to protect themselves?

“There’s some basic common sense, including not clicking on random links, keeping your system up-to-date with the latest (security) patches, and not opening attachments” sent to you in emails, Berger said.

You should also avoid doing such things as banking and shopping using shared connections in such settings as WIFI cafes, since hackers have ways to detect the usernames and passwords you’re typing to go on those sites. Better to save any surfing that you don’t want others to do with you for home and a secure, unshared connection.

And, avoid shared machines, Berger cautions.

“Never do anything secure (that requires a password) on a shared machine if you can possibly avoid it. It is easy to install ‘keyloggers’ that can store and forward every single character you type,” he said.

“Another very good idea is to use strong, unique passwords for any websites where you access mail, Facebook, banking, etc.,” he said. “This is a pain to do manually, but there are some nice password managers that make this painless. I use LastPass, and recommend it.”

For more information:

• How to protect yourself online [FCC]
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Protecting yourself online [sec.gov]

President Barack Obama says people are frustrated by the partisanship that has gridlocked Washington and he wants them to tell lawmakers they must compromise for the sake of the country.

In this photo taken Aug. 11, 2011, President Barack Obama walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at the airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., en route to New York. In his weekly radio address Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, Obama listed several initiatives he's pushing, including trade deals, improvements to the patent system, and extension of a cut in tax that workers pay to fund Social Security. "These are things we can do right now. So let's do them, " he said. Beginning Monday he will repeat his economic message during a three-day Midwestern bus tour. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says people are frustrated by the partisanship that has gridlocked Washington and he wants them to tell lawmakers they must compromise for the sake of the country.

The president used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to try to position himself on the side of the public and against a Congress with abysmal approval ratings after the bitter fight over increasing the nation's borrowing limit.

Obama's approval ratings aren't so good either. But the president clearly sees a need to direct the public's anger toward Congress or risk being the target himself as the 2012 campaign revs up.

"You've got a right to be frustrated," the president said. "I am. Because you deserve better. I don't think it's too much for you to expect that the people you send to this town start delivering."

"Members of Congress are at home in their districts right now. And if you agree with me — whether you're a Democrat or a Republican or not much of a fan of either — let them know."

In this April 26, 2011, file photo Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., enters a news conference in Philadelphia. Republicans used their weekly radio address Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, to criticize President Barack Obama on the economy, particularly government regulations. Toomey, one of the lawmakers newly appointed to the congressional panel assigned to develop recommendations to cut the debt, said "Clearly the policies of this administration are not working." "So, what went wrong? Well, a big part of the problem has been job-killing regulations," he said. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

The president listed several initiatives he's pushing, including trade deals, improvements to the patent system and extension of a cut in the tax that workers pay to fund Social Security.

"These are all things we can do right now. So let's do them," said Obama, who will repeat his economic message during a three-day Midwestern bus tour beginning Monday.

Republicans used their weekly address to criticize Obama on the economy, particularly government regulations that Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said burdened businesses and discouraged them from expanding and hiring.

"Clearly, the policies of this administration are not working," said Toomey, one of the lawmakers newly appointed to the congressional panel that's supposed to develop recommendations to cut the debt. "So, what went wrong? Well, a big part of the problem has been job-killing regulations."

Toomey said that America can still thrive, "but first, government has to get out of the way."

Applications are available at the Senior Center at Post Office Park.

File photo by Don Treeger / The ReppublicanThis is a view of the Bredvik house on Echo Hill Rd, Wilbraham, a day after three tornadoes struck Western Massachusetts.

WILBRAHAM - Applications are available in the selectmen’s office and the town’s Senior Center at Post Office Park for those seeking financial assistance to help with losses sustained in the June 1 tornado.

Selectmen Chairman Patrick J. Brady said the gift fund was authorized within days of the tornado.

Monson Savings Bank has partnered with both Wilbraham and Monson to receive donations for each town’s relief fund.

Brady said that gifts to the fund have ranged from the very small to the very large.

Brady said the last he heard there was $50,000 in the fund, but he said donations still are being accepted.

He said the needs of residents in town are greater than $50,000.

There were 237 homes damaged in the tornado, and of those about a dozen were found to be unsafe for habitation, Brady said.

Community groups, businesses and individuals have sold tee shirts, held music events and offered profit sharing from meals, spa treatments and art works to increase the gift fund, Brady said.

Residents who are known to have sustained a loss on June 1, based on the Building Department field inspection list, will receive letters and applications for grants from the fund.

Individuals not receiving an application by mail, but who have incurred a loss from the June 1 storm, are welcome to submit an application for assistance.

Applications are available in person at the selectmen’s office at 240 Springfield Street and at the Senior Center at Post Office Park.

Brady said former Selectman David W. Barry has agreed to chair the Tornado Victim Relief Fund Committee.

“I am pleased Dave Barry is chairing the committee. He is a respected member of the community and is good at listening to people,” Brady said.

Sept. 19 has been set as the deadline to receive all applications, Brady said.

Brady said the committee’s goal is to distribute funds fairly to those with unmet needs from the tornado.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry joined the 2012 GOP race for president Saturday with an announcement sure to reverberate halfway across the country as his rivals competed in Iowa for the support of party activists.

Texas Governor Rick Perry talks with some Alabama legislators before he speaks at the Republican summer dinner Friday, August 12, 2011, Birmingham, Ala. The Texas governor will enter the race for 2012 GOP presidential nomination, Saturday with appearances in South Carolina and New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

By BETH FOUHY & JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writers

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry joined the 2012 GOP race for president Saturday with an announcement sure to reverberate halfway across the country as his rivals competed in Iowa for the support of party activists.

"I full well believe I'm going to win," Perry told South Carolina voters on a conference call about an hour before he planned to kick off the campaign with a speech in Charleston.

In a posting on his new campaign website explaining why he wanted to take on President Barack Obama, Perry contended that "America's place in the world is in peril, not only because of disastrous economic policies, but from the incoherent muddle known as our foreign policy."

Americans, he said, "will not sit back and accept our current misery." He said "a great country requires a better direction" and "a renewed nation requires a new president."

He said people object to an administration "that sees its role as spending our children's inheritance on failed economic theories that have given us record debt and left far too many unemployed, threatening not only our economy, but our security. Our reliance on foreign creditors and sources of energy not only compromises our national sovereignty, but jeopardizes our national future."

His campaign intends to take back the country "from the grips of central planners who would control our health care, spend our treasure and micromanage our businesses."

Perry's speech was set for 1 p.m. EDT at a conservative conference, only a few hours before the release of results from the straw poll in Iowa, the nation's first caucus state. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota are hoping for a boost.

Rick Perry for President buttons are already appearing at the Republicans summer dinner where the Texas Governor is speaking tonight in Birmingham, Ala. on August 12, 2011. The Texas governor is planning to enter the race for 2012 GOP presidential nomination Saturday with appearances in South Carolina and New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

"I have never seen this landslide of emotion for a candidacy. I cannot literally keep up with the emails and messages coming into my cellphone," said Katon Dawson, a former GOP chairman in South Carolina who's a Perry supporter.

"There is an excitement for Gov. Perry that there just isn't around the other candidates."

Perry, 61, was to visit New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, later Saturday before stepping onto Iowa soil Sunday.

The leading GOP candidate so far has been Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor making his second run for the nomination. But no one in the field has managed to raise the kind of enthusiasm among conservatives that seems to surround Perry.

Among the others in the race are former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and businessman Herman Cain.

Through three terms as governor, Perry has overseen significant job growth in his state while working to keep taxes low. He was an early backer of the tea party movement. He enjoys the support of social conservatives because of his opposition to abortion and gay rights. He is also an evangelical Christian who organized a well-attended prayer rally in Houston last week.

Perry is a prodigious fundraiser who has begun laying the groundwork for a national finance network that supporters say would rival President Barack Obama's. Obama is expected to exceed his record $750 million haul from 2008.

But some Republicans worry that Perry's hard-core conservatism and Texas style may not play well in a 50-state contest, particularly so soon after another Texas governor, George W. Bush, served in the White House.

Rick Perry for President buttons are already appearing at the Republicans summer dinner where the Texas Governor is speaking tonight in Birmingham, Ala. on August 12, 2011.The Texas governor is expected to enter the race for 2012 GOP presidential nomination, Saturday with appearances in South Carolina and New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Bush had record low approval ratings when he left office in 2009.

Perry's visit to New Hampshire was to be his first of the year, on the heels of a visit by some state activists to Texas to encourage him to run.

Romney has dominated early polling in New Hampshire, where he has a summer home and has devoted much of his campaigning so far.

___

Fouhy reported from Charleston. Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.

Michael Bardsley says it is more than coincidental that Maryor Mary Clare Higgins’ early departure from office next month will clear the way for David Narkewicz, as council president, to assume her role as mayor for the duration of her term.

Michael Bardsley, left, and David Narkiewicz, right, are candidates to succeed Mary Clare Higgins as mayor of Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – In his bid for mayor, Michael R. Bardsley is stacking many of his chips on convincing voters that he is the outsider trying to change the “business as usual” mode at City Hall and that opponent David J. Narkewicz is the establishment’s anointed one. Narkewicz rejects that mantle, saying he already has a long record of governmental reform on the city council.

Narkewicz, the current city council president, and Bardsley, a former one, will be the only two mayoral candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot. Although their tenures on the council have overlapped, they find themselves at opposite ends of the local political spectrum.

Michael Bardsley

Bardsley has gravitated towards the role of political maverick since casting the sole vote against a proposed zoning overlay district for Smith College in 2006. The district was part of an agreement between Mayor Mary Clare Higgins and Smith College that involved the demolition of some houses in the Green Street area and the construction of a science center for the college. In his council speech on that vote, Bardsley took his colleagues to task for failing to listen to residents of the neighborhood. That move created a rift between him and most of the other councilors, some of whom accused him of grandstanding in preparation for a mayoral run.

Bardsley did run for the office in 2009, losing to Higgins by 344 votes, Higgins’ closest race. The rift between Bardsley and the “establishment” widened during that race as Higgins’ critics became his supporters. As he makes a second bid for the office, Bardsley is still sounding the theme that the decision-making process in Northampton has not been transparent.

“There’s an increasing perception that decisions are made without full public discussion,” he said. “A lot of people feel left out or not fully involved.”

David Narkewicz

Narkewicz, who was elected to the city council in 2005, says he is a proponent of transparency and has the record to prove it.

“I’ve been a leader in the city’s efforts to make government more open and accessible to residents,” he said.

One of his first endeavors in this area was to offer legislation restricting councilors from serving on other regulatory boards, such as the Board of Public Works. He also co-sponsored a proposal that created a Best Practices Committee to come up with recommendations for opening up the decision-making process to more people. In addition, Narkewicz was one of the driving forces behind the current effort to review the city’s charter, a process that, among other topics, is reviewing the balance of power between the mayor and the council.

Bardsley believes several major issues over the past few years illustrate a lack of transparency at City Hall, among them the proposed landfill extension and a hotel project that fell through. In the latter case, Higgins chose a proposal to build a hotel on city-owner land behind Pulaski Park over a commercial development that submitted a higher bid. She said an analysis of the projects showed that the hotel would bring in more taxes over a ten-year period and ultimately be more profitably to the city. Bardsley said he would have opened up the bidding process from the beginning.

“The city has an obligation to let people know what the decision-making process is,” he said.

On the landfill issue, the city backed away from plans to extend the Glendale Road facility into an adjacent site after a majority of voters said they opposed the expansion in a special ballot question. Bardsley was instrumental in putting the question on the ballot. Narkewicz was behind an ordinance that ended discussion of the expansion.

Bardsley says it is more than coincidental that Higgins’ early departure from office next month will clear the way of Narkewicz, as council president, to assume her role as mayor for the duration of her term.

“It’s certainly a convenient thing for him,” he said. “Clearly, he has been groomed and had insiders helping him out.”

Narkewicz is irked by the suggestion. He pointed out that it was his fellow councilors, not Higgins, who elected him council president. Some of those same councilors suggested that Bardsley was setting himself up for a run at mayor by trying to hold onto the post after he had already served eight years as council president. They ousted him by a 6-3 vote in 2008.

For his part, Narkewicz said he has used his time as council president to open its proceedings to the public.

“I’m willing to bet I’ve released more executive session minutes that any other council president before me,” he said.

One day later this month, any resident of the two towns will be able to play a round of golf, and get lunch, for $60.

File photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanMick, left, and Rick Werenski, of South Hadley, are seen participating in the Massachusetts Junior Golf Championship at the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley last month.

SOUTH HADLEY – For golfers who want a taste of the good life, the South Hadley and Granby Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Orchards Golf Club to offer a special “Golf for All” event on August 22 starting at 8 a.m.

On that day, any resident of South Hadley or Granby, or a friend or colleague of a resident, can play a round of golf for $60. A barbecue lunch is included in the price.

“It’s a great deal,” said Tony Giannetti, membership director at The Orchards. Reservations for a tee time must be made as soon as possible by calling Giannetti at (413) 533-1784.

The 160-acre, 18-hole championship course is a members-only, by-invitation-only golf club, with annual fees that range from $2,600 to $3,800.

A round of golf takes about four hours to complete, said Giannetti, so the last tee time on “Golf for All” day will be at 2 p.m.

Part of the proceeds from “Golf for All” will go to charitable projects in South Hadley. The Chamber of Commerce will also hold a 50/50 raffle on the course that day, with the winner getting half the proceeds and the other half going to charity.

The Orchards expects its members to respect golf tradition, including attire. Leave the blue jeans at home, because denim is strictly forbidden. Men must tuck in their shirts, and the shirts must have sleeves and collars. Women’s tops must have collars if they don’t have sleeves, and vice versa.

Get the picture? This is a classy operation.

The millionaire Joseph A. Skinner had The Orchards built in 1922 for his daughter Elizabeth, who attended Mount Holyoke College. Elizabeth loved golf.

Designer of The Orchards golf course was the fabled Donald Ross (1872-1948).

Born in the golf mecca of Scotland, Ross moved to Massachusetts in 1899 and then to Pinehurst, N.C., site of one of his most famous golf courses, in 1900.

He designed more than 400 golf courses in this country, some of which are considered masterpieces by professional golfers.

Contact Giannetti at 413-533-1784 or tgiannetti@palmgolf.com to reserve a tee time.

“We are hoping we will get a lot of people,” said Susan Stockman, director of the South Hadley and Granby Chamber of Commerce.

The former "Nightline" anchor will talk about the fragile state of journalism on Thursday.

Ted Koppel, a former "Nightline" anchor for ABC-TV, will be speaking at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn., Thursday.

HARTFORD – Modernization has brought greater immediacy to journalism, but it has also placed it in a fragile position, says famed “Nightline” anchor Ted Koppel.

Koppel discusses his career and the state of journalism on Thursday’s Clemens Lecture at the Mark Twain House and Museum. He will take part in a moderated discussion with John Dankosky, host of WNPR-FM’s “Where We Live” at 7 p.m.

The Clemens Lecture, an annual event that features writers, journalists and others of creative importance and significance to the national scene, has included writer Kurt Vonnegut, newscaster Bob Schieffer, commentator Christopher Buckley and novelist Wally Lamb in past years.

Koppel’s conversation is expected to cover his career at “Nightline,” 42 years at ABC, his current work with the New York Times and National Public Radio, and the state of modern journalism.

In a telephone interview, Koppel said he is not preparing any remarks, but plans to answer questions about his career and journalism.

The state of journalism is fragile because of the modernization of journalism, Koppel said.

“The First Amendment makes it possible for anyone and everyone to be a journalist, but whereas you and I have to abide by certain disciplines, including editing, fact checking and providing context. When an exchange of tweets or exchanges that take place on Facebook are confused with journalism, I think it becomes quite perilous indeed,” he said.

Koppel also said increasing competition in the broadcast news business has had some devastating effects.

“The pressure to save money in TV news (and newspapers) has become enormous,” he said. “(When there are cutbacks) the first thing you shut down is your foreign bureaus. Over the past 10 years we’ve seen a tremendous cutback of foreign news coverage. That couldn’t come at a more dangerous time.”

Koppel, who became the youngest correspondent ever hired by ABC radio news, has had a long, illustrious career in the news business. He became anchor of “Nightline” in 1980, retiring in 2005 after 42 years at ABC.

Since retiring from “Nightline,” Koppel has been an editorial contributor to the New York Times, and has provided commentary to “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio.

Currently, he is a senior news analyst for NPR and contributing analyst for BBC World News America.

Koppel has received dozens of journalism awards, including 37 Emmy Awards, six George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 duPont-Columbia Awards, nine Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards from the Society for Professional Journalists.

The Clemens Lecture takes place in the museum’s Lincoln Financial Auditorium. Tickets are $45 each ($40 for Mark Twain House & Museum members), and can be obtained by calling (860) 280-3130.

The Mark Twain House & Museum includes the restored Twain home. The Hartford house is where Twain, born Samuel L. Clemens, wrote some of his most famous books, including “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” “The Prince and the Pauper,” “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

Special Olympics events will continue at various locations on Sunday.

The Republican/Lori StabileCarol L. Krauspe, 21, of Bourne, kisses the 17-inch smallmouth bass that she caught on Saturday as part of the Special Olympics August tournament; she competed in the fishing derby at the Quabbin Reservoir.

BELCHERTOWN – Carol L. Krauspe, of Bourne, was so pleased with her catch of the day – a 17-inch smallmouth bass she named “Flipper” – that she planted a kiss on it.

Krauspe, 21, was one of approximately 40 athletes who competed in the Special Olympics fishing tournament on Saturday at the Quabbin Reservoir.

In addition to fishing, athletes could play bocce, golf, softball, or cycle at various locations throughout Western Massachusetts as part of the Special Olympics' August tournament. The games will continue on Sunday.

What makes the fishing tournament unique is that it features Special Olympics athletes of all ages. The oldest participant was Thomas Ditto, 75, of Palmer, who has been fishing in the tournament since it was first offered 16 years ago. Ditto said he caught a fish, but it jumped away.

“I didn’t get a fish,” Ditto said, as he headed toward the lunch area.

William E. Pula, director of the Quabbin Reservoir, said the event is made possible by numerous volunteers who take the athletes out on their boats.

There were members of the Quabbin Fishermen’s Association, other fishing clubs, and just avid fishermen who wanted to help out for the day. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation – the Quabbin is state property – also brought athletes out. Pula estimated that there were 60 volunteers for the event.

The Ashland Lions Club created an “Olympic town” featuring a bean bag toss and basketball toss for the athletes to win prizes.

Krauspe’s mother, Patricia J. Krauspe, said they planned to eat the fish. Other fish, like the 58 that Robert Allen Boyle, 48, of Bourne, caught were released back in the water because they were too small.

Still, he was pleased with his large catch, which included perch, pumpkinseeds and rock bass. Boyle went out with Jamie Pavelcsyk and her father John Pavelcsyk, of Agawam.

“We had a great little spot,” Jamie Pavelcsyk said. “At one point, all three of us would have a fish.”

Pula said he likes that the Quabbin is the site of the tournament because it means that people from all over the state can get a chance to see it, and enjoy it. Plus, he said, the fishermen and athletes form friendships after spending the day fishing together. Often, athletes will head out on the water with the same fishermen year after year, he said.

The Republican/Lori StabileFrom left to right, Larry Bates of Stafford Springs, Conn.; Ryan Lewis, 16, of Monson; and Ryan's grandfather Norman A. Charpentier, of Palmer, pose with the fish that Ryan caught on Saturday during the Special Olympics August tournament; he competed in the fishing tournament at the Quabbin Reservoir. Bates was one of the volunteers who brought the athletes out on boats.

That was the case with Norman A. Charpentier, of Palmer, who brought his athlete grandson, Ryan Lewis, 16, out again with fisherman Larry Bates, of Stafford Springs, Conn. Ryan, who caught two fish, said he had a “great time.”

Arthur and Victoria Miner, of Three Rivers, are some of the long-time volunteers associated with the Special Olympics at Quabbin. Arthur Miner is the vice president of the Quabbin Fishermen’s Association.

“Just to see the expressions on these people’s faces, and see them when they get medals. It’s really worthwhile,” Arthur Miner said.

David Leo McNair, of Malborough, proudly held up his catch – a 22-inch lake trout he called “Jim from accounting.” McNair said he released “Jeffrey from banking” because it was too small. McNair said it was his first time fishing and it was amazing. Asked what his secret was to catching the fish, he replied, “I laid down.”

McNair said he plans to eat Jim from accounting.

The Republican/Lori StabilePaul Beaucage, 39, of Southbridge, holds the three bass he caught on Saturday as part of the Special Olympics August tournament; he competed in the fishing derby at the Quabbin Reservoir. Behind him is volunteer Rich Rogowski of the Three Rivers section of Palmer.

David Woods, 25, of Charlton, triumphantly held up his 5.5-pound salmon. He later was seen high-fiving Eddie Jones, 26, of Warren, who caught two fish of his own.

Jones said he was part of the Southbridge-based Center of Hope “Hook, Line and Sinker” team. The Center of Hope, which serves people with disabilities, brought 14 clients to the fishing tournament.

The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday.

Gunmen kidnapped an American development expert after tricking his guards and breaking into his house in Pakistan on Saturday.

Pakistani police officers gather at the entry gate of the house of an abducted American citizen in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011. Gunmen abducted an American man after raiding his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Saturday, Pakistani officials said, an unusually brazen attack on a foreigner in a country where kidnappings are believed to help fund Islamist militant movements. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

By K.M. CHAUDHRY & NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writers

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen kidnapped an American development expert after tricking his guards and breaking into his house in Pakistan on Saturday, a brazen raid that alarmed aid workers, diplomats and other foreigners who already tread carefully in this country rife with Islamic militancy and anti-U.S. sentiment.

The U.S. Embassy identified the victim as Warren Weinstein. Weinstein is the Pakistan country director for J.E. Austin Associates, a development contractor that has received millions of dollars from the aid arm of the U.S. government, according to a profile on LinkedIn, a networking website.

Police declined to speculate on the motive, and no group immediately claimed responsibility. But kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan, with foreigners being occasional targets. Criminal gangs are suspected in most abductions, but Islamic militants, are believed to also use the tactic to raise money.

Lahore has seen a number of militant attacks, and the Punjab region where it is located is home to several of Pakistan's top militant networks, some of which are suspected of ties to Pakistani intelligence.

Police said the American, believed to be in his 60s, had returned to his home in the eastern city of Lahore the previous night from the capital, Islamabad. He had told his staff that would be wrapping up his latest project and moving out of Pakistan by Monday, police officer Tajammal Hussain said.

According to Pakistani police, two of the kidnappers showed up at Weinstein's house Saturday and told the guards inside the gate of the walled compound that they wanted to give them food, an act of sharing common during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started early this month.

The guards opened the gate, and five other men suddenly appeared. The armed assailants overpowered the guards and stormed into the house. Some gunmen are believed to have entered through the back. They snatched the American from his bedroom but took nothing else.

Pakistani media follow a senior police officer at outside the house of a abducted American citizen in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011. Gunmen abducted an American man after raiding his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Saturday, Pakistani officials said, an unusually brazen attack on a foreigner in a country where kidnappings are believed to help fund Islamist militant movements. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Security forces were checking vehicles in and around Lahore in hopes of finding Weinstein, said Ghulam Mahmood Dogar, a top police official.

In Washington, the State Department said it was in touch with Weinstein's family and that U.S. officials in Pakistan were working with local authorities on the case. Spokeswoman Joanne Moore would not comment further, citing privacy concerns.

Weinstein headed a program trying to strengthen the competitiveness of Pakistani industries, according to the biographical section of his company's website, which was taken down late Saturday. The LinkedIn profile says Weinstein has been in Pakistan for seven years.

Calls to the company headquarters in Virginia were not immediately answered, but its website describes Weinstein as a development expert with 25 years experience and a Ph.D. in international law and economics.

"He's a short, funny man with a quick wit," said Raza Rumi, a Pakistani columnist who said the American could speak a fair amount of Urdu. "He's a very laid-back guy, not too worried about security issues, not really paranoid at all."

The audacious nature of Saturday's abduction raised the likelihood that diplomatic missions, aid groups and contracting companies would further tighten security. Already, many groups severely restrict where their international staff can travel because of kidnapping fears.

The security concerns heavily impact U.S. aid programs and have served to slow down the disbursement of billions of dollars in promised funds because they limit where American diplomats are allowed to go and what projects can be undertaken safely.

Americans in Pakistan are considered especially at risk because militants oppose Islamabad's alliance with Washington and the war in Afghanistan. The unilateral U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden on May 2 in northwest Pakistan only added to tensions between the two countries.

"They've become very, very brazen," Zahid Elahi, managing director in Pakistan for Development Alternatives Inc., another U.S.-based contracting firm, said of the kidnappers. "We just need to get our heads together because it's only just happened."

He said he would definitely advise international colleagues to lay low in the coming days.

A Western aid worker said the raid on Weinstein's home is "a new wrinkle." He called it especially worrying because companies such as J.E. Austin Associates tend to spend a great deal on security for their staff, even more than many humanitarian groups.

"They really, really are risk averse," the aid worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Several other foreigners have been abducted in Pakistan in recent years.

John Solecki, an American with the U.N.'s refugee agency in southwest Baluchistan, was held captive by ethnic Baluchi separatists for more than two months in early 2009. A 5-year-old British boy, Sahil Saeed Naqqash, was kidnapped for two weeks from his grandparents' house in central Pakistan in March 2010.

The Pakistani Taliban claim to be holding a Swiss man and woman kidnapped earlier this summer from Baluchistan. The militant group, which is based in the northwest tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, says it will free the pair if the U.S. releases a Pakistani woman convicted of trying to kill Americans.

The U.S. State Department recently issued a travel warning for its citizens saying that American diplomats are facing increased harassment and they, along with aid workers and journalists, have been falsely identified as spies in the local media.

U.S. citizens also have come under greater scrutiny by the Pakistani government this year, especially since January, when an American CIA contractor shot to death two Pakistanis he said were trying to rob him in Lahore.

American lawmakers and officials have made a slew of trips in recent weeks to try to maintain the relationship with Islamabad.

On Saturday, U.S. Sen. John McCain arrived in Islamabad and met with top officials including Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari. In statements afterward, Gilani and Zardari said Pakistan desires an enduring, multidimensional partnership with the United States.

___

Toosi reported from Islamabad. She can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/nahaltoosi. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Matthew Lee in Washington also contributed to this report.

Area support has led the way for state funding for the program next year.

Republican file photoIn this 2008 file photo, Sophie Baker, of Palmer, checks out produce with Palmer Senior Center Director Erin E. Pincince, right, during the FarmShare program distribution

DEERFIELD - The program that helps low-income seniors in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties buy local vegetables and fruit was able to raise enough money for the program to continue this summer.

And the community support has led the way to expected state funding for next, said Kelly Coleman, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture program director.

Since 2004, the FarmShares program has provided low-income seniors with farm shares worth about $100 from local farms for 10 weeks during the summer months. Seniors contribute just $10 for those shares.

In the summer of 2009, the state initially cut $50,000 from the program, but then restored it. Last winter when it became apparent funding would not be available, CISA launched a campaign that brought in $35,000 to cover costs this year.

While it wasn’t able to completely fund the program, it is helping 245 seniors in the three county buy shares. Fully funded the program can serve about 350 seniors, Coleman said.

The Executive Office of Elder Affairs, meanwhile, has set aside money to continue Senior FarmShare in 2012. Coleman said they believe that state officials “saw what a wonderful program it was.

“We are thrilled we were able to continue to run the program with community support and it looks like that community support will help us next year.”

While they likely won’t launch a formal fund-raising campaign for 2012, CISA will accept donations for the program and continue to watch the state budget for any changes.

Money came in with help from Whole Foods which donated 5 percent of sales for one day - that brought in $5,000, Coleman said. The Food Bank of Western Mass. also contributed.

The result is the first indication of what Iowans think of the field of Republicans competing for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall.

AMES, Iowa – Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won a test vote of Iowans on Saturday, a show of popularity and organizational strength for the tea party favorite five months before the state’s caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating season.

The result is the first indication of what Iowans think of the field of Republicans competing for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall. But it’s hardly predictive of who will win the winter Iowa contest, much less the party nod or the White House.

Rather, Saturday’s outcome suggests that Bachmann has a certain level of support and, perhaps even more important, the strongest get-out-the-vote operation and widest volunteer base in a state whose caucuses require those elements.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul finished a close second while former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty placed a distant third.

“We have a lot more work to do,” Pawlenty said, making clear he wasn’t dropping out despite a disappointing finish. “We are just beginning and I’m looking forward to a great campaign.”

The results of the nonbinding vote, held on the Iowa State University campus, came just hours after Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered the race.

“I full well believe I’m going to win,” Perry told South Carolina voters on a conference call before delivering his first speech as a candidate.

“It’s time to get America working again,” he declared in Charleston, S.C. “America is not broken. Washington, D.C. is broken.”

Despite Perry’s best efforts to overshadow the day, the epicenter of the presidential contest was in this Midwestern town, where nearly 17,000 Iowans cast ballots during a daylong political festival, a late-summer ritual held every four years.

In speeches throughout the day, candidates scouted for support by assailing Obama and offering themselves as the answer to an America plagued by high unemployment, rising debt and stock market swings.

“We know what America needs. But unfortunately Barack Obama has no clue. He’s like a manure spreader in a windstorm,” Pawlenty said, adding: “Mr. President, get the government off our backs.” That elicited chants of his nickname: “T-Paw! T-Paw! T-Paw!”

Pawlenty had a lot on the line. He’s ranked low in polls and was looking to prove he was still a viable candidate. He argued that he was the candidate of results, given his record as Minnesota governor.

Bachmann stressed faith and her Iowa roots – she was born in Waterloo – as well as her opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage. She earned cheers when she declared: “We are going to make Barack Obama a one-term president.”

Bachmann, riding high since entering the race earlier this summer, had hoped that a strong finish would give her even more momentum just as Perry looks to infringe on her base of tea party and evangelical support. She invoked God and faith as she stressed what she called her conservative values, saying: “In Iowa, we are social conservatives and we will never be ashamed of being social conservatives.”

Paul, with a following among libertarian-leaning voters, wanted a surprise showing that might convince Republicans he was more mainstream than not in his second shot at the GOP nomination. He referenced his fellow Texan’s entrance in the race and said he didn’t anticipate many of his supporters jumping ship for what he called a “super-establishment candidate.”

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, businessman Herman Cain and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia also were on the ballot. So were GOP front-runner Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, though they weren’t competing in the contest.

Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who made a splash Friday when she visited the state fair, weren’t listed. But their backers planned write-in campaigns that could outpace candidates who have spent months trying to line up supporters to participate.

The straw poll isn’t a scientific poll at all; it amounts to a popularity contest and a test of organizational strength.

Poor showings usually force some candidates, mostly those who are not well-known and are struggling to raise money, to abandon their bids. That could happen this year, too.

The straw poll has a mixed record of predicting the outcome of the precinct caucuses.

In 2008, Romney won the straw poll, but the big news was the surprising second-place showing of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, but dropped from the race soon after. Sen. John McCain, who eventually won the nomination, didn’t compete in the straw poll and finished in 10th place.

The fee schedule marks the first time the School Department has charged students to take part in team sports and extracurricular activities.

AGAWAM – As the city’s finances continue to be battered by the bad economy and a decline in state and federal revenue, the School Committee has implemented a fee schedule for participation in team sports and extracurricular activities.

The School Committee adopted the fee schedule, to take effect this coming academic year, earlier this year to help balance the School Department’s fiscal 2012 budget. The budget for that financial year, which started July 1, is about $34.4 million.

The fee schedule marks the first time the School Department has charged students to take part in team sports and extracurricular activities. Officials who favor the fee schedule have argued that many nearby communities have already had fees in place, especially for team sports.

However, the issue has sparked criticism in some quarters, including from City Councilor Robert A. Magovern. He has taken issue with the $25 fee set for participation per club, including such organizations as the National Honor Society. The schedule also allows for charging students $100 for parking at the high school and $100 per team sport.

Meanwhile, the School Committee’s policy subcommittee has taken a second look at the fees, which are expected to generate about $97,000 this coming academic year.

Among the changes to the policy it is recommending is abolishing fees for academic honors groups like the National Honor Society and for activities like band, yearbook and school newspaper participation that carry a grade.

The issue has relevance in this fall’s mayoral race as the mayor serves as chair of the School Committee.

The three candidates for that office recently weighed in on the matter. They are Mayor Richard A. Cohen, former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin and Walter A. Meissner III.

“We are only one of a few communities that have never had fees for sports or parking,” Cohen said Thursday. “As we all know the economy is tight.”

The mayor said taking part in team sports and being able to park a car at the high school are privileges.

As for how he stands on the recommendations made by the School Committee’s policy subcommittee, the mayor said he will consider them as they come before the full board when it meets Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the high school library.

Sandlin said she opposes fees in general with the exception of a parking fee as she believes being able to park at the high school is a privilege. Taking part in activities is not something Sandlin said she considers “extracurricular,” but “co-curricular” as students learn valuable skills through participation in such activities as team sports.

“I think it discourages young people from going into different activities,” Sandlin said of having a fee schedule. “It puts an added burden on the parents and might discourage some children who might not be able to afford it.”

Meissner also said he questions having a fee schedule, likening a fee to “literally another tax.”

“The children haven’t even had the opportunity to go to work yet,” Meissner said. “Maybe we should put that on the ballot and let all of the townsfolk vote on it.”

As for taking a position on the issue, Meissner said, “I don’t know the big picture and I cannot answer that question one way or another. It would be crazy to give you an opinion when I don’t know all the facts.”

Gina Lynch went to work organizing volunteer efforts at Brimfield Congregational Church the morning after the tornado damaged about 200 homes and knocked down thousands of trees in Brimfield, and neither she nor her volunteers have stopped since.

BRIMFIELD – Even as work is beginning on long-term recovery efforts related to the June 1 tornado, volunteer work to help residents meet immediate needs continues daily at the Brimfield First Congregational Church.

“We are very involved in that,” said Gina Lynch, who coordinates the work. “It is definitely not over.”

Lynch went to work organizing volunteer efforts at the church the morning after the tornado damaged about 200 homes and knocked down thousands of trees in Brimfield, and neither she nor her volunteers have stopped since.

They still put out dozens of lunches every day for those who have been going to private properties to help homeowners clean away debris so the process of repairing or rebuilding can move ahead.

James Laflash has been bringing volunteers from the First Congregational Church of Hopkinton to work in Brimfield since the storm blew through.

The Brimfield Congregational Church steered Laflash and his group to the massive amount of work that needs to be done before rebuilding at Ronald N. Weston’s Hollow Brook Farm property.

And the Brimfield church, which keeps tabs on the volunteers and their numbers, still feeds them out in the field with a delivery of lunches.

Weston said the church’s efforts have been very helpful as he works at his property, where six of seven buildings were destroyed.

Michael and Janet Misischia were the volunteers who brought the Brimfield First Congregational Church lunches out to Weston’s property for the workers Aug. 12.

Originally from Belchertown, the Misischias have been camping since their retirement two years ago and were at Quinnebaug Campground when it was heavily damaged in the June 1 tornado.

They have since moved on to Maine, but were in town visiting family for a few days and wanted to volunteer at the church, which took good care of them and other campers in the days right after the storm.

The Brimfield church took part in a large cleanup weekend July 30-31 and some of the organizers are concerned that people may get the idea that after that weekend, the work is mostly done.

“The operations here will continue until there is no longer a need for services,” said Mary Roy, who has been helping coordinate efforts at the Brimfield church.

“We are continuing to provide for the immediate needs while moving toward long-term recovery efforts,” said Roy, who has spent most of her time in Brimfield the past few months after coming out from her hometown of Weston to help out.

The Rev. Ian Lynch, pastor at the Brimfield First Congregational Church, is one of two co-moderators of a regional group that will be dealing with the needs of people who have to repair or rebuild their damaged homes in Brimfield, Charlton, Monson, Southbridge, Sturbridge and Wilbraham.

“Some people won’t have enough resources,” Ian Lynch said.

So his regional group, called Pathway to Renewal, will be raising funds, taking information from homeowners, helping to locate grants and taking on other tasks aimed at helping in the rebuilding.

Noting the generosity and willingness of volunteers to help after the June 1 storm, Ian Lynch said, “The immediate response was spectacular. The urgent needs were large and extensive. A lot of work now needs to be done professionally, but our group will also support what is happening.”

Indiana State Police said the number of people hurt has risen to about 40.

The Associated PressFamily members tend to their injured relatives as Indianapolis Fire Department personnel and paramedics tend to the victims of a stage collapse before a concert at the Indiana State Fair Grandstands Saturday night, Aug. 13, 2011 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/The Indianapolis Star, Matt Kryger)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — At least four people were killed and 40 injured when a stage collapsed Saturday night during a storm at the Indiana State Fair, where the country group Sugarland was set to perform.

The incident at the Indianapolis fairgrounds occurred shortly before 9 p.m. when strong winds caused the rigging that holds lights and other equipment to topple onto fans, many of them in the VIP section closest to the stage. The injured included at least one child, WTHR reported.

No one was performing at the time. Opening act Sara Bareilles had finished, and the crowd was waiting for Sugarland to take the stage.

Hundreds of concert-goers rushed to tend to the injured, lifting the steel scaffolding off them and providing medical care. Emergency crews set up a triage center in a tunnel below the grandstand.

Witnesses reported seeing many people with head and neck injuries and broken bones.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Rich Myers confirmed the deaths and number of injured and said the injuries ranged from "slight to very critical." He did not offer any additional details.

Wishard Memorial Hospital spokesman Todd Harper said the hospital had 16 patients, none of whom had life-threatening injuries. Harper told WTHR the hospital's youngest patient was 7 years old.

Concert-goers said an announcer had alerted them that severe weather was possible and gave instructions on what to do if an evacuation was necessary. But the same announcer said concert organizers hoped the show would go on, and many fans stayed put.

The wind that toppled the rigging came just minutes after the announcement, fans said.

"It was like it was in slow motion," concert-goer Amy Weathers told the Indianapolis Star. "You couldn't believe it was actually happening."

Associated Press photographer Darron Cummings was in the audience attending the concert as a fan shortly before the collapse. He said he and his friends sought shelter in a nearby barn after seeing the weather radar.

"Then we heard screams. We heard people just come running," Cummings told the AP.

Witnesses told WTHR that some of the injured were in a VIP section in front of the stage known as the "Sugar Pit." The witnesses said a wall of dirt, dust, rain and wind came up the main thoroughfare of the fairgrounds just before the collapse.

"Panic kicked in when they seen the dust bowl coming in from the Midway," concert-goer Darryl Cox told the television station.

Another person at the concert, Emily Davis, told the station that there was lightning and the sky had gotten dark but it wasn't raining when the wind suddenly toppled the rigging.

"It was horrible, people were running and going crazy," she said.

Jessica Alsman told the AP the towering, metal stage scaffolding "kind of wobbled at first." Then pandemonium set in as it fell.

"As soon as we saw the wind gust, the wind was in our faces," Alsman said. She said and three friends grabbed each other and formed a chain.

"You can't imagine — we just thought it was going to rain or something," Alsman said.

Sugarland tweeted about the incident about an hour after it happened.

"We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength," the band said.

Injuries were reported in connection with a 2-car crash at the intersection of Cabot and Beech streets around 3 a.m. Sunday in Holyoke, but details were not immediately available.

Republican file photo

Update at 6:45 a.m. -- Holyoke Police Sgt. Laurence Cournoyer said a man who sustained minor injuries in a two-car crash early Sunday was taken to the hospital as a precaution. No one was cited in the accident.

HOLYOKE -- A an early Sunday collision at the intersection of Cabot and Beech streets sent a driver to the hospital with minor injuries, according to Holyoke police.

Paper City police, fire and ambulance personnel responded to the two-car crash, which was reported at 3:03 a.m.

"He had very slight injuries. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution," Holyoke Police Sgt. Laurence Cournoyer said of the injured driver, who was not identified by police.

Cournoyer said no one was cited in the incident.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Beech and Cabot streets in Holyoke. The crash, reported at 3:03 a.m., resulted in injuries, the extent of which were not immediately known:

View Larger Map

Gibbons began his service as marshal in January 2010 after he was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama.

John Gibbons is sworn in as U. S. Marshal for the district of Massachusetts, during his induction ceremony at the Federal court in Boston, Friday, Feb. 26, 2010, as Unites States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, right, looks on. Gibbons, the first African-American U.S. Marshal inducted in Massachusetts, served 27 years with the Massachusetts State Police and retired as Detective Lieutenant on Dec. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

He never expected, though, to become U.S. marshal for Massachusetts, but when the chance arose, he was prepared for it and was awarded the job.

During visits to schools back home in Western Massachusetts and elsewhere, Gibbons, the state’s first black U.S. marshal, says he often advises young people to be ready for opportunities.

“I tell them that they have great potential,” says the 54-year-old Gibbons, who lives in Agawam. “They can do anything they want to do as long as they put their minds to it.”

Gibbons is living proof of his advice.

He began as marshal in January 2010 after he was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama on the recommendations of U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry and the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The two senators, citing his passion, experience and expertise, chose Gibbons from three finalists picked out of 30 applicants screened by a committee.

“I love this job,” said Gibbons during a recent interview in his office at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Court building in downtown Boston. “It’s a dream job.”

Gibbons worked as a state-police investigator for 30 years in Western Massachusetts before he wound up heading the Marshal’s Service for the Bay State, a position that has thrust him most recently to the center of one the hottest law-enforcement stories in the nation – the FBI’s arrest in June of James M. “Whitey” Bulger after 16 years on the run.

Just don’t ask him about Bulger – or the reported $7,500 tab for transporting the crime boss from a jail in Plymouth County to the federal courthouse in downtown Boston.

“I can’t talk about Bulger,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

Gibbons is known as a tenacious investigator but also someone who is more comfortable working behind the scenes. He deals with the media spotlight by keeping mum about Bulger.

At U.S. District Court in Boston, Bulger, the brother of former Massachusetts Senate president and University of Massachusetts president William M. Bulger, later pleaded innocent to an indictment charging him in connection with the murders of 19 people.

Gibbons and the Marshal’s Service came into the spotlight when Bulger was transported by helicopter from his cell at the Plymouth County House of Correction to Logan International Airport and then escorted in convoy to the Boston courthouse. Relatives of some of Bulger’s alleged victims said he was receiving preferential treatment, according to media reports.

In response to a question about the controversy, Gibbons referred to a prepared statement that said in part that the Marshal’s Service weighs many issues when moving prisoners and regularly changes travel routes based on factors such as weather, threat levels, traffic patterns or other significant events that may be happening in the area.

As U.S. marshal, Gibbons is in charge of protecting federal judges and prosecutors, catching federal fugitives, operating a witness-protection program and transporting and housing federal inmates – like Bulger.

His employees include 36 deputy U.S. marshals, and Gibbons said he enjoys being the “chief executive officer” who’s responsible for security at four federal courthouses. It allows him to work in security, as well as law enforcement, he said.

Gibbons receives about $155,000 salary as U.S. Marshal. He also is collecting his $94,000 annual state pension.

A New Jersey native who is the son of a now-retired police detective and public school teacher, Gibbons came to Springfield to play college football and never left.

His wife, Shelby R. Hall-Gibbons, is retired as a counselor at Springfield Technical Community College. The couple’s son, Jonathan Gibbons, is a state trooper in Delaware, making him the third generation to enter police work. A brother, Ronald Gibbons, is a state police detective assigned to the Hampden district attorney’s office, where John Gibbons also worked over the course of his career.

Marshal Gibbons captained his high-school football team in Newark, N. J., as a junior and a senior before arriving at American International College in 1974 on a football scholarship.

After graduation, he attempted to play professional football, trying out as a running back with the New England Patriots. But, he wound up released from a team that wound up being led by all-pro guard John Hannah and receiver Stanley Morgan.

These days, Gibbons is still an athletic competitor. Last year, during a national gathering of state police in Boston, he took second place in the bench press, which involves repeatedly lifting weights while on your back.

His office in Boston reflects his life and career in Western Massachusetts.

“Remember Molly” photo buttons are on a table in a waiting room, showing Molly Ann Bish, the 16-year-old lifeguard who went missing at Comins Pond in Warren in 2000; her remains were later found in Palmer and identified in June 2003 through DNA testing, but her killer is still being sought.

Gibbons stops and smiles at one particular photo on his wall; it shows him with Obama during a presidential visit to Boston last year. “To John Gibbons, with best wishes, Barack Obama,” the signature reads.

“Can you believe the way we are dressed?” Gibbons asked. Both men are wearing navy-blue ties, white shirts and dark suits.

Gibbons investigated a slew of crimes during a career that saw him serve as a detective in both the Hampden and Northwestern district attorneys’ offices. Early in his time as a detective, he spent many years investigating arson, skills that played a key role in one of his final investigations for former District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel – the December 2009 Northampton arson case in which two men were killed.

Gibbons also did a stint as commander of former Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly’s state-police unit in Springfield.

As a detective lieutenant in Scheibel’s office, Gibbons remembers leading the investigation into the 2005 beating death of Rose A. Martowski, 83, of Ware. Gibbons and his team found a cigarette on a window sill and used DNA from the tobacco to link the death to Nathan J. Ruell, at 25, who was convicted of first-degree murder.

He was a sergeant when he helped crack the mystery surrounding the 1993 death of South Hadley dentist and supermarket heir Robert P. D’Amour. It was Gibbons who traveled to Louisiana to interview and bring Alex M. Rankins, a former Springfield bar bouncer, back to Western Massachusetts to face prosecution. Rankins is now serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder for D’Amour’s killing.

Prosecutors argued during Rankins’ 1996 trial and the 1997 trial of D’Amour’s widow, Suzanne D’Amour, that she hired Rankins to kill her husband so she could collect a $3.3 million life insurance policy. Suzanne D’Amour was acquitted of murder but convicted of perjury. She was released in 2002 and won control of the insurance award.

Gibbons has had brushes with danger over the course of the past three decades.

In 1987, a Holyoke man fired a semi-automatic handgun at Gibbons as he was about to arrest the man and others in Chicopee for involvement in a stolen car operation. Gibbons, who was working undercover, heard the shot and saw the flash from the gun, but he was unhurt. The man was later sentenced to a seven- to nine-year state prison term.

In 1981, Gibbons car was set on fire in West Springfield. No one was ever charged, but Gibbons suspects it was someone he had previously arrested. He was sleeping in his apartment at the time.

“It was a new state police vehicle,” he said. “That car had 5,000 miles on it.”

Gibbons said he believes in being fair and reasonable when questioning suspects, but adds that he can also strike a balance. “I have a tough side,” he said. “I can always flip that switch.”

In some ways, Gibbons’ new job is very similar to his old one as a state-police detective. Ten days ago, he flew to Cyprus to return another former fugitive, Paul John McMann, a Weston real estate developer charged with defrauding people to secure at least $450,000 in loans, to face prosecution.

His state-police career, all the way back to his beginning days as a trooper assigned to the Northampton barracks, gave him “a great foundation” for his current job, Gibbons said.

He still presses for teamwork among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, just as he did when he was supervisor in the mid-1990s of the Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, which includes FBI, state and local police.

“You get the job done,” he said. “You get it done correctly.”

City firefighters battled a fast-moving blaze reported at 12:47 a.m. Sunday at an abandoned Front Street mill heavily damaged by fire seven months ago. The hulking structure was destroyed in Sunday's suspicious fire.

Springfield Fire Department/Dennis G. LegerSpringfield firefighters battled an early Sunday blaze at 34 Front St., a former mill building that also was the subject of a controversial fire in late December 2010. Both fires have been deemed suspicious and remain under investigation, according to fire officials.

SPRINGFIELD -- City firefighters battled a fast-moving blaze early Sunday at an abandoned Front Street mill heavily damaged by fire late last year. But the hulking structure in the city's Indian Orchard neighborhood was unable to survive the latest fire, which officials have deemed suspicious.

"It's gone," Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said of the building at 34 Front St., which is located in the Indian Orchard Mills complex.

The large structure near the intersection of Front and Main streets was previously damaged in a Dec. 30, 2010, fire that also was deemed suspicious.

Leger said the roof and third floor of the three-story structure collapsed in Sunday's fire, which was reported at 12:47 a.m. A man at a nearby bar was the first person to notice the fire, Leger said.

"The building was condemned from the last time," Leger said.

Sunday's fire appears to have started in the middle of the building, possibly on the first or second floor, and "definitely is suspicious," he said.

The structure was fully involved when firefighters arrived at the scene about five minutes after receiving the call. The flames were almost out by 2:30 a.m., Leger said, adding that the building was a total loss.

What's left of the large structure will likely be razed after the city's arson and bomb squad finishes its probe. Investigators assigned to the office of state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan are assisting.

"It's half collapsed now," Leger said of the Front Street building.

Leger characterized the December fire as "controversial," with issues over the structure's sprinkler system becoming the focal point of that investigation.

City fire officials said the sprinkler system was shut off on Dec. 14, 2010, because the building did not have any heat, according to a Jan. 3 report in The Republican. Officials said there was concern that the system's pipes could freeze and burst, jeopardizing the sprinkler system for the entire mill complex.

Springfield Fire Capt. Michael Richard said the system was turned on again by Dec. 15, and it was determined to be working properly.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximated location of an early Sunday fire reported at 34 Front St., a former mill building in Springfield's Indian Orchard section that was heavily damaged in a December 2010 fire:

View Larger Map