Dr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji, a Holyoke neurologist, said he hopes to provide some education and facts about the law so people can educate others.

The Republican | Diane LedermanDr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji, president of the Hampshire Mosque in Amherst, will give a talk to explain Sharia law

AMHERST – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain fears that Sharia law could permeate the U.S Court system “if we allow it."

In Oklahoma, the 10th Circuit court is examining the constitutionality of a 2010 law banning Oklahoma courts from citing, or using, Sharia law.

But Sharia law, law based on Islam and its central religious text the Quran, could not be imposed in this country, says Dr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji.

Hazratji is hoping to address some of the “disinformation” he sees out there about the law Wednesday at the South Congregational Church as part of the Hampshire Mosque lecture series “Understanding Islam.” The title of the neurologist’s talk is “Sharia: Law for living. Facts and fiction.” The talk is free and begins at 6:30 p.m.

“If Muslims enter a country (legally) they accept the laws of that country,” said Hazratji, president of the Hampshire Mosque. So the law would not become part of this country’s legal system, he said.

He said, “The U.S. Constitution has most of the tenets of Sharia. The values of the Sharia are imbedded in the Constitution.”

And even where Sharia is still used, such as in Saudi Arabia, there is some latitude. A judge will apply the maximum penalty, such as an amputation or stoning, only “in extreme situations,” Hazratji said.

But that’s often what gets reported or shown in news clips. The law also applies only to Muslims. The law, Hazratji said, is imbued “with an overwhelming balance of mercy and forgiveness.”

He thinks the talking and fear that the law would be imposed in this country is part of the larger Islamophobia that exists. He said even in the media “who bring in so-called experts, it’s agenda driven,” when it comes to answering questions.

Hazratji, who has been practicing medicine in Holyoke for three decades, said he hopes to provide some education and facts about the law so people can educate others so they are not afraid.

“Knowledge empowers people to make the right judgments,” Hazratji said.
“Islam and extremism are completely opposite.” He said there are a few who feel they have been oppressed and “go to extremes.” They can find “passages (in the Quran) to support your positions.”

But, he said, in “Islam you have to be patient. God will change your situation.”

Hazratji, the former president of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts in West Springfield, said people who attend his talk will have time to ask questions.

The group brings together many people to give the Latino community a voice in community discussions.

Republican staff photo by Michael BeswickJoanne Morales-Harrison, one of the honorees of the Puerto Rican and Latino Leadership Council.

They come from across Western Massachusetts, some own long-established businesses and others direct major city corporations, there were artists, politicians and even high school students.

The one thing they have in common is they are all Latino.

The Puerto Rican and Latino Leadership Council held its debut event Saturday at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, honoring 15 local leaders, including those from the Republican’s Spanish-language publication El Pueblo Latino.

The council was recently formed to give the growing Latino community a say in community issues, said Vanessa Otero, director of the North End Campus Coalition and president of Otero Consulting, Inc. and a founding member of the group.

“We want to make sure the Latino voice is present,” she said.

The group is purposely structured to bring together people of a variety of different communities, not just those who live in Springfield and Holyoke, people of varying ages and those with different careers, she said.

One of the many goals is to have older professionals mentor young people. At the same time the young people can provide a new perspective, she said.

Andrew Melendez, of Holyoke, the director of the Greater Holyoke Division of the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce, is one of the young members. At just 23, he said he is excited to be learning from those with more experience.

“We need a Latino at the table all the time,” he said. “We do not have that all the time.”

He echoed a number of other people who agreed education and reducing the dropout rate is a crucial topic the group must discuss. In Holyoke alone 90 percent of all the students are Latino and the four-year graduation rate is 52 percent, Melendez said.

Joanne Morales-Harrison, of Springfield, assistant superintendent of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and one of the honorees, said ensuring children have the proper education is key.

“The number one issue is the dropout rate. That is our future,” said Madeline Landrau, director of multi-cultural marketing for MassMutual Financial group.

She said she wants to get more businesses involved in bringing young people into businesses for internships.

Heshima Moja, a musician, music producer and teacher who splits his time between Springfield and New York City, joined the group’s subcommittee on arts and culture.

The subcommittee has two roles, one is to promote the Latino culture through the arts and the second is to use art and music to help work out other problems such as improving education, he said.

Plans call for building a 4,242-square-foot convenience store of colonial design with 10 fueling stations as well as a Red Box video rental unit.

Submitted photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Cumberland Farms Inc. has proposed developing a new gasoline station-convenience store at Park Avenue and Union Street, where there is currently a Gulf gasoline station.

“I always get excited about economic development. I do realize we do have a lot of gas stations and convenience stores in town,” Mayor Edward J. Gibson said of the proposal Friday. “I hope the project is a success.”

Officials at Cumberland Farms offices in Framingham were not able to comment yet on the proposal.

They need a special permit to develop the project, which will be the subject of an as-yet unscheduled Planning Board public hearing expected to be held in November in the municipal building. Land at the site is zoned Business A-1. Plans call for building a 4,242-square-foot convenience store of colonial design with 10 fueling stations.

Documents on file in the Planning Department office call for demolishing a 6,210-square-foot warehouse as well as a 2,039-square-foot convenience store at the site. Eight fuel dispensers would be removed and replaced with five dispensers, with one offering diesel fuel and another offering full service.

The new facility would also feature a Red Box video rental unit along a sidewalk running beside the new business.

Four underground storage tanks with a total capacity of 34,000 gallons would be removed and replaced with two 20,000-gallon double-wall fiberglass dual compartment tanks. Existing waste oil and fuel oil tanks would also be taken away.

A new canopy with lighting and fire suppression equipment would be built. Sidewalks would be extended and there would be new lighting. There would also be a freestanding sign with the area enhanced with landscaping, according to a summary of the proposal on file in the Planning Department office.

The map below shows the approximate location of a proposed Cumberland Farms convenience store and gas station:

View Larger Map

Damage from Hurricane Irene and relentless rain have made it a hard year for pumpkins and winter squash in Western Massachusetts.

The Republican | Don TreegerMike McCray of McCray's Farm in South Hadley and his son Westin, 1½, check out the wet conditions in the pumpkin fields on the farm.

Farmers who grow pumpkins are the latest group to feel the pinch in this year of natural disasters.

As Halloween approaches, they are doing their best to fill shelves with the stuff of pies and jack-o’-lanterns.

“We’ll still see pumpkins,” said Ruth Hazzard, vegetable specialist at the University of Massachusetts Extension Service.

Still, it’s been tough. Some pumpkins were swept away by Tropical Storm Irene and some fell victim to the relentless rain.

“We lost all our crops in the flood,” said Sandy Williams, owner of Williams Farm and Sugarhouse in Deerfield. “Washed away into the river.”

“We do have some nice pie pumpkins,” said Sarah Voiland of Red Fire Farm in Granby, “but it’s been a hard year for pumpkins and winter squash in general.”

A few growers, like Gene Kosinski of Kosinski Farm in Westfield, managed to weather the season well.

“We grow our pumpkins in lighter soil, so it drained better,” said Kosinski. “You’re going to get some losses no matter what, but we were not hit as bad as some other farms.

“We grow large-face and sugar pumpkins, and they both seem to be OK.

“We’re not finished harvesting,” he added.

“Excess water is not good for any crop,” said Skip Sobieski of Deerfield Farm, who, like many others, did save enough pumpkins to last until Halloween.

View full sizeThe Republican | Don TreegerMike McCray of McCray's Farm in South Hadley and his son Westin, 1½, are in the retail pumpkin area at the farm.

If ever there was a year to nix the plastic gourds from China and support local growers, this is it.

Just expect to pay a little more. That’s happens when supply is down. At Fini’s Plant Farm in Feeding Hills, for example, Al Fini said he is raising his price by 10 cents a pound.

Stephen McCray of McCray’s Farm in South Hadley also has plenty of pumpkins, “but a few of them didn’t learn to swim,” he joked.

Right now, his problem is shuttling visitors into the soggy fields on tractors for McCray’s pick-your-own program.

Rainfall in August was 8.23 inches and in September it was 5.66 inches, according to National Weather Service readings at Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield. Normal rainfall is 3.6 in August and 3.4 in September.

“The soils have not dried in six or seven weeks,” said Hazzard. “Not only were some of the rains very heavy, but fields have had standing water.”

When that’s the situation, “there’s a tendency for more and different types of diseases to set in,” said Hazzard.

One of the most destructive diseases of vine crops is phytopthera, she said. In 2009 it affected tomatoes and potatoes. This year, it’s pumpkins and winter squash.

It was a good year for those who, like Kosinski, grow their pumpkins in sandy, well-drained soil because the pumpkins weren’t sitting in standing water, said Hazzard.

“A lot of the smaller pumpkin varieties have fared better,” she said. Sugar pumpkins, the kind best for pies, also did pretty well.

A man was shot dead inside Club Illusion, a Worthington Street nightclub, some time after 1:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Staff photo by Conor BerrySpringfield police officers guard the door to Club Illusion, the Worthington Street nightclub where a man was fatally shot early Sunday morning.

SPRINGFIELD -- A man was shot dead at a downtown nightclub early Sunday morning, according to Springfield police, who cordoned off a section of Worthington Street as investigators combed the crime scene for evidence.

Police declined to identify the victim, who was shot some time after 1:30 a.m. inside Club Illusion, a nightclub at 288 Worthington St. in the city's entertainment district.

"It's a homicide investigation," said Springfield Police Detective Capt. Peter J. Dillon, commanding officer of the city's detective unit.

"We believe it was inside Club Illusion," he said.

Dillon said Sunday's homicide investigation marked the city's 17th of the year. An initial murder charge linked to one of those investigations has since been lowered to manslaughter, however, and a fatal shooting earlier this month on White Street remains under investigation.

Police still are unsure if the Oct. 4 death of 21-year-old Justin Garrafa, 122 White St., was a homicide, suicide or accidental shooting. His 25-year-old brother, David Garrafa, was arrested and charged with weapons offenses following the fatal shooting.

The city's most recent homicide occurred at the climax of a fairly typical Saturday night in the bustling club quarter, where numerous patrons typically pack Worthington Street bars and clubs until closing time early Sunday morning.

Dillon declined to indicate how many times the man was shot, but he said police officers were stationed in the Stearns Square and Worthington Street area for Sunday's usual bar and club closings.

Massachusetts State Police chemists and ballistics experts were assisting city police with their investigation, Dillon said.

Yellow police tape lined the north sidewalk of Worthington Street from around Club Illusion to the brick courtyard just west of Adolfo's Ristorante.

Staff photo by Conor BerryA Springfield police cruiser blocks a section of Worthington Street while detectives and crime-scene investigators probe a fatal shooting at Club Illusion early Sunday morning.

A large Springfield Police Department Forensic Investigation van was parked outside Club Illusion, whose front door was open. Inside, detectives and crime-scene specialists could be seen conducting their investigation.

Officers also were stationed at the rear of the club on Taylor Street.

The killing marked this year's first homicide in Springfield's Metro Center neighborhood, which comprises the entertainment district and a large portion of downtown.

No arrests had been made as of 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

"We're interviewing people right now," Dillon said.

Authorities have yet to publicly identify a motive in the slaying, which follows several homicides this summer.

Springfield logged 16 homicides last year. Depending on the outcome of this and the White Street shooting, the city appears poised to either match or surpass that number.

The $13 million bond request represents the city's cost of a new $36 million elementary school.

File photo | The RepublicanWestfield City Hall.

WESTFIELD – Residents will have an opportunity Wednesday to comment on city plans to bond $13 million for a new elementary school and $3.4 million to repair City Hall.

The City Council’s Long-Range Bonding Committee will hold a public hearing on the pending bond requests when it meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, Councilor David A. Flaherty said Friday.

The two bonds will also be subject of a council committee meeting Tuesday night by the Legislative and Ordinance Committee, Ward 2 Councilor James E. Brown Jr. said.

Also, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is preparing a breakdown on bonding costs and the city's ability to finance the necessary work.

“I will report on the city capacity to pay all municipal liabilities for the future including this school and City Hall bond,” Knapik said earlier in the week.

That financial review will include savings and cost factors associated with plans to build a new $36 million elementary school at Ashley and Cross streets. Those savings will involve consolidation of at least two, maybe three, elementary schools at the new 600-student school to be open by September 2013, the mayor said.

The bond requests are also before the City Council Finance Committee for review, and full City Council action granting approval could come as early as Thursday.

But Flaherty indicated he want further review because of growing future municipal debt, primarily the city’s cost for pensions and other benefits to municipal retirees.

The city, according to Flaherty, has future liabilities of around $400 million, which includes an estimated $234 in retiree benefits and $75 million in pension accounts.

The $13 million school bond represents the city’s share of the total $36 million price tag. The state’s School Building Authority is financing $23 million, providing the city secures its share within 120 days.

The $3.4 million bond will address needs at City Hall including a new roof and gutters, new windows and repointing and sealing the brick facade.

Elizabeth Warren visits Chicopee for annual Democratic Party breakfast.

Associated PressIn this April 11, 2011, file photo, Elizabeth Warren, then-assistant to the President, speaks during a summit on consumer protection by the National Association of Attorneys General in Charlotte, N.C. The consumer advocate Warren is jumping into the Massachusetts race against Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

CHICOPEE– Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren made a stop at the annual Democrat of the Year Breakfast held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Chicopee.

The breakfast was held in honor of Democrat of the Year Michael Pise, of Chicopee.

Warren spent thirty minutes stopping at each table and speaking with local Democrats about their concerns.

“People are very unhappy about the lack of accountability on Wall Street,” she said. “They are talking about how the rules are rigged against ordinary families, that’s been the principal topic of conversation this morning.”

Al Kendall, an organizer for the event, said he was happy Warren could attend.

“I think it’s great that she was able to stop by and that she is paying attention to our area,” he said.

Warren said she plans on making many visits to Western Massachusetts in the coming months.

“This is not my first trip in this direction and it’s one of many I plan to make over the course of the next year. It’s an important part of the state and I want to be here,” she said.

The event honored Pise, Mayor Michael Bissonnette and others for their dedication to the Democratic Party. Pise said he feels honored to have been chosen for the award.

“I’ve done a lot of work with Gov. Deval Patrick’s campaign, with Richard Neal, Steve Buoniconti, James Welch and others,” said Pise, who is a School Committee member in Chicopee.

Kendall said Pise deserves the award.

“He is a long-time Democrat and he has been very active and involved with local and state candidates,” he said.

Police have identified the victim of a shooting in Springfield as Devada Wannamaker, 23.

Staff photo by Conor BerrySpringfield police officers guard the door to Club Illusion, the Worthington Street nightclub where a man was fatally shot early Sunday morning.

Updates a story posted Sunday at 5:55 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD- Police have identified the victim of a shooting on Sunday morning as Devada Wannamaker, 23, of the Indian Orchard section of Springfield.

Police said Wannamaker was found shot in an alleyway near Club Illusion, 284 Worthington St.

Sgt. John Delaney, executive aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said the emergency personnel who attended to Wannamker found a handgun stuck inside his pants that was fully loaded. Police officers also found marijuana and crack cocaine packaged for sale on his person, he said.

The victim was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m.

Police said no witnesses have come forward. No arrests have been made.

The 34th Annual Crop Walk was held Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Avenue.

10/16/11 Springfield - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - The 34th annual Greater Springfield CROP Hunger Walk started at Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Sunday. Participating left to right are Vivian Gonzalez, 9 month old Sophia-Rose Gonzalez, Ashley Dematos, Jazmin Gonzalez, Raven Ocasio (10) and James McMillan (10).

SPRINGFIELD – Every day the emergency food pantry run by Open Pantry Community Services Inc. sees new families requesting help.

“We have seen a 17 percent increase in new families,” said Allison Maynard, director of the Open Pantry, one of several local organizations that receive donations from the CROP Hunger Walk.

The 34th Annual Crop Walk was held Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Avenue.

The Rev. Barbara Schenk, of Foster Memorial Church in Sixteen Acres, said 25 percent of the proceeds of the event go to local organizations helping the hungry including the Open Pantry, Lorraine’s Kitchen in Holyoke, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Council of Churches Tornado Relief Fund.

Maynard said they are seeing many people who have recently been laid off or have had their work hours reduced stop by the pantries.

“Our pantry can help a family six times a year, we are not designed for sustainability, we are an emergency pantry. What we find is that a lot of people use multiple pantries to get food,” she said. “There is definitely a need.”

The interfaith event is supported by many local churches, but some civic organizations and businesses also participate in the walk, Schenk said.

Students from Central High School’s Air Force Reserves Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) have been participating in the event for many years.

“They always bring a big group of students and they are one of our most faithful groups,” said Amy E. Porter, the Associate Regional Director for Church World Service and the CROP Walk.

Carlos Restrepl and Illyana Velez, both seniors at Central High School and members of ROTC, said the group raised about $500 this year.

“I know what I eat everyday and I know that there are a lot of kids my age and families that don’t have anything,” he said. “I wanted to come out and walk for a good cause.”

Porter said more than 2,000 communities throughout the United States join in more than 1,600 CROP Hunger Walks each year. Most of the funds from the walks will go towards the drought and famine in Kenya, Porter said.

“My move to Amherst College has felt like homecoming,” said Martin, who grew up in Virginia. “I’m so glad to be one of you.”

View full sizeAmherst, 10/16/11 Staff Photo by David Molnar -- Carolyn "Biddy" Martin addresses those attending her Inauguration as the 19th President, and first woman President, of Amherst College.

AMHERST – Carolyn Arthur “Biddy” Martin has been president of Amherst College for 56 days, but she was finally inaugurated Sunday as the 19th person and first female to hold the position.

Martin’s colleagues from around the world came to the outdoor ceremony to honor her, as well as to note the historic nature of her appointment. Sunday was the 36th anniversary of the first time a woman was admitted to the school.

Smith College President Carol T. Christ said that school’s founder, Sophia Smith, would be pleased.

“I know she is smiling today,” Christ said.

Senior Romen Borsellino, president of the Association of Amherst Students, recalled that when Anthony W. Marx resigned as president to head the New York Public Library, a conversation spread throughout campus about the pros and cons of choosing a woman to replace him.

But, Borsellino said, Martin was “chosen on her merits” and just happens to be a woman. Regardless, he said the students had “witnessed history” and likened the experience to the election of President Barack Obama and the death of Osama bin Laden.

“My move to Amherst College has felt like homecoming,” said Martin, who grew up in Virginia. “I’m so glad to be one of you.”

Before coming to Amherst College, Martin was the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 2008 and Cornell University provost from 2000 to 2008.

She has a degree in English from the College of William & Mary, a master’s degree in German literature from Middlebury College in Vermont and a German literature doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She is the author of two books, “Woman and Modernity: The Lifestyles of Lou Andreas-Salomé” and “Femininity Played Straight: The Significance of Being Lesbian.”

Martin said she plans to work toward the students’, faculty’s and staff’s aspirations and it would be a bonus if they matched her own.

“At the heart of Amherst is conversation,” she said, and emphasized the need for “fairness, prudence (and) good governance.”

Several faculty members expressed eagerness to work with Martin and joy over the opportunity to do so.

“Your warmth, your intellect, your humor and your generosity are evident to us,” said faculty dean Gregory S. Call.

Speakers also came from Cornell and Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Amherst selectman James Wald and Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools Superintendent Maria Geryk welcomed Martin to town. Faculty member and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning poet Richard Wilbur read a poem called “Altitudes” that explores the life of Amherst native Emily Dickinson.

“You’re on day 56 and already you have the big potential to be beloved,” said Kelly Close, Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council.

The two colleges have separately served about 1,000 participants a year.

Republican file photoGarvey Hall is the administration building at Springfield Technical Community College.

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College have combined their corporate training programs in the hopes that more companies use them to build a better work force.

Now these local companies have one number to call and one service to deal with but two campuses and two sets of faculty,” said Jeffrey P. Hayden, vice president for business and community services at Holyoke Community College.

Called Training & Workforce Options, or TWO, the program has a new website – www.trainingandworkforceoptions.com and phone number, (413) 755-6100.

Operating separately, Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College educated a total of about 1,000 employees on behalf of a number of local companies, Hayden said.

J. William Ward, president and chief executive officer of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County said with employers so reluctant to add to their staffs, getting the most out of the people they do have on the payroll is critical.

“The focus is meeting businesses of all sizes and all industries face-to-face to talk to them about the skills of their current workers,” he said. “And also to get them to think about the applications of new technologies in their work force and the training it will take to make use of those technologies.”

Hayden said Holyoke Community College’s traditional strong suit has been in business and related skills courses like hiring employees or doing performance reviews. Springfield Technical Community College has long focused on technology.

The new program will cover both realms with custom-designed courses offered either on campus or at the company. Hayden used the example of a staff using the 2003 version of Microsoft Excel but that needs to switch to a newer version.

“So we can set up training for your whole staff,” he said. “Or if you have a sales team that needs updated training.”

He said the training programs are never off-the-shelf but are custom designed for each company. Typically, they will not carry credit towards a degree or certificate. But, of course, a company could design a course that carries that credit.

Because the courses are custom-built, it was hard for Hayden to say how much they cost. But the cheapest start at about $100 a student.

The two families are being assisted by the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Republican staff photo by Michael BeswickFirefighters check a house on 122 Middlesex St. after a fire started in the basement.

SPRINGFIELD – Three people were treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire in a two-family home Sunday night.

The fire was reported at 6:15 p.m. When firefighters arrived four minutes later the two families who live at 122 Middlesex St. had escaped, Fire Department Spokesman Dennis G. Leger said.

The fire was confined to the cellar. Two mattresses were destroyed and the blaze burnt a joist for the electrical system. The only damage in the floors above was caused by heavy smoke. The fire is estimated to have caused about $25,000 in damages, he said.

Because of the heavy smoke, the six tenants were not able to return to their homes last night. An adult and two children who live on the second floor and the three adults who live on the first floor were being assisted by the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, Leger said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said.

(AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jessica Ebelhar)Dan Wheldon, front left, and another driver crash during a wreck that involved 15 cars during the IndyCar Series' Las Vegas Indy 300 auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. Wheldon died after the crash.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after his car became ensnarled in a fiery 15-car pileup, flew over another vehicle and landed in a catch fence just outside turn 2.

The 33-year-old racer was a two-time Indy winner, including this year's race.

Three other drivers, including championship contender Will Power, were hurt in the pileup during Lap 13.

Weldon was airlifted from the track to University Medical Center; about two hours later, his colleagues were told of his death.

"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race."

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)In this Sept. 27, 2011, file photo, Dan Wheldon talks about the 2012 IndyCar vehicle, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. Wheldon died Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 in a fiery 15-car wreck during the Las Vegas Indy 300.

In his honor, drivers took part in a five-lap salute around the oval.

IndyCar has not had a fatality since Paul Dana was killed at Homestead in 2006, during a crash in a morning warmup.

Sunday's wreck left Townsend Bell upside down while smoldering cars and debris littered the track nearly halfway up the straightaway of the 1.5-mile oval.

The accident appeared to start when Wade Cunningham's car swerved on the track and JR Hildebrand drove over the left rear of Cunningham's car. Hildebrand appeared to go airborne, and Cunningham's car shot up into the wall, setting off a chain reaction among the cars behind him.

Some of those cars slowed, others didn't, and others spun in front of Wheldon and Power. There was so much chaos on the track it was hard to tell who was driving what car.

Power appeared to fly over Alex Lloyd's car, rolling into the catchfence and landing on its right side. His in-car camera showed one of the front tires coming toward him in the cockpit.

Wheldon then appeared to drive over Paul Tracy's car. Tracy seemed to be slowing but Weldon did not. He went airborne and spun into the fence.

The track was red-flagged following the accidents while crews worked on fences and removed smashed cars.

Wheldon started in the back of the pack but quickly worked his way through the 34-car field before the wreck.

Despite winning this year's Indy 500, Wheldon couldn't put together a full-time ride this season. He landed in Sunday's race thanks to Bernard's promotion that promised $5 million to any moonlighting driver who could win the IndyCar season finale at Vegas. Although there were no takers, Bernard refused to scrap the idea and Wheldon was declared eligible for the prize.

It was Wheldon's 134th career start, but only the third of the season for the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

"It was like a movie scene which they try to make as gnarly as possible," said Danica Patrick, making her final IndyCar start. "It was debris everywhere across the whole track, you could smell the smoke, you could see the billowing smoke on the back straight from the car. There was a chunk of fire that we were driving around. You could see cars scattered.

Drivers had been concerned about the high speeds at the track, where they were hitting nearly 225 mph during practice.

(AP Photo/Eric Jamison)Crew members stare at a wrecked car after a crash that involved 15 cars early in the IndyCar Series' Las Vegas 300 Indy auto race Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, in Las Vegas.

Their concerns became reality when contact on Turn 2 sent cars flying through the air, crashing into each other and into the outside wall and catch fence.

"I'll tell you, I've never seen anything like it," Ryan Briscoe said. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something. I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere. So it was scary, and your first thoughts are hoping that no one is hurt because there's just stuff everywhere. Crazy."

Also injured in the crash were Hildebrand and Pippa Mann. Both will remain in the hospital overnight. IndyCar said Mann was being treated for a burn to her right pinkie finger and will be released Monday morning, and Hildebrand was awake and alert but will be held overnight for further evaluation

The accident spoiled what Bernard had hoped would be a showcase event for the struggling IndyCar Series.

The second-year CEO worked the entire season on turning the finale into a spectacle, and said he'd offer his resignation to the IndyCar board of directors if ABC's broadcast didn't pull a .8 ranking. His goal was to improve upon last year's season finale's horrible television rating and give the series some momentum for what's hoped to be a strong season in 2013 with the introduction of a new car and new manufacturers.

So Bernard poured everything into Las Vegas, renting the speedway from owner Bruton Smith and agreeing to promote the event himself. He landed enough sponsorship to at least break even on race, and the $5 million challenge bought him an enormous amount of publicity the entire year.

Bernard got the Las Vegas Strip to close to stage a parade of cars, hosted industry parties and a blackjack tournament all to boost interest in the race. He even got MGM Grand Resorts to offer a pair of tickets to anyone staying this weekend in one of the chain's 14 properties.

But what was hoped to be a day of celebration quickly turned somber.

Police said the shooting victim was carrying a gun and crack cocaine when he was found in an alleyway in the city's entertainment district early Sunday morning.

Republican staff photo by David MolnarClub Illusion, a Worthington Street nightclub in the heart of Springfield's entertainment district, was the location of a fatal shooting Sunday morning.

Updates a story posted at 10:59 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16.

SPRINGFIELD– Police are searching for witnesses and a suspect in the Sunday morning killing of Devada Wannamaker, 23, of Indian Orchard.

No arrests had been made as of early Monday morning, according to Springfield Police Capt. Cheryl C. Clapprood, who had no new information about the case.

Investigators believe Wannamaker was shot inside Club Illusion before fleeing the Worthington Street nightclub and collapsing in a nearby alleyway around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

“It’s a homicide investigation,” Springfield Police Detective Capt. Peter J. Dillon, commanding officer of the city’s detective unit, said shortly after Sunday's incident.

“We believe it was inside Club Illusion," Dillon said of the fatal shooting.

A section of Worthington Street was cordoned off for most of Sunday morning as investigators combed the crime scene for evidence.

Officers responding to a "man down" call found Wannamaker in an alley off Worthington Street. Officers tending to the injured man quickly realized he had been shot, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, a spokesman for Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Wannamaker was taken to Baystate Medical Center and pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m., Delaney said.

Police said Wannamaker was carrying a loaded gun and drugs at the time of his death, leading investigators to believe that the killing may have been drug related.

“As the EMT's were working on the injured subject, they discovered that he had a handgun stuck inside his pants that was fully loaded. Police officers also found marijuana and crack cocaine packaged for sale on his person,” Delaney said in a written statement.

Delaney and Dillon declined to talk about suspects, though Dillon said police continued to interview possible witnesses through Sunday.

Dillon would not specify how many times Wannamaker was shot or the location of his wounds, but others said the Indian Orchard man was shot at least once in the head.

The captain said Sunday’s homicide investigation marked the city’s 17th of the year. An initial murder charge linked to one of those investigations has since been reduced to manslaughter, however, and the cause of a fatal shooting earlier this month on White Street remains under investigation.

Police are unsure if the Oct. 4 death of 21-year-old Justin Garrafa, 122 White St., was a homicide, suicide or accidental shooting. His 25-year-old brother, David Garrafa, was arrested and charged with weapons offenses in connection with the incident.

Sunday morning's shooting came at the end of a fairly typical night in Springfield's bustling club quarter, where many Worthington Street bars are packed with patrons until the 2 a.m. closing time. Police officers are routinely stationed in the entertainment district for closing time and were nearby when the club shooting occurred.

Violence, including stabbings and shootings, is not unusual during or just after the weekend closing-time ritual, particularly during the spring and summer months.

Despite a beefed-up police presence around Stearns Square and Worthington Street, numerous violent incidents have occurred in just the past few months alone.

Records from the Secretary of State's office indicate that Club Illusion is owned by GOS, LLC, whose past management practices at the Worthington Street venue have been the subject of hearings before the Springfield License Commission.

Because the shooting is believed to have happened inside the nightclub, the License Commission will review the incident, according to Thomas T. Walsh, a spokesman for Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

Walsh said most downtown bars must follow a series of security requirements in order to operate within city guidelines.

Despite Sunday's killing, Walsh said, the downtown area is safe and he goes there himself on weekends.

"It is not something we like to see," he said of the violence. "We face some challenges, like many urban communities."

Massachusetts State Police chemists and ballistics experts assisted city police with their investigation at Sunday's crime scene.

Yellow police tape lined the north sidewalk of Worthington Street from around Club Illusion to the brick courtyard just west of Adolfo's Ristorante.

A Springfield Police Department Forensic Investigation van was parked outside Club Illusion. Inside the club, detectives and crime-scene specialists could be seen conducting their investigation. Officers also were stationed at the club’s rear entrance on Taylor Street.

Wannamaker lived at 256 Main St. in the city's Indian Orchard section. His family could not immediately be reached for comment.

Staff writers Jeanette DeForge and Elizabeth Roman contributed to this report

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.- Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor. City Council, 7 p.m., Robert G. Doering School. Tues.- Beautification Committee, 9 a.m., Department of Public Works headquarters at 1000 Suffield St. Agawam Disability Commission, 4 p.m., Senior Center. Thu.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library....

Republican file photoAgawam Town Hall

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

Agawam

Mon.- Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor.

City Council, 7 p.m., Robert G. Doering School.

Tues.- Beautification Committee, 9 a.m., Department of Public Works headquarters at 1000 Suffield St.

Agawam Disability Commission, 4 p.m., Senior Center.

Thu.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library.

Amherst

Mon.- Amherst Housing Authority, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Public Transportation, 4 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Chicopee

Tues.- City Council, 7:15 p.m., City Hall.

Wed. - School Committee, 7 p.m., 180 Broadway.

Thurs. - License Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall.

East Longmeadow

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Public Works, 5 p.m., Service Building.

Green Committee, 6 p.m., Town Hall.

Capital Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m., Council on Aging.

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 6 p.m., Council on Aging.

Board of Assessors, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Meadowbrook School Council, 4 p.m., Meadowbrook School.

Granby

Mon.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:15 p.m., Aldrich Hall.

Select Board, 7 p.m., 10 West State St.

Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall Annex.

Wed.- Council on Aging, 9:15 a.m. 10 West State St.

Selectboard Working Session, 4:30 p.m., Aldrich Hall.

Greenfield

Mon.- Council on Aging, 2 p.m., Senior Center.

Appointments and Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning and Construction Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Ways and Means Committee, 6 p.m., Police Station.

Town Council, 7 p.m., 393 Main St.

Thu.- School Committee, 6:30 p.m., High School.

Hadley

Mon.- Capital Planning Committee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Senior Center.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Hatfield

Tues.- Special Town Meeting, 7 p.m., Smith Academy.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Wed.- Assessors, 5:30 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Thu.- Redevelopment Authority, 6:30 p.m., Smith Academy.

School Council, 6:45 p.m., Smith Academy.

Holyoke

Mon.- Board of Public Works/Sewer Commission/Stormwater Authority, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St.

School Committee, 6:15 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

City Council Public Service Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Tues.- Board of Appeals, 5 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

Fire Commission, 5 p.m., Fire Department headquarters, 600 High St.

City Council, 7:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Wed.- Council on Aging, Building Committee, 10 a.m., War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

Thu.- Retirement Board, 9 a.m., City Hall Annex, Room 207.

Longmeadow

Mon.- Audit Committee, 4 p.m., Fire Department.

Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Police Department.

Park Board, 7 p.m., Fire Department.

Wed.- Green Subcommittee, 9:30 a.m., Wolf Swamp Elementary School.

Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Police Department.

Thu.- School Building Committee, 7 p.m., Fire Department.

Historical Commission, 7:30 p.m., Police Department.

Monson

Mon.- Assessors, 4:15 p.m., Hillside School.

Tornado Victims Relief Fund Committee, 6 p.m., Hillside School.

Replanting Monson Tree Committee, 6 p.m., Keep Homestead Museum.

Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 11:30 a.m., Hillside School.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Wed.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Parks and Recreation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Hillside School.

Northampton

Mon.- Committee on Social Services and Veterans Affairs, 5 p.m., Council Chambers.

Farmers Market Subcommittee, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Housing Authority, 7:30 p.m., 49 Old South St.

Board of Registrars, 4 p.m., City Hall.

Tues.- Transportation and Parking Commission, 4 p.m., Council Chambers.

Committee on Elections, Rules, Ordinances, Orders and Claims, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

Committee on Disabilities, 5 p.m., Senior Center.

Smith Vocational High School Board of Trustees, 5 p.m., Smith Vocational High School.

Wed.- Youth Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Northampton High School Council, 5:30 p.m., Northampton High School.

Thu.- City Council, 7:15 p.m., Council Chambers.

Forbes Library Board of Trustees, 4 p.m., Forbes Library.

Northampton TRIAD Committee, 1 p.m., Senior Center.

Palmer

Mon.- Superintendent Search Committee, 6 p.m., Palmer High School.

Tues.- Superintendent Search Committee, 6 p.m., Palmer High School.

Wed.- Housing Authority, 4 p.m., Housing Authority, Fletcher Street.

Thu.- Town Council, 7 p.m., Town Building.

South Hadley

Mon.- Council on Aging, 4 p.m., 45 Dayton St.

Planning Board, 6:30 p.m. Town Hall 204 Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall 204.

Municipal Golf Course Commission, 6:30 p.m., Police Station Conference Room.

Public Hearing, Planning Board, 6:45 p.m., Town Hall 204.

Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Capital Planning Committee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Solid Waste Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., 10 Industrial Drive.

Water Commissioners, 6 p.m., 438 Granby Road.

Sustainability and Energy Commission, 6:30 p.m., Police Department Conference Room.

Wed.- High School Council, 4 p.m., High School Library.

School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall, second floor.

Thu.- Memorial Day Planning Advisory Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall, second floor.

Fire District 1 Prudential Committee, 6 p.m., 144 Newton St.

Southwick

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Southwick-Tolland Regional School District, 7 p.m., Powder Mill Middle School.

Thu.- Water Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Warren

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 4 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Library Needs Committee, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Wed.- Sewer Commissioners, 8 a.m., Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Westfield

Mon.- Historical Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall

School Committee, 7 p.m., 22 Ashley St.

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Hall

Thu.- City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall

West Springfield

Mon.- Town Council, 7 p.m., Municipal Building.

Planning and Construction Committee, 7 p.m., Municipal Building.

Wed.- Board of Assessors, 4:45 p.m., Municipal Building.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Municipal Building.

A restaurant delivery driver was robbed at knifepoint in the city's Bay neighborhood late Sunday night, according to police.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD — Police are investigating an armed robbery of a restaurant delivery man in the city's Bay neighborhood on Sunday night.

Two knife-wielding assailants stopped the delivery driver on Willard Avenue around 10:30 p.m., taking his car, money and phone, police said.

Springfield Police Lt. John M. Bobianski said the pair stole about $300 cash and the man's iPhone and 2001 Toyota Corolla.

The delivery driver, who was uninjured in the robbery, works for Main Kitchen Chinese on Carew Street. The incident occurred near the corner of Willard Avenue and Shattuck Street.

Bobianski said the stolen car was recovered around 11:15 p.m. on Amore Road, just a few blocks from Willard Avenue.

The robbery remains under investigation, police said.

Rocky's has recently added Craftsman tools and Stihl outdoor power equipment to its lineup.

Staff photo by Don TreegerRocco J. Falcone II is the president and CEO of Rocky's Ace Hardware.

SPRINGFIELD – Rocco J. Falcone II, president and CEO of Rocky’s Ace Hardware, has a succinct explanation of the company's business model.

“People don’t come to us for a can of green paint,” Falcone said in a recent interview at the chain’s East Longmeadow store. “They come to us for a green room.”

He said it’s not just the product on sale that is the consumer’s focus, but the result. That idea places importance on the staff’s ability to help people use a product like paint and the availability of all the stuff that might go with it, like the right brushes, masking tape and filler to take care of those pesky pinholes in the walls.

Falcone stopped customers to ask if they needed anything and even scanned a shelf of string-trimmer parts for a specific blade a customer was having trouble finding.

Founded in 1926 by Rocco “Rocky” Falcone Sr., with a store at the corner of Main and Union streets in downtown Springfield, Rocky’s is celebrating its 85th anniversary this month in an age of hardware retailers whose stores are the size of a city block. The 450-employee company is headquartered on Island Pond Road in Springfield.

The company is still family-owned. James Falcone, son of Rocco Sr., is chairman of the company. Rocco Sr.’s daughter, Claire Falcone, is the vice president.

Rocky’s is celebrating its 85th anniversary with an anniversary sale — some items will be priced at 85 cents — from Wednesday through Oct. 24. The company has invited customers to each of its 33 stores Sunday for cake or a commemorative T-shirt. Each location will give away two $85 gift cards.

Many hardware retailers are in no mood to celebrate, said James Theroux, the Flavin professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management. Theroux said the big boxes, The Home Depot and Lowe’s, can offer so much in terms of price and selection, it is hard for smaller neighborhood hardware stores to compete. He doesn’t even know if both Lowe’s and The Home Depot can survive.

Route 9 in Hadley is a case study, Theroux said. The Aubuchon Hardware location on Route 9 has already closed. There is a Rocky’s on Route 9.

“People go for price and selection above service,” Theroux said. “They are willing to endure the overwhelming nature of these big-box places in order to get price and selection.”

Falcone said the big boxes are challenging. In the early 1990s, Rocky’s stopped selling building materials and kitchen cabinets because he felt Rocky’s couldn’t compete with The Home Depot and Lowe’s in those product lines.

Rocky’s affiliation with Ace, a national co-op owned by member stores, helps keep prices down. It also gives Rocky’s access to national brands.

This spring, Rocky’s started selling Sears Craftsman-brand tools in all of its stores. Rocky’s also started offering the Stihl line of outdoor power equipment, including chainsaws and leaf blowers, in some Rocky’s locations.

Falcone said the chain is also expanding its dog food and cat food lines.

“People have a lot of pets,” he said.

Rocky’s is building a $2 million store in Westfield that will replace an existing location.

Falcone said the company is focused on growing, but the recession has slowed that growth. He said he's always looking for new locations for Rocky's Ace Hardware stores and tries to locate them near residential neighborhoods, so that Rocky’s becomes the easiest place for people to go for help to get the job done.

“No one is going to drive past a Rocky’s to get to a Home Depot or a Lowe’s,” he said.

Falcone admits the recession hurt sales of big-ticket items like barbecue grills and patio sets.

“But our nut-and-bolt aisle is always busy,” he said.

More state troopers are headed for Bay State highways; 2 NFL coaches have a meltdown on national television, and more of this morning's headlines.

AP photoDozens were arrested and two police officers were injured in New York during anti-Wall Street protests Saturday in the city's Times Square section.

• Boston firefighters rescue 15 people from burning Roxbury building [Boston.com]


• 1 dead in small plane crash in Connecticut [Courant.com]


• Police: 'Occupy Hartford' protester makes knife threat at makeshift city campsite [Courant.com]


• 1 Killed, 1 wounded in Connecticut shooting [Courant.com]


• Massachusetts highways poised for an infusion of new troopers [Boston.com]


• Boston police investigating city's 52nd homicide [Boston.com]


• Arrests climb as anti-Wall Street protests spread to 4 continents [BusinessWeeek.com]


• NFL players separate coaches following post-game dustup [TimesUnion.com]



Racecar drivers react to death of Dan Wheldon (AP Video):

• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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The CIA is prohibited from spying domestically, and its unusual partnership with the NYPD has troubled top lawmakers and prompted an internal investigation.

Associated PressPedestrians start their morning under the watchful eyes of surveillance cameras in Times Square in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2011. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the NYPD has become one of the country's most aggressive domestic intelligence agencies, targets ethnic communities in ways that would run afoul of civil liberties rules if practiced by the federal government. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three months ago, one of the CIA's most experienced clandestine operatives started work inside the New York Police Department. His title is special assistant to the deputy commissioner of intelligence. On that much, everyone agrees.

Exactly what he's doing there, however, is much less clear.

Since The Associated Press revealed the assignment in August, federal and city officials have offered differing explanations for why this CIA officer — a seasoned operative who handled foreign agents and ran complex operations in Jordan and Pakistan — was assigned to a municipal police department. The CIA is prohibited from spying domestically, and its unusual partnership with the NYPD has troubled top lawmakers and prompted an internal investigation.

His role is important because the last time a CIA officer worked so closely with the NYPD, beginning in the months after the 9/11 attacks, he became the architect of aggressive police programs that monitored Muslim neighborhoods. With the earlier help from this CIA official, the police put entire communities under the microscope, according to internal police documents, based on ethnicity rather allegations of wrongdoing.

It was an extraordinary collaboration that at times troubled some senior CIA officials and may have stretched the bounds of how the CIA is legally allowed to operate in the United States.

The arrangement surrounding the newly arrived CIA officer has been portrayed differently than that of his predecessor. When first asked by the AP, a senior U.S. official described the posting as a sabbatical, a program aimed at giving the man in New York more management training.

Testifying at City Hall recently, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the CIA operative provides his officers "with information, usually coming from perhaps overseas." He said the CIA operative provides "technical information" to the NYPD but "doesn't have access to any of our investigative files."

CIA Director David Petraeus has described him as an adviser, someone who could ensure that information was being shared.

But the CIA already has someone with that job. At its large station in New York, a CIA liaison shares intelligence with the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, which has hundreds of NYPD detectives assigned to it. And the CIA did not explain how, if the officer doesn't have access to NYPD files, he is getting management experience in a division built entirely around collecting domestic intelligence.

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, mischaracterized him to Congress as an "embedded analyst" — his office later quietly said that was a mistake — and acknowledged it looked bad to have the CIA working so closely with a police department.

All of this has troubled lawmakers, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who has said the CIA has "no business or authority in domestic spying, or in advising the NYPD how to conduct local surveillance."

"It's really important to fully understand what the nature of the investigations into the Muslim community are all about, and also the partnership between the local police and the CIA," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Still, the undercover operative remains in New York while the agency's inspector general investigates the CIA's decade-long relationship with the NYPD. The CIA has asked the AP not to identify him because he remains a member of the clandestine service and his identity is classified.

The CIA's deep ties to the NYPD began after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when CIA Director George Tenet dispatched a veteran officer, Larry Sanchez, to New York, where he became the architect of the police department's secret spying programs.

While still on the agency payroll, Sanchez, a CIA veteran who spent 15 years overseas in the former Soviet Union, South Asia, and the Middle East, instructed officers on the art of collecting information without attracting attention. He directed officers and reviewed case files.

Sometimes, officials said, intelligence collected from NYPD's operations was passed informally to the CIA.

Sanchez also hand-picked an NYPD detective to attend the "Farm," the CIA's training facility where its officers are turned into operatives. The detective, who completed the course but failed to graduate, returned to the police department where he works today armed with the agency's famed espionage skills.

Also while under Sanchez's direction, documents show that the NYPD's Cyber Intelligence Unit, which monitors domestic and foreign websites, also conducted training sessions for the CIA.

Sanchez was on the CIA payroll from 2002 to 2004 then took a temporary leave of absence from the CIA to become deputy to David Cohen, a former senior CIA officer who became head of the NYPD intelligence division just months after the 9/11 attacks.

In 2007, the CIA's top official in New York complained to headquarters that Sanchez was wearing two hats, sometimes operating as an NYPD official, sometimes as a CIA officer. At headquarters, senior officials agreed and told Sanchez he had to choose.

He formally left the CIA, staying on at the NYPD until late 2010. He now works as a security consultant in the Persian Gulf region.

Sanchez's departure left Cohen scrambling to find someone with operational experience who could replace him. He approached several former CIA colleagues about taking the job but they turned him down, according to people familiar with the situation who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the department's inner workings.

When they refused, Cohen persuaded the CIA to send the current operative to be his assistant.

He arrived with an impressive post-9/11 resume. He had been the station chief in Pakistan and then Jordan, two stations that served as focal points in the war on terror, according to current and former officials who worked with him. He also was in charge of the agency's Counter Proliferation Division.

But he is no stranger to controversy. Former U.S. intelligence officials said he was nearly expelled from Pakistan after an incident during President George W. Bush's first term. Pakistan became enraged after sharing intelligence with the U.S., only to learn that the CIA station chief passed that information to the British.

Then, while serving in Amman, the station chief was directly involved in an operation to kill al-Qaida's then-No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri. But the plan backfired badly. The key informant who promised to lead the CIA to al-Zawahiri was in fact a double agent working for al-Qaida.

At least one CIA officer saw problems in the case and warned the station chief but, as recounted in a new book "The Triple Agent" by Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick, the station chief decided to push ahead anyway.

The informant blew himself up at remote CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, in December 2009. He managed to kill seven CIA employees, including the officer who had warned the station chief, and wound six others. Leon Panetta, the CIA director at the time, called it a systemic failure and decided no one person was at fault.

The movement in Springfield is highlighting local issues, such as a proposed biomass plant.

The Republican | Greg Saulmon10.17.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Court Street was closed early this morning in anticipation of the "Occupy Springfield" protest.

SPRINGFIELD - Court Street is closed from Main Street and East Columbus Avenue this morning as the city prepares for an influx of demonstrators allied with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The Occupy Springfield demonstration is expected to begin around 9 a.m. today in Court Square, with a "Take Back Springfield" event set for 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The "Occupy" movement began in New York City one month ago today and has since spawned spinoff demonstrations in cities around the nation and the world. The website occupywallst.org describes the ongoing demonstration as "...a horizontally organized resistance movement employing the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to restore democracy in America." The activists' rallying cry -- "We are the 99%" -- is intended to raise awareness of the concentration of wealth among large corporations and a small slice of the United States population.

In Springfield the demonstration is taking a local turn, with a Facebook page titled "Take Back Springfield" referencing the City Council's June revocation of a permit for a biomass plant and the August approval of two anti-foreclosure ordinances.

Despite the city's revocation of the biomass permit, Palmer Renewable energy has moved ahead with its plans, winning the approval of a conditional air quality plan on June 30 -- the final approval needed by the state for the $150 million power project to proceed. The Massachusetts Bankers Association and some member banks have objected to the anti-foreclosure ordinances.

Citing those developments, a statement on "Take Back Springfield" page reads, in part: "Big Banks and Big Business are destroying OUR COMMUNITIES, killing OUR JOBS and damaging OUR ENVIRONMENT! Its time to take back OUR CITY!"