The judge called the crime "reprehensible."

PITTSFIELD — A former certified nursing assistant has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a 69-year-old woman with dementia he was caring for.

Jerald Sullivan was also ordered to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty Wednesday in Berkshire Superior Court. He was given credit for the year he has spent behind bars while awaiting trial.

Prosecutors say the 55-year-old Sullivan sexually assaulted the woman in January 2011 while working at the Hillcrest Commons nursing facility in Pittsfield.

The judge called the crime "reprehensible."

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Sullivan's attorney told the judge that his client has no prior criminal record and is remorseful.

Witnesses say it appears the victim suffered a seizure.

File photo by The Republican

SHREWSBURY — Authorities say a 19-year-old man has died after falling about 30 feet from a ski lift in Shrewsbury.

A spokesman for the Worcester district attorney's office said in a statement that the victim from Upton was at Ski Ward ski area with the Nipmuc Regional High School ski team.

The teen was found face down and unconscious on the icy ground at about 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

His name was not released.

Fire officials said he was about one-third of the way up the chair lift when he fell. It appears he sustained a head injury.

The ski area's owner said there were no mechanical problems with the lift.

Witnesses say it appears the victim suffered a seizure.

Santorum sought to explain previous statements that likened same-sex relationships to bestiality.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum pumps his fist during a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H., Wednesday Jan. 4, 2012.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Facing fresh scrutiny after he nearly defeated Mitt Romney in Iowa's lead-off caucuses, Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum on Wednesday defended votes and statements that are earning him a second look for the wrong reasons.

Santorum, a former senator and House member, finished eight votes behind Romney in Iowa's contest and arrived here to questions about his support for home-state spending projects known as earmarks and for a recent comment about black people that has been criticized as being racially insensitive. He also sought to explain previous statements that likened same-sex relationships to bestiality.

"My Catholic faith teaches that it's actions that are the problems, not necessarily someone's feelings," Santorum said in a CNN interview. "One can have desires to do things that we believe are wrong, but it's when you act out on things, that's the problem."

Santorum, who spent much of the last year toiling as an also-ran in the polls, found a late surge in Iowa. He tapped into social conservatives' networks and visited every corner of the state.

An uphill climb greets Santorum in New Hampshire and South Carolina, where he is scrambling to piece together an organization. At the same time, he is explaining his resume to voters who are seeing it for the first time.

"I don't believe that everything that is immoral should be illegal. The government doesn't have a role to play in everything that people of faith or no faith think is wrong or immoral," he told CNN.

Santorum also defended congressional spending designed to benefit pet projects. Tea partyers and fiscal conservatives criticize the process of slipping home-state spending into massive bills and say such "earmarks" in huge bills treat taxpayer money like a slush fund.

"When you go to Congress you fight to make sure that when taxes go from your state to Washington, D.C., you fight to make sure you get your fair share back," Santorum said, adding that other lawmakers do it. "The idea that earmarks are the problem in Washington, D.C., is just ridiculous."

Still, he has said he now opposes earmarks.

Santorum also tried to explain remarks he made in Iowa about Medicaid, a program for poor Americans. He was quoted as saying: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."

In the CNN interview, Santorum said he "mumbled it and changed my thought" in mid-statement.

"I'm pretty confident I didn't say 'black,'" he said. "I've looked at it several times. I was starting to say one word and I sort of came up with a different word and then moved on." But, he conceded, "it sounded like black."

While Santorum defended his overall record in working on economic issues for black communities, civic and civil rights leaders criticized his remark.

"Sen. Santorum's targeting of African-Americans is inaccurate and outrageous and lifts up old race-based stereotypes about public assistance," NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said.

"He conflates welfare recipients with African-Americans, though federal benefits are in fact determined by income level. In Iowa for example, only 9 percent of food stamp recipients are black, while 84 percent of recipients are white," Jealous said.

Santorum shrugged off the criticism and said his remark was "probably just a tongue-tied moment instead of something that was deliberate."

City and Massachusetts officials said they're optimistic the home rule bills are headed for passage at the Statehouse.

File photo | The Republican

SPRINGFIELD – Local and state officials said this week they are optimistic that two home rule bills filed last year are headed for passage that will crack down on motorists with long-delinquent excise tax bills and establish guidelines for curbside food vendors.

Both bills were approved by the City Council and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in 2010 and again last year, and were forwarded for needed approval from the state Legislature and governor. The bills are under review by separate legislative committees.

James Ferrera

Under one bill, the Springfield Parking Authority would be granted the power to immobilize parked cars, known as “booting,” and then have the cars towed if the owner had failed to pay overdue excise taxes after multiple notices. The lead local sponsor was Councilor Timothy J. Rooke.

The second bill, with Councilor James J. Ferrera III as lead sponsor, provides guidelines for licensing and regulating of street vendors. The vendors have been governed under a 1934 law for “hawkers and peddlers,” described as being outdated and not permitting stationary food carts.

Rooke and Ferrera said they are confident the bills will pass in coming months. The street vendor bill is before the House Ways and Means Committee and the excise tax bill is before the Joint Committee on Revenue.

The city is owed more than $7 million in delinquent excise taxes, some dating back 20 years, Rooke said. It is realistic the new law and the threat of towed cars could trigger the collection of half the excise taxes owed, he said.

Timothy Rooke

“Some people have neglected to pay for the last 20 years,” Rooke said. “It is not fair to all of us who pay our bills to allow other individuals who skirt their responsibility at our expense.”

State Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, and state Rep. Sean Curran, D-Springfield, are among local legislators seeking passage of the bill on behalf of the city, according to legislative aides and Rooke.

The legislative session for the two home rule bills ends July 31, and local officials said they hope passage can occur long before that time.

Under the law for street vendors, licenses would be granted by the police commissioner, taking into account advice from the directors of public works and health regarding public safety and health issues.

The law stipulates that current vendors who apply for licenses would have seniority in the siting of food carts. Future applications would be judged on a first-come, first-serve basis, also based on considerations of health and public safety.

“It is a bill that hopefully will alleviate concerns of where vendors can set up and where they cannot set up, and regulate where they would go on public ways,” Ferrera said.

State Rep. Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield, the lead legislative sponsor on the vendor bill, said he expects it will pass. It helps to ‘clarify the rights and privileges of vendors and the responsibility of the city to public safety,” he said.

The bill was triggered after a controversy over the right of a hot dog vendor to keep operating at a long-time spot on Worthington Street.

Under the law for street vendors, licenses would be granted by the police commissioner, taking into account advice from the directors of public works and health regading public safety and health issues.

JetBlue says the daily service begins Thursday.

Associated PressA JetBlue Airways Corp. plane taxis on the runway in front of sunbathers on Constitution Beach in Boston, in this July 14, 2009 file photo

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — JetBlue Airways is launching nonstop service between Bradley International Airport and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

JetBlue says the daily service is beginning Thursday.

The airline says service to West Palm Beach, Fla., is set to start next week.

The airline flies from Bradley to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., where passengers can catch flights to the Caribbean.

JetBlue has expanded its operation in Puerto Rico since 2010 and flies to several U.S. destinations from San Juan, including New York, Boston, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

The “Service in Thanksgiving for the Lives of Lilian, Sarah and Grace Badger” was held at St. Thomas Church, a historic Episcopal congregation.

NEW YORK – Hundreds of people streamed into a historic church in the heart of
Manhattan on Thursday for the funeral of three young girls who died along with their grandparents during a Christmas morning fire in Stamford, Conn.

The “Service in Thanksgiving for the Lives of Lilian, Sarah and Grace Badger” was held at St. Thomas Church, a historic Episcopal congregation housed in a French High Gothic style stone edifice.

The program featured a photo of a laughing 9-year-old Lily and her 7-year-old sisters, Sarah and Grace with tousled hair and flowered dresses.

Lilies were part of the three floral arrangements in the nave of the church, still decorated with faux evergreen boughs from Christmas.

The readings included well-known Bible passages: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,” and “For every time there is a season.”

A private service will be held later at Woodlawn Cemetery for the girls and their grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson.

Authorities have told The Associated Press that embers in a bag of discarded ashes started the blaze. They had been taken out of a fireplace so the children wouldn’t worry about Santa coming down the chimney.

The girls’ mother, Madonna Badger, and a friend, Michael Borcina, were treated at a hospital.

Fire officials have said Borcina is believed to have placed the ashes in or outside an entryway, near the trash.

On Wednesday, Badger leaned on the arms of two funeral home workers as she attended a wake for her children and parents.

The victims died of smoke inhalation. Grandfather Lomer Johnson also suffered a blunt head and neck trauma, which resulted from a fall or being hit by an object.

One of the girls, found dead just inside a window, had been placed on a pile of books, apparently so Johnson could reach in and grab her after he jumped out. Instead, authorities say, he fell through the roof.

Stamford police are helping fire officials investigate the blaze. Police said Monday officials want to know whether there were smoke alarms, the status of renovation work on the house and whether the contractor had permits.

The issue of permits could figure in the investigation because the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection has said that neither Borcina nor his company, Tiberias Construction Inc., was registered to perform home improvement work in Connecticut.

Contractors are required to register with the state, though numerous building and other permits are issued by local officials.

The agency said it did not yet have enough information about what work may have been done or completed and would not comment on whether it will investigate.

Facebook messages have been left for Borcina. Repeated attempts to contact him since the fire have been unsuccessful.

Stamford authorities deemed the house unsafe following the fire and ordered it torn down the day after.

Fire Chief Antonio Conte said the fire was Stamford’s deadliest since a 1987 blaze that also killed five people.

Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman were happy to level their criticism at Romney, casting the front-runner as too timid to take on Obama and bring about needed change.

Associated Press photoFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listens at left as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. speaks during a campaign stop at the Boys and Girls Club in Salem, N.H., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

SALEM, N.H. – Each trying to sound every bit the nominee, Republican presidential candidates W. Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum looked past each other to run down President Barack Obama’s economic policies Thursday as they jockeyed for support in New Hampshire and reached out to voters in conservative bellwether South Carolina.

Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman were happy to level their criticism at Romney, casting the front-runner as too timid to take on Obama and bring about needed change.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is reaching for a decisive victory next Tuesday in New Hampshire to solidify his standing. At a morning stop in Salem before heading to South Carolina, Romney labeled Obama a “crony capitalist,” invoking a theme that Rep. Michele Bachmann had used before dropping out of the race.

Santorum, under new scrutiny after a strong showing in Iowa’s kickoff caucuses, offered himself as “the conservative alternative” to Romney and claimed he’s got the momentum to propel his campaign beyond New Hampshire.

“Our office is buzzing,” Santorum said after appearing in Manchester. “We’re the folks that people are getting excited about.” He dismissed Obama as “a president who doesn’t understand us.”

Gingrich, the former House speaker, kept up his campaign to pull down Romney. In his first TV ad aimed at Romney, Gingrich sizes up his rival’s economic plan as “virtually identical to Obama’s failed policy” and goes on to say that “timid won’t create jobs and timid certainly won’t defeat Barack Obama.”

Gingrich also gave a dismissive assessment of Santorum when asked to size up the former Pennsylvania senator, saying that “in historical terms, he would be a junior partner.” Speaking at a senior center in Plymouth, N.H., Gingrich questioned whether Santorum has a “track record” for running a large-scale national campaign, as Gingrich did when he engineered the Republican takeover of the House in 1994.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who skipped the Iowa caucuses, also hammered at Romney, casting him as a captive of Wall Street who won’t bring about the change the nation needs. Hoping for a breakout, Huntsman offered himself as the underdog for New Hampshire voters to take “from the back of the pack” and move to the foreground.

Romney pocketed a big endorsement Wednesday from Arizona Sen. John McCain, who argued Thursday that it’s time for Republicans to coalesce around Romney and “get into the main event” – defeating Obama. McCain won New Hampshire’s primary in 2000 and 2008 and remains popular with Republicans and independents, who can vote in the primary.

The Arizona Republican, who spoke Thursday on CBS’ “The Early Show,” was set to appear with Romney and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at campaign events in that state later in the day.

Romney, keeping his focus on the president, has a new TV ad in South Carolina that criticizes Obama for adopting “un-American” economic policies that hurt workers in the state and faults him for packing a government labor panel with “union stooges.”

Romney’s Republican rivals had no intention of heeding McCain’s calls for a quick end to the GOP nomination fight.

The Iowa caucuses did little to clarify what has long been a fractured GOP field, with Romney and Santorum battling almost to a tie in that state and libertarian Texas Rep. Ron Paul placing third. The result demonstrated anew the difficulty Republicans have had in choosing between Romney, a former business executive who governed as a moderate, and a more dynamic, conservative alternative.

For now, Santorum has taken on that role.

The former Pennsylvania senator lost by just eight votes to Romney in Iowa, a strong showing due to a socially conservative message and dedicated politicking across the state’s 99 counties. His challenge now is to raise money and build a strong enough organization to cement his status as a durable challenger to Romney.

“We’re the candidate that’s on the rise,” Santorum declared Thursday.

Santorum aides reported raising $1 million Wednesday alone, largely through a surge in online donations, which crippled his campaign’s website shortly after the Iowa results were announced. Campaign manager Mike Biundo has said the campaign’s fundraising pace tripled over the last week.

At a rally Wednesday in Brentwood, Santorum urged supporters to keep the faith.

“Don’t settle for someone who can win but then can’t do, won’t do and has no track record of doing the big things that are necessary to change this country,” he said.

In TV interviews after his Iowa victory, Santorum was challenged on his conservative views and record in Washington.

On CNN, he was asked about past comments equating homosexuality with bestiality.

“One can have desires to do things that we believe are wrong, but it’s when you act out on things, that’s the problem,” Santorum said.

He also defended so-called earmarks – congressional spending designed to benefit lawmakers’ home-state projects.

“When you go to Congress, you fight to make sure that when taxes go from your state to Washington, D.C., you fight to make sure you get your fair share back,” he said, adding that he now opposes earmarks.

Santorum also suggested he had been misinterpreted while discussing Medicaid when he appeared to single out black recipients for criticism.

Paul was headed to New Hampshire for campaign events after taking time off at home. Texas Gov. Rick Perry also went home after saying he would reassess his candidacy following a weak fifth-place finish in Iowa, but he later announced he would carry on. He planned to test his sputtering candidacy in South Carolina, which holds its primary Jan. 21, and was expected in New Hampshire for two debates this weekend.

Obama says the military will be leaner but promises the world that the U.S. will maintain its "military superiority" with fighting forces ready for any threat.

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama speaks during a news briefing on the defense strategic guidance, Thursday, Jan., 5, 2012, at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama insists the United States will maintain what he calls the best-equipped military in history despite deep and looming defense budget cuts.

In a rare appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, Obama has offered the outlines of an overhauled defense strategy. It is designed to contend with hundreds of billions of dollars in budget cuts and refocus the United States' national security priorities after a decade dominated by the post.-Sept. 11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Obama says the military will be leaner but promises the world that the U.S. will maintain its "military superiority" with fighting forces ready for any threat.

The president says the strategy review centered on the military the country needs after the "long wars of the last decade are over."

This is a breaking news update. More information will be added as it is available.

The project was financed by the 2009 federal stimulus law.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanThis is one of the new stone walls and plantings installed by the state Department of Transportation earlier this year along East Columbus Avenue in Springfield.

Question: The recent beautification project on East Columbus Avenue in Springfield, which installed stone-walled plazas at intersections – and tied up traffic for months.

How much did this cost Springfield taxpayers?

- D.R., Springfield

Answer: The project was financed by the 2009 federal stimulus law, meaning the cost was picked up by the federal government, not the city of Springfield. The project’s total cost was $1.3 million, according to Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

This project involved concrete work, brick areas, plantings and imprint crosswalks. The project also included the construction of eight “gateway walls” at each corner of Broad Street at East Columbus Avenue, Broad Street at Hall of Fame Avenue, Union Street at East Columbus Avenue, and Union Street at Hall of Fame Avenue, Verseckes said in an email.

Originally, these walls were to be cast-in-place concrete, but it quickly became apparent that with the numerous utilities – gas, electric, telephone, cable, and the city’s primary water main from the Cobble Mountain Reservoir – in this area, that the necessary excavation for the footings for these walls would be nearly impossible, Verseckes said.

With the approval of Springfield officials, the fieldstone walls were settled upon as a much less intrusive alternative and installed under an order for extra work. The city chose the color, and installation was done quickly and without any problems of note, Verseckes said.

Upon completion, an anti-graffiti compound was applied. Although the fieldstone walls were more expensive than the bid price for the cast-in-place walls, all parties seem pleased with the architectural nature of the product, he said.

Physical work on the project started in March 2010 and was substantially complete by May 31 of this year. The work on the walls began in November 2010 and finished, after a winter break, on April 28.

“As with any construction projects in downtown areas or on major arterial roadways, construction has a tendency to cause backups. While these can be an inconvenience to folks who routinely drive through the area, we appreciate folks’ patience during construction, and we hope that everyone is happy with the final results of the design,” Verseckes said.

The 31-year-old Kennedy is resigning his prosecutor's job in Middlesex County outside Boston.

Associated PressIn this photo taken Jan. 7, 2010, Joseph P. Kennedy III attends a campaign event for the senate candidacy of Martha Coakley in Medford, Mass. Kennedy said Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 he is forming an exploratory committee to run for the Congressional seat held by retiring Rep. Barney Frank, and is resigning his prosecutor's job in Middlesex County. He is the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and a grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joseph Kennedy III is taking the first steps toward a run for retiring Rep. Barney Frank's seat in Massachusetts.

The 31-year-old Kennedy said Thursday he is forming an exploratory committee and is resigning his prosecutor's job in Middlesex County outside Boston. He is the son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and a grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

The Kennedy family has seen its influence in Washington fade in recent years as its younger generations have largely shunned public office.

The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts in 2009 left a void for the family. The retirement of Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island last year marked the first time in 63 years that there was not a Kennedy serving in elected office in Washington.

Moore was let go because at the time of the robbery he had more than $75 in the register drawer, the maximum amount allowed by Cumberland Farms

Staff photo by Patrick JohnsonDouglas Moore, 24, stands outside the Cumberland Farms store on West Street in Ludlow where he used to work. The morning after he was robbed at gunpoint, the store fired him for having too much cash in the drawer.

LUDLOW – Three nights before Christmas, Douglas Moore was at his job at the Cumberland Farms on West Street when a man stuck a gun in his face and told him to empty the cash register.

The next morning, Moore’s boss called him at home to ask him to come to the store for a talk.

“I thought she was going to see how I was doing,” he said.

Hours after being surprised by a gunman, Moore, 24, of Springfield, was surprised again – he was fired.

“I didn’t think I’d be fired,” he said. “Right before Christmas doesn’t seem right.”

Moore, who worked there for about 18 months putting in 40 hours a week for just less than $9 an hour, was let go because at the time of the robbery he had more than $75 in the register drawer.

The amount of money taken in the Dec. 22 robbery was never disclosed by police, but anything more than $75 is a violation of Cumberland Farms policy, he said.

Moore said management told him they could tell from the overhead surveillance tapes that the robber made off with more than $200.

He does not deny that there was more than $75 in the register, but said it was not much more. It might have been $100, or maybe as high as $150, but he disputes it was more than $200.

Cumberland Farms spokeswoman Karen Warner said the chain has a policy requiring cashiers to limit the amount of money in register drawers. She said she did not know the limit amount.

Limiting the amount of cash is said to deter robberies because criminals know they will not score much money in a holdup, she said.

“We limit the amount of cash in the drawer so it doesn’t encourage robberies,” she said. “It’s for the protection of employees and customers.”

She said she could not speak about the penalty to any employee who violates the policy.

Cumberland Farms requires clerks to make frequent cash drops into the safe behind the counter when the register drawer gets full.

Moore said he had made three drops that night before losing track of the amount in the drawer.

The store was unusually busy up until that point of the night with people coming in to buy lottery tickets, gift cards and last-minute Christmas presents, he said. In addition to ringing up customers, he was busy cleaning the store, restocking the coolers and shelves and refreshing pots of coffee.

“Of course there are going to be times when there is going to be more than $75,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be fired for being a little over.”

Nancy Cardaropoli, of East Longmeadow, is a regular customer of that West Street store. Or at least, she said she used to be. Cardaropoli said she and other regular customers were furious when they heard Moore was let go, and she is refusing to do business at any Cumberland Farms store.

“It is appalling what they did to him. Doug could have been killed, and all they cared about was the little bit of money in the drawer,” she said. “That is so wrong on so many levels.”

She said Moore was nice to customers so he encouraged repeat business. That is how she came to know him, she said.

In the days since his dismissal, customers have called the Cumberland Farms home office to complain about the action taken against Moore.

In the meantime, Moore said he was forced to put on hold pursuit of his bachelor’s degree in accounting that he is taking through the online program at Colorado Technical University while he looks for work.

“I can’t sit at home. I’ve got bills to pay,” he said. “Unemployment is not for me.”

The inn has been closed since November 2008.

Photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanConstruction nears completion Tuesday at the Lord Jeffrey Inn in Amherst.

AMHERST – When the Lord Jeffery Inn first opened in 1926 Jane Treadway Noel spent the night in a bureau drawer in a room with her family.

Her father L. G. Treadway was the inn’s manager and founder of the company that managed the property.

Noel, now 85, was back Thursday to spend the first night the inn reopened after being closed since November of 2008.

Noel and her family were part of the festivities celebrating the inn’s reopening along with more than 50 town and Amherst College officials and others. The inn owned by Amherst Inn Company, an affiliate of the college.

Noel, who grew up in Williamstown, said she used to come to the inn every month or so with her family. She last stayed in the inn just before it closed.

Since then, $14 million has spent renovating the rooms and common spaces, adding a 2,360 square-foot ballroom, implementing energy-efficiency improvements including geothermal heating and cooling. It also created a new restaurant called 30Boltwood that opened Thursday night.

“I’m very pleased, it’s wonderful to be here,” Noel said. “I think he’d be very pleased,” she said of her father.
Town and college officials echoed her pleasure.

“This is going to be a first-class destination for visitors and local townspeople,” said Town Manager John P. Musante. “Townspeople are so excited to visit the Jeff and enjoy first -class dining and lodging.

He praised the college’s trustees to remain committed to the project in the face “of the worst recession in 70 years.”

The concession to the economy – the project was scaled back from its initial $20 million investment that would have added 22 rooms and instead added the new ballroom and one additional room for a total of 49.

Musante said the inn and restaurant “builds on the (town’s) strong partnership with Amherst College.”

The Lord Jeffery Inn has long been an anchor for the town's downtown and the reopening could boost the town's hotel/motel and meals tax receipts by about 8.5 percent, or $50,000, according to preliminary projections provided by Town Treasurer Sanford Pooler last year. Meanwhile, the inn employs about 75.

Amherst College president Carolyn Arthur “Biddy” Martin said the opening of the inn and restaurant “will bring the town and area and college together in a yet another way.”

Robert J. Reeves, general manager, said he was asked to retain the inn’s historic charm and “gently shepherd it into the 21st century. This has actually been accomplished,” he said. The inn is managed by the Waterford Hotel Group Inc. from Waterford, CT.

In June 2011, the Massachusetts Historical Commission approved the expansion of the boundaries of the Amherst Central Historic Business District to allow for the inclusion of The Lord Jeffery Inn.

State Rep. Ellen Story said when thinks of the heart of the Amherst downtown, she thinks of the Jones Library and the inn. “You will be stunned,” she told the crowd about the renovations. She was delighted to have the inn’s “heart beating again.”

When Noel’s daughter-in-law, Kathleen Stinson of Belchertown heard about the re-opening, she emailed the inn asking about booking a room for Noel.

She thought she would enjoy being part of the re-opening. And the inn was delighted to have her welcoming her with a gift basket filled with fruit and other gifts. Noel will be staying for two nights.

The inn is opening to the community for tours Jan. 14 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Beckley's $90,000 annual salary is set to increase at the same level as other municipal employees and, under the contract, will never decrease.

View full sizeFile photo | The RepublicanEasthampton City Planner Stuart B. Beckley, who has been named Ware Town Manager.

WARE – Newly hired Town Manager Stuart B. Beckley will earn $90,000 annually under a contract signed with the Board of Selectmen on Thursday night.

Selectman William R. Braman said the meeting was a happy occasion and he hopes Beckley has a "long and successful career" with the town.

The contract was approved unanimously and employs Beckley until June 30, 2015. The period between his start date, Feb. 6, and June 30 is probationary.

"Welcome aboard," Selectman Richard A. Norton said.

Beckley, 50, lives in Sunderland and serves as Easthampton's City Planner. He has been the city's principal planning official for 22 years.

His predecessor, Mary T. Tzambazakis, earned $98,000 annually before she resigned Sept. 30. Beckley's salary as planner was $59,241.28 in fiscal year 2011.

"I am looking forward very much to working with all of you, all the staff and the citizens of Ware," Beckley said to the selectmen. "We're rearing to go. I very much appreciate the opportunity."

He was hired last month at the unanimous recommendation of the Town Manager Search Committee.

Selectman John E. Carroll said the town is excited to employ Beckley. He said after the meeting that Beckley passed the required physical examination.

Beckley said he has already started the budget process with acting Town Manager Tracy Meehan.

His salary is set to increase at the same level as other municipal employees and, under the contract, will never decrease.

The contract acknowledges that the 40-hour work week probably won't be enough for him to fulfill his duties, but he is not eligible for overtime or compensatory time. He will be on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even during vacations.

But, the contract states, the schedule is flexible. He is allowed up to 20 vacation days per fiscal year and will earn them at a rate of 1.67 per month.

Beckley agreed not to accept outside work.

The final report by the task force warned that the judicial branch has long been plagued by a widespread perception that judicial hiring is frequently based more on an applicant's connections than on merit.

BOSTON – Members of the state’s highest court said Thursday they are endorsing a task force’s final report that recommends a full commitment to merit-based hiring and promotion in the courts.

The 10-member task force, appointed by the state Supreme Judicial Court in November 2010, issued six reports aimed at providing a fair system with qualifications as the sole criterion in hiring and promotion.

Roderick Ireland

“The final report represents the culmination of a year’s work by an extraordinarily diligent team, which has met 29 times, interviewed dozens of people from within and outside of our system, and has literally paved the way for a new approach to human resource development in the judiciary,” said Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland in a statement. “A well trained, highly motivated work force is critical to fulfilling our constitutional mission.”

The justices created the task force shortly after an independent investigator, Boston lawyer Paul F. Ware, issued a sweeping report that detailed patronage and rigged hiring in the Probation Department, sparking state and federal investigations into probation that are continuing.

Ware’s report spurred state legislators last year to approve a law that restricts nepotism and patronage in state government, overhauls hiring in probation and the courts and puts a professional administrator in charge of operations of the Trial Court .

Robert A. Mulligan, chief justice for administration and management, said a committee, chaired by Juvenile Court Chief Justice Michael F. Edgerton, begins work this week to put the task force recommendations into policies of the Trial Court.

The final report warned that the judicial branch has long been plagued by a widespread perception that judicial hiring is frequently based more on an applicant’s connections and sponsors than on merit.

The task force recommended that hiring and promotion be based on some key elements including well-defined mission statements and job descriptions, enhanced applicant pools, objective interviews and a comprehensive tracking systems for applicants.

The standing committees and special committees will tackle issues ranging from the city's finances to public safety concerns.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonSpringfield city councilors attending Thursday press conference to announce new committee assignments are from left: Kenneth E. Shea, Timothy J. Rooke, Zaida Luna, Bud L. Williams, Council President James J. Ferrera III, John A. Lysak, Melvin A. Edwards and Clodovaldo Concepcion.

SPRINGFIELD – City Council President James J. Ferrera III has announced his committee appointments for 2012, which will oversee and review matters ranging from the city’s finances to public safety concerns.

“I have full confidence in their abilities,” Ferrera said during a press conference Thursday at City Hall. “I can’t wait to get started.

Each committee conducts meetings and reports back to the full council including any recommendations.

The committee assignments are as follows with the chairman of each committee listed first:

Finance Committee
Timothy J. Rooke
Clodovaldo Concepcion
John A. Lysak

Public Health and Safety/Race/Civil Rights
Thomas M. Ashe
Kenneth E. Shea
Zaida Luna

Planning and Economic Development
Bud L. Williams
Kenneth E. Shea
Zaida Luna

General Government
John A. Lysak
Zaida Luna
Melvin A. Edwards

Maintenance and Development
Clodovaldo Concepcion
Kateri B. Walsh
Melvin Edwards

Human Services
Zaida Luna
Timothy C. Allen
E. Henry Twiggs

Inter-Governmental/State & Federal Relations
Kateri B. Walsh
E. Henry Twiggs
Melvin A. Edwards

Special Committees

Elder Affairs
Clodovaldo Concepcion

Green Committee and Responsible Employer Ordinance Committee
James J. Ferrera III

Audit
Timothy J. Rooke
Thomas M. Ashe
Bud L. Williams

City Council/School Committee Committee
Thomas M. Ashe
Kenneth E. Shea

Animal Control Advisory
Michael A. Fenton

School Building Committee
Timothy J. Rooke

Special Permit Review Committee
Kenneth E. Shea
Zaida Luna
John A. Lysak

JetBlue also will begin nonstop service from Bradley to West Palm Beach, Fla.

Republican File Photo

WINDSOR LOCKS – JetBlue Airways on Thursday started its new daily nonstop daily service from Bradley International Airport to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Bradley looks back on a year that saw passenger travel rise about 5 percent from 2010.

JetBlue’s flights will leave Bradley at 7:30 a.m. and arrive in Puerto Rico at 12:28 p.m. Return flights leave Puerto Rico at 6:45 p.m. and arrive here at 9:48 p.m. Flights are on sale Thursday with a special price as low as $139 each way for travel only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Jan. 19 and Feb. 15.

Next week, JetBlue will begin nonstop service from Bradley to West Palm Beach, Fla., said John J. Wallace, spokesman for Bradley International Airport. West Palm will be the airline's fourth nonstop destination from Bradley joining, San Juan, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Orlando, Fla.

American Airlines already offers nonstop service from Bradley to San Juan.

“JetBlue gives our customers, our passengers, a choice when it comes to carriers,” Wallace said in a phone interview Thursday. “And that competition tends to help keep prices low.”

JetBlue announced the new service to San Juan and to West Palm last fall. the airline made headlines in October after one of its planes was diverted to Bradley and remained stuck on the tarmac for more than eight hours.

Orlando Ramos of Indian Orchard booked a Jet Blue flight to San Juan this week for an upcoming vacation. He has family in Puerto Rico, but said he’s never been able to visit.

Ramos, 29, said without JetBlue flying from Bradley, his best option for a cheaper airfare would have been John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

“I don’t want that especially in wintertime,” he said. “You never know what the weather is going to be.”

Bradley had a good 2011, Wallace said, with passenger travel up by about 5 percent in 2011 from 2010. There were about 5.4 million passenger departures and arrivals in 2010 and about 5.8 million in 2011, although December’s numbers are not final yet, Wallace said.

Bradley is also changing from a department of Connecticut state government to an independent operation with an airport authority. it’s thought that the authority will be able to take a bigger role developing the area around the airport as an employment and business center.

The parish members can appeal again the the Apostolic Signatura, which is the highest court in the Vatican.

File photo | The RepublicanSt. Mary of the Assumption Church in Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – The Vatican has upheld the decision to close St. Mary of the Assumption Church, a move by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield that was appealed by parish members nearly two years ago.

The decision by the Congregation for the Clergy, officially made Dec. 20, did not spell out why the decision was upheld, said Monsignor John J. Bonzagni, the chairman of pastoral planning for the diocese.

In January 2010 the diocese merged the five parishes in Northampton into one, named St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Services were to be held at the former St. Mary of the Assumption Church on Elm Street, but the most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Springfield diocese, reversed his decision and instead opened the former Sacred Heart Church on King Street. The change came after parish members complained about a lack of parking, the difficulty for disabled members to get into the church, and repairs needed for the building.

“It is not a win/lose for us. We don’t like that we have to close one church, it is a sadness that the population has decreased at such a level that we have to,” Bonzagni said of the decision.

One of the former members of St. Mary’s Church, Edward J. McMahon, said the parishioners have not received a copy of the appeal so he could not comment on the decision.

“Procedurally and substantively we have sufficient evidence to appeal,” he said.

Parish members have the right to appeal to the Apostolic Signatura, which is the highest court in the Vatican, Bonzagni said.

McMahon said the members cannot make that decision until they see the ruling.

The diocese closed the five parishes in Northampton for financial reasons, because of shrinking congregations and a lack of priests.

It originally intended to keep two of the five open, but changed the plan after a committee made up of members of the five parishes recommended they all join together. The Pastoral Planning Committee for the Diocese examined the idea and discussed it with parish priests before accepting it, Bonzagni said.

St. John Cantius and St. Mary churches were closed while the Blessed Sacrament building on Elm Street is being used temporarily for daily and one weekend Mass until planning issues at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church (formerly Sacred Heart Church) can be resolved with the city. The rectory is being used for the two priests serving the parish, said Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the diocese.

Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in the Florence section of the city was kept open as a chapel for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s parish and three weekend Masses are held there, Dupont said.

Investigators traced the point of ignition to a block heater installed in the engine of a 2006 Sterling LB 9500 delivery truck.

Photo by Tom Weber / Fireground360Firefighters try to contain a fire at a lumber yard off Railroad Street in downtown Lee.

This is an update of a story that was posted Tuesday at 10 p.m.

LEE - A fire Tuesday night that caused heavy damage to a Railroad Street lumber company was caused by an electrical malfunction with a engine-block heater in one of the company's delivery trucks, according to fire officials.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Lee Fire Chief Alan B. Sparks said their joint investigation into fire at Dresser-Hull Lumber Company announced Thursday a joint investigation determined the fire started inside the warehouse where materials and several trucks were kept.

Investigators traced the point of ignition to a block heater installed in the engine of a 2006 Sterling LB 9500 delivery truck.

The fire caused between $1.5 million and $2 million damage and filled the downtown with a heavy smoke.

Firefighters responded from Lenox, Lenoxdale, Stockbridge, Great Barrington as well as officers from Pittsfield and Lanesboro.

“This was a significant fire with a lot of combustible materials that firefighters were able to prevent from spreading to the buildings in downtown Lee," Sparks said ."I am grateful to the mutual aid system we have here in Berkshire County where our neighbors quickly responded and helped expand our resources.”

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Advocates are seeking $30 million from the state to supplement federal aid for home heating assistance.

File photo | The RepublicanIf Congress cuts the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, New England states may have to reduce either aid amounts for heating assistance or the numbers of recipients this winter.

BOSTON – Despite a reduction to the state's share of federal funds for home heating assistance, leaders at two agencies in Western Massachusetts said Thursday the money could be enough to help keep needy people warm through the cold months and they are grateful that a possible crisis was prevented.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick, who worked to increase the funding from an initial allocation, this week announced that the maximum benefit for low-income people who heat with oil this winter will be $1,025 and the maximum aid will be $525 for those who heat with gas or electricity. The maximum levels for households are down from last year, but are an increase from earlier estimates of $675 for heating oil and from $275 for people who heat with gas or electricity.

Administration officials said they were able to increase those benefits because the state received an additional $22 million last week from Congress for heating assistance for low-income people. The state expects to receive an another $32 million in the coming weeks, raising the total for this year to $132.7 million, a cut of about 28 percent from last year.

The cut could have been more severe. Back in November, the state received an initial allocation of $77 million, which would have represented a cut of 58 percent from last year.

Photo by the Associated PressMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick responds to a reporter's question after signing this year's state budget at the Statehouse in Boston in July as Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray looks on.

Mary Ann Koblyanski, energy program director for the New England Farm Workers Council in Springfield, said the additional federal money is a tremendous help and she is hopeful it will be enough to heat homes of recipients through this month and February. "The additional funding is wonderful," she said. "It really is."

The farm workers council will administer the assistance for about 12,000 households in Springfield, including about 25 percent at the maximum benefit level.

Tammy Biagini, fuel-assistance director for the The Berkshire Community Action Council in Pittsfield, also cheered the additional federal aid received last week and the expectation that more federal money will arrive in coming weeks.

"With this increase alone, this could possibly get people through the colder months," Biagini said. "This is going to help the community, for sure."

The Berkshire agency administers the assistance for about 8,000 households.

At least two other leaders in Western Massachusetts said the state still needs to approve money to compensate for the federal cut. Advocates are asking Patrick and state legislators to approve $30 million in state money for the heating assistance program.

Peter Wingate, energy director for Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions, which manages the aid for about 9,000 households, said the extra federal money is welcome, but the money could still run out by the end of this month for some people.

"I'm not ready to say this is a happy story for us," Wingate said. "We have such an unmet need for fuel assistance."

Al Norman, executive director of Massachusetts Home Care in Montague, a private nonprofit network of elder agencies, said the additional money approved by Congress falls short of what is needed. Norman said he is working with legislators who might sponsor a bill to provide $30 million in state dollars for the heating aid.

"We're not out of the cold yet," he said Thursday.

Mary-Leah Assad, spokeswoman for the state Department of Housing and Community Development, said Patrick made a major effort to increase the federal funding including working with Congress, lobbying President Barack Obama, writing letters and organizing a coalition of Northeast governors. She said Patrick will continue to urge more federal money.

Based on the results of the 60-day trial, the street closing could become permanent by spring.

File photo | The RepublicanOutside a bar on a Saturday night on Worthington Street in the entertainment district in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – In an experiment designed to reduce violence in the entertainment district, city officials are considering closing part of Worthington Street to vehicle traffic for 60 days beginning in February.

City Councilor Thomas M. Ashe said shutting down the street between Stearns Square and Dwight Street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights could begin by mid-February if police, public works employees and downtown business owners can agree on a final plan.

Based on the results of the 60-day trial, the street closing could become permanent by spring, preventing vehicles from cruising along Worthington Street during peak business hours, or roughly 11:00 p.m to 2:30 a.m.

“We have to be concerned about public safety,” said Ashe during a council subcommittee meeting Thursday night to discuss the street closing.

Several city officials, including Deputy Police Chief William C. Cochrane, spoke in favor of improving safety for bar patrons, especially at closing time on weekend nights.

But reaction to the street closing was mixed, with Keith E. Weppler, co-owner of Theodore’s on Worthington Street, expressing doubts.

“Legitimate businesses already have enough obstacles,” Weppler said, adding that police typically block vehicles from Worthington Street by 1:30 to 1:45 a.m. most weekend nights.

Under Ashe’s proposal, the street would be barricaded from Stearns Square to Dwight Street to create a minimum impact on businesses, particularly the Pro Park Inc. on Stearns Square.

“We don’t want to put a thriving business in harm’s way,” Ashe said, adding the plan would still allow vehicle flow on half of the street between Main and Stearns Square.

License Commission Chairman Peter L. Sygnator suggested that the closing of Skyplex and Sinners & Saints nightclubs last week could cut down on trouble enough to make both the partial street closing and a proposed 1 a.m. entertainment curfew unnecessary.

“You could take a wait-and-see approach,” Sygnator said, adding that without Skyplex and Sinners & Saints “1,400 college students won’t be down there at 2 a.m.”

City Engineer Christopher M. Cignoli said the street closing could be accomplished with portable barricades, without disrupting traffic on other streets downtown.

He said details would have to be worked out, including the timing of the street closing and the best types of barricades to be used.

“We don’t want this to be an eyesore,” he said.