Social Security administrator Michael Astrue said he’s one of the few administration officials who has been a CEO of a publicly-traded company, the biotechnology firm Transkaryotic Therapies Inc. in Cambridge.

The Republican / Don TreegerMichael J. Astrue, Social Security administrator, left, appears with U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal at a press conference outside of the Social Security office in Springfield Monday.

SPRINGFIELD – An Institute of Medicine study into fraud and abuse of the Social Security Administration’s Supplemental Social Security income program will begin within a few months, the Social Security Administrator said Monday on a visit to Springfield.

Families can claim about $600 a month in benefits for disabled children, said Administrator Michael J. Astrue at a news conference with U. S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. But there is a suspicion that unscrupulous parents are using trumped-up and unverifiable claims of social and behavioral problems to game the system and get disability payments for children who are perfectly fine.

The children’s Supplemental Security Income program is a $10 billion program. According to Social Security data, there were 5,016 Hampden County residents under the age of 18 receiving Social Security Supplemental Security Income as of December 2010.

There were 523 children getting the benefit in Hampshire County and 337 in Franklin.

“When you look at where those claims are being made, those claims are coming from the older cities,” Neal said referring to places like Springfield and Holyoke with low incomes and a lack of jobs.

As a member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, Neal has some sway over how the Social Security Administration does business. Astrue, who is from Belmont, took Neal on a tour of the Social Security office at 44 Bond Street, as put of a trip through New England. He had a serried s of events in Hartford Monday afternoon.

Astrue also answered questions about budget cutbacks at Social Security and payroll tax cut, which expires again Feb. 29. Astrue said in theory the federal government plans to eventually make the Social Security Trust Fund whole for the lost revenue.

He said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled about 20 years ago that Social Security must use the same criteria to scrutinize children’s disability claims as it uses for adults. Problem is, a lot of the adult benchmarks are vocationally-oriented and don’t translate well to children.

Also, Social Security has not kept its medical standards updated as it should, Astrue said.

“I understand the need to do things in an emergency,” Astrue said. “But as you get away from the trust fund and start making Social Security part of the government’s general fund people feel differently about the system. It starts to become part of the welfare establishment and not a pension program.”

Astrue said the Social Security Administration is under other pressures. Applications for disability claims and retirements rose 30 percent with the recession. At the same time budget cuts cost him 7,000 workers in two years out of a staff of 65,000.

That means fewer small Social Security offices and no more Social Security workers stationed in libraries and senior centers. More work has to be done online and on the phone, he said.

The number of retirement claims field online jumped from 10 percent of the total to 44 percent of the total in the last four years, he said.

Astrue said he’s one of the few administration officials who has been a CEO of a publicly-traded company, the biotechnology firm Transkaryotic Therapies Inc. in Cambridge. He also taught biotechnology law and policy at Boston University and served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

The ad focuses on Obama's promise to halve the deficit.

President Barack Obama speaks about the "Community College to Career Fund" and his 2013 budget at Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The Republican National Committee released a new ad Monday criticizing President Barack Obama for "reckless spending."

The ad's release was to coincide with the release of Obama's proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year.

Obama's proposed budget seeks to achieve $4 trillion in a deficit reduction during the next decade. His budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 projects a deficit of $1.3 trillion for the year – the fourth consecutive year of trillion-dollar-plus deficits.

Entitled "My Daughter's Future," the ad focuses on Obama's promise to cut the national deficit in half.

"Obama is mortgaging our children's future," the ad says.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Monday, "His budget for next year is more of the same. It's full of more spending and more tax increases that have put this country deeper into debt. Instead of mortgaging our children's future, President Obama should have fulfilled his promise to cut spending."

"We can't just cut our way into growth," Obama said at a campaign-style rally at a community college in the vote-rich Northern Virginia suburbs, the Associated Press reported. "We can cut back on the things that we don't need, but we also have to make sure that everyone is paying their fair share for the things that we do need."

The new effort is modeled after the North End Initiative, which resulted in a reduction in crime in that city neighborhood, according to police.

Staff photo by Mark M. MurraySpringfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, left, and Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni look on as Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet announces a new police program called the Business and Domicile Geographic Enforcement Unit, which was introduced to the residents and business owners of the 'X' section of Forest Park during a press conference Monday at Sal's Bakery, 513 Belmont Ave.

SPRINGFIELD — With positive economic signs springing to life all around the "X" section of Forest Park, including new restaurants, retail establishments and a planned supermarket, authorities are seeking to stamp out a nagging, negative component in this bustling neighborhood — crime.

To that end, city officials and Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni on Monday announced an initiative to combat crime and address quality-of-life issues in and around the "X," the busy commercial crossroads running through the heart of the sprawling neighborhood.

Dubbed BADGE — Business and Domicile Geographic Enforcement — the new crime-fighting initiative calls for more walking police patrols in the commercial district to prevent and reduce crime. The overall objective is to increase the police presence while simultaneously increasing people's confidence that Forest Park is a safe, vibrant part of Springfield, officials said.

The notion that Forest Park is a dangerous section of the city — the neighborhood led the city in homicides last year — "can be remedied fairly easily," Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet said during a press conference at Sal's Bakery, 513 Belmont Ave.

Fitchet said the perception that the neighborhood is disproportionately dangerous is harmful to Forest Park's "economic community," including businesses that work closely with law enforcement to address crime and other issues.

Fitchet said officers were hand-picked to participate in BADGE, though officials were vague about precise numbers and how long the deployment would last. BADGE is an outgrowth of the North End Initiative, a similar crime-fighting effort in the city's North End. The goal is to have business owners and police officers working together, Fitchet said.

"We know that small unit deployment is very successful, and that's what we're trying to replicate here in the 'X' area," Fitchet said.

The police commissioner was joined by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, other elected officials and neighborhood boosters such as attorney Daniel Morrissey, president of the Forest Park Business Association, who said neighborhood residents are vested in the community's success.

"This is about a neighborhood collaborating from within," he said.

Some people like to complain about problems in Forest Park, but they should expect to be challenged about finding solutions to these problems, Morrissey said, adding that Monday's announcement was a step in that direction.

"No more naysaying," he said.

The Republican | Mark M. MurraySpringfield Police officers Brian Beliveau, left, and Edward Van Zandt walk the area of Belmont Avenue at the X in Springfield on Monday as a new program called the Business and Domicile Geographic Enforcement Unit was introduced to the residents and business owners surrounding the X.

Officials noted that the reason BADGE was launched at Sal's Bakery is because the business is one of several new establishments to crop up in the "X" area in recent months. Salvatore Circosta, the bakery's owner, spoke about the importance of police and business owners working together, claiming most 'X' merchants feel perfectly safe in the neighborhood.

The North End Initiative is credited with reducing crime in that neighborhood by more than 60 percent, according to police. The Republican attempted to learn more about the purported success of that effort, but police officials were unable to provide data Monday. A spokesman in the commissioner's office said Deputy Police Chief John Barbieri oversees the initiative, but he could not immediately be reached for comment.

In many respects, Forest Park is a neighborhood of contrasts. It is home to around 26,000 people, the city's largest park and numerous neighborhoods within the overall neighborhood, including a burgeoning Asian community. It also is simultaneously home to some of Springfield's largest, best-preserved homes and some of the city's toughest streets. Last year, five of the city's 19 homicides occurred in the neighborhood, including the July shooting death of a 16-year-old boy.

Mastroianni said he has assigned prosecutors from his office to attend Forest Park community meetings and to work directly with officers from the BADGE unit.

"You will notice a difference in the 'X' and the Forest Park area, in general," said the district attorney, calling the neighborhood a "fantastic area."

Morrissey, whose organization works closely with the Forest Park Civic Association, said Forest Park has more than 30 restaurants, a growing retail base and citizens who are very involved in their community. He encouraged people to "shop in our neighborhoods" and to support BADGE.

"This is supposed to be something that is sustainable," he said.

The neighborhood's business and civic associations hosted a joint Forest Park summit in September, and many of the officials who attended Monday's announcement at Sal's also attended that event.

The Summit included discussions about ways in which merchants and residents could be more proactive in making the neighborhood a better place to live, work, raise a family and promote business, according to summit organizers Morissey and Jane Hetzel, his counterpart in the civic association.

Brady said he believes in voluntary term limits.

Patrick J. Brady

WILBRAHAM - Two-term Selectmen Chairman Patrick J. Brady has announced that he will not be a candidate for re-election in the May 14 annual town election.

Brady said his election last May as chairman which took place nine days before the June 1 tornado made his term as selectman busier than he could have anticipated.

He said he had made a decision not to seek re-election prior to the tornado.

“I believe in voluntary term limits,” he said.

In the last year, Brady said the selectmen have had to manage the cleanup of the tornado and July 26 microburst which hit the town and arrange for state and federal reimbursements to partially cover the cost of the cleanup.

Besides serving on the Board of Selectmen for six years, Brady also has served on the Finance Committee, the Major Projects Planning Committee and the Capital Planning Committee as well as the Minnechaug Regional High School Building Committee.

Brady said he plans to take a break from public service, but in the future if selectmen need a former selectman to serve on a special committee or a town study committee he will make himself available.

Candidates interested in running for selectman can seek the endorsement of either the Democratic or Republican Town Committees or can return nomination papers with the town clerk to run as an unaffiliated candidate.

In the same poll, President Barack Obama leads if matched up against GOP candidates Santorum and Romney in the general election.

Supports of Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum during a rally, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has overtaken Mitt Romney among Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters according to a Pew Research Center poll released Monday.

Santorum came in at 30 percent to Romney's 28 percent in the poll conducted Feb. 8-12. Seventeen percent favored Newt Gingrich and 12 percent favored Ron Paul.

Real Clear Politics, in averaging the four most recent Republican presidential polls show Santorum at an average of 30.3 percent and Romney at 29 percent. Those figures include a Public Policy Polling national poll released Saturday that had Santorum opening a 15-point lead over Romney.

In the Pew Research poll, President Barack Obama has the lead against both Santorum and Romeny in a general election match up.

In a theoretical general election matchup, 43 percent favored Santorum and 53 percent favored Obama. Obama also held a lead against Romney, with 52 percent favoring Obama and 44 favoring Romney.

The poll also indicates that there's a growing skepticism of Romney's conservatism. Forty-two percent say he's a strong conservative, down from 53 percent in November. However, 57 percent say the party would unite behind Romney as its nominee.

Romney is also behind Santorum among tea party supporters, conservatives and white evangelicals. Romney leads the pack of GOP candidates among non-tea party Republicans and moderate to liberal Republicans.

More bad poll news for Romney came Monday in a Public Policy Polling survey that found Santorum ahead in the Michigan primary scheduled Feb. 28. In that poll, taken over the weekend, Santorum led Romney by 39 to 24.

Apple crossed $500 per share for the first time, with a 1.9 percent rise to close at $502.60.

By JOSHUA FREED | AP Business Writer

Associated PressAn employee of the Greek Stock Exchange passes past charts with stock prices, indicating gains, in Athens, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. World stock markets rose Monday after Greece's parliament approved a new set of austerity measures that were required by international lenders in exchange for an emergency bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Investors shook off their worries about Greece on Monday and got back to their routine of little-by-little gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 73 points — nothing flashy, but enough to regain most of what it lost with an 89-point drop on Friday. Before that, stocks enjoyed a slow, steady climb this year.

Financial stocks led the Dow higher. Its biggest gainers were Bank of America, up 2.2 percent, and JPMorgan Chase, up 1.8 percent. Financial stocks have been the best performers in the market this year.

Apple crossed $500 per share for the first time, with a 1.9 percent rise to close at $502.60. The company jockeyed with Exxon Mobil last year for the title of most valuable by market value but now enjoys a wide lead, $468 billion to $400 billion.

The market's gains were broad-based, with nine of 10 stock categories in the Standard & Poor's 500 rising, led by industrial stocks. Utilities declined by a whisker. European stocks rose.

For once, investors had the Greek parliament to thank. On Sunday, it approved sharp cuts in civil service jobs, welfare and the minimum wage, required by international leaders for a $170 billion bailout that Greece must have to avoid defaulting on its debt.

Other details of the bailout still need to be finalized, though. And rioting while Greece's parliament voted was a reminder that its financial problems are not solved. Germany also indicated it would take time before approving the bailout.

The Greek debt deal amounts to a default because creditors will get less than they are owed, said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist for Rockwell Global Capital.

Still, "orderly default is better than a chaotic default, which would lean on the whole eurozone and the global economy as well," he said, referring to the 17 countries that use the euro currency.

Cardillo said market gains may be muted for a while because of the social unrest in Greece and because stocks have already risen this year. The Dow is up 5.4 percent, the S&P 7.5 percent.

The Dow closed up 72.81 points, or 0.6 percent, at 12,874.04. It's 16 points shy of its highest close since the 2008 financial meltdown. The S&P rose 9.13 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,351.77. The Nasdaq composite rose 27.51 points, or 1 percent, to 2,931.39.

Worries about the global economy and the state of the U.S. recovery pushed stocks around during the second half of 2011, said Ralph Fogel, a partner and investment strategist for wealth management and advisory firm Fogel Neale Partners in New York. .

"The end of the world was coming," or so traders thought, he said. "It wasn't the end of the world. ... Then the market stopped listening."

The Greek debt deal appeared to take some pressure off U.S. banks. Moody's Investors Services said the $25 billion settlement between mortgage lenders and states over foreclosure practices is a negative for all five major banks involved. Still, most major banks, which have varying levels of exposure in Europe, gained on Monday.

The euro fell a fraction of a penny against the dollar, to $1.32.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 in Britain rose 0.9 percent to 5,906. Germany's DAX rose 0.7 percent to 6,738. The CAC-40 in France rose slightly to 3,385. In Athens, stocks rose 4.6 percent.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.6 percent higher at 8,999, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5 percent.

Investors were not ready to leave the haven of bonds in great numbers. Prices bounced between gains and losses as traders appeared skeptical that Greece was past its debt problem. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was 1.98 percent, flat from Friday.

Oil rose to $100.49 per barrel in New York. Gold rose slightly to $1,726.60 per ounce.

Among other stocks in the news:

• ATM maker Diebold Inc. rose 9 percent after it reported strong sales to banks, a sign they may be willing to spend more to upgrade their technology.

• Chesapeake Energy Corp. rose 2.4 percent after saying it will try to raise as much as $12 billion by selling assets to pay down debt.

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. rose almost 12.3 percent after it said sales of its eye drug Eylea should reach $300 million, up from its previous forecast of $160 million.

• AmerisourceBergen Corp. fell 3.6 percent after the prescription drug distributor said its chief financial officer left to pursue other interests.

• The Madison Square Garden Co., following the winning streaks of the NHL's Rangers and the NBA's Knicks, rose 3.8 percent. "Linsanity," the fervor over the Knicks' surprise point guard, Jeremy Lin, should help revenue. Over five games, Lin is racking up an average of 27 points, or about four more than the Dow on a typical day this year.

Kerry says that although tough choices are ahead, he'll continue to support funding for protecting the vulnerable, creating jobs and strengthening Massachusetts' economy.

Associated PressSupercommittee member Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. walks amid reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 21, 2011, as the deficit reduction panel's deadline approaches with little expectation for success. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said President Barack Obama's proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year is a "balanced blue print," but cautioned that tough decisions will need to be made going forward.

Obama's $3.8 trillion proposed budget for 2013 projects a deficit of $1.3 trillion this year. Obama proposed raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for the deficit.

"This is a balanced blue print to grow our economy, make some tough deficit reduction choices, and end the tax breaks for the wealthiest that never created jobs and gave us deficits in the first place," Kerry said in a statement Monday. "This plan maintains critical investments in research and development, education, and clean energy that will create jobs and strengthen economic recovery. It doubles down on supporting the next generation of roads, railways, and bridges as well as the development of a National Infrastructure Bank based on my bi-partisan proposal with Senators Hutchison and Graham.

"Tough decisions lie ahead. We will debate budget choices but it would be a mistake to shortchange investments in people from LIHEAP to Head Start and programs that make a difference each day for seniors, children, the disabled, and working poor families. No one should ever have to make the choice between food, medicine, and heating their homes, and I'll continue to fight for the funding to protect the vulnerable, create jobs, and strengthen Massachusetts' economy. If people in Washington can put ideology aside, we can cut waste in government without cutting out the heart of our country or the backbone of our economy."

Kerry worked toward reducing the deficit last fall while sitting on a 12-member "super committee". The super committee failed to reach the goal of saving $1.5 trillion.

His office also outlined several programs in Obama's proposed budget that impact Massachusetts:

• $3.02 billion for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low income families heat their homes and serves over 200,000 Massachusetts households annually;

• $2.025 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which supports infrastructure improvements to provide safe drinking water, and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which funds water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, nonpoint source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management;

• $350 million for Community Service Block Grants, which reduce poverty and revitalize low-income communities;

• $2.24 billion for building Littoral Combat Ships, including the contract for General Dynamics in Pittsfield;

• $247 million in increased funding for the FA-18 fighter jets, including the contract for General Electric in Lynn;

• $177 million in reductions to the Children's Graduate Medical Education which provides freestanding children's hospitals – including Children's Hospital Boston – with federal support for graduate medical education;

• $9.7 billion in reductions to Medicare's Graduate Medical Education, which would reduce Medicare payments to teaching hospitals in Massachusetts by approximately $438 million over the next decade;

• $4 billion in reductions from shortening the exclusivity period for generic biologics from 12 years to 7 years, which would undermine promising biotechnical research and development.

The cost of chipping debris from the October snowstorm is estimated at $60,000.

Photo by Matthew T. Mutti / Air National GuardMaster Sgt. James Dunn, an aircraft maintenance technician at the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield, cuts down a tree that is blocking a road in Hampden following the October snowstorm. Back in Westifled, city officials have announced they are no longer accepting debris from the storm at the Twiss Street transfer station.

WESTFIELD –The city’s cleanup effort following October’s snowstorm nearly complete with officials now focusing on the disposal of the remains.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik announced this week that the Transfer Station at Twiss Street is no longer accepting brush debris from the storm. But, residents who still have remnants of the storm requiring pick up can call the Department of Public Works for assistance.

Also this week, began chipping and stockpiling the collect brush, estimated to produce more than 120,000 cubic yards of mulch and wood chips.

No decision has been made on disposal of the chips and mulch but DPW Superintendent James M. Mulvenna said he has received inquiries from contractors and residents.

“The plan right now is to stockpile it, which will be easier once the piles are reduced in size to about one-third,” said Mulvenna.

“The ultimate decision may be to offer the material to homeowners and others who have a use for it,” he said.

Mulvenna and Knapik agreed that the material is not suitable for residential landscaping but could be used for areas like playscapes and roadsides.

The material is not being treated for disease or insects, they said.

Mulvenna estimated the final city cost for cleanup from the storm will reach $1.2 million once the chipping project is completed. The cost of chipping will be about $60,000, officials said.

Mulvenna said that in addition to Twiss Street wood debris has been piled at three other municipal locations.

The storm caused damage in all sections of the city and left residents and many businesses, an estimated 19,000 customers of Westfield Gas and Electric Department without electricity for five days.

City officials are applying to Federal Emergency Administration as well as the state’s emergency agency for reimbursement on storm related costs. Westfield expects to receive up to 75 percent reimbursement for costs absorbed during the first 72 hours following the storm, Mulvenna said.

The owner of the home, Peter Mason, died in June and the house was vacant, Fire Chief Richard Anderson said.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanThis is what the house at 11 Tobacco Road, Southwick, looked like Monday morning after it was destroyed in a weekend fire.

SOUTHWICK – Police and Fire officials late Monday were continuing their investigation into the cause of a suspicious fire that nearly destroyed a Tobacco Road vacant home Friday.

Calling the fire “very suspicious,” Fire Chief Richard Anderson said his department is being assisted in the investigation by State Trooper Michael S. Mazza, assigned to the state fire marshal’s office, and Southwick Detective Sgt. Robert Landis.

The fire at 11 Tobacco Road was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Friday.

“The home was severely damaged and was burning through the roof when firefighters arrived on scene,” said Anderson. “It was an inferno when we got there.”

The owner of the home, Peter Mason, died in June and the house was vacant, Anderson said.

There was no electricity to the house, the chief said.

The Hall of Fame also would have an exhibition presence at the resort casino, which is planned for land across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8.

The latest rendering of the Mohegan Sun casino project in Palmer.

PALMER — The proposed Mohegan Sun resort casino also would offer a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame retail store.

Mohegan Sun announced the deal with the Springfield-based Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday. The Hall of Fame also would have an exhibition presence at the resort casino, which is planned for land across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 on Thorndike Street (Route 32).

"The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame contributes greatly to the economic vitality of this region and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with such an iconic institution in Western Massachusetts," Mitchell Grossinger Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said in a statement.

"Mohegan Sun has had the benefit of working with the Hall of Fame over the past several years and we look forward to growing this relationship to bring increased tourism and economic development to Western Massachusetts," Etess said.

Under the agreement, the Basketball Hall of Fame would operate a retail store at Mohegan Sun at Palmer, offering Hall of Fame branded products and providing visitors with a preview of attractions at its Springfield tourist destination.

"We are looking forward to expanding our presence in Western Massachusetts and see a great opportunity to do that with Mohegan Sun Palmer," John Doleva, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame president, said in a statement.

The Hall of Fame and Mohegan Sun have an ongoing relationship that includes annual Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies and the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic college basketball event hosted by Mohegan Sun's Connecticut location.

Palmer is one of four sites that is competing for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license. There are also proposals for Brimfield, Holyoke and Springfield.

Manager Roberta Deragon was reacting to news that Mayor Gregory Neffinger had fired assessor Christopher Keefe following a disagreement on holding tax abatement hearings.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The manager of the West Springfield- Agawam Elks Club said if her organization has to pay an approximately $25,000 property tax bill it could well have to close its doors or drastically curtail its charitable functions.

“I don’t think we would be able to survive that kind of a slam,” Roberta A. Deragon, who manages the club, said Monday. She spoke on the heels of reports of newly installed Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger firing Principal Assessor Christopher Keefe after disagreeing about holding tax abatement hearings for the Elks as well as the Tatham Memorial Club, Dante Club and Verdi Club.

The four organizations, which for property tax purposes have been classified as social clubs, have contested tax bills for fiscal 2012, the first year they have had their real estate taxed. Taxing social clubs is a long-standing Bay State practice, according to a state Department of Revenue spokesman.

The city has assessed the West Springfield-Agawam Elks Home Inc. Lodge at 2174 at 429 Morgan Road at $709,700, generating a $25,546 tax bill for the fiscal year that started July 1.

Deragon said calling the four organizations social clubs is a misnomer and that she thinks of them as community-based clubs because of all the charity work they do. The hall is available for free for the meetings of such wide-ranging community groups as the local Boy Scouts and Trout Unlimited, according to her.

All proceeds from its bar are plowed back into maintenance and upkeep of the building as well as to the club’s many charities like sponsoring a youth soccer association, she said. In addition, Deragon said no one employed at the Elks, including her, is paid for working for the club.

Meanwhile, Neffinger has started soliciting applicants to replace Keefe, whom he fired Wednesday.

Deragon said Keefe was not sympathetic to the plight of the Elks and the other three clubs, none of which had officials who could be reached for comment Monday.

It’s your problem. He was not kind to us,” the Elks official said.

And as for reports of Neffinger shouting at Keefe for not holding abatement hearings, Deragon said, “That isn’t the man we know who is trying to help everybody out.”

Neither Keefe nor Neffinger could be reached for comment Monday.

The center has to buy its weekend meals from Florida-based G.A. Food Service, Inc., and is allowed no more than 45 per week, meaning seniors soon could be turned away from the program.

View full size03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen -- Belchertown Town Hall.

BELCHERTOWN – The state will not allow the Senior Center to use its own food in the Meals on Wheels program and will continue to require it to buy frozen, mass-produced meals from a company in Florida.

Town Administrator Gary L. Brougham sought a waiver last month when senior citizen advocates pleaded with the Board of Selectmen to help them get out from under a mandate they said endangers seniors.

In a letter to Brougham, an official from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs said no.

"EOEA's primary concern is for the safety and well-being of the vulnerable population receiving these supplemental meals," wrote Ruth Palombo, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Program Planning and Management. Palombo said the rule is based on a federal requirement that meals meet Food and Drug Administration guidelines for safety.

The Senior Center serves 175 seniors a day and leftover meals from the weekdays used to be frozen until the weekend, then delivered for the Meals on Wheels program. The $2 meals are cooked by trained and certified professionals with clients' nutritional needs and physical limitations in mind.

"I don't understand. I think she's just stubborn," said Council on Aging Chairwoman Esther Pierce. "They're handicapping us. They're not letting us do what we need to do for the elderly."

In the past, the program has delivered about 2,125 meals every year. Pierce said some people receive two meals a day.

Now the center has to buy its weekend meals from Florida-based G.A. Food Service, Inc., and is allowed no more than 45 per week, meaning seniors could be turned away from the program if demand increases.

Pierce said she heard from clients that the new meals "stink."

The requirement went into effect in September of 2010, but the center was allowed to continue its own program until Oct. 1, 2011. If it doesn't continue to comply, the center will lose $30,000 in federal funding.

All senior centers in the state must be in full compliance by October 2012. In order to earn a waiver, centers have to serve fewer than 20 people per weekend; demonstrate the program doesn't adhere to cultural or religious standards; or show it can't meet special dietary requirements ordered by a physician.

Belchertown Senior Center Executive Director William Korzenowski has pointed out the vendor's meals contain salt, chemicals and preservatives that are absent from his staff's meals.

"Please be assured that the vendor supplying the meals ... adheres to the highest food safety and nutrition standards," Palombo wrote. "Although the meals are prepared and frozen, they are carefully planned to meet the dietary needs of an elderly, housebound population."

"We (cater to) diet requirements," said Pierce. "If they have chewing problems, we cut it for them." She added that diabetics and people with allergies receive customized meals.

Compounding the center's problem, Gov. Deval L. Patrick's proposed fiscal year 2013 budget cuts $1.5 million from the Elderly Nutrition Program, which funds Meals on Wheels.

At the Feb. 13 selectmen meeting, Selectman Ronald E. Aponte said the letter was "platitudes."

"We've had zero, I repeat zero, problems with food safety in the history of the program," which was in place for at least 25 years, he said. "Really, no reason is given. ... I do believe a follow-up is in order."

State Denies Belchertown Senior Center Waiver on Frozen Meals Policy

Springfield resident Meghan Sullivan crowned Springfield Colleen 2012.

Colleen Meghan Sullivan is seen surrounded by her court. Standing, form left, are Martha Crowley, Eileen Barrett, Mariah McNamara and Nora Garrity.

SPRINGFIELD – The second time was the charm for Springfield Colleen 2012 Meghan Sullivan.

The Elms College freshman was crowned Colleen on Feb. 11 at The Cedars Banquet Hall on Island Pond Road.

“I’m just so excited. It’s a wonderful way to show my pride in my Irish ancestry,” said Sullivan, daughter of Patrick and Nancy Sullivan.

Sullivan entered the Colleen Contest last year, but did not win. She decided to try again this year and beat out 19 other contestants.

“I was really surprised, but so honored,” she said.

There were 20 contestants in the initial round before five finalists were chosen.

“The girls answered a questionnaire and then had a one-on-one interview with the panel of judges and then they were brought before the audience for a question and answer session,” said Mollie Bresnahan, an organizer for the event, sponsored by the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee.

Bresnahan said the five finalists went through another round of interviews and a question and answer session in front of an audience of 250 guests. The judges are community members who are not members of the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee.

“It was a very successful event,” Bresnahan said.

Sullivan and her court, which include Springfield residents Martha Crowley, 17 and Nora Garrity, 18, both students at Cathedral High School and Mariah McNamara, 18, a student at Central High School and Eileen Barrett, 21, of Ludlow, a student at Lasell College, in Newton, will march in the Springfield’s St. Patrick’s Parade on Feb. 16 and the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade on March 18.

“It’s going to be a blast. I have gone to the parade every year and I’m a proud resident of Springfield. I’m excited to march through downtown and excited to be in the Holyoke parade as well,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan was also the winner of the $500 Mossie and Kathleen Murphy Scholarship.

Patrick Sullivan is the city’s director of parks, buildings and recreation management.

The carnival has changed from a week-long event to a single day due to the cancellation of school vacation week.

Republican file photo by Mark M. MurrayThe horse-drawn hay wagon as seen last February, returns again this year to the Fabulous February carnival at Forest Park in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – The annual “Fabulous February” winter carnival, a weeklong tradition in the past, is slated for a single day this year due to the cancellation of the school vacation week.

The carnival featuring a variety of family-fun activities ranging from hay rides to “Krafts for Kids,” is slated for Feb. 20, the Presidents Day holiday.

The Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management is presenting the 34th year of the winter carnival at Forest Park.

The traditional hayrides and hot dog roast will take place near the Edward J. Moriarty Senior Center next to the lawn bowling green. The first hayrides through Forest Park, costing $2, begin at 11 a.m., and participants can roast a hot dog for $1, beginning at noon, with both events continuing until 3:30 p.m.

Krafts for Kids is also at the senior center at 10 a.m. where children ages 5 to 15 can make a winter craft to take home.

In addition, families can attend a magic show under the tent at 1 p.m., with magician Ed Popielarczyk.

Children ages 7 to 15 may pre-register for an adventure program with Brad Miller of “Next Level Adventures,” who will be conducting a “Fab. Feb.” challenge on the Camp SECO grounds at Forest park from 9 to 11 a.m. The program is free but has limited space, with pre-registration needed.

There is also a “Flying High Frisbee Dogs” program by Mike Piazza, at 11:30 a.m., at the Forest Park ballfield complex. He and his dogs have been seen on ESPN, Animal Planet and performing at professional sporting events.

Cyr Arena is operating with expanded public skating hours, from noon to 2 p.m., with skate rentals costing $4.

For additional information on any of the programs, or to register, call (413) 787-6435.

There is also information available on the Park Department’s Web site at www.springfieldparks.com.

Any cancellation information due to inclement weather will be available at (413) 787-6434 or (413) 787-6435.

A third patrolman position could be filled in the summer.

File photo | The Republican

WILBRAHAM - The Board of Selectmen Monday night interviewed three candidates for police patrolman positions and voted to appoint two of the candidates.

The third candidate may be offered a job this summer when a third position is expected to become open.

Brent Noyes, a patrolman with the Northampton Police Department, will be offered a position immediately, pending medical, physical and psychological screening and a basic training course.

Justin Wall, a sergeant with the Shutesbury Police Department, will be hired to fill a position which becomes open April 1, pending a medical, physical and psychological screening and a basic training course.

A third patrolman position will become available Sept. 1, Police Chief Roger Tucker said.

A third applicant interviewed by selectmen Monday night, Christopher Arventos, a patrolman with the Monson Police Department, could be offered the third position this summer, if he is still available, Tucker said. Arventos is one of three police officers who was recently cleared of police brutality charges during a trial in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

Tucker, a longtime captain in the Police Department, was appointed recently to the police chief position when Chief Allen Stratton retired.

The board expects to fill a captain position and a sergeant position in the future, Selectmen Chairman Patrick J. Brady said.

Noyes told selectmen he formerly worked for Mass Mutual, but took a pay cut to go to work as a patrolman with the Northampton Police Department.

“I fell in love with police work,” Noyes said. “It is interesting, and I enjoy going to work.”

He added, “I like going to work, and that is tough to find for a lot of people.”

Wall has been serving as a sergeant with the Shutesbury Police Department.

He said the Wilbraham job is “a better opportunity for myself and my family.”

The third police officer candidate was Christopher Arventos, a full-time police officer in Monson and the canine officer in Monson on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift.

Arventos told selectmen he is interested in coming to a larger department.

“Monson is a good place to start,” he said.

The new officers are expected to be assigned to work the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, selectmen said.

When firefighters arrived, they found flames from the car fire had spread to the nearby house.

View full size

View full sizeThe Republican | Michael BeswickSpringfield firefighters extinguish a car fire in the driveway of 72 Glencoe St., Monday night. The fire had also spread to the exterior of the home.

SPRINGFIELD - A car fire of undermined origin Monday night destroyed a late-model Chevrolet Blazer and caused an estimated $10,000 damage to a house at 72 Glencoe St., Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said.

The fire was reported at about 8:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the Blazer engulfed in flames and the fire beginning to spread to the exterior of the house. Firefighters were able to douse the flames before they could spread to the interior, he said.

Siding on two walls was damaged, Leger said.

There were no injuries.

The car was a total loss, and the heat from the fire may have damaged the driveway, Leger said.

It was not clear Monday night what caused the car to catch fire, he said. The city Arson and Bomb Squad is investigating.

Glencoe Street is off Carew Street near Van Sickle Middle School.

View Larger Map

Allan's appointment is subject to City Council approval.

Jessica Jo Allan

EASTHAMPTON - City officials have offered the job of city planner to Jessica Jo Allan, the principal planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

The appointment is subject to City Council approval Wednesday night, said Mayor Michael A. Tautznik.

Allan was one of five finalists, however, only four were interviewed after one withdrew. She is scheduled to begin March 5.

As part of her job with the Springfield-based planning commission, Allan has provided land use planning and zoning assistance to 43 communities including the city and was facilitator of the city's master plan process.

In offering her the job, Tautznik said she’s “been involved in our planning process. She has a good handle on the community.” He said she’s also familiar with the city’s zoning.

“We feel she was the right fit for the community,” he said of his and the selection committee’s view. Being a city resident is a plus, he said.

“I think her expertise is evident in her resume.”

Stuart Beckley recently left the position after more than 20 years to become the Ware Town Manager.

Last week, the mayor said, “we're not going to replace Stuart. We are hiring a new planner,"

Monday Tautznik said that Allan “represents a slightly new direction.”
As the city planner, she is the advisor to myriad boards and committees including the Planning Board.

Her starting salary is about $53,500, the mayor said.

“I’m really excited to have this job,” said Allan, who’s 38. “I saw there was an opportunity to work in the community I live in and love and took it.” She has lived in the city for about six years and worked for the planning commission for about eight.

She said she knows “there are really big shoes to fill, I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

While her work has focused on land use and zoning, she said she’s excited “to learn more about the arts and the arts community.”

“We’re very happy (with Allan). We’re very pleased we will be able to hire her,” Tautznik said.

Other finalists interviewed were Paulette L. Kuzdeba, of Hadley; Lawrence B. Smith, of Leeds; and G. Jay Vinskey, of Northampton.

Christopher Collins, the school committee’s vice chairman, said the seven-member board hopes hire a replacement by the first week of June.

Sirdeaner Walker and the Rev. Talbert W. Swan II are two Springfield residents who spoke out at Monday night's superintendent search hearing.

SPRINGFIELD – To the relief of School Committee members, a larger – though hardly large – crowd turned out Monday for the latest public hearing on the selection of the next superintendent.

About 20 residents trickled into the Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School auditorium for the 90-minute session, the fourth of six planned to sample public opinion on hiring a replacement for departing school chief Alan J. Ingram.

Compared to the 3 students attending last week’s hearing at Central High School, at least 12 speakers offered views Monday what qualifications and priorities the next superintendent should possess.

Several said Ingram’s successor should have experience working in an urban school district similar in size and demographics to Springfield’s, and should make a point of settling here.

“The last two superintendent’s didn’t have an investment in the community, and I think that’s important,” said Sirdeaner Walker, a community activist whose 11-year-old son, Carl Walker-Hoover, killed himself in 2009 after reporting being bullied at the committed suicide after reporting being bullied at the New Leadership Charter School.

“Buy a home, and put down some roots,” said Walker, adding that the next school chief should be more accessible to parents and students.

Laurie Andrews of Springfield said the new superintendent’s priorities should include imposing more rigorous academic standards for students, and more accountability for teachers.

One of her son’s has been drilled on “MCAS, MCAS, MCAS,” but lacks a suitable vocabulary and cannot name the three branches of government, Andrews said.

While some of her son’s teachers are excellent, others are uninspired at best, Andrews said. “One (told her son’s class) he’s doesn’t like kids and doesn’t know why he’s still teaching,” said Andrews, who added: “I’m a teacher myself. I’ve been teaching for 22 years, and I know what it’s like.’

Rev. Talbert W. Swan II, president of the Springfield NAACP chapter, urged school officials to conduct a national search to attract the best possible candidates.

Only candidates with extensive experience in an urban school district should be considered, according to Swan, who added that any candidate will need longer than 3½-years – the length of Ingram’s term here – to turn around a school system “as broken” as Springfield’s.

The next superintendent, Swan added, must be more than a skilled educator and manager.

“The next leader must be able to wade through the rough waters of Springfield’s politics while, at the same time, always keeping the children first,” Swan added.

Christopher Collins, the school committee’s vice chairman, said the seven-member board hopes hire a replacement by the first week of June.

Ingram announced last summer that he will leave when his four-year contract expires June 30.

The tests are scheduled during March and April, but local officials are asking for a postponement until April and May because of problems cause by the June 1 tornado and the October snowstorm.

View full sizeFile photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanSpringfield City Councilors gather for a group photo month. They include , from left, Clodo Concepcion, Melvin A. Edwards, Michael A. Fenton, E. Henry Twiggs, Kateri B. Walsh, Zaida Luna, Bud L. Williams, James J. Ferrera III, John A. Lysak, Timothy J. Rooke, Thomas M. Ashe, Kenneth E. Shea, and Timothy C. Allen.

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to give first-step approval to a home rule bill aimed at giving Springfield students additional time to prepare for the MCAS exams in the aftermath of severe weather, including the June 1 tornado and late-October snowstorm.

The Springfield Education Association urged passage of the bill, which also needs approval from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the state Legislature and Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems tests are scheduled during March and April, but local officials are asking for a postponement until April and May.

Severe weather dating to the June tornado has led to 10 canceled school days, disruptions in home lives and disruptions in studies, said Timothy T. Collins, president of the education association, which represents teachers.

“I am asking you to fight for what is right and just for the children of Springfield,” Collins said, in addressing the council before its vote. “What this will do is level the playing field.”

While some communities also had weather disruptions, Springfield is unique in having 10 underperforming (Level 4) schools. In addition, their MCAS scores are being compared to student scores statewide, including those from the eastern part of the state, Collins said.

Officials were not aware of other communities seeking a delay in the exams.

Holyoke Schools Superintendent David L. Dupont said his school system only lost three days of school and thus is on a better track. Westfield Superintendent Suzanne Scallion said no extension is being sought as Westfield has a “window of test dates” and will work toward the later dates in the window.

The vote was 13-0. Sarno will review the bill once it is received, anticipated on Tuesday, to determine if he will sign it, Communications Director Thomas T. Walsh said.

In a letter last week, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester, warned the city that delaying the MCAS test is not permitted and that students “could lose a critical opportunity” to pass the test needed for graduation.

Some local legislators said they stand ready to lobby for passage of the bill and will also seek to discuss the matter directly with the governor.

Collins said that nothing would be done that could jeopardize students.

In other action, the council approved the use of $500,000 from surplus funds, known as “free cash” to provide supplemental funds for veterans services. The demand for veterans services has exceeded expectations due in part to continuing economic hardships, aging veterans and those returning from war, Veterans Affairs Director Thomas Belton said.

The state reimburses 75 percent of the cost,

In other action, the council approved the use of $752,000 in surplus funds from the trash enterprise fund to pay for new automated trash trucks and to lease two other trash trucks to replace vehicles over a decade old.

Katelyn Laconte wants more people to become organ donors.

Photo by John Suchocki/The RepublicanKatelyn Laconte of Easthampton underwent a heart transplant in August 2011 after falling ill in her senior year at Umass Darthmouth. Laconte is working at the Dollar Store in Easthampton.

EASTHAMPTON - Katelyn Laconte never was a big fan of Valentine’s Day.

She never liked the idea that people would express their feelings just one day a year. “You should tell someone every day you care about them,” she said.

But this Valentine’s Day, the 22 year-old has a new appreciation for the holiday. Laconte literally has a new heart. She is thinking about her heart and about “the people waiting and who have gotten their hearts.” She wants others to have the same chance she has had for a new life.

Laconte got her new heart and her life on Aug. 23 of last year.

The city native said she had always been active. She was on varsity cheerleading squad at Easthampton High School, she played soccer and worked out.

But in her sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth where she was studying nursing, she’d cough for a few months of the year. She was given an inhaler and treated for asthma, then later treated for acid reflux because of the pain she was feeling in the center of her chest. Later, she was treated for a virus. She was getting winded more easily.

During her last week of school before she graduated, she started to “feel sicker and sicker.” On the day she and her fellow nursing graduates were pinned, she could barely stay long enough at the ceremony. That night her parents took her to the near by hospital.

Doctors said they needed to remove her gallbladder. “I was a nursing student,” she said. “None of the symptoms s (fit.)” Still she deferred to the doctors. They operated with the promise she’d be able to receive her diploma at graduation two days later.

But her heart couldn’t take the surgery. She was rushed to Tufts Medical Center in Boston that night she was put on a ventilator. It soon became clear she needed a new heart.

While she was waiting, she had to undergo emergency surgery. She was given a biventricular device to pump both chambers of her heart.

She said it was four canisters about the size of cell phones with tubes running to what she said was like a suitcase that operated the device. “I was like a human machine.” After that procedure, she said, she was put on top priority for a new heart.

The doctors don’t know what causes the problem, but they think it might be genetic. Her mother Michelle Laconte has heart problems and three years ago doctors implanted a defibrillator. Her brother Mark has subsequently been tested and he too has cardiomyopathy but is being treated with medication. Early detection helps, she said.

While she waited for a new heart at the hospital, “I was terrified the whole time…I worried I wouldn’t get a heart in time. If I would live long enough.”

She had a small stroke “that was probably the scariest,” she said because she couldn’t form words.

She said she “tried to take it one day at a time.” But she’d see the nurses on the floor helping all the patients. “That’s what I want to do. I need to get better. I need to help people like me.”

She was told she they found her a new heart but later as she was getting ready for surgery they “they told me the heart wasn’t good.” She was devastated.

So they didn’t want to tell her about the new heart until they were sure. The afternoon of surgery they told her as they were prepping her for her new heart “I didn’t have time to panic.”

That morning without knowing what would happen later that day, the daughter of a woman waiting for a lung and liver transplant came in with a stuffed heart. She told Laconte “‘this is your heart.’” She told her to keep it she got her real heart and then give it to someone else waiting, which Laconte did.

When Laconte woke a few days after the surgery, the nurse on duty asked her if she wanted to listen to her heart with the stethoscope. “It was an unreal feeling. Now I have a pulse and a heart that was working.”

She went home in September and rested but was soon able to go to the grocery story with her mother. In December, she started to work out lightly on a treadmill. She began working at the Easthampton Dollar Store. She studied and took her nursing boards last week.

“I’m leading a pretty normal life,” she said. She goes to Boston monthly for check-ups to ensure that her body is not rejecting the new heart. When she goes back to Tufts for her exam, she visits those awaiting their own hearts. She hopes on day to be on that floor as a nurse.

After a year, she can meet the family of her donor. She is hoping they will want to meet her. “I can’t even think of the words (to tell them.)”

Laconte had been an organ donor before she knew she’d ever need an organ herself. She wants everyone to offer that gift of life.

Laura Dempsey a spokeswoman from New England Organ Bank said more than 112,000 in this country are waiting for an organ to save their lives.

Laconte also said she wants people to know that her heart ailment is more common than people think. She became friends with a 20 and 26-year-old who were also awaiting transplants.

She will be thinking about all of them on this day.

And she said she recently posted her status on her Facebook page. “This is the best Valentine’s heart I could ever get.”