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Chicago psychiatrist sentenced in Northampton to 10 years in prison after admitting to having sex with a 15-year-old

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Batchu is already serving a 30-year federal sentence for crossing state lines to commit the crime.

NORTHAMPTON – A Chicago psychiatrist was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape of a child in Hampshire Superior Court Monday.

Mani Batchu, 32, a resident at University of Illinois at Chicago, admitted to having sex on two occasions with a 15-year-old Western Massachusetts girl he had met online. Batchu is already serving a 30-year federal sentence for crossing state lines to commit the crime.

Batchu admitted having sex with the girl at an Amherst conservation area and in a dressing room of a store in a Hadley shopping mall.


Judge delays ruling in suit seeking details of Phoebe Prince settlement with South Hadley

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Prince was a South Hadley High School freshman when she committed suicide in Jan. 2010.

fct rup.jpgJudge Mary Lou Rup is seek in Franklin Superior Court in March.

NORTHAMPTON – A Hampshire Superior Court judge delayed making a decision Monday on a request to release information concerning a settlement between the family of Phoebe Prince and the town of South Hadley.

Reporter Emily Bazelon, who has been writing about the case for the online magazine Slate, filed a suit against the town seeking the information after her requests for documents had been denied.

American Civil Liberties Lawyer William C. Newman, who is representing Bazelon, told Judge Mary-Lou Rup that the documents should be available to the public and that any claims of confidentiality do not apply in the matter. South Hadley Town Counsel Edward Ryan told Rup that he would comply with her decision.

Phoebe Prince square mug shot.JPGPhoebe Prince

Ryan said no other South Hadley officials are privy to the information in the settlement, although he did note that one of the terms of the settlement is the town and all of its employees are indemnified from further legal complaints by the Prince family concerning their daughter’s death.

Prince, 15, a freshman at South Hadley High School, killed herself in January 2010 after what investigators have described as a period of intense bullying at school.

The $2.2 million expansion of Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club completed in 6 months

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The official grand opening is being scheduled for Feb. 11.

Mw  add.jpg William R. Parks , executive director of the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls club, stands inside one the of new classrooms on the first floor of the club which is finishing up the work on the addition which the classsroom are part of.

WESTFIELD – In just six months, the Westfield Boys and Girls Club has completed its $2.2 million ‘raise the roof’ expansion, nearly doubling the size of the West Silver Street facility.

Formal markings for the new gymnasium floor are being done this week and could be open to the club’s 1,600 members within days.

A formal grand opening of the expansion, which added a second story to the building, is scheduled for Feb. 11.

“Just six months,” said William R. Parks, club director. “There is still some minor interior work remaining but it will be use any day now,” he said.

“The community has been very supportive of this initiative, including the city’s Gas and Electric Department that is assisting with new heating, and lighting. This will be one of the most energy efficient buildings in the area,” said Parks.

Barry "Bo" Sullivan, chairman of the club’s Board of Directors, added “There is a whole lot of credit that must be given to our staff and members of the community. The people in our community really got behind this project and made it a reality.”

The project was financed through fund-raising under the stewardship of Holy Amanti, Patti A. Andras, Tricia Knapik and Lisa Sullivan. General contractor was the O’Leary Group of Southampton.

Work started at the end of May, marking the first expansion of the club since it opened at the West Silver Street site in 1991.

“We just outgrew our space and the expansion was necessary to meet the needs of our membership,” Parks said.

Parks said the club still needs to raise between $500,000 and $600,000 to balance the books on the project. That effort is expected to be completed shortly, he said.

In addition to the second floor, which creates a new gymnasium, the project involved renovation of the front entrance, updating the kitchen and new storage and office space. It allows the club to expand current programs and services and create new ones, Parks said.

An average of 300 youngsters attend programs at the club daily. The Teen Center served an average of 50 teenagers daily.

Chicopee Comprehensive High School students nearly finished building a house

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Carpentry students did the majority of the work but a number of departments also assisted.

chicopee comprehensive houseChicopee Comprehensive High School carpentry students are seen recently finishing up the building of a house at 820 McKinstry Ave. that will soon be for sale. Landscaping and carpentry students are working on the outside with one of their teachers.

CHICOPEE – About 50 people attended the showing of a house Sunday built almost completely by students.

Since October 2010, Comprehensive High School students have been building the two-story, 1,200-square house at 820 McKinstry Ave. While carpentry students have lead the project, most of their classmates in other departments including electrical, drafting, horticulture and building and grounds were involved.

When asked what they learned, Matthew Knorr, 18, a senior carpentry student answered “So much.”

“I learned a lot. All the professional cuts you learn to make was really important,” said Brandon Siebold, 17, a senior.

The house was framed in part during last winter when there was snowstorm-after-snowstorm. Students had to work through the cold and, because the roof had not been finished, even had to shovel out the second floor several times before they could go to work, said Spencer Hastings, 18, a senior.

Hastings said building the house from the bottom up made him realize he had selected the right career. He was also able to take that experience to find a job this summer working as a carpenter’s assistant for the city.

“Just being outside is good. It is what I want to do,” Hastings said.

In fact most of the students were able to find summer jobs in carpentry or construction.

When asked what was the hardest part, all the students agreed lifting the roof trusses to the second floor without a crane was not easy.

The project began in the summer when the city took the small lot for back taxes. A non-profit agency, sent up through the school department, bid on and purchased the land for $30,000. It then secured a construction loan for $140,000 so students could purchase materials.

Local contractor Nicholas J. Riley, owner of N Riley Construction of Chicopee, volunteered as the general contractor to help the school. His company did the foundation work and hired subcontractors for plumbing, siding and will later do the painting and some of the flooring, said Al Styckiewicz, one of the carpentry teachers.

But even when subcontractors came in, students worked with them to do jobs such as hanging wallboard. The only thing they were not involved with was installing the siding because it was done over the summer, he said.

“It is so nice to drive by and say we built this house,” said Tina Neidermeier, 17, a senior. “When we first got here it was just dirt and trees.”

The first step was to clear the lot, which was done mostly by horticulture and building and grounds students. The cellar was then dug and foundation poured by a subcontractor. Students did some work on the foundation, said Travis Lelievre, 17, a senior.

Students then started building the floor frame and installing the support beams in the cellar, he said.

“Then we did the walls on the first floor and kept going up to finish the second floor,” he said.

Students did not finish the roof but did put up the trusses and plywood over it. They also worked on the garage, Lelievre said.

Then the crews started on the interior walls and installing windows and doors. Classmates from the electrical department started working on the wiring and lights for the house, Neidermeier said.

The house has a kitchen, living room and half-bath with laundry hook-up on the first floor. The second floor has three bedrooms with large closets and a full bath. It also comes with a one-car garage.

Students still have to finish the staircases, do trim work and install all the cabinets. They are hoping to finish the work by February because payments of the loan are coming due, Styckiewicz said.

“I love it. It is really nice,” Knorr said.

The house is scheduled to be put on the market in February.

East Longmeadow selects Corinne Tranghese as benefit administrator

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East Longmeadow has hired Corinne Tranghese as the new benefits administrator.

East Longmeadow town seal.jpg

EAST LONGMEADOW The town last week tapped Corinne Tranghese as its new benefits administrator.

Tranghese, who has hired in December of 2009 as the benefits coordinator, was the only internal candidate for the position.

“We are happy to be able to hire someone internally who has the capabilities and hard work ethic that she does,” said selectman chairman James D. Driscoll.

Tranghese, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from American International College, will now have a management position.

Driscoll said her job responsibilities have grown in the past year to include some human resources issues, collective bargaining and other contract negotiations as well as setting up town employees and retirees with health care benefits.

“Her position has taken on more of a management role as she makes recommendations about what health care plan the town should go with and is involved in collective bargaining negotiations,” he said.

The board is currently in salary negotiations with Tranghese.

During its meeting last week, the selectmen also granted Patsy’s Pizzeria and Ristorante, on North Main Street, the right to establish a bar area with 14 stools, pending approval from the Planning Board. The restaurant already has a liquor license.

Patsy Liquori has been a business owner in town for more than 30 years. He said he would like to expand the bar area for patrons who might just want a drink or individual diners who might not want to sit at a table for four. The kitchen will remain open during the evening hours.

“He is not trying to create a night club atmosphere, he just wants to stay competitive with the other restaurants in town,” Driscoll said. “It’s a wonderful family owned restaurant and it’s our job as government to help out our corporate partners.”

The change will not affect the parking or seating plan in the restaurant.

Republicans Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney begin final pitches before Iowa caucuses

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Polls in Iowa and nationally show Gingrich ahead of Romney in the race for the GOP nomination to challenge Obama in November.

Mitt Romney, Newt GingrichRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. W. Mitt Romney, speaks as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, smiles during a Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday. (Photo by Eric Gay, Pool)

WASHINGTON – Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is going after the conservative primary voters he needs to win in Iowa while chief rival W. Mitt Romney’s advantage in money and organization is allowing him to look ahead to the general election.

With about two weeks left until voters begin assessing the GOP field, Gingrich pressed his criticism of federal judges and the Supreme Court. Romney defended his public and private-sector record against likely Democratic attacks.

Gingrich resumed campaigning Monday, with events planned in eastern Iowa, after taking the weekend off. Romney was appearing on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Romney also announced another endorsement, from Sen. Mark Kirk. The Illinois Republican said America needs Romney’s “managerial talent, team-building spirit and hard-nosed sense of economic common sense.”

On Sunday, both candidates took to the airwaves.

Gingrich mounted a broad attack on federal judges and the Supreme Court, arguing that they legislate from the bench and wield too much power in the country.

His argument could resonate in a state like Iowa, where Republicans fought a protracted battle with state Supreme Court judges over gay marriage.

“There is steady encroachment of secularism through the courts to redefine America as a nonreligious country and the encroachment of the courts on the president’s commander in chief powers, which is enormously dangerous,” the former House speaker said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

In a rare Sunday talk-show appearance, Romney portrayed himself as Republican best able to defeat President Barack Obama next year.

Romney defended his years making millions in private business, claiming he can handle expected attacks from Democrats who are already trying to paint him as out of touch. He also argued that his tax proposal is kinder to the middle class and less generous to the rich than the flat-tax proposals put forward by his rivals, including Gingrich.

“The president’s going to go after me,” the former Massachusetts governor said on Fox News Sunday. “I’ll go after him.”

Polls in Iowa and nationally show Gingrich ahead of Romney in the race for the GOP nomination to challenge Obama in November. Gingrich has acknowledged that repeated attacks by Romney and others have taken a toll on his campaign.

In a bid to stay out front, Gingrich is focusing on ideology as he courts the Iowa conservatives he needs to win the Jan. 3 caucuses and challenge Romney’s well-organized campaign in what could become a drawn-out primary.

Gingrich contrasted his endorsement by the “reliably conservative” Manchester Union Leader newspaper in New Hampshire with the decision by Iowa’s Des Moines Register, which has a more left-leaning editorial board, to back Romney.

“I think that indicates who the conservative in this race is,” Gingrich said.

The two have set up a choice for primary voters between a candidate, Romney, who hasn’t excited the conservative base but emphasizes his appeal to the independents needed to win the White House, or Gingrich, the candidate who sounds more conservative.

All the candidates were making last-ditch appeals before the holiday week sets in. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum were campaigning in Iowa on Monday. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman was in New Hampshire, where the primary is set for Jan. 10.

Their campaigns and the special political action committees that support them were planning major ad offensives on the television airwaves.

Gingrich’s campaign planned to spend about $14,000 on ads while his rivals and their allies were set to dwarf that with more than $1.3 million in commercials promoting themselves or attacking Gingrich.

In a sign of his increased confidence, Romney pulled back from his aggressive attacks on Gingrich in recent days and shifted the focus back to Obama.

Romney also has been trying harder to humanize himself and spoke emotionally Sunday about his wife’s struggle with multiple sclerosis.

He said the “toughest time” in his life was waiting in the doctor’s office for her diagnosis. He said he feared she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal degenerative nerve condition.

The doctor “did these neurological tests, and then he – and we could see that she had real balance problems and she didn’t have feeling in places she should have feeling,” Romney said. “And he stepped out of the room, and we stood up and hugged each other, and I said to her, ‘As long as it’s not something fatal, I’m just fine. Look, I’m happy in life as long as I’ve got my soul mate with me.’”

“If you think about what makes a difference to you in your life, it’s people,” he continued. “Life is all about the people you love.”

Gingrich, meanwhile, appeared relaxed and jovial in his interview. He acknowledged his comeback exceeded even his expectations. Top campaign aides resigned en mass earlier this year and his White House bid was burdened by deep debt.

“As we were sliding down. I thought I could fight my way back up to being in the top three or four,” Gingrich said. “But I think positive ideas and positive solutions ... have attracted people. I think they like the idea of someone who’s determined to be positive.”

Psychiatrist Mani Batchu gets 10 years in prison for rape of Western Massachusetts girl

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According to defense lawyer Francis O’Brien, the victim had previously posed as an 18-year-old online and had relationships with other older men.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:36 this afteroon.


AE Mani Batchu 1Chicago psychiatrist Mani Batchu, right, appears in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton last month.

NORTHAMPTON – In a high-stakes game of “he said-she said,” a Hampshire Superior Court judge gave more credence to the female victim Monday, sentencing a Chicago psychiatrist to 10 years in prison for child rape.

Mani Batchu, 32, a resident psychiatrist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, admitted to have sex with the 15-year-old girl on two occasions in 2009, once at the Mount Pollux Conservation Area in Amherst and once in a dressing room at the Hadley Shopping Plaza. In seeking the 1-year sentence, prosecutor Carrie M. Russell called Batchu a “sophisticated predator” who took advantage of both the girl’s age and her earning disability.

Batchu is already serving a 30-year federal sentence for crossing state lines to commit the crimes. In addition to flying from Chicago to meet the girl in Massachusetts, he also followed her to Florida on a family vacation and sent her hundreds of email and texts, according to prosecutors.

Batchu had previously pleaded guilty to the charges against him before Judge Bertha D. Josephson, but Josephson recused herself before sentencing him, saying that she had had inadvertent contact with a family member connected to the case. Judge Mar-Lou Rup heard the same plea and the same evidence from Russell on Monday. Rup also heard a reprisal by the girl’s mother of a victim’s statement written by her daughter in which she told Batchu, “You got me to do things a 15-year-old should never even know about.”

The mother also repeated her own statement, which included a long recounting of the relationship and how it affected the family. She told the judge that Batchu used his training to brainwash her child and that he originally posed as an 18-year-old South Hadley resident named “Mark Taylor,” whose father was dying of prostate cancer. The mother told Rup she was offended by defense assertions at the preceding plea that family problems contributed to her daughter’s actions.

Defense lawyer Francis T. O’Brien took the usual step of addressing the mother in court as he refuted her account. According to O’Brien, the victim had previously posed as an 18-year-old online and had relationships with other older men.

“I’ve never seen this opportunity used as a forum for blaming everything that ever happened to your dysfunctional family on this man,” O’Brien told the woman before Rup instructed him to direct his comments to the court.

O’Brien, who was seeking a five-year sentence, contended that there was “an utter lack of any sense of accountability” by the family and said, “It’s time to look in the mirror.” He also reiterated that there were cultural differences involved in the case and that it was “the most extreme example of prosecutorial over-kill I have ever seen.”

Bathu was born in India. According to O’Brien, his mother, who was present in court, was married to his father at age 15.

Rup opted for the higher sentence, also adopting Russell’s recommendation that it be followed by 10 years probation. If Batchu is released from prison while still under probation, he will be barred from having any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

PM News Links: Gas prices drop for 5th straight week, study examines adolsecent arrest patterns, and more

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Study finds 30 percent of Americans are arrested for offenses other than minor traffic violations before the age of 23.

Michael ReedMichael Reed fills his gas tank at a station in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday. Click on the link, above left, for a report from the Associated Press about gasoline prices dropping for the fifth week in a row in Massachusetts. (Photo by Chuck Burton)

Phoebe Prince settlement documents could soon be made public

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Bazelon said after the proceeding that she sees the settlement as part of the lager Prince story she has been chronicling.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 2:15 this afternoon.


Bazelon Newman Rup 121911.jpgSlate magazine reporter Emily Bazelon and American Civil Liberties Union lawyer William C. Newman appear in front of Superior Court Judge Mary Lu Rup in Northampton on Monday.

NORTHAMPTON – The public might soon know the details of a settlement between the town of South Hadley and the family of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old high school freshman whose suicide sparked an international campaign against school bullying.

Judge Mary-Lou Rup heard arguments Monday in Hampshire Superior Court on a demand by reporter Emily Bazelon that the town release documents pertaining to a Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination complaint that Anne O’Brien and Jeremy Prince, Phoebe’s parents, brought against South Hadley subsequent to her death in January of 2010. Town Counsel Edward J. Ryan has contended that he is bound by confidentiality from releasing the information. No other South Hadley official admits to knowing the details of the settlement.

According to prosecutors who investigated Prince’s suicide, she killed herself after a period of intense bullying at South Hadley High School. Six former classmates were charged in connection with the case but none was ever sentenced to jail time. Prince’s parents contend that school officials bore some responsibility, claiming claimed they failed to protect their daughter from discrimination amounting to sexual harassment. They dropped the complaint in November of 2010 when the two parties settled, but the amount of the settlement was never revealed.

American Civil Liberties Union lawyer William C. Newman, who represents Bazelon, told Rup that the public has a right to know the details because the settlement likely increased the town’s insurance premiums and deductible. Even if that is not the case, Newman argued, confidentiality cannot apply to the documents. In addition to the settlement amount, Bazelon, who writes for the on-line publication Slate, wants to know if the defendants, including the town, are indemnified from future claims by the terms of the settlement.

Ryan told Rup that the settlement, indeed, fully protects School Superintendent Gus A. Sayer, former high school principal Dan Smith and the town itself from further legal action by the Prince family. Ryan put up little resistance to Bazelon’s demands, telling Rup, “It’s certainly my intention to abide by the order of the court.”

Bazelon said after the proceeding that she sees the settlement as part of the lager Prince story she has been chronicling.

“I think the public has a right to know how the case was resolved,” she said.

Should Rup rule in Bazelon’s favor, the documents would immediately be available to the public.

Faulty electrical line on Tapley Street in Springfield knocks out Internet service at STCC campus

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The faulty line on Tapley Street caused the STCC campus, more than a mile away, to lose its Internet service until 1 p.m.

This is an update to a story that was first posted at 9 a.m.

target="_blank">SPRINGFIELD - Problems with an electrical line on Tapley Street Monday morning knocked out power and caused traffic tie ups to the immediate vicinity for 90 minutes, and caused Springfield Technical Community College to lose Internet connections until the mid-afternoon, officials said.

Police were notified by a 911 call just before 6:15 a.m. of a power line sparking on Tapley Street. Crews with Western Massachusetts Electric Co. were called and were on scene by 6:30 a.m., according to spokeswoman Sandra Ahearn.

Crews found a faulty secondary power line that needed to be replaced, she said. Ahearn said the line never caught fire, as had been reported, but it was arcing.

Service was back to normal before 8 a.m., she said. Only a small number of electrical customers were directly effected by a loss of power.

Joan Thomas, director of marketing for Springfield Technical Community College, said the line problem on Tapley Street knocked out Internet service at the STCC campus more than a mile away.

The loss of a connection caused inconveniences on campus but no major problems, she said. Service was restored by about 1 p.m., she said.

Tapley Street runs between St. James Avenue and Bay Street in the city's Bay neighborhood.

Map showing the distance between Tapley Street and the STCC campus.

View Larger Map


Sarah Palin: Not too late to enter GOP presidential race

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Asked by Fox Business Network about the likelihood that she'd become a candidate, Palin said, "Who knows what will happen in the future."

sarah palin, apIn this Friday, April 23, 2010 file photo, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin leaves the Federal Courthouse with her husband Todd Palin after court recessed for lunch, in Knoxville, Tenn.

JUNEAU, Alaska — Sarah Palin says it's not too late for someone to jump into the Republican presidential race.

Asked by Fox Business Network about the likelihood that she'd become a candidate, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee said it's not too late for "folks" to jump in. Said Palin: "Who knows what will happen in the future."

The full interview is scheduled for broadcast Monday night.

Palin told Fox News Channel over the weekend that she felt no enthusiasm for anyone in the current GOP field and that she needed to feel something before she would offer an endorsement.

Palin said in October that she wouldn't seek the GOP nomination. She said she could be more effective helping others get elected.

Obituaries today: Nadia Tompkins, 86, was nurse, member of Famous Poets Society

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Obituaries from The Republican.

12_19_11_Tompkins,Nadia.jpgNadia S. Tompkins

Nadia S. Tompkins, 86, of Pittsfield and Springfield passed away Friday at Mount Greylock Extended Care in Pittsfield. Born Nov. 12, 1925, she graduated from New Marlborough High School in 1943. She studied nursing at Mount Sinai School of Nursing in New York and in 1946 was capped as a U.S. Army Cadet Nurse. She later served as a nurse and Certified Home Health Aide in Springfield. A member of the Famous Poets Society, she published her prose and poetry in the International Library of Poetry.

Obituaries from The Republican:

Prosecutor tells jurors Miguel Roman fatally shot Shaun Tiago as they rode in car with 3 other men

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2 men who had been Roman's co-defendants in the murder case will testify against him.

AE__MURDER_CHARGE_4_6798925.JPGMiguel Roman at February 2010 arraignment on murder charge

SPRINGFIELD – A prosecutor told Hampden Superior Court jurors Monday Miguel Roman shot and killed 28-year-old Shaun M. Tiago and dumped his body on Newton Street in Holyoke, where it froze to the ground in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2010.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez said in his opening statement two of the people who will testify to Roman’s guilt were in the car at the time of the shooting.

Defense lawyer Greg T. Schubert told jurors in his opening statement those two men – Felipe Gonzalez of Chicopee and Luis Soto of Springfield – were also charged with Tiago’s murder for 21 months, until the state dropped murder charges against them.

Now they are testifying against Roman and they still each face a charge of accessory after the fact to murder, Schubert said.

He told jurors a third man, Angel Gonzalez of Holyoke – Felipe Gonzalez’ brother – still faces a murder charge for Tiago’s fatal shooting. Angel Gonzalez’s case is still pending, with the state bringing Roman, 45, of Holyoke, to trial first.

Velazquez said Tiago, of Chicopee, used and sold drugs and probably had a number of people who would want to hurt him.

“The rest of the group also used drugs,” he said of the four men in the car with Tiago when he was shot.

Jurors heard from a succession of witnesses Monday, including a resident who looked out her window and saw “boots” of someone lying in the road. She told her sister to call police, and that’s when they found Tiago, about 45 or 50 minutes after the was dropped, Velazquez said.

The prosecution alleges the five men were in the car and Roman shot Tiago. Velazquez said the Gonzalez brothers and Soto, who was the driver of the car, got out of the car on Essex Street and Roman drove off and dumped Tiago’s body on Newton Street, then returned the car to a convenience store where the other men had gone.

The trial continues today in front of Judge Constance M. Sweeney.

Auditor Suzanne Bump finds Massachusetts spent $47.9 million on court-appointed lawyers without confirming if defendants qualify for aid

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None of the 27 district courts in the audit verified documentation at an applicant's initial screening, the 1st of 3 stages of verification.

072810 suzanne bump.JPGMassachusetts State Auditor Suzanne Bump

BOSTON – Probation officials in Massachusetts have approved state-paid lawyers for people without following state law and first verifying that people are poor and unable to pay for their own lawyer, the state auditor said.

During a recent fiscal year, the state spent at least $47.9 million in legal counsel services for criminal defendants at 27 district courts without substantiating their claims of being indigent, according to a report issued on Monday by Auditor Suzanne M. Bump.

“This finding is another element in the sorry legacy of misplaced priorities at the office of the commissioner of probation,” Bump said in a statement.

Attorney General Martha M. Coakley has said her office has an active and ongoing investigation that recently resulted in indictments against the former probation commissioner.

In September, Coakley announced indictments of former commissioner John J. O’Brien, and the chief of staff to former state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, on charges they conspired to organize a campaign fundraiser for Cahill in 2005 in exchange for getting O'Brien's wife a job at the state Lottery.

In response to the audit, probation officials said that they have agreements with the state Department of Transitional Assistance and the state Department of Revenue to allow probation to gain electronic access to data to increase efficiency of verification.

Ronald P. Corbett, appointed earlier this year as acting probation commissioner, said that training had been held and a memo had been issued for probation officers on the importance of verifying the income of people who say they are too poor to fund their own lawyer, the audit said.

Corbett also launched an internal review and study on this issue.

The probation department issued a statement Monday, saying Corbett has placed a high priority on improving the verification process.

A review at 27 district courts, including those in Greenfield, Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield, found the courts were violating verification laws, rules, and regulations for the indigent, before Corbett was appointed, Bump said.

None of the 27 courts verified documentation at an applicant’s initial screening, the first of three stages of verification, she said.
Auditor Bump finds $47.9 million in unverified public counsel expenditures

In a sample of cases from these courts, only 1.7 percent contained adequate documentation that court officials performed the required 60-day indigence reassessment, and only 0.8 percent had any evidence that the required six-month reassessment had been conducted, according to Bump.

Under state law, chief probation officers at each court, or their designees, are responsible for verifying claims of poor people, Bump said in her audit.

Some court officials said that they lack the staff needed for the verifications, the audit said. Absent an electronic system to verify records, court officials also said that they would have to submit paperwork to state agencies, which would take time and delay the judicial process.

The state Committee on Public Counsel Services provides lawyers for the poor in both criminal and civil cases, but the state Office of the Commissioner of Probation is responsible for verifying that a person claiming to be indigent meets the definition established by the state Supreme Judicial Court, Bump said. Assessments are used to determine if people are eligible for free legal services, able to contribute to their cost, or able to pay for their own lawyers.

Bump's office looked at the files of 119 people who received court-appointed lawyers during a recent fiscal year.

Last year, an independent investigator released a report that showed state legislators have used probation as a patronage haven. Legislators passed a law this year to improve hiring practices for court and probation officers.
State Audit News Release December 19, 2011

Inauguration of elected Westfield officials set for Jan. 3

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The City Council will hold its reorganization meeting immediately following inauguration.

WESTFIELD – Elected city officials will begin their terms of office effective Jan. 3 following inauguration ceremonies at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School.

Inauguration is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. The City Council will meet immediately following the ceremony to elect its president for the new year. The council will meet at 11:30 a.m. at City Hall.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, who is launching his second consecutive term, said he chose the vocational high school for inauguration to “help draw attention the school’s 100th anniversary celebration. Inauguration in Westfield is always held in a school so this year it is fitting that we choose Westfield Vocational-Technical High School.”

Knapik began his first term as mayor two years ago after inauguration at South Middle School.

City Clerk Karen M. Fanion will administer the oath of office to Knapik and then to the 13 members of the City Council. Four School Committee members will be sworn in as well as six Municipal Light Board members and Alberta Humason as Athenaeum trustee.

Council members included veteran at-large councilors Patti A. Andras, Brent B. Bean II, John J. Beltrandi III and Brian P. Sullivan. Newly elected at-large councilor Agma Maria Sweeney and former at-large councilor James R. Adams will also take their seats on Jan. 3.

Ward councilors returning are Christopher Keefe, Ward 1; James E. Brown Jr., Ward 2; Peter J. Miller Jr., Ward 3; Mary L. O’Connell, Ward 4; Richard E. Onofrey Jr., Ward 5 and Christopher M. Crean, Ward 6.

The council’s first regular meeting of the new term will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 5.

Veteran School Committee member Kevin J. Sullivan will be joined by new members Ramon Diaz Jr. and Diane M. Mayhew to begin four-year terms. Michael D. Tirrell will be sworn in for a two-year term on the School Committee.

Jane C. Wensley is the only new member of the Municipal Light Board. She was elected in November when she defeated John M. Callahan in the Ward 3 contest. Veteran members Kevin M. Kelleher, Ward 1; Robert A. Paul Sr., Ward 2; Francis J. Liptak, Ward 4; Thomas P. Flaherty Sr., Ward 5 and Robert C. Sacco, Ward 6 were not opposed in their re-election bids.


Chicopee River Canal bike path extension plans in the works

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The extension is expected to run for about a mile, ending at the former Uniroyal property.

chicopee bike pathThis is the first phase of the Chicopee River Canal Trail opened in 2010.

CHICOPEE – The city is preparing to extend the Chicopee River Canal path that opened a year ago by a little more than a mile.

The state Department of Transportation has awarded the city about $212,000 in federal Congestion Mitigation-Air Quality money to design the path. It is expected to receive a second grant to build the path, which is to cost about $1.4 million in total, said Carl F. Dietz, community development director.

“The design work will get started this winter. When the (construction) work will begin will depend on the funding,” he said.

The city will have to increase the design grant with an about 20 percent match, which would be about $42,000, to complete the design work, he said.

The city is currently interviewing three or four candidates who will do the design work, Dietz said.

The bicycle and walking path is to be built along an abandoned railroad line. Last year the first phase of the trail, which was an about 400-yard path that ran from the Davitt Bridge to Grape Street, was completed at a cost of about $700,000.

The second section of the path is to continue to run parallel to the Front Street and run next to the Chicopee River, ending at the border of the former Uniroyal factory property off West Main Street, Michael Verseckes, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said.

The project will include an improved crossing to Szot Park, a path to the Chicopee Public Library and parking facilities will be at the Parks and Recreation Department office on Front Street, Verseckes said.

Some work on the project has already been started. Last year a nonprofit railroad group from Nevada agreed to remove all the railroad ties and rails for free in exchange for the chance to keep the rails and the ties.

The Iron Horse Preservation Society Inc. sold the steel for reprocessing and recycled the ties for fuel. The work done is estimated to be worth about $35,000 to $40,000 but the city will not be able to use that value toward the match it needs to receive the design grant, Dietz said.

FBI: Springfield's crime rate fell during the first 6 months of 2011

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The data shows a decline in violent crime from January to June, a period in which eight homicides were recorded. But it doesn't account for crimes committed since then, including another dozen murders.

SPRINGFIELD — Violent crime in the City of Homes was down during the first half of 2011, according to the FBI's preliminary semiannual Uniform Crime Report.

Data chronicling crime rates in cities with populations of more than 100,000 show Springfield's overall violent crime rate fell to 806 incidents during the first six months of this year, down from 1,025 incidents during the first half of 2010.

From January through June 2011, Springfield logged far fewer aggravated assaults and forcible rapes than it did during the same six-month period last year.

The drop in murders wasn't as high, however, falling from nine in 2010 to eight in 2011. But crime categories for forcible rape and aggravated assault both showed substantial declines, falling from 78 to 16 and 663 to 524, respectively.

Seventeen fewer robberies were recorded during the first six months of 2011, falling from 275 last year to 258. But burglaries – the only crime category to show an increase – rose from 1,065 to 1,099.

The data doesn't include violent crimes committed since June. The city has logged an additional 12 murders since then, bringing the total homicide count to 20 with less than two weeks remaining in 2011.

Also, a nearly decade-old felony shooting case recently was added to this year's homicide case load after the victim succumbed to injuries sustained in the October 2002 incident.

The 20 homicides reported this year – or 21, if the latest case is included – matches last decade's record-setting high of 20.

Click HERE to view the full FBI report for violent crimes committed in Springfield from January through June 2011.

Hampden County Physician Associates boost Toy for Joy with donation of $850

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The marks the 89th season for Toy for Joy

toycoup11.JPGView full size

SPRINGFIELD – The need for help is clearly great out there; Toy for Joy is aiding some 600 more Greater Springfield families that it did last year.

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

The number of Greater Springfield families seeking help is at 4,410, said Maj. Thomas E. Perks, cocommander of the Greater Springfield Salvation Army Citadel, adding that those families represent 17,640 children.

Recent donations include $850 from Hampden County Physicians Associates.

Current donations tally to $62,392, leaving $87,608 to be raised.

Salvation Army units in Holyoke, Westfield, Northampton and Greenfield also report average or slightly higher numbers than last year, Perks said.

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

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


For more information, call 733-1518. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102.

Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Dec. 23.

Here’s a list of the latest contributors:
In loving memory of Joseph and Claire Hopkins from Jane and Bill, $200
In honor of the best student at Thornton Burgess School, Beth Dunsmoor, $100
In gratitude for blessing, $100
In memory of Max and Gen Roos and Gino and Anita Bacchiocchi, $100
Merry Christmas from Skip and Jane, $50
In memory of Shane, love Mom, $50
In loving memory of my parents Frank and Peg Walker, $100
In lieu of office gifts, NUCE Training Windsor, $100
Thanks Toy for Joy, in memory of Ronnie, Kaz and Ann, $50
Merry Christmas Jace, Sean, Kate and Alex from Gram and Grampa F, $40
For Elizabeth with love from Grandma and Grandpa Kelleher, $50
Happy Holidays to a great staff, Norma, $50
Happy Holidays from Marianne and Bruce, $100
In memory of Gramma and Grampa and Ninnie and Frank Noni from Alyson and Christopher Mastrangelo, $30
For Mom, who always made Christmas special from Linda, $200
In memory of our parents, Ruth and Richard, Rita and Dennis, love Rich and Denise, $25
Love you and miss you Skippy, $20
Happy Birthday Jesus, $200
In memory of Grandma and Grandpa Berger and Memere and Pepere Nadeau, $50
In the name of Carol Rigali and family, Merry Christmas, $50
In the name of Sue and Tim Mulhern and family, Merry Christmas, $80
In the name of Eileen and Peter Sullivan and family, Merry Christmas, $80
In the name of Maria and Ed O’Leary, Merry Christmas, $80
Merry Christmas, $25
In loving memory of our deceased family members, $20
In loving memory of Mary Rae MacFarland from Keith and Jo, $25
In celebration of God’s blessings, $100
In memory of our parents from Dave and Diane, $100
In memory of Patrick, Catherine, Thomas, June, Harry and Helen, love Jim and Nancy, $100
In loving memory of Poppy, dearly missed this Christmas, love the O’Heir family, $25
In loving memory of Gramma, Grampa, Pebby and Auntie Helen, Merry Christmas, love the O’Heir family, $25
In loving memory of Raymond Kotfila and Brianna Donovan, $100
In memory of William Schmidt, $100
In loving memory of Noni from Bobeen, $25
In memory of Brittany, love Aunty Maureen, $25
In honor of our grandchildren, Samuel, Madeline, Eliza and Henry Fialky, $100
Merry Christmas Marissa, Gabby, Audrey, Bella, Maya and Layoh Rodriguez, $51.50
Christmas blessings for all, $10
To St. Anthony for prayers answered, KR, $10
Anonymous, $20.50
Makayla Caron and Makenzie Caron, daughters of Mikey Caron, $20
RBWS, $10
Anonymous, $10
In loving memory of Muffin, $10
In memory of my good friend Ben Larkin from Gary Mayer, $100
Sullivan, Keating and Moran Insurance Agency of Springfield, Inc., $250
On behalf of Abide, Inc. employees, Merry Christmas, $300
In lieu of swapping gifts, from Aqua Babes of Ludlow Boys and Girls Club, $110
Happy Holidays from Phylogic Healthcare employees, $140
Happy Holidays and best wishes for a wonderful year from Hampden County Physician Associates, $850

RECEIVED, $4,567
TOTAL TO DATE, $62,392
STILL NEEDED, $87,608

Westhampton house fire triggers mutual aid response

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It wasn't immediately known if anyone was injured in the fire, which broke out at a home on Burt Road in the rural Hampshire County town.

WESTHAMPTON — The region's mutual aid firefighting system was in full effect Monday night as multiple area departments helped battle a blaze at a Burt Road residence.

Westhampton Fire Chief Christopher Norris couldn't immediately be reached for details. But Fireground360, an organization comprised mainly of firefighters and public safety personnel, reported on its Facebook page that the fire was extinguished around 11:42 p.m.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the fire, which was reported around 10:45 p.m. Calls to Westhampton fire and police officials weren't immediately returned.

Officials told 22News that the fire was caused by candles that were knocked over in the home's living room.

Fireground360 said multiple departments responded – providing either manpower or equipment – including Westhampton, Northampton, Chesterfield, Williamsburg, Huntington and Russell.

The state Department of Fire Services, which investigates large fires, was contacted shortly before 11:30 p.m., Fireground reported.

Authorities closed Burt Road, which is located off South Road between Main and Easthampton roads, and officials remained on scene well into Monday morning.

More information will be posted on MassLive as it becomes available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of Monday night's house fire on Burt Road in Westhampton:


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Statehouse Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony likely to skirt 'holiday tree' controversy

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Gov. Deval Patrick's office came under fire for omitting the word "Christmas" in association with a scheduled Statehouse "holiday tree lighting" event.

BOSTON — Gov. Deval L. Patrick and other dignitaries are expected to gather at the Statehouse on Tuesday for a menorah lighting in honor of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights beginning Wednesday. But this event is likely to dodge the same sort of criticism stemming from last week's official state Christmas tree lighting in Boston.

When a Patrick staffer issued a press release referring to that event as a "holiday tree" lighting, it triggered a mighty backlash including from the Boston Herald, the city's scrappy tabloid, which led the charge to learn why the word "Christmas" had been omitted.

Deval Patrick 112211.jpgMassachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick

The Herald, in a Dec. 13 article, reported that Patrick "surrendered to the Christmas spirit ... pronouncing the majestic evergreen outside the Statehouse a 'Christmas tree' – eager to distance himself from the politically correct invitations his office sent out earlier this month for a 'Holiday Tree Lighting.'"

Some critics had complained that demonizing the word "Christmas," the biggest holiday on the Christian calendar, was evidence of PCism run amok and evidence of a further watering-down of significant Christian holidays by politicians worried about church-state issues and offending minority faiths.

The governor took some lumps for the invitations, which referred to today's Statehouse event as a "Hanukkah" menorah lighting and the Dec. 12 event as a "holiday tree lighting."

Critics, mainly conservatives, have taken swipes at governments large and small in recent years for allegedly waging a so-called "War on Christmas."

bill o'reilly.JPGBill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly, the conservative author, political commentator and TV host, waged his own battle against Great Barrington's "PC police" after officials in the Berkshire town – a popular destination for many Upper West Side liberals from New York – ordered a curfew on holiday lights to help combat global warming.

In 2007, Great Barrington leaders voted to turn off the lights earlier than usual to reduce the town's "carbon footprint," but O'Reilly suspected that secular forces were at work.

"The real strategy here is to diminish the public display of Christmas in that secular town," he said on his website at the time.

Patrick is expected to be joined at today's menorah-lighting ceremony by House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, Secretary of State William F. Galvin, Treasurer Steve Grossman, Attorney General Martha M. Coakley and Auditor Suzanne Bump.

The lighting is scheduled to take place in Nurses Hall at the Statehouse.

lincoln chafee.JPGRhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee also recently came under fire for referring to his state's Christmas tree as a "holiday tree." But unlike Patrick, Chafee didn't back down, invoking the Ocean State's long tradition of religious tolerance and inclusiveness as his reason for preferring "holiday" to "Christmas."

This year's Statehouse tree in Boston was dedicated to former House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr., who died in 1994 and belonged to the same pride as "Liberal Lion" Ted Kennedy, who died in 2009.

When the Herald asked O'Neill's son, Thomas O’Neill III, how his father would have referred to the Statehouse Christmas tree, O'Neill replied: "I think he probably would have called it 'Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Michael Graham' – is that the kid’s name?'"

Graham is the radio personality and Herald columnist who accused Patrick of bowing to PC pressures.

“I think it’s silly. Who cares? It’s a Christmas tree," O'Neill told the tabloid.

Springfield attorney Jeremy Powers, who's Jewish, characterized the "holiday tree" controversy as a silly affair.

"I don't know one Jew who is offended by Christmas trees," he told The Republican.

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