Obituaries from The Republican.

Paul Stolar

Paul Stolar, 82, of Longmeadow, passed away on Thursday. Born in Belchertown, Stolar worked at United Technologies in East Hartford, Conn., retiring after 34 years of employment. He was a gifted baseball pitcher who pitched in the Tri-County League and also in the AAA League. Stolar was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and was a veteran of the Korean War.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Anderson, Carol Lynn
  



• 
  Banas, Bernard J.
  




• 
  Bonneau, Robert "Popeye"
  



• 
  Bradlinski, Alice Y.
  



• 
  Brissette, Nancy (Carrieri)




• 
  Cagan, Barbara "Bea" (Katz)
  



• 
  Carlos Jr., Robert L. "Bob"
  




• Chateauneuf, Ronald R.
  




• 
  Clark, Nancy J. (Atkins)
  



• 
  Foster, Zachary Longstreet




• 
  Gonzalez-Benitez, Teresa
  



• 
  Harris Sr., Ronald C.
  




• Jackson, Gabriel F.
  




• 
  Ladue, Marianne
  



• 
  Langlois, Doris E. (Jubinville)




• 
  LaPointe, Susan A. (Fenno)
  



• 
  Ligarski, Michael Gene
  




• Mahoney, William J.
  




• 
  Minihan, Jean E. (Maxwell)
  



• 
  Peacey, Lois S. (Rankin)




• 
  Piecuch, Margaret A. "Peggy"
  



• 
  Placido, Henrietta R.
  




• Richardson, Clara L. (Fuller)
  




• 
  Rogers, Leroy E.
  



• 
  Slowick, Helen S. (Lach)




• 
  Stolar, Paul
  



• 
  Tracy, Roland F.
  




• Tylunas, Patricia A. (Toomey)
  




• 
  Vachereau, Nelson A.
  



• 
  Walker, Josephine A. (Kowal)

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.- Agawam City Capital Planning Committee, 5:15 p.m. Wed.- Agawam Energy Commission, 10 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St. Thurs.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library. Fri.- Agawam Municipal Golf Commission, 7:45 a.m., golf course at 128 Southwick St. Amherst Mon.- Amherst...

Republican file photo

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

Agawam

Mon.- Agawam City Capital Planning Committee, 5:15 p.m.

Wed.- Agawam Energy Commission, 10 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St.

Thurs.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library.

Fri.- Agawam Municipal Golf Commission, 7:45 a.m., golf course at 128 Southwick St.

Amherst

Mon.- Amherst Housing Authority, 4:30, 33 Kellogg Ave.

Wed.- Planning Board Zoning Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Brimfield

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall annex.

Chicopee

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

Tues-Zoning Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall .

Public Works Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

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

Thurs.-Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Hall.

East Longmeadow

Mon.- Capital Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Policy sub-committee meeting, 4:30 p.m., East Longmeadow High School.

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

Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Special Town Meeting, 7 p.m., East Longmeadow High School.

Easthampton

Wed.- Licensing Board, 5:30 p.m., Municipal Building

City Council, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Housing Partnership, 6:30 p.m., Municipal Building.

Granby

Mon.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., High School.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., High School.

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Aldrich Hall.

Greenfield

Mon.- Appointment and Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Police Department.

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

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Police Department.

Wed.- Historical Commission, 4:30 p.m., 114 Main St.

Thu.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., 321 High St.

Hadley

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

Wed.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Hatfield

Tues.- Agricultural Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Hatfield Elementary School.

Thu.- Cable Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m., Smith Academy.

Holyoke

Mon.- City Council Public Safety Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Holyoke Housing Authority board of directors, 6 p.m., 475 Maple St.

Tues.- City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Wed.- School building advisory committee, 10 a.m., Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St.

Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

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

Longmeadow

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

Capital Planning Committee, 7 p.m., Community House.

Wed.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Police Department.

Thu.- Tree Committee, 4 p.m., Department of Public Works.

Monson

Thu.- Cemetery Commission, 6 p.m., 32 Wilbraham Road.

Northampton

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

Wed.- License Commission, 4 p.m., Council Chambers.

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

Community Preservation Committee, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

Thu.- City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

Palmer

Mon.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Building.

Thu.- Town Council ordinance subcommittee, 7 p.m., Town Building.

South Hadley

Mon.- Selectboard and Appropriations Committees, 6 p.m., Town Hall 109.

Appropriations Committee, 7 p.m., Police Station Conference Room.

Tues.- Capital Planning Committee, 5:15 p.m., Town Hall.

Community Preservation Coalition, 7 p.m.

Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Open Space Committee Meeting, 5 p.m., Town Hall 204.

School Building Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Steering Committee meeting, 7 p.m., Town Hall 204.

Thu.- Personnel Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall 103.

Fire District 1 Water Commissioners, 630 p.m., 438 Granby Road.

Springfield

Mon.- City Council Public Health and Safety Committee, 4:45 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council, 5 p.m., special meeting, Council Chambers, City Hall.

Tues.- Commission on Disability, 3 p.m., Public Works building, 70 Tapley St.

Board of Assessors, 3 p.m., assessors room, City Hall.

Wed.- City Council Finance Committee, 4:30 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

Library Commission, 5:30 p.m., commission room, Central Library, 220 State St.

Thu.- School Building Commission, noon, Barney Carriage House, Forest Park.

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, noon, administration office, 2808 Main St.

Springfield Retirement Board, 5 p.m., board room, 70 Tapley St.

Historical Commission, 6:30 p.m., Room 310, City Hall.

West Springfield

Tues.- West Springfield Retirement Board, 7:30 a.m., Sullivan Paper Co. at 58 Progress Ave.

Wed.- West Springfield Redevelopment Authority, 3:30 p.m., municipal building.

Commission on Disabilities, 6 p.m., municipal building.

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

Thu.- West Springfield Council on Aging, 4 p.m., Senior Center.

Santorum also said, "We're going to get out on the campaign trail later tomorrow."

View full sizeFILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds his daughter Isabella before announcing he is entering the Republican presidential race, on the steps of the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerset, Pa. Santorum canceled his morning campaign events, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, and planned to spend time with his hospitalized daughter, Bella. Isabella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Sunday his daughter Bella remains in the hospital with pneumonia but is recovering after a rough 36 hours.

Santorum spoke with Florida supporters by telephone from 3-year-old Bella's hospital room and said doctors hope she can go home in the next few days.

The former Pennsylvania senator also said, "We're going to get out on the campaign trail later tomorrow ... heading out to the Midwest, and start campaigning in the next states as we move this campaign forward."

Santorum scheduled a speech Monday in Missouri and another event in southwest Minnesota — two states with early February contests. He then planned to head to Colorado and Nevada for events Tuesday.

"I feel very, very good about where we are and where the campaign is going," the candidate said.

But during the call with Florida voters, Santorum opened his remarks with his daughter, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn't expected to live past 12 months.

"She without a doubt has turned the corner," he said. But he cautioned she "isn't out of the woods yet."

Santorum called his daughter's improvement a "miraculous turnaround" after an unexpected detour from the campaign just days before Tuesday's Florida primary.

Santorum got to his home in Virginia around midnight Friday for a quick break to do his taxes, but found his daughter "was not doing well."

"I was up with her a lot of the night," he said. "By the end of the day, it was really, really clear she was struggling."

Saturday evening, Santorum aides announced Bella had been admitted to the hospital and they canceled his morning interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" and church services in Miami. His aides later canceled his trip to Florida and instead sent his 20-year-old daughter to campaign for him.

Santorum described the situation as a "very, very tough night last night" but said by late Sunday Bella was "alert and back to her own beautiful, happy girl."

"It's been a very hectic 36 hours," Santorum said. "Life in the Santorum family has dramatically improved since the late afternoon."

A Barnstable man died last week in a Boston hospital, the victim of an attack which came in a way for which little or no warning or protection exists – a rabid bat likely got into his house and bit him, perhaps without his even being aware of it.

U.S. Fish and WildlifeA little brown bat similar to this one is believed to have bitten Kevin Galvin of Marstons Mills, transmitting the rabies that claimed his life.

Historically, rabies came with a warning.

A dog or other infected animal, staggering, perhaps foaming at the mouth, would launch an attack for no apparent reason.

Seeing this, people knew to back away.

Pet vaccinations and prompt medical treatment have all but eliminated human loss of life due to rabies. Until last week, the last death due to rabies in Massachusetts was recorded in 1935.

But a Barnstable man died Monday in a Boston hospital, the victim of an attack which came in a way for which little or no warning or protection exists.

A rabid bat likely got into his house and bit him, perhaps without his even being aware of it because such bites can have the size and appearance of a pin prick.

Kevin Galvin, 63, of the Barnstable village of Marstons Mills died Monday at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to the Cape Cod Times. State and local public health officials would not confirm the cause of death, The Times reported.

His obituary did not specify a cause of death, but the Times obtained his death certificate at Boston City Hall on Friday. The certificate listed rabies encephalitis as the cause of death.

Since 1995, rabid bats have been responsible for 32 of the 33 cases of rabies in those contracted the illness in this country and died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Nevertheless, simply finding a bat in your home “should not necessarily be a cause for alarm and does not necessarily mean that an exposure to rabies has occurred,” said Jennifer L. Manley, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health. “Less than 1 percent of bats in the wild are likely to be infected with rabies at any given time.”

Rabies, which attacks the central nervous system of an infected person or animal, is caused by a virus spread through saliva. The illness has been known for at least 4,000 years.

Rabies in bats was first detected in Massachusetts in 1961. Raccoon rabies appeared in Massachusetts in 1992, and that form has also spread to skunks and foxes.

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually in the early 1900s to one or two a year now.

Modern-day treatment following an exposure to the virus is nearly 100 percent effective. However, if the infection goes untreated, as it did with the man in Barnstable, once the symptoms appear, rabies is nearly always fatal.

In December, a Montague man was bitten by a fox that tested positive for rabies. However, treatment, which involves a series of shots, was immediate, and the man is expected to recover.

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, “In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.”

That is what makes a bite or scratch from a rabid bat such a concern; it may go unnoticed because bat teeth are small and razor sharp, and a bite or scratch may leave a barely visible mark.

While bat populations have been declining in the region because of a fungal infection that afflicts them called white-nose syndrome, bats, such as the little brown bat, are still abundant, and they often seek shelter in homes to overwinter and can emerge in living areas.

In 2010, nearly 700 bats that were found dead or captured in homes were submitted to the state lab for testing, and about 2 percent were found to be rabid. Bats living in the wild are thought to have a lower rate of infection.

Manley said, “Any direct contact with a bat should be evaluated for an exposure.”

“In addition, situations in which a bat bite might go undetected should also be evaluated as possible exposures,” she said. “Such situations include finding a bat in the same room as a deeply sleeping person, an unattended child, a mentally incapacitated individual, an intoxicated person or a pet.”

And if you are bitten or scratched by any animal, state health officials advise washing the wound with soap and water for 10 minutes and then calling your health care provider to determine if you need to be treated for a rabies exposure.

How to capture a bat

Romney leads Gingrich even among groups that are seen as crucial to his campaign, including white evangelical Chrisitans and Tea Party supporters.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Ring Power Lift Trucks in Jacksonville, Fla., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has widened his lead in the presidential race in Florida over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich a day before voters there go to the polls.

Romney leads at 43 percent while Gingrich comes in second with 29 percent among likely Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have 11 percent of likely Republican voters.

Seven percent said they were undecided and 24 percent said they may change their mind by Tuesday's primary.

In a Jan. 27 Quinnipiac University poll, Romney had 38 percent and Gingrich 29 percent of Republican likely voters.

"Romney carries every part of the GOP coalition, including the parts central to Gingrich- self-described conservatives, white evangelical Christians and Tea Party supporters," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "If this margin holds up tomorrow, it's hard to see where Gingrich goes from here."

Romney, who lost to Gingrich by 12 percent in South Carolina, credits changing his tactics to become more aggressive on his message that he's a Washington outsider for his lead in Florida, according to the Associated Press.

Romney aides told ABC News that Romney's margin over Gingrich Tuesday won't be as large, but they feel it's "mission accomplished" in Florida.

The candidates have spent the past few days gearing up for Florida's primary. Gingrich spent the weekend speaking at churches in an attempt to win over the white evangelical Christians, according to ABC News. Romney is kicking off the first of three primary eve rallies around the state today. Santorum is not returning to Florida after caring for his ill daughter Bella over the weekend. Instead, he'll spend the next two days in Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado and Nevada, which have primaries and caucuses in early Febuary, according to The Washington Post.

Romney and Gingrich also took to the airwaves Monday to discuss each other. Gingrich appeared on ABC's Good Morning America, where he said there's little difference between Romney and President Barack Obama, while Romney aligned Gingrich with Washington insiders on NBC's Today program, according to USA Today.

Meanwhile, if Romney were to go against Obama in November, they would be in a dead heat, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday. Among swing state voters, Obama would receive 47 percent and Romney would receive 48 percent. Nationally, Obama and Romney would both receive 48 percent of the votes.

If the Republican candidate were Gingrich, Santorum or Paul, Obama would win among both swing state voters and registered voters nationally, according to the poll.

Massachusetts gas prices have jumped another nickel in the past week, and have now increased 18 cents in the past week.

BOSTON — Massachusetts gas prices have jumped another nickel in the past week, and have now increased 18 cents in the past week.

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that the average price of self-serve, regular is up to $3.47 per gallon.

That price is five cents above the national average and 37 cents more than at the same time a year ago.

AAA found self-serve, regular gas as low as $3.39 and as high as $3.89 per gallon.

The blaze broke out at 485 South St., a high-rise apartment building that is home to mostly elderly tenants, according to Holyoke fire officials.

HOLYOKE – Two people were injured, one seriously, in a high-rise apartment fire reported at 8:35 a.m. Monday at 485 South St., Holyoke Fire Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said.

Paquin said one victim suffered "extensive burns" and was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, while the other was treated for smoke inhalation at Holyoke Medical Center.

The victims were described as a 68-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, but it was unclear which one was the burn victim. Updates on their conditions were not immediately available.

No firefighters were injured. "All of our guys are accounted for," Paquin said.

The fire was not that big, "but it was bad," Paquin said, adding that it took just a few minutes to extinguish. The fire broke out in Apt. 201, a second-floor apartment in the 7-story building, which is owned by the Appleton Corp.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by Holyoke fire and police officials and the state Fire Marshal's office. Deputy Holyoke Fire Chief Robert Shaw was the incident commander.

Oppenheim is facing five counts of child rape related to a sexual relationship he allegedly had with an acting student starting in 2005 when she was 14 and continuing to 2007.

View full sizeThe Republican | John SuchockiDefendant David Fried Oppenheim and his attorney David Hoose during the final stages of jury selection at Oppenheim's child rape trial in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – Jury selection in the child rape trial of David Fried Oppenheim finished Monday morning and opening statements are scheduled to begin in the afternoon.

The founder of PACE, the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton, is facing five counts of child rape related to a sexual relationship he allegedly had with an acting student starting in 2005, when she was 14 years old, and continuing to 2007.

Oppenheim, 38, denies the allegations.

The legal age for consenting to sex in Massachusetts is 16. Hampshire Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup is allowing testimony from other girls who claim to have had sexual contact with Oppenheim when they were between 16 and 18.

Rup empaneled four alternates on the fifth day of jury selection. The trial is expected to last a week.

All three victims are recovering from the attack at a Maple Street residence, according to Westfield police. The dog has been quarantined while the city's animal control officer completes an investigation.

Associated PressThis image provided by the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shows a pit bull dog seized Monday Aug. 9, 2010 in Buena Park, Calif. Police said they stopped a van that was transporting 14 pit bulls to Mexico for dog fighting.

WESTFIELD – A pit bull attacked its owner, a 2-year-old girl and a Westfield police officer at a Maple Street residence on Friday, according to authorities, who quarantined the dog as required by state law.

"Dog went nuts," Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said Monday.

All three victims suffered bites from the 7-year-old male dog, which is being kept at the Westfield Regional Animal Shelter, 178 Apremont Way.

Westfield Police Capt. Michael A. McCabe

The officer was bitten on the arm, the girl was bitten on the hand and the dog's owner was bitten on the thigh, Westfield Animal Control Officer Ken Frazer said. All three were treated at the hospital and later released, officials said.

Frazer said the girl's guardian can request a so-called dangerous-dog hearing to determine the fate of the pit bull, which is not neutered. Depending on the outcome of that hearing, the dog could be euthanized, he said.

Frazer faulted the dog's owner for failing to neuter the animal, which is widely considered to be a basic component of responsible pet ownership. Male dogs that are neutered tend to be less aggressive than those that do not undergo the procedure.

Authorities speculated that the dog may have become jealous when its owner, a woman who was not publicly identified, held the child. The owner was babysitting the little girl at the time of the incident, which occurred Friday morning at 28 Maple St.

"It's not the dog. It's the people that made the dog that way. It's how they train the animal," said Frazer, a 27-year veteran animal control officer.

The dog started acting aggressively, first biting the girl's hand, then the woman's inner thigh, Frazer said. When police arrived, an officer formerly assigned to the department's K-9 unit was bitten on the forearm, Frazer said.

From a legal standpoint, the case is still under investigation. "It's definitely not over," Frazer said.

The Westfield incident comes on the heels of a Jan. 19 incident in Springfield, in which a woman was attacked by her two pit bulls while walking them in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. The dogs suddenly turned on the woman, who suffered bites to her arms, legs and stomach, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, a spokesman for the Springfield Police Department.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a Maple Street address where a Westfield police officer, a young girl and a woman were bitten by a pit bull on Friday:

View Larger Map

UMass landscape crews have learned how to effectively power wash areas, such as walkways and benches, to eliminate the droppings.

Photo by Stan FreemanCanada geese have taken up residence at the University of Massachusetts campus pond in Amherst and are fouling walkways and other sites with their fecal matter.

A school of fish. A college of geese.

Hundreds of Canada geese have turned the campus pond and the surrounding lawns and walkways at University of Massachusetts at Amherst into their unofficial dormitory.

Their droppings, up to a pound-and-a-half a day, have fouled what was formerly one of the most scenic and visited spots on campus to the point that it is earnestly avoided by students.

“The geese have been gathering for many years. There are just more of them lately,” said Patrick S. Daly, director of the physical plant at UMass.

Five years ago, five fountains were installed in the campus pond to dissuade the birds from settling there, he said. “During the months between March and November, while the fountains are operational, the geese and ducks do not linger at the pond.”

However, this winter, as little snow has fallen and with temperatures well above normal, the grass around the pond, which geese feed on, has been available to them much of the time and the population has ballooned.

In the fall, the honking of Canada geese as they migrate overhead in their familiar V-formation is evocative of the season. But other times of year, their presence on the ground as they graze in flocks is not welcome.

Among American waterfowl, Canada geese, which are typically 10 to 14 pounds, are second in size only to swans. And their output of fecal matter is troublesome to those who want to use the same lawns.

View full sizePhoto by Stan FreemanCanada geese have taken up residence at the UMass campus pond and are fouling walkways and other sites with their fecal matter.

Canada geese have flourished in the state in recent decades, according to H. Heusmann, a waterfowl biologist for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. They’ve been attracted by the rise of expansive lawns that border water around houses, in parks, on golf courses and at schools and colleges. And because there are usually few predators and no hunting in these locations, they have proliferated.

“When I started in 1970, there were probably 7,000 to 9,000 geese in the state, mostly in the eastern part. It was unusual to have them in central and Western Massachusetts,” he said

“We estimate there are about 40,000 geese in the state now, but only about 8,000 from Worcester County west,” Heusmann said.

Efforts to chase the geese from lawns and ponds may have only a temporary impact, wildlife officials say. People have put out flags, tied aluminum pie plates along strings and used scarecrows as well as full-bodied swan and coyote decoys to scare them away. But once the geese learn the objects are no threat, they tend to ignore them.

Golf courses sometimes use trained dogs to chase them off the fairways.

At UMass, it was decided to live with the birds, and not take drastic measures to reduce their presence, Daly said.

The fountains have solved the problem much of the year without harm to the birds, he said. UMass landscape crews have learned how to effectively power wash areas, such as walkways and benches, to eliminate the droppings.

“There are members of the campus community who avidly look out for the wildlife around the pond and call the physical plant if there is a sick duck or injured goose. We have taken the wildlife to a local vet when there is an injury,” Daly said.

Also, schoolchildren, students and others come to the pond to feed the wildlife, he said, and “the campus community does enjoy seeing the chicks in the spring.”

The incident coincided with the start of David Fried Oppenheim's child rape trial in Hampshire Superior Court.

View full sizeThe Republican | Michael S. GordonPolice and fire officials investigate a bomb threat Monday at Hampshire County Courthouse on Gothic Street in Northampton.

Update, 1:51 p.m.: Officials have allowed people to return to the courthouse.

NORTHAMPTON – Court officers ordered the evacuation of the Hampshire County Courthouse at 15 Gothic St. at 1 p.m. Monday, saying that they received a letter in which a bomb threat was made.

The entire courthouse complex, including the adjoining law library, was cleared. Police and fire officials arrived on scene at about 1:10 p.m.

At about 1:20 p.m., a court officer could be seen carrying an evidence bag containing a white piece of paper. Gothic Street was closed from around the juvenile court to the intersection with Main Street.

At about 1:45 p.m., an unmarked black truck pulled up to the courthouse.

Northampton police referred all press inquiries to the Northwestern District Attorney's office. Mary Carey, communications director for District Attorney David E. Sullivan, said officials in her office were still attempting to learn more about the situation.

"We're trying to get some information," she said around 2:40 p.m.

Court was back in session about a half-hour after the evacuation was ordered. "It was cleared pretty quickly," Carey said.

Jury selection in the child rape trial of David Fried Oppenheim finished Monday morning, and opening statements were scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. in Hampshire Superior Court.

More details will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

The troopers, both of whom were wearing protective vests, were uninjured, and the man was taken into custody.

Republican file photo

STURBRIDGE – Two state police officers were shot by a man wielding a BB gun during a disturbance late Sunday morning in Sturbridge.

Both officers — a sergeant and a trooper — were wearing bulletproof vests under their patrol jackets, and neither was injured, according to Massachusetts State Police officials in Framingham.

The officers were called at 11:02 a.m. Sunday to assist Sturbridge police with a 30-year-old man who went on a rampage at a local residence, damaging motor vehicles and the home's interior, police said.

The man, whom police declined to identify, ran into his bedroom when authorities arrived at the home, whose address was unavailable. When the troopers entered the house, the man fired a BB gun at them, striking both in the chest, police said.

The man was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for evaluation, police said.

Additional information was not immediately available.

McGovern praised the proposed $50 million fair renovation project.

File photo | David MolnarU.S. Rep. James McGovern, left, at the 8th Annual Hot Chocolate Run in December in Northampton. The Congressman is talking with Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz. McGovern visited Northampton again Monday

NORTHAMPTON – U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who could be the next representative for the city, on Monday praised the proposed $50 million Three County Fair renovation project during a meeting with city and area officials.

McGovern met with fair officials, Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce executive director Suzanne Beck, Allan W. Blair, head of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and others at the fair office as part of a two-stop visit to the city.

Mayor David J. Narkewicz was also taking McGovern to Village Hill to see development there.

This was McGovern’s fourth visit to the city since the redistricting of the state was completed in the fall. Following the 2010 census, Massachusetts' allotment of representatives in the U.S. House was reduced from 10 to nine, requiring redistricting.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, currently represents the city, but redistricting has changed the map so that McGovern's district picked up seven Hampshire communities, including Amherst and Northampton; Greenfield and 13 other Franklin communities; and one precinct in Palmer in Hampden County.

“This is a great project,” McGovern said after hearing about the four-phase project that when finished could triple the number of visitors to the fairgrounds.

“It will help the economy. ... (it) fits within the character" of the city and the region, he said.

Blair told McGovern that it is an ideal “economic development project” offering economic benefits to the entire region “without increasing the footprint.”

McGovern suggested several funding options to explore, including inviting Richard Davey, secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, out for a visit. Part of the project calls for widening Old Ferry Road.

McGovern also suggested contacting the federal Economic Development Initiative, which provides grants to local governments for economic development.

The project “is a job creator,” McGovern said. He said he will talk with Neal to see where he has looked for funding.

The fair has spent about $4 million on the first phase of the project, building three new barns to replace dilapidated ones. As a result, Beck said, the Morgan Horse Show, which had been renewing its contract on a one-year basis, recently signed a multi-year contract.

McGovern, who was first elected to the House in 1996, is a member of the House agriculture committee and co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus and the Congressional Hunger Center.

He said he will be back again. While he faces reelection in November, he’s hoping to serve the district and by visiting often, he said, “I want to be able to hit the ground running.”

“I think it’s very help to reach out to federal leaders,” Narkewicz said “to let them know what the priorities are.”

McGovern praised Narkewicz, calling him “a very forward-looking mayor.”

The Republican file photo | David MolnarU.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, speaks in Northampton last month. On Monday he endorsed Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren for U.S. Senate.

The woman, whose identity was unavailable, was found unresponsive inside a vehicle along the southbound shoulder of Interstate 91, according to state police.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE – State police found an unconscious woman in a car parked along the southbound shoulder of Interstate 91 in Holyoke just before 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Troopers from the Northampton barracks were unable to revive the woman, who was taken by ambulance to Holyoke Medical Center. Her condition was not immediately known.

"The investigation is ongoing," state police said in a press release.

Additional details will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

Newt Gingrich won a straw poll conducted by the Tea Party with 35 percent of the vote after each candidate answered a set of pre-screened questions.

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, accompanied by his wife Callista, waits to speak at a Tea Party Rally, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, in Mount Dora, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican candidates Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum made their pitches on how they plan to lower spending as part of their efforts to gain Tea Party votes in Tuesday's Florida primary.

During a conference call with the national group Tea Party Patriots Sunday,, each candidate answered pre-screened questions for 10 minutes and made a 90-second closing remark in an attempt to receive the support of the 6,000 people in Florida listening to the call, according to The Washington Post. Candidate Ron Paul did not participate due to a previous engagement, according to the Tea Party Patriots.

Gingrich won, with 35 percent, a straw poll conducted by the Tea Party Patriots following the conference call. Santorum received 31 percent, Romney received 18 percent and Paul received 11 percent, according to the straw poll. Eight percent said they were undecided.

Ted Jackovics of The Tampa Bay Tribune reported Monday that tea party supporters are divided on who they will support for the GOP presidential nomination.

Gingrich spoke first during the conference call, arguing that he would reduce spending on several federal agencies, according to The Washington Post. Romney, speaking second, said he would limit non-discretionary funding to 2008 levels and cut the National Endowment of the Arts, PBS and Amtrak. Speaking last, Santorum said he would $5 trillion over 5 years.

Billie Tucker, founder of Florida's largest tea party group First Coast Tea Party, said the group will not endorse a candidate in Florida. CNN notes that an endorsement from the group could have swayed undecided voters.

The national political action committee Tea Party Express kicked off its "Rallying for Victory" bus tour in Florida Saturday with stops in Jacksonville, Winter Park and West Palm Beach, according to a Tea Party Express announcement.

East Haven Police Chief Leonard Gallo officially retired in the face of a federal criminal investigation that resulted in the arrests of four police officers.

Photo by Jessica Hill / Associated PressEast Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., at podium, points toward Jonathan Einhorn, attorney for East Haven Police Chief Leonard L. Gallo, during a press conference Monday. Click on the link, above left, for a report from the New Haven Register about the chief's retirement in the wake of a federal investigation of the East Haven Police Department.

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• Officials weigh options in wake of court ruling allowing Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to remain open [Burlington Free Press]


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Obituaries from The Republican.

Ronald C. Harris

SPRINGFIELD - Ronald Craig Harris Sr., 58, of White Street, died Tuesday at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. Born in Las Vegas, Nev., he had lived in Springfield for 51 years. He had been employed as a buyer for firearms maker Savage Arms in Westfield, and was a member of the Smith & Wesson Gun Club.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Anderson, Carol Lynn
  



• 
  Asselin, Gerard R. "Butch"
  




• 
  Banas, Bernard J.
  



• 
  Bonneau, Robert "Popeye"
  



• 
  Cagan, Barbara "Bea" (Katz)




• 
  Clark, Nancy J. (Atkins)
  



• 
  Foster, Zachary Longstreet
  




• Gonet, Frances L. (Latlip)
  




• 
  Harris Sr., Ronald C.
  



• 
  Ladue, Marianne




• 
  Langlois, Doris E. (Jubinville)
  



• 
  LaPointe, Susan A. (Fenno)
  




• Mahoney, William J.
  




• 
  Manijak, Mary M.
  



• 
  Moschen, Josephine M. (Miller)




• 
  Peacey, Lois S. (Rankin)
  



• 
  Piecuch, Margaret A. "Peggy"
  




• Placido, Henrietta R.
  




• 
  Rogers, Leroy E.
  



• 
  Sorel, Raymond E.




• 
  Stolar, Paul
  



• 
  Walker, Josephine A. (Kowal)
  




• Wallis Jr., George S.
  

Each community must approve funding to allow the project to move to construction stages.

SOUTHWICK – Voters here, in Tolland and Granville will go to the polls Tuesday to consider funding a $72 million Southwick-Tolland-Granville School district project designed to meet the district’s classroom needs for the new 40 to 50 years.

At issue is the exclusion of the cost from restrictions of Proposition 2½, with approval leading to an increase in property taxes in each community. If approved, the three communities must support bonding for the entire $72 million even though the final cost to the communities is estimated at only about $29 million. The state’s School Building Authority has approved 62 percent reimbursement for the project.

Southwick, which serves as home to the district’s three public schools, will be responsible for about 83.7 percent of the $29 million, while taxpayers in Tolland will pay 3.6 percent and Granville taxpayers will be responsible for the remaining 12.7 percent of the cost.

The estimated average annual tax impact on homeowners is $464 for Southwick; $105 in Tolland and $367 on Granville taxpayers.

Each community must approve the project before it can advance to construction stages.

Superintendent of Schools John D. Barry said the tax increase in Granville could be offset by savings that town will realize from its recent decision to join the school district. “There should be no increase in property taxes for Granville from this project,” said Barry. He explained the offset will result from its school budget, for operation of Granville Village School, into the district budget.

The school project was approved by voters earlier this month in separate special Town Meetings.

Proponents say the project will address maintenance and classroom needs at Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional High School, Powder Mill Middle School and Woodland Elementary School. The project will change the class makeup at each building.

Opponents argue the cost places a burden on taxpayers and the scope of the project should be reduced because of declining enrollment.

Southwick voters overwhelmingly rejected a $5 million school construction and maintenance project in 2004.

The Hispanic vote is expected to play a critical role in in the general election should Romney win the GOP nomination and face President Barack Obama in the November election.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns with Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno at Lanco Paint Company in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday's Florida primary. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is gaining momentum among Hispanic voters while President Barack Obama's campaign is claiming Obama has their support.

Romney's campaign spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told Real Clear Politics that Hispanic voters are responding to Romney's economic message.

"The unemployment rate in the Hispanic community is higher than it is for Caucasians, and they've experienced the housing foreclosure crisis here. I think the part of Newt (Gingrich)'s record that's creating the most problems for him down in Florida is his paid advocacy for Freddie Mac, and there's just something fundamentally wrong with the people of Florida losing their homes at the same time Newt was cashing in with Freddie Mac," he said.

Romney also has the support of Cuban-Americans in Florida, which can make an impact in competitive races, according to the Associated Press.

Romney struggled to get the votes of Hispanics in the 2008 election and received 14 percent of the Hispanic vote compared to McCain's 54 percent, according to The National Journal. Exit polls in the 2008 general election showed 67 percent of Hispanic voters voted for Obama.

Obama's campaign staff say he has the votes of Hispanics in 2012 also because of the rhetoric used by Republican presidential candidates about immigration. The Republican presidential nominee will need 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in November to beat Obama, political analysts told ABC News.

The alleged victim said Fried Oppenheim instructed her to write down in a journal her reactions to physical sensations, which she could recall later to bring her to desired emotional states while acting.

The Republican | John SuchockiDavid Friend Oppenheim listens during juror selection Monday morning at his child rape trial in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON – Through frequent tears and long silences, the alleged victim of child rape at the hands of David Fried Oppenheim testified in Hampshire Superior Court on Monday, describing the first month of almost two years worth of alleged sexual assault.

The Republican is not identifying the victim, who is now 20 years old, but was 14 at the time the alleged abuse occurred.

During testimony Monday afternoon, she claimed she met Fried Oppenheim in early 2005 when she was 13 while auditioning for a part in the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton production of "Into The Woods." She was cast as a tree.

She said, "That was my dream. It was everything to me. ... PACE was a really great theater and a great community."

She testified that she began taking on a larger role in the theater, as an intern, volunteer, performer and acting student. She said, "The defendant meant a lot to me ... there was this urge to please him and earn praise from him."

In October 2005, she testified Fried Oppenheim began using rehearsals for the play "You're A Good Charlie Brown" to get her alone for one-on-one acting lessons.

View full sizeThe Republican | John SuchockiLeft to right, defendant David Fried Opperheim, defense lawyer David Hoose, Northwestern District Attorney's office co-counsel Thomas Townswend, Assistant District Attorney Linda Pisano and judge Mary-Lou Rup confer during the final stages of jury selection at Oppenheim's child rape trail at Hampshire Superior Court on Monday.

It was during that time, she claims, that Fried Oppenheim taught her an acting technique he developed called "Primitives."

The alleged victim said Fried Oppenheim instructed her to write down in a journal her reactions to physical sensations, which she could recall later to bring her to desired emotional states while acting. She was 14 at the time.

"It could be anything like having an itch or whatever. You would write that down," she testified. She added that Fried Oppenheim said "I needed to experience other physical sensations that other kids wouldn't so I would be ahead."

This story will be updated with more details later this afternoon.