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Attorney General Martha Coakley heading to Washington to defend individual health care mandate

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Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will offer an opposing view.

Martha Coakley.JPGView full sizeAttorney General Martha Coakley

BOSTON (AP) — Attorney General Martha Coakley is heading to Washington to make a legal case for the national health care law that was modeled after Massachusetts' own landmark 2006 health care law.

On Thursday Coakley will defend the constitutionality of the national law at a National Press Club event called "The Affordable Health Care Act — Constitutional or Not?"

Coakley will explain why the results in Massachusetts show Congress had a constitutional basis to enact health care reform including the so-called individual mandate.

The attorney general also will discuss what she said are the benefits Massachusetts has experienced under the state law including greatly expanded access to health care and a reduction of people seeking free care at hospitals.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will offer an opposing view.


Northfield man killed by falling tree limb

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The accident happened deep in the woods off Old Vernon Road near Route 142,.

This story was updated at 7:45 p.m.

NORTHFIELD – A 79-year-old man was killed when a limb fell on him when he was in the woods behind his home Sunday afternoon.

Robert Rogers, who was better known by the nickname Bucky, was cutting wood at about 1:30 p.m. at his home on Old Vernon Road when a dead limb from a different tree fell on him, killing him, Northfield Patrolman John Cowan said.

“It had nothing to do with the fact he was cutting wood,” Cowan said. “A limb happened to fall and hit him.”

His family first realized something had happened when he failed to come back to the house for lunch. One of his sons went to look for him and found him dead, Cowan said.

Police had a difficult time reaching him because he was fairly deep in the woods and the trails were icy. Cowan said he assisted with his own all terrain vehicle and the Bernardston Fire Department also brought an all terrain vehicle to reach the area. Northfield Emergency Medical Service also responded.

Microtest manufactures celiac cure on behalf of a Cambridge company

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Celiac disease is an intolerance for gluten in the diet and it affects one in 133 Americans, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. At this point, there is no treatment for celiac disease other than avoiding gluten in the diet.

Agawam- 2/01/12, Lab Technician Christine Jackson sets up samples in one of the labs at MicroTest.

AGAWAM – Microtest Laboratories is manufacturing doses of a vaccine that could be the first-ever treatment for celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an intolerance for gluten in the diet and it affects one in 133 Americans, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. At this point, there is no treatment for celiac disease other than avoiding gluten in the diet.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. “A gluten-free diet is very hard to follow,” said Leslie J. Williams, president and CEO of ImmusanT, the company that developed the vaccine and hired Microtest to make it. “There is gluten in some lipsticks. It’s in lotions, so people with celiac disease can get rashes.”

Production on the vaccine, called Nexvax2, began last week, said Steven G. Richter, Microtest’s president and science director.
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ImmusanT, based in Cambridge, raised $20 million in investor capital to bring the vaccine to market.

“It’s not a straight forward manufacturing process. It’s an arty process,” Richter said. “You have to develop protocols for all the manufacturing and plans to do all of the work aseptically. You have to get all those protocols and plans approved through the regulatory process. Then you have to do the work.”

Microtest is only manufacturing 9,000 vials for ImmusanT: two 3,000-dose batches of vaccine and a 3,000-dose batch of inert placebo to be used in the clinical trial.

“The control group has everything but the active vaccine,” Richter said.

Williams said she hopes to start the clinical trials in the second quarter of this year. The doses will go to people with the disease.

“The test will be if it induces a tolerance for gluten in the diet,” Williams said.

Most vaccines prevent people from getting sick from an infection, she said. ImmusanT doesn’t work that way. Instead, it works by changing the immune system so that the immune system no longer attacks gluten.

“Gluten is not going to hurt the body,” she said. “Celiac disease is a disorder of the immune system.”

She chose Richter’s company, in part, because it is located in Massachusetts.

“I wanted to be able to drive there from Cambridge,” she said. “I needed to keep it in this state.”

She hopes to get the vaccine on the market in 2017.

Richter said Microtest has about 100 employees doing both manufacturing and contract laboratory work. The company plans to open another laboratory suite at its Agawam facility soon and that opening might result in more hiring.


Western Massachusetts fans gather for Super Bowl Sunday

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Fans from New England and neighboring New York and New Jersey gathered with friends and family in homes, bars and restaurants across Western Massachusetts to cheer on their hometown hopefuls in Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants

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AMHERST - Fixed in front of the game, fans from New England and neighboring New York and New Jersey gathered with friends and family in homes, bars and restaurants across Western Massachusetts to cheer on their hometown hopefuls in Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

Twenty-nine years ago, Mark and Sandy Parent invited friends and family to their first Super Bowl party, and stipulated a single rule.

“You could only bring food you’d find at a ballgame,” said Mark Parent, 63 of Amherst.

In the nearly 30 years since the Parents have held their party every year, and the guest list has expanded. Soon enough the party outgrew their home, and six years ago they moved the annual tradition to the Amherst Brewing Company, where they’ve held it ever since.

This year a new face graced the party, albeit a familiar one for Western Massachusetts’ sports-minded faithful in UMass Men’s Basketball coach Derek Kellogg.

While Kellogg called his football schooling lacking, he offered one unlikely connection he had to the night’s big game.

Superbowl celebrations from around the region 2/5/122/5/12 Amherst - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - Vincent Gillespie (left) a Pats fan and friend Doug Wight, a Giants fan, take in the Superbowl at Rafters in Amherst Sunday night.

While never on Kellogg’s roster, that didn’t mean breakout Giants’ wide receiver and former UMass Minuteman Victor Cruz’s name never crossed the basketball coach’s desk.

“I knew Victor a little bit from his time playing AAU basketball in New Jersey,” said Kellogg.

For some, like Vincent Gillespie, 50 of Greenfield, the wounds remained raw heading into Sunday's rematch after New York upset New England in Super Bowl XLII four years ago. Others, like Westfield, N.J. native Doug Wight, weren't soon to let the 2008 victory be forgotten.

"If its not the Jets, it's the Giants. If it's not the Giants, it's the Jets," Wight lightheartedly heckled Gillespie, rehashing New England's past post-season defeats, one to the Giants after a 16-0 undefeated season, and the other to the Jets in the AFC Championship Game in 2011.

Superbowl celebrations from around the region 2/5/122/5/12 Amherst - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - Carson Mills and friends, UMASS seniors, enjoy the Superbowl at Rafters in Amherst Sunday night.

Initially hesitant to place a small wager on the game but quickly baited by Wight's braggadocio, in what Gillespie called a gesture to Patriots' nation agreed to the bet in the quiet barroom at the Hangar Pub & Grill on University Drive, within eyesight of the University of Massachusetts campus.

Elsewhere in the barroom Carson Mills, a 22-year-old UMass senior, and his five roommates, also students and all fans of the Patriots, crowded around a mounted TV.

“We were all thinking bars tonight, and that this is a good sports bar, but now we might be heading back to the living room,” Mills said, pointing over his shoulder a mostly empty billiards room and relatively asocial dining room.

Minutes away 40 UMass upperclassmen crowded around a TV of their own.

Superbowl celebrations from around the region 2/5/122/5/12 Amherst - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - A group of UMASS students feast on great BBQ while watching the Superbowl together.

“Playoffs you go to the bar. The Super Bowl is something that’s very home-based,” said UMass junior Stewart Rodegast, from Martha’s Vineyard.

“It’s all our friends and we’ve got more food than we know what to do with. We’re just chilling,” said UMass senior Robert Brown, also of Martha’s Vineyard, who had invited friends and friends of friends to his house to watch the game.

And in the hot cramped living room, windows fogging as students jockeyed for position on the couch, the floor, behind the couch, and on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, the walls and floor shook as all took to their feet when Tom Brady connected with Danny Woodhead for a 4-yeard touchdown pass to take New England’s first lead of the game with 8 seconds remaining in the half.

Western Massachusetts communities announce meetings for the week

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Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Amherst Mon.- Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, 3 p.m., Town Hall. Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall. School Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Tues.- Disability Access Committee, 11:15 a.m., 210 Old Farms Road. Historical Commission, 7:15 p.m., Town Hall. Wed.- Personnel Board, 9 a.m., Town Hall. Amherst Regional...

warren and west brookfield seals.jpg

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

Amherst

Mon.- Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, 3 p.m., Town Hall.

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

School Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Disability Access Committee, 11:15 a.m., 210 Old Farms Road.

Historical Commission, 7:15 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Personnel Board, 9 a.m., Town Hall.

Amherst Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., Amherst Regional High School.

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

Chicopee

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

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

Wed.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

Housing Authority, 6 p.m., 7 Valley View Court

Easthampton

Wed.- City Council Finance Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Thu.- City Council Rules Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Granby

Mon.- Selectboard, 6:30 p.m., Senior Center.

Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., 215-B West State St.

Tues.- Library Trustees, 6 p.m., Public Library.

Wed.- Library Building Committee, 5 p.m., Public Safety Complex.

Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., Public Safety Complex.

Hadley

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

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

Holyoke

Mon.- Board of Public Works, Sewer Commission, Stormwater Authority, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St.

School Committee, superintendent evaluation committee, 5:54 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

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

Water Commission, 6:30 p.m., Holyoke Water Works, 20 Commercial St.

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

Tues.- School Committee, Finance-Budget Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

Planning Board, 6 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Soldiers’ Memorial Commission, 7 p.m., War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

Wed.- Charter School, board of trustees, finance-facilities committee, 5 p.m., 2200 Northampton St.

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

Monson

Mon.- Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Tues.- School Committee, 6 p.m., Quarry Hill Community School.

Community Preservation Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Historical Commission, 3 p.m., Hillside School.

Wed.- Board of Selectmen, 6:15 p.m., Hillside School.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Thu.- Housing Authority, 4 p.m., 31 State St., Col. Village, suite 50.

Palmer

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Building.

South Hadley

Mon.- Library Building Committee, 6 p.m., Public Library.

Trustees of Public Library, 7 p.m., Public Library.

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

Selectboard, 7 p.m., Police Station Conference Room

Tues.- Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Falls Design Charette Forum, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Fire District 2 Prudential Committee, 9 a.m., 20 Woodbridge St.

Warren

Mon.- Parks Department, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Tues.- Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Wed.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Thu.- Capital Planning, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Lost mushroom pickers considered eating their dog

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3 mushroom pickers were lost 6 nights in the rugged forest of southwest Oregon with no food.

020512_lost_mushroom_picker_dog.jpgDan Conne hugs his dog, Jesse, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 at the pound in Gold Beach, Ore., where he was with her after they spent six night lost in the woods. Conne, his wife, Belinda, and son, Michael were airlifted out of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest on Saturday and spent the night at the Curry General Hospital recuperating from their ordeal. The dog walked out with a ground search team. Conne said at one point he thought he might have to kill the dog for food, but his wife said they never could have done that. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)

By JEFF BARNARD

GOLD BEACH, Ore. – Three mushroom pickers lost six nights in the rugged forest of southwest Oregon with no food considered eating their dog, and used the screen on their dead cellphone and the blade of a sheath knife to flash a signal at the helicopter pilot who found them.

Dan Conne said Sunday from his hospital bed in Gold Beach that he and his wife and son spent the nights huddled in a hollow log with nothing to eat, and considered sacrificing their pit bull, Jesse, for food.

"She's that good a dog, she'd have done it, too," Conne said.

A volunteer helicopter pilot looking outside the search area Saturday spotted Dan and Belinda Conne, both 47, along with 25-year-old Michael, on the edge of a deep ravine in tall timber. They were about 10 miles northeast of the town of Gold Beach, roughly 330 miles south-southwest of Portland.

"The wife had the Blackberry and I had the knife," Dan Conne told The Associated Press. "I kept flashing. The wife said, 'You're blinding them.' But I wanted to make sure they seen us. I wasn't taking no chance."

The three had given up hope and thought they were going to die when rescuers came.

"None of us thought we were coming out of there," he said.

While lost, the cold and hungry family could see search helicopters and airplanes flying low and slow overhead, but they couldn't get the pilots' attention through the thick, coastal forest vegetation.

When they were found, the Connes were just five football fields from a road, and a mile from their Jeep.

The three were airlifted to a Gold Beach hospital, where they stayed overnight.

Dan Conne hurt his back, and Belinda Conne had hypothermia, Bishop said. All three were hungry, and enjoyed their potato soup and sandwiches at the hospital.

Belinda and Dan Conne were discharged Sunday. Their son, who suffered frostbite, hypothermia and a sprained ankle, remained in the hospital for more treatment.

The family was spotted by Jackson County Commissioner John Rachor, spending his first day searching for them in his own helicopter with Curry County Sheriff's Lt. John Ward.

Rachor had been up two hours and decided to go outside the search area, heading uphill from where the family parked their Jeep, instead of down.

"We couldn't find anything in the obvious places, so we decide to go to the not-obvious places," he said. "I kind of think outside the box on these things sometimes, and it pays off."

Rachor is the same pilot who found a San Francisco family lost in a snowstorm in 2006 just 35 miles from where he found the Connes. In 2006, Rachor flew Kati Kim and her two young daughters to safety after spotting them near their car. James Kim died of hypothermia trying to hike out for help.

On Saturday, Rachor saw a movement on the edge of a deep ravine in tall timber. A man in tan bib overalls was waving his arms. Ward marked the spot on his GPS and called the Coast Guard for a helicopter to winch the family out. He also called a nearby ground team to give them immediate aid, then flew back to Gold Beach for fuel.

"The searchers were with us within 20 minutes of the first copter that found us," Dan Conne said. "There must have been nine or 10 of them. They just kept coming out of that brush. lt was just a real happy feeling, 'cause we knew we wasn't going to die out there."

The Coast Guard lifted Michael and Dan Conne out first, then returned for Belinda. The dog walked out with searchers.

Dan Conne said the three got lost Sunday after going back for a second load of hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms, which they sell to a local buyer. It was Belinda's day off from her motel maid job.

They left their four Chihuahua dogs at the fifth-wheel trailer at the campground where they live, and drove to first one spot, then returned for peanut butter sandwiches and went to a new spot they were not familiar with.

In the heat of the afternoon, they left their jackets at the end of a gravel road. Their last meal was a peanut butter sandwich each on Sunday.

When they didn't come home the first night, the camp host alerted authorities. Searchers hit the ground Monday. Wednesday, searchers found the Connes' Jeep.

The Connes spent the first night in rain, sheltering under a pile of brush. The second day, they built a lean-to, but it fell down. Heeding the advice of another mushroom picker, Michael Conne hiked uphill to try to see where they were, but returned cold, wet, and with no better idea where they were. Trying to find their way out downhill, they discovered a hollow log they could all squeeze into, and they stayed there, covering the opening with bark and hiking downhill to a creek to fill plastic bags with water. When it rained, they tried to plug the leaks with bits of wood.

"It was pretty tight in there," Dan Conne said. "I'm sure a bear would have been real comfortable in there."

They were never able to start a fire, having no matches or lighters.

"Every other time we been out there, every one of us had lighters, except this time," Dan Conne said. "Rubbing sticks together? That don't work. Slamming rocks together? Only on TV.

"There was a lot of debating, back and forth, whether to stay or go. Mikey couldn't walk. If we had to leave him, that wasn't an option. Belinda was down. I could barely walk. We just didn't know which way to go."

Searchers found a trail and a few hopeful clues along the way: a can of Pepsi, mushroom-picking buckets, a few pieces of clothing. But not the people they were searching for.

At one point, the Connes spotted a search helicopter close enough for them to see Bishop riding inside, but their attempt to signal went unseen.

After getting out of the hospital, Dan Conne picked up Jesse and the Chihuahuas, which had been cared for at the animal shelter after the rescue. Jesse jumped and danced around at seeing him again.

"I don't think we could have done it," Belinda Conne said of eating their pet. "I probably would have starved to death first."

Dan Conne said he tried to eat a hedgehog mushroom while in the forest but found it "nasty." He gave away the mushrooms he collected.

"I don't ever want to see one of these again," he said.

Associated Press writer Nigel Duara in Portland contributed to this report.

Obituaries today: John 'Pharmacy Jack' O'Neill was longtime member of Holyoke St. Patrick's Committee

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Obituaries from The Republican.

020512_jack_o'neill.jpegJohn "Jack" O'Neill

John T. "Jack" O'Neill, 77, of Holyoke, died Thursday. He was born in Holyoke and was a graduate of Holyoke Catholic High School and the former Hampden College of Pharmacy. Also known as "Pharmacy Jack," O'Neill owned and operated Oakdale Pharmacy before going to work at Providence Hospital, where he was employed for over 35 years. He was a 50-plus-year member of the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke, serving as Parade President in 1983. Jack was on many committees over the years, and was the recipient of the O'Connell Award in 1991 and the Rohan Award in 2010.

Obituaries from The Republican:

Patriots and Giants fans gather in bars, living rooms to watch the Super Bowl

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UMass men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg, who knew New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz from his time playing AAU basketball in New Jersey, was among Western Massachusetts fans watching the game with friends and family.

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AMHERST - Fixed in front of the game, fans from New England and neighboring New York and New Jersey gathered with friends and family in homes, bars and restaurants across Western Massachusetts to cheer on their hometown hopefuls in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

Twenty-nine years ago, Mark and Sandy Parent invited friends and family to their first Super Bowl party, and stipulated a single rule.

“You could only bring food you’d find at a ballgame,” said Mark Barent, 63, of Amherst.

In the nearly 30 years since, the Parents have held their party every year, and the guest list has expanded. Soon enough, the party outgrew their home, and six years ago they moved the annual tradition to the Amherst Brewing Company, where they’ve held it ever since.

This year a new face graced the party, albeit a familiar one for Western Massachusetts’ sports-minded faithful in UMass men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg.

While Kellogg called his football schooling lacking, he offered one unlikely connection he had to the night’s big game.

While never on Kellogg’s roster, Victor Cruz, the Giants’ breakout wide receiver was familiar to Kellogg during Cruz’s time as a Minuteman.

“I knew Victor a little bit from his time playing AAU basketball in New Jersey,” Kellogg said.

For some, like Vincent Gillespie, 50 of Greenfield, the wounds remained raw heading into Sunday’s rematch, after New York upset New England in Super Bowl XLII four years ago. Others, like Westfield, N.J., native Doug Wight, weren’t soon to let the 2008 victory be forgotten.

“If its not the Jets, it’s the Giants. If it’s not the Giants, it’s the Jets,” Wight lightheartedly heckled Gillespie, rehashing New England’s past post-season defeats, one to the Giants after a 16-0 undefeated season, and the other to the Jets in the AFC Championship Game in 2011.

Initially hesitant to place a small wager on the game, but quickly baited by Wight’s braggadocio, Gillespie agreed to the bet in the quiet barroom at the Hangar Pub & Grill on University Drive, within eyesight of the University of Massachusetts campus.

Elsewhere in the barroom Carson Mills, a 22-year-old UMass senior, and his five roommates, also students and all fans of the Patriots, crowded around a mounted TV.

“We were all thinking bars tonight, and that this is a good sports bar, but now we might be heading back to the living room,” Mills said, pointing over his shoulder a mostly empty billiards room and relatively social dining room.

Minutes away, 40 UMass upperclassmen crowded around a TV of their own.

“Playoffs you go to the bar. The Super Bowl is something that’s very home-based,” said UMass junior Stewart Rodegast, from Martha’s Vineyard.

“It’s all our friends and we’ve got more food than we know what to do with. We’re just chilling,” said UMass senior Robert Brown, also of Martha’s Vineyard, who had invited friends and friends of friends to his house to watch the game.

And in the hot cramped living room, windows fogging as students jockeyed for position on the couch, the floor, behind the couch, and on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, the walls and floor shook as all took to their feet when Tom Brady connected with Danny Woodhead for a 4-yard touchdown pass to take New England’s first lead of the game with 8 seconds remaining in the half.


Self-inflicted wounds sink Patriots in Super Bowl loss to Giants

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The New York Giants officially put an end to the Patriots decade-long run of dominance.

tom-brady.jpgNew England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sits on the bench during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, in Indianapolis.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The blue and red confetti rained over the field at Lucas Oil Stadium as players danced below, hands on their heads, astonished at what they just accomplished.

Unfortunately, for this region, the confetti was the wrong hue of blue.

A decade to the day of New England's first ever Super Bowl parade, the New York Giants officially put the Patriots' run of dominance to rest by defeating them, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI.

"I never want to feel like this again," linebacker Brandon Spikes said, hiding behind a pair of dark sunglasses. "Right now, words can't even really express how I feel. It's a letdown."

Several players expressed similar frustration, and for good reason.

The lasting image of the game will be the catch that wide receiver Mario Manningham managed to pull in on the sidelines on a precisely thrown ball by quarterback Eli Manning that sailed over the outstretched hands of safety Patrick Chung and Sterling Moore on the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

But for the New England players, the only thing they'll take with them from Indianapolis is the sound of balls hitting the turf and the sight of penalty flags soaring through the air.

"There was 100 plays you could be talking about and I would take a lot of them (back)," coach Bill Belichick said.

Any one of those plays may have turned New England's fortunes, but it never managed to get out of its own way, but still had a chance to win on the final drive after giving Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw free admittance to the end zone with 57 seconds remaining.

However, two dropped passes and a sack left the Patriots hopes riding on a Hail Mary shot, and this time the magic of Myra Kraft wasn't present as the ball hit the turf to give the Giants their second Super Bowl victory over New England in four years.

That drive isn't where the game was lost, though. Mental mistakes manifested on the Patriots' side early in the game and never dissipated.

The biggest error may have come in the fourth quarter with New England up, 17-15. Brady had wide receiver Wes Welker wide open on a seam route near the 20-yard line on what appeared to be a certain touchdown with a catch, but he stumbled as he attempted to pull in the ball and watched as it fell to the turf.

New England was forced to punt two plays later, leading to the Giants' winning touchdown.

"The ball is right there," Welker said, fighting back tears. "I've just got to make the play. It's a play I've made a thousand times in practice and everything else. It comes to the biggest moment of my life and don't come up with it."

Statistically, Brady played one of the best Super Bowls of his career. He broke Joe Montana's Super Bowl record of 13 consecutive completions set in Super XXIV by completing 16 straight for 158 yards between the second and third quarters, and finished 27 of 41 for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

But his performance will be defined by the intentional grounding penalty that he drew in the end zone on the Patriots first offensive play that resulted in a safety, an interception on an under thrown ball in the fourth quarter after escaping the grip of two rushers, and an innumerable amount of easy passes he failed to connect on.

Some of that was unquestionably due to a Giants' pass rush that consistently created pressure and got into his head. Other moments he just failed to execute.

"You always wish you could have done a little bit more," Brady said. "When you lose, you rehash things and think about what you could have done different. I wish we could have made a few more plays."

Defensively, the team stepped up, but collectively its performance will be remembered by a 12-men on the field penalty that negated a fumble in the first quarter.

Two plays later, Giants quarterback Eli Manning -- who started the game with a Super Bowl record nine consecutive completions -- found Cruz in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown strike that made it 9-0.

As they're currently constructed, even with a defense that allowed the second most yards in league history, the Patriots proved Sunday that they are good enough to win a title.

There is work to be done, and tweaks will be made, but on Sunday New England's obstacle was itself.

Riot erupts at UMass Amherst following Super Bowl

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As many had expected prior to Sunday's Super Bowl, riots erupted in the concourse of Southwest Residential Area immediately following the game's conclusion.

umass riotsSmall fights broke out outside in the Southwest Plaza after the Super Bowl Sunday.

Immediately following the end of the New England Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XLVI thousands of students from the University of Massachusetts erupted in a much predicted riot in the concrete concourse of Southwest Residential Area.

Riot squads from the University of Massachusetts police, Amherst Police and State Police were on hand well before the end of the game.

Officers issued a dispersal order at 10:08 p.m., about 15 minutes after the crowd stated gathering, and used flashbang and smoke grenades to disperse the crowd. Riot squads and police on horseback marched through the crowd minutes after that.
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By the time riot squads intervened firecrackers and other fireworks had been set off, glass bottles smashed, one building scaled by one student, and at least one fight had broken out in the middle of a large mass of rowdy rioters. At least one student was restrained by a group of three officers in riot gear.

Chants included "U.S.A." and "[expletive] the Giants."

The decision to try to break up the crowd came when the crowd of at least 1,500 people had gathered in the area that is surrounded by the UMass high-rise dorms, said Edward Blaguszewski, spokesman for the university.

“It was a large crowd and there was a need to issue a dispersal order to move them along,” he said.

Estimates of the crowd size varied. Blaguszewski said police figured it at 1,500 students but other witnesses counted as many at 3,000 people.

A total of 14 people were arrested and charged with either failure to disperse or disorderly conduct. The 13 who are students will face disciplinary action and a possible suspension from campus as well as the criminal charges, he said.

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"Police are saying there are no injuries and no damage," he said. "Certainly some fights broke out and there was rowdiness."

The riot wasn’t unprecedented.

Approximately 1,000 students rioted last May to mark the death of Osama Bin Laden, lighting small fires and scaling Berkshire Dining Commons’ low-hanging awning, chanting, flashing and setting off fireworks before a row of riot gear-clad officers marched at the crowd and sent rioters fleeing through campus.

None were arrested following the 2011 celebration and campus officials issued a release praising the handling of the situation.

Following the 2008 Patriots’ loss to New York in Super Bowl XLII, when Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning’s game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left on the clock vaulted New York to an upset victory, police made eight arrests after 500 students mobbed the Southwest concourse. Riot police fired rubber bullets into the crowd and blocked off streets near the dorms.

Riots also occurred following the Boston Red Sox' playoff loss in 2008, in 2007 throughout the Boston Red Sox’ World Series run, in 2006 after UMass lost in the Division I-AA football championship, in 2004 following the Red Sox World Series victory, in 2003 following a Red Sox playoff defeat, and in 2001 following the Patriots’ first Super Bowl victory over St. Louis.

Since then video footage of the riots archived on the Web has immortalized the raucous nights, and in the eyes of many Minutemen, made the activity a rite of passage through the University.

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup, which pitted hometown teams from two of the University’s most represented student bases, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook buzzed with riot promises and predictions as the administration plead safety and warned of consequences in an email to students.

According to the Student Affairs and Campus Life "Acceptable Fan Behavior" policy, students' "right to celebrate ends where the rights of others and the law begin."

"The safety of our students is always our top priority. If crowds do congregate before, during, or after a game, the police will monitor the gathering to ensure the safety of everyone," wrote Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Jean Kim Thursday.

In the email Kim said that once a dispersal order is issued, it is no longer acceptable to be "just hanging around," and said those who do may be subject to arrest and administrative sanctions.

Former Minuteman and current New York Giants’ wide receiver Victor Cruz in a message on Vimeo before the game encouraged UMass students to “watch the game, be safe, enjoy the parties, and don’t hurt anybody or anything,” and throughout the week the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, UMass’ student run newspaper, published three stories on the prospective celebration, one gauging student opinion, and a pair of editorials offering commentary on riots past and pending.

However some felt the overwhelming attention and vigilance from officials ahead of Sunday’s game only made the riot that much more likely.

“I felt like all these emails we’re getting from the administration is just giving everyone the idea,” said UMass junior Nick Gross Sunday afternoon. Gross lived in the Southwest dorms last year and was there for last spring’s celebration.

UMass Super Bowl 2012 riot, video roundup

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Many with camcorders have posted raw video of disturbances on the Amherst campus.

umass2.jpgPolice in riot gear arrest one student. A total of 14 people were arrested after crowds of unruly students gathered in Southwest following the Giants win in the Super Bowl.

As was expected, thousands of University of Massachusetts students gathered en masse in the concrete concourse of Southwest Residential Area following Super Bowl XLVI.

Reporter Brian Canova, writing for The Republican, was at the scene:

By the time riot squads intervened firecrackers and other fireworks had been set off, glass bottles smashed, one building scaled by one student, and at least one fight had broken out in the middle of a large mass of rowdy rioters. At least one student was restrained by a group of three officers in riot gear.

This is not the first time the campus erupted following a major sports event. Among the worst cases, according to a story posted by MassLive.com's Jackson Alexander, included:
In October of 2004, students rioted after the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Campus police arrested four people and used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of nearly 2,000. Two small fires were extinguished.

In 2006, the campus experienced a riot that police classified as the worst in university history when the UMass football team lost in the Football Championship Subdivision's National Championship.

Canova remains on the scene this morning, and will continue to provide updates, and soon will be posting video. For now, here are samples of raw video of the disturbances at UMass that have been posted on YouTube:

Warning: Objectionable language

Patriots fans in Boston quietly mourn another Super Bowl loss to the Giants

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Hundreds of officers who lined the streets of Boston had little to do as fans quietly mourned their team's Super Bowl loss.

020512_patriots_fans_bummed.jpgKerry Harrington, center, and Sara Laporte, right, both of Boston, react while watching the NFL football Super Bowl game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on television at a bar in Boston, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The Giants won 21-17. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By JIM MORRISON

BOSTON – Hundreds of officers who lined the streets of Boston had little to do as fans quietly mourned their team's Super Bowl loss Sunday night, but 14 people were arrested across the state at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst when police in riot gear dispersed a rambunctious crowd.

"We're really sad right now," said Molly Mackenzie of Boston, who was watching at a bar near Fenway Park with two friends as the Patriots lost the NFL championship to the Giants for the second time in five years. "It was a good game, really close."

Boston officers focused on the areas near college campuses and sports bars, where previous celebrations had turned wild. Many were brought in from neighboring departments to help out. But after the Giants won 21-17, fans quietly filed back to cars and public transit stations.

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Things were rowdier at UMass, where police in riot gear and on horseback used smoke bombs to disperse 1,500 students who gathered in the main residential part of the campus after the game. There were some fistfights, but no one was hurt badly enough to be taken to a hospital and no property damage was reported, said spokesman Ed Blaguszewski.

Thirteen of those arrested were students, and all were charged with failure to disperse or disorderly conduct or both. They will be referred to the dean of students for possible disciplinary action.

Police monitoring the situation decided to issue a dispersal order about 15 minutes after students started gathering. It took about 90 minutes to get everyone out of the area.

"It was a loud crowd and there were fights breaking out in pockets," Blaguszewski said.

Marissa Faldasz, a junior whose dorm room looks out over where students gathered, said they were chanting "U.S.A., U.S.A.," and throwing beer cans and toilet paper rolls.

"As soon as the game ended, a bunch of students came running from all across the campus," she said.

Video she took from her fourth-floor room showed smoke and flashes and students yelling, then much of the crowd running away as police on horseback approached. Police officers wrestled at least one student to the ground. She said there was a similar incident after Osama bin Laden was killed last year.

Back in Boston, at Game On, a bar near Fenway, the atmosphere was tense until people started chanting, "Let's Go Pats, Let's Go Pats," with about five minutes and 30 seconds left to go and the Patriots up by 2. Then the Giants scored a touchdown, knocking the wind out of their sails. The bar stayed full until the final seconds, when Tom Brady's desperation pass into the end zone fell just beyond Rob Gronkowski's grasp.

"It was very disappointing," said Karen Snyder of Boston, who was celebrating her birthday Sunday. "Defensively, we should have done better. We weren't ready for when the Giants changed up their offense."

Earlier in the night, the crowd got quiet when the Patriots trailed in the first half, then erupted into dancing, fist-pumping and shouting when they took the lead with a touchdown right before halftime.

"You know Brady," said Frank Monti, a fan from New York City. "He's good for fourth-quarter wins. I'm not worried."

At McGreevy's 3rd Base Saloon in the city's Back Bay neighborhood, where six large TVs and a framed oval portrait of Coach Bill Belichick hung over the bar, manager Art Santora said he had met with the police and the liquor commission to talk about safety measures. No one was being allowed to line up outside to get into the packed bar — once it was full that was it.

Dave Anderson, who was visiting from Denver and declared himself a Patriots fan for the weekend, joined a standing room crowd at McGreevys. Across the street, the top of the Prudential Center was lit up in the Patriots colors of red, white and blue.

"You can tell that there are no fair weather fans in Boston," Anderson said.

Victor Janczar arrived in plenty of time from Chicopee, in western Massachusetts, because he and his girlfriend wanted to be with other Patriots fans. They're such serious fans that they purposely flew JetBlue on a trip back from California so they could watch the Patriots play San Diego in Week 2 of the NFL season on the seat-back televisions. They predicted a close game Sunday but thought the Patriots would pull it out, 27-24.

"It'll really depend on how well the Patriots' defense can cover New York's receivers," Janczar said before the game.

Not that well, as it turned out.

"The good news is that the defense can't get any worse," said Keith Versteegden of Red Deer, Alberta, a student in Boston, who afterward declared the game "depressing."

Said Chris Sondej, a student in Boston University's College of Management, said: "It was heartbreaking when (Wes) Welker dropped that pass in the third quarter."

He also noted the game could have implications for the legacy of the team's quarterback and coach.

"Brady doesn't have that many years left in him," he said. "We'll see what comes of the Brady-Belichick team after this."

Christopher Hopewell, Yasser Menwer, Robert Authier Sr. appointed to Holyoke Fire Commission

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The commission is the board that hires, promotes and disciplines FIre Department employees.

yasser.JPGYasser Menwer is one of three new members of Holyoke Fire Commission.

HOLYOKE – Mayor Alex B. Morse has appointed a new Fire Commission consisting of Christopher J. Hopewell, Yasser Menwer and Robert Authier Sr.

Hopewell likely will be the chairman, Morse said Wednesday.

“My appointments to the Fire Commission will work tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Holyoke,” Morse said.

“Mr. Hopewell, Mr. Menwer and Mr. Authier are all committed to public safety, integrity and transparency,” he said.

The appointees to the three-member, volunteer board replace the three who served under former Mayor Elaine A. Pluta, whom Morse defeated in the Nov. 8 election: Priscilla F. Chesky, the chairwoman, and members William N. McCoy and Jason Garand.

The board is authorized under city laws to hire, promote and discipline Fire Department employees. The commission, and not the mayor, has sole authority under the city charter to hire the fire chief.

Hopewell is emergency medical services coordinator at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, in Northampton. He also has worked as a paramedic supervisor, medical examiner technician and director of emergency services at Holyoke Medical Center, Morse said.

Menwer is an intelligence specialist and master sergeant at the 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard at Barnes Regional Airport, in Westfield. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in November.

Authier is retired after working at The American Writing Co., where he was vice president of Eagle Lodge Papermakers Union Local 1, and as a maintenance manager at Diamond Fiber Products, Morse said. Authier is father of South Hadley Fire District 1 Fire Chief Robert R. Authier, formerly a deputy fire chief here.

Security footage leads to arrest in Florence Savings Bank robbery

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Acting on tips from the public, Northampton and Holyoke police arrested 33-year-old Thadius Romanowski.

thadius-romanowski.jpgA still taken from bank security footage shows a man suspected of robbing the 176 King St. Florence Savings Bank branch Friday afternoon.

HOLYOKE - Security images from a Northampton bank targeted in a Friday robbery led to the arrest of a Holyoke man early Saturday morning.

The suspect entered the Florence Savings Bank branch at 176 King St. around 4 p.m. Friday and handed a teller a note claiming he had a bomb. He then fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police began receiving tips, however, after distributing still images of the suspect from the bank's security cameras to area media outlets.

Acting on those tips, Northampton and Holyoke police arrested Thadius Romanowski, 33, of 579 Northampton St. Unit 14 at his home in Holyoke at 3:29 a.m. Saturday.

Romanowski was charged with unarmed robbery in connection with the incident. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

No weapons were shown during the robbery, and there were no injuries, Northampton police Lt. Michael Patenaude said Friday.

The branch was also the site of a Dec. 22, 2010 robbery that came during a string of at least a half-dozen heists in Hampshire and Hampden counties.

Queen Elizabeth II marks Accession Day

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It has been 60 years to the day since Britain was shocked by the bulletins: The King is dead; long live the Queen!

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince PhilipBritain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travel in a Semi State Landau carriage with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, along the Processional Route to Buckingham Palace in London, on April 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Damien Meyer, Pool)

LONDON — It has been 60 years to the day since Britain was shocked by the bulletins: The King is dead; long live the Queen!

Eight words encapsulated both the news on Feb. 6, 1952 and the British doctrine of monarchy. It also starkly illustrates why the accession anniversary being marked by Queen Elizabeth II on Monday is tinged with sadness for the loss of a reigning monarch.

Princess Elizabeth became the queen the moment her 56-year-old father, King George VI, died of a fatal blood clot, apparently soon after he went to bed at 11:30 p.m. the previous night. A servant discovered the lifeless king in his bed at 7:50 a.m.

On his death, the then-25-year-old automatically became queen, but she was at the Treetops resort in Kenya with her husband, Prince Philip.

The king's death set off an official scramble to convey the news. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was among the first officials to be notified. News agencies were allowed to flash the news at 10:45, and the BBC broadcast the announcement to the world half an hour later.

And still Elizabeth didn't know.

The news reached the royal entourage via Granville Roberts, a reporter on the East African Standard who had seen the news wire bulletin. He telephoned Elizabeth's private secretary, Martin Charteris, who telephoned Philip's private secretary, Mike Parker — who then told the prince.

Philip gave the news to his wife as they walked in a garden.

Later that day, Churchill officially informed the House of Commons.

"We cannot at this moment do more than record the spontaneous expression of grief," the prime minister said.

The Lords of the Privy Council met and formally proclaimed Elizabeth as queen, "beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess Elizabeth the Second with long and happy Years to reign over us."

A storm delayed the queen's departure from Africa until midnight. Then, there was an unscheduled stop in North Africa to get a black mourning dress aboard. She arrived in London in the fading light of the following day.

On Feb. 8, Elizabeth met the 150 Lords of the Council and other dignitaries for the formal Accession ceremony.

She said: "By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty."

"My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work, as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over."


AM News Links: The agony of defeat, New England style, leaves fans dejected and disappointed, and more

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Super Bowl ads were a super letdown, former UMass receiver Victor Cruz says winning the big game was the "best feeling of (his) life," and more headlines.

patriot fans.jpgKerry Harrington, center, and Sara Laporte, right, both of Boston, react while watching the Super Bowl at a Hub bar Sunday evening. The shot was taken before the New England Patriots fell to the New York Giants, 21-17, marking the Giants' second Super Bowl triumph over the Pats in four years.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

UMass students arrested in post-Super Bowl disturbance to be arraigned in court

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An unruly crowd of about 1,500 gathered on the Amherst campus after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

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AMHERST – Thirteen University of Massachusetts students are expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in connection with a campus disturbance following the Super Bowl Sunday night, said Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, associate director of news and media relations for the flagship Amherst campus.

All of the arrests happened on campus shortly after the New England Patriots' 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. One non-student also was arrested, officials said.

The students' names will be made public after they are arraigned, Fitzgibbons said Monday. Students also may face disciplinary action from the university, but not until the resolution of their criminal cases.

"That would follow the legal process," Fitzgibbons said, adding that the severity of punishment depends on the severity of the alleged transgressions — in this case, misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.

A crowd totaling about 1,500 people gathered in the Southwest Residential Area of the campus after the Super Bowl ended just before 10 p.m. Sunday.

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UMass police ordered the students to disperse at about 10:08 p.m., but they continued to congregate in the large concrete concourse surrounded by high-rise dormitories. Mounted police and riot-control officers attempted to flush them from the area, prompting some students to throw bottles and fireworks and triggering some minor skirmishes.

Similar past disturbances have occurred in that same section of the UMass campus following both local and national sports victories and losses, and last year's killing of Osama bin Laden.

There were no reports of injuries or property damage on Sunday, according to university officials. The incident was the only large-scale disturbance reported in Massachusetts in the wake of the Patriots' Super Bowl loss. Boston authorities didn't report any significant issues with students in that bustling college town.

Business Monday from The Republican, February 6, 2012: Would the governor's community college plan help employers?

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Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican.

Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican:

Employers fear community colleges run from Boston
Business people express concerns about Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to unify community colleges under a state administration. Read More >>

college02/02/2012 Springfield - - Springfield Technical Community College Laser Electro-Optics Technology student Rose Holloway from West Springfield , Professor Nicholas Massa, Laser Program co-ordinator, and student Chris Vanasse, work with the laser equipment in the schools' holography lab.

InteliCoat in South Hadley to cut jobs now, but promise growth in the future
InteliCoat Technologies announced it will cut about 20 jobs at its South Hadley plant, but it expects to create new jobs in marketing, production, sales and distribution at the same location in the future. Read More >>

Microtest manufactures celiac cure on behalf of a Cambridge company
A treatment for Celiac disease, which is intolerance for gluten in a person's diet, may be on the way. Microtest Laboratories began producing the possible treatment, Nexvax2, last week. Read More >>

Commentary: Increased resources in STCC and other community colleges best investment for putting Massachusetts back to work
Gov. Deval Patrick argues that Massachusetts should bring its community colleges together in a unified system. Read More >>

More Business Monday:

Notebooks:

Three injured in Ware crash; Monson driver William Trauernicht charged with OUI, 2nd offense

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Police said Trauernicht's Breathalyzer test showed his blood-alcohol level to be about twice the .08 minimum for intoxication.

WARE – A 25-year-old Monson man was arrested for drunken driving early Monday following a car accident at Park Avenue and Church Street that injured three people in another car, police said.

William M. Trauernicht of 141 Peck Brothers Road was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, second offense, operating under the influence of alcohol and causing a serious injury, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, said Ware Police Chief Dennis M. Healey.

Police charge that Trauernicht failed to stop for a stop sign at Park Avenue and plowed into the passenger side of a vehicle that was heading north on Church Street, Healey said. Trauernicht's car struck the vehicle on the front passenger door, he said.

The driver of the other vehicle and two passengers were each seriously hurt and had to be transported by ambulance to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware.
Their names were not released.

WWLP-TV reported one of the passengers were taken by helicopter ambulance from Baystate Mary Lane to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

Trauernicht was not injured. He was arrested after he failed a field sobriety test, Healey said. The reading from the breathalyzer showed his blood-alcohol level was about twice the state's .08 minimum for intoxication.

He told police he was on the way home after having been at a private residence earlier.

Trauernicht had previously been convicted of drunken driving, but Healey said he was not sure when that was.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in the Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

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Gov. Deval Patrick knocks Newt Gingrich on 'Meet the Press'

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In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Gov. Deval Patrick seized an opportunity to attack Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, who appeared in an earlier segment on the show.

deval patrickMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, right, responds to applause as he steps on the podium as Mass. Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, left, and Mass. Senate President Therese Murray, behind, look on in the House Chamber, at the Statehouse before the start of Patrick's state-of-the-state address, in Boston, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.

In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Gov. Deval Patrick seized an opportunity to attack Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, who appeared in an earlier segment on the show.

Gingrich told "Meet the Press" unemployment numbers don't reflect the true number of Americans who are unemployed or underemployed, and blamed President Barack Obama's administration. The Associated Press reported last week that U.S. unemployment fell for five straight months to 8.3 percent in January.

Patrick defended Obama, saying, "well, first of all, I think sometimes it seems that facts are unwelcome things to, to the speaker and to many Republicans today."

"There is a way if we all act as if we are in this together to reduce the deficit and grow the, the economy and continue the 23 consecutive months of job growth that we have had under the, under the, under the president," he told "Meet the Press."

Patrick also discussed the political primary scene more generally:

It's been a pretty dismal primary season, and at a time when Americans need to turn to each other, rather than on each other. We do need to see ourselves as in this together and it worries me that so much of the national Republican rhetoric has been about elevating division itself to the top of the--of their political agenda.

The full text of Sunday's "Meet the Press" can be found on msnbc.com.

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