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U.S. Postal Service to issue stamp honoring Red Sox legend Ted Williams

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A stamp honoring Ted Williams will be issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2012 – the 100th anniversary year of Fenway Park, where he starred for 19 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Baeball Stamps_001.jpg

A stamp honoring Ted Williams will be issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2012 – the 100th anniversary year of Fenway Park, where he starred for 19 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The first day of issue has not been determined, but it most likely would be sometime during the baseball season, when it could be accompanied by a ceremony at Fenway.

“It was exciting news when we heard that the Postal Service will be honoring Ted’s memory,” said Dick Bresciani, a long-time executive for the Red Sox. “Now we have to wait to hear from Washington, D.C., about when the stamp will be issued. We’d love to have it be on a significant day in Ted’s career, so we can give proper recognition to it at Fenway.”

The Postal Service also will be issuing stamps honoring Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Willie Stargell and Larry Doby. The stamps were previewed recently by the Postal Service in separate order, with the Williams’ rendition being the last. It was previewed on Sept. 2.

In a statement issued to the Postal Service, Williams’ daughter Claudia said: “I am incredibly proud and honored to have the U.S. Postal Service commemorate my father in such a beautiful and lasting way. Dad would be completely humbled to know he was chosen to represent the U.S. in this way. His love and commitment to this great country is well known. The (stamp’s) artwork captures all the grace and determination of his best swing.”

When that first-issue day of the Williams stamp does come, it will be considered a triumph in perseverance for the BoSox Club, a Red Sox booster organization which has been pushing for a Williams commemorative stamp for 10 years.

Bruce Donahue, 71, of Hanover, a past president, spearheaded the BoSox Club’s Williams stamp initiative. The BoSox Club was formed in 1967; Donahue has been a member since 1969, serving as its president in 2007 and 2008.

Soon after the death of Williams on July 5, 2002, Donahue had the idea of a commemorative stamp, and made inquiries at the Postal Service.

With the Williams family and the Red Sox organization fully behind its efforts, the BoSox Club hoped to get the stamp issued in 2002. However, Donahue soon found that such stamps cannot be issued until at least 10 years after an individual’s death.

“That actually worked well for us, because of 2012 being the 100th anniversary of Fenway,” he said.

He also found that a request for a stamp had to have the backing of at least 1,500 signatures.

Maureen Cronin, a member of the BoSox Club’s Board of Directors, got behind the appeal for public support. Her father, the late Joe Cronin, was Ted’s first manager in the big leagues. Cronin managed the Red Sox from 1935 to 1947, then became the team’s general manager. From 1953 to 1973, he served as president of the American League. Cronin was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959 – seven years before Williams was so honored.

Maureen Cronin’s efforts included getting 20 Hall of Famers to sign petitions backing creation of the stamp in Williams’ honor. Among them were Yogi Berra, Williams teammate Bobby Doerr, Brooks Robinson, Tom Seaver and two who have since died, Bob Feller and Harmon Killebrew.

“Bruce and the BoSox Club kept the Red Sox up to date on their progress (with the stamp), and enlisted our support. We sent notices to our alumni, asking them to petition the Postal Service, and we got a lot of response,” Bresciani said.

“We wound up with several thousand signatures,” Donahue said.

The Postal Service issued its first baseball stamp in 1939 to honor the game’s 100th anniversary. (Baseball is said to have been invented by Gen. Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1839, although that contention long has been held in dispute).

Some 40 Hall of Fame players have been honored with stamps. The earliest group consisted of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente. (Fenway Park was featured on a commemorative stamp in a 2001 series that honored American ball parks.)

The most recent set honored Mickey Mantle, Hank Greenberg, Roy Campanella and Mel Ott. Those were 39-cent first-class stamps.

The 2012 set will be “Forever” stamps, meaning that they will be valid no matter when they are used. Such stamps never expire or decline in value. Their value is the first-class mail stamp postage rate for a one-ounce letter at the time of use


Honoring area Italian-Americans is an October tradition in Springfield

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October is Italian-American Heritage Month, which means it's time for the Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of area residents with Italian roots.

southend.JPGOctober is Italian-American Heritage Month, and Springfield's South End -- home to many Italian specialty shops -- continues to serve as the ethnic group's cultural, social and spiritual heart.

SPRINGFIELD -- October is Italian-American Heritage Month, and Springfield marked the occasion with a City Hall flag-raising ceremony on Friday that drew Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, members of the city's Italian community and others.

The noontime ceremony was followed by the annual presentation of the Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts' Serviam Award, which recognizes significant community contributions by individuals of Italian ancestry.

This year's recipients were Delfo Barabani, secretary of the Veterans Memorial and Patriotic Committee of Chicopee; financial planner William Caruana; Bay Bath College President Carol A. Leary; and Judith A. Matt, director of the Spirit of Springfield. The honorees each share an Italian heritage and have made significant contributions to the community, according to Italian Cultural Center officials.

The Cultural Center, located at 56 Margaret St. in Springfield's historically Italian South End, also presented the Amici Award, an honor granted to individuals who have contributed to the Italian-American community even though they are not Italian. This year's award was given to David Costa, a long-time supporter of the Cultural Center and various other community organizations.

Other upcoming Italian-American Heritage Month activities include:

-- A Sunday Mass on Oct. 9 at 8:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in the city's South End, followed by a 9:45 a.m. breakfast buffet at Storrowton Carriage House, West Springfield.

-- A “Taste of Italy” on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. in Mt. Carmel's auditorium.

-- An Oct. 28 dinner at Storrowtown Carriage House that begins with a social hour at 6 p.m. and is followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the Oct. 9 breakfast and Oct. 28 dinner are $18 and $42, respectively, and are available by calling Terry Regina at (413) 785-5168.

Tickets for the Oct. 15 Taste of Italy event are available at the Mt. Carmel auditorium doorway on the way into the event.

torndam.JPGThe South End, Springfield's "Little Italy," took a direct hit from the June 1 tornado, which tore through the Main Street commercial district and damaged many businesses before continuing on an easterly path through the city.

Proceeds will benefit the Italian Cultural Center and its activities, which include Italian language classes for children and adults, Italian cooking classes, and art and history lectures.

Columbus Day is Wednesday, Oct. 12. The federal holiday marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' 1492 arrival in the Americas. Over time, the holiday has become a celebration of the accomplishments and contributions of Italian-Americans to the economic, cultural and political life of the United States.

The mission of the Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts Inc. is to promote Italian culture, language and traditions through the sponsorship of social, culinary and educational events, and to "foster appreciation and respect in the community for the rich contributions that Italians have made locally and throughout the world."

In addition to Springfield's South End -- the traditional hub of Italian-American life in the Pioneer Valley -- the towns of Agawam and East Longmeadow also have large populations claiming Italian heritage.

Restoring and revitalizing the South End, which was hit hard by the June 1 tornado, was on the mind of Serviam Award recipient Bill Caruana. "The South End has to rebuild," Caruana told 22News.

AM News Links: Connecticut police identify Enfield motel slay victims, anti-Wall Street protesters shut down Brooklyn Bridge, and more

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A New Hampshire town has the uncanny ability to pick GOP presidential contenders, 'Trap Day' means the start of the winter lobster season for one Maine island, and more of today's news.

bbridgeclose.jpgProtesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement crammed onto the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday as part of ongoing campaign against "corporate greed and corrupt politics," according to the organization's website. New York police arrested dozens of activists as they attempted to clear the bridge for traffic.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Springfield police investigating Dickinson Street shooting

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A woman was shot in the legs shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday on Dickinson Street in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police were at the scene of a Sunday morning shooting on Dickinson Street, though details were still sketchy as of 8:30 a.m.

A woman claimed she was shot in the legs just before 8 a.m., according to preliminary police reports.

Police said the shooting, which was reported at 7:52 a.m., occurred in the vicinity of 49 Dickinson St., which is located in the northern section of the Forest Park neighborhood near the intersection of Dickinson and Orange streets.

An officer at the scene said the woman claimed she was shot while walking near Wigwam Place, but that information could not immediately be confirmed with Springfield police officials.

A ranking officer told The Republican that all information must come directly from Sgt. John Delaney, the Springfield Police Department's main spokesman. Delaney could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday morning.

Detectives and crime-scene investigators responded to the incident. Additional information will be posted on MassLive.com as it becomes available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location where a woman was shot Sunday morning:


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Fire closes Whately diner

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The 24-hour restaurant near Interstate 91 is a popluar stop for truckers.

The Fillin' Station diner in Whately is closed Sunday morning while firefighters inside complete mopping up after an early morning blaze heavily damaged the kitchen.


WHATELY – A fire struck the Fillin’ Station diner about 5:30 Sunday morning, heavily damaging the kitchen and forcing the restaurant to close.

There were no injuries.

Manager Frederic Brown, who arrived after the fire broke out, said the blaze appeared to have started in the kitchen in an area between two grills. He said it could take several weeks to repair the damage.

The 24-hour restaurant, also known as the Whately Diner, is on Route 5 next to Exit 24 of I-91. With a gasoline and diesel station next door and large parking area, it is a popular stop for truckers.

Massachusetts tornadoes bring building boom to affected communities including Wilbraham, Monson, Springfield

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Repair work is moving faster in neighborhoods where homeowners were well-insured.

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Wilbraham Building Commissioner Lance Trevallion typically issues about 400 building permits a year, but these days he is hard pressed to keep up with the inspections and other details for the 317 he has issued since the June 1 tornado damaged and destroyed properties from Westfield to Charlton.

“We have roofing, siding, new houses, garages being rebuilt, just about every kind of residential construction you can imagine,” Trevallion said. “A lot of the smaller work, including some roofing and siding repairs or replacement has been completed. There are inspections every day.”

The tornadoes that blew through Western and Central Massachusetts on June 1 damaged homes, businesses and government buildings in Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge and Charlton along a 39-mile stretch.

In the path the storm took, one can still see still plenty of building wreckage, empty cellar holes, tarps covering roofs and felled trees on the ground, but there are also pockets of renovations and roofing jobs and some house rebuilding.

“The larger, more complicated or involved structures have taken quite a bit of time to get resolved with the insurance companies,” Trevallion said.

In Springfield, more than 477 single-family homes and 81 multi-family residential buildings were damaged and permits have been taken out for more than $13 million worth of work since the tornado. But a drive through some neighborhoods hit by the storm shows many rebuilding projects are yet to start.

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Nicholas A. Fyntrilakis, co-chairman of the recently formed Rebuild Springfield organization, said reconstruction and renovation is well under way in damaged areas of Springfield with a lot of single-family homes that were well-insured.

“People there are getting contractors and moving on. There is not a lot of help they are going to need from the city, other than in public spaces like neighborhood parks,” Fyntrilakis said.

“In other areas, where there are multi-family properties that were not well insured, the city is working with FEMA to get right of entry and take steps to tear down and clean up the properties,” Fyntrilakis said.

While well-insured homeowners proceed with their claims, contractors and rebuilding plans, the city of Springfield is dealing with a situation that is much larger in scale.

The city has already spent over $9.6 million, largely for debris removal and monitoring, site preparation work related to assembling portable classrooms and overtime for city first responders. Recently, Springfield officials said they estimate that the city’s costs will eventually be at least $106 million.

In response to the rising costs and the possible delays in getting reimbursement from FEMA, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is looking to discuss the timeline for anticipated reimbursements with federal officials.

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Springfield has 42 major projects that are being worked on in collaboration with FEMA, and city officials are trying to get the most expensive ones completed first and reimbursed in hopes of preventing problems with the city’s cash flow.

The city of Springfield has also hired the consulting firm Concordia LLC to develop a master plan for rebuilding.

“As the city continues to move ahead with our crucial rebuilding phase, we look forward to working with Concordia to develop actionable and realistic strategies - a blueprint that will reflect a community-embraced vision for a stronger and even more vibrant Springfield,” Sarno said.

“I remain extremely proud of the way our community has continued to come together to respond to this disaster and the resiliency they have shown. The ongoing efforts of DevelopSpringfield and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority are commendable,” Sarno said.

Rebuilding is going on in all of the communities along the tornado’s path but there are some projects, including major ones like the Monson town office building, that are still on hold because of disagreements on insurance settlements or the need to take time to decide whether to repair or renovate.

Monson Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said her town’s Board of Selectmen is not agreeing with the insurance company’s $5.3 million price tag for repairs at the 85-year-old town office building, and, given the age of the building, there is a consensus on the board to involve the community in the overall decision of whether to repair that building or construct a new one.

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With all the construction needs along the tornado path, state officials are warning homeowners to deal only with licensed contractors and check them out through their license numbers.

Prompted by the heavy amount of construction work needed because of the tornadoes, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs conducted a sting operation in Western and Central Massachusetts in July and last month announced it had found seven unregistered contractors and dozens more who did not list their license numbers in their advertisements, which is required by law.

These contractors may face fines for state violations, according to Consumer Affairs spokesman Jason Lefferts, who advised that people dealing with unlicensed contractors are not eligible for restitution from the state’s Guaranty Fund in cases where the contractor does not complete the work.

Herman Cain says he should have spoken up for gay soldier booed at Republican presidential debate

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The Georgia businessman told ABC's "This Week" that it would have been "appropriate" for him to have defended the soldier.

092311_herman_cain.JPGRepublican presidential candidate Herman Cain arrives onstage to address the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Joe Burbank, Pool)

By DOUGLAS BIRCH

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that he should not have stayed silent after the audience at a GOP debate booed a gay soldier serving in Iraq.

The Georgia businessman told ABC's "This Week" that it would have been "appropriate" for him to have defended the soldier. None of the candidates on stage at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the boos.

"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably — that would have been appropriate," Cain said, when asked if he should have asked the audience to respect the soldier.

Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."

The so-called don't ask, don't tell policy barring gays from serving openly in the military was officially lifted last month.

Cain's remarks came after President Barack Obama on Saturday chastised the GOP candidates at the debate, saying one of the duties of the nation's commander in chief is to stand up for Americans in uniform.

Separately, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that the GOP candidates at the debate should have defended the soldier. "The fact is we should honor every man and woman who is serving in the military and should in no way treat them with anything but the highest regard," he told CBS' "Face the Nation."

McCain added that the GOP candidates may have been thinking about how to respond to the soldier's question rather than paying attention to the booing. "I would bet that every Republican on that stage did not agree with that kind of behavior," he said.

Last December, McCain led Senate opposition to the repeal of the restriction on gay service.

The soldier, Stephen Hill, was booed when he asked via a recorded video if any of the candidates would try to circumvent progress for gays and lesbians in uniform. Hill told the GOP hopefuls that when he was first deployed to Iraq last year, when don't ask, don't tell was still in effect, "I had to lie about who I was."

Springfield's Titeflex is growing, especially to natural gas vehicles

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Titeflex, which makes fuel lines for natural gas vehicles, has 120 employees.

September 27, 2011 - Congressman Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield., left, looks inside a double deck braider as stainless wire is added to braided industrial tubing Tuesday, during a tour of Titeflex Corp. Explaining the process to him is braiding operator Perry Dow.

SPRINGFIELD – Flexible Teflon hoses from Titeflex’s Springfield factory flew on the Space Shuttle, fly now on new Airbus and Boeing jetliners, and carry glue in the machines that churn out disposable diapers.

Hurt, like many manufactures, by the recession and slowdowns in the automotive industry, Titeflex is hiring again, a message company officials shared this week when they gave a tour to U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.

Once courted by economic development officials in South Carolina, Titeflex used $4 million in investments from its parent company, British-based Smiths Group, and a local tax break to update its equipment to cut down on pollution and tear down unwanted and unused space that was costing more than $100,000 a month just to heat in the winter.

“Our company’s other operations are in Laconia, N.H., and in Portland, Tenn.,” said Peter J. Letendre, director of operations for Titeflex. “This operation could have gone anywhere.”

Titeflex has been here since 1956, taking over space once used by Indian Motocycle and the U.S. manufacturing operation of Rolls-Royce. Titeflex makes hoses for the modern Rolls-Royce aircraft engine.

Titeflex’s employees have been with the company an average of 22 years.

“It’s hard to move that work force and it takes a long time to develop this skill set and make new workers productive,” Letendre said. “If it was at all possible we needed to keep this operation here and grow it here.”

Titeflex’s city tax incentive is expected to save it $300,000 over 12 years. Of the $300,000 in savings, $104,000 of it came this year in the first year of the agreement.

In return, Titeflex promised to keep 103 jobs here. The company now has 120 employees, up from just under 100 workers a year ago. And it is hiring, Letendre said. Workers start at $16 an hour.

Letendre said he sometimes has trouble finding people ready for a manufacturing environment.

“They might have worked at Wal-Mart or McDonalds, but they don’t understand what It takes to manufacture, for example how important it is to minimize scrap,” he said.

Neal visited the plant in support of a set of federal tax incentives that encourages the purchase of natural gas-fueled vehicles. Titeflex makes fuel lines for those vehicles.

“You are a good story,” Neal told workers assembled on the factory floor.

“It’s been a big growth area for us,” said Henry “Hank” Ziomek, director of sales for Titeflex.

Ziomek also traveled to Washington recently and testified on behalf of the natural-gas incentives before Congress.

He said the cost of natural gas works out to about $2 for the same amount of energy in a gallon of gas. Fleet operations like taxi cabs, city buses and garbage trucks are moving toward natural gas.

“Eighteen wheelers can work on it. it’s the only way to get over the Rockies in an 18 wheeler that’s not Diesel,” he said.

Neal said natural gas is available from this country.

Ziomek said its important for Titeflex to have a diverse set of customers. It sells hoses to the conventional auto industry including Volkswagen, Ford and Chrysler as well as aircraft, the space program and manufacturing like those diaper-making machines. Titeflex’s products start off as a Teflon powder, Ziomek said. It gets heated and extruded into a tube. That tube can’t handle pressure like the natural gas in those buses and trucks. It needs an “overbraid” of stainless steel or Kevlar woven quickly by a machine with whirring spindles.

The design grew from machines built in the 1920s to make shoelaces, Ziomek said.


Wall Street protesters: We're in for the long haul

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The Occupy Wall Street demonstration started out small last month.

Occupy Wall Street mind-sign.jpgView full sizeAn Occupy Wall Street protestor rests Sunday in Zucotti park the morning after police arrested over 700 marchers on the Brooklyn bridge for blocking traffic and disorderly conduct, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in New York. Protestors have occupied the financial district park for three weeks in opposition of corporate greed. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

By VERENA DOBNIK

NEW YORK (AP) — Protesters who have been camping out in Manhattan's Financial District say their movement has grown and become more organized, and they have no intention of stopping as they move into their third week, following the second weekend in a row of mass arrests.

The Occupy Wall Street demonstration started out small last month, with less than a dozen college students spending days and nights in Zuccotti Park, a private plaza off Broadway. It has grown sizably, however, both in New York City and elsewhere as people in other communities across the country display their solidarity in similar protests.

The event has drawn protesters of diverse ages and occupations who are speaking out against corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other concerns.

Kira Moyer-Sims, 19, of Portland, Ore., said things have changed a lot since the protest started, with the group much more organized. "We have a protocol for most things," she said, including what to do when people are arrested in terms of getting legal help.

She said the protest would only continue.

"They thought we were going to leave and we haven't left," she said of city officials.

"We're going to stay as long as we can," she added.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the department wouldn't be changing its approach to handling the protest, that it would continue regular patrols and monitoring but not assign additional officers. Police officers have been a regular sight at the plaza.

"As always, if it is a lawful demonstration, we help facilitate and if they break the law we arrest them," Browne said.

The Fire Department said it had gone to the site several times over the past week to check for any fire safety hazards arising from people living in the plaza, but there have been no major issues.

On Sunday, a group of New York public school teachers sat in the plaza, including Denise Martinez. The 47-year-old Brooklyn resident works at a school where most students are at poverty level.

"The bottom line is the feeling that the financial industries here on Wall Street have caused the economic problems, and they're not contributing their fair share to solving them," she said of her reasons for camping out Sunday.

Occupy Wall Street info.jpgView full sizeNikki Angelo, of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., greets inquisitive pedestrians at the Occupy Wall Street protest's welcoming table in the financial district's Zuccotti park, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in New York. The table provides protest literature and an opportunity for new participants to join the demonstrations. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

She said funding for education has shrunk to the point where her classes are as large as about 50.

"These are America's future workers, and what's trickling down to them are the problems - the unemployment, the crime."

Another voice on Sunday belonged to Jackie Fellner, a 32-year-old marketing manager from Westchester County.

"We're not here to take down Wall Street. It's not poor against rich. It's about big money dictating which politicians get elected and what programs get funded," she said.

Gatherings elsewhere included one in Providence, R.I., that attracted about 60 people to a public park. The participants called it a "planning meeting" and initially debated whether to allow reporters to cover it.

In Boston, protesters set up an encampment across the street from the Federal Reserve Building.

The New York City protesters have spent most of their time in the plaza, sleeping on air mattresses, holding assemblies at which they discuss their goals and listening to speakers including celebrity activist Michael Moore and Princeton University professor Cornel West.

On the past two Saturdays, though, they marched to other parts of the city, which led to tense standoffs with police. On Sept. 24, about 100 people were arrested and the group put out video which showed some women being hit with pepper spray by a police official. On Oct. 1, more than 700 people were arrested as the group attempted to cross to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Some of the protesters said they were lured onto the roadway by police, or they didn't hear the calls from authorities to head to the pedestrian walkway. Police said no one was tricked into being arrested, and those in the back of the group who couldn't hear were allowed to leave.

The NYPD on Sunday released video footage to back up its stance. In one of the videos, an official uses a bullhorn to warn the crowd. Marchers can be seen chanting, "Take the bridge."

Browne said that of the most recent arrests, the vast majority had been released. Eight people were held, three because of outstanding warrants and five others who refused to show any identification.

Motorist dies in Springfield car crash

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The fatal crash occurred around 1:45 a.m. near the intersection of Breckwood Boulevard and Gerald Street. The male victim was driving a BMW sedan.

10-3-11 Springfield firefighters work to free the driver of a BMW 328 that crashed into a wooded area next to 5 Gerals St. early Monday morning. Springfield Fire Department photo by Dennis Leger

UPDATE, 11:50 a.m.; Police have yet to release the victim's name but report that he was a 35-year-old city man. Speed is a likely factor in crash.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police and firefighters were at the scene of a fatal car crash that happened around 1:45 a.m. Monday near the intersection of Breckwood Boulevard and Gerald Street.

Authorities did not identify the male driver of a BMW sedan that crashed into trees near 5 Gerald St. in the city's Pine Point neighborhood.

Firefighters used extrication equipment to access the victim, who was trapped inside the vehicle, Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said.

"We used Jaws of Life and several hydraulic tools to try to free the person from the car," he said.

The BMW came to rest on a slight embankment near the corner of Breckwood and Gerald.

Authorities have yet to publicly identify the victim or say what caused the one-car crash, which remains under investigation by Springfield police.

A responding officer requested detectives and a police photographer to assist at the scene.

"It's not looking good," the officer said.

More details will be posted on MassLive.com as they become available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a fatal car crash in Springfield early Monday morning:


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14-year-old girl shot in Springfield is perhaps the city's youngest victim so far this year

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Springfield police still haven't released much information about a young teenage girl who claims she was shot on Dickinson Street Sunday morning.

SPRINGFIELD -- Authorities still have not released much information about a teenage girl who was shot Sunday morning on Dickinson Street in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood.

Police officials contacted by The Republican were unable to provide details, but a police report issued around 7:52 a.m. Sunday indicated the girl -- perhaps the city's youngest shooting victim this year -- was shot in the leg in the vicinity of 49 Dickinson St., a residence just east of Frank's Package Store.

The initial shooting report indicated the incident may have occurred as the girl was walking on Dickinson Street, but that information could not immediately be confirmed with Springfield police officials.

A responding officer said the girl claimed she did not know who shot her and was unsure from which direction the gunfire came. The incident happened near the corner of Dickinson and Orange streets in the northern section of the Forest Park neighborhood.

Sgt. John Delaney, the main spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to a 22News report, two 16-year-old boys were charged with having guns and ammunition in connection with the incident, but it was unclear if they were charged with shooting the girl.

Springfield Police Lt. Robert Moynihan said individuals in a position to help police with their investigation have been uncooperative, the TV station reported.

The girl was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of a single bullet wound to one of her legs. The girl's mother was reportedly en route to the hospital shortly after the shooting.

At least one of the 16-year-olds arrested in connection with the case was taken to the Joseph A. Budd Assessment Center (Youth Aid Bureau) at 417 Liberty St., where youthful offenders are processed.

Additional information will be posted on MassLive.com as it becomes available.

Proposed new union for Massachusetts private child-care employees splits early childhood advocates

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Supporters say the union could bargain for more pay and benefits for workers and improve quality for parents; critics contend the bill would increase the state's $500 million budget for early education and could leave less money for state subsidies for low-income children.

early_education.jpgChildren enrolled in the YMCA of Greater Springfield's early child care program.

BOSTON - Early childhood advocates are divided over legislation that would create a new union of employees at private, child-care centers and empower the union to negotiate contracts with the state.

Supporters say the union could bargain for more pay and benefits for workers and improve quality for parents.

But, critics contend the bill would increase the state’s $500 million budget for early education and could leave less money for state subsidies for low-income children.

The proposed new union, pushed by existing unions for public-school teachers, would cover some 10,000 employees at 1,100 for-profit and private, nonprofit centers for school-age children, infants and pre-schoolers across the state, and would be authorized to bargain with the state, according to members of the Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators Union in Springfield, a statewide organization of child-care teachers, owners and staff getting behind the bill.

There are 3,100 private, child-care centers across the state, but the proposed union would cover only those that accept state subsidies or have state contracts, according to the educators’ union.

The teachers and employees work for private, child-care centers but would be considered public employees solely for the purposes of bargaining with the state Department of Early Education and Care, says the legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Steven M. Walsh, D-Lynn.

Teachers at some private day-care centers work with many children in poverty, particularly in Springfield, which has about 5,760 low-income children who receive state vouchers for child care, according to the state Department of Early Education and Care.

Employees of the centers often struggle to pay for health insurance, and sometimes leave the field because of the low pay, supporters of the union effort added.

Opponents include the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs and the Boys & Girls Clubs Massachusetts Alliance, according to Kathleen Treglia, vice president of education and government relations for the YMCA of Greater Springfield.

Treglia said the bill, if approved, would be a burden on taxpayers at a time when the state budget is stretched thin.

“The main argument is that it hurts the taxpayer and the working parent,” Treglia said. “It pushes the state in the wrong direction.”

No estimates are available yet for the cost of the bill.

Treglia said that collective bargaining would increase costs and create a new bureaucracy, meaning the department of early education and care would have less money for subsidies and direct care. She said the extra costs would just increase the state’s long waiting list for subsidies for child care, now at about 21,000 low-income families, according to the state Department of Early Education and Care.

The YMCA of Greater Springfield, a private, nonprofit organization, operates 21 licensed child care centers in six different communities in Western Massachusetts, including five in Springfield. The centers serve 1,000 pre-school and school-age children including about 65 percent mostly poor families with state subsidies or vouchers, she said.

The YMCA of Greater Springfield has about 300 employees including 150 who work at the child-care centers. None are in unions.

Owners and operators of child-care centers would lose their autonomy under the bill, she said. Employers would be forced to accept whatever agreements result from negotiations between the new union of employees and the state, she said.

Child care workers already have the right to unionize under federal law. Employees at about 30 centers in the state are currently in unions, she said.

Because the workers would become state employees for the purposes of bargaining, the bill opens the way for them to possibly become full-fledged state employees, she said.

A member of the Springfield educators organization, Tracy J. Sheerin, of Cheshire, 32, assistant director of KidZone Inc., a family-owned, for-profit child care center in Pittsfield, said the proposed bargaining unit could boost pay for teachers and other employees and give early education a lift.

“We’re not baby-sitters,” she said. “We’re not a place where kids hang out. We’re professionals. The teachers deserve to be compensated.”

Her business’s 45 teachers and other employees would become members of the bargaining unit including her mother, who owns the business, and her father, who is in charge of maintenance, she said.

KidZone receives state child-care subsides through the New England Farm Workers Council in Springfield, which has a contract with the state. About 75 percent of the 177 infants, pre-school children and school-age children at the Pittsfield center receive vouchers or subsidies, which include $33.40 a day for pre-school children.

Sheerin said the proposed bargaining unit would be “nontraditional” because it would include owners. She said it would also be different because businesses would retain control over rules, policies and hiring and firing. Employees in the unit would not be allowed to strike, she said.

Employees at KidZone currently earn low salaries - between $20,000 and $25,000, she said. KidZone pays 50 percent of health-insurance costs. Sheerin said health insurance comes to 25 percent of her business’s budget, while payroll is 60 percent. Sheerin said there is not enough money to give raises to employees or buy adequate supplies, after other costs for transportation, rent, utilities and food.

People on both sides are expected to clash at a public hearing for the bill on Tuesday before the Joint Committee on Public Service at the Statehouse.

“There are a lot of questions around what this means,” said Joan Kagan, president and CEO of Square One in Springfield, which serves about 1,200 children in Hampden County every day with early education and child care programs. Kagan said she plans to discuss the bill with Square One’s board of directors on Monday before taking a position.

The bill says the proposed union could negotiate over professional development, recruitment and retention, quality ratings, compensation, benefits, subsidy rates and certain grievance procedures. The new bargaining unit would be affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which both represents public school teachers and educators.

Valley Food Championship: The Big E edition -- Rhode Island's clam fritters are crowned king in MassLive poll

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The clam fritters served at the Rhode Island state building brought home top food honors in an online poll of people's favorite "Big Eats" at the Big E.

Gallery preview

Put down your fork and wipe that ketchup off your chin, because the results are in ...

Eh-hem. And the winner of this year's "best food at the Big E" is -- drum roll, please -- Rhode Island Clam Fritters!

(cue applause)

C'mon down, you crazy mollusk dish, and bask in the golden glow of culinary victory!

Billie's Baked Potatoes was knocking on the back door, trying desperately to squirm its way into the winner's box. But the sea-critter fritters ultimately prevailed, racking up 22.46 percent of the votes cast in a MassLive poll of the best foods at the Big E.

The savory specialty, served fresh and hot by Kenyon's Clam Cakes inside the Rhode Island state building, are a perennial favorite of many Big E attendees.

But this year, the flaky fritters pummeled the much ballyhooed Cream Puff, which ranked 10.41 percent in the voting, and slaughtered the super spicy Hot Diggid-E Dog, which barked up less than 3 percent of the vote.

While Western Massachusetts may be landlocked, we're no landlubbers when it comes to the fare we like to stick down our gullets.

Many a person was spied leaving the Rhode Island building with a wax bag stuffed with Kenyon's golden-brown fritters.

Speaking of Billie's Baked Potatoes, the traveling baked potato stand featuring scrumptious, starchy delights garnered a very respectable 19.75 percent of the vote, while the Lobster Roll hawked at the Massachusetts building ranked third at 12.24 percent.

Other popular foods were the Apple Pie served at the Vermont building (8.45 percent), the Giant Turkey Leg (4.48 percent), and the headline-grabbing Craz-E Burger (4.61 percent).

MassLive and The Republican commend all poll participants for flexing their democratic muscles in this culinary convention.

The complete poll results are listed below:


High-tech conference coming to Holyoke

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The high-speed computer center in Holyoke will be open in late 2012

Mass High Speed ComputingHOLYOKE - Amherst computer science professor Jim Kurous takes a cell phone picture of the construction site for the future home of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) in Holyoke, Mass., Thursday afternoon, Aug. 25, 2011. Five Massachusetts universities are involved in the project; the University of Massachusetts system, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Boston University. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

HOLYOKE – Can new industries build a new Holyoke?

And, assuming that it can happen, what groundwork do those new industries need to have in place so that they can take hold and grow. Those are the issues behind Idea Mill: Fostering prosperity through collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship, a seminar set for 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 at Open Square, 1 Open Square Way in the former mill buildings that fill downtown Holyoke. The cost is $250 individual and $100 for students. More information is available at www.ideamill.us.

The conference is an outgrowth of the $168 million Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center now under construction on Bigelow Street. It opens in late 2012.

"It is people who are creative innovators and people who are interested in urban revitalization,” said organizer Brendan M. Ciecko. “The conference is a really wonderful crossroads of all of that. We’d been having a number of informal meet-ups. I felt there was a lot more potential for a larger event given the magnitude of the computer center.”

ciecko_0611.jpgIn this 2009 file photo, Brendan Ciecko speaks to a small crowd in Holyoke after the announcement of the Green High Performance Computing Center.


The center, while providing enough computing power to analyze oceans of data very quickly for universities and corporations, will only have about 25 employees.

“But it’s more about Holyoke being cool enough to host something like this,” Ciecko said. “If the high-speed center can come here, others can as well.”

Speakers at the event will include Colin Angle, founder of iRobot ,a $1 billion company in Bedford that makes robots for industry and the military. Also featured will be Bo Peabody, who founded Tripod.com, a web-hosting service now owned by Lycos, at Williams College in 1992. From closer to home, Steve Porter, a disc jockey and founder of PorterHouse Media, a video-production company in Holyoke will also speak.

Ciecko, 23, grew up in Holyoke and Granby. He founded Ten Minuet Media, based in Holyoke, and has done online media and marketing work for music stars like Katy Perry, The New Kids on the Block, Mick Jagger and others.

He said its hard for one up-and-coming company to grow buy itself.

“We will be looking at how a city is dependent on an innovation ecosystem and how an innovation ecosystem is dependent on the city.”

Patrick J. Larkin, director of the John Adams Innovation Institute, the economic development arm of the Mass Technology Collaborative, said Holyoke will need “critical mass”.

“Entrepreneurs feed on each others’ ideas, collaborate on projects and generate growth in the region,” Larkin said. “There is just a talent pool of folks who bring a lot to the table.”

East Longmeadow man arrested for OUI, failure to stop for police

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Police said they arrested 21-year-old Kyle W. Bean for being intoxicated and speeding while driving his car early Sunday morning. The Brookhaven Drive resident resisted being arrested, police said.

EAST LONGMEADOW -- An intoxicated driver fled from police and resisted being taken into custody over the weekend, according to East Longmeadow police.

Police said Kyle W. Bean, 21, of 169 Brookhaven Drive, East Longmeadow, was arrested after speeding on Benton Drive around 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

Bean was charged with drunken driving-second offense; speeding, negligent operation; failure to keep right for oncoming traffic; failure to stop for a police officer; and resisting arrest, according to East Longmeadow Police Department records.

Bean is likely to be arraigned in court today on the charges. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.


Former rivals in Holyoke mayor's race issue endorsements: Dan Boyle supports Alex Morse; Daniel Burns backs Elaine Pluta

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Morse and Pluta will face off in the Nov. 8 general election.

HOLYOKE - Former mayoral candidates Daniel C. Boyle and Daniel C. Burns have issued their endorsements of the finalists heading into the Nov. 8 general election.

Boyle, who took 15.64% of the vote to finish third in the September 20 preliminary election, has endorsed Alex B. Morse.

"Right now, Holyoke is at the crossroads of its future. Alex Morse continues to enunciate his vision and it reflects all of what caused both of us to run for mayor in the first place," Boyle wrote in a press release.

He continued: "We envision a Holyoke that is much more business-friendly. This reality can only happen with a new mayor in office."

Read Boyle's full statement here.

Burns, who won 5.99% of the vote to finish fourth in the preliminary, has endorsed incumbent Elaine A. Pluta.

“I love the city. I’ve been here all my life, that’s why I believe that Mayor Elaine Pluta is the right choice to move this city forward,” Burns said in a press release.

Read Burns's full statement here.

Motorist escapes injury after striking 2 deer on Interstate 91's northbound off-ramp to Greenfield rotary

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Both deer were killed in the crash and the vehicle had to be towed from the scene, state police said.

State Police file art

GREENFIELD - A motorist who struck two deer on Interstate 91’s northbound off-ramp to the rotary Monday morning escaped injury.

State Trooper Kyle Glieck, who is attached to the Shelburne Falls barracks, said the vehicle had to be towed from the scene.

Both deer were killed in the crash. It’s not unusual, Gleick said, for two deer to be struck in the same accident. “Generally that’s what happens,” he said. “One follows another.”

The accident, at Interchange 26, was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m.

Crafts Avenue in Northampton goes upscale with new mix of businesses

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Pride & Joy, a landmark at 20 Crafts Ave. since 1992, has emptied out, and Taipei & Tokyo is moving in to a former locksmith's space.

crafts.JPGPrevious owners outside Pride & Joy on Crafts Ave. in 2009.

NORTHAMPTON – The one-block commercial neighborhood of Crafts Avenue is going from old-fashioned to fancy virtually overnight as some landmark businesses move out to make way for new ventures.

Gone are Sabin’s Star Lock Security, a locksmith shop that harks back to a lost era, and Sid Vintage, a pop clothing store that harks back to a more recent but equally lost time. Perhaps most notably, Pride & Joy of Northampton, a cultural center of sorts for the gay community, has also emptied out, though it is scheduled to reappear in Thornes Marketplace.

While some of those storefronts remain empty a present, new faces are appearing on Crafts Avenue. Taipei & Tokyo, a Chinese restaurant that was a Main Street standby for years, is moving into the locksmith space. Chen’s Management bought the building, which comprises 16-20 Crafts Ave., from a Colorado real estate company in 2009 for $815,000.

Owner Chris Chen said Thursday he hopes to open the new Taipei & Tokyo as soon as the site passes inspection, perhaps as early as Oct. 10. The food at the new location will be similar to the fare at the former Taipei & Tokyo, Chen said, but will also include Japanese and South Asian-style dishes and Taiwanese appetizers.

Pride & Joy has been a landmark at 20 Crafts Ave. since 1992. The store caters to a gay clientele and is considered by some the last bastion of an era when Northampton was one of the rare communities that wore its rainbow colors in public.

Mark Carmien, a former owner, said he has fielded many calls in recent weeks by people concerned that the site has been vacated.

“It’s sad that it’s not there anymore,” he said.

It’s not the end of the story for Pride & Joy, however. The business has been bought by new owners who plan to relocate inside Thornes Marketplace, according to Laura Varney, the office manager for the Hampshire Property Management Group.

“We’re very excited to have them here,” Varney said.

Further down the street, a high-end wine and beer shop called Provisions for Pantry and Cellar is about to move into the 30 Crafts Ave. space once occupied by Paradise Copies and, more recently, by The Fix, a health and yoga studio. Owner Gordon Alexander, who helped start Table and Vine, said Provisions will be a more specialized version of the store, with craft beers, specialty foods and wines ranging from $5-$75 a bottle.

“We’re looking forward to being in Northampton,” said Alexander, who will operate the business with partners Benson Hyde and Nancy Baker. “We think there’s a significant underserved niche market (for the store) in Northampton.”

The License Commission transferred Provision’s beer and wine license from Smith Store, Inc., a neighborhood store known by Bay State residents as Smitty’s.

On the other end of Crafts, Eugene Y. Ferrer and wife Michele Curry are already into their second month as proprietors of Sip, which Ferrer describes as a coffee and tea bar.

“We’re going back to hand-brewing,” Ferrer said. “All our coffee is made by hand.”

Although a cup of coffee costs a little more at the 8 Crafts Ave. café, Ferrer is confident the concept will be a success.

“Everyone said, ‘Oh, another café place in Northampton,’” Ferrer said. “It’s true, but we visited every place in the area and we’ve tried to turn everything on its head.”

Documents: Campaign finance reports for Holyoke mayoral candidates Elaine Pluta, Alex Morse

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The candidates' latest campaign finance reports, filed with the city clerk's office in early September.

Below are the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Holyoke City Clerk's office by candidates for mayor Elaine A. Pluta and Alex B. Morse.


Elaine A. Pluta:


Alex B. Morse:

Business Monday from The Republican, October 3, 2011: Springfield's Titeflex is growing, High-tech conference coming to Holyoke and more

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Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican.

September 27, 2011 - Congressman Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield., left, looks inside a double deck braider as stainless wire is added to braided industrial tubing Tuesday, during a tour of Titeflex Corp. Explaining the process to him is braiding operator Perry Dow.

Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican:

Springfield's Titeflex is growing, especially to natural gas vehicles

Hurt by the recession, the Springfield-based business that builds parts for space shuttles and Boeing jetliners is bouncing back — and during a tour with local officials, they made clear they plan on hiring up. Read more »

High-tech conference coming to Holyoke

Encouraged by the impending high-performance computing center heading to the city, Holyoke-based entrepreneur Brendan M. Ciecko is organizing a conference on innovation and entrepreneurship this month.

"It is people who are creative innovators and people who are interested in urban revitalization,” Ciecko told The Republican. “The conference is a really wonderful crossroads of all of that." Read more »

Poll of global investors shows overwhelming support for President Obama's 'Buffet Rule' proposal to raise taxes on rich

There was a lot of buzz when billionaire Warren Buffett called for more taxes on the "mega-rich" this summer, prompting President Obama to propose what he called “Buffett rule," requiring the wealthiest Americans to pay at least as much in taxes as middle class Americans.

By a margin of 63 percent to 32 percent, respondents to a recent Bloomberg poll are on board. Read more »

More Business Monday:

Voices of the Valley: Steven and Carol Couchon, Memory Lamps, East Longmeadow

Commentary: Imposing trade tariffs on imported goods is good for U.S. factories, middle class workers

Amelia Gruden, age 11, of Longmeadow, comes up with 'Homeless Hounds' stuffed animals line to aid local animal shelters

Crafts Avenue in Northampton goes upscale with new mix of businesses

Boston bankers worry double-dip recession could trigger new round of credit problems, cripple real estate and small businesses

Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in Massachusetts in 3rd quarter down 12 percent from a year ago

Notebooks:

Business Bits: UMass Trustees OK $3.1b capital plan, foreclosures hit August high, Sam Adams sues former employee, and more

Business etc: Noble Hospital wins performance award, Historical Classical Inc. announces new officers, Berkshire Community College wins training grant, and more

Business calendar for Oct. 4 - Oct. 26

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