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Medvedev: Russia may target US missile shield

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If Washington continues to ignore Russia's demands about a proposed U.S. missile shield in Europe, Russia will deploy new missiles aimed at it, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

112311russia.jpgIn this Thursday, May 6, 2010 file photo Russian army strategic missile Topol-M is on Red Square as Russsian Army jets fly over during general rehearsals ahead of the upcoming Victory Day Parade, in Moscow. If Washington continues to ignore Russia's demands about a proposed U.S. missile shield in Europe, Russia will deploy new missiles aimed at it and put arms control on hold, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" relations with the Kremlin.

President Dmitry Medvedev said he still hopes for a deal with the U.S. on missile defense, but he strongly accused Washington and its NATO allies of ignoring Russia's worries. He said Russia will have to take military countermeasures if the U.S. continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia.

The U.S. has repeatedly assured Russia that its proposed missile defense system wouldn't be directed against Russia's nuclear forces, and it did that again Wednesday.

"I do think it's worth reiterating that the European missile defense system that we've been working very hard on with our allies and with Russia over the last few years is not aimed at Russia," said Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. "It is ... designed to help deter and defeat the ballistic missile threat to Europe and to our allies from Iran."

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the United States will continue to seek Moscow's cooperation, but it must realize "that the missile defense systems planned for deployment in Europe do not and cannot threaten Russia's strategic deterrent."

But Medvedev said Moscow will not be satisfied by simple declarations and wants a binding agreement. He said, "When we propose to put in on paper in the form of precise and clear legal obligations, we hear a strong refusal."

Medvedev warned that Russia will station missiles in its westernmost Kaliningrad region and other areas, if the U.S. continues its plans without offering firm and specific pledges that the shield isn't directed at its nuclear forces. He didn't say whether the missiles would carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was "very disappointed" with Russia's threat to deploy missiles near alliance nations, adding that "would be reminiscent of the past and ... inconsistent with the strategic relations NATO and Russia have agreed they seek."

"Cooperation, not confrontation, is the way ahead," Rasmussen said in a statement.

The U.S. missile defense dispute has long tarnished ties between Moscow and Washington. The Obama administration has repeatedly said the shield is needed to fend off a potential threat from Iran, but Russia fears that it could erode the deterrent potential of its nuclear forces.

"If our partners tackle the issue of taking our legitimate security interests into account in an honest and responsible way, I'm sure we will be able to come to an agreement," Medvedev said. "But if they propose that we 'cooperate,' or, to say it honestly, work against our own interests, we won't be able to reach common ground."

Moscow has agreed to consider a proposal NATO made last fall to cooperate on the missile shield, but the talks have been deadlocked over how the system should be operated. Russia has insisted that it should be run jointly, which NATO has rejected.

Medvedev also warned that Moscow may opt out of the New START arms control deal with the United States and halt other arms control talks, if the U.S. proceeds with the missile shield without meeting Russia's demand. The Americans had hoped that the START treaty would stimulate progress in further ambitious arms control efforts, but such talks have stalled because of tension over the missile plan.

While the New START doesn't prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, Russia has said it could withdraw from the treaty if it feels threatened by such a system in future.

Medvedev reaffirmed that warning Wednesday, saying that Russia may opt out of the treaty because of an "inalienable link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons."

The New START has been a key achievement of Obama's policy of improving relations with Moscow, which had suffered badly under the George W. Bush administration.

"It's impossible to do a reset using old software, it's necessary to develop a new one," Medvedev's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said at a news conference.

The U.S. plan calls for placing land- and sea-based radars and interceptors in European locations, including Romania and Poland, over the next decade and upgrading them over time.

Medvedev said that Russia will carefully watch the development of the U.S. shield and take countermeasures if Washington continues to ignore Russia's concerns. He warned that Moscow would deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, a Baltic Sea region bordering Poland, and place weapons in other areas in Russia's west and south to target U.S. missile defense sites. Medvedev said Russia would put a new early warning radar in Kaliningrad.

He said that as part of its response Russia would also equip its intercontinental nuclear missiles with systems that would allow them to penetrate prospective missile defenses and would develop ways to knock down the missile shield's control and information facilities.

Igor Korotchenko, a Moscow-based military expert, was quoted by the state RIA Novosti news agency as saying that the latter would mean targeting missile defense radars and command structures with missiles and bombers. "That will make the entire system useless," he said.

Medvedev and other Russian leaders have made similar threats in the past, and the latest statement appears to be aimed at the domestic audience ahead of Dec. 4 parliamentary elections.

Medvedev, who is set to step down to allow Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to reclaim the presidency in March's election, leads the ruling United Russia party list in the parliamentary vote. A stern warning to the U.S. and NATO issued by Medvedev seems to be directed at rallying nationalist votes in the polls.

Rogozin, Russia's NATO envoy, said the Kremlin won't follow the example of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and take unwritten promises from the West.

"The current political leadership can't act like Gorbachev, and it wants written obligations secured by ratification documents," Rogozin said.

Medvedev's statement was intended to encourage the U.S. and NATO to take Russia seriously at the missile defense talks, Rogozin said. He added that the Russian negotiators were annoyed by the U.S. "openly lying" about its missile defense plans.

"We won't allow them to treat us like fools," he said. "Nuclear deterrent forces aren't a joke."


Mitt Romney defends ad's use of Obama 2008 line

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The ad includes audio of Obama quoting the campaign of his opponent: "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose."

112311romney.jpgRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to a group of workers at Nationwide Insurance Company, Wednesday Nov. 23, 2011, in Des Moines, Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is defending a TV ad that quotes President Barack Obama out of context, signaling he's ready for bare-knuckled campaigning despite sharp complaints from Democrats and some neutral observers.

Romney said while campaigning in Iowa Wednesday that the ad is fair game, and underscores how the former Massachusetts governor stressing his decades in the private sector intends to confront the president if Romney is the GOP nominee next year.

The ad which began airing in New Hampshire Tuesday uses audio of then-Sen. Obama campaigning in the state in 2008, saying: "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose."

The ad omits any acknowledgement that Obama was quoting the campaign of his opponent, 2008 GOP nominee John McCain. Instead, the ad leaves the impression that it is Obama who does not want to discuss the economy.

Romney told reporters in Des Moines his campaign distributed the ad with a press release noting the words were originally from Obama's opponent.

"There was no hidden effort on the part of our campaign. It was instead to point out that what's sauce for the goose is now sauce for the gander," Romney said, after addressing more than 300 employees of a downtown insurance company. "This ad points out, now, guess what, it's your turn. The same lines used on John McCain are now going to be used on you, which is that this economy is going to be your albatross."

It's a more aggressive tone for Romney, who all along in his second bid for the GOP nomination has cast himself as the field's most prepared candidate to tackle the economy. Now, he is signaling that he'll pull no punches with Obama.

"How we will beat President Obama is by speaking day in and day out about the one topic he does not want to talk about. And that's the economy," Romney said, with U.S. Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who endorsed him Wednesday, by his side. "If I'm the nominee, he'll be trying to take me apart."

Democrats roundly criticized the ad as misleading.

PolitiFact, a non-partisan campaign watchdog, referred to the ad's use of Obama's past comment as "ridiculously misleading," and noted the campaign could have conveyed the point that the tables had turned on Obama "without distorting Obama's words."

Romney's appearances in Iowa Wednesday reflect his recent stepped-up his activity in the state that will hold the first caucuses on Jan 3.

While just his fifth visit to the state this year, it was his third in about a month.

In the meantime, his small campaign staff has grown modestly, been in regular touch with the statewide network of supporters he has held onto since his second-place finish in the 2008 caucuses. He is organizing a series of telephone question-and-answer sessions with thousands of Iowans, and is planning to unveil campaign ads in Iowa soon.

He still has not appeared with his Republican competitors in the state, having skipped three events over the past month.

Romney has said he plans to debate his GOP rivals in Iowa. There are debates scheduled December 10 in Des Moines and five days later in Sioux City.

Bondsville call firefighter Joseph Noone's home taken for non-payment of taxes

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Treasurer-Collector Paul Nowicki said the house will likely be auctioned in the spring with other properties taken for non-payment of taxes.

062811 joseph jay noone.jpgJoseph F. "Jay" Noone stands in front of his two-family home on Main Street in Bondsville in this June 2011 file photo.

PALMER - Five months after its first attempt, town officials took over the property at 3157-3159 Main St. in the Bondsville section for non-payment of taxes, evicting the man who lived there.

"That's the cost of standing up for your rights and freedom," Joseph F. "Jay" Noone said on Wednesday, a day after he was evicted from the property for owing approximately $35,000 in back taxes and legal fees to the town of Palmer.

"I can't say too much, but I'm not done yet. I expect it will be about a year and I will have my house back," he said.

Asked if he planned to pay the $35,000 to get the house back, Noone replied, "Absolutely not. I'm not going to pay the extortion fee."

"There is no contract they they have produced to compel me to pay any taxes," Noone said.

In late June, Noone was served with an eviction notice, but when police and a constable went to the address they were met by a group of Noone's supporters. A few wore shirts that said, "Tyranny Response Team," and there were handmade signs saying "No Jury No Trial" and "No Due Process." Some traveled from Keene, N.H. to offer their support.

As a result, the eviction didn't happen.

Noone took issue with the lack of notice this time. He said officials will be held accountable. He said he stayed with a friend on Tuesday night, and he's had offers from 25 others. Noone maintains that the town is not a government, but a municipal corporation that calls itself a government agency.

"The police are essentially hired mercenaries for this corporation," Noone said.

Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said officers and the constable returned to the house on Tuesday morning to evict Noone. A moving van was brought for all of Noone's belongings, which then were taken to a storage facility. The home is a two-family, but no tenant was living on the other side.

"It was done very peacefully. Mr. Noone made clear that he objected to the whole process, but he was cooperative. To his credit, he was a gentleman," Frydryk said.

Frydryk said the town's lawyer successfully argued in court that a second notice did not have to be given to Noone alerting him to the eviction date. The windows on the home have been boarded up, Frydryk said.

Officials said the money Noone owed goes back six years.

Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said taking the property was necessary.

"We all pay our taxes. Without that, government can't function," Blanchard said.

Treasurer-Collector Paul Nowicki said the house will likely be auctioned in the spring with other properties taken for non-payment of taxes. The assessor's office lists the value of the property at $134,900.

Noone is a call firefighter for the Bondsville Fire Department, according to the department's website. The fire department is an independent organization, separate from Palmer's town government.

Judge rejects Salvatore DiMasi request to delay prison

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U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said DiMasi must report to prison next Wednesday.

Salvatore DiMasi Corruption Trial05.27.2011 | BOSTON - Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi arrives at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse Friday morning for what is expected to be the final day of testimony in his federal corruption trial.

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request from former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi to postpone the date he's scheduled to report to prison to begin serving an eight-year sentence on corruption charges.

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said DiMasi must report to prison next Wednesday. The once-powerful leader was convicted in June of extortion, honest services fraud and conspiracy for accepting kickbacks in exchange for using his political position to steer state contracts to a software company.

DiMasi's lawyers had asked that his Nov. 30 reporting date be delayed while prison officials consider his request to be assigned to a prison facility close to home. They also asked that the date be extended so DiMasi could spend the holidays with his wife, Debbie, who had breast cancer and is scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery in January.

But Wolf said the arguments for a delay by DiMasi and co-defendant Richard McDonough were "not persuasive," noting that prison sentences regularly separate criminals from their families on special occasions and during illnesses.

"These unfortunate facts should have been obvious to DiMasi and McDonough when they considered committing the serious crimes for which they have now been convicted and sentenced," Wolf wrote in his ruling.

The judge also noted that DiMasi's reporting date had already been postponed from Nov. 16 to Nov. 30.

"A further postponement of their sentences would be unusual and, in this case, would understandably encourage the perception that those who were previously powerful receive preferential treatment in federal court," he wrote.

DiMasi's lawyer, Thomas Kiley, declined to comment on Wolf's ruling.

Earlier Wednesday, prosecutors filed a written opposition to DiMasi's request, arguing that extending DiMasi's report date "would give the appearance that DiMasi was being accorded undue special treatment."

That characterization prompted a rebuke from Kiley.

"Sal got sentenced to eight years. That hardly qualifies as special treatment," Kiley said.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has ordered DiMasi to serve his sentence at a federal prison in Lexington, Ky.

DiMasi's lawyers had asked that the bureau reconsider and allow him to serve his time at the federal prison in Devens, Mass.

During the trial, prosecutors described a scheme using DiMasi's clout as speaker to steer two state contracts worth a combined $17.5 million to the software firm Cognos in exchange for payments, with DiMasi receiving $65,000.

DiMasi resigned as speaker in January 2009 and was indicted later that year.

DiMasi and McDonough were convicted, while a third defendant, Richard Vitale, was acquitted.

Joseph Lally, a software salesman, pleaded guilty and testified against DiMasi and the other men. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Wolf said DiMasi and McDonough must report to the prisons designated by the Bureau of Prisons by noon next Wednesday.

People in Amherst get an early Thanksgiving meal thanks to the Amherst Survival Center

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The Amherst Survival Center has served a day-before-Thanksgiving meal for decades.

meal6.JPGRick Giardini of Northampton points to the gravy that Carmen Bassett of the Greenfield Savings Bank is serving at the annual Thanksgiving meal put on by the Amherst Survival Center Wednesday. Staff and volunteers served meals to more than 200 people at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst.


AMHERST – The menu offered pans of the usual ham and turkey, squash and potatoes, but on this spread offerings included tofu turkey, vegetarian stuffing and a big salad with sprouts.

“We have a strong commitment to feeding everyone,” said Cheryl C. Zoll, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center. So even at that annual Thanksgiving meal, “we cover all the bases.”

For more than 30 years, the survival center has served a day before Thanksgiving feast to anyone who wants to come. And by the time the kitchen at the Immanuel Lutheran Church where the feast was held opened, the line was out the door.

Last year, they served about 200, this year they were expecting even more because they are seeing more and more coming in for clothing, meals, medical and housing help among the programs the center offers to people in Franklin and Hampshire county communities.

Frank Gamelli, who owns Frank’s Painting here, brought his work crew in for lunch.

“Every year, I make it a tradition,” he said. He brings his crew “so me and my men can get together and have a meal.”

He said the food is great. “It’s a good chance to know people in your community.” Originally from West Springfield, he lives in Amherst now. He said when he has time, he’ll move furniture for the center.

Brandy Ciolino of Greenfield was sitting with her 2-year-old sister waiting for her brother and mother, who were in line getting food.

meal4.JPGBrandy Ciolino of Greenfield holds her 2-year-old sister Leena at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst where they gathered for the annual Thanksgiving meal Wednesday put on by the Amherst Survival Center. The two were waiting for their mother to bring their lunch.

Her mother, Heather Laughton, is a volunteer, she said. But the family has also been able to find clothes there as well. “It’s very helpful,” the 18-year-old said. And of the crowd gathered around her, “They’re pretty much like a big family.

Volunteers help prepare and serve the food as do people who use the center, said

Tracey A. Levy, program director. She said everything was going smoothly. They had more than enough food and volunteers to help serve and clean up.
“There’s so much to be appreciative of,” she said.

Zoll said she doesn’t know how the meal came be served the day before Thanksgiving, but she said it provides the chance for people “to come together with friends” leaving the actual holiday to free to be with family.

Massachusetts' new alimony law sets limits on length of payments

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The previous law often required payments to continue even after the spouse paying the alimony retired or the spouse receiving it moved in with a new partner.

SPRINGFIELD – The recently passed alimony law will allow people to end their marriages without having to pay alimony forever, a local legislator said last week.

2010 gale candarasGale D. Candaras

State Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, was speaking to about 100 lawyers and others at Western New England University School of Law at an Alimony Reform Conference laying out provisions that will take effect March 1.

The previous system allowed judges to award lifelong alimony after both short and long marriages, in contrast to the practices of most states.

It often required payments to continue even after the spouse paying the alimony retired or the spouse receiving it moved in with a new partner.

The new law allows most of those paying alimony to stop once they retire. It also sets limits, based on the length of a marriage, on the number of years former spouses can receive payments.

Candaras, co-chairman of the legislative alimony reform task force that wrote the law, said, “This bill was extraordinary in that it was passed unanimously in the House and Senate.”

“So I think the moment had come and people were really, not only statewide but in the Legislature, people were ready for this to happen,” she said.

“There had to come a time in your life where you could truly end your relationship with another person and not have to be paying alimony forever,” said Candaras, who received many plaudits Friday from reform panel members speaking at the conference.

“We did not touch the child support guidelines,” Candaras said. “We focused exclusively on alimony.”

Denise Squillante, a family law lawyer who was on the task force that wrote the bill, told lawyers when they review the law, “make sure that you look at it in a comprehensive way because it can be quite complex.”

She said the complexity was necessary in order to ensure there would be judicial discretion in cases.

Probate and Family Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey said, “We knew this was a really important project.”

“I came in and really served in an advisory role and gave people food for thought on a number of areas,” she said. “But one of my main concerns was making sure judicial discretion was preserved in those areas where we particularly need it.”

The conference was sponsored by the Massachusetts Bar Association and Western New England University School of Law’s Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs.

Fern Frolin, also a member of the task force that wrote the legislation, told the audience, “We are going from one size fits all” to one that considers the financial future of each family.

Wall Street: Widening European debt crisis sends stock market lower

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The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 236 points.

Earns Deere 112311.jpgYoung attendees to the Farm Progress Show, in Decatur, Ill., inspect and climb aboard a new John Deere 4940 Self-Propelled Sprayer, in Decatur, Ill., in August. Deere & Co. reported Wednesday that strong demand for its farm equipment helped boost the company's fourth quarter profit by 46 percent, and next year should be better because Deere expects demand will remain robust.

NEW YORK - Europe’s widening debt crisis and a weak report on Chinese manufacturers pushed stocks sharply lower Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 236 points.

Traders were spooked by the poor results at an auction of German debt, which drew too few bids to sell all of the 10-year notes being offered. Germany has Europe’s strongest economy, and traders have bought its debt as a safe place to store value during turbulent times.

The weak buying suggests that Europe’s crisis might be infecting strong nations that are crucial to keeping the euro currency afloat. Germany bears much of the burden of bailing out weaker neighbors such as Greece and Portugal.

Borrowing costs for Italy and Spain rose from levels that already were considered dangerously high. Europe lacks the resources to bail out those countries, which have its third- and fourth-biggest economies.

The Dow fell 236.17 points, or 2.1 percent, to close at 11,257.55. It has slumped 4.6 percent over the past three days as Congress neared a deadlock on cutting the budget deficit and as Europe’s debt woes appeared to worsen. The Dow has now given back more than half of its big October rally. It jumped 9.5 percent last month, the biggest gain since 2002.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 26.25, or 2.2 percent, to 1,161.79. All 10 industry groups fell sharply, led by energy companies, materials makers and banks. The index is headed for its sixth straight decline, the longest losing streak since August.

The Nasdaq fell 61.20, or 2.4 percent, to 2,460.08.

The dollar rose sharply against the euro as investors moved money into assets considered to be relatively safe. The euro fell near $1.33, from $1.35 late Tuesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.89 percent from 1.94 percent late Tuesday, signaling higher demand for Treasurys.

Fears about Europe also dragged U.S. bank stocks lower. Investors were unnerved by the Federal Reserve’s announcement late Tuesday of a fresh round of stress tests of the biggest banks, said Peter Tchir, who runs the hedge fund TF Market Advisors.

The Fed said 31 banks will be tested to see how they would withstand a recession that would push unemployment above 13 percent by early 2013. The jobless rate now stands at about 9 percent.

The announcement undermined weeks of market-boosting talk by Fed officials, Tchir said. The stress tests, apparently related to fears about European exposure, exposed a darker view of the market held by some central bank officials, he said.

“They went ahead and put weakness into the market for the first time” in months, Tchir said. “No one was that afraid, and now all of a sudden, they’re saying ‘Our own Fed is worried.’ That really spooked people.”

Bank stocks fell broadly. Bank of America Corp. lost 4.3 percent to close at $5.14; Citigroup Inc. fell 3.9 percent to $23.51 and Morgan Stanley fell 3.6 percent to $13.03.

Asian markets fell earlier after a survey showed that manufacturing appears to be slowing in China. A day earlier, the U.S. government had lowered its estimate of third-quarter economic growth.

Trading was light ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday and will have shortened hours on Friday. Volume on the New York Stock Exchange was 3.8 billion shares, below the average of 4.7 billion over the past 100 days.

In corporate news, Deere & Co. rose 3.9 percent to $74.72 after the company reported net income growth of 46 percent. Deere credited strong sales of farm equipment.

Groupon Inc. plunged 15.5 percent to $17.96, falling below its initial price of $20 for the first time. The online deals company went public less than three weeks ago.

Companies that make raw materials were hurt by signs of slower growth in China and worries that Europe might fall into recession. United States Steel Corp. plunged 7.6 percent to $22.41. Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. declined 4.1 percent to $8.88.

The U.S. government released a mixed batch of economic reports before the market opened. Concerns about developments overseas appeared to overshadow a handful of hopeful signals.

Slightly more people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs continue. Consumer spending grew by the least in four months, but incomes rose a bit more than expected. Orders for long-lasting manufactured products fell for a second month and business investment dropped off.

Obituaries today: Paul Jones, 69, of Amherst; 8th generation president of W.C. Cowls, Inc. land company

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Obituaries from The Republican today.

Paul Jones 112311.jpgPaul C. Jones

AMHERST - Paul C. Jones, 69, died Monday following a short illness. Son of the late Sarah (Hartman) and Walter Cowls Jones, he was born in North Amherst. With his brother Denison and sister Gertrude, he represented the eighth generation of the Cowls family to grow up on the historic Home Farm on Montague Road and manage the family business. He grew up as an active member of the North Amherst Boy Scouts, attending the National Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA. He was a 1959 graduate of Amherst Regional High School, attended Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was an elected member of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honors Society. As a member of the UMass Skydiving Club, he made 65 jumps. He served as an Amherst volunteer fireman and on the fireman's muster team, reporting to the North Amherst station on Pine Street. He started his career as an engineer at Boston Edison and returned to the area to work for Western Massachusetts Electric Company before returning to the family business. As the eventual 8th Generation President, and then Chairman of the Board of W.D. Cowls, Inc., Paul managed the family's timberland management, lumber manufacturing, real estate, and building supply business. The May 13, 1981 Amherst Bulletin read "Paul Jones is one of those people about whom everything is fast. The way he walks, the way he drives, the way he gives orders." In this article Paul was also described as being a meticulous planner and a careful decision maker. His love of growing the family business was characterized by his comment, "I figure every day I'm at work, I'm on vacation." Paul built Riverside Park Apartments and Stores adjacent to the North Amherst post office in 1970s. In 1980, he built Cowls Building Supply, a retail store that featured Cowls sawmill products as a specialty. He expanded the planer mill operation to include a timber sizer and a new planer-notcher, and finished locally harvested sawmill products for retail sales. Paul and Robert K. Patterson partnered to build numerous North Amherst roads and they sold over 120 house lots. Streets built by Patterson-Jones include Blackberry Lane Extension (twice), Jason Court, Kingman Road, Sacco Drive, Tuckerman Lane, Cherry Lane Extension, Weaver Circle and Emily Lane (and extension). With Bob Patterson,Cowles bought the Barkowski farm and after Bob's death, with his children Paul developed the Barkowski Farm into Owen Drive and a 20 acre farmhouse lot on Teawaddle Lane. With a larger family partnership he built Lawrence Circle. Throughout his life, Paul instilled in his children a passion for family, the family business, and making the most out of every minute. He would take his young children on tours of local factories, to enterprises of suppliers and customers; he delighted in woods walks, tree identification and wreath making. He had a vision of progress, and a love of Johnny Cash music, that were contagious. To his growing children, his mantra was "Make us proud," and his tip for lifetime success was "The harder you work the luckier you get." Paul was a Past Master of the Pacific Lodge of Masons and a Shriner, and served on the Boards of the Three County Fair, the Northeast Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Northeast Retail Lumber Association. He was a long time vocal Amherst Town Meeting member for many years, encouraging sustainable progress. Paul was a skilled woodworker who made fine furniture and built-ins, but he especially enjoyed making games and toys with and for his grandchildren. He once refused a wood burning tool that stamped "Handcrafted by Paul C. Jones" onto his creations, and insisted it be returned for one instead that read "Thrown Together by Paul C. Jones."

Obituaries from The Republican:


East Longmeadow School Committee considers working with green technology company to fund athletic field lights

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The East Longmeadow High School athletic field lights will cost about $115,000.

One of the existing lights is seen at at the East Longmeadow High School athletic field. (Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican)

EAST LONGMEADOW- The School Committee is now considering the possibility of partnering with a company that installs solar panels on municipal properties in order to pay for the $115,000 East Longmeadow High School athletic field lighting project.

The board initially planned to vote on how to fund the project during its Monday meeting, but after meeting with Board of Selectmen and Green Committee member James D. Driscoll they are considering joining in the town's Request For Proposal to bid the project to a company that would place solar panels on town properties including the schools.

Driscoll said part of the leasing agreement with the company would be that they fund the high school lighting project.

The committee initially planned on voting to either lease the project, ask residents for the money during a special Town Meeting or put the item on the district's capital project list and ask the town during the annual Town Meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Gordon C. Smith said the Department of Revenue advised the town that a leasing option would not be appropriate since the lights would become part of a construction project once they were installed and were therefore a capital project.

School Committee member Joseph Cabrera said he has already received more than the 200 signatures necessary to request a special Town Meeting. He said this would allow the lights to be paid for through free cash. They would also be ready for the spring sports season.

Members agreed to wait until their Dec. 5 meeting when Driscoll will bring them more information about the solar option.

Members also voted to put the lighting project on their list of capital projects for fiscal year 2013 in case the other options do not work out.

Amherst seeking $900,000 in block grant money for 9 projects

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Amherst will look for other funding for childcare tuition help.

AMHERST – Funding for the emergency shelter, purchasing property for affordable housing and modernizing the roof and heating system at Amherst Community Childcare Center are among the projects that town officials hope will receive block grant funding next year.

Town Manager John P. Musante will be submitting an application to the state next month for funding from the Community Development Block Grant mini-entitlement program.

He is following the recommendations presented by the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee. The committee discussed their choices with the Select Board, which also endorsed the recommendations without taking a vote.

Town officials and social service agencies submitted $1.4 million in funding requests for the $900,000 available to the town next year. The available money is down $100,000 from what officials had expected because of federal cuts.

Amherst is one of 10 communities in the state designated as a mini-entitlement community as part of the Community Development Block Grant program. 


Greenfield and West Springfield are also eligible for mini-entitlement funding. Amherst received $1 million this current year.

“This is a very well thought-out list,” Musante said. “These are very important programs.”

Of the $900,000, $200,000 is for program administration. The town is able to use 20 percent of the funding for social service programs and the remaining funding for non-social service programs.

The town is seeking $25,000 each for the Center for New Americans and the Amherst Survival Center, $22,000 for the Big Brother/Big Sisters program, $17,5000 for emergency fuel and rental assistance and $90,500 for the shelter although shelter provider Craig’s Doors requested $115,000.

The town is also seeking $240,000 for the childcare project, $228,000 to purchase property for affordable housing, $41,885 for first time homebuyer assistance and $30,000 for income survey and identification of blighted areas.

Musante said that no site has been selected for housing but the money would be used as seed money along with money from other funding sources once the town identifies an appropriate site.

The advisory had to reject funding requests from seven other proposals including a $77,221 request to provide childcare tuition assistance, something that has been funded in the past.

“This is an important program worthy of town support,” Musante said. He is working on the budgets now and is looking at how there might be funding available through the Amherst Leisure Services and Supplemental Education budget.

“You’ve made very difficult choices,” Select Board chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe said.

Westfield School Department ends administrative responsibility of Westfield Area Head Start program

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The School Department has served as administrator for Westfield Area Head Start since 1985.

WESTFIELD – The School Department will relinquish its administration of Westfield Area Head Start effective Jan. 24, turning over that responsibility to Community Action! a Greenfield regional social service agency.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion announced the transfer this week, completing an initiative that began last year when the School Committee voted to end its administrative responsibility with the federal early childhood educational program.

“This is a good move for the city and for Head Start,” Knapik said.

Scallion agreed, noting that Community Action! is headed by former Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins. “Her background is in early childhood education,” Scallion said of Higgins.

Higgins resigned in September, becoming executive director of Community Action!. She served as Northampton’s mayor since 1999.

“The transition of administration for Westfield Head Start will come at the start of the second half of the school year. That is an appropriate time for this to happen,” Scallion said.

Westfield Area Head Start has been administered by the School Department here since it began in 1985. The program serves more than 200 pre-school youngsters in Westfield, Russell, West Springfield and Agawam. The program receives $1.4 million in federal funding.

Knapik said ending Westfield administration of the program is appropriate because “our city no longer has a majority of students enrolled in that program.” He said 80 pre-school youngsters from Westfield are currently enrolled in Head Start.

“Head Start is a regional program and should be administered by a regional agency,” the mayor said.

The program will continue to operate from its facility located on Southampton Road and Westfield will continue to pay for utilities at the center, Knapik said. “A nominal (rent) fee will be established for continued use of the building,” he said.

The School Committee’s decision to sever administration of Head Start followed a reported budget shortfall of about $140,000 in 2009. That deficit was later corrected but the School Committee cited concern over liability for future shortfalls.

Jason Foisy, formerly of South Hadley, gets 5-year prison sentence in $75 million bank fraud scheme

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Foisy’s lawyer, Joseph A. Franco of West Springfield, said his client was a pawn in a scheme orchestrated by June.

SPRINGFIELD – Five years ago, Jason R. Foisy was looking forward to finishing the $6.6 million home he was building on the Ft. Lauderdale waterfront.

Now, the former South Hadley resident can only look forward to finishing the 54-month prison sentence that resulted from a federal investigation into the Massachusetts-to-Florida real estate dealings by Foisy and other former Greater Springfield men.

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor ordered Foisy to serve the 4½-year sentence and pay $15 million in restitution during a sentencing hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

In May, Foisy, 35, pleaded guilty to a multi-million bank fraud scheme involving several banks, $75 million in loans and more than 100 transactions involving properties from Holyoke and South Hadley to Miami.

Two others – James June, 50, of Rockville, Md. and David Tarczynski, 34, of Ft. Lauderdale – were charged in the case. June, described as the mastermind, is scheduled for trial in March; Tarcynski, formerly of Chicopee, pled guilty in June. .

Foisy’s lawyer, Joseph A. Franco of West Springfield, said his client was a pawn in a scheme orchestrated by June.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Goodwin acknowledged that Foisy had played a subordinate role in the fraudulent partnership, but said he was an active participant who recruited friends and family, escorted them on house hunting trips, manufactured false banks statements and otherwise assisted June in keeping the scheme going.

Foisy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering.

In imposing the sentence, Ponsor also ordered Foisy to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.

In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation unit , the state police, the Northwestern District Attorney’s and the South Hadley police assisted with the investigation.

FBI uses approach of Cyber Monday to warn online shoppers about online criminals

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As consumers have begun make more retail purchases online, more and more fraudsters have begun looking for aggressive and creative ways to rip people off.

photo jorge franganillo.jpgThe FBI is using the occasion of Cyber Monday to advise people to be a little cautious about unsolicited e-mails making offers on goods that sound too good to be true. Chances are they are not genuine.

BOSTON - With “Cyber Monday,” the most popular day of the year for online retail sales, fast approaching, the New England office of the FBI is warning consumers to be on guard for cyber-criminals, cyber-con men and cyber-snake oil pedlars.

The FBI on Wednesday issued an advisory to alert on-line shoppers in New England to be a little wary this holiday season about online offers that sound too good to be true.

As the amount of online retail sales continue to increase, so too has the number of online hustlers who are launching increasingly aggressive and creative ways to rip people off, said Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers.

With the Monday after Thanksgiving becoming known as “Cyber Monday,” the FBI is warning people to be skeptical of any e-mail advertising one-day-only promotions for recognized brands or websites.

Online thieves often use hot items of the season to lure in bargain hunters who are all too willing to hand over their credit card information, said Supervisory Special Agent Kevin Swindon.

“Especially during the holiday season, consumers should remain vigilant and proceed with caution when conducting an online transaction,” he said. “Fraudsters prey on consumers to provide their personally identifiable information through bogus web sites.”

The FBI recommends the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:


  • Log on directly to the official website for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of following the link inside an unsolicited e-mail.

  • Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keep up with the security updates to prevent viruses and malicious programs from infecting your computer.

  • Make purchases using websites with secure connections. Look for websites that use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) security which protects your personal information. Check the browser’s status bar for an unbroken “padlock” icon that indicates the sites’ using SSL.

  • Use your credit card instead of debit card when making a purchase. Credit cards offer added protection from fraudulent transactions.

  • Never use your Social Security Number to make online purchases.

  • Use strong passwords. A strong password should include at least five letters and one number.



For more information about how to shop on line without being ripped off, go to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Information is also available at the FBI's website

Cape Cod cottages on Chatham's North Beach Island again face demolition

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The 5 cottages, owned by the Cape Cod National Seashore and slated for demolition amid fears they'll collapse into the ocean, were denied federal historic protection.

082311 north beach chatham cottages.jpgSusan Carroll, an occupant of one of the 11 cottages on North Beach Island in Chatham, walks from the beach to her cottage. The Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places denied protection for five of the cottages slated to be torn down, saying they aren't rare or historically important enough to qualify for the list. The decision means their owner, the federal Cape Cod National Seashore, can proceed with demolition. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

CHATHAM – Five Cape Cod dune cottages slated for demolition amid fears they'll collapse into the ocean have been denied federal historic protection, a major blow to the tenants fighting to save them.

The ruling by Patrick Andrus, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, said the buildings don't qualify for the list because they "are not rare surviving examples of an important historic type of structure, nor are they of exceptional importance for history or architecture," he said.

Tuesday's decision frees the cottages' owner, the Cape Cod National Seashore, to proceed with demolition.

Seashore superintendent George Price said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that the Seashore hasn't determined whether the demolition will proceed in the coming weeks, or be delayed until next spring or later.

An advisory committee to the Seashore has recommended delaying any action until October, citing reasons including a request by the town of Chatham to put off action during its celebration of its 300th anniversary next year. The committee also recommended taking down the cottages on a case by case basis, rather than taking all of them down at once — even those that aren't currently in danger from the surf.

Price said he'll decide whether to follow the committee's recommendations in "the next week or two."

He said he hasn't ruled out proceeding with the demolition as soon as possible, but added rough weather heading into the winter could put the work off until after April, when demolition is impossible because the protected piping plover is nesting on the island.

Tenant Susan Carroll told the Cape Cod Times that the fight to save the cottages isn't over until the family's cottage "isn't there anymore."

"We're not done yet, but this is a major setback," she said.

The existing camps on eroding North Beach Island first popped up decades ago, but the buildings were wiped out and later rebuilt after the "Perfect Storm" in October 1991. The National Seashore owns five of the 11 existing camps on the island (the others are privately owned), and has leased them out, with many camps staying in the same family for decades.

In August, Price announced the Seashore-owned cottages would be torn down, citing the rapidly deteriorating island and fears about the debris mixing in local waterways. He said two or three of the five camps were in danger of falling into the sea this winter and the others would soon be claimed by the ocean during a natural cycle that dramatically changes, and periodically swallows, the barrier beaches they're built on.

The families were shocked by the order, and enlisted the town in a fight to save them. They argued Price was overstating the dangers of collapse, and that removing the picturesque cottages was a blow to Chatham's heritage. The Carrolls noted their camp was rebuilt on deep pilings, remained a good distance from the water and shouldn't be torn down if it wasn't in danger.

Price agreed to delay any action until the request for federal historic protection was considered.

Tuesday's decision was "expected," Price said.

"But as far as the entire project is concerned, obviously it continues to be a very emotional one," he said. "We certainly understand that."

Former acting Holyoke fire chief William Moran has date in court on criminal charges he sent truck on prank call

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Moran's criminal charges occurred on the same day he turned 49 and officially retired from the Fire Department.

dec 2010 holyoke fire chief william moran.jpgFormer acting Holyoke fire chief William P. Moran faces criminal charges for sending a truck to a fake call

Updates a story posted Wednesday at 3:37 p.m.


HOLYOKE – Former acting fire chief William P. Moran put the public in danger with a “hazardous condition” and must answer criminal charges in court Dec. 7 for sending a truck to a fake call in June, an assistant clerk magistrate ruled Tuesday.

“The evidence establishes probable cause to believe that Chief Moran either intended to cause or recklessly created a risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm,” Assistant Clerk Magistrate Barbara Y. Burton wrote, in a decision released Wednesday.

The call that Moran sent firefighters to on June 15 to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside served no legitimate purpose, she wrote, and instead “was made maliciously.”

Moran must appear in Springfield District Court to answer two charges. One charge is of willful and malicious communication with public safety answering points.

That charge carries a penalty of up to 2½ years in jail, $1,000 fine and mandatory restitution to cover costs related to any damage that occurred from the fake call, according to Burton’s signed criminal complaint.

The second charge is of disorderly conduct, which has a penalty of a fine of up to $150, according to the criminal complaint.

Moran, of 655 West Cherry St., didn’t return a call seeking comment.

His lawyer, David P. Hoose, said Burton’s decision was disappointing.

“What can I say? I’m disappointed that I didn’t persuade her that there was no criminal conduct that day and disappointed that a story will be appearing on this on Thanksgiving. C’est la vie,” Hoose said.

The revelation on the day before Thanksgiving that he faces criminal charges came on a Nov. 23 that was meaningful for Moran in two other ways: It was his 49th birthday and the day his retirement after 27 years with the Fire Department took effect.

The events caused a premature end to the only career Moran wanted. He told The Republican days before June 15 that he planned to be among the applicants for the permanent chief job.

The Fire Commission voted 3-0 on Oct. 18 to make John A. Pond, a captain, the department chief. Pond is the city’s first permanent chief since the January 2010 retirement of former chief David A. LaFond.

081511 elaine pluta mug.jpgElaine Pluta

The Moran case has roiled the Fire Department and observers believe it damaged the reelection bid of Mayor Elaine A. Pluta, for whom Moran worked on her 2009 campaign.

Pluta lost the seat on Election Day Nov. 8 to now-mayor-elect Alex B. Morse.

Moran, who was a deputy chief acting as chief at the time of the June 15 incident, held signs and did other work for Pluta in 2009. His brother, Timothy J. Moran, also a deputy fire chief, was Pluta’s campaign manager.

Timothy Moran stepped down as campaign manager after Pluta finished second to Morse in the Sept. 20 preliminary election in a field of four candidates.

Some people thought Pluta should have taken stronger action against Moran.

But Pluta reiterated Wednesday that everyone deserved due-process rights and that the city could face costly legal action from Moran if such rights were obstructed.

“I’m grateful that a decision was finally made,” Pluta said. “I wish it had come sooner. I feel that I handled the decision as well as I could, in a manner that was best for the city of Holyoke.

“I could not sit here and be a judge and jury. I have to protect the city from lawsuits.”

Criminal Complaint and Determination of Probable Cause Against Former Holyoke Fire Chief William Moran

As for whether the Moran case harmed her reelection effort, Pluta, who is in her first term as mayor after 14 years on the City Council, said, “I don’t know. I don’t think it affected me that much. I don’t think it was the reason I lost the election. I’m sure some people were disappointed with how I handled it.”

Morse, who will be sworn into office in January, declined to address the Moran issue.

“I’m focused on my transition,” Morse said.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni on June 27 sought the two-count criminal complaint against Moran. A show-cause hearing was held Aug. 29 before Burton.

“This decision by the clerk amounts to a finding of probable cause, which will support the issuance of a formal complaint to which William Moran will have the right to dispute and defend against the allegations,” Mastroianni said in a press release.

010511 mark mastroianni mug.jpgMark Mastroianni

On June 15, according to accounts of Burton and Mastroianni, Moran and others were having lunch at Mitchell’s Kitchen in a small strip mall at Homestead Avenue and Westfield Road. They saw two firefighters from the neighboring station on Homestead Avenue, Station 6, walk into Strum’s Deli nearby to get lunch.

Moran called fire dispatch on his cell phone and ordered a truck sent to the mall for an investigation. Firefighters respond to an investigation call by using emergency lights and sirens, and such a call jeopardized public safety, Mastroianni said.

During the response, one driver failed to pull over for the fire truck and a four-car accident occurred at Homestead Avenue and Pynchon Road. The driver was treated at Holyoke Medical Center and released.

In her decision, Burton wrote, “The Commonwealth produced evidence which tends to suggest that his motives or purposes might have included pranking and/or ‘f’ing’ with the firefighters. If believed, this evidence could establish that Chief Moran’s actions served no legitimate purpose.”

Burton wrote that a review of Holyoke Fire Department rules and regulations and state laws and regulations caused her to reject Moran’s contention that sending the firefighters on the phony assignment was a training exercise or legitimate way to discipline firefighters.

“The hazardous condition created was having a fire engine and personnel rushing along a public street in an effort to respond with immediacy to an alarm,” Burton wrote.

Also, Burton wrote, “Chief Moran’s knowledge and experience place him in a special position to appreciate the hazards inherent in dispatching firefighters and fire fighting equipment to the streets.”

Moran hasn’t worked as a firefighter since the incident occurred. The Fire Commission immediately placed him on paid administrative leave and that status was changed several weeks later when commission Chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky said Moran would remain out using accumulated vacation and sick days.

Chesky has declined to say whether that was a proper use of sick time if Moran wasn’t actually ill, saying she was precluded from commenting because it was a personnel matter.

Moran retired as a deputy chief, the yearly salary for which is $74,555 to $86,788.

He had filed for regular retirement, also known as superannuation, and the Retirement Board approved it Oct. 20.

Approval of such a retirement is based on an employee having worked at least 10 years and being at least 55, or if younger than 55, having worked at least 20 years. Such pensions are typically about 50 percent of an average taken from the employee’s three highest paid consecutive years.

Hampden DA press release on William Moran criminal complaint


State announces several state parks closed to hikers because of danger from falling trees

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Nearly a month after the storm, several parks and trails continue to have hanging trees and branches that could be considered dangerous

robinson1jpg.JPGRobinson State Park in Agawam and several other parks across the state remain closed because of the danger of falling tree limbs as a result of the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm

BOSTON - The state Department of Conservation and Recreation announced Wednesday that several state parks remain unsafe for hiking as a result of tree damage from the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm.

Nearly a month after the storm, several parks and trails continue to have hanging trees and branches that could be considered dangerous. Areas that are closed to vehicle and foot traffic are the Nashua River Rail Trail in Groton, Dunstable, Ayer, and Pepperell), Robinson State Park in Agawam, Chicopee State Park in Chicopee.

In addition, all hiking trails at Mt. Holyoke Range State Park are closed. Personnel are being deployed to begin debris clearing operations across the state.

DCR asks that the public cooperate and stay out of these areas until parks are again safe to enjoy.

Several areas also sustained damage but have not yet been officially closed to the public.

The DCR recommends people call ahead for trail conditions before setting out.

Contact numbers are as follows:


  • Wells State Park in Sturbridge- 508 347-9257

  • Douglas State Forest, Douglas- 508 476-7872

  • F.G. Hills State Forest, Foxboro-508 543-5850

  • Mt. Tom State Reservation, Holyoke -413 534-1186

  • Rutland State Park, Rutland- (508) 886-6333

  • Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, Sutton -508-234-3733

  • Spencer State Forest, Spencer -508-886-6333

  • Hampton Ponds State Park- Westfield 413-532-3985


90-year-old Katie Clark of Springfield survives post-snowstorm hypothermia with rare procedure at Baystate Medical Center

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Refusing to leave her powerless, heatless home despite pleas from her family, Clark's body temperature had dipped to a life-threatening 80 degrees.

112311 katie clark.JPGKatie Clark, 90, of Springfield, left, after a check-up with her cardiac surgeon, Dr. Daniel T. Engelman, on Wednesday at Baystate Medical Center. Dr. Engelman led the team that saved Clark's life when she suffered hypothermia after the late October snowstorm and power outage.

SPRINGFIELD – When 90-year-old Katie Clark arrived at Baystate Medical Center four days after October’s freak snowstorm, she was a hair’s breadth away from freezing to death.

Refusing to leave her powerless, heatless home at Canon Circle despite pleas from her family, Clark’s body temperature had dipped to a life-threatening 80 degrees. She was semi-conscious and delirious.

Dr. Daniel T. Engelman had about one minute to make a decision, or log a storm-related death.

“She was profoundly hypothermic. Her heart rate had slowed to 30, when the average is 60 to 80 beats per minute. Her kidneys had slowed. Her blood pressure was very low and her brain was obviously shutting down because she didn’t know where she was, and she was just mumbling,” Engelman said during an interview on Friday.

He made a quick decision to try a rare version of a cardiopulmonary bypass that paid off. Engelman wheeled Clark into an operating room and told the staff he intended to hook her up to a heart-lung machine, while she was awake and slowly raise her body temperature – two degrees every 10 minutes.

His staff shook their heads at him. He responded that he would do it, and Clark would be fine.

“She’s not every 90 year-old. She’s active, very ambulatory and has a lot of family to live for. I had about a minute to decide that I was going to treat her like a young person,” Engelman said, with an alive and well Clark sitting beside him.

The surgeon explained that while the heart-lung machine is used for many different life-saving procedures, employing it for that purpose on a woman her age, with just a light sedative and no surgical incisions is uncommon. Engelman said he feared she would not have survived a general anesthetic.

Typically, hypothermic patients are warmed slowly with more conventional methods like heated blankets. But Clark’s condition was so dire, she didn’t have the time to spare.

Clark said she hardly remembers a thing, except waking up in the hospital on Nov. 2 and being puzzled by her surroundings.

“I just wanted to be in my own home,” she said, explaining why she refused to go to a heated home to wait out the power outages following the storm. “But I thought I was doing just fine.”

Her granddaughter, Lynnette Collier, 49, of Wilbraham, said she had been checking in on Clark twice daily while the power was out and became concerned when her grandmother sounded confused and couldn’t identify her on the phone. Collier sent a friend over to visit, and the friend recommended Clark be rushed to the hospital.

Engelman said Clark had completely disrobed, a symptom of the end stages of acute hypothermia, when victims feel unbearably hot.

Engelman and his team of physicians and technicians threaded two tiny tubes up through Clark’s groin, through her leg veins and arteries and into her heart. The machine then began the gentle but arduous process of warming and oxygenating the blood and pumping it back in her body, taking over for her weakened heart and lungs.

The procedure lasted three hours, Engelman said. It brought her from the brink of death to eating hospital meatloaf in just a day, however.

“I went to visit her the next day and said ‘Wow, if you’re eating that meatloaf, I think you’re going to be just fine!’” Engelman joked.

The surgeon says he sees no ill effects from Clark’s near-freezing experience, but she is at a local nursing home regaining her strength after lying in a hospital bed for five days.

Clark’s only concern is when she is going back home to Canon Circle.

Collier said she is grateful to Engelman and credits him with saving her life, earning him a top spot of her list of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

Though Clark will not cook dinner this year as she traditionally does, Collier said the family will get take-out and gather at the nursing home.

“The thing that counts is we’ll all be together. If we had lost her, it would have been a very sad day,” Collier said.

Advance sales of The Republican's Thanksgiving edition a hit with Springfield readers

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A line of people spilled out the front doors onto Main Street as people waited to get an early copy of The Republican's Thanksgiving edition.

fred.jpegFrederick F. Fedesco, right, aids Lloyd Johnson with assembly of the Republican's Thanksgiving paper as dozens of customers wait in the lobby of the newspaper Wednesday night.
shannon.jpgNewspaper employee Carolyn Shannon hands two women their early copy of The Republican in the newspapers front lobby Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD – It's a cliche, but early copies of The Republican's Thanksgiving edition newspaper were selling like hotcakes late Wednesday night.

Dozens of people packed into The Republican's front lobby and dozens more spilled onto Main Street beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday in order to get the Thursday morning paper literally right off the presses.

"We didn't expect this many people," said Frederick F. Fedesco, vice president and general manager of The Republican. "We were not expecting this."

The Republican's visitors parking lot was filled, and cars were parked along both sides of Main Street.

"Other newspapers have been doing this for years. This is the first time for us," Fedesco said. "It's pretty impressive."

With Circulation Department employees Carolyn Shannon manning the front desk and Lloyd Johnson hand-assembling the different sections and the advertising inserts, the papers were moving pretty quickly.

"We need another body," Shannon said at one point. Fedesco rolled up his sleeves and began helping Johnson with assembly.

The Thanksgiving paper is the largest of the year – traditionally stuffed with sale fliers and pages of advertising from local merchants promoting Black Friday sales and holiday gift ideas.

This year's paper contained 56 inserts in addition to dozens of ads printed inside the newspaper.

paper maria.jpgMaria Sevilla, left, and Francisco Lopez leave The Republican with their copy of the paper.

Maria Sevilla of Springfield, clutching her paper in her hands, said buying it the night before Thankgsgiving saves her from having to go out and find it early Thursday morning.

"Sometimes (the stores) don't have it any more and you have to go somewhere else," she said. "Now I don't have to get there early."

Bright Nights 2011 opens at Forest Park in Springfield

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The 3-mile display is open Wednesdays through Sundays until Dec. 4, and then every night, starting Dec. 7, through Jan. 2.

112311 bright nights opening.JPGCars travel in Seuss Land during Wednesday's opening of Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield.
112311 bright nights santa.JPGSanta leads the countdown to the opening of Bright Nights 2011.

SPRINGFIELD – The Bright Nights holiday lighting display in Springfield's Forest Park celebrated its 17th opening night Wednesday.

The three-mile display is open Wednesdays through Sundays until Dec. 4, and then every night, starting Dec. 7, through Jan. 2.

Last year, there were 39,106 cars and 309 buses that traveled through Bright Nights.

The price is $18 per car Monday through Thursday, and $21 on weekends and holidays, a $3 increase over the price of the past few years. However, tickets can be obtained at Big Y supermarkets for $12 weekdays and $15 weekends, with a Big Y card.

The lights stay on until 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays including Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

There are no new displays this year, but more than 100,000 lights were changed this year to new LED lighting.

The various displays include Santa’s Magical Forest Park, Jurassic World, Victorian Village, North Pole Village, Toy Land, Happy Holidays Springfield, and the Giant Poinsettia Candles.

There is Seuss Land, replica of Everett Barney’s mansion and Springfield’s Municipal Group; Blizzard Tunnel; Winter Woods, and assorted features such as a frog that leaps, trees that dance, elves that sing, and a volcano that erupts.

Republicans now considering if Newt Gingrich is best pick to challenge President Obama

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Gingrich is the latest Republican to emerge as a serious rival to Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is more popular with the party establishment than with conservative activists.

112111 newt gingrich.JPGFormer House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a 2012 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a town meeting at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Gingrich has never been a conventional Republican and he certainly doesn't see it as the way to catch Mitt Romney. He's not backing away from his unorthodox stand on immigration, which critics call amnesty. But party insiders wonder if a thrice-married, 68-year-old with a multimillion-dollar Freddie Mac contract is the best choice to face President Barack Obama. Gingrich has never been a conventional Republican and he certainly doesn't see it as the way to catch Mitt Romney. He's not backing away from his unorthodox stand on immigration, which critics call amnesty. But party insiders wonder if a thrice-married, 68-year-old with a multimillion-dollar Freddie Mac contract is the best choice to face President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

By CHARLES BABINGTON

WASHINGTON – Being a conventional Republican has never been Newt Gingrich's style, and he clearly doesn't see it as the way to beat Mitt Romney in the presidential nominating contest.

Gingrich, the former House speaker, is sticking to his call for lenience for some illegal immigrants, a stand that critics call amnesty and that veers from GOP orthodoxy. A day after he emphasized his point in a debate, his position drew both praise and condemnation Wednesday.

But there's broader debate within Republican circles, six weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses: Do party loyalists think their best challenger to President Barack Obama is a thrice-married, 68-year-old veteran of Washington's inside games who recently held a million-dollar consulting contract with mortgage backer Freddie Mac?

Gingrich is the latest Republican to emerge as a serious rival to Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is more popular with the party establishment than with conservative activists. Campaign veterans still tend to see Romney as the likeliest nominee. But Gingrich's long, roller-coaster career makes it hard to rule him in or out with confidence.

Gingrich seems to have become "the center of gravity in this very unusual Republican nomination contest," said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political scientist. He said the former Georgia congressman might be able to unite very conservative voters "who want a fundamental change in the scale and scope of government" and "somewhat conservative Republicans, who just want to defeat Obama."

"Illegal immigration is Newt's acid test," Scala said, and tea party conservatives might be "having second thoughts today. Let's see if he can keep them on board."

Attention focused Wednesday on Gingrich's renewed call for pathways to legal status for illegal immigrants who have lived long, peaceful and tax-paying lives in the United States.

"I don't see how the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families which have been here a quarter-century," Gingrich said in the Republican debate Tuesday night. "I'm prepared to take the heat for saying let's be humane in enforcing the law."

Heat came quickly. "Newt Gingrich is finished!" said William Gheen, president of the anti-immigration group ALIPAC.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, one of Congress' most outspoken conservatives, said Gingrich's prescription "is a form of amnesty" that "makes it harder" to consider endorsing him.

King told reporters America will suffer "if we let the rule of law be eroded and we allow people to be rewarded for breaking the law" by entering the country illegally.

Gingrich allies noted that he doesn't advocate citizenship, even for law-abiding, long-term illegal immigrants. They say his plan is a humane and realistic acknowledgment that the government is not going to round up and deport 11 million people who are here illegally. The smartest use of resources, they say, is to focus on illegal immigrants with few ties to their communities and problematic records with paying taxes and staying out of trouble.

Rival Michele Bachmann was not interested in those arguments.

"He has said that we should make the 11 million illegal workers that are in this country legal," the Minnesota congresswoman told PBS' "NewsHour." ''And he probably has the most liberal position on illegal immigration of any of the candidates in the race."

Romney, too, offered Gingrich no wiggle room. While campaigning in Iowa, he said, "People who have come to the country illegally should not have a special pathway that is preferable to those that stand in line in their home countries to come to this country."

Romney said Gingrich's plan would not stand scrutiny. "How about someone who's been here 20 years, how about 12 years, about 10, five, three?" he said. "How many children do you have to have to apply to this principle?"

"We make a mistake as a Republican Party in trying to describe which people who've come here illegally should be given amnesty," Romney said.

Democrats denounced Romney's position Wednesday. And some defended Gingrich, which may be of little help in Republican primaries.

"The truth is, he's correct," Rep. Charles Gonzales, the Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told reporters. "I'm hoping former Speaker Gingrich doesn't start walking back from it."

Steve Duprey, a Republican National Committee member from New Hampshire, who is uncommitted in the presidential race, said he applauds Gingrich for tackling the touchy immigration issue. "But he's going to have a problem with the conservatives," Duprey said.

Some conservative journals are taking a wait-and-see approach to Gingrich's prospects.

"If 2012 were an ordinary election year, Gingrich would be doomed by his gaffes, three marriages and fleeting alliances with Hillary Clinton on health care and Nancy Pelosi on global warming," columnist Fred Barnes wrote in The Weekly Standard. But Republicans are obsessed with ousting President Barack Obama, he said.

"And if that means choosing a candidate with a lurid past and a penchant for self-destruction," Barnes said, then Republicans "are likely to swallow hard and nominate Gingrich."

Romney will keep arguing that he is best-suited instead.

Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Iowa and Philip Elliott in Washington contributed to this report.

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