Alexander is competing for the seat against Christopher M. Kulig and Alan G. Fletcher.

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submitted photoGordon P. Alexander, Holyoke Ward 7 City Council candidate

HOLYOKE – Gordon P. Alexander picked up another high-profile endorsement in his bid for the Ward 7 City Council seat with former Mayor Michael J. Sullivan announcing his backing.

“Gordon’s long term commitment to Holyoke and his understanding of the city’s needs make him the best choice for the Ward 7 council seat,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said Monday Alexander contacted him and they chatted and he liked Alexander’s background, such as his work as chairman of the Conservation Commission.

Alexander, who was endorsed last week by former police chief Anthony R. Scott, said he appreciated Sullivan’s endorsement.

“I am thrilled to have Mike’s support and I am looking forward to utilizing my good working relationships with the other City Councilors and with many of the city’s departments to help continue the positive momentum started under Mayor Sullivan’s decade of leadership,” Alexander said.

Alexander, Christopher M. Kulig and Alan G. Fletcher are competing in the preliminary election Tuesday. The top two vote-getters will move onto the Election Day ballot Nov. 8.

Alexander is a business systems analyst. Kulig is a member of the charter review commission and a Workers’ Compensation underwriter with Hartford Insurance. Fletcher is a captain and 44-year member of the Holyoke Police Department.

Incumbent Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill isn’t running for reelection.

In one night, Romney became the most prominent aggressor in a growing effort by the GOP field to derail front-runner Rick Perry.

Associated Press photoRepublican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. W. Mitt Romney gestures during a Republican presidential debate Monday, in Tampa, Fla.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – An assertive W. Mitt Romney has emerged in the GOP presidential race.

For months the former Massachusetts governor has shown little willingness to assail his Republican competitors, staying above the fray and focusing all of his criticism on President Barack H. Obama. But in one night, Romney became the most prominent aggressor in a growing effort by the GOP field to derail front-runner Rick Perry. And in doing so, Romney may have started to ease concern within the GOP establishment over the strength of his candidacy.

“Those doubts were erased,” Steve Duprey, a Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire who is unaligned in the race, said Tuesday, a day after a Republican presidential debate in Tampa, Fla., where Romney tested out his on-the-attack approach. “In a dominant fashion, he showed he could take and fend off Governor Perry’s blows and at the same time deliver sound, hard-hitting policy criticisms of Governor Perry. After that debate, Romney looked strong. Perry looked dazed.”

It’s the beginning of a new phase in Romney’s campaign; aides say the time has come to contrast Romney’s record with those of his opponents and they expect Romney will keep the pressure on Perry, specifically. Criticism on issues like immigration, Social Security and jobs is expected on the campaign trail, in an upcoming debate next week, and, perhaps, in TV and radio ads eventually.

The shift reflects a growing sense of urgency in Romney’s campaign and others that Perry must be knocked down before he becomes too strong and runs away with the nomination.

For months, Romney sat atop public opinion polls across the nation and in early primary states, seemingly the top preference of Republican voters who denied him their party’s presidential nomination in 2008. He spent much of the year ignoring darts from his rivals.

Then Perry entered the race a month ago and immediately shot to the top of polls. And, within days, Romney started drawing contrasts with Perry without naming him, highlighting his own business background while generally noting that there also were “career politicians” in the race. It was an obvious reference to Perry, who – like some other candidates – has spent most of his adult life in and around politics. Even when asked pointed questions, Romney was careful not to directly engage.

He showed signs of a willingness to go after Perry in their first debate together last week, but he shifted his strategy completely during the opening minutes of Monday’s debate as the candidates sparred over Social Security, the program Perry has repeatedly described as a “Ponzi scheme” that may violate constitutional principles.

Romney quickly became Perry’s lead interrogator.

“The question is, do you still believe that Social Security should be ended as a federal program as you did six months ago when your book came out and returned to the states or do you want to retreat from that?” Romney asked Perry.

“I think we ought to have a conversation,” Perry said before being cut off.

“We’re having that right now, governor. We’re running for president,” Romney quipped, forcing Perry to defend a controversial position about the popular retirement program in a state with a huge retired population.

When Perry suggested Romney was simply trying to scare seniors, Romney fired back.

“Governor, the term ‘Ponzi scheme’ is what scared seniors, Number One. And Number Two, suggesting that Social Security should no longer be a federal program and returned to the states and unconstitutional is likewise frightening,” Romney said.

It’s unclear whether Romney’s shift will resonate with voters.

Perry has led in several recent national polls, most recently earning 30 percent to Romney’s 18 percent in a CNN survey taken from Sept. 9-11. National polling, however, is far less significant than voter sentiment in the early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, which will help shape the race early next year. There is scant polling so far in those states.

Romney will get some help in trying to tear down Perry.

Romney may have already benefited from attacks by Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who have been strong Perry critics all along.

On Monday, they lashed out at Perry from the right, criticizing his positions on immigration, taxes and public health.

“Our taxes have doubled since he’s been in office. Our spending has gone up double. Our debt has gone up nearly triple,” Paul said of Perry’s decade as governor. “So I would put a little damper on this, but I don’t want to offend the governor, because he might raise my taxes or something.”

Bachmann went after Perry for trying to require vaccinations on 11- and 12-year old girls to prevent a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer.

“To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong,” Bachmann said. “That should never be done. It’s a violation of a liberty interest.”

Perry defended his record the best he could, acknowledging a mistake by bypassing the state legislature to force the vaccines and highlighting job growth in Texas under his watch.

In the coming months, look to Romney to ensure Perry doesn’t get off easy.

Nanotechnology refers to systems done at a scale smaller than a human hair.

AMHERST – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who develop technologies on the scale of a human hair are in line for a major grant from the federally-funded National Science Foundation.

University officials declined Tuesday to discuss the amount of the new grant for the university’s Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing in advance of a news conference set for Wednesday but back in 2006 the National Science Foundation awarded the group $16 million for its work in nanotechnology.

“We’ll be announcing another significant grant for the center at the event,” said Patrick J. Callahan, a UMass spokesman.

According to the National Science Foundation’s Website, the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing has received $4.3 million since March.

Joshua A. Chamot, a National Science Foundation spokesman, said that number just represents one stage of funding. The agency gives out finding in stages because it is constantly evaluating researcher’s projects.

“There is a lot of competition for this money, so the projects that do get picked are very exciting,” he said. The Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing focuses on applying nanotechnology, or engineering at the molecular level, to the creation of flexible electronics in solar panels, phone touchscreens, batteries and sensors.

“Chemistry already works on a molecular level,” said Joshua A. Chamot, a spokesman for the National Science Foundation. “But this is about having that control. I can see at the scale of atoms. I can control at the scale of atoms.”

Look at a solar panel today and its made of tiny crystals visible to the naked eye, Chamot said. But UMass” work may result in the manufacture of one pure sheet of that material.

“Think about how efficient that would be,” he said. “This nanotechnology is on the forefront of many, many advances in science.”

Researchers around the country are using nanotechnology to build flawless and extremely strong body armor for the U.S. military and golf club heads made of metallic glass.

According to the National Science Foundation, the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing incorporates faculty and researchers UMass Amherst, Binghamton University in New York, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , The University of Michigan, Mount Holyoke College, The University of Puerto Rico, and Rice University.

UMass Amherst also got word Tuesday that it has received $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to train graduate and undergraduate engineering students in industrial energy efficiency. The goal is that the students will go on to help manufacturers use less energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Critics said any economic benefits from expanded gambling would be temporary and marginal compared to the addiction, increased crime, divorces and bankruptcies that will be left in the wake of casinos.

Associated Press photoFormer state Sen. Susan Tucker, D-Andover, holds a map as she speaks against casino gaming at a rally outside the Statehouse in Boston, Tuesday. House Democrats caucused behind closed doors to discuss legislation that would license three resort style casinos and a slot machine parlor.

BOSTON - Opponents staged a last-minute protest against expanded gambling on Tuesday, saying casinos would damage the state's economy and create enormous social and political problems.

The protest came as members of the state House of Representatives plan to vote on Wednesday on a bill to permit three casinos in three regions around the state including one for anywhere in the four counties of Western Massachusetts. The bill would also create a single slot house with up to 1,250 slot machines.

"In the long term, the bill will only create more economic turbulence, more problems for families, and more new addiction than our state can afford," said Alison Digman, a social worker who spoke on behalf of the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers during the event outside the Statehouse.

Digman was among a series of speakers from religious, civic, political and other groups who called for state legislators and Gov. Deval L. Patrick to kill the bill, unveiled last month.

Critics said any economic benefits from expanded gambling would be temporary and marginal compared to the addiction, increased crime, divorces and bankruptcies that will be left in the wake of casinos.

Opponents said casinos will create short-term jobs, but will also take jobs from restaurants and other businesses.

"Slots will bring new costs to every citizen, even those who never set foot inside a slot parlor or casino," said the Rev. Laura Everett, associate director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches.

Thomas Larkin , of Bedford, president of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said opponents are doing everything they can to defeat the bill. "We're not going gently," Larkin said. "This is about standing up for social justice. That's what we are doing."

The bill is backed by top state legislators and the governor.

State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, said there is strong support in the state House of Representatives for casinos. Wagner said the bill is a good one.

"As an economic-development initiative, this bill will create thousands of jobs and yield hundreds of millions annually in revenues for the commonwealth," said Wagner, who is co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, which approved the casino bill last month, setting the stage for the debate on Wednesday.

Opponents said they expect the casino bill will be approved again this year in the Legislature. Last year, the Senate voted 25-15 in favor of casinos; the House , 120-37.

The governor rejected last year's bill because he said it contained two slot licenses that were slated for two race tracks in the state. Patrick has voiced support for this year's bill, which includes one slot license that would be competitively bid and could be located anywhere in the state.

Wagner said some key critics failed to attend his committee's public hearing on casino bills on May 4. He said they should have been engaged earlier in the legislative process.

"Where have they been?" Wagner asked. "What is their answer for new jobs and new revenues? I haven't heard mayors and boards of selectmen complaining."

Former Monson selectman Kathleen C. Norbut, an adviser to United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said some opponents may not have been able to attend the public hearing at the Statehouse because of work or family commitments. Norbut said opponents have offered scientific data and credible information that have often been ignored by proponents.

Norbut said the May 4 hearing was a sham. "The public was told in plain English that the bill would be crafted behind closed doors," she said.

The governor met privately with House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray to help develop the casino bill. Wagner said the three leaders meet regularly behind closed doors to discuss all major issues.

Wagner said all casino bills that were submitted this year received a hearing and that many members of the House weighed in with suggestions.

"I don't know how it could be any more transparent," Wagner said.

So far, two companies are proposing casinos for Western Massachusetts.

The Mohegan Sun, which operates a casino in Connecticut, is proposing a casino for Palmer, to be located off Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

A group called Paper City Development wants to put a casino at the Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke, which borders Interstate 91. Paper City estimated the casino would create 1,500 permanent jobs and 2,000 construction jobs.

In addition to Tuesday's press conference by opponents, opponents released an analysis of the casino bill that included a "top ten problems" with the casino bill.

The problems, spelled out in a press release by former Attorney General L. Scott Harshbarger, include a division of oversight that could create a communications nightmare. Harshbarger also cited a lack of prohibitions against legislators, former legislators or their family members from being hired by casinos or applicants for casino licenses.

"This bill is troubled, it was negotiated in secret by the big three leaders and is being shoved in front of legislators for a high-pressure leadership vote with little analysis and less time to consider," Harshbarger said in a prepared statement.

Wagner said it is appropriate that various agencies, including the state auditor, the state treasurer, the attorney general and a proposed five-member gaming commission, possess regulatory oversight.

The governor would appoint the chairman of the commission, while the treasurer and attorney general would each appoint one member. The commission would choose the other two members.

Wagner also questioned if relatives of public officials should be barred from working in a private industry simply because the industry is regulated by the state. By that standard, no such relative could work at a bank or an insurance company, he noted.

Whitney has been at the Wilbraham Public Library for the past two days.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 4:45 this afternoon.

Michael Whitney

PALMER - Palmer police have reported that Michael Whitney, 23, of Breckenridge Street, was found tonight at the Wilbraham Public Library at approximately 7.

Police said a librarian recognized Whitney after seeing a news report about him being missing. Whitney has been at the library for the past two days, and was found in the children's room, police said.

Whitney's family said that he had been missing since Saturday morning and told police Monday night; he was described as mildly mentally disabled.

His family had told police that it was not unusual for Whitney to take off for a day.

In a 1-2 vote, the board ended six months of public hearings that often became heated as neighbors fought the Valley Community Development Corp.’s plans.

View full sizeDouglas NiedzweckiThis is an aerial view of the New City neighborhood, including the lot where the proposed affordable housing development Parsons Village was poposed to be built (circled in red).

EASTHAMPTON – The Planning Board on Tuesday denied a special permit for Parsons Village, an affordable housing development proposed for Parsons Street in the New City neighborhood.

In a 1-2 vote with chairwoman Ann M. Parizo abstaining, the board ended six months of public hearings that often became heated as neighbors fought the Valley Community Development Corp.’s plans. With only members after the June resignation of associate member Jason Duda, Parizo said all four needed to vote in favor to approve it.

Valley CDC is now seeking a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals under Chapter 40B, a controversial state affordable housing law that allows certain projects to bypass a city’s zoning ordinance.

“As long as it took, government worked up until this point,“ said City Councilor Justin P. Cobb of New City.

But the 40B process could be even longer and more contentious. Emily Baillargeon, a member of the New City Neighborhood Association, said the group will fight Valley CDC’s efforts every step of the way, especially now that 40B is on the table.

Neighbors and abutters have been unhappy with the plans since before public hearings began in March. They claim the 37-unit plans were too dense for the 4.3-acre lot, the porous pavement stormwater management system would lead to flooding and the designs did not fit in with the neighborhood’s architecture, among a host of other complaints.

Before the vote, Valley CDC agreed not to install porous pavement, but member Chester A. Ogulewicz, Jr., who is running for city councilor at-large is the Nov. 8 election, was not satisfied. He said the plans should be changed accordingly and resubmitted, and that the density was too high. He voted no.

Member Chester Seklecki voted yes along with Harry Schumann, who explained his vote by saying, “Because Easthampton needs it.“

“This has got to be one of the most gut-wrenching experiences I’ve ever gone through,“ he said.

Valley CDC executive director Joanne Campbell said she was “not surprised“ the permit was denied.

“We were prepared for this,“ she said. “Parsons Village is not over. ... We are very committed to this development.“

She said Parsons Village residents would be good citizens and neighbors. Valley CDC, she said, has a positive reputation in the area because they complete projects on time and within the budgets.

Baillargeon disagreed. “I think it is a detriment to their reputation as community builders,“ she said.

The candidates are Alan G. Fletcher, Gordon P. Alexander and Christopher M. Kulig.

Staff Photo by Dave RobackWard 7 City Council candidates, left to right, Gordon P. Alexander, Alan G. Fletcher and Christopher M. Kulig, participate in a forum Tuesday.

HOLYOKE – Ward 7 City Council candidates Christopher M. Kulig and Gordon P. Alexander said in a forum Tuesday they oppose building a casino in the ward because it would be irresponsible development while candidate Alan G. Fletcher said he is supportive because the poverty-weakened city needs the jobs.

Alexander was the only candidate to say Mount Tom should remain as an undeveloped wilderness, calling it the region’s “crown jewel” and home to endangered species.

Fletcher, a life-long resident, said the Mountain Park music venue and the old ski area show the mountain can meet different needs and not just those of certain people.

Kulig said Mount Tom was an example of his belief of the importance of responsible development.

The three candidates are competing in the preliminary election Tuesday. The top two vote-getters will be on the Election Day ballot Nov. 8.

Incumbent Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill isn’t running for reelection.

The hour-long forum at E.N. White School on Jefferson Street featured Alexander, Fletcher and Kulig responding to prepared questions.

About 100 people attended the event sponsored by the Holyoke Taxpayers Association.

The candidates also discussed visions for Ward 7, whether there should be a single tax rate, the quarry on Mount Tom, spot zoning and a Nov. 8 ballot question on a new city charter.

The state Legislature this week is set to begin considering bills to legalize casino gambling. Paper City Development, a limited liability company, wants to buy Wyckoff Country Club, which is on the Mount Tom range, and build a casino resort.

Alexander, a business systems analyst and chairman of the Conservation Commission, said a casino would increase noise, crime, traffic and pollution.

“I see no positives for Ward 7 of having a casino on Mount Tom,” Alexander said.

Kulig, a member of the charter review commission and a Workers’ Compensation underwriter with Hartford Insurance, said a casino would be poor use of the area.

“I’m not in favor of a casino because I don’t think it’s responsible development,” Kulig said.

Fletcher is a captain and 44-year veteran of the Holyoke Police Department. He said with more than a quarter of the population of 40,000 living in poverty, the city needs the hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue from a casino.

“I just think that this is the right move if Holyoke gets the opportunity to take it,” Fletcher said.

On the question of whether Mount Tom should be undeveloped, Fletcher said the truth is the mountain meets various needs. While also keeping areas for wilderness enjoyment and hiking, he said, the concert site is enjoyed by many people and cell-phone antennas posted on the mountain permit communication and bring revenue.

“There is a purpose for Mount Tom for all people, not just certain people,” Fletcher said.

Kulig said the city can preserve the mountain while still allowing carefully planned development.

“If we totally shut business out, then we create a stigma that Holyoke is anti-business,” Kulig said.

Allowing recreation is one thing, Alexander said, but the mountain should stay free of permanent buildings and vehicle traffic.

“Mount Tom should stay undeveloped,” Alexander said.

The city now has a split tax rate in which more of the burden is shifted onto business property owners as opposed to homeowners.

Kulig said the tax rate should stay that way, agreeing with the argument that the larger, business community uses more services than residences.

Alexander didn’t say whether he backs the current or a single-tax rate system. Among the problems is the unpaid taxes the city has been unable to seize, said Alexander, who said taxes are necessary to have municipal services.

“Pretending otherwise is just sticking your head in the sand,” Alexander said.

Fletcher also didn’t say whether he supported the current system or moving to a single-tax rate. The City Council each December faces a “delicate” balance when dividing the tax burden between business and home owners, said Fletcher, who said the key is attracting new businesses to the city.

“That would offset and lower the residential taxes,” Fletcher said.

The residential property tax rate is $15.79 per $1,000 valuation and the business property tax rate is $37.10 per $1,000 valuation.

All three candidates said they would vote for the ballot question to establish a new city charter and replace the existing charter, which was enacted in 1896. The charter is a document that details the parts of government and their duties, from the mayor and School Committee to the police, public works and other departments.

They said a new charter was needed to modernize government and make it more effective, such as by establishing a centrally-powered finance department.

A week after a suspicious fire destroyed his home, authorities are still looking for the elderly property owner

Joseph Cernauskas

HARDWICK - A week after a suspicious fire destroyed his home in the Wheelwright section, authorities are still looking for the elderly property owner, Joseph Cernauskas.

A spokesman for the Worcester County District Attorney’s office, Paul R. Jarvey, said the investigation is continuing, and that no new information is being released. Cernauskas’ 1999 Town & Country van was found on Friday in Ware at an elderly housing complex on Church Street.

It also had been missing since the fire. The complex is the former Church Street School, and is about nine miles from Cernauskas’ home.

At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 6, the same day as the fire that destroyed Cernauskas’ home at 151 Off Maple St., the van had been seen operating in Ware, on West Main Street, near the library, according to Ware police. Cernauskas, a former selectman, turned 85 on Sept. 9.

This map shows the location of Joseph Cernauskas' home and where his van was found:

View Joseph Cernauskas' home, and location where his van was vound in a larger map

The two challengers accused Mayor Domenic Sarno of leaving Springfield in worse shape after four years in office.

Left to right, Springfield School Committee member Antonette Pepe, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Springfield City Council President Jose Tosado.

SPRINGFIELD – The three candidates for mayor squared off on Tuesday night in their final debate before the Sept. 20 preliminary election, trading barbs, boasts and rebuttals for more than 90 minutes.

Some of the best fireworks were saved for the final minutes when one of the challengers, School Committee member Antonette Pepe, told Mayor Domenic J. Sarno he should “stop taking credit” for the tornado recovery, saying everyone is getting “fed up” with it.

Sarno, before answering the tornado criticism, slung his own barb on a different issue: “Mrs. Pepe, you really don’t know a damn thing about the budget, do you.” His remark followed Pepe citing her experience working on the school budget over the years and her own household budget.

Sarno said he has worked long and hard in the aftermath of a June 1 tornado, giving orders on the cleanup well before the agencies and officials began to arrive.

Earlier in the debate, the third mayoral candidate, City Council President Jose F. Tosado, accused Sarno of having a poor relationship with the council, saying the council has been kept “completely in the dark” on many issues.

In addition, Tosado asked how dare Sarno claim the “sky is falling” when the council
made only $2.7 million in budget cuts. The total city budget is $542.2 million.

Sarno said the cuts have led to the elimination of the bulk pickup program, mowing of terraces, and other service cuts.

The debate was conducted at American International College on State Street at the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center, sponsored by the McKnight Neighborhood Council. Approximately 100 people attended including many who waved campaign signs on State Street prior to the debate.

Questions were supplied by media members and the neighborhood council, and the evening closed with the candidates asking prepared questions of each other.

The challengers focused primarily on Sarno throughout the debate, accusing him of leaving Springfield in worse shape than when he took office in January of 2008. Pepe and Tosado said there has been a deterioration in key areas, such as public safety and education.

Sarno defended his record, saying there have been pockets of success in the school system, and concerted efforts by law enforcement to address crime, including the “scourge” of youth and gang violence.

The city has faced challenges such as the continuing recession and four years of cuts in state funding, Sarno said. The challengers said he could have done more, and new leadership is needed.

The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s preliminary election will be on the Nov. 8 final ballot. Two other mayoral debates took place in the past week conducted by WGBY-TV and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The candidates also showed their differences Tuesday when Sarno said he will support the proposed biomass project in East Springfield as long as it passes stringent requirements, while both Tosado and Pepe said they oppose the plant because of health and environmental concerns.

Pepe said she has been called an obstructionist on the School Committee, but said she has fought for issues ranging from school uniforms to clean schools, has asked the questions and is not waging “a popularity contest.”

Tosado touted his record on both the council and School Committee, and as someone who has overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and funding as an area manger for the state Department of Mental Health.

Sarno said he has never lost his passion for the job, loves the city and has been a strong fiscal manager in difficult economic times.

Workers have already poured the foundation and three of the four walls and put in place the footings for the steel skeleton.

This is an architect's rendering of a new police station currently under construction in Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – The City Council plans to vote Thursday on a request to authorize another $4 million in borrowing for a new police station, but the agenda item doesn’t mean the cost of the project has gone up.

According to Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz, the $17.6 million project is on target and perhaps even under budget. The financial order is simply a book-keeping matter designed to spread the cost out over a longer period of time. In separate votes, the council has previously authorized the borrowing of $13.6 million for construction of the facility. It needs to authorize the city to borrow the remaining $4 million to finish the job.

“You don’t want to borrow more money than you need,” said Finance Director Susan Wright. As Wright explained it, the wiser practice is to borrow money as needed during the course of the project. With the first phase nearing completion, it’s time for the city to seek the rest of the funding.

Sienkiewicz said the project has gone smoothly, thus far. Workers have already poured the foundation and three of the four walls and put in place the footings for the steel skeleton. The beams for that part of the job are scheduled to start going up at the beginning of next month.

Earlier this week, the crew also poured the concrete floor for the basement firing range. Although police want the feature, it was not accounted for in the $17.6 million budget. However, Sienkiewicz is optimistic that the money will be available from the contingency fund, which has not been tapped to date.

“We haven’t spent a dime out of the contingency fund,” he said. “It would be nice to have that pot of money at the end of the rainbow.”

Contingency funds are often used during excavation, when workers most frequently encounter problems. The police station project has already passed that stage without a glitch. The firing range requires a $75,000 air-handling unit that would be located on the roof. The chief hopes there will be enough money left over for that item. He said he would have to seek other funding sources for the specialized equipment that goes with the range.

The City Council eliminated the salary of the mayor's chief of staff during budget debates.

File photo / The RepublicanChicopee City Hall.

CHICOPEE – The City Council once again rejected a request to restore the about $40,000 needed to return the mayor’s chief of staff.

As has happened in the past, the debate turned hostile with Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette and a half-dozen councilors trading barbs in public.

In June, the council cut the $47,299 annual salary for the chief of staff. Bissonnette has asked for it to be restored at least three times since, and the council has refused.

Because the first two months of the fiscal year have passed, Bissonnette requested less money because, if the council had accepted the position, a new chief would work only nine months of the fiscal year, since the first three months have passed.

After a brief debate, the council voted 6-6 to restore the position. A majority vote is needed, so the proposal failed.

“I voted against it in the budget (meeting), and I believe it is not needed,” Councilor Frank N. Laflamme said. He and councilors Timothy S. McLellan, Dino A. Brunetti, Frederick T. Krampits, George R. Moreau and John L. Vieau voted against the position.

Councilor Jean J. Croteau Jr. asked other members why they supported the position last year and now decide it isn’t needed.

“To sit here and say that is not a personal thing and to say it with a straight face.¤.¤.” he said. Croteau with councilors James K. Tillotson, Charles M. Swider, William M. Zaskey, Robert J. Zygarowski and Donald Demers supported returning the position. Councilor Ronald R. Belair was absent.

Before the vote, the discussion between Bissonnette and councilors turned into a bickering match.

“Why are you against the chief of staff?” Bissonnette asked.

Councilor Dino A. Brunetti said he believes Kenneth Ritchott, who is the director of emergency management and works out of the mayor’s office can serve as chief of staff as well.

“That is what I like about you, Dino. No facts will change your mind,” Bissonnette said.

When McLellan argued that Bissonnette told councilors he did not need the position to do his job, Bissonnette told him he has repeatedly taken that statement out of context. Bissonnette said he actually said that the chief of staff job was needed to handle constituent services and he could do the mayor’s job without a staff.

“That’s OK. It won’t be much longer,” Bissonnette said to McLellan, referring to the upcoming election. McLellan is being challenged by David M. Amo.

Brunetti took offense at the mayor’s comments.

“You gave a pot shot to George (Moreau). You gave a pot shot to Tim (McLellan). You give me pot shots all the time,” he said.

Only 21 percent of parents who responded were aware that there are plans to close West Street School and to refurbish East Meadow School for grades pre-K through 6.

The Republican file photoGranby voters on Monday will decide whether the town is one step closer to building a new junior-senior high school to replace the existing one shown here.

GRANBY – Granby parents don’t like to attend committee meetings, but they do like to go to their children’s school events and they do like to check the Internet for news about their schools.

They do want a full-day kindergarten. They do want to attract students from other towns through school choice. They do want more advanced placement classes and more special-education classes.

Those are just a few of the messages that came through when Granby Schools Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez got the results of her Central Office Climate Survey.

The survey, developed with K12 Insight, was given to Granby school staff, parents and community members in April and May.

Two hundred eleven parents responded, which K12 Insight tells Rodriguez is a fair number for a first-time survey, and 93 of the school staff responded.

As a parent herself, Rodriguez sympathizes with parents who don’t want to spend their time in public forums. “To add another meeting to their day is a lot to ask,” she said.

But she is disturbed that only 21 percent of parents who responded were aware of the next big building project coming up for the Granby Public Schools, and she wants to figure out how to bring them into the loop.

The plan is to close West Street School and to refurbish East Meadow Elementary School for students in grades pre-K through 6. The school department has already applied to the Massachusetts Building Authority for help in funding the project.

“What this is telling me,” said Rodriguez, “is that we’ve got to get the word out – and not through public meetings!”

She also learned that the school budget she had made available to the public was not as accessible as she had hoped. Only 17 percent of parents said it was very clear and easy to understand, while 69 percent said it took “some effort.”

“The document will be different next year,” Rodriguez promises.

Apart from the survey, Rodriguez has devoted herself to improving school–town communication through interviews, focus groups and kaffeeklatsches in private homes.

She especially enjoyed meeting with students. “I was really proud of them. They took it very seriously,” she said.

One surprising response she got from the kids was that they wanted help making the transition into the outside world.

“They tell me, ‘This is such a nice, secure environment, but we need to know how to interact with a diverse population.’” Some graduates have reported that they faced “culture shock” when they left school.

“What attracted me to Granby is also why we need to prepare them for colleges in places like Boston and New York,” said Rodriguez.

“It’s a global world.”

The blaze at 51-53 Daytona St. was reported about 4 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD – A 13-year-old boy, awakened early Tuesday by a fire alarm and the smell of smoke inside his Forest Park neighborhood home, is credited with helping nine others safely escape from the blaze.

Fire Department Capt. Michael R. Richard said that Demetrious Hutchins, of 51-53 Daytona St., relied on the fire safety training that he received in school to rouse those sleeping inside the two-family home and see that they all got outside safely.

“If it wasn’t for him we would still be inside,” said Lee Hutchins, the boy’s father and owner of the 2½ story wood-frame home.

The blaze was reported about 4 a.m. and the first floor was fully involved when firefighters arrived on the scene. “It appears to have started in the front living room on the first floor and spread rapidly," Richard said.

Firefighters, at the behest of the elder Hutchins, recovered the cremains of four of his siblings who lost their lives in a house fire on Orleans Court in 1972, Richard said.

Demetrious Hutchins, following his training, ensured that all those displaced by fire gathered at a pre-determined meeting place, a tree in the yard, Richard said.

The elder Hutchins said that the family had practiced its safe-exit plan just last week.

The cause of the blaze, which caused some $100,000 in damage, has yet to be determined, Richard said.

Warren planned to travel Wednesday to Springfield, New Bedford, Framingham, Worcester, Lowell, and Gloucester to meet voters.

Associated PressIn this April 11, 2011, file photo, Elizabeth Warren, then-assistant to the President, speaks during a summit on consumer protection by the National Association of Attorneys General in Charlotte, N.C. The consumer advocate Warren is jumping into the Massachusetts race against Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

BOSTON — Harvard Law professor and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren officially launched her Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate on Wednesday by greeting commuters at a rail station in Boston before embarking on a tour of the state.

"The pressures on middle-class families are worse than ever, but it is the big corporations that get their way in Washington," Warren said in a statement released Tuesday announcing her bid. "I want to change that. I will work my heart out to earn the trust of the people of Massachusetts."

She planned to travel Wednesday to New Bedford, Framingham, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, and Gloucester to meet voters.

Warren was heavily courted to join the race. Democrats have been seeking a major challenger for the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Hoping to hold on to their narrow Senate majority, Democrats have made Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown a top target in the blue state. Kennedy's former seat has special significance for Massachusetts Democrats.

Warren was tapped by President Barack Obama last year to set up a new consumer protection agency, but congressional Republicans opposed her leading the office. She worked to set up the agency before returning to Massachusetts this summer.

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.

Warren, 62, is a favorite of liberals and consumer groups, but some Democrats, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, have voiced skepticism about how strong a candidate she will be, given her lack of political experience.

Republicans have already branded Warren as a liberal academic whose Harvard ties put her out of touch with the concerns of working families. They've also mocked her as an outsider whose roots are in Oklahoma, not Massachusetts.

Democratic leaders, however, said her national profile would help her raise the money needed to topple Brown, who has more than $10 million in his campaign account. Democrats contend that while Brown has strong ties to Wall Street and other powerful financial interests, Warren's long career as a consumer advocate offers a striking contrast for voters who care deeply about jobs and the ailing economy.

A recent Boston Globe poll showed Brown as the most popular major politician in the traditionally Democratic state. Brown shocked the political establishment by beating Martha Coakley in last year's special election to succeed Kennedy. He was a little-known state senator who cast himself as a moderate, an average guy with his trademark barn coat and pickup truck. He once posed as a Cosmopolitan magazine centerfold.

Coakley, the state's attorney general, was widely seen as an early favorite, but she ran a lackluster race. She famously mocked Brown for greeting voters outside Boston's Fenway Park in freezing weather, a gaffe that cost her votes because she was seen as taking the race for granted.

Warren has spent the past several weeks meeting with party activists and voters across the state as part of what she called a listening tour. She's already gotten a boost from EMILY's List, which raises money for female Democratic candidates. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a national liberal group, has been raising money and seeking campaign volunteers for Warren for weeks.

Other Democrats already announced include Setti Warren, no relation to the consumer advocate, the first-term mayor of the affluent Boston suburb of Newton and the state's first popularly elected black mayor; City Year youth program co-founder Alan Khazei; immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco; state Rep. Tom Conroy; and Robert Massie, who unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 1994.

Charles Gilboy, a spokesman for Setti Warren, said Democrats will be looking to nominate the best possible candidate to run in the 2012 election.

"The fact is that Setti Warren is the strongest candidate in this race to go toe to toe with Scott Brown," said Gilboy. "He is an Iraq War veteran, and a mayor who has helped to create jobs in his own community. This doesn't change our strategy; Democratic voters want to nominate a candidate who can beat Scott Brown."

Warren, a former Obama administration official, is the highest-profile Democrat to put her name in the running.

Scott Brown's 2010 victory over Martha Coakley in the race to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Ted Kennedy caught the national spotlight, with Brown's victory cast as a serious threat to President Barack Obama's national health care reform efforts.

The entrance of Elizabeth Warren, a former Obama administration official who drew the ire of some Republicans during the formation of a consumer protection bureau, brings the national spotlight back for 2012.

TIME Magazine once called her one of "The New Sheriffs of Wall Street," white the conservative Weekly Standard pegged her a "closet conservative."

State Republicans have pegged her as an out-of-touch Harvard professor and Jennifer Nassour, chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, criticized her campaign for hiring "two well-connected Beacon Hill lobbyists," both of whom have worked for Gov. Deval Patrick. Progressives see her as a champion of consumers and the middle class — a point Warren is emphasizing heavily in her nascent campaign.

"Middle class families have been chipped at, hacked at, squeezed and hammered for a generation now," Warren says in her campaign announcement. "And I don’t think Washington gets it.”

She starts campaign today with a junket across Massachusetts, ending here in Springfield this evening. Politico reports that she'll finish the day on friendly territory with an appearance on The Rachel Maddow show.

But while her announcement has generated some national buzz, she still has to overcome the relative popularity of the incumbent Brown. The Boston Globe reports that Warren still lags in terms of popularity and name recognition:

Initial polls show that Warren has her work cut out for her. A Globe survey late last month showed that in a hypothetical matchup against Brown, but no other candidates, Warren would trail the incumbent by 19 points.

Brown would receive 48 percent of the vote, the poll suggested, while Warren would get 29 percent. The results signal early concerns for both candidates: Warren has low name recognition, while Brown has failed to capture more than 50 percent support in a direct matchup with her. Read more »

On the Washington Post's The Fix blog, Chris Cillizza writes that in order to unseat Brown, Warren "has to co-opt the ideological middle — independents and conservative Democrats — that Brown so successfully courted in 2010."

The video will also be broadcast daily through Sept. 19 at noon and 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 15.

The Republican | Greg Saulmon

HOLYOKE - Video from last week's forum featuring the city's four candidates for mayor is now available. Below are 4 of the 5 video segments. Part 4 has not been posted.

The video will also be broadcast daily through Sept. 19 at noon and 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 15.

The forum, sponsored by Open Square, Latino Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Holyoke Taxpayers Association, and Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke (C.R.U.S.H.), was held Thursday, Sept. 8 at Open Square.

Candidates Daniel C. Burns, Elaine A. Pluta, Alex B. Morse and Daniel C. Boyle fielded questions from representatives of the Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Inc.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 5:

The nation's overall poverty rate hit 15.1 percent in 2010, up from 14.3 percent in 2009.

WASHINGTON - Census data released Tuesday show that nearly 1 in 6 Americans were living in poverty in 2010.

The nation's overall poverty rate hit 15.1 percent in 2010, up from 14.3 percent in 2009.

Below, video of a discussion the Census Bureau hosted at 11 a.m. Wednesday on poverty and income in America.

A 2002 state law that raised taxes included provisions allowing the income tax rate of 5.3 percent to drop in annual 0.5 increments if tax revenue growth benchmarks were met.

Therese Murray

BOSTON - Top Beacon Hill Democrats are beginning to acknowledge the strong possibility of a reduction in the state income tax rate next year that could deliver $114 million in tax relief.

In recent remarks to business officials in Kingston, Senate President Therese Murray noted state tax collections grew 7.2 percent between fiscal year 2010 and fiscal 2011 and by 5 percent in the most recent three months.

A 2002 state law that raised taxes included provisions allowing the income tax rate of 5.3 percent to drop in annual 0.5 increments if tax revenue growth benchmarks were met.

If our tax collections stay steady in the next three months, both taxpayers and businesses in Massachusetts will benefit from a decrease in the income tax rate,” Murray said, according to her prepared remarks. The tax cut, if triggered, would be worth about $114 million to those who receive it, according to state financial documents.

The dairy tax credit was not triggered in 2010.

Nine state lawmakers have sent a letter to the Patrick administration calling for emergency regulations this fall to trigger a dairy farm tax credit for the current tax year.

According to Sen. Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst), the dairy tax credit was not triggered in 2010 in part because the U.S. Department of Agriculture is no longer publishing a milk production measurement required under current regulations.

"This tax credit is still viable and I believe it will help preserve our state's dairy industry," Rosenberg said in a statement Wednesday. "We just need to kick-start it with a new regulation that can be used for 2011 and beyond, but also create the opportunity to reopen 2010. It is simply unacceptable to lose a dairy farm because of a mistaken belief that the credit isn't available."

According to Rosenberg's office, the letter was sent to state finance, environmental and revenue officials.

File photo

This board is also scheduled to weigh issues pertaining to the pension of longtime Beacon Hill lobbyist Richard McDonough, who was convicted alongside DiMasi for orchestrating a bribery scheme.

File photo / Associated PressFormer Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and wife Debbie, right, arrive at the federal courthouse for sentencing in Boston Friday. DiMasi previously had been convicted on federal corruption charges for using his power as speaker to help a software company win state contracts in exchange for secret payments.

BOSTON - A week after a federal judge sentenced him to eight years in prison for a conviction on corruption charges, former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi faces the prospect of losing the pension benefits he accrued over a 30-year career in the Legislature.

The state Retirement Board has called a special meeting Thursday to discuss the possibility of revoking DiMasi’s pension, following a failed attempt to do so after DiMasi was convicted of conspiracy, honest services fraud and extortion in June. At the time, a Superior Court judge rejected the immediate revocation of his benefits because DiMasi still had pending motions to overturn his convictions and a sentence had yet to be issued.

DiMasi, as he pled for a lenient sentence before U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf last week, described himself as in financial ruin. He said he anticipated losing his pension and health care benefits, that he had exhausted all of his life savings and that his home is in foreclosure. During his trial in May and June, Wolf declared DiMasi indigent and authorized the use of public funds to pay his lawyer, Thomas Kiley.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board will also weigh issues pertaining to the pension of longtime Beacon Hill lobbyist Richard McDonough, who was convicted alongside DiMasi in June for orchestrating a bribery scheme. After the trial, reports surfaced indicating that McDonough was receiving a public pension through the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative.