With Maryland legalizing gay marriage, some conservative opponents and religious leaders are counting on members of their congregations, especially in black churches, to upend the legislation at the polls this fall.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, left, embraces Sen. Richard Madaleno, D-Montgomery, an openly gay member of the state Senate, in Annapolis, Md., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, after the Senate approved a gay marriage bill. Gay marriage is all but legalized in Maryland with the legislature giving its final OK to the law that is awaiting the expected signature of the governor. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

By SARAH BREITENBACH, Associated Press

BELTSVILLE, Md. (AP) — With Maryland legalizing gay marriage, some conservative opponents and religious leaders are counting on members of their congregations, especially in black churches, to upend the legislation at the polls this fall.

Many African American church leaders oppose gay marriage in the liberal-leaning state that's nearly one-third black, and President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is expected to drive many of their congregants to the polls. Opponents submitted draft language for a ballot referendum to overturn the measure just after it passed the Legislature last week.

Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the bill into law Thursday, and it takes effect in January 2013.

Over the weekend, some pastors at predominantly black churches were already using their sermons to shop the referendum effort to their congregations, asking members to sign up for email alerts, put their name on petitions and overturn the law come November. The Catholic Church, which has 1.2 million parishioners in Maryland, has also openly opposed the bill.

A Sunday service at the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville was filled with murmurs of agreement as a spokeswoman for the Maryland Marriage Alliance rallied the mostly black congregation against the law.

"We will have the last say on how marriage will be defined in Maryland," spokeswoman Dee Powell shouted repeatedly to the audience of several hundred.

Some churchgoers said they are bound by their faith to vote against gay marriage.

"It's a personal value and opinion. It has nothing to do with President Barack Obama," said 54-year-old DeBorah Martinez, who has attended Hope Christian for three years.

Sen. Richard Madaleno, D-Montgomery, right hugs Rep. Maggie McIntosh, D-Baltimore City, center, and Rep. Mary Washington, D-Baltimore City, all openly gay members of the Maryland General Assembly, in Annapolis, Md., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, after the Senate approved a gay marriage bill. Gay marriage is all but legalized in Maryland with the legislature giving its final OK to the law that is awaiting the expected signature of the governor. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

When a gay marriage bill fell short in the legislature last year, black pastors were given much of the credit for pressuring lawmakers to oppose it. The measure was pulled from the floor of the House as leaders realized if fell short of the needed votes.

Opposition from black pastors in Maryland belies an overall political stance that routinely includes their endorsement of Democratic candidates and support for their agendas.

Opponents will need to collect nearly 56,000 valid voter signatures, equivalent to 3 percent of the people who cast ballots in the 2010 gubernatorial election, to put the measure on the November ballot. Even gay marriage advocates expect the referendum to end up on the ballot.

Six states and the District of Columbia currently recognize gay marriages. The state of Washington has also legalized gay marriage, and its law takes effect in June. Voters there are expected to petition the measure to referendum this fall.

Maine legalized the unions for same-sex couples in 2009, but later that year became the only state overturn a such a law passed by a legislature.

Meanwhile, about 30 states have constitutional amendments that seek to prohibit gay marriage, most by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Donald Norris, chairman of the department of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said black churches could heavily influence the referendum, but liberal voters who come out to support Obama could offset the votes against same-sex marriage.

A number of factors could tip the vote on a referendum, Norris said. For example, a weak Republican presidential candidate could mean conservative voters stay home and don't cast ballots against the law.

"It's going to really depend upon a variety of things that are going to happen between now and November," Norris said.

Gay marriage advocates are hoping that young voters — whom they expect to support their cause — will turn out for Obama as they did in 2008.

"I think Obama's election turns out a number of different people," said Sultan Shakir, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, a coalition of gay rights groups that worked to get the bill passed. "(There is) a lot of attention around people who attend church, but there are plenty of other demographics who are going to be turned out."

The advocates also think it is inappropriate to leave what they consider a civil rights issue to the discretion of voters.

"It's sad to me that anyone would think that it's OK to put up the rights of a minority to a popular vote," said Lisa Polyak, chairwoman of the board of directors for the gay rights organization Equality Maryland. "We have children, we have lives, we have jobs and we just want to go about them with integrity."

Proponents of gay marriage are also counting on religious leaders who support of the bill to influence their congregations and for labor unions to urge their members to vote to keep gay marriage legal. Some black pastors who supported the measure as a matter of civil rights appeared publicly with O'Malley, a Democrat, during the legislative debate.

Babatunde Adedayo, a 29-year-old from Upper Marlboro, said the president and his stance on gay marriage will likely influence his peers in November. Obama supports civil unions, but has not endorsed marriage for same-sex couples

"I think this affects every facet of our culture," Adedayo said after the service at Hope Christian. "As a black African American in America, it is something the black church takes seriously and depending on Barack Obama's stance on this, it will affect a lot of people."

The city is placing a lien on the property to recover costs of the demolition and cleanup.

File photo | The Republican07.02.2009 | The Celestial Praise Church of God, shown here on Boston Road in Springfield, was demolished by the city this past week after the church was unable to finish construction. The groundbreaking was in 2004.

SPRINGFIELD – A congregation’s plans for a new, 1,200-seat church on Boston Road pursued for more than seven years ended this week with the city’s demolition of the long-unfinished structure.

The Celestial Praise Church of God, which broke ground for the church in 2004, never progressed beyond several free-standing walls at 274 Boston Road in Pine Point. The walls were razed and the rubble removed this week by a city-hired contractor, as permitted by agreement and court order in Western District Housing Court.

“We’re glad it came down,” said Gloria A. DeFillipo, a member of the Pine Point Community Council’s board of directors. “It was not safe. It was an unsightly development for Pine Point. We think it will open the door for future development of that site.”

James Aubin, another Pine Point resident and past president of the community council, said he had mixed feelings. While the property had became an eyesore in the neighborhood, Aubin said he also feels bad for the church.

“The church raised a lot of money and spent a lot of time trying to put up a building,” Aubin said.

Pastor Andrew C. Daubon said the church will remain at its smaller location at 321 Wilbraham Road.

“It is indeed a disappointment,” Daubon said. “It’s life. Things don’t always move the way you think they will. When the time is right, we will expand; we will grow.”

The efforts to fund and finish the project were not successful, Daubon said.

The church has not yet decided what to do with the Boston Road property, he said.

The city paid $13,615.50 for the demolition, environmental work and cleanup, said Tina Quagliato, deputy director of housing. The contractor was AccuTech Insulation and Contracting of Ludlow, and the subcontractor was Charlie Arment Trucking of Springfield.

The city is placing a lien on the property to recover its costs and will get reimbursed when the property is sold, Quagliato said.

Associate City Solicitor Lisa C. DeSousa said the city gave the church considerable time, but needed to proceed with demolition given the conditions.

DeSousa said the site "has been a blight on the neighborhood" and there was a concern about kids trespassing and getting hurt.

Over the years, the fenced property had attracted trash, litter, graffiti and drug use, and would become overgrown in the summer, officials said.

“The city is pleased we were able to clean it up before spring, so the neighborhood won’t have to go through another spring, summer and fall with those conditions,” DeSousa said.

Daubon said he was disappointed that demolition and cleanup proceeded before the church could gather and sell steel on the site.

Quagliato said the contractor’s price for the cleanup took into account any salvageable materials, such as steel, that would be part of the cleanup.

About 20 people attended a City Council public hearing to discuss financial and other issues related to the authority; another hearing could be held to remove authority board members.

Staff Photo by Dave RobackWilliam Welch, shown in a March 2011 photo, was among speakers Tuesday at a public hearing on the Holyoke Geriatric Authority.

HOLYOKE – About 20 people attended a City Council public hearing Tuesday to discuss financial and other issues related to the Holyoke Geriatric Authority.

The hearing at City Hall was held because more than 50 registered voters signed a petition demanding a chance to voice criticisms of the authority board of directors.

The hearing might lead to additional hearings in which the City Council could vote whether to remove authority board members, officials said.

The council appoints three members of the authority board, the mayor appoints three and those six choose a seventh. But only the City Council is authorized to remove any of the seven board members, officials said.

The authority operates a nursing home at 45 Lower Westfield Road with more than 120 employees, 80 beds and 80 daycare slots for senior citizens.

Hearing speakers criticized the authority’s unpaid bills, management and board, taking care to note criticism wasn’t aimed at the facility’s care or its employees.

That may be true, authority employee Amanda Smith said, but such publicity hurts authority efforts at marketing and filling beds, worries patients and overshadows the facility’s family feeling.

“Save our residents’ homes. ... Come and see what we do. We’re a family,” said Smith, authority activities coordinator.

Edward F. Dupont, of Kane Road, who signed the petition calling for the hearing, referred to the City Council having to vote in December to have taxpayers pay $465,000 in authority employee retirement costs dating back to 2008. He faulted the authority board, he said.

“That’s my complaint, that nobody is being held accountable,” Dupont said.

Authority officials have said a major cause of the facility’s financial problems is government reimbursements for care expenses cover only 75 percent of costs.

But some speakers said the problem is authority officials over the years failed to adjust as the economy changed.

“As a citizen, I don’t want to pay that kind of money for an institution that’s not keeping up to date and not doing their part,” said Cynthia Jackson, of Dale Street, who said she is a registered nurse at another facility.

William F. Welch, of Martin Street, praised the care his mother received at the authority until her death last year. He hopes the facility stays viable so others can also benefit, he said.

“My goal in this is the preservation of the entity, the Geriatric Authority,” Welch said.

Welch also asked whether an investigation is being done regarding the authority as has been speculated. Councilor Brenna E. Murphy said her understanding was Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s office isn’t doing such an investigation.

Mastroianni told The Republican and MassLive.com his office isn’t investigating the authority in any way. His office has been contacted about the authority, he said, but numerous contacts about a variety of matters come to the district attorney daily.

“Although information has been brought to our attention recently, there is no district attorney investigation going on,” Mastroianni said.

The policy of the office of state Attorney General Martha M. Coakley is neither to confirm nor deny whether an investigation is ongoing, spokesman Grant Woodman said.

Capt. Arthur R. Monfette said Holyoke Police aren’t investigating the authority.

Board members Charles F. Glidden, Raymond P. Murphy Jr. and Jacqueline Watson attended the hearing but didn’t speak.

Chairman Joseph T. O’Neill is the board’s spokesman, but he hasn’t returned calls, including one placed Wednesday, seeking comment from The Republican and MassLive.com

Also absent from the hearing were board members Steven J. Kravetz and John P. Counter.

Among the various points of dispute regarding the authority is disagreement over whether the board has one or two vacancies.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain and City Clerk Susan M. Egan said Helen Arnold no longer is a board member because the City Council voted a replacement. That’s the case even though a state Ethics Commission opinion said the replacement – former city councilor Donald R. Welch, cousin of William Welch – was ineligible for six months because he was a former councilor and is a city employee. Welch is a police officer.

But board lawyer Edward McDonough has said Arnold is a board member until a replacement is voted in.

The School Committee has conducted 6 community meetings thus far on the superintendent search.

Christopher Collins

SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee, during meetings this week, is fine-tuning its search for a new superintendent of schools with the development of an advertising strategy and brochure.

The committee, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, worked on an advertisement this week that is slated to appear in educational and national publications as part of the superintendent search process, said Christopher Collins, vice-chairman of the School Committee.

In addition, the committee has scheduled a special, three-hour meeting on Saturday morning to work on a brochure about Springfield and the school system, Collins said. The brochure will include a profile of Springfield and the school system, and qualification criteria for those applying for the superintendent position, he said.

While the actual brochure will be prepared by the association, the School Committee will decide on the contents, Collins said.

Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram is leaving in June at the end of his four-year contract. The School Committee has set the goal of selecting his replacement by June.

“We are trying to keep it on track and the time line is a bit of a challenge, but we are still there,” Collins said.

The committee has conducted six community meetings thus far to gather input from the public including residents and business people, parents, students, teachers and other stakeholders.

The next meeting is Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Van Sickle Middle School, 1170 Carew St. While the meeting is particularly aimed at getting input from residents of Wards 2 and 8, it is open to all.

The School Committee is also welcoming those interested in serving on a 13-member superintendent search committee to send a letter of interest and/or resume to: Springfield Public Schools, 1550 Main St., Springfield MA 01103, care of Patricia Walsh. The committee will be composed of three parent representatives, three community representatives, two business representatives, two teachers, two administrators and a student.

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield School Committee member Christopher Collins has suggested a quick solution to recouping the $1.2 millions in overpayments to Springfield teachers caused by a payroll error.

The website includes information about the project, as well as a section where visitors can submit questions directly about it.

BRIMFIELD – MGM Resorts International has launched a website for its proposed $600 million-plus Rolling Hills Resort & Casino, and plans to send out informational packets to all residents about the project planned for the northwest corner of town.

The website – www.mgmrollinghills.com – includes information about the project, as well as a section where visitors can submit questions directly about it.

"It is very important to us that we understand what the people of Brimfield are thinking about the Rolling Hills Resort, and equally as important that we help them
understand the real facts around our evolving plans for this world-class resort," MGM's executive vice president, William Hornbuckle, said in a statement.

The website states that the project is expected to bring 3,000 permanent jobs to the rural town, and that access to the 150-acre site will be through a newly built Massachusetts Turnpike exit onto a "near-direct" connect to the facility. MGM representatives have said that connection would be through Warren's Smith Road.

Maps of the site are featured on the website, along with explanations about the traffic impact.

"With this system off the Turnpike, we can make sure that the folks driving down Main Street today will be the same folks driving down Main Street when our first-class resort is completed," the website reads.

The website also includes information about MGM, which operates casinos such as the Mirage and Bellagio in Las Vegas. It also emphasizes that the project's design "will honor its natural surroundings." The site is north of the turnpike, near Washington and Old Millbrook roads.

Through the mailings, the company will share its planning progress by communicating on subjects including the environment and sustainability, public safety, traffic, highways and roads, water and wastewater, energy and utilities, and other topics.

MGM representatives also encourage residents to call the local office at 1 Warren Road at (413) 245-3900 with questions, or stop by. It is open Monday through Friday.

"Because of the secluded nature of our site, we felt it was important for residents to have a convenient place to go to ask questions and get information about the project," Hornbuckle said. "Now we are adding a website and regular newsletters to make it even easier for people."

There also is an option on the website if residents want to receive electronic versions of the newsletter.

Meanwhile, Selectmen Chairwoman Diane M. Panaccione said the board has put on hold hiring a consultant until it receives the $50,000 MGM has pledged in a gift account for that purpose.

There will be a non-binding question on the May annual Town Meeting warrant asking residents if they support the development of a resort-style casino. MGM signed a contract with David J. Callahan of Rolling Hills Estates to option the land for the casino project.

There are three other casino proposals - Palmer, Springfield and Holyoke – in Western Massachusetts, but only one license will be awarded.

Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun wants to build in Palmer, and Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas bought the former Westinghouse property in Springfield for a casino. Hard Rock International is eying Holyoke, but is considering other options given the new mayor's opposition to casinos and refusal to negotiate a host community agreement.

In the latest sign of improvement in the job market, the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest point since March 2008.

By MATTHEW CRAFT | AP Business Writer

File photo | Associated PressA woman passes a Bank of America office branch in New York. Bank of America was among the top gainers in the Dow Jones industrial average on Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK — Banks dodged a big hit from the Greek debt crisis and rallied Thursday to lead the stock market higher. Strong retail sales and more encouraging news about the U.S. job market also helped stocks rise.

The banks of the world are on the hook for as much as $70 billion in bond-insurance payments if Greece defaults on its debt. But a panel ruled that Greece's plan to restructure its debt should not trigger any insurance payments, at least not yet.

Bank stocks pushed higher in relief. Goldman Sachs jumped 5.2 percent, and Morgan Stanley gained 3.5 percent.

JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America were the top gainers in the Dow Jones industrial average. The Dow added 28 points to close at 12,980.30. That's a gain of 0.2 percent.

In the latest sign of improvement in the job market, the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest point since March 2008. The four-week average was also the lowest in four years.

Oil climbed $1.77 to $108.84 a barrel. The surging price of oil has weighed on investors' minds in recent weeks. Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial, said higher oil prices could eventually cause a sharp drop in the stock market. They could also give money managers an excuse to take some winnings off the table after the S&P 500 gained 9 percent over the past two months.

"We're going to have a pullback at some point, because money managers want to lock in their profits," she said. "The catalyst could be these escalating oil prices."

The drop in unemployment claims helped pushed Treasury yields up. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury rose to 2.03 percent from 1.99 percent late Wednesday.

The S&P 500 index rose 8.41 points to 1,374.09, its highest closing level since June 5, 2008.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 22.08 points to 2,988.97. The Nasdaq briefly topped 3,000 for the first time in more than a decade Wednesday.

The government also reported that consumers earned a little more in January and spent most of it. The Commerce Department said consumer spending increased 0.2 percent in January. Americans' income rose 0.3 percent, the second straight monthly increase.

Costco Wholesale, Target Corp. and other retailers reported better than expected February sales, as more customers showed up to shop.

In other news out Thursday, Ford, Honda and other automakers reported strong sales for February. Ford Motor Co. rose 2.3 percent after reporting a 14 percent sales gain.

Among stocks making big moves:

• Gap soared 7.2 percent, the most in the S&P 500 index. The clothing retailer said a key sales figure rose 4 percent in February, helped by strong demand for spring clothing at its Banana Republic chain. Analysts had expected Gap's same-store sales to drop.

• Kroger gained 2.7 percent. The grocery store chain said its adjusted earnings beat analysts' expectations and it also raised its full-year earnings forecast.

• Sotheby's plunged 9.1 percent after the auction house reported earnings and revenues that were well below what Wall Street analysts were expecting.

The Mason Square Food Justice Initiative used boxes in churches and community centers to collect grocery-store receipts in order to show the neighborhood's buying power.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonMarch 1, 2012 - Springfield - Staff photo by Michael S. Gordon - Ethel M. Hudson, right, leads the Springfield Freedom Choir in song for those assembled at the Springfield Public Library Mason Square branch Thursday for a meeting called by the Mason Square Food Justice Initiative and their guest speaker, Jeffrey Brown, right, chairman of Uplift Solutions. The goal of the MSFJI is to bring a full line grocery store to the Mason Square neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD – A full-line supermarket complete with fresh fruit and vegetables at reasonable prices could be profitable in the low-income Mason Square neighborhood, according to a man who's built a successful chain of ShopRite supermarkets in inner-city Philadelphia.

But it can’t happen without government-supported financing and tax incentives, said Jeffrey Brown, founder, president and CEO of Brown’s Super Stores Inc. Brown added that the relatively modest public investment will pay off handsomely in jobs, other private investment in the neighborhood and improved health in the community.

“Think about obesity and health-care costs and how those costs are growing,” Brown said Thursday at a gathering sponsored by the Mason Square Food Justice Initiative. “Having access to fresh fruit and vegetables is the only thing I’ve heard of that works. In this country, we are saving pennies and wasting $20 bills.”

The Rev. J. P. Morgan Jr., pastor of Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ, said more than 60 percent of his congregation has Type II diabetes. Many don’t have cars and have to pay a cab or take a bus to buy fruit and vegetables.

“There is a limit of three bags if you are riding the bus,” he said. “It’s very difficult.”

The Mason Square Food Justice Initiative used boxes in churches and community centers to collect grocery-store receipts in order to show the neighborhood’s buying power. They got 1,300 receipts totaling $50,000. DevelopSpringfield has identified a city block on State Street as a good location for a supermarket. Plans call for a 55,000-square-foot supermarket and 27,000 square feet of space for retail or office uses on a keystone-shaped parcel of about seven acres bordered by Walnut Street, Oak Street and Charter Avenue. The land is now mostly a parking lot of the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park, which is across State Street.

DevelopSpringfield was founded in 2008 as a nonprofit corporation to advance development, redevelopment and economic growth in the city.

Jessica Collins, director of special initiatives for Partners for a Healthier Community, said the proposed market is at least three years in the future. Representatives from Springfield-based Big Y Foods Inc., Stop & Shop, ShopRite and Price Chopper based in Schenectady, N.Y., have shown an interest, though.

Big Y had representatives at the meeting who said they were there to learn.

Brown said shoplifting is not higher in his urban stores compared with his suburban Philadelphia stores. The real economic problem is that low-income consumers buy more commodity-type foods that have low profit margins. They buy less high-profit prepared foods and general merchandise like toys and pots and pans.

Also, Brown said he has to spend more time and money training an urban work force.

But if he can get his rent to $10 per square foot down from $20 per square foot, the market can make money. He uses New Market Tax Credits, a federal program that encourages projects in low-income neighborhoods, and other tax incentives.

“All the programs are already in place,” Brown said.

Brown has started a nonprofit, Uplift Solutions, to combat “food deserts” like Mason Square. He was First Lady Michelle Obama’s guest at the 2010 State of the Union. Obama has taken a special interest in the “food desert” issue.

The map below shows the approximate location of the site identified by DevelopSpringfield for a supermarket in Mason Square:

View Mason Square parcel identified for supermarket in a larger map

The Connecticut Airport Authority has announced plans to get passengers off planes quickly in situations like storms.

Jim Michaud | Journal InquirerPassengers from Great Britain who were on a grounded Virgin Atlantic Airways flight sit on a bus outside Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Passengers on the plane, which was grounded by bad weather en route to Newark, N.J., from London, spent more than four hours stuck on the tarmac. (AP photo/Journal Inquirer, Jim Michaud)

By HARLAN LEVY | Journal-Inquirer

WINDSOR LOCKS – After two incidents in the last two years in which travelers were stranded for several hours on a Bradley International Airport runway during a storm, the Connecticut Airport Authority has announced plans to get passengers off planes quickly in such situations.

The plans’ elements include opening gates at Bradley’s original, but now closed terminal for unloading and housing passengers; creating a permanent supply of food, water, and other essentials; providing extra transportation; and utilizing a new digital communication system for better coordination with airlines and other airports.

What prompted these plans was a June 2010 incident in which about 300 people aboard a diverted transatlantic flight from London to Newark, N.J., were marooned on the runway for four hours. Some fell ill from the heat.

During October’s freak snowstorm, 29 planes were diverted to Bradley, among them a JetBlue flight bound from Florida to New York, which was stranded for more than seven hours. In all, 1,500 passengers were stuck at Bradley. The ordeal worsened when passengers had to camp out on cots inside Bradley’s terminal, which had no heat.

“We all learned a great deal that weekend,” state transportation Commissioner James Redeker said, “and I am certain we are now better prepared for any recurrence of that nature.”

But why did it take almost two years to devise a plan to get passengers off planes stalled on a runway, when it’s only taking a few months to produce new procedures for restoring power to the state when half the power lines are down?

“The issue is that we (were) trying to get everyone – the airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Customs, the Transportation Safety Administration, etc. – to agree on details,” state Department of Transportation spokesman Judd Everhart said.

Since the Oct. 29 storm, the FAA, TSA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, airlines, ground services, DOT, and the newly-created Connecticut Airport Authority developed the plans and programs announced on Thursday, the authority said.

In addition, the authority said, Bradley officials are leading a collaboration with regional airports to develop mutual protocols and will host a diversion drill to test them in the next month or so.

Details of the plans include:

• Establishing a digital notification system to communicate more quickly with the airlines about significant safety or airport operations issues. The system will let Bradley issue a “Notice to Airmen” electronically through the FAA’s national system directly to the airlines and the FAA’s flight service stations. If the digital system had been in place Oct. 29, the airport could have given airlines more warning of ground delays.

“This is a major step forward,” FAA regional administrator Amy Corbett said.

The notification system will “put Bradley at the forefront of airports in the region as a highly reliable airport and the regional airport of choice for customers and airlines,” added Mary Ellen Jones, the chair of the state airport authority.

• Opening two gates in the old terminal, along with waiting areas and rest rooms, and creating new sterile areas for unloading domestic and international passengers as needed. The new sterile areas will be utilized for disembarking and reloading passengers, and commingling of international passengers from two or more flights will be permitted.

Both gates in the old terminal “have been refurbished and will be available for future diversion situations,” Everhart said. “Not having additional gates available during the October storm was a huge issue.”

• An agreement that in extreme conditions, international passengers may be allowed leave the aircraft without checked luggage.

• Installation of backup power for fueling, which already has been provided, and updated protocols for remote fueling with fuel trucks.

• Alerts from the FAA to all regional airports of planned maintenance projects that would take critical navigation systems out of service.

• Convening several pre-storm planning events at Bradley when a storm is forecast. Multiple weather forecasts will be monitored to identify the range of potential impacts.

• Establishing between the airlines and Bradley a supply of water, ready-to-eat meals, baby formula, diapers, pet food, cots, blankets, and similar provisions. Bradley is working with the National Guard to find storage areas on site.

• An agreement from TSA that needed supplies can be processed through security more expediently.

• Arranging for Bradley to have more duplicative communication systems to prevent communication failures related to cell tower and radio problems; and

• A memorandum of understanding with CT Transit to provide additional bus support, as well as prescreening of on-airport buses.

The new plans have already proved to be effective, the authority said. An international flight from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts was diverted to Bradley during a snowstorm on Jan. 21.

“Pre-planning and constant communications, led by Bradley airport with the solid support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and TSA, allowed the plane to land safely, and the customer experience was excellent,” Bradley administrator Eric Waldron said.

President Obama continued to tout role he envisions community colleges serving to train middle-skilled workers and remedy the nation's economic woes looking forward.

View full sizeNASHUA, N.H. - Following his speech at Nashua Community College, President Barack Obama met guests in the Granite State (Photo by Brian Canova)

NASHUA, N.H. – President Barack Obama in a speech at Nashua Community College Thursday emphasized the need to cull the nation’s youngest, brightest scientists and most imaginative companies to solve the answer to the energy question.

He said neither he, nor his opponents, has the answer.

“Anyone who tells you that we can just drill our way out of this problem does not know what they’re talking about or they’re not telling you the truth,” said the president at his third campaign-style speaking appearance this week.

“We have to keep developing new technology that helps us use less energy. We’ve got to keep relying on American know-how and ingenuity that comes from places like this one, Nashua Community College,” Obama said.

Obama peppered the stop in Nashua, a venue on the Massachusetts border chosen before him by past presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, with nods to the increasing role he envisions community colleges serving to the nation’s economy. He touted that vision on Sunday at the National Governor’s Association meeting in Washington, and also last month at Northern Virginia Community College, where he pledged $8 billion to build community college workforce training programs, the cornerstone of his educational blueprint released Monday.

Tuesday in Michigan, the president spoke to auto workers the day Republican candidates vied for the primary electorate there.

“I just had the chance to take a look at all the cutting edge work that’s being done here at the auto shop,” Obama said in Nashua. “One reason this country has an auto industry today is because we’re not just building cars again, we’re building better cars. And in part that’s because of what’s happening in places like this community college.”

NASHUA, N.H. - President Barack Obama speaks in Nashua, N.H. (Photo by Brian Canova)

At a National Governor’s Association meeting in Washington Monday, Obama told governors nothing more clearly signaled states’ values than decisions made about where to invest.

“The fact is that too many states are making cuts in education that I think are simply too big,’’ Obama said to the governors, continuing his push to utilize community colleges to train a middle-skilled workforce.

Requesting all Americans complete one year of higher education, the president’s blueprint outlines his hope that community colleges will partner with employers to create pathways to jobs and specialized training for those positions. The president said the plan would add 2 million skilled workers to the workforce.

As the president stepped off Air Force One onto the Manchester tarmac Thursday afternoon, student groups on college campuses nationwide staged walkouts protesting rising tuition costs and called on the same governors the president spoke to earlier in the week to end budgetary cuts in education. The walkouts were unrelated to Obama's speech.

“We’re asking all of the state governors to pledge that they won’t make any cuts to education in their budgets. That’s where the real problem is coming from. The college boards’ hands are tied when they keep cutting education at the top level,” said Natalia Abrams, founder of Occupy Colleges, the group that organized the walkout.

NASHUA, N.H. - Guests await the president's arrival at Nashua Community College. The president's speech, "Energy: An America Built to Last," outlined the president's thoughts on the United States' struggle for energy independence (Photo by Brian Canova)

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick echoed a vision similar to the president in January’s State of the Commonwealth address in Boston. Patrick proposed $10 million in additional funding for Massachusetts’ 15 public community colleges, and challenged the business community to match that figure.

“For the work they do, community colleges rarely receive proper recognition, let alone adequate funding,” Patrick said in the address.

The governor proposed to increase cooperation between the commonwealth’s 15 community colleges, and align the schools with employers and regional Workforce Investment Boards to tailor courses specific to workplace needs.

Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College have already begun collaborating together on Training & Workforce Options, working with local businesses to create custom-designed programs tailored to the organizations’ needs, said HCC President William F. Messner.

“We have merged our training sales force. People go out and meet with area businesses, ascertain what their needs are, and then come back to the two institutions and develop programs to meet those needs,” Messner said.

Patrick described the skills gap pressing the commonwealth’s workforce, and described community colleges in a unique position to solve that problem.

The governor said jobs remain unfilled because workers lack “middle skills” required to work job areas like lab technician or medical equipment manufacturing, training areas Springfield Technical Community College Executive Vice President Stephen H. Keller said are the school’s fastest growing.

NASHUA, N.H. - President Obama enters the Nashua Community College auditorium (Photo by Brian Canova)

Keller said the school works directly with hospitals and health care providers to develop certificates like dental assisting, medical assisting and lab technician, each attainable in one year.

“What we’re trying to do with those partners is create what we call career ladders. For example a student could get their CNA, which is their certified nursing assistant certificate, but if they stayed in school they could move up and become a registered nurse, or they could move to another field in the hospital,” Keller said.

“There are programs at the community colleges that you can’t get at four-year institutions. People can develop their skills and get into the workforce a lot quicker,” said Keller.

Keller said in addition to growing medical fields, enrollment in manufacturing programs has doubled in three years with the ascent of precision manufacturing in Western Massachusetts.

“Talking with these manufacturers, what I understand from them is that the manufacturing that’s done in the Pioneer Valley is highly sophisticated. Now they’re moving into areas like medical instrumentation. It’s not something that’s going to go offshore any time soon. It’s highly sophisticated stuff, and developing countries don’t have the infrastructure we have for this type of manufacturing,” Keller said.

View full sizeNASHUA, N.H. - President Barack Obama speaks in Nashua, N.H. (Photo by Brian Canova)

At HCC, more students use the school as a platform to the state’s four-year universities, Messner said. He said many students are driven to the school by the rising cost of higher education at four-year institutions.

“The price tag associated with private and even public colleges has spiraled upward, and community colleges are a low cost and hopefully a high quality option for many individuals to access higher education,” Messner said.

Messner said community colleges in areas like Springfield and Holyoke provide critical and affordable access to education. Due to funding cuts since the start of the recession, tuition hikes at the college have exceeded normal year-to-year rates, rising from a 3 percent year-to-year increase to almost 6 percent, according to Messner.

“All the young people out here today, or the young at heart, we need you guys to keep at it," Obama said Thursday. "This is your future at stake. We need you to work hard. We need you to dream big. We need you to summon the same spirit of unbridled optimism, of bold willingness to tackle tough problems that led previous generations to meet the challenges of their time.

"To power a nation from coast to coast, to touch the moon, to connect the entire world with our own science and imagination," the president said.

The appropriate place to dump snow is a flat non-paved surface away from water.

HOLYOKE – Snow is white but hardly pure, containing contaminants that mean it cannot be dumped in waterways or wetlands, a city official said.

“We’re not going out ticketing people left and right. Our strategy is to just make people aware of it,” Conservation Director Andrew B. Smith said Thursday.

The recent snowfall, while rare for this winter, offered a good time to remind people they cannot dump snow in rivers, ponds, streams, wetlands or stormwater systems. Snow contains road salt and other contaminants that can harm those areas, he said.

“Residents conducting clean-up work within 100 feet of a river, stream, pond or wetland should contact the Holyoke Conservation Commission to find out if they need an emergency permit for their clean-up activities,” Smith said.

The appropriate location to store snow is a flat non-paved surface away from water bodies and water supplies, he said.

Also, sand and debris left behind from a melted snow pile cannot be dumped or stored in waterways or wetlands, he said.

Homeowners that rely on well water should avoid dumping snow near water supplies and monitor the use of salt and related products to prevent contamination, he said.

If someone has dumped snow in a waterway or wetlands, don’t try to remove the snow because removal work could cause further damage, said Smith.

He said the goal of the reminder isn’t to penalize but to encourage collaboration with people.

“What we try to do is have people work toward a cooperative solution,” Smith said.

Anyone who needs additional disposal space or has questions can call the Department of Public Works at (413) 322-5645 or the Conservation Department at (413) 322-5615.

The Ledges, a municipal course founded in 2001, has been criticized lately for losing both money and its high turnover in general managers.

SOUTH HADLEY – The Selectboard has chosen a Wilbraham man to offer the position of general manager of The Ledges municipal golf course.

Board Chairman Robert Judge said members voted Thursday to offer the job to Douglas Juhasz, of Wilbraham.

Officials earlier were checking the references of the candidates including Rick Cardoza, of Hartford, John Riordan, of Longmeadow, and John Sullivan, of Milford, Conn.

Acting Town Administrator Jennifer Wolowicz said she had checked with the Professional Golfers Association and was told that the finalists were all members in good standing. “They said we were very fortunate to have them,” said Wolowicz.

The four finalists were winnowed down from an applicant pool of 40, according to Judge.

Salary for the general manager position will be between $46,253 and $69,379.

In interviews Wednesday, Judge explained to each finalist before questioning that the crowd in the meeting room indicated how important this matter was to the town.

Interviews with the finalists were conducted Wednesday with members of the Selectboard, the Golf Commission and the General Manager Screening Committee.

Ryan Bagley, chairman of the Golf Commission, said the town was looking for a general manager with strong marketing skills, municipal experience and the ability to work with the different groups, including an independent food provider.

Finalists were also quizzed on their commitment to customer service and their budget experience.

The Ledges, founded in 2001, has become controversial in town because it has been losing money. It has also been criticized because of the high turnover in general managers.

Bagley expressed high hopes for a turnaround this year.

Recently the town contracted with Springfield-based Frigo’s Gourmet Foods to provide food and beverages at The Ledges clubhouse, a step that has been widely praised.

There were multiple fender-benders and spin-outs Thursday during the day, but no serious accidents reported.

Snowfalls ranged from 4 to 11 inches in Western Massachusetts following a storm that started Wednesday and continued into Thursday.

Shelburne appeared to be tops with a total of 11 inches reported. Other Franklin County communities reported high tallies, including Heath, 9.5 inches, Greenfield, 8 inches, and Leyden, 7 inches.

In Hampshire County, Plainfield reached 10 inches, Westhampton measured 7.8 and Worthington 6.9, but to the east Amherst and South Hadley only recorded 4 inches.

In Hampden County, Chicopee was tops at 7.5 inches, followed by Blandford at 7.2, while Southwick tallied 6.9, Westfield 6, and Holyoke 5.8. West Springfield came in at 4.5 inches and Longmeadow 4 inches.

Whatever snow fell in the storm is very likely to disappear soon.

The forecast for today calls for temperatures in the mid-30s and a combination of rain and sleet through the day. On Saturday more rain is expected but the temperature is expected to be in the mid-50s.

Some schools discharged students early on Wednesday, and on Thursday some schools canceled classes and others delayed opening times. For example, Northampton Public Schools and Holyoke Community College canceled classes, while Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hampden-Wilbraham, Longmeadow and West Springfield delayed the start of school by two hours.

Weather conditions overnight Wednesday into Thursday caused numerous accidents. The state police barracks in the region responded to a total of 28 crashes and 17 vehicles off the road. Along the Massachusetts Turnpike, another 31 crashes and 13 vehicles off the road were reported.

View full sizePhoto courtesy of Pelham Fire Department / Fireground360A vehicle is submerged in a pond off Amherst Road in Pelham.

Chicopee reported a four-car crash on Memorial Drive that resulted in no injuries.

In Pelham, a car drove off Amherst Road and into a small pond just off the road, town Fire Chief Raymond Murphy told Fireground360. The one occupant escaped injury.

The court administrator, in consultation with the chief justice of the Trial Court, oversees administrative functions of the court system.

File photo / The Republican

BOSTON – Lewis T. Spence, who was replaced in 2007 as commissioner of the state Department of Social Services, is one of two finalists to become a new court administrator for the state’s court system.

A search committee, appointed by the state Supreme Judicial Court, selected Spence and Christopher A. Fox, the former deputy chief operating officer for the city of Boston, as candidates. Spence and Fox will move to further interviews with court officials such as senior managers and top judges.

After the upcoming interviews, the search committee will forward its recommendations to the justices of the state Supreme Judicial Court by March 30.

The court administrator, in consultation with the chief justice of the Trial Court, oversees administrative functions of the court system.

The new East Longmeadow High School athletic field is a state-of-the-art facility.

File photo | The RepublicanThe East Longmeadow High School athletic field.

EAST LONGMEADOW – New lights will soon be installed at the East Longmeadow High School athletic field, and the School Committee is now turning its attention to possibly renting the field.

Frank Paige, the high school athletic director, said he receives several calls a week form groups including the Pioneer Valley Knights, the Western Mass Blitzin’ Bears, New England Mutiny, Western United Soccer, Junior Pioneers and others looking to rent the field for games or summer camps.

“We have a state-of-the-art facility, we are located near a city and easy to get to, which is a big draw for these groups,” he said.

Paige researched similar fields in the area including Holyoke High School, Chicopee High School and Western New England University.

Holyoke High School charges $125 for the first two hours and $35 for any additional hour after that. Holyoke charges $35 for stadium lighting and additional fees for the use of the scoreboard and field equipment, Paige said.

Western New England University and Chicopee High School charge about $150 for the field, the stadium lights and the equipment.

Paige said a site manager who works for the school would supervise the use of the field and make sure proper procedures are being followed.

He suggested charging somewhere in the range of $100 per hour with an additional $40 per hour for lights. He also suggested a $60 per hour fee for day practices and summer camp without a site manager.

The committee questioned whether there should be outside vendors using the field without a site manager on-hand.

School Committee member Richard Freccero said he feels it is important to charge an additional fee for the use of the scoreboard and any equipment that belongs to the school.

School Committee Chairman Gregory Thompson said the committee needs to have a conversation with the Recreation Department before making any other decisions.

“This is a town field, it’s not just for the school's,” Thompson said. “We need to get a good grasp on how much the rec department would be interested in using it before we think about renting it out to outside vendors.”

Paige said the field will be used by the varsity teams and the Recreation Department teams most of the year.

“We are looking at renting it out on weekends and during the summer, not the spring and fall,” he said.

Westfield officials plan to schedule interviews with 6 consultants under consideration for a comprehensive review of the city's public transportation needs.

WESTFIELD – City officials plan to schedule interviews beginning as early as next week with consultants under consideration for a comprehensive review of the city’s public transportation needs.

Six consultants, none local, have submitted proposals in response to the planned joint study by Westfield and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. The anticipated cost of the review is $400,000, financed by the state’s Department of Transportation.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said three will be selected for formal interviews.

Westfield Advancement Officer Jeffrey R. Daley said the study must be completed within one year of the contract award.

The review will focus on transit needs in the city and include a market analysis, development study, parking and traffic, primarily within the downtown commercial area, Knapik and Daley said.

The target is to award the contract by April 1, they said.

Consultants are ICON Architecture; The Cecil Group Inc. and DHK Architects Inc., all of Boston; McMahon Transportation Engineers and Planners of Taunton and Wendell Duchscherer Architects and Engineers of Amherst, N.Y..

The study will address current and future bus transportation needs in the city and commercial and other development or redevelopment of the downtown. It will focus on city owned property located at Elm Street and Arnold Street and other buildings along Elm street currently owned by Hampden Bank and the long-vacant lot where J.J. Newbury store once stood. Off-street parking facilities will also be included in the review.

That section of Elm Street had been considered the prime location, years ago, for an intermodal transit center and hotel complex. But, in June 2007, developer John E. reed, owner of Mestek Inc. on North Elm Street, withdrew his plan to invest $12 million in the hotel project.

That decision came on the heels of a $6.5 million Holiday Inn Express created near the Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 3 by Springfield developer Robert L. Bolduc who owns the Pride convenience store and service stations chain.

Intermodal centers have been created in Holyoke and Greenfield but Westfield is considering a smaller scale facility to serve the transportation needs of its residents and visitors, Knapik said.

Those needs will include students at Westfield State University who have been assigned, or opted for, downtown housing.

The University currently has 216 students at Lansdown Place on Thomas Street.

Also, University Housing LLC, owned by Springfield’s Peter A. Picknelly, is currently rehabilitating the former Westfield Normal School on Washington Street into market rate apartments that will be added to the WSU’s off-campus housing list for students.

Selectmen and the Finance Committee chairman lamented the difficulty of trying to make do with limited resources each year come budget time.

The closed Monson Town Building on Main Street.

MONSON – With a potential deficit of $100,000 or more looming for fiscal 2013, the Board of Selectmen recently met with the Finance Committee chairman to discuss the budget for next year, and the status of such things as the condemned town offices on Main Street.

The idea was to start the discussion early, so both sides will be on the same page.

"So, how's it looking?" asked Selectmen Chairman Richard Smith.

Finance Committee Chairman James Pennington said the committee wants to know the selectmen's priorities, and said it's too early to give a financial outlook for next fiscal year. He said he hopes no more bad weather hits.

The town was still reeling from the June tornado when it got slammed with a tropical storm then a pre-Halloween nor'easter.

Pennington asked about the status of the Town Office Building downtown, which has been closed since the tornado ripped off part of the roof.

Smith explained that officials are going "back and forth" with the insurance company, and Selectman John F. Goodrich II said they are still waiting for numbers so they can be presented to the community.

Goodrich said the board members have received feedback "strongly in favor" of replacing the building, built in the 1920s, if that is possible. Selectmen said something will return to 110 Main St., the site of the current town offices, but whether it is a new building or renovated building remains to be seen.

The town’s insurance agency, Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, provided an estimate for repairs at $5.3 million, while Fontaine Brothers of Springfield toured the building and said it would cost more than $9 million to repair.

Goodrich said they hope to get final numbers in the next two to four weeks regarding the building. Then, he said a "town hall" meeting will be held so people can weigh in on the matter.

Goodrich said that even "in a perfect world" the building will not be ready for use for another three to four years. The town offices are operating out of the former Hillside School on Thompson Street now.

Pennington asked about an override as a way to continue to provide services to the residents. But Selectman Edward A. Maia said he does not think an override would pass.

Selectmen and Pennington lamented the difficulty of trying to make do with limited resources each year come budget time. They said that the average person does not understand the town's financial woes.

"The dollars are not coming in," Pennington said. "The Band-Aid is slipping.".

"The Band-Aid is worn out," Goodrich said.

The chinese charter school could be running out of seats in 2013.

HADLEY – The Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School can ask the state again for permission to expand, but the earliest that could occur is the 2013-2014 school year.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday, while renewing the school's license for five years, did not approve the request to increase the number of elementary students and add high school grades. It did however allow the school to offer ninth grade to the current eighth graders.

File photo | The RepublicanPioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School principal Kathleen Wang

Also the renewal bore a set of conditions that if not met could mean probation or a loss of the school's charter. Conditions had to do with governance and requires the school's trustees to "revise and strengthen the evaluation systems for the executive director and principal" referring to Executive Director Richard Alcorn and his wife, Principal Kathleen Wang. The pair co-founded the school.

State concerns grew from a complaint and later a state Department of Children and Families review which determined there was a case of neglect at the school in March 2011 involving a 9-year-old child who was confined to a time-out for at least seven hours.

About three dozen parents, meanwhile, attended the state education meeting Tuesday to speak on behalf of the school. A letter signed by more than 200 parents was sent to Gov. Deval L. Patrick and educators in support of the school and the two charter amendments that would allow for the expansion.

The school can serve up to 300 students from kindergarten through eighth grade, and had applied to expand the elementary school from 300 to 420 students and add ninth through 12th grade for a total enrollment of 660. The school was granted its charter in 2007, beginning with kindergarten and first grade and adding a grade a year. Two years ago, it opened a sixth-grade class to launch its middle school.

According to education department spokesman Jonathan Considine, school officials could apply again for the expansion by Aug. 1. "The Commissioner (of Education Mitchell D. Chester) would then review the requests and bring those that he recommends to the Board sometime between November and February, typically," he wrote in an-email.

Here are the average energy prices in the Pioneer Valley for the week ending March 2, 2012.

Theodor Geisel's children's book, which may have its roots in his childhood in Springfield, is considered a fable about uncontrolled progress in industrialized society.

Associated PressIn this film image released by Universal Pictures, animated character Lorax, voiced by Danny Devito, center, stands with stands with the Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans and Humming-Fish in a scene from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax." (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)

SPRINGFIELD – Long before the inconvenient truth of global warming was getting the attention of adults, Theodor S. Geisel was writing a children’s book with an environmental message.

The Springfield native, known to millions as Dr. Seuss, published “The Lorax” in 1971. The story, which may have its roots in Geisel’s childhood in Springfield, is now the basis of feature-length animated film, which arrives in theaters today, the 108th anniversary of the author’s birth.

“He knew we always have to take care of the Earth,” his widow, Audrey G. Geisel, said in a telephone interview from her home in La Jolla, Calif.

“The Lorax” is considered a fable about uncontrolled progress in industrialized society and the danger it poses to the Earth’s natural beauty, with industry personified as the Once-ler and the environment as the Lorax. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler who chops them down to make “thneeds,” which Dr. Seuss describes as “a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need!”

The animated “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” is produced by Chris Meledandri’s Illumnination Entertainment, which created the blockbuster “Despicable Me.”

Audrey Geisel has previewed the movie and said Meledandri “always does a superb job on who he gets for voiceovers, and the whole thing always works very, very well.”

The film features the voices of Danny DeVito as the Lorax, Ed Helms as the Once-ler, Zac Efron as Ted, Taylor Swift as the girl of Ted’s dreams and Betty White as Grammy Norma.

The animated adventure follows a 12-year-old boy as he searches for a real Truffula tree to win the affection of the girl. First he must learn about the Lorax who fights to protect his natural world.

“I think it will do very nicely,” Audrey Geisel said of the film, praising “the whole package.”

In the book, Geisel describes the Lorax: “He was shortish. And oldish. And brownish. And mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy.”

The Lorax complained about the loss of the Truffula trees and the habitat they provided for the animals living among them and the destruction of other natural habitats like the pond. But the Once-ler’s attitude was, “I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got. I biggered my factory. I biggered my roads. I biggered my wagons. I biggered the loads of the Thneeds I shipped out ... And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.”

Eventually all the trees were gone. “No more trees. No more Thneeds. No more work to be done,” Geisel wrote.

In the end, the Once-ler gives the boy a Truffula seed: “It’s the last one of all!

You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”

Guy A. McLain, director of the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, called “The Lorax” a “great story (that) in very simple terms spells out the environmental issue so beautifully,” taking on both economic and resource-depletion issues.

McLain maintains that Springfield’s gasworks influenced Geisel’s story. In fact, the factory picture in the book clearly resembles the now-demolished gasworks with its four large smoke stacks.

The gasworks were only a few blocks from the bakery Geisel’s grandparents operated. “He must have been impressed with the wonderful smells of the bakery in contrast to the terrible odors from the gasworks,” McLain surmised.

Springfield was a thriving industrial city when Geisel was growing up here in the early 20th century. “He was around factories all the time when he was growing up, and he must have been aware of their impact,” McLain said.

Audrey Geisel said her husband, who died in 1991, was interested in everything around him, including the Earth. “He only wrote about things that mattered to him. That’s what any writer should do,” she said. “He realized if we didn’t take care of the environment, the environment probably wouldn’t care much about us.”

Theodor Geisel could have been called an environmentalist, his widow said.

To quote a line from The Lorax: “Unless someone like you ... cares a whole awful lot ... nothing is going to get better ... It’s not.”

Geisel’s hometown will mark the 108th anniversary of his birth with a series of children’s events at the Springfield Museums on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children will learn “The ABCs of Dr. Seuss,” take part in a scavenger hunt, and design Cat in the Hat style hats and a Dr. Seuss birthday banner.

McLain said that since “Dr. Seuss” continues to have a strong influence on children because of the popularity of his books, if the movie does “The Lorax” story justice, it will influence children’s view of how they see the world when they become adults. “It could have a deep impact, making them aware of environmental issues and how they tie in with economic issues,” he said.

At least a dozen high schools in Western Massachusetts have been accepted into the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative program and at least 4 others are on a waiting list.

Republican file photo

Jasmin Whitley said previously she would not have considered taking the hardest courses at Springfield Central High School, but half-way through her senior year she is earning a strong B in English and a C in biology in college-level classes.

Whitley, who wants to be a dentist, said she will be entering college or the Air Force with a better feeling about studying, writing and research papers. If she passes at test, she also could leave high school with six college credits.

“If the school didn’t focus on pushing yourself, I would have definitely taken the easier way out,” she said.

Whitley is one of nearly 8,000 students in 50 high schools across the state who are pushed to take Advanced Placement courses through the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative.

Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses offered in high schools. At the end of the class, students pay $87 to take an exam and if they score a 3, 4 or 5 they can receive college credit.

“Typically AP has been the solution for the top 5 percent of kids. We think it is good for the next tier of students who might not have been identified as the top students,” said Melanie Winkolsky, vice president of development and operations for Mass Insight Education.

The program, run through the non-profit Mass Insight, provides assistance so schools can expand Advanced Placement offerings in math, science, technology and English. They pay for teacher training, textbooks and stipends for educators who run Saturday study sessions and reduce the cost of the test.

A dozen Western Massachusetts schools including Central and the High School of Science and Technology in Springfield, Easthampton High, Palmer High, and West Springfield High are all members of the initiative.

At least four others are on waiting lists to get involved when more money is available.

The program is funded through a national non-profit foundation that received money mainly from private corporations. Mass Insights is raising money from private sources as well as lobbying for public grants, Winkolsky said.

A study released Friday showed schools which received assistance through the initiative had about 400 exams taken for every 1,000 students while those without the program had 160 exams for every 1,000 students.

The Math and Science Initiative has its participating schools give all students the PSAT and uses scores to identify students who are capable of doing the work. Guidance counselors encourage the students to take at least one college-level course, she said.

One program goal is to reduce the achievement gap so poor urban students are learning at the same level as their suburban middle-class peers, Winkolsky said.

“More minority and low-students are taking the classes,” she said.

The study also showed the initiative increased the number of minority students scoring 3 or higher on the exam.

Central High School Principal Tad Tokarz said in the four years since his school has been involved with the initiative, the atmosphere of the school has changed.

“We push them to take the most rigorous courses they are capable of taking and that is why we see the growth,” he said.

This year the graduation rate has increased to nearly 80 percent of all students. The school now offers 21 classes for its 2,074 students. Along with the math, science and English courses supported through Mass Insight, they also offer art courses, foreign language classes and social studies classes, he said.

In 2008, before the program started, 166 students took Advanced Placement courses in math, science or English. This year 380 are enrolled in the classes, the study said.

“It gives our students the experience of taking college courses so when they get there it is not a shock,” Tokarz said.

Whitley said she likes the study sessions, where students from different schools get extra help and share tips on work such as writing papers.

“In college you will be challenged. There will be things you won’t get and you train yourself how to find things out for the course work,” she said.

This is the second year Agawam has been involved in the initiative and the number of students taking AP courses has jumped, high school Principal Steven P. Lemanski said.

In 2007, 56 exams were taken at Agawam High School and last year 405 classes were taken among the 1,350 students, Lemanski said.

“It made us look at AP differently. It changed the mind set to let’s provide all the kids with the opportunity to take AP,” he said.

Teachers realize, even if students do not receive college credits, they still get the experience and tend to do better when they start college, he said.

“We have kids taking the courses like they never did before. Some kids are taking five and even seven courses,” he said.

The program has allowed the school to train teachers in the courses so it can increase the number of AP classes.

Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative Evaluation