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Ziggy creator Tom Wilson Sr. dies at age 80

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Wilson's son, Tom Wilson Jr., who has produced the panel since 1987.

ziggy-comic-strip.jpgTom Wilson draws a Ziggy cartoon in this 2006 file photo.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The creator of hard-luck comic strip character Ziggy has died. Tom Wilson Sr. was 80.

Spokesman Josh Peres with Universal Uclick, the Kansas City, Mo., syndication company formerly known as Universal Press Syndicate, says Wilson died Friday after a long illness.

Wilson's son, Tom Wilson Jr., who has produced the panel since 1987, says his father died of pneumonia at a Cincinnati hospital.

Universal Uclick says Wilson was an artist at American Greetings card company in Cleveland for more than 35 years and first published Ziggy in a 1969 cartoon collection.

Ziggy was launched in 15 newspapers in 1971 and now appears in more than 500 daily and Sunday newspapers. It also has appeared in books, calendars and greeting cards.
Funeral services will be private.


Obama endorses ending one day of mail delivery

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The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing even more red ink this year.

091911obama-post-office.jpgPresident Barack Obama walks from the Oval Office to the the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, to make a statement on deficit reduction.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Monday the U.S. Postal Service should be allowed to reduce mail delivery to five-days-a-week to help cut its massive losses.

The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing even more red ink this year as the Internet siphons off large amounts of first-class mail and the weak economy reduces advertising mail.

While the post office has cut more than 100,000 workers in the last few years it needs to cut more, close offices and find other ways to reduce costs to keep operating.

In his economic growth and debt reduction plan unveiled Monday, Obama endorsed the idea of dropping one day of mail delivery — it is expected to be Saturday — and urged other changes in postal operations

He agreed that nearly $7 billion the post office has overpaid into the federal retirement system should be refunded to the agency, urged that its payments for advance funding of retiree medical benefits be restructured, and said the post office should be allowed to sell non-postal products and raise postage rates.

Currently the post office cannot raise rates more than the amount of inflation.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the president "has offered helpful recommendations to stabilize the Postal Service's financial crisis."

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has proposed a bill including many of the same suggestions, welcomed the president's statement.

"I have been saying for some time now that Congress and the administration need to come together on a plan that can save the Postal Service and protect the more than seven million jobs that rely on it," he said in a statement.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who has his own postal reform bill in the House, responded that "the president's proposal is not what taxpayers or the Postal Service needs."

He asserted that Obama's plan "will certainly cost taxpayers money." Currently the post office does not receive tax funds for its operations.

Meanwhile, 75 members of Congress led by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Don Young, R-Alaska, called on the independent Postal Regulatory Commission to block the post office's plans to close as many as 3,700 local offices across the country.

The proposed closures, most in rural locations that do little business, are currently under review.

The letter called for establishment of a new business model for the post office without closing offices and cutting its work force.

Sen. Scott Brown faults Obama debt plan with taxes on rich

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The president's proposal would predominantly hit wealthier taxpayers.

scott brown, apUnited States Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., greets members of the audience following an event at the Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011.

BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is criticizing President Barack Obama's call for $1.5 trillion in new taxes as part of a 10-year deficit reduction package.

The president's proposal would predominantly hit wealthier taxpayers by letting Bush-era tax cuts for upper income earners expire, limiting deductions for wealthier filers and closing loopholes and ending some corporate tax breaks.

Brown said it would be wrong to raise taxes with the country teetering on the edge of a double dip recession.

The Massachusetts Republican said the country instead needs comprehensive tax reform that would eliminate certain loopholes and credits and use the savings to lower rates for businesses and individuals to encourage more spending and investing.

Obama's plan would also reduce spending in mandatory benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, by $580 billion.

Former Holyoke police detective Paul Barkyoumb indicted on drug and gun charges

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Barkyoumb is charged with selling $2,400 worth of cocaine to an undercover informant earlier this summer in a cocaine sting run by the same drug task force for which he once worked.

Paul Barkyoumb 21611.jpgHolyoke police detective Paul C. Barkyoumb, left, stands with his attorney, William Paetzold during his arraignment in Hartford Superior Court in February on charges unrelated to his indictment Monday.

SPRINGFIELD – A Hampden Superior Court grand jury indicted former Holyoke police detective Paul C. Barkyoumb Monday for drug and weapons crimes in Chicopee, Springfield and Holyoke.

Barkyoumb, 40, of 14 Rampart Court, Holyoke, is charged with selling $2,400 worth of cocaine to an undercover informant July 21 in a cocaine sting run by the same drug task force for which he once worked.

In July in District Court here, Barkyoumb denied the charge of cocaine trafficking in the amount of 28 to 100 grams, a crime carrying a seven year minimum mandatory state prison sentence.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said at that time he would seek additional charges when Barkyoumb’s case was presented to the grand jury.

So now Barkyoumb faces the cocaine trafficking charge and a charge of violation of a drug free school zone from a July 21 transaction in Springfield.

Added to those by the grand jury were two charges of distribution of cocaine in Chicopee; also a fifth charge alleges Barkyoumb had a large capacity feeding device without a license in Holyoke on July 24.

Police found the empty feeding device, which can be loaded and attached to a weapon for additional firing, in his home, prosecutors said.

When Barkyoumb pleaded guilty to harassing an ex-girlfriend in Westfield District Court in September 2010 he was sentenced to two years probation and as one of the conditions he could not possess firearms, a license to carry or a firearms identification card for two years.

An arraignment date has not been set in Hampden Superior Court, but the indictments move the drug case against Barkyoumb from District Court to Superior Court.

At his arraignment in District Court here on the cocaine trafficking charge he was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 cash bail which was later reduced by a judge to $25,000 cash.

But he is held without right to bail on a charge of violation of probation in the Westfield District Court case. The alleged violation of probation is because of the drug charges.

A 17-year member of the Holyoke Police Department, Barkyoumb resigned in September 2010.

According to a police report written by state police trooper Michael W. Joslyn, he and two other task force members met in July with a confidential informant who told them Barkyoumb had begun to supply him with cocaine.

That informant, at the direction of officers, bought cocaine from Barkyoumb three times.

In the first two deals, July 20 and 21, the man bought cocaine from Barkyoumb in the amounts of eight grams and 11.9 grams, respectively, as the two sat in Barkyoumb’s car in the parking lot of Blockbuster video on Memorial Drive in Chicopee.

In the third deal, also on July 21, the confidential informant met with Barkyoumb on Island Pond Road in Springfield and paid him $2,400 for two ounces of cocaine, which Barkyoumb was to provide him shortly thereafter at a parking lot at Dale and Union Streets in the South End.

“Then, a short time later, an unidentified Dominican male, at Paul’s direction, met with the CI (confidential informant) in that parking lot on Union Street and provided him with approximately 55 grams of cocaine,” Joslyn wrote.

There are audio recordings of Barkyoumb’s activities that will serve as evidence.

Wall Street: Pessimism about Greece's financial problems causes stock market to fall

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Even after a late-day rally cut its losses by nearly half, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down nearly 109 points.

Greece debt 91911.jpgGreek Minister of Finance Evangelos Venizelos speaks during a conference in Athens, Monday. He promised to stick with his plan for the country to post a primary surplus in 2012, hours before he was to hold an emergency teleconference with debt inspectors.

NEW YORK — Pessimism about Greece's financial problems returned to the financial markets Monday. Stocks fell sharply as investors once again doubted that the country will be able to avoid a default on its debt.

Even after a late-day rally cut its losses by nearly half, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 108.08, or 0.9 percent, at 11,401.01. The drop ended five days of gains for stocks and marked the return of the back-and-forth trading that has accompanied the uncertainty about Europe's debt crisis.

The Nasdaq composite fell 9.48, or 0.4 percent, to 2,612.83. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 11.92, or 1 percent, to 1,204.09. The S&P 500 gained 5.4 percent last week as it appeared Greece would get its bailout. But European finance ministers said Friday they would delay authorizing an $11 billion installment of emergency funds for Greece until October.

On Monday, the country's finance minister held an emergency teleconference with its international creditors. They are pressuring the government on austerity measures to reduce Greece's debt. Investors fear Greece won't be able to convince lenders that it can pay its debts — and that it won't get the money it needs to avoid a default on debts that must be paid next month.

Late Monday, Greece's finance minister said that the 2 1/2-hour conference call was "productive and substantive." Hope that Greece might be closer to qualifying for rescue funds started a late comeback. The Dow gained about 100 points in the last hour of trading.

But investors also appeared pessimistic about a Federal Reserve policy decision expected Wednesday. Some economists believe that since the Fed decided to hold a two-day meeting instead of the originally planned one-day session, that it was preparing to take steps to stimulate the economy. However, other analysts doubt that the Fed will announce a new plan for the economy.

There is too much disagreement among Fed officials about monetary policy for a decision right now, said Ralph Fogel, head of investment strategy at Fogel Neale Partners in New York. "They'll have to let it play out at least a little while longer, and I think they'll wait until November," Fogel said.

Separately, President Barack Obama on Monday called for $1.5 trillion in new taxes to help reduce the U.S. deficit. He said, "we can't just cut our way out of this hole."

The proposal is being opposed by House Speaker John Boehner, who has said the Republican Party won't accept any tax increases to lower deficits. Obama's speech marked the start of a new round of deficit-reduction negotiations that are likely to be contentious.

For investors, the day's news added up to more uncertainty. "The market just can't stand not knowing what's going on," Fogel said.

Investors have been sensitive to each development that emerges from Europe, and that has helped feed the volatility in stocks the past few months.

"After every meeting in Europe there's a spin put on it -- either 'this was good and a solution's really soon,' or someone looks the wrong way and the media says there's no solution," said Rob Lutts, president and chief investment officer of Boston-based Cabot Money Management.

If Greece were to default on its debt, other European countries with heavy debt would likely be judged less credit-worthy and have difficulty borrowing money. But the problems go beyond Europe. U.S. bank stocks have fallen on concerns that a default would make it hard for European banks to pay their bills — including the billions of dollars that U.S. banks have lent them. There are concerns about a lending crisis similar to what the world saw in 2008.

There is also concern about a recession in Europe, which already has a weak economy. The companies in the S&P 500 get 20 percent of their net income from European countries. If their business suffers, that could also hurt the struggling U.S. economy.

The uncertainty wasn't limited to U.S. investors. In Europe, Germany's DAX closed 2.8 percent lower. France's CAC-40 fell 3 percent, and the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 2 percent. Those markets closed before the news about the teleconference between Greece and its creditors.

Lutts, the Cabot analyst, said some investors are also uneasy about earnings reports that will start arriving in early October.

"In the last year or so we had a nice ramp-up in earnings -- that's history now," Lutts said. He said companies are contending with the steady rise this year in commodities and raw materials prices, and many are unable to raise their own prices because that hurt their ability to compete.

"The market is worried that (earnings reports) won't be rosy and that we'll see a downshift, not an upshift, in earnings."

Investors were again buying U.S. government debt, which is seen as a safe place when the economy is weak and stocks are falling. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which falls as investors buy bonds and push its price higher, fell to 1.95 percent, near its low for the year. It was at 2.07 percent late Friday.

The U.S. dollar, another asset seen as safe, also rose against a basket of foreign currencies. Concerns about the stability of the European economy pushed the Euro lower against the dollar, to $1.36 from $1.38 late Friday.

In corporate news, Goodrich Corp. rose 16 percent on speculation that United Technologies Corp. is interested in buying the aerospace manufacturer. United Technologies fell 1.2 percent.

Tyco International Ltd. rose 2 percent after the manufacturer announced a plan to split into three companies.

Lennar Corp. rose 5 percent after the homebuilder's earnings met Wall Street's expectations and revenue came in stronger than expected. The company said that while it delivered fewer homes in its fiscal third quarter, demand is picking up somewhat, driven by low home prices and all-time low interest rates. The company was cautious about the future, however, because of high unemployment.

Netflix fell 7 percent after the company said it was formally separating its online streaming service from its mail-in DVD rental service, which is being renamed Qwikster.

Chinese solar equipment factory Jinko Solar plunged 28 percent after it was forced to shut down one of its factories because of protests by local residents who claimed it was polluting the air and water.

About six stocks fell for every one that rose. Trading was light, at 3.7 billion shares.

Former Massachusetts Probation Commissioner John O'Brien, treasurer's aid Scott Campbell accused of trading job for political contributions

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Campbell, the former chief of staff to Timothy Cahill, was also indicted by a special statewide grand jury on “contribution laundering” charges stemming from allegations that Campbell intentionally disguised campaign donations to Cahill’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign by giving money to family and friends and asking them to write checks to the campaign.

John O'Brien mub 2003.jpgJohn J. O'Brien

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - Former Probation Commissioner John “Jack” O’Brien and a top aide to former Treasurer Timothy Cahill were indicted Monday on a series of charges leveled by Attorney General Martha Coakley that the two conspired to trade political contributions in exchange for a job for O’Brien’s wife.

Scott Campbell, the former chief of staff and campaign manager to Cahill, was also indicted by a special statewide grand jury on “contribution laundering” charges stemming from allegations that Campbell intentionally disguised campaign donations to Cahill’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign by giving money to family and friends and asking them to write checks to the campaign.

Coakley on Monday outlined the indictments against O’Brien, 54, of Quincy, and Campbell, 40, of Quincy, several of which were returned by a grand jury earlier this year, but were sealed by the courts in an attempt to protect the ongoing investigation by Coakley’s office into hiring practices at the Probation Department.

O’Brien, who resigned earlier this year after an independent counsel investigation detailed widespread patronage within the Probation Department, faces five conspiracy and campaign finance violations, including two felonies for bribery and conspiracy to get a job for his wife by unlawful means. Campbell faces three misdemeanor charges and one felony conspiracy charge.

Though the most serious felony charges can carry up to five years in state prison, Coakley would not say whether her office would seek prison time. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on Sept. 26.

During a press conference at her office, Coakley described what she called a “completed plan to trade fundraising dollar for a taxpayer funded public job” between O’Brien and Campbell after the probation commissioner approached Campbell about hiring his wife, Laurie, for a job at the state Lottery.

After being told by Campbell that Cahill was interested in a fundraiser, O’Brien organized a fundraiser in June 2005 that netted $11,100 in campaign contributions for Cahill, and O’Brien’s wife was hired as a customer service representative at the state Lottery in September three months later, according to Coakley.

Campbell’s attorney Charles Rankin declined to comment when contacted by the News Service Monday, while O’Brien’s attorney for this case was not immediately known.

Unrelated to the fundraising scheme surrounding O’Brien’s wife, Coakley said that in 2010 while acting as Cahill’s campaign manager Campbell engaged in “contribution laundering to do an end run around contribution limits that Massachusetts places in order to preserve the integrity of elections.”

Coakley said Campbell allegedly approached family and friends in at least three instances to provide $500 in cash in exchange for checks written in their own name to the Cahill gubernatorial campaign. Coakley said it was unclear where the $1,500 originated, and she did not disclose the names of the donors.

O’Brien, who found himself at the heart of a patronage scandal within the Probation Department last November and resigned rather than facing disciplinary hearings, will also be charged with making a false report to the administrative office of the Trial Court in 2005 when he certified that proper protocols had been followed in the promotion of an assistant chief probation officer in Worcester District Court.

Instead, Coakley’s office maintains that the decision to promote the individual, whose name the attorney general would not disclose, was made before interviews took place based on a request from former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s office.

Coakley said the expiring statute of limitations on several of the charges contained in the unsealed indictments drove the decision to make those charges public on Monday, but she vowed that the investigation into hiring practices at the Probation Department will continue.

“I want to stress again that today’s indictments reflect just the beginning and not the end of the work of our Public Integrity Division in looking at hiring at probation and other political corruption matters,” Coakley said.

Not mentioned by Coakley was the level of involvement of Cahill himself in any of the conspiracies - including the alleged schemes to raise campaign cash or the decision to hire Laurie O’Brien - though she did not rule out future indictments stemming from the same episodes.

Asked by a reporter whether Cahill should be worried, Coakley declined to comment specifically. “We have focused on what evidence we can prove,” she said.

Running as a Democrat, Cahill won two terms as state treasurer before quitting the party and running for governor as an independent.

In a court-ordered report from independent Counsel Paul Ware in November, Ware detailed what he described as "systemic abuse and corruption" in the hiring and promotions practices at the Probation Department.

Ware's report concluded that O'Brien sought to influence treasury officials to hire his wife by making campaign contributions, but the report did not pursue whether treasury officials were influenced by those donations.

Driver killed on I-93 in Somerville when struck by flying tire

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State police say a man has died after his car was struck by a tire that came loose and flew off a flatbed tractor-trailer on Interstate 93 just north of Boston.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — State police say a man has died after his car was struck by a tire that came loose and flew off a flatbed tractor-trailer on Interstate 93 just north of Boston.

Police said the truck was southbound when the tire came loose Monday afternoon and struck a Ford Mustang on the northbound side of the interstate near Sullivan Square in Somerville.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he died. His name has not been released.

State police say two northbound left lanes and the left lane southbound were closed for a time, causing major traffic backups.

Shawn Marsh of Holyoke held without bail following arraignment on 1983 Malden murder charge

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Marsh first popped on the radar of state and local police after state troopers assigned to the Middlesex DA's office began to take a fresh look at evidence in the 28-year-old case this spring.

shawn marsh.JPGShawn Marsh of Holyoke stands during his arraignment in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, Mass., Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. Marsh was arrested Saturday in Holyoke and charged with murder in the 1983 shooting death of 29-year-old Rodney Wyman of Simsbury, Conn.


By KEVIN MACCIOLI
Malden Evening News

WOBURN – The Holyoke man arrested Saturday night in connection with a 28-year-old Malden murder will remain behind bars without bail for the time being.
Authorities say fingerprint evidence allegedly ties 46-year-old Shawn Marsh to the murder of 29-year-old Rodney Wyman, who was killed while staying at the Town Line Inn on August 22, 1983.

Wyman and two co-workers had traveled from Connecticut to Massachusetts that morning to begin window replacement work on a project in Boston.

Marsh, who was indicted by a grand jury last week, made a brief appearance in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn yesterday. Marsh spoke only once, answering “not guilty,” when asked for a plea by Clerk Magistrate Matthew Day. Marsh also did his best to remain out of the view of Wyman’s family, though news cameras briefly caught a glimpse of him as he entered holding area in the courtroom.

The night of the shooting, authorities said Wyman, a resident of Simsbury, Conn., and one co-worker traveled up Route One to Godfried’s to have dinner, while the other member of their group attended a Red Sox game with friends.

Police allege sometime after Wyman and his dinner companion returned to the Town Line Inn Marsh and a second unidentified suspect broke into room 74 in an apparent robbery attempt. Wyman was shot through the heart and killed, while the other man sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Police working the case in the hours and days after the shooting collected a number of pieces of evidence and dusting them for prints. Among the items reportedly checked were a television the suspects tried unsuccessfully to steal following the shooting and wallets belonging to the victims that were discarded by the fleeing suspects.

Authorities also released composite sketches of the two suspects in the hopes of identifying them.

Marsh first popped on the radar of state and local police after troopers assigned to Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone’s office began to take a fresh look at evidence in the case this spring. Fingerprints collected during the initial investigation were put through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and the Integrated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) this year and a hit was made to prints on file for Marsh.

AFIS and IAFIS were not tools available to police and prosecutors in 1983.

Marsh is due back in court October 18 for a pretrial conference at which point defense attorney Elliot Weinstein could make a bail argument. Weinstein, who has been provisionally appointed to represent Marsh, did not argue for bail Monday.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the case in the hopes of identifying the second suspect.


Easthampton Parsons Village project should go forward because of filing flaw, developer claims

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Valley Community Development claims that the Planning Board did not act on its request for a permit within the 90 days required by law.

Parsons Village Plane.JPGAn aerial view of the New City neighborhood, including the lot where the proposed affordable housing development Parsons Village could be built (circled in red).

EASTHAMPTON – The Planning Board’s rejection of a special permit for the Parsons Village affordable housing project may not stand up to legal scrutiny, according to a “notice of constructive approval” filed with the city by Valley Community Development Corp.

After the close of a public hearing, the board has 90 days to make its decision before the permit is granted automatically. The board turned down the 37-unit development planned for New City on Sept. 13, 125 days after it originally closed the hearing on May 10.

The hearing was re-opened on June 7 and Valley CDC, in accordance with state law, verbally agreed to let the board take another 90 days to make its decision. Under that agreement, a decision had to have been filed with the City Clerk by Sept. 5 or the special permit would be granted automatically, the notice claims.

City planner Stuart Beckley said the city will likely consult with solicitor John H. Fitz-Gibbon before taking any action.

The issue arose when about a dozen neighbors hired Springfield attorney Mark Beglane to challenge the permit application at the hearing on May 10. He cited a long list of alleged zoning ordinance violations in the then-38-unit design, speaking for about 20 minutes and laying out dozens of grievances.

The board then closed the public hearing, but delayed a vote until Fitz-Gibbon could provide some guidance based on Beglane’s claims. The board also asked Fitz-Gibbon if it could re-open the public hearing. He gave his blessing and it continued in June.

Notice of Constructive Grant - Parsons Village

“The Planning Board did not make its decision by September 5, 2011, the date which is 90 days from the date the board ‘reopened’ the public hearing on its application, as revised,” the notice reads. “Valley CDC claims that its revised application ... is constructively granted.”

Beglane disagrees. He said the 90-day law does not count from the date the hearing is reopened, but from when it is permanently closed.

“They’re dead wrong,” he said. “They didn’t close the public hearing until last week.”

If City Clerk Barbara L. LaBombard does not issue a certificate of constructive grant, Valley CDC can take the issue to court, at which point Beglane said he would “intervene to protect our interests so that we’re at the bargaining table.”

At the same time, Valley CDC is seeking a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals under Chapter 40B, a state law that allows certain projects to bypass zoning in cities where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is defined as affordable.

Sirdeaner Walker and family ready to move into completed 'Extreme Makeover' home in Springfield

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The family was instructed by Extreme Makeover officials to not reveal specific details about the home interior until the show is broadcast in the next month or two Watch video

Sirdeaner Walker holds a certificate of occupancy while standing in front of her new Northampton Avenue home Monday.

This is an update of a story originally posted at 2:45 p.m. Monday.

SPRINGFIELD – Some secrets have to be kept for now, but there was no secret regarding how happy Sirdeaner L. Walker and her children are about their new home on Northampton Avenue.

The family was preparing to move into their new home in Upper Hill on Monday, which was built by area volunteers during the past week in conjunction with ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” television show.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Walker said, during an interview in front of her home on Monday. “A lot of love went into building this home. It’s incredible.”

The family was instructed by Extreme Makeover officials to not reveal specific details about the home interior until the show is broadcast. The show is expected to air in late October or early November.

Walker emerged as a national figure in the fight against school bullying after her son Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, 11, distraught over bullying and repeated incidents of harassment, committed suicide in 2009 at his home.

“I really feel like Carl is with us, spiritually,” Sirdeaner Walker said. “I think he would be jumping up and down. He would be so happy for us.”

Nick Riley, owner of N. Riley Construction of Chicopee, the local builder for the project, joined with his family and Walker’s family at the press conference and said it was special to help make the Walker family’s dream come true. The Walkers old home was razed and the new house built in its place.

The family also was treated to a vacation in Hollywood, Calif., while their house was built. Walker said the family enjoyed the vacation which included an appearance on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and visit to Universal Studios.

Walker’s daughter, Gloria, 7, said a firm “no” Monday when asked if she was looking forward to going back to school.

“I think I will stay in my room,” Gloria said, adding that she would hope to be locked in her new bedroom and only come out “if there is an emergency.” The new house is “much better than my old house,” she said.

Walker said she was very grateful to Extreme Makeover and to the many volunteers who made her new home a reality.

“I feel very blessed, so grateful,” Walker said. “It’s just wonderful.”

The University of Massachusetts announced that it has awarded four-year scholarships to Gloria and to her brother Charles, 8. The scholarships will cover the entire cost of education for four years for both children including room, board and fees at any one of the university’s four undergraduate campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, or Lowell).

Walker said as a parent, “you always worry” about being able to afford the cost of education for your children.

Comcast Cable officials appeared at the press conference, announcing it was donating a full-year cable television-Internet-telephone service to the family.

Representatives of the National Conference for Community and Justice also appeared, announcing the group will donate $75,000 spread over three years to provide access to its youth anti-bullying programs.

Riley praised the many contractors and volunteers who helped with the project, estimating there were thousands of helpers. He called it a “community coming together. They did an amazing job.”

Granville voters approval school regionalization

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The school district will hold an informational forum on the proposal Tuesday at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School.

GRANVILLE - By a 3 to 1 margin voters here Monday agreed to join the Southwick-Tolland Regional School District and participate in an estimated $69 million expansion and realignment of the district's schools.

The vote, 174 yes to 56 no allows school officials to proceed with an informational forum in Southwick Tuesday night on the plan and with Town Meeting votes scheduled Oct. 3 in Tolland and Oct. 4 in Southwick.

The Granville move is seen as a step to preserve its Granville Village School, with declining enrollment, and continue to provide education for future town pupils.

The vote was scheduled following a nearly two year study by town selectmen, school committee members and a regionalization committee. Granville did not join the district when it was formed 30 years ago.

Theodore R. Sussmann, a memberof the regionalization committee, told residents Monday the town's "school budget has been pushed to the brink" and that joining with Southwick and Tolland will "not result in a huge change on running and operating our school."

Failure to approve regionalization could lead to multiple-grade classes at the Village School, now home to 148 students in grades kindergarten to grade eight, Sussman indicated.

Student population in Granville 10 years ago was 252 and enrollment is expected to dropby 15 students next year and by 102 in 2017, he said.

"Regionalization is an opportunityt to stabilize enrollment," he said.

Class sizes at the Village School are about 15 students to each teacher. Average class size in the Southwick-Tolland District are about 17 students, Superintendent of Schools John D. Barry told residents.

The current Granville school budget is about $2.8 million or nearly 80 percent of the town's total $4 million budget. Joining the district will save residents an estimated $291,000 or 10 percent of its school budgey, officials said.

The Granville School will not be a burden to the regional school district, Sussmann and Barry told residents.

It will benefit from capital improvements and programs and services for students, officials said.

School officials will outline regionalization and proposed capiutal improvements at a hearing for Southwiuck residents Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School.

Current enrollment in the three-school Southwick-Tolland Regional District is about 1,800.

Granville's joining the district allows school and town officials to seek project approval from the state's School Building Authority for a $69 million expansion and relignment of the high school, Powder Mill Middle School and Woodland Elementary School.


An addition at the high school, built in 1971, will change the grade structure from a 9 - 12 to a 7 - 12 facility.

The middle school will convert to a grade three to grade six facility and Woodland will serve pupils in kindergarten through grade two, Barry said.

If approved MSBA will finance about $40 million of the total price tag. Southwick taxpayers will be responsible for 84 percent of the cost or about $24.5 million. Tolland taxpayers, with the lowest number of students attending the district, will finance about four percent or $1.2 million leaving Granville responsible for 12 percent or about $3.5 million.

Building needs at each of the three schools have been the subject of review over the past 10 years.

Barry has said Approval by the respective Town Meetings and the state will allow the district to address needs at each building and maximize the benefits of state reimbursement for such projects.

Heading into Tuesday preliminary vote, Holyoke, Springfield mayoral candidates hope campaigns will live to see another day

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In Springfield, turnout is projected at 10 percent of eligible voters, although Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola hopes it is much higher.

gladys oyola View full sizeSpringfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola works Monday organizing containers to be used at polling places in the upcoming primary election in Springfield.

After months of delivering their messages to voters, mayoral candidates in Springfield and Holyoke said Monday their campaigns are focused on getting supporters to vote in today’s preliminary elections.

The Springfield preliminary election features a three-candidate contest for mayor and a 13-member field of candidates for five at-large council seats.

The top two vote-getters for mayor, and the top 10 vote-getters for council at large, will move onto the Election Day ballot Nov. 8.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, seeking a third term, and his challengers, City Council President Jose F. Tosado and School Committee member Antonette E. Pepe, said Monday that their campaigns are fighting for a larger turnout than in prior preliminary elections.

In Holyoke, four candidates for mayor are vying for the top two spots in the preliminary election for the right to move onto the Nov. 8 ballot: Mayor Elaine A. Pluta and
challengers Daniel C. Boyle, Daniel C. Burns and Alex B. Morse.

The other race on the preliminary election ballot in Holyoke – again, to narrow the field to the top two – is for the Ward 7 City Council seat. The three candidates are Gordon P. Alexander, chairman of the Conservation Commission; Alan G. Fletcher, a captain with the Holyoke Police Department; and Christopher M. Kulig, member of the charter review commission.

For the first time in Springfield, the mayor’s term has been expanded from a two-year term to a four-year term, as was approved by voters in 2009.

That is one reason it is especially important for voters to go to the polls, candidates said.

Springfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said she hopes the turnout is much better than her prediction of 10 percent. The ballot is helped by having three well-known candidates for mayor as well as the council race, she said.

The weather forecast is for a cloudy day and a chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service.



Four of the five at-large city councilors in Springfield are seeking re-election: Thomas Ashe, James J. Ferrera III, Timothy J. Rooke and Kateri B. Walsh. The fifth at-large member, Tosado, is running for mayor.

The challengers for the at-large council seats are: Bruce Samuel Adams Jr., David F. Ciampi, Joseph R. Fountain, Justin J. Hurst, Amaad Rivera, Charles H. Rucks, Miguel A. Soto, John W. Stevens, and Bud L. Williams. Rivera chose to run for an at-large seat rather than seek re-election to his Ward 6 set.

Voters can vote for one candidate for mayor and up to five candidates for City Council.

All three mayoral candidates in Springfield said they and their campaigns are working hard to get out the vote, through telephone calls, emails, and face-to-face contact. They will travel to the polls throughout the day on Tuesday, thanking supporters and reaching out to voters.

“I’m excited,” Pepe said. “My family, my friends, the campaign – we are all raring to go and excited.”

Tosado said he has “worked very hard to get the message out and to provide people with an alternative to what’s been happening the past four years.”

Sarno said he appreciates the support he has received.

“I don’t take anything for granted,” Sarno said. “There is much more work to be done. I hope the people will get out there to vote. It’s important.”

Candidates said their campaigns had stand-outs – supporters gathered at key intersections – on the weekend and Monday

The campaigns were also offering rides to the polls.

In Holyoke, Pluta said that at 5 p.m. Monday she was holding a sign in front of the Yankee Pedlar at Northampton and Beech streets, a key spot for candidates because of the rush-hour traffic.

Today will be devoted to visiting polls, said Pluta, who is seeking a second, two-year term.

“During the day, I’m going to go around to the polls all day to relieve people if they need a break from standing out,” Pluta said.

“I’m door-knocking downtown,” said Morse, a former career counselor.

The rest of Monday would be spent at a social talking to residents at Sycamore House apartments on Essex Street and making don’t-forget-to-vote phone calls, he said, with today spent making more calls, visiting polls and making sure voters have rides to voting places.

Burns, a former city councilor, was going door to door Monday in the West Holyoke area known as the “fruit bowl” because streets have names like Winterberry, Bayberry and Cranberry.

“Pretty good, pretty good, I think it’s going to be a good day for us, victorious,” said Burns, who planned to visit polls all day today.

“We’re winding down – very hopeful,” Boyle said.

A message he was getting from voters, he said, was the outcome was too hard to predict.

“It depends on how people feel about a variety of things in the campaign,” Boyle said.

He planned to go to church this morning, greet voters at the Ward 7 polling place and visit other polls throughout the day, he said.

Incumbent Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill isn’t running for reelection. The Ward 7
council candidates on Monday were out holding signs and reminding supporters get to the polls.

Fletcher, on his cell phone, said he was holding a sign at Northampton and Hampden streets in the Highlands neighborhood.

“People are honking away,” said Fletcher, who said he was optimistic.

“Very, very optimistic. Hey, I was born in the Highlands, grew up here, went to school here,” Fletcher said.

Alexander said he spent Monday walking around neighborhoods and distributing fliers, and planned to attend a meet-and-greet at a private residence with 30 people. Today, he will be holding a sign at the Ward 7 polling place, E.N. White School on Jefferson Street, he said.

“I’m feeling guardedly confident about the preliminary,” Alexander said.

Kulig said his campaign Monday night would be planning sign-holding appearances to be done all day today.

“We’ll be standing out in front of the polls and at all the major intersections (today),” Kulig said.

Republican reporter Mike Plaisance contributed to this report

Holyoke official Carl Eger Jr. and City Clerk Susan Egan in dispute about city charter ballot question

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Voters will be asked on Election Day Nov,. 8 to approve a new city charter,

holyoke charter 1896.jpgA copy of Holyoke's 1896 Charter.

HOLYOKE – In a clash of local titans, charter review Chairman Carl Eger Jr. said City Clerk Susan M. Egan has been trying to sabotage a ballot question that seeks to enact a new city charter, which Egan said was untrue and insulting.

The dispute comes with voters on Nov. 8 set to consider whether to approve a question to replace the 1896 city charter with one supporters say will modernize government and make it more effective.

Eger has been on civic and municipal boards for decades, is chairman of the Holyoke Economic Development and Industrial Corp. and in 2008 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from he Massachusetts Economic Development Council.

“Charter commissioners are fearful of her actions,” Eger said last week. “Sue Egan has ulterior motives.”

Egan has been city clerk for 19 years. She has worked in the clerk’s office for 42 years, managed about 100 elections and led a central office in City Hall that issues birth and death certificates and dog licenses and is official keeper of city records.

“(Eger) knows more than anybody that I would never do anything to keep this from the public,” Egan said. “After being here for 42 years, I’m not going to let someone take me down. No way.”

In the 2009 election, voters with a nearly 73 percent majority established the nine-member commission to review the 115-year-old charter and recommend a new one.

Mayor Elaine A. Pluta has scheduled a special meeting of the City Council for Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. for votes on appropriating money for printing, translation and postage of reports about the charter question to be mailed to voters and to place the question on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Eger said a concern was Egan was delaying the pursuit of an appropriation to pay for the reports to 17,000 households explaining the proposed charter.

Particularly alarming, he said, was a July 22 memo to the City Council in which Egan estimated the report’s cost at $300,000. Eger said such a figure was “absurd” in its size and questioned whether Egan deliberately tried to put such a high and incorrect cost in the public’s mind to taint voters against the charter question.

“That letter is what precipitated” the latest worries, Eger said.

Commissioners have had trouble understanding reasons for a delay in funding the report since the commission returned to the city general fund $20,000 of the $50,000 that was provided for the commission’s work, meaning the bulk of the report’s cost was available, he said.

Egan said the only intent of the memo was to give councilors what at that point was a rough estimate of the cost before she got details about printing, postage and translation prices.

“I’m not trying to sabotage it. I was trying to get the best price for the city,” Egan said.

The cost will be about $37,000. That consists of $18,000 for postage, $12,000 for printing, $5,000 for envelopes and $2,100 to translate each page from English to Spanish, she said. Nearly half the city of 40,000 is Hispanic.

Because each of the costs, for printing, postage, etc., was less than $25,000, the city was unrequired to put such jobs out to competitive bidding, Egan said

She chose Marcus Printing, of 750 Main St., and translater Virginia Saez, of Springfield, she said.

The dispute about the report comes after a step in 2009 that still has commission members upset.

In February 2010, after the commission had been working for three months, a state official said the only way under state law for a charter commission to be formed is for voters to approve a question that was placed on the ballot by petitions signed by at least 15 percent of the city’s registered voters.

But that’s not how the charter question had been placed on the November 2009 ballot. The question voters approved was placed by vote of the City Council after Egan said she was told that was proper in a phone conversation with the state secretary of state’s office in 2009.

Special legislation had to be pursued. On July 1, 2010, Gov. Deval L. Patrick approved a special act that authorized the nine-member commission to do a valid review of the form of government and recommend changes.

Egan said the election division of the state secretary of state’s office had approved placement of the charter commission question on the ballot by vote of the City Council in a conversation she had with the agency.

CHARTER CHANGE

Holyoke voters will be asked to approve a new city charter on Nov. 8 that would:

Increase the mayor’s term from two years to four.

Reduce the City Council from a 15-member body consisting of eight at large and seven ward councilors to 11 by keeping the ward representation and cutting the at large total to four.

Establish a centralized finance department.

Make all department heads and commission members be appointed by mayor with City Council confirmation Require periodic reviews of the charter.

Increase citizen involvement with steps to recall officials and get items on the City Council agenda.

Faculty, staff at Western Massachusetts colleges pleased by improvement in U.S. News & World Report rankings

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Institutes of higher education based in the Pioneer Valley received exemplary marks in the U.S. News & World Report 2012 "Best Colleges' edition.

Westfield State 91911.jpgStudents walk across the campus at Westfield State University Monday.

SPRINGIFIELD – Faculty and staff from institutions of higher education in the Pioneer Valley said they were pleased to see improved regional rankings, as decided by the U.S. News & World Report's 2012 “Best Colleges” edition.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks accredited colleges and universities in the nation according to several performance indicators. Some of the most important considerations are peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni contributions and graduation rates. This year's rankings were released last week.

“We work hard to meet our students where they are in their life, and to help them meet their goals,” said Molly C. Watson, a spokesperson for Westfield State University. Watson said she believes that the ever-improving rankings awarded to the university are achieved through a commitment to supporting students and an excellent faculty.

Westfield State University has remained the top-ranked regional university in the Massachusetts state education system since it first entered the top tier in 2009.

Rankings of regional universities are split into four geographic categories -- north, south, east and west. Westfield State was listed 118 among northern universities. Specialized institutions, such as the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, were excluded from this list because they serve specific educational needs.

Institutions are further separated into several tiers of excellence. Schools in the top tier are the only ones that receive rankings.

Students at Westfield State were in agreement with the high ranking.

“I like it here because it is such a pleasant community. I came from a small New England town, so the peaceful atmosphere also plays a part,” said Kelly Scroggins, a freshman social works major.

Although students gave positive reviews, they did cite some aspects of the university that they feel could be improved.

“I think some of the policies need revising,” said Graham Gertridge, a sophomore business administration major.

Gertridge said he thinks the school's drug and alcohol policies are too harsh. But, he said, the school is an excellent deal.

“You get a lot of bang for your buck here; the academics are great,” he said.

Springfield College also did well in the regional ranking, coming in as the top school in the Pioneer Valley for its category. It was listed 60th among northern regional universities.

According to school officials, Springfield College has been in the top ranking tier for the past decade.

“Our ranking consistently improves each year. I attribute this to our high retention rate and our high graduation rate,” said Jean A. Wyld, vice president of academic affairs.

Eighty-five percent of first-year students on campus return, according to the school’s website.

Ron Ziemba, a spokesman for college President Richard B. Flynn, cited ongoing efforts to improve the campus among the reasons for an improved ranking.

“We have recently built seven new facilities, and 11 have been completely renovated,” he said.

In June of this year, Springfield College was one of 20 national institutes of higher education to be recognized for community engagement, coming in 9th.

“We are constantly trying to attract the best and the brightest students through our excellent programs,” said Ziemba.

Several other Pioneer Valley-based institutions also received high rankings. Elms College, in Chicopee, scored 25th in the northern region college rankings. By comparison, Springfield College and Westfield State are both categorized as regional universities, rather than regional colleges.

The University of Massachusetts in Amherst was ranked 90th overall in a ranking of national universities.

The four liberal arts colleges in the Five College region received exemplary marks in the national liberal arts category. Amherst College was ranked second in the nation after Williams College, while Smith College, in Northampton, was ranked 19th, Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, was 29th, and Hampshire College, in Amherst, was 119th.

A full list of rankings can be found online at http://www.usnews.com/

Agawam Police Chief Robert Campbell elected president of New England Association of Chiefs of Police

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Campbell has headed three major regional groups for chiefs of police.

Robert Campbell 91911.jpgAgawam Police Chief Robert D. Campbell addresses the recent meeting of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police.

AGAWAM – Longtime Agawam Police Chief Robert D. Campbell has been elected president of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police. The organization represents heads of police departments in the six New England States.

The last time a Western Massachusetts police chief has led the regional association was in 1999-2000 when then-Easthampton Police Chief Robert G. Redfern was president.

“It is not an easy task being a Western Massachusetts kid running for these offices,” Campbell said during an interview Monday in his office.

Campbell, 60, has also served as president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

Campbell, who has been chief of the Agawam Police Department for the last 17 years, said he believes it is very rare for anyone to have been president of all three major police chiefs organizations.

“It is quite a remarkable feat,” Mayor Richard A. Cohen said of Campbell’s latest honor. “It is kind of like the trifecta for him. I’m very proud of him in this achievement and great honor.”

The Agawam police chief was sworn in as president of the approximately 750-member New England Association of Chiefs of Police last week during a ceremony in Falmouth.

“It gives you a seat at the table,” Campbell said of heading such organizations in regard to state and federal legislation and policies.

It also keeps the department on the cutting edge of the law and has helped the Agawam Police Department get about $2 million in state and federal grants since he has been chief, according to Campbell.

The chief said his main focus will be pushing for funding of training programs as well as lobbying for and against state and federal laws that affect the police.

Campbell is also a past president of the Municipal Police Institute, the training arm of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

Campbell, who joined the Agawam police force 38 years ago, has also been very active in local civic groups. The lawman has been president of the Agawam Rotary Club and the Agawam Lions Club. Campbell is a past grand knight of the Agawam Knights of Columbus John F. Kennedy Council.

His son, Jeffrey W. Campbell, is a sergeant with the Connecticut State Police, and his son-in-law Brian Machos is a detective with the Agawam Police Department.


Holyoke women charged in grocery heist

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Holyoke police said 3 women were arrested Monday night after leaving the Northampton Street Stop & Shop without paying for three cartloads of groceries.

HOLYOKE -- You've probably heard of the five-finger discount, but what about the three-cart skedaddle?

The latter was the preferred method of operation for three Holyoke women who stuffed more than $1,000 worth of groceries into three shopping carts at the Northampton Street Stop & Shop Monday night, then made a beeline for the exit without paying for the items, according to Paper City police.

Management at the 2265 Northampton St. supermarket called 911 around 9 p.m. to report the brazen crime. Police officers met the women in the parking lot as they attempted to load their bountiful booty into a vehicle, according to authorities.

All told, the women made off with $1,134 worth of groceries, Holyoke Police Lt. Matthew Moriarty said Tuesday.

"They went into Stop & Shop and loaded three carts with groceries," Moriarty said, adding that the women neglected to pay for the items.

A police report did not indicate whether the women attempted to explain their actions, nor did it say if they sauntered or hustled from the store with the overflowing carts.

Arrested and charged with larceny exceeding $250 were 23-year-old Stephanie Gonzalez, 26-year-old Elsie Figueroa and 34-year-old Daisy Velasquez. The Holyoke residents were expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Holyoke District.

Moriarty said the police report did not reveal if the women cited high grocery prices or any other reason for the alleged food heist.

Experts predict food prices, which spiked 0.5 percent in August, to keep rising because an unusually hot summer damaged this year's corn harvest. Rising energy costs, a weaker dollar and growing global food demands also are expected to continue driving up prices.

It takes about six months for changes in the price of corn -- used in everything from cereals to animal feed and sodas -- to filter down to grocery store shelves.

The August increase was the biggest rise in food prices since March.

From July 2010 until July of this year, grocery prices increased 5.4 percent, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report. The report indicated that beef, pork, eggs and dairy products have seen the biggest price increases over the past year


Material from the Associated Press and Palm Beach Post was used in this report.

Easthampton mayor Michael Tautznik's former campaign manager Raymond Drewnowski faced fraud charges in 2008

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The charges were dropped when he paid restitution, according to court documents.

Tautznik-Drewnowski.JPGView full sizeEasthampton mayor Michael A. Tautznik, left, responds to cheers next to then-campaign manager Raymond M.P. Drewnowski, of Easthampton, at the Brass Cat after his re-election to a seventh term in 2009.

EASTHAMPTON – Mayor Michael A. Tautznik’s former campaign manager paid restitution to a former employer to settle fraud charges he faced in Florida in 2008, according to Alachua County court documents.

Raymond M. P. Drewnowski, who sits on the Easthampton Democratic Committee and briefly served as Tautznik’s 2011 campaign manager, faced a second-degree scheming to defraud charge and a third-degree charge of unauthorized possession of another person’s identification with intent to use it. He was not arrested, although a warrant was issued in November of 2008.

Drewnowski moved back to his native Massachusetts while the case was pending and the charges were dropped when he paid restitution to Gainesville-based Timberlake Aluminum Construction. Court records do not show the amount he paid, but the second-degree scheming charge implies it was between $20,000 and $50,000.

Drewnowski managed Tautznik’s campaign in 2009.

His legal troubles were reported to The Republican in an anonymous letter. Tautznik’s opponent in the Nov. 8 election, former police captain Donald C. Emerson, denied involvement and said his campaign “would not do any mudslinging.”

Emerson said he was not aware of the allegations until last week.

Drewnowski is an administrative organizer for the union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which assigned him to work on a different campaign a few days before the Florida allegations resurfaced, he said.

“Sometimes when you say ‘campaign manager,’ it implies staff,” but Drewnowski is now only a low-level volunteer, said Tautznik. “His role is lessened because of his workload.”

Drewnowski, 36, serves on the Easthampton Democratic Committee with City Councilors Joseph P. McCoy and Joy E. Winnie. He is also political director of the Pioneer Valley Young Democrats.

Tautznik said his campaign committee includes himself and his wife Debra Tautznik, the treasurer. He said Drewnowski has no control over his campaign’s finances or decision-making.

Drewnowski was one of four people listed as administrators of the campaign’s Facebook page as of Monday, meaning he has the same level of access and control as Tautznik. Tautznik said he hadn’t noticed and that more people could be added as administrators.

Drewnowski’s name no longer appears on Tautznik’s website, MayorMike.net, which listed him as campaign manager until the revelations last week. Tautznik said it was a mistake and that the website hadn’t been updated since he ran in 2009.

Tautznik said he feels Drewnowski is being “dragged through the mud.”

In lieu of a comment on the Florida incident, Drewnowski pointed to another media report in which he emphasized the charges did not lead to his arrest and were ultimately dropped.

Weather not expected to play major factor as voters head to polls for preliminary elections in Springfield and Holyoke

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Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

gladys oyola View full sizeSpringfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola works Monday organizing containers to be used at polling places in the upcoming primary election in Springfield.

The weather should not play a major factor today as voters head to the polls in both Springfield and Holyoke to cast their ballots in preliminary elections.

Polls are open in both cities from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“This is not the type of weather that will stop voters from going to the polls. It’s just the shower variety,” abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Mike Masco said, adding that gradual clearing is on tap later this afternoon.

The Springfield preliminary election features a three-candidate contest for mayor and a 13-member field of candidates for five at-large council seats. The top two vote-getters for mayor, and the top 10 vote-getters for council at large, will move onto the Election Day ballot Nov. 8.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, seeking a third term, and his challengers, City Council President Jose F. Tosado and School Committee member Antonette E. Pepe, said Monday that their campaigns are fighting for a larger turnout than in prior preliminary elections.

In Holyoke, four candidates for mayor are vying for the top two spots in the preliminary election for the right to move onto the Nov. 8 ballot: Mayor Elaine A. Pluta and challengers Daniel C. Boyle, Daniel C. Burns and Alex B. Morse.

The other race on the preliminary election ballot in Holyoke – again, to narrow the field to the top two – is for the Ward 7 City Council seat. The three candidates are Gordon P. Alexander, chairman of the Conservation Commission; Alan G. Fletcher, a captain with the Holyoke Police Department; and Christopher M. Kulig, member of the charter review commission.

For the first time in Springfield, the mayor’s term has been expanded from a two-year term to a four-year term, as was approved by voters in 2009.

Follow MassLive.com and The Republican for complete election results.

Each New England state gets to showcase its business, tourist attractions at Big E

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The Massachusetts building features 30 vendors from around the Bay State.

Big E Granville 91911.jpgJohn Mountain waits on a customer at the Granville Country Store booth in the Massachusetts building at the Big E in West Springfield.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Avenue of the States apparently leads to Granville for some Eastern States Exposition visitors.

It happens every year, says Tina G. Deblois, owner of the Granville Country Store.

Big E visitors can get a taste of the store’s famous cheddar cheese in the Massachusetts building on the Avenue of States and, as a result, get inspired to head west on Route 57 for 29 miles.

“We’ve been here for 160 years, and it’s the same now as it was back then,” said Deblois. “It really works out well for us.”

That’s really one of the reasons behind the existence of the Avenue of States, where each New England state is able to showcase businesses and tourist attractions that help drive their economies.

This year, the Granville Country Store will feature grilled cheddar melts, a play on the grilled cheese sandwich craze in culinary circles.

What they won’t bring is the famous “Dreadful” cheese that’s aged in the store's basement for 2½ years.

“The Big E doesn’t want us to bring it because it smells,” Deblois said.

The Granville store’s marketing success at the Big E is exactly the kind of story Scott J. Soares, commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources, wants to hear. The building’s job, after all, is to promote Massachusetts agriculture, industry and tourism.

“We’re pretty proud of being able to showcase just how diverse agriculture is in this state, from cranberries to the dairy industry, vegetables, (and) wood products,” Soares said. “A lot of people don’t know that all of this exists around the commonwealth.”

The state building, formally called the Massachusetts State Exposition Building, dates back to 1918, he said. It’s run by the Department of Agricultural Resources with participation from the state Department of Travel and Tourism, the Department of Natural Resources, which includes state parks, and the Massachusetts State Police.

The state treasurer’s office sets up a kiosk where people can learn if they have unclaimed money due them.

“I found my own name on the list one year,” Soares said. “It was some account I’d forgotten about.”

The Eastern States Exposition estimates that 60 percent of fair visitors do make a point of visiting the Avenue of the States. That means that about 600,000 visitors will pass through the Massachusetts building during the 17-day fair, according to Soares.

There are 30 exhibitors this year, culled from a lengthy list of applicants. They include local favorites Rollie’s Root Beer from Holyoke; Thorndike Mills from Palmer with braided rugs; the Koffee Kup Bakery, of Springfield; Whip City Candle, of Westfield; and Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads.

The neighboring Connecticut Building will also host Lego Systems Inc., of Enfield.

In the Massachusetts building, Soares said agricultural trade groups, such as the Hampden County Bee Keepers Association and the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, pay 5 percent of their gross, or $15 a square foot, whichever is less. Companies pay $25 per square foot.

The money goes to the upkeep and maintenance of the building, Soares said. State Agriculture officials use the building year-round for meetings and office space.




AM News Links: Massachusetts man denies throwing infant on sidewalk, 'gamers' may have cracked AIDS riddle, and more

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A Connecticut man is sentenced to prison for killing a state trooper in an I-91 crash in Enfield, a fourth suspect is arrested in connection with the Hells Angels triple homicide case in the Berkshires, and more of this morning's headlines.

baby thrower.jpgCarlos Edwards, 33, of Melrose, was arraigned Monday in Middlesex Superior Court on charges that he severely injured his 7-week-old son after throwing the infant onto a concrete sidewalk during an argument with the boy's mother in Malden in July. Edwards denied charges of assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child under age 14, and reckless endangerment of a child. Authorities said the incident was witnessed by a shocked passerby, who immediately summoned police. “Officer, you are not going to believe this,’’ the witness told Malden police. “But I just saw a guy throw a baby to the ground.’’ According to police, Edwards threw the baby boy at least 4 feet through the air before the child hit the pavement. The baby initially was feared to have sustained life-threatening injuries, but he recovered quickly.Edwards has been held without bail since the incident.


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