Sen. Robert Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican, sponsored an amendment to the expanded gambling legislation that would allow bars and restaurants to offer free or discounted drinks if casinos were also allowed to.

By MATT MURPHY
and MICHAEL NORTON

BOSTON -Neither the governor nor the mayor of Boston on Monday wanted to wade into the debate over allowing bars and restaurants to offer free or discounted alcoholic drinks in the same manner casinos would be allowed to under advancing legislation.

“I’m waiting for the legislation to be finalized. That’s an amendment to the legislation that was offered by a Republican senator and they do that in all the other casinos in the world. Let’s see what the final legislation does. It’s a proposal. It’s not a fact of life yet,” Mayor Thomas Menino told reporters after attending a groundbreaking event on a new affordable housing project in Chinatown.

Sen. Robert Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican, sponsored an amendment to the expanded gambling legislation that passed the Senate last Thursday that would allow bars and restaurants to offer free or discounted drinks if casinos were also allowed to, an idea one senator described as “policy mitigation.”

The amendment passed the Senate 25-13 with bipartisan support.

With the issue of lifting the 1984 ban on “happy hour” now poised to become part of conference committee negotiations between the House and Senate, Gov. Deval L. Patrick also declined to take a position on the controversial measure.

“Let me read the whole thing and then I’ll give you a point of view,” Patrick said. Both he and Menino support legalizing casinos in Massachusetts.

The impact on businesses of all kinds has been a running theme in the long debate over casinos. Bills approved by the House and Senate do not specify where casinos will be built, but authorize resort casinos in three regions of the state and one slot machine gambling license awarded through a bidding process.

Supporters of the amendment said the legislation keeps the playing field level for bars and restaurants competing with casinos.

While no senators spoke against Hedlund’s amendment, Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, said another amendment banning free alcohol at casinos, which failed, had important public safety implications. Hedlund also supported the ban on free drinks.

“I am concerned that in this bill on several occasions we are carving out exemptions and special treatment for casinos at the expense of our other established businesses, bars and restaurants,” said Fargo.

Fargo said areas around the two Connecticut casinos that feature free alcoholic beverage have experienced “a large increase” in motor vehicle accidents and fatalities. Noting that rising accident rates led to the original “Happy Hour” ban, she predicted motor vehicle accidents around Massachusetts casinos would rise too.

Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, D-East Boston, said complimentary beverages under the bill would only be offered to patrons at a casino gaming station. “In no way shape or form is it at one of the restaurants in the facility,” Petruccilli said during floor debate last week, saying complimentary drinks are a competitive issue within the casino industry.

Public Safety Committee Co-chairman Rep. James Timilty, D-Walpole, addressing Hedlund’s amendment last week, said “the civil libertarian in me” prompted him to want to let the private sector and hospitality industry set their drink pricing. Timilty said deeply discounted drinks are permitted now, but must be run for a week. He said Massachusetts casinos must be competitive with Connecticut casinos.

Timilty said repeat drunk driving has been reduced by Melanie’s Law, which targeted habitual offenders, and interlock devices are also a weapon against repeat offenders. He also noted responsibilities already on business owners, saying, “It’s illegal right now to over-serve somebody.”

Sen. Stephen Brewer said the amendment would ensure “fairness” between casinos and Main Street restaurants, and said the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission maintained its regulatory power under the Hedlund amendment. “They are in charge of making sure that we’re not going to have 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week happy hour,” Brewer said.

The House and Senate have not yet named members to the six-person conference committee that will work to finalize expanded gaming legislation.

The comic book-inspired patrolling of city streets by "real life super-heroes" has been getting more popular in recent years

Associated PressIn this Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, Benjamin Fodor, a self-styled superhero who goes by the name "Phoenix Jones," talks to reporters after Fodor appeared in court in Seattle. As more people _ often, young people _ fashion themselves into superheroes, they risk finding themselves in similar situations where they wind up hurting innocent members of the public or being shot, stabbed or beaten themselves.

SEATTLE (AP) — Fabio Heuring was standing outside a Seattle nightclub on a Saturday night and smoking cigarettes with a friend when a man bolting from a bouncer ran into them. The enraged man ripped off his shirt in the middle of the street and prepared to give Heuring's buddy a beating.

Just then, in swooped a bizarre sight: a self-proclaimed superhero in a black mask and matching muscle-suit. He doused the aggressor with pepper spray, much to Heuring's shocked relief.

A couple hours later, though, the superhero ended up in jail for investigation of assault after using those tactics on another group of clubgoers, sending pangs of anxiety through the small, eccentric and mostly anonymous community of masked crime-fighters across the U.S.

The comic book-inspired patrolling of city streets by "real life super-heroes" has been getting more popular in recent years, thanks largely to mainstream attention in movies like last year's "Kick-Ass" and the recent HBO documentary "Superheroes." And as the ranks of the masked, caped and sometimes bullet-proof-vested avengers swell, many fret that even well-intentioned vigilantes risk hurting themselves, the public and the movement if they're as aggressive as the crime-fighter in Seattle.

Some have gone so far as to propose a sanctioning body to ensure that high super-hero standards are maintained.

"The movement has grown majorly," said Edward Stinson, a writer from Boca Raton, Fla., who advises real-life superheroes on a website devoted to the cause. "What I tell these guys is, 'You're no longer in the shadows. You're in a new era. ... Build trust. Set standards. Make the real-life superheroes work to earn that title and take some kind of oath.'"

It's not clear how many costumed vigilantes there are in the U.S. The website www.reallifesuperheroes.org lists 660 members around the world. They range from members of the New York Initiative in New York City and the Shadow Corp in Saginaw, Mich., to a character named Nightbow who says he has patrolled the streets of Carlisle, England, for three years.

Some take on their fictional identities while doing charity work.

Benjamin Fodor, better known as Phoenix Jones, is the most prominent face of the Rain City Superhero Movement, a collection of vigilantes who appeared in Seattle over past year. Early on Oct. 9, about two hours after he saved Heuring and his buddy, the 23-year-old man charged a group of people leaving a downtown nightclub as a videographer trailed him.

From the shaky camera work, it appeared there may have been some kind of disturbance in the group. Fodor insists he was breaking up a fight when he hit the crowd with pepper spray; the people who got sprayed told police there had been no fight. He was briefly booked into jail for investigation of assault, but prosecutors haven't charged him yet. He appeared in court last week while wearing his superhero costume under a button-down shirt.

"Recently there have been increased reports of citizens being pepper sprayed by (Fodor) and his group," the police report noted. "Although (Fodor) has been advised to observe and report incidents to 911, he continues to try to resolve things on his own."

Fodor remained unapologetic after the court appearance, saying he's just like anyone else except that "I decided to make a difference and stop crime in my neighborhood." He invited members of the public to join him on patrol Saturday night.

Heuring, a 27-year-old shuttle driver from Auburn, is a fan.

"Without a question, there was a fight going to happen," he said. "It could have ended ugly had he not come in. He used good judgment in our case. He saw who was instigating it and who he needed to defend."

But many in the vigilante community point to Fodor's arrest as a watershed moment: As more people — often, young people — fashion themselves into superheroes, they risk finding themselves in similar situations where they wind up hurting innocent members of the public or being shot, stabbed or beaten themselves. Such negative attention could doom the movement, they say.

Stinson, who is 40 and says he has a military background, said that if the movement is to continue to grow, it needs to do a better job policing itself. He envisions a nonprofit organization that would have departments devoted to fundraising and building community trust and alliances. He also thinks there should be tactical superhero training — including how to take control of a volatile situation and defuse it.

Filmmaker Michael Barnett followed 50 real-life crime fighters for 15 months for his documentary "Superheroes." Many have great intentions, he said, but that doesn't mean their methods are proper.

"The police by in large appreciate an extra set of eyes, but they really, really want these guys to do it according to the law," Barnett said.

Masked crusaders began appearing in the 1970s with San Diego's Captain Sticky, who used his Superman-like costume to fight for rental car rip-offs and tenant rights, Barnett said. They spread throughout the country in the 1980s and 1990s, and became more popular thanks to the faster communications and online support communities of the Internet.

Barnett said he met plumbers, teachers, cashiers and firefighters who leave their day jobs behind every night in the name of security. Their weapons include pepper spray, stun guns and batons. Relatively few have any combat training or any formal knowledge of how to use their arsenal, he said.

That concerns the professional crime-fighters.

"If people want to dress up and walk around, knock yourself out," said Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson. "Our concern is when you insert yourself into these situations without knowing the facts, it's just not a smart thing to do. If you think a situation warrants calling 911, call 911."

Not all of the vigilantes take a confrontational approach. A 53-year-old man in Mountain View, Calif., who calls himself "The Eye," keeps a low-enough profile that officers there have never booked anyone arrested with his help.

"The only reason I know him is because he's my neighbor," said police spokeswoman Liz Wylie. "He's a neighborhood watch block captain, a very good one at that."

President Barack Obama on Monday pressed lawmakers back in Washington to start taking up pieces of his rejected jobs bill.

Associated PressWith his bus in the background, President Barack Obama greets people outside of Mast General Store in Boone, N.C., Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. Obama is on a three-day bus tour promoting the American Jobs Act.

FLETCHER, N.C. (AP) — Rolling through small Southern towns in a campaign-style bus, President Barack Obama on Monday pressed lawmakers back in Washington to start taking up pieces of his rejected jobs bill and mocked the Republicans who had shot it down in total. The Senate moved to vote soon on one part, a plan to help states hire teachers, but the proposal seemed doomed.

Deep in the mountains of politically important North Carolina, Obama soaked up the region's autumn beauty at the same time he assailed foes of his jobs legislation, accusing them of failing to listen to the public.

Back at the Capitol, Senate Democrats announced they would act first on a single part of Obama's plan, a longshot bid to help states hire teachers and police. A Senate vote could come as soon as the end of the week. If not, it would probably fall into November because the Senate plans to take a break next week, even as Obama urges quick action.

In North Carolina, the president directed his most pointed remarks at Senate Republicans, who last week blocked action on his full $447 billion proposal combining tax cuts and new spending.

"Essentially they said no to you," Obama told a supportive crowd outside Asheville. Noting that Republicans will now get a chance to vote on elements of his jobs agenda one by one, he said: "Maybe they just couldn't understand the whole thing all at once. So we're going to break it up into bite-size pieces."

Republicans denounced the bus trip as nothing more than a taxpayer-funded campaign trip through two must-win states to try to bolster Obama's standing for the 2012 election.

As he traveled along on his imposing black bus, there was little denying the presidential politics at play at each stop. Over three days, Obama is covering the countryside of both North Carolina and Virginia, two traditionally GOP-leaning states that he won in 2008 on his campaign's ability to boost turnout among young people and black voters.

Senate Democrats unveiled the first individual bill, which would spend $30 billion to create or save education jobs and $5 billion to do the same for police and firefighters.

The money would come from a new half-percent tax on income over $1 million, a proposal vigorously opposed by GOP lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised a vote "as soon as possible."

The outcome seemed clear: The plan is unlikely to gain the 60 votes it would need to proceed in the Senate. And it's a non-starter in the Republican House.

More broadly, some aspects of Obama's jobs agenda are expected to become law this fall.

The most likely include extending tax breaks for businesses that buy new equipment, and offering a $4,800 tax credit to companies that hire veterans. There's also bipartisan support for repealing a law that requires the withholding of 3 percent of payments to government contractors.

Democrats and the White House, meanwhile, are confident that Obama's call to extend cuts in Social Security payroll taxes will pass. A two percentage point payroll tax cut enacted last year expires at the end of the year; Obama has proposed cutting it by an additional percentage point and extending the cut to the first $5 million of a company's payroll.

That proposal is hugely expensive — almost $250 billion by administration estimates — and it is not clear how and whether the parties would agree on how to pay for it.

Happy to be back on the road, Obama found a friendly audience that broke into a chant of "four more years."

Said the president in response: "I appreciate the four more years, but right now I'm thinking about the next thirteen months."

Still, his travel essentially doubles as his bid for another term. His jobs bill serves as a platform to contrast himself with Republicans on both the legislation and his vision for the nation.

Obama's poll numbers are down in both Virginia and North Carolina, languishing in the mid- to low-forties in recent polls. The numbers mirror his approval ratings nationally. Obama's campaign is pressing to hold both Southern states, even choosing to hold next year's Democratic convention in Charlotte.

The president's bus tour fit into that effort, giving Obama a chance to engage in some of the retail politics that is a staple of presidential campaigns.

Obama's sleek, $1.1 million bus rolled through North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains for more than four hours, an unusually long stretch that included unannounced stops.

At Countryside Barbeque in Marion, he shook hands and took photos, and he also had a chance of to talk to potential voters one-on-one about the elements in his jobs bill.

The tour took him through a blaze of bright red and orange fall colors. He later stopped at the Mast General Store in Boone, near the campus of Appalachian State University.

Picking out candy corn, peppermint patties and other treats, Obama said even his health-conscious wife wouldn't mind, because Halloween is coming.

The president was to speak Monday at high school in Millers Creek and make another official stop in North Carolina on Tuesday — a speech at a community college in the town of Jamestown — before heading to Virginia.

Weak corporate earnings reports also pulled stocks lower.

File photo / Associated PressA Wall Street sign is shown in New York.

Associated Press photoJamie Carr, of Clifton, N.J.; Suzanne Lauren, of Jersey City, N.J.; and Tirsa Costiniano of New York. from left, speak to people passing along Broadway at the Occupy Wall Street protests at Zuccotti Park in New York Monday as the protest entered its 30th day. The Dow Jones industrial average recorded its biggest loss in two weeks this day.

NEW YORK — A week ago, markets were soaring on hopes that a fix for Europe's debt crisis was near. On Monday, stocks had their worst drop in two weeks after German leaders cast doubt on how fast that process would be.

Expectations that a resolution to the crisis could be reached at a European summit in Brussels Oct. 23 helped lift the S&P 500 index to its biggest gain in two years last week. Germany's finance chief Wolfgang Schaeuble said Monday that those expectations were too optimistic.

It was the worst day for U.S. stock indexes since Oct. 3, when each hit a low for the year. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 247.49 points, or 2.1 percent, to close at 11,397. Alcoa Inc. led the Dow lower with a 6.6 percent decline.

"It's completely a reaction to Germany," said Jason Pride, the director of investment strategy at Glenmede, a wealth management firm in Philadelphia. "The reality is everybody is hanging on to what Europe's doing."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 23.72, or 1.9 percent, to 1,200.86. All 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 were lower. Banks fell the most, 3.3 percent.

A batch of weak corporate earnings reports also pulled stocks lower. Gannett Co. Inc. plunged 8 percent, the most of any stock in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, after the newspaper publisher reported a drop in advertising. Wells Fargo sank 8.4 percent after posting results that fell short of analysts' expectations.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 52.93, or 2 percent, to 2,614.92.

Stock markets around the world rallied last week after the leaders of France and Germany pledged to come up with a far-reaching solution to the region's debt crisis by the end of October. That pledge appeared to be pushed back by German officials Monday. Schaeuble said he expects European leaders to adopt a general framework to tackle the crisis on Sunday. Separately, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said discussions on how to solve Europe's debt problems will likely last into the new year.

Concerns about a messy default by the Greek government have been the main cause behind many of the stock market's big swings lately. The fear is that a default would cause deep losses for European banks that hold Greek bonds. That could lead to a freeze in lending between banks and escalate into another financial crisis similar to the one that occurred in 2008 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Pride said there are other issues to worry about, such as a global economic slowdown and squabbles over U.S. government debt. But Pride believes the European debt debacle is the only one that has the power to undermine the global financial system.

News on the U.S. economy was mixed. A measure of U.S. industrial production rose for a third month, but a gauge of New York area manufacturing fell more than Wall Street expected.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.16 percent from 2.25 percent late Friday. Yields on bonds fall when demand for them increases and investors become more willing to accept lower returns in exchange for holding assets they consider safe.

In corporate news, Kinder Morgan said late Sunday that it would buy El Paso Corp. for $20.7 billion. The deal would create America's largest natural gas pipeline operator. El Paso jumped 24.8 percent. Kinder Morgan Inc., gained 4.8 percent.

Citigroup Inc. fell 1.6 percent, less than the overall market, after the bank said a decline in loan losses helped it beat Wall Street's profit forecasts. The parent of American Airlines, AMR Corp., sank 6.1 percent on news the company and its pilots failed to reach agreement on a new contract over the weekend.

Belchertown Director of Assessments Jay Whelihan said the real estate market in town is relatively healthy but values have dipped slightly.

BELCHERTOWN – Property values in town dipped slightly according to the latest revaluation and the number of houses sold is still down from the figures of a few years ago, but prices did not drop as much as in the eastern part of the state and some other parts of the country.

“The real estate market in Belchertown is relatively healthy. People are getting close to what they are asking when they sell, but the values have been trending down in the last couple of years,” said John G. “Jay” Whelihan, the director of assessments.

The revaluation is based property sales in Belchertown in the year 2010, when on average, single family homes were selling between 2 percent and 3 percent lower than the previous year.

There were about 100 houses sold in 2010, which is down from the range of 150-175 in the years between 2001 and 2005.

Whelihan said property values in town rose by 10 percent or annually more from 2001 to 2005, then leveled off and have been dipping slightly the past couple of years.

He contrasted this situation with assessments in the Boston area, where prices went up 20 percent or more in each of the years between 2001 and 2005 and have been decreasing faster than in Western Massachusetts the past few years.

The state has issued a preliminary certification for the town’s most recent revaluation which shows a total property value of $1,320,584,831.

Because this is lower than the previous year and because the tax levy needed to fund this fiscal year’s budget will be slightly higher, Whelihan said he expects the tax rate to go up by about $1 compared to the fiscal year that ended June 30, when the rate was $15.65 per $1,000 of property valuation.

The tax rate will be established in the next six weeks after the state issues its final certification for the total property assessment and the tax levy figure.

Whelihan said the typical single family home in Belchertown has a value of about $240,000, and the tax bill for such home would go up somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.

Single family homes make up well over 90 percent of the total property value in Belchertown.

Whelihan said the downward trend in value based on the 2010 sales was found to be fairly consistent for houses ranging from small ranches to larger homes and throughout the sections of the town, although there are variations based on such criteria as the condition of the homes.

While some minor modifications may be made in the state’s final certification, Whelihan said he expects the revaluation figures to basically stay the same.

The new values for each property in town are available at the assessors office, Clapp Memorial Library, the Senior Center and on-line at http://belchertown.org.

Questions about the revaluation process will be answered at the assessors office through Oct. 20.

People who want to dispute their individual assessment after the tax rate is set and tax bills are sent out may file an appeal with the assessors office between Jan. 1, 2012 and Feb. 1, 2012 at 5 p.m.

A water main break forced the Gateway Regional School District to shut down on Monday, but school officials are hopeful classes will resume by Wednesday morning.

Republican file photo

HUNTINGTON -- A water main break on Monday forced the closure of Gateway Regional School District's multi-school complex on Littleville Road, according to school officials, who are hopeful the complex will reopen by Wednesday.

All five district schools will remain closed on Tuesday, said Wendy V. Long, a spokeswoman for the Huntington-based school district that serves several hilltowns in Hampden and Hampshire counties.

"I believe the hope is that (Tuesday) will conclude it," Long said of the closure, which was prompted by a water main break between a well and the school complex at 12 Littleville Road.

The complex houses Gateway Regional Middle School and Gateway Regional High School and Junior High School. The district's two elementary schools also will remain closed.

"Work is progressing and we are hopeful that we will be in session on Wednesday," a message on the district's website states.

Gateway serves around 1,100 students from Huntington, Blandford, Chester, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell and Worthington.

A proposal to replace two boilers at Town Hall is scheduled to be tabled.

SOUTH HADLEY – A special Town Meeting will be held Nov. 1 to vote on two issues related to The Ledges, the town-owned golf course.

First, voters at the vote on revising this year’s budget for The Ledges golf course. The Ledges is bringing in less money than was expected.

For tax purposes, Massachusetts requires every town to have a balanced budget at the beginning of the fiscal year, so the state’s Department of Revenue has asked that South Hadley revise the golf course budget to square with reality.

“When Town Meeting adopted the budget of the Appropriations Committee, we knew at the time there would be adjustments made for a number or reasons,” said Paul Beecher, town administrator.

In a separate article, members will vote on allowing the town to balance the golf course budget by taking about $80,000 from the town’s Free Cash fund.

Fortunately for the town, another costly proposal has vanished from the warrant like a goblin in daylight – at least for now. That was the question of replacing the boilers in Town Hall.

Two of the four boilers sprouted leaks last spring, and officials were racing against time to replace them before the cold weather set it.

The boilers had been part of an overall “energy package” proposed by the Siemens company that would be voted on in Town Meeting in the spring, but the boiler question couldn’t wait that long.

“We tracked down the original company, but it doesn’t make those boilers any more,” he said. Several companies were called in for professional advice and estimates of replacements.

Then, to the relief of the Selectboard, the original company that had installed the boilers came up with a solution by testing the pressure and adjusting it. Even though it doesn’t make the same line of boilers, it still has the parts.

Beecher credits the Capital Planning Committee with bringing up the issue of pressure testing, which no one else had done.

Park & Recreation Director Bryan Litz said the article would give the town authority to finance the additional improvements at Spec Pond in anticipation of receiving reimbursement from the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanZach Stogner, 3, Brady Suomala, 4, Quinn Kiernan, 4 and Quinn Suomala, 7, from left, take part in groundbreaking ceremonies last month for the new Spec Pond Recreational Complex playground in Wilbraham. Voters at a special Town Meeting Tuesday night will be asked to appropriate $500,000 to fund improvements at the complex.

WILBRAHAM - Voters at Tuesday’a special Town Meeting will be asked to appropriate $500,000 to pay the costs of making improvements to the Spec Pond Recreational Complex.

The special Town Meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Minnechaug Regional High School auditorium.

Bryan J. Litz, Park & Recreation Director, said the article on the Town Meeting warrant would give borrowing authorization to finance the additional improvements at Spec Pond in anticipation of receiving reimbursement from the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs.

If the grant is not received, the borrowing will not take place, Litz said.

The Park & Recreation Department is seeking the same grant it sought last summer, but was denied, Litz said.

The irmprovements for which the state grant is being sought range from a new softball field and walking trails to playground renovations.

The town has been denied the grant twice in the past, Litz said.

He said state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, urged him to give the grant application “one more shot.”

“Hopefully, the third time is the charm,” Litz said.

The Friends of Recreation also has done a $700,000 fund-raising drive for the improvements to the recreation area.

Litz said an additional $300,000 in Community Preservation Funds over two years also will help pay for the improvements.

Whether or not the application for the state grant is successful, the Parks & Recreation Department will be making $1 million in improvements to the area, Litz said.

A new softball field, walking trails and a dog park are the primary goals of the improvements, Litz said. Also included are pavilion and beach improvements, playground renovations and creation of a spray park, he said.

Selectman James E. Thompson said the biggest contribution to the recreation improvements at Spec Pond will be private fund-raising, whether or not the state grant is received.

The Senior Center has operated at St. John's Church since July.

WESTFIELD – On-going construction of a new Rocky’s hardware store will delay the Council on Aging relocation plans to 40 Main St. beyond Nov. 1.

As a result, Director Tina Gorman is asking the city for an additional $13,600 to finance an extension for rented facilities at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Broad Street.

The Senior Center has operated from the church since July because of access problems attributed to the Rocky’s construction and an on-going $14 million reconstruction of Main, Elm and Broad streets that includes rehabilitation of Park Square Green.

The relocation remains temporary, Gorman said this week. “But, because uncertainty and approaching winter months, we are asking for funding to secure use of the church facility through the current fiscal year,” Gorman said.

“The intent is to move back to 40 Main St. as soon as possible but not before safe access to the Senior Center is available for our senior population,” the director said.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik agreed saying he has requested City Council appropriation of the $13,600 from city reserve accounts.

“Construction of Rocky’s new building is continuing and then there will be work on its parking lot and demolition of the old hardware store,” said Knapik. “It is feasible to continue to hold Senior Center activities and services at St. John’s until work is completed along Main Street,” the mayor said.

Approval of funding will allow the center to continue to operated at the church on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In August, the City Council, at Knapik’s request, appropriated $6,400 from reserves to finance rental of St. John’s facilities through Oct. 31.

Pise has served on the School Committee for 22 years as the Ward 4 representative.

Michael J. Pise

CHICOPEE – After representing residents in Ward 4 for 22 years on the School Committee, Michael J. Pise is announcing his candidacy for an at-large school seat.

He will face off against Joel D. McAuliffe, who is running for School Committee for the first time.

“I would like to put my experience to work focusing on: Increasing student performance, ensuring safe schools, and running the system more efficiently,” Pise said.

Pise said his first priority will be to continue to focus on student achievement. Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems scores are making gains but they can improve more, he said.

“Interventions, rigorous curriculum changes and keeping students engaged will help. We should continue team teaching and refine interdisciplinary curriculums, targeting reading and mathematics,” Pise said.

If elected, Pise said he will also strive to improve safety by working with the committee and educators to monitor bullying, making needed building repairs and upgrading other systems. He said he will continue to support having police officers, called resource officers, in the schools.

Pise, 53, of 33 Bonneville Ave., a lawyer, vice president and due diligence officer for ING Financial Partners, said he will also continue to focus on reviewing every school expense to ensure school money is spent in the best ways to help increase students’ performance.

“Only with the best teachers can we provide a good education. A good teacher with a reasonable number of students is the most effective way to increase student performance. This must be done within our ability to pay,” he said.

Neither side has shown that accused murderer Eric Denson knew either of his alleged victims, and prosecutors have not offered a motive for the killing.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanEric Denson is lead into the courtroom in Hampden Superior Court Friday for the continuation of his murder trial.

SPRINGFIELD – A friend of Cathedral High School student Conor W. Reynolds described getting a last bit of advice from the All-State soccer star before his stabbing death at a birthday party last year.

“Don’t fight; don’t be stupid,” said Peter D’Amario, 19, of Springfield, quoting Reynolds while testifying at the trial of his accused killer, Eric B. Denson, 22, of Springfield.

Taking the stand as a prosecution witness, D’Amario recounted a scuffle at the Blue Fusion Bar & Grill on March 13, 2010 that began after D’Amario objected to a Minnechaug High School student talking to his girlfriend.

“I didn’t like it,” said D’Amario, who recalled using his foot to “nudge” the offending male. Moments later, Cathedral student James Dowd was punched by a someone else, prompting a brief row by the pool table at the crowded club.

As Reynolds pulled D’Amario away from the melee, an adult woman helping the party’s organizers appeared, D’Amario called. “She was just telling us not to fight ... she was in our face,” D’Amario said.

The woman walked away after D’Amario extended his arm to keep her from getting closer, he testified. Five second later, “Conor got stabbed,” he said.

No witness has explained whether the stabbing was linked to the fight between white high schools students, the exchange between D’Amario and Reynolds and black adult woman, or some other reason.

Neither side has shown that Denson knew either of his alleged victims, and prosecutors have not offered a motive for the killing.

Denson is charged with first degree murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon – the first for attacking Reynolds, the second for stabbing D’Amario, who suffered a wound to his arm as the assailant withdrew the knife from Reynolds’ neck.

D’Amario, the goalie and captain of Cathedral’s hockey team, initially said the assailant was wearing a puffy black jacket and a black hat – a description he revised after seeing a surveillance video of Denson wearing a red hat minutes after the stabbing.

Under questioning from defense lawyer David Rountree, D’Amario acknowledged he did not see the attacker’s face and twice selected a photo of someone other than Denson from a police photo array.

Since the trial began Oct. 6, prosecutors called four witnesses who identified Denson as the assailant by his facial features, clothing or his image on a surveillance video from a gas station next to the nightclub.

Defense lawyers have pointed out inconsistencies in witness accounts to support their contention that Denson is the victim of mistaken identity.

The stabbing cut through muscle and tissue before severing Reynolds’s jugular vein, prosecutors said; he was pronounced dead after arriving by ambulance at Baystate Medical Center.

Erica Blais, a forensic chemist for the state police, testified Monday that she found blood on the carpet, pool table and door at the bar, along with “flesh-like material” near the spot of the stabbing.

The clothing worn by Reynolds was also saturated with blood, she testified.

Blais is scheduled to resume testifying Tuesday.

The zombies, actually dancers from an East Longmeadow troupe, were part of a promotional campaign for an upcoming live performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" at Symphony Hall.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickActor/dancer Kordel Latimer, of Lynn, took part in a flash mob at 1550 Main St. on Monday afternoon to promote "Classic Albums Live: Michael Jackson's Thriller," which will performed Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. at Springfield's Symphony Hall.

SPRINGFIELD — The walking dead staggered and heaved their way through rush-hour traffic Monday afternoon as they descended on the former federal building at 1550 Main St., where their lurching movements suddenly transformed into fluid dance moves that would have made the King of Pop proud.

The zombies, spattered with fake blood and sporting dark rings under their hollow eyes, were part of a promotional campaign for an upcoming live performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album at Symphony Hall. And they looked very much alive as they strutted their stuff on the public plaza in front of the federal building, catching the attention of pedestrians and motorists alike.

Curious onlookers stopped in their tracks to watch as a zombie flash mob materialized around 5 p.m. on the plaza, where the throbbing beat of "Thriller" blared from a PA system and alchemized the bedraggled creatures' jerky movements into smooth dance steps.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickActors and dancers from the Artistic Dance Conservatory of East Longmeadow took part in Monday's flash mob at 1550 Main St. to promote "Classic Albums Live: Michael Jackson's Thriller," which will take place Friday at Symphony Hall.

"It was awesome," said Moe Martinez, of Moe's "Bad to the Bone" Hot Dogs fame.

Martinez, a New York City native who long ago relocated to Springfield, said he was taken aback by the zombie attack.

"I wasn't expecting it," he said, still managing to serve his customers despite the presence of bloodthirsty zombies.

"I like the way they came up the block," he said.

One zombie dancer was downright upbeat as she talked about the "flash" event.

"This was our first one," said Noel St. Jean, an instructor with the Artistic Dance Conservatory of East Longmeadow.

Symphony Hall officials contacted the Shaker Road conservatory to help promote Friday's performance of Jackson's seminal 1984 album by Classic Albums Live, which takes classic rock and pop albums and recreates them live on stage — note for note, cut for cut.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickAriel Vernadakis, of East Longmeadow (left), and Mary Jablow, of Longmeadow, were among the actors and dancers who took part in Monday's flash mob in downtown Springfield to promote "Classic Albums Live: Michael Jackson's Thriller," which will be performed Friday night at Symphony Hall.

"This is our first time doing this," Bevan Brunelle, marketing manager for CityStage and Symphony Hall, said as she watched the zombies mimic the famous dance sequence from Jackson's award-winning "Thriller" video.

Around 40 dancers from the Artistic Dance Conservatory took part in the zombie flash mob, which attracted at least 100 onlookers.

"I've danced all my life," said St. Jean, whose ghoulish zombie makeup didn't even run despite the high-energy performance.

If Michael Jackson doesn't do it for you, Brunelle says Classic Albums Live will return to Symphony Hall in February for a performance of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."

But the sale of single family homes continued to lag in Hampden County.

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SPRINGFIELD – Sales of single-family homes sold in September in the Pioneer Valley jumped by 4.4 percent from a year ago and the median price remained unchanged at $190,000.

There were 335 homes sold in September 2011, according to statistics released Monday by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley compared to 321 homes sold a year ago. The median price of those homes remained constant at $190,000.

But while sales of homes increased in Hampshire and Franklin Counties, they decreased in Hampden County by 3.5 percent.

The median price of homes also dropped 4.9 percent in Hampden County from $180,500 in 2010 to $171,500 in 2011.

Kevin Sears, 2010 president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, and a broker and co-owner of Sears Real Estate in Springfield, said, “Springfield is the hub for Hampden County.”

He added that sales of homes are tied to the unemployment rate. “The unemployment rate in Springfield is 12.5 percent,” he said.

Sears added, “The sale of homes and the job market are on a parallel track.”

In Springfield’s suburbs Sears said the price of higher end homes over $400,000 is frozen.

He said there is a strong demand in the suburbs for homes priced below $250,000.

In Hampshire County sales of single family homes in September jumped from a year ago by 27.7 percent.

The median price of single family homes also increased in Hampshire County to $241,000 from $237,500.

Linda Rotti, a realtor with Jones Group Realtors in Amherst, said that as a strong academic community there are many people who want to move back to the region or retire there.

“We had our best August in years,” Rotti said. “We are cautiously optimistic.”

Sales of single family homes in Franklin County jumped 15.6 percent for September compared to a year ago, but the median price dropped 19.1 percent.

The median sales price of a single family home in Franklin County was $168,000 compared to $207,625 a year ago.

Sears said that typically first time homebuyers make up 45 percent of the market. He said the federal tax credit for first time home buyers expired a year ago, and now first time home buyers are making up only 25 to 30 percent of the market.

“For many people to buy in the suburbs, they have to be able to sell their homes in Springfield,” he said.

Monday's debate was testy at times, as mayoral candidates David J. Narkewicz and Michael R. Bardsley publicly jousted at a forum hosted by Smith College.

Staff photo by David MolnarNorthampton mayoral candidates Michael Bardsley, left, and David Narkewicz sparred at a recent debate at Northampton High School. They were back at it Monday night during a debate at Smith College.

NORTHAMPTON – The mayoral campaign grew testy at times Monday as David J. Narkewicz and Michael R. Bardsley jousted for the third time in a public debate.

Smith College hosted the latest round in the increasingly contentious race for mayor. The event was co-sponsored by Ward 4 Northampton. Both Bardsley and Narkewicz have represented the ward on the City Council.

In his opening statement, Bardsley took the opportunity to differentiate himself from his opponent, building on his theme that he is the candidate of the disenfranchised. Although he credited the Northampton liberal community for its track record in civil rights, he said it is decidedly less comfortable when it comes to class issues.

“The working middle class is feeling increasingly alienated, ignored and dismissed,” he said, comparing the situation to the union-busting in Wisconsin and the discontent in the Occupy Wall Street movement. “I’m concerned that this community is heading towards being an elitist community.”

Narkewicz used his opening remarks to recount his resume as a child of a working-class family who enlisted in the Air Force and earned his political stripes as a congressional aide. He became more aggressive as the debate wore on, however, positioning himself as the positive candidate who will bring people together.

“Don’t just listen to my rhetoric,” he said, following Bardsley on one question. “Listen to what I’ve done as a city councilor.”

Narkewicz went on to say that he does not see the divide that Bardsley described, prompting Bardsley to reply that he’s missing the point.

As city council president, Narkewicz has served as acting mayor since former mayor Mary Clare Higgins left office in September. He forcefully rejected the notion that there was a back-room deal to set him up as the incumbent.

Republican file photoMary Clare Higgins, the former longtime mayor of Northampton.

“If there was a deal, I got the raw end of it,” he said, noting that he has had to perform the duties of mayor while serving as council president and running a campaign. “If it had been my choice, I wish the mayor would have served out her term.”

Bardsley responded that the situation is part of a broader perception that major City Hall decisions are not made in public.

“If you want to debate with Clare Higgins,” Narkewicz said, “you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Bardsley called the reply “smug.”

“It’s not just a personality change,” he said. “There needs to be almost a regime change.”

As in previous debates, the candidates found common ground. Both oppose closing one of the city’s four elementary schools. Both said they visited and sympathize with Occupy Northampton protesters camped out in Pulaski Park.

One questioner asked the candidates how they plan to deal with the inevitability of making decisions some people won’t like. Narkewicz agreed that a mayor sometimes has to make rapid-fire decisions and said he would listen to all sides and explain his decisions to the public. Bardsley spoke about voting in the minority on several council issues.

“I have the courage to stand up and take positions on unpopular issues,” he said.

The candidates are scheduled to debate several more times before the Nov. 8 election. The winner will be the first elected mayor other than Higgins in 12 years.

About 150 people rallied outside City Hall Monday evening, protesting home foreclosures, corporate greed and unemployment.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickA protestor holds a sign during the "Occupy Springfield" protest held Monday evening outside Springfield City Hall. A smaller group of protesters had gathered at Court Square on Monday morning, but by the evening, the crowd had swelled to around 150 people.

SPRINGFIELD — About 150 people rallied outside City Hall Monday night, protesting home foreclosures, corporate greed and unemployment.

But the Take Back Springfield demonstration did not persuade the City Council to withdraw city funds from Bank of America, whose lending and foreclosure practices drew criticism from protesters and Ward 6 Councilor Amaad Rivera.

The council, in a 7-6 vote, instead delayed action on a proposal sponsored by Rivera that called for the withdrawal of the less than $4,000 the city has on deposit at the bank. Demonstrators, under the watch of police officers both inside and outside City Hall, chanted “We’ll be back” as they filed out of the council chambers.

“It’s terrible,” said one protester, Calvin Feliciano of Springfield, regarding the council vote. “It just shows that the banks have the power.”

“We the people want the power,” said Migdalia Pino, also of Springfield. “We deserve it. We worked hard for it.”

The evening protest came on the heels of a day-long rally that began with just a handful of demonstrators under police watch.

At night, officers were stationed at Court Square, at the main entrance to City Hall, and on the building's first three floors.

The daytime Occupy Springfield demonstration began in Court Square with several people and grew to more than 40 by early afternoon.

Sgt. John M. Delaney, spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, said all on-duty officers Monday were told to be on standby in case the protest got large or unruly. That was not the case, he said.

Demonstrators, chanting "We are 99 percent, you are 99 percent," gathered on the sidewalk along Main Street Monday morning. Cheers sporadically erupted from the gathering crowd as passing motorists honked their support.

One demonstrator, Springfield resident Eugene Coleman, said he was having a hard time surviving in this economy. “We are just trying to keep afloat,” he said. “We are just talking about food, shelter and clothing.”

The wording on signs carried by the demonstrators included "Eat the Rich," "Housing Now!" and "46 million in poverty."

For much of the morning, police easily outnumbered the half-dozen demonstrators at Court Square. Officers gathered in small groups across Main Street, along Court Street — which was shut down for the day — and in front of the Bank of America branch about two blocks away.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickA Marine veteran holds a sign during Monday evening's "Occupy Springfield" rally outside Springfield City Hall.

At the nighttime rally and council meeting, Rivera accused Bank of America of having the highest share of foreclosures in Springfield, urging the city to invest in local banks with non-predatory loan practices. He said that withdrawing the funds, although less than $4,000, would be a meaningful symbolic gesture.

“For too long, big banks and big business have trampled on the rights of residents and leaders of Springfield to live, work and govern in the city they love,” Rivera said in a prepared statement.

Ward 7 Councilor Timothy C. Allen requested that the issue be sent to committee, adding that the council should gather all of the facts before taking an “emotional” vote. In addition, he said, the council has already passed strong anti-foreclosure ordinances, sponsored by Rivera, calling for a city-approved mediation program in any new foreclosures.

Those gathered for the evening rally included members of various activist groups including Arise for Social Justice, Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, and Service Employees International Union.

Some people carried signs that said, “The Rich must pay their fair share,” “Bail people, not banks: Stop foreclosures,” and “Don’t evict: Take rent.”

Robin DiAngelo, of Springfield, said she has the economic privilege of affording a good home loan, but other people don’t have that benefit.

“They were sold very bad loans,” she said. “I don’t want to see them crushed further down and punished because they are poor, so the wealth can be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands at their expense.”

Meanwhile, the Amherst Chapter of Veterans For Peace is among the groups that support the activists and oppose the "aggressive" tactics used by police in Boston and New York to break up the anti-Wall Street protests.

"In a free, civilized society, there is no greater cause worth serving than to defend and support the will of the people. ... Free speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights," the organization said in a release.

Police have yet to make an arrest in the killing of Devada Wannamaker, the 23-year-old Springfield man shot to death in the city's entertainment district early Sunday morning.

Staff photo by Conor BerrySpringfield police closed a section of Worthington Street following a fatal club shooting early Sunday morning.

SPRINGFIELD -- Authorities still have not charged anyone in connection with a fatal weekend shooting at a downtown Springfield nightclub.

Indian Orchard resident Devada Wannamaker, 23, was shot inside Club Illusion early Sunday morning.

Wannamaker ran from the Worthington Street club after the 1:30 a.m. incident and collapsed in a nearby alleyway. He was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center less than a half-hour later.

Police have interviewed potential witnesses to the crime, but no arrests had been made as of late Monday afternoon, according to Sgt. John M. Delaney, spokesman for Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Authorities have not indicated if they have any suspects in the fatal shooting.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach Club Illusion's owners have been unsuccessful. State records indicate the business at 288 Worthington St. is owned by GOS, LLC, and managed by Jennifer Santos, who is listed as the "resident agent."

However, the Springfield License Commission voted last November to approve a new manager for the venue, which had been closed due to violations.

At that time, city officials identified the new manager as Dylan Barkoski, a former football player and American International College graduate.

Barkoski could not immediately be reached for comment, but a message posted on his Facebook page after the shooting stated: " ... We sincerely apologize to all parties affected by this tragic incident. (It) just shows how one senseless mistake can lead to another. My thoughts and prayers and deepest apologies go out to the Wannamaker family. (This) sounds like a bad nightmare; I wish that was all it was."

Daniel D. Kelly, the lawyer who has previously represented GOS, LLC, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

It remains unclear what sort of security measures are in place at Club Illusion, a hip-hop dance club located in the heart of Springfield's entertainment district.

Police said Wannamaker was carrying a loaded gun and drugs at the time of his death.

Investigators believe the gunman responsible for the killings also set a fire that engulfed the front of the home and an SUV parked outside

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — Police are investigating the shooting deaths of a couple outside a Lawrence home.

Twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth Hernandez and her boyfriend, 29-year-old Daniel Diaz, were pronounced dead at the scene on Monday morning. Both were shot in the head.

Investigators believe the gunman responsible for the killings also set a fire that engulfed the front of the home and an SUV parked outside.

Police Chief John Romero says the shootings do not appear to be random and drugs may have been involved. An arrest has not been made.

Neighbors reported hearing as many as 15-20 gunshots.

Family members say the couple had been dating for about five years.

NFL rules prohibit teams from owning casinos.

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)Members of the media walk in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Tuesday, July 26, 2011, in this AP file photo.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A lawyer for the Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, drafted zoning changes that could have allowed for a casino on property across from the stadium.

But the proposal was rejected by town selectmen and a spokesman for the Kraft family tells The Boston Globe that there are no current plans to seek a gambling facility at the site.

NFL rules prohibit teams from owning casinos.

Foxborough Town Manager Kevin Paicos said he asked the Kraft lawyer to draft the zoning changes, at the request of several unnamed developers.

The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro first reported the lawyer's role in drafting the proposed changes.

A bill to approve three casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts is nearing final approval in the Legislature.

Read more from The Boston Globe »

Maps redrawing the state's Congressional districts will be released at a later date.

S.P. Sullivan, MassLive.comState Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, introduces his colleagues from the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting at a hearing in Greenfield.

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are set to release a map of proposed legislative districts based on population numbers from the 2010 U.S. Census.

The map, to be released Tuesday, must be approved by both the House and Senate and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick before taking effect for the 2012 elections.

Census data has shown a growth in the state's minority population, prompting activists to press for the creation of at least eight new legislative districts where minorities account for a majority of residents.

The state's black population rose 26 percent in the last decade, while both the Latino and the Asian-American populations in the state rose 46 percent according to the census.

A map of new congressional districts isn't expected this week, shrinking the number of Massachusetts congressional districts from 10 to nine.

The youths were turned over to their parents and no charges were filed

EAST LONGMEADOW - Three youths from Springfield, suspected of stealing a Knights of Columbus collection can from a Shaker Road business on Saturday, were detained by police the following day after they were spotted in front of the Big Y World Class Market using it to solicit donations.

“It looks like they were soliciting for themselves,” said Sgt. Patrick Manley, adding that the bright yellow can had only a few pennies in it by the time police arrived at the North Main Street store.

One of the youths fled on a skateboard, Manley said, adding that police were able to quickly figure out who he was.

The youths, ages 14, 15 and 16, were turned over to their parents with a stern warning and no charges were filed, Manley said.

The can had been stolen from Colorful Creations at 37 Shaker Road, Manley said. It was not clear how much money had originally been inside.