Under the committee's rules, any plan would have to be unveiled Monday.

View full sizeSenate Minority Whip Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, commonly called the Supercommittee, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. If the bipartisan committee fails to reach a deficit-cutting solution Wednesday, lawmakers will face the choice of allowing payroll tax cuts and jobless aid for millions to expire, or extending them, and increasing the nation's $15 trillion debt by at least $160 billion. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the brink of failure, members of a special deficit-cutting committee blamed each other Sunday for the intransigence that has gridlocked the panel in its quest to cut the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the coming decade.

"If you look at the Democrats' position it was 'We have to raise taxes. We have to pass this jobs bill, which is another almost half-trillion dollars. And we're not excited about entitlement reform,' " Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona said in a combative interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Fanning out to the sets of the Sunday morning talk shows, Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for a deepening impasse that has all but doomed chances for an accord. In a series of interviews, not a single panelist seemed optimistic about any last-minute breakthrough. Under the committee's rules, any plan would have to be unveiled Monday.

Democrats said that Republicans on the supercommittee were simply unwilling to move on tax increases that Democrats insist should be part of any package that emerges from the negotiations. And Republicans said Democrats' demands on taxes were too great, even in response to a scaled-back GOP offer made late last week.

"There is one sticking divide. And that's the issue of what I call shared sacrifice," said panel co-chair Sen. Patty Murray. "The wealthiest Americans who earn over a million a year have to share too. And that line in the sand, we haven't seen Republicans willing to cross yet," the Washington Democrat said on CNN's "State of the Union."

The Republican co-chair offered a glum assessment of prospects for an agreement.

View full sizeRep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, left, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., right, co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, sit together as the supercommittee meets on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. The panel is trying to come up with a package by Thanksgiving that trims the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling said "nobody wants to give up," but he also told "Fox News Sunday" that "the reality is to some extent starting to overtake hope." He said the panel's deadlock "was a failure in not seizing an opportunity."

The committee faces a Wednesday deadline. But members would have to agree on the outlines of a package by Monday to allow time for drafting and assessing by the Congressional Budget Office.

Panel members say they will be available for further talks Sunday in hopes of a final breakthrough and some last-minute offers on smaller deficit-cutting packages were possible. Also on the agenda is stage managing the group's disbandment.

Republicans are demanding changes in so-called entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid while Democrats are insisting on tax increases on the wealthy.

Over the past couple of weeks, the two sides have made a variety of offers and counter-offers, starting with a more than $3 trillion plan from Democrats that would have increased tax revenues by $1.3 trillion in exchange for further cuts in agency budgets, a change in the measure used to calculate cost-of-living increases for Social Security beneficiaries, and curbs on the growth of Medicare and Medicaid.

Republicans countered with a $1.5 trillion plan that included a potential breakthrough — $250 billion in higher taxes gleaned as Congress passes a future tax reform measure. The plan was trashed by Democrats, however, who said it would have lowered tax rates for the wealthy too far while eliminating tax breaks that chiefly benefit the middle class.

Most recently, Republicans forwarded a smaller, face-saving $644 billion offer comprised of $543 billion in spending cuts, fees and other non-tax revenue, as well as $3 billion in revenue from closing a special tax break for corporate purchases of private jets. It also assumed $98 billion in reduced interest costs.

On Saturday, Republicans floated an even smaller, unspecified offer, said a lawmaker directly familiar with the panel's work. It too was rejected. The lawmaker required anonymity because of the secrecy of the talks.

Officials familiar with the offer said it would save the government $121 billion by requiring federal civilian workers to contribute more to their pension plans, shave $23 billion from farm and nutrition programs and generate $15 billion from new auctions of broadcast spectrum to wireless companies.

Democrats said the plan was unbalanced because it included barely any tax revenue.

"Our Democratic friends are unable to cut even a dollar in spending without saying it has to be accompanied by tax increases," Kyl said.

Failure to reach agreement would trigger automatic across-the-board spending cuts to a wide variety of domestic programs and the Pentagon budget, starting in January of 2013. But both Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and many lawmakers say this automatic sequester would impose devastating cuts at the Pentagon.

"I hope it will be changed," Hensarling said. "Panetta said that cuts of that magnitude would hollow out our national defense."

Most contenders visited Iowa in the past week and the pace of campaigning is certain to accelerate when the month-long sprint to the Jan. 3 caucuses begins.

View full sizeRepublican presidential candidates Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich talk after the Thanksgiving Family Forum sponsored by The Family Leader, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

By THOMAS BEAUMONT

ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) — The race for the Republican presidential nomination is deeply unsettled with an anything-can-happen feel six weeks before Iowans start the state-by-state process of choosing a GOP challenger for President Barack Obama.

Hoping to sway the many voters who are still undecided, most of the contenders visited the state in the past week and the pace of campaigning is certain to accelerate after Thanksgiving, when the month-long sprint to the Jan. 3 caucuses begins. A crush of new TV ads is certain. Expect mailboxes filled with brochures and repeated visits by candidates to diners, town squares and other must-stop venues.

"People are getting close to decision time," former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, one of several candidates whose bids depend on a strong Iowa showing, told The Associated Press. "You're going to see some coalescing in the next couple of weeks."

A recent poll found that 60 percent of Republicans who plan to participate in the caucuses are willing to change their minds and 10 percent are fully undecided. That Bloomberg News survey showed a four-way race: Clustered at the top were Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain and Ron Paul, candidates whose positions, backgrounds and personalities run the gamut. Languishing far behind were Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, who at one point enjoyed huge bursts of support.

Iowa's outcome matters because it will shape the contest in New Hampshire, which holds its primary Jan. 10, and in states beyond.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has started stepping up his efforts in Iowa after playing it cautiously all year. He plans to return to the state Wednesday after skipping a multi-candidate forum in Des Moines on Saturday night.

Nearly all his rivals, promoting themselves as a viable alternative to Romney, gathered on one stage to discuss how their religious faith influences their public life before a large and influential audience of social conservatives.

Considered the one to beat because of his strength on several fronts, Romney spent the weekend in New Hampshire.

In Iowa, he's hoping that social conservatives who make up the GOP's base will splinter their support among the crowded field of candidates who are considered more conservative than Romney. No one has emerged as the consensus choice of those conservatives, though many are trying.

They include Cain, a Georgia businessman, and Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker, who seem just as poised to break out of the pack as they are to fade. Both are seen as attractive for a Republican electorate craving a candidate who will take it to Obama in a no-holds-barred style. But both also are trying hard to weather increased scrutiny.

View full sizeAssociated PressRepublican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain talks to reporters following a campaign stop at the Statehouse, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, in Concord, N.H.

Cain continues to fight decade-old sexual harassment allegations, along with questions about his grasp of an array of policies. Iowans don't seem to be punishing him for any of it, so far. He cheerfully greeted a crowd of more than 200 at a Dubuque restaurant Tuesday on just his second trip to Iowa in the past three months.

"Herman Cain's support at this point has intensified," Johnson County GOP Chairman Bob Anderson said. "There's been no decrease in his level of support based on the controversy that's erupted."

But Cain has little campaign structure in the state and a tiny staff. Despite the upbeat tone of his visit, he did little outreach to influential Republican activists. He took no audience questions in Dubuque, spent most of his time in Iowa recording a campaign advertisement and headlined a five-minute news conference spent primarily defending an awkward response to an interview question about Libya a day earlier.

Like Cain, Gingrich returned to Iowa last week to find himself on the defensive over a number of issues, including the roughly $1.6 million he received as a consultant to Freddie Mac, the federally backed mortgage giant detested by conservatives. He found himself spending the bulk of his three-day trip trying to portray his history with the company as a sign of valuable experience.

"It reminds people that I know a great deal about Washington," Gingrich said. "We just tried four years of amateur ignorance, and it didn't work very well. So having someone who actually knows Washington might be a really good thing."

As the week ended, Gingrich introduced a website that collects, and provides answers for, what he long has claimed are myths about his background and explanations for policy position changes throughout the years. Among the issues Gingrich addresses are his admissions of adultery and divorce, topics likely to rile cultural conservatives in Iowa.

Paul, a Texas congressman, returned to the state at week's end to find that he was steadily drawing sizable crowds to restaurants and community centers in small towns such as Vinton and Anamosa, where audiences applauded his proposal to cut $1 trillion from the federal deficit his first year in office, primarily by vastly reducing U.S. foreign aid.

Long dismissed by the GOP establishment, the libertarian-leaning candidate is now turning heads beyond his hard-core followers four years since his failed 2008 bid. This year, he's running a more mature Iowa campaign and it's showing. He finished a close second to Minnesota Rep. Bachmann in August test vote, an indication of his stronger organization.

Texas Gov. Perry, trying to get back on track after a damaging few weeks that has affected his once-robust fundraising, is accelerating his already aggressive TV advertising schedule in Iowa and is making government reform, as well as assailing Obama, the cornerstone of his campaign in hopes of rebounding.

"Washington's broken, and needs a complete overhaul," Perry says in a new ad. "Replacing one Washington insider with another won't change a thing. If you want an outsider who'll overhaul Washington, then I'm your guy."

It's a message that has some sticking with Perry, despite his troubles.

"I haven't given up on Rick Perry, personally," said Hamilton County Republican Chairman Mark Greenfield, who supports Perry. "He's a lower-tier candidate now. But he's the one person who can turn the economy around if he can only clarify his message."

Bachmann, too, is fighting to come back with a second act after a blazing hot summer and a victory in the Iowa GOP straw poll. Some of her evangelical base has drifted elsewhere, but she's still focused on trying to get them to rally behind her like they did former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Iowa caucus winner in 2008.

"It is amazing to me how God uses those challenges to shape your life," Bachmann said of her parents' divorce, noting during the Saturday forum how it influenced her decision to be a foster parent to more than 20 children in addition to her five biological children.

The candidate who may stand to gain from Bachmann's inability to wrap up the evangelical vote is Santorum. The former Pennsylvania senator is the only Republican with staunch socially conservative credentials competing hard in Iowa who hasn't enjoyed a burst of support this year.

That's not for lack of trying.

He's essentially camped out in the state for months and has campaigned in all 99 Iowa counties on a shoestring budget.

State Police in Westfield try to get loose dogs of the Mass Turnpike.

Republican file photo

This is an update of a story posted at 6:45 a.m. Sunday

WESTFIELD- State police said one dog has died and two have been brought to an animal shelter in Westfield after they were found loose on the Mass Pike early Sunday morning.

The dogs were seen loose on the westbound lane in West Springfield, several miles east of the Westfield barracks around 6 a.m. Sunday.

Sgt. Edwin E. Lockhart said police do not know how the dogs got loose on the turnpike.

He said one dog was killed by a car while two others were safely brought to the City of Westfield Animal Shelter, 178 Apremont Way. Another dog is still loose in the woods.

"We tried to get them off the road. We used hot dogs, leashes, they just didn't want to come to us. There were even drivers stopping to try and get them off the highway," he said. "Unfortunately one of them didn't make it."

The two dogs that were taken to the Westfield shelter are safe.

Some of the names omitted include priests convicted and imprisoned for their crimes.

BOSTON (AP) — A published report says the Boston Archdiocese's roster of 159 clerics publicly accused of abusing minors is missing 70 people because of the church's selective method of compiling it.

The Boston Globe reports the roster released last August is limited to priests originally from the Boston Archdiocese. That excludes many who are in religious orders, or who are supervised by other jurisdictions even though their alleged and proven misdeeds occurred in Massachusetts.

AP Photo

Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a letter accompanying the roster that it was proper to omit the names because the Boston Archdiocese does not supervise them or determine their outcomes.

The founder of BishopAccountability.org, which maintains records of accused clergy and advocates for victims, called the omissions "heartbreaking."

"We are trying to get the streets cleaned up before the snow starts," said Sean Kelley, director of special projects for the East Longmeadow Department of Public Works.

View full sizeThe Republican | John SuchockiCleanup continues along County Road in Southampton as Mitch Bartz of Wisconsin works for Federal Disaster Recovery Corp. of Montana. Bartz said he was working the tornado recovery in Wilbraham and works 12-hour shifts cleaning up piles of storm debris along assigned routes.

It might not feel like it for people who have debris piled on their tree belt since the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm, but cities and towns throughout the Pioneer Valley are racing against the clock to clear the roadsides.

“We are trying to get the streets cleaned up before the snow starts,” said Sean Kelley, director of special projects for the East Longmeadow Department of Public Works.

Belchertown Fire Chief Edward Bock told his town’s selectmen last week that there were many roads in town with debris from the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm piled high enough to make it difficult to see children walking to school.

And Belchertown Selectman George D. Archible joined the conversation, saying, “Anywhere you walk in this town, there is a (hanging limb) on top of you.”

It is the same situation in cities and towns along the Pioneer Valley from Vermont to Connecticut.

Much of the wet, heavy snow that came down Oct. 29-30 landed on trees that were still full of leaves and the weight of it all took down limbs and trees, which in turn took down electrical power lines.

It took several days to a week before power was restored in much of Western Massachusetts.

When the snow stopped, leaders of many communities told residents to move the downed limbs and other debris to the edge of the road where they would be picked up for disposal.

President Obama has declared an emergency related to the October storm, so towns and cities are going about hiring contractors for the debris removal with an expectation that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the communities for 75 percent of the costs of safety related work.

Many of the cities and towns have hired Ashbritt Inc. of Florida to handle their debris removal.

Ware Public Works Director Thomas J. Martens said Ashbritt was hired in his town because the company is the only one on a Massachusetts list of companies that can be hired without going through a bidding process.

The alternative, Martens said, would be a bidding process that could easily take a month or more.

“That is a little bit prohibitive,” Martens said.

Martens said Ashbritt is familiar with FEMA regulations and requirements related to being paid by the federal agency and is also familiar with what has to be done.

“They do the work, basically, a cradle to the grave operation, they pick up, haul, grind it and remove it for disposal,” Martens said. “The state set it up that way. “

Most communities that hire Ashbritt are also hiring O’Brien’s Response Management, Inc., of Florida, which monitors all the Ashbritt work and compiles detailed reports on every aspect of what is done by each crew, each day.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonExcavators and a large grinder turns tree debris collected from around Longmeadow from the October snowstorm into mulch at the athletic fields on Wolf Swamp Road. The effort is run by a group of private wood collection companies and paid for, in part, with money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Longmeadow Department of Public Works Director Michael G. Wrabel said the storm was devastating to the landscape of the town.

“We are known for having many big old trees and a lot of those came down,” he said. “We also had a lot of smaller trees and utility polls that came down as well.”

Wrabel said the Department of Public Works and several private contractors are making the rounds through each neighborhood picking up debris on the tree belts.

He said they will make a second and third trip around town to make sure everything is collected.

All of the brush and debris is being transported to a field on Wolf Swamp Road across from the Twin Hills Country Club. The debris is put through a wood chipper and then will then be sent to wood burning plants or sold as mulch, Wrabel said.

Wrabel said the damage could cost the town upwards of $12 million.

“We won’t be done with this cleanup for quite a while,” he said.

In East Longmeadow residents are being asked to have their debris on the tree belt before Nov. 27.

East Longmeadow residents are also encouraged to drop off their debris to the transfer station on Somers Road or 380 Chestnut St., the former Package Machinery, where they have a staging area. They have collected about 15,000 cubic yards of debris, Kelley said.

Kelley said the town hired local contractor Rocky Mountain Wood Co. in Wilbraham to haul away the debris.

He said he is expecting costs from the storm to be between $250,000 and $500,000.

“We were able to save some money buy doing a lot of the work ourselves and hiring a local contractor,” Kelley said.

In Agawam on Wednesday night, the City Council authorized spending $2,350,000 to clean up trees and branches downed by the storm. The city has contracted with AshBritt Inc. to pick up the debris, which property owners may leave at curbside. Mayor Richard A. Cohen said it should take two to three weeks to clear away all the material with collection taking place seven days a week. AshBritt is bringing the material to city land at the Tuckahoe Turf Farm, where it is ground and then taken away. As far as any danger of forest fires, Cohen said he does not believe that will be a problem.

In West Springfield, Mayor Edward J. Gibson said the city has hired AshBritt Inc. to clear away the tree and brush debris people have gathered at curbside. As of Thursday, he said the bill to the city came to $2.5 million for disposing of 90,000 cubic yards of material.

Gibson said he will likely tap the city’s stabilization fund and use free cash to pay for the cleanup.

The mayor said he is hopeful the federal government will declare a national disaster so the city will be eligible to have FEMA pay 75 percent of the costs.

Director of Public Works Jack Dowd said he is hopeful the total cost will be below the $4 million originally estimated for the cleanup. The materials are taken to the city’s transfer station off Agawam Avenue, where they are ground up to be used for mulch.

If there is no snow or bad weather, Gibson said the city is on track to have all the mess from the snowstorm cleaned up by Dec. 15. As for whether the material will pose a fire hazard, Gibson said that might be a possibility if it is still uncollected in the spring.

The city has no more debris on public land from the June 1 tornado, according to Gibson.

In Springfield, the city has hired Ashbritt to oversee the task of removing all tree debris from the storm. Ashbritt, which also assisted the city with the tornado cleanup, is hiring private subcontractors for the task.

View full sizeThe Republican | Mark M. MurrayCrews convert branches to wood chips in the parking lot of Cathedral High School following the October snowstorm. It's the same area that was used following the tornado to handle branches and trees that were removed from the area.

The tree debris is being taken to Cathedral High School where it is mulched and delivered to various sites.

“The city hopes to have all tree debris cleared before additional winter snow arrives but recognizes this will be a lengthy tree debris removal process due to the massive amount of tree debris,” said Thomas T. Walsh, communications director for the city of Springfield.

The city has been making “steady progress” since the snowstorm, and has thus far removed 250,000 cubic yards of tree debris, as of mid-week, Walsh said.

“To put this massive amount of debris into perspective, the city collected 160,000 cubic yards of tree debris following the June 1 tornado,” Walsh said.

The cost of the cleanup is not yet known, but reimbursements are being pursued from FEMA.

Residents are asked to drag their branches to the tree belt or to the edge of their properties if there is not tree belt.

In addition, there is a parking advisory in effect, that asks residents not to block the tree debris with parked cars. If the debris is blocked, it cannot be reached by the work crews, and the pickup will be delayed to a later date, Walsh said.

The work crews and large debris removal trucks are in all neighborhoods, Walsh said.

Contractors who are hired by residents for tree work are responsible for their own debris.

The city is continuing to work with FEMA and other agencies to seek reimbursement for cleanup costs related to the June 1 tornado and Oct. 29 snowstorm, Walsh said.

Some subcontractors hired by Ashbritt are still removing branches from public trees and placing them on the tree belt temporarily until the large trucks remove them, Walsh said.

Wilbraham Selectman Patrick J. Brady said the town has contracted with Rocky Mountain Wood Co. on Boston Road to clean up the debris from town tree belts. The debris is being taken to the company’s site on Boston Road and being mulched, he said. Town residents have been invited to bring the debris from their yards which is not on the tree belt to the town’s Disposal and Recycling Center where there is no charge to get rid of the debris.

The Republican | John SuchockiRocky Mountain Company of Monson operates a shredding operation in a lot across from 9 Mile Pond off Boston Road in Wilbraham to deal with the mountains of storm debris from the area. Trucks unload the remains of downed trees to be sent through the shredder.

“Residents are coming in pickup trucks, trailers, SUVs, anything that has wheels,” Brady said. “We’ve seen rental trucks from Home Depot and UHaul,” he said. He said it is less expensive for people to dispose of their own yard waste than to contract with somebody to dispose of it. Brady said the town’s goal has been to get as much of the storm debris as possible cleaned up by Thanksgiving. In Holyoke, the Department of Public Works received approval from the City Council and state Department of Revenue for deficit spending to get piles of branches and tree debris collected around the city, department Superintendent William D. Fuqua said.

He expects the city will have spent $1 million on the collection when the effort is done in three to four weeks, he said.

“It’s going really well,” Fuqua said.

To help with the tree debris collection, Fuqua asked that drivers who must use on-street parking avoid parking vehicles in front of the piles because that hinders trucks’ access.

The permission to deficit-spend is contingent on the department later paying for the collection costs by the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30. That probably will be done with either a transfer from the city free cash account or borrowing, he said.

The effort involves two types of independent-contractor crews working in the city. A dozen bucket trucks are canvassing the city and knocking down tree branches threatening to power lines. That step is nearly done, he said.

A half-dozen other contractors in large trucks are collecting the tree debris. It will be delivered to a temporary work space, set up near the former Mount Tom ski area now owned by the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club Inc., where it will be ground into mulch. That step is about half done, he said.

A big help in the effort has been the opportunity to tap into a state vendor program that made such contractors available to the city. The program through the Operational Services Division was helpful because it gave the city access to contractors that otherwise might have been unavailable given the number of communities needing such services, he said.

The Republican | John SuchockiHangers from the October snowstorm present a constant danger as this on 40 feet up on a tree in Szot Park in Chicopee.

Chicopee Department of Public Works has cut down about 600 hanging limbs as a preventative measure and have covered between one-third and one-half of the city so far, Stanley W. Kulig, superintendent of public works, said.

The Department has also directed people to put their tree branches on the tree belt or near the road and they will pick them up and bring them to the city’s garage where they will be chipped and used for things like landfill coverings, he said.

The department expects to finish its first pass through the city this weekend and will start making a second pass immediately so they can pick up as much brush as possible before it starts to snow, Kulig said.

Employees will work the Thanksgiving weekend so residents are told they can continue putting out their brush.

Already the City Council approved spending an additional about $1 million on the storm and believe the costs will go as high as $3 million. It is planning to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the hopes of getting 75 percent of the costs reimbursed.

Edward Huntley, public works director in Northampton, said, “we’re moving as fast as we can.” They have four crews out and will assist with a neighborhood cleanup on Saturday. He expects to have the city cleaned before the snow flies. A second city-wide neighborhood cleanup has been set for this Saturday.

In Amherst, town public works crews continue to pick up public shade tree debris with daily postings of where crews are each day on the town’s Web site. The Town is not collecting debris from private property. Any tree debris placed on the side of the road from private trees will not be collected. Residents can take private tree debris for disposal at the transfer station for a disposal cost of $50 per ton. Residents do not need a transfer station access sticker to dispose of wood debris from the storm.

In Palmer, storm-related debris pick-up began on Monday and is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving. Residents can put their debris within 10 feet of the roadway. Officials said it cannot be placed in the roadway, or on the sidewalk.

Palmer, like neighboring Monson, has contracted with Ashbritt Environmental to do the clean-up and O’Brien’s Response Management, which is responsible for monitoring the work.

Palmer Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said the cost of the cleanup is estimated at approximately $1 million; Ashbritt estimates there is 20,000 cubic yards of debris to pick up. It will be brought to the leaf pit on Old Warren Road where the company will chip it and take it away, he said. Blanchard is hoping the town receives 75 percent reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency toward the cleanup cost; officials have met with FEMA representatives about the damage.

Palmer and Monson already have qualified for FEMA funding for the first 70 hours related to the storm response, officials said.

In Monson, Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell said Ashbritt is only picking up debris on public property. He said residents are responsible for the debris on their own property, and need to hire a private contractor to haul it away. The town is not picking up debris from private property because it still has outstanding costs from the tornado, he said.

He estimated that there is approximately 20,000 cubic yards of debris on public ways in Monson; Ashbritt is bringing it to a staging area on Main Street where it will be chipped and taken away. Morrell said the pick-up, which began Monday, should end by Dec. 10.Monson already had lost numerous trees to the June 1 tornado. That area of town fared better than others during the snowstorm because of the lack of trees, officials said.

Monson also is seeking help from FEMA for the pre-Halloween storm.

Ashbritt and O’Brien’s worked in Monson after the tornado to clear the damaged areas.

Staff reporters Elizabeth Roman, Peter Goonan, Lori Stabile, Mike Plaisance, Suzanne McLaughlin, Sandy Constantine, Jeanette Deforge and Ted Laborde contributed to this story.

Elderly couple attempts to stop car fire on I-91 southbound.

Republican file photo

HATFIELD- A car fire near Hatfield on Interstate 91 south sent one good Samaritan to the hospital Sunday afternoon, police said.

State Trooper Todd Nolan said around 1:40 p.m. Northampton police and firefighters assisted an elderly couple trying to extinguish a car fire and a brush fire.

Nolan said the car caught fire as well as some brush nearby. Two people stopped to try to help the couple and one was transferred to Cooley Dickinson Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, he said.
.
Noland said the right lane on the highway was closed until 2:40 p.m.

It is unclear what started the fire which caused damage to a 1991 Chevy Caprice.

The Festival of Trees is expected to raise at least $60,000 for the Springfield Boys & Girls Club.

SPRINGFIELD – For the 10th year in a row Judy Buoniconti was shopping for the perfect Christmas tree, and she was finally hoping to get lucky with the one decorated in purple, green and gold.

Buoniconti was among hundreds who attended the invitation-only kick-off celebration of the Springfield Boys & Girls Club Festival of Trees Sunday, which showcased 108 Christmas trees decorated by businesses and organizations which will later be raffled off.

“I have tried to win a tree for 10 years. Maybe this year,” said Buoniconti, who had her eye on the one decorated by Health New England.

Buoniconti, the executive administrative assistant in marketing for Hasbro Inc., of East Longmeadow, was one of many invited to the kick-off either because they donated a decorated tree or otherwise volunteered.

Hasbro employees have donated a tree for the past 10 years. This year the group used traditional ornaments and put games and toys under the tree, which the winner will also bring home.

Every organization that participates provides the tree, all decorations, and most put items on or under the tree as well. The average value is $1,500, said Tim Gallagher, chairman of the board of directors for the club.

The event is one of the bigger fund-raisers for the Boys & Girls Club. The money earned will fund after-school drop-in programs that are designed for older students, he said.

“Last year we raised $60,000 and this year we hope to raise more,” Gallagher said.

Students pay $10 or $15 for an annual membership. The fee is low so anyone can join, but it does not cover expenses, said Gary McCarthy, executive director for the club.

The club survives mostly through fund-raising and with small grants, so the money earned from the Festival of Trees is vital, he said.

The public will get its first viewing of the trees for free from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 on the second floor of Tower Square. After that, the hall will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Sundays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday through Dec. 11. Adults will be charged $5 admission.

Everyone can purchase 25 raffle tickets for $10. They drop raffle tickets in the can in front of their favorite trees. Some put all their tickets in one can to better their chances on winning a favorite tree, while others spread them around, McCarthy said.

The Unity Club of Longmeadow High School created a Celtics tree complete with team ornaments, basketball paraphernalia including a Boston Celtics toothbrush and a gift certificate to the Sports Zone.

“This is the most fabulous organization. It gives kids a place to go,” said Sandra Macdonald, who also with the Unity Club at Longmeadow High School.

This is the third year students donated a tree, and they used money from their membership fees to fund it, she said.

“The kids came up with the idea, and they did all the work,” she said.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.-Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor. City Council, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School. Tues.-School Committee, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School. Amherst Mon.- Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall. Amherst Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Chicopee Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m.,...

Republican file photoNorthampton City Hall

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Agawam

Mon.-Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor.

City Council, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.

Tues.-School Committee, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.

Amherst

Mon.- Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Amherst Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Chicopee

Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., City Hall.

Water Commission, 6 p.m., 115 Baskin Drive.

East Longmeadow

Mon.- School Committee, 7 p.m., School Committee meeting room.

Tues.- Board of Assessors, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Easthampton

Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Granby

Mon.- Selectboard, 6 p.m. 10 West State St.

Tues.- Charter Day committee, 7 p.m., Public Safety Complex.

Board of Health, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall Annex.

Greenfield

Tues.- School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., Greenfield High School.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., police station.

Hadley

Tues.- Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Hatfield

Mon.- Board of Assessors, 5:30 p.m., Memorial Hall.

Historical Commission, 7 p.m., Memorial Hall.

Holyoke

Mon.- City Council Public Safety Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Tues.- City Council, special meeting, 6 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Joint public hearing City Council and Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Longmeadow

Mon.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Police Department

School Finance sub committee, 3 p.m., Wolf Swamp Road School.

Monson

Mon.- Board of Health, 6 p.m., Hillside School.

School Committee, 7 p.m., Quarry Hill Community School.

Tornado Victims Relief Fund Committee, 6 p.m., Hillside School.

Keep Homestead Committee, 7 p.m., Keep Homestead Museum, 35 Ely Road.

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Northampton

Mon.- Historical Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall.

Tue.- City Council Finance Committee, 5 p.m., Council Chambers.

Palmer

Mon.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Building.

South Hadley

Tues.- School Committee, 6:30 p.m., High School Library

Cultural Council, 6:30 p.m., Public Library

Southwick

Mon. - Board of Selectmen, 6 p.m., Town Hall

Springfield

Mon.- City Council General Government Committee, 1 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council Finance Committee, 5:30 p.m., Ante Room, City Hall.

City Council General Government Committee, 5:30 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council, 7 p.m., council chambers, City Hall

Tues.- Public Employee Committee, 10 a.m., Raymond Sullivan Public Safety Complex, Carew Street.

Responsible Employer Ordinance meeting, noon, Room 310, City Hall.

School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee, 2:30 p.m., School Department, 1550 Main St.

Taxi and Livery Commission, 3:15 p.m. Police Department, 130 Pearl St.

City Council Public Health and Safety Committee, 4 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

Springfield Housing Authority, 4:30 p .m., authority office, 18 Saab Court.

Wed.- Springfield Food Policy Council, 2:30 p.m., Baystate High Street Health Clinic, 140 High St.

Ware

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Warren

Mon.- Council on Aging, 9 a.m., Warren Senior Center.

Wed.- Sewer Commissioners, 8 a.m., Wastewater Treatment Plant.

West Springfield

Mon.- Planning and Construction Committee, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Town Council, 6 p.m., municipal building.

Westfield

Mon.- School Committee, 7 p.m., 22 Ashley St.

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall

No serious injuries were reported.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – Police made at least four arrests following a disturbance Sunday night on Main Street, Police Lt. Robert P. Moynihan said.

Details on what happened during the 8:30 p.m. incident or what the disturbance was about are still sketchy and officers remained at the scene at about 10:30 p.m., he said.

The disturbance happened in the 2900 block of Main Street. Moynihan said no serious injuries were reported.

Some stores are opening shortly after midnight Thanksgiving night into Friday morning.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonCamden Witczak, 2, of Springfield watches Santa's hut at the Eastfield Mall Friday for signs that Santa might be there. Santa will arrive on Saturday, Nov. 19, with a local high school marching band.

SPRINGFIELD – Amy Kowal of Springfield has a pretty leisurely plan for her Black Friday shopping.

She’s not going shopping until 2 or 3 a.m.

“That’s when Toys R Us is having its best deals,” Kowal, mother to a 9-year-old daughter, said..

Kowal works nights as a nurse, so it’s not unusual for her to keep odd hours. But she’ll be joined on Black Friday by hordes of bleary-eyed shoppers lured by “doorbuster” deals and stores that plan to open at the stroke of midnight, or as close to midnight as Massachusetts law will allow.

“It’s competition. you have to be the first kid on the block,” said William J. Rogalski, general manager at Holyoke Mall at Ingleside where Macy’s will open at 12:30 a.m. to comply with state law preventing stores from having workers on the clock during Thanksgiving holiday.

The Mall’s Best Buy and Target stores will open at 1 a.m. Mall stores like American Eagle, Bath and Body Express, Gap, Old Navy and – in what could be lifesaving move – Starbucks will open by 4 a.m.

Elsewhere, Walmart stores will open at 4 a.m., but at midnight in state’s where the law allows. Kohl’s stores in Massachusetts will open at 1 a.m.

At Eastfield Mall, Old Navy will open at 12:01 a.m. and Macy’s at 12:30 a.m., said Jillian K. Gould, the mall’s senior marketing manager. Everything at Eastfield will be open by 7 a.m.

Gould said American Eagle outfitters, a clothing store aimed at young people, will start its black Friday sales on Wednesday.

“So it is starting to bleed over before Thanksgiving now and get earlier and earlier,” Gould said.

It is all a bit too much for Courtney L. Greenwood and Shannon L. Holmes, both of Ware. Like Kowal, they were hanging out at Eastfield Mall Friday morning. The light midmorning crowd is Holmes’ and Greenwood’s style.

“I’m afraid of Black Friday crowds,” Greenwood said. “There is too much traffic. Too many people. Just too much.”

Sheila Mammen, associate professor of resource economics at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said enthusiastic consumers that come out at all hours and treat shopping as an event are also the most likely to spend money. And every store is competing for those consumers given the tough economy.

Associated PressBlack Friday shoppers are treated to "blue carpet" VIP perks while waiting to get a head start on their holiday shopping at the Union Square Best Buy store in New York last year. (Matt Peyton/AP Images for Best Buy)

“Also it is a wonderful gimmick if you are looking to capture attention,” she said.

Forty-two percent of New England residents predict spending less on holiday gifts this year, according to a poll released this week by the Western New England College Polling Institute. About 47 percent of responds said they plan to spend about the same amount this year as last year and just 10 percent said they plan to spend more.

Men were more likely to say they will spend more, 12 percent. Only 8 percent of women said they will spend more this year than in 2010.

Timothy Vercellotti, director of the Western New England College Polling Institute said the gender gap has been consistent over the years. It’s just that this year people in general are more pessimistic than in years past.

“My speculation is that in families women do more of the shopping so they have a clearer sense of what things will cost,” Vercellotti said.

There is an age gap, too. Thirty-percent of those age 18 to 29 plan to spend more this year than last year. But just 7 percent of those 30 to 49 plan to spend more and 3 percent of those age 50 and older plan to spend more this year than last year.

“If you look at the whole survey we see that younger people are more optimistic about the long-term prospects of the economy,” Vercellotti said.

Mammen said consumer spending has been going up nationally over the past few months. But she suspects that statistic has been driven by necessities like clothes and appliances. not gift items,.

Still, there is a phenomenon called recession fatigue.

“People will hold back and stop spending for only so long,” he said. “You are so tired of feeling poor and deprived.”

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a news conference Sunday the arrest of Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, 'a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer' who the mayor said was motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

AP photoJose Pimentel is arraigned at Manhattan criminal court, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in New York. Pimentel, an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home, was charged with criminal possession of explosive devices with the intent to use in a terrorist manner.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a news conference Sunday the arrest of Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, "a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer" who the mayor said was motivated by terrorist propaganda and resentment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had to move quickly to arrest Pimentel on Saturday because he was ready to carry out his plan.

"We had to act quickly yesterday because he was in fact putting this bomb together. He was drilling holes and it would have been not appropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb," Kelly said.

The police commissioner said Pimentel was energized and motivated to carry out his plan by the Sept. 30 killing of al-Qaida's U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

"He decided to build the bomb August of this year, but clearly he jacked up his speed after the elimination of al-Awlaki," Kelly said.

Ten years after 9/11, New York remains a prime terrorism target. Bloomberg said at least 13 terrorist plots have targeted the city since the Sept. 11 attacks. No attack has been successful. Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad is serving a life sentence for trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square in May 2010.

Pimentel, a U.S. citizen originally from the Dominican Republic, Pimentel was "plotting to bomb police patrol cars and also postal facilities as well as targeted members of our armed services returning from abroad," Bloomberg said Sunday.

He was under surveillance by New York police for at least a year who were working with a confidential informant and was in the process of building a bomb; no injury to anyone or damage to property is alleged, Kelly said. In addition, authorities have no evidence that Pimentel was working with anyone else, the mayor said.

"He appears to be a total lone wolf," the mayor said. "He was not part of a larger conspiracy emanating from abroad."

At Pimentel's arraignment later, his lawyer Joseph Zablocki said his behavior leading up to the arrest was not that of a conspirator trying to conceal some violent scheme. Zablocki said Pimentel was public about his activities and was not trying to hide anything.

"I don't believe that this case is nearly as strong as the people believe," Zablocki said. "He (Pimentel) has this very public online profile ... This is not the way you go about committing a terrorist attack."

Pimentel, also known as Muhammad Yusuf, was denied bail and remained in police custody. The bearded, bespectacled man wore a black T-shirt and black drawstring pants and smiled at times during the proceeding.

Pimentel is accused of having an explosive device Saturday when he was arrested that he planned to use against others and property to terrorize the public. The charges accuse him of conspiracy going back at least to October 2010, and include first-degree criminal possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism, and soliciting support for a terrorist act.

Bloomberg said at the news conference that Pimentel represents the type of threat FBI Director Robert Mueller has warned about as U.S. forces erode the ability of terrorists to carry out large scale attacks.

"This is just another example of New York City because we are an iconic city ... this is a city that people would want to take away our freedoms gravitate to and focus on," Bloomberg said.

Kelly said a confidential informant had numerous conversations with Pimentel on Sept. 7 in which he expressed interest in building small bombs and targeting banks, government and police buildings.

Pimentel also posted on his website trueislam1.com and on blogs his support of al-Qaida and belief in jihad, and promoted an online magazine article that described in detail how to make a bomb, Kelly said.

Among his Internet postings, the commissioner said, was an article that states: "People have to understand that America and its allies are all legitimate targets in warfare."

The New York Police Department's Intelligence Division was involved in the arrest. Kelly said Pimentel spent most of his years in Manhattan and lived about five years in Schenectady. He said police in the Albany area tipped New York City police off to Pimentel's activities.

Asked why federal authorities were not involved in the case, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said there was communication with them but his office felt that given the timeline "it was appropriate to proceed under state charges."

About 1,000 of the city's roughly 35,000 officers are assigned each day to counterterrorism operations. The NYPD also sends officers overseas to report on how other cities deal with terrorism. Through federal grants and city funding, the NYPD has spent millions of dollars on technology to outfit the department with the latest tools — from portable radiation detectors to the network of hundreds of cameras that can track suspicious activity.
___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Colleen Long contributed to this report from New York. AP writer Samantha Gross contributed to this report.

A cooking demonstration at Cooke House, an historic reenactment building at the Plimoth Plantation living history museum, sparked a fire that destroyed the wood-frame structure, authorities said.

AP file photoAn employee of Plimoth Plantation demonstrates cooking techniques at the living history museum in this 2008 AP file photo. A fire Saturday at Cooke House forced the South Shore museum to close for about an hour and a half. No one was injured in the blaze, but the structure was destroyed, officials said.

PLYMOUTH — A Saturday morning cooking demonstration at Plimoth Plantation, the living history museum chronicling life in the original 17th century Plymouth Colony, destroyed a Colonial-era building, according to museum and public safety officials.

The fire broke out about 9:30 a.m. at the plantation, a full-scale historical reenactment village that draws tourists from all over the world to this iconic South Shore community, particularly during the Thanksgiving season.

The cooking demonstration – intended to show how early colonists prepared meals over an open flame – started in a fireplace inside Cooke House, then spread to the structure's straw roof, officials said.

No one was hurt in the incident, which happened while the seaside community was awash with locals and tourists alike, including thousands who packed Court Street for Plymouth's annual Thanksgiving parade.

Plimoth Plantation Executive Director Ellie Donovan said the museum will raise money to rebuild Cooke House, named for Francis Cooke, who arrived in America aboard the Mayflower.

The fire forced the plantation to close for about 1½ hours and severely damaged the building, which will be razed.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, but not before it “ate up the whole roof," Plymouth Fire Department Batallion Chief Dean DelTorro told the Boston Globe.

Staying true to Colonial-era construction methods, the 30-foot-long by 20-foot-wide Cooke House was built with wood, straw and other materials commonly used by America's first European settlers.

Despite the fire, it will be business as usual at the plantation for the traditionally busy Thanksgiving week, Donovan said.

The director said the plantation has a good fire-safety record, adding that the last such incident occurred more than a dozen years ago.

Richard C. Bertassi, 50, of 269 Stony Hill Road, was arrested on multiple charges in connection with an East Longmeadow disturbance, police said.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Officers took a Wilbraham man into custody for "causing a disturbance" at a Chestnut Street address Saturday afternoon, according to East Longmeadow police records.

Police said Richard C. Bertassi, 50, of 269 Stony Hill Road, Apt. 112, was charged with threatening to commit a crime, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and trespassing in connection with the incident, which was reported around 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

Details of the alleged incident, including the location where Bertassi was taken into custody, were not immediately available.

He is expected to be arraigned Monday in Palmer District Court.

“We go through 1,000 pounds of mashed potatoes, 1,200 pounds of butternut squash, 250 pounds of peas and we make 140 gallons of gravy and 100 gallons of soup.”

View full sizeVolunteers help prepare Thanksgiving meals last year at the Chicopee Knights of Columbus, Fairview Council, No. 4044, last year.

One of the things to be thankful for at Thanksgiving is that thoughtful people in the community make it possible for the less fortunate to get Thanksgiving dinners for free.

In Chicopee, the Knights of Columbus, Fairview Council 4044, sponsor a Thanksgiving dinner that may be the largest in the region.

Last year they prepared about 3,600 meals, including 1,000 sit-down dinners for the banquet hall at 1599 Memorial Drive, where this year the event will take place Nov. 24 from noon to 2 p.m.

The Knights also expect to deliver 1,900 dinners to the homebound elderly and disabled and 400 to Kate’s Kitchen in Holyoke. They also made 350 “pre-Thanksgiving” meals for the Boys and Girls Club.

“Last year we went through two tons of turkey,” said Ronald Belair, chairman of the Knights dinner. “We go through 1,000 pounds of mashed potatoes, 1,200 pounds of butternut squash, 250 pounds of peas and we make 140 gallons of gravy and 100 gallons of soup.”

In Springfield, Open Pantry Community Services will offer about 450 Thanksgiving Day meals at the High School of Commerce, 415 State St. The feast starts at noon, with doors opening at 11 a.m.

Open Pantry will also send out another 600 meals to the homebound in Springfield. Eligible people can get on the list by calling (413) 737-5337. The Pantry is still looking for volunteer drivers. Those interested can call (413) 737-5337.

At Friends of the Homeless in Springfield, Thanksgiving fare will be served from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Worthington Street Dining Room on Thanksgiving Day. Breakfast and lunch will be served as usual. Donations of baked goods are welcome.

On Nov. 21, dozens of volunteers from the Springfield-based Alliance to Develop Power will deliver 20,000 pounds of turkey, provided at a discount by COSTCO, to five locations in Springfield, Greenfield and Westfield.

Thanksgiving Day falls on Nov. 24 this year, but some organizations celebrate on the previous day – or even the previous week. For example, 600 people enjoyed a free Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 17, thanks to an annual collaboration between Springfield College and the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, where the event was held.

The Springfield Rescue Mission will serve about 2,000 needy people at three Thanksgiving events over two days.

On Nov. 23 at 2 p.m., the Mission will deliver Thanksgiving meals to the homebound in Springfield. Later that day, at 4 p.m., it will present its Thanksgiving Banquet at 19 Bliss St., which draws about 500 people.

The next morning, Nov. 24, the Rescue Mission will serve a “beautiful, hot Thanksgiving Breakfast Buffet” at 7 a.m., said Lenore Brooks, volunteer coordinator at the Mission, adding that the agency will accept food donations of all kinds through Nov. 22.

In Holyoke, Kate’s Kitchen will be holding its Thanksgiving Day feast at 1 p.m. at 51 Hamilton St., according to kitchen manager Bill Bullard, who said the turnout depends on the weather.

The Monson-Glendale United Methodist Church, at 162 Main St. in Monson, will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. To reserve a place, call (413) 267-3798.

Sponsors are Monson-Glendale, First Congregational, St. Patrick’s and Unitarian Universalist Churches.

In Northampton, MANNA Soup Kitchen will host its free Thanksgiving Day meal at Edwards Church at noon.

The Amherst Survival Center will hold its Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Not Bread Alone in Amherst will serve its Thanksgiving meal Nov. 24 at First Congregational Church, 165 Main St. Doors open at 11 a.m.

The Senior Center in Amherst will serve Thanksgiving dinner to people 55 and older who are alone or unable to prepare their own meal, at 2 p.m. in the Bangs Community Center. Those who want to dine there or help out should call director Nancy Pagano at (413) 259-3114.

The free annual community Thanksgiving dinner for Agawam and West Springfield residents will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at St. Thomas Church in West Springfield.

In Westfield, free Thanksgiving Day dinners will be served at 11:30 a.m. at the Westfield Soup Kitchen on Meadow Street and at 5 p.m. at Samaritan Inn on Free Street.

In South Hadley, the Knights of Columbus, Council 1721, produce about 100 dinners for homebound people.

The South Hadley Senior Center provides the names, the Knights prepare the meals at St. Patrick’s Social Center and, on Thanksgiving Day, Boy Scout Troop 303 delivers the feasts. Now, that’s teamwork!

In Granby, the Senior Center, Friends of the Elderly and the churches have been collecting Thanksgiving dinner ingredients since the summer, which they will put into baskets and deliver to 95 seniors and needy families on Thanksgiving Day.

Senior citizens who live near the Hampden Charter School of Science in Chicopee are invited to a catered Thanksgiving luncheon on Nov. 22 from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

The School, which opened in 2009 at 20 Johnson Road in Chicopee, will honor public safety officials at the event. It asks its neighbors who are over 65 to call (413) 593-9090, ext. 211, if they plan on attending.

Staff writers Diane Lederman, Peter Goonan, Jeanette DeForge, Lori Stabile and Ted LaBorde contributed to this report.

The $1.25 million project can generate 80 percent of the power the company needs, dropping its electric bill from $4,000 to $800 a month.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonDavid A. Reed, president of Northeast Treaters Inc. at the control center for their new array of 25,000 square feet of solar panels. All of the new equipment is made in the United States.

BELCHERTOWN – What was the roof of a lumber shed now has enough solar panels to generate 80 percent of the power Northeast Treaters requires, thanks to state and federal programs the company’s president credits with making the project possible.

“I found out that solar energy is competitive in Massachusetts,” said David A. Reed, president of Northeast Treaters Inc. “I think our economy is vulnerable to energy shocks. We don’t really measure the cost of petroleum. I believe the economy that can get less dependent on oil the fastest will win.”

Northeast Treaters, founded in 1985, treats wood under pressure with preservatives to prevent rot. It’s got 25 employees in Belchertown and a sister operation in Athens, N.Y.

Reed unveiled the $1.25 million solar project with an open house this week. On a bright sunny day, the 30,000 square feet of solar panels are capable of generating 1,000 kilowatt hours. For the year, that will work out about 275,000 kilowatt hours, or about 80 percent of the 320,00 kilowatt hours the plant with its pressurized tanks, pumps, conveyor belts, lighting and office equipment consumes each year.

The average suburban home uses 10,656 kilowatt hours per year. Reed estimates that the company’s monthly electric bill will drop from $4,000 a month to $800 a month.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonNortheast Treaters Inc. new array of 25,000 square feet of solar panels.

The Statehouse event, hosted by Rep. Carlos Henriquez, D-Boston, will include the presentation of awards to Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

State Rep. Carlos Henriquez, D-Boston

BOSTON — With climbing murder rates in cities from Springfield to Lawrence, state officials are scheduled to meet in Boston Tuesday to raise awareness and to "heal," according to state Rep. Carlos Henriquez, who's hosting a homicide victim remembrance event at the Statehouse.

"I want people to realize that this is a statewide issue. I have spent the year working with (representatives) from New Bedford, Springfield, Lawrence, Brockton, Worcester and other towns where there is a shared sense of concern and commitment to reducing violence across the entire commonwealth," the Boston Democrat said in a statement.

Cities such as Springfield, with 20 murders so far this year, Brockton and Lawrence have experienced upticks in their homicide rates. With less than six weeks until 2012, Springfield already has matched the 20 murders recorded in 2007, a decade high. There were 16 murders in the city in 2010, 17 in 2009 and 14 in 2008.

Meanwhile Boston, with more than 617,000 residents, is approaching the 60-homicide mark. There were 72 murders in the state's largest city last year, and Henriquez' district in the Dorchester neighborhood is home to the Hub's highest homicide rate.

"This event is about healing and awareness. It is important that we come together not just in moments of pain, but out of love," Henriquez said. "We hope to raise awareness around increasing peace in ourselves, families and communities and show survivors that they are not alone."

Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick

This morning's event is scheduled to begin at 10:30 on the Grand Staircase of the Statehouse, according to Henriquez, who will host the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute as it honors homicide victims' surviving family members and those who provide services to families affected by violence.

Survivor of Homicide Victims Advocate of the Year awards will be presented to Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, both of whom are scheduled to attend. Attorney General Martha M. Coakley also will be on hand for the event, and the state's top law enforcement officer is expected to offer remarks about crime in the commonwealth.

Patrick is expected to discuss ongoing efforts to end violence as he formally launches the state's annual "Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month."

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino

Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to dedicate an entire month to relatives of homicide victims. Each year since 2000, the annual observance has served as a platform for teaching and learning about how to better assist families who have lost loved ones to murder, according to Henriquez.

During the awareness month, which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20, homicide victims are remembered and their families are provided with information about survivor and trauma support services.

The new documentary parallels the history of State Street, including its recent $20 million renovation.

Republican file photoThis June 1, 2008, file photo from The Republican shows officials taking a walking tour of State Street outside Roger L. Putnam Vocational-Technical High School. From left are: Raymond A. Jordan, New England liaison for faith-based and community initiatives for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield; Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican; Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno; state Rep. Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield; Denise R. Jordan, chief of staff to Mayor Sarno; Trish Robinson, senior vice president of MassMutual; and Charles H. Rucks, executive director of Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services. The walk is featured in a new WGBY documentary about the State Street corridor.

SPRINGFIELD — “State Street is where the United States of America took its baby steps.”

That is the assessment of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in a new documentary about the distant past and the recent renewal of the city’s most historic corridor.

The 55-minute documentary, titled “The State Street Corridor Project: The Road to Renewal,” produced by WGBY Channel 57, was given an advance screening Friday night to an audience of about 50 people at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

The documentary, which took three years to make, showcases the historical significance of State Street against a backdrop of the impact of the recent $25 million renovation along the entire three-mile length of the roadway.

If Sarno’s view of State Street seems lofty, then he is not alone.

“The history of this nation came up and down State Street,” said Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican and a noted Springfield historian.

The documentary closes with Rep. Richard E. Neal, a tireless booster of the renovation project, saying “State Street leads to better tomorrows.”

Much of the film features Neal, Sarno and Phaneuf walking the length of State Street and pointing out areas of historical significance.

WGBY general manager Russell J. Peotter said the documentary was only finished recently. There is no scheduled date yet for it to be televised, he said.

Republican file photoIn this file photo from April 13, 2010, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, left and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno look over the Wait Boston Road Marker, which was installed on State Street near Federal Street by Captain Joseph Wait in 1763. The marker was reinstalled as part of the State Street Corridor revitalization project. The history of State Street and the renewal of the corridor is the subject of a new WGBY documentary.

Phaneuf said that when the Boston Post Road was created around 1676 as an overland route between Boston and New York, State Street was the scene of several important moments.

“The history of this nation came up and down State Street,” Phaneuf said.

General Henry Knox hauled captured British cannons from upstate New York's Fort Ticonderoga along State Street to deliver them to Boston, where George Washington used them to drive the British army from the city.

Paul Revere traveled State Street, as did George Washington – once as head of the Continental Army and once as president.

James Naismith invented basketball on State Street, and the Indian Motocycle was mass produced there.

Phaneuf said he hopes the rebirth of the corridor will show those who are pessimistic about the city’s future to look to its past. "And, out of that past, to see what the future can be," he said.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor said the State Street corridor project represents "a commitment to the community."

The corridor was, and still is, a vital part in the health and visibility of the city, and Springfield is the keystone for the entire Western Massachusetts region, he said.

“Where Springfield goes, the four counties of Western Massachusetts go,” Ponsor said. “If we let Springfield slide down, the four counties will slide down, too. We have an obligation to keep Springfield strong.”

Neal said the $25 million spent to remake the corridor was part of $200 million in federal earmarks spent on three critical projects in the same vicinity.

The others included the federal courthouse and the conversion of the former Springfield Technical High School into a state data center.

The money has funded hundreds of construction jobs and aided the local economy while revitalizing one of the city’s central and most historic arteries, Neal said.

For all the grumbling about federal spending, Neal said that since the projects got underway, “I have not received one letter, not one phone call from anyone saying send that money back.”

Changes were made at the intersection to add gaps to traffic flow so residents could enter and exit driveways.

File photo | The RepublicanHolyoke City Hall.

HOLYOKE – An update about changes made to deal with traffic at Hampden and Linden streets off the Mueller Bridge will be discussed by a City Council committee Monday.

The Public Safety Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

A change made in the summer put a red arrow at the traffic light that requires that drivers come to a complete stop before turning right, to allow for gaps in traffic so residents can enter and leave driveways.

“Residents expressed concerns about the amount of time available for entering and exiting driveways on Hampden Street with the steady flow of vehicles that existed prior to making the changes,” said William D. Fuqua, general superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

Timothy W. Purington, city councilor for Ward 4, where the intersection is located, said his understanding from residents was that the changes have helped.

“People said that has alleviated a lot of the problems,” Purington said.

Hasbro is joining Toy for Joy as a partner.

View full size

SPRINGFIELD – Registration for families seeking assistance from the Toy for Joy campaign will start one week from today.

This marks the 89th annual Toy for Joy campaign; jointly sponsored by the Salvation Army and The Republican, the campaign is working to raise $150,000 by Christmas eve to bring toys and gifts to children in need this holiday season.

Hasbro, Inc. is joining Toy for Joy as a partner, providing some of the toys which will be distributed. Hasbro has a long history of helping families in Western Massachusetts during the holidays and this year is no different.

By teaming with the Toy for Joy campaign, Hasbro, The Republican and the Salvation Army bring over 100 combined years of experience managing programs that help families in need give their children a toy or game to unwrap on their holiday. “Team Hasbro” employees will also be among the volunteers who aid the Salvation Army with registration of families and with distribution of the toys and gifts.

Last year’s campaign served nearly 20,000 children from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.

“As in past years, the Salvation Army is glad to have this time of registration so that we can identify and provide for each of the children this holiday season,” said Maj. Thomas D. Perks, co-commander of the Salvation Army’s Greater Springfield Citadel.

Salvation Army units in Westfield, Holyoke, Greenfield and Northampton are also participating with the registration of families and distribution of gifts.

Registration times and dates vary by unit.

Toy for Joy relies on the generosity of readers of The Republican and Masslive.com. This year’s campaign has set a goal of raising $150,000 by Christmas Eve.

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HOLYOKE &#8212 A Chicopee man was charged with more than a dozen offenses after allegedly leading officers on a high-speed chase that included going the wrong way down Interstate 391, police said. Holyoke Police Lt. Michael J. Higgins said Kevin Andrew Raposa, 51, of 665 McKinstry Ave. drove through a red lightfailed to stop for officers around 4:15 p.m....

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HOLYOKE — A Chicopee man was charged with more than a dozen offenses after allegedly leading officers on a high-speed chase that included going the wrong way down Interstate 391, police said.

Holyoke Police Lt. Michael J. Higgins said Kevin Andrew Raposa, 51, of 665 McKinstry Ave. drove through a red lightfailed to stop for officers around 4:15 p.m. near the intersection of Main Street and Interstate 391, according to Holyoke Police Department records.

In addition to a charge of failure to stop for police, Raposa was cited for driving with a revoked license; drug possession; operating to endanger/negligently; marked lanes violation; driving the wrong-way on a state highway; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; malicious destruction of property in excess of $250; and failure to stop for a red light.

Police said Raposa also was wanted on two outstanding warrants.

He is expected to be arraigned Monday in Holyoke District Court.