The closings would leave only three Filene's Basement stores in Massachusetts.

Photo by Mark M. Murray/The Republican The old Filene's Basement store in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

BOSTON (AP) — Filene's Basement is reportedly closing another four stores in Massachusetts.

The Boston Globe said store employees in Braintree, Peabody, Saugus and Watertown confirmed that the discount retail outlets will close by the end of the year. That would leave only three Filene's Basement stores in Massachusetts, in Newton, Norwood and Boston's Back Bay.

The newspaper said company officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Secaucus, N.J.-based Syms Corp. acquired Filene's Basement out of bankruptcy protection in the second quarter of 2009 for $62.4 million, but has struggled to turn the chain around.

Obama's Seal, Podium, and Audio Equipment Stolen, Bank of America reports $6.2 billion profit, and more

AP Photo/Daniel Acker, PoolRepublican presidential candidate businessman Herman Cain speaks during a Republican presidential debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011.

• Will China Plateau? [AndrewSullivan.com]


• Greece braces for shutdown as austerity vote nears [Reuters.com]


• Las Vegas man with 100-pound scrotum seeks money for surgery [Las Vegas Review-Journal]


• Welcome to the world's first spaceport! Richard Branson opens $209m terminal where tourists will blast into orbit [DailyMail.co.uk]


• Herman Cain Claimed That A ‘Liberal Court’ Killed Jesus [ThinkProgress.com]


• Rep. Paul Proposes $1T Spending Cut Plan [FoxNews.com]


• Bank of America reports $6.2 billion profit [Money.CNN.com]


• Massachusetts Tries to Rein in Its Health Cost [NYTimes.com]



Video: Obama's Seal, Podium, and Audio Equipment Stolen

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Eric Denson, 22, is charged with first degree murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Conor Reynolds.

The Republican's Buffy Spencer is following the murder trial of Eric B. Denson live from Hampden Superior Court.

Read Jack Flynn's recap of Monday's testimony which included testimony from Peter D’Amario, 19, of Springfield, a friend of Conor Reynolds, who described the moments before Reynolds was fatally stabbed at the Blue Fusion Bar & Grill on March 13, 2010.

Follow the courtroom proceedings during day 8 of the trial below.

Eric P. Denson

"Occupy" movement comes to Springfield. Share your opinion here.

Staff photo by Mark M. Murray10.17.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Protesters gather at Court and Main streets for the planned "Occupy Springfield" event at Court Square.

SPRINGFIELD – An ‘Occupy Springfield’ demonstration, off to a slow start Monday morning in Court Square, grew to over 40 by early afternoon. By evening, that figure had climbed to about 150.

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 honks of support came from passing motorists.

One of the demonstrators, Springfield resident Eugene Colemen, said he is 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.”

Read the original story by George Graham.

Here's what some of our readers had to say about "Occupy Springfield"

LuLzSpringfield writes:

"Eat the Rich"

I love it: nothing says progressive, free thinking like thoughtlessly copying talking points from equally uninformed OWS'ers.

So, are all of the rich to blame now? I get the feeling that this is morphing from "blame Wall Street" to "blame everyone better off than myself."

P.S. Who has more than twice the money of any other candidate for President of the United States? Barack Obama!

In my opinion, this an unique situation.

Justin_Marsh_Knowledge_Corridor_Productions writes:

Generally speaking, my generation (myself included) has excessive college debt -- for example, I was approx. $100,000.00 in college debt before I even started working -- and since Baby Boomers are working longer -- due to the restructuring of their pensions that occurred in the late 90s/2000s, and the economic collapse of '08 -- many in my generation cannot break through into the job market.

Personally, I know college-educated people in their late 20s/early 30s living at home w/ Mom & Dad because they can only find minimum wage jobs, and cannot afford housing.

In opinion, many in my generation are blaming "the system" for this; however, rather than the destroying the system, I would advise them to adapt to the system.

Personally, forming my own business has helped me, and fortunately, it's been able to help others that I know.

I love Springfield, and I don't want it "occupied" -- however, I do think it's time for new leadership that does not promote cronyism.

In my opinion, capitalism is not what's keeping jobs out of Springfield -- cronyism is. (And an excessive business tax rate... And that our "best land," our riverfront, is un-developable.)

0sim writes:

Listen carefully to today's Republican right and you hear the same Social Darwinism Americans were fed more than a century ago to justify the brazen inequality of the Gilded Age: Survival of the fittest. Don't help the poor or unemployed or anyone who's fallen on bad times, they say, because this only encourages laziness. America will be strong only if we reward the rich and punish the needy. . In the late 1970s the richest 1 percent of Americans received 9 percent of total income and held 18 percent of the nation's wealth; by 2007, they had more than 23 percent of total income and 35 percent of America's wealth. CEOs of the 1970s were paid 40 times the average worker's wage; now CEOs receive 300 times the typical workers' wage.

Daniel Champagne writes:

The famous comedian Bill Cosby once said "The only people who are always sure how to raise children are those who have never had any". When I see these people I think "The only people who are always sure how to run a business are those who have never run a business. If the people involved in these protests think they know how to run a business better than anybody else, wouldn't their energies be better spent starting their own business instead of carrying signs?

spfldpaul writes:

I was at both protests - the first one to support the spirit and importance of Occupy Wall Street, and the second at 5:00 in front of City Hall to support the ordinance protecting mortgage holders, and to support the proposed ordinance which would direct the city to divest of its holdings in Bank of America.

I'm a member of Veterans for Peace, and I believe that dissent is patriotic and essential to protect democracy. If some people don't like it, too bad. All one can do is try to be true to his own conscience.

What do you think? Join the conversation below.

The special committee is larger than in the past and has more public hearings.

Michael A. Fenton

SPRINGFIELD – A newly created committee, established by the City Council’s finance chairman, will launch a series of neighborhood hearings this week, seeking greater public input before the council approves the new tax rates.

Council Finance Chairman Michael A. Fenton said the committee is larger than in past years, including the addition of homeowners and real estate representatives, and more committed to public outreach this year. The tax rates for fiscal year 2012, for homeowners and businesses, must be set by the end of December.

The first hearing, conducted by the council’s 11-member Real Estate Tax Classification Sub-Committee, is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross Gymnasium, 153 Eddywood St.

In addition to the four neighborhood meetings, the city will schedule two public hearings after it receives certification from the state, Fenton said.

The subcommittee, in addition to the tax rate discussion, will also discuss enacting special exemptions for owner-occupied properties, senior citizens, and historic properties. The committee will also discuss tax deferral programs for senior citizens and members of the military as well as other tax policy options that involve deferrals and exemptions.

The subcommittee serves an advisory role to the full council which sets tax rates annually.

“We are going to get out there and hear from the community to get their perspective,” said Fenton, who serves as the subcommittee chairman. “The intention of the committee is to create a dynamic tax code that promotes home ownership, encourages development, provides relief to the elderly and honors military service.”

The members of the committee are: Mark Howard; Charles Rucks; Kevin Sears; Michael Hyder; Amaad Rivera; Maria Acuna; Aaron Williams; Marie Koski; Jefffrey Cuiffreda; Richard Allen; and Fenton.

In past years, Fenton said he believes the taxation subcommittee has typically included five members and might have one or two neighborhood hearings.

The subcommittee will provide recommendations to the City Council on all tax issues.

The fiscal 2011 tax rate was $19.49 for homeowners per $1,000 property value, a one cent decrease from the prior year. The rate for commercial and industrial properties was $38.97, a reduction of 28 cents from the prior year.

The council, as part of its deliberations, annually considers if there should be a further narrowing of the tax burden between the higher business rate and the lower residential rate.

Police arrested 35 people over the weekend.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – An Amherst Police Department cruiser.

AMHERST - Police say the fall’s unusually warm weather may be to blame for an uptick in complaints of rowdy weekend parties and related arrests.

“The feeling among most of the officers is that the activity level is slightly higher (than in past falls),” said Lt. Ronald A. Young, adding that that some of the calls police have responded to have been a little more severe than usual as well.

Police responded to 204 calls for service over the weekend, including 33 for noise disturbances, Young said.

The calls yielded 35 arrests, including five residents of a Main Street home that had been the subject of previous noise complaints before.

Young said that police, responding to 675 Main St. on Sunday at about 12:30 a.m., found some 100 to 125 people leaving the home and another 75 to 80 in the basement.

Arrested and charged with violating the town’s noise and nuisance bylaws were: Tyler D. Hunt, 19, of Bourne; Joseph Johnson, 19, of Bourne; Mark A,. Ventresco ll, 19, of Sharon; Mitchell D. Ganz of Manlapan, N.J.; and Joseph Fanella, 20, of Holdel, N.J.

Fanella was also charged with posession of a fake ID and Johnson, with underaged possession of alcohol.

The suspect allegedly told the woman that he was going to take her into the woods and beat her.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – A Northampton Police Department cruiser.

NORTHAMPTON - A 25-year-old woman suffered a fractured hand and dislocated thumb Friday night following a domestic dispute that began in a Florence restaurant and ended in a vehicle on Sylvester Road.

The suspect, Charles A. Schmidt, 67, of 703 Ryan Road, told the victim that he thought she was being disrespectful and while on the way home he allegedly slammed her hand in the car door twice, Police Capt. Scott A. Savino said.

At one point during their ride home, Schmidt told the victim that he was going to take her into the woods, beat her and leave her on the side of the road, Savino said.

A motorist in the area of Sylvester and West Farms Road called 911 after seeing a car drive by with an open door and a woman yelling for help, Savino said. The woman ultimately drew the attention of a police cruiser by honking on the horn.

Schmidt was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, intimidation of a witness, assault and battery and threat to commit a crime - murder, Savino said.

The woman was treated for her injuries at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Savino said.

A fan of the Animal Planet show “River Monsters” that features an extreme angler uncovering the world’s most dangerous, largest and unusual fish, owner Nathan Marrin said his store is like a local “River Monsters.”

Scales & Tails owner Nathan J. Marrin is pictured with some of his exotic fish inside his downtown Palmer store. These are cichlids from Costa Rica.

PALMER – Scales & Tails is not your typical fish store.

Located downtown at 1364 Main St. in what used to be an adult video store and pawn shop, the store features exotic freshwater South American, Central American and African fish and some reptiles.

It made its debut in August, according to owner Nathan J. Marrin, 30, of Wilbraham, also known as “the fish guy.”

“This is not your typical Petco,” Marrin, the sole proprietor, said on a recent weekday. “We’re Palmer’s best kept secret for now.”

Two large, 5-pound catfish swam in buckets as arowanas glided through the water amid gars, a freshwater stingray the size of a Frisbee, and pacus, which are large South American fish related to the piranha that reach 60 pounds in the wild.

“It’s like stepping into the Amazon,” Marrin said.

There are also exotic cichlids from Costa Rica and Africa, in bright orange hues. A lungfish named Louie who is not for sale and is the store’s mascot, as well as luminescent flower horns, bettas and smaller, more familiar varieties such as angel fish, gouramis and tetras, are on display. Louie is in the section of the store marked “massive aggression” – the store’s tagline – for the most aggressive fish on sale.

There are crabs, albino frogs and snakes. Filters are for sale, as well as food for the fish and reptiles – dried blood worms, pellets and crickets. Some of the fish eat frozen shrimp chopped into bits. Customers can buy fish tanks through special order.

There are no piranhas, however. They are illegal to sell in a pet shop in Massachusetts, Marrin said.

Marrin said he’s had fish since he was a child. He was a chef who cooked fish – but never ate them – when he decided to make his hobby his full-time profession six years ago. He also imports and exports fish, through his online business, www.scalesandtails.co

Many are plucked straight from the wild, while others he buys from breeders, or breeds himself. He has several facilities around Western Massachusetts that he specifically uses for breeding.

“My purpose is to promote the hobby,” Marrin said.

A fan of the Animal Planet show “River Monsters” that features an extreme angler uncovering the world’s most dangerous, largest and unusual fish, Marrin said his store is like a local “River Monsters.”

Where else can you find pacus the size of dinner plates, or fish with tiny teeth?

One of the red-tail catfish was sold back to him by a customer after it got too big for the customer’s tank. It went from two inches to 18 inches.

Pacus sell for $50, and one of the arowana varieties, $75. But other fish fetch more.

The stingray, which is from Columbia, goes for $250; the large catfish, $200 to $225. Brazilian stingrays are the most expensive at $1,500 to $5,000, depending on size. The more ordinary fish, such as neons, sell for 69 cents, while tetras are five for $10.

Some of the rarer types are not kept inside the store, Marrin said. He has four employees who specialize in certain kinds of fish or reptiles.

He said he’s had positive feedback from people who stop in the store, which is open seven days a week, noon to 7 p.m. (on Tuesdays, the store closes at 5 p.m.). He said he was interested in opening in Palmer because of the downtown location, and because it would help fill a void for the community after Animal House closed.

“This is my passion. I love these guys. I love to talk fish,” Marrin said. “I get up and come to work and smile.”

He said he is concerned about the way fish will be treated after they leave the store, and will not sell a fish if he doesn’t think the customer can care for it.

“They are a member of the family and should be treated properly,” Marrin said.

The Origins And Perils Of Bank Consolidation, US Troop Deaths in Afghan War Under Obama Now Twice That Under Bush, and more

AP Photo/BloombergJon Huntsman; Michele Bachmann; Rick Perry; Julianna Goldman; Herman Cain; Karen Tumulty; Mitt Romney; Charlie Rose; Ron Paul; Newt Gingrich; Rick Santorum

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• Pinball goes underground [Boston.com]


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• Controversy Swirls At Suburban High School Over Bathroom-Break Rationing [Chicago.CBSLocal.com]


• Plan to hang 3 for Gandhi killing angers Tamils [News.Yahoo.com]


• The Origins And Perils Of Bank Consolidation [ThinkProgress.org]


• US Troop Deaths in Afghan War Under Obama Now Twice That Under Bush [Truth-Out.org]


• Round 8 of GOP debates: Candidates look to land punch on Herman Cain [CSMonitor.com]



Video: Wellfleet OysterFest attendees ate over 100,000 oysters over the weekend

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Obama acknowledged he's been asked why he is taking time to ride a bus through small-town North Carolina.

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama speaks at West Wilkes High School in Millers Creek, N.C., Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. Obama is on a three-day bus tour promoting the American Jobs Act.

JAMESTOWN, N.C. (AP) — President Barack Obama appealed anew Tuesday for Americans to put pressure on Republican members of Congress to support his jobs legislation, declaring that "we are in this together."

And Obama said he hit the road to take his case directly to the people for a simple reason: "I'm the president."

On the second-day of a three-day tour to continue pushing his ideas for creating jobs, Obama acknowledged he's been asked why he is taking time to ride a bus through small-town North Carolina, a traditionally Republican state that he won in 2008 and hopes to win again.

"I'm not the Democratic president or the Republican president," Obama said at a community college in Jamestown, N.C. " ... I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat because we're all Americans."

Although Republicans blocked his $447 billion jobs plan in the Senate, Obama is continuing an aggressive effort to rally public support for his ideas and to portray Republicans as the ones standing in the way of creating jobs at a time of high unemployment.

"We don't need a Republican jobs act or a Democratic jobs act. We need a jobs act," the president said. "We need to put people back to work right now." He has said that lawmakers will break up the bill and vote on its individual components.

Obama said the ideas in his jobs bill previously have been supported by lawmakers in both parties. "What makes it different this time other than that I proposed it," he asked.

Obama's ride for this trip through winding mountain roads isn't his usual mode of transportation, the modified aircraft known as Air Force Once. Rather, it's a sleek, million-dollar Secret Service-approved bus that's giving the president a chance to sit back, admire the colorful fall foliage and bask in some small-town Southern hospitality.

"Saw the mountains, saw some lakes, saw all the wonderful people in this part of the country," Obama said Monday during a speech in rural Millers Creek.

"Even the folks who don't vote for me are nice," he added.

At the heart of Obama's three-day bus trip through North Carolina and Virginia is the sales pitch for elements of the jobs bill.

But the president is also selling himself, an incumbent running for re-election, trying to re-energize voters whose enthusiasm may have waned. That's particularly important in North Carolina, a state Obama wrested from Republicans in 2008, but which could slip out of his grasp next November.

To try to recapture some of his electoral appeal, Obama turned to campaign staples: barbecue, babies and barrels of candy.

Obama spent more than four hours Monday driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains, which were bright with red and orange fall leaves. He stopped off in Marion, population 8,075, for lunch at Countryside Barbeque. He ordered at the counter — the barbecue platter and sweet tea — then spent more than half an hour shaking hands and having his picture taken with the lunchtime crowd.

The tech-savvy president even helped one woman figure out how to take a photo on her smartphone.

Obama had a close encounter with one baby boy: "I think you got some biscuit on me," he said as he handed the child back to his mother.

And he made personal appeals for his economic policies, telling one table of local businessmen about his call for $50 billion more in new infrastructure spending. He said, "We're going to have to do it eventually, so why not do it now?"

Obama's unscheduled stops aren't wholly impromptu. White House staffers typically scope out areas in advance and Secret Service officers arrive well ahead of the president.

But they're about as spontaneous as it gets for the president, and afford him the freedom of personal, retail politics that's often missing in the highly scripted White House.

Obama's bus, as well as the staff and press vans that followed behind, passed crowds of people lined up on the sidewalks of small towns and residents sitting on lawn chairs in their front yards. A group of schoolchildren gathered outside their classrooms, waving small American flags. A man pulled his car over to the side of the road and saluted as the commander in chief sped by.

One woman held a sign reading "We believe. We voted. Now What?" That message underscored the challenge Obama faces as he seeks to rally his supporters ahead of the 2012 election.

Key to Obama's 2008 success in North Carolina was his campaign's ability to boost voter turnout among young people. And there were plenty of them in Boone, home to Appalachian State University, when Obama stopped Monday at Mast General Store.

The store was filled with barrels of candy, which Obama started grabbing by the handful — to help the White House prepare for Halloween, he said.

"On Halloween, the first lady doesn't mind," Obama said of his health-conscious wife.

Day two of Obama's bus trip was ending in Hampton, Va., with hours of drive time in between to give Obama plenty more chances for unscheduled stops.

Mayor Domenic Sarno had called for the voluntary license suspension pending a License Commission hearing.

Staff photo by Conor Berry / The RepublicanSpringfield police officers guard the door to Club Illusion on Worthington Street early Sunday morning, after a man was fatally shot.

SPRINGFIELD – Club Illusion, the downtown bar that was the site of a weekend shooting that took the life of 23-year-old Devada Wannamaker, has agreed to permanently surrender its liquor license, according to City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula.

Pikula said that lawyer Daniel D. Kelly, representing the Worthington Street bar, stated the license would be voluntarily surrendered in a telephone call with the solicitor.

“The city of Springfield has an obligation to protect the safety of our city’s residents and visitors,” Sarno said in the release. “This type of violent crime has no place in our city.”

The shooting had occurred early Sunday morning inside Club Illusion, according to police reports.

No arrests had been made by early Tuesday afternoon.

Wannamaker of Indian Orchard ran from the bar after the 1:30 a.m. incident and collapsed in a nearby alleyway.

State records indicate the business at 288 Worthington St., is GOS, LLC, and managed by Jennifer Santos, who is listed as “resident agent.”

However, The 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."

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.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

Staff writer Conor Berry contributed to this report.

During the last day of the trial, Garcia’s lawyer asked jurors in Hampden Superior Court to acquit his client of first-degree murder in order to honor the victim’s fierce maternal instincts.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanJesus Gilberto Garcia appears in Hampden Superior Court last year following his indictment in the slaying of Valerie Girouard of Hampden.

SPRINGFIELD - Jurors in the murder trial of Jesus Gilberto Garcia, accused of fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend's mother in 2010, continue to deliberate on Tuesday afternoon after evidence in the trial closed the day before.

The panel sent Hampden Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup a question just before lunch time signaling there could be one holdout in the jury room:

"If one person says not guilty but everybody else says guilty, what's the verdict?" Rup read from the jury foreman's written query.

The judge responded that any verdict must be unanimous.

There was a surprised rustling from the side of the gallery filled with family members of the victim, Valerie Girouard, 47, of Hampden.

During the last day of the trial Monday, Garcia’s lawyer asked jurors in Hampden Superior Court to acquit his client of first-degree murder in order to honor the victim’s fierce maternal instincts.

It was an unusual argument in an unusual defense on behalf of Garcia, 20, of Springfield, charged with fatally stabbing Valerie Girouard, 47 of Hampden, on July 30, 2010, and seriously wounding her live-in boyfriend during the same incident.

Undisputed testimony in the case showed the attacks happened after Girouard’s 15-year-old daughter rebuffed Garcia following a tumultuous, long-term courtship. Garcia returned to the tiny house at 90 Main St. nine days after breaking in and holding a knife to Mariah Girouard’s neck “to teach her the world wasn’t safe,” the teen girl testified at trial.

The first incident prompted Valerie Girouard to vow that Garcia “would have to go through her first” if he tried to get to her daughter again, Mariah Girouard told jurors. And, defense lawyer Paul Rudoff told the panel on Monday that is precisely how the attacks played out.

“Valerie Girouard was determined to do everything in her power to protect her daughter ... doesn’t it make sense to you that she would pick up that kitchen knife?” Rudoff asked jurors, adding that his client only wanted to see Mariah Girouard and didn’t intend to hurt anyone.

He asked jurors to find Garcia guilty of lesser counts, but to acquit his client on the most serious charge of first-degree murder to “accurately represent the full extent of those heroic efforts that (Valerie Girouard) made,” when she attacked Garcia to protect her daughter.

However, Assistant District Attorney James Forsyth countered that Garcia rode a borrowed bicycle 7.5 miles to the Girouard’s home because he intended to rape Mariah Girouard and “finish what he started” during the previous assault, when he stopped short of doing any serious harm.

Distance and locked doors were no obstacle for Garcia, Forsyth argued.

“Only one obstacle left: Valerie,” the prosecutor said.

After four days of prosecution witnesses, the defense put on just one: Dr. Bruce Bartholow, a professor of psychology at the University of Missouri and an expert in the potential effects of video game violence on adolescent males.

The theory has rarely been raised as a defense in a criminal case, and is even more infrequently allowed as testimony. Judge Mary Lou Rup allowed Bartholow to testify after discussing the legitimacy of his laboratory studies in court on Monday morning.

While on the witness stand, he told jurors that repeated studies of brain waves in young males with a history of playing violent video games as many as 40 hours per week desensitized many of them to violent imagery and made them more prone to behave aggressively.

Several witnesses testified Garcia and his nephews often engaged in marathon video game sessions, playing at being killer Ninjas and other characters for days on end.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican as they become available.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center estimates there are now more than 64,000 people in the state working in the so-called “clean energy” industry.

BOSTON – Massachusetts energy officials are pointing to what they say is significant job growth in the state’s renewable energy sector.

A report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center estimates there are now more than 64,000 people in the state working in the so-called “clean energy” economy – or about 1.5 percent of all jobs in the state.

The report identified 4,909 clean energy companies across the state.

The report said those companies saw a 6.7 percent increase in jobs between July 2010 to July 2011, and expect employment growth rate of 15 percent from July 2011 to July 2012.

The report defines clean energy companies as those involved with researching, developing, manufacturing or distributing goods or services related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, carbon management, or electric or hybrid cars.

Police said found the crack after they arrested the driver for unlicensed operation.

Isaac Carrero

SPRINGFIELD – Police, seeing a Lexus blow through a stop sign in the South End early Tuesday, arrested the driver for not having a license, searched the vehicle and found crack cocaine.

Isaac Carrero, 35, of 191 Oak Grove Ave., was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail following his arraignment in District Court.

The incident began about 3:30 a.m. when officers Matthew Longo and Jose Canini saw the Lexus run a stop sign at Marble and Main streets and then cross a double-solid line on Main, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

The driver, Delaney said, attempted to elude police by ducking into an alley. When the officers approached the vehicle, Carrero produced a learner’s permit and said “That’s all I have, sorry,” Delaney said

After police arrested the driver, they searched the car and found crack cocaine packaged for sale, said Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Carrero was charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, unlicensed operation and failure to stop. He denied the charges in court and was ordered to return for a pre-trial hearing on Nov. 1.

The Master Plan represents one of the largest construction projects in Westfield State's history.

File photo | The Republican

WESTFIELD – Westfield State University officials spent two years developing a new Master Plan designed to bring updated and new campus housing and academic facilities to the Western Avenue campus.

Now, their focus is turning towards construction on projects estimated at about $103 million.

Capital improvements approved by the university’s Board of Trustees is believed the largest such project in the history of Westfield State.

Included with be a $12.3 million upgrade and renovations to the library, wellness center, a full-service Dunkin Donuts and a student outdoor patio all at the Ely Campus Center. That project follows a similar project at the campus’ largest building two years ago that focused on reorganization of arts and theater services in the building.

A new University Hall, for students housing, will provide an additional 413 beds in semi-suites at a projected cost of $59 million. The university will also spend an estimated $2.5 million in upgrades to the campus apartment complex which includes Conlin, Welch and Seymour halls.

A new academic building will also be constructed, with a scheduled completion date of 2014, at $33 million to be financed by the state through its Division of Capital Asset Management.

The $73 million for the Ely Campus Center and housing facilities will be financed with grants from the Massachusetts State College Building Authority and by room and board fees charged to students, Gerald W. Hayes, WSU vice president for administration and finance, said.

One phase of the new master plan was completed earlier this year involving renovation and expansion of the campus dining hall, Tim & Jeanne’s Dining commons. That $4 million expansion was completed and dedicated in September.

Some of the renovations at Ely Campus Center are targeted for completion by February with the rest of that project done by next September, Hayes said.

The new residence building is targeted for use by September, 2013 and the upgrades to Conlin, Welch and Seymour halls are to be completed by September, 2012.

“Our residential campus environment is a unique attraction for prospective students,” said WSU president Evan S. Dobelle. “These projects will help u maintain and improve our grounds and facilities as well as serve as a guide for orderly, organized long-term growth,” he said.

The new academic building, designed for general academics and specialized science and technology, will be construction behind Wilson Hall and the campus Public Safety Building, Hayes said.

ADD Inc. of Boston is the architect for both Ely Center and University Hall and the construction manager for those projects is Walsh Brothers of Boston, said Hayes.

The university has off-campus housing in downtown Westfield at Lansdown Place on Thomas Street for 219 students.

Also, University Housing LLC of Springfield, a Peter A. Picknelly company, is rehabilitating the former Westfield State University training school building on Washington Street into market-rate housing which the university hopes to assign students to next year.

Belchertown's proposed bylaw change would allow large-scale commercial installation of solar panels in all zoning districts by right.

BELCHERTOWN – The Planning Board is fine tuning a proposed zoning ordinance that would encourage the installation of large-scale commercial solar panel systems for electricity generation and allow them in all zones in town by right.

“The board wants to encourage these but at the same time make sure they meet standards in terms of land clearing, buffering and things like that,” Town Planner Douglas F. Albertson said.

A public hearing on the proposed amendment to the zoning bylaw will be held at Town Hall Nov. 8.

For the proposal to become law it would need to be approved by a two-thirds vote at a future Town Meeting.

Part of the motivation for this proposed bylaw comes from the town’s status as one of the state’s Green Communities, a designation that makes Belchertown eligible for grants aimed at energy conservation and which requires on the part of the designated communities commitments to reduce energy use in municipal buildings and vehicles, adopt stronger energy conservation rules for residential and commercial construction and streamline zoning procedures for renewable energy businesses.

The Planning Board’s proposal would apply to the installation of photovoltaic systems that could generate a minimum of 250 kilowatts of electricity, an amount that would typically be sold to an electric power company.

Albertson said the five-page proposed bylaw may be modified between now and the time it is presented to a Town Meeting, either in the fall or next spring.

The Planning Board defines the purposes of this proposal as being something encouraging the use of solar energy systems, protecting solar access, increasing local renewable energy production, decreasing reliance on fossil fuels to produce electricity and improving local air quality.

An important feature states that commercial photovoltaic installations may proceed without the need for a special permit, variance, amendment, waiver or other discretionary approval, with one exception, in all zoning districts, including residential.

Installations of commercial solar panel systems on property without street frontage would require a special permit.

Site plan approval would be required.

Albertson said the proposed bylaw is designed to apply to large-scale systems that would be on the ground, not on roof tops.

“We calculate that a 250 kilowatt system would require about 1.5 to 2 acres of land to accommodate the panels and have room to move,” Albertson said.

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Forastiere Funeral Home

EAST LONGMEADOW - George Francis Guyer, Jr., 72, longtime resident of East Long-Meadow, passed away peacefully at home on Sat. Oct. 15th surrounded by his loving family. He retired from the former Baystate Gas Co. and was a communicant of St. Michael's Parish in East Longmeadow. He was gifted with many talents and built his family a house in Vermont and a barn at his East Longmeadow Home from trees he cut from his Vermont property. One of his favorite hobbies was restoring and collecting Model A's. He enjoyed oil painting and woodworking and made several pieces of furniture for his home. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and was also an adviser for the Enfield Police Explorers for four years. The family is most appreciative for the kindness and caring of the Baystate VNA & Hospice and Chestnut Medical Associates and to all the doctors that cared for him.

Recent Obituaries from the Republican

• Alexander Jr., Leonard R. "Len"
  




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  Berselli, Minnie M. (DiTomaso)
  



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  Chaiffre, Linda E. (Johnson)




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  Contant, Nancy A. (Manijak)
  



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  Dunn, Elaine E. (Brownell)
  




• Garcia, Rufina
  




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  Gonsalves, Dorothy V. (Perkins)
  



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  Goodwin, Dr. Arthur H.




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  Guyer Jr., George
  



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  Hatch, Judith J.
  




• Kasza-Miller, Carol J. "CJ"
  




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  Mannix, John J. "J"
  



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  Melendez, Juanita Torres




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  Oakley Jr., William Fred
  



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  Peters, William R. "Bill"
  




• Rockwell, W. Gordon
  




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  Rohan, Shirley A. (LaPine)
  



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  Torricelli, Mark J.




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  Truehart, Eunice P. (Mac Donald)
  



• 
  Turgeon, Normand J.
  

The new doors and windows have an estimated value of $300,000.

This is an updated version of a story posted yesterday afternoon.

SPRINGFIELD – Waleska Quinones remembers the tornado came quickly, and ended quickly, but left her home destroyed and her Six Corners neighborhood devastated.

She had no intention of leaving Springfield, she said.

Quinones was thankful this week that she has been selected as the first homeowner in the Springfield area, among many whose homes were lost or seriously damaged in the June 1 tornadoes, who are being provided a unique helping hand from 90 miles away.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), an independent public authority that manages Boston Logan International Airport and other public transportation facilities in the state, announced the donation of hundreds of new doors and windows this week for tornado victims in Greater Springfield.

The donation is roughly valued at $300,000, officials said.

The surplus doors and windows were donated to Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, which will distribute them to victims of the tornado.

The doors and windows came from Massport’s surplus inventory which was has been used over the years for sound-proofing of homes near Logan Airport.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, praised Massport for its “community spirit and expression of good will” in helping the area in its devastation.

David S. Mackey, interim chief executive officer and executive director of Massport, said the authority is “very proud” that its doors and windows, generally for homes in higher noise areas near Logan, can be used to provide some comfort to the victims of the tornadoes.

Massport had built up an very large inventory under a sound-proofing project that is 80 percent federally funded and involves high-quality doors and windows that could be added to new construction and renovations, either matching or made to fit, officials said.

“We thought this was an excellent opportunity to use them,” Mackey said.

The announcement was made outside Quinones’s property at 44 Clark St., where her family’s home is being rebuilt, currently just the foundation in place. The donation of the doors and windows to her family, the first family chosen by Habitat, will help fill the gap between the family’s insurance and the cost of rebuilding.

Quinones said the tornado left her family temporarily trapped and homeless and her neighborhood in devastation. She and her family have a temporary place to stay until the home is rebuilt.

“It took our home, but it didn’t take us,” she said.

Walter Tomala, board vice-president of Habitat, said the donation will “go a long way” toward not only helping the families but also the communities.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and representatives of HAP Housing also attended the event, and thanked Massport for its donation. HAP Housing is working with many of the victims of the tornado.

Victims of the tornado in need of the doors or windows can contact Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity at 104 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA, 01089. The organization can be reached at (413) 739-5503, or by e-mail at windows@habitatspringfield.org.

Massport also owns and operates public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport.

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to provide homeownership opportunities to low-income families, and to eradicate substandard housing. Homeowners seeking access to the doors and windows, however, are to any homeowners who were directly impacted by the June 1 tornado and in need of windows or doors.

There is a brief one-page application, and homeowners of all affected communities are encouraged to apply.

Commissioner Bud Selig endorsed the ban in March, but the players union hasn't committed to one.

Associated PressIn this Sept. 22, 2011 file photo, Baltimore Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds chews tobacco during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit. Four U.S. senators and health officials from the cities hosting the World Series are urging the baseball players union to agree to a ban on chewing tobacco at games and on camera.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. senators and health officials are taking on a baseball tradition older than the World Series itself: chewing tobacco on the diamond.

With the series set to begin Wednesday between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers — a team that started life as the Washington Senators 50 years ago — the senators, along with health officials from the teams' cities, want the players union to agree to a ban on chewing tobacco at games and on camera. They made the pleas in separate letters, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

"When players use smokeless tobacco, they endanger not only their own health, but also the health of millions of children who follow their example," the senators wrote to union head Michael Weiner. The letter was signed by Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and fellow Democrats Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senate health committee chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa.

The senators noted that millions of people will tune in to watch the series, including children.

"Unfortunately, as these young fans root for their favorite team and players, they also will watch their on-field heroes use smokeless tobacco products," they wrote. Smokeless tobacco includes chewing tobacco and dip.

With baseball's current collective bargaining agreement expiring in December, the senators, some government officials and public health groups want the players to agree to a tobacco ban in the next contract. A coalition including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association has been pushing for one since last year.

"Such an agreement would protect the health of players and be a great gift to your young fans," the senators wrote. Durbin also sent copies of the letter to the player representatives for his home state teams, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, as well as the representative for the Cardinals, a team that draws Illinois fans from across the river in Missouri.

Commissioner Bud Selig endorsed the ban in March, but the players union hasn't committed to one.

Weiner said in June that a "sincere effort" will be made to address the issue. Union spokesman Greg Bouris said Tuesday that since the issue is subject to collective bargaining which is currently taking place, it would be inappropriate to comment.

The first World Series took place in 1903, but chewing tobacco in the sport dates well back into the previous century, when the habit was a popular pastime in American culture, not just on baseball diamonds. Players used tobacco juice to soften gloves, keep their mouths wet on dusty fields, and doctor baseballs (the juice was part of the spitballer's arsenal until baseball banned the spitter in 1920).

Some baseball players interviewed by The Associated Press last month were receptive to the idea, but others viewed a ban as an infringement on their freedom. Baseball banned smokeless tobacco in the non-unionized minor leagues in the 1990s, and recent call-ups from the minors spoke of "Dip Police" who would come through clubhouses and cite players if they saw tobacco at their lockers, subjecting violators to fines.

The health officials from St. Louis and Arlington, Texas, asked that players in the World Series voluntarily abstain from using tobacco, in addition to calling for a permanent ban.

"The use of tobacco by big-league ballplayers at a single World Series game provides millions of dollars worth of free television advertising for an addictive and deadly product," wrote Dr. Cynthia Simmons, the Public Health Authority for Arlington, and Pamela Walker, the St. Louis interim health director. They said that with tobacco companies banned from advertising on TV, they "literally could not buy the ads that are effectively created by celebrity ballplayers using tobacco at games."

The Centers for Disease Control says that smokeless tobacco can cause cancer, oral health problems and nicotine addiction, and stresses it is not a safe alternative to smoking. Despite the risks, the CDC's most recent survey found that in 2009, 15 percent of high school boys used smokeless tobacco — a more than one-third increase over 2003, when 11 percent did.

Jack Lawrence bought the windows and planned to install them himself, but he became too busy caring for his wife, and only got a few done.

Photo by Lori Stabile / The RepublicanVolunteers Karen King and Todd A. Brothers, resident Richard E. Ladew and volunteer James P. Kelley, from left, hold a window that will be installed at the home at 84-86 Main St. in Monson that was damaged by the June 1 tornado.

MONSON - James P. Kelley remembered the impact that John M. "Jack" and Mary S. Lawrence had on him and his wife-to-be, Kimberly, when they taught their marriage preparation classes at St. Patrick's Church, so when he was asked to help the Lawrence family replace windows that had been blown out of their 84-86 Main St. home by the June 1 tornado, he didn't hesitate.

Kelley, a contractor, was at the Lawrence home - the one with the whimsical, colorful, wooden giraffes outside - the weekend of Oct. 8 with Todd A. Brothers, helping replace the two-family home's 28 windows.

Jack Lawrence was away, visiting family in Ohio after the death last month of his wife Mary from leukemia. Mary taught French at Palmer High School for many years, where she was known as "Madame Lawrence." They were married 40 years.

Jack Lawrence bought the windows and planned to install them himself, but he became too busy caring for his wife, and only got a few done.

"I replaced some of them, but she got so sick I wasn't able to do it anymore," Lawrence said.

His daughter, Jacqueline M. Ladew, connected with Karen King, the head of the "street angels" volunteer team, and King enlisted Kelley to help Lawrence. Ladew and her family share the home with Lawrence, and live at 86 Main St.

Lawrence said he is grateful to the volunteers for their help, and said he remembered the Kelleys from the classes years ago.

Now, the window replacement is half done, with the rest of the work expected to be completed this weekend.

"I'm glad they're going to do it. It's great they're able to do this for us," Lawrence said.

The house with the giraffes is hard to miss on Main Street. Amazingly, they were untouched by the tornado, even as it blew out windows, flung Ladew's Subaru Outback into a tree and leveled houses behind them on Washington Street and beyond.

"It didn't hurt the giraffes, but it hurt a lot of other things," Lawrence said.

He said he had to put giraffe making on hold during his wife's illness, and he's not sure if he will ever make them again.

Four years ago, he got into a spat with the former building inspector over working on the giraffes in his front yard and was ordered to stop - that led to Lawrence initiating a petition asking for the selectmen to correct that building inspector's job performance or to remove him. The selectmen stood by the actions of the building inspector.

Ladew's husband, Richard E. Ladew, said the entire family was home when the tornado tore through town on June 1. Lawrence said he and Mary watched it from the front porch, and were outside. Richard Ladew said he was inside the home, walking down the stairs, when the force of the wind burst the door open and shattered their living room window.

Their two daughters, Katherine, 3, and Madeline, 7, also were inside.

The tornado passed between the Lawrence-Ladew house and the house next door as it continued its path of destruction. The Ladews said they felt lucky that the house wasn't damaged more.

Richard Ladew estimated that the home is 100 years old, and said the new windows also will help keep in the heat this winter. He and his wife said they are thankful for the help from the volunteers.

"It's a relief especially with the cold winter coming. We had a boarded up window in the living room, and in the bedroom. It's nice to have light coming back in," Jacqueline Ladew said.