The governors said Wednesday they want the federal government to list marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug, allowing it to be used for medical treatment.

Yamileth Bolanos, who runs Pure Life Alternative Wellness Center, holds a vial of marijuana known as Jupiter Kush, at her store in Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010. Although several states now have laws approving of medical marijuana prescriptions, several goernors are banding together to ask the DEA to reclassify the substance, which would eliminate the federal conflict with the state laws. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

By RACHEL LA CORTE, Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee have filed a petition with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration asking the agency to reclassify marijuana so doctors can prescribe it and pharmacists can fill the prescription.

The governors said Wednesday they want the federal government to list marijuana as a Schedule 2 drug, allowing it to be used for medical treatment. Marijuana is currently classified a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it's not accepted for medical treatment and can't be prescribed, administered or dispensed.

Washington and Rhode Island are two of 16 states, and the District of Columbia, that have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana.

"Each of these jurisdictions is struggling with managing safe access to medical cannabis for patients with serious medical conditions," the 99-page petition and report reads. "Our work with the federal agencies has not resolved the matter."

Gregoire said that the conflict between state and federal laws means legitimate patients lack a regulated and safe system to obtain marijuana.

"It is time to show compassion and time to show common sense," she said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Washington voters approved a medical marijuana law in 1998 that gives doctors the right to recommend — but not prescribe — marijuana for people suffering from cancer and other conditions that cause "intractable pain."

Earlier this year, Gregoire vetoed most of a bill that made major reforms to the state's medical marijuana law, saying state workers could be prosecuted under federal law the way the measure was written.

The legislation was passed to set clearer regulations on medical marijuana use and to establish a licensing system and patient registry to protect qualifying patients, doctors and providers from criminal liability. Gregoire vetoed provisions of the bill that would have licensed and regulated medical marijuana dispensaries and producers. She also nixed a provision for a patient registry under the Department of Health.

"There's chaos and conflict between what the states are doing and what the Justice Department is threatening to do," said Chafee, who was on Wednesday's conference call with Gregoire.

A DEA spokeswoman said officials at the agency had heard of the petition but could not comment.

Earlier this month, the DEA raided 10 storefront dispensaries in Washington state, including several in Seattle, where law enforcement officials have taken a lenient view of medical marijuana grows and dispensaries. Search warrant affidavits suggested the shops were fronts for illicit drug dealing and revealed that agents were looking for evidence of drug conspiracies, money laundering and guns. Similar raids occurred in Montana and California as well.

Morgan Fox of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said the petition was a "good first step" but reclassifying the drug will not "change the federal penalties for possessing, cultivating or distributing medical marijuana."

"That is the change we really need," Fox said in a news release. "These governors should be insisting that the federal government allow them to run their medical marijuana operations the ways they see fit, which in these cases includes allowing regulated distribution centers to provide patients with safe access to their medicine and not force them to turn to illicit dealers."

The DEA has rejected prior petitions seeking to reclassify marijuana, but Gregoire noted that this is the first petition signed by governors.

Gregoire also said the science on the issue has changed. The American Medical Association reversed its position two years ago and now supports investigation and clinical research of cannabis for medicinal use.

Gregoire said she was on a phone call in August with other governors in medical marijuana states and said that there was a "huge volume" of interest.

Asked why no other governors have signed onto the initial petition, Gregoire said she and Chafee wanted to take the lead on the initiative.

"I have every expectation that you will see other governors join us," she said.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin plans to sign the petition and write a letter in support of the proposed change, said spokeswoman Susan Allen. Gil Duran, a spokesman for California Gov. Jerry Brown, did not have an immediate comment when asked about the petition Wednesday.

"The governors in Washington and Rhode Island raise a valid conflict that needs to be resolved," said Eric Brown, a spokesman for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. "Colorado law requires we make a similar ask of the federal government by Jan. 1. We will do that. We will also continue to consult with other governors on this issue and with Colorado's attorney general before deciding whether anything else will be done."

Other governors did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press.

There is currently an effort in Washington state to decriminalize and tax recreational marijuana sales for adults. Initiative 502, which has been endorsed by two former Seattle U.S. attorneys and the former head of the FBI in Washington state, would create a system of state-licensed growers, processors and stores, and would impose a 25 percent excise tax at each stage. Adults 21 and over could buy up to an ounce of dried marijuana; one pound of marijuana-infused product in solid form, such as brownies; or 72 ounces of marijuana-infused liquids. It would be illegal to drive with more than 5 nanograms of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, per milliliter of blood.

Sponsors need to collect more than 240,000 valid signatures by Dec. 30 to place the measure before the Legislature early next year. If the Legislature doesn't take up the issue, it automatically goes to the November ballot.

When asked about the initiative, Gregoire said her focus was on medical marijuana, and how to "get relief that is safe and readily available to these patients."

___

Associated Press writers Juliet Williams in Sacramento, Calif., Dave Gram in Montpelier, Vt., and Kristen Wyatt in Denver contributed to this report.

An investigation into allegations of hazing by the Andover High School boys' basketball team has resulted in the expulsion of two students and the dismissal of at least five others from the team.

The superintendent responsible for Andover High School said in a statement that he was saddened to learn that the accused students violated the district's bullying and hazing policies. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

ANDOVER, Mass. (AP) — An investigation into allegations of hazing by the Andover High School boys' basketball team has resulted in the expulsion of two students and the dismissal of at least five others from the team.

The Eagle-Tribune reports that Superintendent Marinel McGrath sent a letter to parents Wednesday explaining the investigation and saying students violated the schools' anti-hazing and anti-bullying policies. She called the players' actions "both disappointing and disturbing."

The alleged violations occurred last summer during a basketball camp at Stonehill College in Easton and were of a sexual nature. Stonehill was not affiliated with the camp, just rented campus facilities to the camp.

The team's coach had no comment on the conclusion of the investigation, but previously said he reported the violations as soon as he learned of them.

Police say 20-year-old Javier Santiago was attacked by several other young men.

WORCESTER — Police say a man involved in a street fight outside Worcester City hall has died of related medical complications.

Authorities say 20-year-old Javier Santiago died at a hospital after the fight at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday of a pre-existing medical condition, possibly a heart condition or asthma. An autopsy is scheduled.

Police tell the Telegram & Gazette say Santiago was attacked by several other young men. A gunshot was heard, but Santiago did not suffer a gunshot wound.

Police had been monitoring two groups of young men hanging out in the area.

They did not say what sparked the fight.

Several men ran from the area after the fight, but police say while they are interviewing several people, they did not immediately make any arrests.

New Study Shows U.S. Government Fails to Oversee Treatment of Foster Children With Mind-Altering Drugs, Software on Android phones 'tracking every key stroke', and more

AP Photo/Gus RuelasLos Angeles City sanitation workers clean up the aftermath of the Occupy Los Angeles after the Los Angeles police broke up the large encampment of protesters who had been camping out for the past two months at LA City Hall, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Bloomberg: Lamont Says Euro a Failure and Should Be Dismantled

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

Work in the Depot Square area will continue on parks and other phases of the project.

The Republican | Mark M. Murray12.01.2011 | WESTFIELD - Vehicles pass over the newly re-opened Great River Bridge Thursday morning.

WESTFIELD -- The original Great River Bridge reopened to traffic this morning, two years and change after it was closed for rehabilitation.

The original bridge was built in the late 1930s. A new bridge, built along side the original, allowed traffic to pass over the Westfield River during the rehabilitation project.

With today's reopening, the original bridge will carry southbound drivers over the river while the newer bridge will serve those heading north.

The Republican | Mark M. Murray12.01.2011 | WESTFIELD - At left, the original Great River Bridge, which reopened to traffic Thursday. The new bridge is at right.

The bridge work was part of a $77 million downtown infrastructure project that began four years ago and has included work on the railroad viaduct, a redesign of the intersection of Elm, Broad and Main streets, and the installation of a $500,000 clock tower paid for with state and federal funds.

The bridge work alone -- including the rehabilitation of the original Great River Bridge, the construction of the new bridge, the reconstruction of the Pochassic Street Bridge and the reconstruction of the existing railroad viaduct structure -- saw an initial construction estimate of $50,050,428.00, according to records from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Work in the Depot Square area will continue on parks and other phases of the project. The remaining work involves the completion of three parks, a traffic island and a rotary.

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.

Associated PressRep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. gestures during his news conference on his retirement, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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.”

Read the updated story, or the original by Kyle Cheney of the State House News Service

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

WickedClutchHittah writes:

Would you have us believe that the failure of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae under Mr. Frank never happened and didn't have a significant contribution to fall of the market. Mr. Frank had a huge hand in the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008. That administration put people in house they could not afford and loaned money to people who they knew very well would default on those loans. Oh and lets not forget the prostitution ring that was being run out of his house and the male prostitute he admitted to paying for sex. A real charmer and role model. But I suppose I'm just dumb and ill informed.

reasonsgreetings writes:

Barney Frank caused the Economic crisis of 2008?

Please.

The Republicans wrote and passed the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999, a "deregulation" effort that allowed a commercial bank, investment bank, and insurance company to operate as one business.

The banking industry responded by overvaluing homes, granting high-risk mortgages to people who could not afford them, and then dumping the risk by re-packaging the mortgages and selling them to investors as "real estate funds" and other securities. Incidentally, this kind of behavior from the financial industry is what caused the Great Depression in the 1930s, and led the banking industry to be regulated in the first place.

While George W. Bush and most Republicans were boasting about deregulation, markets that can take care of themselves, and home ownership for low-income Americans, it was Barney Frank and a Republican, Mike Oxley, who were co-sponsoring a bill to tighten lending restrictions again. The bill died after Bush promised to veto it.

The result of Bush-era Republican-sponsored "deregulation", which Barney opposed, was the Financial Meltdown of 2008, the near-destruction of the global banking industry, the collapse of the real estate market, the loss of 10 million American jobs, and the TARP bailouts, which were passed to take care of the markets that can take care of themselves.

Once the Democrats regained control of the House in 2007, Frank was instrumental in passing the Federal Housing Reform Act, and the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.

Frank didn't cause the financial crisis, or destroy the housing market. That was the work of a single-party Republican government, which got exactly and all of the legislation they wanted.

PermissionDenied5X writes:

Thank Barney Frank for stopping credit card companies from using the double billing cycle, the practice of using the average daily balance from 2 billing cycles to calculate interest, pushing your interest rate higher.

Thank you Barney! You saved Massachusetts credit card users thousand of dollars every month.

granitefalls writes:

Ooh yea, great job destroying the us economy by recklessly lowering your stupid lending standards in the 1990's and the first years of the 21st century - you should have listened to the experts. There - its that simple. see, is that clear enough for you Barney? Or should I call you Baawney Fwank. Even liberals can't lie their way outta this one. HA! Boo-hoo!

granitefalls writes:

When Barney Frank has left Congress, Massachusetts and the rest of the country will have lost one of its smartest and most committed elected officials. And, probably more important, one of the funniest ever.

The next generation of left-leaning politicians would do well to follow Barney's example of putting the needs of constituents front and center. Not ideology, not promoting some set of abstract principles, but looking out for the rights of citizens and helping them solve their problems.

Let us hope that during the 13 months left in his last term, Barney Frank will be even bolder in his comments and tougher on the Republicans! That would be a sight to see.

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

Police seized several bags of crack and more than $1,000 in cash.

From left, Maurice Young and Alonzo Williams in photographs provided by the Springfield Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD – Police said they arrested two city men in the Old Hill neighborhood Tuesday night after they spotted them dealing crack cocaine in the parking lot of the Panache Ballroom at Eastern Avenue and Union Street.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said narcotics detectives observed the pair shortly after 10 p.m. making deals from inside a brown Chevrolet SUV in the lot.

Maurice Young, 37, of Fernbank Road, and Alonzo Williams, 40, of 30 Quincy St., were charged with violation of a drug-free zone and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

Police seized from the vehicle several bags of crack packaged for sald and $1,135 in cash, Delaney said.

One third of middle-class Massachusetts residents recently told pollsters they fear falling out of the middle class. Do you agree? Why? I’m doing a story on the poll for Business Monday and I would love to interview you. Call me at (413) 788-1307

File photo / Associated PressA jobs postings board is shown at the Central City Concern employment access center Monday, Sept. 7, 2010, in Portland, Ore.

One third of middle-class Massachusetts residents recently told pollsters they fear falling out of the middle class. Do you agree? Why? I’m doing a story on the poll for Business Monday and I would love to interview you. Call me at (413) 788-1307

Markelle Smith said the Conte piece serves a slightly different purpose than the Nature Conservancy acquisition.

A peaceful moment along the headwaters of the Westfield River in Chesterfield.

CHESTERFIELD – The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge has expanded into the hills of Hampshire County with the purchase of 80 acres of land along the headwaters of the Westfield River.

The new acquisition lies along Dead Branch Brook, a critical habitat for wood turtles and several rare dragonfly species. On Monday, U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, walked the property along with Andy French, the project leader for the Conte Refuge, and Wayne Klockner, Massachusetts director of the Nature Conservancy, which helped negotiate the $320,000 deal with Berkshire Hardwoods and owner Jeff Poirier.

“These lands provide a great opportunity for the Refuge to continue to conserve vital habitat in the Connecticut River watershed,” French said in a press release.

Created in 1997, the Conte Refuge is dedicated to protecting the Connecticut’s watershed in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, along with the flora and fauna in its habitat. The latest acquisition has established a Westfield River division in the larger Connecticut River watershed.

According to Markelle Smith, a land protection specialist with the Nature Conservancy, Poirier and his company owned parts of the parcel separately. Berkshire Hardwoods operates a sawmill in the area, and Poirier has retained 15 acres around the mill.

The purchase adds to an already significant amount of protected land in the area. The Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife owns 580 acres nearby and has protected another 491 acres from development with conservation restrictions. In addition, the Nature Conservancy recently bought 69 acres of upland forest and wetlands near Dead Branch Brook.

Smith said the Conte piece serves a slightly different purpose than the Nature Conservancy acquisition.

“I see this piece as part of the north-south corridor we’re trying to create,” she said.

Money for the Conte purchase came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which consists of fees the government collects from offshore oil and gas leases for conservation purposes.

Maginn, who has links to former Gov. Mitt Romney from their Bain Capital days, defeated Reagan era prosecutor McNamara 51-21.

Scott P. Brown

BOSTON - U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown called for Republicans to "stand united" Wednesday night after Robert Maginn was elected party chairman, defeating Frank McNamara and succeeding Jennifer Nassour.

“I congratulate Bob Maginn on his hard-earned victory, and commend Frank McNamara for running a spirited and energetic campaign," Brown said in a prepared statement.

"As we look ahead to 2012, it is critical that we stand united as a party," he said. "Next year offers us a real opportunity to elect commonsense leaders at the Statehouse and Congress. Under the leadership of Chairman Maginn, I am confident our candidates will succeed if we stay focused on creating jobs and getting the economy moving again.”

Maginn, who has links to former Gov. W. Mitt Romney from their Bain Capital days, defeated Reagan era prosecutor McNamara 51-21.

Most of the state’s high-profile Republicans endorsed Maginn while McNamara was preferred by a group of House freshmen swept into office last year who have occasionally split to the right of their party colleagues.

House Minority Leader Brad Jones early last month touted Maginn’s capacity as a fundraiser.

On his web site, Maginn notes that he is an Evangelical Christian who is active in his church and community and a "fiscal and social conservative" who would push job creation, transparency and fiscal discipline issues. He says he would not take a salary as chairman.

Maginn is expected to quickly press the gas on fundraising since he’s pledged to try to raise $15,000 from individuals before the end of year, and go back to those same donors next year for the same amount. Maginn now works as chairman and CEO of Jenzabar, a software company with offices in Boston, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia that he describes as an "enterprise solution provider."

Obama announced plans to boost spending on HIV treatment in the U.S. by $50 million.

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama makes remarks on World AIDS Day, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at George Washington University in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama set an ambitious goal Thursday for significantly increasing access to life-saving AIDS drugs for people in the U.S. and around the world, as he announced a renewed American commitment to ending a pandemic that has killed 30 million people.

"We can beat this disease," Obama declared during a World AIDS Day event in Washington. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also participated via satellite.

Obama pledged U.S. support to help 6 million people in countries hardest hit by the virus get access to antiretroviral drugs by the end of 2013, increasing the original U.S. goal by 2 million. And he announced plans to boost spending on HIV treatment in the U.S. by $50 million.

"The rate of new infections may be going down elsewhere, but it's not going down here in America," he said. "There are communities in this country being devastated still by this disease. When new infections among young, black, gay men increase by nearly 50 percent in three years, we need to do more to show them that their lives matter."

As part of Obama's new overseas initiatives, the U.S. will also aim to get antiretroviral drugs to 1.5 million HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent them from passing the virus to their children; distribute more than 1 billion condoms in the developing world in the next two years; and fund 4.7 million voluntary medical male circumcisions in eastern and southern Africa over the next two years. Research shows circumcisions reduce the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by more than 60 percent.

The new global goals build on the work of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which focuses on prevention, treatment and support programs in 15 countries hit hardest by the AIDS pandemic, 12 of them in Africa. Bush launched the $15 billion plan in 2003, and in 2008, Congress tripled the budget to $48 billion over five years.

Obama praised Bush for his leadership on AIDS relief, saying the program will be one of the former president's greatest legacies.

"That program — more ambitious than even leading advocates thought was possible at the time — has saved thousands and thousands and thousands of lives, spurred international action, and laid the foundation for a comprehensive global plan that will impact the lives of millions," Obama said. "And we are proud that we have the opportunity to carry that work forward."

Despite Obama's more ambitious goals, the relief program's budget is not expected to increase. Instead officials said the expanded targets would be funded through savings achieved by making the program more efficient and cutting the costs of treatment.

The president urged other wealthy nations to fulfill their financial pledges to a global fund to fight HIV and AIDS, and jabbed those who have not contributed money.

"Countries that haven't made a pledge need to do so," he said. "That includes China and other major economies that are now able to step up as major donors."

Obama also announced new initiatives to combat HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in the U.S. The White House said there are 1.2 million Americans living with HIV, and 50,000 new infections each year. Officials said he would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to increase funding for domestic treatment by $50 million

The bulk of the new funding — $35 million — will go to state programs that help people living with HIV and AIDS get access to medicine. There are currently more than 6,500 Americans living with the virus on waiting lists for medication, according to the White House.

The rest of the domestic funds will go to HIV medical clinics across the country, with an emphasis on areas where infections have increased and care and treatment are not readily available. Officials said the additional clinic funding would give 7,500 more patients access to treatment.

The $50 million is already part of the HHS budget, and officials said Obama does not need congressional approval to reallocate the funds.

The HIV virus has infected an estimated 60 million people worldwide since the deadly pandemic began 30 years ago. More than 33 million people are currently living with the virus.

While the failure to find an effective HIV vaccine continues to frustrate the medical community, experts say scientific research in recent years has led to substantial progress in preventing and treating the virus.

Obama ordered his staff to reevaluate both their international and domestic approaches to HIV and AIDS this summer after being briefed on the scientific advancements.

Members of both parties praised the new initiatives and commended Democratic and Republican leaders for coming together.

"Here's what we can do when we work together. We've got leaders of both political parties standing behind something that works," said Gayle Smith, Obama's senior director for development and democracy at the National Security Council.

Tony Fratto, a former Bush spokesman, urged both parties to avoid making the fight against AIDS a political issue.

"The only way to undermine this historic undertaking is if it becomes a partisan issue," he said. "The reasons a Barack Obama and a George W. Bush can support America's leading role in addressing this disease may be very different, but what's important is they've sought the same goal."

Brown maintains a large lead among Independent voters while Warren is getting overwhelming support from Democratic voters in Massachusetts, the poll found.

U. S. Senator Scott P. Brown is seen with Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

A poll by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst finds that Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democrat challenger to Republican U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown, is running even or perhaps ahead of Brown in a potential matchup on Nov. 6.

In the poll, Warren received support from 43 percent of registered voters, while Brown received 39 percent. Warren's lead is within the poll's margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

According to UMass Amherst political scientists Brian Schaffner and Ray La Raja, the poll finds Warren is drawing strong support from women, middle-to-low income residents and younger voters. Brown maintains a large lead among Independent voters while Warren is getting overwhelming support from Democratic voters in Massachusetts, the university reports.

“These numbers could mean trouble for Scott Brown,” Schaffner says. “The race is a dead heat and his support is well under 50 percent, which usually means difficulty for an incumbent, especially this far out from Election Day.”

The new poll, part of the iSurvey Project at UMass Amherst, is run by Schaffner, the director, and associate director La Raja, both associate professors of political science. The project is committed to studying public opinion in Massachusetts and the United States to inform policy making in the Commonwealth and beyond, they said.

This initial round of polling, done between Nov. 9 and Nov. 22, reflects the views of a sample of 500 adults in Massachusetts. The survey was conducted by YouGov America.

Hearings on utilities’ responses to Hurricane Irene are winding down while similar sessions concerning the October snowstorm are beginning.

File photo by Dave Roback / The Republican11/01/11-Feeding Hills- Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Jeff Kokocinski of Bemis Line Construction of Jacksonville, VT works on a power line on Route 57 in Feeding Hills near North West Street.

Massachusetts utility regulators are winding down public hearings to determine how electricity companies prepared for and responded to the remnants of Hurricane Irene that knocked out power to half a million people, and ramping up similar hearings following the October snowstorm.

The Department of Public Utilities’ final hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Attleboro, where people are expected to comment on how National Grid prepared for and dealt with the destruction caused by the storm in August.

A spokeswoman for the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs says the hearings are expected to lead to an official order and could also result in some penalties against utility firms.

Regulators are scheduled to meet in East Longmeadow on Monday for the first of eight public hearings on the October snowstorm.

The East Longmeadow hearing will focus on National Grid response and preparation, while a Springfield hearing will look at Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

Both hearings will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at East Longmeadow High School and at the Duggan Middle School in Springfield.

Other hearings in Western Massachusetts are set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Belchertown High School and 7 p.m. Dec. 13 Greenfield High School.

The Greenfield hearing is part of the investigation for Western Massachusetts Electric and the Belchertown event will zero in on National Grid.

Occupy's list of demands range from the simple (get corporate money out of politics) to the ethereal (make sure Washington politicians act with a moral conscience).

Associated PressAlan Collinge of Tacoma, Wash., founder of studentloanjustice.org, holds a sign expressing his views during an interview with The Associated Press at Zuccotti Park, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 in New York. The tent cities in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia have faded away. And now Occupy Wall Street protesters are starting to talk more about the movement’s specific goals.

NEW YORK (AP) — For more than two months, they were open-air communes where people came to rebuild society and start a nationwide discussion on how to close the wide gap between the rich and the poor. But as Occupy tent cities fade away, a growing number of protesters are pushing to put a clear message ahead of the movement.

Alan Collinge has his list ready. Return bankruptcy protection to student loans. Bring back banking reform regulations that were removed from the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act. End corporate personhood.

"They should come up with a short-term list of no-brainer agenda items," said Collinge, wearing a huge sign in the rain at New York's Zuccotti Park calling for student loan reforms.

More than a dozen other protesters interviewed by The Associated Press also came up with a wish list of specifics to help end corporate greed and economic inequality. The list of demands ranged from the simple (get corporate money out of politics) to the ethereal (make sure Washington politicians act with a moral conscience).

Asking Occupy protesters what, exactly, they would do to reform government and the financial system is a loaded question and a source of internal conflict. Collinge, 41, of Tacoma, Wash., said he has unsuccessfully lobbied Occupy's general assembly meetings in New York to develop a strong platform.

"A lot of people, they think that this should be sort of a catchall" for every issue, he said, the goal being to expose the economic problems in the country, not solve them.

Other cities' movements have held committee meetings with names like "cohesive messaging" to discuss strategy, but haven't agreed on specifics. The greater purpose isn't to influence the government or the financial system through classic demands, but to foster broad cultural changes that will gradually empower people to stop depending on big corporations and Wall Street money.

"All the energy has gone into an outcry over economic conditions, with the hope that others will join us and pick up issues they care about," says Bill Dobbs, Occupy Wall Street's press liaison in New York. "Our best hope is inspiring other people to take action to bring economic justice."

Some observers and experts predict Occupy groups may spend the next few months focusing on smaller actions while waiting for the summer, when the Republican and Democratic conventions would give protesters a worldwide audience.

Ask around, and protesters who spent weeks living in encampments and talking about the country's woes have a clear idea of what they want.

A number have called for limiting campaign donations and getting big money out of politics. Some Occupy members want to limit the amount of money a person is allowed to give a politician. Others want to ban corporate donations specifically, or the number of campaign ads.

"How did Abraham Lincoln ever become president without a television set?" asked Ryan Peterson, an entertainment company worker from Chicago who lived for weeks in Zuccotti Park.

Paul Lemaire, a 20-year-old visual arts student from Brooklyn, wants the two-party system eliminated.

The influence of money in politics is one of the greatest factors behind the gap between the superrich and the poor, said James Parrott, chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute in New York, which published a report last year on economic disparity.

The call for tighter regulation of campaign contributions won't gain traction anytime soon. The Supreme Court, in its landmark Citizens United decision in January 2010, cleared the way for corporations to spend unlimited funds to influence elections, often using money from anonymous donors. The court struck down most of the McCain-Feingold law that had set tight restrictions on such donations, arguing that government did not have the right to regulate political speech.

Campaign regulation, stopping wars that strain resources, halting corporate personhood — the spending power given to corporations in the Supreme Court ruling — and higher education costs emerged as key goals of the Occupy movement in Los Angeles. Organizers said they are focusing on sharpening their objectives, as police moved in to shut down the 2-month-old encampment this week.

"We've been collecting ideas, seeing what the priorities are, vetting and researching them," said activist Suzanne O'Keeffe, a member of Occupy LA's demands and objectives committee.

In Minneapolis, five members of the Occupy MN "cohesive messaging committee" gathered to talk strategy at a downtown coffee shop this week, asking that protesters fill out cards expressing themes that were important to them. The most important issues, tabulated on a spreadsheet, were economic justice, democracy, education and campaign finance reform.

Collinge, an aerospace engineer who later founded a website about problems with student loans, lists the congressional bill he wants passed to return bankruptcy protections to student loans. The Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial banking from investment banking, is also cited at the top of protesters' demands in cities across the country. Most of the restrictions that regulated the two forms of banking were repealed in 1999, and are blamed by many economists for contributing to the financial crisis.

Kalle Lasn, the co-founder of Adbusters, the Canadian magazine that helped ignite the Occupy movement, supports a 1 percent global "Robin Hood" tax on big financial transactions. Similar taxes and increases have been proposed for years, including the Obama administration's "financial crisis responsibility fee" tax proposal of last year, intended to raise $90 billion over the next decade.

As individual protesters and movements fashion a platform, experts and organizers warned that defining the movement more broadly keeps everyone in and keeps responsibility in the hands of the power brokers.

Said Parrott: "They've achieved a lot by having the open-ended process that they've had so far. ... They should be selective in that there are some people who are trying to glom onto the stage that they've created" with ideas that aren't part of the main movement.

Will Birney, who left his job as a waiter in Westport, Conn., to join Occupy's New York movement, has one wish, although it can't be passed into law or regulated by the Treasury Department.

"I would instill a fair conscience, if people could look to morality," said Birney, 26.

He knows he's reaching but says that's the point of the movement.

"I'm not even thinking we're going to get concrete solutions out of this," he said. "All I want is a change."

The changes would allow a developer to bank development rights.

EASTHAMPTON – Officials are hoping a change in the transfer of development rights bylaw will encourage developers to protect more land, particularly along the floodplain of the Manhan River and the slopes of Mount Tom.

Stuart B. Beckley

The city adopted the original transfer ordinance in 2006 but City Planner Stuart B. Beckley said at a Planning Board meeting last week, “it’s not good enough because no one is using it.”

On Tuesday he said, the bylaw as is “wasn’t flexible enough.”
Under transfer of development rights, a developer can purchase or transfer land in a desired area of the city in exchange for certain modifications in their development plans.

Christopher L. Curtis, chief planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, outlined some proposed changes to the Planning Board, changes officials hope will be more flexible.

The way the law is written now, “There hasn’t been a lot of preservation in the last three years,” Curtis said.

Among the proposed changes would be the chance for developers to provide fewer parking spaces for a commercial project, reduce frontage or required setbacks or increase building height for example in exchange for the preservation of land in the desired part of the city.

Also the changes would allow a developer to bank develop rights by purchasing, donating or exchanging land in anticipation of future development.

Beckley said the city is hoping to preserve about 1,300 acres of land in the desirable areas of the Manhan and Mount Tom.

Curtis told planners that he hoped “you folks will be comfortable enough with this to recommend it to the council.”

Only three of five full Planning Board members were present at the meeting and the board is expected to talk about this again at its December meeting. One board member was absent and one had recently resigned.

Should the board approve the proposal, the next step would be to send it to the City Council who would then forward it to the council ordinance committee for review before bringing it back to the full council for a vote.

The guards have be instructed to have children walk on the sidewalk from now on.

Question: Who is responsible for crossing guards in Springfield?

There is a guard stationed at St. James Ave. and the Tapley Street bridge.

Rather than crossing students to the east side of the bridge where there’s a sidewalk he allows them to walk in the road on the west side. Students walk side by side causing traffic to swerve around them. A driver turning from Nottingham Street (as I do daily) cannot see them before making the turn. With the coming winter and slippery roads this has the potential for a tragedy.

Can somebody tell this guard to have the students cross on the east side?

– D.J. Peterson,
Springfield

Answer: The School Department hires the crossing guards, but the Springfield police are responsible for making sure they are properly trained and act properly to keep school children safe, said Sgt. John Delaney, spokesman for Police Commissioner William Fitchet.

Officer Edward Burnham, the department’s safety officer who is in charge of crossing guards thoughout the city, has been forwarded your question, Delaney said. He has since spoken to the crossing guards at Nottingham and Merrimack and at Tapley Street and St. James Ave. The guards have been instructed specifically to have children walk on the sidewalk on the east side of the bridge. This, Delaney said, should eliminate the problem.

Delaney said if anyone has safety concerns involving crossing guards, they may call Burnham at 413 787-6360.

The focus will be on city property at Elm and Arnold streets.

WESTFIELD – The downtown, specifically Elm Street, will become the focus of a new study to determine the extent of Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus service and commercial development.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is asking the City Council to support the new $400,000 study, set to launch in early 2012, by the state Department of Transportation and regional transit authority when it meets in regular session Thursday.

That study, financed by the state, will address current and future bus transportation needs in the city along with the extent of commercial and other development or redevelopment of the downtown.

The focus will be on city owned property located at Elm Street and Arnold Street along with other buildings along Elm Street currently owned by Hampden Bank. Also, the long-vacant lot where J.J. Newbury store once stood and some off-street parking areas to the rear will be included in the study, Knapik said.

City Advancement Officer Jeffrey R. Daley said the study will determine what can be done with that area at which time the Westfield Redevelopment Authority will direct development of the area.

That section of Elm Street had been considered a prime site for an intermodal transit center and hotel complex for more than 10 years up until 2007.

but, in June 2007, developer John E. Reed, owner of Mestek Inc. on North Elm Street, withdrew his plan to invest $12 million in the hotel project, claiming it was no longer viable because of another developer’s plans to build a Holiday Inn Express near the Massachusetts Turnpike here.

The Holiday Inn, a $6.5 million project by Springfield developer Robert L. Bolduc, owner of Pride convenience stores and service stations, opened.

“The purpose is to look at the bus terminal and other demands such as public purposes that could be supported by the project,” the mayor said.

The City Council is also expected to take an active role during the latest study process, Ward 3 Councilor Peter J. Miller said Monday.

“Things have changed many times over the years since the first study that considered an intermodal center and hotel complex,” said Miller.

in 2008 off Southampton Road near Exit 3 of the turnpike.

Intermodal centers have been created in Holyoke and Greenfield but the focus in Westfield will be on a smaller scale, Knapik said.

City officials said earlier this year about $1.8 million in federal funding is available for the project and state funding can also be sought to support the new concept.

“The City Council will have a lot to say in what new direction should be taken,” Miller said.

The proposal is aimed at support of a new 15,000-square-foot building on Elm Street that will include the bus terminal, Knapik said.

The new focus is expected to be towards an Elm Market Place concept with focus more on commercial and retain rather than a large intermodal center for transportation. The PVTA interests will be served because of Westfield State University and its emphasis on downtown student housing, Knapik said.

The university and city, two years ago launched a partnership aimed at revitalizing the downtown and currently 216 students reside at Lansdown Place on Thomas Street. The university also maintains a downtown art gallery at 105 Elm St..

Recently Westfield State Foundation opted to sell its building, the former Westfield Normal School, on Washington Street to University Housing LLC, owned by Springfield’s Peter A. Picknelly, for creation of new apartment style housing for students.

The elderly man was found with a broken leg Thursday afternoon after he spent a night trapped in the Colrain woods.

COLRAIN - Emergency workers on Thursday afternoon were able to locate and rescue an elderly hiker who broke his leg was was trapped in a remote wooded since Wednesday, officials said.

The man, whose name was not available, was found by town police and emergency rescue workers in the area of East Catamount Hill, near Catamount State Forest.

Colrain is in Franklin County, roughly 15 miles northwest of Greenfield.

He was being strapped on gurney and carried out of the woods for medical treatment just before 4 p.m., roughly 90 minutes after he was found.

The man had been reported missing Thursday morning after he failed to return home on Wednesday.

More information will available as it becomes known.

Before the man was located, Colrain Fire Chief Kevin Worden told WWLP, TV22 that the man was considered an experienced hiker and was thought to have enough supplies to get him through Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

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The problem is not just space, but heating and cooling, water, mold, animal feces, rodents and structure.

Granby town officials say that Aldrich Hall, at top, may be just as unhealthy to town workers as Kellogg Hall, above.

GRANBY – Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Town officials who were driven from historic Kellogg Hall last year when its boilers failed have been told that their current haven, historic Aldrich Hall, is just as dangerous to their heath.

The Town Office Space Ad Hoc Committee, which is studying the future of Kellogg, Aldrich, the Granby Free Public Library, the Town Annex and the Senior Center, told the Selectboard that they all agree on one thing.

It’s about Aldrich and the people in it. “Our unanimous recommendation is to get them out of there as soon as possible,” said James Trompke, a member of the committee.

Trompke said the problem is not just space, but heating and cooling, water, mold, animal feces, rodents and structure.

Aldrich currently houses offices of the Town Manager and his staff of two, the Building Inspector, the Treasurer, the Veterans Agent, the Town Accountant and the Conservation Commission, as well as records of the Planning Board.

When asked how the town could subject its officials to such conditions, Granby resident Maureen McCourt, who attended the meeting, said, “Most citizens don’t know how bad it is.”

Because her workplace is out of town, said McCourt, she can go for years without visiting Town Hall, and she suspects that’s true of many people.

The recommendation of the Office Space Committee is that the offices at Aldrich be moved temporarily to the second floor of the new Senior Center (also known as the Council on Aging) at 10 West State Street.

The Senior Center moved into the vacated commercial space at that address last year after leaving Aldrich Hall.

The second floor of the building is vacant until a “lift” can be installed to fulfill standards for handicapped accessibility. A lift is a less costly version of an elevator.

The Selectboard has been holding its twice-monthly meetings on the first floor of the Senior Center in the evenings.

Besides Trompke, members of the Town Space Ad Hoc Committee are Louis Barry, Donald Clarke, Gayle Demary and Emre Evren.

The Town Clerk, Board of Health and Town Collector are at 215B West State Street, formerly the home of the Granby Telephone Company and now called the Town Hall Annex, and will not be affected by developments at Aldrich Hall.

It may sound like a game of musical chairs – but it’s no fun to the people involved.

East Longmeadow will join the Eastern Hampden County Veterans District and share a veterans' service officer.

EAST LONGMEADOW - After months of delays, the Board of Selectmen has decided to join the Veterans Service District of Eastern Hampden County and share a veterans' service officer.

The board voted 2-1 Tuesday to join with the district after months of discussions on whether to hire their own full-time officer, or regionalize with neighboring communities. The district includes Monson, Hampden, Holland and Wales.

Members Paul L. Federici and Enrico J. Villamaino voted in favor of the regionalization, while chairman James D. Driscoll voted against it.

Driscoll said he wanted to hire a temporary full-time person while they explore their options with Longmeadow and other communities.

"Right now our veterans are not being served. I believe we should hire someone for the duration of the fiscal year while we continue to look into regionalization," he said.

Selectman Federici said this is a great opportunity for the board to achieve what they always set out to do, which was to regionalize.

I think this is the right way to go, he said.

Selectman Villamaino said joining with the Eastern Hampden County district will allow them to fulfill the state mandate requiring a full-time officer and will help them save on costs.

For the remainder of the fiscal year East Longmeadow will be paying $15,686 for the use of the officer. For fiscal 2013 the price will rise to about $31,000.

"By sharing the position we are saving thousands of dollars," Villamaino said. " We are also helping reduce the cost for the rest of the communities in the district, so it's a win-win situation."

Monson will go from paying $12,817 to $6,408, Hampden will go from paying $9,736 to $4,868, Holland will go from paying $5,814 to $2,907 and Wales will go from paying $3,092 to $1,546. The amount each town pays is based on how many residents live in the town and the equalized property values in each community.

Villamaino said this is an example of communities working together to achieve the same goal.

"The officer will be based in Monson, but he will also have the use of an office at the East Longmeadow senior center, so he can meet with veterans from East Longmeadow and Hampden," he said.

Each town has a selectman on the regional board for the district. Villamaino will represent East Longmeadow at those meetings.

The town has sent notice of the proposed union to the state Department of Veterans' Services. They will wait for approval before formally joining the district.