The City Council approved spending $1 million on the cleanup.

The Republican | Dave RobackCrews from Stanley Tree service of North Smithfield, R.I., is framed within down trees at Szot Park as they were clearing hanging limbs a week after the October snowstorm.

CHICOPEE – The cost of cleaning up after the Oct. 29 snowstorm is growing and is expected to exhaust the city’s large surplus left over from last year.

This week the City Council was asked to approve spending an additional $4 million of the $5.9 million free cash that was certified by the state in November. Two weeks earlier the City Council agreed to spend another $1 million from the account on the storm.

Most of the money is needed to pay a private company that was hired to help with brush collection and has collected more than 153,000 cubic yards of downed tree limbs from residential homes and city property. Some of the costs, including overtime for police and fire departments and Chicopee Electric Light Department, have not been tallied yet, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.

“It is reasonable to assume we will be close to $6 million when we are done,” he said.

After the storm, a federal disaster area was declared, making communities eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Bissonnette said he expects 75 percent reimbursement, but the paperwork that must be filed is extensive and the wait for funding is long.

“It will be a long process ... in the meanwhile our piggy bank will take a hit,” he said.

The company finished its work on Tuesday, but is now working in the parks and at Chicopee Municipal Golf Course, Stanley W. Kulig, department of public works superintendent, said.

City public works employees are picking up the remaining piles of brush left on the tree belt. Kulig is asking residents to call his office or the mayor’s office if they still have brush that has not been removed.

“We are within a week of being in very good shape,” he said.

But Kulig said he believes there are hundreds of trees across the city that were damaged and eventually will have to be taken down. There are also many hanging limbs that are expected to fall during the winter, so costs will rise.

Instead of approving the $4 million, the City Council decided to examine the expenses further in subcommittee before taking a final vote.

Councilor James K. Tillotson said he would like to see more information about the overtime costs and other expenses.

If the Council approves the $4 million, it will leave the city with about $900,000 to get through the rest of the year without tapping into the city’s stabilization or savings account, he said.

Councilor Jean J. Croteau agreed to have the expenses studied more but reminded the City Council that much of the money spent now will be reimbursed, leaving the city to spend between $1.4 to $1.6 million in taxpayers money on the storm.

Corey's lawyers argued that prosecutors didn’t give a grand jury any evidence directly linking her to the killing of 23-year-old Darlene Haynes.

Julie Corey

WORCESTER – Defense lawyers are asking a Massachusetts judge to dismiss murder and child kidnapping charges against a woman accused of killing a mother whose unborn baby was cut from the womb.

The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reported that lawyers for Julie Corey argued Thursday that prosecutors didn’t give a grand jury any evidence directly linking her to the killing of 23-year-old Darlene Haynes.

Corey and the baby were found in a homeless shelter in Plymouth, N.H., in July 2009, days after Hayes was found dead with a fractured skull.

Worcester prosecutors said the grand jury had evidence that Corey faked being pregnant and lied about giving birth just before Haynes’ body was found, and was the last person seen with her.

The judge didn’t immediately rule, and continued the case to Jan. 12.

A portion of the funds will be used to place a 90-foot high flag at Riverfront Park in Springfield that will be easily seen from Interstate 91.

An artist's rendering of proposed renovations to the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center (ECOS) in Forest Park.

SPRINGFIELD – The USA Bicentennial Committee of Springfield has donated $186,965, its final assets, to assist planned improvements at Forest Park targeting Camp STAR Angelina, the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center and the old monkey house.

A portion of the funds also will be used to install a new 90-foot high flagpole at Riverfront Park that will be visible from Interstate 91.

Daniel M. Walsh III, committee treasurer, said the group is pleased that its donations will help improve the parks for years go come. The group was formed to help celebrate the country's 200th anniversary in 1976.

“I think this is so appropriate,” Walsh said following a press conference at City Hall. “We celebrated our independence in 1976 and now we are able to use what was left in there and celebrate the 375th anniversary of our city by donating to a world class municipal park system.”

City officials including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Patrick J. Sullivan, director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, praised the contribution. Initially there were donations and items sold to mark the country’s bicentennial, and that money grew while managed over the years, officials said.

Approximately $30,000 is being set aside for the flag and pole, which officials hope will be ready to dedicate on Flag Day. Walsh, the city’s former veterans affairs director, said the flag will be a city landmark and will be dedicated to veterans and current service men and women.

The flagpole will serve as a beacon to the entrance to Riverfront Park from State Street, and the start of the State Street corridor.

About $75,000 was set aside for Camp STAR Angelina as part of its $3.3 million master plan. The committee’s funds will be used for a handicapped-accessible boardwalk trail to Porter Lake that will include a gentle slope, resting intervals and overlooks along the woodland trail.

Approximately $25,000 will assist plans to renovate and enlarge the Environmental Center building, which is the former skate house at Porter Lake and is the home of the Environmental Center for Our Schools (ECOS) program.

The $25,000 was the last money needed to complete the final plans and blueprints in advance of construction, said Burt D. Freedman.

Approximately $50,000 was set aside for the old monkey house as part of plans to convert the site to a park museum. The donation will help with the first step of the renovation project by updating and replacing the windows to the building, Sullivan said.

Sarno and Sullivan said they have many memories from their days as students in the ECOS program, and of visiting the monkey house when it was open many years ago.

Other members of the Bicentennial Committee were Paul Sears and James Tourtelotte.

Walsh said the committee suggested the flag for a project, while the Park Department selected the various projects at Forest Park as priorities for the funds.

The city and organizations continue to seek public and private funding sources for some of the projects.

Sullivan said the Bicentennial Committee’s funds are greatly appreciated, and the city hopes it will help generate additional private donations to the projects.

“We are honored the Bicentennial Committee has chosen the Park Department to be the recipient of the funds,” Sullivan said. “This will assist the department in getting projects that have been on hold for three years started, and in the case of Camp Star, will allow us to break ground in the spring.”

Jon Davies, a 17-year department veteran and father of three, was found on the first floor of the triple-decker apartment and pronounced dead at a hospital.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 2:52 this afternoon.

Associated Press photoWorcester, Mass., firefighters stand near the fire damaged remains of a multi-family home, in Worcester, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. One firefighter was killed and a second injured when they became trapped in the building that partially collapsed during a blaze, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

WORCESTER – The rear of a burning apartment building collapsed Thursday in Worcester, burying a firefighter in debris, killing him and reviving memories of a fire that killed six firemen 12 years ago.

Jon Davies, a 17-year department veteran and father of three, was found on the first floor of the triple-decker apartment and pronounced dead at a hospital. His partner, Brian Carroll, slid into the basement but was freed after about an hour and is expected to recover.

Davies’ death comes days after the anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage building fire that killed six firefighters on Dec. 3, 1999.

Lifelong Worcester resident Tom Tynan, a school bus driver, said the warehouse fire was the first thing he thought of after he learned Davies, 43, had died.

“As soon as I found out that somebody was dead, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, God again,’” said Tynan, 58. “I mean, I know it wasn’t six, but one’s too many.”

“There must be a lot of heavy hearts in the city now,” Tynan added. “It might be 12 years, but it’s not long enough. It’s like it happened yesterday.”

John Davies

Davies was one of the first fire fighters on the scene of the 1999 blaze, said Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell. He worked at a firehouse dedicated on the former warehouse site, less than a mile from Thursday’s fire high in the Vernon Hill section of the central Massachusetts city.

Gardell said it’s inevitable Davies’ death will bring the 1999 tragedy to mind. But he said, “We’re not any different from anybody else across the country,” and noted close to 100 U.S. firefighters die on duty each year.

In a statement at an afternoon news conference, the Davies family expressed its “heartfelt gratitude” to city and fire union officials, as well as “all the firefighters that worked so very hard to rescue their loved one.”

The fire early Thursday was reported around 4:20 a.m. at an apartment that housed about a dozen people, said Fire Chief Gerard Dio. Davies and Carroll were searching for a resident firefighters feared might be inside when the rear of building collapsed on them.

Fire crews were in contact with Carroll during rescue efforts, but not with Davies, who was pronounced dead after being taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center.

On Thursday afternoon, fire crews were still looking for the missing resident. Dio said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire or whether it was suspicious, though he noted that the blaze spread quickly.

“The fire took off pretty good. It was in the back of the structure and we don’t know if there were any accelerants involved yet,” Dio said.

Davies has three sons, two in the military, including one deployed in Afghanistan. He also leaves a mother, sister and fiancée.

Dio declined to speak in depth about Davies at a morning news conference.

“I’m too emotional at this point. I would rather keep my composure,” he said.

In the 1999 blaze, the six firefighters died after becoming trapped inside the warehouse. Investigators said the blaze was started when two homeless people knocked over a candle and left the building. The firefighters went in to make sure no one was inside.

President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were among thousands who attended a memorial service days later at a Worcester arena, while firefighters were still working to recover the remains of their colleagues from the ruins of the building.

Now faced again with having to bury another colleague, a weary-looking Gardell said there wasn’t much to do but try to move on.

“Just move on,” he said. “Do our job and move on.”

In a statement made to MassLive.com on Thursday, Kyle Sullivan, a spokesperson for Warren's campaign, said the ad's claims are baseless.

Following the release of an attack ad by Crossroads GPS on Thursday, Elizabeth Warren's campaign struck back calling the ad's claims ridiculous and baseless. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Hours after a new TV ad took aim at Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, her campaign struck back.

The ad, paid for by Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, which was started with the help of Republican strategist Karl Rove, blames Warren for the big bonuses bank executives received from the federal bailout money while average citizens were foreclosed upon, following the distribution of monies associated with the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

In a statement made to MassLive.com on Thursday, Kyle Sullivan, a spokesperson for Warren's campaign, called the ad's claims baseless.

"Elizabeth was an outspoken critic of the bank bailout and it’s blank check to Wall Street," Sullivan said. "The Wall Street bankers financing these attacks are desperate to stop Elizabeth Warren because she’s worked so hard to stop Wall Street from ripping off middle class families."

Warren, in her role as special advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Barack Obama, oversaw the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, but did not have Congressional authority to decide how financial institutions disbursed the money.

Nate Hodson, director of state and regional media relations for Crossroads GPS, charged that while in that appointed role, Warren didn't do enough to protect consumers.

Sullivan disputed the claim, calling the entire 32-second ad "ridiculous."

"Elizabeth’s worked to keep both the banks and the government accountable. Those are the facts," Sullivan said. "The people of Massachusetts don’t need more fast talk from Wall Street, they need a fighter like Elizabeth taking on Wall Street."

In contrast to the new ad, the first Crossroads GPS ad targeting Warren tied her to the Occupy protesters and described her as siding with "extreme-left protests."

The latest round of ads funded by Crossroads GPS and circulating in Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana and Nebraska are worth more than $1 million, according to political blog The Hill, while the previous ads this election season racked up receipts to the tune of more than $4 million.

According to Crossroads GPS, the Massachusetts attack ad will air for two weeks in the Boston, Springfield-Holyoke and Providence, R.I. markets for a total cost of $523,664. The groups said it has spent more than $1.12 million on ads targeting Warren since November 10.

Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Scott Brown said he was against all outside groups running negative attack ads in Massachusetts following the campaign. Warren said that although she is against negative ads as well, she has less of a problem than Brown with outside groups taking an interest in the Senate race.

Data associated with the UMass-Lowell-Boston Herald poll of 500 registered voters released this week showed 49 percent would vote for Warren while 42 percent said they would back Brown if they faced off in the general election.

The brevity of the sentencing would not otherwise be notable except for it concluded at lightning speed by federal court standards and Rosario’s case has meandered through both the state and federal court systems since his arrest in 2006.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanJimmy Roman Rosario appears in Hampden Superior Court in February 2009 on cocaine charges.

SPRINGFIELD - Sometimes a cliché is nearly irresistible, and high-profile drug trafficker Jimmy Roman Rosario went out not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Rosario was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison under a plea deal in U.S. District Court that precluded almost any discussion at the proceeding, which was exactly seven minutes long.

“I got nothin’ to say,” said Rosario, 43, after U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor asked if the defendant wanted to address the court, perhaps summing up the proceeding better than anyone.

The brevity of the sentencing would not otherwise be notable except for it concluded at lightning speed by federal court standards and Rosario’s case has meandered through both the state and federal court systems since his arrest in 2006.

Rosario was charged after investigators found 17 kilos of powder cocaine in his bedroom closet and he admitted to police the drugs were his, according to court proceedings.

It would have seemed one of the biggest scores and easiest cases to make in the annals, but for Hamdpen Superior Court Judge Cornelius J. Moriarty II’s withering decision in 2008 to throw out the drug evidence because he thought the surveillance was flawed.

The case originated in state court but was dismissed when Moriarty gutted the case with his decision, accusing police of trumping up part of the investigation to win a search warrant.

Rosario was days away from freedom when federal investigators signaled they would assume the prosecution and the defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in early 2009. He originally faced a potential life sentence when charged in federal court.

Defense lawyers tried to revive Moriarty’s skepticism in Ponsor, but the federal judge preserved the evidence in his rulings - prompting a guilty plea by Rosario in October.

Defense lawyer Kevin G. Murphy said in a pre-sentencing memo that Rosario was a loving father with custody of his two children and a devoted son to his mother.

Current law requires package stores to close on Monday when Christmas falls on a Sunday, which would mean package stores this year will need to stay closed for two consecutive days.

Sales clerk Inder Ghai bags up cans of beer on the first day of Sunday sales at Main Street Package in East Point, Ga., on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011. A number of Georgia retailers are starting to ring up alcohol sales on Sundays, less than two weeks after voters endorsed the change at the polls. State lawmakers left it up to voters to decide locally whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales. The Georgia Food Industry Association says the issue was on the ballot in 128 cities statewide on Nov. 8. But many won't start allowing Sunday sales until next year. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal Constitution, Curtis Compton) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - With the holidays fast approaching, the House on Thursday advanced a bill that would allow package stores to open their doors the day after Christmas, removing one of the last remaining colonial-era blue laws restricting alcohol sales.

“It’s really pretty simple. Whether you’re a package store or a grocery store or convenience store that has a beer and wine license and will already be open, unless this is passed those stores would be prohibited from selling alcohol,” said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

Current law requires package stores to close on Monday when Christmas falls on a Sunday, which would mean package stores this year will need to stay closed for two consecutive days.

The House on Thursday advanced a bill changing that law to the committee on bills in third reading, the last stop before a floor vote to pass the bill and send it on to the Senate.

“This is one of the quirks in the blue laws we never fixed,” Hurst said.

Hurst said he would hope to see the bill pass through the House and Senate and be placed on the governor’s desk by next Thursday in order to give stores ample opportunity to schedule employee shifts and advertise to customers that they will be open on Monday, Dec. 26.

Stores are still required to be closed on Christmas Day, but package stores were left out of the equation in 2005 when the Legislature clarified state laws to make clear that most retail establishments are allowed to open the day after Christmas when the holiday falls on a Sunday.

The state’s Sunday and holiday retail laws have taken nearly two decades to unravel starting in 1994 when voters approved a ballot question that allowed retail stores for the first time to open on Sundays throughout the year.

Package stores first earned the right to open on Sundays in 2003 when the Legislature voted to allow cities and towns to grant licenses for Sunday alcohol sales.

Then in 2005 – the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday – the Legislature passed a law specifying that even though the federal holiday would be observed on Monday, stores could open the day after Christmas provided that employees where compensated with time-and-a-half pay.

Frank Anzalotti, executive director of the Massachusetts Package Stores Association, said he has members on both sides of the issue, but acknowledged more support this year than in 2005 when many store owners preferred to have the day to prepare for the New Year’s Eve rush and give employees, many of them family, time off.

“We were one of several organizations that filed that bill because we did have a groundswell this past year who wanted the opportunity to open. In all honesty, we have members who feel strongly the other way,” Anzalotti said. “Because everything else is open there has been a change of attitude among many of them the past five or six years. No bill makes everyone happy, but this is one that’s probably got to run its course.”

The bill would add package stores and other businesses that hold a liquor license to the list of businesses allowed to open on Dec. 26 paving the way for customers to stock up on beer, wine and liquor as they entertain for the holidays and prepare for New Year celebrations.

“There’s no real reason why they shouldn’t be selling alcohol on the day after Christmas. There’s nothing legitimate about it except that it’s an old blue law, and this will put stores on a level playing field with surrounding communities in other states,” said Rep. Colleen Garry, a Dracut Democrat, and the sponsor of the legislation.

Garry said she has been given no assurance that the bill will come up for a final vote in the coming weeks, but said there is a lot of support and see no reason why it would not pass.

The bill was reported favorably out of the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Dec. 1.

“It’s really a common sense thing,” Hurst said. “Holiday entertaining time is obviously an important time for alcohol sales the week between Christmas and New Year’s and obviously they’re open in all of the border states so we need to be sure we’re not shipping sales across the border needlessly.”

Anzalotti said he didn’t anticipate the Monday after Christmas being a huge sales day, but said it would provide one extra day of retail for small business owners as they take inventory and stock up for the New Year’s sales rush.

Garry said she assumes the day would at least be busier than most Mondays.

“I would think that week in between there are so many holiday parties it will be good for the economy,” Garry said.

Supporters of the bill for traffic light cameras say it will promote public safety and help save lives and injuries

HOLD FOR RELEASE ON THURSDAY, OCT. 27, 2011, AT 12:01 A.M. - FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2010 file photo, a red light camera setup is seen in Los Angeles. One out of every five American lives in a community that outsources its enforcement of traffic violations caught by red light cameras to private vendors, according to a report by a consumer advocacy group. In many cases, those vendors a direct financial incentive to issue more tickets and to try to block alternative means of traffic enforcement. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council have approved a home rule bill, that if approved by the state, would allow cameras and sensors at selected intersections, aimed at nabbing red light runners.

The bill was initially proposed in March but died in council committee. It was resurrected by the lead sponsors Councilors Thomas M. Ashe and James J. Ferrera III, and will be forwarded now to the state Legislature for needed approval.

As a home rule bill, it would affect Springfield only.

It was approved by a 11-2 vote by the council on Monday and then signed by Sarno.

“If one thing drives me crazy, it’s people who run red lights and stop signs,” Sarno said Thursday. “This is all about saving lives first and injury. Public safety is the number one priority.”

Under the proposed bill, photographs taken must show the car both before the infraction and after the infraction, and must “clearly identify the registration plate.” The car owner would have a right to a hearing to contest the infraction.

It would be used to catch motorists going through red lights and could be expanded to catch speeders, officials said. If approved by the Legislature and governor, the city could advertise for bids for traffic light monitoring systems.

Councilors Jose F. Tosado and Amaad I. Rivera were opposed.

“I really am concerned the whole ‘big brother is watching’ thing,” Tosado said.

In addition, Tosado said there have been court appeals filed about such programs, and questions raised about its reliability, and he believes the program “leaves so much room for misuse and inaccuracy.”

Ashe said there were public meetings including vendors of traffic light monitoring systems. Roughly half the states in the nation have some form of traffic sensors, and such programs have also been proposed in Massachusetts in Worcester and Pittsfield, he said.

“There is no question in my mind that it will have a positive impact on public safety,” Ashe said.

The program does raise revenue, but Ashe and Sarno described that as a secondary consideration to public safety benefits.

While proponents argue the monitoring devices and prevent accidents, death and injuries, opponents say the cameras can trigger people to brake dangerously and can violate privacy.

Ashe said the cameras focus on the license plate, not the passengers, and he does not foresee constitutional issues.

The former Springfield Finance Control Board approved an ordinance in 2006 to install red light cameras, and began seeking state approval but the program never took effect.

Town Council President Paul Burns said the casino issue is on the agenda for the next Town Council meeting.

The latest rendering of the Mohegan Sun casino project in Palmer.

PALMER – As Mohegan Sun representatives pitched the economic benefits of building a resort casino in Palmer to 100 business people in Springfield on Thursday, a few Palmer town councilors questioned the Connecticut casino operator’s commitment to the town, and asked for more details about how it plans to finance the project.

“We need to know if this is going to happen in Palmer with them or not. Do they have the financing in place? They need to reveal if they have got a financial partner and they need to reveal if they’ve got the money to do it,” Councilor Blake E. Lamothe said.

Lamothe said Mohegan should meet with the council again, so it can detail its current site plans, partnership status and strategy to win a casino license. He said it seems like Mohegan is “holding back.”

“Palmer’s got a chance to become a busy center again ... Mohegan Sun is kind of holding us hostage because they’re not saying anything and not doing anything,” Lamothe said.

Lamothe said that the tax revenue a resort casino would generate would help improve the quality of life in town.

“The town of Palmer has let golden opportunities pass it by. We’re a ship with a hole in it and we’re sinking slowly. That’s how I feel,” Lamothe said.

Town Council President Paul E. Burns agreed with Lamothe.

“It’s time to step up and produce a partner that has the ability to finance it. The people of Palmer have a right to have a viable plan to vote on,” Burns said. “At this point, talk is cheap and you have to have the money.”

Burns said the casino issue is on the agenda for Monday’s Town Council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. at the Town Building.

Burns has expressed concern about Mohegan's downgrade of its heavy debt by Moody's Investors Service. The rating was lowered in the spring due to concerns about declining gambling revenues and increased competition.

Mohegan representatives attended a Town Council meeting in September, where they emphasized their commitment to the town.

At a barbecue held for residents in August, Paul I. Brody, Mohegan’s vice president of development, said investors would be revealed as part of the casino application process.

In response to the latest concerns expressed by councilors, Mohegan Sun released the following statement:

"Conversations with Mohegan Sun and town officials around the host community agreement process have been ongoing before and particularly since the passage of expanded gaming legislation. Over the past several years, Mohegan Sun has demonstrated a strong commitment to Palmer and Western Massachusetts.

"We’ve had the honor of meeting with thousands of residents at our storefront office, participated in dozens of community meetings, and this week held the first-ever destination casino resort business forum in this region. This is a historic time and we’re excited to compete for the Western Massachusetts license."

Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed a bill last month that authorizes a slot facility and up to three casino resorts around the state, including one in the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

In addition to the Mohegan proposal, Las Vegas-based Ameristar wants to build a casino at the former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard in Springfield and Hard Rock International is proposing a casino at the Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke.

The capture of the RQ-170 Sentinel not only lays bare America's surveillance program over Iran, but it also puts sensitive, advanced technology in hostile hands.

Associated PressThis photo released on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, claims to show the chief of the aerospace division of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, left, listening to an unidentified colonel as he points to US RQ-170 Sentinel drone which Tehran says its forces downed earlier this week. An anti-US banner is placed under the drone. The banner at left shows Gen. Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander who was killed in an explosion at an ammunition depot last month. (AP Photo/Sepahnews)

By KIMBERLY DOZIER
and LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON – Tehran's capture of a largely intact, top secret U.S. drone, which it displayed on state television, not only lays bare America's surveillance program over Iran, but it also puts sensitive, advanced technology in hostile hands.

A former U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that the beige-colored drone featured in the more than two-minute video aired Thursday was indeed an RQ-170 Sentinel that is used for surveillance of Tehran's nuclear facilities. The U.S. military said it lost control of a drone earlier this week.

Iranian officials quickly claimed their military forces had downed the Sentinel with an electronic attack. But U.S. officials on Thursday flatly rejected the claim that any cyber or other electronic related activity was responsible for the loss of the drone.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the drone mission is classified.

The video, which showed Iranian officials examining the drone, provided the first real evidence of the Sentinel's capture. More importantly, it revealed the aircraft to be nearly in one piece.

That fact alone confirmed experts' contention that the classified aircraft can be programmed to land safely if its communications link is lost.

Robotics expert Peter Singer, who has written about the use of drones in war, said the Sentinel is programmed to circle in the air or land if its communications link is lost. Until the video came out, U.S. officials and other experts were suggesting the drone may have crashed, leaving Iran with only scattered pieces.

Pentagon officials on Thursday refused to comment on the drone, saying they do not talk about classified surveillance programs.

The episode, however, could be a serious setback for what has been an escalating surveillance program, aimed largely at Iran's nuclear facilities, that has gone on for years from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan and other bases in the region.

It gives the Iranians the opportunity to share or sell the drone to others, such as the Chinese and Russians, who might be better able to exploit any technological information gleaned from examining it.

U.S. officials are concerned that others may be able to reverse-engineer the chemical composition of the drone's radar-deflecting paint or the aircraft's sophisticated optics technology that allows operators to positively identify terror suspects from tens of thousands of feet in the air.

Adversaries also might be able to hack into the drone's database, although it is not clear whether they would be able to recover any data. Some surveillance technologies allow video to stream through to operators on the ground but do not store much collected data. If they do, it is encrypted.

Singer, of the Brookings Institution, said that while some of the mechanics of the aircraft are well known, some aspects — especially its sensors — would be important to countries like China.

"This is the jewel for them now," Singer said. "It depends on what was on the plane on this mission, but one sensor it has carried in the past is an AESA radar. This is a very advanced radar that really is a difference maker for our next generation of planes, not just drones, but also manned ones like F-22s and F-35s."

While it's not news that the U.S. spies on Iran, or that Iran knows it, the incident comes at a particularly sensitive time as the U.S. and other nations push for stronger sanctions against Tehran to stifle its nuclear ambitions.

The incident also could complicate U.S. relations with Afghanistan, according to Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official now with the Brookings Institution.

"This crash suddenly puts Afghanistan into the Iran crisis, which will make (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai very nervous and worried," said Riedel, who has advised the Obama White House on Afghanistan. "He is already a proxy in a war with Pakistan. Now he is a proxy in a covert war with Iran the Afghan people knew nothing about."

On Thursday, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador to protest the drone's "invasion" of Iranian airspace, according to state TV. It said the ministry demanded an explanation and compensation from Washington.

The U.S. and Iran do not have diplomatic relations, and Switzerland represents American interests in Iran.

Iran is locked in a dispute with the U.S. and its allies over Tehran's nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that it seeks to generate electricity and produce isotopes to treat medical patients.

Iran confirmed for the first time in 2005 that the U.S. has been flying surveillance drones over its airspace to spy on its military and nuclear facilities.

In January, Tehran said two pilotless spy planes shot down over its airspace were operated by the U.S., and in July, media said Iranian military officials showed Russian experts several U.S. drones reportedly shot down in recent years.

This latest incident, however, gives Tehran a volatile propaganda tool.

In the video, Tehran displayed a banner at the foot of the drone that read "The U.S. cannot do a damn thing" — a quotation from Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini. Another banner was printed to look like the American flag, but had skulls instead of stars.

Iranian state radio has said the unmanned aircraft was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles from the border with Afghanistan.

The Sentinel, made by Lockheed Martin, has been used in Afghanistan for years. It gained notoriety earlier this year when officials disclosed that one was used to keep watch on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan as the raid that killed him was taking place.

Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek and Douglas Birch in Washington and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.

The tornado caused an estimated $106 million in damages in Springfield.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayAt the six-month anniversary of the June 1 tornado, houses along Roosevelt Avenue in the East Forest Park section of Springfield are being repaired. The house at the right was razed and a new one was built in its place.

Springfield and Wilbraham will share $5.9 million in federal reimbursement for expenses related to the June 1 tornado, and more money is expected to be coming to Massachusetts communities soon.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal announced Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded Springfield $3.97 million and $1.94 million to Wilbraham to reimburse the communities for some of the cost of cleanup after the storm.

The announcement came three days after Monson learned it has been awarded $2.9 million in reimbursement for some of the cost of picking up debris left when a cluster of tornadoes tore a 39-mile swath across the region, killing three people, destroying houses, schools and businesses and uprooting trees.

The money is the first be sent to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, which will distribute it to the three communities.

“We expect it in the very near future,” said Thomas T. Walsh, spokesman for Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. He said he does not know exactly when the money will be deposited in Springfield’s general fund.

“I believe the check is in the mail. I hope the check is in the mail,” Monson Selectman Edward A. Maia said, adding he is expecting to use the money to pay part of a $4.3 million bill the town owes a contractor hired to pick up tree debris.

Community officials, who are strapped after dealing with the tornado, the June 26 microburst, the August tropical storm and the most recent Oct. 29 snowstorm, said they are happy to receive the money but said it is a small portion of the federal assistance they hope to receive.

FEMA will reimburse communities 75 percent of costs related to storms in areas declared a federal disaster. Those declarations were made after the tornado, Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm.

Springfield has estimated the cleanup from the tornado alone will cost $106 million, which includes repairing or replacing two elementary schools. Its cost of cleaning up tree debris from the tornado alone was $16.5 million, Walsh said.

The cost of the debris cleanup from the October snowstorm is expected to be three times that amount. After the tornado, the city collected about 160,000 cubic yards of fallen limbs; it collected more than 500,000 cubic yards of tree debris after the October storm, he said.

Communities apply for federal assistance in a number of different categories. The money that has come to Springfield, Wilbraham and Monson this week is for cleanup of tree debris, said William Tranghese, spokesman for Neal.

“It will come in bits and pieces. We do expect continued announcements of more reimbursements,” Tranghese said.

The federal agency is also expected to announce money to be granted in different categories, such as repair to public buildings, in the upcoming weeks, he said.

In early November, Western Massachusetts saw a total of $1 million in reimbursements shared by six communities. The agency approved payments of $481,109 for West Springfield; $300,199 for Monson; $202,185 for Wilbraham; $148,181 for Sturbridge; $18,606 for Holland; and $6,517 for Brimfield.

Some officials said they expect reimbursements for the October storm as well as the tornado to take eight months to a year, but Tranghese said Neal has been working with communities to help them submit the proper documentation and forms so they can receive the money as efficiently as possible.

“The congressman has asked them to expedite the process,” Tranghese said.

This marks toy for Joy's 89th year.

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SPRINGFIELD – The Hampden County Beekeepers Association was sweet to Toy for Joy this year with a donation of $260.

“We always give to Toy for Joy,” says Cheryl Robare, treasurer of the association which has about 110 members.

The association, which has been around for 40 years, raises the money during its annual Christmas party with half the proceeds from the $10 admission going straight to Toy for Joy, according to Robare.

For those interested in such things, Robare said, honey production was down a bit this season due all that rain. It did not, however, deter her organization’s annual effort to help bring joy to children this holiday season.

The association’s message to Toy for Joy reads: “God Bless the World” from the Hampden County Beekeepers Association.

This marks the 89th annual Toy for Joy campaign; jointly sponsored by the Salvation Army and The Republican, the campaign is working to raise $150,000 by Dec. 23 to bring toys and gifts to children in need this holiday season.

Other contributions included in today’s list of donors include: $50 from the Massachusetts Aviation Association and $200 from state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst. Rosenberg is another longtime donor to the campaign.

Today’s listings total $3,513 in donations, with $16,897 raised to date.

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

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

Toy for Joy registrations in Greenfield, Westfield and Northampton formally ended last week. The Salvation Army’s Holyoke Citadel will continue to take registrations through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Greater Springfield Citadel will hold a make-up registration day today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call (413) 733-1518. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Dec. 23.

Here’s a list of the latest contributors:
Lin and Bill Donoghue, $100
Merry Christmas to the children, in lieu of adult gifts from Jean and Ellie Belisle, $75
In memory of Nancy Daniele Hoffman from Ken, Laura and Kelly Fellows, $100
In memory of Cappy and Grandma Goodrich, $25
Peace on earth and jobs for all, $20
In loving memory of my dear friend and classmate, Carol Foster McGann, from Jo-ann S. ‘53, $20
In memory of our best friend Rufus, we miss you, $20
Paul and Christine, $25
The Bradys of Montgomery, $200
Have a Merry Christmas from Glenn and Mary Ellen, $20
In memory of my beloved Sue and Beth, $25
Merry Christmas from the Murphys of Agawam and Feeding Hills, $50
Merry Christmas to all from Marilyn, $10
Thank you St. Jude, JM, $10
In memory of our members who have gone west, from Western Mass Aviation Association, $50
In memory of Victor, $10
Merry Christmas to all children, MR, $25
In memory of Mary Murphy Malo, $25
In loving memory of our parents from Bernie and Maureen, $20
In loving memory of Max and William killed in action 1944 Italy, $20
Barbara, $10
In thanks for our beautiful grandson Luca on his first Christmas. All our love, Nonni and Nonno, $25
Howdy, $18
In memory of deceased Thomas and Contrino families, $20
Thank you St. Jude for prayers answered, NW, $10
Memory of Bill Rae from EB Rae, $20
In memory of Celia, wife of John and daughters Jane and Kathleen, $25
Merry Christmas to all the children, $20
In memory of George Ryan and Ed Hanechak from Don and Ray Crowley, $50
In memory of Emile and Ginny Grenier, we miss you from the Strole’s, $25
In loving memory of my beautiful doll, Laurie A. Presz, from David R. Presz, $25
A friend, $25
In memory of Nelson and Lora Wiers, $20
Wishing all a happy, healthy holiday from George and Joan, Wales, $25
In memory of Dad Stebbins. Love, Don and Sue, $25
In memory of Pops and Bob. Love, Don and Sue, $25
Antonio and Deborah, $250
Thomas and Patricia, $25
Merry Christmas to all. Love, Paul and Debbie, $25
Merry Christmas from Edwin and Chris, $50
Tata, you are always on my mind. There’s not a day I don’t think about you. Mss you, from Carmen, $25
In memory of Mom and Dad from Betty and Carol, $20
For my grandkids, Carey and James Marshall, $100
Merry Christmas from Claudia and Harry Mc, $20
In memory of Chris and Paul Gehring, $50
In memory of Jonathan Carroll, $25
In memory of Jess Kelleher, $25
They were residents of Springfield for years from Sheleen and Kevin, $50
In loving memory of Dennis. Love, Jackie, $25
In memory of Betty Harper from Carol and Albert, $20
In loving memory of Donald Fairbanks, $100
In memory of Ronald and Steven Guiel, $25
In memory of Steve and Geri, $25
In memory of William M. Herchuck Sr. Love, Sheila, Susan and Julie, $100
In memory of Stella and Stanley Kapecki, $25
James and Barbra, $40
In memory of Joe, Nana and Michael from Valley Farm, $30
God bless the world from Hampden County Beekeeper Assoc., $260
God bless, $20
In memory of Edward and Lillian Noonan who loved children, $100
Merry Christmas from Sally, $10
In loving memory of David Mosellen, $100
Happy holidays to all from Meme and Papa Wands, $20
For Peggy and the family, $20
Memories of happy times with our children, Bob and Dee, $25
In memory of my son Raymond, $10
Merry Christmas from Lily, Molly and Guinness, $25
In loving memory of Paul Hoppe, Dad, Ma and kids, $25
Peter and Jane, $30
In memory of my Dad, the big man from Ballydavid and my Mom, the lady from Moorestown, Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland, $20
In memory of Pierre Finnegan, Melvin and Kelsey. Love, Monkey and Milton, $350
In loving memory of Charles, Josephine and Marlene Miller, $25
Wishing all a happy holiday and joy in the New Year, from Sen. Stan Rosenberg and staff, $200

RECEIVED, $3,513
TOTAL TO DATE, $16,897
STILL NEEDED, $133,103

Here are the average energy prices in the Pioneer Valley for the week ending today.

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Police believe a motorist crashed into the pole and fled

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – A section of Plumtree Road in the East Forest Park neighborhood was closed Friday morning following the downing of a utility pole and power lines.

Police Lt. John K. Slepchuk said investigators believe a vehicle crashed into the pole at 715 Plumtree Road about 2:15 a..m. When they arrived on scene, however, no vehicle was to be found.

“I am guessing it didn’t come down on its own,” said Slepchuk.

Plumtree, between Ridgecrest Street to Newton Road, remained closed as of about 7:30 a.m., Slepchuk said.

The apparent crash caused a power outage in the immediate neighborhood, Slepchuk said. Western Massachusetts Electric Co.s website reported a total of eight outages for the city.

Police continue to probe the incident

Prosecutors say Lajoie acted as a lookout during the robbery of gas station manager David Main.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman accused of helping with a fatal robbery outside a Woonsocket bank last year is set to change her plea.

The U.S. District Court in Providence has scheduled Friday's change-of-plea hearing for 33-year-old Kelley Lajoie of Springfield.

Prosecutors say Lajoie acted as a lookout during the robbery of gas station manager David Main. They say she also provided information by cell phone about Main's movements. She's charged with robbery, conspiracy and firearms possession during a crime of violence.

Jason Pleau is accused of killing Main. He has been the focus of a legal tug-of-war over whether he'll be tried in state or federal court, where he could face the death penalty.

Super PACs were born of a Supreme Court decision easing restrictions on corporate money in political campaigns.

The Crossroads GPS logo.

BETH FOUHY, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The special political action committees that can raise and spend unlimited campaign money while operating independently of candidates have jumped into the presidential contest with an unmistakable message: Game on.

A super PAC supporting Mitt Romney is out with a hard-hitting ad against Newt Gingrich. Another has run ads for weeks for Rick Perry. Spending by a super PAC in New Hampshire may be the only thing keeping Jon Huntsman's struggling campaign afloat.

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court eased restrictions on corporate money in political campaigns, super PACs have become a major force in the presidential contest. They can attack or support individual candidates as long as they don't coordinate directly with the campaigns themselves.

Conservative-leaning groups spent millions to help Republicans wrest control of the House and pick up several Senate seats in 2010. The 2012 campaign is the first to test the groups' influence on presidential politics.

Anthony Corrado, a professor of government at Colby College who studies campaign finance, said super PACs are likely to outspend the candidates themselves in the early contests.

"They have substantial amounts of money, they can raise money quickly, and they have every incentive to spend it in the early states," Corrado said. "For a super PAC supporting a particular candidate, now is the time to spend money. It doesn't do any good to wait until April."

Restore Our Future, a super PAC supporting Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is set to start running a harsh attack on Gingrich as part of an enormous, $3.1 million advertising buy in Iowa less than four weeks before the state's kickoff caucuses.

The 60-second ad says Gingrich's "baggage," including $1.6 million he took in fees from the mortgage company Freddie Mac before the 2008 housing meltdown, would make him an easy target for President Barack Obama in the general election.

Make Us Great Again, which backs Perry, has spent more than $2 million on ads over several weeks in Iowa, supplementing the campaign's own substantial advertising buy there. The group has also run ads supporting Perry in South Carolina.

The pro-Perry spending hasn't helped the Texas governor much. He still lags badly in Iowa, trailing Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in recent polls.

The pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC has spent about $1.3 million in New Hampshire. They've been the only TV ads airing that support the former Utah governor, whose cash-strapped campaign has lacked the money to run its own ads.

The pro-Romney PAC started soft.

Restore Our Future's first ad, which debuted Thursday, goes after Obama while stressing Romney's background as a governor and successful businessman. But the new, negative ad aims to slow Gingrich's surging momentum in Iowa and elsewhere.

Romney may welcome such help. His campaign has begun to go after Gingrich after spending months trying to focus its attacks on Obama.

Several members of Congress supporting Romney have come forward to criticize Gingrich as self-serving and undisciplined, but none of those accusations has shown up in paid advertising yet.

A pro-Gingrich super PAC, Solutions 2012, is promising to step into the campaign soon. The group's treasurer, Colorado-based Republican strategist Charlie Smith, said it will assist Gingrich in Iowa with get-out-the-vote efforts and possibly some television but has yet to reserve any advertising time. Smith declined to say how much money the group has raised.

Gingrich has tried to avoid attacking Romney or any of his other Republican rivals, a strategy that has been credited in part for his strong polling numbers and a spike in fundraising. His first campaign ad, which went on the air in Iowa this week, offered a gauzy, positive message.

Smith said Solutions 2012 could potentially launch negative attacks on the other candidates if necessary.

"Newt has been focusing on being positive and, if possible, we want to stay positive," Smith said.

Other super PACs have also started to make their mark on the presidential contest.

Priorities USA Action, which supports Obama's re-election bid, launched an ad on Iowa cable stations Thursday advocating a tax increase for millionaires. The group, headed by two former Obama White House aides, has spent $148,000 since early November, mostly on Internet and TV ads bashing Romney.

Crossroads GPS, by far the largest and most influential super PAC during the 2010 midterm elections, has said it would get involved in the presidential race during the general election. But the group has spent $300,000 in Iowa targeting Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell for supporting Obama's health care overhaul, making the group's criticism of the president part of the political conversation in the weeks leading up to the caucuses.

Crossroads is expected to further ramp up its attacks on Obama's record in coming weeks.

___

Associated Press writer Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this report.

Woman caught making meth inside S. Tulsa Walmart, Eurozone deal leaves UK isolated, and more

AP Photo/Charles KrupaOccupy Boston protestors celebrate in the middle of Atlantic Avenue in Boston, early Friday Dec. 9, 2011. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Thursday that OccupyBoston protesters must leave their encampment in the city's financial district by midnight Thursday or face eviction by police.

• UMass students charged with dorm robbery, assault [Gazettenet.com]


• Between the Lines: Watch Out, Elizabeth Warren! [ValleyAdvocate.com]


• A diminished Occupy camp remains after deadline passes; 2 blocking Atlantic Ave. arrested [Boston.com]


• Man runs wild with hammer at mall [UnionLeader.com]


• Next Two Debates Likely to Be Nasty [TheCaucus.Blogs.NYTimes.com]



New York Times: examines the record of Newt Gingrich - How conservative is he?


• Eurozone deal leaves UK isolated[FT.com]


• Woman caught making meth inside S. Tulsa Walmart [Fox23.com]



Fox23: woman cooks meth inside Walmart.


• Obama Channels Hugo Chavez, Shows Why He Can't Lead On The Economy [Forbes.com]



60 Minutes: prosecuting Wall Street fraud at Countrywide Financial and AIG

• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


• Read more News Links »


• Do you have News Links? Send them our way or tweet them to @masslivenews

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Those who spot the truck are urged to call 911

Republican file photo

UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.;The male and the female involved in this incident are at the Oxford police station. At this point, whether there actually was a kidnapping is unclear. Oxford Police are investigating that, as well as a report that the pickup truck struck a male pedestrian in the Walmart parking lot.

OXFORD - State police are asking the public to keep an eye out for a black Ford pickup truck that may have been involved in an abduction of a young woman Friday morning from outside the Walmart here.

The pickup has a Massachusetts commercial plate of N86981 , according to a release issued by state police.

Initial reports indicate that the woman may have been pushed into the pickup by a young man at approximately 7:30 a.m.

The driver is described as a white male in his mid-20s, short- to medium-height, with a thin build and brown hair and wearing a blue sweatshirt, jeans and work boots.

The female is described as in her late teens, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a thin build, brown hair, a dark waist length coat and blue jeans.

A state police helicopter and K-9 units are assisting Oxford police in the search and perimeters have been established.

Anyone seeing the truck or these individuals should call 911.

Additional information was not immediately available.

The Texas congressman's allies and others say that he drains support from the rising Newt Gingrich

File photo / Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks as Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listen at a Republican presidential debate in Washington last month. (Photo by Evan Vucci)

AMES, Iowa — W. Mitt Romney may have some help in Iowa: Ron Paul.

The Texas congressman's allies and others say that he drains support from the rising Newt Gingrich, and, if that turns out to be the case during the Jan. 3 caucuses and Paul manages to triumph here, the theory is that Romney would benefit in the long-run.

"If Ron Paul can chip away at Gingrich just enough, he could conceivably win the caucuses, but he doesn't have the longevity of Gingrich" because Paul has trouble expanding his support beyond his libertarian-leaning base, said Tim Albrecht, an Iowa operative who worked for Romney during his failed presidential bid four years ago.

The theory among some Republicans is that even if Paul, who has been working this year to shed his 2008 image as a GOP gadfly, earns credibility as a mainstream candidate by winning the Iowa caucuses this time, he'd struggle to challenge Romney in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida the way Gingrich could because polls suggest he doesn't draw enough support from across the Republican ideological spectrum.

Whether that assumption is correct or not, a Paul victory in Iowa over Romney still would be a set-back for the former Massachusetts governor who for much of the year has been seen as the most likely Republican to win the GOP nomination.

The question is: to what degree?

Some Republicans say a victory by Paul — who many Republican operatives doubt can win the race — could help curb the perception of a crushing loss for Romney, who has tried to tamp down expectations that he'll do well here even as aides operate an under-the-radar Iowa campaign and TV ads intended to help him are starting to flood the Iowa airwaves.

A recent Des Moines Register poll this month showed Paul in second place behind Gingrich, with 18 percent support. That's up from 12 percent in October and 7 percent in June.

"The reality," said Steve Schmidt, who ran Sen. John McCain's campaign in 2008, "is that candidates who are not going to win the nomination play a very important role in determining who does."

Paul, to be sure, is a factor in the race.

He raised $5 million between July and September, and supporters say Paul will be able to stay in the contest as long as he wants because of a loyal following that sends him cash when he asks and new GOP rules that award convention delegates proportionally. And he's not being shy about trying to bloody his rivals — particularly Romney's chief challenger. This week, Paul's on the air with a blistering commercial hitting Gingrich for "serial hypocrisy."

To back up their assertion that Paul draws support from Gingrich, Paul's allies point to data that show very little overlap between their candidate's supporters and Romney's backers. They argue that because very few Romney backers would pick Paul as their second choice, it likely won't help Paul to go after Romney. But, they say, attacking Gingrich has little downside because voters who flee Gingrich are as likely to pick Paul as a second choice as they are to pick Romney.

Unlike four years ago, Paul is running a much more methodical campaign and, in Iowa at least, is seeking to win the state the old-fashioned way.

He has spent more than a month and half campaigning here, and more than half a million dollars on ads. His campaign is sending out mail and making phone calls. And his campaign has proven that it knows how to organize supporters, a necessity to turn out people to vote at precinct caucuses on a cold January weeknight. He came within about 150 votes of beating Rep. Michele Bachmann at the key Iowa test vote in August — but his near-victory was barely mentioned in the press, supporters complain.

A recent New York Times-CBS poll showed 70 percent of likely caucus-goers had heard from Paul's campaign in some way.

Paul's support is particularly strong among young people.

At least 1,000 students crowded into the Iowa State student union Thursday night to hear Paul's rambling, half-hour speech — and then many waited nearly 45 minutes to have their photo taken with the congressman.

The better organized campaign is driven in part by the political operatives who helped Paul's son, Rand Paul, win his Senate seat in 2010. Allies say that victory helped teach Paul's ideological backers how to turn grassroots, movement support into a winning campaign.

Two protesters were arrested after police said they moved a tent into a street and refused to move, blocking traffic.

Associated Press photoAn Occupy Boston protestor wrapped in an American flag rests against a tree near open space where tents were set up in Dewey Square in Boston, early Friday. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Thursday that Occupy Boston protesters must leave their encampment in the city's financial district by midnight Thursday or face eviction by police. (Photo by Charles Krupa)

BOSTON – A diminished Occupy Boston encampment held its ground early Friday after police decided not to immediately enforce a midnight deadline Mayor Thomas Menino had set for them to leave a city square.

Two protesters were arrested after police said they moved a tent into a street and refused to move, blocking traffic. But there were no other serious confrontations between the demonstrators and supporters who gathered at the site as the deadline loomed.

Boston police Supt. William Evans told protesters that even though Menino set the deadline, he did not specify when the camp would be shut down.

“We’re continuing to work with (the protesters)... and hopefully come to a good conclusion where we don’t have any confrontations and there are no arrests,” Evans told reporters.

Many protesters had pulled up stakes and left the encampment Thursday after learning of the deadline, but others stayed, and some said they were prepared to be arrested.

Demonstrators and their supporters began gathering in the hours before the deadline. Occupy groups from Worcester and Providence, R.I., helped swell the ranks, along with university students, a group of Quakers and some veterans, including a Marine in full dress uniform.

About 1,000 people filled the streets around the financial district and a party-like atmosphere reigned as a marching band played music and people sang and danced.

As midnight approached, Occupy Boston members began organizing those demonstrators willing to be arrested, telling them to stay in the encampment and link arms.

After protesters chanted “We are the 99 percent” and singing “Solidarity Forever” for several minutes, the band began playing again for the crowd.

Hours later, as dawn approached, the scene was markedly quieter, with only a handful of police officers keeping eye on the remaining protesters, a few of whom were still packing up tents and gathering belongings. One protester was raking a portion of the greenway that had been vacated by other members of the movement.

While Menino had previously said the city had no plans to forcibly remove the encampment, he appeared to become increasingly impatient with the protesters in recent days, saying the occupation has become a public health and safety hazard. He issued his ultimatum after a judge ruled on Wednesday that the protesters had no right to stay in Dewey Square.

The protesters have been encamped there since Sept. 30, modeling their demonstration after Occupy Wall Street. Protesters estimate between 100 and 150 activists live in the Boston encampment.

The threat of forcible removal left Boston poised to join several other cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco, where officials moved to oust protesters.

“I think that the mayor used silence as a tactic to win the court case. He never said anything and during radio interviews he said ‘I’m not saying they have to go, I’m just saying that we want the ability to ask them to go,’” said John Ford, a 30-year-old bookstore owner from Plymouth and a member of the encampment. “Now they want to flip us immediately.”

Some Occupy Boston members indicated prior to the deadline they would not leave voluntarily.

“If it comes down to it, I will be spending the night in jail,” said a protester who identified himself as Mike Smith, 23, of Boston. Smith added that he was not surprised by the order.

“They have been trying to get rid of us from day one,” he said.

Eric Binder, a 38-year-old massage therapist from New Mexico and Kentucky who has lived in the camp for the past month, said he may try to move his tent to Boston Common.

“Every town, every city should have a place to peaceably assemble,” he said. “Where in the city of Boston can we set up our tents?”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the National Lawyers Guild-Massachusetts issued a joint statement calling on the city and police to refrain from “heavy-handed crackdowns” if they decide to remove protesters.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frances McIntyre dealt Occupy Boston a major setback Wednesday when she lifted a temporary restraining order that blocked the city from removing protesters. McIntyre said that while the protesters are exercising their rights to freedom of expression from government interference, the occupation of state land is essentially viewed “as a hostile act” that is neither speech “nor is it immune from criminal prosecution for trespass or other crimes.”

Lawyers representing Occupy Boston indicated they would appeal, but did not move immediately to seek a stay of McIntyre’s ruling.