Northbound traffic on Route 5 and Interstate 91 was reportedly backed up to Connecticut.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - State police reported slow-going on Interstate 91 north and on the Massachusetts Turnpike Friday afternoon as people, perhaps spurred by the summery weather, flocked to the Big E.

“It’s backed up to the Connecticut line,” said Trooper Christina A. Albano, who is attached to the Springfield barracks, of northbound traffic on Interstate 91. “Route 5 has some congestion too...I think it’s because it’s a nice day.”

Longmeadow police reported traffic on Route 5 was backed up to the state line and beyond.

State police on the Massachusetts Turnpike reported heavy traffic between Ludlow and West Springfield because of the Big E and an ongoing power line installation project on both side the turnpike in Chicopee,

“It’s pretty widespread,” said Trooper Alvin Lockhart, who is attached to the Westfield barracks.

Friday morning, a truck fire on I-91 northbound by the Interstate 291 exit caused an earlier traffic backup.

Springfield boasted partly sunny skies Friday afternoon with temperatures in the high 70s. Saturday and Sunday will see wetter and cooler weather, according to abc40/ fox 6 meteorologists.

The head golf pro, Billy Downes, said he is not sure whether the course will stay open beyond the weekend.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanEast Longmeadow High School's Vin Calcasola shoots from the rough on the 6th hole during a tournament last week at Hampden Country Club. The club's future is currently uncertain.

HAMPDEN - During a robust tournament in early autumn, an official with Hampden Country Club said the facility's future hangs in the balance.

With wares in the pro shop lean even for late September, head pro Billy Downes said he was unclear about the semi-private club's plans beyond the weekend.

Amid rumors that the club is lobbying members to invest and that it is considering filing bankruptcy, Downs said he was waiting to hear from "ownership" whether the 18-hole course will stay open beyond Sunday.

"I wish I knew," Downes said, adding that he played his first round of golf there in the 1970s when he was 6 years old.

"Right down there," he said, gesturing down a knoll from the pro shop. "When there were just a few holes."

Board members at the club could not immediately reached for comment.

Financial troubles for country clubs are not unusual as the economic crisis continues to crest. Other local private clubs have reported declining membership.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

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.

Staff photo by Don TreegerFriendly's Ice Cream celebrates their 75th anniversary. This is Lisa G. Hagar of Chicopee wearing a Friendly's restaurant uniform from the 1970's.

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”

Read the full story here.

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

nonilove writes:

It may be too late, but Friendly's never should have gone away from what they did best. Burgers, fries, tuna melts, hot dogs and great ice cream. They don't need to have things that are served in every other chain restaurant. Stick to what they did well and maybe they can turn it around.

pgcook writes:

I grew up in the 50' and it was Big Beefs, Fribbles and Sundaes. They got too fancy with all the platters and the prices of them.

I also remember the two hot dog buildings they had at the Big-E and they were always extremely busy.
Getting away from what made you famous is usually your down fall.

suncatcher1 writes:

You are absolutely right.

BTW - Friendlys had 3 locations at the Big E - 2 free standing stores on either side of the main entrance to the coliseum and a big counter in the Better Living Center. These shops did extremely well during the run of the Big E. However, when Big E management back then told FIC they would have to fork over a much higher % of their sales to them, Curt & Pres Blake not only said no, pulled out and tore down the stores before they left.

suncatcher1 writes:

Our family was with Friendlys for over 30 years and I have to disagree with you about the quality of the food. FIC has always maintained a high standard of food quality and taste. It even had a laboratory in its main plant to test new products and food quality. I totally agree with you about the service but note that it has dramatically improved IMO recently.

BTW, for decades, Friendlys has participated in international ice cream competitions - and usually wins or is in the top 3 to this day. The big prize is in winning best Vanilla and Chocolate as they are the base for most of your flavors. This is where FIC excels.

ashcroft00 writes:

The reason for poor service is that the vast majority of servers at Friendly's are teens (with little to no restaurant experience) who are making the restaurant-based minimum wage. There is no financial incentive for the most experienced (and pardon the pun), friendliest servers to work there. Experienced servers prefer higher end restaurants where the meal prices (and hence tips) will be greater.

What do you think? Join the conversation below.

A Y-Express in Agawam could offer programs for adults, seniors and youths with such projects as a homework center and computer area.

Richard A. Cohen

AGAWAM – Mayor Richard A. Cohen is working on a plan to open within a year a YMCA facility here that would serve the residents of both Agawam and West Springfield.

The mayor said Friday a group is working with the YMCA of Greater Springfield to open a storefront Y-Express, which would be a smaller scale operation than a free-standing YMCA building. Officials have already visited a Y-Express located on the second floor of the XL Center in Hartford and is very popular in that community, according to the mayor.

Cohen is in the process of soliciting people to serve on a committee overseeing efforts to be chaired by Robert J. Wiley, the dean of the school of human services at Springfield College, and Sue Lavoie, vice president of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.

“It is a win-win situation for both the Y and the cities of Agawam and West Springfield. I’m very pleased we’ve gotten it to this point,” Cohen said. “I’m extremely excited about it.”

The project has been in the discussion stage for the last two years, according to the mayor.

Cohen said the new facility would not compete with the Springfield YMCA. It would offer programs in areas like fitness, healthful living and wellness for youths, adults and seniors. The facility could also act like a teen center, a subject that has been bandied about for years, according to Cohen.

The Springfield YMCA currently operates several programs in Agawam and West Springfield. It works with more than 100 youths through a swimming program in Agawam and more than 500 youths and teenagers through its Birch Park Circle YMCA Community Center and Camp Weber in West Springfield.

“The YMCA is very excited to work even more closely with the cities of Agawam and West Springfield,” Kirk R. Smith, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Springfield.

A Y-Express could offer the YMCA a chance to do more programs for active older adults as well as for teenagers, who could benefit form a place to do homework and use computers, Smith said.

A Y-Express also gives the YMCA a chance to assess the demand for its services in the community before committing to construct a full-blown facility, according to Smith.

West Springfield Mayor Edward J. Gibson is also in favor of the project.

“I think it would be something that both communities could utilize. I hope it is something that comes to fruition, Gibson said.

Cohen said talks are underway with owners of potential locations for the venture, but it is too early yet to name sites. Lavoie said officials would like a location near the bridge over the Westfield River connecting West Springfield and Agawam.

Patrick and state Rep. Peter Kocot both worked for Coke in the past.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanThe entrance to the Coca-Cola plant on Industrial Drive in Northampton is seen at the time the state grants were announced last year.

NORTHAMPTON – With unemployment figures telling a sad story almost everywhere else, Gov. Deval L. Patrick took the occasion to celebrate the creation of 100 new jobs Friday at the city’s Coca-Cola plant.

Patrick was among a chorus line of officials who cut the ribbon officially unveiling a $50 million expansion that has enabled the facility to produce and bottle a variety of cold-fill products and hire 100 people to do that work. When the plant began vying for the expansion several years ago, its goal was to create 40 jobs and invest $39.4 million in the project. It more than doubled both figures.

“It’s the new jobs that’s the reason I’m here,” Patrick told a crowd of employees and media. “We have to care about creating opportunity.”

According to Coca-Cola officials, the Northampton facility was able to win the cold-fill operation despite tough regional competition from other Coke plants because of the support of state and local government. A $1.25 million state grant helped pay for the necessary improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment plant to handle the effluent from the plant. The Patrick Administration also awarded a $774,360 investment tax credit, and the city chipped in by giving Coke a Tax Increment Financing designation that saved additional taxes on the expansion.

“The environment and the partnership with the local government and the state government made it easy for us to apply,” said Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Troy Ellis.

Among the new products being made and shipped at the site in Northampton’s Industrial Park is Honest Tea, a line of organic teas that has grown by 40 percent over the past year. Company founder Seth Goldman said he was hard-pressed to make 15,000 bottles a day before joining Coke. Now the Northampton facility turns out 360,000 bottles of Honest Tea a day, enough to supply consumers all the way to the Rocky Mountains.

“These jobs are not going to be shipped overseas,” Goldman said. “They’re here to stay.”

Patrick and State Rep. Peter V. Kocot learned Friday that they have something in common besides being Democrats: Both have worked for Coke.

“I can’t tell you how many cases of Coke I’ve stacked,” Kocot told the crowd, saying he worked at a former Coke facility on King Street. Patrick said he worked for Coke at its headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 241 points to close at to 10,913.38.

Associated Press photoBerkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett celebrates during opening bell ceremonies at the New York Stock Exchange Friday. Bank of America Corp lost 3.6 percent after Buffett told Bloomberg Television that the bank’s problems will take longer than a year to clean up.

NEW YORK – The worst quarter for the stock market since the financial crisis ended on another down note.

Stocks fell broadly Friday on fresh signs that Europe’s debt problems and the U.S. economy continue to languish. Makers of raw materials, industrial companies and banks – which would have the most to lose if the economy turns sour – had the biggest losses.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 240.60 points, or 2.2 percent, to 10,913.38. Hewlett-Packard Co. fell the most of the 30 stocks in the average, 5.6 percent. Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. was close behind with a 4.9 percent decline. JPMorgan Chase & Co. fell 4.1 percent.

The broader S&P 500 index shed 28.98, or 2.5 percent, to 1,131.42. All 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index fell.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 65.36, or 2.6 percent, to 2,415.40.

Markets have been wracked this summer by growing fears about a possible default by Greece and the increasing likelihood of a global recession. Uneven economic data have touched off sudden bouts of buying and selling. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq each lost more than 12 percent this quarter, the first time that’s happened since the financial crisis crested at the end of 2008.

The S&P 500, the benchmark for most U.S. stock mutual funds, has lost 14.3 percent since July 1, the start of the third quarter. That’s the biggest quarterly drop since the three months ended Dec. 31, 2008, when global financial markets seized up. Excluding that period, the S&P has not dropped that much in a quarter for nine years. The Dow dropped 1,500.96 points, or 12.1 percent, over the same time frame.

“The market has really seen some damage this quarter,” said Mike Hurley, portfolio manager of Highland Trend Following Fund.

The weakness appears to be the start of a longer decline, Hurley said, because bonds are increasing in value and interest rates are low. Traders also are selling commodities such as oil, which would lose value in an economic downturn.

“Lower interest rates and commodity prices are definitely an indication that the market thinks economic activity is going to be weak,” Hurley said.

Stocks in France, England and Germany fell on the latest signs of discord among European leaders. Germany and France proposed managing the region’s shared currency through meetings of national leaders, rather than by centralized institutions. The head of the European Commission balked at the proposal.

Persistent squabbling over financial policy has been a major obstacle to achieving a lasting solution to Europe’s debt crisis. France and Germany, the currency union’s strongest economies, want countries to coordinate their spending and borrowing more closely. Other countries see that as a threat to their sovereignty.

Many European leaders and traders believe Greece will default in the coming weeks or months. Greece’s lenders and neighbors are preparing as best they can to prevent that from causing a worldwide financial panic.

As a result, traders have reacted strongly to news and rumors out of Europe about how the crisis is being addressed. Markets gyrated wildly this summer in some of the most volatile trading on record. The Dow Jones industrial average swung more than 100 points in more than half of the trading days this quarter.

Traders also have made big moves in response to U.S. economic data, which has mostly suggested a slowdown. A recession in the U.S. looks increasingly likely, mainly because of Europe’s struggles and signs of weakness in developing countries like China that have been driving global economic growth.

The government said Friday U.S. consumers spent slightly more in August, but earned less for the first time in nearly two years. That suggests that people are tapping their savings to pay for costlier gasoline and to offset lost wages. The savings rate fell to its lowest level since late 2009.

Micron Technology Inc. plunged 14 percent, the most of any company in the S&P 500 index, after the chipmaker disappointed investors with a quarterly loss. Analysts had expected a profit. Sales were hurt as the company transitions to selling a newer array of memory chips.

Ingersoll-Rand dove 13 percent after cutting its profit forecast for the third and fourth quarters. The machinery maker said North American sales of climate-control and security products have been weaker than expected.

Bank of America Corp. lost 3.6 percent after Warren Buffett told Bloomberg Television that the bank’s problems will take longer than a year to clean up.

Four stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was above average at 4.7 billion shares.

The allegations included billing the state for care provided to dead patients, kickback schemes for unnecessary drug tests and claiming nursing home residents needed help walking and eating when they were able to do both on their own.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 11:33 this morning.

Photo by Art Illman / Metro West Daily NewsSharon Richardson, of Adlife Healthcare, sits in Framingham District Court Friday during her arraignment on charges of Medicaid fraud. Richardson is one of 10 individuals and three companies linked to a series of Medicaid fraud schemes that investigators allege cheated taxpayers out of nearly $10 million. Her company has an office on Union Street in West Springfield.

BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Martha M. Coakley announced indictments Friday against 10 people linked to a series of Medicaid fraud schemes that investigators say cheated taxpayers out of nearly $10 million.

The allegations included billing the state for care provided to dead patients, kickback schemes for unnecessary drug tests and claiming nursing home residents needed help walking and eating when they were able to do both on their own. In each case, investigators said the goal was to bilk MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program.

A total of 118 criminal indictments against 10 individuals have been handed down in the four cases.

Coakley said the indictments were returned Thursday by three grand juries including a special statewide grand jury and are the result of four major criminal investigations by the state Medicaid Fraud unit.

Coakley said the kind of fraud alleged in the indictments ultimately forces up health care costs for everyone in Massachusetts.

“It’s like when people are shoplifting in a store, it’s passed onto consumers,” Coakley said Friday. “They might as well be walking over to MassHealth and taking money out of the state treasury.”

The cases involved four private health care providers: Adlife Healthcare; Preventative Medicine Associates; Mitchell Counseling Services; and Wetterberg Nursing Homes, which ran the Pond View Nursing Facility in Boston.

In the case of Adlife, investigators allege that owner Sharon Richardson, 55, of Framingham and two employees billed MassHealth for approximately $5.5 million in services that were not provided.

Adlife is a group adult foster care provider for MassHealth with locations in Framingham, West Springfield, Boston and Hyannis.

Investigators’ allege Adlife billed MassHealth for treating deceased individuals and individuals who never received services. Richardson is also accused of falsifying records submitted to MassHealth and working with two employees to destroy internal records to cover up the fraud.

Richardson was arrested Thursday. Her lawyer, Michael Stromsnes, declined comment.

The second set of indictments focus on a Brookline doctor, Punyamurtula Kishore, 61, and his company Preventative Medicine Associates, Inc., with 29 locations statewide.

Investigators said Kishore and three others orchestrated an elaborate drug screening kickback scheme and fraudulently billed MassHealth for nearly $3.8 million.

Coakley’s office said Kishore used bribes to induce various so-called “sober homes” to send patients to his laboratories to perform unnecessary urine drug screens – as many as three a week – that were later billed to Medicaid. Investigators said drug screens are generally billed at between $100 and $200 each and Kishore billed MassHealth for tens of thousands of the tests.

Three managers or owners of the “sober homes” – New Horizon House in Boston, Marshall House in Malden and Gianna’s House, which operates homes in Wareham, New Bedford and Sandwich – were also indicted.

Kishore was arraigned Wednesday in Malden District Court and later released after surrendering his passport.

Kishore’s attorney said Kishore is “an extremely well-regarded member of the community” who denies the allegations.

The third alleged scheme defrauded MassHealth of $160,000 and involved David Benson, 48 of New Bedford and his company Mitchell Counseling Services.

Investigators said Benson, an independent clinical social worker, routinely billed for treatment that exceeded services provided to six patients. Coakley’s office said Benson billed as if his patients were in need of acute care multiple times a week when they were being provided minimal care or no care at all.

A call to Mitchell Counseling Services wasn’t answered Friday.

The final investigation resulted in an indictment against Carolyn Wetterberg, 70, of Weymouth for allegedly billing MassHealth more than $600,000 for services not provided.

Wetterberg was part owner and sole manager of Wetterberg Nursing Homes, Inc., which ran the Pond View Nursing Facility in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. The 43-bed long term care facility was shut down by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in June for poor quality of care.

Coakley’s office said Wetterberg defrauded MassHealth by deliberately overstating the level of disabilities of those who lived in the facility, allowing her to bill for more than their care required.

Investigators said in some cases patients she claimed needed help walking were walking independently and those she claimed needed help eating were eating on their own.

A man who answered the phone at Wetterberg’s home said she wasn’t available for comment.

In two separate arrests, police charged David Correa and Ruben Lopez and then Carlos Rodriguez and Janet Otero with drug offenses.

Springfield police photoFrom left, top row, David Correa, Ruben Lopez. Bottom row, Carlos Rodriguez, Janet Otero

SPRINGFIELD – City police arrested four people Thursday in two separate raids of drug operations in the Memorial Square and Liberty Heights neighborhoods less than four hours apart.

In each instance, officers of the police Narcotics Division obtained district court search warrants following investigations that were triggered by complaints from neighborhood residents about open dealing and heavy traffic from customers, said Sgt. John Delaney, spokesman for Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Arrested in a 6:10 p.m. raid at 468 Liberty St., near Gurdon Bill Park, were resident David Correa, 23 and Ruben Lopez, 23, of 116 Newland St.

Each was charged possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, two counts of distribution of marijuana and violation of a drug-free school zone.

During the raid, police seized several bags of marijuana packaged for street sales, and $774 in cash, Delaney said.

Before police moved in to serve the warrant, they watched two customers approach the house and buy drugs. Each customer was later stopped and issued a civil citation for marijuana possession of less than ounce, he said.

Arrested earlier in the 2:30 p.m. raid at 187 Massasoit Street were residents Carlos Rodriguez, 43, and Janet Otero.

Each was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, violation of a drug-free school zone and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.

Police found 53 individually wrapped bags of heroin, $2,780 in cash, and assorted drug paraphernalia, Delaney said. Police also found ammunition but no firearms.

The four were expected to be arraigned Friday in Springfield District Court but arraignment information was not available.

Those gathered at the Wilbraham Funeral Home were from motorcycle groups which included Hell's Angels, the Phantom Lords and the Whip City Riders.

Nathan T. Stebbins

WILBRAHAM – More than 200 motorcyclists converged at the Wilbraham Funeral Home Friday afternoon to give Hell's Angels member Nathan T. Stebbins his “last ride.”

Some people in the crowd put the number of motorcyclists at more than 400, but police estimated the number was closer to 200. Police said the motorcycle ride was orderly.

The motorcyclists traveled to Palmer and back along Route 20 to honor one of their own, Nathan T. Stebbins, 25, of West Avenue in Ludlow, who died Sept. 22 as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Fairfield, Conn.

Those gathered at the Wilbraham Funeral Home were from motorcycle groups which included Hell’s Angels, the Phantom Lords and the Whip City Riders.

“There are people here from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Long Island and Italy,” said a woman who said she is from Westfield, but who declined to give her name.

She said she met Stebbins because her husband is a member of the Whip City Riders.

“Hell’s Angels is a good organization,” she said. “They do a lot of things for children. They hold collections for Toys for Tots.”

She added that Stebbins was devoted to his young daughter.

Stebbins leaves his mother, Doris Neal-Bump, and step-father, Carl Bump, of Ludlow; his father, Thomas Stebbins of Huntington; his fiancee, Pamela Graf, and his 2-year-old daughter, Billie Lee Stebbins, both of Ludlow.

He also leaves his siblings, Vincent and Alonzo Caputo of Ludlow, Amber Hoague of Agawam and Emily Maxwell of Franklin.

Stebbins is a 2004 graduate of Gateway Regional High School. He worked as a construction laborer and carpenter for various firms in the area. He was a member of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, CT Nomads.

"We can't make the building code change, but we can help you get through it," Mayor Michael Tautznik said.

The Republican | David MolnarEasthampton Mayor Michael Tautznik speaks during a candidate's forum at the Municipal Building on Thursday night.

EASTHAMPTON – "Things are rosy here in Easthampton. They're not perfect ... but things are happening here."

So began Mayor Michael A. Tautznik's contribution to a candidate's forum held Thursday night by the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce. Tautznik, 58, challenger Donald C. Emerson, 64, and all City Council candidates discussed their ideas for bringing economic development to the city.

Tautznik acknowledged what many council candidates had said throughout the evening: Government sometimes stifles business growth.

"We can't wave a magic wand and make the health codes go away," he said. "We can't make the building code change, but we can help you get through it."

He credited the City Council for being "wonderfully responsive" to entrepreneurial needs and pointed to renewable energy initiatives the city's undertaken in recent months to save money.

Emerson, a 41-year police veteran and former captain, said too many people are driven away from the city. On a given day, he said, 800 cars climb Mount Tom as commuters head to jobs in Holyoke and beyond.

Emerson said he would spend plenty of time and resources trying to acquire grants to "revitalize downtown."

Tautznik said the city needs to "create a destination" and he contends he's the man for that job. A boardwalk is planned around Nashawannuck Pond that he says will bring people to downtown, and a 2012 Bear Fest, a citywide art installation, is in the works.

The fact that the Municipal Building is closed on Fridays keeps people from participating in government, paying their bills and applying for permits, Emerson said. He said he wants Easthampton to be "a full-time city."

Vying for the four at-large City Council seats are President Joseph P. McCoy; incumbent Donald L. Cykowski; Planning Board member Chester A. Ogulewicz, Jr.; and Nathaniel P. Ziegler, the director of special education for Northampton Public Schools.

Precinct 1 Councilor Daniel C. Hagan, Precinct 2 Councilor Justin P. Cobb, Precinct 3 Councilor Joy E. Winnie, Precinct 4 Councilor Salem Derby and Precinct 5 Councilor Daniel D. Rist are all running unopposed.

Ogulewicz said the city needs to generate revenue through "responsible development" and draw in more "job creators." Cykowski proposed adding municipal parking lots to shopping districts.

McCoy admitted, "We can do better. But we'll get there." He said the city needs to think like a business and "strive for optimal customer service."

Cobb has advocated simplifying the special permitting process. Ziegler and Rist said the city needs to be more transparent and communicative with the business community.

The election is Nov. 8.

David Lavau's children took matters into their own hands after a detective told them his last cellphone signal came from a rugged section of the Angeles National Forest.

Associated PressTwo cars at the bottom of a remote mountain are recovered in Castaic, Calif., Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 . David Lavau, whose car had plunged 200 feet off a remote mountain road, was found yesterday by his three adult children, who had enlisted the help of a missing persons detective. Lavau suffered multiple rib fractures, a broken arm and multiple fractures in his back. While he was being rescued, another vehicle was found nearby, its driver dead. Authorities don't know if that vehicle was involved in a collision with Lavau's car, or if it was a separate accident. (Photo/Gus Ruelas)

By JOHN ROGERS

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — David Lavau's children drove slowly along the perilously curved mountain road, stopping to peer over the treacherous drop-offs and call out for their father, missing for six days.

Then, finally, a faint cry: "Help, help."

Close to a week after his car plunged 200 feet into a ravine, Lavau, 68, was rescued Thursday by his three adult children, who took matters into their own hands after a detective told them his last cellphone signal came from a rugged section of the Angeles National Forest.

As he lay injured in the woods next to his wrecked car, he survived by eating bugs and leaves and drinking creek water, a doctor said.

One of the first things he requested after his rescue: a chocolate malt, his daughter Chardonnay Lavau said on NBC's "Today" show.

Lavau was in serious but stable condition Friday at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital with three rib fractures, a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and fractures in his back, said emergency room physician Dr. Garrett Sutter. He was expected to be released in three to four days after surgery on his shoulder.

Dr. Ranbir Singh, the hospital's trauma director, said Lavau told him he was driving home about 7 p.m. when he was temporarily blinded by the headlights of an oncoming car. He braked, but failed to gain traction. The car flipped and plunged down the embankment.

Lavau said he was unsure if he collided with the car. However, a second car containing a male body was found next to Lavau's vehicle.

That car, a Toyota Camry, was identified as belonging to 88-year-old Melvin Gelfand, whose family had reported him missing on Sept. 14, said Los Angeles police Detective Marla Ciuffetelli of the missing persons unit.

The body found in the car could not be visually identified due to decomposition, but Gelfand's son-in-law Will Matlack said the family had been contacted by the coroner's office, which was trying to match fingerprints or dental records to make a positive identification.

"The coroner said it's 99 percent a sure thing," Matlack said.

Lavau spent the night in his wrecked car and crawled out in daylight. He found a stream nearby and ate ants, the doctor said. He also found a flare in the other car and tried to light it, but it was expired. He also couldn't find his cellphone.

Lavau could hear cars and see their lights on the road above and was hopeful he'd be discovered, but as time passed, he grew more uncertain.

"He mentally said goodbye to his family. He wasn't sure anyone would be able to find him," Singh said.

His children told "Today" that after realizing he was missing, they contacted a Los Angeles County sheriff's detective, who was able to narrow Lavau's whereabouts through his most recent cellphone use, text messages and debit card purchases, to the sparsely populated area, about 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

The children then organized themselves into a search party.

"We stopped at every ravine and looked over every hill, and then my brother got out of the car and we kept screaming, and the next thing we heard Dad saying, 'Help, help,' and there he was," Lisa Lavau said.

Sean Lavau slid down the embankment to reach his father, who was airlifted to the hospital while firefighters helped his children get back up the ravine.

Lisa Lavau told KABC-TV that while her father was stranded, he used the other driver's eyeglasses so that he could see.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident, trying to establish what happened.

Lavau is expected to make a full recovery and was reported in good spirits. "He was very desirous of a lobster taco," Sutter said.

Matlack said the Gelfand family is grateful to the Lavaus for their search, calling it "a brave and spunky thing to do."

Gelfand simply disappeared, leaving no clues. How he ended up 50 miles north of Los Angeles in his own car remains a mystery, his son-in-law said.

"He didn't show any signs of dementia," Matlack said. "This is the part of the question we'll never know the answer to."

Matlack called on authorities to look at the dangerous stretch of road that claimed his father-in-law's life and endangered another. "How many cars have to go over the edge of that road before somebody has to do anything about it?" he asked.

Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer and Christina Hoag contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

Christie has long said he won't run in 2012, but those close to the first-term governor say he is rethinking his hard stance.

Associated PressNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

By BETH DeFALCO

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is reconsidering his decision to stay out of the race for the White House in 2012 and is expected to make a decision soon, according to several people close to the governor with knowledge of his thinking.

Christie has long said he won't run in 2012. But those close to the first-term governor, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, say he is rethinking his hard stance.

A decision will have to come fast. Filing deadlines in primary states are weeks away.

Calls have been intensifying from top GOP donors and party elders for Christie to jump into the race. President Barack Obama's weak approval ratings and a Republican field that has been struggling to put forward a clear front-runner are also creating an opening for Christie.

Christie may think twice about moving forward, however. GOP latecomers have jumped in to see a big initial splash, only to tread water.

Michele Bachmann leapfrogged ahead of Mitt Romney only to be pushed back when Texas Gov. Rick Perry joined the field in August after months of insisting he had no interest. But after two shaky performances at debates, Perry now, too, seems vulnerable to getting picked off.

Unlike Perry, Christie is most at home behind a podium and seems to relish debate — most often with the press corps.

New Jersey's pugnacious governor has been asked about his presidential aspirations practically since taking the oath of office in January 2010. But until this week, he has swatted down the idea repeatedly, consistently and colorfully.

He said he wouldn't run because he wasn't ready, because his wife wouldn't let him and because "I'm not crazy, that's why." A more famous reply came about a year ago when he said that "short of suicide" he wasn't sure what he could say to convince people that he's not running.

But after a whirlwind week campaigning and fundraising in Missouri, Louisiana and California, which included a speech on Tuesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in which the characteristically blunt Christie repeatedly criticized Obama, he started to dial back his denials — he stopped saying he wasn't ready to be president and started referring reporters to previous statements.

When asked about running, Christie urged a capacity audience gathered at the Reagan Library to look at the website Politico, which had pieced together a long string of video clips of him saying he's not a candidate for the White House.

"Those are the answers," he told the crowd.

Christie later said he was flattered by suggestions that he should run in 2012, but added, "that reason has to reside inside me."

"And so, my answer to you is just this: I thank you for what you are saying, and I take it in and I'm listening to every word of it and feeling it to," he added.

Later in the week, he dialed up his criticism of the president.

"If you're looking for leadership in America you're not going to find it in the Oval Office," Christie said at a rally in Louisiana before a fundraiser.

Before the speech at the Reagan library, Christie's brother Todd told The Star-Ledger of Newark that there was no change in Christie's decision to run.

"I'm sure that he's not going to run," Todd Christie said. "If he's lying to me, I'll be as stunned as I've ever been in my life."

But after the speech, Christie's inner circle clamped down and Christie didn't make any other public comments about it.

A large part of Christie's hesitation to run has been his family. He has four children, ages 18 to 8. At a Sept. 22 event with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was also courted but said no to a 2012 bid, Christie said it just wasn't the right time for him.

"It got to be something that you and your family really believes is not only the right thing to do, but I think what you must do at that time in your life both for you and for your country," Christie, 49, said. "And for me, the answer to that is that it isn't."

But he and his wife have been reassured recently that White House life isn't that bad. Months ago former first lady Barbara Bush made a call to Christie's wife, Mary Pat, to encourage her to think about a presidential campaign and Nancy Reagan also encouraged Christie when they sat together at the library.

The weeklong trip was a clear success for him, advisers said. It was also long planned. Nancy Reagan sent out an invitation for him to speak at the library this winter, and Christie made a similar fundraising trip last year around election season.

Christie's longtime friend, former law partner and adviser Bill Palatucci traveled to California with the governor and said there was no doubt it was inspiring.

"Many, many well-wishers who know the governor's record and are congratulating him on his record in office," Palatucci said after their stops in St. Louis. "Everyone from hotel staff, airport workers and those who attend the events responding that they know him and like his message."

The project has four separate components and the state fast-tracked the first three in order to get the roadway reopened by mid-December.

View full sizeMassachusetts Department of TransportationA section of Route 2 between Florida and Charlemont shows damage from Tropical Storm Irene in this Massachusetts Department of Transportation photo taken in mid-September.

This is an update of a story that was originally posted at 12:31 p.m. Friday

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 Tropical Storm Irene, which dropped more than 10 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 the hilltowns of Hampshire and Hampden counties.

State Department of Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey annnounced the fast-tracked project Friday afternoon in a meeting with state and local officials on the westerly section of Route 2 in Florida.

Construction starts Monday.

Joanne McTeague of the Charlemont Inn on Route 2 in Charlemont said she was pleased to hear the state is putting Route 2 on a fast track because the region certainly needs it. “We thought it would take a couple of years,” she said. “Seventy-five days is not too bad. It would be nice if it was done sooner.”

It would be nice if the road were somehow made passable in time for the peak of fall foliage season, which is rapidly approaching, she said.

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 required 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 road closures, Davey said.

McTeague said the Charlemont Inn is on a section of Route 2 that remains open and accessible. The worst part of the road is five miles to the west, she said.

They are still receiving calls from people to ask if they can make reservations, but the daily drive-by traffic is pretty much dried up, she said.

West to east traffic from North Adams has been washed out with the roads, she said. The inn remains quite accessible for anyone approaching from Interstate 91, she said.

The only trouble is that the traffic notification signs on I-91 all say Route 2 is closed.

“The road is closed at Savoy. Well, no one knows where that is,” she said. They just assume the entire road is gone.

“People continue to call us and ask ‘Can we get there?’ They are assuming they can’t,” she said. “We’re here; we’re open.”
Republican reporter Patrick Johnson contributed to this report.

Mass DOT map of RT. 2 damage and recommended alternate route

View Irene Closures in a larger map

There have been no reports of anyone associated with the hospital coming down with symptoms connected to listeria.

Baystate Medical Center is advising people of possible exposure to listeria through lettuce served at the hospital. A lettuce farm in California is conducting a voluntary recall of lettuce.

SPRINGFIELD - Baystate Medical Center announced last night it is advising patients, visitors and employees that the Springfield facility served romaine lettuce that originated at a California farm that initiated a voluntary recall this week due to possible listeria contamination.

Hospital spokesman Benjamin Craft said in a release Friday night that the hospital, upon learning of the recall notice, removed and destroyed all potentially contaminated produce from its cafeterias and kitchens. The move, he said, eliminates the chance of any potential additional exposures.

There have been no reports of anyone associated with the hospital coming down with symptoms connected to listeria.

The produce in question was served at the hospital between September 19 and Thursday when the recall was announced, Craft said.

True Leaf Farms of Salinas announced the recall of 90 cartons that were shipped to an Oregon food service distributor. From the distributor, it might have gone to at least two other states, Washington and Idaho.

The Food and Drug Administration notified the company that a sample from one bag taken as part of a random check tested positive for listeria.

Federal health officials say they’ve gotten better at detecting the germs that cause food poisoning, so they are seeing them in produce more often.

The recall covers product with a use by date of Sept. 29. The bag and box code is B256-46438-8.

California health officials are looking into the contamination, said Ken August, spokesman for the California Department of Public Health, but have not yet determined how the lettuce became contaminated.

“Anytime there is a contaminated food product, we are concerned and take steps so that it’s removed from shelves as quickly as possible and to notify consumers,” he said.

Listeria rarely shows up in produce, but an outbreak linked to cantaloupe from a Colorado farm has caused at least 72 illnesses, including up to 16 deaths, in 18 states.

August said the state is working with the company to verify the distribution of the produce being recalled. Most of the lettuce was sold to California institutions such as restaurants and cafeterias, he said, and only a small amount went to retail in other states, August said.

Symptoms of listeria infection in healthy people appear to be minor and require no medical treatment. The most common symptom is diarrhea.

There is a higher risk among the elderly, newborns, pregnant women and people with
weakened immune systems from chemotherapy, organ transplants or HIV/AIDS. In those cases, listeria can cause a more serious infection of the bloodstream.

The incubation period is from one day to three weeks.

People who develop symptoms or suspect they could have been exposed should contact a doctor.
Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.

Traffic was gridlocked inside the main parking area for more than 90 minutes as the flood of people tried to leave at the same time.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - West Springfield police are contending with a major traffic jam at the Big E, which officials say is the result of a mass of fairgoers trying to leave at the same time after a sudden rain storm swept through the region Friday night.

The storm, which produced lightning and heavy rain, also brought an early end to a free concert by Cheap Trick. The band played for about 30 minutes, then took a break as the weather worsened. Big E spokeswoman Catherine Pappas said the band decided it was potentially too dangerous to resume the show.

Traffic was gridlocked inside the main parking area for more than 90 minutes as the flood of people tried to leave at the same time.

One caller to the Republican said she has been stuck in the parking lot since 9 p.m. and been unable to move. She said she could see police cars and ambulances with their lights working and wondered if there was an accident.

West Springfield police and Pappas each reported no accidents. Pappas said the flashing lights were probably the police trying to get into position to direct traffic.

West Springfield police said they were working to get traffic moving again.

"We're doing the best we can," the dispatcher said.

Pappas said the traffic jam was heavier than normal and due to everyone trying to leave at the same time because of the storm

"People have been hear all day, it starts to rain, and they pack up and leave," she said.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of showers throughout the day on Saturday for the Springfield area.

The unit is perhaps best known for helping to hold off the Chinese offensive at Chosin, buying time for an epic, 70-mile retreat by United Nations troops.

View full sizestaff photo by John SuchockiMembers of the First Marine Division’s Reconnaissance Company held a reunion this week at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. First row from left, William Kreilick, Edwin Tisdale, James Sauser, Rick Reed, Howard Davenport, Laurie Bastarache and Bernard Beriau; second row from left, Glenn Kasdorf, William Giguere, Vincent Iacopino, Maury Starr, Carlo J. Marchetti and Don Cropper. 

SPRINGFIELD – Six decades later, they can almost laugh about it.

After dozens of night patrols searching for North Korean troop locations, the First Marine Division’s Reconnaissance Company had no trouble finding the enemy on Nov. 27, 1950 – the night that 100,000 Chinese troops began attacking from all directions around the Chosin Reservoir.

“They can’t get away from us now; we know where they are – they’re all around us,” said Carlo J. Marchetti, 80, former Springfield resident and U.S. Marine Corps veteran recalling an officer’s remark at the start of the 17-day battle.

“Yeah, we said, ‘Anywhere we shoot, we’ll be shooting at them’,” added Glenn Kasdorf, 81, of Milwaukee.

The unit – perhaps best known for helping to hold off the Chinese offensive at Chosin, buying time for an epic, 70-mile retreat by United Nations troops – reassembled in Springfield this week for its annual reunion.

Since 1986, the unit’s surviving members have come from across the country to rekindle friendships that began 6,000 miles away and endured combat, frostbite and the passage of time.

Sixteen Marine veterans, their wives and widows of unit members gathered at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel for the event, which featured a tour of the Smith & Wesson plant on Friday and a banquet Saturday night.

Kasdorf, a retired Milwaukee police officer, received a Purple Heart at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, along with frostbite on his toes, feet and lower legs.

Besides being vastly outnumbered by the Chinese troops, the Marines had to contend with temperatures that dropped to 30-below zero, leaving the ground too frozen for foxholes.

With thousands of United Nations troops retreating down a single, narrow dirt road, the Marines held off the pursuing Chinese, inflicting heavy casualties every mile of the retreat.

staff photo by John SuchockiRick Reed, left, of Washington, D.C., Carlo J. Marchetti, center, of Sarasota, Fla., and Glenn Kasdorf, of Penaulee, Wis., look over photos Friday during a reunion of the First Marine Division’s Reconnaissance Company at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel.

By Dec. 13, more than 1,000 U.S. troops had been killed, another 9,000 were wounded or missing, and 7,300 suffered frostbite or other injuries.

Kasdorf, firing a Browning Automatic Machine Gun, fought off three Chinese soldiers who got close enough to grab his gun barrel, only to be wounded moments later by a percussion grenade.

Later, a doctor treating his frostbitten toes said the Marine came very close to getting his feet amputated.

“People ask me why I still live in Wisconsin, and not in Florida or Arizona,” Kasdorf said. “But it’s my home.”

Even when the temperature plunges in Milwaukee on winter nights, Kasdorf said, “It’s just nothing like it was over there.”

Marchetti, the longtime executive director of Springfield Central Inc. now living in Sarasota, Fla., joined the unit in 1953 during the stalemate that led to cease fire.

“I don’t miss the winter,” Marchetti said, referring to the climates of Korea and Western Mass. “I don’t miss it at all.”

Along with other unit members, Marchetti has attended reunions from Tallahassee, N.C., to Washington, D.C. Thanks to unit member G. Richard Reed, the group was given a tour of the White House in 2002.

“They said we were one of the first groups to be allowed in there after 9/11,” said Reed, who attended Penn State after the war, then worked as a computer analyst for the Department of Defense.

Like the other Marines, Reed and Marchetti downplayed the obvious dangers of reconnaissance work, and offered casual, matter of fact accounts of their wartime exploits.

If Korea War has largely faded from public memory, the Marines still recall it right down to the sparks emitted by the potbelly stoves they huddled around for moments of fleeting warmth.

“You’d get more body heat from the other soldiers than you’d get from that stove,” Reed said.

In a poor economy, fairgoers appear to value their Big E experience, fair president Wayne McCary said.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – With the Big E poised to enter its last weekend of 2011, president Wayne McCary said he expected the fair to pass the one million visitors mark on Saturday.

The weather during this year’s Eastern States Exposition has been spotty, so this year is not likely to be a record attendance year, McCary said.

Friday had very high attendance, and McCary was optimistic that fairgoers would turn out throughout this weekend.

In a poor economy, fairgoers appear to value their Big E experience, McCary said. “We have something for every age group. Some people come just for the food.”

He said the 17-day fair is the eighth-largest fair in North America and the biggest fair east of the Mississippi.

Noreen Tassinari, marketing director for the Big E, said that visitors to the Big E from outside the area have a $225 million impact on the local economy every year.

During the 17-day fair, the Big E employs 1,000 people, Tassinari said. Throughout the year, there are 30 full-time employees.

At the Sept. 23 horse show at the Big E Coliseum, the show stopper was a horse called “Exhilarating” ridden by Marjorie Kenney, of Millis.

Admiring gasps could be heard when the Hackney pony entered the show ring.

“Exhilarating,” one of a breed which originated in Norfolk, England, and was imported to Philadelphia, pulls a four-wheeled carriage known as a viceroy.

There were only two Hackney ponies entered in the competition, “Exhilarating” and “Totally Excellent” ridden by Nathan Roden, of Middletown, Conn.

“Exhilarating” took first place and “Totally Excellent” took second place.

For this year’s Big E, a new $2.2 million covered warm-up arena opened. It is attached to C-Barn, the main horse barn utilized by the Eastern States Exposition Horse Show held during the Big E.

The Sept. 23 horse show was held amidst pouring rain. Without the warm-up arena, riders and horses would either have had to forego their warm-ups or warm up and practice in the ring prior to the competition.

“It’s really important to loosen up prior to a competition,” said Cassie Hutson, instructor of Winter Bruggeworth, 13, of Mays Landing, N.J., who was showing the Saddlebred, “Princess Diana” in a 13 and under competition.

Others said that without the new warm-up arena showing a horse Sept. 23 would have been wet and miserable.

Winter, who said she has been riding horses since she was 3, said she likes the excitement and challenge of showing horses.

The Sept. 23 horse show was dedicated to the horse, “Sparkles,” which was the practice horse of Winter Bruggeworth and which contracted colic and died the night before the show.

“If a horse gets colic a second time, there is nothing you can do,” Hutson said.

The new 66-foot by 170-foot practice arena is attached to the 5,500-seat Coliseum by a covered walkway. The project was funded by the Eastern States Exposition and completed prior to the Big E.

Completion of the arena means that for the first time, competitors can practice and enter and exit the Coliseum totally under cover.

The exposition hosts a dozen horse shows a year, and organizers estimated that each of those shows pumps nearly $1 million into the Western Massachusetts economy in spending on food, lodging, feed and equipment.

The Draft Horse Show is Saturday and Sunday at the Big E.

Police said the pop star, who scored some big hits in the late 1980s and early 90's, owes around $420,000 in child-support arrears to an Agawam woman.

Stevie B's MySpace pageSteven Bernard Hill, better known by his stage name "Stevie B," was arrested during a performance in Springfield early Saturday for allegedly owing around $420,000 in unpaid child support to an Agawam woman.

SPRINGFIELD - Stevie B, one of the featured acts at a Friday night concert at the MassMutual Center, ended up behind bars early Saturday after he was arrested for owing $420,000 in unpaid child support to an Agawam woman, authorities said.

After singing "Dream Girl" and many of his hits from the late 1980s and early '90s, Stevie B -- also known as Steven Bernard Hill, 53, of Las Vegas -- was hauled off the stage and handcuffed by law enforcement officers.

Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said Hill was cooperative but surprised by the arrest, expressing concern that he might miss a weekend gig in Providence, R.I.

A spokesman at the Springfield state police barracks had no information about Hill's arrest, but Springfield Police Lt. James Rosso confirmed that Hill was taken into custody during the show.

"It was a state police arrest; it wasn't our arrest. (But) we had officers down there just in case," Rosso said.

Authorities said the mother who's owed child-support payments lives in Feeding Hills. Additional details were unavailable, including how far back the debt stretches.

Hill is scheduled to be arraigned in Springfield District Court on Monday.

The dance music star was at the downtown Springfield arena as part of the "Freestyle 2011 -- Strictly Rush Tour: Stevie B, Expose and Lisa Lisa."

A native of south Florida, Hill is perhaps best known for his hit, "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in December 1990.

Republican voters in early presidential voting states like Iowa are increasingly looking past imperfections in a candidate's conservative record in exchange for someone who appeals to the broader electorate — and might have a better chance of beating President Barack Obama.

AP File PhotoFormer Massachusetts Gov. W. Mitt Romney, left, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry stand together before a Republican presidential candidate debate last month at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

THOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican voters in early presidential voting states like Iowa are increasingly looking past imperfections in a candidate's conservative record in exchange for someone who appeals to the broader electorate — and might have a better chance of beating President Barack Obama.

It's a potentially beneficial development for Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who lead in national polls despite records that break with conservative orthodoxy in some areas. And it spells trouble for rivals like Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and others who have rock-solid conservative credentials but have struggled to break through and seemingly have a narrower base of support.

At least in Iowa and New Hampshire, some Republicans are shifting toward Romney and Perry — at the others' expense.

"If we keep focusing on immigration and gay marriage, we're going to lose," said Kathy Potts, an Iowa Republican who had been a key volunteer for Santorum until switching to Perry in September. "He may not be perfect. But he can win. That's the most important thing."

In New Hampshire, Scott Hilliard was leaning toward supporting former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has claimed he's the most electable but is struggling in polls. But now Hilliard says the times are tailored for Romney, a former CEO with decades of business experience.

"I don't agree with all of his positions on issues. But I really think our country is in dire need, and you can't solve any crisis until you have an understanding of it, and he understands it," said Hilliard.

Less than four months before Republicans start the series of nominating contests, the party's primary race has become a two-man affair with Republican voters moving toward someone who can beat Obama, who has a vastly different view of how to fix the economy than Republicans.

The 2012 race began taking shape amid a drumbeat of bad economic news: No net jobs were created in August, the government's long-term debt rating received a downgrade and the economy grew over the first half of 2011 at the weakest pace since the recession ended two years ago. Obama's answer is a jobs bill that includes $447 billion in new spending and higher taxes for wealthy Americans, the opposite of the spending and tax cuts Republicans favor.

Romney, who led in national GOP polls until Perry got in the race in August, is arguing that he's the strongest candidate to beat Obama because of his business background. He's hoping Republicans latch onto that message and put aside their doubts about his authenticity, reversals on some cultural issues, anger over the health care law he signed in Massachusetts that mandated coverage and skepticism about his Mormon faith.

Perry is laying claim to being the most electable by pointing to job growth in Texas on his watch. He's working to persuade voters to look beyond the bill he signed in Texas to allow undocumented immigrant children pay in-state tuition at Texas universities if they meet certain requirement, as well as his proposal to require sixth-grade girls in Texas to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cancer.

Voters are turning toward them both.

Bruce Keeney of Iowa was supporting Bachmann, but is now backing Perry, primarily because of his winning record in a big state.

Keeney, who came to hear Perry speak in Jefferson this month, disagrees with Perry's opposition to building a fence on the U.S. border with Mexico. But he admires Texas' economic growth under Perry and respects the governor's electoral prowess, including fending off a primary challenge last year. "I can live with the other stuff," said Keeney.

Iowa Republican Mitch Hambleton was drawn early to Cain's business background and evangelical profile.

But Hambleton doubts Cain can raise the money to compete for the nomination or challenge Obama. Hambleton, who calls himself a strong social conservative, is supporting Romney, despite the former governor's conversion to opposing abortion rights. "I can look past that," Hambleton said. "I know where he stands."

Mindful of what voters are craving, Romney and Perry are trying to cast each other as unelectable.

Romney has sought for the past several weeks to undercut the argument that Perry can win, assailing the Texas governor's support of wholesale changes to Social Security, a federal program millions of American seniors across the political spectrum depend upon. Perry has argued that Romney can't overcome the fact that he signed the Massachusetts health care law that Obama based the national one on — and that's woefully unpopular.

That Republicans are putting electability over purity recalls the 2004 Democratic primary race.

The Iraq war was unpopular with Democratic primary voters. But activists in Iowa had doubts about anti-war outsider Howard Dean's chances against then-President George W. Bush and nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who voted for the resolution to go to war.

Today, Republicans have an equally unifying issue, the economy, which has only worsened since the campaign began in earnest last summer.

Struggling to remain relevant, Bachmann has started trying to convince conservatives to stick with one of their own.

Days ago, she warned that sacrificing principle for electoral expedience comes with a cost, saying: "When you settle, you may find out you're going to have some negative consequences to pay."

Police probing a shooting reported shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday arrested a city resident on charges unrelated to that incident.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE -- Following a spate of shootings earlier this week involving two injuries, city police were again dealing with gunplay on the streets of Holyoke early Saturday morning.

The good news, according to police, is that there were no apparent injuries in connection with a South Bridge Street shooting reported just after 1:30 a.m. A city man was subsequently arrested as a result of the shooting investigation, according to Holyoke Police Sgt. Stephen Loftus.

"He wasn't involved in the shooting," Loftus said, referring to 34-year-old Felix Luis Santiago, who was picked up on a default warrant while police were probing the incident.

Loftus was unable to specify how Santiago came to officers' attention during their investigation, but a records check revealed Santiago had an outstanding Holyoke District Court warrant.

Meanwhile, police are still trying to determine who fired multiple rounds in the vicinity of Santiago's address at 556 South Bridge St.

"Several shell casings" were recovered outside the residence, Loftus said.

Another gunfire report on Dale Street failed to turn up any evidence of a shooting, according to authorities.

Earlier this week, separate gunfire reports resulted in a man being shot twice in the chest around 1 a.m. Tuesday and another being shot in the leg just a few hours earlier on Monday.

Two arrests were made in connection with Monday's shooting, while the man from the more serious incident remained hospitalized in stable condition as of Tuesday morning, police said.