The law is the latest effort to reconcile free speech rights with the desire to protect children from predators who use electronic communications tools to entice their victims.

BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick has signed into law a measure designed to close what critics describe as a loophole in state law that fails to protect minors from obscene electronic messages sent to them by suspected sexual predators.

The change was included in a supplemental budget approved by lawmakers. It would bar anyone from using electronic means to purposefully disseminate harmful material to a person they know or believe to be a minor.

The language is the latest effort to reconcile free speech rights with the desire to protect children from predators who use tools such as the Internet, sexually-explicit text messages or emails to entice their victims.

A federal judge put on hold an earlier attempt to bring the law up to date, saying that the wording was too broad.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original Freedom Rides, Wang will join 39 other college students tracing the path of the Freedom Rides.

Courtesy of Zilong WangZilong Wang, 19, a second-year at Hampshire College will travel from Washington D.C to New Orleans as a Student Freedom Rider. He will be posting, blogging and tweeting on his trip thanks to a WiFi enabled bus.

AMHERST – To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original Freedom Rides, Hampshire College student Zilong Wang will join 39 other college students on a 10-day trip from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans, tracing the path of the Freedom Rides.

The Student Freedom Ride coincides with the release of Freedom Riders, a film by director Stanley Nelson, premiering on PBS’ American Experience on May 16.

“To understand where you come from, you need to go to the most opposite place to feel the shock,” said Wang, a second-year student.

On May 4, 1961, seven black and six white civil rights activists tested segregation laws by boarding interstate buses headed for the South. This form of protest grew in popularity and often resulted in arrests and violence towards the riders.

Wang, 19, an incoming student trustee, was selected out of 1,000 applicants from throughout the world.

“It’s a wonderful way for an international student to go into the deepest, and continuing, struggle of this country,” Wang said.

One of the trip’s themes focuses on the role of social media, like Facebook and Twitter, as a catalyst for social change. The application process asked students to explore their own thoughts on the topic. In Wang’s essay he discusses how critical a role technology has played in social and cultural struggles, citing examples in Iran and Egypt. But he also notes it is equally, if not more, important how users wield the technology itself.

“Eventually, it is not the technology that matters – it is the people. If people remain the same, our society will not go forward. Technologies are here. Now, it’s our role to make technology and social media work for the greater good of the society,” Wang wrote.

Wang studies history and philosophy with a concentration in the Future of Energy. He was born in Inner Mongolia, China, and completed his high school education as an exchange student in Germany.

“In China my first exposure to the civil rights movement was 'Forrest Gump.' A lot of people wouldn’t say it’s the most accurate, but it introduced me to the energy of the ‘'60s,” he said.

Wang says he has a more thorough education in social media than he does in the civil rights movement, but he says he has been “doing my homework and learning Freedom Riders songs and reading the book the movie was based on.”

Along the way the Student Freedom Riders will stop at Morehouse College in Atlanta with original Rider Bernard Lafayette, visit Montgomery’s First Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. and 1,500 others were rescued from a mob by the Kennedy administration, and attend a presentation at Vanderbilt University’s First Amendment Center. The trip will culminate in New Orleans with a public rally to welcome the Student Freedom Riders and the originals from 50 years ago.

As the bus makes stops on the historic route to visit memorials and meet with original Freedom Riders, student participants are encouraged to use social media to blog and post about their experiences through the WiFi available onboard the bus.

The Student Freedom Ride is not just a chance for personal education and discovery for Wang. He hopes he can make waves internationally.

“My intention is to start a dialogue between Chinese and American youth. There is so much misunderstanding, unnecessary misunderstanding,” he said.

Wang not only hopes to gain greater insight into the civil rights movement, he also seeks to develop a better understanding of the South as a whole.

“The South is invisible from international news coverage. There is no accurate image of the South,” he said.

For Wang, following the historic route of the Freedom Riders will provide a fresh perspective, much like coming to Western Massachusetts and Hampshire College as an international student. He is eager for the semester to conclude so he can board the bus, like countless others did in the 1960s, and “feel the shock.”

The steel is from the North Tower, which fell on top of the South Tower as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Republican | Don TreegerLudlow Fire department captains James Machado (left) and John Moll are with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center in New York. The steel will probably go into a new 9/11 memorial on the grounds of fire headquarters.

LUDLOW – Two Ludlow Fire Department captains have returned from Hangar 17 at JFK International Airport in New York City with a 2,200-pound remnant of twisted steel from the World Trade Center collapse.

Fire Captain James Machado said he and Fire Captain Jeffery Lavoie borrowed a flatbed truck from the town’s DPW and drove to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to pick up the steel that had been reserved for the Fire Department.

“We walked into a sea of metal and a large American flag,” Machado said. “It was sobering.”

The artifacts from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were offered to municipalities and other non-profit organizations for use in memorials to the victims of the trade center attacks.

Some of the requests are still being processed.

Firefighters in Enfield, Conn., in February picked up two 18-foot long steel beams which they plan to incorporate into a memorial to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The pieces of steel debris were reserved for towns so long as the towns could arrange to have the pieces picked up, Machado said. One group of firefighters picking up steel had driven 27 hours from Mesquite, Texas, he said. Another group had driven from Indiana.

“Hangar 17 is a solemn, quiet place,” Machado said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years.”

The 2,200-pound piece of steel is 10 feet long. Machado said he and Lavoie had to use a bucket loader, fork lifts and a chain to unload it into the Fire Department garage.

The steel is from the North Tower, Machado said. The North Tower collapsed on top of the South Tower. Steel from the South Tower is more fused together, he said.

“You can imagine the heat which could bend 1,000-pound pieces of steel,” he said.

“There were 3,000 lives lost during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, including 343 firefighters,” Machado said.

One of the men killed in the attack on the World Trade Center was Nicholas Humber, 60, a graduate of Ludlow High School who was living in Newton. The director of commercial sales for a California-based corporation, Humber was traveling on business and was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, the first of two jetliners which were crashed into the twin towers.

Ludlow Fire Chief Mark Babineau, who received approval from the Port Authority for a piece of steel for his community, said his goal is to build a memorial incorporating the piece of steel outside the town’s public safety complex by Sept. 11, 2011, the 10-year anniversary of the World Trade Center attack.

There is a lot of interest from the police and fire departments and from private citizens and the town in designing a memorial, Machado said.

“For me, this is about the brotherhood,” he said. “This memorial will be here forever. People will want to touch the steel.”

Obituaries from The Republican.

Stanley E. Litwin Jr.

Stanley E. "Stas" Litwin, Jr., 70, of Chicopee, passed away on Sunday at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home. He was born and raised in Chicopee, graduated from Chicopee High School in 1957 and was a lifelong resident of the city. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1958 to 1962 and attained the rank of corporal. Following his military service, he returned to Chicopee and received an associate's degree in business in 1966 from the former Springfield Technical Institute. Litwin was employed as a comptroller at the Smith & Wesson Company in Springfield, and last worked for 34 years for the United States Postal Service on Main Street in Springfield. He retired as a supervisor of the Computer Room for Time and Attendance and an auditor for the Postal Service. He was a communicant of Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Chicopee, and was a member of Fairview Council 4044 Knights of Columbus. Litwin was a 50-year member of the Tigers Athletic Club, a member of the Fairview American Legion Post 438, the Moose Family Center 1849, a life member of the Elks Lodge 1849, all in Chicopee, and a member of the Marine Corps League.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Bobala, Sharon E. (Robinson)




• 
  Buteau, Mary A.
  



• 
  Clarke, Daisy A (Hunter)
  




• Dice Jr., Harry G.
  




• 
  Erecacho, Kathleen M.
  



• 
  Gebo, Paul




• 
  Litwin Jr., Stanley E. "Stas"
  



• 
  Morris, Stephen J.
  




• Pelletier, Norman R.
  




• 
  Silva, Gloria J. (Kopyscinski)
  

Nay was originally arrested for creating a disturbance inside the Main Street bus station. Twelve hours later, he was also charged with murder.

This is an update of a story that was first posted at 12:12 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - A 36-year-old West Springfield man was charged Tuesday morning with the March 13 stabbing death of Craig Fish, the most recent of the city’s six homicides since Jan. 1.

Roger L. Nay, of 27 East School St., was charged with murder just before 8 a.m. while he was being held in the Springfield police lockup, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Nay had been arrested about 12 hours earlier after causing a disturbance Monday night in the Peter Pan Bus Terminal, 1776 Main St., Delaney said; during his arrest he shouted that he had a bomb, which caused the terminal to empty out. No bomb was found.

Delaney said when police approached him in the terminal, Nay shouted, “I am crazy and want to get locked up.”

He was initially charged with making a bomb threat, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and threatening to commit murder in connection with the disturbance at the bus terminal.

Those charges were amended Tuesday morning to include murder in connection with Fish’s slaying on March 13.

“He has always been a suspect right along,” Delaney said.

Police did not release a mugshot of Nay.

At his district court arraignment, Nay denied the charges. He was ordered held without the right to bail by Judge William J. Boyle and is due back in court on May 12.

Fish died of a laceration to his abdomen after he was found behind 96 Maple St. around 8:15 p.m. on March 13.

He died a short time later at Baystate Medical Center.

His death came hours after 16-year-old Kevin Gomez was shot to death on Belmont Avenue. The two cases are unrelated. There have been no homicides in Springfield since.

On April 1, state police detectives assigned to Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni became the lead agency for investigating new homicides in Springfield.

The switch, which lasts only until May 1, was intended by Mastroianni to give Springfield detectives a break from new cases to focus on outstanding ones.

With Nay’s arrest, Springfield police have made arrests in four of the six homicides this year.

Police did not disclose a possible motive for the homicide, but a woman who knew both Fish and Nay told The Republican Tuesday the two men knew each other but were not friendly.

“They didn’t like each other,” said the woman, who requested anonymity.

The woman said the two were likable, but their personalities changed, sometimes dramatically, when they drank alcohol or used drugs.

She said she was unaware Nay, whom she has known for more than six months, had been arrested until contacted by a Republican reporter.

Her comments about Fish echoed those made by some of his grief-stricken family members days after his death. They recalled him as a nice man who had a great sense of humor, but who also spent his adult life wrestling with substance abuse and alcohol problems.

Nay impressed her as a nice guy, sweet and gentle, and even quite generous. She said she did know what could have happened between the two that would have caused Nay to stab Fish.

“I can’t believe he would do it,” she said.

Staff writers George Graham and Buffy Spencer contributed to this report.

Belchertown recall elections will proceed against 3 selectmen even though the issue that prompted them, initial opposition to keeping Fox on the job, has been reversed.

Francis R. Fox Jr.

BELCHERTOWN – After months of uncertainty, a new contract has been signed by all five selectmen and Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr. that keeps him on the job through June 30, 2014.

Fox said the deal brings him closure.

Three of the five selectmen still face recall challenges in the May 16 town election. The challenges were prompted by their initial opposition to renewing the contract for Fox.

In February, Selectmen James A. Barry, Kenneth E. Elstein and George D. Archible voted not to offer Fox a new contract and did not say publicly why they wanted to replace him as chief when his current contract ends June 30.

The vote led to a meeting where about 100 people showed up to support keeping Fox as chief, and even though Archible and Elstein subsequently switched positions and voted with the majority to negotiate a new contract with Fox, the recall signature drive proceeded.

During a brief discussion about the contract Monday, Elstein apologized to Fox and his family and to the people of the town and said it was an extremely difficult situation.

“Communications have been dismal in this whole episode between this board and the people of the town,” Elstein said.

Elstein said the new eight-page contract has language about job performance appraisal and other items that will improve communications between the selectmen and the chief.

File photosBelchertown selectmen George Archible, James Barry and Kenneth Elstein will face a recall election during the annual town election on May 16.

Barry said the language about performance evaluations makes this contract stronger than previous contracts with the chief.

“He is our chief of police. He is going to be our chief of police. I support the Police Department and I support the chief,” Barry said.

Archible said he is comfortable with the decision to sign a new contract with Fox. He said that when he cast his original vote against contract renewal, he was acting in the best interest of the town and in good conscience.

The base salary for the job will stay at $79,536 under the new contract, but the chief will receive any raises granted to other non-union town employees covered by the Personnel Bylaws.

Education-based benefits, known as the Quinn Bill provisions, will stay in effect for the chief’s pay even though the state has withdrawn from any responsibility for paying a portion of these benefits.

Selectman Ronald E. Aponte said salary was never an issue with Fox throughout the contract deliberations.

Aponte and Selectman William R. Barnett favored a new contract for Fox throughout the process.

“One of the things that comes through loud and clear in this entire process is that the Board of Selectmen and the chief of police have to communicate better,’ Aponte said.

Jacques is facing a mandatory 10 year sentence if convicted of burning down the Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield.

File photo | The RepublicanMichael Jacques

SPRINGFIELD – A half day of jury deliberations produced no verdict Tuesday in the trial of a Michael F. Jacques, the white man accused of burning down a black congregation’s church to register his disapproval of Barack Obama’s election.

The 12-member jury will reconvene today to weigh evidence presented during a three-week trial in U.S. District Court. While Tuesday’s session was cut short for court scheduling reasons, the jury is scheduled for a full day on Wednesday.

Jacques, 26, of Springfield, is facing a mandatory 10-year sentence if convicted of burning down the Macedonia Church of God in Christ on Nov. 5, 2008 after learning that Obama had been elected the nation’s first black president.

Two others – Benjamin F. Haskell and Thomas A. Gleason, both 24, of Springfield – pleaded guilty in June to torching the $2.5 million project being built on Tinkham Road in Sixteen Acres.

Like Haskell and Gleason, Jacques confessed to the crime after making incriminating statements to an undercover state trooper looking for arsonists to burn a building in Holyoke.

The defendant later recanted, claiming he was coerced during a 6½-hour videotaped interrogation that was used by the prosecution and defense during the trial.

During closing arguments Monday, prosecutors said they had presented overwhelming evidence of Jacques' guilt, from the videotaped confession to testimony from Gleason and a more than a dozen other witnesses.

Defense lawyer Lori H. Levinson said the case was built on coerced confession, no physical evidence, and conflicting accounts from witnesses with grudges or motives to mislead.

Minor flooding is expected in low-lying areas along the river in Northampton, Montague, Sunderland and Hadley.

Republican file photohe parking area for the Route 5 boat ramp in Northampton is underwater due to rising Connecticut River waters, as seen in this 2010 file photo

NORTHAMPTON - The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch Tuesday afternoon for areas along the Connecticut River in Hampshire and Franklin counties because of rising water levels due to melting of snow up north over the last few days.

Significant snow melt in Vermont and western New Hampshire, along with heavy rains is expected to raise the level of the Connecticut River in some places to very near flood stage over the next few days.

Minor flooding in expected in Montague and along the Oxbow in Northampton.

Water level in Montague on Tuesday afternoon was 18 inches below the flood stage of 28 feet. It is expected to rise to 29 feet before receding on Thursday morning.

Low-lying areas downstream in Sunderland and Whately should see minor flooding.

The area along the Oxbow was 110.4 feet, and is expected to reach flood stage of 112 feet two feet below flood stage of 112 feet and rising. It is expected to crest at 112.6 feet by Wednesday, which should cause minor flooding in the area of the Oxbow and along Aqua Vitae Drive in Hadley.

It is expected to take another six to nine months for the deal to be finalized.

Republican file photoWestover Metropolitan Airport

CHICOPEE – The military, the city and a non-profit development corporation are working out a property swap that would benefit each party.

The city, Westover Metropolitan Development Corp. and the Air Force Reserve have come up with a plan that would give Westover Air Reserve Base and the development corporation property they each need and allow the city to sell land it does not.

“It is a three-way swap and purchase in that everyone would get something they need,” said Allan W. Blair, chief executive officer of Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.

But Blair said the swap is complicated. Work to seal the deals began two years ago and is not expected to be finished for six to nine months.

In the first step of the plan, the city would sell about 6.5 acres off Fredette Street to Westover Metropolitan Development Corp. That land was part of a much larger parcel originally given to Chicopee when Westover Air Reserve Base was converted to a reserve base.

Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said condominiums were to be built on the land more than 20 years ago, but they were never constructed. City officials discovered they owned it when employees did an inventory of all property in the city several years ago.

Two appraisals of the land must be done before the sale price is figured to meet federal guidelines. Bissonnette said preliminary estimates value the land at about $400,000.

The development corporation is not planning to keep the 6.5 acres. Instead, it will swap the land with the Air Force Reserve in exchange for the passenger terminal at the Westover Metropolitan Airport, Blair said.

The Westover Metropolitan Airport, which is owned by the development corporation and created from Air Force surplus property, will also turn over two 1957 hangars it owns at the airport to the military, he said.

“We will end up with title to the passenger terminal that we have under long-term lease. The Air Force would get control of a couple of hangars they need, and the city would sell property on James Street that the military wants,” Blair said. “It is a win, win, win.”

The two hangars in question have had a number of uses over the years, but they are not vital to the airport, he said.

While the development corporation has a long-term lease for the airport terminal, two years ago it decided it would be better if it owned it, Blair said.

“We have a lot invested in the building ... and the most secure way to protect the investment is to own it,” Blair said.

Officials for Westover were not available for comment yesterday, but Bissonnette said the military has wanted the 6.5 acres for security reasons.

“The property would be transferred to the Department of Defense for perimeter security,” he said. “They prefer not to see it developed.”

Both will be closed 2 years or longer; pedestrian bridges will be built when the main bridges are closed.

File photos | The RepublicanThe Davitt, top, and Willimansett bridges in Chicopee are scheduled to undergo reconstruction starting in summer 2011.

CHICOPEE – Construction on two major bridges in the city is expected to begin soon, forcing both to be closed for two years or longer.

A contract to rebuild the Willimansett Bridge at a cost of $19.2 million has been awarded to Pihl Inc., of Canton, and work is expected to be starting soon. Construction bids to replace the Davitt Bridge for $10.2 million are due in June, according to a release submitted by State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee and Sens. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield and Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield.

“It is always challenging. What happens when you close a structure in a high traffic area you tend to get bottlenecks in other areas that the traffic is diverted to. The benefit is always on the back end when you have a modern and better structure,” Wagner said.

Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette agreed that it will be an inconvenience. Because of that he wrote to officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to request extended hours of the work.

“It is never a good thing when a bridge is out of service, but it has to be done. We will work with merchants in downtown Chicopee (and Willimansett), and there is access on both sides of the bridges from (Interstate) 391,” he said.

There are weight restrictions on both bridges because each is deteriorated, Bissonnette said.

“The most important thing about both bridges is they will be safe after this is done,” he said.

The contracts do call for extended hours of construction to reduce the amount of time when the bridges are closed.

For the Willimansett Bridge, the contractor is expected to run two shifts, so construction will run 16 hours a day, five days a week, Wagner said.

The bids for the Davitt Bridge call for the contractor to work 10-hour days, six days a week, he said.

The extended hours mean both projects will cost more, but the bridges will re-open sooner, Bissonnette said.

Still, each is expected to be closed for at least two years. Because contractors have plenty of preparation work to do before they close the bridges, it has not been determined exactly when the two will be closed, officials said.

A pedestrian bridge will cross both spans to make it easier for residents, Wagner said.

The completion of the two projects as well as the planned resurfacing of Route 33 will mean every major roadway and bridge in Chicopee has been reconstructed over the past 20 years, Wagner said.

“The Davitt Bridge ties in nicely with the completion of work on Front Street and Center Street and the re-paving on sidewalks and new lighting,” Bissonnette said.

The School Committee race was the only contested race in East Longmeadow.

The Republican | David MolnarRichard Freccero, the former principal of East Longmeadow High School, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's East Longmeadow town election.

EAST LONGMEADOW - The former principal of East Longmeadow High School earned the most votes during the annual town election Tuesday.

Richard Freccero received 1,437 votes beating out incumbent Angela K. Thorpe, who got 556 votes and newcomer William Berdnarzyk Jr., who got 135 votes for a three-year seat on the School Committee.

Joining Freccero will be incumbent Gregory Thompson who won a seat on the board with 1,077 votes. The School Committee race was the only contested race on Tuesday.

Town Clerk Thomas P. Florence said 16.6 percent or 1,835 of the town's 11,052 registered voters cast ballots.

"We had a steady turnout of voters all day. I was actually expecting about a 12 percent turnout, so this is great," he said.

Freccero said he is thankful for the support the of East Longmeadow voters, but he knows any of the other candidates could have done a great job.

"There were three other capable opponents and that pushed me to work very hard during this campaign," Freccero said.I have a deep sense of appreciation and I feel a lot of joy, but I also feel compassion for the two that lost because we all deserved to be on the committee."

Freccero said he is looking forward to working with the rest of the committee.

"I'm ready to make education decision that help all kids," he said.

This will be Thompson's second term on the School Committee. He said he is grateful to all of the people who voted for him.

The fire was reported at about 9 p.m.

Staff photo | Dave RobackLudlow firefighters on the scene of a fire at 432 Munsing Road

The fire was reported at about 9 p.m. Tuesday .

No information was available from the Fire Department about any injuries or the extent of the damage or injuri, but reports from the scene indicate the the dwelling sustained at least some damage to the exterior.

Voters will be asked to OK a $10,299,321 budget plus $360,000 to purchase a Fire Department tanker truck.

Republican file photoHampden Selectman John D. lynn

HAMPDEN – At the April 25 annual Town Meeting voters will be asked to approve a fiscal 2012 town budget of $10,299,321 as well as a renovation of the fire station and the purchase of a $360,000 Fire Department tanker truck.

Also on the town meeting warrant is approval of a $30,000 pickup truck with plow for the Highway Department.

The proposed town budget includes a $355,787 appropriation to pay the yearly bond on the new Minnechaug Regional High School now under construction.

The Advisory Committee will meet again before the annual Town Meeting to decide whether $140,000 of the annual bonding payment for the new high school should come out of the town’s $1 million stabilization account.

The Advisory Committee also will make a recommendation on whether a proposed $100,000 to renovate the fire station should come out of the town’s Stabilization Account.

Selectmen Chairman John D. Flynn said he thinks townspeople should vote on whether to take those funds out of the town’s stabilization, or savings account, at the spring annual Town Meeting.

A new $360,000 Fire Department tanker truck is needed to replace two Fire Department trucks.

The size of the new pumper/tanker truck will require the renovation of the fire station. The fire station needs to be made bigger to store the new pumper/tanker truck, Selectman Richard R. Green said.

The annual Town Meeting is set for April 25 at 7 p.m. at Thornton W. Burgess School.

The Advisory Committee will meet April 21 at 6 p.m. at the Hampden Town Hall to finalize its budget recommendations.

Study shows more women becoming addicted to online porn, victim embraces life after shark attack and more of the morning's headlines.

AP photoEgyptian authorities detained ousted leader Hosni Mubarak and sons for questioning.

• MBTA workers are thick-skinned when it comes to assaults [Boston.com]


• Wife of North Adams mayor arrested for shoplifting [Berkshireeagle.com]


• Body count mounts in Long Island serial killer probe [ABCnews.go.com]


• Hartford murder suspect cornered in Torrington [Courant.com]


• Kerouac and Lowell, forever intertwined [ValleyAdvocate.com]


• New director for center honoring Molly Bish, murdered Warren lifeguard [Telegram.com]


• Life goes on (big screen) after shark attack [WSJ.com]


• More women admitting online porn addiction [Guardian.UK]






Florida couple accused of keeping girl in backyard


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


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The proposal would establish a process for a business owner to apply for a special permit to add parking in some residential areas.

The Republican photo by Dave RobackEric Suher, owner of Mountain Park concert site, wasn't at Holyoke City Hall for parking debate Tuesday, but his presence was felt.

HOLYOKE – Eric S. Suher wasn’t in the room, but a lot of people said they felt the presence of the music-venue owner as debate ended at City Hall on a parking proposal.

The City Council Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board voted Tuesday to close a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would allow for the application of special permits to have parking lots in some residential areas.

It was from a recent Suher proposal that the idea arose to try to provide a way for businesses to gain extra parking space. This would be achieved by allowing for the application for a condition-laden special permit from the City Council to allow a parking lot in a residential zone.

Suher in February withdrew one proposal to add a lot of 200 to 300 spaces at the Mountain Park performance venue he owns and the city rejected another of his proposals.

A big objection of some residents in the Highlands Neighborhood during the Suher debate was that allowing the parking lot he sought would have required a zone change.

A zone change at the Mountain Park site – from the current Residential Agricultural to Business Highway – would have allowed what some foes consider to be intrusive uses later besides just parking, such as hotels, restaurants with drive-through service and transportation terminals.

So officials sought a way to address a business owner’s needs while heeding homeowners’ concerns. The proposal to allow parking by special permit came forth.

“The tools of compromise are before us....The city cannot survive if we don’t (help) the business community. The business community is nothing without the residential community,” council President Joseph M. McGiverin said.

But the proposal seems like a scheme to get around the zone-change denial for Suher, said Michael O’Connor, of Central Park Drive.

“This is not right,” O’Connor said.

Suher later refused to say whether he plans to refile the zone change request or, if the proposal passes, would seek a special permit to add parking at Mountain Park.

“I can’t comment on anything, company policy,” Suher said by phone.

Closing the hearing means further comments and other information from the public on the matter are prohibited.

The Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board will vote recommendations on the proposal. The full City Council will consider the recommendations and public hearing testimony in deciding whether to adopt the ordinance.

Prosecutors say 40-year-old police officer Todd Randall was caught on video in January 2010 accepting a $200 cash bribe in exchange for help in compromising an ongoing criminal investigation.

BOSTON (AP) — A Revere police officer is facing charges of lying to federal investigators.

Prosecutors say 40-year-old Todd Randall was caught on video in January 2010 accepting a $200 cash bribe in exchange for help in compromising an ongoing criminal investigation. Authorities say he was on duty and in uniform at the time.

The bribe was offered by an FBI informant and made as part of an ongoing corruption probe.

Federal prosecutors say when asked about the transaction last month, Randall denied it.

Randall was released on $10,000 at a hearing Tuesday in federal court. He was also ordered to surrender any firearms and his passport.

His lawyer says he plans to mount a "vigorous defense."

If convicted, Randall faces up to five years in prison.

Thursday should be sunny with a high of 65 degrees.

SPRINGFIELD – Western Massachusetts is in for a soggy and sloggy Wednesday.

“It’s going to be a cloudy and rain-filled day,” Abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Mike Masco said, adding that the rain and showers should linger here until 8 or 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service, meanwhile, citing significant snowmelt in northern New England over the last few days, has issued a flood warning for the Connecticut River in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties.

Flood-prone areas of the Connecticut River in Montague, Northampton and along the Connecticut border could see minor flooding.

In Northampton, the river was running at 111.3 feet at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The river there is expected to hit its floodstage of 112 feet by late Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Pleasant weather, however, will return to the region Thursay. “Tomorrow looks great, 65 and sunny,” Masco said.

Friday should be sunny too with slightly cooler temperatures, Masco said. More rain will arrive Saturday night into Sunday, he said.

Today's poll: Have the construction projects in downtown Westfield kept you from visiting the city?

Greg Saulmon / The Republican04.13.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Passengers wait for a bus by a blossoming tree on Main Street.

The Forecast

The Connecticut River in Northampton crept above its flood stage of 112 feet this morning, reaching 112.22 feet at 7 a.m., according to data from the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. The forecast shows the river rising to 113.4 feet by Friday morning.

A flood warning is in effect for the Northampton stretch of the river through at least Friday morning; minor flooding may affect Aqua Vitae Road in Hadley and some farming areas in Hatfield.

The high water comes courtesy of recent snow melt at the headwaters of the river's basin coupled with the current rain.

Speaking of which: it's raining, and it's going to rain. Thunderstorms possible after 4 p.m., and the high will only be around 50.

Find the full forecast here.

Today's Poll

With Westfield in the midst of a $14.4 million reconstruction of Main, Elm and Broad streets, an additional component of the city's downtown overhaul -- enhancements to Park Square Green -- has hit a snag.

Six construction bids for reconstruction and enhancement of the green, received by the city Monday, ranged from $1.7 million to just over $2 million.

Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said the price is too high.

“My promise to the city was to be fiscally responsible on this project. As a result, new bids will be requested and the structure will be listed for an alternate bid that will allow removal of that phase of the project if the price is not right,” Knapik said.

Meanwhile, the road work, which began last April, is scheduled for completion by fall.

What do you think -- have the construction projects in downtown Westfield kept you from visiting the city? Vote in our poll, and check back tomorrow for the results.

Tuesday's results: Yesterday, we asked, "Is a casino revenue-sharing plan a good deal for Holyoke and its neighbors?" 15 people voted. 53.33% said "yes"; 46.67% said "no."

Tuesday's Top 5

The top 5 headlines on MassLive.com on April 12 were:

1. Johnny Damon: 'Manny's in a better place now'


2. Editorial: Glenn Beck, Fox News face up to free-market reality


3. Granby motorcycle crash takes life of 28-year-old Abimael Mestre of Ludlow


4. Applebee's makes changes after child is served alcohol


5. Holyoke casino developers float revenue-sharing idea to give local communities a piece of the gaming action

Quote of the Day

“The tools of compromise are before us....The city cannot survive if we don’t (help) the business community. The business community is nothing without the residential community.”

— Holyoke City Council President Joseph M. McGiverin, on an effort to craft an ordinance that would allow for the application of special permits to have parking lots in some residential areas. The idea arose after Eric Suher proposed to add a lot of 200 to 300 spaces at Mountain Park. Read Mike Plaisance's article here.

Daily Data

The state legislature recently approved $200 million for cities and towns in the so-called Chapter 90 funds used for road repairs. Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill Monday.

The graphic below examines that funding through the relationship of three variables: city / town population (y-axis), FY2012 Chap. 90 apportionment per road mile (x-axis), and total road miles within each city / town (dot size). [Click "click to interact," and then mouse over a dot to see the data. You can use the drop-down menus to toggle among variables used for the axes and dot size.]

Cambridge checks in with the state's highest apportionment-per-mile, at $21,454. Springfield's apportionment, meanwhile, amounts to $8,752 per mile.

A more robust analysis would also look at traffic volume in addition to apportionment per mile; I'll see if I can build the right spreadsheet to make that happen.

The council has been working for five years to amend an 1892 law that created the water department as a mostly autonomous entity that raises operating money through fees.

CHICOPEE - A request to clarify the ordinance which would merge the water department into the department of public works may result in the City Council dumping the entire project.

"We are pretty well divided on doing anything," City Councilor James K. Tillotson said. "We have to convey to the mayor there is mixed feelings about this."

The council has been working for five years to amend an 1892 law that created the water department as a mostly autonomous entity that raises operating money through fees.

Republican file photoChicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette wants to place the city's water department under the supervision of the the department of public works.

The project began when Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette proposed placing the water department under the supervision of public works to make the two more efficient. The plan also calls for the water department to move into the public works headquarters on Baskin Drive.

The City Council voted 12-1 in February to change the law and petitioned the state legislature for its approval. Last week State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner requested a meeting with the council and mayor, saying the proposal needed clarification before it is voted on by lawmakers.

The current law gives the Water Commission, which is appointed by the mayor, the authority to oversee the work of the water superintendent, set rates, grant abatements and control the enterprise fund where fees are deposited.

Under legal interpretations received by Bissonnette, the new law would preserve the commission's right to set rates, grant abatements and control the enterprise fund, but put the supervision of the day-to-day operations into the hands of the public works superintendent.

Interpretations Wagner received from lawyers said the City Council would be able to decide who controls all water department functions through ordinance changes that can be made any time through majority votes.

A meeting Monday night with Bissonnette, several state lawmakers and the council's ordinance committee grew heated at times, with Bissonnette and Wagner arguing about different details.

Saying there were too many "gray areas" in the ordinance, Wagner called for modifications that would clarify details.

"The rate structure and abatement structure could be amended in ways I do not know," he said. "My interest in this is to make sure rate payers are protected."

While he disagreed, Bissonnette recommended adding clauses that would specifically say that the commission would retain the authority to do things such as set rates.

"If intent and the language does not match up it is hard for us to move forward," State Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield said.

To make changes, the City Council will first have to rescind its February vote and adopt a new one. That new law would have to be passed onto the legislature, Tillotson said.

The City Council agreed it would work on clarifying the issue, but after Bissonnette and the state legislators left, members questioned if they should change the law at all.

The White House wouldn't offer details of the president's approach ahead of Wednesday's speech.

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama arrives in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, to make remarks at the launch the national initiative to support and honor America's service members and their families. Retired Gen Stanley McChrystal, the former top US general in Afghanistan who was relieved of his duty last year , has been chosen to help lead the new initiative.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning his attention to the nation's crushing debt and trying to counter a Republican anti-deficit plan with a framework of his own that tackles politically sensitive health care programs while also increasing taxes.

The president on Wednesday was to deliver a speech outlining his proposal to reduce spending in Medicare and Medicaid, raise taxes on the wealthy and cut defense costs. In a pre-emptive response Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called any proposed tax increase "a nonstarter." The White House wouldn't offer details of the president's approach ahead of the speech. But an official commenting on the condition of anonymity said the plan borrows from the December recommendations of Obama's bipartisan fiscal commission, which proposed $4 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years.

In a preview, the White House said the speech aims to achieve "balanced" deficit reduction by keeping domestic spending low, reducing the defense budget, cutting excess health care spending in the nation's biggest benefit programs, and eliminating loopholes and breaks in the tax system.

Obama's address will draw contrasts with a Republican plan that cuts $5 trillion in spending over the next decade and which the White House says unfairly singles out middle-class taxpayers, older adults and the poor.

This new clash, just a week after the president announced he would seek re-election, ensures that the nation's fiscal health will be at the center of the 2012 presidential campaign. For the past two months, Obama has been arguing to protect his core spending priorities, including education and innovation. His turn to deficit reduction reflects the pressures he faces in a divided Congress and with a public increasingly anxious about the nation's debt, now exceeding $14 trillion.

The president is wading into a potential political thicket. Liberals fear he will propose cuts in prized Democratic programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the health care programs for older adults, the disabled and the poor, and in Social Security. Moderates worry that his plan could unravel bipartisan deficit-cutting negotiations. And Republicans already are poised to reject any proposal that includes tax increases.

For the White House, the speech at George Washington University comes as Obama pushes Congress to raise the limit on the national debt, which will permit the government to borrow more and thus meet its financial obligations. The country will reach its debt limit of $14.3 trillion by May 16. The Treasury Department has warned that failure to raise it by midsummer would drive up the cost of borrowing and destroy the economic recovery.

Obama will brief Congress' bipartisan leadership in the contents of his speech Wednesday morning at the White House.

His speech comes just before Congress votes on a $38 billion package of spending cuts that averted a government shutdown last week. Despite widespread antipathy toward the deal in both parties, House Republicans and the White House predicted the plan, which covers spending for the next six months, would pass.

As for the bigger, long-term deficit proposal, the White House was keeping a tight lid on details. But spokesman Jay Carney made clear the president would call for changes in Medicare and Medicaid. Obama also was expected to resurrect the tax increases on wealthy Americans that he put off in December as part of a tax deal with Congress.

"He believes that there has to be a balanced approach" to reducing long-term deficits, Carney said. "And that's entitlements, tax expenditures and defense."

The president's proposal is meant to be in sharp contrast with the plan offered by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan., R-Wis. That budget proposal, embraced by the House Republican leadership, would reduce spending by more than $5 trillion over 10 years with structural overhauls to Medicare and Medicaid while also making permanent all Bush-era tax cuts.

Obama could face resistance from Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to changes in Social Security.