Obituaries from The Republican

Forastiere Funeral Home

EAST LONGMEADOW - Leonard Robert Alexander Jr., 87, died October 1, 2011 at Bluebird Estates, East Long-meadow after a short illness. Len was born in Stroudsburg, PA, February 17, 1924 to Leonard R. Alexander, Sr., and Myrtle Mae (Borger) Alexander, the oldest of four brothers. His father being in the textile trade, Len lived in Ohio, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts; graduating from Ware High School where he lettered in baseball, football and basketball. He attended Randles Naval Preparatory School in Washington, DC, and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. His Naval Units were ACORN 9 and 13 and were attached to the Marines, helping establish air bases on islands in the Pacific as they were conquered. He served two tours of duty in the Pacific in World War II as an Aviation Ordinance Mate, being a specialist on the Norden Bomb Sight. Len was injured on Saipan and was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans. In 1946, he married Evelyn Virginia Rutledge. He worked for textiles and for Monsanto/Solutia for 35 years retiring as their receiver in 1984. Len was active in Hope Congregational Church and the McKnight Athletic Association, both in Winchester Square, Springfield. He was the MAA president and coached basketball and baseball. Len was a 25 year member of the Springfield Lodge of Elks #61 and worked on the BINGO Committee and helped prepare many of the Elks' suppers. He enjoyed golf, fishing, and traveling: Australia, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Paris and Russia; as well as many US Elderhostel vacations. Len was a resident of East Longmeadow for 43 years and was a member of the First Congregational Church.

• Alexander Jr., Leonard R. "Len"

• Aubin, Sophie T.

• Bachurz, Sophie F.

• Bibeau, Roland V.

• Cromack, Richard M.

• Downie Jr., Francis

• Fritz, Mary

• Graves, David W.

• MacDonald, Raymond C.

• Rota, Marion

• Szczebak Esq., Stanley T.

• Wheeler, Shirley H. (Cook)

Paul Longtin of Leclerc Realty Corp. of Westfield said he would like to break ground at the former B'Shara's space on Riverdale Street in a couple of weeks.

File photo | The RepublicanB'Shara's Restaurant on Riverdale Street in West Springfield several years ago.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – A 70-seat takeout, fast-food restaurant may be opening at the site of the former B’Shara’s Restaurant on Riverdale Street.

The Planning Board on Wednesday voted 5-0 to grant the special permit needed to open such a business at 1268 Riverdale St. to Paul A. Longtin’s Leclerc Realty Corp. of Westfield.

Longtin said he wants to wait until a lease is signed with his prospective tenant, probably in a week or so, before he identifies it.

“We have serious negotiations in progress,” Longtin said.

The Westfield businessman said he would like to break ground in a couple of weeks and have work done before the end of the year.

Plans call for demolishing about 4,200 square feet of the existing structure of 7,620 square feet, according to Christopher Shea, the civil engineer with Sage Engineering of Westfield working on the project.

While 40 parking spaces are required, Shea said there will be 41.

Planning Administrator Richard A. Werbiskis said plans for the site, which is zoned Business A, conform to city zoning requirements and would be “a good reuse” of the property. The building at the site has been vacant for more than a year.

“This will be an improvement as to the use of the property,” Werbiskis said.

Traffic is not an issue with the site because only right turns are allowed off Riverdale Street to the site, Werbiskis said. “Traffic is already controlled,” he said.

The only person to express concern about the project was David I. Katz, chairman of the West Springfield Commission on Disabilities. He said he was worried that people using handicapped parking spaces behind the building might not see traffic going to and from the nearby Red Roof Inn.

Longtin said he would work with Katz to make the project as good as it can be.

In Springfield, the number of new jobs posted at FutureWorks, a one-stop career center, fell 39 percent from 633 in September 2010 to 389 this year, said Kevin e. Lynn, manager of business services at FutureWorks.

SPRINGFIELD – The statewide unemployment rate fell by a tenth of a percentage point in September from 7.4 percent to 7.3 percent, the lowest statewide unemployment rate since January of 2009.

Statistics released Thursday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development show that 12,100 more Massachusetts residents were employed in September than in August. But jobs data, which is collected separately from unemployment numbers, shows that the state lost 2,300 jobs in September, also according to statistics released Thursday.

Local unemployment statistics for September will not be available until next week. In August, the unemployment rate for greater Springfield was 8.4 percent in, unadjusted for seasonal changes in the economy.

The national seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in September.

In September, the number of completed mortgage foreclosures in Springfield increased 27.5 percent in September, from 40 in September of 2010 to 51 in September 201, according to data released by The Warren Group, a Boston-based provider of real-estate information. Cumulatively for the year, the number of mortgage foreclosure deeds field in Springfield fell 34.21 percent from 532 in the first nine months of 2010 to 350 in the first nine months of 2011.

The foreclosure deed is typically a final step in the foreclosure process.

It is all evidence of a very slow recovery, said Karl J. Petrick, an assistant professor of economics at Western New England University. Nationally, the number of new unemployment claims has fallen over the last few weeks indicating that the labor market is at least stabilizing.

He said it all gets back to a companies not sensing demand for goods and services.” Why would they hire they are not going to be able to sell what they are producing and what they stock on the shelves?” Petrick said.

The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said the state has gained 37,900 jobs year-to-date . Private jobs are up 53,800 year-over-year which is offset by a decline in government jobs.

Jobs numbers and unemployment data can conflict, Petrick said. Unemployment is based on a phone survey of households. But jobs numbers are based a phone survey of employers. The sample of companies tends toward larger employers, Petrick said.

“There might be a lot of people getting jobs at smaller companies that won’t show up in that survey,” he said.

Also, unemployment numbers don’t count people who are not looking for work.

“you only have to stop looking for four weeks,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you found a job.”

In Springfield, the number of new jobs posted at FutureWorks, a one-stop career center, fell 39 percent from 633 in September 2010 to 389, said Kevin e. Lynn, manager of business services at FutureWorks. The number of employers looking also fell 7 percent from 102 in September 2010 to 95 in September 2011.

“I think the improvement in the labor market has come in the eastern part of the state,” “If you look at what is happening here in Hampden County we are basically flat.”

State, local and federal officials gathered in Greenfield for the ceremonial start of a project that will see rail lines rebuilt between Springfield and Greenfield.

Associated Press photoAn Amtrak train leaves the station in Detroit Monday, May 9.

GREENFIELD - State, federal and local officials talked enthusiastically Thursday about the potential for increasing passenger rail service in Western Massachusetts and economic benefits expected when tracks between Springfield and Northfield are rebuilt.

They gathered next to Pan American Rail track in Greenfield in anticipation of receiving a $73 million grant that is part of the 2009 stimulus bill designed to improve the economy and create jobs.

"Investing in transportation infrastructure enables our local, regional and sate economy. With this project 376 jobs have or will be added during construction,'' Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said during the ceremonial start of the project, which was held near the train station being built in Greenfield with funds from previous federal grants.

Officials said most of the new jobs created specifically for this project will be in other parts of the country, where steel rail lines and equipment are being manufactured for the upgrade of the 50-mile section of track.

They also predicted economic benefits and some new jobs in Western Massachusetts when these improvements allow passenger trains from Montreal to Washington, D.C.to return to their original path along the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, a route that was left only with freight service in 1989 because the condition of the track was not suitable for passenger service.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

Prosecutors say the killing is the 1st domestic homicide case in Massachusetts involving a same-sex married couple.

Photo courtesy of Narragansett Police DepartmentCara Rintala pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Hampshire Superior Court to killing her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, in their Granby home.

NORTHAMPTON - Cara L. Rintala pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, in what prosecutors say is the first domestic homicide case in Massachusetts involving a same-sex married couple.

Rintala, 45, was arrested in her Rhode Island home Wednesday, less than an hour after a grand jury indicted her for first degree murder. She waived her right to an extradition hearing and was transported to Hampshire Superior Court for arraignment.

Rintala was brought by court officers into a courtroom packed with the family and friends of Cochrane Rintala and by her own supporters, including her stepfather. The victim's mother, Lucy Cochrane, sobbed and covered her mouth at the sight of the defendant.

Defense lawyer David P. Hoose waived the reading of the charge and entered the not guilty plea on his client's behalf. By agreement of the two sides, Rintala was held without right to bail pending a bail hearing on Monday.

According to Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne, Rintala was with the couple's 4-year-old daughter Brianna in their Narragansett, R.I., home when she was arrested Wednesday. Neither Gagne nor Hoose knew the whereabouts of the child.

According to prosecutors, Rintala killed Cochrane Rintala, 37, in their Granby home. Cochrane Rintala was found beaten and strangled to death in the house on March 29, 2010.

Annamarie Cochrane Rintala

In 2009, a year before Cochrane Rintala was killed, the couple filed for divorce. They settled their differences, however, and voluntarily withdrew the divorce papers. According to her family, Annamarie Rintala wanted to preserve the marriage for the sake of their child.

Gagne attributed the length of the 18-month investigation to the volume of evidence collected and the number of witnesses interviewed during the process, which began during the administration of former Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel. Current District Attorney David E. Sullivan took over the case after he was elected last November. At a press conference following the arraignment, Sullivan stressed that his office wanted to proceed carefully in the matter.

"We wanted to make sure we pursued every single possibility in this case," he said.

Gagne credited former prosecutors Renee L. Steese and Michael Cahillane for their work on the case.

"We conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of the entire case upon taking office in January, and continued with the investigation until such time as we were confident the Grand Jury would return an indictment against the true perpetrator of Annamarie Cochrane Rintala's murder," Gagne said in a statement. "While we remained cognizant of the delay, we were more concerned with the thoroughness of the investigation and the correctness of the result."

Gagne said his office kept the Cochrane family as up to date as possible without jeopardizing the investigation and thanked them for their patience. Pasquale Martin, the victim's uncle, said Thursday that the family listened in by phone in real time as Rintala was arrested late Wednesday. They knew weeks ago that the indictment as coming down this week, he said.

"As they were pulling (Rintala) over arresting her, they were telling us," said Martin.

Martin, who was present at the arraignment, said seeing Rintali made him angry.

"Someone is going to face justice," he said.

Although the indictment was handed down on Wednesday, it was sealed by Judge Bertha D. Josephson at the request of the Northwestern District Attorney's Office. The court then issued an arrest warrant for Rintala that was executed within a half-hour. Hoose said his client cooperated throughout the process and has adamantly denied responsibility for her former wife's death. He added that Rintala is not a flight risk.

"She always knew she was a suspect and never tried to avoid the process," he said.

The District Attorney's Office cited the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Violence and Assault, which stated that the murder case is a first in the state involving a same-sex married couple. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004.

Both Annamarie and Carla Rintana had careers in public safety, Annamarie as a paramedic, Cara as a Ludlow firefighter.

A judge ruled that Gary Sampson was denied his constitutional right to have his sentence decided by an impartial jury.

Associated PressIn this Aug. 2, 2001 file photo, Gary Sampson is arraigned in district court in Brockton, Mass., in connection with the stabbing death of 19-year-old Jonathan Rizzo of Kingston, Mass. Sampson was later sentenced to death for killing three people during a crime spree that year. Federal Judge Mark Wolf ruled Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 that Sampson was denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury and that he is "entitled to a new trial to determine whether the death penalty is justified in his case."

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday threw out the death penalty sentence against a man convicted of killing three people in Massachusetts and New Hampshire during a weeklong crime spree in 2001 and ordered a new trial to determine if he will be put to death.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that Gary Sampson was denied his constitutional right to have his sentence decided by an impartial jury and that he is "entitled to a new trial to determine whether the death penalty is justified in his case."

Sampson, a drifter who was raised in Abington, pleaded guilty to carjacking two Massachusetts men after each picked him up hitchhiking. He said he forced both men to drive to secluded spots, assured them he only wanted to steal their cars, then stabbed them repeatedly and slit their throats.

He then fled to New Hampshire, broke into a house in Meredith and strangled a third man.

In a motion for a new trial, Sampson's lawyers argued that three jurors had given inaccurate answers to questions they were asked during the jury selection process.

Wolf found that one of the jurors had intentionally and repeatedly answered questions dishonestly in an attempt to avoid talking about subjects that were painful to her. She never disclosed, for example, that her husband had a rifle and had threatened to shoot her, that she had ended her marriage because of her husband's substance abuse and that her daughter had served time in prison because of a drug problem.

Wolf said in his ruling that if the woman had disclosed those things during the jury selection process, the court would have found that there was a "high risk" that after listening to the evidence at Sampson's trial, her decision on whether to sentence Sampson to death could have been influenced by her life experiences. Wolf said the woman likely would have been excused from serving on the jury.

"In essence, despite dedicated efforts by the parties and the court to assure that the trial would be fair and the verdict final, it has now been proven that perjury by a juror resulted in a violation of Sampson's constitutional right to have the issue of whether he should live or die decided by twelve women and men who were each capable of deciding that most consequential question impartially," wrote Wolf, who presided at Sampson's trial.

Sampson was the first person sentenced to death in Massachusetts under the federal death penalty law. Massachusetts, which does not have a death penalty, has not executed anyone in more than half a century.

Sampson pleaded guilty to federal charges in the carjacking and killing of Jonathan Rizzo, a 19-year-old college student from Kingston, and Philip McCloskey, 69, of Taunton, in July 2001. A federal jury in Boston recommended the death penalty after hearing weeks of gruesome testimony about the killings.

Separately, Sampson pleaded guilty in state court in New Hampshire in the killing of Robert Whitney, 58, of Concord, a former city councilor. Sampson received a life sentence in Whitney's death.

"Gary Lee Sampson has admitted to the cold-blooded murders of Philip McCloskey, Jonathan Rizzo and Robert Whitney. Today's order does not change that fact," U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a statement.

Ortiz said prosecutors will meet with the victims' families to discuss the ruling and plan to "examine all of our legal options." Said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for Ortiz: "We are strongly considering an appeal as one of the options."

During the trial's sentencing phase, Sampson's lawyers said he was abused as a child and suffered from bipolar disorder, damage to the frontal lobe of his brain, and drug and alcohol addiction.

Family members of the victims could not immediately be reached for comment on Wolf's ruling.

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, who brought the case against Sampson, said he is disappointed that Sampson will get a new death penalty hearing.

"I feel horrible for the victims' families," Sullivan said.

"Sampson is an admitted cold-blooded killer and he deserves the death sentence that the jury imposed," he said.

Wolf had ordered that the execution be carried out in New Hampshire — the closest state with a death penalty — to make it more accessible to Sampson's victims. New Hampshire has a death penalty, although it hasn't executed anyone since 1939.

Sandlin says department heads in Agawam are paid "Boston area" salaries, but Cohen, the incumbent mayor, argues otherwise, citing salary figures from neighboring West Springfield. Watch video

Agawam Mayor Richard Cohen is seen with challenger Rosemarie Sandlin.

AGAWAM – Mayoral candidate Rosemary Sandlin has said if elected an area of the budget she would consider if cuts were needed would be department heads’ salaries.

During a recent editorial board meeting of The Republican, Sandlin said Agawam is paying "Boston area” salaries for officials like its police chief, town clerk and treasurer-collector.

“I’m concerned it is out of hand. We need to look at them (salaries) closely,” Sandlin said Wednesday.

However, Mayor Richard A. Cohen has responded by comparing Agawam salaries to those of similar officials in West Springfield, which also has a population of about 28,000. Cohen also argued that in Agawam department heads do more with less.

In Agawam, the police chief has annual base pay of $117,681 with Quinn bill incentives of $42,733, boosting his total yearly compensation to $160,414. In West Springfield, the police chief has base annual pay of $122,499 with Quinn Bill incentives of $22,880, resulting in total annual compensation of $145,379.

Cohen said the difference in Quinn Bill incentives is the result of Agawam having adopted the bill in 1973 and West Springfield having accepted it 15 years ago.

In Agawam, the town clerk is paid $93,546 a year along with a $1,000 stipend for being registrar as well, according to Cohen. In West Springfield, the town clerk’s pay is $65,360 a year plus $1,800 for being clerk to the registrars and $3,150 for being census director for a total of $70,310 a year.

In Agawam, the treasurer-collector is paid $117,681 a year along with a $450 longevity payment for a total of $118,131. In West Springfield, Cohen said the treasurer is paid $15,889 a year, the collector is paid $63,557 and the deputy treasurer is paid $43,085.

“City department heads in Agawam do a lot more with a smaller staff,” Cohen said. “It’s important to see the total picture.”

He said in West Springfield the treasurer, collector, police and town clerk’s offices have a total budget of $6,311,722 as opposed to the $4,692,692 for the same departments in Agawam.

There is less staffing in Agawam, Cohen said, citing the two town clerk’s offices as an example. In West Springfield, he said the town clerk has three employees, whereas in Agawam the town clerk has only two employees. In addition, Cohen said the total budget for the Agawam town clerk’s office is $216,623 as compared to $259,211 in West Springfield.

“You can spin the numbers any way you want,” Sandlin said of the departmental totals. ãThere are a lot of things to being a good manager. One is the ability to say ‘no’.”

Sandlin also criticized that Theroux’s positions as a liaison to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and membership on the Hampden County Retirement Board take him away from the office.

Cohen said PVTA meetings are mostly at night and held in Agawam and that Theroux goes to retirement board meetings on his own time.

The mayor went on to say that changing department head salaries would involve union negotiations that would be costly to renegotiate. He also said he doubts Sandlin could lower pay because she has accepted thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from unions with ties to city employees.

The mayor criticized that Sandlin while in the Legislature accepted a 5 percent pay hike in 2009 while workers in Agawam took pay freezes and raises of only 1 percent. He also chastised Sandlin for voting to keep for state employees the so-called holidays for hacks of Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day.

Sandlin said she has taken money from workers’ political action committees and that she was earning only about $60,000 to $61,000 a year when she left the legislature.

The state Department of Higher Education has awarded communities $5 million statewide to fund a program called Gear Up.

Schools in Springfield and Holyoke will receive more than $700,000 to promote higher education.

The state Department of Higher Education has awarded communities $5 million statewide to fund the program, which is called Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or Gear Up.

In Springfield, John J. Duggan Middle School, Putnam Vocational Technical High School and Central High School will receive funds.

In Holyoke, Peck Middle School and Holyoke High School will receive funds. These schools were selected in 1999 when the program began in the state.

The money will be distributed through the Colleges of Worcester Consortium Inc.

Pamela Boisvert, the vice president for higher education access services for the consortium, said the two communities will receive approximately $750,000 for the 2011-2012 year. The state plans on continuing the program for seven years totaling $35 million in grants. The expansion of funding means that Gear Up will be able to serve approximately 1,000 additional students per year.

Massachusetts was one of only 15 states whose proposals were approved this year, with a total of 42 states competing for funds.

Boisvert said the money will serve about 1,500 students in Springfield and 525 students in Holyoke.

The program begins working with students in seventh grade and follows them through high school. For the first time the grant will allow the program to follow students into their first year of college.

“This is great for us because we will not only be able to help students pursue a college or post secondary education, but we will be able to see how they do once they get there. Ultimately, it’s not just about making sure they get into college, but that they stay and complete their education,” she said.

The grant money is distributed locally by the Valley Opportunity Council Inc. in Chicopee. Jamie Chazen, the senior adviser for Gear Up, said the grant will go toward a variety of programs at each of the schools.

“We do college field trips and other educational field trips; we offer after-school tutoring, attendance and retention incentive programs, financial literacy workshops for parents and guardians, scholarships, advising and other programs,” she said.

Students must qualify for free or reduced lunch to participate in the program, she said.

A portion of the money will go toward full-time education advisors who are located within the schools and work with students giving them access to academic support services.

Hyde was arrested by East Longmeadow police after he was allegedly observed removing meat from his pants and placing it inside a cooler in his car.

File photo | Associated Press

PALMER – A 37-year-old Chicopee man denied larceny charges in Palmer District Court on Thursday after he was arrested for stealing two 16-pound ribeye steaks from his employer, Arnold’s Meats in East Longmeadow.

John Hyde, of 635 Pendleton Ave., Apt. 1B, was arrested by East Longmeadow police after he was allegedly observed removing the meat from his pants and placing it inside a cooler in his car.

East Longmeadow Detective Sgt. Patrick Manley said the department had received information that Hyde had been taking meat and reselling it. Manley said police believe the thefts have been occurring for some time; police set up surveillance to watch Hyde as he walked to his car during breaks.

Detective Joseph Barone wrote in his report included in the court file that he observed Hyde “walking in an unusual manner, his gait awkward, as if he was concealing something on his person.”

Manley said Hyde was a meat cutter at the Shaker Road company, and had worked there for approximately seven years. While in custody, he said Hyde got a text message on his phone ordering ribeye steaks.

The steaks seized by police were worth $100 each, Manley said.

Hyde, who was charged with larceny under $250 and larceny over $250 by a single scheme, will return to court on Dec. 20 for a pretrial conference. He was released on his own recognizance by Judge Patricia T. Poehler at his arraignment.

No one knows for sure why Thompson freed 56 animals including lions, tigers and bears on Tuesday.

Associated PressEmpty cages can be seen at the Muskingum County Animal Farm Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, in Zanesville, Ohio. The owner of a U.S. exotic animal farm who released dozens of tigers, lions and others beasts from their cages in a final act shot himself to death and then was bitten by one of his own animals, a sheriff said Thursday. An autopsy showed Terry Thompson had a bite wound on his head that appeared to have come from a large cat, such as a Bengal tiger, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz told a news conference.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An owner of dozens of wild animals who freed them before committing suicide this week was an avid gun collector who had traded weapons for a monkey, a leopard and a tiger cub, federal documents show.

Terry Thompson built his collection of exotic animals by swapping guns, sheltering animals no longer wanted by their owners and buying others at auctions, according to public records released Friday and interviews with those who knew him.

"Once you have an exotic animal, you're somewhat tagged as someone who will take unwanted or abandoned animals. And that's how it grew," Thompson said, according to a deposition that was part of the government's attempt to seize 133 weapons from him.

No one knows for sure why Thompson freed 56 animals including lions, tigers and bears on Tuesday and then committed suicide, triggering a big-game hunt in the Ohio countryside as police officers shot and killed 48 of them for fear they would harm humans. A 49th animal was killed by one of the big cats. The remaining animals were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo.

The frightening situation put a spotlight on the lack of oversight on exotic pets in some states. Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions. Gov. John Kasich announced he would push for a moratorium on exotic animal auctions and a crackdown on unlicensed auctions. He had let an order that banned buying and selling exotic animals expire this spring.

Those recent measures probably wouldn't have helped in Thompson's case, though, because he acquired most of his animals so long ago.

Deputies killed 18 rare Bengal tigers, 17 lions and eight bears in a hunt across eastern Ohio that has been criticized by some who say the animals should have been saved. The officers were ordered to kill the animals instead of trying to bring them down with tranquilizers for fear that those hit with darts would escape in the darkness before they dropped and would later regain consciousness.

Over the years, neighbors complained about a lion running loose and regularly called the sheriff about Thompson's horses roaming away from the property where the wild animals were kept.

Thompson, 62, had his share of troubles in the last year. He owed thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes, had marital problems and just returned home only a few weeks ago after spending a year in federal prison for possessing unregistered weapons.

A week before Thompson killed himself, a sheriff's deputy visited his farm because a neighbor complained about his horses getting out again.

Thompson promised he'd check the fences and admitted he was struggling to take care of all the animals, authorities said.

"Terry stated to me that he had just recently got home out of prison and he has not had very good control over any of his animals since he had been locked up," the deputy wrote in a report released Friday.

Thompson's estranged sister said he likely was overwhelmed financially when he committed suicide.

"I can just see him standing on that hill looking at every animal, thinking, 'How am I going to do this?'" Polly Thompson told The Associated Press. "And I'm sure he thought, 'Nobody wants me.'"

Terry Thompson got by financially on proceeds from a motorcycle business he sold, sales of horse trailers and other equipment and a small family inheritance. He also was a pilot who occasionally flew chartered planes for businesses.

Polly Thompson reluctantly testified against her brother about five years ago when he was charged with starving bison and cattle kept at their parents' farm near Zanesville.

"Anybody that has animals should take care of them," she said in an interview at her home on the outskirts of Zanesville.

Terry Thompson was a gun dealer in Zanesville for many years but told federal authorities he never hunted, according to court records. "Absolutely unequivocally not a hunter," he said.

His wife, Marian Thompson, told investigators that they never sold the animals or opened the farm to visitors.

"We don't want them on display," she said.

She told detectives in the past that they took in the animals because no one else wanted them. She also said she was trying to end the practice.

"I'm going to put a stop to bringing in all these animals. I'm telling Terry, 'No more,'" she said in a report filed in April 2005.

Authorities and animal experts went to the farm three years ago during a cruelty to animals investigation and found that some of the cages weren't padlocked and a few were secured with plastic ties that had been partially chewed, according to the records released by the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office.

The director of animal management from a wildlife preserve in Ohio said the bottoms of fences weren't secured and gates meant for dog kennels were used in pens housing the big cats. He also noted that a cage housing two lions should have had a much higher fence.

"There was also a tree in this cage area, and there was nothing to prevent the animal from climbing the tree and escaping," a report said.

Animal pens were scattered on the patio and driveway of the Thompsons' home on the property, and there were several others inside the garage and basement. They had a black leopard in the basement and two tigers and two lion cubs in the garage.

On a patio next to the Thompsons' pool, two lion cubs and one black bear cub were in the same pen.

A veterinarian from Columbus Zoo saw that a tiger was missing its tail and thought it had been ripped or bitten off by another animal in an adjoining cage. Two tigers were in a cage filled with standing water, rotting carcasses and lots of bones.

The zoo officials also expressed concerns about malnutrition and the sizes of the pens.

Thompson also kept a monkey in a cage too small for it to stand up in, kept a wolf in an old car and had a zebra in a horse trailer, said a Muskingum County resident familiar with Thompson who saw the conditions and spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions over the comments.

Authorities decided not to take the Thompsons' animals because there were no serious health problems but told the couple to fix the cages or they would get a court order forcing the changes.

Within three weeks, taller fences had been constructed. A county prosecutor then told detectives there was little else they could do because they had no authority to regulate anyone who keeps wild or exotic animals.

Even after the changes, detectives wrote in their final report that "it is impossible for the sheriff's office to say the Thompson property is safe."

The Town Council's decision to rescind the contract means it yet again will be looking for a town manager for Palmer.

PALMER – One of the town councilors who objected to the Town Council decision to rescind the contract with town manager pick Donald I. Jacobs said he thinks more time should have been given to iron out the differences between the two sides.

The other councilor said his negative vote was a statement against the process.

The vote to rescind the contract with Jacobs, of Holden, was 5-2, with councilors Blake E. Lamothe and Donald Blais Jr. casting the dissenting votes. Voting in favor of rescinding the offer at Thursday’s council meeting were Town Council President Paul E. Burns, and councilors Philip J. Hebert, Barbara A. Barry, Mary A. Salzmann and Karl S. Williams.

Blake Lamothe

Lamothe said he was sad that the rest of the council did not support Jacobs, and that there should have been more negotiating. The council held three negotiation sessions.

“He’s a very qualified candidate. I think he would have brought expertise into the town. I support the Town Council’s decision but I think we should have given it more time,” Lamothe said.

Blais said his vote was more of a “vote against the process” and not really a vote in favor of Jacobs.

Jacobs, who could not be reached for comment, has been working as a consultant for the last 12 years, but previously was the town manager in Plymouth and Southbridge. He was selected in a majority vote last month, though several councilors at the time expressed concern that he was not the right fit for Palmer. Hebert said he felt like the council was “settling.”

The council’s decision to rescind the contract means that it yet again will be looking for a town manager for Palmer.

Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard has been away, and is not expected to return until the end of November or early December. He has been available by telephone and email, and the council appointed Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk as acting town manager in case any day-to-day emergencies arise.

Town Council President Paul E. Burns, who refused to say what the sticking points were in the negotiations, said the job already has been advertised online on the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s website. He said resumes will be accepted until Nov. 10.

A subcommittee composed of Burns, Salzmann and Hebert will start reviewing resumes after that date. Burns hopes interviews can be held as early as the week before Thanksgiving.

Blanchard was appointed after acting town manager Patricia A. Kennedy retired at the end of June. She served in the acting position for a year, after the council fired Matthew S. Streeter in June 2010. Attempts to fill the town manager position starting in summer 2010 were abandoned after candidates dropped out, and a lone finalist was passed over in January. The council opted to keep Kennedy in the position instead.

Streeter’s predecessor, Richard Fitzgerald, was terminated by the council in April 2008.

Luna said her complaint is not political, but aimed at addressing significant problems at the polls that she heard about from voters.

Gladys Oyola

SPRINGFIELD – Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said Friday that accusations of voting problems during the Sept. 20 preliminary election, as alleged this week by Ward 1 City Councilor Zaida Luna, are exaggerated and in some cases false.

Luna, in a letter dated Thursday, asked the U.S. Department of Justice to place federal monitors at polling locations in Springfield that have high minority populations on Nov. 8. The monitors are needed “to help ensure the voters’ rights are protected and that egregious voter participation disparities are reduced,” said Luna, who represents a ward with a high Latino population.

The alleged problems on Sept. 20 included: polling places that did not open on time; the 3-1-1 citizen service center “consistently giving voters inaccurate voting times”; identifications being required when they should not be; polls with no Spanish speakers; and provisional ballots not being offered when problems arose, according to Luna’s complaint.

The Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People added its own complaint with the Department of Justice on Friday, saying it had received reports that some people were asked for photo identification in order to vote on Sept. 20.

Luna said there was at least one ballot handed to a voter, already marked for Domenic Sarno for mayor. Oyola said she knows the incident and that it was an accident immediately caught and corrected.

Zaida Luna

When a voter makes an error on a ballot, and asks for a new one, the old one is marked as “spoiled,” The worker accidentally picked up a spoiled ballot, gave it to the voter, caught the mistake and took it back, Oyola said.

Regarding photo identification, Oyola said there was some confusion by some poll workers if identification was needed if the voter was not on the city census and listed as “inactive.” All poll workers are being reminded that identification is not required.

The Department of Justice did send monitors to Springfield from 2006 to 2009, to settle a voting rights lawsuit filed in 2006. The Department of Justice had no comment on Friday on new complaints.

Oyola said the new claims made by Luna, who is a supporter of mayoral candidate Jose F. Tosado, were mostly the same ones raised in late September by Aron Goldman, who serves as a volunteer campaign strategist for Tosado. Tosado finished in second place behind Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in the preliminary.

Oyola said she spoke at length with Goldman, to address his concerns, but did not hear from Luna until Thursday.

“As the first Latina election commissioner, and the first bilingual election coordinator, these are issues near and dear to my heart, because of the fact that I worked to make them the standard for the city of Springfield,” Oyola said.

Goldman said he conferred with Luna before she filed her complaint, but said the issue is not political. Goldman said he feels passionately about protecting voting rights and knew there were a “ton of election day problems.”

Luna said her complaint is not political, but aimed at addressing significant problems at the polls that she heard about from voters. Many minority voters went to polls but many walked away without voting after encountering problems, she said.

Sarno said he questions why the issue is being raised now by Luna, four weeks after the preliminary election.

“It sounds like political posturing to me,” Sarno said. “I have complete, and I mean complete confidence in Gladys Oyola and the board of election commissioners.”

Tosado said his focus is on getting the vote out on Nov. 8, adding he is not personally involved in Luna’s complaint but “I completely support her and I have also heard the same allegations relative to voting irregularities.”

Oyola said that in contrast to Luna’s claim, the city had bilingual poll workers at all the polling places that were agreed upon in the prior Department of Justice settlement. She said that contrary to Luna’s allegations, there has been outreach to voters. Sarno said there has been particular outreach efforts to Latino voters.

Claims that signage for Latino voters was lacking was incorrect, Oyola said.

Oyola said she does not see a need for federal monitors but would welcome them if that is the decision by the Department of Justice.

“In every election, we strive to have as close to a perfect voting experience as possible knowing it is not likely to occur because the process is run by humans,” Oyola said.

There was a problem of one customer service representative for the 3-1-1 phone system telling voters that the polls were open until 9 p.m., Oyola said. That has been addressed in advance of the Nov. 8 election, she said.

The Hampden Superior Court panel will also be allowed to decide if the killing was premeditated.

Eric Denson, left, of Springfield, is accused of stabbing Cathedral High School student Conor Reynolds to death last year.

SPRINGFIELD – A judge ruled Friday the jury in the Eric B. Denson murder trial can consider whether the fatal stabbing of Conor W. Reynolds was done with “extreme atrocity and cruelty.”

And despite defense lawyer Harry Miles’ argument to the contrary, Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis ruled the jury could also consider whether the act was done with premeditation.

The rulings mean jurors can consider a first degree murder conviction for Denson, if they decide he is guilty of the stabbing, because the judge is allowing them to consider two of the three possible theories of first degree murder.

Velis referred to a medical examiner’s testimony about “the coughing, the lung sacs being filled tantamount to drowning.”

The judge said he can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be possible to consider the stabbing being done with “extreme atrocity and cruelty.

Denson is accused of the fatal stabbing of Reynolds, a Cathedral High School student and soccer standout, at a birthday party at the Blue Fusion club on March 13, 2010.

Velis said “if the voice of Mr. Reynolds were being heard in the courtroom,” Reynolds could describe his pain and suffering. “We don’t have that,” Velis said.

The defense has argued that Denson is being prosecuted in a case of mistaken identity.

First thing Friday morning, Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said the prosecution had finished presenting all its witnesses.

Miles then tried unsuccessfully to convince Velis there was not enough evidence presented to even let the jury consider a first degree murder conviction.

The jury was kept out of the courtroom while Velis heard the arguments and made his rulings.

A large contingent of Reynolds’ family, including his parents, were in the courtroom as the last few minutes of Reynolds’ life were revisited over and over again in graphic details.

“There’s been a lot of evidence about suffering, about the length of time Mr. Reynolds lingered,” Miles said

He said there is no evidence to show the act committed was “unusual, highly atrocious, extraordinarily cruel.”

Miles said in cases he has looked at extreme atrocity and cruelty involves machetes, swords or large weapons.

Miles said there is no evidence the assailant had premeditation to stab Reynolds.

Assistant District Attorney Marcia Julian said Police Officer John Zolla and Ashley Jaskula, Reynolds’ girlfriend, testified about the terrible pain Reynolds suffered.

Julian said plunging the knife into the neck in itself shows extreme atrocity and cruelty.

Julian said there was testimony the assailant ran to Reynolds, spoke to him, put his hand on his shoulder – which could be interpreted he was bracing himself to stab Reynolds – and stabbed Reynolds.

That showed premeditation, she said.

The third and final theory which can sustain a first degree murder conviction is if the death occurs during the commission of a felony, such as a drug deal or robbery. That theory was not presented in this case.

A first degree murder conviction carries with it a sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. A second degree conviction carries with it a life sentence, but the person can apply for parole after 15 years.

There is no assurance the person will get parole after 15 years or at any time. That is up to the state Parole Board.

Miles called to the stand three city police officers and questioned them about their roles on the night of the stabbing.

The defense case continues next week.

A woman was home in the house when the break occurred, police said.

LUDLOW – Police Thursday charged two Holyoke men with breaking and entering in the daytime, causing fear after a woman who lives on Jackie Drive reported that there was an unknown male in her bedroom.

Charged in the break were Fred A. Falcon, 22, of 66 Center Street, Holyoke, and Derek Garcia, 20, of 158 West Street, Apartment 204, Holyoke.

Both men were held on $25,000 bail following the break for arraignment in Palmer District Court.

The woman who was home during the break was unharmed, Sgt. Mark Mendes said.

After the two men left the house, the woman was able to get a description of the vehicle and the registration plate, police said.

Minutes later police officers located the car on Center Street.

The men gained entry into the house through a garage side door, police said.

Supporters of Ron Paul see his low debate exposure as an attempt to silence their outspoken leader.

AP Photo/Chris CarlsonFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. left, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry during a Republican presidential debate Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, in Las Vegas. Newt Gingrich looks on at right.

It should come as no surprise to those that have been keeping up with the recent GOP debates that the amount of time allotted for each candidate to speak has been uneven.

The Republican newsroom aggregated recent studies by Smart Politics, and Dawn of the Weak to get an idea of the amount of exposure each candidate is receiving. The chart below breaks down the percent of the total debate time commanded by each candidate in the four most recent debates. These figures are displayed alongside the most recent poll figures, as provided by Real Clear Politics, in order to compare the popularity of each candidate to their allotment of debate time.

Jon Huntsman is excluded from the chart because he opted out of the most recent debate in Nevada.

Unequal exposure

The moderator usually kicks things off by saying that each candidate will be given equal time to speak. It sounds good in theory, but it hasn't actually happens yet.

Mitt Romney has received the most debate time by far, totaling 56 minutes over the last four debates. According to Smart Politics:

A Smart Politics content analysis of the New Hampshire debate finds that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney tallied a full one-quarter of the speaking time given to the GOP field, or precisely double what would be an evenly distributed amount of time between the eight candidates

Rick Perry comes in second with 45 minutes, followed by Michele Bachmann with 34 minutes.

Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain round out the bottom with around 30 minutes each of exposure.

While it is evident that the candidates have not been receiving equal exposure over the last four debates, it is still unclear how this affects the popularity of each candidate. Despite the fact that Cain has had little time to talk as compared to Romney and Perry, he is currently leading them in the polls.

Is Ron Paul being marginalized?

Supporters of Paul see his low debate exposure as an attempt to silence their outspoken leader.

A movement to change this, called Black THIS Out, states on its website:

You have purposely attempted to marginalize the candidacy, criticize the electability, and mislead the public about the only true small government candidate running for the Republican nomination for President, congressman Ron Paul of Texas.

This seemingly radical group does have some unbiased support. The Smart Politics study mentioned above concluded that Paul has been marginalized in three of the four most recent debates.

Earlier this year, Paul nearly won the Ames Straw Poll, losing to Michelle Bachmann by less than 1 percent of the vote. Despite his success, he received little attention by news stations covering the event. A Politico article pointed to the lack of coverage Paul received after the Ames poll:

Ron Paul, despite his second-place showing in the Ames Straw Poll, is not receiving the same amount of news coverage as his GOP rivals, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

The "Daily Show"'s Jon Stewart on Ames Straw Poll Results

Kerry said the action fulfills an agreement with an Iraqi government that wants to shape its own future; Brown said the pullout is rushed.

File photo | Associated PressSen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, leans over to talk to Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass, at a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. John Kerry is welcoming President Obama's announcement that all troops in Iraq will be home by year's end, but Sen. Scott Brown said he's skeptical of the decision, which he called premature.

Obama said Friday that America's long and unpopular war in Iraq will be over and the remaining U.S. forces — nearly 40,000 in number — will be home for the holidays.

Kerry, a Democrat, said U.S. troops have served with honor and skill and the action being taken by Obama fulfills an agreement with an Iraqi government that wants to shape its own future.

Brown said the pullout is rushed.

The Massachusetts Republican said he's worried that a premature withdrawal of all U.S. troops could exacerbate Iraq's shortcomings and promote further instability there.

The Dow Jones industrial average, which closed up 267 points, is now up 2 percent from where it started at the beginning of the year.

Associated Press photoA car pauses at a McDonald's drive through window, in Springfield, Ill., on Monday. The McDonald's Corp. reported Friday that it increased its third-quarter net income by 9 percent to $1.51 billion, its ninth straight quarter of earnings gains.

NEW YORK – A broad rally swept through the stock market Friday after McDonald’s and several other large companies reported solid earnings. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed higher for the third straight week, its best run since February, as hope builds that a weekend meeting will bring European leaders closer to easing the region’s debt troubles.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 267.01 points, or 2.3 percent, to 11,808.79. The Dow is now up 2 percent from where it started 2011. Before Friday’s surge, it was down for the year. The Dow has risen for four weeks straight, the first time that has happened since January.

The combination of stronger earnings, better economic news and a sense that European officials were taking the debt crisis more seriously have helped lift stocks, said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Federated Investors. “It seems like there’s a greater sense of urgency to deal with Greece and the sovereign debt trouble in Europe,” Orlando said.

McDonald’s Corp., Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and Harman International Industries Inc. were among the companies that beat analysts’ expectations. The quarterly earnings season is off to a strong start. Of the 118 companies that reported earnings so far, 75 percent have beaten estimates, according to financial data provider FactSet.

The encouraging corporate news was in line with recent signs that the U.S. economy strengthened in September after a very weak summer. On Friday the government said unemployment fell last month in half of U.S. states and was unchanged in 11. That’s much better than in August, when unemployment rose in 26 states.

Markets have been moving sharply in recent weeks, mainly in reaction to the latest headlines out of Europe on the debt crisis. The Dow had a bigger jump on Oct. 10, 330 points, after the leaders of France and Germany pledged to have a comprehensive solution to the debt crisis in place by the end of the month. The Dow has now gained 10.8 percent since Oct. 3, when it sank to its lowest point of the year.

The S&P 500 gained 22.86 points, or 1.9 percent, to 1,238.25. Rising stocks in the S&P outpaced falling ones by a margin of 20 to 1: only 23 companies traded lower.

The Nasdaq composite index gained 38.84, or 1.5 percent, to 2,637.

European markets closed sharply higher as investors hoped that European leaders will agree on a package of measures to address the region’s debt crisis in time for a summit scheduled for Wednesday. Germany’s DAX index rose 3.5 percent. France’s CAC 40 and Italy’s FTSE MIB rose 2.8 percent.

Traders sold ultra-safe U.S. Treasury debt as riskier assets rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.22 percent from 2.18 percent late Thursday. Bond yields rise as demand for them falls and their prices decline.

Stocks were lifted earlier this week by better news about the U.S. economy. A measure of manufacturing in the Philadelphia region grew in October after contracting for two straight months. The number of people claiming unemployment benefits declined last week, and inflation remains low.

Among the companies reporting earnings late Thursday or early Friday:

• McDonald’s Corp. rose 3.7 percent after reporting a 9 percent increase in income. The results beat analysts’ expectations and marked McDonalds’ ninth straight quarter of gains.

• Harman International Industries Inc. jumped 20.6 percent, the most in the Standard & Poor’s 500, after the audio equipment maker’s income trumped expectations.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. leaped 8.3 percent after reporting a 25-percent jump in third-quarter income. The fast-casual chain raised prices, sold more burritos and opened new stores.

District Attorney Mark Mastroianni says Moran jeopardized public safety by sending a fire truck on a fake call to the Holyoke Mall, and has requested a criminal complaint.

The RepublicanHolyoke Deputy Chief William P. Moran will retire Nov. 23.

HOLYOKE – The Retirement Board has accepted the application of former acting fire chief William P. Moran, and his last day of employment will be Nov. 23, an official said Friday.

The departure is premature for Moran, 48, a 27-year veteran. As of mid-June, he had planned to apply for the position of permanent chief. But Moran became part of a criminal investigation after officials said he made a fake call.

A clerk magistrate in Springfield District Court is deciding whether to grant Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s request for a criminal complaint against Moran. Mastroianni said Moran on June 15 jeopardized public safety by sending a fire truck on a fake call to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

Moran didn’t return a call seeking comment Friday about his retirement. He also has declined to comment on Mastroianni’s request for a criminal complaint.

Moran, who was acting fire chief at the time, has been on paid leave using accrued sick and vacation time.

Fire Commission Chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky said she was unable to discuss whether sick time could be used in such a way if an employee isn’t really sick because it was a personnel matter.

Moran’s current title is deputy chief; the annual salary for that position is $68,775.

Moran filed for regular retirement, also known as superannuation, and the Retirement Board approved it Thursday, board Executive Director Cheryl A. Dugre said.

Approval is based on an employee having worked at least 10 years and being at least 55, or if younger than 55, having worked at least 20 years, she said.

Such pensions are typically about 50 percent of an average taken from the employee’s three highest paid consecutive years, Dugre said.

It was unclear how much Moran was being paid as acting fire chief. The Fire Commission Tuesday voted 3-0 to make John A. Pond, who was a captain, the permanent chief. The job’s annual salary was advertised at $95,000 to $104,500.

If a criminal complaint against Moran is issued and he is convicted, he would lose his pension. But he would be eligible to receive the money he has paid into the retirement system over the years, Dugre said.

Chesky said Pond has begun as the new permanent chief, and as for Moran, “I wish him the best in his retirement.”

On June 15, according to Mastroianni, Moran and a firefighter were having lunch at a restaurant at the small strip mall at Homestead Avenue and Westfield Road. They saw two firefighters from the neighboring station on Homestead Avenue walk by and go into another establishment to pick up lunch, Mastroianni said.

Shortly after the firefighters walked into the store, Moran called fire dispatch on his cell phone and ordered a truck sent to the mall for an investigation, Mastroianni said.

Firefighters respond to an investigation call by using emergency lights and sirens, and such a call jeopardized public safety, Mastroianni said.

“There was no need for investigative services at the Holyoke Mall and Chief Moran’s call was completely fictitious in nature,” Mastroianni said.

During the response, one driver failed to pull over for the fire truck and a four-car accident occurred at Homestead Avenue and Pynchon Road. The driver was treated at Holyoke Medical Center and released.

Mastroianni’s complaint application charges Moran with two misdemeanors: communicating false information to an emergency response facility and being a disorderly person.

If convicted, the charge of communication of false information could carry a maximum sentence of 2½ years in prison or a fine of $1,000.

The law also requires the defendant make restitution to the emergency response services provider for any costs, damages or losses.

Brown said Democrats, who hold a majority of seats in the Senate, forced a vote on a bill that would increase spending just to score political points.

File photo | Associated PressTeachers unions in Massachusetts have criticized U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., for his vote against a jobs bill backed by President Obama. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

BOSTON — Massachusetts teachers unions are criticizing U.S. Sen. Scott Brown for voting against a bill backed by President Barack Obama that Democratic supporters said would have increased the hiring of teachers and first responders in the state.

Brown, in turn, faulted Democrats for pushing a bill they knew would fail, and for stalling Republican-backed legislation that would prevent the government from withholding 3 percent of payments to government contractors.

In a conference call organized by the state Democratic party, Massachusetts Teachers Association President Paul Toner said Brown's vote on Thursday would end up hurting students and families.

But Brown said Democrats, who hold a majority of seats in the Senate, forced a vote on a bill that would increase spending just to score political points.

He called the move "political theater."

The event will feature Halloween-type parties at each of the 10 participating establishments where visitors will find food, treats, prizes, games, raffles, live music and surprises.

Manon Mirabelli photoManon L. Mirabelli Photo

WESTFIELD - A downtown restaurant and pub tour is nothing new in Westfield, but for the first time the event will celebrate the season with participants encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes.

Westfield’s Haunted Harvest Restaurant and Pub Tour on Saturday will feature Halloween-type parties at each of the 10 participating establishments where visitors will find food, treats, prizes, games, raffles, live music and surprises, organizers said.

For example, those registering at the Maple Leaf will find a Mardi Gras theme. A zombie party will be held at Shenanigans, while Mina’s Wine and Spirits will host Arabian Nights.

Lisa G. McMahon, executive director of the Westfield Business Improvement District, and Robert Plasse, president of Westfield on Weekends, have partnered their organizations once again to bring the event downtown in an effort to promote local business and introduce visitors to the city.

“I love that everyone who comes out gets to visit the gems of Westfield’s downtown life,” Plasse said. “It’s great to see people on the street having a good time.”

Past pub tours featured themes such as the spring’s Kentucky Derby, but the costumed Haunted Harvest, Plasse said, was an idea born of suggestion.

“It sprang out of so many people saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have it in the fall and dress up for the season,’” he said. “It offers us the opportunity to have all kinds of interesting decorations.”

In addition to each establishment’s themed party, the event will once again host a scavenger hunt and a pumpkin poker game where cards are collected at each tour stop visited. A prize is awarded at the end of the night to the person with the best poker hand.

Registration for the event will take place at the Maple Leaf on Arnold Street with a pre-party kick-off where a free appetizer buffet and live music will greet participants.

Dressing the part, Plasse said, is optional, but all guests are encouraged to participate in the spirit of the Haunted Harvest by breaking out their costumes for stops at School Street Bistro, Santiago Family Restaurant, The Maple Leaf, Shenanigans, The Nook, Tommy D’s, Mina’s Wines and Spirits, The Tavern, The Grape Crusher and The City Hotel.

For safety reasons, participants are asked not to wear masks or paint their faces.

“We encourage people to come out in groups and see what everyone else is wearing,” Plasse said.