Japan's northeastern coast has been rattled by a strong aftershock.

AP Photo/Shuji KajiyamaA statue of Manikin Piss decorated with cherry blossoms and disaster prevention gear stands in a Tokyo station, Japan, Thursday, April 7, 2011. The banner reads "Keep the spirit, Eastern Japan (area hit by the tsunami) ". The decoration was made by local volunteer group. Nearly a month after a 9.0-earthquake generated the tsunami along Japan's northeastern coast, more than 14,700 people are still missing. Many of those may have been washed out to sea and will never be found.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan was rattled by a strong aftershock and tsunami warning Thursday night nearly a month after a devastating earthquake and tsunami flattened the northeastern coast.

Announcers on Japan's public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to run to higher ground and away from the shore.

The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to 6 feet (two meters) after the magnitude-7.4 aftershock. The warning was issued for a coastal area already torn apart by last month's tsunami, which is believed to have killed some 25,000 people and has sparked an ongoing crisis at a nuclear power plant.

Officials at the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant said there's no immediate sign of new problems caused by the aftershock. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it evacuated two workers there and seven at a sister plant to the south that was not badly damaged.

Officials say Thursday's aftershock hit 16 miles (25 kilometers) under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. The quake that preceded last month's tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude.

Buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.

In Ichinoseki, inland from Japan's eastern coast, buildings shook violently, knocking items from shelves and toppling furniture, but there was no heavy damage to the buildings themselves. Immediately after the quake, all power was cut. The city went dark, but cars drove around normally and people assembled in the streets despite the late hour.

Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., said Thursday's quake struck at about the same location and depth as the March 11 quake. It's the strongest of the more than 1,000 aftershocks that have been felt since, except for a 7.9 aftershock that day.

The USGS said the aftershock struck off the eastern coast 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Sendai and 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Fukushima. It was about 205 miles (330 kilometers) from Tokyo.

A Pacific Tsunami Warning Center evaluation of the quake said an oceanwide tsunami was not expected. However, it noted quakes of that strength can cause waves that are destructive locally.

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Associated Press writer Colleen Slevin contributed to this report from Denver, Colorado.

A closer look at the data shows that the GOP and Democrats both have a point.

Associated PressRep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, speaks at a news conference to counter claims made earlier by the Budget Committee's Republican chairman, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, D-Pa., watches at left.

WASHINGTON — Are federal employees overpaid?

Republican leaders in Congress think so, and they are calling for an overhaul of the entire federal pay system to help slash government spending.

Democrats and other defenders of the government work force say federal workers are actually underpaid compared with their private counterparts.

A closer look at the data shows that both sides have a point but that supporters of federal workers are a bit closer to reality. The debate has heated up since the GOP budget blueprint unveiled this week calls for federal pay "to be reformed to be in line with the private sector." It says average wages "far eclipse" those in the private industry.

At a congressional hearing last month, Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., said the average federal worker earns $101,628 in total compensation — including wages and benefits— compared with $60,000 for the average private employee. He was citing data from the federal Office of Personnel Management.

"Our taxpayers can no longer be asked to foot the bill for these federal employees while watching their own salaries remain flat and their benefits erode," said Ross, chairman of the House Oversight subcommittee on the federal work force.

But federal employee advocates claim a straight-up comparison of average total compensation is misleading. A disproportionate number of federal employees are professionals, such as managers, lawyers, engineers and scientists. Over the years, the federal government has steadily outsourced lower-paying jobs to the private sector so that blue-collar workers cooking meals or working in mailrooms now make up just 10 percent of federal employees.

That argument is backed up by a 2002 study of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It found that federal salaries for most professional and administrative jobs lagged well behind compensation offered in the private sector.

The CBO study concluded that the best way to measure the difference is to compare government jobs with those in the private sector that match the actual work performed. The CBO found that salaries for 85 percent of federal workers in professional and administrative jobs lagged their private sector counterparts by more than 20 percent.

Among lawyers, for example, the average pay in the federal government was about $127,500 a year in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average lawyer in the private sector earned $137,540. And the starting salary at large law firms in Washington, D.C. — where most government lawyers work — is $160,000, and can grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, according to the National Association for Law Placement.

At the lower end of the pay scale, the CBO said 30 percent of federal employees in technical and clerical fields earned salaries above those doing comparable work in the private sector. But the differences were mostly within about 10 percent — plus or minus — of private levels.

The government does offer, on average, more generous benefits to workers than the private sector. OPM data shows the federal employees earned an average of $27,317 in pension and health benefits in 2010. That's more than double the average private sector benefits of $10,589, according to statistics from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The CBO report pointed to what it called a "long-standing concern" with the federal pay system — it allows no variation in pay raises based on occupation. That means federal workers in professional and administrative jobs may get smaller pay increases than needed to match the private sector, while technical and clerical workers get higher raises than needed.

President Barack Obama is seeking a two-year federal pay freeze, but that's not enough for some Republicans. The GOP budget plan offered this week by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would impose a five-year pay freeze on federal employees, cut the federal work force by 10 percent and increase employee contributions to retirement plans.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he wants to see Obama's pay freeze include a ban on step increases — automatic adjustments within pay grades that are part of the federal pay system.

OPM Director John Berry says eliminating step increases would hasten the departure of valuable federal employees for the private sector.

Asked about the prospect of federal employees losing their jobs in the push to curb government spending, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio angered Democrats earlier this year when he said, "So be it."

"I don't want anyone to lose their job, whether they're a federal employee or not," Boehner said. "But come on, we're broke."

Town Moderator Richard Guertin, who said he’s been talking about the proposal to videotape future annual and special town meetings with residents, reported that it is “getting a mixed review around town.”

The Republican | Don Treeger

MONSON – Voters will be asked at the annual Town Meeting on May 9 if they want future annual and special town meetings videotaped, according to Town Moderator Richard E. Guertin.

Guertin said he was approached recently with the request by non-profit M-Pact, which tapes selectmen and School Committee meetings and airs them on its local cable access channel and its website. He said he sees “pluses and minuses” if the meetings are videotaped, but feels the voters should make the final decision.

“It’s not my meeting. It’s the voters’ meeting,” Guertin said on Tuesday.

“I really feel I need to be neutral on this. I could go either way on this,” Guertin added.

M-Pact told him that four cameras would be set up around the Granite Valley Middle School auditorium, to capture the meeting from all angles. Footage will be compiled, and made available on the M-Pact website at a later date. Meetings would not be shown live, he said.

Taping the meetings may deter people from coming, if they think they can watch the proceedings later, and also could prevent camera-shy people from asking questions, Guertin said.

But, he said, positives include more transparency in government and an accurate record of what transpires at the meetings, which are typically held twice a year.

While the town clerk keeps a record of the votes, no minutes are taken detailing them, leaving only newspaper accounts of the proceedings, Guertin said. Taping the meeting also allows those who could not attend a chance to view it after the fact, and could spark interest in attending future town meetings, Guertin said.

Guertin, who said he’s been talking about the proposal with residents, reported that it is “getting a mixed review around town.”

Non-verbal votes, which required a hand count, would not be broadcast later, due to privacy concerns, he said. Questions or comments prior to the May 9 meeting can be directed to Guertin at (413) 364-9413.

The West Springfield School Committee has adopted a fiscal year 2012 $34.9 million budget that would fund the current level of School Department services.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee Tuesday adopted a fiscal year 2012 School Department budget of $36,490,829, the spending needed to maintain the current level of services in the city’s public schools.

That spending plan is 4.62 percent higher than this year’s School Department budget of $34,878,679. In opting to maintain the current level of services, School Committee members rejected proposals to level fund the budget, reduce it by 5 percent or reduce it by 10 percent.

Those scenarios were outlined by School Superintendent Russell D. Johnston along with the layoffs and other cutbacks that would result should they be implemented.

“I think anything less than a level of services budget is unacceptable,” School Committee member Carm Santaniello said before casting his vote.

School Committee member Nancy M. Farrell said adopting the level-of-services budget would be the best thing to do.

The committee voted 6-1 to take that action, with Mayor Edward J. Gibson, the board’s chair, casting the sole dissenting vote.

Gibson reminded the committee that the budget will have to be borne by the city’s taxpayers.

A fiscal year 2012 spending plan funded under the governor’s proposed fiscal year 2012 budget would have to be level funded, Gibson said. He urged people to lobby their state legislators to keep Chapter 70 aid to education as well as discretionary aid level-funded, otherwise , he said, the city will have to look at a less than level-funded School Department budget.

About 60 people attended a public hearing on the proposed budgets before the regularly scheduled School Committee meeting at which the vote was taken.

Noting that economic times are tough both in Massachusetts and around the country, Jennifer J. McCormick of Upper Beverly Hills said, “Education is an area where we need to show restraint in in our decision-making....I plead with you to be as responsible as the law will allow.”

“I urge you to at least level fund,” Margaret G. L. Thacher of Sagamore Road said. “Our school budget tells our kids that they are important.”

Thacher said skimping on education can result in having to spend more money in the future to deal with adults who are uneducated.

The Cape Cod camp has also been linked to a childhood sex abuse allegation by U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Photo by Steve Heaslip / Cape Cod TimesPolice block the entrance at Camp Good News at Camp Good News in Sandwich, Wednesday.

SANDWICH – The mother of a man who apparently killed himself after being accused of molesting a boy at a Cape Cod camp says she warned camp authorities because she thought her son fit the profile of a molester. The camp has also been linked to a childhood sex abuse allegation by U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown.

Sandra Devita said she alerted officials at Camp Good News in Sandwich years ago, but they “brushed it off.”

Charles Devita, 43, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on camp grounds Wednesday He had worked at the camp for years, most recently as physical plant director.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represents a man who said he was molested at the camp as a 10-year-old child, said that’s the name of his client’s abuser. After Devita’s death, two more people came forward and claimed they were abused by him, Garabedian said.

Sandra Devita said she once worked as a sex abuse counselor in New York City and knew the signs of an abuser.

She said her son did not have the normal social life of a young man, did not date, and instead sought out work with children, with a Boy Scout troop, as a lifeguard and at the Cape Cod camp he had attended as a child.

“I thought something might have been going on at the camp many years ago and I called them and they kind of brushed it off,“ said Devita, who now lives in Florida and has had little contact with her son over the past 19 years.

Brown revealed in his book “Against All Odds,” that he’d been molested at a Christian summer camp on Cape Cod in the 1970s. He didn’t name the camp and later said he wasn’t interested in pursuing charges against his abuser. But Camp Good News officials said Brown had attended as a child and issued an apology.

Charles Devita was too young to have any link to the 51-year-old Brown. A spokeswoman for Brown said the senator did not know Devita.

Garabedian says his client came forward after hearing about Brown’s reports of abuse.

Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said he will continue his investigation into allegations of the abuse at the camp.

Desmond believes town departments have to be reviewed because of overall fiscal problems.

John A. Desmond

WARE – Selectman John A. Desmond sees getting the town’s financial house in order as his main goal if re-elected April 11 and believes there may have to be difficult choices regarding budget cuts in the effort to achieve that goal.

“We recognize that state aid is decreasing and that we operate under Proposition 2½. We have to make sure that we utilize our money wisely and smartly,” Desmond said.

Desmond supports the review Town Manager Mary T. Tzambazakis is conducting of all town departments and their programs, personnel and finances and he expects the Board of Selectmen will face tough decisions on cuts when she has completed her review.

Desmond said many programs in town government expanded before the days when cuts in state aid became yearly happenings, and the town now has to think about the importance of these programs.

“Sometimes you have to take the hors d’ouvres off the tray and hopefully it will not be the meat and potatoes,” he said.

“The thing is, members of the Board of Selectmen have got to be able to say, ‘No. We always want to be able to say we want to able to accommodate all of the people all of the time, but we have people in fixed incomes, pulling their belt buckle in another notch or two,” Desmond said.

While he would await a report from the town manager on efficiency and potential cost savings in each department, Desmond has started thinking of possible areas to cut spending, including now allowing department heads to commute to work in town vehicles.

“When you are running into tough financial times, these are things you could say we cannot afford any more,” Desmond said. “Some people are going to be upset over this, but that is the way it is.”

Another issue Desmond wants to focus on is a serious look at how well the town is working under the charter adopted a few years ago.

“I think that we have enough time in there now to ask those questions,” said Desmond, who would like to see a committee formed to examine town government under the charter and possible steps to take.

Desmond, 69, is a native of Ware and has lived most of his life in the town.

He has a bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University and a master’s degree in engineering from West Virginia University.

Desmond is retired. He worked as chief of the water supply for Worcester County for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Desmond is competing against fellow incumbent Melissa D. Weise and Park Commissioner John E. Carroll for two seats on the Board of Selectmen.

The voting will be April 11 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Town Hall.

Weise will be involved in a community discussion about the town’s future.

Melissa D. Weise

WARE – Selectmen Melissa D. Weise is seeking another term in Ware's April 11 annual town election in hopes of working on the immediate financial difficulties facing Ware and also broader questions related to what she sees as a former mill town in search of a new identity.

Ware like many communities, is facing budget reductions largely because of the impact of the economy on local tax revenue and a shrinking of state aid, which funds a significant portion of the town budget.

To cope with this situation, Weise said she wants to continue looking for greater efficiency in town departments and their spending and also attract more businesses which could share in the overall tax burden.

She also feels that these fiscal concerns and other aspects of town and community life are tied to the town re-defining itself in this period after much of the manufacturing base has moved and the demographic composition is shifting.

“I think that Ware is still searching for its new identity. We know what we were, but we haven’t figured out what we want to be,” Weise said.

“We were a mill town. Everybody talks about that as the good old days. We can’t go back to that, but we can make our future great,” she said.

Attracting more business and professional families to Ware are goals Weise believes in to strengthen the town, but she believes there should be a townwide discussion as to whether to focus on tourism or retail or other business models.

Bringing a town planner into this work is important, Weise said, and she is pleased that steps are being taken toward that goal.

Weise also said she feels the Board of Selectmen has been doing a better job in the past three years of working well with the School Committee and the business community.

Weise, 30, has been a resident of Ware for the past five years.

She works as a clinical therapist and coordinator of programs for chronically mental ill adults at Valley Human Services and also teaches at Holyoke Community College and Asnuntuck Community College.

She has a bachelor’s degree in social science from Washington State University and a master’s degree in social work from Boston College.

One of the drivers, 29-year-old Jazmine Ortiz of Holyoke, was treated at Baystate and released.

Greg Saulmon / The RepublicanOne of the vehicles involved in Thursday morning crash at Cabot and Race streets in Holyoke

HOLYOKE – Two women were treated at area hospitals and released Thursday morning following a two-vehicle crash at Race and Cabot streets.

Police Lt. Michael Higgins said the crash occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. when 29-year-old Jazmine Ortiz, southbound on Race Street, ran a stop sign at Cabot and crashed into a vehicle being driven on that street by Rosemary Devoid, 43. Ortiz told police that she had not seen the stop sign, he said.

Ortiz was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and released, a spokeswoman said. Devoid was treated at Holyoke Medical Center and released, a spokesman said.

Ortiz, whose vehicle flipped onto its passenger side, was cited for running a stop sign, Higgins said. Both women live in Holyoke.

Carroll wants to look for more efficiency and renting empty town buildings if elected to the Board of Selectmen.

John E. Carroll

WARE – Park Commissioner John E. Carroll plans to look for more efficient ways of running the town government if he is elected selectman in the April 11 election.

Carroll and incumbents Melissa D. Weise and John A. Desmond are competing for two seats on the board up for election this year.

“We are in a fiscal crisis now. It is getting progressively worse. We have to find some new ways of doing things in a less expensive manner,” Carroll said.

“I think the secret is to streamline,” he said.

If elected to the Board of Selectmen, Carroll said he would want to talk with department heads, including the fire and police chiefs, to look for ways to be more efficient.

Tax increases or fee increases are not the answer, Carroll said, because too many people living in Ware cannot afford to pay more.

One possible source of additional revenue he would investigate would be to see if some empty municipal buildings could be rented out to businesses, so they could be turned into revenue rather than liabilities.

Carroll said he would also look into developing budget plans so that residents could make their tax and fee payments on a monthly basis.

Carroll is a native of Norwood and moved to Ware when he was six and attended public schools. He graduated from Ware High School.

He also earned an associate degree in law enforcement from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Massachusetts.

He is a former member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and was a call firefighter in Ware and was a full-time police officer in the town before becoming a state trooper. He retired from the state police nine years ago.

Carroll now works as a driver and in scheduling and billing for Starforce National, a Michigan based company that handles transportation for recruits at Westover Air Reserve Base.

If elected, the town charter would require that Carroll step down from his position on the Park Commission.

The election will be held April 11 at Town Hall, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ruth Westheimer’s interest in human sexuality stems from a brief term working at Planned Parenthood.

WESTFIELD – Her frankness, her distinctive voice and yes, even her size, may well have been among the reasons Dr. Ruth Westheimer caught the public’s attention.

She continues to be one of the most recognized people in the world – known simply as “Dr. Ruth” – when it comes to matters of sex and relationships, and she’s still doling out advice into her 80s.

The world-renowned psycho-sexual therapist, author and media personality will be back at Westfield State University for a return engagement in the school’s annual Distinguished Speaker Series.

Westheimer will speak on April 13 at the Woodward Center.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer embraces Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle during her 2008 visit to the campus.

Twice named “College Lecturer of the Year” Westheimer frequently lectures at colleges and universities across the country. Her column “Ask Dr. Ruth” is published globally.

Westheimer’s interest in human sexuality stems from a brief term working at Planned Parenthood. After working there, Westheimer furthered her education by studying under pioneer sex therapist Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center.

Westheimer’s radio show “Sexually Speaking” was the first of its kind to allow viewers to call in and have their questions answered about sexual concerns. The show quickly became popular inspiring several other radio shows and television programs, including “The Dr. Ruth Show” on the Lifetime TV network.

Westheimer first lectured at Westfield State in December 2008 and was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree by president Evan S. Dobelle.

She is the author of 35 books including “Guide to Married Lovers and Sexuality-Encyclopedia.” She is currently serving as the honorary president of the Council on Sexuality and Aging at the National Sexuality Resource Center.

A native of Germany and a veteran of Israel’s Jewish Freedom Fighters, Westheimer moved to the U.S. and obtained a master’s degree in sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School of Science Research and a doctorate of education from Columbia University Teacher’s College.

The drug-related slaying was in 2005 at a parking lot at Wendy's on Main Street in the South End of Springfield.

Robert J. Cordy

BOSTON - The state's highest court today affirmed the first-degree murder conviction of a 35-year-old Springfield man who killed another Springfield man in a dispute involving drugs in a Wendy's parking lot in the South End of the city in 2005.

In a ruling written by Judge Robert J. Cordy, the state Supreme Judicial Court upheld the conviction of Jose M. Marrero. Marrero is serving a mandatory life sentence with no chance for parole for the shooting in the 630 Main St. parking lot.

The victim, Jose M. Costoso, 33, was beaten by a group of men and shot twice at close range, the court said.

A Hampden Superior Court jury convicted Marrero in November 2006.
In a trial before Judge Peter A. Velis, a prosecutor told jurors that four men participated in a "joint venture," to murder Costoso over a drug debt, but said Marrero was the shooter.

Three other co-defendants from Springfield were also convicted, one of second-degree murder, one of involuntary manslaughter and one of manslaughter. The Appeals Court later affirmed the second-degree murder conviction of Oscar X. Reyes, while the two others pleaded guilty.

Jacques’ lawyer, Lori Levinson, said her client likely won’t be testifying.

Michael F. Jacques

SPRINGFIELD – Federal prosecutors on Thursday rested their case against a white man charged with burning down a Springfield church with a mostly black congregation in alleged anger over Barack H. Obama’s election as president.

A lawyer for 26-year-old Michael Jacques began presenting the defense’s case Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield after the prosecution’s final witness left the stand. Jurors are expected to hear closing arguments on Monday, exactly three weeks after the trial began.

Jacques’ lawyer, Lori Levinson, said her client likely won’t be testifying, but she did not rule it out.

Jacques and two friends were charged with setting fire to the Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield only hours after Obama’s election in November 2008. Prosecutors and trial witnesses said the three men, who all live in the city, engaged in racist activities, including using racial epithets and training a dog to sic black people.

The church was under construction when it burned down, and a few firefighters suffered minor injuries. The congregation, which continues to worship at its longtime home on King Street, decided to rebuild at the fire site and the new church is nearing completion.

Jacques’ two friends pleaded guilty. Benjamin Haskell was sentenced to nine years in prison in November. Thomas Gleason pleaded guilty last year and awaits sentencing after testifying in Jacques trial for the prosecution.

Authorities say all three admitted to burning the church down during videotaped confessions. Jacques insists he’s innocent and says he was coerced into confessing while suffering withdrawal from painkillers and cigarettes.

Jacques would face 10 to 60 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy against civil rights, damage to religious property and other charges.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

Foley of Rochester, N.H., and three other foreign journalists were reportedly taken captive while they were reporting on the outskirts of Brega.

BOSTON – The Boston-based GlobalPost says it has been informed that one of its American freelance contributors has been taken prisoner by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Spokesman Rick Byrne said GlobalPost was told Thursday by the Geneva-based Human Rights Watch that James Foley of Rochester, N.H., and three other foreign journalists were taken captive Tuesday evening while they were reporting on the outskirts of Brega.

Byrne said editors at the website, which focuses on international reporting, last heard from Foley on Monday evening. Byrne said Foley regularly contributes videos and dispatches from the scene.

Philip Balboni, GlobalPost CEO and president, said in a statement the news organization has asked the Libyan foreign media office for the immediate release of Foley and the other detained journalists. Before founding GlobalPost, Balboni was president of New England Cable News.

Three members of the Governor’s Council questioned Patrick’s decision to highlight the fact that Lenk would be the court’s first lesbian justice.

Supreme Judicial Court nominee Barbara Lenk is seen with the man who nominated her, Massachusetts. Gov. Deval Patrick

BOSTON – Gov. Deval Patrick is defending his pick for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court after members of the panel charged with approving judicial nominees faulted him for focusing on the fact that Appeals Court Judge Barbara Lenk would be the high court’s first openly gay member.

Patrick called Lenk “more than qualified,” pointing to her decades on the bench and Ivy League education, and said her sexual orientation wasn’t central to his decision.

Patrick made his comments on Thursday, a day after three members of the Governor’s Council questioned his decision to highlight the issue in response to reporters’ questions.

Councilor Charles Cipollini of Fall River said Patrick was trying to satisfy political supporters, including activists in the gay community, by nominating Lenk to the SJC.

Patrick called that charge “ridiculous.”

Diosdado Lopez was elected to the City Council in 1991 and said it was time for a break.

Holyoke Ward 2 City Councilor Diosdado Lopez

HOLYOKE – Diosdado Lopez has been representing Ward 2 on the City Council since 1991, when he became the first Hispanic elected to the board, but he said Thursday he needs a break.

Lopez announced he wouldn’t run for reelection in the fall on Tuesday after he gave the report of the Ordinance Committee, of which he is chairman, during the council meeting.

“I’ve been thinking about not running for the last two or three years. It’s time to allow a new person to try to do the job,” Lopez, 46, said Thursday.

The Ordinance Committee probably is the council’s busiest, with many lengthly public hearings on property-related items and discussions about proposed laws, but Lopez said he liked the work.

“I’m not afraid of the work. I like what I’m doing. It’s just that I need a break,” he said.

For much of his time on the council, Lopez was the only Hispanic in a city whose Hispanic population keeps growing, today accounting for nearly half the city’s 40,000 people.

There’s pressure in holding such a position, Lopez said.

“It’s a lot of pressure, because you’re trying to take care of the whole city, even if you don’t represent that part of the city someone is calling from,” he said.

Lopez, who is in his 20th year, trails only council President Joseph M. McGiverin in consecutive time of service. McGiverin has been on the council since 1980 and president since 1986.

“I’ve served with Diosdado for those 20 years and he’s been a dedicated councilor. He’s served his constituents. He’s a hard worker,” McGiverin said.

City Council Chambers sometimes springs into a gloves-off political battle, but Lopez’ rarely raised his voice, fired off cutting remarks or was less than civil.

“There could be fights all around him and he’s still smiling,” McGiverin said.

Lopez, a case worker with WestMass ElderCare Inc., said he routinely gets 30 to 40 phone calls a day and returning them takes a toll on a person.

“It’s not easy,” he said.

He hasn’t heard of anyone willing to run for the Ward 2 seat, said Lopez, but he said he will be watching and if the new Ward 2 councilor’s work slips, Lopez after a break might run again.

“We have a lot of issues in Ward 2. We need somebody who is dedicated,” he said.

The Ward 2 councilor before Lopez, from 1989 to 1991, was Elaine A. Pluta, who is now the mayor.

Wards 6, 7 and 8 are divided unevenly based on the most recent federal census.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – Even though just 645 more people moved into the city in the last decade, the population in some of the nine wards is unevenly divided so borders must be changed.

About 20 people, mostly city councilors and members of the School Committee, met for the first time this week to discuss how to redistrict the city to ensure there is an even number of residents in each ward.

“We have to adjust the population of Wards 6, 7 and 8,” Registrar of Voters Janina A. Surdyka said. “Ward 8 is too small and 6 and 7 are too big.”

Since the 2010 census showed there are a total of 55,298 people living in the city, ideally each ward should have 6,144 people. While that is impossible, state officials set the minimum size of a ward at 5,837 and the maximum size of the ward at 6,451, she said.

Ward 8 now has 5,720 people, Ward 7 has 6,493 and Ward 6 has 6,574. The remaining six wards range in size from 5,964 to 6,266, she said.

Surdyka also proposed reducing the number of precincts in each ward to two, which could save a little money at election time and also require fewer voting machines, which would give the city a spare in case another is not working. Some wards have as many as four precincts.

“I am in favor of going with two precincts. We will have extra equipment if equipment breaks down,” Ward 9 City Councilor Ronald R. Belair said.

But City Clerk Keith W. Rattell recommended the council wait before taking any formal votes and offered to analyze election costs to see how much money it would save.

“There are things to consider. If you have bigger precincts you can have larger lines to vote,” he said.

City councilors also said they were a little concerned about the recommendations they saw from the state that would change nearly all wards, especially since just three need to be modified.

“I think we should just look at the three wards that are out-of-whack,” City Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

But Francis C. Lapointe, a former state representative for Chicopee and past chief of staff to Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, said he has gone through redistricting before and told the group that every line that is moved creates a domino effect that affects other ward sizes.

He said the lines will have to be tweaked little-by-little until most are satisfied that the wards are even and make sense.

One proposal several members said they liked is one that would take a small area near Westover Air Reserve Base away from Ward 6 and place it in Ward 9. Currently most of Ward 6 is located on one side of the base and a small area is on the other side.

The conga line was the first event in a series called the "City Fantastique."

SPRINGFIELD - A conga line of more than 200 dancers snaked its way through downtown Springfield during the lunch hour.

Michael Jonnes, director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, initiated the dance with a group of local nonprofits and businesses to draw attention to the artistic side of the city's center.

Jonnes said the conga line was the first event in a series called the "City Fantastique."

The conga line snaked its way from Steiger Park, across from Tower Square, to Court Square.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Mary K. Crane

Mary K. Crane, 80, of Northampton, passed away on Tuesday. She was born in Northampton and educated in local schools. She graduated from St. Michael's High School and Elms College, received a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts and did further study in Latin at Tufts University. Crane retired in 1990 after teaching for 38 years, the last 30 at Northampton High School, teaching Latin. After retirement she worked for 10 years at the American Red Cross office in Northampton. Mary was a member of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, where she belonged to the Blessed Virgin Sodality.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Abrams, Gabriele C.




• 
  Brainerd, Roy E.
  



• 
  Browne, Cheryl
  




• Chartier, Joseph "Joe"
  




• 
  Crane, Mary K.
  



• 
  Crawford, David L.




• 
  Gibbs, June Marie (Savoy)
  



• 
  Gibson, Arthur E.
  




• Gibson, Sandra C. (Clarholm)
  




• 
  Lyons, Judy
  



• 
  Moynihan, John J.




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  O'Donoghue, Thomas F.
  



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  Owsiak, Stanley
  




• Patridge, Buddy
  




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  Roberg, Lillian Jeanne (Ouellette)
  



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  Stasky, Christopher D.




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  Stowers, Robert R. "Pop"
  



• 
  Williams, Arthur D.
  




• Wisniowski, Max E.
  




• 
  Wojnicki, John Paul "Johnny"
  



• 
  Wright, Joseph A.

Old Ironsides is one attraction in Eastern Massachusetts that would remain open to visitors.

File photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanThe USS Constitution is one historical site in Eastern Massachusetts that would not be affected by a shutdown of the federal government.

BOSTON – A federal government shutdown would impact a number of popular historical attractions in the Boston area.

A spokesman for the National Park Service says visitors centers would close and tours would be suspended at sites including the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown; the Longfellow House in Cambridge; the John F. Kennedy birthplace in Brookline; the Lowell National Historic Park; the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy; and the Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord.

One exception would be Old Ironsides. The USS Constitution in Boston would remain open to visitors.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday he was concerned about how a potential Friday midnight shutdown would affect Massachusetts. He said the state does not have the resources to fill in any gaps caused by the loss of federal spending.

More details coming in The Republican.

The union said the decision endangers police and encourages resisting arrest.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonMelvin Jones III, shown at his arraignment in Springfield District Court on Monday on charges related to a domestic disturbance last weekend, will not go to trial on drug charges stemming from a 2009 Springfield arrest that sparked a controversial police brutality case.

SPRINGFIELD – The police officers union on Thursday said Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s action is ending the prosecution of Melvin Jones III in a drug arrest which resulted in allegations of police brutality will encourage criminals to resist arrest and endanger officers.

“We believe that D.A. (district attorney) Mastroianni’s decision will encourage criminals to resist arrest in the hope that they can present themselves as victims of excessive force and escape the consequences of their criminal acts,” the statement by the union representing non-supervisory officers said.

“We believe that DA Mastroianni’s decision will result in greater risk of injuries to police officers making arrests, and regrettably, cause officers to hesitate in situations where the use of force is necessary.”

Mastroianni said late Thursday he just received the statement from the union and is reviewing it.

Local 364, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, said in its statement, “We are extremely dissatisfied by the decision of District Attorney Mastroianni to terminate the prosecution of Melvin Jones, III for his actions on November 27, 2009.”

“In his press release announcing his decision, DA Mastroianni noted that there is also a pending criminal charge against Officer Jeffrey Asher, one of the arresting officers, and he stated that it is his opinion that ‘the available evidence does not allow for the consistent and credible prosecutions of both defendants related to this incident.’ This conclusion is neither logically nor legally sound.”

Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet on Wednesday said he was “sure it was not an easy decision to make” by the district attorney and issued a statement in which he said he remains proud of the work being done daily by his department.

The union in its statement wrote former Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett, who it called “the previous, experienced district attorney,” presented evidence of Jones’ conduct to a grand jury which found probable cause to indict Jones.

“Whether an officer subsequently subjected Mr. Jones to excessive force does not negate nor excuse criminal acts which Mr. Jones may have engaged in immediately prior to his arrest,” the press release said.

“Just as Mr. Jones’ criminal acts would not justify excessive force in his arrest which followed, so too excessive force in making his arrest would not justify his criminal acts before the arrest,” the statement said.

The union said after hearing the evidence at a trial, juries could find that either or both Jones and Asher are guilty as charged. It said the question should have been left for juries to decide in both cases.

“The vote of the grand jury to indict Mr. Jones for his crimes on November 27, 2009 should have been respected, and the charges against Mr. Jones should have been prosecuted to a conclusion,” the statement said.

Jones, 29, of 16 Atwater Place, is still behind bars.

One charges him with shoplifting, and the other came in connection with a domestic disturbance last weekend.

In his statement Wednesday announcing the dropping of the drug and resisting arrest charges in the Hampden Superior Court case, Mastroianni said, “These charges relate to an incident which also gave rise to one of the arresting officers being charged criminally for his alleged conduct during the arrest.”

“It is my opinion the available evidence does not allow for consistent and credible prosecutions of both defendants related to this incident. It is my conclusion, considering all available evidence, that the interests of justice are best served by the termination of Mr. Jones’ prosecution prior to trial.”

Jared Olanoff sought a brutality complaint against Jeffrey Asher in District Court in the fall after Bennett had not taken action.

Jones’ arrest on Rifle Street was caught on amateur videotape, a film which was made public in January 2010 by Masslive.com and The Republican; the case sparked debate in the city over whether there should be civilian oversight of the Police Department.

The video of Jones’ arrest showed Asher using what appeared to be his police-issued flashlight to strike Jones repeatedly over the head; police reports said Jones was arrested as he attempted to flee and grabbed an officer’s gun.

In announcing his decision to drop the charges against Jones, Mastroianni said he “applied the appropriate ethical and legal standards in reaching my decision.“

Asher’s case is wending its way through the court system; the now retired officer has denied charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and assault and battery, with Jones the alleged victim.

Asher in September submitted his retirement papers with the state, citing disability due to stress. A day after he secured the disability pension, Fitchet fired him. Because of the timing, his pension remains intact.