Obama is the first president who hasn't selected a majority of white males for lifetime judgeships.

Associated PressIn this May 26, 2009, file photo, then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor beams as President Barack Obama applauds her during a White House East Room ceremony in Washington to announce her nomination.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is moving at a historic pace to try to diversify the nation's federal judiciary: Nearly three of every four people he has gotten confirmed to the federal bench are women or minorities. He is the first president who hasn't selected a majority of white males for lifetime judgeships.

More than 70 percent of Obama's confirmed judicial nominees during his first two years were "non-traditional," or nominees who were not white males. That far exceeds the percentages in the two-term administrations of Bill Clinton (48.1 percent) and George W. Bush (32.9 percent), according to Sheldon Goldman, author of the authoritative book "Picking Federal Judges."

"It is an absolutely remarkable diversity achievement," said Goldman, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who is only counting judges once, even if they fit more than one category.

The White House recently has been touting its efforts to diversify the federal bench during Obama's tenure, now approaching three years in office.

The president won Senate confirmation of the first Latina to the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. With the confirmation of Justice Elena Kagan, he has put three women on the high court for the first time. The Obama administration also nominated and won confirmation of the first openly gay man to a federal judgeship: former Clinton administration official J. Paul Oetken, to an opening in New York City.

"All of us can be proud of President Obama for taking this critical step to break down another barrier and increase diversity in the federal judiciary," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said upon Oetken's confirmation.

The first openly homosexual federal judge was Deborah A. Batts in New York City, a lesbian nominated by Clinton in 1994.

Of the 98 Obama nominees confirmed to date, the administration says 21 percent are African-American, 11 percent are Hispanic, 7 percent are Asian-American and almost half — 47 percent — are women. By comparison, of the 322 judges confirmed during George W. Bush's presidency, 18 percent were minorities and 22 percent were female. Of the 372 judges confirmed during Clinton's terms, 25 percent were minorities and 29 percent were women. In these figures, some judges fit into more than one category.

Last week, the Senate confirmed the first African-American woman to sit on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Bernice Donald. Earlier, she was the first African-American woman elected as a judge in Tennessee, the first appointed as federal bankruptcy judge in the nation and first confirmed as a U.S. district judge in Tennessee.

Obama also has doubled the number of Asian-Americans sitting on the federal bench, including adding Denny Chin to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York as the only active Asian federal appeals court judge. There currently are 14 Asian-American federal judges on the 810-judge roster.

"It's really amazing," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who wrote about the increasing diversity on the federal bench during Obama's administration in an article in the Washington University Law Review. "Obama has nominated as many as were sitting on the bench when he was inaugurated."

For more than 140 years, there were no females or minorities among the nation's federal judges.

The first female federal appellate judge was Florence Allen, who gained her seat on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1934. The first female U.S. District Court judge was Burnita Shelton Matthews, who took the bench in Washington, D.C., in 1950. William Henry Hastie Jr. was the first African-American U.S. District Court judge, sitting in the Virgin Islands in 1937 before being elevated to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1949.

Reynaldo G. Garza became the first Hispanic federal judge when he was appointed to the U.S. District Court in Texas in 1961, and Herbert Choy became the first Asian-American federal judge when he was appointed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1971.

Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court in 1967, and Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to be elevated to the nation's highest court in 1981.

"I think it's always good to have diverse perspectives, whether it's gender, sexuality or ideology," Tobias said.

Those who track diversity on the federal bench are pleased with Obama's progress so far but want more voices from all of America's communities in the federal courts. Obama has nominated three other openly gay judicial nominees, as well as what would be the only active Native American on the federal bench, if Arvo Mikkanen is confirmed to a federal judgeship in Oklahoma.

"The more diverse the courts, the more confidence people have in our judicial system," said Nan Aron of the liberal Alliance for Justice. "Having a diverse judiciary also enriches the decision-making process."

The makeup of the federal bench could be a major issue during the Senate, House and presidential elections in 2012.

Obama basically has until the end of this year to get as many of his judicial nominees confirmed as possible, because it is unlikely that a highly partisan Senate will confirm many judges with a presidential election looming in November 2012.

According to the Federal Judicial Center, there are 94 vacancies in the federal courts, with 55 nominees awaiting Senate action.

"Once we get into an election year ... things always slow down, both because people's attention is in other places and also because the party out of power thinks, 'If I can just keep this vacancy open for another year, maybe my president will fill it,'" said Curt Levey, head of the conservative Committee for Justice, in an interview on "PBS NewsHour."

With cases on Obama's health care plan, the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and gay marriage expected to reach the Supreme Court in the future, judicial selection will be front and center for Obama and the eventual Republican nominee, Aron said.

"The court will be a central issue," Aron said. "It will be in people's minds when they go into the ballot box."

Resources:

• White House Information on diversity in Obama's federal judgeship nominees:

• Current judicial vacancies:

• Supreme Court nominees by president:

• List of Asian-American federal judges and photos:

Rep. Ron Paul was asked a hypothetical question about an uninsured man in need of intensive care for 6 months.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gestures during a Republican presidential debate Monday, Sept. 12, 2011, in Tampa, Fla.

An interesting moment arose in Monday night's Tea Party-themed debate when moderator Wolf Blitzer asked a provocative hypothetical question to Rep. Ron Paul.

"A healthy 30-year-old young man has a good job, makes a good living, but decides, you know what? I'm not going to spend $200 or $300 a month for health insurance because I'm healthy, I don't need it. But, you know, something terrible happens, all of a sudden he needs it. Who's going to pay if he goes into a coma, for example? Who pays for that?"

That sound you might have heard in the room was the other candidates breathing a sigh of relief that this question was not directed at them.

Paul, of course, is a staunch Libertarian and former medical doctor. His response called back to his career practicing medicine before Medicaid and Medicare, saying that churches "never turned anybody away."

When Paul offered his advice that the man in question should have a private medical plan, the Houston Chronicle notes that Blitzer held his feet to the fire:

"Are you saying society should just let him die?" and the tea party crowd cheered, some shouting, "Yes!"

Rep. Ron Paul, the other candidate from Texas and the most libertarian of the GOP hopefuls, was more compassionate than that in his response, as a doctor and as a Christian.

"We've given up on this concept that we might assume responsibility for ourselves, that our neighbors, our friends, our churches would do it," said Paul.

Paul reiterated his position afterward on Twitter: "The individual, private charity, families, and faith based orgs should take care of people, not the government."

CBS News notes that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act -- the federal law that requires hospitals to treat uninsured patients -- is not new:

Federal law requires that that care is paid for. That law was passed in 1986, which means it was signed into law by not by Mr. Obama or even Bill Clinton, but by Ronald Reagan.

Though these cable news debates can at times be exercises in tedium, this particular question was a good one -- a tough one, but not unreasonably so. It would have been even more interesting to hear the responses from all candidates. As the video embedded here shows, Michele Bachmann dodged the question, instead stating her committment to repealing ObamaCare.

Police said the woman fended off her knife-wielding attacker with a Dirt Devil vac.

Ryan Saunders

SPRINGFIELD – Police, summoned to a Bay neighborhood home for a report of a home invader, found the 28-year-old victim fending off her knife-wielding attacker with a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner.

Officers Herman Little and Luis Adames, arriving at the Willard Avenue home shortly after 2:15 a.m., could hear the woman shouting at the suspect to get out, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

The officers approached the suspect from behind and disarmed and arrested him without incident, Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

The woman, who suffered minor injuries, identified the suspect as a former boyfriend and said that they had broken up over a year ago. She said the suspect was drunk and that he broke through her window in an attempt to get the keys to her car.

Ryan O. Neil Saunders, 26, of no known address, was charged with home invasion and assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to court documents, images of preteen girls were found on Dongor's computer when he took it in for service.

FITCHBURG — A priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is facing charges of possessing child pornography and stealing from his parish.

The Rev. Lowe B. Dongor was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to the charges Monday in Fitchburg District Court.

Dongor was placed on administrative leave by the diocese in July.

According to court documents, images of preteen girls were found on Dongor's computer when he took it in for service. He also allegedly stole $40 to $60 from the parish on several occasions to send to family in the Philippines.

A diocese spokesman tells The Telegram & Gazette that Dongor has been removed from ministry and left church property. He had most recently been at St. Joseph Parish in Fitchburg. He could not be reached.

The superintendent issued the bus company a warning.

WESTFORD - It wasn't just any kindergartner left on the bus last week during the first week of school in Westford - it was the superintendent's grandson.

Superintendent Everett Olsen Jr. says the driver noticed his grandson as she pulled into the bus depot Friday. She apparently missed his stop and couldn't see his head over the top of the seats.

She called his parents them drove him to school.

Olsen told The Sun of Lowell the bus company requires drivers to walk down the aisle to ensure that no students are left behind before heading to the depot, but apparently that procedure was not followed.

Olsen issued the bus company a warning because it was the first incident of its kind in the 15 years the contractor has served the district.

Police says hair has been taken from the horses several times in the past four or five days.

WELLFLEET - Police on Cape Cod are looking for whoever has been plucking hairs from the tails of two horses.

Police in Wellfleet says hair has been taken from the horse tails several times in the past four or five days.

Although neither horse was injured, the owners are concerned.

The Cape Cod Times reports that police are asking anyone with knowledge of someone making or selling horse-hair jewelry to notify the animal control officer.

The horses' owners are offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of whoever is stealing the hair.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 15.1 percent, or 46.2 million, up from 14.3 percent in 2009.

HOPE YEN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of the nation's poor swelled to nearly 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment woes left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of uninsured edged up to 49.9 million, the biggest in over two decades.

The Census Bureau's annual report released Tuesday offers a snapshot of the economic well-being of U.S. households for 2010, when joblessness hovered above 9 percent for a second year. It comes at a politically sensitive time for President Barack Obama, who has acknowledged in the midst of a re-election fight that the unemployment rate could persist at high levels through next year.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 15.1 percent, or 46.2 million, up from 14.3 percent in 2009.

Reflecting the lingering impact of the recession, the U.S. poverty rate from 2007-2010 has now risen faster than any three-year period since the early 1980s, when a crippling energy crisis amid government cutbacks contributed to inflation, spiraling interest rates and unemployment.

Measured by total numbers, the 46 million now living in poverty is the largest on record dating back to when the census began tracking poverty in 1959. Based on percentages, it tied the poverty level in 1993 and was the highest since 1983.

Click the "click to interact" icon. Then, mouse over a state to reveal the data. Use the drop-down menu at left to select the date range. Percentages of people in poverty are shown here as two-year averages: 2007-2008 and 2009-2010.

Broken down by state, Mississippi had the highest share of poor people, at 22.7 percent, according to rough calculations by the Census Bureau. It was followed by Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona. On the other end of the scale, New Hampshire had the lowest share, at 6.6 percent.

The share of Americans without health coverage rose from 16.1 percent to 16.3 percent — or 49.9 million people — after the Census Bureau made revisions to numbers of the uninsured. That is due mostly because of continued losses of employer-provided health insurance in the weakened economy.

Congress passed a health overhaul last year to address rising numbers of the uninsured. While the main provisions don't take effect until 2014, one aspect taking effect in late 2010 allowed young adults 26 and younger to be covered under their parents' health insurance.

Brett O'Hara, chief of the Health and Disability Statistics branch at the Census Bureau, noted that the uninsured rate declined — from 29.3 percent to 27.2 percent — for adults ages 18 to 24 compared to some other age groups.

The median — or midpoint — household income was $49,445, down 2.3 percent from 2009.

Bruce Meyer, a public policy professor at the University of Chicago, cautioned that the worst may yet to come in poverty levels, citing in part continued rising demand for food stamps this year as well as "staggeringly high" numbers in those unemployed for more than 26 weeks. He noted that more than 6 million people now represent the so-called long-term unemployed, who are more likely to fall into poverty, accounting for than two out of five currently out of work.

Other census findings:

—Poverty rose among all race and ethnic groups except Asians. The number of Hispanics in poverty increased from 25.3 percent to 26.6 percent; for blacks it increased from 25.8 percent to 27.4 percent, and Asians it was flat at 12.1 percent. The number of whites in poverty rose from 9.4 percent to 9.9 percent.

—Child poverty rose from 20.7 percent to 22 percent.

—Poverty among people 65 and older was statistically unchanged at 9 percent, after hitting a record low of 8.9 percent in 2009.

Lefebvre is challenging incumbent Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, who has served in the position for six years.

Republican file photoGary Lefebvre

CHICOPEE – Mayoral candidate Gary R. Lefebvre will kick off his candidacy for mayor in a celebration at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 21 at the Cavalier restaurant, 366 Chicopee St.

Russell Peltier, business manager of Wingate Health Care Systems, will serve as his campaign manager and Katie Santos, an accounting specialist at MassMutual Federal Credit Union will work as his treasurer. The public is invited to attend, meet Lefebvre and ask questions.

Lefebvre is challenging incumbent Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, who has served in the position for six years.

Lefebvre and his wife Nancy own Gary and Nancy’s restaurant at 930 Chicopee St.

The suspects, Keith Thomas and Kevin Davis, were treated for minor knife wounds, police said.

From left. Keith Thomas and Kevin Davis in photos provided by Springfield Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD – Police arrested two men, who had been staying at a Sixteen Acres neighborhood home, early Tuesday after a verbal argument escalated into a pushing match and then a knife fight on the front lawn.

The suspects, arrested by police, were treated for minor knife wounds, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

Police officers Karl Johnson and Franklyn McNeil were sent to 140 Hanson Drive at about 12:45 am. for a report of a possible stabbing, Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

The homeowner, whose living room was trashed during the brawl, told police that his 28-year-old son had just come home with two friends after a day of drinking. The friends had been staying at the home, Delaney said.

Keith Thomas, 22, and Kevin Davis, 21, both of that address, were charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Both suspects denied the charges in District Court. Both were released on their own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Oct. 24 for pre-trial hearings. Each was also ordered to stay away from, and avoid any contact with, each other, according to court documents.

"If it was a mere spending issue, it would be a lot easier to solve," Kerry said at the hearing.

(AP)Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., right, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, left, arrive for the start of the opening meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. John Kerry reiterated his support for a mix of tax increases and spending cuts Tuesday, at a hearing of the so-called "Super Committee" tasked with cutting the federal deficit.

"It's more than just a spending problem narrowly defined, and I think we do the dialogue a disservice by oversimplifying it, because if it was a mere spending issue, it would be a lot easier to solve," Kerry said during his opening statement at the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction's hearing.

The committee's main purpose for Tuesday's hearing was to put questions to economist Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office. Elmendorf testified before that "the federal budget is quickly heading into territory that is unfamiliar to the United States and to most other developed countries as well."

Kerry, meanwhile, said the committee should "'go big' and reach savings of more than $1.5 trillion," which is the magic number the six Democrats and six Republicans are tasked with cutting from the federal deficit. Read Kerry's full remarks »

But the committee's aim to "go big" is made more difficult by President Barack Obama's new jobs plan, which adds another $447 billion in tax cuts and new spending to the pile.

The Associated Press reports that some Republicans aren't pleased with the addition:

But every dollar spent stimulating the economy makes the supercommittee's task that much more difficult. Co-chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, is clearly irked.

"This proposal would make the already arduous challenge of finding bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction nearly impossible, removing our options for deficit reduction for a plan that won't reduce the deficit by one penny," Hensarling said recently. "It's not the role of this committee to spend more money we don't have on jobs we don't get."

And the top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, weighed in with a broadside Tuesday that labeled Obama's jobs plan a transparently political exercise.

"Despite the president's calls to pass this bill immediately, the real plan is to let it hang out there for a while so Democrats can use it as an issue on the campaign trail," McConnell said, noting Democratic opposition to Obama's proposals to increase taxes on charitable tax deductions taken by the wealthy. "The central tax hike included in this bill ... was already dismissed by a filibuster-proof, Democrat-controlled Senate in 2009."

With the 12-person panel tasked with a job usually done by the whole Congress, concerns have been raised that special interests and lobbyists could hold undue influence on the proceedings.

For his part, Kerry told The Boston Globe that he would avoid fundraising and limit his interactions with lobbyists while the committee deliberates ahead of its Nov. 23 deadline. Lisa Rosenberg, writing for the website of the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan government accountability group, says that's easier said than done. Rosenberg writes:

By instituting a moratorium on fundraisers, Senator Kerry is attempting to insulate himself from being lobbied by people while they are handing over bundles of checks. But it won’t necessarily stop checks from flowing into his campaign coffers while the Super Committee is at work. And, because of the timing of the campaign finance disclosure calendar, contributions to Super Committee members will be hidden until after the committee wraps up.

Under the debt ceiling compromise reached earlier this year, Congress must give the green light to at least $1.2 trillion in savings by Dec. 25 in order to avoid automatic cuts, distributed between defense spending and domestic programs.

Follow live coverage of the hearing from the Sunlight Foundation »

Material from The Associated Press was used in this post

Bean was a track and field star at Frontier Regional High School, winning several pole vault titles.

David MolnarBrenna Bean watches teammates practice at Frontier Regional High School.

GREENFIELD – A Franklin Superior Court judge has sentenced a Whately man to a state prison term in connection with a drag racing incident that left a teenage woman paralyzed.

Kevin May, 23, of 149 Depot Road, was racing another car on River Road in Whately in August, 2010, when the second vehicle went off the road, striking a utility pole and a barn, according to police. The driver of the other vehicle, Peter Mahar, was ejected along with his passenger, Brenna Bean, 19. Bean, who was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, suffered injuries that have left her paralyzed from the waist down. Both Bean and Mahar are also from Whately.

May pleaded guilty Monday to operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in serious bodily injury and operating under the influence of alcohol, second offense. In seeking a prison sentence, Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Thomas told Judge Tina S. Page that May has a history of bad driving, including a 2006 incident in which he rolled his car over while intoxicated. While awaiting disposition of his case, May took a breathalyzer test that showed he was consuming alcohol despite the conditions of his release, Thomas said. May also failed a field sobriety test at the scene of the accident, according to police.

Bean was a track and field star at Frontier Regional High School, winning several pole vault titles at the All-Western Mass. High School Track and Field Championships. After her accident, she helped coach the team. She plans to enroll at Westfield State College in the fall as a recreational therapy major. After listening to a victim’s impact statement by Bean’s parents, Page sentenced May to 2½-4 years in prison followed by 30 days in the House of Correction.

Fusco argues his outgoing defense lawyer over billed him, while the attorney is refusing to hand over files until he is paid.

Emilio Fusco

NEW YORK - The prosecution of a fourth defendant in the 2003 murder case of Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno, already slowed when the man fought extradition from his native Italy, is being hobbled once again by a dispute over $5,500 in lawyers' fees.

Emilio Fusco, 42, of Longmeadow, appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday for a status conference and to introduce a brand-new lawyer to the case after recently firing another one. The outgoing attorney, William I. Aronwald, told the court he intends to hold hostage 15,000 pages of alleged evidence in the case until Fusco pays his bill.

But, according to his new lawyer, Richard Lind, Fusco contends he was overbilled by Aronwald and doesn't intend to pay him any more money. The legal standoff that played out in court prompted U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel to order Aronwald and Lind into a private room - or even better yet, to lunch together - for no less than 45 minutes to arrive at a compromise.

"Plan A: set a schedule (to litigate the matter of the legal fees). or Plan B: you two go into the jury room and see if you can work this out, or better yet, break bread together," said Castel, who falls on the stern side in terms of judicial temperament.

Fusco was arrested in southern Italy last year by authorities dressed as utility workers and trash men, according to police. He was named in a racketeering indictment along with several other defendants including three who were sentenced on Monday to life terms in prison, West Springfield mob enforcers Fotios "Freddy" Geas and his brother Ty Geas, and Arthur "Artie" Nigro, of the Bronx, onetime acting boss of the Genovese crime family. Those three stood trial in March and were convicted by a jury in just a few hours after three weeks of testimony.

Fusco is accused of being one of several Western Massachusetts gangsters who sought Nigro's approval to put a hit out on Bruno, a prominent figure in the Springfield faction of the Genovese family, whom Fusco learned had passed on information about his own status in the clan to an FBI agent in 2001. Fusco also is accused in the murder conspiracy involving Gary D. Westerman, a low-level organized crime associate who disappeared the same year Bruno was murdered, and whose remains were unearthed in a wooded lot in Agawam last year.

Fusco booked a flight to Italy days after the dig for Westerman's remains began. Prosecutors argue he fled, while Aronwald argued he had previously arranged the travel to Italy to attend to family engagements and business. The Italian government ordered his extradition in June. That decision is being appealed by Fusco's European lawyers, according to court records.

More details in The Republican and on MassLive.

The state Department of Public Health last month announced that it plans to close the lab at the end of this month.

BOSTON -- Twenty-three state legislators from Western Massachusetts are seeking $300,000 to keep open a state lab in Amherst that tests illegal drugs seized by local police.

In a letter, the lawmakers, led by Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, make the case that Western Massachusetts is being singled out for an unfair cut of a state service. The legislators also said the closure of the lab will only shift costs to municipalities.

“I believe the most prudent thing to do, both in terms of saving money and administering justice, is to keep the western Mass. lab open,” Rosenberg said.

The legislators are asking budget leaders in the state Legislature to include the $300,000 for the lab in a spending bill currently under consideration.

The state Department of Public Health last month announced that it plans to close the lab on Sept. 30. Four employees at the lab will be laid off, but under a union contract, they may have the opportunity to bump other employees depending on their position and seniority.

The lab, located at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is the only lab in Western Massachusetts for weighing and testing illegal drugs seized by local police departments.

Citing "an unprecedented fiscal situation," the health department said it would save $227,000 this fiscal year by closing the lab.

In the letter, the Western Massachusetts legislators said the planned shutdown would shift testing of illegal drugs in Western Massachusetts to a already backed up state lab in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston. They said it would be more costly and time consuming for police in Western Massachusetts to transport drugs to Boston.

"Principally and disproportionately the greatest burden would be on Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Berkshire counties," the letter said.

The Worcester District Attorney receives $420,000 for drug analysis through the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the letter said. Middlesex County is served by the State Police Crime Laboratory located in Sudbury, a lab that received an annual appropriation of $12.9 million, the letter said. The remaining counties in the state already use the Boston lab, according to the letter.

The laboratory serves 101 Western Massachusetts communities and employs four chemists who analyze 6,000 drug samples each year for use in drug-offense prosecutions.

Democrats have been seeking a major challenger for the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Associated PressElizabeth Warren, center, Special Asst. to the Treasury Secretary on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, speaks during a photo opportunity on the occasion of the anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Bill as Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., left, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., 2nd left, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, 2nd right, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. right, listen on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, July 20, 2011.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren is jumping into the Massachusetts race against Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

A Massachusetts Democrat familiar with Warren's plans told The Associated Press that she would announce her candidacy on Wednesday. The Democrat requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Democrats have been seeking a major challenger for the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Warren is a Harvard Law professor tapped by President Barack Obama last year to set up a new consumer protection agency, but congressional Republicans opposed her becoming the director.

Supporters say her image as a crusader against well-heeled Wall Street interests and her national profile will give her candidacy muscle, though she's never run for political office.

City Councilor David T. Boudreau forges signatures on nomination papers, 7 points to take away from the GOP debate

(AP Photo/File)

• City Councilor David T. Boudreau forges signatures on nomination papers[Worcester Telegram]


• Critics blast casino proposal [Worcester Telegram]


• Athletes in trouble after Boston [Boston Globe]


• The GOP debate: 7 takeaways
  [Politico]


• Household Income Falls, Poverty Rate Rises [Wall Street Journal]


• Obama puts heat on Palestinians [The Daily Beast]


• Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult
  [Truth-Out]


• Judge rules for RI unions in major pension lawsuit [Providence Journal]


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


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Something people needed were mailboxes, and Joe Willis soon shifted his Eagle Scout project from tennis courts to mailboxes.

The Republican/Lori StabileJoseph Willis stands near one of the mailboxes that he installed on East Hill Road in Monson for his Eagle Scout project.

MONSON – Joseph A. Willis planned to fix up the shuttered tennis courts near the Town Office Building for his Eagle Scout project.

Then a tornado whipped through town on June 1, decimating numerous homes and buildings, and what was left of the tennis courts.

“They literally got blown away,” said Jo Sauriol, the committee chairwoman for Troop 168.

Troop 168 is associated with the First Church of Monson, and in the days after the tempest, the church became the go-to place for those who needed assistance. Something people needed were mailboxes, and Willis soon shifted his project from tennis courts to mailboxes.

While Eagle Scout projects must benefit an entire community, the mailbox project fit that requirement because so many people lost them after the tornado. Plus, the project signifies rebuilding, spirit and hope, Sauriol said.

Willis and his fellow scouts were out on East Hill Road on a warm summer day installing mailbox after mailbox. Parts of East Hill Road were torn apart by the tornado, with homes reduced to rubble. Now, temporary trailers are set up on the lots, as the families rebuild.

The mailboxes and posts were donated, and the families were happy to receive them.

Willis does not have any tornado damage at his house – even though it touched down about a half-mile away. He said he is pleased he can do something to help the residents who have lost everything.

“If I can do one more thing that they don’t have to worry about . . . a lot of these people were getting their mail held at the post office. At least they can receive their mail at their house again,” he said. “This is our way to help.”

The scouts are installing the mailboxes according to federal regulations, according to Willis’ father, Kurt H. Willis, the assistant scoutmaster.

Karen A. Coolong, speaking from inside her temporary trailer, said she rode out the tornado with her dog in the basement as it destroyed their home. Coolong, who is a paraprofessional at Granite Valley Middle School, remembered Willis and his fellow scouts when they came to her door asking if she wanted a mailbox.

“I can’t say enough about the young men,” Coolong said.

“So far all of the people have been thrilled,” said Willis, a senior at Monson High School.

Willis estimates that he will have installed at least 15 mailboxes by the time he turns 18 on Sept. 16. Eagle Scout projects must be completed by the time scouts turn 18, and at that time, Willis said he will turn the project over to the rest of the troop so it can continue. Besides East Hill Road, the new mailboxes also are on Cote, Waid and Ely roads.

“I’m glad for Joe that he was able to find a suitable leadership project after the tornado altered his original idea of working on the tennis courts. The mailbox restoration turned out to be an excellent opportunity for Joe to provide a much needed service for the townsfolk that is a direct relief response to the disaster in keeping with the spirit of Scouting. It’s an excellent growth opportunity for Joe,” scoutmaster Stephen Scannell wrote in an email.

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Mary T. Napolitan

SPRINGFIELD - Mary T. (Nelen) Napolitan, 84, of Springfield, died on Sunday at Keystone Woods assisted living facility in Springfield. She was born in Springfield to Frank and Christina Nelen. She graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield and Elms College in Chicopee and received an honorary doctorate degree from the Elms. Mary worked at Forest Park Library and her family's store, Kavanaugh's Furniture. She became the first social worker for the hospital now known as Mercy Medical Center. In 1952, she married Joseph Napolitan, a former reporter for The Republican, and later political consultant. Mary Napolitan was active in the community and served on many boards including the Springfield Library and Museums Association, the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Springfield YWCA and the Riverfront Park Commission. She traveled the world with her husband.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Barry Jr., William
  




• 
  Blanchard, Michael J.
  



• 
  Boyer, Elizabeth "Betty"




• 
  Brainard, Diana May
  



• 
  Callahan, Robert G. "Bobby"
  




• Dowd, John V.
  




• 
  Fern, Emilda G. "Pat" (Emard)
  



• 
  Fitzgerald, Peter M.




• 
  Kaechele, Margaret M. (Gumlaw)
  



• 
  Kisiel, Albert J.
  




• Klimkowicz, Mary G.
  




• 
  Langlois, Bessie E.
  



• 
  Lareau, Clarence




• 
  McCoubrey, George
  



• 
  Meunier, Rosaire J.
  




• Minie, Thelma B. Corbeille (LeMay)
  




• 
  Mochak Sr., Edmund P.
  



• 
  Napolitan, Mary (Nelen)




• 
  Rayder, Barbara Ann (Selden)
  



• 
  Rogers, Rosemarie A. (Ducharme)
  




• Sullivan Jr., Edward F.
  




• 
  Westbrook Jr., Cooper
  



• 
  Woodham, Samuel T.

Police said Whitney, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, is mildly mentally disabled.

View full sizePhoto courtesy of the Palmer policeA recent photo of Michael Whitney, 23, the subject of a missing persons search in Palmer.

PALMER - Police are asking the public for help in finding 23-year-old Michael Whitney, who has been missing since Saturday morning.

Lt. John J. Janulewicz said Whitney, of Breckenridge Street, is mildly mentally disabled. He is described as 150 pounds, and about 5 feet, 11 inches tall with brown hair. He was wearing a Red Sox shirt, blue jeans and possibly a NASCAR baseball cap, police said.

Janulewicz said Whitney's family reported him missing on Monday night; the family told police that it was not unusual for him to leave for a day. He previously has been found as far away as Hampden and Wilbraham.

Whitney took his medication for epilepsy with him, Janulewicz said.

Anyone who has any information is asked to call the Palmer police at (413) 283-8792 or their local police department.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose nearly 104 points in the last two trading sessions combined.

Associated Press photoA Best Buy worker helps out a customer at a Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., on Monday Best Buy Co. reported Tuesday that its fiscal second-quarter net income fell 30 percent as consumers hit the pause button on buying electronics while fears about the global economy persist.

NEW YORK – General Electric Co. and other industrial companies pushed stocks higher after another choppy session Tuesday, the second day of gains in a row.

It was the first back-to-back gain since the last week of August and only the third time the market has closed higher this month. On the five days the market closed lower in September, the Dow Jones industrial average lost between 100 and 303 points.

The Dow rose 44.73 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 11,105.85. The Dow moved between small gains and losses for much of the day, then turned higher in the last half-hour. On Monday, the Dow rose 69 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 11,061.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 10.60, or 0.9 percent, to 1,172.87.

Trading was quiet compared with the many wild swings the market has had since early August. The Dow traded in a range of just 153 points, the narrowest since July 26. The average daily range during August was twice as big, 337 points. The last time the Dow traded in a larger range was November 2008, at the peak of the financial crisis.

Investors have been struggling with uncertainty over the European debt crisis and questions over which way the U.S. economy is going, said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research. That fear of the unknown has made markets especially volatile. Traders seem to be hanging on every piece of news or rumor out of Europe.

“It’s a difficult environment for a long-term investor,” Detrick said. “Any news can take you significantly higher or lower. There’s just so much volatility.”

European markets rose broadly Tuesday. Major French banks soared after BNP Paribas denied that it had trouble borrowing dollars from other banks and investors in short-term credit markets.

Italy’s finance minister also confirmed that officials had met with China’s sovereign wealth fund about buying Italian bonds. A report that China may buy Italian government bonds helped U.S. stock indexes eke out slight gains Monday. All of the gains came in a sudden burst of buying in the last 15 minutes of trading.

Detrick says the uncertainty has started to drive retail investors out of stocks. Americans pulled $36 billion out of U.S. stock funds in August, according to preliminary data from the Investment Company Institute. That’s second only to the $47 billion withdrawn from U.S. stock funds at the height of the financial crisis in October 2008.

The Nasdaq composite gained 37.06, or 1.5 percent, to 2,532.15. Apple rose 1 percent Morgan Stanley said the company was more likely than ever to reward investors with a dividend or through buying back its stock.

GE rose the most of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average, gaining 2.6 percent to $15.41.

Cummins Inc., an engine maker, topped all 500 companies in the S&P 500 index, leaping 6 percent to $92.20. The company’s executives told analysts that rising gas prices and tighter emissions standards have increased demand for its fuel-efficient engines.

Best Buy Co. plunged 7.6 percent to $23.06, the biggest loss of any S&P 500 stock, after the electronic retailer reported a fall in quarterly profit. Sales in stores open a year or longer dropped 2.8 percent.

A weak reading of business sentiment kept the market’s gains in check. An index of small business conditions from the National Federation of Independent Business dropped to a 13-month low in August. The NFIB said companies surveyed had weaker expectations for sales and a bleaker view of the overall economy.

The Dow and S&P 500 have lost 4 percent this month amid worries that Europe’s debt crisis could knock the U.S. into another recession. The U.S. economy is already slowing, and unemployment remains high at 9.1 percent.

Pluta and three challengers are vying in the preliminary election, from which the two top finishers will compete Election Day Nov. 8.

Holyoke Mayor Elaine A. Pluta

HOLYOKE – As Mayor Elaine A. Pluta prepared campaign signs at her reelection headquarters, she urged that voters who are supporting whichever candidate take time to vote in the Sept. 20 preliminary election.

“It’s very important to vote in the preliminary election to make sure that your candidate gets through to the general election,” Pluta said Tuesday.

“Sometimes, it happens that the candidate that you support doesn’t make it through to the general election because voters think they can still vote (for their preferred candidate) in the general election, but then they get there and the candidate’s not there. I know it’s a lot to ask to vote twice, but it’s important,” she said.

Two races will face voters in Tuesday’s preliminary election. The top two vote-getters from among Pluta and challengers Daniel C. Boyle, Alex B. Morse and Daniel C. Burns will compete on Election Day Nov. 8.

The other preliminary election race is a three-candidate field for Ward 7 City Council.

Pluta opened her campaign headquarters Aug. 4 at 260 Westfield Road in the Knights of Columbus plaza.

Signs for Pluta and other candidates are posted on lawns and at intersections around the city, and stacks of more Pluta signs were ready to go, along with bumper stickers and T-shirts.

Pluta said the main benefit of her headquarters is the large parking lot.

“When I had my grand opening, that parking lot was full,” Pluta said.

Polls in the 14 voting precincts will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

City Clerk Susan M. Egan predicted a turnout of 22 percent, or 5,177, voters. The city has 23,532 registered voters.