Overall, Associated Industries' Business Confidence Index fell 0.8 points in September to 48.4 points from 49.2 points.

Associated Industries of MassachusettsThe Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index for the past 12 months.

Just 3 percent of Massachusetts employers rate the national economy as “good” according to a set of gloomy survey results released Tuesday by Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a business-lobbying group based in Boston.

That same survey showed 57 percent of respondents rating national economic conditions as “bad”. Their view of conditions inside the commonwealth was better, with 17 percent rating the Massachusetts economy as “good" and 30 percent saying “bad”. Other respondents fell somewhere in the middle or didn’t answer the question.

“It is clear that the uncertainty and the global economic slowdown are starting to be felt here in Massachusetts,” said Michael D. Goodman, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and a member of Associated industries of Massachusetts’ Board of Economic Advisors.

Overall, Associated Industries’ Business Confidence Index fell 0.8 points in September to 48.4 points from 49.2 points. Associated industries rates business confidence on a 100-point scale where 50 points is considered neutral. A year ago in October 2010, Business Confidence was lower at 47.6 points.

The employment index, a measure of hiring and job cuts expected over the next six months, fell 3.9 points on the 100-point scale to 50.4 points, or about neutral. Andre Mayer, Associated Industries senior vice president for communications and research, said 25 percent of employers expected to add staff in the next six months while 22 percent expect job cuts.

“This is a change from what we’ve seen where we’ve had two-to-one hiring versus laying off,” he said. “It shows that the employment market is not going to change very much.”

As is often the case, businesses seemed more positive about the future of their own company compared with the future of the economy as a whole, according to results. Associated Industries also said that confidence was higher among manufacturers at 49.9 points, up 2.2 points on the month, compared with other employers who were at 46.5 points, down 4.3 points. Confidence was also slightly higher inside Greater Boston, 48.8 points, up 1.2 points on the month, compared with other parts of the state that recorded a confidence ranking of 48.1 points, down 2.2 points.

Mayer said there are a number of factors feeding pessimism, including a deadlock in Washington and the specter of European debt crises.

“In many ways Massachusetts is still an Atlantic-facing economy,” he said. “A lot of our companies have great trading partners in Europe.”

Consumer demand is also weak here at home.

“Part of it is that old vicious cycle. A poor jobs market makes people unwilling to spend and companies won’t hire unless they see consumer demand,” Mayer said. “Also, housing prices are soft, which makes people worried about their future.”

Mayer said many experts predict that the national housing market will improve in the first half of 2012.

“But they have said that before,” he said.

Goodman said it will take more government stimulus, either the Obama administration’s jobs bill or something like it, to fix the economy. Something has to stimulate demand, and interest rates are already very low.

An evenly divided group of proponents and opponents offered testimony on the proposal at the Statehouse.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON – A fight over whether to permit child care workers to unionize increasingly appears to be a harmful wedge between stakeholders who should be allies in educating children, a key lawmaker warned Tuesday, contending that a pitched debate on the issue has resulted in “unnecessary polarization.”

John Scibak

“Everyone wants quality. Everyone wants an inclusive system,” said Rep. John Scibak (D-South Hadley), co-chair of the Public Service Committee. “I am concerned that this legislation has driven a wedge within the field and among providers that I’m not sure is necessarily a good thing in terms of quality and access.”

Scibak’s comments came amid lengthy hearing that packed the State House’s largest venue, Gardner Auditorium, with an evenly divided group of proponents and opponents who alternately offered testimony on the proposal (H 1671). The bill, sponsored by Rep. Steven Walsh (D-Lynn) and backed by 24 colleagues, would declare the right to collectively bargain for employees at state-contracted child care facilities, which receive vouchers to offer access to low-income families.

“[C]hild care providers are to be given the opportunity to work collectively to improve standards in their profession and to expand opportunities for educational advancement to ensure continuous quality improvement in the delivery of early learning services by collectively bargaining with the Commonwealth over its role in improving the quality of child care and subsidizing child care for the Commonwealth’s families,” according to the language of the bill.

Critics argued that the bill – akin to a proposal that failed last year despite rapid 11th-hour advancements in the House and Senate -- would divert resources from educating children and force organizations like the YMCA or Boys and Girls’ Clubs to cede control of workers’ wages and benefits.

Opponents, ranging from business groups like Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said the bill would create a “disastrous” and “monolithic” statewide union of child care providers that could strain taxpayers and create a new class of state employees who would be required to pay union dues.

But backers of the bill, donning baby blue shirts with the tagline “Education Starts With Us,” dismissed criticism as ill-informed anti-union rhetoric. Proponents argued that the proposal would ensure that child care providers, now required to obtain bachelor’s degrees, are able to earn enough to pay off loans, preventing them from leaving their jobs to seek higher wages.

“Teacher turnover hurts child development,” said Patty Hnatiuk, a Wheelock College expert on early childhood education.

The hearing came 15 months after a similar bill died in the Senate, one procedural vote away from reaching Gov. Deval Patrick’s desk. The Senate endorsed last year’s bill 33-5 in the waning hours of formal legislative business, despite heated opposition from Senate Republicans who described it as a “bonanza” for organized labor.

Tuesday’s bill appears to be something of a bonanza for Beacon Hill lobbyists and interest groups, who lined the edges of the auditorium and helped pack the room with teachers, YMCA officials and other stakeholders, many of whom wore identifying T-shirts and regalia.

John Regan, executive vice president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and William Vernon, president of the National Federation of Independent Business’s Massachusetts chapter, both critics of the bill, conferred in the rear of the chamber. Steve Crawford, who represents early educators seeking to unionize, milled about, while teacher’s union official Bob Duffy set up a camera to capture supporters’ testimony. Charles Chieppo helped organize opponents of the bill. Tim Sullivan, a communications official with the AFL-CIO, lingered by the entrance of the auditorium, while Elaine O’Reilly, a lobbyist for an early education association, sat in the riser at the back of the room.

About half of the committee’s 17 members attended the hearing, including Scibak’s co-chair Sen. Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) and the ranking Republican member, freshman Rep. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton).

Fattman referred to Patrick’s well-known personal story about growing up poor in Chicago and ultimately succeeding as a U.S. Justice Department prosecutor, corporate lawyer and politician as a result of a high-quality education. Fattman said that it would be a “tragedy” if legislative action on the bill ended up denying access to early education for “any of the future Deval Patricks who may be out there.”

Anne Wass, immediate past president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and a former middle school teacher, argued that rapid turnover in the early education field is an equally pressing concern as quality.

“Access without quality will not fix the achievement gap we have,” Wass said. She was joined by Tom Gosnell, head of the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts.

Although a similar bill passed easily last year before dying on the last day of formal sessions, the backdrop for organized labor has dramatically changed on Beacon Hill, where pro-union lawmakers – who have long held significant sway in the Legislature – found themselves dramatically outnumbered in a debate this spring over whether to curb certain collective bargaining powers of public employee unions. The move shocked leaders within organized labor at the time and had the promising repercussions for lawmakers who voted against their interests. Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Boston), who voted against the state budget in July because of the collective bargaining provisions, appears poised this week to win election as the next president of the AFL-CIO.

The proposal that advanced last session moved suddenly and without public warning during a frantic barrage of legislating that typically begins during the last week of July in every election year. The House passed the bill without debate, although the debate on the bill in the Senate absorbed several hours on the final night of the legislative session.

That night, Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei offered a slew of amendments to the proposal. The last action on the bill – a final enactment vote in the House – came minutes before midnight, shortly after both branches adopted a provision to make the proposal an emergency law. The bill never came up again in the Senate.

Christie's announcement dashes the hopes of Republicans still searching for someone other than front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.

Associated PressNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announces that he will not run for president in 2012, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

By BETH DeFALCO
and KASIE HUNT

TRENTON, N.J. — After a surge of new speculation, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared with finality Tuesday that "now is not my time" to run for president, dashing the hopes of Republicans still searching for someone other than front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.

Christie had insisted for months that he wouldn't run. But then came an intense weekend of reconsideration before he made a firm announcement at a news conference at the New Jersey Statehouse. His decision means the campaign now basically belongs to Romney and Perry, battling to take on President Barack Obama three months before the first GOP voting.

Though both men have extensive party support, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has failed to win over some skeptical conservatives, and Perry, the Texas governor, has been falling in opinion polls as quickly as he had risen.

Christie was the latest, perhaps last, hope of some establishment Republicans who had already been rejected by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and others who declined to run for president in 2012. He's been governor of New Jersey for less than two years, but he's cut the budget, curtailed public sector unions, and dealt with a Democratic legislature with disarming and combative confidence.

Christie disputed the idea that his name was just one more on that list.

"They weren't searching. They came right to one target, and it was me," he said Tuesday. "And it has always been me."

But he said he was sure, "Now is not my time."

There are still other potential challengers. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is showing some promise in New Hampshire; former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has support from social conservatives in Iowa and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is rising in national polls. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin still hasn't said whether she'll run.

But Christie's announcement leaves Perry and Romney as the two Republicans who have the profile, campaign organization, fundraising prowess and early-state promise for a serious run at the nomination.

Within hours, Christie donors started picking sides. The Romney campaign said Ken Langone, the Home Depot financier who helped lead the push to get Christie to run, had jumped on board. Iowa businessman Gary Kirke, who met with Christie earlier this year to urge him to run, announced he would support Perry.

Both Romney and Perry will be pushing for the support of Christie himself, who now could become something of a 2012 GOP kingmaker. He declined to endorse a presidential candidate on Tuesday, but he promised his backing would mean something if and when he does.

"I'm not a halfway kind of guy," Christie said.

His support could help give Romney credibility among the tea party conservatives who haven't fully embraced the Massachusetts governor. And it could give Perry a way to quiet concerns about his viability.

Whoever wins, Christie said he wasn't seeking the job of vice president.

"I just don't think I have the personality to be asked," he said. "I'm not looking for that job."

The race's two-man dynamic has already been on display. Romney's campaign didn't bother to attack his Republican opponents, instead focusing on Obama, until Perry joined the race. In the weeks since Perry announced his campaign, the two men have gone after each other on immigration and Social Security. Perry's campaign is focused almost solely on beating Romney.

"We're not running against Herman Cain," David Carney, Perry's top strategist, said in a recent interview.

Christie's declaration is a relief for Romney. The pugnacious, East Coast, blue-state governor has a profile that's similar to the former Massachusetts governor's — and they draw from much the same pool of money and support. GOP establishment figures, donors and luminaries who were encouraging Christie to jump in might now try to help Romney. And the moneyed, business-minded donors in New York and New Jersey who were waiting on Christie are now free to back the technocratic Romney, a former venture capitalist.

For Perry, Christie's exit is more complicated. Now, he'll only have to worry about positioning himself against one candidate. He won't have to worry about losing his conservative, tea party support to the budget-cutting New Jersey governor. Romney has gone largely unscathed in recent debates as news and interest has focused on new entrant after new entrant; now it's more likely that upcoming debates will force Romney to answer tougher questions.

But Romney also won't have to worry about attacking anyone besides Perry — and Obama. And Perry has run into trouble dealing with his own vulnerabilities. He spent the past weekend in New Hampshire defending his record on immigration at town hall meetings. And now he's facing questions about a family-leased hunting camp branded with a racially insensitive name.

Both Perry and Romney will now begin to scramble for the donors who had been waiting on Christie. Romney has already proven he's the Republican race's financial leader, bringing in $18 million during his first quarter as a presidential candidate. Perry hasn't yet had to file a financial report, but aides say his numbers will show he is competitive with Romney.

Still, with Obama and the Democratic Party set to raise close to $1 billion for the general election next year, those numbers don't seem so high.

Lemanski, a former Massachusetts state representative from Chicopee, has worked more than 20 years in higher education.

Kenneth M. Lemanski, named interm president of St. Joseph's College in Maine.

WESTFIELD – Kenneth M. Lemanksi, a former state representative from Chicopee and vice president of advancement and university relations at Westfield State University, has been named the interim president at St. Joseph’s College in Maine.

“St. Joseph’s is a terrific campus with a great future and I’m happy to take on this responsibility,” he said.

Lemanksi, who spent 13 years in the legislature and has more than 20 years in higher education, said he has always had an interest in education.

“I actually served on the School Committee of my town when I was just 18 years old. I’ve always had an interest in higher education and even K-12,” he said.

At Westfield he handled everything from fundraising to government and public relations. At St. Joseph’s he will focus some of his efforts on fundraising and enrollment growth.

“Ken’s experience in government relations and higher education made him pivotal to the success of Westfield State’s master planning process and the subsequent construction on campus,” Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State University, said in a prepared statement. “He is an able academic administrator and Saint Joseph’s is fortunate to have him on its team.”

Lemanski has been an active member of the Board of Trustees at Saint Joseph’s since 2008. He was asked to fill the position by his fellow board members.

“Mr. Lemanski brings knowledge and depth of experience in college and university leadership, strategic planning and management, having held senior positions at the University of Massachusetts, the Council of Presidents for the Massachusetts State University system, and at Westfield State University,” Claire Bowen, Board Chair at Saint Joseph’s, said in a prepared statement.

Lemanski recently played a major role in advancing private, state and federal dollars for university priorities at Westfield State, including $71 million from the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, Bowen said.

A search committee composed of trustees, faculty and Sisters of Mercy, with the assistance of a retained recruitment firm, will conduct a national search for a permanent president. Lemanski said he will be applying for the permanent position.

Kenneth Lemanski

William Tragakis said the club's closure was due simply to "miscommunication" among the owners, and a solution is already in the works.

The Republican file photo | Dave RobackMinnechaug's Andrew Hunt watches his putt on the 5th hole at Hampden Country Club during a match with East Longmeadow.

HAMPDEN – Hampden Country Club might open again as soon as Thursday, weather permitting, director of golf William C. Tragakis said Tuesday afternoon.

The course closed Monday, sparking fears that it was in financial trouble.

But Tuesday, Tragakis said the operating hiatus was due simply to “miscommunication” among the owners, and a solution is already in the works.

“I’m working everything out and I’ll know a lot more later in the week,” he said. “But I plan to reopen.”

Tragakis, Domenick L. Cardinale, and Sebastiano Siniscalchi, all of Hampden, bought the then-294-acre club for $2.8 million in 2006. They purchased it from Friel Golf Management of Hudson, N.H., according to property records on file with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. The owners have since sold off a number of smaller parcels. The course itself occupies 145 acres.

On Friday, club pro Billy Downes said he was unclear about the semi-private club’s plans beyond this past weekend.

FOX loses money each year on new episodes, and there are reports producers are asking the 6 actors who supply most of the voices to take a 30-percent pay cut in exchange for syndication and merchandising money

View full sizeAP photo/ FOXDon't have a cow, man: Producers of the long-running FOX show "The Simpsons" said the series can't continue under its current financial model. That follows a report that big pay cuts are being sought for the actors who provide voices for Homer, Marge and Bart Simpson and the other characters.

NEW YORK (AP) — In its 23rd year on TV, "The Simpsons" could be on the endangered species list.

The show's producer said Tuesday the show can't continue under its current financial model, following a report that big pay cuts are being sought for the actors who provide voices for Homer, Marge and Bart Simpson and other characters.

"We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model," said Chris Alexander, spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television. He said producers hope a deal can be reached.

The animated series is a fixture on Fox's Sunday night schedule, and critics consider it one of the best shows in the medium. But like many programs that have been on the air for a long time, the cost of making it has become prohibitive.

The Fox network reportedly loses money each year on new episodes, even as all the old episodes run in perpetuity in reruns and are a cash cow for producers and creators.

The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that producers are demanding a 45 percent pay cut from the six voice actors, who reportedly make nearly $8 million each for a season. The website said the voice actors have offered to take a 30 percent pay in return for a portion of the show's syndication and merchandise revenue.

Allan Mayer, a spokesman for one of the show's voice actors, Harry Shearer, said he had no comment on the talks. The manager for Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, told The Associated Press she didn't know about the negotiations, and creator Matt Groening didn't immediately return a phone call.

"The Simpsons" is averaging 7.1 million viewers for its new episodes this fall, down 14 percent from last year. Back in the 1991-92 season, an average of 21.7 million people watched it every week, Nielsen said.

The median age of the show's viewers back two decades ago was 23, and this season it is still very young for a TV show — 32, Nielsen said. That's an indication of how the show has regenerated its audiences as the years go by.

"It's still a very young and male audience, which is difficult to reach on broadcast TV," said Brad Adgate, a researcher for Horizon Media. "Its longevity is due to that. They can charge a premium to reach that audience, and they do."

The bill also includes $300,000 to keep open a state drug-testing laboratory in Amherst.

BOSTON – State legislators on Tuesday reached agreement on a $506 million spending bill that includes $10 million for communities to fund repairs from the June 1 tornadoes, $300,000 to keep open a state drug-testing laboratory in Amherst and $350 million to boost the state's reserves.

The bill allocates a $460 million surplus from the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick first filed the bill in August including the $10 million for Springfield, West Springfield, Monson and other communities that suffered tornado damage. Legislators did not provide a community-by-community breakdown of the $10 million.

The state House of Representatives is scheduled to approve the bill on Wednesday and the state Senate on Thursday.

The Republican file photoSen. Stephen Brewer of Barre

Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat and chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said the bill directs $350 million to the state's rainy day fund, bringing the fund to $1.2 billion.

“This spending plan allocates funding to a number of critical state and local initiatives,” Brewer said in a statement.

As has been previously announced, Brewer on Tuesday reaffirmed that legislators also plan to restore $65 million in local aid that was cut from the state budget for the fiscal year that started July 1.

Brewer said the $10 million from the state is expected to fully fund the state’s 25 percent share of projected reimbursements for tornado damage, with the federal government financing the other 75 percent.

The $300,000 for the drug-testing lab at the University of Massachusetts is a victory for state legislators from Western Massachusetts. House and Senate members from the region asked for the money after the state Department of Public Health said its budget was cut and it planned to close the lab in Amherst at the end of last month.

To support criminal charges, scientists at the lab each year analyze thousands of samples of illegal drugs seized by municipal police departments in Western Massachusetts. If the lab had shut down, police would have been forced to transport the drugs to a state lab in Boston, costing them time and extra money.

The commissioner of the public health department had tabled the planned closure of the lab and pledged to use the $300,000 to keep open the lab if legislators directed the money for that purpose.

The bill also includes $6.2 million for the local costs from a 2008 ice storm; $8.2 million to restore the full $150 annual clothing allowance for low-income children that was cut from the state budget for this fiscal year; $6 million for a program that pays nursing homes to hold beds for up to 10 days when residents leave for hospital care, family visits and other short-term absences; $819,000 for district attorneys across the state; $10 million to expand the state’s substance abuse program; and $500,000 for a program that provides free in-state undergraduate tuition and fees to foster children at any of the state's 29 state and community colleges and universities.

As they prepare to approve the extra spending, legislators also received good news on the state's finances when the state Department of Revenue announced on Tuesday that tax collections for September jumped 8.9 percent from September of last year.

The September collections totaled about $2.2 billion, exceeding projections by $141 million. For the first quarter of the fiscal year, collections totaled about $5 billion, up 6.5 percent from the same quarter of last year and $190 million more than estimated, the revenue department said.

The issue of witness testimony is shaping up as a crucial element at the trial, as the defense repeatedly challenged witnesses who placed Denson at the crime scene during pre-trial hearings.

SPRINGFIELD – A jury impaneled Tuesday in a high-profile murder trial on Wednesday will tour the nightclub where Cathedral High School soccer star Conor W. Reynolds was stabbed to death during a chaotic birthday party last year.

The tour of the Blue Fusion Bar & Grill marks the first phase of a trial that is expected to last four to six weeks and feature testimony from Cathedral students and dozens of others who attended the overcrowded party on March 13, 2010.

Defendant Eric B. Denson, 22, of Springfield, is charged with first degree murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly pushing Reynolds against a wall and stabbing him in the throat as a melee erupted in the club.

The crime rocked Cathedral High School, where Reynolds was an all-state soccer player who led his team to the Division I Western Massachusetts tournament championship his senior year.

Denson is also charged with stabbing a second Cathedral student, Peter D’Amario, who was captain and goalie of the school’s hockey team.

File photo | The RepublicanThe exterior of the former Blue Fusion Bar and Grill on St. James Avenue in Springfield, where Conor Reynolds was fatally stabbed.

Jury selection was completed late Tuesday afternoon, allowing Judge Peter A. Velis to schedule the crime scene tour for Wednesday. The Blue Fusion, at 487 St. James Ave., had no liquor, entertainment or food licenses, and was shut down by the city after the killing.

About 200 people – or twice the club’s legal limit – were at the birthday party before the fight broke out, police said.

At the request of defense lawyer Harry L. Miles, opening arguments were scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Miles is scheduled to argue a case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Thursday morning, but is expected back by early afternoon.

Miles initially asked to make his opening on Friday, but Velis, who was considering holding opening arguments Wednesday afternoon, opted for Thursday instead.

The judge, District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and lawyers for the defense and prosecution spent Tuesday interviewing dozens of prospective jurors before finally getting 12 jurors and four alternates shortly before 4:30 p.m.

After only five of 120 potential jurors were selected on Monday, a second group was brought in Tuesday.

Denson stood at the judge’s bench with his defense team, listening to interviews with each jury candidate. His family members were present for jury selection Monday and again Tuesday.

The issue of witness testimony is shaping up as a crucial element at the trial, as the defense repeatedly challenged witnesses who placed Denson at the crime scene during pre-trial hearings.

Velis will hear additional arguments by both sides on Wednesday, clearing the way for opening arguments Thursday.

Business owner Maria Stafinski said she feared the bridge closing will turn downtown into a "ghost town."

File photo | The RepublicanThe William F. Davitt Bridge over the Chicopee River is slated to close and January and undergo repairs that will keep it closed until September 2014.

CHICOPEE - Some downtown business owners expressed fear Tuesday, and others shared ideas on how to ease the pain of having the Davitt Bridge closed for more than two years.

The bridge, which connects Front Street to Granby Road and Chicopee Street, is slated to close in January and will not be reopened until September 2014. A pedestrian bridge will be erected, but motorists will have to use Interstate 391 to cross the Chicopee River to reach downtown.

The $8.1 million project is being run and funded by the state Department of Transportation. It will replace the bridge, which has structural problems.

“This bridge is being torn down almost to the water level,” City Engineer Steven J. Frederick said. “A full closure was our best course of action.”

The bridge could not be rebuilt in pieces because of the extensive work needed, and it would be impossible to create a temporary bridge. Instead, the city, working with state Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, negotiated with contractor Northern Construction Services officials to work a 60-hour week to hasten the process.

Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said he proposed a 24-hour work schedule, but the state would not approve the extra costs.

He said he wants to hear ideas from downtown merchants on how to improve traffic. Downtown development meetings will continue, and Bissonnette asked merchants to call him with ideas, questions or concerns.

Maria Stafinski, owner of Universal Travel and Universal Products of Poland on Exchange Street, said she does not believe her business can survive a two-year closing.

“Going on 391 is an additional couple of miles. People will find somewhere else to go,” she said.

She said she feared the bridge closing will turn downtown into a “ghost town.”

“How bad is this bridge that it needs to be totally demolished and rebuilt?” she asked.

Other business owners made suggestions on how to ease the inconvenience. William J. Wagner, president of Chicopee Savings Bank, proposed having merchants develop an advertising campaign to inform people about the closing and asked if the city’s cable access channel could help put their message out.

“Our bank would be willing to contribute a significant amount of money to a fund,” Wagner said.

City Planner Catherine L. Brown said the city, working with merchants, could put on special events that could draw people downtown and show them it is easy to get there.

Several people asked state Department of Transportation representatives, who attended the meeting, to look at the timing of traffic lights on Center Street, where there are on- and off-ramps to Interstate 3-91.

“One of the things is detour signs. We need to have enough signs to bring people back to Chicopee Center,” said City Councilor Charles M. Swider, who owns a business downtown.

The conviction was overturned amid doubts over DNA evidence. Prosecutors insist she was among three people who killed 21-year-old Meredith Kercher.

AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenAmanda Knox talks to reporters as her father, Curt Knox, right, stands behind her Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, in Seattle. Knox was freed Monday after an Italian appeals court threw out her murder conviction for the death of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

SEATTLE (AP) — Amanda Knox returned to her hometown of Seattle on Tuesday and was as overcome with emotion as she was a day earlier in Italy, when she was acquitted on murder charges after four years in prison. "Thank you for being there for me," she tearfully told her supporters in front of a crowd of international reporters.

"I'm really overwhelmed right now," she said at a news conference minutes after she was escorted off a British Airways flight out of London. "I was looking down from the airplane, and it seemed like everything wasn't real."

Knox's life turned around dramatically Monday when an Italian appeals court threw out her conviction in the sexual assault and fatal stabbing of her British roommate. On Tuesday, photos of Knox crying in the courtroom after the verdict was read appeared on the front pages of newspapers in Italy, the U.S., Britain and around the world.

Wearing a brown cardigan and black leggings, with her hair in a ponytail, Knox sobbed at the news conference and held her mother's hand as her lawyer Theodore Simon said her acquittal "unmistakably announced to the world" that she was not responsible for the killing of Meredith Kercher.

After her parents offered their thanks to Knox's lawyers and supporters, Knox spoke briefly, saying, "They're reminding me to speak in English, because I'm having problems with that."

"Thank you to everyone who's believed in me, who's defended me, who's supported my family," she said.

"My family's the most important thing to me so I just want to go and be with them, so, thank you for being there for me," she said before she and her family left for a welcome-home party at her father's house.

Knox's acquittal, fueled by doubts over DNA evidence, stunned the victim's family and angered the prosecution, which insists that she was among three people who killed Kercher, 21. But for Knox's grandmother Elisabeth Huff, "it was like the weight of the world had gone."

"We all are as happy as can be. I can't tell you how long we've been looking forward to this day," Huff told The Associated Press outside her home in West Seattle, a tight-knit community a few miles across Elliott Bay from downtown.

Friends and family who held spaghetti dinners, bowling events and concerts to raise money for Knox's defense were thrilled to have her home, though at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport her supporters were a small presence compared to the dozens of U.S. and international reporters.

"WELCOME HOME AMANDA," read the marquee at a record store in the neighborhood where Knox grew up. Another welcome sign was hung at her father's house. A bar offered half-price drinks to celebrate her acquittal. At least one TV station in Washington state tracked the progress of her flight on the air using a plane-tracking website.

Knox, 24, left Perugia's Capanne prison Monday night amid cheers that a companion compared to those at a soccer stadium.

Hundreds of inmates — most of them in the men's wing — shouted "Amanda, ciao!" and "Freedom!" as she walked into the central courtyard, said Corrado Maria Daclon, head of the Italy-US Foundation, which championed Knox's cause. Daclon said Knox jumped a little for joy and waved to the prisoners.

She was soon on her way home, protected by the darkened windows of a Mercedes that led her out of the prison in the middle of the night, and then Tuesday morning to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. She flew from Rome to London, where she took a direct British Airways flight to Seattle, flying business class with full-length seat and menu options including champagne, smoked salmon and prawn salad.

She and her family were on the plane's secluded upper deck. At least nine members of media organizations were on board below, but a flight attendant blocked them from climbing the stairs "to preserve the privacy" of passengers.

As the plane neared Seattle, the flight crew told reporters that once the plane landed, they would have to remain seated while customs officials escorted Knox and her entourage out of the plane. "You will not see her," the cabin crew chief said. After the plane landed, Knox and her family were taken by shuttle van to go through customs.

At the airport, 16-year-old Amra Plavcic shook her head at the dozens of reporters setting up for the news conference, within sight of the gate where Knox's plane was to land.

"I don't think this is important. It's way too much," said Plavcic, who was with her mother awaiting a relative who was on Knox's flight.

AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenAmanda Knox, right, is offered water by her father Curt Knox as her mother, Edda Mellas looks on as they wait to talk to reporters, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, in Seattle. Knox was freed Monday after an Italian appeals court threw out her murder conviction for the death of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

Knox was a University of Washington student studying abroad in Perugia when Kercher was killed in 2007.

In a letter released hours before she left Italy, Knox thanked those Italians who supported her. "Those who wrote, those who defended me, those who were close, those who prayed for me," Knox wrote, "I love you."

Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini expressed disbelief at the innocent verdicts of Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Mignini maintains that Knox, Sollecito and another man killed Kercher during a lurid, drug-fueled sex game.

Mignini said he will appeal to Italy's highest criminal court after receiving the reasoning behind the acquittals, due within 90 days.

"Let's wait and we will see who was right. The first court or the appeal court," Mignini told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "This trial was done under unacceptable media pressure."

One conviction in the slaying still stands: that of Ivory Coast native Rudy Hermann Guede, who sentence was cut to 16 years in his final appeal. His lawyer said Tuesday he will seek a retrial.

The highest court already has upheld Guede's conviction. It said Guede had not acted alone but did not name Knox and Sollecito, saying it was not up to the court to determine who his accomplices were.

Kerchner's family said during an emotional news conference Tuesday that they were back to "square one."

Monday's decision "obviously raises further questions," her brother Lyle Kercher said.

"If those two are not the guilty parties, then who are the guilty people?" he said.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito received 25, but the prosecution's case was blown apart by a DNA review ordered during the appeals trial that discredited crucial genetic evidence.

Prosecutors maintain that Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife believed to be the murder weapon, and that Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They said Sollecito's DNA was on the clasp of Kercher's bra as part of a mix of evidence that also included the victim's genetic profile.

But an independent review — ordered at the request of the defense — found that police conducting the investigation had made glaring errors. The two experts said below-standard testing and possible contamination raised doubts over the attribution of DNA traces, both on the blade and on the bra clasp, which was collected from the crime scene 46 days after the murder.

The review was crucial to throwing out the convictions because no motive has emerged and witness testimony was contradictory.

The highest court will determine whether any procedures were violated. The hearing generally takes one day in Rome, and defendants are not required to attend.

If the highest court overturns the acquittal, prosecutors would be free to request Knox's extradition. It would be up to the government to decide whether to make the formal extradition request.

___

Associated Press writers Martin Benedyk and Haven Daley in Seattle, Colleen Barry and Alessandra Rizzo in Perugia, Italy, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.

The Massachusetts Republican scolded lawmakers from both parties for ramming through what he called "one-sided bills" that have little chance of being passed.

Image from Sen. Scott Brown YouTube channelU.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., called on fellow U.S. senators on Tuesday to put aside partisan politics and work on a jobs bill, deficit reduction and other major issues.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is calling on his colleagues to put aside partisan politics and work on a jobs bill, deficit reduction and other major issues.

In a speech delivered on the Senate floor Tuesday, the Massachusetts Republican scolded lawmakers from both parties for ramming through what he called "one-sided bills" that have little chance of being passed.

Brown said President Barack Obama's proposed jobs bill wasn't perfect, but was a "start" and should be debated. He said both parties should be able to agree on some aspects of the bill and work on improving others.

Brown said Americans deserve better than "political gamesmanship and gridlock."

Brown is seeking re-election in 2012. One recent poll showed him in a statistical dead heat with Elizabeth Warren, one of several declared Democratic challengers.

Text of Sen. Brown's Remarks, as prepared for delivery:

Thank you Mr. President. I come to the floor today because there’s something that too many people in Washington DC are missing right now. We’re all Americans first. It’s a simple idea, but one that seems easily forgotten in politics. Washington has a way of making elected officials act like partisans rather than problem solvers. How can any member here in the Senate vote 100% of the time with their own party? Do they honestly believe that their party is right 100% of the time? Or is it just because it’s easier than the alternative – easier than working together with people who you don’t agree with on every issue?

I ran for the Senate to make a difference. I believe the voters of this country sent us here to find areas where we can agree, to move the country forward, and to make things better. Governing wisely doesn’t mean spending all our time politicking - making the other side take uncomfortable votes, putting those votes in the bank for more petty attacks. But why else would we spend time trying to ram through one-sided bills that can’t pass, simply to highlight our differences? Is that honestly why we were sent here?

We face huge challenges, and that means we must rise to the occasion, and rise above politics to accomplish big things. Our jobs and economic picture is bleak. The line of unemployed workers would stretch across America and back again. Our national debt and deficits are spiraling out of control. Working families are getting squeezed by high energy costs, high healthcare costs, high education costs. Businesses are squeezed by high tax rates, burdensome regulations, and uncertainty about the future and the political leadership of this nation. Our housing market is frozen, and the government is making it harder, rather than easier, for borrowers to refinance. And yet, with all these challenges, the answer here in Washington is just more of the same. More threats. More partisanship. More gridlock. Enough already. We need to be Americans first.

First, we need to focus on jobs.

I believe the American people deserve better. They deserve better than Congressional gridlock and political gamesmanship. The President has given us a jobs bill that isn't perfect, but it's a start. The Majority Leader has said that the Senate might consider the President's package - - eventually. But let's be honest with those that sent us here - - the current proposal from the President isn't going to pass either chamber if it relies entirely on tax increases to pay for it.

So I’m coming to the floor to urge the distinguished Majority Leader to bring jobs bills to the floor that can actually get 60 votes and also have a chance of passing in the House. What would they look like? Well, they would look just like the parts of the President's proposal that actually have bipartisan support and can help our fellow Americans immediately. We can pass a payroll tax cut for both employers and employees. We can pass a Hire A Hero act that provides tax incentives for putting out of work veterans back to work. We can get to work reforming our tax code in a way that eliminates loopholes and leads to lower rates. We can do these things. Together. If we can agree to be Americans first.

And let’s allow members to offer their own ideas on job creation in an open amendment process. Mr. President, I’m sure you have some amendments that you think could help boost job growth in your state. I have a number of bi-partisan pieces of legislation that would help give our economy a boost - from our fishermen to the high-tech sector. None of my bills will solve all of our country's economic problems overnight. But they will make a difference in Massachusetts today, and that’s what my constituents sent me here to do.

Second, we need to focus on our debt and deficits.

Look, there’s plenty of blame to go around for our debt burden and our deficits. So let’s acknowledge that and set aside the sniping about whether we should blame this Administration or that Administration. Frankly, it doesn't matter who oversaw this debt increase or that spending. Everyone contributed to our current fiscal situation and everyone needs to work together to get us out.

So I'm urging the debt committee to put aside partisanship and remember that we're Americans first. Don't think small, think big. Don’t get lost in party politics. Think the way that great American leaders have always thought. They didn’t waste time scoring points, they took the long view. They thought about leaving a legacy for the next generation. A lot of us have pictures of our children and grandchildren here in our offices. If we care about the young people in those photos, we should be demanding a bi-partisan compromise on the debt, one that finally puts us back on track towards a balanced budget.

Before I held this Senate seat, it was held by Ted Kennedy. And before that, it was held by John F. Kennedy. I'd like remind my colleagues that it was President Kennedy who famously said, quote, “To those whom much is given, much is expected,” end quote. The voters have given us so much. They have given us a responsibility, and an opportunity, to come here to work and get something done. Every minute that we waste, we let them down. With every petty attack, they get more cynical and expect less and less. While Washington bickers, their faith in our democracy is waning.

Let’s finally do something for them. Let’s work together on these big challenges, and let’s renew that faith.

In response to a question about "NoHo versus 'Hamp," a phrase sometimes used to describe the rift between newcomers and long-time residents, both Narkewicz and Bardsley rejected the dichotomy.

The Republican | Michael BeswickMayorla candidates Michael R. Bardsley (l) and David J. Narkewicz square off in first public debate.

NORTHAMPTON – Kicking off a series of scheduled debates, the two candidates for mayor agreed on a lot of points Tuesday, including one crucial one: Each believes he has the better resume for running the city.

David J. Narkewicz and Michael R. Bardsley squared off in a public debate in front of some 80 people at the Northampton High School auditorium. The event, co-sponsored by the Baystate Village Association and the Florence Civic and Business Association, gave the candidates their first opportunity to go head to head. Both took the occasion to tout their experience.

Bardsley, who served for 16 years on the City Council, eight as its president, said flatly that he has the stronger resume. In particular, he cited his ability and willingness to listen to all sides.

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“I have the wisdom, compassion and maturity to serve the people well,” he said. “I would be everybody’s mayor.”

Narkewicz, the current council president, is acting mayor thanks to the early departure of Mary Clare Higgins, who left office before the end of her term to take a job at a human services agency. In addition to his three terms on the council, Narkewicz cited his work as an aide for U.S. Rep. John W. Olver and his success in bringing people together.

“I have the vision and leadership,” he said.
In his campaign, Bardsley has depicted Narkewicz as Higgins’ hand-chosen successor and himself as the champion of those whose voices have not been heard by City Hall. Narkewicz would not cede him that ground, underscoring his own efforts to open up the decision-making process as a member of the council.

Both candidates said they would open up the budget process by getting more citizen input. Both also favor keeping the Community Preservation Act, which they credited with making possible a lot of good projects. A citizens’ petition has put a question on the November ballot asking voters whether or not the city should keep the CPA, which adds a small surcharge to property taxes.

Bardsley was more aggressive in separating himself from Higgins’ practices. He noted, for example, that her budget hearings did not draw big crowds of citizens.

“It’s a sign that the system is broken,” he said. “People don’t take the current process seriously.”

Rather than defend or criticize Higgins’ administration, Narkewicz emphasized how he would do things differently.

“I have a reputation of not being afraid to think outside the box,” he said.

In response to a question about “NoHo verses Hamp,” a phrase sometimes used to describe the rift between newcomers and long-time residents, both Narkewicz and Bardsley rejected the dichotomy.

“It’s a false distinction,” Narkewicz said. “It’s not true to what’s going on in the city now.”

Bardsley said he never uses the terms.

“It’s another way of labeling people,” he said. “I built my career on being able to listen to people with a wide range of views.”

Bardsley did say, however, that there are many people in Northampton who don’t feel they have been listened to by City Hall, including some small business owners.

“I pledge to do everything I can to keep this a place we all can live and enjoy,” he said.

Narkewicz said he has a proven track record of results.

“I bring people together to find solutions to problems,” he said.

Every soldier deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 9 months gets to enjoy 15 days of non-chargeable leave, commonly referred to as “R&R.”

By Lt. Col. MARK E. BOROWSKI

As if I needed anything to remind me where I was as I stepped off the back ramp of the C-17 cargo aircraft and onto the tarmac of Bagram Airfield at 2 a.m. two weeks ago, the deafening roar was enough.

Two F-16 fighter jets, the flames from their afterburners streaking behind them, screamed off into the pitch-black night, off to patrol the skies of eastern Afghanistan, waiting for the call to support troops in contact on the ground. After more than two weeks away, it was back to reality.

For those last two weeks or so, I had been enjoying myself on leave back in the states.

Every soldier deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for more than nine months gets to enjoy 15 days of non-chargeable leave, commonly referred to as “R&R,” or “rest and recuperation.” The official acronym is “EML,” for “Environmental Mid-Tour Leave.” I don’t know why it’s called that.

It’s a great program, though, in which the service member gets to fly anywhere in the world he or she wants to go, at government expense, and the 15 days does not include travel time.

I chose to take mine later in the deployment, knowing that when I returned to Afghanistan, it would be for only a few more months. That also lined up nicely with allowing me to be home for my wife’s and my wedding anniversary.

By the time the day came for me to head home, I was more than ready!

I won’t claim to experience the same physical grind as our soldiers who are outside the wire patrolling day after day at all hours, but eight months of deployment and being “switched on” all the time takes its toll nonetheless. If I’m lucky, I get about six hours of sleep a night, and if I’m not sleeping, eating (often in my office), or spending some time in the gym, I’m working, either in the headquarters or outside the wire with our soldiers.

When I found my attention span was shot to the point that I couldn’t even concentrate long enough to finish a short online article about the Boston Red Sox’s latest loss, I knew it was time for a break!

I got lucky and didn’t spend a lot of time stuck at Bagram or in Kuwait, and after the very long flight from Kuwait, to Ireland, to Atlanta, to Louisville, I was ecstatic to be home.

It’s difficult to describe how it feels to see one’s family after being away for eight months in a dangerous place, but needless to say, it’s a pretty darn good feeling. And while reunions after a long absence can sometimes be awkward once the initial euphoria wears off, it helps tremendously that we live in a wonderful age when it comes to communication, and I will always remember this as the “Skype deployment.”

The days of soldiers waiting for letters from home to learn what is going on with their loved ones are long gone. Even in the remotest of locations, most soldiers have access to the Internet and to phones, and I am thankfully able to video chat, instant message, or talk with my family almost every day.

One of the great things about that is that you stay well-connected the whole time and don’t have to spend your short time at home catching up.

That said, there is nothing like being physically present. Skype doesn’t allow you to keep the kids on task with their homework (though it does allow you to yell at them about their homework!), help with the grocery shopping or to be at a kid’s sporting event. These are just a few of the many things my wife and many like her do all by themselves while their spouses are gone.

It was also wonderful to get back to doing some of the small, mundane things of daily life you don’t get to do while deployed. I loved being able just to drive around in the car and listen to the radio, though I must report that I was banned from driving my wife’s car, as it appears my driving skills were a little rusty after eight months, at least in her eyes.

She also thought I was crazy for being excited about seeing regular commercials on TV, rather than the insipid public-service spots on the American Forces Network.

Most of all, aside from being with my family, the greatest part was not having to do anything!

I didn’t completely escape from work, though. While I was home I got to visit with nearly all of our soldiers who had been wounded in action or who had sustained other injuries during our deployment. The most inspiring was Specialist Carlos Gomez.

Many readers may remember that I wrote about the loss of Staff Sgt. Mecolus McDaniel back in March. Specialist Gomez was the driver of the vehicle in which Sgt. McDaniel was killed, and, as a result of the injuries he sustained in the blast, he ended up having his right leg amputated below the knee. He is receiving magnificent care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where his wife and baby get to stay with him at no cost. He is walking without crutches on his new prosthetic leg, is in great sprits, and is looking forward to remaining in the Army and continuing on with his career.

Specialist Gomez reminded me once again what an honor and privilege it is to be entrusted to lead young people like him.

Aside from visiting our wounded soldiers, I tried to keep from worrying about what was happening in my absence. I resisted the urge to email my executive officer for updates, and he, mercifully, didn’t send me any more than were absolutely necessary.

My 15 days seemed to go by fast, but, happily, not too fast, and saying goodbye to the family is a lot easier when you know it is only for a few more months.

The very, very long trip back, by the time it was finally over, almost made me happy to be back in Afghanistan again, and when I got back, it seemed like I had never left. Like with any other great organization, the wheels didn’t come off the squadron while the boss was away. In fact, it didn’t miss a beat. I’m not even sure they knew I was gone.

Now that I’m back, refreshed, and ready to go, it’s time to focus on these last few months. There is still a lot of work to be done and a lot that we need to accomplish.

The enemy is still out there; Afghanistan still faces incredible challenges, as recent events in the news have shown; and there will be a unit replacing us that we need to set up for success. Most important, it’s time to focus on getting everyone home safely.

Submitted photoLt. Col. Mark Borowski

The council's request for economic details comes with the state Senate set to resume debate about a casino bill.

Associated PressThe Holyoke City Council wants to know whether homeowners' property taxes would go down and other economic details if a $500 million casino resort comes here.

HOLYOKE – The City Council wants to know whether homeowners’ property taxes would go down and other economic details if a $500 million casino resort comes here.

“I’d like to know what kind of economic impact that would have on the average taxpayer,” Ward 3 Councilor Anthony M. Keane said Tuesday.

Keane and Ward 7 Councilor John J. O’Neill filed the order, which the council approved by voice vote at City Hall. The order calls for City Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra to do the report.

The request for such details comes as the state Senate is scheduled to resume debate of a bill to legalize casino gambling Thursday.

Such a law would establish three casino resorts, including one in Western Massachusetts.

Paper City Development, a limited liability company, wants to build a casino resort at Wyckoff Country Club near Interstate 91. That group so far is the only one that has stepped forward with a proposal for Holyoke, but officials here have said that if casino gambling is legalized, additional plans would be unsurprising.

Councilors such as James M. Leahy, Rebecca Lisi and Todd A. McGee questioned whether Lumbra has the time and expertise for such a study.

Keane said the 10-day deadline was arbitrary and additional time can be taken if necessary to do the study.

Lumbra told The Republican he can get some of the details councilors want, but some information might be unavailable, such as the exact effect of casino revenue on state aid.

“We can take a snapshot to see what the effect of such an establishment would be,” Lumbra said.

Councilor Kevin A. Jourdain said the city has an ordinance that lets the City Council require that a developer pay for such a study to help the council make a decision.

Media consultant Anthony L. Cignoli, of Springfield, one of the Paper City Development partners, told a council committee last month the group would pay for such a study.

Ward 4 Councilor Timothy W. Purington said the city could tap the expertise of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for such a study.

A casino raises concerns beyond revenue, Purington and other councilors said, such as public safety.

Also, Purington said, referring to a possible gaming resort at Wyckoff, which is on the Mount Tom range, “Is it going to be possible to continue developing downtown with a casino on the hill?”

Paper City Development representatives have said their plan would provide 1,500 jobs that would pay minimum wage with tips to six-figure salaries.

Jobs, in addition to hundreds of construction jobs, will include card dealers, waiters and waitresses, computer technicians, house-keepers, surveillance staff, security, auditors, transportation, box office, kitchen, food and beverage, vault, human resources and parking staff, they said.

Critics say a casino’s benefits would be offset by problems. They say problems could include additional traffic, noise, crime and the harm to the wildlife and open-space lure of the Mount Tom range, along with social problems such as gambling addiction.

Neffinger complained that the city's budget, now at $88 million a year, has grown by about $20 million over the last 8 years.

Gregory Neffinger, left, and Gerard Matthews are running for mayor of West Springfield.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The two candidates for mayor in this city traded knocks Tuesday night during a forum in the municipal building attended by about 70 people.

The candidates, Town Councilor Gerard B. Matthews and architect Gregory C. Neffinger, differed the most sharply over spending, taxes and whether or not West Springfield is a business friendly community.

The West of the River Chamber of Commerce sponsored the forum, which also included appearances by candidates for the Town Council.

The mayoral candidates took their gloves off during the Lincoln-Douglas portion of the forum in which they took turns asking each other questions.

Neffinger complained that the city’s budget, now at $88 million a year, has grown by about $20 million over the last eight years. He questioned why North Attleboro, a similarly sized community in the eastern part of the state, can manage on $72 million a year.

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Matthews responded that this year the city must spend $10 million on just health insurance, an increase of 10 percent. It has also been stuck with $400,000 in Quinn Bill-generated costs the state will no longer pick up and an $8.5 million bill to repair the levy system, he said.

“I don’t think any of it was wasteful or unnecessary,” Matthews said of city spending in recent years.

“As mayor of our town I will take control of spending,” Neffinger said.

Matthews got Neffinger to say that he supports the mayor’s capital spending plan as well as building at Tatham School and then went on to criticize him for approving of spending while at the same time saying he will cut spending.

“You can’t do it,” Matthews said.

Neffinger contended the city is not very business friendly.

“People are moving out of West Springfield,” Neffinger said.

“If anything, we have seen terrific growth in this town in the last two years,” Matthews said, referring to such developments as expansion by the Balise automobile dealerships.

Neffinger argued that the city can improve on its permitting processes for businesses so they will be more speedy.

However, Matthews said the city had requirements for such things as enough water pressure for fire protection because it is committed to protecting its residents.

The audit is a follow-up to a prior audit that found more serious problems at the Agawam Housing Authority.

BOSTON – The Agawam Housing Authority is improving financial oversight of its operations, but remains hurt by "excessive delays" in re-renting empty units and sanitary violations in some residential units, the state auditor said in an audit released on Tuesday.

The audit by Auditor Suzanne M. Bump is a follow-up to a 2007 audit that criticized the authority’s board and a former executive director for poor decisions and lax oversight of its operations.

“I'd like to acknowledge the Agawam Housing Authority’s Board of Directors for being responsive to many of the findings of our past audit,” Bump stated on Tuesday. “The challenges that persist in the authority plague many housing managers statewide. I hope the authority can continue its progress.”

Republican file photoState Auditor Suzanne Bump

Maureen M. Cayer, executive director of the authority, could not be reached for comment.

The 2007 audit found inappropriate use of authority funds for personal expenses, high personal use of authority cell phones, questionable gasoline card purchases, and over $8,000 in questionable expenses relating to a personnel dispute.

A review of operations between Oct. 1, 2008 and March 31, 2010 showed the authority has corrected its policies authorizing expenditures and the use of authority assets, according to Bump's office.

Christian M. Quatrone, a former executive director at the authority, resigned in September 2006 following state criticism of his management.

The new audit, picking up on another problem in the earlier audit, showed the Agawam authority took an average of 229 days to prepare 49 vacant units for occupancy, resulting in a lost opportunity to earn $112,747 in potential rental income.
State guidelines call for a 21-day turnover rate. The audit also criticized the authority for neglecting to conduct annual inspections of rental units.

In response, authority officials said they have procedures to ensure vacant units are filled within 21 days, the audit said. The authority is also developing a policy that includes annual inspections, the audit said.

Bump cited some "continuing deficiencies" at the authority. While sanitary violations identified in the 2007 audit have since been repaired, additional inspections of four units in the Brady Village Development revealed new infractions including walls in disrepair, possible mold, and missing electric cover plates.

Leaders of the authority said that these units are all part of the ongoing modernization project for the Brady Village development, the audit said.

The prior audit found a $187,259 decline in the authority’s operating reserves because of questionable payments made by a former executive director and approved by its board over a five-year period. The follow-up audit notes that the authority has since replenished its reserves, meeting state standards and allowing it to be adequately prepared for emergency situations.

In addition, the follow-up found shortcomings with the authority’s tenant selection, rent determination, and inventory control procedures.

The audit, for example, found that six tenants were charged incorrect rents under state regulations. Four tenants were overcharged a total of $226 because the Authority did not include certain deductions in its tenant rent calculations. Two additional tenants were undercharged a total of $58 because they received deductions for which they were not eligible, the audit said.
Agawam Housing Authority audit

All 6 argued that they were their party's best hope to unseat Brown, the popular incumbent who won a special election last year.

By STEVE LeBLANC

LOWELL — The six Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate spent much of their first debate zeroing in on the one candidate not on stage, Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

All six argued that they were their party's best hope to unseat the popular incumbent, who won a special election last year for the seat left vacant by the death of longtime Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Harvard law professor and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, the frontrunner in a recent poll, faulted Brown for cozying up to Wall Street. If elected, Warren said, her top goals would be lowering the national jobless rate and helping the middle class find a more solid economic footing.

"People should not be on unemployment," she said. "We should be putting them to work."

She also said the country shouldn't put future wars "on a credit card," referring to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"We should never go to war if we're not willing to pay for it now," she said. "It means either all of us go to war or none of us go to war."

The other Democratic candidates largely passed on any opportunity to confront Warren directly. A recent poll found Warren far ahead of the other candidates in a matchup with Brown.

Self-described "social justice advocate" Robert Massie, however, warned against what he called a "rush to judgment" among Democrats to support one candidate — presumably Warren, who just announced her candidacy and is largely untested on the campaign trail.

But even Massie saved his toughest critique for Brown, attributing his surprise win to an insurgent national conservative movement.

"Scott Brown raised $14 million in the last 18 days of his campaign because he was able to appeal to the tea party who wanted to slap Massachusetts in the face for 47 years of Teddy Kennedy," he said.

City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, who raised nearly $1 million during his first fundraising quarter, also went after the Republican incumbent, saying Brown has failed to live up to his early promise in the Senate.

"Scott Brown had an opportunity to be a game changer," Khazei said. "He's delivered nothing."

The debate also gave some of the lesser-known candidates a chance to make their case to Democratic primary voters.

Immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco said she can fight Brown in one of his strongholds in Essex County. She also said she's made a living battling for underdogs and would give Brown a run for his money.

"I know how to beat Scott Brown on his own turf," she said.

State Rep. Tom Conroy said he's the only candidate with a record of having defeated a popular GOP incumbent. Compared to him, Brown would come across as "nothing more than an empty suit," Conroy said.

"I'm the Democratic Party's best hope to defeat Scott Brown," said Conroy, D-Wayland.

Newton resident Herb Robinson tried to cast himself as the non-politician in the group. He was also the only candidate to say he would support full legalization of marijuana. Most of the other candidates said they could support some form of medical marijuana use.

Marijuana "should be legal and sold as alcohol," Robinson said.

All six said they agree that President Barack Obama has been too slow in getting the country out of Afghanistan and agreed that women should be allowed combat roles in the military. All said they opposed mandatory military service.

Asked if they had ever been cited for drunken driving, all six said no.

All the candidates said they paid for their education through a mix of student loans, jobs and financial from their parents.

"I kept my clothes on," said Warren, a joking reference to Brown's decision while in law school to pose nude for Cosmopolitan magazine in a photo spread with a strategically placed crease in the magazine.

All the Democratic candidates also said they believe Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration policy and would support offering in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrant students living in Massachusetts.

The Democratic candidates also said they support Obama's jobs bill, although several said the bill was not aggressive enough.

Asked what superhero they would want to be, Conroy said Captain America, DeFranco said one of the Wonder Twins, Khazei said the Flash, Robinson said the Incredible Hulk, Massie said Superman and Warren said Wonder Woman, citing her "cool outfit."

A recent UMass Lowell-Boston Herald poll showed Brown getting 41 percent of the vote and Warren receiving 38 percent, within the poll's margin of error.

Warren also was the strong favorite of the six Democratic candidates when pollsters surveyed potential Democratic primary voters. She garnered 36 percent of the vote while none of the other five got more than 5 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,005 registered voters in Massachusetts by landline and cellphone from Sept. 22-28. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points, higher for smaller samples such as potential Democratic primary voters.

Brown has tried to cast himself as an independent voice beholden to neither major political party.

"I'm going to continue to do my job and work on the very important things that people care about and that's jobs, job creation," he told reporters Monday.

Energy Committee chair James Harrington said estimates are Ludlow would save $150,000 per year in municipal electricity costs.

solar panels

LUDLOW – Voters at Monday’s special Town Meeting voted to give the selectmen the authority to enter into a 20-year contract for the lease of 14 acres of the town landfill for a photovoltaic generation system.

Borrego Solar Systems of Lowell is proposing to lease the landfill from the town for 20 years for the installation of solar panels on the capped town landfill on Holyoke Street for the production of electricity that would be sold to Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

James P. “Chip” Harrington, chair of the town’s Energy Committee, said that in exchange for the lease of the property to the solar company the town would get a credit for its electricity purchases. Harrington said estimates are that the town would save $150,000 per year in municipal electricity costs.

Electricity now costs the town 9 cents per killowatt hour, Harrington said. Estimates are that the cost would come down to 4 or 5 cents per kilowatt hour, he said.

Town Meeting member Joseph Santos asked whether the capped landfill on Holyoke Street would not be better used for athletic fields.

Harrington replied that such a proposal would require the relocation of ventilation pipes at the landfill. He said parents are unlikely to support having their children playing sports on a capped landfill.

Santos also said competitive bids should be sought before a solar company is selected. The Energy Committee already sought bids and reviewed them and has recommended Borrego Solar Systems to the selectmen due to the company’s track record and financial stability, Harrington said.

The proposal was approved by a majority show of hands by voters at the Town Meeting.

Borrego Solar Systems is about to begin construction of a solar facility on a landfill in Easthampton, Harrington said.

He said he expects an agreement with Borrego Solar Systems will be negotiated in 30 to 40 days. After that, permitting by the state could take approximately six months, and there will be a six-month construction timetable, Harrington said.

Selectmen said they will appoint a committee to negotiate a contract with Borrego Solar Systems. The committee will include representatives from the Board of Selectmen, the Energy Committee and the Board of Public Works.

Ferreira finished just out of the running for a City Council at large seat in 2009.

Jason P. Ferreira

HOLYOKE – Jason P. Ferreira said he wants to represent Ward 4 on the City Council to work on street-level issues like speeding traffic, littering and community policing.

Ferreira said in a statement he would be “available to all residents and will put great emphasis on returning phone calls, emails and letters as quickly as possible.”

“(Ferreira) will research each issue with great detail, and then decisively move forward,” he said.

Ferreira, 28, is assistant office manager at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, in Springfield.

He just missed being elected to an at large seat on the City Council in 2009, finishing ninth in a field of 13 candidates for eight seats.

He has participated in the Ward 4 Trash Bash, an initiative to clean the streets. He is a founding member of the Greater Holyoke YMCA Autumn Fun Run/Walk, which raises money for youth scholarships at the Holyoke YMCA.

He worked with other residents to get the volume and speed of traffic in Ward 4 addressed.

Ferreira said he would work to get more city garbage and recycling containers posted in the ward.

To highlight the city’s historical and natural assets, he said he will push for the planting of new trees and greenery on city property.

He also said he would speak out for community policing, a return of bicycle and foot patrols and a police substation located in Ward 4.

Incumbent Ward 4 Councilor Timothy W. Purington isn’t running for re-election.

Ferreira is running against Libby Hernandez, a property manager with the Holyoke Housing Authority, in the Nov. 8 election.

Jason Ferreira

Monson Selectman John Goodrich II expects the town to use its $75,000 grant from the state for work with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

MONSON – The state is providing a $75,000 grant to help complete a plan for redeveloping downtown businesses and residences damaged by the June 1 tornado.

The award is part of $281,000 in planning grants to be administered through the Department of Housing and Community Development to support cities and towns' reconstruction efforts by hiring professional planners or regional planning agencies.

Monson, Springfield and West Springfield are all recipients of planning grants through this program.

“These grants are so important for all the municipalities who are facing the daunting task of rebuilding after the June storms,” said state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Bare.

“The affected cities and towns have the drive and passion to rebuild. These grants will lighten that financial burden while providing access to critical resources in planning,” Brewer said.

State Rep. Brian Ashe, D-Longmeadow, said, “There has been a lot of work done thus far and at this point money is the most integral component to move forward, so I am very happy to join my colleagues in sharing this good news.”

The town will most likely use this grant money for services from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Selectman John F. Goodrich II said.

It will be particularly helpful because of the way the budget has been stretched dealing with the aftermath of the tornado.

“We are a very lean-running government,” Goodrich said. “The people we have already have a full plate of work. This grant to help properly plan and rebuild our town is going to be very useful.”

Businesses, homes and the town office building were all damaged beyond use when the tornado swept through the downtown section June 1.

Goodrich said selectmen want input from town residents before developing a plan for rebuilding, and the town still has not reached agreement with its insurance company on the claim for the town office building.

“The scale of the rebuilding is so large it is going to have to incorporate a time frame in order to do it correctly. That is just the way it is,” Goodrich said.

Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said the planning work in preparation for rebuilding will probably include re-examining existing bylaws and the town’s master plan to see if changes are needed to facilitate recovery.

Neggers said Gov. Deval L. Patrick and his staff have repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to helping communities hit by the tornado.

“From the very beginning, they have been encouraging towns to rebuild stronger, better and greener. This grant will be a tool to help move forward with that,” Neggers said.