Obituaries from The Republican today.

Donald N. Cook

HAMPDEN - Donald N. "Don" Cook, 70, of Hampden, died on Friday at home. He was born in Ludlow on January 2, 1941 a son of the late George E. and Rita M. (Dupont) Cook. He was a graduate of the former Springfield Technical High School, and was employed as an engineer for many years at Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks, Conn. He served his country in the United States Coast Guard during the Vietnam War. He was a member of the Indian Orchard Masonic Lodge A.F. & A.M. and a member of the Melha Shrine Temple, both in Springfield.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Baker, Adell (Greer)
  




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  Cook, Donald N. "Don"
  



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  Cristman, Richard R.




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  D'Aguiar, Belinda A. (Keegan)
  



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  Dawicki, John F. "Jack"
  




• DiDomenico, Mary J. (O'Bara)
  




• 
  Fleming, Charlotte
  



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  Gilday, Thomas J. "T.J."




• 
  Graham, Robert "Rob"
  



• 
  Guy Jr., Charles
  




• Hicks, Leonard F.
  




• 
  Hope, Anne
  



• 
  Jerzyk, Eugene




• 
  Kaczmarczyk, Elaine D. (Rec)
  



• 
  Loescher, Liesbeth Anna
  




• Loveland, Barbara (Bullard)
  




• 
  Miller, Jeffery Kenneth
  



• 
  Morin Jr., Raymond E.




• 
  Morton, Norma L.
  



• 
  Niejadlik, Irene A. (Zamora)
  




• O'Leary, Patricia M.
  




• 
  Plant, George G.
  



• 
  Schmidt, Lucille D. (Rivet)




• 
  Schmidt Jr., Paul A.
  



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  Shaw, Mary I.
  




• Shea, Francis L. "Frank"
  




• 
  Summers, Robert A.
  



• 
  Vignato, Rose Lemire (Rodrigues)




• 
  Zolotor, Aaron
  

The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 75 points to close just under 12,079.

Associated Press photoCustomers leave the Lowe's store in Saugus, Monday. Lowe's Cos.' third-quarter net income sank 44 percent, weighed down by charges tied to store closings and discontinued projects.

NEW YORK – The stock market fell Monday after a jump in Italy’s borrowing costs reminded investors of how much work remains to be done to contain Europe’s debt problems.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 75 points. European markets also fell and the euro weakened against the dollar.

Major indexes closed higher last week as Greece and Italy took steps toward getting their debt troubles under control. New governments are taking over in both countries, which are at the center of the crisis.

But worrisome signs about Europe re-emerged Monday. The Italian government had to pay the highest rate at an auction of five-year bonds since 1997. That’s a sign investors are still concerned about Italy’s ability to repay its debts. And Italy’s biggest bank, Unicredit, reported a $14.4 billion loss.

“The problems these countries are dealing with go well beyond their prime ministers,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG. “Italy didn’t get where it is in five minutes. And it’s not going to get out of where it is in five minutes. This is going to take months.”

The Dow fell 74.70 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 12,078.98. Bank of America Corp. fell 2.6 percent and JPMorgan Chase & Co. fell 2.2 percent, the largest drops among the 30 large companies in the Dow.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 12.06 points, or 1 percent, to 1,251.79. The Nasdaq composite index fell 21.53, or 0.8 percent, to 2,657.22.

Three stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was very light at 3 billion shares.

Stocks have risen since early October on encouraging signs of progress in containing Europe’s debt crisis, stronger U.S. corporate earnings and better news on the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 has soared 13.7 percent since hitting its low for the year on Oct. 3.

That surge has drawn big investors back into the stock market and opened the door to a long line of companies waiting to go public. The flow of money from institutions into U.S. stock funds hit $7.3 billion last week, the third largest tally this year, according to fund tracker EPFR Global.

Angie’s List, a customer review website, Delphi Automotive and seven other companies are scheduled to go public this week. If they all wind up going through, it would be the biggest week for IPOs in four years, according to Renaissance Capital, an IPO advisory firm.

In corporate news, the airline Emirates placed an order for 50 Boeing 777s, one of the largest orders ever placed with the aircraft maker. Boeing Co. also picked up a new customer, Oman Air, which ordered six 787s. Boeing rose 1.5 percent.

J.C. Penney Co. fell 2.8 percent after reporting a quarterly loss. The department store operator said its results were weighed down by restructuring costs. The company also lowered its earnings outlook for the rest of the year.

Lowe’s Cos. rose 1.7 percent after the country’s second-largest home-improvement retailer reported revenue and earnings that beat analysts’ expectations.

The Dow has made gains in six of the past 7 weeks, and is still up 1 percent for the month. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are slightly lower.

No major economic reports came out Monday.

The grant will be used to help students work with online interactive textbooks.

Grant will help local middle school students study weather patterns using computer simulations. (AP Photo/National Weather Service)

HOLYOKE – The pending presence of a high performance computing center downtown has led to a $250,000 grant that will help middle-school science students, officials said.

Having the $168 million technology hub under construction helped get the grant from the National Science Foundation, officials said last week.

Two middle school classes here and two in Springfield will work with college professors in using online interactive textbooks that offer simulations of things like changing weather patterns to help students learn, officials said.

Rick Adrion, a computer science professor at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst, and Christopher Hill, a geoscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston, are leading the effort.

Umass and MIT are two of the partners building the computing center at the site of the former Mastex Industries on Bigelow Street. The facility will do academic research using numerous computers sifting data into everything from medicine and the arts to climate change and cell structures.

The center is to be housed in a two-story, 90,000-square-foot complex of brick, precast concrete and glass expected to be done by late 2012, officials said.

The lessons middle school students get using the online texts will help them prepare for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems, or MCAS, exams for eighth-grade science, Adrion said.

For example, he said, one simulation will show how weather patterns change if a planet’s rotational velocity is slowed.

“We feel pretty strongly these simulations will make more real these concepts they have to learn,” Adrion said.

In the grant-funded program, students beginning in the spring will be using new technology. The Virtual Interactive Textbook was designed at MIT. And electronic integrated books were developed at Umass-Amherst, officials said.

The pages of the online textbooks students see will include links they can click on to access web pages providing details about items addressed in the lesson, Adrion said.

Hill said he and Adrion might not have collaborated without the computing center project.

“It spurred the interest between Rick and I,” Hill said.

At Umass, software development for the project is being led by Dave Hartof the Center for Educational Software Development. Florence Sullivan and Nat Turner of the UMass School of Education will work with teachers in Holyoke and Springfield to develop science units that will be adapted to the MIT and UMass systems, said Alexandra L. Swan, of Howell Communications, in Boston, computer center spokeswoman.

The National Science Foundation is a federal agency that the U.S. Congress established in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense,” according to the agency’s website.

Agawam police have declined to release the name of a motorists in an accident Thursday on Springfield Street that resulted in the death of a pedestrian.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen â The Agawam Police Department's patch.

AGAWAM – No criminal charges are expected stemming from the death of an 85-year-old pedestrian crossing Springfield Street Thursday, according to Lt. Eric Gillis.

The man, Edwin Smith of Kensington St., was struck by a vehicle about 4:45 p.m. Thursday and was pronounced dead shortly later at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Gillis said Smith was in the middle of the road at Hastings Street when the accident happened shortly after sunset. The police officer said as Smith was wearing dark clothes it is possible the driver had trouble seeing him.

Agawam police are investigating the accident with assistance from the state police collision analysis and reconstruction unit and crime scene services. Gillis said the probe will likely take months.

He declined to identify the driver, something he said is consistent with Police Department policy in regard to such incidents/

The Stanley Park director said the fund will also remember Ozzie with the installation of surveillance cameras to monitor the duck pond area.

View full sizeThe Republican | Dave RobackHandmade cards for Ozzie the duck, which was killed on Friday, are pinned to the covered bridge at Stanley Park in Westfield on Monday.

WESTFIELD – Sandy Hall and Carol Kotowicz were upset Monday on one of their frequent walks through Stanley Park.

“Who would do such a thing? I am very upset. That is just cruel,” Hall said, referring to the brutal death of Ozzie, a Muscovy duck that made Stanley Park his home for the past three years.

“He used to hang out with the geese,” Kotowicz said, pointing to a small flock of geese at the edge of one of two ponds at the park. “I wonder if they miss him,” she queried.

Ozzie was killed late Friday afternoon at about 4:30 p.m., closing time for the park, Park Director Robert C. McKean said.

“We have an eyewitness and we received a call today with additional information. That has been passed on to the Police Department. They are investigating,” said McKean.

McKean said an “Ozzie Fund” has been established in an effort to offer a reward that will lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible and to raise funds that will allow the park to purchase and install cameras at the two ponds.

“We would like to install three webcam cameras that can be connected to our webpage, allowing us, as well as the public, to monitor the area,” the director said.

The police investigation is ongoing said Lt. David A. Ragazzini, head of the Detective Bureau.

Two hand-made cards were hung in the covered bridge that separates the two ponds, site of where Ozzie was apparently kicked and stomped to death.

Photo courtesy Stanley Park"Ozzie," a Muscovy Duck, was killed by teenagers late Friday afternoon, Stanley Park officials said.

They were addressed to "Ozzy the Duck."

“I’m sorry that you passed away. I hope there is a lot of other ducks with you,” said one card.

“Dear Ozzy, I’m sorry that those boys stepped on you,” read the other. The colorful cards appeared to be the handiwork of a young brother and sister.

The duck, whose breed normally prefers southerly warmth, arrived at Stanley Park three years ago and stayed. “We named him Ozzie,” said McKean. “But, many who visit the park also knew him as Red Rocket or Red Cadet. There were a few names for him,” the director said.

McKean said the witness informed park officials that four teens, believed to be between 12 and 16, were seen at the duck pond during the incident. “One was the culprit,” the director said.

“He cornered Ozzie inside the covered bridge,” McKean said.

“We have had people chase the ducks and geese, sometimes with sticks. But there has never been anything like this in recent memory,” the director said.

Ozzie was buried at the park, McKean said.

The woman said she was armed with a handgun.

Ebonie Y. Reed

SPRINGFIELD – Police Sunday afternoon charged Ebonie Y. Reed, 32, of 193 White Street with armed robbery after police said she entered the “New Dutch Variety” at 344 Orange Street and said she was armed with a handgun.

Police said she demanded five packs of Newport cigarettes and demanded that the clerk open the cash register. She said she had a handgun under her blue hooded sweatshirt and would shoot the clerk.

She then reached into the cash register and stole $15 and fled.

A witness saw her enter a dwelling at 193 White Street. Police arrested her at 193 White Street and charged her with armed robbery.

Police said they recovered the five cigarette packs and the 15 one dollar bills.

Parents have been notified that someone will be charged, Springfield Diocese spokesman Mark Dupont said.

File photo | The RepublicanSt. Mary's Academy in Longmeadow.

LONGMEADOW – A volunteer at St. Mary’s Academy has been accused of stealing $30,000 from a school fundraising program.

Mark Dupont, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said officials became aware that funds were being stolen from the school’s scrip gift card program during the past year. The situation was reported to Longmeadow police, Dupont said.

He said parents of children at the school have been informed that someone will be charged, but he provided no further information about the individual.

No information was available from Longmeadow police Monday.

“As soon as we identified the situation, we turned it over to police, as is diocesan policy,” Dupont said.

Dupont said that generally in situations like this a person starts stealing gradually and the situation escalates.

The federal aid last year provided an average benefit of $731 to $758 for about 45,000 low-income households in Western Massachusetts.

File photo | The RepublicanMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and regional agency leaders are worried that federal budget cuts will threaten a program that helps low-income households pay their winter heating bills.

BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick and leaders of regional agencies are worried about federal budget cuts threatening a program that last year helped about 45,000 low-income households in Western Massachusetts pay their winter heating bills.

Patrick last week distributed an initial allocation of $77 million in federal heating assistance to 22 regional agencies, including four in Western Massachusetts, down 58 percent from $183 million received by Massachusetts for all of last year.

About $2 billion so far has been approved nationally for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1 for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, down from $4.7 billion for the prior fiscal year.

Congress is set to approve additional money for the program for this fiscal year, but agency leaders in Western Massachusetts said they are worried about funding in light of the emphasis in Washington to reduce debt and cut spending. The starting allocation last year was about $75 million before it was raised to $183 million.

Gail Pisacane, director of energy for the Valley Opportunity Council in Holyoke, which administers the aid, said she is “absolutely” concerned.

“We are hopeful that there will be additional money, but we're not as optimistic as we've been in previous years,” Pisacane said.

On top of the cuts, the cost of fuel is rising. Patrick said people can expect to pay almost 10 percent more this year to heat their homes.

Mary Clare Higgins

“We're extremely worried about it,” added Mary Clare Higgins, executive director of Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions, which also manages the aid. “We're taking applications every day, but the benefit level is much lower.”

Under the current allocation for this fiscal year, a family of four in Massachusetts making about $22,000 a year would be eligible for a maximum $675 in assistance for delivery of oil, propane or kerosene, down 38 percent from $1,090 last year.

Mary Ann Koblyanski, energy program director for the New England Farm Workers Council in Springfield, said that based on the initial allocation, many families will run out of money to pay for heating bills by the middle of next month.

Koblyanski said she is concerned the program could eventually be eliminated. She said the agency has fielded a lot of complaints from people worried about heating their homes.

“If it doesn't increase, it’s just going to be a terrible winter for everyone,” she said.

Statistics show the program is critical in Western Massachusetts.

During the prior fiscal year, the Valley Opportunity Council, which serves all of Hampden County except Springfield, received applications from 18,735 households and provided an average benefit of $751 to 16,915 households.

At the New England Farm Workers Council, which services Springfield, 15,338 households applied for assistance. The agency provided an average benefit of $753 to 12,347 households, according to data from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions received 10,904 applications and provided an average benefit of $731 to 9,001 households.

The Berkshire Community Action Council in Pittsfield received 9,295 applications and awarded an average benefit of $758 to 8,151 households.

Statewide, about 211,000 households received an average benefit of $744.

For income-eligible households, the program pays for delivered fuel, utility bills or heat that is included in rent.

Last week, the Farm Workers Council received $4 million from the Patrick administration, down from $10.3 million for the prior year and the Valley Opportunity Council, $5.9 million, down from $15 million.

The Franklin and Hampshire agency received $2.9 million, down from $7.3 million and the Berkshire agency, $2.7 million, down from $6.9 million.

Patrick was among 15 governors that sent a letter to key U.S. House and Senate leaders pleading for $4.7 billion in funding for low-income home energy assistance program for this fiscal year.

The letter said the Appropriations Committees in the House and the Senate are so far recommending $3.4 billion, a 27 percent cut.

“Winter has already begun in our states, and distributing meaningful benefit levels to households in need is critically important,” said the letter by Patrick and 14 other governors including those of all other New England states.

The grant for Springfield will address parking needs at Court Square related to redevelopment of a long-vacant office building at 13-31 Elm St.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanPeople are seen in front of 13-31 Elm St., Springfield, in 2008.

The state on Monday announced grants totaling $1.5 million to assist three area communities with economic development efforts including $420,000 to aid a major redevelopment project at Court Square in downtown Springfield.

The state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development awarded two grants totaling $674,993 to Bernardston; a $420,000 grant for Williamsburg; and $420,000 for Springfield under the state’s MassWorks infrastructure program. The grants were announced by the state agency and the office of Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

In Springfield, the grant will tie in to plans to redevelop a long vacant, six-story office building at 13-31 Elm St., at Court Square, by exploring how the city can create added parking for that site, said Brian M. Connors, deputy director of the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development.

“It’s of huge importance to the success of the project,” Connors said. “This is a substantial development and will require close parking.”

The funds will be used by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority for design and engineering costs, specifically targeting the Shean block at the corner of State and Main streets, and how that building can help with parking needs, Connors said. Options include razing a portion of the Shean block, and combining it with an existing small parking lot to create space for a parking deck or garage, he said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the grant is “good news” and helps to advance plans for the 13-31 Elm St. site. OPAL Real Estate Group, led by local businessman Peter A. Picknelly, was selected as preferred developer of the Elm Street building in July, and is proposing a multi-million project with a mix of retail, office and residential uses.

The nearby Shean block is at 1208-1220 Main St., and 110-120 State St., and houses a restaurant and clothing store.

The city would eventually seek grant assistance to purchase the Shean block property and for construction costs, Connors said.

“We see this as a downtown revitalization project,” said April Anderson Lamoureux, the state’s assistant secretary for economic development. “Springfield is a gateway city, and we are working with all gateway cities, revitalizing downtowns and assisting them with new infrastructure. It’s to help them reposition downtowns for new job growth activities.”

Other grants announced Monday included:

• Bernardston, $399,993 for School Road improvements to repair an existing public safety hazard around the Bernardston Elementary School.

• Bernardston, $275,000 for improvements to the intersection of South Street, Bernardston Road and West Mountain Road to improve access to two new businesses located at the Kringle Candle complex that are expected to generate 75 new full-and part-time jobs, aid other job opportunities and increase revenue to the community and Franklin County.

• Williamsburg, $420,000 for improvements to Chesterfield Road, also known as Route 143, to improve regional traffic access to and from the hilltowns in Hampshire County.

Other communities statewide receiving funds included Pittsfield, allocated $1.1 million for improvements to the McKay Street Parking Garage.

The competitive grant program weighted factors including if they were consistent with the program’s priorities, and if the communities were ready to proceed, officials said.

"All in all, in the economy we're in, I think we did OK," Treasurer-Collector Leigh Deveneau-Martinelli said.

The Republican/Lori StabilePaul T. Zekos, president of The Zekos Group, standing, discusses the properties available through the town of Ware's auction of town-owned property at Ware Town Hall on Thursday.

WARE - The public auction of town-owned property netted approximately $100,000 for the town last week.

"All in all, in the economy we're in, I think we did OK," Treasurer-Collector Leigh Deveneau-Martinelli said.

Of the seven properties for sale, only four sold. The auction was conducted by The Zekos Group of Shrewbury.

Paul T. Zekos, president of The Zekos Group, used humor to liven up the auction as he encouraged the 20 people in attendance to bid. At one point, he jumped on a chair, slapped his papers down, and told a bidder, "Stop holding onto your money!"

That happened during the most spirited bidding for 9 Cottage St., a Victorian-style, two-family residence on less than a quarter of an acre that sold for $26,000 to Kenneth E. Abro, of Northborough. Abro beat out two other people who were involved in the bidding.

"It looks like a nice, old property. It seemed like a good investment," said Abro, who added he plans to rent it out after he fixes it up.

Zekos started bidding on that home at $40,000, when no one responded, he asked the crowd, "What's your pleasure?"

"Five thousand," a man replied.

"That's not very pleasurable," Zekos said.

A 1,600-square-foot single-family home at 33 Vigeant St. sold for $3,000 to Jeffrey M. Parent, who said he plans to tear down the 1,600-square-foot home and turn it into a parking lot for his apartment complex at 28-36 Vigeant St. Parent was the lone bidder on the property.

Kevin Davis, of Palmer, was the only bidder on seven contiguous parcels on Coffey Hill Road, buying it for the starting bid of $50,000. Davis and his partner are in the process of forming a limited liability company, and want to develop the property, which is approximately 10 acres. He said they don't know exactly what they will put there yet.

Three parcels on nearly 3 acres on Old Belchertown Road sold for $11,000 to Sergio A. Dias, of Ludlow, who said he plans to build on the lot, possibly a house.

Properties on Monson Turnpike Road (34,176-square-feet), 108 Gilbertville Road (6,969-square-feet) and West Warren Road (1.65 acres) were passed over because no one bid on them.

At the beginning of the auction, Zekos explained that all the properties were taken over by the town for nonpayment of taxes, and are being sold as is, and the intent is to return them to the tax rolls. He explained that a 10 percent buyer's premium also would be charged on all the properties, plus a $250 legal services fee.

Deveneau-Martinelli said hopefully another auction will be held in the spring. The proceeds from the auction will go into the town's general fund, she said.

The Amherst Fall Town Meeting is slated to finish Wednesday night with voters being asked to rezone areas in north and south Amherst to create village centers.

AMHERST – Engineers will begin designing the new sewer lines for two neighborhoods following Town Meeting approval of the project last week.

Voters approved spending $4.2 million to extend the sewer line to Harkness Road and Amherst Woods, areas that were deemed in moderate need, according to an updated draft of the town's sewer needs report issued in September by the Department of Public Works.

The town “is all set to go,” said Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring. He said the plan is do Harkness Road next spring and then the Amherst Woods area in the spring of 2013.

About 93 percent of the town already is connected to the sewer system. The project will be paid for by all sewer users rather than a betterment fee by those tying into the new lines.

Finance Director Sandy Pooler in a memo last month said that because of retirement of old sewer debt, the actual affect on the rate "is virtually nil.”

Town Meeting also rejected a resolution initiated by residents to re-establish a Committee on Homelessness by just five votes, 65-60. The Select Board recently dissolved that committee as well as the Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee, but some residents wanted to redefine the homelessness committee and its mission.

The committee wanted to participate in regional and local discussions to prevent and end homelessness, provide recommendations to the Select Board and town manager on the best ways to end homelessness and help the town secure a permanent site for a homeless shelter among other stipulations.

Fall Town Meeting is slated to finish Wednesday night with voters being asked to rezone areas in north and south Amherst to create village centers. Some North Amherst residents filed a petition asking that a portion of the area be allowed to remain as zoned.

Part of the zoning change is the adoption of what is called form-based zoning that would regulate the overall design of new development in relation to how it fits with the environment.


But residents are concerned that if the section of Montague Road north of the Mill River Recreation Center is rezoned from Neighborhood Residence to Village Center Residence, denser housing would be built.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Amherst Regional Middle School.

City officials said the sale of the building at 195 State St. for $1 was justified given the project's benefits.

File photo | The RepublicanThe former Springfield School Department building on State Street.

SPRINGFIELD – The city has finalized the sale of the former school administration building on State Street, which paves the way for major interior renovations to convert the site to at least 30 market-rate apartments.

The vacant, century-old building at 195 State St., was sold to CSM North, based in New Haven, Conn., and Acton, for $1, as approved by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council in July.

Interior work is scheduled to begin this week and the project is scheduled for completion in nine to 12 months, officials said.

“We are excited that this historic building will have a new life and bring new residents to downtown Springfield,” Sarno said. “It’s long been a goal to bring new market rate housing downtown and this is the first significant step in that direction.”

City officials said the price was justified given the major private investment being made, the strong support from various downtown and neighborhood groups, and the benefits of adding market rate housing in the downtown area.

The city advertised for proposals for the city-owned property in 2010 after relocating the school administration offices to the old federal building at 1550 Main St.

CSM North filed one of the two proposals received by the city, with an estimated investment of $3 million with no taxpayer subsidies, officials said. The project could range from 30 to 40 apartments.

Renovations will include a new heating and air conditioning system, a new elevator core, and significant asbestos cleanup, officials said.

Groups that have supported the CSM North project include the State Street Alliance, the Armoury Quadrangle Civic Association, the Springfield Business Improvement District, the Springfield Preservation Trust, and neighbors such as the Springfield Museums and Classical Condominiums.

The State Street building was constructed in 1095 by the Springfield Fire & Marine Insurance Company, and designed by Peabody and Stearns.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Properties in 1983.

Parking is expected to be provided at the adjacent Springfield Museums parking lot.

David Nyberg, president of CSM North, said Friday he is excited about the project, and has been working with city officials on the plans.

One councilor, Clodovaldo Concepcion, voted against the sale, objecting to the $1 price. Other councilors said the price was the city’s contribution to a project with many benefits.

The other bid for the property included the need for federal grant funds and low-income restrictions, city officials said.

Officials hope that motorists needing Registry of Motor Vehicle services will be served more quickly at the AAA office in West Springfield.

The Republican | Dave RobackMassachusetts' Registrar of Motor Vehicles, Rachel Kaprielian, announces the opening of RMV services for American Automobile Association members at the AAA's Pioneer Valley office in West Springfield on Monday.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Instead of waiting in the famously long lines at local state Registry of Motor Vehicles offices, AAA members needing some services can now come to the motor club’s headquarters here for what is hoped will be a much speedier visit.

Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian announced the news Monday, the first official day of the service during a press conference at the motor club’s Capital Drive offices .

The service will be for motorists who need routine license and registration renewals.

“This is going to be wonderful boon for this part of the state,” Kaprielian said. “Have you ever been in our Springfield office? Busy.”

“We try to get as many services as we can for our members,” Chris E. Mensing, chief executive officer of the Pioneer Valley AAA, said. “We couldn’t be more excited to get this going.”

There are 186,000 AAA members in the Pioneer Valley, according to him. The service is offered to members at no cost. Eight employees at the West Springfield AAA office have been cross-trained to wait on registry customers. At any one time, there will be one to two employees offering registry services.

“It is so much easier, so convenient,” Agawam resident Marsha L. Loso said after not having to wait in line at AAA Monday to get her driver’s license renewed.

The last time she had registry business, Loso said she had to wait in line about half an hour in its Chicopee office. Services are available at AAA in West Springfield Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Neither AAA nor the registry are compensating each other for the arrangement.

The Registry and AAA also have programs in AAA offices in Framingham, Worcester, Saugus, Boston and on Cape Cod. AAA has provided motor vehicle registry services in Rhode Island and Connecticut for several years.

The 60-second ad describes how Warren got married when she was 19, had 2 kids and worked her way through college before attending law school.

Associated PressElizabeth Warren's first ad of her Massachusetts U.S. Senate campaign describes how she got married when she was 19, had two kids and worked her way through college before attending law school. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON — Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is launching her first television ad of the campaign.

The 60-second ad describes how she got married when she was 19, had two kids and worked her way through college before attending law school.

The ad, set to begin airing Tuesday, describes Warren's efforts to create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In the ad, Warren also says she's worked to expose how Wall Street and big banks are crushing middle class families.

Last week a political action committee associated with former President George W. Bush's longtime political director Karl Rove began running a 30-second television ad targeting Warren by linking her to Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Warren's campaign said it's already raised $300,000 to counter the $600,000 estimated to be spent by the Rove-affiliated group on the anti-Warren ad.

“It has empty buildings and limited access to the waterfront. But there is so much potential, and there is so much pride in the history of the falls.”

SOUTH HADLEY – “What does South Hadley Falls mean to you?”

That will be one of the questions at a “Community Conversation” about the future of the Falls area in South Hadley, on Nov. 16 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Town Hall, 116 Main St.

Everyone in South Hadley is invited. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free, and child care will be provided.

The event is organized by a contingent of University of Massachusetts professors and graduate students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning and the Program in Architecture and Design, who have been engaged by South Hadley to help bring a neglected part of town back to life.

“At one time the Falls area was an economic center of the community,” said Paul Beecher, Town Administrator. “It was bustling with activity.”

Then the factories began to close up and go south – literally, in some cases. Businesses moved out and fires destroyed some property. So, while Mount Holyoke College and the Village Commons thrived to the north, Main Street and the rest of the Falls neighborhood declined.

People are clearly troubled that the Falls has become in a sense disconnected from the rest of the town, and one of the goals mentioned in South Hadley’s Master Plan is to revitalize this once-vibrant area.

Falls has such a great constituency who would like more services,” said Sally Miller, a UMass graduate student working on the project.

“It has empty buildings and limited access to the waterfront. But there is so much potential, and there is so much pride in the history of the falls.”

UMass Professor Mark Hamin, who is coordinating the project, said public participation is crucial. “It’s a very interactive, intensive process,” said Hamin.

The program on Nov. 16 will start with presentations by five graduate-student design teams, who will offer “preliminary visions” of what the Falls could look like, based on research they’ve been doing since summer.

Then the assembly will break into small groups, where residents will have more of a chance to speak. “We want to elicit ideas, to find out what their vision is,” said Miller.

Residents can bring up whatever they want to – traffic, businesses, trees, street lighting, water, building size, convenience, safety.

The idea is for the UMass group to take it all in and, later in the process, come out with recommendations that reflect the values of the community.

Hamin is clear that the UMass people will not be telling people in the Falls or the rest of the town what to do. “Our role is to consult, advise and give guidance,” said Hamin. “We serve as a resource so the town can make the decisions.”

Three professors and about 50 graduate students have participated in the project, which is funded by a $20,000 grant.

For more information, email southhadleyfalls@gmail.com.

The boss of the company that brews Samuel Adams beer discussed the Brewing the American Dream micro-loan program designed to help small businesses grow.

View full sizeThe Republican | Michael BeswickJim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company and brewer of Samuel Adams Beer, speaks at the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau's annual meeting Monday night at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Koch founded "Brewing the American Dream," which gives loans to very small companies creating jobs and growth.

HOLYOKE – Jim Koch, co-founder of the company that produces Samuel Adams beer, told a gathering of local businesspeople Monday that he wants to offer others what he wished he had when he started 27 years ago: advice and money.

The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau welcomed Koch to its annual meeting at the Delaney House. The Boston Beer Company boss discussed the Brewing the American Dream micro-loan program designed to help small businesses grow.

“Small businesses are the engine of job creation,” said Koch (pronounced “cook”). “When I started Sam Adams, there were two things that I couldn’t get that I really wished had been available to me: one was good advice and the other was a loan.”

The program makes small loans to businesses in the food, beverage and hospitality industry and is actively looking for applicants, he said.

Koch also regaled the group with stories of hardship and triumph since 1984, when he couldn’t get anyone interested in his new beer, made from a recipe his great-great-grandfather composed in the 19th century.

He graduated with three degrees from Harvard Business School, landed a six-figure job as a manufacturing consultant and, one day, gave it all up to carry on the family tradition of making beer. Unlike his father, whose efforts were less successful, Koch decided not to try to compete with brewing giants, but to appeal to drinkers who wanted better quality.

“When I started Sam Adams, there was no chance for a little brewery in the United States,” he said. “Maybe there was a small, little segment of the population that wanted more than just water with foam on it. That’s what proved to be true.”

“What really created the momentum is the product itself,” he said.

It certainly wasn’t the marketing. For Koch’s first commercial, he traded beer for airtime on a Boston radio station and recorded the ad himself. He hired an ad agency run by ex-bartenders to name his beer, but when they proposed Sacred Cod, Koch went with his own gut and chose to name it after a Founding Father and former Massachusetts governor.

“I saw an opportunity to create a beer revolution in the United States. I knew that I could make great beer here in America and give it to people fresh, and in 1984, no one was doing that,” he said. “And it worked.”

The Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned brewer in the country and, next year, Koch said he hopes to control one percent of the nation’s beer market. Last year, it took in $464 million and posted a $256 million profit. It employs about 780 people in three breweries.

“We used to be invisible,” he said. “Someday, we’ll be small.”

The bill was filed in time for lawmakers to debate it before they end for their formal sessions for the year.

By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON — A bill that would license up to three resort-style casinos and a single slots parlor in Massachusetts could be debated and voted on by Massachusetts lawmakers as early as Tuesday.

The decision to move quickly on the debate comes after a six-member conference committee charged with merging separate House and Senate versions of the bill filed their compromise measure late Monday.

Filing the legislation was a critical hurdle needed to help guarantee that a final bill could reach Gov. Deval Patrick's desk before lawmakers end their formal sessions for the year on Wednesday.

Patrick supports casino gambling and has said he could live with a single slots parlor despite his belief that slot parlors would diminish the value of casinos.

The conference committee had to iron out several differences between the two versions of the bill.

The compromise version drops an amendment tacked on to the Senate bill that could have eased restrictions on happy hours in Massachusetts by giving all of the state's bars and restaurants the same ability as casinos to offer free or discounted drinks.

The bill allows casinos to offer free drinks on the gaming floor.

The compromise bill also requires the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission to study all the state's alcohol laws and report back to lawmakers.

Critics had argued that easing happy hour restrictions could lead to more drunken driving accidents and deaths, while backers said it was offered in the interest of fairness to bars and restaurant that are prohibited from offering free or discounted drinks.

The final bill includes another Senate amendment that would bar state, county and local officials, including state lawmakers, from working in the casino industry for at least one year after leaving office if those officials were involved with voting on or regulating casinos.

Supporters of the amendment say it's needed to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest — particularly in light of a series of recent public corruption scandals at the Statehouse.

Critics, including some lawmakers, said the measure unfairly ties their hands while stoking the public's perception of the untrustworthiness of public officials.

Another amendment in the final version of the bill would give the veto power over casinos to the individual ward where the casino would be located in cities with a population of over 125,000. Cities could decide to opt out of that and hold a city-wide referendum.

The amendment would currently only apply to Boston, Springfield and Worcester.

Both House and Senate bills require that nearly a quarter of the revenues from casino licensing fees go to help rein in soaring health care costs, including encouraging the adoption of electronic medical records.

Supporters of casino gambling have predicted it will create as many as 15,000 jobs in Massachusetts, including 6,000 temporary construction jobs, and generate at least $300 million in new annual revenue for the state and its cities and towns.

Backers also say Massachusetts residents who typically travel to casinos in neighboring Connecticut or other states would be more likely to stay in Massachusetts and go to casinos there.

An anti-casino group led by former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger has blasted the job creation estimates as "wildly optimistic" and called the revenue projections outdated because they were based on pre-recession data.

Opponents also say that casinos will add to the state's social ills, including gambling addiction, crime and divorce.

A casino bill died in the final days of last year's legislative session after Patrick objected to the inclusion of two slots parlors designated for Massachusetts racetracks.

The broad provisions of the current bill were negotiated largely behind closed doors by Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — all Democrats — before each branch tackled the measure on their own.

The legalization of expanded gambling in Massachusetts is expected to set off a scramble for the licensing rights for each of the three casinos, whose exact locations have not yet been determined.

Casino backers unleashed a flood of lobbying in the months leading up to the debate.

An Associated Press review of records filed with the secretary of state's office found gambling interests spent $1.35 million in the first six months of the year lobbying Beacon Hill lawmakers.

That money came from casino development firms, manufacturers of slot machines and federally-recognized Indian tribes.

Transgender advocates have long pushed for the bill that would add "gender identity or expression" to Massachusetts' nondiscrimination laws.

File photo | The Republican

BOSTON — Transgender individuals would win additional legal protections under a bill that could come up for a vote in the Massachusetts House this week.

Transgender advocates have long pushed for the bill that would add "gender identity or expression" to the state's nondiscrimination laws.

Advocates said Monday that they expected the House to debate a version of the bill that would bar workplace discrimination against transgender people.

Critics have said the bill will lead to a breakdown in privacy in restrooms, locker rooms and other single-gender facilities. They have labeled the legislation the "bathroom bill" in radio ads opposing the measure, which they said would also cost businesses.

Supporters said the public accommodations portion of the bill will be dropped to bolster support for the measure.

Gov. Deval Patrick has said he would sign the bill.

The habitual offender measure has long been advocated by the family of Melissa Gosule, a 27-year-old woman who was raped and murdered by repeat offender Michael Gentile of Falmouth in 1999.

By BOB SALSBERG

BOSTON — Violent offenders who are convicted of a third serious felony would be denied the opportunity for parole under a measure expected to be considered by the state House of Representatives this week.

Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, co-chair of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the House will take up the parole restrictions for habitual offenders as a separate bill after stripping that language from a more far-reaching sentencing reform bill that was passed by the Senate last week.

The procedural move would allow the House to debate the parole restrictions by Wednesday, the final day of the 2011 legislative session. The House would then put off consideration of other elements of the complex Senate crime bill until lawmakers return from recess after the New Year, said O'Flaherty, a Democrat from Chelsea.

House leaders are committed to resolving the issue of "violent recidivists having the ability to be back on the street and not rehabilitated and committing heinous crimes," he said.

The habitual offender measure has long been advocated by the family of Melissa Gosule, a 27-year-old woman who was raped and murdered by a repeat offender in 1999.

Gosule was killed by Michael Gentile, a Falmouth man who had 27 convictions but had served less than two years in prison. After her car broke down, Gosule accepted a ride from Gentile, who posed as a Good Samaritan. Her body was found eight days later in a shallow grave.

Renewed calls for passage came after veteran Woburn police officer John Maguire was fatally shot during a botched jewelry store heist in December. Police said Maguire was killed by Domenic Cinelli, who was paroled in 2008 despite a history of violent offenses.

Cinelli, who died in the exchange of gunfire, was sentenced to life in prison in Suffolk County and later received two concurrent life sentences for crimes committed in Middlesex County.

The measure would classify as habitual offenders anyone who has twice been convicted of violent offenses such as murder, rape or kidnapping. Habitual offenders who commit a third violent offense would not be eligible for parole and would have to serve their entire sentence.

O'Flaherty said House leaders are intent on fulfilling a commitment they made to the Gosule family to pass the bill by the end of the year. But even if it does win House approval by Wednesday's deadline, O'Flaherty is uncertain whether final action by both houses could be completed before the start of the recess, meaning the bill might not get to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk until after Jan. 1.

The expansion reflects the growing demand for emergency services at Mercy, as well as the changing nature of emergency rooms nationwide, Sisters of Providence Health System president Daniel Moen said.

The Republican | Dave RobackDr. Kristina Sikorski, left, and Daniel P. Moen, president and CEO of the Sisters of Providence Health System, converse Monday in Mercy Medical Center's expanded emergency department.

SPRINGFIELD - Responding to growing demand for services, Mercy Medical Center has completed a $1.3 million renovation and expansion of its emergency department.

The project, unveiled Monday by Sisters of Providence Health System, increases the number of emergency beds to 42 from 29, provides a secure behavioral health unit, and allows for bedside registration and other steps to speed up care for patients.

The expansion - which boosts the size of the 11,000-square-foot department by 21 percent - will also include a so-called “fast tracking” system to allow non-emergency patients to be treated quickly.

“This is something we’re really proud of,” said Daniel P. Moen, president of the health care system.

“It’s lets us take care of patients in a better way; it’s a plus for the community and the Sisters of Providence,” he added.

The expansion reflects the growing demand for emergency services at Mercy, as well as the changing nature of emergency rooms nationwide, Moen said.

Since 2005, the number of emergency room patients has doubed to a projected 80,000 this year; currently, about 40 percent of those patients have no primary care physician and are seeking treatment for sore throats, aches and pains and other relatively minor to moderate conditions, Moen said.

At the same time, the hospital is treating more people with behavior or substance abuse problems who need separate, secure rooms, according to hospital officials.

Moen said the expanded unit will allow the staff to provide better treatment for the increased number and growing variety of patients.

“The emergency room really is the front door to the hospital,” he said.The ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday came after the state Department of Public Health recently gave the project final approval.

To finance the expansion, the non-profit health care agency is launching a fund-raising campaign to defray as much of the cost as possible.

The project, which also includes renovation of existing facilities, was conducted in two phases to reduce disruption from construction.