The office gathered 178 pounds of candy for soldiers, sailors and marines last year.

Staff of Oakdale Dental Associates, in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE – Oakdale Dental’s annual collection of Halloween candy to send to U.S. troops stationed overseas has been extended through Friday.

The candy collection is continuing because the Oct. 29 snowstorm wiped out Halloween for many communities, said Karen E. Arble, administrator of Oakdale Dental, 1820 Northampton St.

The office collected 178 pounds of candy last year. Men and women stationed overseas reported that getting such treats was heartwarming, she said.

“Obviously, it means a lot to people to be able to help the troops,” Arble said.

Children and families can bring candy into the dental office, which is a few doors down from the Yankee Pedlar. Staff will weigh the candy and each pound will net one shot at a raffle prize, she said.

Prizes include season passes to Six Flags New England, in Agawam, and iPod shuffle music storage and listening devices, she said.

The candy will go to the 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, at Barnes Municipal Airport, in Westfield, for shipment to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and other posts worldwide, she said.

The office is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon, she said.

PeoplesBank and United Bank have made donations to help with the effort, she said.

Population shifts revealed in the 2010 census prompted redistricting, but polling places remain the same until 2012.

Staff Photo by John SuchockiHolyoke voter completes ballot in Sept. 20 preliminary election.

HOLYOKE – Officials reminded voters that they should vote at the same polling places as always during Tuesday’s election.

Redistricting that will shift some residents to different wards, and thus different polling places, doesn’t take effect until 2012, said Jeffrey F. Burkott, principal planner with the city Office of Planning and Development.

Residents and city councilors had called officials with polling place questions to prompt the reminder, he said.

Redistricting was needed to ensure voting wards have about the same number of residents to account for population shifts after the 2010 federal census.

The census showed the city’s population to be 39,880. That means each of the seven wards must have between 5,412 and 5,981 people, officials said.

Polling places are as follows:


WARD ONE

Precinct A - Rosary Towers, 24 Bowers St.

Precinct B - Prospect Heights Community Room, 41 Chestnut St.



WARD TWO

Precinct A - Morgan School gym, 596 South Bridge St.

Precinct B - Falcetti Towers, 475 Maple St.



WARD THREE

Precinct A - Elmwood Engine House, South Street

Precinct B - Metcalf School, 2019 Northampton St.



WARD FOUR

Precinct A - St. Paul’s Church, 485 Appleton St.

Precinct B - St. Paul’s Church, 485 Appleton St.



WARD FIVE

Precinct A - Lt. Elmer J. McMahon School gym, 75 Kane Road

Precinct B - Maurice A. Donahue School gym, Whiting Farms Road



WARD SIX

Precinct A - First Lutheran School, 1810 Northampton St.

Precinct B - First Lutheran School, 1810 Northampton St.



WARD SEVEN

Precinct A - E. N. White School, 1 Jefferson St.

Precinct B - E. N. White School, 1 Jefferson St.

Pallmer Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said the snowstorm destroyed the district's 100-year-old fire alarm box system.

The Republican/Michael Gordon

PALMER - Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said as of 10 p.m. on Sunday night, there were five National Grid customers still without power, but on Monday morning, the utility announced that it had restored service to all its customers in Massachusetts in the wake of the October snowstorm.

He said the leaf pit on Old Warren Road is open if residents want to dispose of their tree waste there.

Meanwhile, he said town officials are working on hiring a contractor to pick up vegetative debris. Residents can put piles of vegetative debris along the tree belt, but not on the sidewalk or in the roadway. Frydryk said it may take a week or two, but the debris will be picked up. He asks residents to remain patient during this process.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in Palmer on Tuesday to discuss storm recovery with town officials. Town officials do not yet know how much the Oct. 29 snowstorm and ongoing clean up will cost Palmer.

"The town's work is not done," Frydryk said.

Palmer Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said the snowstorm destroyed the district's 100-year-old fire alarm box system.

"All the wires came down," Roy said.

Roy said the district was in the process of phasing out these alarms, which are red and can be seen outside buildings or on utility poles around Fire District No. 1, which includes Thorndike.

Approximately two years ago, Roy said he notified all building owners to switch over to a wireless receiver or to use a private monitoring service as an alternative to the boxes. The boxes are wired to a smoke alarm inside the building; if the alarm goes off, the Fire Department is notified immediately.

"We were going to take the (fire alarm box) system out of service in June," said Roy, adding that didn't happen because for some businesses, it would have been a financial hardship to use a different system, and because it still was working fine.

Until the latest snowstorm, that is. Roy said he is encouraging businesses to use a wireless system because unlike the fire alarm boxes, wireless devices are not affected when poles and power lines are ripped down during storms.

He said there were approximately 100 fire alarm boxes left, including about 30 on buildings.

Springfield has 64 precincts.

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola organizes containers to be used at polling places prior to the preliminary election in Springfield.

The following are the Springfield polling locations on Tuesday, Election Day.

1A, B – Riverview Community Room, 82 Division St.
1C – New North C.C. Drop-In Center, 2594 Main St.
1D, E – Bay State Place, 414 Chestnut St.
1F – Hobby Club (Rear of Bldg.), 301 Chestnut St.
1G – Fire Department Headquarters, 605 Worthington St.
1H – The Good Life Center, 1600 East Columbus Ave.

2A – Hampden House, 190 Kendall St.
2B, C – Springfield Boys & Girls Club, 481 Carew St.
2D – Hampden House, 190 Kendall St.
2E, H – Van Sickle School, Gym, 1170 Carew St.
2F – Safety Complex, 1212 Carew St.
2G – Bowles School, 24 Bowles Park

3A – Emerson Hall (Next to Mason Wright), 439 Union St.
3B, C – Gentile Apts., Community Room, 85 William St.
3D, E – JC Williams Community Center, 116 Florence St.
3F, G – Holy Name Church/Social Center, 323 Dickinson St.
3H – Springfield Wesleyan Church, 98 White St.

4A, B – Rebecca Johnson School, 55 Catherine St.
4C – Mason Square Library, 765 State St.
4D – Highland House, 250 Oak Grove Ave.
4E – Mason Square Fire Station, 33 Eastern Ave.
4F, H – A.I.C. Health Science Complex, 1047 State St.
4G – Independence House, 1475 Roosevelt Ave.

5A, B – High School of Science and Technology Sports Complex, 60 Alton St.
5C – Mary Lynch School, 315 North Branch Parkway
5D, G – Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 1/2 Parker St.
5E – Pine Point Library, 204 Boston Rd.
5F – Duggan Middle School, 1015 Wilbraham Road.
5H – Church In The Acres, 1383 Wilbraham Road

6A, B – Forest Park Library Community Room, 380 Belmont Ave.
6C – Forest Park Manor Community Room, 25 Barney Lane
6D, F – Alice Beal School, 285 Tiffany St.
6E – Springfield Wesleyan Church, 98 White St.
6G, H – Martin Luther King Charter School, 285 Dorset St.

7A – Mary Dryden School, 190 Surrey Rd.
7B C – Frederick Harris School, 58 Hartford Terrace
7D – Talmadge School, 1395 Allen St.
7E, G – Brunton School, 1801 Parker St.
7F – Kiley Middle School, 80 Cooley St.
7H – Glickman School, 120 Ashland Ave.

8A – St. Mary's Church, 840 Page Blvd.
8B – Mary Lynch School, 315 North Branch Parkway.
8C – Central High School, 1840 Roosevelt Ave.
8D, F – John F Kennedy Middle School, 1385 Berkshire Ave.
8E – Indian Orchard Citizen's Council, 117 Main St., Indian Orchard
8G – Warner School, 493 Parker St.
8H – Pine Point Community Council, 335 Berkshire Ave.

Police Chief Russell Sienkeiwicz told the council that the volume of 911 calls during the power outage more than doubled the combined calls during Tropical Storm Irene and the 2009 rash of arsons in the city.

Photo by David Molnar / The RepublicanPublic safety officials briefed the City Council on the effects of last weekend's storm.

NORTHAMPTON – The City Council replenished the city’s stabilization fund Thursday, courtesy of a late influx of state aid.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick recently released the additional money after the state recalculated its revenues. For Northampton, it came to $268,800. The amount makes up for the cut in state aid from the previous year. However, the city has already put together its fiscal 2012 budget without factoring in the money.

Acting Mayor David J. Narkewicz proposed putting the additional aid in the stabilization fund, the “rainy day” account from which the city routinely draws additional money for items such as snow and ice removal and overtime. Narkewicz also noted that the city is about to go out to bond for the police station project and that bond rating agencies have informed the city they would like to see more money in the stabilization account. The council passed the measure unanimously.

The council also approved on first reading a slew of new ordinances designed to make King Street more conducive to commercial development. In the works for several years, the new plan divides King Street into three sections: a Central Business section that would in effect extend the downtown are to Trumbull Road; Entranceway Business, a transition zone between Trumbull and the bike path crossing; and Highway Business, a section geared for vehicle traffic on upper King Street.

Ward 3 Councilor Owen Freeman-Daniels proposed an amendment that would establish the maximum setback in the highway business section at 100 feet. Setbacks have been a contentious issue in the zoning, with the business community insisting that big commercial developers prefer to build farther away from the sidewalk. Freeman-Daniels withdrew the amendment, however, with the understanding that the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce would invite developers to the next meeting to explain their point of view. The council will take a second and final vote on the matter following that presentation.

Narkewicz also invited public safety and public works officials to update the council on the city’s response to the power outages. Police Chief Russell P. Sienkeiwicz told the council that the volume of 911 calls during the outage more than doubled the combined calls during Tropical Storm Irene and the Dec. 27, 2009, rash of arsons in the city.

“I felt it was important for people to hear from them,” Narkewicz said of the briefing.

The NEA Foundation awarded a $1.25 million grant to the Springfield schools in 2010, which includes a home-visit component.

Timothy T. Collins

SPRINGFIELD – The School Department has launched the second year of a five-year, $1.25 million grant program designed to improve student achievement, with local education officials praising the spirit of collaboration and an effort deemed key to the program’s success – involving parents.

The NEA Foundation, an independent public charity, announced the five-year grant in 2010, and has released the second-year installment of $250,000 this fall to continue the effort in Springfield.

The program, which targeted eight schools last year, is described as a collaborative effort of administrators, teachers and support organizations.

Springfield was one of three school districts in the nation to receive the grant under the foundation’s “Closing the Achievement Gaps Initiative.”

The program strategies include new professional development offerings for teachers; specialists provided at the schools to provide coaching in content, data analysis and classroom management; and the expanded parent engagement and home visit program. The goal is to improve test scores, graduation and attendance.

“The Springfield partners continue to have a laser-like focus on raising academic achievement for all while working to eliminate achievement gaps,” said Harriet Sanford, president and chief executive officer of the NEA Foundation, in a prepared release.

Alan Ingram

The parent-teacher home visits included an effort to visit all students’ homes at the targeted schools irrespective of the student’s achievement level, voluntary participation by parents and teachers, compensation for teacher time, and multiple visits over the span of elementary and high school grades.

The foundation, in a first-year summary, said that 57 teachers from the eight targeted schools took part in home visits, and visited more than 500 families.

Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram praised the initiative.

“We are proud of the many accomplishments that we have made over the last year and we are confident that our plan will yield even greater results for teachers, students and the community over the next year,” Ingram said.

Springfield’s program was jointly created by the school administration and the Springfield Education Association, representing teachers, union president Timothy T. Collins said.

The collaboration also included parents and community members, and “is making a positive difference for the children in our charge,” Collins said.

“Openly discussing and approaching the issues and challenges facing our school district is always beneficial and will go a long way toward closing the achievement gaps that hurt too many of our students,” Collins said.

In 2006, the grassroots coalition Pioneer Valley Project joined with the Springfield Education Association to create the first teacher home visit program in the city at Duggan Middle School, the foundation said.

The federal agency has approved more than $1 million in storm reimbursements in recent weeks for West Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Sturbridge, Holland and Brimfield.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayDebris from the tornado-damaged area on Clark Street in Springfield sits along the side of the road where one house has yet to have any work done to it while the house next door to the right shows signs of progress. Local officials meet with FEMA and MEMA representatives Monday at the federal building for an update on the reimbursement process.

SPRINGFIELD – Federal administrators fielded a volley of questions and complaints Monday from officials in tornado-damaged communities eager for storm reimbursements.

“When do we get the check?,” asked Gerald W. Hayes, the Westfield State University vice president helping to lead Springfield’s rebuilding effort.

Hayes and representatives from other Greater Springfield communities quizzed two Federal Emergency Management Agency officials at a forum organized by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield to bolster the recovery.

Mark H. Landry, a FEMA coordinating officer, said the federal reimbursement process takes time, especially in communities like Springfield that sustained extensive building damage.

Mark Landry

“This was a very Springfield-centric storm,” said Landry, adding that the city will get the largest share of the $58 million in storm relief funds distributed by FEMA.

Explaining the funding delay, Landry said Springfield has six reimbursement requests under review, and 45 awaiting fuller documentation.

T.J. Plante, the city’s finance director, said the city has repeatedly submitted requested documents, only to be told to submit more or different documents; what’s more, the city often deals with a shifting cast of FEMA employees on a single request as some are rotated to other assignments, Plante said.

Springfield expects the final cost form the July 1 tornadoes to exceed $100 million, including replacing three elementary schools and the South End Community Center.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the city has already shelled out $15.9 million on tornado-related expenses, and cannot keep spending at that pace. “We need to have money coming in,” Sarno said.

The federal agency has approved more than $1 million in storm reimbursements in recent weeks for West Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Sturbridge, Holland and Brimfield.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayCongressman Richard E. Neal opens a summit that he hosted with FEMA, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and local officials Monday at the Federal Building in Springfield.

Officials from West Springfield and Southbridge also expressed frustration during the session, adding that the freak October snowstorm only compounded the tornado recovery.

Late in the session, Hayes asked Landry to personally shepherd Springfield’s reimbursement requests through the FEMA bureaucracy.

When Landry responded that FEMA is working closely with Springfield officials and has the city’s recovery as its goal, Hayes responded: “So I can take that as a yes?”

Landry said he will help the city.

John McGough, a FEMA emergency management specialist, said the agency is scrambling to keep up with demands created by unusually volatile weather.

“We’re playing catch up as much as anyone else; the frequency of the storms has taken us by surprise,” McGough said.

Neal said the forum was held to bring the federal government and local officials together and speed up the reimbursement process if possible.

“That’s why we’re assembled here,” Neal said.

This disposition means that if Fontaine stays out of trouble for the next 3 years and abides by the terms of his release, the case against him will be dismissed.

The Republican | John SuchockiShawn Fontaine, a 17-year-old who was shot twice during a standoff with Palmer police, was released to the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services after his case was continued wihtout a finding in Palmer District Court.

PALMER - Shawn R. Fontaine, the teen who got shot twice during a standoff with police, was released to the custody of the state Department of Youth Services after his case was continued without a finding on Monday in Palmer District Court.

Fontaine, 17, who was charged with six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon after he threatened to shoot police officers, admitted to sufficient facts before Judge Patricia T. Poehler, who continued the case until November 2014.

Fontaine must remain drug and alcohol free, take prescribed medication, undergo counseling as required by the probation department, comply with Department of Youth Services and Department of Children and Families requirements, and report to probation within 48 hours of his release from Department of Youth Services, according to his court file.

Fontaine, whose address was listed as 38 Lionel Benoit Road, Springfield, had been held at the Ludlow jail since his release from a Worcester hospital about a week after being shot in the ankle and abdomen by Officer Scott T. Camilleri during the July 4 stand-off at 22 Pinney St.

Camilleri was legally justified in the shooting, Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni has said.

Prosecutor Colleen Martin had asked at Fontaine's pretrial last month that Fontaine serve 2½ years in the House of Correction. She said jail could give Fontaine structure that he has been lacking in his young life.

The stand-off began late July 4 when Fontaine showed up at 22 Pinney St., where he had been staying with his cousin. Fontaine's lawyer, Michael N. Kallock, said at the October pretrial hearing that his client felt a sense of "betrayal" because the cousin and another woman living there were going to relinquish their guardianship of him to the state.

Kallock had said Fontaine has been in and out of foster homes since he was 7 years old, and at times lived with his mother, who battled substance abuse.

One of the female residents at Pinney Street called 911 on July 4, saying a male subject whom she knew was banging on her door, demanding to be let inside and was armed with a gun. Responding officers only discovered that the weapon wasn't a real gun after Fontaine had been shot. The standoff lasted 20 minutes, with Fontaine repeatedly pointing the BB gun at officers and threatening them with it.

According to his court file, he allegedly told the officers, "Shoot me! Shoot me! You better shoot me because I'm going to shoot you and I won't miss."

This disposition means that if Fontaine stays out of trouble for the next three years and abides by the terms of his release, the case against him will be dismissed.

The prospect of financial disaster was real because of Italy's huge debts and slow growth.

Associated PressDemonstrators wear masks mocking Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, right, and Reform Minister Umberto Bossi carrying placards reading: "Silvio, change my diaper", left, and "I'm looking for confidence, payment in cash" during a demonstration staged by the Italian Democratic party in Rome on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

By FRANCES D'EMILIO
and VICTOR L. SIMPSON

ROME — Italy became the latest target in Europe's financial crisis Monday, as soaring borrowing rates intensified pressure on Premier Silvio Berlusconi to resign and let a new government reform the country's spendthrift ways.

Berlusconi batted away reports that he was considering stepping down in favor of early elections, saying they were "without foundation."

But the prospect of financial disaster was real because of Italy's huge debts and slow growth. Unlike Greece, Ireland and Portugal — the three countries that Europe has already bailed out — Italy's economy could be too large to rescue.

Investors want the government to quickly pass measures to boost growth and cut debt. But defections from Berlusconi's coalition government mean he no longer commands enough loyalty to pass the reforms.

Increasingly, Berlusconi is himself being seen as the problem.

If Berlusconi should resign or lose a confidence vote, President Giorgio Napolitano would decide whether to call early elections, or name a government of technocrats rather than politicians. The most widely discussed name to lead a technical government is Mario Monti, the former EU competition commissioner who once blocked General Electric's takeover of Honeywell.

The opposition center-left has long demanded the resignation of Berlusconi, citing sex scandals, criminal prosecutions and legislative priorities it says are aimed at protecting his own business interests rather than those of the country. However, it has failed to come up with a leader who can energize the base and create a credible program, leaving the opposition divided and rudderless.

The ultimate fear is that Italy cannot pay for its €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) debt and needs international help. Europe would struggle with a bailout that large, meaning a default that could break up the 17-nation eurozone and drag down the global economy.

During a G-20 summit last week, Berlusconi had to ask the International Monetary Fund to monitor the country's reform efforts, a humiliating step for the eurozone's third-largest economy.

The yield on Italy's 10-year bonds jumped another 0.42 of a percentage point Monday to 6.67 percent, its highest level since the euro was established in 1999. That is drawing uncomfortably near the 7 percent threshold that forced both Ireland and Portugal to accept bailouts. As yields rise, governments must devote more of their national budgets simply to paying interest costs, creating a vicious circle of debt.

File photo | Associated PressFILE - In this Friday, July 15, 2011 file photo, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi votes over a crucial euro70 billion ($99 billion) austerity package aimed at convincing investors that the eurozone's third-largest economy won't be swept into the debt crisis, at the lower house of parliament, in Rome. Pressure mounted on Premier Silvio Berlusconi to resign so a new government could pass the economic reforms Italy needs to avoid financial disaster, as the country's borrowing rates spiked Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, and talk of early elections intensified. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

When traders thought early Monday that Berlusconi might resign, those borrowing rates eased. But later in the day, when it was clear the 75-year-old would not leave willingly, rates shot up again, reflecting market fears that he is not the leader who can turn Italy around.

"The leader and his country are in danger of taking the rest of Europe, if not the world, into economic hell," said Louise Cooper, markets analyst at BGC Partners.

Stocks worldwide recovered from big losses as investors responded to the latest twists in Europe's efforts to control its debt crisis, including speculation over Berlusconi's future.

In New York, U.S. indexes were down much of the day on worries over Italy, but a late rally pushed the Dow Jones industrial average back above 12,000 on news that Greece could receive the latest installment of emergency aid as long as its two main parties commit to implementing reforms agreed as part of a European debt package.

The European Central Bank said Monday that it stepped up its program to buy government bonds last week, spending €9.5 billion ($13 billion). It has been buying bonds for weeks to keep a lid on borrowing costs to help prevent Italy and Spain from succumbing to the debt crisis.

Berlusconi had lunch Monday with his children and friends at his villa near Milan, sparking Italian news media to speculate he was devising an exit strategy. But the lunch is a long family tradition and his Facebook page said "the reports of my resignation are without foundation."

Public administration minister Renato Brunetta, a Berlusconi loyalist, acknowledged Monday that the government has a "numbers problem" in parliament and if a majority is lacking then "everybody goes home." Interior Minister Roberto Maroni agreed, adding "it is useless to persist."

James Walston, professor of political science at the American University of Rome, said Berlusconi's time is quickly running out, even though elections are not due until 2013.

"He could go tomorrow. He could go next week. The sort of pressure that he is under, coming from his own people, will make it sooner than later," he said.

But Berlusconi has remained defiant, insisting he still commands enough support in Parliament.

"I don't understand how rumors of my resignation are circulating," Berlusconi was quoted as saying Monday by Libero newspaper.

Only the loss of a confidence vote can force a government to resign. Opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani said lawmakers are planning exactly that. Political analysts say a vote could come as early as Tuesday, when parliament is expected to approve the state's balance sheets — a routine measure that failed by one vote last month.

Other analysts say should Berlusconi step down, he would seek to have his right-hand man, Gianni Letta, named to succeed him as premier until early elections can be organized. It is not known whether the Italian president, Napolitano, would agree to that.

If the opposition doesn't call a vote of confidence this week in an effort to unseat him, Berlusconi has pledged to call one himself to prove his majority stands, possibly next week, on reforms and other stopgap measures to lower Italy's debt — now near 120 percent of GDP — and revive the dormant economy.

The reform measures include a plan to sell government assets — expected to raise €5 billion ($6.9 billion) a year for three years — and tax breaks to reduce youth unemployment of 29 percent and to get women back into the work force in a country where just 48 percent of women have jobs. The legislation would also allow stores to stay open on Sundays and open up closed professions.

Berlusconi has also pledged to raise the retirement age to 67 for all to match European trends, despite the fierce resistance of his allies in the Northern League, on whom Berlusconi relies to govern. They have proven at times difficult allies, exerting a strong independent streak and challenging Berlusconi on key policies. The leader, Umberto Bossi, also has on several occasions expressed doubts about Berlusconi's ability to complete the current mandate.

The leader of Italy's largest labor confederation, meanwhile, predicted 2012 will be a "terrifying" year for the economy even if Berlusconi leaves power. CGIL leader Susanna Camusso also slammed Berlusconi's anti-crisis plan as containing virtually nothing to spark economic growth.

"I hope there will be (early elections), and that they will be soon for the good of the country," she told The Associated Press on Monday.

Mario Draghi, an Italian who just took over as European Central Bank president, said last week that since joining the euro, Italy has enjoyed unnaturally low interest rates for years because its monetary policy has been linked to that of stronger economies like Germany.

"For a long time spreads between sovereign bonds in the euro area were very narrow," he said. "They did not reflect the different realities of different countries."

In contrast, German borrowing costs hit a record low Monday, as investors fled to their bonds as a safe haven in Europe.

Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

So far, Feinberg said, he has awarded $6 billion to victims of the BP oil spill.

The Republican | Diane LedermanKenneth R. Feinberg, special master of the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund and overseer of the BP oil spill disaster fund, answers questions Monday during a press conference at the University of Massachusetts.

AMHERST - Kenneth R. Feinberg, special master of the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund and overseer of the BP oil spill disaster fund, announced Monday that he is giving 2,000 boxes of materials related to his work to the University of Massachusetts Libraries.

The collection includes memos and materials detailing how he responded to the challenge of deciding who received what kind of compensation and how much, for a myriad settlements, most notably the Sept. 11 victims fund.

But he also decided the executive compensation in the Troubled Asset Relief Fund as well as settlements in cases of involving the Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange and the shootings at Virginia Tech, among others.

So far, he said, he has awarded $6 billion to victims of the BP oil spill.

Feinberg, 66, spoke at press conference at the libraries and then participated in a panel discussion following the presentation on the topic “Perspectives on the Value of Human Life: A Celebration of the Papers of Kenneth R. Feinberg.” He was joined at the press conference by Jay Schaffer, director of UMass Libraries; James V. Staros, UMass provost and vice chancellor; and Joye Bowman, history professor.

The archives portray “my innermost thoughts on how to design and administer these programs.”

The archives also bear personal letters, including those he wrote to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. He was Kennedy’s chief of staff.

He said the funds that he has administrated are aberrations and the courts will prevail in settling most disagreements. “The programs are precedent to nothing.”

Rather, he said the funds “are a unique response to unprecedented American tragedy.”

It was a way for “policy makers ... to think outside of the box” in response. “I think the program has worked.”


Feinberg said he owes the University of Massachusetts because of what he learned when he was an undergraduate. His professors “taught me how to think, how to solve problems in a sophisticated, reasoned way.”

Since his graduation with a degree in history in 1967, he has returned to visit with many of his professors and “to reinforce my resolve, to reinvigorate my thinking,” he said.

Giving his archives “is the least I can do.”

Feinberg said that “UMass not only deserves the papers, but will take care of these papers,” and he is “honored” the university will accept them.

Along with the archive, he is providing funding for an archivists to catalog them. Robert S. Cox, head of the libraries’ special collections and university archives, said he is excited to receive the collection and the funding. He expects to hire an archivist for four years.

“We know it’s not a fad in research. It’s something we know (will have value) for the future, “ Cox said.

Bowman said the archives “will help us understand late 20th century and 21st century (history) a little better. ... It will help scholars and students look at ways in which values have changed about social justice and fairness.”

Feinberg was appointed to oversee the Sept. 11 Victim’s Compensation Fund by the Bush administration and by the Obama administration to oversee the Troubled Assets Relief Fund and the BP Oil spill fund.

"We are going over a week now and our nerves are getting frazzled," Somers Town Clerk Ann Logan said.

Associated PressA snapped utility pole leans over the road as the result of a fallen tree on the power lines on Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 in Enfield. Six days into an epic power outage that still has roughly 300,000 Connecticut residents in the dark, tempers are snapping as fast as the snow-laden branches that brought down wires across the region last weekend. (AP Photo/The Journal Inquirer, Leslloyd F. Alleyne)

Most people in Western Massachusetts had their power restored by Monday following the Oct. 29 snowstorm, but many in Connecticut were entering their second week without power.

In Connecticut, about 50,000 residents remained without electricity Monday, nine days after the storm. In New Jersey and Massachusetts, only a few hundred customers remained without power.

Connecticut Light & Power was listing 40 percent of Somers customers without power Monday. The outage map also listed 18 percent of Suffield customers without power and 7 percent of Enfield customers without power.

“We are going over a week now and our nerves are getting frazzled,” said Somers Town Clerk Ann Logan. “This is something we never hope to go through again. It’s very difficult because we have so many trees and limbs down - big trees.”

Most public schools in Western Massachusetts reopened Monday.

In Springfield, all public schools were reopening Tuesday, ending a six-day closure.

It is not known yet how the missed school days will be made up in Springfield, said Azell M. Cavaan, communications director for the school system.

Sandra Ahearn, spokesman for Western Massachusetts Electric Co., said there were just a few scattered outages in Springfield as of Monday afternoon.

As of Monday, Springfield had collected more than 50,000 cubic yards of tree debris from the storm, said Thomas T. Walsh, the city’s communications director. The city has spent approximately $2 million on storm-related costs, he said.

He added that the city is seeking federal disaster aid reimbursement of those costs, anticipated at 75 percent.

Walsh said city parks, including Forest Park, are closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, so hanging branches can safely be removed.

Walgreens reported that flu vaccines were still available and were kept refrigerated in coolers during the power outage.

Power was restored to most customers in Wilbraham by Friday night or Saturday, Selectmen Chairman Patrick J. Brady said, and school reopened Monday, although parents were encouraged to walk children to bus stops because of concerns about hanging branches.

An emergency shelter for Hampden and Wilbraham residents at the Hampden Senior Center was closed Saturday night.

With power completely returned, Chicopee is now focusing on cleaning up downed trees and other debris, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said. The Department of Public Works is now doing regular trash collection and collecting leaves as they typically do. Because it is such a large job, the city has also hired a private company which will chip tree branches and brush left on the tree belt and carry that away, he said. The city is estimating it will cost about $2 million to clean up after the storm, he said.

Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said that as of 5 p.m. Monday, electrical power had been fully restored to the city.

The mayor said he was happy with the response of city workers as well as volunteers to the disaster.

“I’m very pleased,” Cohen said. “We had no tragedies, no tragedies whatsoever.”

Only about a dozen people spent the night Saturday at the Agawam Senior Center, which had been open 24 hours a day as a shelter and warming center. The Senior Center closed Sunday at mid-day.

School in Agawam reopened on Monday. Work clearing away storm debris left at curbside is continuing.

In West Springfield Mayor Edward J. Gibson said everyone except for a small number of people who need electrical work by a contractor has had electrical power restored.

Work continues picking up tree limbs and brush left by residents on town tree belts, Gibson said.

“That is pretty much where our focus will be for the next four to six weeks,” Gibson said.

Classes also resumed Monday in West Springfield’s public schools.

School will resume on Tuesday in Monson, School Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said.

In Palmer, Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said that as of 10 p.m. Sunday, there were five National Grid customers without power. Those customers were supposed to have their power restored by Monday night, he said.

The leaf pit on Old Warren Road is open if residents want to dispose of their tree waste, Frydryk said. Residents can put piles of vegetative debris along the tree belt, but not on the sidewalk or roadway, he said.

It may take a week or two, but the debris will be picked up, he said.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in Palmer on Tuesday to discuss storm recovery with town officials. There is no estimate yet on the cost of the cleanup in Palmer.

Palmer Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said the snowstorm destroyed the district’s 100-year-old fire alarm box system.

“All the wires came down,” Roy said.

Roy said he is encouraging businesses to use a wireless system because they are not affected when poles and power lines are ripped down during storms.

Frizzell replaces Diane Foley, who retired after 24 years on the job.

Republican flie photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Assistant Town Clerk Otto J. Frizzell was appointed town clerk Monday by the Town Council.

Councilors voted 8-0 to give Frizzell the position. Frizzell, 28, was the unanimous choice of the council’s three-member committee charged with leading the search.

Frizzell replaces former longtime Town Clerk Diane F. Foley, who retired Sept. 30 after 24 years on the job.

Mayor Edward J. Gibson swore the new clerk in during Monday’s Town Council meeting so he would be in office in time for Tuesday’s election. He had stepped up to serve as town clerk on an interim basis when Foley retired.

The mayor had fond words for Frizzell, who was an intern in his office during his senior year at Western New England University. Frizzell holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the Springfield college.

“I know when you did your internship in my office you stated your goal was to be a clerk in a town or city,” Gibson said. “The Town Council could not have chosen a finer individual.”

“I feel very good,” Frizzell said about the appointment after his swearin-in. “I decided it would be my goal to work in the municipal sector. ... I look forward to serving the people of West Springfield.”

The new town clerk, who lives in Westfield, grew up in the central Massachusetts community of Phillipston. He is a 2004 graduate of Western New England University.

He joined the Town Clerk’s Office in July 2005 as assistant voter registrar. He was promoted to assistant town clerk in February 2010.

Frizzell will be paid $54,480 plus a $1,800 stipend for being registrar of voters. He will receive the same benefits as department heads appointed by the mayor.

Sixteen people applied for the job. Aside from Frizzell, the other finalists were Mary-Frances Watson of Monson, Michael J. Monfredo of Worcester and Longmeadow Town Clerk Katherine T. Ingram.

Town Council President Kathleen A. Bourque made the motion to appoint Frizzell. Councilor George R. Kelly seconded her motion.

One person died in the blaze and another was treated for smoke inhalation at Wing Memorial Hospital, officials said.

By Republican reporters Suzanne McLaughlin and Conor Berry

MONSON — State police from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services are assisting Monson police and fire officials with a probe into a deadly house fire on Bumstead Road Monday that left one dead and another injured.

The fire at 110 Bumstead Road was reported around 5:30 p.m., Monson Police Chief Stephen Kozloski Jr. said. As of Monday night, state police were using a sniffer dog to detect if any accelerants contributed to the blaze, which remains under investigation.

Monson police and fire personnel discovered heavy fire and smoke inside and outside the house when they arrived at the scene, Kozloski said.

One resident escaped without injury, while another was taken to Palmer's Wing Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation treatment. A third resident was found dead inside the home, Kozloski said.

The victim's name was not immediately available but may be released later Tuesday, a public safety official said.

In the meantime, investigators are still trying to determine the cause and origin of the fire, which destroyed the home near Calkins Pond several miles south of Monson center.

This is a developing story. Updates will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

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In Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno is being challenged by City Council President Jose Tosado; in Holyoke, incumbent Elaine Pluta, 67, faces a battle against 22-year-old Alex Morse.

Keep up with municipal elections in Western Mass.

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Election Day arrives today with candidates scrambling for votes, a sunny weather forecast, federal observers in Springfield, and an “energy vs. experience” battle for mayor in Holyoke.

Five area mayors face election contests today, and many ballots will also feature City Council and School Committee races and some referendum questions.

Polling hours in the region vary. In Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Easthampton and South Hadley, they are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m; in Chicopee and Westfield, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and in Agawam and West Springfield, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The weather forecast in the Springfield area is mostly sunny with a high temperature of 68 degrees.

Domenic Sarno, left, and Jose Tosado

In Springfield, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno seeks re-election to a newly expanded four-year term. He has served two, two-year terms.

His challenger, City Council President Jose F. Tosado, if elected, would be the first Latino mayor in city history.

Both candidates, through their campaigns, said they would be traveling to various polling locations today until the polls close and then gathering with supporters.

Sarno was to meet supporters at campaign headquarters after 8 p.m., at 1492 Allen St., and Tosado had a gathering planned at the Aquarius, 1217 State St.

Both Sarno and Tosado took part in a Puerto Rican Heritage Month flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Monday, issuing proclamations.

Sarno said that since the arrival of a major snowstorm Oct. 29, he has been focused on the city’s recovery, and the election has been “the last thing on my mind.” He withdrew from two scheduled televised debates last week which were still conducted with Tosado as the sole participant.

The U.S. Justice Department will have federal monitors at some polls in Springfield on Election Day after receiving complaints from Ward 1 City Councilor Zaida Luna and voting rights groups, raising allegations of voting irregularities in Springfield during the preliminary election on Sept. 20. The allegations ranged from claims there was inadequate help for Spanish-speaking voters to some voters not being offered provisional ballots.

Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said the allegations were exaggerated and in some cases false, but said she is working with the federal monitors.

Elaine Pluta, left, and Alex Morse

In Holyoke, Mayor Elaine A. Pluta and challenger Alex B. Morse spent Monday holding signs at intersections, shaking hands with voters, making phone calls and meeting with staff.

Pluta said that Monday night and the hours before polls close today would be spent “door-knocking to undecideds, in between standing at different schools.”

Pluta, 67, is in her first, two-year term. She was a city councilor for 14 years.

Morse, 22, is a former career counselor who graduated from college in May and is making his first bid for elected office.

Morse finished first – by a single vote – in a field of four candidates for mayor in the preliminary election, Sept. 20. Pluta finished second in the preliminary election to set up the Election Day race.

“I’ll be getting up at 4:30 a.m. (Tuesday), greeting voters at the polls around the city, meeting with our staff,” Morse said.

If elected, Morse would become one of the youngest mayors voted into office in the state. In 1973, Gardner elected 21-year-old Stephen Erickson as mayor, according to Gardner’s City Clerk’s Office.

Holyoke officials reminded voters that their polling places for this election are the same as in previous elections. The redistricting that will shift some residents to different wards, and thus different polling places, doesn’t take effect until 2012.

Also, some prominent residents objected Monday to being listed as Pluta supporters on a letter distributed in Ward 7. One of those was Miriam L. “Mimi” Panitch, who said as a Planning Board member she was publicly neutral on the mayor’s race.

“I was in kind of an awkward position because I wish no harm to Mayor Pluta, (but) I wasn’t consulted or asked my permission,” Panitch said.

Pluta campaign manager Nelson Roman said volunteers compiled the line-up of supporters listed in the letter. The letter was intended to remind Ward 7 residents of her accomplishments, such as hiring new police and fire chiefs and dealing with the high teen-pregnancy rate, he said.

Roman said he would contact the volunteers who compiled the letter.

Pluta said she saw the letter and asked her staff if the residents whose names were listed had been contacted beforehand and was told yes.

“That’s all I know about it,” Pluta said.

Gary Lefebvre, left, and Michael Bissonnette

In Chicopee, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said he was focusing a lot more on organizing the city’s clean-up after the Oct. 29 storm than he was on campaigning for the election.

His challenger, Gary R. Lefebvre, owner of Nancy and Gary’s Place, said he had been talking to volunteers and getting food ready to bring to volunteers who are working the polls.

“I’m getting the food ready right now. We are making 200 sandwiches,” he said, adding he is using his restaurant’s recipe for ham and pickle and chicken salad.”

Richard Cohen, left, and Rosemary Sandlin

In Agawam, two veteran politicians are running for mayor: incumbent Mayor Richard A. Cohen is seeking re-election and is opposed by former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin.

Michael Tautznik, left, and Donald Emerson

In Easthampton, incumbent Mayor Michael A. Tautznik, who has served as mayor for 15 years, seeks re-election with a challenge from retired police captain Donald C. Emerson, a former town meeting representative.

Michael Bardsley, left, and David Narkewicz

Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins and West Springfield Mayor Edward J. Gibson chose not to seek re-election.

In Northampton, Michael R. Bardsley, a former eight-term City Council president, and David J. Narkewicz, current council president and acting mayor, are running for the mayor’s seat.

Gregory Neffinger, left, and Gerard Matthews

In West Springfield, architect Gregory C. Neffinger and Town Councilor Gerard B. Matthews are seeking the mayoral position.

Staff reporters Mike Plaisance and Jeanette Deforge contributed to this story.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority will conduct interviews with design firms and review applications regarding possible options for the 80-year-old school on Granby Road.

The RepublicanStudents at South Hadley's Plains Elementary School, pictured here in a 2007 Republican file photo, might get a new or significantly renovated school building once plans are finalized for the 80-year-old Granby Road facility.

SOUTH HADLEY — A committee of the Massachusetts School Building Authority is scheduled to meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Boston to hold interviews with design firms and review applications regarding possible improvement plans for South Hadley's Plains Elementary School.

The meeting is being held by the state School Building Authority's Designer Selection Panel, and it will take place at the authority's downtown Boston offices at 40 Broad St.

The session marks a step forward in the South Hadley School Building Committee's ongoing discussions about the future of Plains Elementary School, which is housed in a small, cramped 80-year-old building at 267 Granby Road. The school is located at one of busiest intersections in town, and South Hadley officials have been discussing possible upgrades for some time.

Various options include renovation and expansion or replacement of the aging elementary school. Town-owned land behind Mosier Elementary School has been cited as a potential location for a new elementary school, though plans have yet to be finalized.

The School Building Committee used town-approved funds and a state grant to hire a Arcadis Program and Construction Management to coordinate project plans. Arcadis, with offices in Massachusetts and Connecticut, is also project manager for the $125 million Roger L. Putnam Technical Vocational School building project in Springfield.

The School Building Committee is using $750,000 to come up with viable options for the school. And the School Building Authority -- a quasi-independent government authority -- has agreed to reimburse 60 percent of that cost to the South Hadley school district.

The School Building Authority was created to reform the process of funding capital improvement projects for commonwealth public schools. The authority works with local communities to create affordable, sustainable, and energy-efficient schools, according to its website.

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There's a gridiron clash brewing over an NFL quarterback's faith and pro football, thousands of Connecticut power customers still have no light or heat, and more morning news nuggets.

Staff photo by Conor BerryA stand of evergreens in the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden is pictured here about one week before an Oct. 29 nor'easter pounded the region, dumping well more than a foot of snow in some parts of the Pioneer Valley. On this particular day, however, the 353-acre sanctuary was downright autumnal, as brilliant sunlight, blue skies and seasonal temperatures prevailed. Laughing Brook, made famous by naturalist and children's book author, Thornton W. Burgess, includes a four-mile trail system that wends its way through thick woodlands, rocky outcroppings, rivers and streams. The occasional bear is spotted in the sanctuary, but you're more likely to encounter deer, kingfishers, warblers, thrushes and other forms of wildlife. Burgess used to live on land that is now part of the sanctuary.

• Northeast power outages hit many businesses hard [Boston.com]


• Neglected Bronx building that served as 'birthplace of Hip-Hop' gets new life [NYTimes.com]


• Fewer than 30,000 CL&P customers in Connecticut are still in the dark [Courant.com]


• Boston man arrested for carrying assault rifle [Boston.com]


• Boxing legend Joe Frazier dead at 67 [WashingtonPost.com]


• Connecticut police: Man dies after Waterbury stabbing [Courant.com]


• Top Obama aide relinquishes some duties after coming under fire [NYTimes.com]


• NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's faith at center of gridiron clash [NYTimes.com]


• Cape Cod trial in killing of teenager gets underway [CapeCodonline.com]



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Boxing great Smokin' Joe Frazier has died at age 67 (Associated Press video):
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SPRINGFIELD - Election Day dawned clear and bright as voters begin to head to the polls to weigh-in on a variety of races that have the potential to dramatically alter the region’s political landscape. Five area mayors face election contests today, and many ballots will also feature City Council and School Committee races and some referendum questions. Polling hours...

George Graham / The Republican11-8-11 - Springfield - Election Day dawns on Main Street in the city's North End.

SPRINGFIELD - Election Day dawned clear and bright as voters begin to head to the polls to weigh-in on a variety of races that have the potential to dramatically alter the region’s political landscape.

Five area mayors face election contests today, and many ballots will also feature City Council and School Committee races and some referendum questions.

Polling hours in the region vary. In Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Easthampton and South Hadley, they are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m; in Chicopee and Westfield, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and in Agawam and West Springfield, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Mike Masco said today will see sun and thin clouds with highs 60 to 65.

While lawmakers in Washington debated the debt ceiling and consumer confidence dropped, more homeowners in the U.S. were having a harder time making their mortgage payments.

In this Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, photo, the house of Dan and Maggie Micof is seen in Marine City, Mich. The Micoffs bought their two-bedroom home in the Detroit suburb in 2003. They paid $119,000. Eight years later, they’re underwater with a 6 percent loan. Today’s record-low mortgage rates are out of reach for millions of U.S. homeowners who would benefit from them most, but the Obama administration is hoping at least 1 million of these borrowers will take advantage of its refinancing program under the more lenient rules unveiled Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/The Port Huron Times Herald, Mark R. Rummel)

NEW YORK (AP) — While lawmakers in Washington debated the debt ceiling and consumer confidence dropped, more homeowners in the U.S. were having a harder time making their mortgage payments.

The rate that mortgage holders were late with their payments by 60 days or more rose in the June-to-September period for the first time since the last three months of 2009, according to TransUnion.

The credit reporting agency said 5.88 percent of homeowners missed two or more payments, an early sign of possible foreclosure. That was up from 5.82 percent in the second quarter of 2011.

The increase surprised TransUnion researchers, who previously forecast late payments, or delinquency, to fall for the quarter.

"It's much different than we've been talking about the last few quarters," said Tim Martin, group vice president of U.S. Housing in TransUnion's financial services business unit.

The problems were widespread. Between the second and third quarters, all but 10 states and the District of Columbia saw delinquency rates increase.

TransUnion's data is culled from 27 million credit reports, representing about 10 percent of all U.S. consumers who actively use some form of credit.

Martin could not pinpoint one particular reason for the jump. Normally, for instance, housing prices and unemployment have a big influence on delinquency. "Those are both still important, but neither has noticeably deteriorated," he said. In fact, unemployment was steady during the summer and the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index showed small improvements in housing prices in most major cities during July and August.

That leaves wider economic issues having a larger role, Martin said. He pointed to the U.S. credit rating downgrade, the U.S. and European debt crises and the tanking U.S. stock markets during this period. And he noted that two different measures of consumer confidence — the Conference Board and the University of Michigan — both showed those issues hurt consumer attitudes.

That atmosphere "could make folks question paying their mortgage," he observed.

Martin said there's no real way to tell if some of the delinquency increase was driven by people who decided not to make payments because their homes are worth less than they owe on their mortgage. But it is notable that three of the 10 states that saw declines in late payments were among the hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis: Arizona, California and Nevada.

In fact, Arizona had the best rate of improvement in the nation, and now has a delinquency rate of 7.46 percent. That still places it fourth worst in the country, but the rate is vastly improved from where it stood. In the fourth quarter of 2009, Arizona's delinquency rate hit 16 percent, the highest for any state since the foreclosure crisis began.

Arizona does, however, still have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation — one in every 44 housing units with a foreclosure filing in the third quarter, according to Realtytrac.

Another possibility for the bump in the delinquency rate is that a new crop of adjustable mortgages written toward the end of the housing bubble is resetting. Even if their interest rates remain low after the adjustment, the payments might have increased, said Darren Blomquist, a Realtytrac spokesman. "We still have the bad loans mixed in that are resetting."

Although TransUnion still expects the delinquency rate to resume declining in 2012, the company is now forecasting a few quarters of elevated nonpayment rates due to the uncertain economic outlook. The company doesn't predict a return to the national peak rate of 6.9 percent, but said some increase is expected.

"More and more homeowners are likely to struggle," Martin said. "I'm not sure this is a one-quarter blip."

That echoes predictions from other sources, like RealtyTrac.

"This isn't just about bad loans anymore," said Blomquist. "It's about a bad economy that's pushing people into foreclosure."

Let us know what's bringing you out to the polls on Tuesday.

Keep up with municipal elections in Western Mass.

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It's Election Day, and we at MassLive.com and The Republican have tried to make sure you've heard plenty from the candidates this election season — including having them answer your questions directly.

Now we want your answers: Who's got your vote?

We don't just want names, we want reasons. We want to know what issues are bringing you out to the polls today, and which candidates have you fired up, either for them or against them.

Your neighbors will be logging onto MassLive.com before heading out to vote this morning, so make the case for your candidate, or even your ballot question of choice.

Post your pitch in the comments: I'm voting for [x] because [y].

As always, follow election day coverage all day from The Republican and MassLive.com.

"There is not an ounce of truth to all these allegations" and the graphic account from Sharon Bialek is "totally fabricated," the Republican presidential candidate told late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Sharon Bialek, a Chicago-area woman,waits to address a news conference at the Friars Club, Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, in New York. Bialek accused Republican presidential contender Herman Cain of making an unwanted sexual advance against her in 1997. She says she wants to provide "a face and a voice" to support other accusers who have so far remained anonymous. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is vowing to "set the record straight" at a news conference one day after a fourth woman — and the first to reveal her identity — accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior a decade ago, the latest in a string of claims that have rocked his presidential campaign.

"There is not an ounce of truth to all these allegations" and the graphic account from Sharon Bialek is "totally fabricated," the Georgia businessman told late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

Bialek stood by her accusation when asked about it Tuesday morning in the wake of Cain's denial, saying in a nationally broadcast interview that she had "nothing to gain" by coming forward. She said "it's not about me. I'm not running for president."

Cain planned to address the latest furor in more detail Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix as he seeks to stem the fallout of a controversy stretching into its second week.

"I'm going to talk about it," Cain said, adding "we are taking this head on" — a reversal from just days ago when told reporters he was done answering questions about the matter.

That was before Bialek went on national television Monday and provided a name and a face to what had, until then, been at least three anonymous sexual harassment allegations against Cain. Bialek's accusations — that Cain groped her in a car after she asked for his help finding a job — spun his unorthodox campaign into an uncertain new territory.

An upstart in the presidential race, Cain shot to the top of public opinion polls and emerged, however temporarily, in surveys as the main conservative challenger to Mitt Romney. Tea party activists and conservatives unenthused with the former Massachusetts governor have flocked to Cain's tell-it-like-it-is style and self-styled outsider image in recent weeks.

There were, however, growing signs of unease in conservative circles as, one by one, a handful of women claimed Cain acted inappropriately toward them while the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

"He deserves a fair chance. But that doesn't mean he gets a pass. These are not anonymous allegations anymore unfortunately," said New Hampshire conservative activist Jennifer Horn, who last week had condemned media coverage of the allegations against Cain. "He does need to take another step and answer a few more questions."

"Oh," exclaimed South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly said when told details from Bialek's news conference. He said character issues matter in a state where the last governor tearfully confessed an affair and the current governor faced unproven allegations from two men that she had affairs. "Our voters care about moral attitude," Connelly said. "Character does matter."

Still, Cain backers remained solidly behind the former pizza company executive. They pointed to the presence of Gloria Allred — a high-profile attorney with Democratic ties — alongside Bialek at a news conference on Monday in New York as proof that the latest claim was a partisan smear.

"The fact that she's involved removes all credibility," Georgia Christian Coalition president Jerry Luquire said. "If he says he didn't do anything than I believe him."

Bialek said Tuesday she had no financial motivation to come forward, wasn't offered a job and wasn't being asked by Allred to pay a legal fee.

"I'm just doing this because it's the right thing to do," she said in one interview. Bialek said she waited so long to come forward because "I was embarrassed ... and I just kind of wanted it to go away."

Asked about Cain's characterization of her charges as a "total fabrication," Bialeck stood her ground. "I wanted to give him a platform to come clean, to tell the truth," she said. "I was trying to be nice about it and it just didn't work."

Bialek is the fourth woman to say that Cain engaged in inappropriate behavior during his time at the helm of the restaurant group.

At least two women who worked there at the time filed sexual harassment complaints.

A third woman told The Associated Press last week that she considered filing a workplace complaint against Cain over what she deemed sexually suggestive remarks and gestures that included a private invitation to his corporate apartment. And a former pollster for the restaurant association has said he witnessed yet another episode involving a different woman.

In New York on Monday, Bialek said Cain — an acquaintance — made a sexual advance in mid-July 1997, when she had travelled to Washington to have dinner with him in hopes he could help her find work or get her job back at the National Restaurant Association after she had been fired from a job in the group's education arm.

The two met in Washington, she said, and after having dinner were in a car for what she thought was a ride to an office building.

"Instead of going into the offices he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg, under my skirt toward my genitals," she said. "He also pushed my head toward his crotch."

She said she asked Cain what he was doing and recalled he replied, "You said you want a job, right?"

None of Cain's other accusers has provided details as graphic as Bialek's account. But Joel Bennett, an attorney who represents one of them, said her details were "similar in nature" to what his client encountered.

In his only public appearance of the day, Cain told Kimmel during the late-night interview that he got angry and disgusted as he watched Bialek and Allred. He said his wife didn't watch it but that he called her immediately afterward.

Minutes after Bialek's news conference, the Cain camp flatly denied the charges.

"Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone," spokesman J.D. Gordon said in a statement. Aides insisted that the newest allegation changed nothing and said Cain would move forward with his plans to attend a private speech in Phoenix on Tuesday morning and a debate Wednesday night in Michigan.

"We are staying on message and talking about the issues," Gordon told The Associated Press.

As if to prove the point, the Cain campaign released a new web video — targeting voters in the lead-off caucus state of Iowa — highlighting what it says are excessive federal regulations on farmers that are driving up costs for consumers.

But, behind the scenes, the campaign appeared to hunker down in damage-control mode; voicemails for Gordon and campaign manager Mark Block were full by mid-afternoon.

Later that night, the campaign announced that Cain would appear at the Phoenix news conference.

Aides made clear that he would fight the allegations, casting the allegations as baseless and seeking to undermine the credibility of both Bialek and her attorney in the news release.

"The questions the media should be asking are who's paying for Gloria Allred's fee, how did Ms. Bialek get introduced to Ms. Allred, and was she paid to come forward with these false accusations or was she promised employment?" the news release said.

Allred has said Bialek approached her and that her client didn't get compensated for stepping forward.

Bialek appeared in interviews Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS' "The Early Show," and NBC's "Today" show and CNN.

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Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in New Hampshire and Jim Davenport in South Carolina contributed to this report

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Follow Shannon McCaffrey at www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13