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Shoppers snap up Cyber Monday deals from Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and others

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Wal-Mart and Amazon.com were among retailers benefiting from enthusiastic shoppers looking for deep discounts.

By MAE ANDERSON | AP Retail Writer

112811 cyber monday.jpgView full sizeRobert Drayton uses his smartphone to help him find the right gifts and compare prices at Toys R Us in New York, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Shoppers seem to be just as enthusiastic about shopping on their computers and smartphones on Cyber Monday as they were about finding deals over the Black Friday weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK – Shoppers seem to be just as enthusiastic about shopping on their computers and smartphones on Cyber Monday as they were about finding deals over the weekend.

Online sales on Cyber Monday, which was started in 2005 by a retail trade group to encourage Americans to shop online on the Monday after Thanksgiving, were up mid-afternoon by 15 percent from a year ago, according to data from IBM Benchmark. Meanwhile, sales from mobile devices were up 7.4 percent. The group did not give dollar amounts.

The Cyber Monday numbers point to Americans' growing comfort with using their personal computers, tablets and smartphones to shop. Over the past few years, big chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, have been offering more and better incentives like hourly deals and free shipping, to capitalize on that trend. It's important for retailers to make a good showing during the holiday shopping season, a time when they can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue.

On Monday, Amazon.com offered its bigger, more expensive Kindle DX for $259, or $120 off the regular price. The Express clothing chain was giving 30 percent off and free shipping on all online orders. And Wal-Mart, which has been calling the holiday "Cyber Week" in ads, was offering an LG 47-inch LED TV for $879, or $320 off the regular price.

"Cyber Monday is far more exciting to me than Black Friday," says Jamie Minoso, a 40-year-old English teacher from Alabama. "I do not enjoy the traffic and chaos involved in shopping at a mall."

To be sure, the strong start to Cyber Monday, created by a unit of The National Retail Federation, follows an even stronger kickoff to the holiday shopping season over the weekend. Americans shopped in record numbers, driven by earlier store openings and a push by retailers for online sales.

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 the NRF. And sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, rose 7 percent to $11.4 billion, the largest amount ever spent, according to ShopperTrak, which gathers stores' data.

Online sales were strong even over the weekend. Thirty-eight percent of all purchases were made online this year, up from 31 percent to 32 percent last year, says Sherif Mityas, partner in the retail practice of A.T. Kearney, who believes the increase was due to heavy promotions.

Barneys, for instance, offered 40 percent off on its website on Thanksgiving Day, a day before it began its sales in stores. And Barnes & Noble offered 40 percent to 75 percent off online products, discounts that weren't available in store.

"Retailers are doing a good job of creating more excitement online in ways they can't do in store," Mityas says. "They're creating that excitement of, 'I've got to get that special deal," that is really spurring traffic.'"

It won't be clear how well retailers will ultimately fare on Cyber Monday until Tuesday. But last year, sales on the day topped $1 billion for the first time, making it the heaviest day of online spending ever.

Ahead of this week's "Cyber Monday," the NRF says nearly 80 percent of retailers plan to offer special promotions. And a record 122.9 million of Americans are expected to shop on the day, up from 106.9 million who shopped on "Cyber Monday" last year, according to a survey conducted for Shop.org.

By early afternoon on Monday, traffic was up about 37 percent year-over-year, according to Akamai, an online content delivery company. Akamai says it expects online traffic to peak at about 9 p.m.

Traffic has been up substantially since the Monday before Thanksgiving as retailers promoted online deals earlier than ever, says Lelah Manz, Akamai's chief strategist of commerce.

"There has been a huge volume of promotional activity being driven by daily deal sites, Facebook and other social networking sites," she says.


Mitt Romney campaign hits back after Democrats' 'flip-flop' charges

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The former Massachusetts governor hastily arranged for supporters to hold conference calls with reporters to combat a new Democratic ad that highlights his changed positions on abortion, immigration, guns and other issues.

112311 mitt romney.JPGRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, accompanied by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to a group of workers at Nationwide Insurance Company, Wednesday Nov. 23, 2011, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)

By CHARLES BABINGTON

WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney confronted double-barreled allegations Monday that he has flip-flopped on key issues, the first time the 2012 presidential campaign has focused squarely on what many see as the Republican contender's biggest political liability.

The former Massachusetts governor hastily arranged for supporters to hold conference calls with reporters to combat a new Democratic ad that highlights his changed positions on abortion, immigration, guns and other issues.

And Romney also took fire from a Republican rival, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gingrich, fresh from an important endorsement in New Hampshire, told a South Carolina radio audience that "it's wrong to go around and adopt radically different positions based on your need of any one election."

The lines of attack showed that leaders of both parties see Romney as the Republican front-runner, with the Iowa caucuses five weeks away. The criticism also sharpened the campaign rhetoric only days after Romney raised eyebrows with a TV ad that quoted President Barack Obama out of context.

The trading of blows had to compete for attention with the latest setback for Herman Cain, who surged to the top of GOP opinion polls at one point but has recently faded. A Georgia woman said Monday she had had a 13-year affair with him. Cain, who is married, denied the allegation. His lawyer said "private alleged consensual conduct between adults" should not be a subject of campaign coverage.

Romney supporters say Obama is eager to turn attention away from the weak economy. But the urgency of his campaign's reaction to the Democratic ad suggested he sees the flip-flop accusations as serious.

Details of Romney's shifts on key issues are not new. Yet they have played only a peripheral role in the eight-person GOP nominating contest so far, to the dismay of some Democrats.

In a career that includes an unsuccessful Senate race and one term as governor in Massachusetts, plus a 2008 presidential bid, Romney at times has favored legalized abortion, a ban on assault weapons and a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants.

He since has rejected those views. He also takes a harder line than before on government stimulus programs and bank bailouts. Romney's health care initiative in Massachusetts required residents to obtain medical insurance, but he rejects the notion that it was a model for Obama's national plan enacted last year.

Over the years, Romney has minimized the significance of some of his policy shifts. He attributes others to heart-felt changes of opinion.

The Democratic National Committee on Monday launched a multi-state attack, portraying Romney as a politician in conflict with himself. A TV ad is airing in the battleground states of North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and New Mexico. Democrats also held events in Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Maryland and Massachusetts to call attention to a longer and more detailed version of the criticisms on the website mittvmitt.com.

The video calls Romney "an unparalleled flip-flopper." It shows two late-night comedians mocking his sincerity and three Fox News reporters seeming to question Romney's authenticity.

Romney's campaign responded with conference calls featuring current or former Republican officials from nearly a dozen states. In general, their remarks focused on Obama's economic record rather than on point-by-point efforts to defend Romney against flip-flop charges.

Tim Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor who endorsed Romney after dropping his own presidential bid this year, said Obama has failed to create jobs or reduce the federal debt. "This administration does not want to campaign against Mitt Romney and be forced to defend three years of failure," Pawlenty said.

In one conference call, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said Romney "has stated clearly that his position has evolved" on abortion. McHenry said he is satisfied that Romney would be a staunchly anti-abortion-rights president.

Meanwhile Monday, Gingrich told WSC Radio in Charleston, S.C., that he is "a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney." In response to a question about Romney's eagerness to be elected, Gingrich said: "I wouldn't switch my positions for political reasons. It's perfectly reasonable to change your position if facts change. If you see new things you didn't see - everybody's done that, Ronald Reagan did that. It's wrong to go around and adopt radically different positions based on your need of any one election. Then people will have to ask themselves, 'What will you tell me next time?'"

Democratic activists said it's unlikely their ads will significantly influence the GOP primary. But they are happy to start roughing up Romney now, either to begin getting their message out to independent voters or conceivably to help another possible Republican nominee viewed as more vulnerable than Romney next fall.

GOP insiders have seen Romney as the favorite from the start. Yet polls show him struggling to lock down the support of more than one-quarter of Republicans. The Iowa caucuses will be held Jan. 3, with the New Hampshire primary coming a week later. January contests in Florida and Nevada will follow.

Gingrich won the sought-after endorsement Sunday of the Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest newspaper and a prominent conservative voice in the state. He hopes to avoid the type of momentum losses suffered earlier this year by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businessman Cain after they rose to the top of Republican polls alongside Romney.

Romney generally answers accusations of flip-flopping by diminishing his shifts in views or calling them old news.

The new DNC ad shows an undated video clip of him addressing abortion and saying, "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose."

In early 2007, Romney said he changed his view on abortion after meeting with a stem cell researcher.

"The comment was made that this really wasn't a moral issue because the embryos were terminated or destroyed at 14 days," Romney said at the time. "And it struck me very powerfully at that point, that the Roe v. Wade approach has so cheapened the value of human life that someone could think it's not a moral issue to destroy embryos that have been created solely for the purpose of research." Romney said he told an aide, "I want to make it very clear that I'm pro-life."

Roe v. Wade is the landmark 1973 court decision that barred states from outlawing abortion in most instances.

Hundreds in Westfield kick off holiday season with tree lighting, Dickens Days parade

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The annual Dickens Days downtown stroll is scheduled all day Saturday.

112811 westfield christmas tree lighting.JPGView full sizeThe Westfield High School Choir sang classic Christmas songs and Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted children during Westfield's Christmas Tree Lighting and Dickens Days Lanternlight parade on Monday night.

WESTFIELD – Several hundred residents took advantage of Monday night’s mild weather to participate in the city's annual holiday tree lighting and 8th annual Dickens Days Lanternlight parade.

They were downtown, at the corner of Broad and Court streets. It was the second year the kick-off of holiday downtown activities was held across from Park Square Green. But an announcement from Mayor Daniel M. Knapik that the event would return to the green in 2012 drew loud cheers. Rehabilitation of Park Square Green is part of a $14.5 million reconstruction of the immediate downtown, a federal stimulus-financed project.

Many were there to see the tree lights and Dickens characters and many were there to see Santa, who set up shop in nearby Westfield Athenaeum following the lighting ceremony.

“We came to see the Christmas tree lights,” said Tyler J. Whalen, 4. “We will see Santa at Amelia Park later,” he added.

“It is just great that they actually do this every year,” said mother Heidi M. Whalen. “This is a lot of fun for kids.”

Susan L. Kopy was there because daughter Bekka Dowland, a member of the Westfield High School choir, was a part of the entertainment.

“A lot of work is going into the green and it will be very nice when it is completed,” said Kopy.

“We are here to see the tree lights and Santa,” said Vivian G. Walker, 5, who attended with her father, Robert Walker.

Sporting Santa hats, cousins Stella and Oliver, ages 7 months and 3 respectively, and Noah and Jake Galas, ages 6 and 4, made it clear they came to see Santa.

“I got my hair cut first,” explained Oliver. Everyone yelled "Santa!" when asked why they were there.

Monday’s tree lighting and parade was the second of 40 Dickens Days events during the next 30 days, explained Robert A. Plasse, president of Westfield on Weekends.

Dressed as the Spirit of Christmas Present, Plasse noted “The weather is cooperating tonight. It matches the warmth of our city and the heart of a small downtown.

“This could easily be a prelude to a future celebration because the Great River Bridge is opening this week and the revitalization of our downtown is proceeding as scheduled,” he said.

Lisa G. McMahon, director of Westfield Business Improvement District, said the tree lighting “officially kicks off our Dickens Days celebration that is designed to bring people to Westfield center.

“The Dickens characters will be here in costume again Saturday for the holiday stroll and our Olde English Breakfast that will be a feature at downtown eateries throughout the day,” she said.

“This season also marks a special focus on our downtown businesses that will now be open each Thursday night of the shopping season until 8 p.m.

Dickens Days is sponsored by WOW, WBID, Westfield State University and the city. A schedule of events is available at Westfield Athenaeum and online at www.thedistrictwestfield.com or www.westfieldonweekends.com.

Newt Gingrich says he's not perfect, but better choice for conservatives than Mitt Romney

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Branding Romney as a political opportunist, Gingrich said it is one thing to change positions if new facts become available and quite another to shift positions for political gain.

111011 newt gingrich.JPGRepublican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, shown at a campaign event earlier this month, packed a town hall-style event Monday night at the College of Charleston. Earlier in the day during a radio interview, he said he's a more electable candidate than frontrunner Mitt Romney. (AP Photo/Detroit News, David Coates)

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich acknowledged Monday that he isn't the perfect candidate but contends he's "a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney and a lot more electable than anybody else."

Gingrich, a former House speaker whose presidential campaign is on the rise just weeks before the first nominating contests take place, offered sharp criticism of Romney. For months, the Georgia Republican has refused to criticize his rivals and instead has kept his focus on President Barack Obama.

That all seems to be over. Branding the former Massachusetts governor as a political opportunist, Gingrich said it is one thing to change positions if new facts become available and quite another to shift positions for political gain.

"It's wrong to go around and adopt radically different positions based on your need of any one election, then people will have to ask themselves, 'What will you tell me next time?'" Gingrich told WSC-FM radio Monday morning ahead of a three-day campaign swing through South Carolina.

Romney has changed his positions on gay rights and abortion since his first political campaign in 1994. Since that unsuccessful effort, he has publicly shifted rightward.

It isn't enough to convince some, including Gingrich.

"We think there has to be a solid conservative alternative to Mitt Romney," Gingrich said during a morning interview.

By evening, he seemed to temper that.

"I don't know of a single person who is running who would not be a very effective member of my administrative team," Gingrich said at the College of Charleston.

At times Gingrich has blamed the media for stoking the divisions among the contenders in an attempt "to get Republicans fighting with each other," as he put it during an NBC debate. "You want to puff this up into some giant thing," Gingrich said then.

Gingrich has seen his political standing rise as he has posted solid debate performances and laid the groundwork for a traditional campaign. In South Carolina, for instance, he has five offices and his supporters are making thousands of phone calls every day.

Gingrich packed a town hall-style event Monday night at the College of Charleston. Supporters who couldn't get in lined up around the block in the hopes that organizers would let more people inside and out of the pouring rain.

While Gingrich's two divorces and admissions of infidelity are unlikely to endear him to Christian conservatives who have a great sway here, he is pitching himself as the candidate who can best challenge Obama, who is deeply unpopular among Republicans.

"No American president has the right to side with foreigners against the people and laws of the United States," Gingrich told the College of Charleston audience, questioning Obama's allegiance.

But Gingrich knows his own shortcomings.

"No person except Christ has ever been perfect," Gingrich told WSC-FM. "So I don't claim to be the perfect candidate. I just claim to be a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney and a lot more electable than anybody else."

He added: "I'm the one candidate who can bring together national security conservatives and economic conservatives and social conservatives in order to make sure we have a conservative nominee."

Gingrich also faces criticism for how he spent his time after stepping down as the top Republican in the House. He built a network of advocacy organizations, think tanks and consulting firms. He insists he has never lobbied and touted his private sector experience: "I think we do very good work."

And Gingrich, too, is facing questions about his position on immigration. His rivals have suggested it would offer amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"I'm for controlling the border. I am against amnesty. I'm very disappointed that at least one of my friends has been, for the last four days, going around saying things that she knows are not true," Gingrich said, taking on Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who has seized on the issue.

Gingrich has proposed that local communities have the power to determine whether their neighbors can remain in the United States despite their immigration status.

"We ought to have a citizen certification board in every community and citizens should make the decision whether that person should get a path to legality but not citizenship — no right to vote, doesn't become a citizen," he said.

Springfield City Council temporarily blocked from new vote on wood-burning biomass plant

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Code Enforcement Commissioner Steven Desilets issued 2 building permits for the project 2 weeks ago, triggering the threatened appeal from the City Council.

Kateri Walsh 2010.jpgKateri B. Walsh

SPRINGFIELD – As the majority of city councilors were poised Monday for a vote to appeal two building permits granted for a wood-burning plant in East Springfield, the vote was temporarily blocked when Councilor Kateri B. Walsh invoked a seldom-used procedural rule.

The council had just voted 10-3 against asking for a Law Department opinion related to the appeal and was preparing to vote on the appeal itself when Walsh invoked Rule 20. The rule automatically halts debate and prevents any vote until there is a financial analysis by the city comptroller of potential legal expenses.

Some of the councilors and residents who oppose the plant said Walsh’s action was an unjustified case of stalling in which she knew the votes were lined up in favor of the appeal based on councilors prior comments and actions.

“From our perspective, it was a cowardly move given the writing was on the wall (for an appeal)” said Susan Reid, a representative of the Conservation Law Foundation, a group opposed to the plant.

In May, the council voted 10-2 to revoke a special permit for the project, raising concerns about the impact the biomass, wood-burning plant would have on air pollution and public health.

The developer, Palmer Renewable Energy, however, recently obtained two building permits from the city’s code enforcement commissioner Steven T. Desilets, which allow construction of the foundation for a 275-foot high smokestack and site work at the plant site located at Page Boulevard and Cadwell Drive.

Councilors were preparing to vote on a “notice of appeal,” in which they would ask the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals to overturn Desilets’ decision.

Walsh defended her action Monday, saying the city solicitor had raised the issue that the City Council could face some legal expense in the appeal process.

She was joined by Councilors Timothy J. Rooke and James J. Ferrera in urging that the council delay the appeal. The same councilors have been critical of the council’s decision to revoke the special permit in May, and Walsh said the appeal threat casted “a cloud” over the action taken by Desilets.

Councilors said they can wage the appeal without need for paid legal representation.

2011 james ferrera mug.jpgJames Ferrera

City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula, in response to a question from Ferrera, said he could not say if the Law Department could represent the council in the appeal because the department had previously issued a legal opinion backing Desilet’s legal authority to issue the building permits.

If the council sought to have an independent lawyer, there could be the issue of how that lawyer would be paid, and if the mayor would need to approve the funds, Pikula said, adding he could review the issue further.

Rooke asked for a delay on the appeal until Pikula could provide a further opinion on the issue.

Councilor Michael A. Fenton was among councilors arguing against any delay, saying that individual councilors could appear before the Zoning Board of Appeals and make their arguments against the building permits without need for council lawyers. Appeals before the Board of Appeals are often without need of lawyers, he said.

In addition, the council needs to act on the appeal within 30 days, with a mid-December deadline, he said.

Council President Jose F. Tosado said he will ask the City Comptroller Patrick Burns to issue the financial analysis as quickly as possible, and believes the appeal vote can happen very soon.

Egyptians wait in long lines to elect a parliament

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The outcome will indicate whether one of America's most important Middle East allies will remain secular or move down a more Islamic path, as have other countries swept up in the Arab Spring.

112811 eygpt voting.jpgAn Egyptian woman shows her inked finger after voting in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Voting began on Monday in Egypt's first parliamentary elections since longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising nine months ago. The vote is a milestone many Egyptians hope will usher in a democratic age after decades of dictatorship. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

By HAMZA HENDAWI
and MAGGIE MICHAEL

CAIRO – They waited in long lines for hours to vote, despite a new wave of unrest, fears about a sharply divided society and uncertainty over the nation's future.

For the millions of Egyptians who cast ballots Monday, the first parliamentary elections since they ousted Hosni Mubarak were a turning point in history — if for no other reason than they were finally getting a chance to be heard after decades of rigged voting.

The outcome will indicate whether one of America's most important Middle East allies will remain secular or move down a more Islamic path, as have other countries swept up in the Arab Spring.

"I have hope this time," said Amal Fathy, a 50-year-old government employee who wears the Islamic veil, as she patiently waited to vote. "I may not live long enough to see change, but my grandchildren will."

Since the uprising that forced out Mubarak nearly 10 months ago, Egyptians had looked forward to this day as a celebration of freedom after years of stifling dictatorship. Instead, there has been deep disappointment with the military rulers who replaced the old regime and a new wave of protests and clashes that began 10 days before the vote.

Adding to the disarray, the multiple stage election process, which will stretch over months, is extremely complicated. Some of the key political players complained they did not have enough time or the right conditions to organize for the vote.

If there was little jubilation, there was hope — and even defiance — with many determined to either push the military from power or vote against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups who are expected to dominate the balloting.

"This was simply overwhelming. My heart was beating so fast," Sanaa el-Hawary, a 38-year-old mother of one said after she cast her vote in Cairo. "This is my life, it's my baby's life. It's my country and this is the only hope we have now."

Female voters appeared to outnumber the men by far, shattering widespread notions in a society whose women are mostly dismissed or taken lightly.

Women waiting for five hours at one polling center chanted: "We will not give up, we will not give up."

In Cairo's crowded Shoubra district, 34-year-old Toka Youssef explained why she was voting for the first time in her life.

"Before, there were no real elections. It was all theater. Now I'm optimistic in the future. These are the first steps toward democracy," she said. "It's a bit confused and chaotic because we've never seen this many people vote. No one cared this much before."

Ever since an 18-day uprising toppled Mubarak's regime and brought the military to power, Egypt has gone through violence, splits in society, a worsening economy and a surge in street crime. Still, people were eager to cast a free vote, even though much is unclear about what will happen next, whatever the outcome.

Many liberals, leftists, Christians and pious Muslims who oppose mixing religion and politics went to the polls to try to reduce the scope of the Muslim Brotherhood's electoral gains.

Also weighing heavily on voters' minds was whether this election will set Egypt on a path of democracy under the rule of the military. Protests this month have demanded that the generals step down immediately because of fears they are trying to cling to power and not bring real reform.

The parliament that emerges may have little relevance because the military is sharply limiting its powers, and it may only serve for several months. However, the vote will give Egyptians and the world an accurate reading of the strength of the political forces at work in the Arab world's most populous nation.

112811 eygpt voting lines.jpgEgyptian women line up outside a polling station to vote in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Shaking off years of political apathy, Egyptians turned out in long lines at voting stations Monday in their nation's first parliamentary elections since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a giant step toward what they hope will be a democracy after decades of dictatorship.(AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

A reliable political map of the nation would also have an impact beyond Egypt's borders, serving as a guide to whether the close U.S. ally will continue to be the main source of moderation in the region and assume the mantle of a key advocate of Middle East peace.

The election is the fruit of the Arab Spring revolts that have swept the region in the past year, toppling several authoritarian regimes. In Tunisia and Morocco, Islamic parties have come out winners in recent balloting, but if the much larger Egypt does the same, it could have an even greater impact.

Some voters brought their children along, saying they wanted them to learn how to exercise their rights in what promises to be the fairest and cleanest election in Egypt in living memory.

The biggest complaint Monday was the long wait, with polling stations opening late or running out of ballots. There also was campaigning outside polling centers in violation of the law.

"If you have waited for 30 years, can't you wait now for another hour?" an army officer yelled at hundreds of restless women at one Cairo polling station.

Supporters of the Freedom and Justice party, the Brotherhood's political arm, were seen with laptop computers helping voters with information on where they should cast their ballots but writing the information on large cards with the party logo on one side and the name and photos of its candidates on the other. Party supporters also appeared to be allowed to maintain security at some places or help the elderly vote.

"I never voted because I was never sure it was for real. This time, I hope it is, but I am not positive," said Shahira Ahmed, 45, waiting with her husband and daughter with about 500 other people.

Even before polls opened at 8 a.m., Cairo voters stood in lines stretching several hundred yards, suggesting a respectable turnout. Under heavy security from police and soldiers, the segregated lines of men and women snaked around blocks and prompted authorities to extend voting by two hours.

For decades, few Egyptians bothered to vote because nearly every election was rigged, whether by bribery, ballot-box stuffing or police intimidation. Turnout was often in the single digits.

"I am voting for freedom. We lived in slavery. Now we want justice in freedom," said 50-year-old Iris Nawar at a polling station in Maadi, a Cairo suburb. "We are afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood. But we lived for 30 years under Mubarak, we will live with them, too."

In a heavy rain in Alexandria, a line of women displayed Egypt's religious spectrum — Christians, Muslims with heads bared, others in conservative headscarves, still others wearing the black robes that left only the eyes exposed. Nearby, one soldier shouted through a megaphone: "Choose freely. Choose whomever you want to vote for."

In Tahrir Square on Monday, a crowd of about 2,000 kept the round-the-clock protest going. Clashes during the demonstrations left more than 40 dead.

Standing outside the tent where he has camped since Friday, protester Ibrahim Hassan, 22, said it was wrong to have elections before the military gives up power and when members of Mubarak's ruling party can still run.

"So they'll elect a parliament, but they won't give it any power or let it write the constitution," he said. "So what's the point?"

A Facebook page that played a crucial role in mobilizing the anti-Mubarak uprising indicated how the election has thrown Tahrir's die-hard revolutionaries into confusion. It said everyone should vote but must wear black while doing so in mourning for those killed in last week's protests.

"We will go to the elections because it is the first step on the path of taking power back from the military, who we believe should go quickly back to their barracks," according to the page.

The Brotherhood entered the campaign with a powerful network around the country and years of experience in political activism, even though it was banned under Mubarak. Also running are candidates for the even more conservative Salafi movement, which advocates a hard-line Saudi Arabian-style interpretation of Islam.

While the Brotherhood shows a willingness at times to play politics and compromise in its ideology, many Salafis insist that democracy take a back seat to Islamic law.

In contrast, the secular and liberal youth groups who engineered the uprising failed to capitalize on their triumph to contest the election effectively. They largely had to create new parties from scratch, most of which were not widely known and were plagued by divisions.

"The Muslim Brotherhood are the people who have stood by us when times were difficult," said Ragya el-Said, a 47-year-old lawyer in Alexandria, a stronghold for the group. "We have a lot of confidence in them."

But the Brotherhood faces opposition. Even some who favor more religion in public life are suspicious of its motives, and the large Christian minority — about 10 percent of the population of around 85 million — fear rising Islamism.

"I'm a Muslim but won't vote for any Islamist party because their views are too narrow," said Eman el-Khoury, 53, looking disapprovingly at Brotherhood activists handing out campaign leaflets near an Alexandria polling station in violation of the law. "How can we change this country when at an opportunity for change we make the same dirty mistakes?"

For many of those who did not want to vote for the Brotherhood or other Islamists, the alternative was not clear.

"I don't know any of the parties or who I'm voting for," said Teresa Sobhi, a Christian voter in the southern city of Assiut. "I'll vote for the first names I see, I guess."

The election will be held over multiple stages, with different provinces taking turns to vote with each round. Voting for 498-seat People's Assembly, parliament's lower chamber, will last until January, then elections for the 390-member upper house will drag on until March.

Each round lasts two days. Some voters said they feared vote-rigging because the ballot boxes would be left at polling stations overnight. Monday and Tuesday's vote takes place in nine provinces whose residents account for 24 million of Egypt's estimated 85 million people.

The ballots are a confusing mix of party lists that will gain seats according to proportions of votes and individual candidates who will have to enter runoffs after each round if no one gets 50 percent in the first round.

Mixed in are candidates labeled as "farmer" or "worker" who must gain a certain number of seats, a holdover from the Mubarak regime, which manipulated the process to elect his cronies.

A parliament dominated by Islamists but without any significant powers could potentially provide the spark for an open conflict with the generals. On the other hand, a clean and fair vote would give legitimacy to the election and credibility to the military at a time when the Tahrir Square protesters are trying to convince everyone that the generals are not serious about reform.

A high turnout among the estimated 50 million voters could water down the showing of the Brotherhood, since its core of supporters are the most likely to vote, hurting the standing of the Tahrir activists. A low turnout would undermine the credibility of the election and boost some of the prestige the Tahrir activists.

AP correspondents Sarah El Deeb and Ben Hubbard in Cairo, Hadeel al-Shalchi in Alexandria and Aya Batrawy in Assiut, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Teenage girl in critical condition, another hurt after Northampton pedestrian accident

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The girls were hit by a car while crossing Jackson Street, police said.

NORTHAMPTON – Police were investigating a pedestrian accident Monday afternoon in which two teenage girls were hit by a car while crossing Jackson Street.

Police said a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, and the 15-year-old was in critical condition.

The accident occurred around 4:45 p.m.

Springfield School Committee enlists help in superintendent search

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The committee voted 7-0 to begin working with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to find a successor for Alan Ingram, whose resignation takes effect in June.

SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee agreed Monday to accept help from a state-wide education group while conducting the search for a new superintendent.

The committee voted 7-0 to begin working with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to find a successor for Alan J. Ingram, whose resignation takes effect in June.

The board also agreed to meet with representatives from the Houston-based Center for Reform of School Systems in a workshop session in the next few weeks. The Texas group offers guidance to school districts on conducting searches, and has worked with Springfield officials in the past, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said.

“We want to get this done as quickly as possible,” said Sarno, who serves as chairman of the school board. “It’s the most important decision (the committee) can make; it’s a linchpin decision.”

101911 domenic sarno.JPGDomenic Sarno

The superintendents association provides help for free, and the meeting with Texas consultants will be financed by contributions from the business community, Sarno said.

The school board’s moves Monday came a week after state Secretary of Education S. Paul Reville said the search should begin as soon as possible, and should seek candidates from across the nation.

Reville, speaking to The Republican’s editorial board, said he will closely monitor the search for the next top administrator for the state’s third-largest school system, with 25,000 students, 2,000 teachers and a $330 million budget.

But Reville said the state does not plan to play a direct role in the process, as it did when Holyoke was seeking a new leader two years ago. South Hadley, Palmer and Ludlow also are seeking replacements for their superintendents.

At Monday’s meeting, school board members expressed mixed views about a national search, with several suggesting that finding a strong local candidate might be preferable.

Committee member Peter M. Murphy said people are expressing a sense of “fatigue about doing a global search,” adding that the last three superintendents were selected that way.

“Now we’re going to do it again, and this time we’re going to do it right?,” he added.

Patricia Correira, field director for the school committee association, also said the city should not overlook local candidates if they emerge during the process.

Still, committee members – including Murphy, Christopher Collins and Norman Roldan – said the committee must be open to public opinion on the matter, and should be wary of excluding strong national candidates by opting for a local one.


American Airlines files for bankruptcy protection

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AMR Corp. has continued to lose money while other U.S. airlines returned to profitability in the last two years.

APTOPIX American Airlines BankruptcyAmerican Airlines' planes are parked at a gate at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Tuesday. American Airlines and its parent company are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as they seek to cut costs and unload massive debt built up by years of high jet fuel prices and labor struggles. (Photo by Seth Wenig)

DALLAS – American Airlines and its parent company filed for bankruptcy protection as they try to cut costs and unload massive debt built up by years of high fuel prices and labor struggles. There will be no impact on travelers for now.

The nation’s third-largest airline also said Tuesday that CEO Gerard Arpey stepped down and was replaced by company president Thomas W. Horton.

AMR Corp. has continued to lose money while other U.S. airlines returned to profitability in the last two years.

Horton said the board of directors unanimously decided to file for bankruptcy after meeting Monday in New York and again by conference call on Monday night.

American said it would operate normally while it reorganizes in bankruptcy. The airline said it would continue to operate flights, honor tickets and take reservations. It said the AAdvantage frequent-flier program would not be affected.

Horton said, however, that as the company goes through a restructuring it will probably reduce the flight schedule “modestly,” with corresponding cuts in jobs.

The company will delay the spin-off of its regional airline operation, American Eagle, which was expected in early 2012. AMR Eagle Holding Corp. also filed for bankruptcy.

American was the only major U.S. airline that didn’t file for bankruptcy protection in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks that triggered a deep slump in the airline industry. The last major airline to file for bankruptcy protection was Delta in 2005.

Speculation about an AMR bankruptcy grew in recent weeks, however, as negotiations with pilots and other workers over cost-saving labor contracts seemed to stall. The company said that labor-contract rules forced it to spend at least $600 million more per year than other airlines.

Horton said, however, that there was no single factor that led to the bankruptcy filing. He said the company needed to cut costs in view of the weak global economy and high, volatile fuel prices. The average price of jet fuel has risen more than 50 percent in the past five years.

Ray Neidl, an analyst with Maxim Group LLC, said AMR was wise to file for bankruptcy while it still had about $4 billion in cash. He said the company has strong assets but needs to find labor peace and more revenue. He believes American might be pushed into a merger with US Airways.

The president of the pilots’ union, Dave Bates, said his members were concerned about what the bankruptcy will mean for them – other airlines used bankruptcy to terminate pension plans.

“While today’s news was not entirely unexpected, it is nevertheless disappointing that we find ourselves working for an airline that has lost its way,” Bates said in a message to pilots.

Darryl Jenkins, a consultant who has worked for the major airlines, said AMR will be able to cut costs in bankruptcy and that employees and shareholders would be the big losers.

“Labor is going to take a major hit,” Jenkins said. “Their pensions are in danger.”

Shareholders will be wiped out – AMR shares had already tumbled 79 percent this year on bankruptcy fears. Shares fell $1.29, or 80 percent, to 33 cents in late morning trade on Tuesday.

American was the world’s biggest airline as recently as 2008, but has fallen behind United and Delta after those two companies bought other airlines.

Fort Worth-based AMR lost $162 million in the third quarter and has posted losses in 14 of the last 16 quarters.

AMR has about $4 billion in cash and has announced plans to order 460 new narrow-body planes used primarily in the U.S., plus other jets for longer flights.

American was founded in 1930 from the combination of more than 80 smaller carriers. It now flies about 240,000 passengers per day and has about 78,000 employees.

The airline operates out of five major hubs in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, and Miami. It has major international partnerships with British Airways and Japan Airlines.

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain reportedly reassessing candidacy in wake of alleged affair

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Cain told senior staff in a mid-morning conference call lasting roughly 10 minutes that all public events will go forward this week but he will review the campaign’s strategy over the next several days.

Republicans DebateRepublican presidential candidate businessman Herman Cain speaks during a Republican presidential debate in Washington Nov. 22. (Photo by Evan Vucci)

ATLANTA – Embattled presidential candidate Herman Cain told staffers Tuesday that he’s reassessing his campaign a day after an Atlanta businesswoman alleged a 13-year extramarital affair with the Republican.

Cain has fiercely denied the affair as well as several other accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior that have surfaced over the past month and he has repeatedly vowed to stay in the race. He told senior staff in a mid-morning conference call lasting roughly 10 minutes that all public events will go forward this week but he will review the campaign’s strategy over the next several days.

One participant on the call, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the conversation, said that as part of that assessment, Cain’s campaign is examining the impact of the newest allegations. This person described the tone as positive but also said there was some uncertainty coming from Cain.

“He said obviously it’s taken an emotional toll on his family, but he’s moving ahead with the campaign,” said Steve Grubbs, Cain’s Iowa campaign chairman. “He said that they will be reassessing the campaign.”

Grubbs added: “He said this lady was a friend, someone he thought was a friend, that he was trying to help out financially and had been a friend for some period of time. But that nothing inappropriate occurred.”

It’s the latest in a series of accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior that have dogged Cain’s candidacy over the past month.

Cain has fiercely denied wrongdoing in all of the cases, and sought to project business as usual even as his team worked behind the scenes to stem the fallout of the latest allegation. It came just five weeks before the Iowa caucuses that kick off the state-by-state voting process for the GOP nomination.

Ginger White 112911.jpgGinger White

On Monday, Ginger White said in an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta that her affair with Cain ended not long before the former businessman from Georgia announced his candidacy for the White House.

“It was fun,” said White, 46, as she described Cain buying her plane tickets for a rendezvous in Palm Springs, Calif. “It was something that took me away from my sort of humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting.”

Cain went on television to flatly deny White’s claims even before the report aired.

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.

Cain’s response was faster and more deliberate than he had managed when it was reported that three women alleged he had sexually harassed or groped them when he was the president of the National Restaurant Association in the mid- to late 1990s. The trade group paid settlements to two women who had worked there.

“Here we go again,” Cain told CNN as he denied White’s accusation. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Cain avoided reporters and their questions when he attended a fundraising event Monday night in the Virginia suburbs of Washington.

As some conservative Republicans sought an alternative to W. Mitt Romney, Cain surged in the polls while pushing his 9-9-9 tax plan and providing tough criticism of President Barack Obama during televised debates.

But as the harassment stories surfaced, Cain stumbled in explaining his views about U.S. policy toward Libya and other foreign policy issues, creating an opening for rival Newt Gingrich to assert himself as a more reliable, seasoned politician to challenge Romney and even Obama. Cain fell in the polls and Gingrich began to rise.

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.”

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, Fox 5 Atlanta said White had Cain’s name in her cell phone contacts, and when its reporter sent a text message to the number, Cain called right back.

“He told us he knew ’Ginger White’ but said these are more false allegations,” the station reported. Cain said White had his number because he was trying to help her financially.

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.”

In his initial denial, 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.

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. Vay’s attorney, Kurt Martin, said a judge sided with Vay after White failed to respond to the suit. Martin said a jury must still decide whether to award damages.

White’s attorney, Edward Buckley, acknowledged the libel suit. He said White thought the libel claim had been settled as part of a larger settlement.

Easton officials investigate reports of hazing on Andover High School boys basketball team

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A Stonehill College spokesman said the college will no longer rent space to the Hoop Mountain camp.

ANDOVER – Allegations of hazing by members of the boys’ basketball team at Andover High School are now under investigation in the town where the alleged violations took place.

Easton police say they are looking into reports of hazing that occurred during a July camp at Stonehill College.

Andover school administrators have not talked about the allegations except to say in a statement that an investigation is ongoing. The exact nature of the hazing has not been publicly disclosed.

Andover coach David Fazio said in a statement that he notified authorities as soon as he found out about the allegations.

A Stonehill spokesman said that the college will no longer rent space to the Hoop Mountain camp.

The president Hoop Mountain camp called the allegations “reprehensible” and said his staff had no knowledge of them.

Holyoke police identify male suspected of fatally shooting 19-year-old Jefforey Johnson

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Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni has yet to determine if charges will be filed.

jeff johnson.jpgJefforey Johnson's Facebook photo

HOLYOKE –

Although police say they have identified the shooter responsible for taking the life of 19-year-old Jefforey Johnson Sunday night inside his Beech Street apartment, it has yet to be determined whether charges will be filed.

“We know who the shooter is,” Capt. Arthur R. Monfette said, adding that police have spoken with him. “It has not been determined yet whether charges will be filed, that will be decided by (Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni).”

Monfette said that Johnson and his alleged shooter knew each other and that police have recovered the weapon. Johnson died of a shot to the chest.

Police Chief James M. Neiswanger said the investigation shows drugs and gangs were not a factor in Johnson’s killing.

“The public does not need to be concerned about a person running around who could do this again,” he said.

Police said the fatal shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. inside an apartment at 101 Beech St., located near Avery Field between Dwight and Hampden streets.

Monfette said the recovered weapon was not a Luger-style handgun. A photo of such a weapon, being held by an unidentified person, appeared in Johnson’s final Facebook wall post, entered at 1:17 a.m. on Nov. 16.

Monfette declined to elaborate any further on the investigation and said more information may be released following an autopsy to be conducted on Johnson Tuesday.

Reporter Jeanette DeForge contributed to this report.

Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approves state takeover of Lawrence public schools

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State education officials say three out of four schools in the city saw declines in student achievement over the last year.

William Lantigua 2010.jpgWilliam Lantigua

BOSTON – The Massachusetts education board has approved a state takeover of the Lawrence public schools.

The board voted during its monthly meeting in Malden on Tuesday to declare Lawrence as a “chronically underperforming” district. That gives state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester the power to appoint a receiver to oversee the city’s schools.

The receiver would have all the powers of the school superintendent and school committee but will report directly to Chester.

Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua requested earlier this month that the state take over the troubled system.

State education officials say three out of four schools in the city saw declines in student achievement over the last year. The district-wide performance on the English and math MCAS exams were ranked in the bottom one percent of all Massachusetts school districts.

Just Ask: When will road and bridge project at routes 67 and 20 in Palmer be finished?

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The new completion date is about a year from now, state officials say.

me bridge 1.jpgWork on the road and bridge project at the intersection of route 67 and 20 in Palmer slowed after a contractor hired to perform the work went out of business. A new completion date is expected to be in October.

Question: What is the status of the road and bridge construction at the junction of routes 67 and 20 in Palmer?

The work has been in progress for years and there seems to be no activity at present.

– Bob Hague,
Monson


Answer: The new completion date for the $2.8 million project is in October.

Michael Verseckes, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said that a contract was awarded for the bridge replacement six years ago.

That contractor, Roads Corp., started work, got about halfway through, then went out of business. He said MassDOT tried to work with the bonding company to have the work completed, but was unsuccessful.

The project was readvertised the work in November 2010, and he said work under the new contract began in May. MAS Building & Bridge, Inc. of Franklin is the contractor.

Verseckes added that the demolition plan was recently approved, so for the next two to three months the contractor will be installing shielding and doing demolition over railroad.

According to information on the state website, the Cooley Bridge project on Park Street over the CSX railroad tracks and Route 67 entails demolishing the existing bridge and replacing it with a new bridge approximately 100 feet to the south, which will make the roadway straighter. The initial project completion date was 2008.

Moonshine still discovered in Mass. water plant

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Something with a stronger kick than water was being produced at Groton's water treatment plant.

GROTON — Something with a stronger kick than water was being produced at Groton's water treatment plant.

Town Manager Mark Haddad says a department employee set up a still and was making moonshine on town property.

Haddad tells The Sun of Lowell that "distilling apparatus" was discovered earlier this month inside the Baddacook Water Treatment Plant. The employee was placed on paid administrative leave and later decided to retire.

He did not disclose the former worker's name.

Haddad says the distilling equipment has been confiscated by police.

Police would not say whether they are investigating.

Selectman Peter Cunningham says the still was simply someone's "hobby" and there is no evidence the employee was drinking on the job.


Western Massachusetts tree experts give advice on damage in wake of October snowstorm

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There is no major rush to repair or remove a tree, as long as the limbs don’t pose an imminent danger to a structure or people.

CHCT tree feature .jpgA crew from Stanley Tree Service of North Smithfield, R.I., is framed within downed trees earlier this month at Szot Park in Chicopee as they were clearing hanging limbs after the October snowstorm.

A month after Western Massachusetts was slammed by the Oct. 29, nor’easter, many homeowners are overwhelmed with all they must do to clean up and restore their yards.

Tops on many homeowners’ to-do lists is removing or pruning damaged trees. But when can a tree be saved and when must it be removed? Homeowners can do their own research, but may need to call in the professionals.

“I would advise people to try to save them if they can be saved,” said Edward Casey, Springfield’s city forester. “They should seek sound advice from a professional on whether it can be saved. There are things you can do to stabilize a tree (temporarily).”

Casey invites residents to use the web site www.regreenspringfield.com as a starting point. The site includes information and resources on tree care and removal, as well as links to the names of professional arborists.

Arborists receive special training in tree care and maintenance, above and beyond the average “tree cutter.”

Brian Kane, International Society of Arborculture Certified Arborist, Certified Tree Climber/Massachusetts Arborists Association professor, and assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said it’s worth it to pay extra to hire a certified arborist.

“You get what you pay for,” Kane said. “If you don’t want to pay for someone who has the proper training, you run a greater risk of that person doing damage to themselves or to your house.”

Homeowners looking to save a few bucks can hire a non-certified tree cutter, but should always check to make sure the company is properly insured.

Before making that call, homeowners should do their own assessment of the storm-damaged trees. They should look at how many, in total percentage, of the branches on the tree were lost. In addition, the tree should be examined for structural damage.

“It might be equivalent to a hairline fracture,” Kane said. “It might not be obvious to the untrained eye, but it could indicate real, severe structural damage. It could be a very dangerous situation.”

The decision on whether to consult an arborist should be based on the size of the tree and whether the homeowner thinks he can handle the pruning by himself.

“Any tree that requires leaving the ground, either on a ladder or rope and saddle like an arborist uses, is a tree that an arborist should take a look at,” Kane said. “People underestimate how dangerous it is to work in trees. Even cutting branches with a hand saw becomes exponentially more dangerous if you’re not a professional. If you add in a chain saw, that multiplies the danger even more.”

Small trees, in which pruning can be taken care of with a sharp hand saw or pruners, can be handled by homeowners who do their research. Kane recommends several online resources, including www.isa-arbor.com, www.certifiedtreeandlawn.org and www.treesaregood.com. These web sites offer advice for homeowners on tree pruning, as well as the names of certified arborists.

While some residents may feel the urge to get their damaged trees pruned or removed right away, Kane said there is no major rush, as long as they don’t pose an imminent danger to a structure or people.

“You want to take care of it before spring when the leaves come out, but if it doesn’t pose an immediate danger, it’s OK to wait till after the holidays,” he said. “You might be able to save a little money and you might get better service because you might not have to go with the one who can get to your house the soonest.”

State Sen. Stanley Rosenberg reported doing well following completion of skin cancer treatment

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More news about his recovery will be made available once doctors have a chance to analyze the results of his chemotherapy and radiation, according to aide Rosalie Adams.

Stanley Rosenberg 2008.jpgStanley C. Rosenberg

AMHERST - State Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, of Amherst, completed treatment Tuesday for skin cancer and has been discharged from the hospital, according to an aide in his Statehouse office.

Rosenberg, who was hospitalized for dehydration during his treatment, is doing well, and more news about his recovery will be made available once doctors have a chance to analyze the results of his chemotherapy and radiation, according to the aide, Rosalie Adams.

Adams said Rosenberg intends to run for reelection to a 12th term in the Senate.

Rosenberg, 61, announced in August he had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and that it was in its earliest stages of development and was discovered during a routine procedure.

Rosenberg was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. He served two terms there before being elected in 1990 to the Senate, where he is Senate President Pro Tempore.

A graduate of Revere High School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Rosenberg has worked as an aide to U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, a former state senator, and as an administrator at UMass Amherst where he worked first as director of the Arts Extension Service and then as director of the Community Development and Human Service Programs in the Division of Continuing Education.

In 2003, Rosenberg became the first senator in state history to hold the president pro tem leadership position after serving seven years in various other leadership capacities, including four years as assistant majority leader and three years as the first western Massachusetts chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Holyoke Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center completes first stage of construction

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The building is expected to be completed in December 2012.

11.29.2011 | HOLYOKE - At the "topping out" ceremony at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, Ironworkers from local 7 Springfield get ready to set the ceremonial signed beam.

HOLYOKE – An all-star cast that included the governor, the lieutenant governor, a U.S. representative, a state senator, a state representative, at least two college presidents and dozens of city officials gathered to watch as the last steel beam on the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center.

The so-called topping off ceremony is a milestone in the construction of the $168 million technology hub that is to join together five universities and two businesses, but the building is far from complete. It is expected to be another year before the computing center, being constructed at the site of the former Mastex Industries on Bigelow Street, will be finished.

The facility, housed in a 90,000-square-foot complex, will do academic research using numerous computers sifting data into everything from medicine and the arts to climate change and cell structures.

Speaker-after-speaker said it is not just the center, which is to create 13 permanent jobs in Holyoke and 130 research positions spread out at the different universities, but the potential to create so many spin-off opportunities.

“What I find particularly exciting today...is the partnership of world class institutions,” Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray. said.

Partners in the center are the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Northeastern University, EMC Corp., of Hopkinton, an information storage, back-up and recovery firm, and Cisco Systems Inc., a California-based Internet network equipment maker, but there will be smaller offshoots as well.

Several speakers mentioned the new partnership that will allow students from Holyoke’s William J. Dean Technical High School and Westfield Vocational High School to work on the construction site to learn new building skills. Holyoke Community College President William F. Messner said his college is also working with the center and starting to develop a new computer training program.

“We have to be about building our future, inventing our own destiny,” Gov. Deval L. Patrick said.


State officials have a strategy for the future which includes investing in education, innovation and infrastructure and this project brings all those elements together.

He said the partnership between so many agencies is also valuable.

“We turn to each other rather than turning on each other,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, whose new legislative district will include Holyoke under the new redistricting plan, talked about the benefits of the actual research that will be done through the computers.

“You should think of the scientific results that this will produce,” he said.

Your Comments: Thousands of Massachusetts homeless families still hotel-based not HomeBASEd

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Legislators are still wrangling with the administration and advocates to find out where to tap money for homeless housing and how best it can be spent, since the need is even more overwhelming than anyone knew.

Gallery preview

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The citrus-colored façade with the enclosed swimming pool is misleading.

The five-story Quality Inn on Riverdale Street, flanked by billboards and endless traffic, has ceased to be a stopover for tourists and business travelers passing through Western Massachusetts.

The lobby is swarmed at certain hours with mothers and their children, one of several de facto homeless shelters in desperate times for families – and the state.

The Quality Inn stands as a static, sad existence for dozens of mothers who say they’ve been promised more permanent housing by public officials, but now fear they may be stranded as funding for a component of the state’s HomeBASE program ran out.

"I know it’s better than being on the streets. I know that," says 23-year-old Samantha Claudio. "But, it’s still unsafe for children. There are gang fights. People are selling drugs. I feel uncomfortable here and I don’t want to raise my children in these hallways. So I spend my days when I’m not going to school filling out applications (for employment and assistance). I didn’t think it would be this long."

After the death of a baby, Ethan Luce, at the West Springfield Clarion Hotel and the severe abuse of two other children staying at a Westfield hotel in 2010, the numbers of homeless families living in motels dropped to around 830 after a onetime peak of 1,079. But, despite calls for legislative change, that number has grown again, with Chicopee and Holyoke topping the list of area communities facing high volumes of homeless families living at hotels.

Legislators are still wrangling with the administration and advocates to find out where to tap money for homeless housing and how best it can be spent, since the need is even more overwhelming than anyone knew.

Read the full story by Stephanie Barry of the Republican

Here's what our readers had to say about low income families living full-time in local hotels / motels

LuLzSpringfield writes:

To say that any of these hotels are "4-star" is laughable. Save the hyperbole for someone who is gullible enough to believe it.

What I find unsurprising is that, as with every other similar story, many of the families living in hotels have had additional children while on assistance or when they are precariously close to needing it. Any person with a caring soul would be in favor of helping these people, but many of these people are insulting those who keep them off the streets with their chronically poor decisions.

As long as people demand that others hand over their dollars to help them, the people funding these programs, the benefactors have no right to contest random searches, drug tests and strict punishment for not adhering to the rules. This circle of incompetence (I'm sorry for sounding so harsh, but it's true) will only be solved with persistent hand holding and the ardent insistence that living on the dole (or on the edge) shouldn't entitle someone to adding a newborn to the rosters of the entitled

Fear the Duck writes:

There, but for the Grace of God, go I, or you....where is your compassion people? You try it for a week and see how you like it...Thank God I have Senior Housing or I would probably be there too, and I am not a junkie, an addict, an alchoholic. I worked most of my life for about 50 years, but jobs were easy to find back then...we are in a state of poverty right now...so think twice before voting for certain politicians...it is not just here...it is in most of the states...if you are paying taxes, then you are working...so many people have lost homes, apartments, children...all for poverty's sake..I am sure most of these people stuck in hotels, motels, would give anything not to be there and to have a decent job to support their families...I also feel that more of our churches in the area could be doing more to help out the general population that is in need....We are going under....Have a nice trip

papineau writes:

"There are always lessons learned when you’re doing new programs of this magnitude," said Robert I. Pulster, associate director of housing stabilization for the state Department of Housing & Community Development. "I think there’s a huge need for people to get rental assistance, and we need to somehow calibrate what makes fiscal sense and what makes social policy sense."

Instead of a policy that makes fiscal sense, they CHOOSE to go the easy way with the homeless problems. For every dollar paid for hotel / food service for the homeless the taxpayers get nothing in return. -$0- One way to reduce the expense of assisting these people is to construct "Poor Farms" throughout the state. They can be self sustaining communities. They would be safer that a hotel room, and these adults would be required to work on the farm to support their existence. This IS an affordable and safe solution. All it takes is the determination of the legislature to provide this solution. As it stands now all they (the legislature) are doing is squandering the money and taking the easy way out. However, the caveat here is there are only so many housing units within the farm. When they are full - that's it and there ain't no more. Move on.

Dirty Harry writes:

Just amazing that these types of articles generate the most postings of outrage.

People love to sit in judgment of others, especially when it is easy to see that you are sitting in a better position than someone else. It helps bolster your own sense of self-worth.

Most probably confess to being charitable Christians as well, but don't ask them for a piece of bread or some shelter. Wasn't Jesus born homeless? In a manger, because there was no room at the Inn? Well, I don't want my god damn tax dollars paying for any mothers with children to eat and have a roof over their heads. Those mothers and children need to get out there and get a job.

I mean, what, there are ~6.5 million people in Mass, and maybe 800 are with children and homeless, and that is something to lose your mind over? And they are the cause of everything that is wrong? They cost, what, maybe a million or 2, out of a multi billion dollar budget?

Get a grip

We want to hear what you have to say. Share your opinion below and join the conversation.

Dropped truckload of cardboard and pallets in northbound lanes of Interstate 91 in Springfield snarls traffic

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The accident was reported about 12:45 p.m.

State Police file art

SPRINGFIELD - A load of cardboard and wooden pallets that fell off a truck in the northbound lanes of Interstate 91 has backed up traffic well into Enfield.

State Trooper Paul Kudryk said the accident was reported about 12:45 p.m. and that personnel from the state Department of Transportation continued to clean up the mess nearly two hours later.

The load was dropped between the second and third Springfield exits.

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