McCrimmon was a 1st-round draft choice of the Bruins in 1979.

Associated Press file photoDetroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, rear left, and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, rear right, watch as their team plays the Pittsburgh Penguins the NHL Stanley Cup finals in 2009. McCrimmon was among the victims when a Russian jet carrying a top ice hockey team crashed just after takeoff Wednesday.

CALGARY, Alberta — Brad McCrimmon, killed Wednesday when a private jet carrying a Russian professional hockey team crashed shortly after takeoff, was remembered as a rugged yet keen and confident hockey player and coach who helped dozens of players and teammates. He was 52.

McCrimmon became coach of the Kontinental Hockey League's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in May.

"He was such a personable guy and a guy you wanted to listen to on a regular basis," said former Calgary Flames teammate Perry Berezan.

Berezan was McCrimmon's roommate on the road during their time together in Calgary. Berezan described McCrimmon a leader on the team and a mentor to younger players.

"He was a big, barrel-chested man, a hairy man who told it like is, played hard, really hard and always just an honest-on-the-ice-off-the-ice kind of guy that you really respected," Berezan said. "The world doesn't have many people like Brad. I hadn't seen him very much over the past bunch of years and I'm really missing him right now because you know guys like that are pretty special."

Associated Press file photoBrad McCrimmon

McCrimmon was drafted 15th overall by the Boston Bruins in 1979 and spent three seasons there, followed by five with Philadelphia before he was dealt to the Flames. McCrimmon went on to play for Detroit, the Hartford Whalers and Phoenix Coyotes before retiring in 1997.

Bruins President Cam Neely issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the Bruins organization I would like to express our deepest condolences to all the families and friends who lost loved ones today.

"I would like to express our sorrow to the McCrimmon family who lost a husband and father. Brad will always be a part of the Bruins family and will live on in all of our memories.”

McCrimmon approached playing and coaching with a crusty candor.

"Coarse, frank, blunt, but he was easy to understand," former Flames center Jim Peplinski said. "As soon as you could pierce that rough exterior there was a soft side that would go to war with you. We always called him Beast because he was so gruff.

"Beast was a quiet individual who in my opinion had a very deep and thorough understanding of the game, one that in initial conversations with him sometimes would be hidden. I took great pride and pleasure and a lot of appreciation in talking to Brad about parts of the game that he saw in a way that I certainly didn't and many others didn't."

While McCrimmon played for six NHL teams and served as an assistant coach on four clubs, the Flames felt his loss deeply Wednesday. McCrimmon helped the Flames win their lone Stanley Cup title in 1989 and he returned to the team as an assistant coach from 2000 to 2002.

"It's a real hard hit," Flames president Ken King said. "(He was) a guy who tried to hide his superb intellect and his great wit behind being a farmer from Saskatchewan, but he didn't do a very good job of hiding it because he was a real soldier, an awesome guy and I can't tell you how much he'll be missed."

From the Detroit Red Wings to the Philadelphia Flyers to the Western Hockey League, where he also coached and played, McCrimmon's death reverberated.

"Brad was one of the toughest defenseman to ever wear the black and orange," Flyers owner Ed Snider recalled in a statement. "Off the ice, Brad was a true gentleman. A kind, caring and wonderful human being."

Red Wings defenseman Nick Lidstrom was McCrimmon's defense partner during his rookie season in 1991-92.

"He was more of a stay-at-home defenseman, letting me get involved with the offense," Lidstrom said. "He also protected me at certain times when things got heated."

McCrimmon had 81 goals, 322 assists and 1,416 penalty minutes in 1,222 NHL games. His plus-minus of plus-444 ranks 10th, according to hockey-reference.com, and the nine players ahead of him are all in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

McCrimmon spent the last three NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Red Wings. He left the organization when his contract expired to take his first head coaching job in pro hockey with Lokomotiv.

"Beast was a confident guy and he would look at this as a challenge," Peplinski said. "I remember when I heard Sarge had gone over there I thought, 'The Russians better be careful. This will be good for them.'

"Lots of confidence in himself, an independent thinker and a person that would have improved the game in Russia and brought his own unique skill set and abilities to that organization."

Born in Dodsland, Saskatchewan, McCrimmon grew up in Plenty, west of Saskatoon, and played junior hockey with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. McCrimmon's brother, Kelly, is the owner and general manager of the Wheat Kings.

McCrimmon started his coaching career as an assistant with the New York Islanders before returning to the WHL to coach the Saskatoon Blades. He headed back to the NHL to coach with Calgary, the Atlanta Thrashers and Detroit.

McCrimmon and his family lived in Northville, Mich.

He's survived by wife Maureen and children Carlin and Liam.

Robert E. MacDonald said it's often difficult for parents to visit their children's graves because it brings a feeling of isolation, but the memorial is "uplifting" and reminds them that they are not alone.

File photo / The RepublicanLoved ones of children who died leave flowers at the Christmas Box Angel Memorial during the monument's dedication at John Bator Park in Easthampton on Sept. 9, 2001.

EASTHAMPTON – The Christmas Box Angel will turn 10 years old next month. It is older than many of the 252 children it honors ever were.

Hundreds of local parents have mourned the losses of their children at the memorial in John Bator Park on Williston Avenue. On Saturday, Sept. 10, a ceremony is planned to mark a decade of providing comfort for the bereaved.

The monument is a replica of The Christmas Box Angel Memorial Monument in Salt Lake City, Utah, by sculptor Ortho Fairbanks. That statue was commissioned by Richard Paul Evans, author of the 1993 novel “The Christmas Box.” In the book, a woman mourns the death of her daughter at the base of a childlike angel statue.

Westhampton couple Nance J. and Robert E. MacDonald brought the idea across the country in 2001, making Easthampton’s one of about 100 replicas that have been erected around the U.S. in the past decade. Their only child, David W. MacDonald, died in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 16.

An inscription on the front of the black granite base reads, “Our Children in Our Hearts Forever.” An angel with outstretched wings stands atop the base, arms extended as though carrying a small child.

The back of the base reads: “The Christmas Box Angel, Dedicated to Our Children Who Lived, Who Died and Even in Death, We Still Love. They Will Live On Forever in Our Hearts and We Will Love and Remember Them Always.”

A walkway leads around the statue. Black granite blocks line the path, each bearing children’s names, dates of birth and dates of death. Some blocks only have one date that serves as both, signifying a stillbirth or other early infant death.

Families can sit on benches around the angel and find peace in the bright flowers, a view of Nashawannuck Pond and the gently rolling figure of Mount Tom in the distance.

Robert E. MacDonald said it’s often difficult for parents to visit their children’s graves because it brings a feeling of isolation, but the memorial is “uplifting” and reminds them that they are not alone.

“Sometimes you feel like you’ve got kind of a contagious disease,” he said, describing the reactions of his friends when they cross paths. The loss of a child often leads to the loss of friends, whose pity and awkwardness make it difficult for them to socialize with the mourning parent, he said. “I’ve done all this to get on with my life.”

MacDonald said the memorial is for anyone who predeceased his or her parents, no matter how high-profile the passing, how old they were or where they lived. Some were more than 50 years old when they died.

“A child is a child, no matter what age. You’re not supposed to bury your child,” he said.

Ceremony participants are asked to arrive on Sept. 10, at 7 p.m., bearing a candle and a white flower. The idea is to recreate the dedication ceremony that took place Sept. 9, 2001. Organizers will read the name of each child and loved ones are invited to lay their flowers on the statue.

“It brings everyone together in a fellowship that most people don’t understand,” MacDonald said.

But it’s a fellowship that some cities and towns, and even cemeteries, rejected based on the statue’s religious qualities, he said. He, his wife and their supporters fought to raise $20,000 and build it. Ultimately, the Pascommuck Conservation Trust, Inc., donated the spot in Bator Park.

For more information or to add a name to the monument, contact Nance J. or Robert E. MacDonald at (413) 527-8316.

“Every time I put another block in, I tell everyone, ‘I hope it’s the last one,’” he said. The blocks hold 12 names. He has three names already planned for the next block.

This map shows the approximate location of the Angel Memorial

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Local business owner Margaret Fitzpatrick spoke through tears about the day water flooded her building at 10 Bridge Street in Downtown Shelburne Falls.

The Steel Bridge and Bridge of Flowers were both open on Wednesday, the Steel Bridge to foot traffic only.

The most dramatic images from Tropical Storm Irene were undoubtedly the raging Deerfield River rumbling through the villages of Shelburne Falls and Buckland.

Many people feared the famous Bridge of Flowers might be washed away.

The villages of Shelburne Falls and Buckland are among the most picturesque in all of Western Massachusetts. The quaint shops and tree lined streets, and of course the Deerfield River.

Wednesday the river continued to rage as residents and business owners alike continued the recovery process. One of those local business owners is Margaret Fitzpatrick, who spoke through tears about the day water flooded her building at 10 Bridge Street in downtown Shelburne Falls.

"I got a call about one o'clock," said Fitzpatrick. "My tenant had come down to see what was going on. The water was," Margaret began to cry. Even 10 days after Tropical Storm Irene flooded her building, it's still hard for Margaret to talk about what happened.

The building she owns is right on the banks of the Deerfield River. And when the river started to thunder, the water came pouring down.

And keep in mind, Margaret Fitzpatrick was one of the lucky ones, she had flood insurance.

"Other business owners in town have absolutely lost everything," said Fitzpatrick. "Their entire situation, they have four feet of silt in their basements, and up into their buildings. There's people who had art that was lost."

"Labor Day weekend we just came through that," said Bob McLaughlin, owner of the Village Restaurant in Shelburne Falls. "That's one of our biggest weekends because we're a tourist community."

Bob McLaughlin's Village Restaurant was open for business on Wednesday, as were many of the shops on Bridge Street on the Shelburne Falls side of the river.

The Steel Bridge and the Bridge of Flowers that connect Shelburne Falls and Buckland were open to foot traffic only.

Across the Deerfield River in Buckland I caught up with Paul St. Martin. His West End Pub is still closed, and Paul is losing valuable revenue. Jeremy Bauer works at the West End Pub and just started college classes. He's out of work due to the storm.

"I have a good 15 employees who are out of work," said St. Martin. "Luckily we have a second restaurant where we can give them a few hours next week when we start beefing up our hours over there. So that will give them a few hours. But most of them I've told them to go file for unemployment."

"All my friends here have lost their job," said Bauer. "They don't have a second job so I'm a little worried about them. But we're going to be brought on at the Cafe so maybe they can catch up on what they need to be catching up on."

Perhaps the most vivid picture of the unemployment caused by Irene is the plight of Buckland's biggest employer.

The Lampson & Goodnow Manufacturing Company has been producing high end cutlery since 1937. The Deerfield River usually provides hydroelectric power to the plant.

But now 24 of the 38 employees at Lampson & Goodnow are out of work as the plant recovers from the deluge.

"Obviously what can you say," said Mary Vilbon, Executive Director of the Shelburne Falls Business Association. "It's a negative impact on the economy.

"Again that's why we're encouraging support of our businesses. Come here and enjoy the day. Enjoy a weekend here in West County."

Mary Vilbon said there are roughly 12 businesses that remain closed due to the clean-up from Tropical Storm Irene.

And while no one was willing to commit to a date, the Columbus Day weekend, one of the biggest weekends in New England, would be a great date for a big welcome back party.

The folks in the villages of Shelburne Falls and Buckland have been through a lot. And they continue to battle the elements every day.

Members of the state and congressional delegation have lined up to praise Higgins at recent public events in what has amounted to a “good-bye tour.”

NORTHAMPTON – She will leave office just a few months shy of David B. Musante Jr.’s record for longevity as mayor of Northampton, but Mary Clare Higgins’ admirers say her tenure at City Hall was never about personal accomplishments.

Higgins, 56, will vacate her spartan office on Friday to take over as head of CommunityAction!, a Greenfield-based human services agency with program geared mostly towards low-income families. City Council president David J. Narkewicz will assume her official duties for the remainder of her term. Narkewicz and Michael R. Bardsley, a past council president, will battle it out for Higgins’ post in November.

Like Musante, who also won six terms in office, Higgins will leave her mark on the city. To many, that means leaving it a kinder place for the struggling and indigent and a well-managed operation for all future residents. Her critics say her administration was marked by a lack of transparency, a charge she disputes.

Higgins first got involved in city politics in 1990, when she was appointed to the Housing Authority, but it was already in her blood. Her father was active in Pittsburgh politics and, later, in Brooklyn, where Higgins was raised. Even when she was running the childcare program for the Hampshire Community Action Commission, Higgins was in the fray as a union organizer.

When she was first elected to the City Council in 1994, Higgins was part of an infusion of new blood in city politics. She was also among the first wave of openly gay elected officials, although her sexual orientation has never come up as a topic of discussion in her subsequent career.

From the first, she showed a commitment to ensuring that there will be a place for low-income and working class people in Northampton. Under her tenure, the single-room-occupancy stock has increased, although not to the delight of everyone. Higgins has also worked to preserve the city’s supply of subsidized housing, most notably keeping more than 200 units at Meadowbrook Apartments affordable to low-income tenants for another 40 years.

“Success in our society comes from having a stable home base,” Higgins said during a recent interview in her office.

The small room reflects her management style: just the basics, nothing fancy. The bulk of it is taken up by a meeting table where many of the city’s issues are hammered out. Higgins’ personal workspace is limited to a small computer station and a desk festooned with photographs of family members.

File photo | The RepublicanNorthampton Mayor elect Mary Clare Higgins acknowledges supporters during her acceptance speech at the Northampton Center of the Arts in Northampton on Tuesday, November 2, 1999. STAFF PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER EVANS

Family has always been important to Higgins, who keeps her car filled with Legos for her nephews. Few of her constituents were aware that she lost two brothers and her mother during her time in office because Higgins barely skipped a beat in performing her mayoral duties. In 2007 she was out of work for a month when doctors cut into her skull to remove a benign tumor that was affecting her vision.

Higgins said she learned a lot from her predecessors, Musante and Mary L. Ford, who immediately preceded her.

“Dave was bold, willing to jump on an opportunity,” she said. “Mary wanted to make sure that modern managing principals were being used in the city.”

Higgins tends to look at the big picture, a style that can be frustrating for those who want immediate gratification. From the start of her tenure, she began beefing up the Capital Improvement fund to make sure the city’s infrastructure would remain solid in the future. Her administration has seen the creation of a $28 million water filtration plant, a $4 million Senior Center and a $17.6 million police facility, which is currently under construction. Higgins has also paved the way for a new Department of Public Works facility, which is expected to cost upwards of $16 million, and begun appropriating money to replace the aging water pumps at the flood control station.

She has done all this while wrestling year after year with city budgets that are less and less supported by state aid. That, she says, has been her most difficult task.

“How do you provide the services people need with an inadequate amount of resources?” as she puts it.

Since state aid began its downward decline in 2003, Higgins has convinced voters to approve two Proposition 2½ overrides and narrowly failed to secure another. She was also a proponent of adopting the Community Preservation Act, which allowed the city to tack on a property tax surcharge to pay for housing, conservation, recreation and historical preservation projects.

When the money simply wasn’t there, Higgins reluctantly trimmed the city payroll, laying off workers and freezing wages. She has preferred the latter, saving jobs at the expense of cost-of-living increases.

“I can’t justify laying people off in this economy, when jobs are so scarce,” she said. “The vast majority (of city employees) really give their all and care for the city and deserve all the money we can pay them.”

File photo | The RepublicanNorthampton 1/7/08. Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins reacts to a song by the Northampton High School chamber choir, in which the lyrics were changed to include the name Mary Clare numerous times. The musical performance is part of the City of Northampton Inauguration Ceremony, Monday morning at the Northampton Senior Center.

Higgins’ administration was marked by a series of projects that called into question her decision-making style. The Smith College science center on Green Street, a proposed hotel behind Pulaski Park and a plan to expand the city’s sanitary landfill all stirred uprisings that brought out critics in droves. In the case of the science center, people complained that Higgins’ decision to work out a deal with Smith President Carol Christ behind closed doors cut the public out of the discussion. Higgins also took heat for selecting the hotel project over a commercial development that submitted a higher bid for the acre of city-owned land.

In the Green Street deal, Higgins got Smith to donate some low-income housing units in exchange for city approval of a special zoning overlay district that will facilitate development around the campus. Because it had little chance to stop the engineering project, City Hall was not bargaining from a position of strength. On the hotel project, Higgins said her analysis showed that a hotel would provide more revenues to the city over the long run than an office building. The project fell through, however, because of lack of funding.

Higgins rejected the notion that she cut the public out of those discussions, saying that there were plenty of hearings on both topics.

“The mayor’s responsibility is to propose, and I proposed things,” she said. “The public had plenty of opportunity to weigh in.”

Although there were numerous public hearings on the landfill expansion, Higgins said she wishes she had handled that discussion better. In a special ballot question, a majority of voters said they opposed the plan. The Board of Public Works and the City Council ultimately opted to drop it.

Former city councilor Michael A. Kirby, who left the council in 1993, just as Higgins was coming on board, is among those who feel her tenure as mayor has been marked by insider politics.

“As far as the nuts and bolts of city government goes, I think she’s really done good job,” he said. “In terms of citizen involvement, no.”

Kirby said Higgins has held too many “secret meetings” around projects such as the Smith science center and the redevelopment of the Northampton State Hospital campus.

“She doesn’t run a transparent ship,” he said. “There’s lots of steel plating. Insiders have benefited from the big projects.”

Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik, whose tenure has exceeded Higgins’, said a long-term mayor inevitably draws a crowd of detractors.

“Decisions fall on both sides of people’s opinions, and over the years that tends to build up a little bit,” he said.

From his perspective working closely with her on projects, Tautznik has nothing but praise for Higgins.

“She has always tried to do what’s in the best interests of her community,” he said.

Members of the state and congressional delegation have lined up to praise Higgins at recent public events in what has amounted to a “good-bye tour.” State Rep. Peter V. Kocot, a Democrat from Northampton, calls her “an absolutely outstanding mayor.”

“One of her main priorities has been to make sure the kids of Northampton are well taken care of,” he said. “Any child who has come through the Northampton school system benefited greatly from her being mayor.”

Kocot also noted the many hours Higgins put in lobbying for Northampton in Boston and as part of the Massachusetts Mayors Association.

“I don’t know of any mayor in the past who has worked as hard as her,” he said. “Clare never started a conversation or ended it worrying about if she would get credit for it. She’s been a great advocate for Northampton.”

Higgins conceded that health problems and family crises have taken a toll on her over the last several years. Although she expects to be busy at her new job, she also has a car full of Legos and plans to use it.

“I’m going to spend some time with family,” she said. “I’m looking forward to having more time for myself. I’m leaving room open in my life to figure out what I want to do.”

Commuters can expect urban flooding and ponding on roadways this morning.

The Republican | Greg Saulmon09.08.2011 | EASTHAMPTON - A great blue heron stands on a rock in the parking lot of the Route 5 boat launch.

UPDATE, 9:58 a.m.: It's flooding in eastern Massachusetts, too. The state's Department of Transportation reports, via twitter, that flooding in the southbound lanes of Route 146 in Millbury at I-90 has caused a 4 mile back-up.

UPDATE, 9:45 a.m.: The flood warning is in effect until 8:15 p.m. At 9:15 a.m., the Mill River at the Clement Street bridge in Northampton was just shy of flood stage, at 10.64 feet. In Great Barrington, the Housatonic River was at flood stage as of 8:30 a.m.

Also as of 8:30 a.m., the following rivers were approaching flood stage: the Deerfield River in west Deerfield and in Charlemont; the west branch of the Westfield River in Huntington; the Quaboag River in west Brimfield. Elsewhere, flooding in Pennsylvania has left Hershey Park underwater.

EASTHAMPTON - In the parking lot of the Route 5 boat launch this morning a great blue heron surveyed the brown water creeping up the posts of the no parking signs.

The river elbowed its way above its flood stage of 112 feet overnight, reaching 112.13 feet at 7 a.m., data from the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service show. As more hard rain fell early Thursday -- bringing the 48-hour total to 4 to 5 inches in some areas -- the National Weather Service extended its flood warning and issued a flood watch and flood advisory for much of Western Massachusetts.

The flood warning applies to the Connecticut River in Hampshire and Hampden Counties, and Hartford and Middlesex Counties in Connecticut. Minor flooding has been observed from Northampton to Middletown, Conn. There is a slight chance of more moderate flooding in the Middletown area by the weekend, the warning reads.

The flood advisory, in effect until 8:45 a.m., applies to Hampden County and western Franklin and Hampshire counties. Urban flooding and ponding on roadways are likely in these areas.

A flood watch is in effect until 11 a.m. today. The watch applies to Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties, and notes that additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches by midday may cause small streams and poor drainage areas to flood. A flood watch means the potential for flooding exists based on current forecasts.

The GOP field is led by two men who can make plausible, though certainly imperfect, claims of experience in job creation.

Associated PressThe Republican presidential candidates stand together before a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. From left are, 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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican presidential debate made two things clear: The 2012 contest is focused more than ever on jobs, and the GOP field is led by two men who can make plausible, though certainly imperfect, claims of experience in job creation.

President Barack Obama, already under pressure to present a compelling new job-expansion strategy in his nationwide address Thursday, will now feel even more urgency. The California forum Wednesday night covered several topics, but above all it helped Rick Perry and Mitt Romney showcase their credentials and proposals on the jobs front.

Unlike Obama, they don't have to offer detailed plans or confront a hostile Republican-led House. The president, whose popularity is sagging amid 9.1 percent unemployment, must try to craft a plan that can win bipartisan support even as his would-be challengers keep heaping scorn on his record.

The 105-minute GOP debate was Perry's debut on the national stage, and the Texas governor gave a solid performance that stressed his state's recent employment growth. Perry mixed red-meat morsels for conservative activists — saying Obama may be "an abject liar" about border security — with efforts to calm the rhetoric on a few issues such as climate change.

Meanwhile, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, displayed no panic despite polls that show Perry suddenly on top. He jabbed Perry here and there, but came to his defense on a controversial vaccination issue. As he has for months, Romney aimed most of his barbs at Obama, not his fellow Republicans.

The other six GOP candidates, especially Rep. Michele Bachmann, seemed to fade a bit, largely because they don't have records as job creators. The exception may have been former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who scored some points but languishes in the polls.

Romney stuck with a strategy of trying to appeal to conservatives where possible, but also keeping an eye on independent voters, who will be crucial in the general election. He hedged on whether he's a tea party member, and generally maintained an above-the-fray demeanor.

Perry took more risks, especially on Social Security. He repeatedly called its funding mechanism a "Ponzi scheme" and "monstrous lie."

Romney suggested such rhetoric will invite Obama to paint Republicans as extremists. "Our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing Social Security but who is committed to saving Social Security," he said.

In the coming days Perry is likely to be pressed for a fuller explanation. Workers and employers pay Social Security payroll taxes that fund benefits for current retirees. The taxes are not set aside and invested, as many taxpayers seem to think. The program is headed for trouble in future years unless revenues and projected benefits are brought into line, a painful truth that Perry says Americans must confront.

As vital as Social Security is, the dearth of U.S. jobs seems likely to dominate the 2012 elections. Perry didn't wait 15 seconds to tout his record.

"Over the last decade, we created 1 million jobs in the state of Texas," he said. "At the same time, America lost 2.5 million."

Romney defended his record as governor, saying it's misleading to note, without explanation, that Massachusetts ranked 47th in job creation during his time as governor. The state was in "a real free fall" when he took office, Romney said. "We were able to turn around the job losses," he said, lowering unemployment to 4.7 percent.

The two men traded quick punches that drew laughs from the audience.

"Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt," Perry said, alluding to a former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee.

Romney shot back, "George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor."

Both men, of course, skated past the shakier details of their jobs records. Massachusetts' unemployment rate did fall under Romney, but not by a huge amount. Texas has added more than a million jobs during Perry's decade in office, but many of them pay poorly, and some Texans say the governor has been more of a bystander than engineer.

In fairness, there's only so much any governor can do to create jobs, and a president arguably has even fewer powers. Economists generally praised Obama's 2009 stimulus program. But it proved unpopular, and Republicans routinely denounce it, leaving him fewer options.

With GOP activists increasingly convinced that Obama might lose next year, congressional Republicans seem likely to keep opposing him on most major initiatives.

Obama is expected Thursday to call for extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes, renewing extended aid to the unemployed and spending more on transportation projects.

The Wednesday GOP debate's focus on jobs made it hard at times for the non-governors to fully engage. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said a host of federal services, including disaster relief, have made Americans too dependent on the government.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and others criticized Perry's 2007 order requiring schoolgirls to be vaccinated against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The state legislature overturned the order, and Perry noted that families could opt out of the requirement.

Herman Cain criticized Romney's health care law that required Massachusetts residents to buy health insurance. He called the mandate unconstitutional.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused the debate moderators, from NBC News and Politico, of trying to get Republicans to quarrel with each other.

Huntsman, who has struggled to get traction, tried to turn the focus on jobs to his advantage. "As governor of Utah," he said, "we were the No. 1 job creator in this country."

Huntsman told Romney that finishing 47th in the nation "just ain't going to cut it, my friend, not when you can be first."

Obama is unlikely to have as much fun with the topic Thursday night.

Supporters say a pledge ban would prevent bullying by protecting students who do not wish to pledge.

BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — A group in one Massachusetts town wants to ban students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the public schools, saying it has no educational value and is reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.

Brookline Political Action for Peace will ask town meeting voters in November to pass a nonbinding resolution on the idea. The pledge is already optional in the Boston suburb's schools.

Marty Rosenthal, a lawyer and co-chairman of the group, tells the Boston Herald the pledge is "at odds with America's most important traditions." He says he is not being unpatriotic.

Supporters say a pledge ban would prevent bullying by protecting students who do not wish to pledge.

Veterans, family members of 9/11 victims and the father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan are critical of the idea.

Police conducted a raid after neighbors complained about apparent drug activity at the address.

Springfield PDFelix Genao

Springfield PDMaria Tineo

SPRINGFIELD – Four Springfield residents were arrested Wednesday on charges of trafficking cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and violation of a drug free school zone.

The 5:50 p.m. raid on 24-26 Edgewood St. yielded 15.5 grams of cocaine, one gram of pure heroin, packaging material, drug paraphernalia and $1,124.00 in cash.

Felix Genao, 26, and Maria Tineo, 22, of 24-26 Edgewood St. were arrested in their home along with Monchi Ariel Castillo-Cosme, 21, 140 Chestnut St. and Jorge Luis Genao, 28, of 24 Edgeland St.

Springfield PDJorge Luis Genao

Springfield PDMonchi Ariel Castillo

Springfield police Sgt. John M. Delaney said the raid came after neighbors made numerous complaints about drugs being sold at the address. Acting on these tips, detectives launched an investigation conducted surveillance at the address several times before procuring a search warrant from the District Court.

The arrest was made by the Street Crime Unit and the Narcotics Division under the direction of Sgt. Martin Ambrose, Delaney said.

James Collins Jr., 64, of Chicopee is being treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. following the accident which is still under investigation by the Vermont State Police.

Clouds rise up over Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt., on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

NORTH HERO, Vermont - A Chicopee man is in critical condition at a Vermont hospital after a boat he was on collided with another on Lake Champlain Wednesday morning.

James Collins Jr., 64, of Chicopee is being treated at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. following the accident which is still under investigation by the Vermont State Police.

According to Vermont troopers, around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, Collins Jr. was a passenger on his 1998 Javelin bass boat being operated by James Collins III, 44, of Ludlow.

The boat collided with a 2009 Stratos bass boat operated by Alphonse Gambardella, 39, of North Haven, Conn., causing a series of events that would leave the elder Collins critically injured.

According to police, the collision took place near Stephenson Point on Lake Champlain, off the north shore of North Hero State Park, not far from the Canadian border.

Troopers said that Collins' boat was traveling north in the channel between North Hero and Alburg, Vt. while Gambardella's boat was idling in a southwesterly direction. As Collins' boat approached, the Connecticut man apparently tried to accelerate to avoid the collision when the front of his boat came out of the water.

The two boats did collide, however, and a trolling motor became detached. The motor was sent flying through the passenger's side windshield of Collins' boat and striking the elder Collins in the head and throwing him from the boat into the water. Police said he wasn't wearing a life jacket but was pulled from the water by the younger Collins.

He was taken to the Burlington hospital by Grand Island Rescue and Vermont troopers said the investigation is ongoing.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said residents should prepare for an extended evacuation of 72 hours and advised them to take clothing, food and prescription medicine.

Associated Press photoFirefighters rescue three people from their mini-van after it became stranded in high water in western Lancaster county, Pa. . on Wednesday.. 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.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Officials in northeastern Pennsylvania called for a mandatory evacuation of more than 100,000 residents living along the Susquehanna River on Thursday due to expected flooding. The area was inundated in the historic Agnes flood of 1972.

Luzerne County Management Agency official Frank Lasiewicki that the river was projected to crest at 41 feet between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday – the same height as the levee system protecting riverfront communities including Wilkes-Barre and Kingston.

Residents were ordered to leave by 4 p.m.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said residents should prepare for an extended evacuation of 72 hours and advised them to take clothing, food and prescription medicine. He also asked city businesses to close their doors by noon.

The evacuations come as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped heavy rain and caused havoc around the Northeast on Thursday, bringing floods that cut off major highways and caused some schools to open late or not at all.

Flood watches and warnings were in effect from Maryland to New England.

Roads and highways were closed around the region. In Philadelphia, flooding and a rock slide closed the eastbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway, a major artery into the city, and it could take hours for the road to reopen. In New York, the Thruway Authority expected Thursday to close a 105-mile stretch of Interstate 90 where it runs along the Mohawk River, which had overflowed its banks in some areas. It’s the state’s most heavily traveled east-west highway.

In eastern New York, thousands of people were expected to evacuate the flood-battered Binghamton area Thursday, and some schools were closed in the surrounding area.

Emergency management officials in Broome County ordered additional evacuations early Thursday for Binghamton neighborhoods near where the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers converge. Mandatory evacuation orders were also issued for the neighboring villages. In all, some 10,000 residents in the county were under mandatory evacuation, officials said.

Two rain-related deaths were reported in Pennsylvania. Police in Derry Township said a man who was removing water from his basement was killed when the house’s foundation collapsed, and a motorist trapped in a vehicle drowned early Thursday morning in Elizabeth Township, in Lancaster County.

“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.

The National Weather Service predicted rain 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 inches in isolated pockets.

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

“The same areas are getting hit repeatedly,” by rain, said Larry Nierenberg, a national weather service spokesman who monitors an area that includes Greater Philadelphia and most of New Jersey.

A bridge spanning the Delaware River between New Hope, Bucks County and Lambertville, N.J., closed Thursday morning after flood waters carried debris down river and into the first span.

In New York, Prattsville was cut off on Wednesday afternoon, 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.

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.

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.

A flood watch was in effect through Thursday afternoon in soggy Vermont but officials on Thursday said that rain has caused only minor problems in the state. 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.

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.

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.

In Massachusetts near constant rain for three straight days prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for central and western Massachusetts .

Flood watches were issued Thursday for Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire counties as rivers in the region approached flood stage and caused some minor flooding.

The National Weather Service reported that the Connecticut River has reached flood stage in Northampton causing some road closures.

The Nashua River in Fitchburg, the Housatonic River in Great Barrington, and the Connecticut in Montague were also near flood stage.

The state Transportation Department says Route 146 in Millbury near the Massachusetts Turnpike is down to one lane in each direction because of water covering the road.

A person dressed in a Gumby costume demanded money from a Southern California convenience store, but the store clerk told him he didn't have time to waste.

AP Photo/San Diego Police DepartmentIn this surveillance video taken Sept. 5, 2011 and released by the San Diego Police Department showing a suspect dressed like Gumby telling a convenience store clerk he is being robbed, fumbling inside the costume as if to pull a gun, dropping 27 cents and leaving. Police say the attempted robbery took place Monday Sept. .5, 2011 at a 7-Eleven in Rancho Penasquitos, Calif.

SAN DIEGO — A person dressed as Gumby walked into a Southern California convenience store, claiming to have a gun and demanding money, but costume trouble and a skeptical clerk thwarted the would-be robber.

Surveillance video shows someone — police think it was a man — in a bulky, green costume and another man entering 7-Eleven in Rancho Penasquitos early Monday.

Gumby demanded money, but the store clerk thought it was a joke and ignored the life-size Claymation character, telling him he was cleaning up and didn't have time to waste, said San Diego police Detective Gary Hassen.

"You don't think this is a robbery? I have a gun," the costumed man said, fumbling inside his costume as if trying to retrieve a weapon, Hassen said.

But the green-gloves seemed to get in the way, and rather than pull a gun, he dropped 26 cents on the floor, Hassen said.

The video shows the second man, who came in with the Gumby suspect, but was not dressed as Pokey, walk out of the store.

The costumed character "can't pick up the money and he can't get the gun," Hassen said. So when the other man pulls up in front of the store and honks, the would-be robber runs to the white or silver minivan and takes off, Hassen said.

San Diego's KGTV News reported that the clerk told his boss he didn't know who Gumby was and described the character in the store as a "green SpongeBob SquarePants."

The clerk didn't report the encounter, but his boss called police after viewing the surveillance tape several hours later.

Police are taking the attempted theft very seriously, Hassen said.

It doesn't matter if a potential robber is wearing a ski mask, a bandanna, a hoodie or a big, green head — it's still a disguise, he said.

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered by Crime Stoppers.

No other Gumby thefts have been reported in the area, Hassen said.

There have been no arrests, but police hope the surveillance tape will change that. People may not recognize the person under the Gumby suit, but his partner is very recognizable, Hassen said.

The block grants can be used to help fund anti-poverty agencies, rehabilitate or build new affordable housing and improve roads, parks and sidewalks in low-income neighborhoods.

File photo / The RepublicanMayor Domenic J. Sarno was recognized at the South End Community Center by Square One and students for his efforts in combating childhood obesity. The program was funded in 2010 with federal Community Development Block Grant money.

A release of entitlement grants from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is being greeted with disappointment by city leaders who are seeing a 16 percent cut in funding this year.

Six Massachusetts federal legislators announced the release of a variety of funds that are designed to help the poor in mostly urban areas.

The announcement is for Community Development Block Grants, that help fund anti-poverty services and make improvements in low-income neighborhoods.

Other grants released are from the federal HOME and the Mortgage Modification and Mortgage Scam Assistance program that help provide affordable housing.

Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, Westfield and Springfield are receiving block grants that range from $404,399 in Westfield to $3.71 million in Springfield.

In Springfield, the block grant funds this fiscal year were cut by $723,109.

“Any decrease hurts, but we are being asked to do more with less,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said. “We will try to use the funds as efficiently and effectively and as compassionately as we can.”

The funds are “a lifeline” for urban mayors, Sarno said. The money is used for youth development, housing and rehabilitating derelict housing, increasing home ownership, economic development, business development and park improvements.

In Holyoke, the $1.2 million in block grants this year is down 16 percent. In 2010 the city received about $1.4 million, said Linda B. McQuade, director of the city Office of Community Development.

“(The block grants) did get cut in the federal budget debate,” McQuade said.

The distribution includes $250,000 to the Department of Public Works to fix or replace sidewalks, $200,000 to Olde Holyoke Development Corp. for new and rehabilitated housing, $200,000 toward the renovation of the Holyoke Public Library, $200,000 to demolish blighted and otherwise abandoned buildings and $60,000 to the Parks and Recreation Department for the Pulaski Park basketball court, the Roberts Field retaining wall and Veterans Park lighting, according to the office’s website.

Organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Girls Inc., Greater Holyoke YMCA, Nueva Esperanza and Salvation Army also will get some funding, McQuade said.

Chicopee has also seen a similar decline in grants. This year it received. $1.16 million and the previous year it received $1.4 million.

“It is lower than last year,” Chicopee Community Development Director Carl F. Dietz said. “It means we will provide less services and do fewer projects.”

One of the concerns is the grants will continue to decline at a time when the city is banking on using some of the money to assist in building a new senior center. Under the plan approved by the mayor and City Council, the city is planning to borrow $5 million from the federal grant program and pay it back using about $450,000 in grant allotments every year, he said.

Northampton is seeing a 16 percent as well. This year’s allotment is $686,263.

The amount is nearly identical to the that city projected it would receive last spring. In fact, the City Council has already signed off on Mayor Mary Clare Higgins’ plan to use the money.

The biggest beneficiary is Senior Center, which accounts for $328,101 of the block grant money. Another $137,252 has been earmarked for supplementing salaries in the city’s Community and Economic Development Office. Northampton will distribute most of the remaining money among human service agencies and organizations dedicated to addressing the housing needs of low-income people.

Also, Holyoke will get $580,000 of the $854,000 from HOME funds, which can be used only for housing. Holyoke’s share will help in funding developer Denis Walsh’s $16 million plan to revamp the former Holyoke Catholic High School complex on Chestnut Street into 52 apartments, some of which will be for low-income people, McQuade said.

The rest of the HOME funds to go Chicopee, she said.

Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services is also receive about $17.4 million in Mortgage Modification and Mortgage Scam Assistance, which is designed to provide counseling to homeowners and to prevent foreclosures.

Staff writers Peter Goonan, Fred Contrada and Michael Plaisance contributed to this report.

The veteran Amherst Democrat will undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments over the next several weeks.

File photo by The RepublicanMassachusetts State Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg and Administrator of the Franklin Regional Transit Authority Tina M. Cote, left, look at plans for the Franklin Regional Transit Center at a ground breaking ceremony in Greenfield in this 2009 file photo.

Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, the veteran Amherst Democrat and senior member of Senate President Therese Murray's leadership team, announced Thursday that he was diagnosed this week with cancer and will undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments over the next several weeks.

"Each year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with some form of cancer," Rosenberg said in a statement.

"Earlier this week, I became one of them."

Rosenberg said he had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, that it was in its earliest stages of development and that it was discovered during a routine procedure.

"My oncology team has told me that, because the cancer was detected early, that it is highly curable," Rosenberg said in his statement.

“I understand the personal challenge that lies ahead. I also understand that the millions of Americans who are affected by this disease, either directly or indirectly, meet this same challenge with courage, dignity, and a lot of help from their friends. I am confident that with the expertise of my doctors, and the support of my family and friends, and my partner Bryon, that I will make a rapid and complete recovery.

“So, if you don't see me during the next few weeks having breakfast in Amherst, shopping in downtown Northampton and Greenfield, walking the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, drinking tea at McCusker's Market in Buckland, or lunching at your senior center, not to worry. My staff and I will continue providing the same level of service my constituents have come to expect.”

Rosenberg is the Senate's point person on two major issues on the fall agenda, expanded gambling and redistricting.

The playground will be built with a $75,000 donation from Country Bank.

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanZach Stogner, 3, Brady Suomala, 4, Quinn Kiernan, 4 and Quinn Suomala, 7, from left, take part in groundbreaking ceremonies Wednesday for the new Spec Pond Recreational Complex playground in Wilbraham.

WILBRAHAM - A new $150,000 “boundless playground,” will open next May thanks to a large donation from Country Bank.

The Wilbraham Friends of Recreation broke ground on the playground Wednesday afternoon during a break in the rain.

Recreation Director Bryan J. Litz said the playground will be “truly inclusive, where children and adults of all abilities can play and learn together in a fun and welcoming environment.”

Country Bank has donated $75,000 to the project, Litz said. The balance of funds will come from the Friends of Recreation fund-raising campaign.

The playground will be an addition to the other facilities at the Spec Pond Recreational Complex off Boston Road.

The town has also built two baseball fields, a field hockey field, a girls lacrosse field and softball fields at the complex in the past year and a half, Litz said.

The pavilion at the beach also has been renovated, he said.

With Wednesday’s groundbreaking, site work and drainage work will be completed this fall, Litz said.

The new playground, which will include swings and a sand pit, will be built in the spring. The area also will be fenced, so small children will not have access to the pond without supervision, Litz said.

The playground will be open year round, he said.

“We want to thank Country Bank for this extraordinary donation,” Litz said.

Paul Scully, president of Country Bank, said, “We are looking forward to seeing the kids out playing.”

Wilbraham Friends of Recreation has undertaken a $700,000 fundraising campaign for improvements to Spec Pond.

So far, $530,000 has been raised, Litz said.

The Wilbraham Friends of Recreation also would like to build a spray park on the site, Litz said, if a state grant is received.

There will be a grand opening of the playground next May, Litz said.

At least one person was killed in the accident.

File photo by Dave Roback / The Republican

AUBURN - Massachusetts State Police and emergency response vehicles are on the scene of an accident in Auburn, Mass. at mile marker 89.5 after an SUV rolled over.

At this time, all west bound traffic is shut down until the scene can be cleared up. The westbound lanes are closed to traffic with a diversion at Exit 10.

At least one person was killed in the accident after being ejected from the car, according to the Massachusetts State Police Media Relations Unit. Four other victims were transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Auburn, police officials said.

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Nathan E. Phillips

SPRINGFIELD - Nathan E. "Nate" Phillips, 15, of the Indian Orchard section of Springfield and formerly of Monson, passed away Saturday evening at Children's Hospital in Boston after a courageous battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was born in Springfield on December 15, 1995, he was the son of Sandra Manicki and Kevin Phillips. Raised in Monson, He attended schools there. He was an accomplished athlete, excelling in basketball and soccer. He was a brave sole and fought his bitter illness to the end that took his life at such a young age. He loved to go fishing and enjoyed playing pool with each of his parents and enjoyed snowboarding.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Bessette, Maureen
  




• 
  Bullock, Samuel
  



• 
  Chagnon, Dennis A.




• 
  Donze Sr., Paul N.
  



• 
  Fallon, Marilyn R. (Murphy)
  




• Hanlon, Robert E.
  




• 
  Hersey, Audrey A. (Adair)
  



• 
  Kastarakis, Peter "Peter K"




• 
  Maloney, William P.
  



• 
  McCarthy, John J.
  




• McCoubrey, George Alfred
  




• 
  Noone, Mary C. (Coyne)
  



• 
  Noone, Mary C. (Coyne)




• 
  Paige Jr., Leon
  



• 
  Parker, Patricia D.
  




• Perreault, Claire D. (Graves)
  




• 
  Phillips, Nathan E. "Nate"
  



• 
  Riberdy-Eckstein, Maria




• 
  Scattoloni, Robert Joseph "Bob"
  



• 
  Skrabely, Mary M. (Stewart)
  




• Smith Jr., Ernest E. "Gene"
  




• 
  Sondej, Ernest
  



• 
  St. Jean, Evan




• 
  Vyce, Michael
  

Obituaries from The Republican:

Plainclothes police canvassed a Pittsfield neighborhood in the ongoing search for three local men, one of whom is a key government witness in a trial involving a member of the local Hell's Angels chapter.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanCars maneuver through a partially flooded of Route 20 in Sturbridge Thursday morning. Click on the link, above left, about a report from the Hartford Courant about motorists being stranded due to flooding in Connecticut.

• Worcester bishop riles clergy sex abuse group [Telegram & Gazette]


• Floodwaters strand motorists in Greater Hartford area [Hartford Courant]


• Search for 3 men missing in Pittsfield intensifies [Berkshire Eagle]


• Massachusetts Democrats call on Sen. Scott Brown to fire aide over Twitter attack on potential rival Elizabeth Warren [Boston Globe]


• Woburn police hope tatoo will help identify suspect in cop shooting (photo gallery) [WFXT-TV, Channel 25, Boston]


• Newly published audio provides real-time view of 9/11 terrorist attacks [New York Times]


• Critics wonder if defict 'super committee's' work will be too secretive [Christian Science Monitor]


• Google Inc. to purchase restaurant review service Zagat Survey LLC [Washington Post]


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


• Read more News Links »


• Do you have News Links? Send them our way or tweet them to @masslivenews

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, is co-chairman of a committee that will recommend whether Western Massachusetts should keep its two congressional seats in redistricting.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 12:38 this afternoon.

File photo by Diane Lederman / The RepublicanState Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, right, of Amherst, marches in the Fourth of July parade in his hometown with U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, left, and state Rep.Ellen Story, directly behind him.

Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg Thursday said that he has been diagnosed with cancer and that he will undergo radiation and chemotherapy over the next several weeks.

Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and co-chairman of the Legislature's Redistricting Committee, announced that he has "squamous cell carcinoma, a common cancer," and that he is confident of a fast and complete recovery. Rosenberg, 61, said the disease was discovered during a routine procedure earlier this week and that his doctors say the cancer is "highly curable" since it was detected early.

Rosenberg unveiled the news via "a special statement" on his web site, a press release at noon and through an e-mails to people who signed up on his site.

Rosenberg currently holds several crucial positions on Beacon Hill. He is the Senate point man on casinos and co-leader of a committee that will decide if Western Massachusetts will retain its two congressional seats in a redistricting process that will see the state lose one of its ten seats.

Here is the text of his letter:

"Each year, more than a million Americans are diagnosed with some form of cancer.

Earlier this week, I became one of them.

My particular cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, a common cancer, was discovered during a routine procedure and is in the earliest stages of development. My oncology team has told me that, because the cancer was detected early, that it is highly curable. That will be my focus during the next several weeks as I undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

I understand the personal challenge that lies ahead. I also understand that the millions of Americans who are affected by this disease, either directly or indirectly, meet this same challenge with courage, dignity, and a lot of help from their friends. I am confident that with the expertise of my doctors, and the support of my family and friends, and my partner Bryon, that I will make a rapid and complete recovery.

So, if you don't see me during the next few weeks having breakfast in Amherst, shopping in downtown Northampton and Greenfield, walking the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, drinking tea at McCusker's Market in Buckland, or lunching at your senior center, not to worry. My staff and I will continue providing the same level of service my constituents have come to expect."

Police located Michelle Wilga, but are still looking for another missing woman, 37-year-old Susan Care.

Westfield police photosFrom left: Susan Care and Michelle Wilga. Wilga was located unharmed Wednesday night but Care remains missing.

This is an update to a story posted at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday

WESTFIELD - Michelle L. Wilga, who had been the subject of a missing-persons search by Westfield police since Saturday, has been located unharmed, police said.

Det. Susan Figy said Thursday afternoon that the police department was notified by the emergency department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield that Wilga, 27, showed up there Wednesday night.

Figy said she did not know anything more because the hospital did not disclose many details about her well being.

Wilga was reported missing by her parents who reported she disappeared after checking out of Noble Hospital in Westfield, where she had been a patient since Aug. 29.

Figy said the department is still seaching for another missing woman, 37-year-old Susan Care, who disappeared without a trace since July 12. Her parents reported her missing on Aug.9.

Her parents delayed contacting the police because they said she has gone missing for days at a time previously but always came home again.

Care is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 195 pounds and has light brown hair and green eyes.

Anyone with knowledge of where Care may be is asked to call the Westfield police at (413) 572-6400.

The beam will be used to create a monument in the Forest Park rose garden. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD – A curious lunchtime crowd of onlookers fell silent Thursday as a piece of structural steel from the World Trade Center paused at is passed through Court Square escorted by a cortege of police, fire and emergency medical response vehicles.

City firefighters lined one side of Main Street and Springfield and Massachusetts State Police lined the other. They all saluted the flag-draped beam from the Twin Towers brought down by terrorists nearly 10 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Respect. Reverence,” said Joseph F. Fizpatrick of Agawam. “For this generation, it is their Pearl Harbor.”

Fitzpatrick, originally from Springfield, said he spent 40 years as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. His union’s New York City local had 17 members killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

“One of them was an apprentice on his first day on the job,” Fitzpatrick said. “Today is about coming together as Americans and doing what is right.”

There were 2,996 people killed by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Of those, 2,801 were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center including 341 firefighters and 2 paramedics from the Fire Department of the City of New York and 23 New York City Police officers and 37 Port Authority Police officers, according to news accounts. Eight medical responders from private agencies were also killed.

“When you think about all the firefighters, EMTs and police who lost their lives on that day, it’s just really important that we remember that sacrifice, “ said Fire Commissioner Gary G. Cassanelli.

He didn’t know whether from which tower the steel came.

Judith A. Matt, president of Spirit of Springfield, said the city has been trying to obtain structural steel from the Twin Towers for about two years. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey didn’t give final approval until Aug. 12 offering the city this 12-foot-long, 2,950-pound beam.

William Arment, of Charlie Arment Trucking Inc. of Springfield, transported the steel for free. There is no cost for the steel, but communities must pay for the cost of transporting it from the hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

From Court Square, Arment drove the steel slowly to the Raymond J. Sullivan Public Safety Complex at 1212 Carew St. where it will be the focal point of the tenth anniversary ceremony Sunday at 10 a.m.

Eventually, it will be incorporated in a permanent monument planned for Forest Park, probably near the rose gardens, Matt said. That monument hasn’t been designed yet.

“We didn’t know what part we were going to get or what it would look like,” she said.

Ludlow and Enfield, Conn. are both dedicating 9/11 memorials Sunday with steel from the World Trade Center site.