Don't Just Sit There is a non -profit organization made up of 90 students from the Greater Springfield and Hartford area.

LONGMEADOW – From toys to pajamas and snacks 12 families in Springfield had Christmas taken care of by members of the Don’t Just Sit There organization.

“New families are recommended every year by different social service organizations and we choose 12 to adopt for Christmas,” said Nellie Dawson, a senior at Longmeadow High School. “We gather information on the families including their interests and clothing sizes and then starting on Black Friday after Thanksgiving we shop for them.”

Don’t Just Sit There is a non -profit organization made up of 90 students from the Greater Springfield and Hartford area.

“Each student makes a $25 donation to join and then they basically volunteer at different events throughout the year including Rays of Hope, purchasing milk for the soup kitchen and many other activities,” said Amy Kimball, the teen advisor for the Jewish Community Center where the organization is based.

Dozens of students gathered Sunday at the center to load up the hundreds of donated and purchased items for the families. Since November the students have been gathering to purchase and wrap gifts for the families as well as extra gifts that they give out in the community.

The program celebrated its tenth anniversary this year.

“Its a very successful program and has become a family tradition for a lot of people. My family donates gifts every year,” Kimball said.

Adrienne Giguere, of East Longmeadow, participated in the program when she was in high school. Now even as an adult she continues to do the program every year.

“I just think it’s a wonderful thing at Christmas time to be thinking about and giving to those who are less fortunate than myself,” she said. “When I’m out shopping I just don’t think about buying for my family, but I think about things that would be good for the adopted families.”

Kimball said they received donations from Yankee Candle and Lego as well as local organizations. King Ward donated the bus that drove them to each family’s house.

“When we first started the program we took a few cars and a few kids to deliver the presents. Now we have so many people willing to help out. The program has really grown into something special,” Kimball said.

Back in 2001, Smith & Wesson had 600 employees in Springfield. Today, Smith & Wesson has 1,200 employees in Springfield and growing.

Mark M. Murray/ The Republican12/15/11 Springfield - Ryan McIntosh, works on a Venture Rifle at the Thompson/Center area of the Smith and Wesson factory.

SPRINGFIELD – Smith & Wesson, the iconic gunmaker tied to Springfield’s history as tightly as it is tied to Hollywood’s Dirty Harry and his “most powerful handgun in the world,” enjoys a brand recognition of 93 percent.

That means for the vast majority of consumers, Smith & Wesson means firearms like Coca-Cola means soda. And for 159-year-old Smith & Wesson, that brand recognition is beginning to expand beyond revolvers, like the one actor Clint Eastwood carried in the movies, to the semiautomatic pistols favored by modern police forces and military operations as well as rifles.

“The brand now stands for much, much more than that,” said P. James Debney, Smith & Wesson’s president and CEO.

Debney, who’s had the to job since September, spoke recently to a group of area stockbrokers about where Smith & Wesson is now and how far it has come since being sold in 2001 to Saf-T-Hammer, which renamed itself Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. for $15 million in the wake of a series of federal lawsuits and widespread backlash from gun buyers over the company’s agreements with the Clinton administration.

Back in 2001, Smith & Wesson had 600 employees in Springfield. Today, Smith & Wesson has 1,200 employees in Springfield and growing, Debney said.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. reported net sales of $92.2 million during the three months ending at the end of October, up 10.5 percent from the $83.5 million in net sales recorded during the same period in 2010.

Sales were strong across all nearly all firearm products but were offset by a decline in hunting firearm sales, the company said.

Gross profit was $24.6 million, or 26.7 percent of sales, down from $25.4 million or 30.4 percent of sales in the same time period the year before.

The company pinned that profit decrease on costs associated with moving the company’s Thompson/Center rifle business to Springfield from a factory in New Hampshire and costs associated with a recall of Thompson/Center rifles. The company received a $6 million state tax break over seven years and a $600,000 city tax abatement over five years in return for moving the 225 Thompson/Center jobs here.

The move was completed in November, Debney said. Thompson/Center is best known for black powder rifles and other hunting arms. But the hunting market is not growing as an older generation ages out of the sport and younger people fail to take it up as their fathers and grandfathers did.

“But it’s a big market,” Debney said. “It’s not a growing market, but there is a lot of business there.”

The growth in firearms sales has come in guns sold for personal protection, such as pistols and what the industry now calls a modern sporting rifle. Those rifles used to be sold as “tactical” rifles.

Last week, Smith & Wesson announced that Massachusetts State Police has ordered 2,500 M&P pistols chambered in .45ACP and the Vermont State Police has ordered 390 M&P40 pistols. Those orders followed on orders from the Belgian federal police and other agencies both here and abroad.

Debney said 80 percent of Smith & Wesson’s business is with individual consumers and about 20 percent is with police and military.

“But the police and military business gives us credibility in the marketplace,” Debney said. “People learn what their local police agency uses and they take that as a vote of confidence.”

Smith & Wesson is also pursuing contracts to provide handguns to the U.S. military to replace the M9 Beretta adopted in 1985. Smith & Wesson is also trying to sell its handguns to the British Ministry of Defense.

The people who dropped off the pitbull wanted to remain anonymous, and also refused the reward that was offered for his return.

Arnie the pitbull wears a red ribbon as he waits to be reunited on Sunday with his family, who are from Connecticut.

PALMER - Arnie, the pitbull who was stolen from the Palmer Dog Pound nearly three weeks ago, was turned over to Dog Officer Wendy LeSage on Sunday afternoon at the Kmart plaza on Route 20.

LeSage said Arnie will be returned to his original family in Willington, Conn. He was stolen from their yard in August.

She said the two women who dropped him off wanted to remain anonymous. They told her the dog had been at several different homes, and that they loved him and wanted him to be at his home for Christmas. They refused the reward, LeSage said.

LeSage said Arnie's owner was on the way to pick him up, and had all but given up hope of ever getting the dog he called "Moose" back.

"We're glad he's back," LeSage said. "I am thrilled!"

The 1-year-old dog was just about to be adopted when someone scaled the fence at the dog pound, broke the lock, and took him. The theft occurred on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1.

Arnie was picked up on Oct. 20 when he wandered into Gil’s Gym on Wilbraham Street (Route 20). Through publicity about the theft, LeSage was contacted by the dog's original owner.

Last year, a team from the class won a top-five finish in a contest sponsored by the American Society of mechanical Engineers with Water Boy, a pedal-powered water purification system.

Mark M. Murray/ The Republican12/14/11 Springfield- Seniors at Western New England University from left to right, Thomas McLeod , Nate Kuzmeski , Linsay Tencza , Philip Wahl, Nicholas St. John.as a team they show their project the" Smash Cap", prior to their presentation for the product development course.

SPRINGFIELD – For some of the students in the Product Innovation and Development class at Western New England University, inspiration came on the football field.

For others it came on the factory floor of Lenox American Saw East Longmeadow or on a school-sponsored trip to hospitals in Guatemala.

“We saw what their needs are and the equipment and supplies they have to work with,” said Ashley L. Stolarik, a senior majoring biomedical engineering from Wilbraham. “Our product is the answer to that.”

Stolarik, of Essex Junction, Vt., said only new and expensive autoclaves, the ovens that use pressurized steam to sterilize medical equipment, come equipped with timers and thermostats. There is no reliable way to make sure the equipment in the autoclave gets to a germ-killing heat for long enough.

Enter ThermoClock, a small device that uses a thermostat and an old-fashioned hourglass sand timer. The best part for impoverished lands: use it once, flip it over, use it again.

“It’s designed to save them money and help them save lives,” Stolarik said.

Hers was one of five six-student teams in the class. Other projects were a quick-change attachment for hole saws created by a team working with Lenox, a battery charger that attaches to bicycles, a wristband that monitors vital signs and will be marketed to senior citizens and the “smash cap” which monitors the shock forces on athletes’ skulls so concussions are easier to diagnose.

It’s the third year for the class which might expand to two sections next year because of growing interest, said Glenn E. Valle, associate professor of mechanical engineering.

Students in the class are all seniors majoring in an engineering or business discipline. They have to come up with a product as well as a business plan and marketing campaign.

The smash cap has a series of tiny sensors that measure impacts in terms of g-forces. The sensors fit into the tight-fitting skullcaps many football players wear under their helmets and baseball players wear under a batting helmet. It can be used for hockey as well.

Data from the sensors can go to a coach’s cell phone. Players who’ve gotten concussions show up as red which means athletes can’t play down their symptoms, said Nathan H. Kuzmeski, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and a defensive lineman for Western New England’s football team.

“You never want to come out of the game,” he said. “So you just keep saying you are OK.”

Last year, a team from the class won a top-five finish in a contest sponsored by the American Society of mechanical Engineers with Water Boy, a pedal-powered water purification system.

No children were injured in the incident.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE – A school bus driver was arrested and charged with drunken driving and child endangerment after he was stopped by police while dropping off children at their homes Friday afternoon.

Lionel Pilon, 61, of Palmer, was arrested by police when he had stopped at about 3:30 p.m., said Police Lt. Laurence P. Cournoyer.

Police received a call from a school official who reported smelling alcohol on the driver’s breath and told officers where he was heading. Three officers were dispatched to Oak Street where Pilon was letting children off the bus, he said.

“They approached the operator and detected an odor of alcohol,” Cournoyer said. “He took a Breathalyzer (test) and he was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol.”

Pilon was driving a maroon van, not a full-sized school bus. Cournoyer could not say which company he worked for.

All the children on the bus were being dropped off at home when the arrest was made so police did not have to find transportation for them.

Cournoyer said no children were hurt. He did not know how many children were on the bus.

Pilon is scheduled to be arraigned in Holyoke District Court Monday.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.- School Committee, 5:30 p.m., Agawam Junior High School, at 1305 Springfield St. City Council, 7 p.m., Doering School. Amherst Tues.- Public Transportation and Bicycle Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall. Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall. Chicopee Mon.-License Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall....

Republican file photoHolyoke Mayor Elaine Pluta and her grandson Deegan, lower right corner, flip the switch to light the Christmas tree in front of Holyoke City Hall.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Agawam

Mon.- School Committee, 5:30 p.m., Agawam Junior High School, at 1305 Springfield St.

City Council, 7 p.m., Doering School.

Amherst

Tues.- Public Transportation and Bicycle Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Chicopee

Mon.-License Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

Water Commission, 6 p.m., Baskin Drive.

Tues.-City Council, 7:15 p.m., City Hall.

Wed.- School Committee, 7 p.m., 180 Broadway.

Board of Assessors, 10 a.m., City Hall.


East Longmeadow

Mon.- School Committee, 7 p.m., School Committee meeting room.

Tues.- Board of Assessor’s, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Easthampton

Mon.- School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Wed.- Retirement Board, 10: 30 a.m., 199 Northampton St.

Board of Assessors, 5:30 p.m., Payson Ave.

City Council, 6 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Greenfield

Mon.- Community Relations Committee, 6:30 p.m., 321 High St.

Appointment and Ordinance Committee, 7 p.m., 14 Court St.

Tues.- Greenfield Retirement Board, 4 p.m., 14 Court Square.

Board of License Commissioners, 6 p.m., 14 Court Square.

School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., Greenfield Public Library.

Hadley

Tues.- Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Senior Center.

Wed.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Hatfield

Tues.- Library Building Committee, 6 p.m., Dickinson Memorial Building.

Cable Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., Smith Academy.

Wed.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 9 a.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Assessors, 5:30 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Housing Authority, 6:30 p.m., Capawonk.

Holyoke

Mon.- Morgan School Council, 3:45 p.m., Morgan School, 587 South Summer St.

Board of Public Works, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St.

Sewer Commission, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St.

School Committee, 6:15 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

City Council Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Tues.- City Council, 7:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Longmeadow

Mon.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Police Department.

Wed.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m., Police Department.

Monson

Mon.- Keep Homestead Museum Committee, 7 p.m., 29 Thompson St.

Northampton

Mon.- Historical Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall.

Tues.- Transportation and Parking Commission, 4 p.m., Council Chambers.

Smith Vocational High School Board of Trustees, 5 p.m., Smith Vocational High School.

Tree Committee, 6:30 p.m., 125 Locust St.

Wed.- Youth Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Palmer

Mon.- Town Council, 6:30 p.m., town manager interview, Town Building.

Warren

Wed.- Sewer Commissioners, 8 a.m., Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Warren Water District, 1 p.m., 20 Old West Brookfield Road.

West Springfield

Mon.- Public Safety Commission, 5:15 p.m., municipal building.

Planning and Construction Committee, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Town Council, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Tues.- Board of Library Trustees, 7 p.m., West Springfield Public Library.

Wed.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Kim's death was announced Monday by state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

View full sizeFILE - In this Oct. 10, 2010 file photo Kim Jong Un, right, along with his father and North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, left, attends during a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean television announced Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 in a "special broadcast" that its leader Kim Jong Il has died in Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Kyodo News, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died. He was 69.

Kim's death was announced Monday by state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media.

The leader, reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine, was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease.

The news came as North Korea prepared for a hereditary succession. Kim Jong Il inherited power after his father, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, died in 1994.

In September 2010, Kim Jong Il unveiled his third son, the twenty-something Kim Jong Un, as his successor, putting him in high-ranking posts.

The gun jammed after the first shot was fired.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE - A 32-year-old city resident was arrested Sunday on a variety of firearms and drug charges after a police officer witnessed him firing a gun on High Street Sunday.

Wilfredo Velez was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license, discharging a weapon within 500 feet of a building, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and violation of a drug free school zone, Holyoke Police Lt. Matthew Moriarty said.

Responding to a complaint about the firearms, Sgt. Daniel Reardon saw a man in the street fire a bullet into the ground at about 6:15 p.m. The first shot jammed the gun and other police cruisers arrived, distracting Velez and allowing Reardon to disarm Velez and arrest him, Moriarty said.

The driver of the second car was taken to Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton by ambulance.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE – A 48-year-old man was arrested for drunken driving after getting into an accident and injuring a second driver Sunday.

Edward P. Gelineau, of Holyoke, was charged with drunken driving second offense, drunken driving causing serious injury, negligent operation, violation of the open container law and failure to take care while stopping, State Police spokesman Todd Nolan said.

The accident happened at about 6:30 p.m., on the south side of Interstate 91 near Exit 17. Details of the crash were not available, but Gelineau is being accused of causing the accident, which sent a 48-year-old Enfield woman to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Nolan said.

After being placed under arrest, Gelineau was also taken to Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for treatment. His injures were not believed to be serious, Nolan said.

Planning for the rebuilding effort has been organized on two levels: district and citywide.

Attendees gather at the District 2 meeting for Rebuild Springfield on Dec. 14 at the J.C. Williams Community Center in Springfield

Springfield residents continue to work with the city and members of the planning team from Rebuild Springfield to find new ways to repair and revitalize neighborhoods affected by the June 2011 tornado.

Planning for the rebuilding effort has been organized on two levels: district and citywide. While the three planning districts comprise the tornado-stricken neighborhoods, the team is working on a citywide plan that integrates the recommendations into a comprehensive vision for a revitalized, vibrant city as a whole.

The third in a series of individual district meetings took place on Dec.15th at the South End Middle School (District 1 - South End and Metro Center); Dec. 14th at the J.C. Williams Community Center (District 2 - Maple High-Six Corners, Forest Park, Old Hill and Upper Hill); and Dec. 13th at the Greenleaf Community Center (District 3 - East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres).

The third round of meetings builds upon the input gleaned from the previous public meetings in October and November. To date, residents have discussed the strengths and challenges in each neighborhood, and began a visioning process for the future of each district. Participants have also reviewed a draft vision and guiding principles based on community input and have begun an exploratory process of potential initiatives to achieve that vision. In last week's sessions, groups were focused on drafting a workable rebuilding plan, with specific initiatives and steps to achieving a citywide vision for revitalization.

Vision for District 1 and District 2

The District 1 vision is to work together to rebuild a more livable, sustainable, inclusive community with the resources to offer expanded opportunities for everyone. Building upon the themes of connectivity that have emerged from previous meetings, the framework for District 1 includes:

- Make the Main Street spine a vibrant, walkable street with historic character and more destinations to attract residents and visitors.

- Focus density and activity at key locations on Main Street. One example is to make Court Square the gateway to downtown and make the intersection of Union and Main Streets the gateway to the South End.

- Provide a variety of housing options in Metro Center and the South End.

The plan also gives a high priority to saving remaining historic buildings and the historic character of the neighborhood by pursuing and recruiting adaptive reuse options and enacting a "demolition delay" ordinance. The major tenets of the plan activate Main Street through pedestrian-friendly principles, as well as the connection of Main Street with the riverfront by making Union Street a "festival street."

More about the specifics of the housing and commercial/retail strategy, as well as recommendations for partnering and implementation can be found on the Rebuild Springfield website (www.rebuildspringfield.com).

In District 2, the vision is to build on strong relationships and neighborhood pride to proactively reinvest in the community. The draft plan calls for leveraging balanced diversity and unleashing the potential of historic neighborhoods to create beautiful, safe, and thriving communities.

The major moves of the plan include:

- Transform housing with new infill housing and use preservation as a revitalization tool.

- Expand economic opportunities through job training, small business support and promotion and marketing.

- Invest in quality neighborhoods through streetscape improvements and improved transit.

- Strengthen the community through educational institutions. Schools are community anchors that can help strengthen neighborhoods.

- Promote safe and healthy living through community-based initiatives.

- Build community capacity by the development of a comprehensive community services strategy.

Vision for District 3 and overall citywide plan

Stay tuned to this section next Monday for a summary of the work to date in District 3 and learn more about the working draft plan for citywide implementation. The public is invited to share their thoughts about specific ideas and observations about their neighborhood at www.rebuildspringfield.com. The planning team has set up a dedicated website using MindMixer, an online collaboration platform that brings communities together in a virtual town hall, allowing the public to be active participants in the planning process without having to attend the physical meetings in each district.

The site invites citizens to share their ideas, comment on emerging strategies and plans and interact with the ideas that are being developed by the planning team and the city. The public can continue to comment on the MindMixer page of the website until Jan. 13.

The second citywide meeting will be held on Jan. 5 and the final presentation of the Rebuild Springfield Planning Project will take place on Jan. 26. Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anthony's Social Center, 375 Island Pond Road.

Military prosecutors say Sgt. Matthew Gallagher was killed by his roommate during a game in which they tried to see how fast they could draw and aim their 9 mm pistols at the other.

Associated PressIn this Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 photo, a U.S. Army soldier from 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, sits on top of his armored vehicle at Camp Adder during final preparations for the last American convoy to leave Iraq. The U.S. military says the last American troops have left Iraq as the nearly nine-year war ends.

FORT HOOD, Texas — Military prosecutors say a soldier from Massachusetts who died in Iraq was killed by his roommate during a game in which they tried to see how fast they could draw and aim their 9 mm pistols at the other.

Authorities say Sgt. Matthew Gallagher of Falmouth was shot in the head by Sgt. Brent McBride on June 26. Gallagher died a week before his 23rd birthday.

The Cape Cod Times reports that the Army held a hearing Saturday at Fort Hood to determine what charges McBride should face. Both soldiers were with the 1st Cavalry Division.

McBride's attorney called Gallagher's death "a tragic accident." The attorney said McBride and Gallagher were friends who often played the dangerous game and his client did not know his gun was loaded.

The policy debate is complicated but fascinating.

Associated PressHouse Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., second from right, accompanied by fellow committee members, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, to unveil a "comprehensive reform effort aimed to repair the broken budget process".

By MATT MILLER
Special to The Washington Post

The new Wyden-Ryan Medicare framework is the most fascinating policy and political maneuver of the year. Here's why.

First, Rep. Paul Ryan's original Medicare plan was to be the centerpiece of the Democrats' 2012 campaign, featuring all the predictable cries that the GOP is tossing Grandma off a cliff. By making sufficient adjustments to his plan to draw the cooperation of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Ryan has plausibly inoculated his party against a full-frontal Mediscare campaign. Or at least he gives Republicans a credible rebuttal. After all, Wyden got into politics as the founder of the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers. The man has been a champion of seniors for 35 years. If he's standing with Ryan on Medicare, how evil can Ryan (and the GOP) be?

For Wyden's part, he has bravely chosen to incur the wrath of his fellow Democrats for having blunted their demagogic spear. But he's right to do so because, if handled right, premium support may well be part of the answer to Medicare's long-term woes. Wyden has always been one of the few senators focused on big, creative, bipartisan solutions; the Wyden-Bennett bill, for instance, would have moved us sanely beyond our archaic employer-based health system. It was always the best of the health-reform plans offered - and it cost poor Robert Bennett, R-Utah, his job in the Senate.

In this new plan, Wyden gets Ryan to sign onto a key component of that earlier reform, although it has nothing to do with Medicare. Wyden-Ryan would allow firms with fewer than 100 employees the option of giving their workers (on a tax-advantaged basis) the cash the firms would have spent on their health coverage; with this, employees can buy, voucher-style, other policies. Since most small firms offer just one health plan, this is a huge victory for choice. It means that as many as a third of U.S. workers could use the new health-care exchanges - a fantastic expansion of access that was perversely killed by both big business and big labor in the Affordable Care Act endgame.

But there's more. With this new plan, Ryan has signed onto the idea of subsidizing people to buy coverage from well-regulated health exchanges that must take all comers and charge them similar premiums regardless of health status (provisions that did not exist in Ryan's previous plan). If that framework sounds familiar, it should - it basically describes the dreaded Obamacare!

And here's the kicker: Wyden-Ryan has a public option to boot, because fee-for-service Medicare would remain an option for seniors. Ryan is thus now on record for the Affordable Care Act model, more generously funded than was his previous plan, with a public option. But just for seniors. Oh, and for workers at small firms, accounting for a third of America's total employment. Paul Ryan is so close to universal coverage he can almost taste it!

Head-spinning, indeed.

There's still more. The arcane yet crucial change from Ryan's previous model is that the annual growth rate for vouchers would be based on nominal gross domestic product plus 1 percent. In his original plan it increased yearly only by the rate of inflation, which is much less, especially when compounded over time.

Ryan's early, stingier voucher trajectory led my old boss, Alice Rivlin, to walk away from the plan she'd worked on with him and led directly to the Congressional Budget Office's assessment that Ryan's plan would shift massive costs to seniors over time. But Ryan chose that path for a specific political reason: Given that tax increases were off the table in his budget as a matter of ideology, it was the only way to show enough long-run budget savings so he could claim his plan would balance the budget eventually, by 2035.

I always wondered what would have happened if Ryan had stuck to the more generous voucher he and Rivlin had discussed. Now, with Wyden, we'll see.

But here's the delicious part. Follow the bouncing ball: Ryan went lean because he needed to show budget balance at some point (even a ridiculous 24 years from now). And because he dishonestly pretended that we don't need to raise taxes as baby boomers retire, he had to get all his savings from Medicare. Now that Ryan has partnered with Wyden and gained political cover on Medicare, his long-term budget - updated with this new Medicare framework - will never balance at all. In fact, my guess is this plan adds $50 trillion to the national debt by mid-century.

I assume Ryan will still try to play a double game -getting the Medicare cover from Wyden that his party craves while pretending that his overall budget plans solve the problem.

But the jig is up. Wyden has put Ryan in a box where he can be forced to admit that there's no way to get our long-term fiscal house in order without higher taxes as boomers age. (I know it must seem crazy to get excited about forcing a politician to admit the obvious, but that's the kind of breathtaking intellectual dishonesty on taxes we've been dealing with).

If the media are smart and persistent enough to force this question of Ryan's endless debt, Wyden will have set in motion a Republican "uncle" on taxes that could fundamentally alter policy debate in the years ahead.

It's complicated but fascinating.

Now if only these guys could come up with a jobs bill . . . .

Matt Miller, a co-host of public radio's "Left, Right & Center," writes a weekly online column for The Post.

The incident was reported shortly befofre 8:15 a.m. at 7 to 9 Locust St.

Dennis Leger / Springfield Fire Dept.12-19-11 Springfield Firefighters work the scene of carbon monoxide call that sent three people to the hospital. Carbon monoxide levels of 247 parts per million were found. Fire inspectors determined that there were no working carbon monoxide detectors present at number 7 Locust.

SPRINGFIELD – Carbon monoxide poisoning, believed to have come from a defective water heater in the basement of a Locust Street duplex, sent three to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning Monday morning.

Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said the incident was reported shortly before 8:15 a.m. at 7-9 Locust St.

Carbon monoxide as high as 247 part-per-million was detected inside 7 Locust St., Leger said. Carbon monoxide at 35 parts-per-million prompts emergency personnel to evacuate the premises and symptoms - including nausea, headache, lethargy - typically begin to appear at 100 parts-per-million, he said.

The victims are ages 16, 24 and 25, Leger said.

One of the property’s carbon monoxide detectors was missing and those remaining were not functioning, Leger said, adding that additional heating equipment may have contributed to the carbon monoxide poisoning.

The home at 7 Locust St. will remain uninhabitable until the equipment is repaired and the carbon monoxide detectors are functioning properly.

The next Planning Board meeting will likely be Jan. 10

EASTHAMPTON – When the Planning Board meets next early next year, it will have a full complement of members with two recent City Council Appointments.

The council named outgoing City Councilor Ronald D. Chateauneuf to the board while Planning Board member Chester A. Ogulewicz Jr. becomes a councilor after winning the election in November. Chateauneuf did not seek reelection.

Stuart B. Beckley

The council also appointed Jesse Belcher-Timme, currently an associate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals to the board. He replaces Ann M. Parizo who did not seek reappointment.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik said he Belcher-Timme is a lawyer as is Parizo.

In November the council named David Gardner to the Planning Board to replace Edwin Quinn, who resigned after the board denied a special permit for the Parsons Village affordable housing project proposed for New City.

That vote for the housing project was 2 to 1 in favor, but needed four votes for approval. Parizo had abstained and the board was down a member at that time.

Having a full complement of members is important for votes like that special permit, which require a so-called super majority, said City Planner Stuart Beckley. “It takes four out of five members to be there, having that quorum is very important to keep projects moving along.”

Also, he said having a full board “gives multiple viewpoints.”

Members Harry Schumann and Chester Seklecki are the two board veterans.
While the board is slated to meet Dec. 27, Beckley believes that meeting will be canceled with the next meeting Jan. 10.

The city, meanwhile, has hired Northampton resident Benjamin Webb as the assistant planner, who will work part-time.

Beckley said, “He’ll keep track of projects, especially economic development projects.”
.
Beckley, meanwhile, who has been in the city for 22 years, could be leaving soon. Members of the Ware town manager search committee recommended that Beckley be chosen for that position. Officials and Beckley need to discuss a contract.

Teachers say they need to be better prepared to serve a growing English language learner population as the state weighs new training for about 40,000 educators.

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2010 file photo Kim Jong Un, right, along with his father and North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, left, attends during a massive military parade (AP File Photo)

• North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il dies from heart attack [MassLive.com]


• School leaders await details on new training program to instruct about 40,000 teachers on teaching non-English speaking students [Metrowest Daily News]


• David Hickman, 4,474th U.S. service member killed in Iraq, perhaps the last [Washington Post]


• South Korean news service Yonhap reports North Korean missile test following news of dictator's death [Time]


• U.S. officials announce progress in talks with Taliban [Reuters]


• Generator permit applications skyrocket in Connecticut following October snowstorm [Hartford Courant]


• CEOs of large companies see no upturn in hiring [Daily Hampshire Gazette]


• 22-year-old N.Y. med-student wins 23rd 'Survivor: South Pacific' [Boston.com]

Kevin Kennedy has been an aide to U.S. Rep. Richard Neal for more than 25 years, serving to help advance development projects ranging from a State Street corridor revitalization to the construction of a new federal courthouse and state data center.

Kevin E. Kennedy

SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno on Monday announced the appointment of Kevin E. Kennedy, who serves is an aide to U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, as the city’s new chief development officer.

Kennedy, 59, of 54 South Shore Drive, will oversee the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, and serve as the city’s top economic development official.

His annual salary is $125,000.

Kennedy has worked as an aide to Neal, D-Springfield, for more than 25 years, and has been Neal’s chief economic development assistant since 1989.

Sarno, during a press conference at City Hall, said Kennedy brings a “nuts and bolts” philosophy to the position, and “is about getting the job done.” Many local and regional officials from the business sector attended the announcement.

Sarno praised Kennedy as a lifelong Springfield resident “who is exceptionally well-suited” for the job of chief development officer.

“He is a seasoned professional who possesses the knowledge and experience to navigate the economic development waters on the federal, state and local levels as well as with the private-sector.”

Neal attended the press conference and described Kennedy as a "creative thinker, and forceful thinker.

"You always search for employees who are competent and loyal," Neal said. "With Kevin Kennedy, you get both."

Sarno said Kennedy has shown leadership in advancing several major development projects in Springfield, on behalf of Neal, including the $17 million State Street corridor revitalization project, the $63 million federal courthouse on State Street, and the $110 million redevelopment of a state data center at the former Technical High School property.

As the new chief development officer, Kennedy will also oversee community development, housing, neighborhood development, and code enforcement, as well as staffing of the redevelopment and industrial development financing authorities.

Kennedy replaces Christopher J. Moskal, who has been serving as interim chief development officer since the resignation of John D. Judge in May.

Moskal has been transferred to become executive director of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, at an annual salary of $97,950.

Kennedy has served as Neal’s aide both in Congress and when Neal served as mayor of Springfield.

The dog's owner, Ruz Martir-Lopez of Springfield, said Kozik was a coward for not appearing in court to answer the charges, to which she has pleaded not guilty.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanSharon M. Kozik is seen trimming a Shih Tzu in 2002.

PALMER - Dog groomer Sharon M. Kozik, owner of Lotte’s Professional Dog Grooming in Wilbraham, was arraigned Monday in absentia on animal cruelty charges in Palmer District Court.

Judge Patricia T. Poehler granted a motion by Kozik's attorney to let her skip the arraignment and the reading of the charges. Poehler said Kozik, 51, must stay 100 feet away from the owner of a toy poodle she is accused of killing by striking him on the head with a pair of electric clippers.

The dog's owner, Ruz Martir-Lopez of Springfield, said Kozik was a "coward" for not appearing in court to answer the charges, to which she has plead not guilty. Poehler also ordered Kozik not to contact Martir-Lopez and to go to the court by the end of the day to sign off on the conditions.

Kozik was charged with killing "Rusty" after an investigation by Wilbraham police and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Kozik originally told investigators the dog died of a seizure, but a necropsy revealed a skull fracture, according to MSPCA Officer Christine Allenberg.

When confronted with the report, Kozik claimed she had struck Rusty with her hand, according to Allenberg. She said the dog had bitten one of her employees, so she put a muzzle on him. Martir-Lopez said Rusty was on a tranquilizer to treat anxiety.

Allenberg said one of Kozik's employees notified authorities when she witnessed the alleged abuse. Kozik is not charged with misleading investigators.

"This case is pretty rock solid," said Allenberg. She encouraged anyone who witnesses abuse to contact authorities.

"Animals can't speak for themselves. People need to stand up and do the right thing," she said.

Ruz Martir - Lopez

Lotte's was open Monday, which outraged Martir-Lopez, but Allenberg said the police have no power to close it. She said dog groomers are not licensed, so customers should look to the Better Business Bureau for reviews before choosing one.

"I pray every day that they close (Lotte's), at least until further investigation," said Martir-Lopez.

"We don't sleep right, we don't eat right," she said of her family. "And she's still working,"

She said she brought Rusty to Kozik for 2 ½ years and Kozik knew he was "feisty." The tranquilizer was Kozik's idea, she said.

"She should have called me if she had a problem," she said. "Sharon, you told me, 'I'll never hurt your pup.'"

Kozik's attorney, Robert Murphy, declined to speak to the press after the arraignment. When contacted at Lotte's, Kozik declined to comment.

A pre-trial conference is set for Jan. 20. If convicted, Kozik faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison or 2 ½ years in the House of Correction.

Regular office hours will resume at 1 p.m.

SOUTH HADLEY - Due to the death of a member of the collector’s family, the South Hadley collector’s office will be closed on Dec. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The office is located at 116 Main St.

Republican Sen. Scott Brown was outspoken against his House colleagues on Monday, chastising their refusal to sign a compromised two-month extension of the payroll tax-cut and unemployment benefits.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass. spoke out against House Republicans on Monday after they announced they wouldn't pass a two-month extension of the payroll tax-cut and unemployment benefits. (Republican file photo by Michael S. Gordon)

WASHINGTON D.C. - Republican Sen. Scott Brown was outspoken against his counterparts in the House of Representatives on Monday, chastising their refusal to sign a compromised two-month extension of the payroll tax-cut and unemployment benefits.

"The House Republicans’ plan to scuttle the deal to help middle-class families is irresponsible and wrong," Brown said in a statement. "I appreciate their effort to extend these measures for a full year, but a two-month extension is a good deal when it means we avoid jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions of American families. The refusal to compromise now threatens to increase taxes on hard-working Americans and stop unemployment benefits for those out of work."

The bill which was shot down on Sunday by Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, would extend this year's 4.2 payroll tax rate through February. Without congressional action, the rate will revert to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, costing 160 million workers a two-month tax break worth nearly $170 annually.

The bill would continue extra unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed, which would also expire Jan. 1. The bill would also prevent a 27 percent decrease in doctors' Medicare reimbursements from occurring on New Year's Day, a cut that could discourage some physicians from treating Medicare-covered patients.

The Senate compromised on the bill last week, watering down some of the hard-line provisions of the bill included by members of the House of Representatives. On Saturday, it passed the Senate with an 89-10 vote.

On Sunday, Boehner hinted that for the House to pass the extension, it must be for a full year and the bill would also have to include a provision that blocks the Obama administration from enacting anti-pollution rules.

With polls showing that the public opinion of Congress is in the single digits, Brown lashed out at what he called an "unwillingness to compromise."

"During this time of divided government, both parties need to be reasonable and come to the negotiating table in good faith," Brown said. "We cannot allow rigid partisan ideology and unwillingness to compromise stand in the way of working together for the good of the American people."

Another contentious item included in the bill is the Keystone XL pipeline. With the bill's current language, President Obama would have two months to decide whether to build the Alberta, Canada, to Texas oil pipeline, only giving him the ability to strike it down if it is not in the nation's best interests.

Republicans, including Brown, have widely supported building the pipeline while Democrats have been torn between two groups which traditionally support them: unions and environmentalists.

Brown may have been a minority with his in-party criticism on Monday, but he wasn't alone. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, told MSNBC Monday that he hopes House republicans will pass the bill, calling it what's "best for the country."

Both Brown and Lugar's Senate seats are up for grabs in the upcoming 2012 election.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.

Saab field for bankruptcy in Sweden

Associated Press photoSaab Automobile's President and Chairman Victor Muller speaks to media during a news conference in Trollhattan, Sweden, Monday. Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy with a Swedish court on Monday, bringing to an end two years of efforts to rescue the iconic brand which has been the hallmark of Swedish cars for six decades. (Photo by Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/Scanpix Sweden)

SOUTH DEERFEILD – Michael P. Bedard, owner of Pioneer Saab Volvo in South Deerfield said he still has three new Saabs on the lot.

“I’ll sell them,” he said Monday, hours after the beleaguered Swedish carmaker filed for a final bankruptcy and announced plans to liquidate and go out of business. “We are still open for service and parts. I have no idea what is going to play out now.”

He’s been in the business of selling Saabs, sure-footed sporty cars beloved in the snowy Northeast, since 1964. Back then, Saab made cars with two-stoke engines.

“You had to teach people how to mix the gas and the oil,” Bedard said.

He blames General Motors for Saab’s demise,

Stole what they could from them then dumped them. It didn’t help us any,” Bedard said. “Then they refused to let the Chinese buy Saab, which really killed them.”

Walts Brothers Auto Repair in West Springfield specializing in fixing European brands including Saabs. His phone was ringing off the hook Monday.

He said parts for everyday maintenance and repairs, like brakes, belts and hoses, are made by independent manufacturers anyway, so they should still be available.

But Walts fears having trouble getting replacement body parts like fenders and hoods for Saabs.

“They could be made by aftermarket manufacturers, but will there be enough demand?” he said.

Walts’ parts suppliers have already started buying up stock from dealerships that are going out of business.

Damon S. Cartelli, president and general manager at Fathers & Sons, Porsche Audi Volvo Saab Volkswagen Kia in West Springfield, said he’s waiting to learn more about the situation.

More details coming in The Republican.