Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

Springfield resident Carlos Santiago arrested in Wilbraham burglary

0
0

Carlos E. Santiago, 47, of 66 Hadley St., Springfield, was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with the intent to commit a felony and larceny over $250.

WILBRAHAM - A Springfield man was arrested in Wilbraham on Monday following a burglary at a Springfield Street home.

Just before 9 a.m. Monday, Wilbraham police officer James Pirog arrived at a home on the 400 block of Springfield Street to investigate a burglary discovered by the homeowner.

While canvassing the neighborhood, officers found a neighbor who witnessed the break-in and was able to provide police with a description of the suspect, according to Wilbraham police Capt. Raymond J. Kallaugher.

Officer Shawn Baldwin identified a suspect and he along with officers from the Springfield Police Department and the Massachusetts Parole Board arrived at 66 Hadley St. in Springfield.

Carlos E. Santiago, 47, of 66 Hadley St., Springfield, was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with the intent to commit a felony and larceny over $250.

Kallaugher said police recovered property stolen from the Springfield Street home when Santiago was arrested.

Santiago was taken into custody and held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail awaiting arraignment in Palmer District Court.


Multi-state agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions has contribued $500 million to Massachusetts economy, new report says

0
0

The Boston-based Analysis Group economic consulting firm analyzed the economic impacts of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in all 10 participating states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - A multi-state compact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade system has contributed nearly $500 million to the Massachusetts economy and created almost 3,800 in-state jobs over the past three years, according to a new report.

“We’ve seen a program that worked well in wholesale power markets and the use of the money has led to economic benefits in every state,” said Paul Hibbard, a former chairman of the Department of Public Utilities and a senior consultant at the Analysis Group, referring to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

“The bottom-line result is essentially that RGGI generates economic growth at a higher level than without the program in all the states” that participate, said Hibbard, an author of the study being described as a first-of-its kind review of the nation’s first market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Analysis Group plans to present the findings of its report on Tuesday at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners conference in St. Louis.

The Boston-based economic consulting firm analyzed the economic impacts of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in all 10 participating states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

The report found that since 2009, RGGI has led to regional economic gains totaling $1.6 billion, including $498 million in Massachusetts. Though power plants lost an estimated $1.4 billion in revenue over the past three years because of reduced demand and the cost of purchasing carbon allowances, consumer bill reductions and investments in the clean energy sector more than offset the economic losses, according to the report.

Despite rising electricity costs in Massachusetts and New England, Hibbard said, investments in energy efficiency made possible through RGGI will save consumers $1.1 billion on electricity and $174 million on natural gas and home heating oil by 2021, reflecting an average savings of $25 for residential consumers, $181 for commercial consumers, and $2,493 for industrial consumers.

“Although CO2 allowances tend to increase electricity prices in the near term, there is also a lowering of prices over time because the states invested a substantial amount of the allowance proceeds on energy efficiency programs that reduce electricity consumption. After the early impacts of small electricity price increases, consumers gain because their overall electricity bills go down as a result of this investment in energy efficiency,” the report states.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick, with support from the Legislature, entered Massachusetts into the regional compact shortly after he took office in 2007, touting the voluntary, market-based regulatory program’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide funds for energy efficiency investments.

Under the program, the 10 mid-Atlantic and Northeast states that have agreed to cap and reduce carbon dioxide emissions sell power sector emission allowances through auctions and invest the proceeds in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other clean energy technologies.

According to the report, power plant owners have spent $912 million from mid-September 2008 through September 2011 to purchase carbon allowances, giving states revenues to invest in energy efficiency, low-income heating assistance, and general fund budget expenditures.

In Massachusetts, Hibbard said, 94 percent of the $143 million gained through auctions has been spent on energy efficiency programs, while the rest went to support renewable power productions and municipal energy programs.

Though energy efficiency was the most popular way states spent RGGI fund, other states spent their resources differently. Maryland, for instance, put 64 percent of its revenue in low-income energy assistance, the report said.

Hibbard said the report makes no judgments on how states should spend the resources from carbon allowances, but said that investment in energy efficiency has proven to have the greatest positive economic impact.

“With efficiency, there are two effects on the economy. Money goes to the people selling the light bulbs and installing the insulation, but as load goes down, there’s a huge amount of disposable income which doubly flows back into the economy,” Hibbard said. “Even though in all 10 states there was an economic benefit, it has been larger in Massachusetts.”

Because RGGI states are heavily reliant on oil, natural gas and coal for electricity generation but responsible for virtually none of the production, the report states that reduced energy demand through the program allowed for $765 million less to be paid out-of-state for fossil fuels, keeping that money in the local economies.

The 10 compact states acount for one–sixth of the country’s population and one-fifth of the nation’s gross domestic product, accounting for 11 percent of power generation and producing just 6 percent of all carbon emissions.

Hibbard said that RGGI’s ability to reduce energy consumption helped prices for power on the wholesale market at a benefit to consumers. A smaller load also allows for power demands to be met by less costly power plants, which are used first before more expensive plants are activated to meet energy consumption needs.

Though New Jersey was included in the Analysis Group report, Republican Gov. Chris Christie announced plans in May to pull his state out of the compact at the end of 2011. Despite investing nearly $30 million from RGGI into energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and tens of millions more to balance his state’s budget Christie called the program a “failure” and a “gimmick” that would not effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“RGGI does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact upon our environment,” Christie said at the time, committing his state to increasing its renewable energy portfolio and combatting climate change on its own.

Christie faulted RGGI for allowing power companies to easily meet their emission targets by taking advantage of cheaper natural gas prices, causing allowances to be auctioned for bargain prices.

Hibbard agreed that energy consumption took a dive during the recession, reducing the value of carbon allowances, but declined to say whether that meant RGGI should reevaluate the cap levels. “We don’t try to say what it means for the future,” he said.

He also said that states such as New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland whose energy portfolios were more reliant on expensive fossil fuels like oil saw and greater impact on electricity costs as a result of RGGI.

Occupy Boston protesters fear New York City-like eviction

0
0

Protesters at the Hub encampment said that their relationship with police and city officials is good.

Occupy Boston 111511.jpgA man sits in a lawn chair in the Occupy Boston camp in Boston, Monday. Even as camps nationwide face increasing resistance from authorities, Occupy Boston continues its presence as a small community on the Greenway in Boston's financial district.

BOSTON – Protesters at the Occupy Boston encampment said Tuesday that their relationship with police and city officials is good, yet they still fear police will try to evict them in the middle of the night as happened in New York.

A sign at the entrance to the Boston encampment Tuesday read “2 a.m. Nov 15. without warning NYPD raided OWS,” but otherwise no one seemed too worried about what had happened in New York in the pre-dawn hours. Some protesters did yoga while others milled around eating at the site where more than 100 tents have been set up for months in a plaza in the city’s financial district.

Hundreds of police officers in riot gear raided the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York, evicting hundreds of demonstrators, arresting 200 and tearing down the tent city that was the epicenter of a movement protesting what participants call corporate greed and economic inequality.

“I’m not concerned,” said Ryan Cahill, 26, an Army veteran originally from Sonoma, Calif., who attends Bunker Hill Community College. “It seems to be every time they evict a camp, the movement just gets bigger and stronger.”

What happened in New York “just shows what authorities think of First Amendment rights,” he said. “I don’t understand fighting non-violence with violence.”

Rockelle Debeaunay, a 30-year-old unemployed writer who lives in Boston, said the relationship between the city and protesters has been good and he expects protesters will be notified if police plan to break up the encampment, which they have given no indication they will do.

“All of our supporters would come down here and the city would be ill-advised to remove 1,000 people,” Debeaunay said.

Lauren Chalas, a yoga instructor and web designer from Plymouth, spends a few nights a week at the Boston encampment and a few nights at home.

“I guess I wasn’t shocked” by what happened in New York, she said. “And absolutely I am concerned that the same thing could happen here. Although I have to admit the police presence seems to be lighter in Boston.”

Her boyfriend, John Ford, a bookstore owner in Plymouth who moved some of his stock to open a library at the Occupy Boston site, says he’s been assured by city officials and police that protesters would be given 72 hours’ notice to move out of Dewey Square.

“The anxiety is still there,” he said. “I mean, they have been pulling these cloak and dagger police missions in the middle of the night all over the country, and there is always a fear here that we will be next.”

Chalas and Ford said they would passively resist. “We’d hold, we’d sit down and we’d link arms,” Ford said.

Christopher Loh, a spokesman for Mayor Thomas Menino, said Tuesday that the city’s policy has been to allow the encampment to remain in place as long as it’s peaceful, and nothing had changed.

Agawam mourns untimely death of high school student

0
0

The Agawam High School community is mourning one of its students who died unexpectedly over the weekend.

AGAWAM - The Agawam High School community is mourning one of its students who died unexpectedly over the weekend.

Steve Lemanski, principal of Agawam High School, made arrangements so grief counseling is available to any student who wants to take advantage of it.

"Many students took advantage of the counseling opportunities available through the Guidance Department today," Lemanski said in a message to families on Monday. "We ask that you speak with your children this evening about the tragic death."

Agawam police Lt. Richard Light told MassLive.com news partner ABC-40 that there is an investigation into the death, but he declined to release any further details.

A call to District Attorney Mark Mastroianni has not been returned as of this post.

Lemanski asked parents with students in the district to talk to their children to prevent any further hardship for the family of the deceased.

"While you may hear many different things, specific details are not available at this time. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy and do whatever you can to support them and each other during this sad time," Lemanski said. "Please be cognizant of students being inappropriate on social media sites. Untrue or unsubstantiated rumors can cause turmoil for the family and the school. Please help your children through the grieving period and make sure they are doing the right thing."

Any students who would like to speak with someone about the death of their classmate can call:


  • Agawam High School Counseling at 821-0527

  • Behavioral Health Network at 733-6661

  • The Carson Center at 568-6386.

Westfield police arrest teen in connection with killing of Ozzie the Duck

0
0

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the killing of Stanley Park's beloved Ozzie the duck.

ozzie stanley park duck.jpg"Ozzie," a Muscovy Duck, was killed by teenagers around 4:30 p.m. Friday Nov. 11.


WESTFIELD
- A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the killing of Stanley Park's beloved Ozzie the duck.

The boy was charged with cruelty to animals and killing a domesticated animal according to Westfield police Capt. Hipoloto Nunez, as quoted by MassLive.com's news partner ABC-40.

The arrest was made Tuesday morning, but police said the boy's identity would not be released due to his age.

On Friday around 4:30 p.m., as Stanley Park was closing, a jogger reportedly saw a group of children stomping the bird to death near the park pond and bridge.

Ozzie, a so-called Muscovy duck, has been a Stanley Park fixture for the past three years even though his breed prefers the tropical climes of Mexico and Central and South America rather than chilly New England.

Park Director Robert C. McKean said that the “Ozzie Fund” was 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.

Obituaries today: Thomas Gilday, 26, of Hampden; was an apprentice electrician, corporal in Marine Corps Reserve

0
0

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Thomas Gilday 111411.jpgThomas J. Gilday

HAMPDEN - Thomas John "T.J." Gilday, 26 of Hampden passed away suddenly on Saturday. He was born in Springfield on October 3, 1985 the son of Richard D. and Eda (Fusco) Gilday of Hampden. He attended Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Cathedral High School in Springfield. He graduated from Cathedral in 2004. He then attended American International College and later joined the United States Marine Corps in 2007. He was a member of St. Mary's Church in Hampden where he once served as an altar boy. He was currently employed by IBEW Local 7 as an apprentice electrician, and also worked at Mountain View Restaurant in Hampden where he began working at the age of 15. In addition, he was employed by D.B. Landscaping Company of Hampden during the summer and fall. He was a corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Obituaries from The Republican:


Appeals Court reinstates conviction of Joshua Linhares of Acushnet who ran over, killed mother duck at Dartmouth Mall

0
0

Witnesses said he deliberately drove at the ducks, but Linhares testified he didn’t see them.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Appeals Court has reinstated the conviction of a man who ran over and killed a mother duck as she walked her ducklings across a shopping mall parking lot.

Joshua Linhares, of Acushnet, was convicted of animal cruelty and sentenced to probation after he ran over the duck at the Dartmouth Mall in 2009. Witnesses said he deliberately drove at the ducks, but Linhares testified he didn’t see them.

The trial judge later overturned his conviction. On Tuesday, the Appeals Court reinstated it.

The appeals court said the judge appeared to base his decision on his belief that Linhares had to intend to cause the duck pain to be convicted. The court said the law only requires that he intentionally hit the duck and that such an action was likely to inflict unnecessary pain.

PM News Links: Russell Simmons speaks to Occupy Boston, American News Project: The Federal Reserve is a black hole in American democracy, and more

0
0

Plan to close Springfield first-class mail processing center alarms postal workers, Jake's, a Landmark Downtown Eatery, Reopens Its Doors, and more

russel simmons.jpgHip-hop mogul and political activist Russell Simmons participates in an Occupy Boston group-hug with protestors at the encampment in Boston, Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 15, 2011.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.


Mass. lawmakers OK 3 casino, 1 slots parlor bill

0
0

The House voted 118-33 in the afternoon to accept the compromise bill. The Senate quickly followed, approving the bill on a 23-14 vote.

Robert DeLeo, Joseph WagnerMassachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, center, and Mass. State Rep. Joseph Wagner, D-Chicopee, chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development, center right, approach reporters in a hallway at the Statehouse, in Boston, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2011. Massachusetts House lawmakers have given their final approval to a bill licensing up to three resort-style casinos and a single slots parlor. The House quickly voted 118-to-33 Tuesday afternoon to accept the final version of the bill, which then headed to the Senate. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers on Tuesday passed a final version of a bill designed to license up to three resort-style casinos and a single slots parlor in the state.

The House voted 118-33 in the afternoon to accept the compromise bill. The Senate quickly followed, approving the bill on a 23-14 vote.

Each chamber must take a final procedural vote before sending the bill to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk.

"We're still in the process of evaluating the fine print, but the bill seems to conform with the general principles and features that we have discussed and agreed to," the governor said Tuesday.

Rep. Joseph Wagner helped shepherd the bill through the House and sat on the six-member conference committee.

"We think it's a reasonable, good and fair compromise," said Wagner, D-Chicopee.

Wagner defended key compromises in the final bill, including a decision to drop an amendment tacked on to the Senate bill that could have lifted restrictions on happy hours in Massachusetts at bars and restaurants by giving those establishments that same ability to offer free or discounted drinks as the casinos.

Wagner said that the final bill will allow casinos to offer free or discounted drinks only on the gambling floor and not at restaurants or bars associated with the casino.

Rep. Ruth Balser, an opponent of expanded gambling, said that allowing casinos and a slots parlor in Massachusetts is a big mistake and will target those who should be in no position to gamble away their paychecks.

"We know that crime will increase. We know that homelessness will increase. We know that incarceration will increase," said Balser, D-Newton. "This is the wrong direction for Massachusetts."

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.

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.

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.

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

Amherst police to enact winter overnight parking ban beginning Dec. 1

0
0

No cars may park on the street in Amherst from 2 - 6 a.m. from Dec. 1 through April 1, according to police.

AMHERST - Amherst Chief of Police Scott P. Livingstone announced Tuesday that the overnight parking ban will be in effect from Dec. 1 through April 1.

No overnight parking on any town streets will be permitted from 2 a.m. until 6 a.m., and vehicles in violation are subject to being ticketed and towed.

Parking is allowed in the meter lot on Pray Street and in the lower level of the town parking garage, but vehicles must be removed by 7 a.m.

According to department policy, the first violation results in a warning, and a second offense a ticket. Any offense after that results in both a ticket and towing, regardless of weather conditions.

On nights when it is snowing and town plows are removing snow, vehicles parked on the street in violation of the ban will be towed, regardless of the previous number of violations, Livingstone said.

For further information, contact Captain Christopher G. Pronovost at (413) 259-3000.

Former Berkshire Power co-owner Michael Armitage gets 5.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud, tax charges

0
0

Armitage pleaded guilty to a litany of fraud and tax charges in U.S. District Court last year.

MichaelArmitage1999.jpgMichael Armitage

SPRINGFIELD – Energy entrepreneur Michael J. Armitage was sentenced to 66 months in prison and ordered to pay $6 million in restitution in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, three years after he was first charged in federal court for fleecing the federal government, defrauding local banks and failing to file tax returns for 13 years as he made millions off local business deals.

Armitage, 57, a former Pittsfield resident who once had business holdings in the Berkshires, Agawam and Springfield, was co-owner of Berkshire Power, EV Worldwide and the prospective creator of a cutting edge battery-powered bus before he pleaded guilty to a litany of fraud and tax charges in U.S. District Court last year.

He pleaded guilty to using a portion of $4 million in a federal transportation grant to line his own pockets, while never getting the bus rolling, plus to securing millions on bank loans built on phony financial statements.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow said Armitage used EV as “a shell” to pay his own expenses while skirting the Internal Revenue Service. Before moving to Florida, Armitage positioned himself as the benevolent local millionaire in the downtown club scene and was occasional host of political fund-raisers at a home he owned in Connecticut.

His co-defendant, scientist Christopher D. Willson, a Canadian resident, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Boston of conspiracy and wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing.

UMass students protest increase in health-insurance rates

0
0

Students said coinsurance is a burden they want UMass officials to address.

2010 umass logo.jpg

AMHERST – All during the summer, University of Massachusetts graduates students would stop in the Graduate Employee Organization complaining about the hardships created by the recently imposed health insurance hikes.

Hikes went into effect Aug. 1. And with the recent announcement of cutbacks at the health center over the next year, students have had enough, said GEO President Derek Doughty.

Students staged a protest on campus Tuesday and the union has filed a complaint with the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy for what they believe is a violation of state regulations for a coinsurance imposed as part of the new fee structure.
They also feel changes were made without consulting them.

In August, premiums rose by 17 percent and the new policy requires that students who visit a specialist on the preferred list pay 15 percent of the cost or up to $5,000. That was a particular hardship for women giving birth, Doughty said.

That coinsurance also pose hardships for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, he said.

He also said the new plan, caps the number of visits for such things as acupuncture to 20 per year, a service that those with chronic ailments use.

UMass officials said they had to raise costs to keep premiums affordable and to help offset losses. They also need to address deferred maintenance and building needs.

All students, regardless of whether they buy the university health care plan pay a $654 health insurance fee but that funded only about $15 million of the fiscal $23.9 million health services budget, said UMass spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski. That fee has has not been increased in several years and he said the budget was half a million dollars short.

Students who are insured by the university plan also pay $2,776 a year.

Blaguszewski said rising costs coupled with reductions in insurance reimbursements led to added costs.

But also $1.1 million of the budget was set aside for both deferred maintenance and to pay the $600,000 to comply with the federal mandate for electronic record conversion.
“We have $5.5 million in deferred maintenance.” He said the university was faced with “how do we provide quality care in a modern setting for students.”

He said that they would at some point like to build a new facility. Currently health services are provided at three separate buildings and ideally they’d like to combine them into one. He said the preliminary price tag for a new building is $35 million.

Also he said they need to have money for negotiated raises and pointed out that rising health care costs are a national concern.

Students said they did not know anything about a new building and object to student fees and higher costs being used to pay for it. Ronald R. Patenaude,
 President of the United Auto Workers 2322, said the union was not consulted on health care changes nor has it received information about the process for those changes.

To further cut costs, health services, meanwhile, will be reducing the work force by 21.5 full-time equivalent positions, cutting back on hours, eliminating the pharmacy and a reducing ion-site laboratory tests all to save $1 million.

Health services currently provides walk-in care from 8 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. But as of the start of the spring semester, the center will close at 8 p.m. during the week and be open from noon to 4 p.m. on the weekends.

The center will be closed night and weekends beginning next summer as well.
The changes followed a report issued last month from the Hodgkins Beckley Consulting LLC, which provided a financial and operational analysis of health services.

According to the report, providing service for extended weekday, weekend and holiday hours and having few nine or 10- month staff appointments as well as “high compensation levels and policies are the major contributors to excess costs and to costs that are higher than peer intuitions.”

The report also states that those who seek after hour services or on Sundays “would be more appropriately served in emergency rooms” or they can or will wait until the center reopens.

But as Doughty, said a reduction in hours means higher costs for fewer services. He’s concerned about the international students who will be here in the summer who will have limited medical access.

Monson Town Meeting voters approve funding tornado-related expenses

0
0

The town clerk said 101 voters, or .02 percent of the town's 5,593 registered voters, turned out for the meeting at the middle school, which lasted approximately 45 minutes.

monson town office building and cemetery.jpgDamage to the wrought iron fence at Norcross Cemetery on Main Street can be seen in this photograph, taken two days after the twister slammed Monson on June 1, 2011


MONSON
- Voters approved all 24 articles at Monday's special Town Meeting, the majority of which dealt with tornado-related costs, in quick fashion.

"Nobody was asking questions. They were just voting on everything," Town Clerk Nancy C. Morrell said. "It was very, very quick."

She said 101 voters, or .02 percent of the town's 5,593 registered voters, turned out for the meeting at the middle school, which lasted approximately 45 minutes.

Of the $141,000 that was appropriated at the meeting, $130,000 was related to the tornado that tore through the town on June 1.

Voters approved using $32,000 from the stabilization account to pay for transportation for approximately 15 students who have been displaced because of the tornado. Towns must pay the transportation cost regardless of where the students now are living, according to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Voters also approved appropriating $21,500 from the community preservation historic preservation account to fix the tornado-damaged wrought iron fence at the Norcross Cemetery on Main Street. The historic cemetery dates back to the early 1800s and has numerous members of the Norcross family, who were prominent businesspeople in town, interred there.

Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers had said that this cemetery article is the only one that could receive a partial reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, at approximately $5,000.

Historical Commission Chairman Dennis Swierad said that the fence was damaged when the tornado toppled a utility pole on it. Nineteen gravestones were broken at this cemetery, along with 20 at the North Main Street Cemetery. He said FEMA is paying for 75 percent of the gravestone repairs, and work is expected to begin this spring.

Voters also approved transferring $31,372 from the police cruiser insurance reimbursement account to the tornado damaged cruiser replacement account. A police cruiser that was parked outside the police station was totaled in the tornado, officials said.

Tornado costs have been pegged at approximately $6.4 million. The town stands to receive a 75 percent reimbursement from FEMA, and should get its first payment of $400,000 in the next four to six weeks, officials said.

Wall Street: Stocks inch up following upbeat retails sales report

0
0

The Dow Jones industrial average ping-ponged between gains and losses much of the day, but eventually gained 17 points.

Earns Staples 111511.jpgA Staples office supply store is photographed Tuesday, in Miami. Staples Inc. reported Tuesday that its profit climbed 13 percent in the third quarter, helped in part by improved sales of office and break room supplies to businesses as well as promotional products.

NEW YORK – A day of broad swings in the stock market ended with modest gains Tuesday, as investors balanced an increase in U.S. retail sales with Europe’s lingering debt crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 17 points.

The Dow ping-ponged between gains and losses for much of the day. It had been down as many as 78 at noon and up as much as 86 points during a late afternoon rally that fizzled just before the market closed.

Technology stocks had the biggest gains. Intel Corp. rose 2.9 percent a day after Warren Buffett revealed that his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., had bought a stake in the company. Hewlett-Packard Co. rose 3.4 percent, the most among the 30 stocks in the Dow.

Americans spent more on autos, electronics and building supplies in October, raising retail sales for a fifth straight month. Sales increased 0.5 percent from the previous month, a faster rate than economists expected and the latest indication that the U.S. economy is likely to avoid another recession.

The retail sales report helped the U.S. stock market “show a certain degree of resilience in the wake of the negative headlines out of Europe,” said Todd Salamone, director of research at Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

But Europe’s debt woes continued to weigh on markets. Higher interest rates on government debt issued by Italy, Spain and other countries rattled European stock markets Tuesday. The interest rate on Italy’s 10-year bond jumped back above 7 percent, a dangerously high level. When that rate crossed the 7 percent threshold last week, it raised worries about Italy’s ability to manage its debts. Greece, Ireland and Portugal had to get rescued by international lenders when their borrowing rates crossed the same level.

The Dow rose 17.18 points, or 0.1 percent, to 12,096.16. The S&P 500 gained 6.02, or 0.5 percent, to 1,257.81. The Nasdaq added 28.98, or 1.1 percent, to 2,686.20.

The prices of assets commonly used as havens from market turmoil, like U.S. government debt and gold, held steady. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.05 percent from 2.04 percent late Monday. The yield has been below 2.10 percent all month, a sign of strong demand. Gold rose $3.80 to $1,782.20 an ounce.

In corporate news, sales at Staples Inc. fell short of analysts’ expectations, and the company also cut its earnings forecast for the year. Its stock dropped 3.6 percent. Department store chain Saks Inc. rose 1.7 percent after reporting stronger sales. Dell Inc. fell 2 percent in after-hours trading after the company missed Wall Street’s revenue forecasts.

Trading volume was light; 3.5 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, well below the average of 4.4 billion over the past 200 days.

Belchertown selectmen authorize deficit spending for storm

0
0

Belchertown Public Works Director Steven Williams said he was given an estimate of $1.2 million for work from a firm that specializes in working after disasters like the snowstorm, but he feels that with his own crews from the Department of Public Works and with local companies he has been dealing with that he can have the work done for half that amount.

Belchertown storm complaint 11411.jpgMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, left, talks to Belechertown resident Marcie McCullough during a meeting with residents about the aftermath of the weekend snowstorm damage and clean-up at Belchertown Town Hall Nov. 4.

BELCHERTOWN – The Board of Selectmen has authorized Public Works Director Steven J. Williams to continue deficit spending to clear fallen trees and downed limbs from the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm.

The selectmen and Williams agreed to discuss this issue further in two weeks, but in the meantime the board told him to continue with contracts that are costing $50,000 a week to have a private contractor work on dangling limbs and other potentially dangerous situations.

Williams said he was given an estimate of $1.2 million for work from a firm that specializes in working after disasters like the snowstorm, but he feels that with his own crews from the Department of Public Works and with local companies he has been dealing with that he can have the work done for half that amount.

Selectman George D. Archible said the selectmen have no choice on this issue because of safety concerns.

Selectman Ronald E. Aponte said the work removing dangling limbs must continue.

Williams said that overtime and payments to contractors for plowing during and immediately after the storm cost about $25,000 and there have been other expenses for debris removal at roads and for wood chipping.

Williams said that while there has been no commitment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover specific costs, there has been contact with FEMA and it is likely that the town will receive reimbursement from FEMA for 75 percent of its legitimate costs from the storm and the clean up.

The Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 Monday to authorize the deficit spending.

Town Accountant Jill Panto said she was advised by the state Department of Revenue that the deficit spending was legal in this situation, provided that the selectmen declared an emergency and voted to authorize it.

Aponte said Williams has handled this situation well and has a proven track record of getting done what needs to be done while being careful about finances.


Palmer town manager search starts again: 15 applications received

0
0

The subcommittee meeting to review the town manager applications will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

PALMER - Fifteen individuals have applied to be Palmer's next town manager, and Town Council President Paul E. Burns said the resume review by the council subcommittee will begin on Thursday.

"I can't comment on the people in the pool yet," Town Council President Paul E. Burns, also a subcommittee member, said.

Acting Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard has been away, and is his absence, Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk is dealing with day-to-day emergencies. Blanchard has been on the job since Patricia A. Kennedy retired at the end of June. She was the executive assistant, but was thrust into the acting role after the council fired Matthew Streeter in June 2010.

The Town Council recently came close to having a new town manager, and even offered a contract to Donald I. Jacobs, of Holden, who is a consultant.

But the majority of councilors voted to rescind the offer last month.

The subcommittee meeting to review the town manager applications will be held at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Registered sex offender Reinaldo Montalvo of Springfield, pleads guilty to indecent assault and battery on a child under 10

0
0

Reinaldo Montalvo would have faced minimum 15-year-sentence if found guilty.

Reinaldo Montalvo 2007.jpgReinaldo Montalvo

SPRINGFIELD – A child sat on the witness stand in Hampden Superior Court Monday and told jurors 45-year-old Reinaldo Montalvo - who records show is a registered sex offender in 2007 - indecently touched her one night in late 2010.

At Montalvo’s sentencing, the girl, who is under 10 years old, went up to Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty’s bench with Assistant District Attorney Eileen M. Sears and spoke in a soft tone to the judge.

Moriarty listened to her and then told the girl, “You’re very brave for coming forward. You should be very proud of yourself. ... You did the absolute right thing.”

Although the child had to testify, she did not have to wait for a jury to decide Montalvo’s case.

When the prosecution ended its case and it was time for the defense to start, Montalvo, of Springfield, decided to plead guilty and go to state prison for six to 10 years.

Jurors, who were told Tuesday morning by Moriarty they were no longer needed for the case, would not have been told Montalvo had previously been designated as a man at a high risk to reoffend as a sex offender.

Springfield police had sent the standard sex offender notice to area media, and Montalvo’s name and picture had appeared on television and in the newspaper in 2007.

The state Sex Offender Registry Board lists Montalvo as having been convicted of four counts of rape and abuse of a child on Jan. 14, 2005.

Because of the past conviction, which happened in another county in the state, Montalvo was charged as a subsequent offender in the Springfield case alleging indecent assault and battery of a child under 14.

Had Montalvo been found guilty in this case, he would have faced a minimum 15-year state prison sentence and the maximum sentence could be life.

Montalvo’s lawyer, Johnathan R. Elliott, had told Moriarty if Montalvo did not decide to plead guilty, he planned to take the stand and testify to his innocence in his own defense.

But when he pleaded guilty, Montalvo said he did do the acts testified to by the child.

Hampshire County jail inmate Bruce Bennett gets 5 years in Leeds house break

0
0

Bruce Bennett will serve his sentence at Cedar Junction.

NORTHAMPTON – A man who has spent most of the last 30 years of his life in prison will be serving another five-year sentence after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a house break in Leeds in April of 2010, in which the homeowner was home.

Bruce Bennett, 59, was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and a probation violation. He has been in the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction ever since.

Bennett’s lawyer David Rountree told Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D. Josephson Tuesday that his client was in the military in 1969 when he was struck by a car and ended up in a coma for some time.

“In the last 30 years, he has spent most of that time incarcerated.”
He said that his client has “a fear of liberty” and keeps “doing things to keep him locked up.”

He came out to Western Massachusetts for veteran’s services, he said, but has no family here. His last address was at Soldier On in Leeds.

Bennett was sentenced to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Cedar Junction for the breaking and entering charge and three to five years for probation violation to be served concurrently.

He was also credited with service 581 days.

During the proceedings Bennett was crying. Rountree said his client had wanted to apologize to his victim for scaring her.

MassDevelopment issues $45 million in low-interest, tax-exempt financing to Baystate Medical Center expansion project

0
0

The financing is being used for the new 70,000-square-foot Emergency Department under construction and to help Baystate Medical obtain new equipment.

baystatephot.JPGView full sizeBaystate Medical Center's "Hospital of the Future" expansion project remains on schedule and on budget.

SPRINGFIELD – MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, has issued $45 million in low-interest, tax-exempt financing for Baystate Medical Center’s ongoing, $296 million “Hospital of the Future” project.

The financing includes a $25 million tax-exempt bond to help finish and equip a new, expanded emergency department and support areas, according to MassDevelopment and Baystate Health officials.

The quasi-public authority also issued a $20 million tax-exempt lease, to help the hospital obtain medical and non-medical equipment, including equipment for patient care and monitoring, imaging, information technology and surgical equipment, officials said.

Jane S. Albert, a spokeswoman for Baystate Health, said the low interest financing carries an estimated savings of $500,000 annually. The favorable financing is among factors that are helping to move the project forward, she said.

Marty Jones, MassDevelopment’s president and chief executive officer, praised Baystate Health as having the second-busiest emergency departments in the state and as the largest private employer in the Springfield area.

“Baystate Medical Center plays a most significant role in both the physical and economic health of Massachusetts,” Jones said in a prepared release. “This low-cost financing will contribute to the multiple phases of the ‘Hospital of the Future’ project which will provide state-of-the-art care to Baystate’s many patients.”

“We appreciate MassDevelopment’s efforts to facilitate this low cost tax-exempt financing in a very timely and efficient manner,” said Dennis W. Chalke, chief financial officer of Baystate Health. “This financing package supports our commitment to the community to be stewards of our financial resources and complete this project on time and on budget.”

JP Morgan Chase Bank purchased the bond and Bank of America Public Capital Corp., purchased the lease.

The first phase of the hospital’s 640,000-square foot expansion project is scheduled for completion in March, including the new Davis Family Heart & Vascular Center as its centerpiece.

The Davis center will include six surgical and endovascular suites and 32 cardiovascular critical-care rooms.

The emergency department is also under construction, which was permitted by the state to proceed ahead of its original 2015 construction timetable, as petitioned by the hospital. The emergency department is scheduled for completion by late 2012, and will be 70,000 square feet, or more than three times the size of the existing emergency room.

The expansion project began in 2008, and will also feature slightly curved hallways, more natural lighting, a five-story glass-encased elevator tower, a landscaped rooftop green space for patients and visitors and single-patient rooms.

MassDevelopment’s mission is to work with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions and communities to stimulate economic growth, according to the agency.

South Hadley DPW director Jim Reidy applauded as he describes October snowstorm cleanup progress

0
0

Reidy pleaded with private homeowners to pitch in and shoulder some of the load by taking branches and other debris to the Compost Area.

South Hadley snow 103111.jpgA police officer directs traffic as a work crew repairs power lines in South Hadley Oct. 30.

SOUTH HADLEY – As in most towns, the Department of Public Works in South Hadley has been struggling to return the landscape to normal in this year of fallen trees -- most recently following the October snowstorm.

At the end of the town’s special Town Meeting on Thursday, DPW director Jim Reidy was applauded as he took to the microphone to give the assembly an update.

He described three main options for people with tree debris on their property.

The self-help piece. Reidy urged residents to take their debris to the Compost Area at the Recycling Center, 10 Industrial Drive.

Condos and businesses have no choice, as their tree debris will not be picked up by the town, but Reidy pleaded with private homeowners also to pitch in and shoulder some of the load.

Because of the widespread destruction, the Compost Area is open now and every day, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 23.

In answer to a question, Reidy said police officers will ensure that only South Hadley residents use the compost area. “The officers will turn away people from other towns,” he said.

Curbside collection. Allied Waste, the contractor in South Hadley, will collect yard debris from Nov. 14 to Dec. 9. Residents can put out such debris twice during that month-long period, on their usual trash collection days.

Brush and leaves should be in paper bags or open containers. Bundles can’t be more than four feet long and two feet wide. Large branches can’t be more than two inches in diameter.

The tree belt. The DPW has been driving around picking up tree debris that has been moved to the “tree belt,” the strip between sidewalk and curb, but Reidy warned that “there are a lot of piles out there, and we can’t guarantee that we will get to them by the time the snow flies.”

For that reason, he urged again that people haul their own vegetation to the Compost Area. The alternative is to wait to have it picked up in the spring.

For more information, call the South Hadley DPW at (413) 538-5033.

Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images