The war's 10th anniversary Friday recalled the beginnings of a conflict that drove the Taliban from power and lasted far longer than was imagined.

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2002, file photo members of the U.S. Army Special Forces keep close eye on the moon-lit perimeter of a compound, suspected of holding al-Qaida and Taliban forces, during a raid on a compound home in Narizah, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, as part U.S. Special Forces' Operation Mountain Sweep. The Central Intelligence Agency together with U.S. special operations were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11th, and will likely be the last U.S. forces to leave. (AP Photo/Wally Santana, File)

By KIMBERLY DOZIER, AP Intelligence Writer

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — They were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and will probably be the last U.S. forces to leave.

As most American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces to be left behind are girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

The war's 10th anniversary Friday recalled the beginnings of a conflict that drove the Taliban from power and lasted far longer than was imagined.

"We put the CIA guys in first," scant weeks after the towers in New York fell, said Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, then a colonel with U.S. special operations forces, in charge of the military side of the operation. U.S. Special Forces Green Berets, together with CIA officers, helped coordinate anti-Taliban forces on the ground with U.S. firepower from the air, to topple the Taliban and close in on al-Qaida.

Recent remarks from the White House suggest the CIA and special operations forces will be hunting al-Qaida and working with local forces long after most U.S. troops have left.

When Afghan troops take the lead in 2014, "the U.S. remaining force will be basically an enduring presence force focused on counterterrorism," said National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, in remarks in Washington in mid-September. That will be augmented by teams that will continue to train Afghan forces, added White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

The White House insists this does not mean abandoning the strategy of counterinsurgency, in which large numbers of troops are needed to keep the population safe. It simply means replacing the surge of 33,000 U.S. troops, as it withdraws over the next year, with newly trained Afghan ones, according to senior White House Afghan war adviser Doug Lute

It also means U.S. special operators and CIA officers will be there for the next turn in the campaign. That's the moment when Afghans will either prove themselves able to withstand a promised Taliban resurgence, or find themselves overwhelmed by seasoned Taliban fighters.

"We're moving toward an increased special operations role," together with U.S. intelligence, Mulholland said, "whether it's counterterrorism-centric, or counterterrorism blended with counterinsurgency."

FILE - This file image from video released by the U.S. Defense Department and made available Oct. 20, 2001, shows U.S. special forces boarding an unidentified aircraft at an unknown location, the day Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen. Richard Myers, announced at the Pentagon that U.S. special forces "attacked and destroyed targets" in Afghanistan. The Central Intelligence Agency together with U.S. special operations were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11th, and will likely be the last U.S. forces to leave. (AP Photo/DOD Pool, File)

As out-going head of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Mulholland has been in charge of feeding a steady stream of troops to commanders in the field. He knows they need as many special operations troops as he can produce and send. Those special operations forces under his command include U.S. Army Rangers, known for their raiding operations against militant targets, and U.S. Special Forces Green Berets, whose stock in trade is teaching local forces to fight a common enemy so the U.S. doesn't have to.

A foundation for special-operations-style counterinsurgency is already under way — staffed primarily by the Green Berets — with the establishment of hundreds of sites in remote Afghan villages where the U.S. troops are paired with Afghan local tribesmen trained by the Americans, Mulholland explained.

The program has been so successful in the eyes of NATO commanders that they've assigned other special operators like Navy SEALs to the mission, and even paired elite troops with conventional forces to stretch the numbers and cover more territory.

Senior U.S. officials have spoken of keeping a mix of 10,000 of both raiding and training special operations forces in Afghanistan, and drawing down to between 20,000 and 30,000 conventional forces to provide logistics and support. But at this point, the figures are as fuzzy as the future strategy.

Whatever happens with U.S. troops, intelligence officers know they will be a key component.

A senior U.S. official tasked with mapping out their role envisioned a possible future in which Afghan forces are able to hold Kabul and other urban areas, but the Taliban comes back in remote valleys or even whole provinces.

FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2001, file photo two men with U.S. Special Operations forces walk nearby as the Northern Alliance troops fight pro-Taliban forces in the fortress near Mazar-e-Sharif, Northern Afghanistan. The Central Intelligence Agency together with U.S. special operations were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11th, and will likely be the last U.S. forces to leave. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

In that event, the official said, CIA and special operations forces would continue to hunt al-Qaida in Taliban areas the Afghan forces can't secure. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning for sensitive operations.

"If the CIA built an intelligence network that could provide special operations forces with targets, we could do the job," said Maj. Gen. Bennet S. Sacolick, who runs the U.S. Army's Special Warfare Center and School.

The only question will be which organization is in charge, and that will depend on the Afghan government, the senior U.S. official said. If Afghan authorities are comfortable with U.S. raiders continuing to operate openly, the special operations forces can lead, the official said. If they want a more covert presence, the CIA would lead, with special operation raiders working through them.

The other branch of special operations — the Green Berets and others Mulholland mentioned who specialize in training — would continue to support the Afghans in remote locations, trying to keep the Taliban from spreading.

The notion of a pared down U.S. fighting force, consisting of a latticework of intelligence and special operators, plus the far-flung units in the field, has spurred some criticism on Capitol Hill.

"You cannot protect the United States' safety with counterterrorism waged from afar," said Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's emerging threats panel. His concern is that the White House has paid too little attention to how special operations and intelligence will keep the Taliban from overwhelming Afghanistan's remote terrain.

FILE - This Dec. 19, 2001, image from video shows a U.S. Special Forces officer, identified only as Captain Mark, left, and Afghan commander Fahir shake hands, after an American awards ceremony for Afghan fighters at the residence of Northern Alliance commander Gen. Rashid Dostum outside Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan. U.S. special forces had joined Dostum's fighters to seize the city from the Taliban. The Central Intelligence Agency together with U.S. special operations were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11th, and will likely be the last U.S. forces to leave. (AP Photo/APTN, File)

"I would like to know how many special operations forces they need, and how many conventional troops they propose to support them," he said, "and a rough time line."

The smaller special operations footprint could work, if it's part of a larger tapestry of counterinsurgency efforts, said retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of the Afghan campaign.

"I believe direct action operations are only effective when part of a holistic strategy," McChrystal said in an interview. "That does not necessarily imply large U.S. forces or responsibility, but it must include a spectrum of efforts that addresses root causes, partners with indigenous governments and efforts, and approaches the causes as well as the symptoms on extremism and-or terrorism."

In other words, diplomats and aid groups would have to replace the current military efforts at building Afghan government and services — and do it without a large footprint of U.S. forces to provide them security.

The smaller numbers would also put the U.S. troops left behind at greater risk, officials concede, with fewer support troops to rush to the rescue.

That's the mission a group of elite special operators was on in August, flying into a remote valley to aid another group of U.S. raiders on the ground, when the Taliban shot down their Chinook helicopter, killing 38 U.S. and Afghan forces on board.

Asked if it could happen again, Mulholland stopped and bowed his head, taking a long pause to think back to how it started.

"From the beginning, we accepted that risk," Mulholland said, remembering the early days when he sent load after load of special operations forces into Afghanistan, with no sure way to get them out.

He paused again. "We still do."

A moose who took a dip in a New Hampshire swimming pool needed the help of nine people to pull him out.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A moose who took a dip in a New Hampshire swimming pool needed the help of nine people to pull him out.

Police, firefighters and state Fish and Game Department officers were called to the Manchester home Friday night. The moose was swimming around, unable to leave.

Rescuers attached a rope to the agitated moose and slowly pulled him out. The moose appeared to be in good health when he walked away into the woods.

Officials say it's breeding season for moose, so it's not uncommon to see them wander into unfamiliar places.

Home owner George Trapotis tells WMUR-TV the moose came through his fence, dived into the pool and fell right through the pool cover.

Proceeds from the sale of the $20 shirts will go to the West County Relief Fund, established to help those affected by the late August storm.

September 5, 2011 - Shelburne Falls - Staff photo by Michael S. Gordon - Despite occasion rain in early September, visitors walked the Bridge of Flowers across the Deerfield River, a week after tropical storm Irene ruined many businesses on both sides of the water.

SHELBURNE FALLS, Mass. (AP) — A Franklin County business group is doing its part to raise money for victims of Tropical Storm Irene.

The Shelburne Falls Area Business Association is selling T-shirts featuring an artist's rendition of the community's iconic Bridge of Flowers at area fairs and retail outlets starting this weekend. Proceeds from the sale of the $20 shirts will go the West County Relief Fund, set up to help those affected by the late August storm.

The bridge, under the words "The Heart of 10 Communities" is surrounded by a series of whimsical drawings highlighting the region's cultural, recreational and agricultural attractions.

Kathy Young, owner of the Young & Constantin Gallery, tells The Recorder of Greenfield that the shirts are "visual affirmation, a way to show support."

Smith & Wesson has donated more than $50,000 to Cancer House of Hope in the past 2½ years.

View full sizeSpringfield, 10/8/11, Staff Photo by David Molnar -- Bikers head out of Smith & Wesson participating in the Smith & Wesson Takes Aim at Cancer Poker Run.

HADLEY – Bill Robinson said he rode in the 3rd annual Smith & Wesson Takes Aim at Cancer Poker Run on Saturday because he is a cancer survivor and he wants to raise money for a program that helps people like him.

Robinson, of East Longmeadow, and his daughter Heather hopped on his chopper at the Springfield Smith & Wesson main plant and rode 96 miles around the Quabbin region, ending the three-hour ride at the Young Men’s Club in Hadley, as part of a 250 bikers-strong effort to raise funds for Cancer House of Hope.

The non-profit center in Springfield and Westfield provides support services, alternative medicine treatments, breast prostheses and more to cancer patients. They also care for families, said program director Cheryl Gorski, and never charge anyone a dime.

“They do such a great job for everybody. Everybody knows somebody who had cancer,” said Robinson, who said he had surgery on his prostate six years ago. Robinson has worked at Smith & Wesson for 35 years and helps organize several events each year for the charity, he said.

Each biker paid a registration fee between $20 and $30 and an extra $10 for each passenger. In the past, Gorski said, the Poker Run has raised $8,000 to $9,000 each year, but a final figure on this year’s event was not immediately available.

Smith & Wesson has donated more than $50,000 to CHD Cancer House of Hope in the past two-and-a-half years, she said.

“It’s been a great experience working with them,” said Gorski. “I love these guys.”

The fundraiser is called a Poker Run because each rider was given a playing card before leaving the starting point. They stopped twice along the way to get the rest of a poker hand, the best of which earned the rider a prize. Robinson got two pair, fours and sixes. The winning hand was a full house.

“These guys do a hell of a job,” said Dan Fontaine, the plant manager at Smith & Wesson. “We want to be a good corporate citizen.”

Fontaine said the loss of employees to cancer “spurred us on.”

Smith & Wesson also hosts a comedy show and a dinner that Robinson said draws 450 people every year.

The Poker Run was postponed from its scheduled date in August due to bad weather, said Fontaine, but Saturday’s run was “not bad for a rain date.”

Two people were hospitalized after a car crashed into a parked van, which then struck another parked vehicle, around 9:15 p.m. Saturday, according to Chicopee officials. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

CHICOPEE -- A car that crashed into two unoccupied vehicles on Elmer Street on Saturday night caused injuries to the driver and a passenger, according to Chicopee authorities.

Chicopee Fire Department dispatcher Aaron Lombardino said the crash happened around 9:15 p.m. when a white sedan struck a parked van, which then hit a convertible parked in front of the van.

Lombardino said the two people inside the white car were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment. Their conditions were not immediately known.

22News identified the owner of the damaged convertible as Jessica Bergeron, who expressed shock over the situation. Due to the impact of the car crash, the van wound up partially on top of the convertible, according to the TV station.

Chicopee Police Sgt. Patrick Major said the crash remains under investigation by the Police Department's traffic bureau. Major said he was unsure if any charges were pending against the driver of the car, whose identity was not released.

Reports of stolen or vandalized campaign signs is common during the election season, according to Holyoke police, who received a fresh batch of reports on Saturday. Mayoral candidate Alex Morse, pictured at left, claims more than 100 of his signs have been damaged.

Alex B. Morse

Holyoke Mayor Elaine A. Pluta

HOLYOKE -- The theft and vandalism of political campaign sings is as routine as the rain, as common as corn in early autumn -- and there's not a heck of a lot the police can do to prevent the criminal behavior.

Much has already been made of the thievery and vandalism of Holyoke mayoral candidate Alex B. Morse's campaign signs, with incumbent Mayor Elaine A. Pluta gently reminding the political neophyte that her campaign signs have been targeted for destruction, too.

The phenomenon is par for the course, according to Pluta, who referred to the practice as "deplorable" yet seemingly inevitable during political campaigns. It has occurred in "every election cycle that I have been apart of," she stated on her Facebook page, vowing to work with police to make property and streets safer in Holyoke.

But unlike harvest season, where plucking crops from fields is a good thing, plucking political signs from people's lawns is frowned upon, Holyoke Police Sgt. Stephen Loftus said.

However, there is little police, who routinely patrol city streets during daytime and nighttime hours, can do to thwart the illicit activity. Under the cover of darkness, it is relatively easy for someone to vandalize or steal signs, according to Loftus, noting that issue crops up each election cycle.

City police generally receive numerous campaign-sign vandalism reports, including half a dozen in just a three-hour span Saturday, according to Holyoke Police Department records. That would suggest that the exposure the issue has received, including coverage by The Republican/MassLive, does not appear to be curbing the behavior.

"It seems like a lot of calls," Loftus conceded of the Saturday reports, which were received between 10 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.

Loftus said it is relatively easy for someone to go undetected, especially at night. And, he added, they stop if they spot a cruiser approaching. By the same token, it is generally difficult for police to stop the illegal activity unless they catch a culprit in the act, which does not happen often.

Nonetheless, it is an issue that authorities in Holyoke are keenly aware of and that both mayoral candidates have seized upon, emphasizing that they do not condone such behavior and expect their supporters to refrain from such activity.

While Pluta has told The Republican that she was unsure how many of her reelection signs had been defaced since her campaign got underway, Morse claimed last week that at least 100 of his signs have so far been damaged. That number is likely to have risen since then, however.

Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur Monfette

“This malicious destruction of property, invasion of private property and stifling (of) the freedom of speech must stop, as it is a distraction from the real issues," Morse said in a statement. "I have promised to run a clean campaign and I hope that the mayor will encourage her supporters to do the same."

Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur R. Monfette said sign damage is fairly typical during the political season.

“Every single time we have an election, we have reports of one side complaining about signs being vandalized. Who’s to know who’s behind it?” the veteran police officer said.

Pluta is running for another term in the Nov. 8 election against Morse, who finished ahead of Pluta by a single vote in the Sept. 20 preliminary election.

Local banks and credit unions are touting fee-free services and hoping to grab business from Bank of America and other national players in the financial services.

Associated PressA Bank of America customer uses an ATM machine. When Bank of America starts charging customers a $5 monthly fee in 2012 to swipe their debit cards, the 38.7 million people who carry them will have to decide if the convenience is worth the money. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

SPRINGFIELD - Fed up with Bank of America’s plan to charge her $5 a month to use her debit card, Danielle B. Maurer is going shopping for a new checking account.

And, there are plenty of local banks and credit unions touting their fee-free services and hoping to grab business from Bank of America and other national players in the financial services.

“It’s definitely presenting an opportunity,” said Jay Scungio, vice president and chief financial officer for Freedom Credit Union in Springfield.

Douglas H. Burr senior vice president and director of marketing for Florence Savings Bank said bank customers have been gravitating to local institutions since the banking crisis of 2008. It’s something Florence, a mutually owned bank, has tried to capitalize on with “Don’t Blame Me ... I Bank locally” bumper stickers and advertising.

“There is a significant difference between the large national banks and your local community banks,” Burr said. “We don’t have to answer to stockholders. We pay our dividends back to the community.”

Maurer, a mother of one son who lives in the Forest Park section of Springfield, was a college student seven years ago when she signed up with Bank of America.

“They had a great starter account for college students,” she said. “It was convenient. They have offices everywhere.”

When she got married, she brought her husband, Jeffrey Maurer, along to Bank of America.

But earlier this month, Bank of America announced that it will start charging customers a $5 monthly fee for using debit cards for store purchases. The fee will apply to all customers except those who carry large balances.

“For my husband and I, that works out to $120 a year,” Maurer said. “That’s just too much money to spend just to use our own money.”

Bank of America’s decision is part of a larger trend. Citi is going to start charging most checking account customers $20 a month if they fail to maintain a $15,000 balance. It also recently increased other fees. Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase and Sun Trust and Regional Financial have rolled out similar fees in recent weeks.

But it is Bank of America, which has a large customer base here in the Pioneer Valley, that seems to have raised customers' ire.

Kara B. Herman, assistant vice president for branch operations at Freedom Credit Union, said people are coming into the credit union’s eight branches looking to switch. All it takes is setting up direct deposit, then keeping enough money in the old account to cover outstanding checks. Once those have cleared, close the old account, she said.

“We’ll work with you,” she said.

United Bank, a stockholder-owned bank in West Springfield, is running ads touting its free checking and debit card products. United Bank President Richard B. Collins said he’s a little ambivalent about Bank of America’s decision, though. In June, a new federal law went into effect limiting the fees banks can charge merchants for taking debit payments. That law doesn’t apply to banks with assets of less than $10 billion.

“That means it doesn’t apply to any of our local institutions,” Collins said. “There are some who say we can’t go on with a two-tiered system.”

Collins said United has been growing anyway.

“We watch deposit market share. For the past six years they have been slowly gaining market share and we are now No. 2 in the market,” he said.

M. Dale Janes, CEO of Nuvo Bank and Trust Co. in Springfield, said national banks also have a lot of bad loans on their books.

“As the big banks start to charge these fees and care less about customers, there is an opportunity for community banks with better management and better products to capture those deposits," he said. "I'm going to be very specific and say if you have direct deposit or you keep $1,000 here, you don’t pay me anything.”

Florence has an interest-bearing checking account that encourages customers to use debit cards, Burr said.

“Then we take your money and we loan it out here in the community,” he said. “Isn’t that what you want?”

Bucking the political trend of cleaning house to improve one's reelection chances, Obama is sticking with his present staff despite slumping poll numbers, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney confronts criticism that he's not a died-in-the-wool conservative, and more news to chat about over your morning.

AP Photo/Gregorio BorgiaPope Benedict XVI walks with his pastoral staff during an open-air Mass this morning, Sunday, Oct. 9, in the Italian town of Lamezia Terme in the Calabria region of southern Italy, where the pope denounced the inhumanity of organized crime. 'Ndrangheta, the largest and most feared organized crime syndicate in Calabria, is one of the world's biggest cocaine traffickers and today considered more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia. Lamezia Terme is located in the heart of Calabria near the "toe" of the boot-shaped nation. With an unemployment rate stalled at 27 percent, Calabria is one of Italy's poorest nations.

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Los Angeles Times VIDEO featuring columnist Michael Hiltzik and technology reporter Nathan Olivarez-Giles discussing Apple's future in a post-Steve Jobs era:

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Jones and supporters have been conducting late night patrols since last year in Seattle.

Associated PressPhoenix Jones, seen with actor Rainn Wilson at the premiere of the movie "Super" in Los Angeles, in a March 21, 2011 file photo.

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle police say the young man who claims to be a superhero named Phoenix Jones was arrested after he was accused of assaulting several people with pepper spray. But, wearing his mask and his bulging muscle bodysuit, the self-styled vigilante said he was only trying to stop a brawl.

The encounter happened outside a nightclub early Sunday. Police said two men chased after Jones. Officers broke up the two parties and arrested the costumed 23-year-old.

Jones released a video on his Facebook page which he said shows that he used the spray after being attacked. He said he wouldn't "ever assault or hurt another person if they were not causing harm to another human being."

Jones and supporters have been conducting late night patrols since last year in Seattle.

It will cost Agawam about $7,000 to conduct Tuesday's three-way preliminary contest for mayor.

The 2011 candidates for mayor in Agawam are, from left, incumbent Richard A. Cohen, Walter A. Meissner III and former state Rep. Rosmarie Sandlin.

AGAWAM – Campaign finance reports show mayoral candidate and former state legislator Rosemary Sandlin raised nearly $20,000 over the latest reporting period, compared to the approximately $14,000 mustered by Mayor Richard A. Cohen and the about $800 collected by Walter A. Meissner III.

The three are on the ballot in Tuesday’s preliminary contest to pare the field of candidates seeking the mayoralty in November from three to two. It is the only race on the ballot; the preliminary election will cost the city about $7,000 to conduct.

The campaign finance figures are from reports which were due eight days before the preliminary election and cover a period dating back to Jan. 1. The reports are on file in the clerk’s office in the municipal building.

Agawam mayoral candidate profiles

• Richard Cohen
• Walter Meissner III
• Rosemary Sandlin
• More Agawam election coverage

Of the $20,935.46 Sandlin collected, eight donations came from labor unions. She received $100 from Asbestos Workers Local 6, of Boston, $100 from political action committee of Local 108, of the Carpenters Union, of Springfield, $400 from International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35, of Roslindale, $340 from Local 7 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of Springfield, $200 from the political action committee of Local 7 of the Ironworkers Union of South Boston.

Other donations included $100 from the political action committee of Local 98 of the Operating Engineers, of East Longmeadow, $200 from the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council, of Springfield, $200 from Local 63 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union, of Springfield, and $150 from the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local 1459 People’s Committee.

Asked about the donations from union groups, Sandlin, who lost her re-election bid for state representative last year, said, “I have supported them in the past. Some are in the local area. They know I am a labor candidate, and they support labor candidates. I (also) have a ton of Agawam supporters. Most of my supporters are small.”

Like Cohen, Sandlin reported numerous donations in the $100 to $200 range from individuals. The mayor also had many donations of about $50 each, also from individuals, totaling $650.29

Of the $14,489.29 Cohen collected, big-ticket donors included: $200 from Gary Fialky, an attorney with Bacon & Wilson; $300 from Jeffrey Fialky, also a lawyer with Bacon & Wilson; $250 from Frank Fitzgerald, another attorney; and $200 from Anthony C. Bonavita, also a lawyer. Bonavite is also vice chair of the School Committee.

Insurance broker Randall Lavallee contributed $500 as did local builder Thomas Russo.

The Committee to Return Richard A. Cohen reported raising $744 on Sept. 28 from a pasta dinner at the American Legion and $4,355 from a May 7 dinner with the mayor.

Meissner reported collecting a total of $846.16. He donated $346.16 of his own money to his campaign and took $500 from the union to which he belongs, Local 1121 of Millwight & Machinery Erectors of Massachusetts in Allston.

Polls for the Agawam preliminary election will be open today from 8 .m. to 8 p.m. Precinct locations are as follow:

Precinct 1: Robinson Park Elementary School, 65 Begley St.

Precinct 2: Clifford M. Granger School, 31 South Westfield St.

Precinct 3: Agawam High School, 760 Cooper St.

Precinct 4: Roberta G. Doering School, 68 Main St.

Precinct 5: Benjamin J. Phelps School, 689 Main St.

Precinct 6: James Clark School, 65 Oxford St.

Precinct 7: Agawam Junior High School, 1305 Springfield St.

Precinct 8: James Clark School, 65 Oxford St.

The officers may not be hired until next year because the positions have to be posted and civil service tests administered.

GREENFIELD – The police department may hire two more officers now that is has been approved for an estimated $424,022 federal grant.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s 2011 Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program will pay entry-level salaries and provide benefits to the officers for three years, working out to about $70,670 annually per officer.

“With the demands of roadway projects, events and emergency situations, our department has stretched its staff to provide public safety in many environments,” Mayor William Martin said in a prepared statement. “This is our opportunity to regroup and tend to several areas in need of departmental presence.”

The officers would help protect downtown and schools, the mayor said.

Martin said “it will take a few months to stabilize” the department, which has recently hired its first special officer and seen the retirement of Chief David F. Guilbault.

Until the officers are hired, which may not be until next year because the positions have to be posted and civil service tests administered, retired officers Rian Graves, Martin Carter and Russell Woods are rejoining the department as special officers.

Martin and other city officials who knew the details of the grant and the department’s plans could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The department now has 23 full-time officers.

The grant also can be used to rehire laid-off officers or prevent scheduled layoffs. The city is not required to match any portion of the funds.

After the grant runs out, the department has to employ the officers for 12 months at its own expense, according to COPS program guidelines.

The cities of Leominster, Brockton and Revere also received COPS grants.

As the Columbus Day Fair sizzles on South Hadley Town Common, shoppers of all ages browse on foot for miles up and down Route 116.

SOUTH HADLEY – “I hit the jackpot,” said Joel Emrick, of Leeds, as he leafed through a box of CD’s.

Emrick was among hundreds of people who flooded the streets of South Hadley on Monday, looking for unusual items and good deals.

Every year, Columbus Day is a huge tag sale day in South Hadley.

As the Columbus Day Fair sizzles on the Town Common, shoppers of all ages browse on foot for miles up and down Route 116, crossing back and forth easily as cars crawl by doing reconnaissance on cool stuff and parking spaces.

Joe Hevey, of Westfield, was carrying his 2-year-old daughter in his arms. “We love going to tag sales,” said his wife, Heidi. Their son Troy, 7, said his best tag sale find ever was a Red Sox cap.

“It’s just fun. Every year it gets bigger,” said Vanessa Fortin, of Greenfield, who attended the extravaganza with her daughter, Jennifer Williams, and four grandchildren. Fortin grew up in South Hadley.

Ruth Lutservitz, of Chicopee, showed up with her walker. Her brother, Peter Starzyk, packed his crutches. No way they would they let their disabilities keep them from this once-a-year event, they said.

“I always run into old friends,” said Sasha Berman, of Northampton, “and I always have a good time, whether I buy a little or a lot.”

Adam and Jean Couture, of Chicopee, were browsing with their dog, Beulah, in tow. “We’re going to the big Congregational church,” said Jean. “They have a ton of stuff.”

South Hadley residents also turned out in force. Daniel S. Colón said he was looking for tools and lighting. Becky Mazur was operating a table whose contents included cookies she was selling to raise money for the proposed new library in town.

Tag sales were blooming on the side streets of South Hadley, too. Hildreth and Noel Streets, Church and Boynton Avenues, Hernandes and Cypress Drives, Belmont Road and Wright Place and many others boasted tag sales.

On Brock Way, Steve Theroux said his 6-year-old twins were persuaded to put some of their toys on the block once they understood that the earnings would help pay for a family trip to Disney World.

On Route 202, Jim McKinnon, of Springfield, stood over a table of tools holding a real eye-catcher: a big red scythe.

Also eye-catching was Sue Brouillette’s foot-high dancing James Brown figure at her table on Route 116. “Sorry, he’s not for sale,” she told one inquirer. “He’s my inspiration.”

Some stalwarts were buying and selling all weekend, not just on Columbus Day. Elizabeth Greco, of Holyoke, was a seller on Monday, but came to South Hadley on Saturday and Sunday to see what she could buy.

A lot, it turned out. She "bungied" as many purchases as possible on her motorcycle, she said, much to the amusement of others who had gotten an early start.

From climate change and development pressures to Asian longhorned beetles and woolly adelgids, the full range of conditions and creatures that are affecting Eastern forests will be on the agenda.

View full sizeFile photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanThis is a closeup photograph of an eastern white hemlock that has been attacked by woolly adelgids. The fuzzy white things on the branch are adelgids.

HOLYOKE – Appropriately, just as Massachusetts maples, oaks and birches are reaching their peak fall colors, a forest summit will convene at Holyoke Community College this week to consider the health of the region’s forests.

From climate change and development pressures to Asian longhorned beetles and woolly adelgids, the full range of conditions and creatures that are affecting Eastern forests will be on the agenda Thursday and Friday in the college’s Kittredge Center.

Hosted by the college and the Eastern Native Tree Society, “Forest Summit: Local Conversation, Global Perspective” will bring together scientists, foresters, environmentalists and the public for a series of lectures.

More details of the event, which is free and open to anyone, can be found online at www.hcc.edu/forest.

“Overall our forests in the state are doing well,” said Kenneth A. Gooch, head of the forest health program for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“In some areas of the state the overabundance of rain has caused problems for some tree species that don’t tolerate too much moisture,” he said. “But in general the forest needed a growing season like this year to help recover from past drought conditions.”

Since April, 50 percent more rain than normal has fallen in much of the Pioneer Valley, and that has promoted leaf disease, in particular one that causes sugar maples and white ashes to drop their leaves early, Gooch said.

“Unfortunately sugar maple and white ash give us a lot of our fall color,” he said. “We’ll still have a good fall foliage season, though, as many other tree species – red maple, oak, and birch – are not affected as much by leaf diseases.”

The most dramatic and widespread impact on area forests came from the June 1 tornadoes that swept across Hampden County and into Worcester County, causing “major tree damage to isolated areas,” he said.

The largest touched down in Westfield and carved a 39-mile-long, half-mile-wide path to Charlton, leveling whole forests as it moved.

“But,” Gooch said, “the forest is resilient, and you will start to see trees regenerate quickly in the affected forested areas.”

Insects also threaten certain tree species, he said. Of greatest concern is the Asian longhorned beetle, which so far has been detected in Massachusetts only in Greater Worcester and Boston. Called a “tree killer,” it has not been reported yet in Western Massachusetts.

An insect that has affected the region’s forests is the hemlock woolly adelgid, a sap-sucking insect that targets Eastern hemlocks, which are prominent in southern New England. They have been found in nearly all communities in the Pioneer Valley, and in some stands 50 to 100 percent of infested hemlocks have died, he said.

Among the conference’s notable speakers will be David Stahle, distinguished professor at the University of Arkansas, and Lee Freelich, director of the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota.

Also among the conference’s sponsors are Smith College, Massachusetts Audubon Society and Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest.

Sandlin says one of the things that qualifies her to be mayor is her extensive volunteer work in the community

Rosemary Sandlin

AGAWAM – Former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin says open government and transparency will be the hallmarks of her administration if she is elected mayor in November.

Sandlin will compete with Mayor Richard A. Cohen and Walter A. Meissner III in Tuesday’s preliminary election. That contest will narrow the field of mayoral candidates from three to the two who will face off Nov. 8.

Sandlin, 65, talked recently about her candidacy and qualifications during an interview at her Granger Drive home.

If elected, Sandlin said she would put such public records as audits and the city’s checkbook on line.

“I think we need the openness,” she said. “People in Agawam who pay the bills need to know where the money goes.”

Making all expenses public will make public officials more competent, Sandlin said.

Agawam mayoral candidate profiles

• Richard Cohen
• Walter Meissner III
• Rosemary Sandlin
• More Agawam election coverage

Sandlin also pledged to attend every City Council meeting and meet in small groups with councilors, but in accordance with the state’s Open Meeting Law

“We need to work together for the quality of life we want,” she said. “We are all in this together.”

Sandlin said she would also hold office hours Saturday mornings, probably twice a month if elected.

Another goal would be, to develop a second industrial park on the same scale as the one the city already has and that is fully occupied, according to Sandlin. The candidate said she would also look into why national retailers like Bed, Bath and Beyond don’t open stores in Agawam as well as try to increase the tax base.

So-called new growth, that is new construction that can be added to the tax base under Proposition 2½, is only $250,000 this year, according to Sandlin. With state and federal aid drying up the city needs to become more financially self-sufficient, according to the candidate.

Sandlin said she would also use performance based budgeting, which she described as setting measurable goals with timelines to determine funding.

One of the things that Sandlin said qualifies her to be mayor is the many years she has been a volunteer in the city. As a mother of four, Sandlin said she served on the Agawam Housing Authority for 25 years as well as worked with the Agawam Athletic Association. She now works with her parish, Sacred Heart Church, and is a volunteer in a program at St. John’s Church that brings meals to shut-ins.

Sandlin logged a total of 22 years on the School Committee and worked as an aide and then later chief of staff for former state Sen. Linda J. Melconian.

A Democrat, she represented Agawam, Southwick, Granville and Russell in the state Legislature for four years. Last fall, she lost her bid for a third two-year term by 98 votes to then-Southwick Selectman Nicholas A. Boldyga, a Republican.

Meissner has said he does not want to judge anybody.

Republican file photoAgawam mayor candidate Walter A. Meissner III

AGAWAM – Walter A. Meissner III, who seeks election to the office of mayor, says he will treat everyone the same if elected.

“We’re all equal,” Meissner said during a recent interview at The Republican office. “I want to be people’s friend. I don’t want to judge anybody.”

Meissner will face off against Mayor Richard A. Cohen and former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin in a preliminary election Tuesday that will narrow the three-way competition to two candidates. They will compete over who gets to lead the city in the Nov. 8 municipal election.

A millwright, the 53-year-old Meissner grew up in Agawam and has lived here most of his life.

A 1976 graduate of Agawam High School, the candidate went on to take night classes in millwrighting at Roger J. Putnam Vocational High School in Springfield. Meissner also spent 30 months in the Navy in aviation maintenance administration.

The candidate has never held nor run for elective office. His father, Walter A. Meissner Jr., ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1990.

Agawam mayoral candidate profiles

• Richard Cohen
• Walter Meissner III
• Rosemary Sandlin
• More Agawam election coverage

Meissner said he does not believe some people are better than others just because they may have degrees. He pledged to treat people “like they are human” if elected.

“The present mayor just wants to be mayor. The mayor’s position shouldn’t just be about the mayor. It should be about everybody in town, every human being,” Meissner said.

He had some words of criticism for the present mayor.

“I’d hope to sit in the mayor’s chair for 40 hours a week so someone could find him,” Meissner said, referring to Cohen. “He’s hardly ever there...I’ve never met him there when I’ve gone to look for him.”

Cohen took umbrage to Meissner’s remarks and said he has an open door policy and has never seen Meissner in his office.

“I am usually the first one in Town Hall and the last to leave,” Cohen said. “If he is only going to be there 40 hours a week he is not going to get the job done.”

The mayor said he puts in 60-hour work weeks.

The candidate said he is not beholden to anyone as the only campaign donation he has accepted is $500 from Local 1121 of Millwight & Machinery Erectors of Mass in Allston, of which he is a member.

“I don’t owe anybody anything and no one owes me anything,” Meissner said.

As for campaigning, Meissner said he is working alone and about all he has done is put stickers on his car.

“I haven’t gone out partying. Isn’t that what it’s all about. Campaigning is partying,” Meissner said.

The candidate declined to outline the issues he will deal with if elected mayor.

“You are asking me to predict the future. I’m not capable of predicting the future. If you have found people who can that is amazing,” he said.

As for his convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and soliciting a prostitute, Meissner said they should not deter people from voting for him.

“If there is an innocent person on this earth let me know who they are. They let Clinton stay in office after they knew what he did with his intern,” Meissner said.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen says he has the understanding, knowledge and wisdom to continue to lead the city.

Richard Cohen

AGAWAM - Mayor Richard A. Cohen, who seeks a sixth, two-year term in November, says he wants to continue his record of business and economic development in the community.

“I have the understanding, the knowledge and wisdom to do what’s right for the city and all its residents. I think I’ve proven that,” Cohen, 53, said during a recent interview in his Town Hall office. “I’ve been quietly working hard for every resident.”

Cohen will face off against former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin and millwright Walter A. Meissner III in a preliminary election Tuesday. That contest will narrow the field from three to two candidates.

The mayor grew up in Springfield and Longmeadow, moving to Agawam in the late 1980s.

“I just found Agawam to be a place that I really liked,” he said.

Cohen and his twin brother, Alan R. Cohen, a counselor at the high school, own a house on Alexander Drive. They moved their father, retired dentist Philip J. Cohen, to it three years ago.

Agawam mayoral candidate profiles

• Richard Cohen
• Walter Meissner III
• Rosemary Sandlin
• More Agawam election coverage

The mayor majored in psychology with minors in community service and business at Springfield College. He went on to work at Springfield Technical Community College from 1985 to 1999 as assistant to the dean of continuing education, acting as veterans administrator and a counselor.

Cohen then served as mayor from 2000 to 2008, having lost his bid for a fifth mayoral term to Susan R. Dawson. It is a defeat he blamed on being on the wrong side of parking issues related to Six Flags.

However, Cohen was back as mayor in 2010.

Cohen points to good financial stewardship as one of his successes during his five terms as mayor. The mayor said that the city tax rates of $28.32 per $1,000 of valuation for businesses and $14 per thousand dollars of valuation for residences are lower than those in surrounding communities.

The mayor also said he is proud of always presenting the City Council with balanced budgets to which councilors have made few changes.

Cohen can point to having started the Agawam Small Business Assistance Center and taken part in more than 20 ribbon cuttings for new businesses over the last 16 months.

The mayor has presided over a number of major building projects during his tenure. He inherited the project to build a new public library, which was completed under his tenure. Cohen also initiated and oversaw the building of a new Senior Center as well as a municipal annex-public works complex that takes in about $10,000 a month in rent.

Under Cohen’s administration, the city has built modular classrooms at all its elementary schools and offered free, all-day kindergarten. Residents have seen trash collection go from once every two weeks to weekly pickup with no fees.

If re-elected, Cohen pledged to continue his work in economic and business development. Among his goals in that respect are the following: working to fill the former Food Mart building, getting the former Games and Lanes building redeveloped, developing the former Sportsmen’s Club, developing industry on the 25 acres behind the public works complex, building an industrial park on former county land off South West Street and marketing the Tennis Roads site by Route 57 for retail use.

Among Cohen’s recent initiatives have been raising the personal property tax exemption allowed small businesses and working toward getting a Y-Express in the community, which would offer services by the YMCA.

Investors have been worried that European leaders weren’t moving quickly enough to contain the fallout from a default by Greece’s government.

Associated Press photoPeople participate in a session of yoga, led by yoga instructor Seane Corne, in collaboration with the "Occupy Wall Street" protests in Zuccotti Park in New York, on Monday. On the day that protests against Wall Street "greed" entered their fourth week, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up more than 330 points.

NEW YORK – What bear market?

Stocks surged on the latest positive news out of Europe Monday, the fourth sharp increase in the last five days. It’s a dramatic turnaround from last Tuesday, when the S&P 500 index nearly fell enough to meet the definition of a bear market. Since then the widely used index has soared 8.7 percent.

Indexes soared in the U.S. and Europe after French and German leaders promised to strengthen European banks. The Dow Jones industrial average shot up 330 points, its largest one-day jump since Aug. 11. The euro rose against the dollar.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they would finalize a “comprehensive response” to the debt crisis by the end of the month, including a plan to make sure European banks have adequate capital. Investors have been worried that European leaders weren’t moving quickly enough to contain the fallout from a default by Greece’s government.

“The more we can put our arms around the problem with a little more detail, the better, and time frames usually help,” said Michael Sansoterra, a portfolio manager at Silvant Capital Management in Atlanta.

The Dow rose 330.06 points, or 3 percent, to close at 11,433.18. That’s the highest the index has been in three weeks. Bank of America Corp. rose 6.4 percent, the most of the 30 companies that make up the index. JPMorgan Chase & Co. rose 5.2 percent. The Dow is up 7.3 percent since Oct. 4.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 39.43 or 3.4 percent, to 1,194.89. On Oct. 4 the S&P 500 traded below 1,090, or 20 percent down from its recent peak in April. Had the index closed at or below that level, it would have met the common definition of a bear market.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 86.70, or 3.4 percent, to 2,566.05.

European stock markets rose and the euro strengthened against the dollar on the latest indication that European leaders were making progress on containing the region’s debt crisis. Germany’s DAX rose 3 percent and France’s CAC-40 rose 2.1 percent.

Investors were also relieved that troubled Franco-Belgian bank Dexia would be partially nationalized. Dexia needed rescue because owns large amounts of government bonds of indebted countries like Greece and Italy.

European banks have become more reluctant to lend to each other, putting overextended banks like Dexia in danger. That prompted the European Central Bank last week to offer unlimited one-year loans to the banks through 2013 to help give them access to credit.

Investors have been worried that a default by Greece could cause the value of Greek bonds held by those banks to plunge, hurting their balance sheets. U.S. banks could also be affected if Greece goes through a messy default, since they own Greek bonds and also have close ties to European banks.

Apple Inc. rose 5.1 percent to $388.81 after reporting that first-day orders for its new iPhone topped 1 million. The phone goes on sale Friday.

Yahoo Inc. jumped 2.4 percent to $15.84 following reports that founder Jerry Yang may organize a buyout of the company with private equity investors.

Oil and gas driller Nabors Industries Ltd. jumped 6.6 percent after oil rose above $85 a barrel. It hit a 12-month low of $75 a barrel last week.

Alcoa Inc. will become the first major U.S. company to report third-quarter results after the closing bell Tuesday. The aluminum maker’s stock rose 3.9 percent to $10.09. Panera Bread rose 4.3 percent to $108.47 after an analyst said the company may start to buy its own stock.

Bond trading was closed for the Columbus Day holiday.

Ten stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was light at 3.8 billion.

More than 50 people held signs and shouted "jobs not cuts" on Main Street.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonDemonstrators hold signs in front of the Springfield office of U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry on Monday at 1550 Main St. in a MoveOn.org civic action.

SPRINGFIELD – Local residents upset about the lack of jobs, home foreclosures and possible cuts to health care and social security protested outside Sen. John Kerry’s office at 1550 Main Street Monday afternoon.

More than 50 people held signs and shouted “jobs not cuts” as cars drove by honking their horns.

“I think people are fed up with the government. We need jobs, we don’t want to see Medicare and Medicaid cut and we want to see the wealthiest members of our population paying more taxes,” said Denise Conboy, a member of MoveOn.org, which organized the protest. She said they got the word out through Facebook, Twitter, email and word of mouth. “This is open to anyone who is fed up with the way things are.”

Kelley Johnson, of Hampden, said he believes protests, whether large or small, highlight the concerns of the average working American.

“These event make a difference to us. We hope to inspire others to do the same thing,” he said. Kelley participated in a rally in Washington last week.

“Too much corporate money has found its way into both political parties. They have debts to pay and they don’t involve us. We have to find a way to shine a light on our problems,” he said.

Alan Gilburg, of Holyoke, went to New York City last week and participated in the “Occupy Wall Street” protests, which originated three weeks ago with a few dozen demonstrators who tried to pitch tents in front of the New York Stock Exchange.

“Wall Street has gotten away with murder, they took the economy down and are still profiting form that and nobody seems to care. Both political parties are asleep because they are beholden to Wall Street for their campaigns,” Gilburg said. “ Corporate America has the money, they can spend what they want and they don’t have to tell us who they give it to.”

Conboy said MoveOn.org is a progressive organization which joined with many other organizations across the nation to create the American Dream contract. The contract is a list of 10 ideas for keeping the American dream alive including things like offering Medicare for all, creating jobs fairer tax rates and more. Conboy said she hopes they can get the message out to elected politicians about what people want.

“We want to let the politicians, who we elected, know that we need jobs and don’t want Medicare and social security cuts. This is not a poor country, there is money but it’s in the top 1 percent of the population and we want to tell them we know this and we are tired of political stalemating. We want them to stop behaving like children and start thinking about us. Too many people are losing jobs and losing their homes. Something needs to be done,” she said.

Gilburg said residents can do one of four things.

“They can vote, they can lobby, they can protest and they can revolt,” he said. “Voting has become a joke because both parities are in the hands of the moneyed class. Lobbying is also about money, so now we’re protesting and we’ll see whether or not they listen,” he said.

Richard Greene, a member of the Round Hill Core Group, cited the rich historical and architectural history of the neighborhood.

Submitted by Clarke SchoolArticulation class at Clarke School in days gone by.

NORTHAMPTON – A neighborhood group concerned about the future of the Clarke School campus is holding an informational session Tuesday night to share what it knows of the school’s plans.

According to members of the Round Hill Core Group, Clarke’s board of trustees has identified a buyer to develop nearly a dozen acres of its once-sprawling campus. The school has not released the name of the developer or shared details of the proposal, however. Clarke officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

Founded in 1867, Clarke School has been in the vanguard of the oral-auditory approach to educating the deaf. The stunning campus on Round Hill Road was once packed with students who came from around the country to board there while they studied. In recent years, Clarke has adjusted its approach as cochlear implants and the widespread testing of infants have expanded the possibilities for deaf children. Educators from Clarke have gone out more and more into the mainstream to teach deaf students, and the school has opened campuses in Boston, Florida, New York and other locations. Clarke even changed its name to Clarke Schools for Hearing & Speech.

At the same time, Clarke has been selling off pieces of the Round Hill campus. Most recently, it announced it was putting up nearly 12 acres, included 10 buildings, for sale.

Robert Jonas, who lives on nearby Bancroft Road, said he put together a group that included a builder, an architect and a contractor to make a proposal for the land. Under their plan, they would develop the property over a 5-7-year period in partnership with Clarke. The trustees opted for a different proposal, however.

Now Jonas and other neighbors are banding together in the hope that the developer will listen to their concerns. Among the options the group is reviewing is joining the Elm Street Historic District, a move that would give added protection regarding demolition and renovation.

“I just want to do what I can to have a voice,” Jonas said.

Richard Greene, another member of the Round Hill Core Group, cited the rich historical and architectural history of the neighborhood.

“This is not an area where you want to do infill,” he said, referring to a city-wide plan to develop inner-city property more densely.

Northampton Planning Director Wayne Feiden has been invited to the 7 p.m. meeting in Council Chambers, along with Clarke President William J. Corwin. Greene said the school initially indicated that the developer might also attend but now says that is unlikely.

Traditionally held on Columbus Day, the event honors not the Italian credited with discovering America but the Polish nobleman who gave his life in the founding of the country.

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanBecky and Carol Landy carry a wreath down Main Street toward Pulaski Park during Northampton's Pulaski Day parade and celebration Monday.

NORTHAMPTON – Patriotism marched hand-in-hand with Polish pride Monday as the Polish community turned out for the 25th Annual Pulaski Day celebration.

Traditionally held on Columbus Day, the event honors not the Italian credited with discovering America but the Polish nobleman who gave his life in the founding of the country. Born in 1745, Casimir Pulaski joined his father at the age of 15 in fighting against the Russians who were oppressing Poland. Declared an outlaw by the Russians, Pulaski retreated to Paris, where he met Benjamin Franklin, who was gathering support in Europe for the American Revolution.

Pulaski promptly enlisted in the cause and provided his own cavalry. He was mortally wounded in the Battle of Savannah on Oct. 11, 1779.

The local Polish community commemorated Pulaski’s sacrifice for years with a Mass in Polish at St. John Cantius Church. Because the Diocese of Springfield has closed that church, the Mass has taken place at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for the last couple of years. From there, marching bands and dignitaries proceed to Pulaski Park, which is named in Pulaski’s honor.

Rep. Peter V. Kocot, D-Northampton, a fixture at the annual event, told the crowd that it was a time to honor not only the soldiers who have given their lives from democracy but also their Polish forebears who endured prejudice to establish their families in America.

Keynore speaker Carla Oleska, the Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, picked up on that theme, telling the young people in the crowd not to take their lives and freedoms as Americans for granted.

“If you don’t know your heritage, ask questions about where you came from,” she said.

The crowd applauded for parade marshals Kazimierz Barut and Chester Cholewa, both of whom survived the Nazis and the Stalinist purge of Poland. Barut described how and his countrymen were forced to eat grass to survive. Cholewa, 86, said his limousine ride along the parade route was reinvigorating.

“I feel today like I’m 40,” he said.