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Wall Street: Stocks surge after Germany upholds bailout plan

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The Dow jumped 200 points in the first hour of trading and continued to climb throughout the day, ending up 275 points.

Edward Zelles, left, and William Bott, both of Barclays Capital, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, in New York.

NEW YORK – A broad rally broke a three-day losing streak in the stock market Wednesday as fears about Europe’s debt crisis ebbed.

Stocks rose sharply after a German court backed the country’s role in bailing out other European nations. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 200 points in the first hour of trading and continued to climb throughout the day, ending up 275 points. The afternoon gains came after Italy’s Senate approved a deficit-cutting package and the Federal Reserve reported that U.S. business conditions are improving.

The Dow and other U.S. indexes fell over the previous three days on worries over weakness in the U.S. job market and concerns that Europe’s debt woes could lead to a global economic recession.

“The market has been pricing in an out-and-out recession, so any hints that policy issues might be solved is a plus,” said Brian Gendreau, market strategist at Cetera Financial Group

The Dow surged 275.56 points, or 2.5 percent, to close at 11,414.86. All 30 stocks in the Dow average rose.

The Standard and Poor’s 500 index jumped 33.38, or 2.9 percent, to 1,198.62. All 10 company groups that make up the S&P index rose. The Nasdaq composite shot up 75.11, or 3 percent, to 2,548.94.

The German court ruling also pushed the prices of Treasury securities lower as investors were more willing to hold risky assets like stocks. Treasury prices have been rising over the past week, sending their yields lower, as demand for lower-risk investments increased.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.05 percent. Its price fell 50 cents per $100 invested.

The yield traded at 1.97 percent late Tuesday. On Monday it fell to 1.91 percent, the lowest since the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis began keeping daily records in 1962. Gold, another traditional safe haven, fell $56, or 3 percent, to $1,817 an ounce. It closed at $1,891 on Aug. 22.

Historically low Treasury rates are prompting some institutional investors to see stocks as a better value. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note began plunging from just over 3 percent on July 27 to 2.2 percent by the end of August. Investors were piling into lower-risk assets as the stock market swung wildly. The yield has hovered around 2 percent this week. An investor who buys the S&P 500 index, meanwhile, earns a 2.38 percent yield in the form of dividends.

“Market sentiment has actually been worse than economic data lately, and now you are seeing institutional investors saying, ‘I can get a better yield from the S&P 500 than I can from a 10-year Treasury’,” said Howard Ward, portfolio manager of the GAMCO Growth Fund.

Yahoo and Bank of America rose sharply after announcing the departures of key executives after the market closed Tuesday. Yahoo gained 5 percent, to $13.61, after announcing that CEO Carol Bartz had been fired. Some analysts said the move made the company a takeover target. Bartz spent nearly three years steering the company.

Bank of America jumped 7 percent, to $7.48, after the bank announced a management reorganization that will result in two top officers leaving. The changes were seen as one of chief executive Brian Moynihan’s most dramatic moves to reshape the embattled bank. Bank of America shares have fallen 48 percent this year through Tuesday, compared with a 7 percent drop in the S&P 500 index.

Financial companies were the top performing group in the S&P 500 index. JP Morgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo each rose more than 3 percent.

Urban Outfitters fell 2 percent, to $25.26, after the retailer said its sales were slipping in the current quarter. Computer graphics company Nvidia Corp. jumped 8 percent, to $14.25, after the company said it expects its revenues to be higher than Wall Street analysts forecast.

A Federal Reserve survey found that that the economy grew modestly in its 12 bank regions in July and August as consumers spent more.

Nine stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was below average at 3.9 billion shares.


Springfield to receive steel beam from World Trade Center ahead of 9/11 10th anniversary

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Thanks to the diligence of a local non-profit agency and a dedicated businessman, Springfield will receive a steel beam from the World Trade Center on Thursday.

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SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to the diligence of a local non-profit agency and a dedicated businessman, Springfield will receive a steel beam from the World Trade Center on Thursday.

The beam, which weighs 2,950 pounds, came from one of the twin towers that were destroyed in the infamous terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. The road to bring the beam to the City of Homes was a long one that began two years ago when Spirit of Springfield's vice president Amy Barron-Burke wrote a letter.

"Amy wrote to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to request a piece of the structure, but we were initially denied because of the overwhelming number of requests they received," said Judith A. Matt, president of Spirit of Springfield. "I threw that letter in the trash because we simply weren't going to take no for an answer."

Matt said that after enlisting the assistance of several politicians and friends of the non-profit, that the request was finally approved a few weeks ago on Aug. 12.

"We got the letter saying that we would be getting it but we didn't know how big it was until last week," Matt said. "Then we turned to the one person who always helps us with things like transport: Charlie Arment."

Arment is the owner of Arment Trucking Inc. of Springfield, and his nephew William Arment is picking up the steel beam with a flat-bed truck at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday morning. From there, the younger Arment will be driving back to Massachusetts, where he will be met at the state line with a motorcade to bring the reminder of those who died in the terrorist attack to Springfield.

Enfield Fire Department Lt. Brian T. Ellis poses with two steel beams from the World Trade Center buildings in New York which will highlight an expanded 9/11 memorial. The dedication of the memorial atEnfield Fire Station #2 at 199 Weymouth Rd. will take place on September 11, the 10th anniversary of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. (Republican staff photo by Michael S. Gordon)

"At the Connecticut border, he will be greeted by local police officers and fire trucks as well as American Medical Response ambulances and the National Guard," Matt said. "They will escort the steel into the city and onto Main Street, where it will pause at Court Square around noon."

Main Street will be lined by first responders and anyone interested in seeing a piece of history as it makes its way to the Raymond J. Sullivan Public Safety Complex at 1212 Carew St., where it will be the focal point of the 10th anniversary ceremony on Sunday at 10 a.m.

"The crew at Spirit of Springfield worked very hard to get this piece of solemn ground," said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. "I've visited Ground Zero and it was quite moving. Now this steel beam will have a permanent place in our city to forever remind us of the cowardly attack that killed so many 10 years ago."

4-12-11 - Ludlow - Republican staff photo by Don Treeger- Ludlow fire dept. captains James Machado (left) and John Moll are with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center in N.Y. The steel will probably go into a new 9/11 memorial on the grounds of fire headquarters.

Although the details are still being hashed out, preliminary plans call for the beam to be the center of a monument inside Forest Park.

The communities of Ludlow and Enfield, Conn., are both dedicating 9/11 memorials on Sunday with steel from Ground Zero in New York.

Ludlow has a 2,200-pound twisted piece of steel from the North Tower that will be dedicated at the fire department's headquarters.

In front of the Enfield Fire Department's headquarters, two 16-foot pieces of steel will stand vertical in a monument.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 led to the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 hijackers, with causalities in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. This Sunday, communities around the nation will observe the 10th anniversary with ceremonies to honor those who gave their lives that day.

Massachusetts leaders call on agencies to boost state's credit rating

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Officials from Moody’s Investor Services, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s were greeted with a spread of cold cuts, cookies and other edibles.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Gov. Deval L. Patrick, legislative leaders and the state’s top financial officials – longtime cheerleaders for the state’s fiscal health – took their upbeat message to the nation’s three prominent bond rating agencies Wednesday, urging them to upgrade the state’s credit rating in advance of plans to borrow more than $400 million this month.

Officials from the rating agencies – Moody’s Investor Services, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s – gathered in the lavish, spacious office of Senate President Therese Murray, greeted with a spread of cold cuts, cookies and other edibles. There, Patrick, Murray, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, Treasurer Steven Grossman and the heads of several state finance agencies made a high-powered pitch for a credit upgrade.

“When we said we think we earned consideration for an upgrade, that doesn’t mean in these skittish economic times that upgrades are easy to come by,” Grossman told reporters after the meeting. “[The rating agencies] saw a state and a state capital where people are actually getting things done. We may not get an upgrade. I’m not expecting, necessarily, that we’ll get an upgrade because it’s such a skittish environment … I think it set a whole new and more robust tone in terms of our relationship with the rating agencies.”

Currently Moody’s and Fitch rate Massachusetts a AA+, the second-highest possible rating, while S&P ranks Massachusetts as AA, the third-highest ranking, but has also indicated it has a positive outlook for Massachusetts’ fiscal health.

Although a bond rating changes have ramifications for the state’s borrowing costs, they have proven equally potent as a political tool for leaders as they tout their fiscal management skills. During Patrick’s successful 2010 reelection campaign, positive bond rating reports figured prominently in his commercials and speeches, helping blunt criticism of his managing of the state’s economy and support his contention that Massachusetts was “on the mend and on the move.”

After Wednesday’s meeting, Patrick said he joined other state leaders because “we have a great story to tell about the fiscal management of the commonwealth throughout this downturn.”

“We have closed a multibillion dollar budget gap and done it responsibly. They know that. That’s one of the reasons why our bond rating has remained high,” he said. “Our teams are talking with the rating agencies all the time. In the private sector, the leadership talks with the rating agencies. We thought we ought to bring that same custom.”

Patrick dismissed a suggestion that disappointing revenue collections in August – most notably a sharp drop below projections for income tax withholding – were a troubling sign.

“That’s one month,” he said. “We are strong. Obviously, I’m not ready to declare victory … We’ve managed well through the economy.”

Grossman described the meetings as first-ever between the state’s financial leadership and all three rating agencies.

“That kind of openness and transparency sends a very strong message,” he said.

Although bond rating agencies have, in recent years, consistently affirmed high bond ratings for Massachusetts, they’ve also pointed out that the state carries an unfunded pension and retiree health care benefit liabilities in the tens of billions of dollars. Massachusetts, they note, also carries among the highest per-capita debt loads in the country.

After the meeting, Grossman said he “had a sense” that lawmakers would back Patrick’s plan to send $300 million of an unspent surplus from fiscal 2011 to the state’s rainy day fund, bringing the fund’s balance to nearly $1.1 billion. With that balance, he said, Massachusetts would join New York, Texas and Alaska as the only states with reserves greater than $1 billion.

Grossman also noted that the state wouldn’t require any short-term borrowing in September and that he anticipates seeking $800 million in short-term notes in either October or November.

The meeting included a five-minute presentation by Alan Clayton-Matthews, a Northeastern University professor of economics, on the state’s long-term economic prospects. Using data from 1987 and projections through 2021, Clayton-Matthew told the News Service he delivered a presentation “looking at gross state product, per capita personal income, productivity and essentially showing that the state grows long-term about the same rate … as the nation even though we have slower-growing population and employment.”

Clayton-Matthews said he was invited by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance to participate in the meeting.

163rd Franklin County Fair to feature children's TV star Rex Trailer, carnival games and much more

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The Franklin County Agricultural Society sponsors the fair.

RexTrailer.jpgView full sizeRex Trailer

GREENFIELD – An appearance by legendary children's TV star Rex Trailer is only one notable event at this year’s Franklin County Fair, which marks 163 years of family-friendly fun.

Trailer made his name as the singing cowboy star of “Boomtown” on WBZ-TV in Boston in the 1950s. He will ride in Thursday’s kick-off parade, starting near Greenfield Middle School at 5 p.m. and ending at the Fairgrounds on Wisdom Way.

In 1961, Trailer led a wagon train from the city all the way to the Statehouse in Boston to call attention to the then-unspoken plight of children with developmental disabilities.

Dozens of people assisted by United Arc of Franklin and Hampshire Counties, an advocacy group and service provider for those children, adults and families, will join Trailer as he reproduces that trip this year on a smaller scale.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society sponsors the fair.

A dizzying array of events are planned, including live music from local bands, pig races, sheep and cattle shows, and martial arts demonstrations. Rides and games are planned, a Monster Truck pull is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m., and the Roundhouse and Youth Hall will feature agricultural exhibits.

The Demolition Derby is slated for Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are pre-sold at $5 for general admission and $10 for preferred seating. They should be purchased before Sunday since only a limited number will be available the day of the show.

The theme is “A New Way – It’s a Green Day,” putting a focus on recycling, composting and overall environmentally friendly living.

The fair opens today at 3 p.m., Friday at noon, and Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. Tickets are $9 for adults ages 18 to 59, $6 for seniors 60 and older, $7 for kids ages 9 to 17 and free for children 8 and younger.

Wristband specials, which allow unlimited use of mechanical rides except bumper cars, run today, Friday and Sunday starting at 4 p.m. Wristbands will be $20 per person per visit.

The fairgrounds are located at 89 Wisdom Way.

Trial date set for Jimmy Roman Rosario of Springfield in federal drug trafficking case

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U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor called the case history "Byzantine."

Jimmy Roman Rosario 2009.jpgAccused drug trafficker Jimmy Roman Rosario, of Springfield, is seen in Hampden Superior Court in 2009.

SPRINGFIELD - The drug prosecution of Jimmy Roman Rosario, an accused "big fish" cocaine trafficker whose case has languished in both state and federal courts and has outlasted the career of one of its lead investigators, has been set for trial on Oct. 17 in U.S. District Court.

Rosario, who was charged with drug trafficking in 2006 after a task force raided his home at 50 Putnam Circle, seizing 17 kilos of cocaine and a loaded gun. Police obtained a search warrant based on the say-so of an informant investigators nabbed in downtown Holyoke with crack cocaine stuffed in the seat of his pants, according to court filings.

The alleged informant, Eugenio "Geno" Negron, gave up his supplier as a street dealer he knew as "Fatback," confirming the dealer was Rosario after police showed Negron a mugshot. In short order, members of the task force drafted an affidavit and secured a search warrant for Rosario's home - where they found a mountain of drugs in his bedroom closet Rosario admitted to police was his, investigators said.

Easy collar? Hold on. Hampden Superior Court Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty torpedoed the case when he suppressed the drugs as evidence in 2008 in a stinging decision in which he accused then-Holyoke Police Detective Paul Barkyoumb and a state trooper of concocting a surveillance to get the warrant.

Moriarty's decision caused a firestorm in the legal community and Rosario seemed poised to walk out of prison, where he had been held without bail since his arrest. But, federal prosecutors picked up the prosecution and three defense lawyers later Rosario's case has outlasted Barkyoumb's career.

Barkyoumb resigned in 2010 after pleading to a misdemeanor charge of criminally harassing his ex-girlfriend; but, he was arrested this summer for drug trafficking himself. Barkyoumb is accused of selling cocaine to a confidential informant. He has pleaded innocent to the charges and that case is pending.

Rosario's case also has been pending. And pending.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor called the case history "Byzantine" during a hearing on Wednesday.

The judge acknowledged the case is a serious one, since Rosario could face a potential life term in prison after a prior drug conviction and the amount of the drugs allegedly seized.

"I want to treat it with respect ... On the other hand, I think it's gotten a lot of respect," Ponsor said.

The judge added that he will likely deny a renewed motion to suppress the evidence, while defense lawyer Kevin Murphy argued there was still "a web of police deception and misrepresentation" that needs to be explored.

Murphy said Barkyoumb's role in the investigation makes it suspect, but was careful to exclude state Trooper Daniel Soto, who drew Moriarty's ire in the state court decision, but whom Murphy labeled "a straw" who was just taking down details of the surveillance relayed by Barkyoumb.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse told Ponsor the case was a simple matter of "we came, we saw, we took," referring to the raid and the seizures.

Ponsor has said federal law views searches and probable cause with a different lens than do state laws, and was satisfied that the search was proper.

Should it go to trial, the case will last approximately one week, lawyers said.

Connecticut man gets probation for fake Craigslist sex ad that targeted neighbor

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Police say Conran posted the Craigslist ad in April 2010 and that several strangers knocked on the neighbor's door.

Philip James Conran.jpgPhilip James Conran (West Hartford police booking photo)


WEST HARTFORD, Conn.
(AP) — A Connecticut man has been sentenced to probation for posting a bogus ad about an orgy at the house of a neighbor with whom he had been feuding.

Court records show 44-year-old Philip Conran pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a child last week in Hartford Superior Court.

He has been sentenced to three years of probation and 200 hours of community service. He also has been ordered to pay for the West Hartford neighbor's house alarm system.

Police say Conran posted the Craigslist ad in April 2010 and that several strangers knocked on the neighbor's door. One man went to the wrong home, groped a teenage girl and was arrested.

Conran's attorney, Michael Georgetti, says his client regrets his actions.

Palmer Town Council to discuss town manager search

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Town Council President Paul Burns said it's possible a town manager could be named Thursday night.

palmer town building.JPGPalmer Town Building

PALMER – The Town Council will meet Thursday night at the Town Building to discuss the next steps for the town manager search, now that the interviews with the three finalists have concluded.

Town Council President Paul E. Burns said he thinks the council has a pool of “highly qualified candidates” to choose from, and said it’s possible that a town manager could be named.

Last week, the council interviewed:

• Donald I. Jacobs, who has been working as a consultant for the last 12 years and served as Plymouth town manager from 1996 to 1998;
• Joseph R. Becker, a section manager with Verizon Communications; and
• Timothy Cummings, an intern in charge of special projects in the Foxborough town manager’s office.

“Each person brings their own strengths and each person brings their own weaknesses,” Burns said.

Jacobs, of Holden, was asked why he left Plymouth. Jacobs said he was told by the selectmen that they no longer wanted to retain his services, so he resigned. Jacobs said there were “no specific reasons” that led to his resignation. Looking back, he said he should have been more insistent that the board – in public session – approve his goals and objectives.

Asked about the casino issue – Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun wants to build a resort casino across from the turnpike exit – Jacobs said it’s important to identify all the potential stakeholders and get them involved in the planning process, from the chamber of commerce and police to businesses and municipal staff.

At-large Councilor Mary A. Salzmann asked Jacobs why he would leave behind a successful business to enter a job where the stability has been “fair at best.” Jacobs responded that the business is not as successful as he would like it to be; he later added that commuting from Holden would not be a problem. Jacobs said he would bring a strong emphasis on planning to the position, adding, “the key to managing any organization is to plan.”

Becker, a Rutland selectman since 2007 and former Finance Committee member, was asked why he wants to leave Verizon, where he has worked for the last 14 years. Becker said has a “deep interest” in municipal government, and that it is something he has enjoyed being involved in. Because Rutland does not have an administrator, or town manager, he said the selectmen act in that role, and he uses his skills as a manager on the board.

If tough decisions need to be made, Becker said he will be prepared to make them.

Asked about the casino issue and how to facilitate holding a referendum for the town, Becker said, “I don’t know if I can adequately answer that question.” But he did say that the new manager has to become very familiar with where the town has been in the process to date.

Cummings, of Burlington, has been interning in Foxborough for the past year, and also was a research director for the state House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011.

On the casino issue, Cummings said he sees a benefit for the town if a resort casino came to Palmer. Salzmann asked Cummings who would negotiate for the town.

“It’s not going to be me . . . You’re going to want to spend the resources to make sure you get the best deal in the process,” Cummings said.

Cummings said he would work closely with the consultant and council during the process.

“Once bitten, twice shy,” District 1 Councilor Philip J. Hebert said. “Why should we take a chance on you?”

Cummings responded, “That’s the 3,000-pound gorilla in the room.” Cummings said he understands if the council wants to hire someone with a longer track record of experience, but said he has his own strengths and ideas.

Proposed ballot questions clear review and could face Massachusetts voters in 2012 election

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One question seeks to legalize medical marijuana and allow patients to obtain up to a 60-day supply with a doctor's approval.

BOSTON – Twenty-two possible ballot questions cleared a hurdle to qualify for next year's statewide election, including measures to legalize medical marijuana, expand the state's bottle-deposit law and force car manufacturers to sell to repair shops all the software needed to fix vehicles.

Attorney General Martha M. Coakley certified the proposed questions as meeting certain requirements of the state constitution.

“Our decisions do not reflect any opinion on the merits or values of the petitions, but were based on a limited review of the form and topics of proposals," Coakley said in a statement.

Martha Coakley.JPGMassachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley

Now, the hard and often costly work begins for backers of the proposed ballot questions. Supporters must attempt to collect at least 68,911 signatures of registered voters by late November to qualify proposals for the ballot on Nov. 6, 2012.

If enough signatures are collected, the measure is submitted to the state Legislature for consideration in January. Unless the state Legislature has passed the proposal by May, supporters must gather an additional 11,485 voter signatures by early July to make the ballot.

The requirement to gather signatures can be so difficult that many backers often hire people to do the work.

Whitney A. Taylor, a volunteer for the Committee for Compassionate Medicine, sponsor of the proposed marijuana question, said the group plans to pay for signature gathering.

Taylor said the proposed question is a backup in case the state Legislature fails to approve a similar medical marijuana bill co-sponsored by Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst.

Taylor was campaign manager for a 2008 marijuana ballot question approved by 65 percent of voters. The law, which took effect in January 2009, replaced criminal penalties for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana with a civil fine of $100, about the same as getting a traffic ticket.

If the question is approved by voters, medical marijuana would be available to people with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer or AIDS.

The question would allow physicians to certify that patients have an illness that could be helped by marijuana. Patients then would be allowed to purchase up to a 60-day supply of marijuana for their personal use from a nonprofit treatment center that could also grow the plants.

The state Department of Public Health would regulate medical marijuana, including approval of a rule on what constitutes a 60-day supply. If approved by voters, the proposed law would take effect on Jan. 1, 2013 and would eliminate state criminal and civil penalties for the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients.

Coakley approved questions that cover 17 topics.

Other possible questions would repeal a state law that mandates residents 18 and older to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty and would require school districts to use certain standards in evaluating and hiring teachers, principals and administrators.

Another proposed question would allow grocery stores and supermarkets to sell wine in the state. Current state law prevents supermarket chains from selling wine at all their stores.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a similar 2006 ballot question for wine at food stores, after police chiefs and other critics warned it could increase drinking by minors and allow sales at convenience stores and gas stations.

Another question seeks to expand the state's 5-cent bottle deposit law to include bottles of water, juices, sports drinks and other beverages.

Arthur Kinsman, coordinator of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, said the group also plans to pay people to collect signatures. The group's question would mandate that manufacturers sell to repair shops all the software needed to repair vehicles.

The state's independent vehicle repair shops are backing the question by the group, Kinsman said. Auto manufacturers are expected to oppose the measure in a campaign that could include extensive advertising by both sides.

Mechanics at independent shops said they need the software to provide them with the proper diagnostic and safety data needed to repair cars. Otherwise, their customers could be required to have their vehicles fixed by dealers that charge more.

Manufacturers have said that if the software becomes widely distributed, it would allow the production of cheaper adaptations in foreign countries, without financing the research for developing parts.

Currently, auto manufacturers provide only some of the diagnostic and safety information needed to repair vehicle owners' cars with independent technicians, limiting consumers' choices and losing business for neighborhood repair shops, Kinsman said.

Coakley also approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that calls for legislators to pass laws to ensure all residents have comprehensive, affordable health care. At the earliest, that question would appear on the 2014 ballot since constitutional amendments also need approval of at least 25 percent of legislators in each of two successive sessions.

The attorney general also certified a question that would allow assisted suicide for certain terminally ill patients in the state.

The proposed law would allow some patients with terminal diseases to use drugs to end their lives. Patients would need to work with physicians.

The attorney general rejected eight proposed questions because they dealt with the power of the courts or other matters that are constitutionally banned from going to the ballot.


Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry leaves Texas wildfires, heads to GOP debate

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Over the past three days, Perry met with residents who lost homes, gave briefings on the state of the fire and took an aerial tour of the charred ground.

Republican Debate Rick Perry 9711.jpgRepublican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, is met by Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., chairman of the Ronald Reagan President Foundation, as he arrives for a Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday in Simi Valley, Calif.

AUSTIN, Texas – Call it a leadership test in real time.

Gov. Rick Perry left the presidential campaign trail this week to dash back to Texas, where wildfires have devoured more than 1,000 homes in barely seven days. On Wednesday, he turned his attention back to the presidential race, jetting off to California in time for a GOP presidential debate.

Perry’s move appears to violate a cardinal rule of disaster politics for chief executives: never leave the disaster. But the choice highlights the line Perry has to walk to balance the demands of crisis at home and the need to introduce himself to potential voters on the national stage.

Over the past three days, Perry met with residents who lost homes, gave briefings on the state of the fire and took an aerial tour of the charred ground. His message was clear: governing first, politics second.

“I’m substantially more concerned about making sure Texans are being taken care of,” he said Tuesday after viewing by helicopter a fire-ravaged neighborhood west of Austin. He left Texas only after firefighters began gaining control over the blazes.

The wildfires come just weeks after Perry entered the GOP presidential race and shot to the top of national polls taking an early measure of the Republican field.

It didn’t take long for Perry to be subjected to the scrutiny a presidential campaign brings. He has faced criticism for his record as Texas governor and his positions on some issues. His down-home, Texas-style demeanor hasn’t always played well on a national stage.

Now, Perry – whose job includes coordinating his state’s wildfire response – has the chance to try to boost his image and set himself apart from his GOP presidential rivals by showing off his leadership and management skills as Republicans nationwide weigh whether he has what it takes to be president. Not one of his opponents is a sitting governor.

“It gives Perry an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, to demonstrate decisiveness and at the same time empathy and caring,” said Todd Harris, a Republican consultant who has worked on a number of GOP presidential campaigns. “You can’t do anything that looks, sounds or smells even remotely political. If it looks like you are taking advantage of a disaster and trying to use it for political purposes, it will backfire.”

Perry also could end up looking weak and ineffective should the fires continue to rage without interruption or if the state’s response is perceived to be slow or subpar. Just ask former President George W. Bush, whose sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina shaped his second term and forever tarnished his reputation.

“It’s always an advantage for a candidate to be acting rather than talking,” said Frank Donatelli, chairman of GOPAC, an organization that trains Republicans to run for elective office. “If you take control of the situation and then don’t deliver, that’s a bad thing.”

And Perry could open himself up to charges of hypocrisy.

He has said he will request federal disaster relief for this round of wildfires – although he bashes the federal government and Washington every chance he gets, even as flames envelop parts of his state. And while he was seeking federal money, he took a swipe at the Defense Department, suggesting that bureaucratic red tape was holding up bulldozers and other equipment from nearby Fort Hood that could be used to fight the fires around central Texas.

“It’s more difficult than it should be to get those types of assets freed up by the federal government,” Perry said Tuesday. “When you’ve got people hurting, when you’ve got lives that are in danger in particular, I really don’t care who the asset belongs to. If it’s sitting in some yard somewhere and not helping be part of the solution, that’s a problem.”

Perry overlooked the fact that Fort Hood is battling its own wildfires. Tyler Broadway, a spokesman for the post, said bulldozers cutting firebreaks around the blaze were part of an effort that had fires there only 60 percent contained by Tuesday night.

Fires have blackened 3.5 million acres, an area roughly the size of Connecticut, across the state since December.

President Barack H. Obama rejected Texas’ request in April for federal aid due to wildfires, but then declared 45 fire-ravaged counties a major disaster in July, after Perry wrote to the White House to appeal the previous decision. The Agriculture Department has also declared all of Texas a natural disaster area due to a relentless drought, making farmers eligible for low-interest emergency loans.

As fire raged back home on Sunday, Perry abruptly left a campaign trip to South Carolina to head to Bastrop, a quaint community about 25 miles from Austin where a wildfire that spanned more than 16 miles was raging out of control. When he arrived, Perry got an earful from evacuated residents who demanded to know why more state planes weren’t being used to pour water on the flames.

“Where are the planes?” several gathered in the municipal building’s lobby shouted.

Clearly taken aback, Perry mumbled, “The planes are flying.”

“We don’t see them!” some in the crowd shot back.

But the heckling was short-lived. The same crowd applauded a few minutes later when Perry responded to a question about Wednesday’s debate in Simi Valley, Calif., saying he was “not paying attention to politics right now.”

Cloudy with a chance of police questioning: Arkansas TV weatherman Brett Cummins wakes up in hot tub next to naked dead man

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Any story involving a weatherman, a hot tub and a naked corpse is bound to catch fire on the Internet.

kark2.jpgBrett Cummins, seen here in a KARK TV4 publicity photo

An odd story is developing in Little Rock, Ark., where a television weatherman is being questioned by police after he was found passed out in a hot tub next to the dead body of a naked man who was wearing only a dog collar.

According to a story posted on Arkansas Online, the website of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, police have not determined a cause of death and Brett Cummins, the meteorologist for the local television station KARK News 4, is not considered a suspect. Police Department Lt. Jim Hansard told the paper it's too early to know whether foul play was involved in the death.

Any story involving a naked corpse, a weatherman and a hot tub is bound to catch fire on the Internet, and this story is no exception. The New York Daily News picked it up as did The Huffington Post, the ABC News blog, and the Daily Mail of London.

The International Business Times ran it with the headline "What is it with TV weathermen?" The article documents 10 recent incidents, all involving television weather personalities who have found themselves in one controversy or another.

According to the police report, officers responded to 16 Village Way around 8 a.m. Monday and found the naked body of 24-year-old Dexter Williams lying on the floor of what was described as a Jacuzzi hot tub. Williams reportedly had what appeared to be a dog collar around his neck. It was connected to a silver chain.

The homeowner told police Cummins had come over the night before with Williams, and the two began drinking and using drugs. The homeowner told police that all three of them were in the hot tub at one point, but at about 11 p.m., he got out and went to bed, leaving Cummins and Williams in the tub.

When he returned the next morning, he found Cummins asleep in the tub, but he called police when he discovered Williams was unresponsive.

A spokesman for KARK TV4 said Cummins did not appear at work because he was "mourning the loss of a friend."

Former Holyoke police chief Anthony Scott endorses police captain's rival in Ward 7 City Council race

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Capt. Alan Fletcher said the only endorsement he wants is from Ward 7 voters.

chief anthony scott on segway.jpgFormer Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott waves to crowd from a Segway at St. Patrick's Parade in 2007.

HOLYOKE – Former police chief Anthony R. Scott has endorsed Gordon P. Alexander for Ward 7 City Council and bypassed another candidate in the race: Police Capt. Alan G. Fletcher.

Alexander, Fletcher and Christopher Kulig are competing in the Sept. 20 preliminary election. The top two vote-getters will face off on Election Day Nov. 8.

Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill isn’t running for re-election.

The backing from Scott comes after his April retirement and a 10-year tenure as chief in which some people sported Chief Scott bumper stickers and elderly people packed buses to attend events with him.

“After speaking with Mr. Alexander and reviewing his position statement I am endorsing him because of his concerns for the quality of life issues facing the residents of Ward 7 and his opposition to the closing of the crime lab at (the University of Massachusetts), which also has an impact on the residents of Western Mass.,” Scott said Wednesday.

“I believe Mr. Alexander has no hidden agendas and wishes to represent all of the residents of Ward 7. We may not agree on all issues but I believe he is the best qualified candidate for this seat,” Scott said.

Scott said he was aware Fletcher was a candidate for the seat, but said, “I just think that Gordon would be the better candidate for Ward 7, based on talking with Mr. Alexander and other people.”

Scott, a New Orleans native, is now living temporarily in Connecticut as he mounts a consulting company with plans to move to South Carolina. But he still has his money in Holyoke banks, he said.

“If anybody says, ‘Well, he’s endorsing somebody and he doesn’t even live there,’ well hey, my money is still there,” Scott said.

Alexander is a business systems analyst and chairman of the Conservation Commission.

“I am gratified by Chief Scott’s support and look forward to working with the council and mayor to ensure that our law enforcement team has the resources and support it needs to do its job effectively,” Alexander said.

Fletcher, who will retire in October after 44 years with the Police Department, said he parted with Scott on good terms. He said he was unfazed by Scott’s endorsement of a rival despite working with him for 10 years.

“I didn’t ask Scott for his endorsement. I didn’t ask anybody for their endorsement. I think my endorsement should come from the voters of Ward 7 and, frankly, I think it will,” Fletcher said.

Kulig is a member of the charter review commission and a Workers’ Compensation underwriter with Hartford Insurance. He said that Scott’s stature notwithstanding, he was focusing on his own bid to represent Ward 7.

“It’s time to get a youthful voice with energy to represent the people of Ward 7,” Kulig said.

Mitt Romney, Rick Perry spar over jobs, Social Security at Republican presidential debate

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Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, businessman Herman Cain, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania shared the stage.

090711 mitt romney rick perry debate.jpgRepublican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry answers a question as Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listens during a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By KASIE HUNT

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Eager to tangle, Republican presidential rivals Rick Perry and Mitt Romney sparred vigorously over job creation and Social Security Wednesday night in a lively campaign debate that marked a new turn in the race to pick a 2012 challenger to President Barack Obama.

"Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt," Perry jabbed, referring to Romney's Democratic predecessor as governor of Massachusetts.

"As a matter of fact, George Bush and his predecessors created jobs at a faster rate than you did," Romney shot back at Perry, the newcomer who has quickly become the front-runner in the race.

The debate was the first of three in as many weeks, at a time when the economy is struggling, unemployment is seemingly stuck at 9.1 percent and Obama's popularity is sinking in the polls — all events that could make the GOP nomination worth more than it appeared only a few months ago.

Perry and Romney stood next to each other on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a symbolic setting that invoked the memory of the conservative Republican who swept to two terms as president.

For much of the evening, the debate seemed to center on the competition between the two men, largely reducing their rivals to the roles of spectators looking for a way into the action.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman sided with Perry when he turned to Romney and said, "47th just isn't going to cut it, my friend," a reference to the rank Massachusetts had among the 50 states in creating jobs during Romney's term.

But he also sought to rebut Perry's claim to be chief executive of the country's top job-producing state.

"I hate to rain on the parade of the great Lone Star State governor, but as governor of Utah, we were the No. 1 job creator during my years in service," Huntsman said.

090711 republican presidential debate lineup.jpgRepublican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, businessman Herman Cain and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman stand together before a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Businessman Herman Cain, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania shared the stage for the debate hosted by MSNBC and Politico.

Not surprisingly, none of the GOP contenders had anything positive to say about Obama, either his record on creating jobs or the health care law they have vowed to repeal if they win the White House.

Bachmann said she would provide the "strong, bold leader in the presidency who will lead that effort. None of us should ever think that the repeal bill will just come to our desk," she said in a pledge that drew applause from the audience.

Gingrich resisted an effort to draw him into conflict with other Republicans on stage. "I'm frankly not interested in your efforts to get Republicans fighting each other," he said, sparking an even louder round of applause. He said all Republicans should "defeat efforts by the news media" to spark an internal struggle when the real objective is to defeat Obama in 2012.

But moments later, Cain said that after trying to defeat Democratic efforts to create national health care, "I'm running against Romneycare," the legislation that passed requiring residents of Massachusetts to purchase coverage.

Social Security produced more sparks, when Perry said the program was a "Ponzi scheme" and added it was a lie to tell young workers they will ever receive the benefits they have been promised.

Romney quickly referred to Perry's book, "Fed Up," in which the Texas governor said that by any measure the program was a failure. Perry also said states should be able to opt out of the program,' Romney added.

Perry was unrepentant — "You cannot keep the status quo in place and call it anything other than a Ponzi scheme," he said.

The Texas governor also made it clear he doesn't intend to take advice from Karl Rove, the former Bush political adviser who recently said some of Perry's rhetoric has been too controversial.

"Karl has been over the top for a long time now," he said.

The event was Perry's first opportunity to share a debate stage with his rivals since he joined the race last month and shot to the top of the public opinion polls. He displaced Romney as front-runner and stepped on the momentum that Bachmann had generated with her victory in a straw poll at the Iowa State Fair earlier in the summer.

A governor for more than a decade, he seemed at ease on stage in his campaign debut and moved quickly to assert his claim to having the best record of all on stage in creating jobs.

"We created 1 million jobs in the state of Texas at the same time the United States lost 2 million," he said, adding that the issue for the nation this election season is "who on this stage can get America working. Because we know for a fact that the resident of the White House cannot."

Romney threw the first jab of the evening, saying that being a career politician is a "fine profession" but not the same as having worked in the business world, as he did.

That was a reference to Perry, who moved quickly to counter.

He said Romney had indeed done well creating jobs in the business world, but "when he moved that experience to government, he had one of the lowest job creation rates in the country. ... As a matter of fact, we created more jobs in the last three months in Texas than he created in four years in Massachusetts."

Romney didn't exactly challenge that claim, but instead said Texas has no income tax, has a right-to-work law that makes it hard for unions to organize, plentiful oil and gas reserves and a Republican legislature. Massachusetts has none of those things, and he said he had turned the state's economy around.

Easthampton City Council delays public hearing on controversial tree removal, hears pond promenade update

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The City Council took its first actions in the new chambers at the Municipal Building.

EASTHAMPTON – The City Council on Wednesday took its first actions in the new chambers at the Municipal Building, delaying a public hearing on a controversial tree removal plan, hearing an update on a Nashawannuck Pond promenade and allocating funds for historic records preservation.

The council was set to hear public comments on a plan to remove 22 trees on Clark Lane and Oliver and Torrey streets to make way for 18 utility poles to transfer energy from the recently approved solar farm on the capped Oliver Street landfill.

Ownership of the poles would be shared between Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and Verizon.

The proposal was before the ordinance subcommittee, which met right before the 6 p.m. full council meeting. Chairman Ronald D. Chateauneuf said the subcommittee spoke to concerned residents, who were comfortable delaying the public hearing until Sept. 21 at 6:15 p.m.

"We're still working to get everything assimilated to make a recommendation to the full council," Chateauneuf said.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik announced the city is applying for grants through the MassWorks Infrastructure Program to help fund the $1 million pond promenade.

Councilor At-Large Donald L. Cykowski, who, like Tautznik, is seeking re-election on Nov. 8, criticized the plan, saying it came at the wrong time and more effort should be made to improve roads and sidewalks.

"Our roads are a disgrace," said Cykowski. "Some day I would support this with no problem, but not right now. ... That can wait."

Tautznik said the promenade would make the city more attractive to businesses and shoppers and, "We are always looking for more grant funds to do many of the myriad things we are always looking to do."

The design drawings produced by Berkshire Design Group were done at no charge, he said.

The council also voted to approve a request by City Clerk Barbara L. LaBombard to allocate $15,000 for preservation of certain old marriage and death records, as well as new shelving in the office to accommodate the larger binders.

Proposed East Longmeadow home daycare bylaw won't reach Town Meeting

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The Planning Board will not have enough time to schedule a public hearing to discuss the bylaw change before Town Meeting, scheduled Sept. 26 at East Longmeadow High School.

EAST LONGMEADOW– A bylaw that would allow home daycare providers to care for 10 children instead of the six permitted now will not be voted on during the Special Town Meeting Sept. 26.

The Board of Selectmen met with the Appropriations Committee and Town Moderator James Sheils to discuss the upcoming meeting on Tuesday.

Sheils said he was informed by the Planning Board that they will not have enough time to schedule a public hearing to discuss the bylaw change before Town Meeting. Without the hearing the Planning Board will not make a recommendation on the warrant article. Sheils said without the Planning Board's recommendation he cannot allow a vote on the article.

The board is also considering taking no action on Article 6, which would ask residents to approve $205,000 for renovations at Pine Knoll Recreational Facility and the Recreation Department.

Board of Selectmen member Enrico J. Villamaino, who voted against putting the article on the warrant, said it is premature to ask voters to approve the sum of money without having a clear plan in place for the renovation.

The Appropriations Committee had concerns about Article 5, which asks residents to approve $36,000 for a full-time Veterans Services Agent.

The town is looking for someone to replace the part-time agent who resigned. A new state law requires that the position be full-time.

The Appropriations Committee is hoping the town will consider regionalizing the position. Villamaino said they are working with Longmeadow and maybe Hampden to consolidate the position.

The town currently has a part-time agent who they would like to hire full-time to fill out the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in June.

Selectman Paul L. Federici said the full-time position comes with the condition that it might not last past June 30 if the town comes to an agreement to share an agent with Longmeadow.

The special town meeting will be held at East Longmeadow High School at 7 p.m.
East Longmeadow Community Access Television will air a program explaining all of the articles on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. on Channels 5 and 19.

Simi Valley Republican presidential debate: Key moments and quotes

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tangled over jobs created in their home states.

090711_mitt_romney_rick_perry_debate.JPGRepublican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry answer a question during a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Key moments in Wednesday night's GOP presidential debate in Simi Valley, Calif.:

Big moment:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tangled over jobs created in their home states. While Perry touted jobs created on his watch — and despite a recession — Romney highlighted his work both in government and in the private sector, where he spent the bulk of his career. Perry shot back that Massachusetts' former Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis created three times as many jobs as Romney. Romney countered that George W. Bush and his predecessor also created three times as many jobs as Perry. From the sidelines, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman piped up that his state led the nation in job creation during his tenure.

Other highlights:

• Perry won applause from the audience for saying he never struggled with whether any of the inmates executed during his time as governor. As of Wednesday, 234 people have been executed in the 10-plus years that Perry has served as governor of Texas, the highest number of any U.S. governor. The very mention of that statistic drew applause.

• Perry stood by his criticism of Social Security, calling the program for seniors a "monstrous lie" — a claim that prompted Romney to charge that such rhetoric is bad for the GOP.

Key quotes:

• "Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt." — Perry to Romney.

• "Well, as a matter of fact, George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor." — Romney to Perry.

• "I hate to rain on the parade of the Lone Star governor, but as governor of Utah, we were the No. 1 job creator in this country during my years of service. That was 5.9 percent when you were creating jobs at 4.9 percent. And to my good friend, Mitt, 47 just ain't going to cut it, my friend, not when you can be first." — Huntsman to Romney.

Top laughs:

• "No, but it means that, if he wants to write another book, I'll write another foreword."
– Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, when asked if his foreword to Perry's book was an endorsement of its contents.

• "I kind of feel like the pinata here at the party."
– Perry, on his rivals' criticisms during his first presidential debate.

What wasn't on TV:

• Body language matters, especially between the pair of front-runners. When Perry answered questions, Romney, slightly taller and just an arm's length away, frequently turned his body toward the Texas governor and locked a narrow-eyed glare on him. When Romney talked about rebuilding the Massachusetts economy, Perry looked toward the crowd with a broadly arched eyebrow.

• During one commercial break, Perry and Rep. Ron Paul, a fellow Texan, continued their spirited exchange on stage. After other candidates stepped away, the pair continued to talk and, at one point, Perry spread and extended his arms while speaking emphatically to the congressman.


Tropical Storm Lee's remnants bring fresh flood worries to East Coast

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From Maryland to New England, heavy rains swelled waterways, flooded highways and stretched emergency responders already dealing with cleanup from last week's punishing blow from Hurricane Irene.

090711_swatara_township_pa.JPGDerry St. resident Greg Williams is taken to safety on a boat by members of Swatara Twp. Fire Company due to flooding on the street from Spring Creek, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011 in Swatara Township, Pa. The rainy aftermath of Tropical Storm Lee set off flash flooding across a wide swath of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, snarling traffic amid closed-off roads and forcing evacuation of some low-lying areas. State officials braced for potentially worse problems along the swelling Susquehanna River and several creeks and streams. (AP Photo/The Patriot-News, Dan Gleiter)

By MICHAEL GORMLEY

WINDHAM, N.Y. — Drenched and dispirited, East Coast residents recovering from Hurricane Irene were stuck under the chugging remnants of Tropical Storm Lee on Wednesday, some of them grudgingly preparing to move to higher ground again as rivers rose while others fled flash flooding.

From Maryland to New England, heavy rains swelled waterways, flooded highways and stretched emergency responders already dealing with cleanup from last week's punishing blow from Irene. Sodden ground gave rain nowhere to go but directly into streams, creeks and rivers that rushed a turbid red-brown past rural communities.

"Now it's getting on my last nerves," said Carol Slater, 53, of Huntersfield, N.Y., on the northern edge of New York's Catskill Mountains and just outside of hard-hit Prattsville.

As rain washed out the tennis matches for the second straight day at the U.S. Open in New York City, the National Weather Service predicted it would continue to fall heavily across the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states through Thursday with anywhere from 4 to 7 more inches falling and up to 10 in isolated pockets. Flood watches and warnings were up throughout the region.

In Pennsylvania, rain set off flash flooding across a wide swath of the state, closing roads and forcing evacuations.

New York positioned rescue workers, swift-water boats and helicopters with hoists to respond quickly in the event of flash flooding. Teams stood by in Vermont, which bore the brunt of Irene's remnants last week, and hundreds of Pennsylvania residents were told to flee a rising creek.

By noon Wednesday, Prattsville was cut off, its main roads covered with water as public works crews tried to dredge the creeks to alleviate the flooding. Trash bins stood in the mud-caked streets to collect debris left by Irene and the wreckage of houses destroyed by the earlier storm still dotted the area.

Heavy rain fell, and residents were ready to evacuate as the Schoharie Creek escaped its banks and smaller streams showed significant flooding.

"Businesses and residential areas were devastated before," Wayne Speenburgh, chairman of the Greene County Legislature, said of Prattsville. "Downtown, there's nobody living because there's no homes to live in."

In nearby Middleburgh, dozens of residents were evacuated from temporary shelters set up in schools, many for the third time since Irene hit. Many businesses remained empty but were adorned with hopeful signs — like the one at Hubie's Pizzeria — that they would reopen.

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"It's encouraging," said James Kelley, 51, of Middleburgh. "A lot of people had given up last week, but with all the volunteers and help, it helps people re-energize."

Flooding also led to voluntary evacuations in the Catskills town of Shandaken, Rotterdam Junction near Albany, and a section of Schenectady along the Mohawk River. Some schools in the Hudson Valley north of New York City closed or delayed start times.

Along the road in Windham were several soggy, cardboard signs from last week's storm that said "Thank you for your help."

Patrick Darling said he and wife Dawn are trying to keep their sense of humor while dealing with a second week of flooding.

"We have stress, lots of stress," he said after using shovels to clear mud and debris from his neighbors' homes. "We've been shoveling our stress out."

Lee formed just off the Louisiana coast late last week and gained strength as it lingered in the Gulf for a couple of days. It dumped more than a foot of rain in New Orleans and trudged across Mississippi and Alabama.

Tornadoes spawned by Lee damaged hundreds of homes, and flooding knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. Trees were uprooted and roads were flooded. Winds fanned wildfires in Louisiana and Texas, and the storm even kicked up tar balls on the Gulf Coast.

At least four people died; no deaths were reported Wednesday. Irene was blamed for at least 46 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

In Maryland, firefighters were among those who had to be rescued Wednesday as storms flooded roads, stranding drivers who had to be pulled from rushing water and pushing residents from their homes.

A swift-water rescue boat capsized in the Patapsco River near Catonsville as firefighters responded to rescue calls near the Howard County line, Baltimore County spokeswoman Elise Armacost said, adding that all firefighters were later accounted for.

In New York, several residents said even if the call for mandatory evacuation comes, they won't go.

"We stayed here through Irene, we'll stay through this," said Doris Pasternak, 59, owner of the historic Prattsville Hotel and Tavern, where water rose up to 5 feet into the lower floor after Irene. "I have a hatch on the roof. I'm not moving. I'm just too old to pick up and go."

A flood watch was in effect through Thursday afternoon in soggy Vermont. Parts of the state are still recovering from flooding from the remnants of Irene, which was a tropical storm by the time it swept over the area.

Swift water rescue teams are on call, and residents should be ready to evacuate if rivers rise fast, said Vermont Emergency Management spokesman Mark Bosma.

Irene hit upstate New York and Vermont particularly hard, with at least 12 deaths in those areas and dozens of highways damaged or washed out. Several communities in Vermont were cut off entirely and required National Guard airdrops to get supplies.

Flood watches or warnings were in place through Thursday night for much of Pennsylvania. About 3,000 residents along the Solomon Creek in Wilkes-Barre were ordered to evacuate due to quickly rising waters, but the creek crested about 4 feet below flood stage and the order was lifted Wednesday afternoon. Rain from Irene also led to evacuations there last week.

Flash flooding shut down dozens of Pennsylvania highways Wednesday and forced the evacuation of some riverfront trailer parks and campgrounds, while state officials braced for potentially worse problems along the swollen Susquehanna River. Other damage on Wednesday included a mudslide in Lancaster County, and two zoo animals that were caught in rising floodwaters in Hershey had to be euthanized.

In New Jersey, where many residents were still cleaning up after Irene, the remnants of Lee were expected to drop anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of rain. There was some flooding along rivers including the Passaic, which breached its banks during Irene and caused serious damage. Heavier flooding is expected Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the open Atlantic, Hurricane Katia brought rough surf to the East Coast but was not expected to make landfall in the U.S. Tropical Storm Maria also formed Wednesday far out in the Atlantic, but it was too soon to tell if and where it might make landfall.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Michael Hill and Rik Stevens in Albany, N.Y.; John Curran in Montpelier, Vt.; Genaro C. Armas in State College, Pa.; Bill Poovey in Chattanooga and Alex Dominguez in Baltimore.

Boston hit-and-run suspect fatally shot by police

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The pursuit began in Boston's Roxbury section, followed Interstate 93 south and ended at Route 3's Exit 14 in Rockland.

ROCKLAND — A hit-and-run suspect was fatally shot by police Wednesday at the end of a 20-mile, high-speed car chase that left two officers injured.

The pursuit began in Boston's Roxbury section at 10:25 a.m., followed Interstate 93 south and ended at Route 3's Exit 14 in Rockland, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said. Boston police shot the man after he crashed into a patrol car, injuring two officers, he said.

The chase reached speeds of about 70 to 75 mph at one point, state police spokesman David Procopio said.

State and Boston police vehicles tried to box the fleeing vehicle in the grass median strip on the exit ramp, but the suspect "continued to aggressively attempt to avoid capture and struck two state police cruisers," Procopio said.

"In the moments that followed, as the suspect continued to refuse to surrender, an officer or officers discharged a weapon or weapons. The suspect was struck by gunfire," Procopio said.

The suspect was taken to South Shore Hospital and was pronounced dead at about 12:45 p.m. Cruz is investigating.

One of the injured officers, a state trooper who was in an unmarked cruiser struck head-on by the suspect, was also transported to the hospital. He was treated for minor injuries and released. A Rockland police officer was also hurt in the pursuit but didn't suffer life-threatening injuries, Cruz said.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said officers pursued the man after a woman trying to get out of his car was struck and injured.

That woman, however, later said the man was her friend and that she was accidentally hit while trying to get out.

Cassandra Combs said she was sitting in the car with the man when police officers pulled up and her friend decided to leave in a hurry. She said she got out of the vehicle to avoid getting caught up in a police chase as the man put the car in reverse, causing its door to accidentally swipe the side of her face.

Police didn't immediately release the man's identity because his relatives were being notified.

Northampton arson defendant Anthony Baye's lawyers file motion to exclude evidence he took cocaine on night of fires

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According to the motions filed in Hampshire Superior Court, neither the cocaine evidence nor the previous fires are relevant to the charges against Baye.

Anthony Baye short hair cropAnthony Baye

NORTHAMPTON – Anthony P. Baye’s lawyers have filed a motion asking a judge to exclude evidence that he took cocaine on the night of the Dec. 27, 2009, fires that terrorized the city.

Baye, 26, faces multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, in connection with 15 fires that prosecutors said he set that night. One of those, a blaze at 17 Fair St., took the lives of a father and son.

Defense lawyers David P. Hoose and Thomas Lesser are also asking Judge Constance Sweeney to exclude mention of other mysterious fires in the same neighborhood prior to Dec. 27, 2009.

According to the motions filed Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court, neither the cocaine evidence nor the previous fires are relevant to the charges against Baye. His defense contends that any value they might have in prosecuting Baye is outweighed by the prejudicial effect they would have on the jury.

Road to be closed temporarily in Southwick

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A section of College Highway (Routes 10/202) will be closed.

SOUTHWICK – College Highway (Routes10/202) will be closed between Klaus Anderson Road and the intersection of Congamond Road and Vining Hill Road from 9 p.m. Thursday to approximately 5 a.m. Friday.

Southbound traffic will be rerouted to Klaus Anderson Road to Ed Holcomb Road to Vining Hill Road, back to College Highway south.

Northbound traffic will be rerouted to Congamond Road to Sheep Pasture Road to Depot Street back to College Highway north.

9/11 10th anniversary: Springfield-area First Responders reflect on volunteering at 'Ground Zero'

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Local residents Michael Goldberg, Robert Hopkins and Daniel Hamre were among the thousands to pitch in at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

terror flag.JPGView full sizeIn one of the iconic images to emerge from 9/11, three firefighters raise a flag late in the afternoon on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, amid the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers in New York.

SPRINGFIELD – Robert J. Hopkins had planned to go fishing but canceled because he felt lousy with a cold.

Michael Goldberg had just woken up and turned on his television to catch the morning news.

And Dan Hamre was about an hour into a disaster-training seminar for firefighters when someone shouted the news that one of the World Trade Center towers was on fire.

Like millions of Americans, the three watched the horror unfold on television that morning 10 years ago, but they were also among the thousands who made their way to Manhattan to assist with the relief and recovery efforts.

Like most everyone else, Hopkins, 58, of Chicopee, Hamre, 55, of Springfield, and Goldberg, 43, of Hampden, can remember where they were at the moment when the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, as part of the worst terrorist attack on American soil.

By mid-afternoon, Goldberg, a K-9 officer with the Hampden Sheriff’s Department, and his dog partner, Jack, arrived at Ground Zero to join the search of the fallen buildings.

Hopkins, an assistant professor of emergency medical service management at Springfield College and deputy commander of the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Ma-2, an on-call unit of 50-some doctors, nurses, EMTs and technicians, rolled into New York City later that night. They would spend the next two weeks staffing five medical tents that worked round-the-clock at Ground Zero.

And Hamre, a lieutenant who is now retired from the Springfield Fire Department, took vacation time to join the search for the dead a week after the attacks. He spent five days in Manhattan, first with a recovery detail at Ground Zero, and then helping to staff a fire station that lost 10 firefighters.

Goldberg finds it difficult to believe 10 years has passed. “It was such a traumatic thing, and I’m just one of thousands of people who have stories about it,” he said recently when asked to share his perspective.

For Hamre, 9/11 will always remain very personal – Gen. Timothy Maude, his company commander in the Army, was killed in the attack on the Pentagon.

“I knew I couldn’t get to the Pentagon, so I went to New York,” Hamre said. “It was a case of where I had to go.”

Hopkins sees 9/11 as a moment of great tragedy and of national unity, just as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was to his parent’s generation. “Out of these tragedies come stories of strength, stories of character,” he said.

As the events of that morning unfolded a decade ago, each of the men followed a different path to New York City:

Goldberg says he was horrified as he watched the trade center towers burn, but didn’t think he’d become personaly involved. He wasn’t a firefighter, he said, and he and his dog hadn’t had any search-and-rescue experience.

“It wasn’t long after that I got a call,” Goldberg recalled recently.

A friend with the New York Police Department was inquiring if Jack, Goldberg’s police dog at the time, could find people at a disaster scene. “I said, ‘Yeah, he’s not a cadaver dog and he’s not trained to go through a crazy debris field, but he could use his nose and find people.’”

With permission from Sheriff Michael Ashe, Goldberg and Jack were racing south, reporting to a command center at Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan at 1 p.m. They set foot on Ground Zero about 30 minutes later.

They were on scene for more than a day, going through the rubble for 12 straight hours, coming up for air and to rest at about 1 a.m. and then going back to duty by 3 a.m. Sometime after that, Jack was injured when he fell 40 feet from a collapsed stairwell.

Unable to continue, Goldberg returned Jack to Springfield for veterinary care. The pair received a police escort the entire way, Goldberg remembers.

Jack would drop dead about 18 months later, after developing a strange cough. An
autopsy showed his lungs were caked with Ground Zero dust, Goldberg said.

“I had a painter’s mask on – I wish I had something stronger – but the dog didn’t have anything,” he said. “They need their noses to do work.”

Goldberg says he’s thought over the years about what could be caked on his lungs, and whether he will develop symptoms of a 9/11-related illness sometime down the road. Thousands of first responders at Ground Zero have developed respiratory ailments and cancer in the last 10 years. Ultimately, Goldberg says, those are among the risks of the job, and, if he becomes ill as a result of his brief time at Ground Zero, he will have no regrets.

For hours after the towers collapsed, Ground Zero was one of the most dangerous places on Earth, Goldberg said. The debris field was as far as he could see, and every building lining it sustained some damage, he said.

The pile of rubble that used to be the towers was itself 30-stories high, or roughly the size of Monarch Place in downtown Springfield. It also extended seemingly an equal distance below ground with basements, underground shopping malls and subway platforms that all needed checking for survivors.

“It was huge, and you couldn’t see the end of it,” Goldberg said. “And, it was smoking and hot.”

Dust hung in the air, fires were breaking out everywhere, and every step was potentially treacherous, he said. The pile was continually crackling, wheezing and even moving, as if it were alive, he said.

Michael goldberg1.jpgView full sizeHampden County Sheriff's Department K-9 officer Michael Goldberg poses with his partner, Tyson. Ten years ago, Goldberg and his dog, Jack, were among the first K-9 teams to arrive at Ground Zero to help serve for victims at the World Trade Center site.

Paired with three firemen and three police officers, Goldberg and Jack began a grid search of the pile. Before they set out, Goldberg was required to write his Social Security
number and the phone number for a next-of-kin on his arm with a Sharpie.

“In case you got crushed, they’d still be able to ID you,” he said. “The military calls it a meat tag.”

They were under the pile searching the mall and subway platform under the towers when the 47-story Building 7 at the World Trade Center site collapsed at about 5:30 p.m. They could hear the rumbling and see a wall of dust and debris heading their way, and everyone was certain they would be killed.

“We figured it was ‘curtains,’” Goldberg said.

In the dark and standing around a pillar that they hoped would not collapse, the crew kept calm by telling jokes, he said. “One guy would tell a joke, and it would be silent, and then some other guy would tell a joke,” he said.

The search for survivors very quickly became a search for victims, according to Goldberg, describing the carnage he encountered. “All we found were parts,” he said.

Arms, legs, torsos. Bodies ripped and crushed beyond recognition. The level of gore was such, he said, that to this day he does not like to talk about it in great detail. “It was just overwhelming,” he said.

It was also chaotic. Searchers were scrambling around looking for where they thought they’d find bodies.

He remembers going through crushed ambulances and fire trucks at the scene, looking for medical kits and equipment to help dig and pry at the rubble.

Early on, Jack located the bodies of seven New York City firefighters who were crushed together in a collapsed stairwell, Goldberg said. Each time a firefighter’s remains was found, searchers would back off to allow the New York Fire Department to recover their own. And, each time, firefighters and a chaplain would hold a brief and solemn service before removing the body.

“It was very somber, very surreal when I think of the looks on some of those guys’ faces,” Goldberg said. “And, they’re New York firefighters; they are some of the toughest guys in the world.”

Goldberg has returned to New York once since 2001, for the first anniversary. He hasn’t followed the rebuilding at Ground Zero, and while proud of his service, Goldberg said he is a little bitter at how things have gone since.

He expressed displeasure with public spats by 9/11 widows seeking a larger slice of the millions raised in donations, and with how U.S. troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan. But mostly, he said, he is upset with how the politicians frittered away the spirit of unity and patriotism that held the country together in the months after 9/11

“It really did bring this country together,” Goldberg said, “but it’s a shame (Washington) didn’t pick up the ball and run with it and say, “Let’s stay together folks. Let’s make this country stronger.”

He wonders, too, if the commemorations will be as big 10 years from now.

“To me, the memorial is in my brain and in my heart. It’s in the people that were there, and the people that lost their lives and their families,” he said. “And, the whole country has an
obligation to preserve it.

Robert hopkins1.jpgView full sizeRobert J. Hopkins, an assistant professor of emergency medical services management, sits in his office at Springfield College. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, he was called to Ground Zero as deputy commander of the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team.

Hopkins’ missed fishing trip landed him in front of his TV to watch the terror unfold that morning. Sometime after the second plane crashed but before the towers collapsed, Hopkins began packing his gear to go to New York. Once the ban on all air travel was announced, he figured it would only be a matter of time to be activated.

“The fact that no one was flying (with the grounding of all aircraft) meant the resources had to come from the Northeast,” he said. His disaster team shipped out from Worcester to Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, N.Y., at 10 p.m. before deploying to Manhattan the next morning.

They set up five emergency medical tents around Ground Zero. By this time, most of the injured had already been taken to area hospitals, and there were no more survivors being found in the rubble.

The decision was made, he said, “to give our support to the rescuers who were doing all the digging, the firefighters, police, ironworkers, anyone working at Ground Zero.”

Around the clock, they treated cuts, burns, bruises and broken bones, as well as respiratory ailments, heat exhaustion and fatigue. The hot and humid weather that week seemed even more extreme with all the smoke and dust that hung in the air, he said.

With the Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Hopkins has since been deployed to assist in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the earthquake in Haiti and a dozen other disasters, large and small. But, nothing, he says, was like Ground Zero.

When he talks about it, words like “surreal” and “strange” creep into Hopkins’ recollections: empty streets in Manhattan that would normally be bustling with activity; everything covered with a layer of dust; and air filled with a stench that seemed a combination of burning plastic, sour milk, and spoiled food.

“It was sort of like being in a movie,” Hopkins said. “Walking around Times Square and everything was closed. There was dust everywhere. It reminded me of that movie ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still.’”

New Yorkers showed incredible generosity, camaraderie and a boundless spirit to get back on their feet after being knocked down, he said. The disaster teams, bused to and from the fenced-off section of Ground Zero, were greeted each arrival with applause from spectators. The actress Sigorney Weaver served him a scoop of rice one day in a chow line, although he regrets not recognizing her until afterward.

He remembers stopping for a soda at a neighborhood store before boarding the bus one morning and being greeted by an elderly lady with a cane who, after spotting his uniform, asked if she could give him a hug. “I wanted to cry,” Hopkins said.

Another time he stepped out of one of the medical tents and two women called him over to their makeshift canteen where they poured him a fresh coffee. “They were the wives of the people dead in the pile and they wanted to help us. You can’t help but get emotional about it,” he said. “We’re here to help them and they’re trying to help us. What can you say to that? What can you say?”

As he retells the story, Hopkins seems a little choked up. Does it bother him to talk about Ground Zero today?

He sighed and said “Not now – but it’s been 10 years.”

In the weeks and months following his return, he went through a period of “crabbiness,” which is a common enough occurrence for front-line responders following work at a disaster scene, Hopkins said.

“People would ask me to talk about it, but I really didn’t feel like talking about it,” he said. “When you go through something like that, it is emotionally overwhelming ...and then to simply hop back into your regular job is hard to do without a decompression period.”

Hopkins waited a long time to return to Manhattan. “Some people went back the next year, but I felt that was too soon,” he said. When he finally did return, he made his way to Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan to reflect on the past and present. “It was interesting to see the difference between the charred area we were in and to see that things had been replaced and were sparkling.”

As the anniversary approaches, Hopkins said he can’t help but to look back on it.

“It’s the experience of a lifetime. I’ll never forget it,” he said. “It was the most important work I’ve ever done as a paramedic. It is something that will never leave me, you know.”

hammer3.jpgView full sizeRetired Springfield Fire Department Lt. Daniel Hamre holds a plaque a friend gave him after he returned from Ground Zero. The inscription, a quote from Thucydides, reads "“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them ... and yet ... go out to meet it.”

Hamre headed to Manhattan five days after 9/11, taking with him an old set of firefighter gear on a Peter Pan bus from Springfield. When the bus line heard where he was bound and why, they refunded his ticket and let him ride for free. So, too, did every cab driver he encountered in New York.

He’d spend five days in Manhattan doing what he could, all of it as an unpaid volunteer.

He said he will always remember his first sight: “When you walked in, it looked like the set of a science-fiction movie, but, when you walked two feet, you’d say no one’s imagination is this good.”

Ground Zero was literally sealed off, partly because it was dangerous and also because it was a crime scene, Hamre recalled. There were thousands like him who wanted to be there to do what they could, and, without restricted access, they would only muddle up the effort, he said.

When he first arrived, Hamre was put to work off site packing supplies for Ground Zero. While the work was important, Hamre said, he didn’t feel it made the most of his firefighting training.

So, he asked for directions to the nearest fire house. Walking into the Midtown Manhattan High-Rise station, Hamre introduced himself as a fellow firefighter and quickly made friends. “They kind of adopted me,” he said.

In no time at all, his new friends were telling him where to go to get past security at the Ground Zero perimeter, and not much longer after that he was presenting his firefighting bone fides and offering his assistance at the command center at Church and Vessey streets.

“The guy said, ‘How many of you are there?’ and I said ‘It’s just me.’”

He was assigned to a crew of firefighters working with a crane operator. The crane would lift some rubble, and the firefighters would crawl underneath to look for victims.

After doing that for most of the day, Hamre’s Western Massachusetts accent served to be his undoing. A, New York Fire Department higher-up, passing within earshot and hearing him talk, asked, ‘Who is this guy, and is he supposed to be here?”

Hamre was asked to leave, but his service was not done.

He returned to the Midtown Manhattan High-Rise firehouse, which had lost 10 firefighters, and worked there for the next four days, responding to fire calls. Doing so freed up a firefighter from the station to go work at Ground Zero, he said.

In the days he was there, people were coming off the street to offer condolences and to make donations to a widows’ and orphans’ fund. “I saw college students giving the last $20 they had and bankers and lawyers writing checks for thousands of dollars,” Hamre said.

He watched former President Bill Clinton put his arm around the father of a missing firefighter and try to console the man.

“It’s not just on the anniversary that it hits me,” Hamre said. “I think of the guys often. I tell their stories often. I still have the pin on my suit that I wear when I go out. Three-forty-three. We lost 343 firefighters that day.”

Hamre said he hopes 9/11 will be remembered for years to come, the way his parents remembered Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the way he remembers the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. “I don’t ever want it to become common place,” he said.

Shortly after he returned from Ground Zero, a friend gave Hamre a plaque to hang on his wall. It was the last thing he saw each day on his way out the door during the last nine years of his firefighting career.

It shows firefighters sifting through the smoking rubble of the trade center towers. Underneath is a quote from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides: “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them ... and yet ... go out to meet it.”

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