Barkyoumb, 40, of Holyoke, was arraigned on two counts of cocaine distribution, and one count each of cocaine trafficking, violating a drug-free school zone, and possessing a large capacity feeding device for a firearm.

File photo by Jessica Hill / Associated PressHolyoke police detective Paul C. Barkyoumb, left, stands with his attorney, William Paetzold during his arraignment in Hartford Superior Court in February on charges of criminal harassment.

SPRINGFIELD – Disgraced former narcotics detective Paul C. Barkyoumb pleaded innocent to cocaine distribution and firearms charges in Hampden Superior Court on Thursday, opening another chapter in his legal troubles.

Barkyoumb, 40, of Holyoke, was arraigned on two counts of cocaine distribution, and one count each of cocaine trafficking, violating a drug-free school zone, and possessing a large capacity feeding device for a firearm.

In an apparent courtesy to the former Holyoke police officer, Barkyoumb’s arraignment was moved up 24 hours, allowing him to appear in court without facing news photographers or television cameras.

He was released on $25,000 bail after Judge Richard Carey ordered him to serve home detention with electronic monitoring. Under the judge’s order, Barkyoumb is allowed to leave to attend religious services or medical or legal appointments.

A pre-trial conference was scheduled for Nov. 11.

A 17-year police veteran, Barkyoumb resigned in 2010 after pleading to a misdemeanor count of criminally harassing his ex-girlfriend.

The case came two years after Hampden Superior Court Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty barred prosecutors from using $2 million in seized cocaine from a Holyoke drug bust after concluding that Barkyoumb and a state trooper falsified information on an application for a search warrant.

Ten months after resigning from the Holyoke police force, Barkyoumb was caught in a drug sting staged by former colleagues on the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force.

The arrest in West Springfield – based on three alleged cocaine deals made between Barkyoumb and an informant on July 20 and July 21 – led to a five-count indictment handed down last week by a Hampden County grand jury.

Prosecutors said they have audiotapes of the three drug transactions involving Barkyoumb in West Springfield and Springfield.

If convicted on the trafficking charge, Barkyoumb faces a seven-year minimum mandatory state prison sentence.

His lawyer, Jeffrey S. Weisser of Agawam, refused to comment on the arraignment.

Rezwan Ferdaus, of Ashland, is accused of plotting to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives.

Associated PressThis undated photo released Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a large remote controlled aircraft similar to what the department says suspect Rezwan Ferdaus plotted to fill with C-4 plastic explosives to use in an attack of the Pentagon and U.S. Capital. Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., was arrested in a federal sting operation Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 in Framingham, Mass. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of Justice)

By JAY LINDSAY

BOSTON — Model airplanes are suddenly on the public's radar as potential terrorist weapons.

A 26-year-old man from a Boston suburb was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives.

These are not balsa-wood-and-rubber-band toys investigators are talking about. The FBI said Rezwan Ferdaus hoped to use military-jet replicas, 5 to 7½ feet long, guided by GPS devices and capable of speeds over 100 mph.

Federal officials have long been aware of the possibility someone might try to use such planes as weapons, but there are no restrictions on their purchase — Ferdaus is said to have bought his over the Internet.

Counterterrorism experts and model-aircraft hobbyists said it would be nearly impossible to inflict large-scale damage of the sort Ferdaus allegedly envisioned using model planes. The aircraft are too small, can't carry enough explosives and are too tricky to fly, they said.

"The idea of pushing a button and this thing diving into the Pentagon is kind of a joke, actually," said Greg Hahn, technical director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

Rick Nelson, a former Navy helicopter pilot who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ferdaus would have had to hit a window or other vulnerable area to maximize damage, and that would have taken precision flying.

"Flying a remote-controlled plane isn't as easy as it actually looks, and then to put an explosive on it and have that explosive detonate at the time and place that you want it add to the difficulty of actually doing it," he said.

Ferdaus, a Muslim American from Ashland, was arrested after federal agents posing as al-Qaida members delivered what he believed was 24 pounds of C-4 explosive, authorities said. He was charged with attempting to damage or destroy a federal building with explosives. A federal affidavit claims he began planning "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010 after becoming convinced through jihadi websites and videos that America was evil.

Associated PressThis undated photo released Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a large remote controlled aircraft similar to what the department said suspect Rezwan Ferdaus plotted to fill with C-4 plastic explosives to use in an attack of the Pentagon and U.S. Capital. Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., was arrested in a federal sting operation Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 in Framingham, Mass. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of Justice)

Ferdaus had a physics degree from Northeastern University and enjoyed "taking stuff apart" and "learning on my own," according to court papers.

The model planes Ferdaus eyed were the F-4 Phantom and the F-86 Sabre, small-scale versions of military jets, investigators said. The F-4 is the more expensive of the two, at up to $20,000, Hahn said. The F-86, one of which Ferdaus actually obtained, costs $6,000 to $10,000 new.

Ferdaus' plan, as alleged in court papers, was to launch three such planes from a park near the Pentagon and Capitol and use GPS to direct them toward the buildings, where they would detonate on impact and blow the Capitol dome to "smithereens." He planned to pack five pounds of plastic explosives on each plane, according to prosecutors.

James Crippin, an explosives and anti-terrorism expert, said that much C-4 could do serious damage — a half-pound will obliterate a car. But he said getting a stable explosive like C-4 to blow up at the right time would have been hugely difficult.

And there were slim prospects of causing any serious damage to buildings like the Pentagon and Capitol, which are undoubtedly hardened to withstand explosions, according to Crippin, director of the Western Forensic Law Enforcement Training Center.

"Basically, I think he's suffering from delusions of grandeur," he said.

Hahn said the heavier of the two models Ferdaus was allegedly planning to use could carry a maximum of two pounds of plastic explosive before malfunctioning. That's not including the weight of any GPS system, he added.

"It's almost impossible for him to get this done," he said.

Remote-controlled aircraft have been considered by terrorists before. In 2008, Christopher Paul of Worthington, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, pleaded guilty to plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe using explosive devices. Prosecutors said he researched remote-controlled boats and a remote-controlled 5-foot-long helicopter.

And after Sept. 11, federal agents asked the Academy of Model Aeronautics' 143,000 members to watch for any fellow enthusiasts who might be buying planes with bad intentions.

Well before the Massachusetts arrest, police in Montgomery County, Md., put out a terrorist warning to hobby shops to be aware of customers "who don't appear to be hobbyists" buying model airplanes with cash and asking how they can be modified to carry a device.

The Federal Aviation Administration is devising new rules for model airplanes and other unmanned aircraft, but the restrictions are aimed primarily at preventing collisions. Under current FAA rules, such planes are generally limited to flying below 400 feet and away from airports and air traffic.

Massachusetts prosecutor Gerry Leone, who handled the prosecution of would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid, said terrorists are always building bombs out of common, legitimate items, and imposing restrictions on buying model aircraft would not make sense simply because of this one case.

But he said law enforcement might want be more vigilant about such purchases.

Similarly, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said recent advances in model airplane technology could make them more attractive to terrorists. But he said the answer is better intelligence, not trying to regulate hobbyists and their toys.

"Kids have them, people fly them, groups are organized just to engage in this type of pastime activity," the congressman said. "It would be almost impossible to regulate the little engines and things, propellers."

Associated Press writers Denise Lavoie in Boston and Chris Hawley in New York and AP broadcast correspondent Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed to this report.

Residents of Franklin and Berkshire counties can call a hotline for assistance with housing, insurance and tenancy problems related to the storm.

After felled trees are cleared, belongings wrung out and, in many cases, alternate shelter secured, some victims of natural disasters also find themselves facing legal snags.

Reams of paperwork, insurance woes and unsavory contractors can muddy the waters for victims of Hurricane Irene as they have for survivors of previous natural disasters in the area. To that end, members of local bar associations have stepped up the plate to respond to a toll-free legal aid hotline for Franklin County and Berkshire County residents affected by the storm.

Seven private attorneys from Franklin County and more from Berkshire County have volunteered to respond to questions and concerns from storm victims, which organizers anticipate will focus on housing and insurance claims. The number, (855) 866-1644, went live on Wednesday and is a message line to request assistance. Messages will be addressed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by Hampden County Bar Association staff, who helped more than 150 victims of the June 1 tornado in that county with the help of 50 private lawyers.

"Every message will get a response," said Noreen Nardi, executive director of the Hampden County Bar Association.

Nardi said problems in that county also focused on housing court matters, confusion over insurance and disaster forms and landlord-tenant issues.

"Tenants whose apartments were condemned in downtown Springfield, for instance, had questions about whether they could get their security deposits back, or their last month's rent or the June rent they had already paid," Nardi said.

Her counterpart, Katie Schendel, director of the Franklin County Bar Association in Greenfield, said a smaller number of lawyers came forward from the counties affected by Irene, but that the pool is far smaller, and 95 percent of its members are sole practitioners.

"Most of our members grew up here," Schendel said. "They help out because these are their friends and neighbors."

Schendel noted that western Franklin County towns such as Colrain, Charlemont and Shelburne were hardest hit.

However, some attorneys came from the eastern towns, including William Morris, a lawyer in Turners Falls.

"It's the right thing to do," Morris said. "If there are people around us in need and we can help them, that's what lawyers should do."

Schendel said she hopes to reach as many people as possible in the rural counties.

"There's not as much interaction as in the cities, so some people may not even know these services are available," she said.

Organizers said callers should specifically indicate that they are seeking FEMA legal assistance and say what county they are from, their names and contact information.

Help with lost wills and other legal documents, plus questions relating to possible scams and concerns about fake disaster officials also will be available.

Friendly's co-founder Prestly Blake expressed sadness and frustration at the reported situation.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 5:30 this afternoon.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanFriendly Ice Cream Corp. chairman and CEO Harsha V. Agadi, is seen during a promotional stop at the company's restaurant on Boston Road in Wilbraham last week.

WILBRAHAM – The Friendly Ice Cream Corp. is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that potentially would result in the sale of the company, according to a report published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.

A bankruptcy filing could come as early as next week, the Journal said, citing unnamed sources close to the situation.

Friendly’s issued the following statement Thursday night: “Friendly’s has a policy of not commenting on rumors in the media or marketplace.

Like many restaurant chains, we are feeling the impact of the economic downturn and rising commodity prices and a challenging marketplace. We are working with our lenders, board and management team to explore alternatives to strengthen our financial base. ... It is business as usual at our restaurants, our manufacturing and distribution facilities”

This news comes less than a week after Friendly’s rolled out its new High 5 menu featuring the restaurant’s five most popular items for just $5. Friendly’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Harsha V. Agadi went around high-fiving customers in a quest to exchange a trillion high fives.

Sun Capital Partners, a privately held investment firm, bought Friendly’s in 2007 for $337.2 million.

Sun’s investments include chains like Boston Market and Real Mex Restaurants. Real Mex is also pursuing a debt restructuring, the Journal said .

Friendly’s is in talks with Wells Fargo & Co. for about $70 million in financing that would keep it in business during bankruptcy proceedings, according to The Journal. The bankruptcy financing would consist of about $25 million in new funds and other existing debt that would “roll up” into the new loan.

Friendly’s already owes another $30 million or so to Wells Fargo. Separately, it carries roughly $225 million in secured bond debt owed to Sun, the private-equity owner. But the Journal said declining sales triggered a clause in Friendly’s agreement with Wells Fargo that limit the Friendly’s borrowing from here on out.

Brothers Curtis L. Blake and S. Prestley Blake founded Friendly in 1935 for want of summer jobs and the company really took off after World War II. The company now has about 10,000 employees, down from 12,000 two years ago, and more than 500 restaurants around the country. The restaurants focus on family dining, ice cream, burgers and melts.

Friendly has 1,200 employees in Massachusetts, including 300 at its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Wilbraham, and another 100 at a distribution center in Chicopee, according to the company.

Reached at his home in Somers, Conn., Friendly co-founder S. Prestly Blake, now 96, expressed sadness and frustration Thursday night.

“They have so much debt, I don’t know how they thought they would carry all that debt,” Blake said. “We always had a good balance sheet, paid the bills on time and grew the business.”

Blake no longer has a financial stake in the company, he said.

After the impact, the station wagon ended up inside a building at the intersection of Nick Cosmos Way and Cabot Street in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE - Paper City police are piecing together a two-car collision that sent one vehicle into an abandoned apartment building Friday morning.

The accident, which took place around 7 a.m., happened when the driver of a tan Ford Taurus station wagon was traveling west on Nick Cosmos Way and collided with a black Toyota Celica, which was traveling on Cabot Street.

The impact spun the station wagon around and its driver accelerated the vehicle, crashing into 115 Cabot St., a boarded-up building at the intersection of the two streets.

The driver of the Ford was taken to the hospital by ambulance while the driver of the coupe refused treatment at the scene.

More information on the incident will be published as it becomes available.

State police report that traffic is now flowing smoothly.

Republican file photo

This is an update of a story posted at 5:35 a.m. Friday.

SPRINGFIELD – The ramp from Interstate 91 north to Interstate 291, closed early Friday because of a tractor trailer fire, has since reopened.

“Traffic is flowing smoothly,” said state Trooper Robert Church shortly before 7:30 a.m.

Around 3 a.m., a truck driver called 911 to report that flames were coming from under the cab of the 18-wheeler he was driving. He was able to escape without injury and city police and firefighters along with state troopers responded to the scene.
Although firefighters extinguished the blaze, removal of the debris which was the truck proved difficult.

Church said the truck was carrying a large steel pipe for a construction project and that it has to be removed along with the burned up truck. “The truck is destroyed and the cab was totaled,“ he said.

The automaker says eager customers can expect delivery of the 2012 model, which has been equipped with "quick-charging and cold weather features," in December.

The fully electric 2010 Nissan Leaf will debut in Massachusetts by the end of the year.

After making its fully electric hatchback automobile available in states with moderate climates in Dec. 2010, it seems the Nissan LEAF will finally be making its way to New England.

On Thursday, Nissan dealers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Colorado and the Bay State began taking orders for the eco-friendly buggy, which reportedly nets a 100 mile journey on a single charge.

The automaker says eager customers can expect delivery of the 2012 model, which has been equipped with "quick-charging and cold weather features," in December.

"Consumers have spoken, and it's clear that they are looking for a car that produces zero emissions and uses no gas," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Nissan North America. "We are seeing tremendous consumer interest in the Nissan LEAF in these new markets, particularly in the New York metropolitan area."

The Nissan LEAF is available in five colors and with two different trim packages.

The LEAF's debut in colder climates was delayed when initial tests showed that the cold weather had a negative impact on the vehicle's mileage. The 2012 model includes a battery warmer to prevent the impact of the cold on performance.

The new model's pricing starts at $35,200, according to Edmunds.com, and represents an increase of more than $2,000 over the 2011 model. Buyers, however, are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which brings the price down significantly.

The tax credit also applies to the Chevy Volt, an electric car produced by General Motors. The Volt's pricing starts at $39,145.

Western Massachusetts Electric Company recently announced that it will be installing charging stations at the Springfield Community College Technology Park in Springfield, the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Hadley and another in Pittsfield.

With pre-orders kicking off in the Northeast U.S. and Colorado this week, Nissan says it will make the LEAF available in Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island by the end of the year.

A listing of electric car charging stations:
• Electric Fueling Stations in Massachusetts
• Electric Fueling Stations in Connecticut

The show will be held at the Heart-of-the-Mart grounds on Route 20 in Brimfield.

Submitted photoSPEED-TV's Steve Magnante will be special guest at the third annual Brimfield Antique Auto show on Oct. 8.

BRIMFIELD - A forecast of rain has prompted postponement of the third annual Brimfield Antique Auto Show originally scheduled for Saturday. It will now be held on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event, to be at the Heart-O-the-Mart show grounds on Route 20, is a fund-raiser for the Hitchcock Academy.

Auto-world celebrity Steve Magnante, a SPEED TV commentator at the renowned Barrett-Jackson auctions, still plans to appear. Magnante, whose family lives in West Brookfield, is due to bring his Wilshire Shaker altered wheelbase 1963 Chevy Nova.

For more information, contact Hitchcock Free Academy at www.hitchcockacademy.org or call (413) 245-9977. Exhibitor questions should be directed to Dave Govoni, (413) 544-1644.

An instructor for the United Nations police force accidentally shot himself in the thigh late Thursday morning while he was participating in a training course at the Smith & Wesson shooting range.

Dave Roback / Dan Fontaine11/09/10-Springfield-Staff Photo by Dave Roback-Dan Fontaine, left, director of manufacturing at Smith and Wesson in Springfield shows Deputy Chief John Barbieri the manufacturing process of the .40 caliber M&P service weapon during a tour of the plant on Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD – An instructor for the United Nations police force accidentally shot himself in the thigh late Thursday morning while he was participating in a training course at the Smith & Wesson shooting range.

Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said the man, who is from France, suffered a non-life-threatening injury and was treated at Baystate Medical Center.

The accident shooting was reported shortly before 11 a.m. “He was on the line doing a drill,” Delaney said. “He was the only one on the line.”

Additional information was not available.

Perry said Romney governed Massachusetts the same way President Barack Obama governs the country.

Associated PressIn this Sept. 23, 2011 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The $4 billion in cuts to Texas public schools this summer could be politically sensitive for Perry, who has based his campaign for president largely on Texas’ record of job growth during his 11 years as governor.

ATLANTA (AP) — In his first domestic policy speech as a presidential candidate, Rick Perry outlined his record as Texas governor Friday and accused rival Mitt Romney of governing Massachusetts the same way President Barack Obama governs the country.

In a speech at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, Perry discussed his record on health care and the environment. But he offered few policy proposals, instead focusing on his record as Texas governor for 10 years, criticizing Obama, hitting Romney's health care law and opening a more aggressive line of attack on Romney's record on climate change.

"As Republican voters decide who is best suited to lead this country in a new direction by stopping the spending spree and scrapping Obamacare, I am confident they will choose a nominee who has governed on conservative principles, not one whose health care policies paved the way for Obamacare," Perry said.

Perry contrasted Romney's plan with the medical malpractice reform he signed as governor of Texas, and argued that both Romney and Obama have governed more liberally than he has.

"What we are seeing in America today is a conservative awakening, a revival born out of a deep concern that liberals have used the machinery of the federal government to impose a nanny state that limits our freedom and that targets free enterprise," he said.

"I knew when I got into this race I would have my hands full fighting President Obama's big government agenda. I just didn't think it would be in the Republican primary," Perry added.

The address signals that Perry plans to continue aggressively attacking his chief rival even as he faces some stumbling blocks in his own campaign. After a shaky debate performance, Perry admitted that he used "inappropriate" language when he called Republican rivals "heartless." Perry was defending a Texas law that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state universities if they meet certain criteria.

As part of the offensive, Perry turned to Romney's environmental record.

"In Texas, we've cleaned the air while creating jobs and adding millions in population. Another state — Massachusetts — was among the first states to implement its own cap-and-trade program which included limits on carbon emissions for power plants," Perry said in his speech.

Texas, home to the nation's oil and gas industry, has taken significant steps to clean its air in recent years, offering tax breaks and other incentives to companies that install expensive pollution controlling technology. But Texas still leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions.

Perry has fought EPA rules and regulations, insisting the agency is overreaching and meddles in state affairs. The state has challenged in court several new EPA regulations aimed at forcing heavy industry to take pollution-controlling measures.

Perry also accused Romney of relying on environmental advisers who went on to work in the Obama administration. Environmental Protection Agency official Gina McCarthy, who works on clean air regulations, helped Massachusetts develop a climate plan when Romney served as governor. McCarthy was appointed by Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis and worked in state government for decades before moving to the EPA.

The Romney campaign accused Perry of misrepresenting the former Massachusetts governor's position. "Rick Perry once again has run into problems with the truth," spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.

Romney never signed a cap-and-trade plan for Massachusetts, though he did encourage state efforts to protect the environment. Massachusetts participated in discussions about a Northeastern regional cap-and-trade system while Romney was governor, but Romney decided not to join it.

Perry's speech comes as the presidential candidates face an important fundraising deadline Friday in the latest quarter of the campaign cycle.

Later Friday, Perry will head to New Hampshire for a town hall style meeting with voters.

Attorney General Martha M. Coakley said that a total of 118 criminal indictments have been handed down in the four cases.

BOSTON – Massachusetts authorities say 10 people have been charged in connection with four separate Medicaid fraud cases that cheated taxpayers out of a combined $9 million.

Attorney General Martha M. Coakley says a total of 118 criminal indictments have been handed down in the four cases.

A news conference is scheduled for Friday to detail the allegations.

Two people have been arrested and face arraignment later in the day.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

The man reportedly wrote a letter of apology saying the whole thing was a joke.

BRIDGEWATER — A former college student and ex-disc jockey is accused of threatening to "shoot up" a Massachusetts campus radio station because it wouldn't play a song he requested.

Alex Finnegan was arraigned Thursday on two threat charges.

Police say Finnegan graduated from Bridgewater State University in May and used to be a DJ at its radio station, WBIM.

The station received multiple calls Monday from someone who requested a song by the punk band Rufio. The station did not have the song and police say the caller said he would "come in with a gun and shoot up the place."

The Enterprise of Brockton reports that Finnegan wrote a letter of apology saying the whole thing was a joke and he was sorry for scaring anyone.

Western Massachusetts is suffering a critical shortage of primary-care doctors that is forcing patients to search harder for doctors accepting new clients then wait too long for that first appointment.

Mark A. Keroack, left, president of Baystate Medical Practices, is seen with Kevin P. Moriarty, president of the Hampden Medical Society in this composite photo.

SPRINGFIELD – Western Massachusetts is suffering a critical shortage of primary-care doctors that is forcing patients to search harder for doctors accepting new clients then wait too long for that first appointment.

In Franklin County, 65 percent of primary-care doctors are accepting new patients, according to the Physician Workforce Study released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Medical Society. In Hampshire County 74 percent are accepting new patients and in Hampden County 75 percent are. The statewide average is 75 percent, but Norfolk County in suburban Boston boasts that 83 percent of primary care doctors are seeing new patients.

Wait times for that first appointment vary according to the survey of more than 1,000 doctors from around the state. In Hampshire County a new patients are waiting an average of 55 days to see a doctor in family practice. That’s 19 days longer than the statewide average of 36 days for new patients.

The wait time to see an internist in Hampden County is 51 days compared with 48 days statewide.

Across all the primary care specialties – cardiology, internal medicine, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, family medicine and pediatrics – Franklin county had an average wait time of 53 days, Hampden 36 days and Hampshire 33. The statewide average is 35 days.

Read full article here.

Here's what some of our readers had to say about the shortage of Primary Care Physicians in Western Mass.

obamaisdone writes:

You can thank Obama-care round 1 for this, DR's are bowing out because the Socialist Medical program that was jammed down our throats is going to tell them how much they are going to charge and how much they will make. They would rather look into another profession, can't blame them.

chase718 writes:

How quickly you blame Obama as usual for policies that have been in effect years before he took office. Real doctors are not in it for the money. They work all over the world for a fraction of what the doctors make in the U.S. Most entry level primary care doctors like the article states, begin their careers with a quarter million dollar debt. Those evil socialist countries overseas offer free education up to a PHD if you qualify. You should also know that simple medical procedures here cost about four times the cost it does in a hospital overseas. A lot of that cost goes to the for-profit aspect of the U.S. health insurance industry. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation on the planet that it is legal to have for-profit primary health care.

Justin_Marsh_Knowledge_Corridor_Productions writes:

Metro Springfield's future, in my opinion, is in our colleges, hospitals, and riverfront. Two of these three could, potentially, be applicable in solving this situation.

In my opinion, Metro Springfield could use its own medical school. The western campus of Tufts Medical School operates out of Baystate; however that program is relatively small and an adjunct to a program near Boston, where many graduates end up practicing.

Personally, I believe that if the Springfield colleges could form a closer relationship, (comparable to the Claremont Colleges in California -- which would be totally unique on the east coast -- they could perhaps pool their resources to get the venture off the ground, (in conjunction with philanthropists, whom, I imagine, would be very excited by the idea.)

If Springfield was to get both a medical school and an art/music school, our area would be almost entirely self-sufficient in terms of producing a comprehensive, creative workforce. However, I believe that the key to Springfield's success -- unlike Boston's -- is close cooperation between the colleges, because we don't have a Harvard, or MIT, or BU, or BC... We have smaller colleges which, if they cooperated, could offer tremendous resources to students.

This educational set-up would, in my opinion, also make Metro Springfield a much more attractive place than it already is to settle down and set-up a medical practice. Just an idea.

agavision writes:

Neither "Romneycare" nor "Obamcare" caused this problem. When the problem was first recognized about 40 years ago, the taxpayers built the UMass Medical School . It was supposed to solve the shortage of primary care physicians Instead the students , like those of private medical schools, went into specialties where the money is. If another medical school were built at Baystate the same thing would happen. Medical students would be subsidized by the taxpayers and go into specialties. The time is ripe to force subsidized students at UMass Med school to sign a contract that they will practice primary care in Massachusetts for a specified number of years or reimburse the taxpayers for their education if they choose to specialize or to leave the state. Every medical student does an internship in primary care medicine which leads to a second possibility. Every specialist should be required to take primary care of a minimum of 100 families to retain their license to practice in Mass. This would include surgeons. E.N.T., ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, etc. etc. Licensure is a privilege and very few doctors would leave the state. Actually if they all did some primary care they would become better in their own specialties.

What do you think? Join the conversation below.

The donations represent nearly one quarter of the $187,000 Grossman has raised since he took office.

Steven Grossman

BOSTON – State Treasurer Steven Grossman has accepted $45,000 in political contributions from an industry his office regulates.

Grossman accepted the money at a fundraiser this month from package store owners, bar owners, and liquor distributors.

The donations represent nearly one quarter of the entire $187,000 Grossman has raised since he took office in January.

His office oversees the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which has broad powers to regulate and control the sale, distribution, and consumption of alcohol in Massachusetts. It is often the final appeal on license suspensions imposed by local authorities and enforces liquor franchise agreements.

A spokesman for the Treasurer’s office told The Boston Globe that the contributions are allowed under state campaign finance and ethics laws, and no one will get special treatment in exchange for donations.

All sorts of Republicans are making a point of keeping themselves in the national spotlight.

Associated Press photosFrom left: Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Bob McDonnell

WASHINGTON (AP) — They're writing books. They're making speeches. They're fawning over the big dogs.

It's all part of the Campaign That Shall Not Be Known As a Campaign.

More than a year out from Election Day, all sorts of Republicans are making a point of keeping themselves in the national spotlight, stoking speculation that they're positioning themselves as potential running mates for the eventual GOP presidential nominee.

It's too early to know who's really interested and who's just savoring a little extra attention. But it's clear there is no shortage of ambitious Republicans.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has a new book out. Florida's Sen. Marco Rubio and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also are writing books. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell raised eyebrows by speaking in politically important New Hampshire, Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by popping up at the Reagan Presidential Library in California.

And a number of Republicans are stepping forward to endorse one GOP presidential candidate or another: former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the presidential race in August, has been campaigning for Mitt Romney. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval came out for Texas Gov. Rick Perry. So did Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Then there are less typical overtures: Haley invited GOP presidential contenders Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich over to the governor's mansion for sleepovers.

Joel Goldstein, a professor at St. Louis University School of Law and an expert on vice presidents, says prominent Republicans may have "multiple agendas" as they maneuver for the spotlight, extending well beyond the GOP ticket in 2012.

"If you're on the short list for vice president, it enhances your position in your state and maybe you end up in the Cabinet or in a position to run in 2016," Goldstein said. "It elevates your stature. If you're left out of the discussion, then people wonder what's wrong with you."

For the most part, Republicans have demurred when asked if they're interested in the vice presidential slot — it's considered unseemly to actively campaign for the job. But most leave themselves plenty of wiggle room.

"There's no answer to this question," Daniels said when the vice president's job came up while he was promoting his book. He said he'd have to consult his family, which earlier vetoed the idea of him running for president.

Meg Whitman, the businesswoman who lost a bid for California governor in November, last summer said that if Romney wins, "I'd be happy to do almost anything he wanted me to do."

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota this summer didn't rule out any options and said he wanted to put his skill set "to its highest and best use."

Who's not giving much thought yet to the veepstakes? The top-tier Republican presidential candidates; they're too busy trying to secure the nomination. (And hoping Christie sticks to his word and doesn't run for president himself.)

But it can be smart electoral politics to stroke local politicians as potential veep candidates, so the topic keeps coming up.

Romney has talked up McDonnell, Rubio and Christie as potential veep material. Bachmann's spoken highly of Rubio and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. A number of the GOP candidates have said their current rivals could be potential running mates.

Perry went so far as to suggest the ideal candidate would be a blend of Gingrich and businessman Herman Cain.

Cain, for his part, dismissed all the vice presidential speculation as a game.

Early veepstakes speculation always is something of a political parlor game. But the unofficial tryout period also can serve a useful purpose, says Democrat Dick Harpootlian, who's been watching Haley's activities from his perch as chairman of the state Democratic Party in South Carolina.

Harpootlian says the early months of the campaign can be a time for potential vice presidential candidates to demonstrate "their ability to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time." John McCain's surprise selection of little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008, he said, "left the Republican Party, at least the elders in it, astounded at how wrong things can go when you pick somebody out of obscurity."

GOP strategist Rich Galen said politicians like to be in the mix as potential vice presidential candidates, even if it's just to increase their stock for a future political campaign.

"You want to be mentioned," he said.

But not all attention is the right kind. Haley found herself owning up to a "poor choice of words" earlier this month after she called a female reporter a "little girl" when the woman wrote a story that detailed at least $127,000 in state spending on a European economic development trip.

Officials say Al-Awlaki played a "significant operational role" in plotting and inspiring attacks on the United States.

(AP)FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2010 file image taken from video and released by SITE Intelligence Group on Monday, Anwar al-Awlaki speaks in a video message posted on radical websites. A senior U.S. counterterrorism official says U.S. intelligence indicates that U.S.-born al-Qaida cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group, File) NO SALES

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a devastating double-blow to al-Qaida's most dangerous franchise, U.S. counterterrorism forces killed two American citizens who played key roles in inspiring attacks against the U.S., U.S. and Yemeni officials said Friday.

U.S-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, who edited the slick Jihadi Internet magazine, were killed in an air strike on their convoy in Yemen by a joint CIA-U.S. military operation, according to counterterrorism officials. Al-Awlaki was targeted in the killing, but Khan apparently was not targeted directly.

After three weeks of tracking the targets, U.S. armed drones and fighter jets shadowed the al-Qaida convoy before armed drones launched their lethal strike early Friday. The strike killed four operatives in all, officials said. All U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

Al-Awlaki played a "significant operational role" in plotting and inspiring attacks on the United States, U.S. officials said Friday, as they disclosed detailed intelligence to justify the killing of a U.S. citizen. Khan, who was from North Carolina, wasn't considered operational but had published seven issues of Inspire Magazine, offering advice on how to make bombs and the use of weapons. The magazine was widely read.

Following the strike, a U.S. official outlined new details of al-Awlaki's involvement in anti-U.S. operations, including the attempted 2009 Christmas Day bombing of a U.S.-bound aircraft. The official said that al-Awlaki specifically directed the men accused of trying to bomb the Detroit-bound plane to detonate an explosive device over U.S. airspace to maximize casualties.

The official also said al-Awlaki had a direct role in supervising and directing a failed attempt to bring down two U.S. cargo aircraft by detonating explosives concealed inside two packages mailed to the U.S. The U.S. also believes Awlaki had sought to use poisons, including cyanide and ricin, to attack Westerners.

The U.S. and counterterrorism officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters.

Al-Awlaki was killed by the same U.S. military unit that got Osama bin Laden. Al-Awlaki is the most prominent al-Qaida figure to be killed since bin Laden's death in May.

U.S. word of al-Awlaki's death came after the government of Yemen reported that he had been killed Friday about five miles from the town of Khashef, some 87 miles from the capital Sanaa.

The air strike was carried out more openly than the covert operation that sent Navy SEALs into bin Laden's Pakistani compound, U.S. officials said.

Counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and Yemen has improved in recent weeks, allowing better intelligence-gathering on al-Awlaki's movements, U.S. officials said. The ability to better track him was a key factor in the success of the strike, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Al-Awlaki's death is the latest in a run of high-profile kills for Washington under President Barack Obama. But the killing raises questions that the death of other al-Qaida leaders, including bin Laden, did not.

Al-Awlaki is a U.S. citizen, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, who had not been charged with any crime. Civil liberties groups have questioned the government's authority to kill an American without trial.

Awlaki's father, Nasser al-Awlaki of Yemen, had sued President Barack Obama and other administration officials 13 months ago to try to stop them from targeting his son for death. The father, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, argued that international law and the Constitution prevented the administration from assassinating his son unless he presented a specific imminent threat to life or physical safety and there were no other means to stop him.

But U.S. District Judge John Bates threw out the lawsuit in December, saying a judge does not have authority to review the president's military decisions and that Awlaki's father did not have the legal right to sue on behalf of his son. But Bates also seemed troubled by the facts of the case, which he wrote raised vital considerations of national security and for military and foreign affairs. For instance, the judge questioned why courts have authority to approve surveillance of Americans overseas but not their killing and whether the president could order an assassination of a citizen without "any form of judicial process whatsoever."

U.S. officials have said they believe al-Awlaki inspired the actions of Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas.

In New York, the Pakistani-American man who pleaded guilty to the May 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt said he was "inspired" by al-Awlaki after making contact over the Internet.

Al-Awlaki also is believed to have had a hand in mail bombs addressed to Chicago-area synagogues, packages intercepted in Dubai and Europe in October 2010.

Al-Awlaki's death "will especially impact the group's ability to recruit, inspire and raise funds as al-Awlaki's influence and ability to connect to a broad demographic of potential supporters was unprecedented," said terrorist analyst Ben Venzke of the private intelligence monitoring firm, the IntelCenter.

But Venzke said the terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula will remain the most dangerous regional arm "both in its region and for the direct threat it poses to the U.S. following three recent failed attacks," with its leader Nasir al-Wahayshi still at large.

Al-Awlaki wrote an article in the latest issue of the terror group's magazine justifying attacking civilians in the West. It's titled "Targeting the Populations of Countries that Are at War with the Muslims."

Al-Awlaki served as imam at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Va., a Washington suburb, for about a year in 2001.

The mosque's outreach director, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, has said that mosque members never saw al-Awlaki espousing radical ideology while he was there and that he believes Awlaki's views changed after he left the U.S.

Gutowski’s uncle, Bob Gutowski, said his nephew was among three people who died in the explosion.

PLYMOUTH – A soldier from Plymouth has been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

A relative says Army Spc. Steve Gutowski was among three people who died in the explosion Wednesday. A fourth person was hurt.

Gutowski’s uncle, Bob Gutowski, said Friday that his nephew had survived two other explosions near his vehicle while in Afghanistan. He had just been home in August for his sister’s wedding.

He described Gutowski as a “guy who loved life and always stood up for what’s right.”

He says his nephew played football in high school and was considering a career in law enforcement when he got out of the Army.

The Pentagon has not officially announced the death.

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Richard W. Mallary

BROOKFIELD, Vt. - Former U.S. Rep. Richard Walker Mallary, 82, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday. He was born in Springfield, Mass., on February 21, 1929 the son of R. DeWitt and Gertrude Robinson Mallary. He moved to Vermont in 1942. He had a long and distinguished career in politics, business and agriculture. From his election as chairman of the Fairlee Selectboard at the age of 22 until his dedicated work in retirement on Vermont issues and public policy, he exhibited wisdom, a straightforward style and a dry wit. Mallary graduated from Bradford Academy in 1945 and received his degree in philosophy from Dartmouth College in 1949, summa cum laude. His first career was in agriculture, owning farms in Fairlee and Bradford. In 1956 he became a partner with his parents in the Mallary Farm in Bradford. That partnership thrived, with a herd of Holstein cattle that achieved national and international recognition. The partnership lasted until 1970 when the Mallary Farm herd was dispersed, in large part because of Mallary's increasing role in public life. He was first elected to the Vermont Legislature in 1960. In an unprecedented and historic turn of events, a group of young progressive legislators of which Mallary was a leading member The Young Turks took the reins of power in the House of Representatives. In just his second term Mallary was appointed as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He was elected Speaker of the House in 1966, serving in that role during the first session following the reapportionment of 1965. He was elected to the Vermont Senate in 1968. In 1969 he served on the Commission on Administrative Coordination, redesigning government agencies and structure for the Deane Davis administration. In 1970 he left the Senate to become Davis' Commissioner of Administration, becoming the first Secretary of Administration in 1971. In September of 1971 United States Senator Winston Prouty died, and Congressman Robert Stafford was appointed to the Senate. Mallary won the special election to succeed Stafford in the U.S. House. He was reelected in 1972. He served during the tumultuous years of Watergate and Vietnam, building many national political relationships. In 1974, following the retirement of Senator George Aiken, Mallary ran for that seat, losing a close election to Patrick J. Leahy. Following his departure from Washington he worked for two years for the Farm Credit Bank in Springfield, Mass., but then returned to serve again as Secretary of Administration, this time in the administration of Gov. Richard Snelling. Mallary's career in business was focused on energy. He was executive vice president at Central Vermont Public Service in the early 1980s, then owned his own geothermal company and finally served as president and CEO of the Vermont Electric Power Company from 1986 until his retirement in 1994. Mallary served on many boards and commissions in and out of government including the Business Roundtable, the Howard Bank, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Rutland Regional Medical Center, Snelling Center for Government, Gifford Medical Center, Shelburne Museum, Vermont Health Foundation, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Governor's Council of Economic Advisers, Vermont State Colleges, Vermont Judicial Conduct Board and the Vermont Higher Education Planning Commission. In Vermont, among other duties, he was chairman of the Brookfield Planning Commission and Town Meeting moderator, a role he particularly enjoyed. After twenty-five years Mallary returned to elective politics, elected in 1998 to the Vermont House as Representative from Randolph, Brookfield and Braintree. He served one term, defeated because of his steadfast support of the civil union law. He also served as Tax Commissioner during the early months of the Douglas administration. A lifelong and loyal Republican, Mallary was consistent in his core beliefs, moderate to conservative fiscally and progressive in matters of social policy.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Chevalier Sr., Ronald G.
  




• 
  Desjarlais, Henry J.
  



• 
  Garneau, Nancy A. (Pino)




• 
  Hackstock, Frederick A.
  



• 
  Hartling, Donald F.
  




• Katz, Bertha N. "Bud"
  




• 
  Mallary, Richard W.
  



• 
  Skowera, Paul C.




• 
  Williams, Elizabeth (Sitnik)
  



• 
  Yankee, Don
  

The state hopes to reopen the still-damaged six-mile stretch of Route 2 by mid-December.

File photo / The RepublicanThis section of Route 2 in Charlemont was reopened in wake of Tropical Storm Irene which dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the region Aug. 27 and 28. State officials have announced a $35.5. million project to reopen a six-mile stretch of Route 2, from Charlemont to North Adams, by mid-December.

State officials have announced what they describe as an aggressive $35.5 million plan to reopen a six-mile stretch of Route 2, from Charlemont to North Adams, by mid-December.

The stretch was severely damaged by the Tropical Storm Irene which dropped more than ten inches of rain on an already saturated Western Massachusetts on Aug. 27 and 28.

The deluge pushed rivers over their banks causing serious damage, particularly in Berkshire and Franklin counties and hilltowns of Hampshire and Hampden counties.

State Department of Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey will formally announce the fast-tracked project Friday afternoon when he meets with state and local officials on the westerly section of Route 2 in Florida.

Construction starts Monday.

Davey spoke of the project in Springfield Friday morning while he met with personnel at the Registry of Motor Vehicles here and visited a veterans stand down program which helps veterans renew licenses and registrations.

“It’s clear we need to reopen Route 2. It’s an enormous inconvenience for a number of customers on our roads,” Davey said, adding that some commuters in that corner of the state have added as much as 45 minutes to their commutes due to the detours.. “That is not acceptable.”


The closed section of Route 2 has four distinct areas where there has been significant damage. “The road, in some instances, is almost entirely washed away,” Davey said.

The project has four separate components and the state fast-tracked the first three in order to get the roadway reopened by mid-December, hopefully before any major snowstorms hit the region.

“Within 9 days we went from bid to award,” Davey said, adding that the first three components of the project were awarded to Northern Construction.

The remaining component, which is not require to reopen the roadway, will be put out to bid through normal channels, Davey said.

Additional work, to be done in the spring, will not require any Route 2 closures.

The discovery came during an investigation into allegations that Scully had an inappropriate relationship with a library patron who was 15 years old at the time.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Thomas Scully, a Beverly Public Library employee who pled guilty to child pornography possession in 2009, is entitled to have his retirement allowance reinstated, a three-judge Appeals Court panel ruled Friday, overturning the judgment of lower courts on the grounds that his crimes were not directly related to his job.

“While Scully's conduct was reprehensible, in view of the narrow interpretation that consistently has been given to [state pension law] we are constrained to conclude that the mandatory forfeiture of Scully's pension was not legally tenable,” according to the unanimous ruling, penned by Judge Ariane Vuono.

Vuono argued that the judges were required to interpret state law narrowly based on prior rulings. “Moreover, despite this consistent interpretation, the Legislature has not modified the statute,” she wrote.

The ruling reinstates the pension of Thomas Scully, the Beverly library’s former director of community service. Scully, who began working at the library in 1986, resigned in 2005 after police raided his home and discovered seven images of child pornography on his computer.

The discovery came during an investigation into allegations that Scully had an inappropriate relationship with a library patron who was 15 years old at the time. Prosecutors alleged that Scully met the boy – judges referred to him by the alias Matthew – at the library and invited him to his home, where he regularly allowed him to view pornography.

Prosecutors charged Scully with possession of child pornography, distributing obscene material to a minor and indecent assault and battery. However, the assault charge was dropped and Scully struck a plea deal in which he admitted only to possession of child pornography.

After he resigned from the library, Scully applied for a retirement allowance, which he was granted. But after his conviction in 2009, the Beverly Retirement Board voted 3-2 to revoke his pension on the grounds that his crimes involved his relationship with a minor who he met at the library. The decision was later affirmed by the District Court and the Superior Court.

But the Appeals Court, in its Friday ruling, argued that the lower courts misapplied state pension law, which requires forfeiture of a retiree’s pension after a conviction on a criminal offense “involving violation of the laws applicable to his office or position.”

“Scully contends that the record fails to establish a direct link between his convictions of possession of child pornography and his position at the library,” Vuono wrote. “While we do not ignore the severity of the offenses to which Scully pleaded guilty, we conclude that the facts underlying the convictions do not present ‘the type of direct link intended by the Legislature.’ ”

“Initially, we note that there is no evidence in the record that Scully either stored or accessed child pornography on library computers. Furthermore, Scully did not use his position to facilitate the crime for which he was convicted,” she added. “Here, the criminal conduct at issue -- possession of child pornography -- occurred at Scully's house and involved his personal computer. Although we do not condone Scully's conduct, in particular his interaction with Matthew, a direct link between Scully's position and the conviction for possession of child pornography must be shown.”

Vuono’s ruling was joined by Appeals Judges Cynthia Cohen and Gary Katzmann.