The three men are taking the after-tax lump sum of nearly $104 million in cash.

ROCKY HILL, Conn. — Three Connecticut men who work at a startup asset management firm have claimed a $254 million Powerball jackpot.

Gregg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson revealed themselves as the winners Monday at the Connecticut Lottery headquarters. The three are from the Greenwich area and are taking the after-tax lump sum of nearly $104 million in cash. They say a significant portion will go to charity.

Davidson bought the $1 quick pick ticket for the Nov. 2 drawing at the Shippan Point Getty station in Stamford. The winning numbers were 12-14-34-39-46, Powerball 36.

Skidmore says: "It feels good."

The jackpot was the largest ever won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history.

The three men work as asset managers at a small firm called Bell Asset Management.

Morse defeated Mayor Elaine Pluta on Election Day Nov. 8 and will take office in January.

Alex Morse

HOLYOKE – Mayor-elect Alex B. Morse will attend seminars on being a new mayor, including one Monday and another at Harvard University.

“I just think it’s a great opportunity to work with other new mayors across the country, as well as hearing from veteran mayors,” Morse said Friday.

Morse, who has never held elected office, defeated Mayor Elaine A. Pluta on Election Day Nov. 8. He will be sworn into office in January.

Seminars will deal with finances, running a mayor’s office, media relations, collective bargaining and other issues, Morse and websites of the seminar organizers said.

Morse said he is scheduled to attend the Massachusetts Municipal Association seminar for new mayors Monday at the association office in Boston.

He will participate in the Seminar on Transition and Leadership for Newly Elected Mayors at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Wednesday to Friday, he said.

On Dec. 3, Morse will attend a new-mayors seminar at the University of Massachusetts’ Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management in Boston.

On Dec. 12, Morse is scheduled to meet with Gov. Deval L. Patrick at the Statehouse in Boston.

One recurring problem in the past, City Councilor David Murphy said, is that some people have elaborate mailboxes that can be expensive to replace.

1-12-2011-Easthampton - Keeping the mailbox free of snow because the postman always make the rounds no matter what the weather. This box was on Campbell dr.

NORTHAMPTON – The city is offering a helping hand to residents whose mailboxes get busted up by snowplows, but don’t expect any magical replacement if your mailbox looks like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.

The revised policy approved by the Committee on Elections, Rules, Ordinances, Orders and Claims provides up to $50 for approved damage claims pertaining mailboxes damage in the process of snow removal. Because most of the mailboxes that are damaged by plows and the snow banks they create are in the pubic right-of-way, the city believes it is not responsible for the damage. Nonetheless, Northampton has traditionally reimbursed owners who make claims.

“We’ve been doing it for years,” said Ward 5 Councilor David A. Murphy, who sits on the committee. “It’s a Catch 22. The post office wants them where they can reach them, but where they can reach them is the city’s right-of-way.”

In an effort to create a uniform and consistent policy, the committee is allowing any citizen to file a claim within 30 days of the alleged damage. If the city is satisfied with its investigation of the incident, it will authorize a reimbursement of up to $50 towards the purchase of a standard mailbox that is acceptable to the U.S. Postal Service.

One recurring problem in the past, Murphy said, is that some people have elaborate mailboxes that can be expensive to replace. In one case, he said, a man invested $600 in a roadside mailbox that was damaged by snow removal. Those claimants will not receive any more than $50, however. Residents can claim no more than one damaged mailbox per year.

The reimbursements will be made n the form of vouchers that are redeemable at Florence Hardware, Foster Farrar and Northampton Lumber. Vouchers for this coming snow season will expire on May 31, 2012.

Experts say that without drastic action, the euro could be days away from collapsing,

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama speaks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, across the table at left, as he hosts a summit meeting with European Union leaders, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, at the White House in Washington. From left are, Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs Mike Froman, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said emphatically Monday that U.S. taxpayers are not responsible for helping Europe solve its debt crisis, as President Barack Obama and European Union leaders huddled in Washington amid growing fears over the future of the euro.

Experts say that without drastic action, the euro could be days away from collapsing, a scenario that could cause further financial damage to the already shaky American economy.

Obama and senior U.S. officials were spending much of Monday meeting with top representatives from the EU as part of an annual summit focused largely on the global economy.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama would reiterate in the meetings that Europe must act decisively and conclusively in order to rein in its debt crisis, and should not expect additional financial help from the U.S.

"This is something they need to solve and they have the capacity to solve, both financial capacity and political will," Carney said.

"We do not in any way believe that additional resources are required from the United States and from American taxpayers," he added.

The European Union was being represented in the meetings with Obama by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and High Representative Catherine Ashton.

Back in Europe, leaders are circulating new ideas for how Europe could finally cap the debt woes that began in Greece two years ago and have spread to other larger economies, most notably Italy. Among the ideas floated was a plan for the eurozone's six AAA-rated nations to pool their resources via a joint bond to provide assistance to some of the single currency bloc's most indebted members. Also under consideration is a fast-track move to a fiscal union among the 17 countries. Germany wants such an arrangement in return for its money.

The latest bout of turmoil to afflict the eurozone came last week after Germany failed to raise all the money it wanted in a bond auction and Italy had to pay significantly more to get investors to part with their cash.

If a busy bond schedule this week meets with an equally-poor reception, then the euro's countries would be in real danger of being locked out of international markets and would face the devastating prospect of defaulting on their debts.

Obama has spoken frequently with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in recent weeks, and met with leaders from several European nations earlier this month during the G-20 economic summit in Cannes, France. The president offered his support to his European peers, but made clear that it is their responsibility to solve their debt woes.

The White House says other topics on the agenda at the U.S.-E.U. summit Monday included supporting democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, cooperation on counterterrorism and trans-Atlantic law enforcement, and Iran.

A melee broke out in Quincy District Court during the arraignments of four teenagers charged in the shooting death of a Randolph man outside his home.

File photo / Associated PressAssociate head basketball coach Bernie Fine, right, is seen with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, left, on the bench at the end an NCAA West Regional semifinal college basketball game last year. Click on the link, above right, for full coverage from MassLive's sister website, Syracuse.com for a report about Fine being fired in the wake of an investigation of child molestation allegations against him.

Outbursts in court during Randolph murder arraignments: MyFoxBOSTON.com

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

Obituaries from The Republican today.

Raymond E. Cooney

CHICOPEE - Raymond E. Cooney, 87, the former owner of Cooney Hardware and the Young Broom Co., both formerly of Chicopee, passed away on Saturday at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Born in Holyoke on January 13, 1924, the son of the late Lester W. and Rose D. (Lamirande) Cooney, he lived most of his life in Chicopee. He was educated in local schools and was a graduate of Chicopee High School. He proudly served his nation in the U.S Navy during World War II and was honorably discharged with the rank of radioman, third class. He began his career as an electronics engineer at the F.W. Sickles Co., and later worked in retail sales at Glenwood Hardware. He then opened the Cooney Hardware store in the Fairview section of Chicopee where he worked until its closing in 1967 at which time he purchased the Young Broom Co. which distributed sweeping supplies for the municipal highway departments. He retired from Conair - Martin in Agawam in 1989. He was a communicant of Holy Name Parish and a life member of the Elder Council No. 69 of the Knights of Columbus.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Barrett, Margaret M.
  




• 
  Brewster, Henry G. "Red"
  



• 
  Cooney, Raymond E.




• 
  Dagenais, Sylvia J. (Smollar)
  



• 
  DiMarzio, Roberta J.
  




• Drown, Roderick F.
  




• 
  Hopkins, Claire T. (Hurley)
  



• 
  Katz, Rena Lillian (Kruger)




• 
  Keefe, Philip F.
  



• 
  Keough, F. Griffin
  




• LaRiviere, Mercedes J. (LaBrecque)
  




• 
  Longey, Richard "Popcorn"
  



• 
  Mascaro, John




• 
  Morin, Peter G.
  



• 
  O'Connor SND, Sister Ellen (Helen Rita O'Connor)
  




• Picard, Francis
  




• 
  Rosenburg, Hyman "Hymie"
  



• 
  Roy, Fernand L.




• 
  Rzepka, Frances L. (Skaza)
  



• 
  Shea, Eileen (Burns)
  




• Shewchuk, Carol L. (Blair)
  




• 
  Stokowski, Dolores "Dolly" (Stec)
  



• 
  Turek, Marjorie A. "Marge" (Sutcliffe)




• 
  Zinn, Laureen A. "Laurie" (Crane)
  

An open house at the Old Meeting House is Dec. 4 from 1 to 5 p.m.

File photo by David Molnar / The RepublicanPatricia Marsh, of Wilbraham, looks at the Christmas tree by Wilbraham Flowers in the Old Meeting House during its Festival of Trees last year. This year's event will be on Sunday.

WILBRAHAM - Students from the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative decorated one of the 10 trees at the Old Meeting House.

The students decorated the tree with gingerbread men.

Nan Nieske, vice president of the Atheneum Society which oversees the Old Meeting House, said the gingerbread men are made from equal parts applesauce and cinnamon which is kneaded, rolled, cut and let dry. Cloves are used for the eyes, nose and mouths.

The tree also is decorated with sliced oranges and lemons sprinkled with cinnamon. There is a star on top made of a dried lemon and cinnamon sticks.

“The tree looks good in the kitchen,” Nieske said. “It has a lot of character.”

Residents are invited to visit the Old Meeting House and see the Christmas tree display Sunday, Dec. 4 from 1 to 5 p.m.

The Village Store has decorated a tree with tea cups and cup cakes, and Joan Paris, a friend of the Old Meeting House, has done a table setting.

Other trees are by Wilbraham Flowers, Five Star Gardens, St. Cecilia’s Church and Evangelical Assembly of God Church.

Five Star Gardens has used flower pots for its tree and bird houses.

St. Cecilia’s Church has decorated a tree with an angel theme. There is a stained glass ornament and a creche under the tree.

The Wilbraham Agricultural Commission has a Christmas tree filled with painted birds.

There also is a tree decorated by the Gardens of Wilbraham.

The teens of the Wilbraham Public Library also have decorated a tree.

The Wilbraham Art League will be decorating a tree.

Also at the Old Meeting House Open House there will be ice carving on the lawn of the Old Meeting House as well as mulled cider and baked goods inside.

The gift shop which contains some unique gifts also will be open.

This year the gift shop includes Old Meeting House mugs, throw blankets, tote bags, playing cards and note paper.

Frank, who said he had initially planned to retire after the next term, contended that he would have faced a tough reelection fight if he had to win over a new field of voters and learn about unfamiliar communities while attempting to work for his policy priorities in Washington.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 10:38 this morning.

By KYLE CHENEY

Associated Press photoU.S. Rep. Barney Frank responds to a reporter's question after announcing in Newton Monday he will not seek re-election next year.

BOSTON - U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said his decision Monday to forgo a race for a 17th term was brought on in part by the state Legislature’s decision to make sweeping changes to the geography of his district, a decision that would have forced him to campaign before hundreds of thousands of new voters at a time he said he’d rather focus on protecting his policy priorities.

“I think I was pretty good at being a legislator. I think I have been pretty good at working inside that framework of government,” Frank said at a press conference in Newton announcing his retirement. “To my disappointment, the level [of influence] that you have within that framework of government has significantly diminished. My ability to be an advocate on the kinds of issues I care about would be as great outside as inside.”

Frank said changes to his district signed into law by Gov. Deval L. Patrick last week put 325,000 new Massachusetts residents in his district, slicing out the coastal New Bedford population he had become accustomed to representing and adding swaths of the Blackstone Valley and Norfolk County.

Frank, who said he had initially planned to retire after the next term, contended that he would have faced a tough reelection fight if he had to win over a new field of voters and learn about unfamiliar communities while attempting to work for his policy priorities in Washington.

“This decision was precipitated by congressional redistricting, not entirely caused by it. I’ve been ambivalent about running, not because I don’t continue to think the job is important but because there are other things I’d like to do in my life before my career is over,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to be torn between a full-fledged campaign … and my obligation to my existing constituents.”

Frank said the substantial reconfiguring of his district created “the worst of both worlds.”

“You get tagged an incumbent but you haven’t gotten a chance to show those people what that incumbency can mean,” he said. “It’s not a secret that holding elected office is not these days considered to be one of the great virtues. There is a cynical screen through which comments of elected officials are put. I expect to be saying exactly the same things as a private citizen … as I did as an elected official.”

Frank also said he wasn’t looking forward to another season of fundraising, estimating that a reelection campaign could require him to raise at least $2 million.

“I could not put the requisite effort into that,” he said.

Frank said he waited until now to announce his retirement because he hadn’t wanted to telegraph his intentions while fighting to preserve core elements of a financial reform bill he helped pass and to ensure that military spending cuts were included as part of any deal to reduce the national debt. Frank argued that the military has been “overcommitted” around the world, and he criticized a recent decision by President Obama to station 2,500 U.S. Marines in Australia.

Rep. Michael Moran (D-Brighton), who co-chaired the State Legislature’s Redistricting Committee, said all members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation saw major changes to their districts.

“Most of the Congressional delegation are not tickled pink about the fact that their districts have changed as much as they did. A lot of that is just human nature. People don’t like change,” he said.

Moran said major changes to the southern part of Frank’s district – brought on by a bid to create a compact, incumbent-free southeastern Massachusetts district – were an attempt to provide fairness to the residents in that region.

“It’s not fair, if you live in that area, your closest Congressman lives in Quincy or Newton or Worcester. It’s not fair to the people who live in that region,” he said. “The bottom line is, I believe if you look at the map now … I think the map looks good. That map is positioned so that it gets stronger and stronger as the years go by.”

According to Moran, Frank’s reconfigured district gains central Massachusetts communities like Milford, Franklin, Bellingham and Hopkinton while losing New Bedford, Westport, Dartmouth, Marion and other coastal communities. The district also gained the Democratic community in Needham.

Republicans quickly contended that Frank’s retirement was in part an aversion to not competing in a more Republican-friendly district.

“It is clear that Congressman Frank was not looking forward to another hard fought campaign after losing his gerrymandered district and spending nearly every penny he had in 2010,” said Nate Little, executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, in a statement. “Republicans were already gearing up for a strong race and Frank's sudden retirement injects added optimism and excitement into the election.”

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh told reporters that Frank’s district had gotten “slightly tougher” for Democrats and was still among the top three or four most Democratic Congressional districts in the state.

During a press conference from Newton City Hall, Frank said he will not “in any way” become a lobbyist, nor will he use his Harvard University Law School degree to practice law, although he said he’d consider working pro bono on a gay rights case. He said he’s most likely focus on “writing, teaching or lecturing.”

“I do not plan to be responsible to anyone’s actions but my own,” he said.

State House News Service writer Matt Murphy contributed to this report.

But the positive economic trend could be blunted if employers don’t translate those sales into a wave of post-holiday hiring, said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - A “huge” black Friday and a larger-than-average “Small Business Saturday” bodes well for commerce and bottled up consumer demand could send holiday season sales soaring in Massachusetts, according to an advocate for Bay State retailers.

But the positive economic trend could be blunted if employers don’t translate those sales into a wave of post-holiday hiring, said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

“Consumers are 70 percent of the economy. It’s important for the entire economy that the holiday season is a success,” Hurst said in a phone interview. “Consumers did their part for the economy [last year] yet a lot of the employment sectors didn’t follow through in early January in growing the jobs numbers.”

Hurst said metrics indicate that consumer debt levels have declined while savings levels have risen. Combined with relatively flat spending for most of 2011, Hurst said, his anecdotal communication with members of the association portend for a significant climb in holiday purchasing.

“We think we’re going to be up versus last year by a couple percent, and obviously outpacing the year to date, primarily because of some pent-up consumer demand,” he said.

Hurst said the general tendency of shoppers to procrastinate until the week before Christmas bodes well for brick-and-mortar stores, which increasingly find themselves losing market share to internet retailers, which made their own bid to corner holiday shoppers by promoting Cyber Monday deals this week.

Already, Hurst noted, internet retailers have the advantage of selling goods without collecting sales taxes, a dynamic he called a “government-granted discount.”

Hurst said employers, who have been wary about hiring amid continuing uncertainty about the state and national economy, have learned to streamline operations, which may dampen hiring, even if sales spike.

“At some point, you’ve got to turn the corner and actually hire more, which will drive consumer confidence back to a positive level, which it hasn’t been for about six years in Massachusetts,” he said. “Assuming the projections hold true, this will be the second holiday season of growth after three years of declines.”

John Regan, executive vice president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, said businesses still harbor pessimistic views about “external” factors like the national economy, but are showing more confidence that they’ll be able to weather any challenges.

“What it points to for me is a great deal of confidence in the business owners’ own ability to deal with the economic circumstances that confront them. There is an expectation that employment will follow,” he said.

However, Regan acknowledged that many businesses have learned to “survive and prosper with a different headcount,” meaning their internal confidence might not translate into more hiring.

“Despite confidence that that’s going to happen, there’s not a lot of evidence that it is happening already. It’s sort of an aspirational goal,” he said. “If things get a little better and if they feel a little more confident about the external [factors] … then I think you’ll see the job numbers pick up.”

Regan said some of the uncertainty is a result of a new dynamic in the workforce.

“An awful lot of people are now working more in a freelance style. They’re working on projects, they’re not necessarily working for companies … you end up with a much different workforce structure,” he said. “The nine-to-five, work-for-one-company, retire-and-get-a-gold-watch style of work seems to be on the decline. What’s on the ascendancy is this different style of work, having a different set of skills and providing those to a wide variety of employers."

Along with capping the size of banks, Huntsman wants larger financial institutions to pay fees to help cover any future bailouts.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman listens to a speakers before a town hall event at Norton's Classic Cafe in Nashua, N.H., Monday, Nov. 21, 2011.

EXETER, N.H. (AP) — Republican presidential contender Jon Huntsman has released a plan to break up the nation's biggest banks.

The former Utah governor says officials haven't done enough to protect against future taxpayer bailouts. He says too many banks are still considered "too big to fail."

Huntsman plans to discuss his financial overhaul plan with New Hampshire voters Monday night. Along with capping the size of banks, he wants larger financial institutions to pay fees to help cover any future bailouts.

Fearing a global financial meltdown, federal officials sent billions of dollars to large banks during the financial crisis.

Huntsman also wants to shut mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and repeal the law, known as Dodd-Frank, that overhauled the financial system.

Huntsman Financial Reform Proposal

The contribution is part of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a national program founded by a Delaware woman in 2003. So far it has distributed 57,665 quilts to veterans.

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanNancy Jez, of South Hadley, is seen recently with quilts from students from her quilting class. See story.

SOUTH HADLEY – Using a time-honored American art, quilter Nancy Jez and her students have found a way to express their gratitude to veterans of war.

Eleven quilts made by women in Jez’s quilting class in South Hadley are on their way to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Canandaigua, N.Y.

The class’s contribution is part of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a national program founded by a Delaware woman in 2003. So far it has distributed 57,665 quilts to veterans.

“When I read about the program online, I thought, ‘What a great thing for the girls to do!’” said Jez, who refers to her students as “my girls.”

She is the married mother of three sons and has taught quilting for 11 years.

Her class began working on the quilt project in July. Each colorful 55-by-80-inch quilt is worth about $200, said Jez.

“I have 18 students, and half of them decided to do it,” she said. “They picked out their own fabrics and patterns. They came in every week and also worked at home.”

Two 11-year-old girls, Katelyn Bishop of South Hadley and Hayley Moniz of Westfield, joined in. Jez, who is self-taught, said she has taught quilting to people who had never even used a sewing machine before. Katelyn is her granddaughter.

The other quiltmaker-donors are Diane Gould of Westhampton, Marilyn D’Alonzo of Amherst, Heidi Gauthier and Joyce Boisvert of Chicopee, and Anne O’Connor, Joan O’Connor, Pamela Rivest and Robin Davis of South Hadley.

After the women had pieced together the tops of their quilts, they sent the tops, the soft inside batting and the backing to professional quilter Marie Fregeau, of Westfield.

Fregeau’s job is to stitch the batting in place, using a “long-arm quilter to make elegant designs. On the back of each quilt, Fregeau also sewed a label reading: “In honor of the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. We send you our heartfelt appreciation. Thank you for you dedication in protecting the United States of America each day and every day.”

The back also bears the name of the quilter and a line on which the hospital can write the name of the veteran who will receive the quilt.

Each quilter also made a matching “presentation case.” “Like a pillow case,” said Jez.

The class washed the finished quilts to make sure they were free of allergens and dried them on clotheslines. No electric dryers. “These are heirlooms,” said Jez.

On Nov. 1, Jez wrote to the coordinator of the local Quilts of Valor chapter to tell her 11 quilts were ready to go.

The answer came back the same day online: “That’s awesome!” wrote Marcella Pimer-Cormier of Gardner.

And so they are – quilts, quilters and veterans.

The 1st phase includes acquisition of properties, environmental remediation and demolition.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayPublic and private sector officials praise plans for the Eastern Gateway project on State Street during a groundbreaking cermony on Monday, including Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, speaking at the podium. Also taking part from left to right, Frank Colaccino, Chairman of the Board, American International College, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Congressman Richard E. Neal, and Vincent M. Maniaci, President of AIC.

SPRINGFIELD – Public and private sector officials gathered Monday to announce a joint venture by American International College and DevelopSpringfield, a nonprofit corporation, to create a mixed-use development on the State Street corridor that will include retail, commercial and institutional uses.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, and American International College president Vincent M. Maniaci were among officials who gathered at 1168 State St., which is part of the 4.8 acre development project known as “Eastern Gateway.”

Maniaci said the project on the north side of State Street benefits the neighborhood, the city and the college, adding green space and commercial revitalization.

“There is a lot to be said for momentum and a lot to be said for morale,” Maniaci said. “This project will provide immediate benefits by replacing unproductive properties and clearing the way for productive revitalization of the area. It will serve as a powerful catalyst for future investment and development that will further economic growth.”

The development site is an assemblage of 18 properties along the State Street corridor including former car lots and a former barbershop. In collaboration with the city, properties were purchased by the college and through a development agreement with DevelopSpringfield, the city’s nonprofit economic development corporation.

Phase 1 includes acquisition, environmental remediation and greening of the area, followed by a refinement of plans and construction in the second phase. The total cost of the development is not yet known as it will take a number of years to accomplish with private investment, Maniaci said.

It will also provide an attractive pedestrian way to the college’s athletic field complex, he said.

The project builds upon the recently completed, $17 million State Street corridor improvement project and complements other development on the corridor including construction of the new federal courthouse, Neal said.

“This is indicative of what we discussed with improvements to the State Street corridor,” Neal said. “State Street is a national treasure. It has connections to American luminaries from George Washington to James Naismith.”

The project was a key recommendation of the State Street Corridor Redevelopment Program. The program resulted from a study commissioned in 2008 by the State Street Alliance, a an affiliation of more than 60 businesses, educational institutions, neighborhood councils, faith-based organizations, and nonprofit organizations.

Murray said the development reflects the strong partnership between the city, state, and federal government, along with American International College, DevelopSpringfield, that will trigger private investment, adding “we look forward to the jobs and economic opportunities this project will create.”

Sarno said the project will benefit the college and other partners, and benefit State Street, which he described as a heavily traveled corridor.

“By making it a more attractive and vital corridor, we improve the city’s overall image and enhance its economic position,” Sarno said.

Nicholas Fyntrilakis, chairman of DevelopSpringfield, said the project reflects that “community driven planning can yield positive results.” The State Street corridor is the “eastern gateway” into the Mason Square area and downtown, he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 291 points, its biggest gain in a month.

NEW YORK – A weekend of exuberant holiday shopping in the U.S. and radical proposals for stanching Europe’s debt crisis sent stocks soaring Monday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index broke a seven-day losing streak.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 291 points, its biggest gain in a month. The Dow plunged 564 points last week on fear that Europe’s debt crisis was spreading to large countries like Spain, Italy and even Germany.

Markets in Europe also surged as leaders there discussed previously unthinkable approaches for containing the region’s debt troubles, such as joint bond sales and a tighter fiscal union. France’s CAC-40 jumped 5.5 percent. Indexes in Germany and Italy rose 4.6 percent. The battered euro rose against the dollar.

Retail stocks spiked after initial reports showed a record number of shoppers hit the mall or bought gifts online during the holiday weekend. Macy’s Inc. rose 4.7 percent and Best Buy Co. rose 3.4 percent. Thanksgiving weekend is a make-or-break time for many retailers. For the past six years, Black Friday has been the biggest retail sales day of the year.

European finance ministers discussed radical measures to stop the debt crisis from destroying the 17-nation currency union. In a sign of how desperate the situation has become, one proposal being discussed ahead of a financial summit Tuesday calls for having nations cede control over their budgets to a central European authority. Profligate borrowing and spending by Greece and other countries helped trigger the two-year old crisis.

Another plan calls for Europe’s most stable economies like Germany, France and Austria to jointly sell bonds to provide assistance to the region’s most indebted members.

The Dow soared 291.23 points, or 2.6 percent, to 11,523.01. Alcoa Inc. jumped 5.7 percent, the most of the 30 stocks in the Dow.

The S&P 500 rose 33, or 2.9 percent, to 1,192.55. The gains came across industries and sectors; only six stocks in the index fell. The Nasdaq composite rose 85, or 3.5 percent, to 2,527.34.

As the threat of an imminent meltdown in Europe ebbed, U.S. investors focused on a strong weekend of holiday shopping. A record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites during the four-day holiday weekend starting on Thanksgiving Day, up from 212 million last year, according to early estimates by The National Retail Federation. They spent more, too: The average holiday shopper spent $398.62 over the weekend, up from $365.34 a year ago. That’s an encouraging sign for consumer spending.

The retail numbers added to a growing set of indicators, including steady drops in the number of new applications for unemployment benefits, that suggest the U.S. economy is continuing to heal. As recently as August, there were widespread concerns that the U.S. could enter another recession.

“This goes in stark contrast to the gloom and doom that had been over markets,” said Rob Lutts, president of Salem, Ma.-based investment firm Cabot Money Management. “A lot of the stocks I follow have been more oversold than any time I can remember in the last few years.”

That negativity has helped drag the S&P 500 down 5.9 percent in November. Monday’s gains broke a seven-day losing streak for the index, its longest since the wild market swings from this August. That slide took the S&P down 7.9 percent.

Bank stocks rose sharply as investors became less fearful of an imminent freeze-up in Europe’s financial system. Citigroup Inc. leapt 6 percent and Morgan Stanley jumped 4.1 percent.

Despite the big move in the markets Monday, many troubling questions remain about the situation in Europe. Borrowing rates remain onerously high for several major European countries including Spain and Italy. That’s a sign markets still don’t believe enough is being done to get the region’s finances in order.

Credit rating agency Moody’s warned on Monday that the “rapid escalation” of Europe’s financial crisis is threatening the creditworthiness of all euro zone governments, even the most highly rated. Only six of the euro zone’s 17 countries have the top rating – Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Finland.

Also, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development issued a report Monday saying the continued failure by EU leaders to stem the debt crisis “could massively escalate economic disruption” and end in “highly devastating outcomes.”

The owner of Life’s Memories & More said the trees are valued at $95, but, with the snowflakes added, they are “priceless."

View full sizeProvided by Tanya M. BullockPalmer craft store Life's Memories & More is raffling off two Christmas trees decorated with quilled snowflakes to benefit tornado recovery.

PALMER – A local craft store is holding a fundraiser to benefit tornado recovery in Brimfield while spreading a dose of Christmas cheer.

A group of a dozen women, dubbed “The Quilled Snowflake Club,” spent most of the year creating decorative paper snowflakes using a technique called quilling that they learned in a class at Life’s Memories & More, located at 1085 Park St..

They hung more than 100 handmade snowflakes from two 4-foot-tall pre-lit Christmas trees, which they will raffle off to benefit the Monson Tornado Relief Fund and the Brimfield-based Harding Fund.

The store is selling raffle tickets for a Dec. 8 drawing. Tickets are $1 or 6 for $5.

Tanya M. Bullock, owner of Life’s Memories & More, said the trees are valued at $95, but, with the snowflakes added, they are “priceless. They’re just gorgeous.”

“To look at the ornaments, people would think they’re crocheted,” Bullock said. “Even though each person had the same pattern ... if you look at the tree, no two snowflakes look the same.”

The North American Quillers Guild defines the technique as “the art of cutting and curling narrow strips of paper and laying them on edge to form intricate filigree designs.” Guild member Carol Gancorz taught the snowflake club.

“Before the tornado, (raffle proceeds were) going to go to a charity we hadn’t determined yet,” Bullock said.

Life’s Memories & More is involved with a long list of charitable efforts, including tornado relief. The store was a dropoff point for non-perishable goods and held a fundraising bake sale after the June 1 storm caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Western Massachusetts communities and claimed four lives.

Bullock wasn’t personally affected, but “it was my customers and my friends” who suffered, she said.

To buy a ticket, stop in or call (413) 283-4448. The trees are now on display.

This map shows the approximate location of Life's Memories & More

View Larger Map

An Atlanta television station posted a story to its website quoting a woman identified as Ginger White as saying, "It wasn't complicated. I was aware that he was married."

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate Herman Cain wipes has denied an allegation by a Georgia businesswoman that he had an affair with her for 13 years. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

By HENRY C. JACKSON

WASHINGTON – In an explosive allegation, a Georgia woman said Monday she and Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain had a 13-year extramarital affair that lasted nearly until the former businessman announced his candidacy for the White House several months ago.

"Here we go again. I didn't do anything wrong," Cain said in a pre-emptive denial that lumped a detailed claim of a consensual affair in with earlier allegations of sexual harassment.

But the woman, Ginger White, said in an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta that over the years, Cain bought her airplane tickets so she could join him in cities as far-flung as Palm Springs, Calif., and Atlanta.

"It was fun," the 46-year-old White said. "It was something that took me away from my humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting."

Although Cain flatly denied the affair, his lawyer issued a public statement that included no such denial and suggested that the media — and the public — had no business snooping into the details of consensual conduct between adults.

After the initial report and Cain's denial, White told The Associated Press that Cain was not being truthful when he said there had been no affair.

"That would be false," White said. "What I said in the interview was true."

Cain's candidacy was soaring in the polls until he was hit less than a month ago with accusations that he sexually harassed several women and groped one while he was a high-ranking official at the National Restaurant Association. He has since fallen back in the public opinion surveys, and been eclipsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the race to emerge as the principal conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.

At her apartment in Dunwoody, Ga., White declined to elaborate on her statements during a brief interview with the AP. "I can't make any comment on this," she said. "We're trying to be slightly sensitive."

In its report, the television station said White had Cain's name in her cell phone contacts, and when its reporter sent a text message to the number, he called right back.

"He told us he knew 'Ginger White' but said he was trying to help her financially," the station said.

In a written statement released immediately after the story aired, Cain's campaign said detractors were trying to "derail the Cain Train with more accusations of past events that never happened."

Later, at a fundraiser in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., Cain avoided reporters' questions.

In his initial denial, televised on CNN, Cain vowed to remain in the presidential race, as long as he has the support of his wife, with whom he said he had discussed the most recent allegation.

In her interview, White said she decided to come forward after seeing Cain attack his other accusers in an appearance on television.

"It bothered me that they were being demonized, sort of, and being treated as if they were automatically lying, and the burden of proof was on them," she said. "I felt bad for them."

White told the Atlanta TV station she expects to be scrutinized by Cain and the media.

Georgia court records show a series of judgments against White for not paying rent in Atlanta area apartments, including one filed about two weeks ago.

In the interview, she said she first met Cain in the late 1990s in Louisville, Ky., when he was president of the National Restaurant Association. They had drinks and he invited her to his hotel room, she recalled.

She quoted Cain as telling her, "You're beautiful to me and I would love for us to continue this friendship," then produced his personal calendar and invited her to meet him in Palm Springs.

In this case, unlike the others, Cain took the unorthodox step of issuing a denial in advance.

"I did not have an affair, and until I see and hear exactly what's going to be, what accusations are going to be made, let's move on," he said.

Asked if he suspected his accuser had emails, letters, gifts or other possible evidence of an affair, he replied, "No."

In a statement provided to AP, Cain's lawyer, Lin Wood, said the former businessman has no obligation to "discuss these types of accusations publicly with the media and he will not do so even if his principled position is viewed unfavorably by members of the media."

The statement drew a distinction between "private alleged consensual conduct between adults" and a case of harassment. It did not include an explicit denial of an affair along the lines that Cain himself provided in his television interview.

Contacted by AP, Wood added, "If any candidate wants to publicly discuss his private sex life, that is his or her life. But I don't believe that there's an obligation on the part of any political candidate to do so."

White has been accused of lying before. A former business partner, Kimberly Vay, filed a libel suit as part of a larger business dispute with White. White's attorney, Edward Buckley, acknowledged the libel suit, which Vay said she won. Buckley said that White thought the libel claim had been settled as part of a larger settlement.

Ray Henry reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Greg Bluestein in Dunwoody, Ga., contributed to this report.

Batchu earlier this month received a 30-year prison sentence on federal child exploitation charges in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

NORTHAMPTON – Mani Batchu, a Chicago psychiatrist will have to wait until Tuesday to learn his sentence after pleading guilty Monday to state charges of having sex with an underage girl he allegedly “groomed” to be his “captive.”

On Nov. 18, Batchu received a 30-year prison sentence on related federal charges in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

Batchu, 32, a psychiatrist in residence at the University of Illinois, was 30 when he admittedly had sex with the 15-year-old girl at the Mount Pollux Conservation Area in Amherst and again in a department store dressing room at the Hadley Shopping Mall in 2009. According to Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Carrie M. Russell, Batchu met the victim online and exchanged emails and instant messages with her before flying from Chicago to rendezvous with her.

Because he crossed state lines both in his travels and on the Internet, Batchu triggered federal child exploitation laws. Batchu has also been prosecuted in Connecticut, where his plane from Chicago landed, and in Florida, where he pursued the victim while she was on vacation with her family.

According to Russell's accounting of the evidence in Hampshire Superior Court, the girl’s family sought a restraining order against Batchu after learning that he had sex with her at the Amherst conservation area on May 5, 2009. Nonetheless, Batchu continued to email and telephone her hundreds of times. The second sexual encounter took place on Aug. 3, 2009, the day before Batchu was scheduled to appear in court in Connecticut on charges related to the relationship.

“Clearly, this was a sophisticated predator at work in these crimes,” Russell said.

Although the victim was not present at the plea, her mother read a statement by her to Judge Bertha D. Josephson describing how she was "brainwashed” by Batchu.

“My whole world flipped upside down the moment Mani came into my life,” the girl wrote. “You got me to do things a 15-year-old shouldn’t even think about.”

The girl’s mother also addressed Batchu in her own statement, saying, “You crept into my daughter’s life and purposely groomed her to be your captive. You were a professional. You were trained in every aspect of the mind.”

According to the girl’s mother, Batchu used music and videos to plant subconscious suggestions in her daughter’s mind and keep her under his control.

“Every song was connected to you,” she said.

The woman told Josephson that Batchu terrorized the family, even showing up at their vacation in Florida.

“We didn’t know who he was, what he was or when he might come,” she said. “We felt he was around us in the darkness, waiting.”

Defense lawyer Francis T. O’Brien, Jr. told Josephson a different story, saying the victim represented herself as an 18-year-old woman online and that the relationship, although legally rape, was consensual.

Noting that his client was born in India, where relationships with younger girls are not uncommon, O’Brien said there were cultural differences in play. Batchu’s mother and grandmother were both under 16 when they were betrothed, he said.

“You can’t look at this in a vacuum,” O’Brien said, adding, “This is the biggest case of prosecutorial overkill I have ever seen.”

O’Brien proposed a sentence of five years in prison and five years probation, half the 10-year prison term and 10 years probation asked for by Russell. The sentences would run concurrently with the 30-year federal sentence. The victim’s mother asked Josephson to impose the maximum sentence of life in prison.

Josephson said she would render her decision on Tuesday.

Brown, the only Republican in the Massachusetts delegation, said he often disagreed with the Democratic liberal, but they sometimes championed the same causes.

File photo | The RepublicanU.S. Reps. Richard Neal, speaking, and Barney Frank, foreground, at the Massachusetts delegation caucus during the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said Tuesday fellow Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank’s announcement that he was retiring "was not a total surprise," as it was hinted during a recent telephone conversation between the two legislators.

"Barney was very effective," Neal said. "Despite that gruff persona, he can be pretty accommodating."

Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed the redistricting bill earlier this month, redrawing Frank’s district and abolishing one of the districts headquartered in Western Massachusetts.

The new map, approved by the state Legislature, includes nine congressional seats, down from the current 10. The state lost one of its seats because of faster population growth in the South and West documented in the 2010 census.

In addition to redrawing Frank’s district, the map carves up the existing 107-community district of U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, an Amherst Democrat who has announced he will not seek re-election.

The map was drawn shortly after Olver said on Oct. 26 he would retire when his term ends next year. That decision made it easier to draw a new map after Olver became the only incumbent U.S. House member from Massachusetts to say he would not seek re-election, freeing legislators to dismantle his district.

Olver’s district, currently about 645,000 people, was basically divided between the districts of Neal, a Springfield Democrat, and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Frank’s voice will be missed in Congress.

Associated PressRep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is surrounded by members of the media after announcing he will not seek re-election in 2012, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, in Newton, Mass. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

"No one’s ever doubted for a minute what Barney Frank thinks or where he stands, and if you weren’t sure, trust me, he’d tell you. That’s the special quality that has made Barney not just beloved and quotable, but unbelievably effective as an advocate and a legislator. He’s brave, he’s bold, and he’s ridiculously smart," Kerry said in a prepared statement.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., said he often disagreed with the Democratic liberal, but they sometimes championed the same causes.

"Congressman Frank and I may have been on opposite sides of the political aisle, but we also found issues of common purpose where we worked together, such as standing up for our state’s veterans and fishermen. I have always admired his tenacity and advocacy, and respect his service on behalf of Massachusetts," he said in a press release.

Patrick said Frank has earned the good wishes of Massachusetts residents.

"A generation of Bay State residents have known Barney Frank for his wisdom, wit and passion for service," Patrick said in a prepared statement. "Barney’s leadership, on issues ranging from civil liberties to financial system restraint, will be sorely missed."

The funding mechanism will help the hospital get new equipment and upgrade existing resources.

HOLYOKE – Holyoke Medical Center is getting electronic record-keeping, picture archiving and other equipment with $3 million in state financing help.

“These items will have an immediate positive effect on our community,” said Paul Silva senior vice president of finance at Holyoke Medical Center.

Silva, in a phone interview and a press release, said Monday the money to buy the equipment comes in the form of a tax-exempt lease the hospital got with the help of MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency.

Phillips Medical Capital, a limited liability company in Wayne, Pa., bought the $3 million lease from MassDevelopment. Holyoke Medical Center will make payments over seven years to reimburse that money, officials said.

“It’s a form of financing. We’ll be making payments,” Silva said.

Philips Medical Capital provides healthcare equipment financing and leasing services, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

The money will help the hospital get new equipment and modernize existing medical and nonmedical resources. Technology for the hospital’s health-record system will improve, new operating room instruments will be acquired and a new air conditioner will be installed, Silva said.

Also, acquisition of a picture archiving system will allow radiologists and physicians to access and review images online and from a remote location, and faster than is now the case, officials said.

Holyoke Medical Center, 575 Beech St., is an acute care urban facility that provides inpatient medical, surgical, critical care, cardiac, obstetrical, psychiatric and oncology services, as well outpatient and therapeutic services, a press release from MassDevelopment said.

In fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30, 2010, the hospital had nearly 242,000 outpatient visits and nearly 42,500 emergency room visits. They came mostly from residents of Holyoke, Chicopee, South Hadley, Granby, West Springfield and Easthampton, the press release said.

Chicopee is continuing to collect donations for its senior citizens trip to Springfield's Bright Nights.

Republican file photoPeople admire the city Christmas tree in last year's official lighting.

CHICOPEE – The city will kick off the holiday season with events for children and senior citizens in the upcoming weeks.

On Friday, the Christmas lights will be turned on in front of City Hall and Santa Claus will arrive and pose for pictures with children in Santa’s Workshop, which is set up in the former city library.

Children will not be the only ones treated to holiday fun. Three bus trips to Bright Nights in Springfield will be held Dec. 13, 14 and 15 for senior residents, said Heather G. Canady, special projects manager for the mayor.

“The Bright Nights trip is designed to give people an opportunity who might not get to see it, and the tree lighting is such a blast,” Canady said.

The tree lighting festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., Santa will arrive and the lights will be turned on in a ceremony on the front steps of City Hall.

Before and after the switch is flipped, there will be a variety of activities in Santa’s Workshop including cookie decorating, pictures with Santa and caroling led by Girl Scout and Brownie troops. Children will be given a “goody bag” with small items such as candy and pencils, said Anna Wrzesinski, assistant to the mayor.

About 500 children and their parents traditionally attend the event, she said.

This is the fourth year Chicopee will borrow an idea from neighboring Holyoke and treat its senior citizens to a free bus trip to Springfield’s Bright Nights in Forest Park. This year the event will kick off with a spaghetti dinner. After dinner, seniors will board buses and take the tour, Canady said.

This year’s Bright Nights trip will be spread over three nights instead of the previous two. A total of 600 people are expected to attend, she said.

“We haven’t increased the size, it is a space issue,” Canady said, adding it gets too crowded at the supper with 300 people and will be more comfortable with 200 each night, she said.

The city is still searching for donors to help fund the trip. With a cost of $450 per bus and a total of a dozen buses needed, the program must raise about $5,400. So far about $3,650 has been raised, Canady said.

“It is usually businesses that sponsor, but we do have individuals who give donations,” she said. “Businesses can sponsor full or partial buses or just give a donation.” she said.

Anyone interested in supporting the trip can make out checks to the City of Chicopee and mail them to the mayor’s office in City Hall, 17 Springfield St., Canady said.

The case has renewed a debate on whether parents should lose custody if a child is severely obese.

Associated PressThis image made Thursday, April 21, 2011 shows a page from the website www.stopchildhoodobesity.com. The advertisement, part of a "Stop Child Obesity" campaign in Georgia, won some enthusiastic praise for their attention-grabbing tactics. But they also have outraged parents, activists and academics who feel the result is more stigma for an already beleaguered group of children. (AP Photo)

By THOMAS J. SHEERAN

CLEVELAND – The case of an 8-year-old third-grader weighing more than 200 pounds has renewed a debate on whether parents should lose custody if a child is severely obese.

Roughly 2 million U.S. children are extremely obese — weighing significantly more than what's considered healthy.

A Cleveland Heights boy was taken from his family and was placed in foster care in October after county case workers said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight. The boy, at his weight, is considered at risk for developing such diseases as diabetes and high blood pressure. Government growth charts say most boys his age weigh about 60 pounds.

Cuyahoga County removed the boy because case workers considered the mother's inability to get his weight down a form of medical neglect. The county's Children and Family Services agency said Monday it stood by its custody move, which was approved by a judge.

"We have worked very hard with this family for 20 months before it got to this point," agency Administrator Patricia Rideout said.

Rideout said the issue has created a buzz among agency staff members and she has heard it was a popular Internet item. She said she was following state law in withholding the boy's name in his best interest.

There's no easy answer when it comes to determining who's to blame in such obesity cases, said Dr. Naim Alkhouri, who works with overweight children and their families at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital and leads its pediatric metabolic clinic.

"It's not only the parents or the child," he said. "Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. As a society we're all responsible."

It's not enough to just encourage some children to eat healthier and exercise, he said, because there's also "a big psychological component."

"When it comes to involving the authorities, I don't think we have clear guidelines," he said. "Starting the debate is a good thing. We need more guidance on how to react to the issue."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity tries to address the roles of nutrition and physical activity in improving public health and preventing and controlling chronic diseases. It says achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is part of an ongoing lifestyle that can be adopted. It offers resources to help people determine which foods are needed for a healthy diet and promotes regular physical activity to reduce the risk for diseases and control weight.

County workers were alerted to the boy's weight early last year after his mother took him to a hospital for breathing problems. He was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep and can be weight-related, and he was given a breathing machine.

Parents have lost custody of obese children a few times in the United States, and an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July said putting children temporarily in foster care is in some cases more ethical than obesity surgery, which can involve removing part of the stomach.

Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Harvard-affiliated Children's Hospital Boston, said the point isn't to blame parents but rather to act in children's best interest and get them help their parents can't provide.

Dr. Norman Fost, a medical ethicist at the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus, said Monday that foster care wouldn't cure the Ohio boy's obesity but might help.

"The goal is to make him less obese," he said.

Fost said the boy's sleep apnea could be related to his weight and could be imminently dangerous. A target weight of 150 pounds might improve the apnea problem, he said.

The boy's mother said she has worked on the weight issue.

"They are trying to make it seem like I am unfit, like I don't love my child," she told The Plain Dealer newspaper, which didn't reveal her identity because the case could involve abuse.

A public defender, Sam Amata, said Monday the custody removal would be challenged based on the contention that the boy is not in imminent danger.

"We don't feel there's that kind of requisite danger," he said.

Associated Press writer John Seewer in Toledo contributed to this report.