Major municipal meetings for April 11 to 17, from Agawam to Westfield.

THIS WEEK’S AGENDA

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Agawam
Mon.- Board of Appeals, 6:30, Agawam Public Library.
Tues.- School Committee, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.
Agawam Cultural Council, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library.
Thu.- Agawam Disability Commission, 5:30 p.m., 954 Main St.

Amherst
Mon.- Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.
Tues.- Disability Access Committee, 11:15, 210 Old Farm Road.
Public Shade Tree Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall.
Jones Library Board of Trustees, 5:30 p.m., Jones Library.
Agricultural Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Wed.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Thu.- Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee, 4:30 p.m., Jones Library.
Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall.

East Longmeadow
Mon.- School Committee, 7:30 p.m., School Committee meeting room.
Capital Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.
Tues.- Council on Aging, 9 a.m., Pleasantview Senior Center.
Recreation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Senior Center.
Wed.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Granby
Mon.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., High School Library.
Tues.- Library Trustee, 6 p.m., Granby Library.
Finance Committee, Selectboard, 6:30 p.m., Aldrich Hall, 357 East State St., 2nd floor.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Aldrich Hall, first floor.
Wed.- Joint Transportation, 10:15 a.m., 60 Congress St., Springfield.

Greenfield
Mon.- Appointment and Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Police Station Meeting Room.
Tues.- Board of Assessors, 8:30 a.m., 14 Court Square.
Community Relations Committee, 6 p.m., Greenfield High School Library.
Public Schools Strategic Planning Subcommittee, 6:30 p.m., 141 Davis Square.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Police Station Meeting Room.
Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., Police Station Meeting Room.

Hadley
Tues.- Council on Aging, 10:30 a.m., Senior Center.
Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Wed.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Long Range Planning Implementation Committee, 7 p.m., Senior Center.

Hatfield
Mon.- Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.
Memorial Town Hall Renovation Committee, 1 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.
School Committee, 6:30 p.m., Smith Academy.

Holyoke
Mon.- Holyoke Public Library Renovation Committee, 1 p.m., Holyoke Public Library, 335 Maple St.
School Committee, executive session, 5:30 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.
School Committee, special meeting, 6:15 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.
Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.
City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.
Wed.- Charter study commission, 6:45 p.m., Holyoke Geriatric Authority, 45 Lower Westfield Road.
Thu.- School Committee, Maintenance-Operations Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

Huntington
Wed.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Gateway Regional School Committee, 7:30 p.m., Gateway Regional High School.

Longmeadow
Mon.- Park Board, 6 p.m. Fire Department.
School Committee, 7 p.m., Wolf Swamp Road School.
Tues.- Board of Assessors, 8:30 a.m., Police Department.
Cable Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Police Department.
Thu.- Select Board Finance subcommittee, 9 a.m., Town Hall.

Monson
Mon.- Assessors, 4:15 p.m., Town Office Building.
Finance Committee, 6:45 p.m., Town Office Building.
Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Office Building.
Wed.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Office Building.

Northampton
Mon.- Committee on Elections, Rules, Ordinances Orders and Claims, 6 p.m., Council Chambers.
Committee on Appointments and Evaluations, 11:15 a.m., Council Chambers.
Health Food Policy Committee, 4:30 p.m., Jackson Street School.
Wed.- Board of Public Works, 5 p.m., 125 Locust St.
Redistricting Committee, 5;30 p.m., Council Chambers.
Thu.- School Committee, 7:15 p.m., John F. Kennedy Middle School.

Palmer
Mon.- Town Council, 7 p.m., Town Building.
Tues.- Board of Health, 6 p.m., Town Building.
Wed.- School Committee, 6 p.m., Palmer High School.

South Hadley
Mon.- Library Building Committee, 6:15 p.m., Library.
Tues.- Joint Selectboard and Planning Board Appointment Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.
Cultural Council, 6 p.m., Library.
Recreation Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall 109.
Wed.- GRO South Hadley, noon, Police Station conference room.
High School Council, 4 p.m., High School conference room.
Conservation Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Southwick
Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Sewer Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Wed.- Emergency Management Agency, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Thu.- Lake Management Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Springfield
Mon.- Board of Assessors, 4 p.m., assessors board room, City Hall.
Tues.- City Council Green Committee, 6 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.
Wed.- School Committee’s Legislative and Contracts Subcommittee, 4:30 p.m., board room, 1550 Main St.
Thu.- License Commission, 5:30 p.m., Room 220, City Hall.
Thu.- School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Central High School, 1840 Roosevelt Ave.
Fri.- Local Emergency Planning Committee, 1 p.m., Raymond Sullivan Public Safety Complex, 1212 Carew St.

Warren
Mon.- Assessors, 4 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

West Springfield
Mon.- Board of Assessors, 4:45 p.m., room 219, municipal building.
Park and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., municipal building.
Tues.- Community Preservation Committee, 5:30 p.m., municipal building.
Wed.- Library board of trustees, 7-9 p.m., West Springfield.

Westfield
Mon.- Council on Aging, 3 p.m., City Hall.
School Committee, 6:30 p.m., South Middle School.
Police Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Tues.- Board of Public Works, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Wed.- Board of Health, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Water Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., City Hall.
Municipal Light Board, 7 p.m., 100 Elm St.
Thu.- Airport Commission, 7 p.m., Barnes Municipal Airport, Appremont Way.

Police said the killings are the fourth and fifth homicides of the year in Worcester.

View full size

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Two men have been fatally shot in Worcester while in their vehicle, though two women in the backseat were unharmed.

Worcester police did not release the names of the men who were killed Sunday. Authorities did not identify the women either.

Police received several 911 calls at about 3:15 Sunday morning, reporting gunshots. Officers found the two men inside the car with gunshot wounds and were declared dead at UMass Memorial Medical Center-University Campus.

Police said the killings are the fourth and fifth homicides of the year in Worcester.

No other details were immediately available.

___

Information from: Telegram & Gazette, http://www.telegram.com

In Massachusetts there are over 80,000 abused children.

Springfield, 4/10/11, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, center, cuts the yellow ribbon to start the Exchange Club of Springfield and the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelity to Children's first Miles For Smiles walkathon at Forest Park. Kateri B. Walsh is at right and Arlene Putnam with the Exchange Club and Chairperson of the walkathon is at far right.

SPRINGFIELD – For more than 10 years the Exchange Club has been donating money to organizations that help abused children.

Sunday the non-profit organization held the first Miles for Smiles walk at Forest Park.

“ We are dedicated to supporting organizations like the Gray House in Springfield who work with children suffering from abuse,” said William Duquette, a member of the club and one of the event organizers.

Duquette said the Exchange Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

“The organization has been around a long time and its always been committed to helping those in need,” he said.


Duquette said child abuse is prevalent nationwide. “It is a big problem. Here in Massachusetts there are over 80,000 abused children,” he said.

About 100 people participated in the walk, which is in its first year.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, his wife Carla and their daughters Cassandra, 13 and Chiara, 11, participated in the walk. The girls volunteered to make signs for the event.

“We got sponsorships for the event from Dot Lortie from Landmark Realty, Hampden Bank and MacMillian and Son, so the girls made signs thanking them,” said Carla Sarno.

Sarno is not a member of the Exchange Club, but she wanted to help.

“I try to be a part of any events that support children,” she said.

Cassandra Sarno, 13, and Zaryah Allison, 14, worked on the signs and participated in the walk.

“I just wanted to help out and stand against child abuse,” Cassandra Sarno said.

Entertaining children and adults alike where the clowns of Clowning for Kids, an organization based in West Warren that supports children’s events across the state.

“We are all about the kids. We come out to events that are raising money to support children’s programs and we entertain the children,” said James “Nit-Wit” Allard, one of the head clowns. “Today we were sponsored by Scuderi Engine and were able to provide free cotton candy for the walkers.”

Domenic Sarno thanked the crowd for supporting the event.

“No young person should be abused or live in fear,” Sarno said. “ It’s people like you and organizations like this that will help put a stop to child abuse.”

The home received about $10,000 in damages.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – A fire damaged the siding and roof overhang on a single-family home in the Indian Orchard section of the city at about 2 p.m. Sunday.

The blaze was started after the resident improperly disposed of ashes from his fireplace, Dennis G. Leger, fire department spokesman, said.

The home at 173 Hampden St., owned by Thomas Juzba, received at least $10,000 to the exterior. Residents were allowed to remain in the home, Leger said.

A resident placed a container of the ashes outside the house and later left. When he returned home he found the fire. The best way to dispose of fireplace ashes is to place them in a metal container, to prevent the possibility of warm embers kindling a fire, Leger said.

Holyoke residents Patrick and Christine Burns told tour-takers how they keep their chickens warm in the winter, cool in the summer and producing eggs regularly.

The Republican | David MolnarPatrick Burns, center, talks about raising chickens in his backyard to visitors to his home during the annual Pioneer Valley Coop Tour. One of his chickens, "Jenny," is getting ready to enter the coop built by Burns.

HOLYOKE – Patrick Burns built a chicken coop in his backyard after watching instructional videos on YouTube, he said. It has wheels and was supposed to be mobile, but it’s too heavy to move.

Sharing that lesson and others with chicken farmers was the Burns family’s goal Sunday as they participated in the Pioneer Valley Backyard Chicken Association’s Valley Coop Tour. As the first of seven stops on the tour, the Burns family drew more than 20 people to their chickens’ humble abode.

Patrick Burns and his wife, Christine Burns, who began keeping chickens about a year ago, said they average four eggs almost every day.

“They taste like eggs, but better ... because they’re fresh,” said Christine Burns. “We love the eggs, but more than anything it’s the whole experience.”

The Burnses told tour-takers how they keep their chickens warm in the winter, cool in the summer and producing eggs regularly.

Patrick Burns said one of his favorite parts of raising chickens is caring for them when they’re young.

“They’re like babies in the womb,” he said. “I don’t think I could bring myself to eat them.”

So, just the eggs, then. But, unless it’s a special occasion like the Coop Tour, at which a dozen eggs from the Burns family cost $3.50, they aren’t for sale.

“It would be like work,” said Patrick Burns. “We still want it to be a hobby.”

Keeping chickens in residential areas is a point of contention in many cities, including Holyoke, which has been debating the issue since at least last year. The Burnses, however, live in a part of the city where it is allowed.

“I think that people should be allowed to do it,” said Christine Burns, who said she also sees how it can be a problem. “I think there should be strict guidelines” such as how many chickens can be kept in a certain amount of space.

John Perdrizet, a Holyoke veterinarian who came to see the Burns’ coop, agreed.

“I’m a big advocate of bringing back small farms in local communities,” said Perdrizet. “It’s needed not just for healthy living and fresh food, but for the humane treatment of animals.”

There were six other stops on the Coop Tour in Pelham, Northampton, Amherst, Florence, Haydenville and Williamsburg.

Kathleen Rinaldi decided to open the seal on her wedding dress box for her 25th anniversary.

Republican staff photo by David A. MolnarKathleen Rinaldi, of Longmeadow, shows the dress that was stored in a box for 25 years after her wedding. When she opened the box, she discovered the wrong dress was inside.

LONGMEADOW – Kathleen Rinaldi waited 25 years to open her sealed wedding dress box only to discover that her wedding dress was not inside.

“I was so heartbroken when I pulled out the dress and realized they had given me the wrong one,” said Rinaldi, who is married to Robert Rinaldi, owner of Rinaldi’s Italian Specialties in Longmeadow.

The couple is celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this September and Rinaldi wanted to alter her wedding dress to make a new outfit for her vow renewal ceremony.

“I have always been so careful with the box making sure to keep it in a cedar chest and never opening it,” she said.

At first Rinaldi did not notice it was not her dress. She asked her daughter Angelina, 22, to try it on and as she zipped up the back she knew something was wrong.

“My dress did not zip up, it had buttons. I ran and got the wedding album and saw that the dress looked nothing like mine except that it had a v-neck front,” she said.

Republican staff photo by David MolnarThe key to solving Rinaldi's missing wedding dress could be this hand drawn faces with green twine that were carefully stored with wedding dress in Rinaldi's box.

Rinaldi’s sister-in-law brought the dress to Longmeadow Cleaners 25 years ago to get it sealed. The dress was then sent to a factory in Windsor Locks, Conn. where the dress was sealed and then returned to Longmeadow. Inside the box Rinaldi found her veil and her purse. She also found paper cut outs with drawings of a bride and groom tied together with a green piece of twine.

“This dress belongs to someone, I’m sure it meant something to them and I would like to find the owner,” she said.

Rinaldi is hoping the little drawings tied with twine will stir someone’s memory.

On the back of one face it says “All promises...” 1 King 8:56. On the back of the other face it says “Praise God.”

“I’m hoping someone will remember drawing these or a bride or her family will remember placing them in the box,” she said.

The dress in the box is a size 6 ivory colored floor length gown with a v-neck and long sleeves. Rinaldi paid $5,000 for her dress and veil at Winshaw’s of Hartford back in 1984.

“I fell in love with the dress and put it on layaway. I made payments on it for two years,” she said.

Her dress, which was decorated with Swarovski Crystals and pearls also has another detail.

“I modeled my wedding after Princess Diana’s and she had an initial in diamonds on the train of her dress. I got an R in rhinestones put on the train of my dress,” she said.

This is Rinaldi's wedding dress that she wore in 1986

Rinaldi and her son Jonathan, 13, have spent days looking through wedding announcements from the same month and year to see if someone has the dress.

“I went through an old copy of The Republican where my wedding announcement was displayed and we have called every bride that had a dress that was even similar to mine,” she said.

So far they have had not found anyone who could have her dress.

“Some women have gotten divorced and no longer have their dresses. A lot of them never got their dresses sealed and some got them sealed in New York or other states,” she said.

Rinaldi, who still has every RSVP card and wedding card that they received as well as many other mementos from the wedding, still holds out hope that her dress can be found.

“I know it’s just a dress. I have a wonderful life with two beautiful children and I am blessed to still be married to my husband. I have come to accept that I may never find the dress, but it would be wonderful if I could,” she said.

If anyone thinks they might have the dress or the paper drawings they are asked to call Robert Rinaldi at (413) 567-8903 or Kathleen Rinaldi at Ochoa Day Spa at (413) 737-8189. 

Obituaries from The Republican.

View full sizeVincent S. D'Addario

Vincent S. D'Addario, 81, of Holyoke, passed away Friday. D'Addario graduated with the Holyoke High School Class of 1950. He enlisted in the Army, was stationed in Biloxi, Miss., and attended photography school. He started his career as a freelance photographer and later joined the Springfield Republican Newspapers as a staff photographer. Vinny was recognized around the world with numerous awards for his photographic excellence by the United Press International and Associated Press, National Press Photographers Association, Boston Press Photographers Association and Look Magazine. He was recently given a lifetime achievement award from the Valley Press Club. During his long and successful career he photographed numerous spot news photos of famous people, including John F. and Jackie Kennedy, Bob Hope, Muhammad Ali, Richard Nixon, Norman Rockwell and Martin Luther King Jr., and events, including one of his most famous, capturing the first scenes of Ted Kennedy's plane crash in Southampton in 1964.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Balding, Donald L.




• 
  Boucher, Doris M. (Bilodeau)
  



• 
  Carey, Rosalie E. (Gannon)
  




• D'Addario, Vincent S.
  




• 
  DeFelice, Robert E. "Bobby"
  



• 
  Fenton Jr., Edward Lawrence "Ed"




• 
  Grenier, Lucille "Lou" (Nadeau)
  



• 
  Kane, Francis Martin
  




• Lyden, Raymond
  




• 
  McDonald Jr., Lewis E. "Lew"
  



• 
  Moore, James Patrick "Jim"




• 
  Nasman, Eric E. "Gus"
  



• 
  Pilon, Philip Raoul
  




• Potter, Theresa R. (Sauter)
  




• 
  Socha, Stephanie A. (Jasiak)
  



• 
  Whitsett, Michelle Elaine

Officers found six spent gun shells in the area where the fight was reported.

The Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – One person was hit in the head with a brick and a second was stabbed in the arm during a large fight Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Dwight Street Extension and Saratoga Street.

The fight, reported at about 4:40 p.m., was between about a dozen people who witnesses said where throwing bricks at each other in front of a convenience store. There were also reports of shots fired, Police Capt. William P. Collins said.

When police arrived, the people fighting had scattered. Officers found six spent gun shells and blood in the area. Later the two victims checked in at the hospital requesting treatment for wounds, which are not life-threatening, Collins said.

It is unknown if anyone was shot during the fight. Police are investigating and they do not know what the fight was about, he said.

A fire pit that was used for cooking set the garage on fire.

SPRINGFIELD – An outdoor fire pit which too close to buildings set fire to a garage, destroying it and 1999 Mitsubishi Galant car inside.

The fire started at about 8 p.m. Sunday on 84 Wilmont St. in a detached garage. It is believed to have caused about $25,000 in damage to the building.

Two nearby garages, located on Johnson Street, also received exterior damage from the fire. That damage was estimated at about $5,000 in damage, said Dennis G. Leger, Fire Department spokesman.

The property is owned by Joel Fernandes, he said.

Police said an officer shot at an oncoming car after at least 1 person opened fire on patrolmen who interrupted a possible firefight.

The Republican file photoThe Springfield Police Department headquarters.

SPRINGFIELD – A police officer shot at an oncoming car after at least one person opened fire on patrolmen who interrupted a possible firefight early Sunday morning, police said.

The officers were not injured in the incident, but two people believed to be bystanders were treated at the hospital for gunshot wounds. Neither person had serious injuries, Springfield Police Capt. William P. Collins said.

“There were a lot of people in the area. The victims did not believe they were the intended targets,” he said.

At about 2 a.m., two officers who were on special duty patrolling the downtown area heard multiple gunshots. They walked to the area near Barnes and Hillman streets, where they saw people shooting, Collins said.

“They observed muzzle flashes indicating shots were being fired at them. One officer said he could hear the sound of bullets going by,” Collins said.

The officers saw one man, who was armed with a gun, hide behind a mini-van.

Shortly afterward, a car with three black men in it drove by the mini-van, and at one of the officers. That officer could not get a safe shot because of bystanders so he did not attempt to fire at the driver, who was holding a gun, Collins said.

The same car, a metallic blue Acura, then swerved toward the second officer, who did fire at the car. The driver and two passengers sped away and officers called for assistance in chasing them, Collins said.

Police patrolling later in an unmarked car did spot the car in the city, but the driver managed to evade them, Collins said.

Detectives and the police internal investigations division are investigating the shooting, he said.

Fuentes' daughter, Natalie, was killed when the car in which she was a passenger flipped over; she wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Submitted photoBeatriz Fuentes, left, is pushing for a tougher seat belt law after her daughter, Natalie, right, was killed in a car crash in Springfield.

BOSTON – Beatriz Fuentes of Springfield still agonizes over why her daughter Natalie failed to wear a seat belt the night in 2006 when she was thrown from a car and killed.

A survivor from a prior accident, the daughter, 21, knew first-hand that seat belts save lives. In 2003, Natalie was wearing a seat belt when as a passenger in a friend’s car, she suffered serious cuts and other injuries – broken bones and a swollen brain – but the belt worked and spared her life, she said.

In July 2006, after watching fireworks with her mother, Natalie climbed into her own Volkswagen Jetta as a passenger, allowing her boyfriend to drive, the mother said. The car flipped over about 10 p.m. at Carew and Savoy streets in Springfield and hit a mailbox, a telephone pole and a bus stop after the boyfriend turned to avoid a car that stopped suddenly in front of them, the mother said. Alcohol and speeding were not factors in the crash.

Natalie, a 2003 graduate of Springfield Central High School, normally strapped in when driving, she said. “I'm confused and sick to my stomach about why that particular night she did not wear her seat belt,” said Fuentes, who is a multi-cultural community outreach coordinator for the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, working out of Pittsfield.

She said she is virtually sure of one thing: Natalie would have used a seat belt if Massachusetts had a “primary” seat belt law and would likely still be alive. The state currently has a mandatory seat belt law, but it has a weaker “secondary” enforcement for adults, allowing police to ticket someone for failing to wear a belt only if they are pulled over for another reason. Under a primary law, police could look inside a vehicle and stop anyone just for neglecting to buckle up.

Fuentes said a primary law would reinforce the responsibility of passengers and drivers to wear a belt.

Fuentes, 47, is helping lead a new charge in Massachusetts to persuade the state Legislature to pass a primary seat belt law. Fuentes said the current mandatory belt law lacks teeth and isn't taken seriously by many motorists.

It’s been nearly five years since the state Legislature took a roll call vote on a primary belt law.

In May 2006, the Senate voted 24-15 to approve a primary belt law, but the House voted 80-76 to defeat the bill. The House abruptly turned against the law. Earlier that year, it had voted 76-74 to approve a primary belt law.

Supporters said the time is right for another vote in the House, which is viewed as the toughest hurdle for the law.

Backers said a good sign is that a top House leader, Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia A. Haddad, D- Somerset, is for the first time the chief sponsor of one bill for a primary belt law.

“I would like to do it for all those people who lost a loved one because they were not wearing a seat belt,” Haddad said.

In an interview, Haddad said her bill could provide a spirited debate, but she said she is unsure if the bill will get drowned out this session by a series of other issues such as overhauling health care, legalizing casinos and creating jobs.

Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, is the main sponsor of “Natalie’s bill,” which is separate legislation to create primary belt law named after Fuentes's late daughter.

Fuentes, a Latino, also said she wants to separate racial profiling from a primary belt law, saying that profiling is a legitimate concern but is a different issue. She points out that Rep. Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, D-Springfield, a Hispanic leader, is cosponsoring Jehlen’s bill. Other local cosponsors include Reps. Stephen Kulik, D- Worthington, Ellen Story, D- Amherst, and Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield.

Critics have said a primary belt law would give police another tool for pulling over minorities such as Hispanics and blacks. Critics have also said that a primary law goes too far in infringing on personal liberties.

Republican file photoSen. Gale D. Candaras said she is concerned about the ability to enforce a law that would give police the right to pull over someone for failing to wear a seat belt.

Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, who has opposed a primary belt law in the past, said she still has concerns about giving police more reasons for primary stops. Candaras said the state's current mandatory belt law does not work and a primary law may not help.

"I am very concerned about putting more laws on the books, always," said Candaras, who is a lawyer. "For me to put another law on the books involving police and law enforcement, I have to be 100 percent sure it will be a law that will be uniformly enforced and that it will really work, that it will actually compel people to do something."

Candaras said she always wears a seat belt and more education is needed to promote the benefits.

Candaras said she is also concerned with enforcing a primary belt law. She said it's difficult for police to see if someone is wearing a belt, particularly during rain or at night.

"I'm a little concerned about who gets stopped and when they get stopped," Candaras said. "A good law should be uniform in its application."

Massachusetts is among 20 states without a primary belt law, according to the website of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va. Connecticut, Maine and New York have primary enforcement.

The state’s low rate of seat belt use – and a chance to receive millions in additional federal dollars – could prompt a primary belt law.

According to Cindy Campbell, senior program manager with the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division, a primary belt law would annually save 18 lives and prevent 654 serious non-fatal injuries from vehicle accidents in Massachusetts. Such a law would also save $171 million in related medical and other costs involving people with serious injuries.

The state could also receive $13.6 million in federal incentive money this year if it passed a primary belt law by June 30, she said.

In 2009, 73.6 percent of people used a seat belt in Massachusetts, ranking No. 47 in the nation, according to statistics provided by Campbell. Massachusetts was ahead of South Dakota, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

D'Addario photographed JFK, Mohammed Ali, Katie Messer and thousands of others over 5 decades.

In a career that spanned five decades with The Republican's predecessors – the Springfield Union, Sunday Republican and Union-News – Vincent S. D'Addario, who died Friday at the age of 81, was at the scene of all types of events, photographing thousands of important people, some famous, some your next-door neighbor.

D'Addario photographed, among other people and events, future president John F. Kennedy marching in the 1958 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade, future heavyweight champ Mohammed Ali (then Cassius Clay) training at the Schine Inn in Chicopee, the construction of the Southwest dormitories complex at UMass and of the Holyoke Mall ... and 6-year-old Katie Messer learning the proper hand signals for riding her bike from Westfield police officer Richard Rix.

Important people, important events.

D'Addario, born in Holyoke, began his photojournalism career in the 1950s, and retired from the Union-News/Sunday Republican in 1992. His work earned him numerous regional and national awards, and his photographs were published in such national magazines as Sports Illustrated, Time, Life and Look. Last year, he was presented the Valley Press Club's Lifetime Achievement Award.

A small sampling of his work is included in the photo gallery accompanying this post.

Megabus transported 70 passengers out of Holyoke south as far as New York City in its 1st week.

Submitted photo

HOLYOKE – British import Megabus has pulled into the Holyoke Transportation Center, right in the back yard of Springfield’s Peter Pan Bus Lines which has its low-cost bus brand: BoltBus.

Both BoltBus and Megabus offer fares for as little as $1 on a first-come first-serve basis to customers, most of them college students or young adults, who book online. Both bus lines offer free wi-fi wireless Internet service.

Buses depart Holyoke seven days a week at 5:05 a.m., 2:35 p.m. and 9:35 p.m. and arrive at 7th Avenue and 28th Street near Penn Station in New York City 3 hours and 35 minutes after departure. Return trips from New York City depart West Side of 9th Avenue between 31st Street and 33rd Street in New York City at 9:20 a.m., 4:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m., according to Megabus’ timetables.

Megabus transported 70 passengers out of Holyoke south as far as New York City in its first week, said Dennis S. Lyons, vice president of coach and tour operations for New Britain, Conn.-based DATTCO Inc. DATTCO’s Megabus service from Amherst south to Hartford and New York began in the middle of December and is now averaging more than 400 riders a week, Lyons said in a phone interview this week.

“We haven’t done much marketing there yet,” Lyons said. Besides Holyoke and Amherst, DATTCO also operates Megabus lines in Providence, R.I., Hartford and Storrs, Conn., home of the University of Connecticut.

Lyons said DATTCO likes Holyoke in part because of the new transportation center.

The $9 million transportation hub opened Sept. 27 in the former Fire Department headquarters on Maple Street across from Veterans Park. The center has buses from Megabus, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority intracity bus service and Peter Pan Bus Lines service throughout the Northeast. The center also has pre-school and daycare facilities and adult education programs provided by Holyoke Community College.

Lyons said Holyoke is a good location to attract students at other colleges and universities, including Westfield State University.

“We obviously do a big student business,” Lyons said.

DATTCO is one of several bus companies around the country that operate Megabus-brand buses. The company came to the United States in 2008, around the same time Peter Pan and Greyhound started their BoltBus low-cost brand.

Robert J. Schwarz, vice president of Peter Pan Bus Lines, said his company is looking for opportunities to expand BoltBus, but at this time is concentrating on the more heavily traveled Boston-Washington, D.C., corridor.

Lyons said the airlines, Amtrak and especially private autos are the real competition, not Peter Pan and BoltBus.

“Typically less than 15 percent of our ridership is coming from some other bus line,” he said.

The cheapest tickets on Bolt and Megabus sell first with prices rising as the trip gets closer. Lyons said the average fare for Holyoke to New York City costs $6.50.

“It’s a model built on the concept that volume covers the expenses,” he said. “It’s what the airlines have been doing, it’s what the hotels have been doing.”

Today's poll: Do you plan on reading Deval Patrick's memoir?

Greg Saulmon / The Republican04.10.2011 | HADLEY - A cardinal perches among red tree buds on the Fort River Sunday morning.

The Forecast

After a sunny weekend, Monday is shaping up to be warm and gray.

Highs around much of the Pioneer Valley should be in the mid-70s, according to most sources. Rick Sluben of abc40 / Fox 6 says that areas around and south of the Turnpike could hit close to 80 degrees.

There's a chance of showers before 10 a.m. and again after 3 p.m., and the National Weather Service has also posted a Hazardous Weather Outlook warning of a potential thunderstorm this afternoon.

Sluben also posts a reminder to anyone drawn to the water on these first warm days of the year:

Any boaters in small craft should be extremely careful if out on the water. Water temperatures are still dangerously cold and if you were to tip over and go in because of the gusty winds and chop on the water without a life jacket, it would pose an immediate threat of death.

Find the full forecast here.

Today's Poll

Gov. Deval Patrick's memoir, "A Reason to Believe," is slated for release Tuesday.

Subtitled "Lessons from an Improbable Life," the book chronicles Patrick's childhood in Chicago and his wife's struggle with depression.

The governor's book tour includes an appearance Friday, April 22 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley and Saturday, April 23 at Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington.

What do you think -- do you plan on reading Deval Patrick's memoir? Vote in our poll, and check back tomorrow for the results.

Friday's results: On Friday, we asked, "Do you expect a government shutdown to directly impact your life?" 13 people voted. 92.31% said "no"; 7.69% said "yes."

Sunday's Top 5

The top 5 headlines on MassLive.com on April 10 were:

1. Four Springfield teens arrested after birthday party shooting and stabbing
2. Wrestler Scott Hall hospitalized for health issues, not overdose
3. 2 men shot dead in car in Worcester
4. Longmeadow woman searches for lost wedding dress
5. Two injured in large Springfield fight Sunday afternoon

Quote of the Day

“They taste like eggs, but better ... because they’re fresh.”

— Holyoke resident Christine Burns on the eggs produced by the chickens in her backyard coop.Read Brian Steele's article here.

Gov. Deval Patrick's new book -- "A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life" -- provides some guideposts for success as a person and at work.

Photo by Rick Friedman, CorbisGov. Deval L. Patrick's memoir is set for release on Tuesday

In “A Reason to Believe,” Gov. Deval L. Patrick recalls a troubled past when his father struck him in a fit of anger and deserted his family for a life as a musician.

In his long-awaited memoir to be released on Tuesday, Patrick writes that when he was four years old, his father bolted after a loud and ugly argument with his mother. Patrick wrote that he began desperately chasing his father down the streets of the south side of Chicago.

“About a block down, he lost his patience, turned suddenly in a rage and slapped me,” Patrick wrote of his father. “I sprawled out on the sidewalk, burning my palms on the pavement. From that position, I watched him walk away.”

It was “an all-round disaster,” Patrick wrote, but later in his life, he reunited with his late father, Laurdine Patrick, a jazz saxophonist. He said he learned to forgive his father and move forward.

“My father and I reconciled,” Patrick said in a phone interview on Sunday. “It was because neither of us gave up during hard times.”

Associated PressMass. Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during a news conference outside his office at the Statehouse in Boston on Friday, March 18, 2011 after returning from a 10-day trade mission to Israel and the United Kingdom.

Patrick said his new book is about the power of forgiveness and other lessons that helped shape and transform his life. Patrick said people taught him certain values -- candor, compassion, generosity of spirit and an ability to listen -- that serve as guideposts in life.

Patrick, the state’s two-term Democratic governor, this week will kick off a state and national tour to promote Tuesday’s scheduled release of his 227-page “A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life.”

Patrick, 54, says his memoir is “a gesture of gratitude” to his school teachers, his family, voters and others who supported him and helped him achieve success as a lawyer, business executive and governor.

“It’s within the power of any of us to have that kind of impact on somebody else,” Patrick said when asked about his main message in the book, published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House.

Patrick’s book could be a launching pad for national prominence similar to the way that President Barack Obama’s memoir helped lift his career. Patrick said he has been working on his book for 15 years.

Patrick said the tour won’t affect his duties as governor.

“I’m governor all the time, no matter where I am,” Patrick said.

In a phone interview, Patrick deflected a question about reports that he received $1.35 million advance for the book “You don’t get it all at once,” he said.

Patrick’s tour includes two stops in Western Massachusetts. He will read from his book during an appearance set for 7 p.m. Friday, April 22 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley. Another event is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23 at Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington.

Patrick reveals in the book that he considered resigning as governor after his wife, Diane, a lawyer in Boston, was hospitalized with depression, which was sparked by media reports over Patrick’s early missteps as governor.

“We had long conversations about the possibility of my resigning and resuming our private lives,” Patrick wrote. “There were moments when I was willing – being governor is an episode in my life, Diane is my life – but she didn’t want to feel responsible for giving up something we had worked so hard for. There were other moments when Diane,imagining the resumption of her role as first lady, asked me to quit, but I said we should wait to decide until she got out of the hospital.”

The book also takes a fresh look at his rise from the ghetto of his youth. After he, his mother, Emily, and older sister, Rhonda, moved in with his grand-parents in a tenement, Patrick writes that he mostly was a loner as a child and a target for thugs and later gangs in middle school. One time, a neighborhood bully stuffed glass into a soda can and tossed it at Patrick, drawing blood and giving him a scar that still exists to this day, he wrote.

Patrick credits his grade 7 teacher – Darla Weissenberg – with helping him win a scholarship to Milton Academy through a program called “A Better Chance,” and freeing him from the rough public schools on the south side of Chicago. Patrick is donating a portion of the book's proceeds to A Better Chance.

Patrick said his grandparents shielded him from racism and bitterness and his mother persevered through poverty and betrayal. “They all taught me to reject the cycle of despair that had trapped so many others and to pursue opportunities that I could barely imagine,” he wrote.

The fire, in the East Forest Park neighborhood, was reported about 7:45 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD – No injuries were reported Monday morning in an Allen Street house fire.

The fire, which broke out at about 7:45 a.m. at 410 Allen St., caused some $10,000 in damage to a bathroom, Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said.

“The bathroom is pretty much destroyed,” Leger said

The cause of the East Forest Park neighborhood fire is most likely electrical, Leger said, adding that the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad continues to probe the blaze.

Will be at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute in North End.

Republican photo by JOHN SUCHOCKIOne of the countless banners at last year's Rays of Hope walk in Springfield that drew more than 20,000 people.

Thanks to participants in the annual Rays of Hope Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer, a breast cancer research center with the potential for coordinating some of the best medical investigative work being done in the Pioneer Valley is being established in Springfield’s North End to further strides toward the treatment, prevention and eventual cure of the disease that killed an estimated 40,000 women in the United States last year.

Baystate Health Foundation announced on Monday that $1.5 million in funds from the walk, which has raised $9.25 million in its 17-year history, is being donated over a five-year period to establish the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute.

The nine-year-old biomedical research institute, a collaboration between Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusett-Amherst, is located at 3601 Main St. in Springfield.

The new center will be co-directed by D. Joseph Jerry, science director for the institute whose research includes breast cancer, genetics and tumor suppressers, and Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, medical director of the Comprehensive Breast Center, part of the Baystate Regional Cancer Program.

One of the center’s focuses will be on the link between obesity and breast cancer.

“We are just beginning to unlock clues as to whether obesity and breast cancer may be linked, and what those links could mean for prevention, diagnosis and management of the disease,” Jerry said in a release.

D. Joseph Jerry

“With this more robust support to our continuing research, we are provided significantly improved tools for answering important questions about the cellular and metabolic processes that cause lesions and tumors to develop.”

The institute, a non-profit benefit organization dedicated to biomedical research, was established in 2002 by UMass and Baystate “to provide a novel translational (seen in a lifetime) research environment for interdisciplinary teams of life scientists, physical scientists, engineers, and physicians.”

Institute board members include Dr. Richard Arenas, chief of surgical oncology at Baystate Medical and such noted researchers as Neil S. Forbes, a UMass assistant professor who is leading investigations into “developing therapeutics to treat regions of tumors that are inaccessible to standard cancer therapies’

Makari-Judson noted the strengths of the collaborations that will result with the new center in a released statement.

Dr. Grace Makari-Judson

“The collaborations taking place at PVLSI already, and those that will expand with the new establishment of this newly funded center, can bring direct benefit to breast cancer patients here in western New England,” she said, adding, “It’s exciting to consider the potential of this new endeavor.”

A fund-raiser walk to raise breast cancer awareness was the vision of area breast cancer survivor Lucia “Lucy” Giuggio Carvalho back in the day when the disease was little discussed publicly.

Carvalho, who has been a walk participant every year and been involved with its evolution as one of the most successful fund-raisers in this area of the state, said she was very excited that the event “has raised so much money that we can now really make an impact in a big way.”

Lucia "Lucy" Giuggio Carvalho

“Maybe this research will find something no one else has found,” said Carvalho, who voted through her involvement with the administering foundation for the fund allocation.

“Instead of putting smaller grants here and there this will be an organized effort to make an impact on how we treat breast cancer.”

She called the appointment of Jerry and Makari-Judson as co-directors of the new center as “no two better leaders.”

Carvalho, a registered nurse who had worked in Baystate’s oncology unit, was 38 when she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

It was while she was recuperating that Carvalho had the idea for the walk, modeled after walks in Boston for other causes her relatives had taken part in as a way to “raise money for breast health services.”

There were no centers specifically designed to coordinate treatment of breast cancer in the area. Baystate’s center, under the direction Makari-Judson, was established in 1996.

Carvalho, now director of case management for the Longmeadow-based Jewish Geriatric Services, established a separate fund-raising account for the event that today is administered through the Baystate Health Foundation.

She named the walk Rays of Hope after a segment Kathy L. Tobin, former anchorwoman for abc40 News and FOX6, had done on breast cancer on 40.

The money provided for the institute’s new center will start this year.

Carol Baribeau, director of annual fund and events for the Baystate foundation, also called the new center’s name “another indication of the enduring legacy that Rays of Hope and all its participants have created in our community.”

“On the basis of their own experience, our Rays of Hope walkers are creating hope for future generations by supporting research that could take us much closer to a cure for the disease,’ she said.

Last week in a development indicative of research being done in the area, UMass-Amherst reported that early results from a research team there headed by environmental toxicologist Kathleen Arcaro suggest that “in the future, women and their physicians may have a new tool for evaluating breast cancer risk by examining epithelial cells naturally present in breast milk.

"The method could provide an earlier, personalized assessment of breast cancer risk than any of the currently available methods.”

Arcaro was to present the preliminary findings of her nationwide study April 4 at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

She is associate professor of veterinary and animal sciences at UMass where Jerry, the new center’s co-director, is a professor in that department.

Last year, Rays of Hope raised close to $1 million and attracted more than 20,000 participants.

Funds are used to support programs and services for breast cancer patients and survivors, breast health education and research, various community projects and the purchase of equipment at Baystate’s Comprehensive Breast Center and at Baystate’s centers in Springfield and Greenfield and Mary Lane Hospital in Ware.

This year’s Rays of Hope Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer will take place on Oct. 23 in Springfield and Greenfield, and the Run Toward the Cure 8K will also take place that day in Springfield.

Popular romance novelist and breast cancer survivor Barbara Delinsky will serve as keynote speaker at the 14th Annual Rays of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors’ Day on April 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheraton Monarch Place Hotel at One Monarch Place in Springfield.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than two million breast cancer survivors in the United States, thanks to earlier detection and better treatment.

The society estimates that the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35.

Men as well as women can get breast cancer although the incidences of the disease are much higher in women.

For more information on the institute, visit http://www.pvlsi.org/index.html

For more information on Rays of Hope, visit http://foundation.baystatehealth.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=289

The record temperature for this date of 78 degrees was set in 1945.

4/8/11 Amherst - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - A lone Canadian Goose feeds along Puffer Pond one recent morning in Amherst.

SPRINGFIELD – The potential for record-breaking warmth and a slight risk for severe weather are on tap for Western Massachusetts today, abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Mike Masco said.

Masco is predicting a high of 75 degrees Monday but more sunshine than anticipated could easily bring temperatures past the 78 degree record set for this date in 1945 at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee.

“I think we will just fall short,” Masco said.

A powerful cold front, which produced severe weather over Iowa overnight, meanwhile, is heading our way, Masco said.

The Storm Prediction Center puts Western Massachusetts, especially in the Berkshires and western Hampden and Hampshire counties, at a slight-risk for severe weather.

Seasonable temperatures, with highs of 58 to 60 degrees, will follow the cold front on Tuesday, Masco said, adding there is a potential for rain mid-week.

This week's Business Monday examines confusing charges on your electric bill, MegaBus's arrival in Holyoke and more.

Photo by Mark M. Murray/The RepublicanJim Bemis with Crocker Buildings of Springfield checks the walls under construction at the United Bank offices on Elm Street where they are expanding their office space.

In this week's Business Monday from The Republican:

Western Massachusetts Electric Co. bills complex
Basic Srvc Cost Adj? ATTY GENL consultant exp adj? Electrical customers are paying for these and 11 other line items listed on their power bills in addition to and apart from the cost of actually generating the electricity that makes the light bulb shine. Read more »

Megabus adds Holyoke to its list of stops, joining Amherst
Both BoltBus and Megabus offer fares for as little as $1 on a first-come first-serve basis to customers, most of them college students or young adults, who book online. Both bus lines offer free wi-fi wireless Internet service.
Read more »

Massachusetts companies find there's big business in finding rest for the weary
Sleep solutions run the gamut, from drugs and devices to clinical interventions and consumer products, and local companies are exploring every corner of the industry. Read more »

Boston hotels rejoice as the city is once again a hot spot for business travelers
With the all-important summer vacation travel season fast approaching, Boston hotels are scrambling to roll out their best deals and promotions to entice the leisure traveler. Read more »

More Business Monday

• Voices of the Valley: Pamela Fleming, Radical Roaster Coffee Emporium, Ludlow

• Merger of NStar and Northeast utilities would mean loss of 350 jobs

• CVS shareholders ponder whether the parts of the pharmacy chain are worth more than the whole

• Elbow Room Coffee Co. opens new location in Williamsburg

• Northampton's Whole Health Expo attracts businesses looking to network, market services

• Commentary: Is Warren Buffet's 'do-right' reputation all smoke and mirrors?

• Boston Business Journal Editorial: With rise of web-based sales, Massachusetts needs to look at online sales tax

• Google purchase of ITA Software could benefit Cambridge R&D

• First Niagara gets final approval to buyout New Alliance Bank

Notebooks

• Pioneer Valley Business Calendar: April 12 - May 13

• Pioneer Valley Business Etc.

• Boston Business Journal's Business Bits

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

The crash occurred shortly before 6:30 a.m. near South Street.

GRANBY – A male lost his life Monday morning in a motorcycle crash on New Ludlow Road near South Street.

Police have yet to release the name of the victim, the driver of the motorcycle, pending notification of family members, Chief Alan Wishart said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash which was reported shortly before 6:30 a.m.