The disaster struck close to home in Massachusetts where one of the nation’s largest populations of Haitian-Americans resides, leading to an outpouring of support, including food and clothes drives for affected families.

Photo by Ramon Espinosa / Associated PressChildren help their mother in a wheelchair as they head to school in a camp set up people displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, last week. Haiti struggles to recover from a massive earthquake two years ago that devastated much of the southern half and initially displaced 1.5 million people.

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - As Haiti continues to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010, state leaders on Monday recommitted themselves to helping Haitians and their families living in Massachusetts to rebuild their lives.

“This was not about some distant calamity, but our neighbors, friends, co-workers and their families,” Gov. Deval L. Patrick said during an event Monday morning commemorating the second anniversary of the earthquake.

On Jan. 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, killing an estimated 300,000 Haitians. The disaster struck close to home in Massachusetts where one of the nation’s largest populations of Haitian-Americans resides, leading to an outpouring of support, including food and clothes drives for affected families.

To mark the anniversary, state officials gathered at the Statehouse with members of the Haitian community where Patrick presented a proclamation recognizing the earthquake and promising to continue the state’s efforts to help refugees and their families who have since arrived in Massachusetts.

Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Dorchester Democrat and a Haitian American, led the event, which also attracted House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer, Rep. Russell Holmes of Dorchester, and Rep. Alice Wolf of Cambridge.

“Rebuilding is no easy process for any nation, which is why it’s so important for the Commonwealth to help out where it can,” DeLeo said.

In additional to calling on President Barack H. Obama to expand a family reunification program for Haitians awaiting entry to the United States, members of the community reminded state leaders that Haiti needs their attention now more than ever.

Minister Marjorie Brunache, of the Haitian consulate, called Haiti an “untapped market” just three-and-a-half hours from Boston by plane.

“Come see the opportunities. Haiti is open for business,” Brunache said.

Asked after the event whether he would take Brunache up on her offer, Patrick said, “Yes. Of course. Anxious to go.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do it this year, but I hope in the fullness of time to be able to go and see the good work that the people of Massachusetts have done and are doing on the ground to help Haiti rebuild,” Patrick told reporters.

Both Gov. Patrick and the Legislative Black and Latino Caucus have sent letters to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting the establishment of a Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program modeled after a similar program for Cubans that would allow Haitians already approved for visas to wait for those visas in the United States rather than Haiti.

Members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation have also expressed support for the program, and Speaker DeLeo said Monday he would add his name to a letter of support and send it to President Barack Obama directly.

Forry said that over 30,000 Haitians have been approved for visas, but are still waiting in Haiti for entry to the United States. Both Forry and Josiane Martinez, director of the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, said they were unsure how many of those Haitians might be waiting to come to Massachusetts.

The Motion Picture Association of Haiti streamed the event live on its website, where speakers also honored Rutland builder Leonard Gengel and his wife, Cherylann, who lost their daughter Britney Gengel during the earthquake. The couple is now building an orphanage in Haiti.

According to Forry, Massachusetts ties to Haiti run deep with a boulevard in the country named after former Sen. Charles Sumner, who fought against American colonization of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Massachusetts has the third largest concentration of Haitian immigrants in the country, with the Greater Boston area trailing only Miami and New York City with over 40,000 immigrants from that country, according to officials.

Forry said since the earthquake, the country has experienced an outbreak of cholera, and there are still over 100,000 residents living in tents.

Last year, the Massachusetts National Guard deployed the 125th battalion out of Worcester and the 220th detachment out of Bridgewater to Haiti for water purification infrastructure assistance.

The state has also provided food assistance, emergency housing, medical services, immigration assistance and access to schools to Haitian refugees who have come to Massachusetts seeking shelter.

Martinez said more than 400 Haitians have received special pre- and post-employment services through funding made available last fall by the Department of Housing and Community Development for English language courses and other services.

It is believed the death was from natural causes, but police at the scene said it was too soon to say definitively what the cause was.

Update 10:30 p.m.: Police confirm the boy was 6 and a caller said he had a seizure.

Update 7:15 p.m.: Police found medical equipment in the apartment.

HOLYOKE – Police said medical equipment was in the 688 High St. apartment where a 6-year-old boy was found dead Monday, leading to the belief the boy had a medical condition, Chief James M. Neiswanger said.

“There’s no foul play suspected,” Neiswanger said.

He declined to identify the boy, the medical condition the boy had or the kinds of medical equipment found in the apartment because he said he wanted family members notified before such details were released.

Investigators from the Massachusetts State Police were working with police, which is required whenever there’s a death, Neiswanger said.

The boy was found in a fourth-floor apartment of the four-story, red-brick building in the Churchill Neighborhood near West Franklin Street. Other people were home at the time, he said.

Later Monday, Police Lt. Matthew F. Moriarty emailed a press release that said police received a call at about 5 p.m. that the boy had a seizure and was not breathing.

“Holyoke police and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene and shortly after medical personnel pronounced the patient deceased. At this time foul play is not being considered,” Moriarty said.

Neiswanger said the boy had a medical history.

“It appears there may be some of that,” Neiswanger said.

At the scene, women and men on the sidewalk in front of the building cried, spoke into cell phones and hugged each other. A woman who was crying used a profanity in shouting at the media to leave. Police Lt. Manuel Febo, head of the Churchill community policing substation, led reporters and cameramen to the sidewalk across the street.

Emergency medical technicians took away someone who was on the sidewalk, with Neiswanger saying it appeared the person had been overcome.

Neiswanger briefed reporters around the corner on West Franklin Street to avoid upsetting the people who were gathered in front of 688 High St.

This is a developing story; more details will be posted as soon as they become available

The map below shows the approximate location of 688 High St., Holyoke:

View 688 High St., Holyoke in a larger map

A Lee couple has purchased the former Treydon's Bar & Grill on Union Street.

The Republican | Diane LedermanAnup Sangar of Lee stands in front of the former Treydon's Bar & Grill. He purchased the Easthampton building and will open an Indian Restaurant there in March.

EASTHAMPTON – A Lee couple has purchased the former Treydon’s Bar & Grill on Union Street and plan to open an Indian restaurant there in March.

Anup K. Sangar said he closed on the property in January. The Hampshire County Registry of Deeds lists the purchase price at $200,000. Treydon’s, which was owned by Landon M. Jenkins, closed in December of 2009M after seven years.

“I was just looking around (for a site) for the last two or three years,” said Sangar, who has owned Indian restaurants in Lee and Great Barrington, both of which he closed.

He liked the Easthampton location because it’s convenient and the city has parking.

“In Northampton, it’s tough for parking,” he said. He noted parking is free in Easthampton. He said he also likes the location.

Easthampton has no Indian restaurants.

Sangar has a crew renovating the space. He said the restaurant will have nearly 100 seats. The menu will feature northern Indian cuisine, which he’s been preparing since 1987, he said. He will serve lunch and dinner and food will be available for take-out, he said. His wife also cooks, he said.

He is applying for an all alcohol license Feb. 1 before the city Licensing Board.

He expects to choose a name for the restaurant soon and has been thinking about Glory Glory of India, which was the name of his restaurant in Great Barrington, or New India Palace.

Some councilors had raised concerns regarding the process used to select and fund local organizations.

File photo | The Republican

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously Monday to accept an $800,000 state grant to combat youth and gang violence, ending a three-week delay that triggered a warning letter from the state.

The council had voted twice this month to delay the grant vote, and refer the issue to its Public Health and Safety Committee. Some councilors said they had questions and concerns regarding whether the process of selecting local organizations for the grant funds was open and inclusive.

Thomas M. Ashe

Councilor Thomas M. Ashe, chairman of the public safety committee, said he is pleased the grant is in place “and we can get down to the work of targeting a very difficult population of young people in Springfield.” Agencies funded under the grant will provide intervention programs for young men, ages 14-24, deemed at the highest risk of being victims or perpetrators of violent crime.

The delayed acceptance of the grant occurred after representatives of the Springfield-based anti-youth violence group – Alive with Awareness, Knowledge and Empowerment (AWAKE) – contended AWAKE should have been funded, and said the process for selecting organizations was flawed and unfair.

City grant officials, who filed the grant application, said the guidelines were very stringent, and AWAKE failed to provide sufficient documentation to merit funding.

The state Executive Office for Health and Human Services issued the $800,000 Safe and Successful Youth Initiative grant to Springfield and $441,403 to Holyoke.

Following the second delayed vote by the City Council last Monday, a state official for Health and Human Services sent a warning to Springfield that the grant could be in jeopardy if the funds were not accepted by Jan. 31.

The largest amount of the grant, $375,000, was earmarked for Roca, a community organization that develops programs for high-risk youth. The Police Department received $155,000 for two gang unit officers (half-time each), and a civilian grant coordinator. Smaller amounts went to the Salvation Army, Hampden County Sheriff, the Regional Employment Board, the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, and Baystate Medical Center.

Melvin A. Edwards

Bud Williams

Councilors Bud L. Williams and Melvin A. Edwards, among those who voted to send the issue back to committee last week, said there was never any intention of jeopardizing the grant, and they were not notified of a Jan. 31 deadline until late last week. Both said they had wanted additional time to ask questions regarding the grant process and how the city selected organizations to share in the funds.

Williams said the issue was not about AWAKE, but about all local organizations that might merit grant funding.

Edwards said he is elected by voters to ask questions, not to simply “rubber-stamp” items.

Ashe praised the city’s grant writers and said he hopes they are not “jaded” by the latest issue. The vote a week ago was 10-3 to send the issue back to committee, with Councilors Timothy J. Rooke, Clodovaldo Concepcion and Ashe opposed to the delay.

AWAKE, a nonprofit organization, does have its annual reports on file with the state Attorney General’s office, through fiscal year 2010, and has a deadline extension for its 2011 report, according to a state spokeswoman.

The site is bordered by Palmer and Warren.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanJames J. Murren, chairman and chief executive officer of MGM Resorts International, David J. Callahan, president of Palmer Paving, and William Hornbuckle, MGM's chief marking officer, appear at a press conference earlier this month to talk about plans for a casino in Brimfield.

BRIMFIELD - MGM Resorts International announced Monday that it has selected Gensler, a leader in global sustainability, as the architectural firm that will oversee the design of MGM’s proposed Rolling Hills Resort casino project in Brimfield.

“We don’t believe development should come at the cost of natural beauty,” said Jim Murren, MGM’s chairman and CEO. “Genler is a company that shares our green values and we are proud to have them joining our Brimfield team.”

MGM Resorts - the name behind Las Vegas casinos such as the Bellagio and MGM Grand - has signed a contract with Rolling Hills Estates Realty Trust to purchase the wooded, 150-acre property where it wants to build “Rolling Hills Resort,” the working title of the project.

MGM signed a contract at the beginning of January with David Callahan of Rolling Hills Estates Realty Trust to option 150 acres of land in Brimfield.

MGM is seeking to develop a world class casino resort on the secluded parcel just north of the Massachusetts Turnpike, 65 miles west of Boston.

MGM representatives have said the project would have minimal impacts on the town, as main access would only be from the Massachusetts Turnpike, and would create 3,000 permanent jobs.

At a community meeting in December, Callahan, chief executive officer of Palmer Paving, said, “Without a doubt our site is the most isolated and remote of all those proposed in Western Massachusetts. We will buffer the town by maintaining acres of woodlands and open space around the facility, so that unless Brimfield residents actively seek out our casino it will have a limited impact on their daily lives.”

The site is bordered by Palmer and Warren. Washington and Old Millbrook roads surround it. The turnpike runs through it.

MGM Resorts is the latest company vying for the lone casino license in Western Massachusetts.

There also are proposals for Palmer, Holyoke and Springfield.

Brimfield Selectmen Chairman Diane M. Panaccione said earlier this month said most residents reaching out to her are anti-casino.

Gaming licenses are expected to be awarded in summer 2013. For a casino to open in a community, there must be a binding vote in favor of it.

Gensler is a member of the Business Council on Climate Change and was ranked the number one green design firm by Engineering News-Record. Genler’s sustainable credits include work on MGM’s CityCenter in Las Vegas, the world’s largest private sustainable development.

The Senate is expected to vote on Sen. Scott Brown's Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act this week.

President Barack Obama greets, from second from left, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, after delivering his State of the Union address. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. Senate is moving forward with legislation authored by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., that would ban insider trading in Congress.

The Senate's procedural vote Monday night on Brown's bill, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, means senators could vote on the bill this week.

The STOCK Act would legally require members of Congress to disclose stock transactions of more than $1,000 within 30 days in an attempt to curb buying or selling stocks based on non-public knowledge.

The legislation would not bar a member of Congress from voting on an issue in which he or she stands to gain financially from a certain outcome. The failure to include such a provision has led to criticisms that the law doesn't make enough of an effort to clean up politics in the Capitol.

"Beginning today, the Senate is embarking on a mission to help address the deficit of trust with the American people," Brown said in a statement. "The public has demanded that this institution be more open and accountable, and the STOCK Act is a chance to answer their call. Bottom line, members of Congress should live by the same rules as everyone else."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Thursday that a vote would be held on the STOCK Act on Monday. The announcement came shortly after Brown and President Barack Obama had a brief exchange about it after the State of the Union address, in which Obama told Brown he would tell Reid to "get it done."

"I think we've set a legislative speed record," Brown said in a statement after Reid's announcement.

The STOCK Act is a revised vision of Brown’s bill, which he introduced on Nov. 15, 2011. Similar STOCK Acts introduced by Brown and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., were merged in a compromise by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The committee passed the bill on Dec. 14 and sent it the Senate floor for a vote.

The issue of insider trading in Congress came to light after a 60 Minutes report Nov. 13 accused politicians in both parties of cashing in on knowledge they learned through their publicly paid positions by buying or selling stocks with non-public information.

The STOCK ACT was first introduced in 2006 but had only six co-sponsors and no real chance of passing. Brown's STOCK Act has 230 co-sponsors.

His biggest crisis as schools superintendent in Amherst unfolded in 2002 when a group of parents accused high school principal Stephen Myers of sexual misconduct.

Photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanSouth Hadley Superintendent of Schools Gus A. Sayer is seen on one of his last days in office.

SOUTH HADLEY – Gus A. Sayer concludes a nearly two-hour interview with a run-down of his achievements as School Superintendent in South Hadley, then expresses the hope that the story will focus on some of them. After 35 years in education, Sayer can lay claim to a long and accomplished career, but there’s a ghost in the room and her name is Phoebe Prince.

Sayer is set to step down from his post Tuesday and cede his office to Nicholas D. Young, his newly chosen replacement. The South Hadley job started out as an interim appointment for Sayer in 2003 but turned into a nearly nine-year stint. It’s safe to say that when he took the job, Sayer had no idea his school system would be thrust into in the spotlight of an international media focus on school bullying.

Prince, a 15-year-old freshman at South Hadley High School, took her life on Jan. 14, 2010, at her home, not far from the high school. Investigators subsequently said that her suicide was preceded by a period of intense bullying at school. In an unprecedented move, Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel charged six of Prince’s classmates in connection with her treatment, and her death exploded into an international story.

Although no school officials were charged, Scheibel implied that they were not without blame in the case. People called for Sayer’s head and some news accounts pointed a finger at him. Sayer was asked to account for himself on national television and had his image photo-shopped in unflattering ways on the Internet.

Sayer, 69, might have thought he’d seen it all after 35 years. The New Jersey native began his public school career as a physics teacher at Boston Latin in the late 1960s and went from there to the much smaller Franklin school system, where he headed the science department. They liked him so much in Franklin that the superintendent there asked Sayer to become his second in command. Sayer said no at first, but eventually gave in.

By 1978 he had become the interim superintendent. His next move was to Weston, where he was hired as superintendent of a school system where money was no obstacle. If the schools lacked funding for a program or project, parents in the wealthy community would often make up the difference themselves.

“It’s nice what money can do,” Sayer said.

When he took over the superintendent’s post in Amherst in 1989, Sayer had a whole new dynamic to weather. In a town where “West Side Story” is verboten but “The Vagina Monologues” is not, everyone, it seemed, wanted a say in how the schools were run, right down to which plays were performed by the Drama Club.

“It’s the product of being in a college community,” Sayer said. “People at the university are well educated, so they think they know all the answers to education, and they’re not afraid to express them.”

Amherst is also a diverse town, and Sayer found that many had strong feelings about how that diversity should be handled. When the NAACP threatened to file suit against Amherst for its practice of tracking – dividing students into instructional groups according to their level of achievement – Sayer negotiated with the group for more than a year to reach a compromise.

But his biggest crisis unfolded in 2002, when a group of parents accused high school principal Stephen H. Myers of sexual misconduct. The firestorm began with reports that Myers had asked a 15-year-old male student to show him his nipples.

Although Myers resigned within a month, other reports continued to surface, indicated that Myers had been investigated in other states for molesting children. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services took Myers’ 8-year-old adopted son from his custody.

Although Amherst had taken the extraordinary step of making a site visit to Myers’ previous school in Colorado during the vetting process, they learned nothing negative about the candidate. Sayer, nonetheless, came under fire for his appointment.

“People lied to us,” he said. “It was one of the great disappointments in my career.”

Although some people, after the fact, insisted the schools should have done a criminal offender check on Myers, Sayer noted that it would have been fruitless because he had no criminal record.

Still, Sayer said he had misgivings about Myers almost from the beginning. A few months before the nipple story became public, he talked to the principal about reports that he spent a lot of time behind closed doors with male students.

“I ordered him to change his behavior,” Sayer said. “Then the whole thing blew up.”

Even when Myers came under fire, he had supporters. Sayer said many parents liked the charismatic principal and his students-first focus.

“There were people who backed him to the end,” he said.

The controversy took a toll on Sayer, who had undergone heart surgery in 2000, and he stepped down from the superintendent’s post in 2003.

He was retired for all of four months when South Hadley came calling. They were looking for an interim superintendent. Sayer thought he might be of help.

“Like the man who came to dinner, I’m still here,” he said.

Whatever heat he took for the Myers affair was just a warm-up for the firestorm over Phoebe Prince. Even minus the media frenzy, Sayer said, it was a tough situation for the South Hadley school community.

“Whenever we lose a kid, it’s a lost opportunity in life,” he said. “This was the first suicide I ever had to deal with. Everyone asks themselves what they could have done differently to preserve this life.”

Although skirmishes between students seldom rise to the attention of school superintendents, many ultimately laid the blame for Prince’s bullying and subsequent death at the feet of Sayer, the head of the school system.

“I only heard the name ‘Phoebe Prince’ for the first time on the night she died,” Sayer said.

Soon enough, he knew the name well. Although he was criticized for failing to reach out to Prince’s family, Sayer said he planned to attend her funeral but backed off because he heard that the family wanted to keep it small and private.

“I thought I was respecting their wishes,” he said.

Sayer did invite Jeremy Prince and Anne O’Brien, Phoebe’s parents, to his office to help with the school’s investigation, but said they shed little additional light on the subject. Phoebe herself was reluctant to talk about her problems with school officials, he said, even when she came crying to their offices.

“Phoebe Prince was a very private individual who bore the burden of what was taking place to the greatest extent possible,” he said.

Citing recent surveys done by the South Hadley schools, Sayer said thousands of students contend they have been bullied, but only about 70 reported specific instances to school officials.

“There’s an awful lot of stuff that goes down that we just don’t know about,” he said.

When Northwestern District Attorney Scheibel held a press conference two months after Prince’s suicide to announce that she was bringing charges against six South Hadley High School students, it was like squirting lighter fluid on the story.

Although Scheibel said at the time that her investigation found nothing in the behavior of school officials that rose to the level of criminal conduct, she expressed grave reservations about their actions or lack thereof. Sayer promptly put in a call to the DA.

“I called Betsy and asked her what that was about,” he said. “I said, ‘You indicted the schools.’ It was just an innuendo that was not explained.”

Although Scheibel originally agreed to meet with him, Sayer said, the meeting never took place. Most of the students who were charged admitted to sufficient facts for a guilty finding. None served jail time. Sayer remains upset about the way their cases were handled.

“That’s the way to deal with hardened criminals,” he said. “It’s not the way we deal with kids. (Scheibel) succeeded in getting (an anti-bullying) law passed at the expense of these six kids. At least for some of them, they were terribly overcharged. I’m sure she would have much preferred to prosecute an administrator.”

Scheibel, who left office in January, said she did not want to get into a point-by-point refutation of facts with Sayer but called his version of events typical of his head-in-the-sand attitude.

“We’ve been listening to Gus Sayer backpedal for two years,” she said. “Despite what Gus wants to believe, or appears to believe, the investigation revealed something totally different. Two years later, I’m not interested in rehashing his theories. My opinion on these issues is a matter of public record, as is the outcome in the case.”

That outcome, Scheibel says, shows that the students involved have taken responsibility for their actions while Sayer and his colleagues have not.

“He has continued to shift the blame away from where it belongs,” Scheibel said.

Legally, at least, Sayer can say he is free from blame. In the wake of their daughter’s death, Prince’s parents filed a Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination complaint against him, former high school principal Dan Smith, Associate Principal William Evans and the South Hadley School system, alleging they allowed her daughter to be sexually harassed.

The two side settled out of court for $225,000. As part of the agreement, the Princes agreed to take no further legal action against Sayer and the other defendants.

While there was no admission of liability, Sayer won’t go as far to say that the settlement exonerates him. However, lawyers who have looked at the case say it would be difficult to prove any sort of negligence on his part. Sayer does concur on this point.

“I don’t know what negligence I could have had since I never heard of Phoebe Prince before her death,” he said.

Sayer says he does not excuse the bullying that took place in his schools, calling some of it “horrible.” He is also glad for the law passed by the Massachusetts Legislature mandating that each school system come up with a plan to deal with bullying.

However, he rejects the notion that the problem is worse in South Hadley than in other places, calling it “a media creation.”

“(The Phoebe Prince story) is a tragic story,” he said, “but I don’t know that it’s any more tragic than other kids who have lost their lives at that age.”

Even after all the investigations and media examination, Sayer believes there was more to the situation than meets the eye.

“We don’t really know why Phoebe Prince took her life,” he said.

As he prepares to leave the superintendent’s office behind for some time with his grandchildren, Sayer worries that accomplishments like increasing academic achievement, strengthening the curriculum and taking a group of South Hadley students to China in an effort to start an exchange program will be lost in the Prince furor.

“I have a strong commitment to making this a good school system for everybody,” he said. “I always tried to do what’s best for everybody here. It concerns me that people talk negatively about what we’ve done.”

Fire officials are investigating the cause of a porch fire in the rear of an empty three-story apartment building at 418 Liberty St. Monday night.

Staff photo by Patrick JohnsonA Springfield fire engine outside 418 Liberty Street at the scene of a porch fire.

SPRINGFIELD – Fire officials are investigating the cause of a Monday evening porch fire in the rear of an empty three-story apartment building at 418 Liberty St. in the lower Liberty Heights neighborhood.

The fire, reported at 6:30 p.m., started on a first-floor porch in the rear of the building facing Columbia Terrace.

It was reported by an Abel Security guard, who spotted the flames and called 911.

Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said the fire is considered suspicious and remains under investigation.

The building is boarded up and has no electric power.

When firefighters arrived, they found fire only on the back porch, but the interior was filled with smoke, Leger said.

He estimated the damage was around $2,000.

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One goal of the literacy effort is to encourage parents to read to children.

Holyoke School Committee member Michael J. Moriarty reads along a "StoryWalk" as part of a literacy event in November at the Holyoke Children's Museum.

HOLYOKE – The public schools’ first family-literacy center will open Wednesday at Kelly School at 216 West St. with an open house from 6 to 8 p.m.

The goal is to have such a center in each of the 11 schools and is part of the drive known as “Reading is Power: Holyoke Can Do It,” said Mary L. Curro, director of early childhood education.

The center will be an area set aside in each school where parents who deliver their children in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon can sit and read to them, she said Wednesday.

“Many of our families don’t have a lot of literature in their homes. This will give them a chance, when they drop off their kids, to sit and read to them while in a warm, comfortable setting,” Curro said.

Conklin Office Furniture at 56 Canal St. has donated seating and tables for the Kelly School literacy area, she said.

The multipart literacy effort operates under the School Committee goal of having 85 percent of students be proficient readers by the end of third grade in 2014, she said.

Currently, only 25 percent of Holyoke third-graders scored proficient in reading on the 2010 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test.

The school system’s nearly 6,000 students are mostly Hispanic and English is not the first language for more than half of them, officials have said.

Curro gave the School Committee an update about the literacy effort Jan. 23.

“The single most critical issue facing the city of Holyoke and its public schools is the inability of many of our students to read with comprehension on grade level by the end of the third grade,” Curro said.

Helping children read benefits the whole community because those who read well have less of a reason to drop out before graduating from high school, Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

“There is a direct link between early literacy and high school graduation,” said Morse, School Committee chairman.

Numerous efforts are underway. The schools’ Early Childhood Task Force has subcommittees that explore ways to increase literacy in the community, through family engagement and with school instruction, she said.

A $75,000 United Way grant has been used to set up the family literacy center at Kelly School and one being established at Peck School, she said.

With the help of WGBY-TV, in Springfield, the local Public Broadcasting System affiliate, fourth-and fifth-graders at Kelly School will be trained as “buddy” readers to work with kindergartners, she said.

Holyoke’s Enchanted Circle Theater has a program that links literacy with dramatic productions for students in pre-school, kindergarten and first grade and their families, she said.

Operation Outreach will be donating “The Coqui and the Iguana,” by author Alidis Vicente and illustrator Nancy Cote, a book “about about a young girl’s adventure while on a family vacation in Puerto Rico,” according to amazon.com. Operation Outreach-USA is a non-profit organization devoted to providing a literacy programs to elementary schools, as stated on its Facebook page.

All third grades here are participating in the field-trip program “See Hear Feel Film” at Amherst Cinema Arts Center, free of charge. In that program, students learn how to watch movies and tell stories through movies with discussions about what books and movies have in common.

Michael J. Moriarty, committee member at large, said he was impressed after attending one of the “See Hear Feel Film” trips.

“This is excellent stuff,” Howard B. Greaney Jr., at large committee member, said after Curro’s presentation.

Thousands of trees were destroyed June 1 when tornadoes struck Western Massachusetts.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanDowned trees are seen on Old Brook Road in Springfield following the June 1 tornado.

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal donated $500 to the “Regreen Springfield” tree planting program on Monday, saying that private and public funding efforts are needed to help replace trees destroyed in the June 1 tornado.

Neal, D-Springfield, donated from his campaign funds and said he hopes to help other communities that received serious tree damage in the tornadoes that struck the region. In addition, he is working with local officials to pursue grant assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Richard E. Neal

“Our trees are the most precious resource that span generation to generation,” Neal said. “We have to be the stewards who ensure that the next generation will enjoy the benefits of all of us working together to replant our city.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Patrick J. Sullivan, the city’s director of parks, buildings and recreation management, were among officials who gathered on Roosevelt Avenue in East Forest Park to accept the check and to thank other donors who are contributing to Regreen Springfield.

Planting of trees began in November and December and will resume in the spring.

The city has received approximately $60,000 in contributions including $40,000 from PeoplesBank.

The trees provide not only beauty and shade, but also aid the environment and reduce erosion, Neal said.

Sarno said the donation from Neal demonstrates “the need for everyone to participate in the regreening of Springfield.”

To learn more about Regreen Springfield, visit www.regreenspringfield.com.

Sullivan said it is “imperative we replant our streets and manage the rest of the city trees to protect this valuable resource.”

City Councilor Bud L. Williams, City Forester Edward Casey, and David V. Bloniarz, an urban forester with the U.S. Forest Service station at University of Massachusetts in Amherst, also attended the press conference.

The 12-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot house was the summer White House for President John F. Kennedy and was the place the family gathered after he was assassinated in 1963.

File photo by Steven Senne / Associated PressThe flag flies at half staff outside the home of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy at the Kennedy compound after his death there in 2009. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate announced Monday that the house, the main one on the family's oceanfront compound in Cape Cod, has been donated to the Boston institute named for the late the late senator.

BOSTON – The main house on the Kennedys’ oceanfront compound, the scene of many of the famed political family’s gatherings in times of joy and sorrow, has been donated to an institute named for the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

The Boston-based institute on Monday released a statement announcing the transaction, which it said was in keeping with the wishes of the late senator, who promised his mother the Hyannis Port home would be preserved for charitable use. The institute said the house would host seminars and educational programs and eventually would be opened to the general public.

Ted Kennedy’s son Patrick Kennedy, a former Rhode Island congressman, said there could be “no greater testament to his legacy” than allowing the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate to turn the home into a place of learning.

“My father had great passion for the United States Senate,” he said. “It was his life for many years.”

The 12-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot house hosted the family’s famous touch football games, the wedding of Patrick Kennedy and the wedding reception for Ted Kennedy’s niece Caroline Kennedy. It was the summer White House for President John F. Kennedy and was the place the family gathered after he was assassinated in 1963.

When John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash in 1999, the family met to mourn there. And Ted Kennedy spent his final days there before dying of brain cancer in 2009.

Ted Kennedy Jr. called the house “my family’s epicenter,” a place that hosted outdoor games and vigorous political debate as well as “times of both happiness and pain.”

“Even though my family still considers Hyannis Port to be our home, we recognize that this house is a unique and historic place that should be preserved so that future students of history and politics will better understand how this house helped to develop, define and sustain my family,” he said.

The late senator’s parents, Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, bought the property in 1928. His widow, Vicki Kennedy, most recently lived at the house, which sits on roughly 2 acres in Cape Cod and is valued at $5.5 million.

The plans to donate the house initially raised concerns from some Kennedy family members, who worried about the privacy of those still living in neighboring houses and about preserving beachfront access and the overall character of the compound.

On Monday, the institute said Kennedy family members living there will still get access to the beach through the grounds and will be allowed limited recreational access to the property.

The institute said it will assemble a team of experts, including historian Michael Beschloss, to make recommendations on property usage, programming and public visitations.

The three are accused of running the BBDA Global Investment Fund, which took deposits from investors in exchange for promises to bankroll their projects.

File photo | The Republican

SPRINGFIELD – Three defendants from Florida pleaded innocent Monday in U.S. District Court to participating in an interstate investment fraud with victims scattered from Massachusetts to Oklahoma and California.

The defendants – John Condo, 57, of St. Petersburg; Michael Zanetti, 34, of Fort Lauderdale; and Frank Barecich, 32, of Fort Lauderdale – are accused of running the BBDA Global Investment Fund, which took deposits from investors in exchange for promises to bankroll their projects.

Instead, the defendants kept the money for themselves, defrauding more than 30 investors or companies doing business with BBDA and several spin-off ventures, according to the indictment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant did not explain during the arraignment why the case was filed in Springfield during the arraignment.

But documents in a previous case involving Sean E. Mansfield showed that some of the $3 million he swindled from clients was invested in projects linked to the defendants.

Mansfield, 38, of West Springfield, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of wire fraud, two counts of embezzlement and two counts of money laundering last March. He was given a 60-month prison term.

The amount reaped from the BBDA Global Investment scheme in not specified in the indictment, but deposits were often between $300,000 and $400,000.

In one case, the defendants encouraged an Oklahoma developer to invest in a the Playa deBerwind hotel and casino in Puerto Rico; with the hopes of receiving $595 million in project funding, the developer provided a $400,000 deposit, the indictment states.

On another occasion, the defendants induced the developer of a project called Indian Rocks to wire $300,000 to their accounts as a deposit for expected financing, according to the indictment.

Developers of other projects, including those identified only as the Springfield Plantation, the Charlotte Club and China World Market Place - also provided $300,000 in anticipation of funding.

“The defendants ... had face to face meetings with developers ... designed to create an air of legitimacy and convey the impression that the fund existed and was genuinely interested in making an investment in the projects,” the indictment reads.

According to the indictment, Condo went by a number of other names, including Ioannis Koutsoubos, Yanni Koutsoubos and John Koutsoubos. Condo is being held in custody after Judge Michael A. Ponsor approved a request to deny bail by the U.S. Attorney’s office last week; the other defendants are free on bail set by a Florida court.

Judge Kenneth P. Neiman set a pre-trial conference for March 13.

Less than a month ago Jet Blue began offering direct flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which may have affected American Airlines decision.

Photo by Seth Wenig / Associated PressAmerican Airlines' planes are parked at a gate at LaGuardia Airport in New York. American Airlines and its parent company are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as they seek to cut costs and unload massive debt built up by years of high jet fuel prices and labor struggles.

Many travelers who booked direct flights with American Airlines from Bradley International Airport in Connecticut to San Juan, Puerto Rico were recently surprised with a notice saying those flights have been rerouted.

American Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November, has decided to cancel their direct route from Windsor Locks, Conn., to San Juan Puerto Rico beginning April 2.

“American continuously reviews its route network including the performance of individual routes within our global network as part of possible schedule and capacity adjustments,” said Dori Robau Alvarez, with American Airlines Corporate Communications. “The cancellation of this route was in AA’s operating plan prior to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.”

Donald Anderson, the chief executive officer of The Cruise Store in East Longmeadow who constantly books cruises out of San Juan, said he was appalled by the cancellation. On his Facebook page and Twitter account Anderson is encouraging people to express their frustration on American Airlines website and Facebook page.

“It is very upsetting that they are doing this just days before school vacation is scheduled and so many families have booked flights,” he said. “They are the only major airline offering a non-stop flight to San Juan.”

Less than a month ago Jet Blue began offering direct flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which may have affected American Airlines decision.

Alvarez would not comment directly regarding Jet Blue but said the airline has all of its routes under constant review to ensure they meet customer demand.

Alvarez said the company is contacting all passengers to make alternative travel arrangements for them where possible, or to offer a full refund.

Gary W. Happ, owner of the Barrington Brewery and Restaurant, will have a change in flight due to the cancellation. He booked four direct flights for Puerto Rico in April.

“We called up the airline and a customer representative said there was nothing they could do for us,” he said.

Happ’s wife asked the agent whether they could get a flight out of New York City and the response was yes, but it would cost an additional $600.

“We thought they were joking,” he said.

Happ said what was originally a less than four hour flight will now be more than eight hours with a stop in Miami before arriving in Puerto Rico.

“I understand that they have to make changes, but they should honor the flights of people who paid for direct flights,” he said.

Alvarez said the route cancellation is permanent.

“At this stage we do not foresee re-starting the non-stop San Juan- Hartford service. American will continue to offer service to Hartford from its hubs in Miami and Dallas, and will continue to serve San Juan from Miami, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and from Caracas, Venezuela,” she said.

Gallant, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and abuse of a child under 16, and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

SPRINGFIELD – A Chicopee man was given a 8-10 year prison sentence Monday after pleading guilty to sexual assaults charges involving two friends of his daughter.

Timothy M. Gallant, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and abuse of a child under 16, and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 during a hearing in Hampden Superior Court.

The sentence imposed by Judge Constance M. Sweeney exceeded the recommendations of defense and prosecution lawyers, who asked for a 5-7 year sentence as part of a plea deal designed to avoid a trial.

Gallant, a former graphic artist who worked recently as a stock clerk, must also serve 10 years of probation, register as a sex offender, stay away from schools and a dance studio frequented by the victims.

Assistant District Attorney Eileen M. Sears said both victims were close friends with Gallant’s daughter and regular guests at the family’s College Street home. The sexual assaults occurred at the between the summer of 2009 and the fall of 2010 when Gallant encountered the victims in the basement.

The assaults came to light after one victim expressed concern that Gallant had showed up at a dance studio where she and Gallant’s daughter took lessons, even though the daughter was not present that day. During a discussion with one of the studio’s employees, the victim disclosed that Gallant had assaulted her.

The studio’s staff alerted police, who eventually filed charges against Gallant.

Both victims and their fathers read statements describing how the sexual assaults had damaged their lives, with one of the fathers adding that Gallant deserved much more than the 5-7 year recommended sentence.

“Ten years minimum would be a good start – for each person,” one father said.

After the victims and their fathers had read their statements, Sweeney praised them for their poise and courage.

Owner Daniel Levesque said there are two buildings on site that need to be addressed; one is scheduled for demolition and the other suffered nonstructural damage and is the subject of an engineering study aimed at possible reconstruction.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanThis is what remains of the old Holmes Gymnasium building after it was damaged last year in the June 1 tornado.

Question: What is happening with the old academy gym on main street in Monson?

Everyone in town has moved forward rebuilding six months after the tornado, yet this eyesore remains virtually unchanged. I can’t help but think this is a potential public safety issue as the temporary fence that was installed around the structure can hardly be relied on to keep people out and the scrap steel lying loose on the property is sure to draw thieves.

Why is this condition allowed to exist?

- Mike, Monson

Answer: The former Holmes Gymnasium at 96 Main St., built in 1964 and part of what used to be the private school Monson Academy, has been owned by Pelham resident Daniel R. Levesque since 2004.

“I share the frustration of the reader,” Levesque said. “I’m not thrilled with the situation and I’m trying to mitigate it. I would love to see the property clean as much as anyone else.”

He said there are two buildings on site that need to be addressed; one is scheduled for demolition and the other suffered nonstructural damage and is the subject of an engineering study aimed at possible reconstruction. But the process is lengthy, complicated and slow-moving, he said.

“The region is bogged down” with redevelopment efforts in the wake of the June 1 tornado, he said. “I proceeded with the path set out by the state.”

The town has been “very understanding” and “rightly” spent most of its time after the storm helping people get back into their homes.

As far as security goes, he stressed that the site is fenced off and locked. “If anyone knows of a way for someone to get in with equipment to transport scrap steel, I would like to know about it.”

The hoax forced the downtown Northampton courthouse complex to close for about an hour, interrupting a child-rape trial and other daily business at the bustling building.

Staff photo by Michael S. GordonLaw enforcement officials responded to a bomb threat Monday at the Hampshire County Courthouse complex in downtown Northampton. The threat turned out to be a hoax, but Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan has vowed to vigorously pursue and prosecute the person who sent a letter claiming that a bomb had been planted inside the building.

NORTHAMPTON – A letter claiming that a bomb had been planted inside the Hampshire County Courthouse on Monday turned out to be a hoax, but Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan has vowed to hunt down the prankster responsible for the malicious act.

"We will thoroughly investigate this incident and vigorously prosecute whoever is responsible for causing (Monday's) alarm and disturbance at the courthouse," Sullivan said in a statement issued several hours after the 1 p.m. incident.

Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to Sullivan's office will forensically test the letter, sent to the Hampshire District Court Clerk's office, to determine who may have sent the document. The bomb scare forced the downtown Northampton courthouse to close for about an hour, interrupted a Superior Court rape trial and delayed daily business at the busy legal complex at 15 Gothic St.

Officials said a thorough search of the complex, which is bounded by Gothic, Main and King streets, revealed that the threat was false.

Sullivan said there was no indication that the threat was related to the start of the Superior Court criminal trial of David Fried Oppenheim, who is charged with multiple counts of child rape.

The person selected will be honored at graduation.

File photo | The RepublicanGraduates at last year's Minnechaug Regional High School Commencement at Springfield Symphony Hall.

WILBRAHAM - Nominations are being sought for induction into the Minnechaug Alumni Hall of Fame.

The person selected for the Hall of Fame is honored at graduation through presentation of a plaque by the principal, and the person is asked to say a few words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating seniors, Minnechaug Regional High School Principal Stephen Hale said.

In addition, the person’s name is inscribed on a Hall of Fame plaque displayed at the high school.

Anyone who would like to nominate an alumnus/alumna for the award is asked to complete a nomination form. Forms are available in the Minnechaug Regional High School’s principal’s office or online at www.edline.net/pages/Minnechaug_Regional_HS.

Completed forms should be sent to Hale at Minnechaug Regional High School, 621 Main Street, Wilbraham, MA 01095.

Criteria for nomination include being a graduate of Minnechaug Regional High School, being a current resident of Hampden or Wilbraham, providing service to the school and/or community, and possessing personal traits which exemplify the spirit of Minnechaug Regional High School.

Anyone with questions should call the principal’s office at 596-9011, extension 211.

The deadline for nominations is April 5, 2012.

Those nominating a resident of either Hampden or Wilbraham are asked to submit a written statement describing their reasons for nominating the individual. The nominating person also is asked to provide his own name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.

The state Gaming Commission will allow one casino in the four counties of Western Massachusetts. There are proposals for Palmer, Holyoke, Brimfield and Springfield.

PALMER – A resident’s complaint to the state Ethics Commission about two town councilors is the latest development in what has become an increasingly tense atmosphere in the town and surrounding area as the battle for a casino in Western Massachusetts heats up.

The state Gaming Commission will allow one casino in the four counties of Western Massachusetts. There are proposals for Palmer, Holyoke, Brimfield and Springfield.

Thomas Pajak, of Peterson Road, said he filed the complaint on Jan. 16 regarding Town Council President Paul E. Burns and District 3 Councilor Blake E. Lamothe.

Burns and Lamothe are vocal supporters of Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun’s plan to build a resort casino across from Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 8 on the hillside off Thorndike Street (Route 32) in Palmer.

In the complaint Pajak said of the pair, “Their intimate involvement with the representatives of the Mohegan Sun prevent them from having a nonbiased approach to the casino issue. They are so consumed by the prospect of a casino, that they cannot fill their primary responsibility to the town of Palmer .¤.¤.”

“If they can’t impose self discipline on themselves then the law will do it for them,” Pajak said.

Lamothe and Burns said they are trying to boost Palmer’s economy.

“He can complain all he wants to the Ethics Commission,” Lamothe said, adding that the complaint is unsubstantiated. “He just sounds like an anti-casino guy.”

Adding to the tense atmospher are anonymous fliers targeting current and former town councilors, selectmen in Brimfield, state Rep. Todd M. Smola, R-Palmer, and Palmer Paving head David J. Callahan, who, through his Rolling Hills Estates Realty Trust, has an agreement with MGM Resorts International to build a casino in the northwest corner of rural Brimfield.

Pajak said he has asked Council Vice President Philip J. Hebert to read his ethics complaint at an upcoming Town Council meeting. He wants Burns and Lamothe to no longer vote on casino and rail issues, and be prohibited from spending town funds that could benefit a casino or Lamothe’s interests. Lamothe owns several businesses in town, including Steaming Tender restaurant, which is in the old railroad station. In December, he hosted a pro-casino event there for a local group.

Pajak specifically cited sections 19A and 23B (3) of Chapter 268A (conduct of public officials and employees). The first section deals with financial interests, and also requires a full disclosure of all financial interests in particular matters, while the second has to do with using a position to improperly influence an outcome.

Lamothe said he feels the Town Council needs to encourage business and job opportunities, and sees the casino, and restoration of passenger rail service, as a way to do that.

Lamothe, a said he is not using “anybody’s money to do anything.” Lamothe is also chairman of Palmer Redevelopment Authority, which wants to create an intermodal transportation center at the former Holbrook site downtown. He said any businessman “in his right mind would be an advocate” for these business opportunities.

“How are we going to make our town better?” Lamothe said. “It’s about business, it’s about the economy and it’s about the future.”

Lamothe said he hosts private functions for a variety of groups at his restaurant and does not see a conflict.

“There is nothing wrong with having an event there,” Lamothe said.

Said Burns, “My primary responsibility is to manage operations of the council. I advocate for issues that I believe would benefit the community . . . I meet as frequently with Mohegan Sun as with any other constituent.”

Burns questioned why Pajak wants him to recuse himself on railroad issues, as his only interest is its economic developmental potential.

“It would be crazy for us not to explore that opportunity. I fail to see how anyone would not support the return of commuter rail,” Burns said.

Burns said he disagrees with the implication that he is “enamored of Mohegan Sun.” Burns said he is concerned about the casino operator’s finances, and that he is considering “putting feelers out” to see if anyone is interested in partnering with it on the Palmer project.

“We need to send the message out that we’re open,” Burns said.

Meanwhile, the anonymous fliers have Hebert speculating that they are from a Palmer casino supporter who is afraid Brimfield will get the casino.

Hebert, who has expressed support for a casino, said anonymous fliers attacking him were sent to his business last year, and Councilor Barbara A. Barry said she has been getting anonymous fliers sent to her home and employer since July. Barry said the fliers contain allegations directed at her. She declined to be more specific. She has not taken any position on a casino.

Palmer Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said he has had complaints about the fliers. Former Council President Eric A. Duda received anonymous fliers when he was on the council that accused him of trying to derail jobs for the town.

“I never gave it any value,” Duda said.

Smola said fliers are circulating that ask who is paying him to work against Palmer. He said the letters are an “intimidation” tactic to force officials to step aside. Smola, who said he has not voted for any casino bill, wondered who could be financing the fliers, noting the expense to send them to numerous households in Brimfield.

“Somebody is spending money to make this happen for a reason,” Smola said.

A spokesman for Callahan, Joseph Martin, wrote in an email that they “have no intention of responding to anonymous attacks directed at good and decent citizens and public servants. This rogue individual littered Springfield with similar fliers outside the Ameristar (casino) hearing in December, and has been active in other potential western Massachusetts host communities as well. This activity has been met with a strong backlash in each of these cities and towns. It is our understanding that law enforcement officials are looking into this and we fully support that investigation.”

Diane M. Panaccione, Brimfield selectmen chairwoman, said the fliers started arriving in October, after Callahan made his casino presentation at one of their meetings. She said some fliers accuse the selectmen of having a financial relationship with Callahan.

“I just met the man at the (October) meeting,” Panaccione said. “I do not work for him.”

Panaccione called the people behind the mailings “just a bunch of cowards.”

A male suspect entered the Walgreen's off Maple Street, reached over the counter, grabbed cash from the register and fled in a gray Ford Focus, according to police records.

EAST LONGMEADOW – Police here are searching for a suspect who robbed the Walgreen's drug store at 54 Center Square around 4:09 p.m. Monday.

A preliminary account of the incident described the suspect as a black man, who reached over the counter, grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, then fled the scene in a gray Ford Focus that was last scene southbound on Prospect Street, according to East Longmeadow Police Department records.

The Focus had New York license plates and was driven by a white woman, police said.

Center Square is located just off Maple Street near the rotary in the center of town.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call East Longmeadow police at (413) 525-5440.

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

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a Walgreens drug store in East Longmeadow that was robbed Monday afternoon:

View Walgreens Store East Longmeadow in a larger map

The "People's Pledge" pact doesn't address information on 3rd-party websites and print advertising a third party sponsors.

U. S. Senator Scott P. Brown is seen with Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

A political action committee that opposes Sen. Scott Brown in the Massachusetts senate race is the first to make a move after Brown and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren agreed to a pact banning third party advertising last week.

The group Rethink Brown, which originally agreed to abide by the pact, is now expanding its website to cover Brown's Senate record more in-depth with a section entitled "Scott Brown: The entire record." It includes two "chapters" titled "Wrong on what matters to Massachusetts" and "'Deliberately foggy on the key issues' -Lowell Sun."

The first "chapter" focuses on Brown's votes against what the PAC says is best for Massachusetts regarding jobs and education. The second focuses on editorial statements by the Lowell Sun about Brown.

The group plans to release more "chapters" throughout the election season, according to its website.

Brown has held the seat since January 2010, when he won the seat in a special election over Democrat Martha Coakley after the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy.

The move to expand the website may not violate the pact, termed the People's Pledge, between Brown and Warren. The pact states that if a third party spends money on advertising on TV, radio or online supporting a candidate, the candidate must pay 50 percent of the cost of airing the ad to the charity of the other candidate's choice.

It does not mention information on third party websites or print ads, according to The Boston Globe.

Brown's campaign spokesman Colin Reed told The Boston Globe that Rethink Brown's action "violates the spirit of the agreement."