Vega faces charges of assault and battery and kidnapping.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanThe High School of Commerce on State Street in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – A 44-year-old teacher at the High School of Commerce who allegedly punched a vice-principal in the face while she was going over his performance evaluation Tuesday is slated to be arraigned in District Court next week.

Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said the teacher, Willie Vega of Melville Street, became enraged with his evaluation, grabbed it from the 48-year-old vice-principal, stabbed with a pen and then crumpled it up.

“Mr. Vega then stood up and punched the vice principal in the face causing her to fall from her chair,” Delaney said.

When the vice principal attempted to flee her office, Vega blocked the door and would not let her leave, Delaney said.

The vice principal then grabbed her portable portable radio and called for help. Officer Jason Sleeper of the Springfield Police Department’s Student Support Unit came right away to her assistance, Delaney said.

The vice-principal was treated for a contusion on her face under her eye.

Sleeper found Vega still inside the building and he was allowed to gather his belongings and was escorted from the school property.

Delaney said the assault and battery was not committed in the police officers presence and by statute Sleeper could not arrest Vega.

The clerk-magistrate has summoned Vega for arraignment on Tuesday. He faces charges of assault and battery on a public employee, assault and battery and kidnapping.

Delaney said the kidnapping charge was added after the investigators talked with the victim at length some time after the alleged attack and she spoke for the first time of being held against her will.

“If Officer Sleeper had this information Vega would have been arrested on the spot,” Delaney said.

School Department spokeswoman Azell Cavaan said the teacher has been placed on administrative leave.

The unemployment rate, which dropped from 7.3 percent, is at its lowest point since December 2008.

Associated Press photoIn this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Stephen Rutkowski, a chiropractor from Greenwich, Conn., waits in line to attend a job fair sponsored by National Career Fairs, in New York. The number of people seeking unemployment aid dropped to its lowest level since May 2008 last week, a hopeful sign that layoffs are declining and hiring may pick up. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Massachusetts employers added 5,000 jobs in November, the second straight month of gains, and the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent, according to a pair of surveys released Thursday morning by the Patrick administration.

The unemployment rate, which dropped from 7.3 percent last month, is at its lowest point since December 2008, the month before President Barack Obama took office and three months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers helped fuel an international financial crisis. The national unemployment rate is at 8.6 percent.

The gains bring the state’s total job growth to 51,600 over the past 12 months. The news of November job gains was also accompanied by a revised October estimate showing that employers added 11,900 jobs that month, 1,100 more than initially reported.

Although the state made net gains, manufacturing and construction sectors each saw 1,400 job losses, underscoring challenges to specific sectors of the economy even as the overall jobs picture improved. Local governments continued to shed jobs, cutting 1,300 in November, while federal government jobs declined by 300 and state government lost 200 jobs.

The bulk of November’s gains came from a 4,300 job gain in the leisure and hospitality sector and a 3,000 job gain in the trade, transportation and utility sector. Education and health services added 900 jobs and financial activities gained 700 jobs. The professional, scientific and business services sector gained 500 jobs, and miscellaneous services added 400 jobs.

A separate survey based on a monthly sample of Bay State households showed that 3,251,500 Massachusetts residents were employed in November and 244,200 were unemployed.

The news comes with state lawmakers in the midst of a seven-week recess and while Congress continues to wrangle over legislation to extend a payroll tax break and unemployment benefits.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 8,517 Massachusetts residents filed initial unemployment claims during the week that ended Dec. 3, up slightly from the week before but down more than 1,000 from the same period last year.

Patrick tried to keep the trip a surprise for his wife of 27 years, but tipped his hand, according to his staff, when he inadvertently sent her an email revealing their destination.

File photo / Associated PressMassachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick, is seen with his wife Diane in Milton last year.(Photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye)

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick is taking his wife Diane to Paris for the weekend to celebrate the First Lady's 60th birthday, according to a Patrick aide.

The couple plans to fly out at 5 p.m. Thursday and return to Massachusetts on Monday.

Patrick, 55, tried to keep the trip a surprise for his wife of 27 years, but tipped his hand, according to his staff, when he inadvertently sent her an email revealing their destination.

Patrick said prior to his swearing-in this year that he planned to travel more in his second term to promote Massachusetts. In addition to a trade trip to Chile and Brazil this month, he led a delegation to Great Britain and Israel in March and has frequently traveled to Washington on official state business.

The governor this year also spent time in other states promoting his book, has spoken at political events in multiple states, and vacationed with Diane in Bermuda in August, following the pair’s vacation to California in November.

The deli, which opened in 1998, is being closed due to lack of business.

The Republican file photoCindy Humphrey of East longmeadow and Ellen Lovett of Brimfield enjoy lunch at The Fort Deli soon after it opened in 1998

SPRINGFIELD – The Student Prince and Fort Restaurant has plans to turn its deli space facing Main Street in Springfield into a small-group meeting space.

The landmark eatery closed the deli operation earlier this month due to a lack of business, according to The Student Prince’s website. Management had been holding on hoping for an increase in business due to the redevelopment of the former federal courthouse next door, according to the website. But the renovated building has its own cafeteria.

The Fort said it has added popular deli sandwiches to its regular lunch menu.

The Fort opened the deli in 1998.

Obituaries from The Republican today

Francis M. McKenna

SPRINGFIELD - Francis Maurice "Frank" McKenna, 91, of Springfield passed away at the Loomis House Nursing Center in Holyoke on Monday. He was born in Springfield on August 12, 1922. He graduated from Cathedral High School and attended Northeastern University and American International College. He was an assistant advertising manager for the Hampden Brewery in Chicopee and owned and operated McKenna's Package Store from 1955 to 1980. He was a court officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Trial Courts at the Hampden County Hall of Justice from 1977 until he retired in 2002. Following his retirement, he worked part-time as a greeter at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Springfield Lodge of Elks 61 for 60 years and was appointed by the late Gov. Foster Furcolo as a trustee at the former Northampton State Hospital. He was a lifelong communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, where he also served as a collector.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Aube, Richard F. "Dick"
  



• 
  Bakalac, John E.
  




• 
  Beck, Doris Ariel (Cox)
  



• 
  Brown, Margaret "Peg" (Carey)
  



• 
  Desrosiers, Raymond E.




• 
  Devlin, Raymond B.
  



• 
  Gallo, Frank M. "Sarge"
  




• Grimes, Warren W. "Sage Brush"
  




• 
  Lemelin, Lorraine (Gosselin)
  



• 
  McKenna, Francis M. "Frank"




• 
  Roberts, Margaret M. "Maggie" (Babineau)
  



• 
  Rudowski, Lillian P. (Parzych)
  




• Sevier, Mary Goldis
  




• 
  Talbot, Philip B.
  



• 
  Valorose, Jeanne C.

The bodies of developers John Magee Jr., 69, his wife, Geraldine, 67, were found by their daughter in their home.

ANDOVER – Police on Thursday were investigating an apparent double homicide in which a prominent developer and his wife were shot in their Andover home, and their SUV was found torched about 20 miles away.

The bodies of John Magee Jr., 69, and Geraldine Magee, 67, were found Wednesday morning by their daughter, police said. Police put out an alert for the couple’s black Lexus SUV and learned later Wednesday that it had been found the night before in Boston’s north end, said police Chief Brian Pattullo.

The chief called the killings “an isolated act” and said the public wasn’t in danger, citing circumstances in the case that he would not elaborate on. He said the home’s door was unlocked and there were no signs of a break in.

On Thursday, authorities said they had no updates on the ongoing investigation.

Magee ran Magee Construction Co., which was founded by his father in 1951 and eventually developed a specialty in luxury homes, according to a company website. A family friend told the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence that the company’s projects included the spacious home where Magee lived with his wife of more than 40 years.

Friends also told the newspaper that the couple had two children, including a son who recently moved to Somerville.

Police said the Magees were found by their daughter, Holly Magee Senykoff, on the first floor of the house when she stopped by drop off her two children, whom her parents watched every Wednesday.

Police had never before been called to the house, Pattullo said.

Andover is an affluent community about 20 miles north of Boston. The last murder there was in November 1991.

Eleven cities and towns in central and western Massachusetts will receive state aide to help pay for the damage from the June 1 tornadoes.

BOSTON - Gov. Deval L. Patrick Thursday released $14 million to cities and towns to pay for municipal costs for damage caused by the June 1 tornadoes including about $8.7 million for Springfield, $1.8 million for Monson and $1.7 million for Wilbraham.

A total of $10.1 million comes from an Oct. 27 spending bill approved by the state Legislature and Patrick. That money will be used for debris removal, leasing of temporary school buildings, emergency response, maintenance and repairs.

Another $3.9 million is from the state Department of Transportation and will reimburse eight communities for emergency road, sidewalk and other repairs.

Grants from the $10.1 million include Agawam, $55,671; Brimfield, $170,591; East Longmeadow, $14,100; Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, $16,594; Holland, $4,652; Monson, $1,249,784; Southbridge, $35,405; Springfield, $7,324,611; Sturbridge, $104,280; West Springfield, $171,503; Westfield, $179,253; and Wilbraham, $775,008.

The transportation department grants include:

Springfield: $1,363,400 -- Debris removal, sidewalk repair on 43 roadways.

West Springfield: $200,000 --Union Street and Main Street.

Brimfield: $449,000 -- Holland Road, East Brimfield Road, Warren Road, Main Street.

Monson: $519,000 -- Ely Road, High Street, Main Street, Hampden Upper, Wilbraham Road.

Southbridge: $150,000- Pleasant Street/Airport Access Road.

Sturbridge: $172,000- Fiske Hill Road.

Westfield: $70,000- Shaker Road, Pontussic Road.

Wilbraham: $956,000- Main Street, Stony Hill Road, Tinkham Drive, Rochford Drive.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.21 percent from 3.27 percent. That's also a record.

WASHINGTON — The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has dropped to 3.94 percent, the record low set in October.

Low rates offer a historic opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance. Still, many people either can't take advantage of the record-low rates or have already done so.

The rate on the 30-year home loan fell from 3.99 percent the previous week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. This week's 3.94 percent average matches the lowest on records dating to the 1950s.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.21 percent from 3.27 percent. That's also a record.

Rates could fall further still. Many economists think the yield on the 10-year Treasury note could creep lower in 2012. Long-term mortgage rates tend to track the 10-year Treasury yield.

Should the Federal Reserve launch a new program of bond purchases in the coming months to try to help the economy, that could further drive down mortgage rates.

Rates have been below 5 percent for all but two weeks this year. Even so, this year could end up as the worst for home sales in 14 years.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said that despite the super-low loan rates, foreclosures and falling home values have created a "rough environment for housing."

Sales of previously occupied homes are just slightly ahead of last year's dismal sales figures — and those were the worst in 13 years. New-home sales appear headed for their worst year on records dating back half a century.

Mortgage applications have risen slightly in recent weeks but are up from extremely low levels, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Last week, refinancings rose more than 9 percent, while loan applications to buy homes fell more than 8 percent.

Some lenders have reported an increase in applications through the Obama administration's refinancing program. That program was broadened in October to allow up to 1 million more homeowners lower their mortgage payments. But the MBA said such government-assisted loans account for just a small portion of refinancing.

High unemployment and scant wage gains have made it harder for many people to qualify for loans. Many Americans don't want to sink money into a home that could lose value over the next three to four years.

The average on the 30-year fixed loan has been below 5 percent for all but two weeks in the past year. And many homeowners who have the necessary credit and home equity to refinance already have.

To calculate average the rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week.

The average rates don't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for the 30-year loan rose to 0.8 from 0.7; the average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was unchanged at 0.8.

For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate fell to 2.86 percent from 2.93 percent. The average on the one-year adjustable loan ticked up to 2.81 percent from 2.8 percent.

The average fee on the five-year loan rose from 0.5 to 0.6. And the fee on the one-year adjustable loan was unchanged at 0.6.

The trial to resolve a suit involving Stop& Shop will be delayed by at least three months.

File photo / The RepublicanThe Stop & Shop supermarket chain is hoping to build a store on Route 10 where the Tasty Top ice cream stand used to be located.

EASTHAMPTON – Hampshire Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Rup agreed to give more time to a lawyer representing Cernak Buick, which has filed a lawsuit against the Planning Board, its members, and Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC among others.

Rup Wednesday gave lawyer Mark A. Tanner until March to question Planning Board members and Mayor Michael A. Tautznik for what he believes was an unlawful contact between the grocery store and city officials.

Boston-based lawyer Kenneth O’Flattery who is representing Stop & Shop objected and said he believed that Tanner has had more than enough time to question officials.

The additional time means that the case will be delayed from going to trial for at least three more months.

The suit filed in February 2010 alleges the board should not have considered a second revised application from Stop & Shop, that the property owner Dennis Courtney, trustee of the Margaret H. Courtney Family Trust, did not sign the application and that a proposed traffic signal at Mountainview Street would cause access problems for Cernak Buick.

“It’s almost starting over,” said City Planner Stuart Beckley of the court ruling.

The Planning Board approved plans for Stop & Shop to build a 45,000-square-foot grocery store and a 4,900-square-foot adjacent store at 95-103 Northampton St. in January of 2010.

“The fact that it’s going to take more time is disappointing. It would be nice if the project would move forward,” Beckley said.

Tanner said he needs the additional time because, “discovery is a much bigger issue.” He wants to depose city officials because his client believes “there has been due process violations in the public hearing process.”

They question whether Stop & Shop had unlawful contact with the Panning Board and mayor during the permitting process. Stop & Shop claims it was just procedural, Tanner said.

O’Flattery believes that there was more than adequate time for discovery which ended last December. He hopes that the trial would be set soon so the issues can be resolved. Stop & Shop is absolutely committed to the project, he said. A pre-trial conference has been set of April 12.

In the prank, blindfolded students were surprised to find they had kissed their parents in front of hundreds of classmates.

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — A Minnesota high school principal is apologizing for pep rally prank earlier this month in which blindfolded students were surprised to find they had kissed their parents in front of hundreds of classmates.

In an interview Thursday, Rosemount High School Principal John Wollersheim says the event was organized by the high school staff, but he was accountable. A one-minute video of the smooches has gone viral on YouTube.

In the video, the captains of several winter sports teams were lined up along a wall of the gym opposite another line of students. The captains were blindfolded and told they had to guess which student kissed them.

However, the students were swapped out for the parents of the athletes.

It's all part of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act, which President Obama signed into law last December.

Associated PressIn this April 20, 2010 file photo, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., testifies before the House Financial Services Committee regarding Lehman Brothers and financial reform on Capitol Hill in Washington. While watching a sporting event with family members, Eshoo was jarred by a “horribly loud” commercial. Her brother-in-law suggested she do something about it. She did _ with what started as a simple, one-page legislative proposal. The measure became one of the most popular bills she's ever sponsored. “What I never dreamed of was what kind of chord it would strike with people,” Eshoo says.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shush, already. That's the message the Federal Communications Commission is sending with new rules that force broadcast, cable and satellite companies to turn down the volume on blaring TV commercials.

On Tuesday, the FCC passed a set of regulations that will prevent commercials from being louder than the shows around them. It's all part of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act, which President Obama signed into law last December. The rules go into effect a year from now. Companies that don't comply will face unspecified FCC action.

Thunderous television ads have annoyed viewers for years. The FCC says people have grumbled about the issue for at least a half century. But since 2002 — thanks in part to all those clangorous car commercials, earsplitting electronics ads and booming beer pitches — loud advertisements have been one of the top complaints the FCC receives.

Complaints grew in recent years, as ads became even louder. In the days of analog TV, louder ads took up more space on the airwaves. So broadcasters toned them down to avoid interfering with other channels. Since the conversion to digital TV broadcasts two years ago, loud ads no longer take up more airwave space than quiet ones. The change transformed the commercial break into a noisy arms race.

"Nobody wanted to be the quiet guy in the set of commercials," says David Unsworth, senior vice president of satellite and technical operations at DG, a company that distributes ads to broadcasters.

In a recent analysis, DG found that some ads were 10 times as loud as the programs they interrupted.

"Everybody's been trying to push the envelope using (digital) compression to make their spots as loud as they can," Unsworth says.

A few years ago, an annoying ad got to the ears of Rep. Anna Eshoo, the Democratic congresswoman whose district in California's Silicon Valley is home to Facebook and Hewlett-Packard Co. While watching a sporting event with family members, Eshoo was jarred by a "horribly loud" commercial. Her brother-in-law suggested she do something about it. She did — with what started as a simple, one-page legislative proposal.

The measure became one of the most popular bills she's ever sponsored.

"What I never dreamed of was what kind of chord it would strike with people," Eshoo says.

The FCC rules require TV distributors to set up equipment to monitor the average sound level of ads as they come in. If they're too loud, distributors must adjust the sound levels before they can be aired. It recommends practices set out in 2009 by the Advanced Television Systems Committee, a standards-setting body.

If compliance with the rules places a financial burden on a company, the FCC will give it extra time — up to December 2014 — to comply.

Those concessions have helped to reduce opposition.

"We think that the FCC struck the right balance," says National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton.

In the months leading up to the FCC's release of the new rules, advertisers were already turning down the noise because many broadcasters are now rejecting loud ads. Since DG began monitoring sound levels this summer, the number of ads that were too loud has fallen from about 70 percent of all ads to roughly 30 percent, Unsworth says.

Already, hundreds of TV stations, cable and satellite companies have updated equipment to comply, says Tim Carroll, founder and president of Linear Acoustic Inc., a leading maker of the equipment.

For its part, ABC says it has installed equipment at its eight television stations. CBS has been operating under the guidelines for some time. NBC has sent specifications to its commercial suppliers and has installed equipment to reduce the volume of loud ads. Fox declined to comment, although Unsworth says the network has been rejecting ads that are too loud and getting advertisers to fix them.

Leading cable TV companies Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. declined to comment.

Gov. Deval Patrick tried to avoid getting into it with Christmas tree fans by telling reporters, "It's a Christmas tree," but only after someone on his staff announced that there would be a holiday tree lighting ceremony.

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanThere is no question in attendant Caitlin Henzler's mind that what she is selling at the Hampton Ponds Plaza is a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree. Henzler works for the Justamere Tree Farm of Worthington that is currently selling Fraser Fir and other trees in Westfield.

Pop quiz: What do you call an evergreen tree draped in sparkling lights and ornaments with presents underneath during the month of December?

It would appear not to be in the multiple choice question category, but recently an alternative to "Christmas tree" has been revived in the public realm, prompting some outrage among Christians - but more widespread eye-rolling.

Certain public officials and their staff have referred to "holiday tree" lightings as opposed to the more traditional label. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee started a national controversy earlier this month and drew tree lighting crashers singing "O Christmas Tree" during a public ceremony in front of the Statehouse.

Chafee stood by the "holiday tree" message, insisting he was only trying to follow the state's all-inclusive legacy, but scores of Catholics took the tweak to the Christmas vernacular as a slap. The controversy seeped into Beacon Hill this week when a staff member for Gov. Deval L. Patrick included a "Statehouse Holiday Tree lighting" on his public agenda.

Patrick, on the other hand, avoided getting into it with Christmas tree fans by telling reporters: he's going with Christmas tree.

"Christmas tree. That's what I've always called it," Patrick said when pressed by reporters. "That's what it is."

Local residents of various religions and political postures came down generally on the same side of the issue.

"It's a Christmas tree. The decorated tree is a symbol of the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ," said Daniel Finnegan, a Springfield attorney from Wilbraham, who is both conservative and Roman Catholic. "Would you call it a 'Holiday Menorah' and try to disassociate it from Hanukkah?"

Jeremy Powers, also a Springfield attorney, but Jewish with fairly liberal politics, said he thought the controversy was laughable.

"That's ridiculous," said Powers, of Longmeadow. "Plus, I don't know one Jew who is offended by Christmas trees."

Caitlin Henzler, an employee at the Justamere Tree Farm stand in Westfield, bristled when asked if she had any holiday trees for sale.

"We have not sold any holiday trees here. We only sell Christmas trees," she said while propping up a 6-foot Frasier fir. "I make it a point to wish everyone Merry Christmas when I sell them a Christmas tree."

William C. Newman, director of the Western Massachusetts office of the American Civil Liberties Union, said a 1989 Supreme Court decision nixed the public display of nativity scenes in public buildings as a violation of the First Amendment. But, the same decision ruled that Christmas trees had been so secularized that it was fair game in the public domain.

"The court ruled the Christmas tree actually diminished the religious connotations of Christmas, rather than enhancing it," Newman said, adding Christmas trees mean different things to different people.

"What this ignites is part of a war about whether Christmas is a religious holiday, and for many Christians it is," Newman said. "On the other hand, by a large number of people it's not viewed as a religious symbol. But at the end of the day, whatever a public official calls it - we all know what it is."

Staff writer Dan Ring contributed to this report.

The owner of the dog grooming business told investigators that the dog had a seizure and died.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanSharon M. Kozik, owner of Lotte's Professional Dog Grooming, trims a Shih Tzu in 2002.

WILBRAHAM - The owner of Lotte’s Professional Dog Grooming at 2489 Boston Road will be arraigned Monday in Palmer District Court for animal cruelty in connection with the death of a toy poodle.

Sharon M. Kozik, 51, was charged after an investigation by Wilbraham police and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

According to the investigation report by MSPCA Officer Christine Allenberg, the dog named “Rusty” died after Kozik allegedly struck it in the head with a pair of electric clippers. Kozik told police officers that the dog suffered a seizure, and that the staff tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

The dog had been muzzled for grooming because of his anxiety and aggressiveness, Kozik told the officers.

Allenberg wrote that the dog had no history of seizures; a veterinarian at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston took X-rays of the dog’s skull and found that it had a skull fracture consistent with impact trauma.

Allenberg, who interviewed Kozik and several Lotte’s employees with Wilbraham Officer Timothy J. Camerlin at the business, wrote that Kozik told them that the dog bit one of her employees, so she took over grooming, then he started having a seizure.

“When I advised her that the x-rays showed a skull fracture she became visibly upset and sank to the ground. She was crying . . . She said that she hit ‘Rusty’ in the head with her hand. She denied having anything in her hand. I asked her what made her hit the dog and she did not know,” Allenberg wrote.

Kozik told Allenberg that she did not call a veterinarian because she knew the dog was dead.

“She also stated that during her years as a groomer she had a few other dogs die while being groomed and that it sometimes just happens,” Allenberg’s report read.

Allenberg said Kozik agreed to go to the Wilbraham Police Department to provide a written statement, but then called later to say she would not be providing a statement, and would be hiring an attorney instead.

Camerlin’s narrative stated that Kozik told him that no other groomer would take the dog because of its aggressiveness. Allenberg wrote that she spoke with the dog’s owner, who said that she gave it a tranquilizer before grooming because he would get nervous.

Kozik could not be reached for comment.

The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is five years in state prison, or 2 ½ years to the House of Correction.

Residents of Fallujah celebrate American exodus as the U.S. prepare to end involvement in Iraq. Despite the $1 trillion effort, the nation remains a dangerous place. The American military reports 500-750 attacks a month, violence continues among feuding factions, and some fear Iranian forces may soon increase their presence.

Army Pvt. Robert Inming of San Antonio, of Task Force 2-69 Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga. pays last respects to his good friend Army Pvt. Kelley Prewitt who was killed in action on April 6 in northern Baghdad during a memorial ceremony Friday, April 18, 2003 for three soldiers from the unit who died in Iraq. The soldiers honored were Army Staff Sgt. Terry Hemingway, Army Pfc. Gregory P. Huxley Jr. and Prewitt. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, David Leeson)

As the U.S. prepares to end war in Iraq, concerns remain about the country they leave behind [New York Times]

Boston.com compiles Top 10 tweets from Boston sports icons in 2011 [Boston.com]

Final Republican debate before Iowa caucuses to air tonight at 9 p.m. [Boston.com]

Williamstown preschoolers lend helping hand to local food pantry [Berkshire Eagle]

UMass presents campus master plan tonight, seeks community insights [Daily Hampshire Gazette]

Cassidy Stankowski of Frontier Regional High School named Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year [Daily Hampshire Gazette]

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

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

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 45 points to close at 11,868.81.

File photo / Associated PressDiscover Financial Services reported Thursday that early holiday spending helped its fourth-quarter profit leap 46 percent. (Photo by Charlie Riedel)

NEW YORK – Investors shifted their attention from Europe to the U.S. on Thursday, pushing stocks slightly higher on good jobs and manufacturing reports.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 45.33 points, or 0.4 percent, to 11,868.81. The Dow had lost 360 points over the past three days on worries that Europe’s latest plan to keep its currency union intact would fail.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Bank, said the break from selling meant that investors are starting to focus on signs of strength in the U.S. economy.

“We’re not completely insulated (from Europe), but trouble there doesn’t necessary spell problems for us,” he said.

Before the market opened, the government reported that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week to 366,000, the fewest level since May 2008. That’s a sign that layoffs are easing, a first step toward bringing down the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 8.6 percent.

Investors were also encouraged by a report from the Federal Reserve of New York that its index measuring regional manufacturing jumped to the highest level since May. That was far more than economists were expecting. A similar report from the Philadelphia branch of the Fed also increased more than analysts anticipated.

“The base of the economy is getting stronger,” said Steven Malin, an associate at money manager Aronson Johnson Ortiz.

FedEx Corp. reported that its quarterly income nearly doubled on strong growth in online shopping during the holiday season. FedEx is seen as a bellwether for the economy. Its stock jumped 8 percent.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 3.94 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,215.76. The gains were broad. All but two of the 10 industry groups in the index rose. The two groups – technology and energy – edged down less than 0.3 percent each.

The biggest gains were in utilities and health care stocks. The profits of those companies are less likely to crumble in an economic slowdown. That suggests that investors, though encouraged by the good news Thursday, were still playing it safe.

“There’s a defensive tone to the market,” said Jeff Schwarte, a portfolio manager at Principal Global Investors. “Investors still aren’t sure about the economy.”

The Nasdaq rose 1.70 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 2,541.01.

In other corporate news:

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. jumped 21 percent to $24.20 on its first day of trading. The initial public offering valued the fashion design company at $3.8 billion.

Novellus Systems Inc. jumped 16 percent. The semiconductor equipment maker said late Wednesday that it was being acquired by rival Lam Research Corp. Lam fell 8 percent.

Rite Aid Corp. rose 3.5 percent. The drugstore chain announced that losses had narrowed in its third quarter.

European markets rose slightly, a day after big declines, as an auction of Spanish government bonds drew strong demand from investors. Germany’s DAX rose 1 percent; France’s main stock index rose 0.6 percent.

The euro rose against the dollar, moving back above $1.30, a day after hitting an 11-month low. The yields on Spanish and Italian government fell, a sign that investors were less worried about the ability of those countries to pay back their debts.

The Emmy-winning series recently came to the aid of a Springfield woman and her family.

Sirdeaner Walker of Springfield is embraced by Ty Pennington of the ABC TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on Sept. 17, 2011. (The Republican file photo)

After nine seasons, ABC has pulled the plug on the uplifting reality series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

The series, which features host Ty Pennington and a construction-design team visiting and rebuilding the homes of families in need, premiered in 2003. It has won two Emmy Awards.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that ABC plans to air four special episodes after "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's" current ninth season ends on Jan. 13 with its 200th episode.

The series has impacted the lives of people across the country, including a Springfield woman and her family.

On Dec. 2, ABC aired an episode where Pennington, designer Michael Moloney and contractor Nick Riley of Chicopee rebuilt the Springfield home of the Sirdeaner Walker family. The Walkers were chosen after the suicide of 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover, who killed himself in 2009 after bullying at the charter school he attended, according to his mother. Walker said after Carl killed himself on the third floor the family began “camping” on the first floor.

Walker called the cancellation disheartening.

"I know from talking with people on the show that there was a question about the show being renewed for a 10th season," Walker said. "Our lives have been transformed by 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.' They have helped so many people. I cannot say enough about how well we were treated."

The Walker rebuild was the show’s second visit to the area. In 2009, Western Massachusetts workers took part in rebuilding the Hill family home in Suffield. There had been a fire in 1993 and the family was unable to completely repair the damage.

News of the cancellation came hard to those involved in the show.

"It is with a somber heart I close this chapter, but with such excitement I begin the next one," Moloney told the Hollywood Reporter. "I have 'EM:HE' to thank for the platform I have to continue doing good work and great design in 2012 and on."

Host Pennington has already moved on. In addition to hosting new pilot “The Great Big American Auction” last week, the Washington Post reported he will appear on “The Revolution,” ABC’s new healthy lifestyle daytime talk show that debuts in January.

ABC blamed the cancellation on a drop in ratings. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was pulling in an average 16 million viewers a week about six years ago, but has dipped to less than 9 million viewers.

The City Council also approved a permit for a drive-up window at Cottage Street Liquors, but window sales are for non-alcoholic products only.

/From left to right: All white meat chicken strips, one percent milk and banana (PRIMEZONE)/

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanMichael E. Hurwitz, seen here last year at his Pollo Campero restaurant, now wants to open a Sonic Drive-In restaurant at this location on Boston Road in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – The Hurwitz family, which operates a number of restaurants in the region, is seeking to open the first Sonic Drive-In restaurant in the state, proposed on Boston Road.

Sonic, which features fast food and carhops on rollerskates, is planned at 1105 Boston Road at the entrance of the Walmart plaza. Sonic would replace the Pollo Campero restaurant. The City Council voted unanimously this week to approve a special permit for it.

The owners also need a zone change from Business A to Business B for the property, scheduled for a council hearing on Jan. 23.

Sonic has more than 3,500 franchises nationwide, but just two in New England – Wallingford and Manchester, Conn.

“It is probably one of the fastest-growing franchise restaurants in the country,” said David A. Shrair, a Springfield lawyer representing the owners. Shrair was joined by business owners Stuart J. and Michael E. Hurwitz in unveiling the plans to the council.

With New England weather, the plans call for limited seating inside the restaurant, which differs from franchises in warmer climates. There is also a drive-up window.

The Hurwitz family also owns Uno’s Chicago Grill and Chicago Grill restaurants at 820 West Columbus Ave., Springfield, at the Holyoke Mall and in Worcester. They have also operated Pollo Campero, a chicken restaurant that struggled on Boston Road, the owners said.

In other action, the council approved a special permit for Cottage Street Liquors in East Springfield, which will allow it to operate a drive-up window for the sale of any store goods except beer and alcohol.

The permit was approved by a 10-3 vote, with some councilors concerned about products being sold from a package store window even with the restriction on alcohol.

Owner Louis F. Bonavita, in a prior petition last year, sought a permit to sell alcohol and non-alcoholic products from the drive-up window but scaled back the request as concerns were raised.

Bonavita, in seeking the new special permit, presented a petition signed by approximately 1,700 supporters of the drive-up plans. The site is a former bank and thus already has a drive-up window.

The window is a convenience for customers, Bonavita said. The items sold will include cigarettes, soda, juice, snacks, and possibly some packaged foods, he said.

Councilors who opposed the permit were Melvin A. Edwards, Clodovaldo Concepcion and E. Henry Twiggs.

The roof has been leaking for several years and caused water damage to the inside of the building.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – The City Council has approved spending $500,000 to replace the roof at the Department of Public Works Garage that has been leaking for at least three years.

The city recently went out to bid to replace the roof on the garage on Baskin Drive as well as the Central Maintenance Garage roof on Meadow Street. The low bid was $447,378 by Kurtz Inc., of Westfield.

The additional about $50,000 is needed to repair damage to masonry and steel that was damaged from years of leaking at the Public Works Garage, said Stanley W. Kulig, superintendent of public works.

“We need to pass this,” said Councilor Frank N. Laflamme.

He said the cost of making repairs will continue to rise if the roof continues to leak and cause even more damage.

“It leaks. It needs to be done. It is frustrating when money is getting tighter and tighter,” City Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

The City Council approved spending the money in a 10-0 vote.

In his proposal, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said he wanted to take the money for the roof repairs out of the account where money is deposited from the sale of real estate.

“We had $1.1 to $1.2 million in the sale of real estate and we can use that,” Bissonnette said.

In addition the city is expected to sign a purchase and sale agreement to sell five houses off Fredette Road, formerly owned by the U.S. Navy, to a developer who plans to renovate them and sell them again. That sale will add about $250,000 to the account, he said.

The city did end the 2011 fiscal year with a $5.9 million surplus, but already $5 million of that is slated to be spent on cleaning up after the Oct. 29 snowstorm. About 75 percent of that money is expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but it could take a year for the money to come through, Bissonnette said.

The mobile van and full kitchen facilities serve the Pioneer Valley and was afforded with $134,000 in federal funds.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanRichard E. Lee, executive director of the American Red Cross, Pioneer Valley Chapter, speaks during a press conference to unveil a new mobile kitchen. Others from left are Springfield Emergency Preparedness Director Robert Hasset, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and state Sen. James Welch

SPRINGFIELD – The Pioneer Chapter of the American Red Cross and city officials said this week that a new mobile kitchen, purchased with federal funds, is a “dream come true” in providing added comfort and services to victims of disasters and calamity.

The extended van, which is equipped with a six-burner stove and grill, refrigerator-freezer, microwave oven and four sinks, was delivered in late October, just in time to provide some relief and meals following the Oct. 29 snowstorm. The van was not even lettered for identification at the time, but it was used to cook and send out meals.

It was displayed Wednesday during a press conference at Court Square.

The $134,000 cost of the mobile kitchen was afforded through a federally funded Springfield Metropolitan Medical Response System grant, and the van is operated by the Red Cross in a collaborative effort with the city. It is for use in response to emergencies in the Pioneer Valley.

“It’s terrific,” said Richard E. Lee, executive director of the Red Cross chapter. “We are pleased to have the ability to serve not only the public but the public safety professionals out in harm’s way and on the scene. It’s more than just a comfort. It’s sustenance.”

The city has been struck by severe weather in the past year ranging from the freak snowstorm in October to the June 1 tornado.

Robert J. Hassett, the city’s emergency preparedness director, was among officials referring to the mobile van as the fulfillment of a long-term dream. It can be used to assist victims and emergency personnel during Red Cross responses ranging from fires to floods, he said.

The mobile kitchen can provide not only food but also a place where people can be comforted and assisted and serves as a “vehicle of hope,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said.

State Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield, joined in praising the van.

When parked, the van has a large red canvas roof that extends out from the side. There are special containers that keep the food and beverages hot.

“This is exciting,” said Donna M. Toupin, shelter planner for the Red Cross. “This gives us so much more capability. We can serve the community and our clients on a greater basis. It gives us a lot more flexibility.”

Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said 35 to 40 Springfield firefighters were among those who lined the street in front of the church.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 12:39 this afternoon.

WORCESTER – Thousands of firefighters from across the state and around the nation gathered in Worcester Thursday to honor a firefighter killed last week while searching a burning building.

Forty-three-year-old Jon Davies died when he and partner Brian Carroll were trapped as the building collapsed. They were looking for someone believed to be inside who was later found safe.

Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said he attended the funeral along with 35 to 40 other Springfield firefighters who lined the street in front of the church.

Estimates were that there were in excess of 10,000 firefighters there, Leger said, adding, “I saw firefighters there from as far away as Chicago.”

“A death like this pains his family and the Worcester Fire Department and our department as well,” he said.

“It was a solemn event and very respectful,” Leger said. “It was a moving tribute.”

At Thursday’s funeral Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Ann Church, Carroll gave an emotional eulogy, calling Davies a man with a big heart whom he trusted more than anyone. Carroll had been hospitalized after being freed from the rubble.

The Rev. Walter Riley said Davies’ sacrifice changes the community.

State leaders attending included Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray.

Davies’ death came days after the anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage building fire that killed six firefighters in December 1999.

Davies died in a building collapse in the Dec. 8 fire that consumed an Arlington Street three-story house.

Davies died after he and his partner went back into the building when another tenant said Ronald Robbins might be inside. Officials looked for Robbins in the building wreckage for days after the fire before determining the rubble wasn’t hiding a body.

Robbins was arrested Tuesday night in Worcester on warrants unrelated to the fire, including violating a restraining order and assault and battery. Robbins appeared Wednesday in court, where a judge set $5,000 bail.

Authorities said they questioned Robbins about the fire, and their investigation is continuing.