The mayor said that like all families, his has had its ups and downs.

HOLYOKE – An older brother of Mayor Alex B. Morse was arrested in Northampton on Monday on drug charges after going through a stop sign and nearly hitting a police cruiser, police said.

Douglas Morse

Douglas A. Morse, 32, of 50 Sandy Hill, Westfield, made sure to tell police his brother was the Holyoke mayor, court documents show.

Douglas Morse was stopped at Trumbull Road and King Street at 3:45 p.m., Northampton Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz said Thursday.

Morse was charged with possession of heroin, for having four empty wax bags containing heroin residue, possession of suboxone, a narcotic medication available only by prescription, of which he had one and a half pills, three doses of muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine, which is available only by prescription, and driving with a suspended license, Sienkiewicz said.

Morse was unable to produce prescriptions for the drugs and the drugs weren’t in prescription containers, the chief said.

As Morse was being arrested, he told officers his brother was the Holyoke mayor. He appeared to be trying to hide something in the glove compartment, police said. After seeing drug paraphernalia in plain sight, police found the bags with heroin residue and prescription drugs, according to court documents.

Morse pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in Northampton District Court on Tuesday. Judge W. Michael Goggins released him on his own recognizance pending an April 25 pretrial conference.

Alex Morse, who took office Jan. 3, emailed a statement when contacted about his brother’s arrest:

“Like every family, we have our ups and downs. The important thing is that we acknowledge our setbacks and attempt to move forward. My brother Doug has struggled with addiction for most of his adult life, and unfortunately he hasn’t been able to overcome it.

“For me, this is just another reminder as to why it’s so important to support individuals and families affected by substance abuse, as well as making sure treatment is available to those who need it. I love my brother very much and I pray for the day when he can live a life free of addiction.

“My brother’s experience has made me a better and stronger person, as it has made me more aware of the struggles of people right here in Holyoke and has better prepared me to address them. I ask Holyoke for their support and privacy for my family during this difficult time,” Mayor Morse wrote.

Reporter Fred Contrada contributed to this story

Defense lawyers tell jurors there is no credible evidence their clients are guilty.

Anthony Eugene Jessup, left, and Jason Jamal Stovall are seen at time of their arrest two years ago.

SPRINGFIELD – A Hampden Superior Court is scheduled to resume deliberations Friday in the murder trial of Anthony Eugene Jessup and Jason Jamal Stovall.

Stovall and Jessup, both 22-year-old city men, are charged with murder in the May 30, 2010, shooting of Jonathan Santiago as he sat in his car at State and Austin Streets.

They are also charged with armed assault with intent to rob and three illegal firearms charges.

In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Neil Desroches said Jessup fired the shot into Santiago’s back as Santiago, 21, of 88 Lawton St., sat in his car.

He said Stovall was on the passenger side of Santiago’s car, acting in a joint venture with Jessup in a robbery of Santiago at gunpoint. That makes Stovall also guilty of the murder, Desroches said.

Desroches said Stovall and Jessup devised the plan together and Stovall knew Jessup was going to use a gun in a robbery. Stovall’s fingerprint was on the passenger side of the car, he said.

He told the jury to consider a letter written by Jessup from jail to his girlfriend saying, “I got good news. I’m not going to do life.”

In the letter, Jessup went on to say it was the car crash that killed Santiago, not the gunshot.

Santiago had crashed his car into a fire hydrant after being shot. Testimony at the trial showed Santiago died from the gun shot.

Jeffrey S. Brown, Stovall’s lawyer, said there is no evidence Stovall was in a joint venture with anyone to harm Santiago or that he harmed Santiago himself.

Brown said police testimony showed there is no evidence that shows when Stovall’s fingerprint was put on the car.

Both Brown and Mary Anne Stamm, Jessup’s lawyer, pointed to inconsistencies in the testimony of many of the civilian witnesses, most of whom were Santiago’s good friends who were with him outside a party in a club at State and Austin Streets.

Stamm and Brown said the witnesses contradicted each other, and some gave differing statements at different times.

“They want someone to pay for this,” Brown said, saying Santiago’s friends changed their stories when they testified so the stories fit together.

Stamm said the letter written by Jessup to his girlfriend does not prove he shot Santiago.

She told jurors it’s not enough if they think Jessup could have been, or probably was, the person who shot Santiago. They have to believe beyond a reasonable doubt he was the person, and they have to believe the witnesses who said he was the shooter actually saw what they said they saw.

There is no physical evidence to tie Jessup to the killing, Stamm said.

Stamm said the fact that Jessup was arrested in Virginia June 2, 2010, does not mean he was fleeing because he shot Santiago.

She said he was beaten up by a group of Santiago’s friends who saw him at Chicopee State Park, so had reason to fear harm from them.

The auction included the sale of the clubhouse, pro shop, as well as pool and restaurant and exclusive rights to the nine-hole course that is technically owned by the Fairway Village Condo Association.

This is an updated version of a story that was posted at 3:45 this afternoon.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanAttendees at a foreclosure auction are seen in the clubhouse at the Northampton Country Club Thursday. The clubhouse was bought by former owner Robert Berniche for $600,000.

NORTHAMPTON – The former owner of the clubhouse at the nine-hole Northampton County Club and the current mortgage holder bought the clubhouse for $600,000 at a foreclosure auction Thursday.

Attorney Mark A. Tanner of the Bacon & Wilson law firm bid on the country club on Robert Berniche’s behalf. He was the sole bidder and mortgage holder on the building that he had sold to Timothy Walko. Both men live in the city.

The auction included the sale of the clubhouse, pro shop, as well as pool and restaurant and exclusive rights to the nine-hole course that is technically owned by the Fairway Village Condo Association, Tanner said.

Berniche said he would sell the club if someone else is interested in buying it. The price he paid is less than what is owed, but Tanner declined to say what that amount was. The property is assessed at $804,304, according to records from the collector’s office.

Berniche is also required to pay $32,190 in back taxes.

Springfield-based Aaron Posnik & Co. conducted the auction.

“My grandfather was the champion here,” Berniche said. His aunts and uncles played there. He said he wanted to keep the course, which was founded in 1898, running.

He expects to open the club this spring.

Former Judge W. Michael Ryan was one of about 100 who attended the auction. A golfer and a club member, he wanted to see the fate of the club. He thought Berniche buying the club “was a good deal for members. Berniche was a good custodian (of the course.)”

This isn’t the only area course seeing a sale. Next week, TD Bank will auction off the Hickory Ridge Country Club in Amherst a foreclosure auction. The 18-hole course also includes restaurant, banquet facility and pro shop. Douglas Harper bought the course in 2003 for $2.5 million. According to the latest assessor’s records, the 150-acre course is valued at nearly $1.3 million.

In January, a Connecticut businessman bought the Hampden Country Club at auction for $1.4 million, promising to keep it operating as a golf course.

And entrepreneur Eric Suher bought the nine-hole Holyoke Country Club for $850,000 last summer, and the course is slated to reopen April 1 provided the weather cooperates, according to the course website.

The town manager said that Mohegan is in agreement that the total cost of studies will be approximately $275,000; he said he will ask for more money as the process progresses.

PALMER — A day after the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority refinanced approximately $1 billion in debt, it announced that it would provide an initial payment of $50,000 to the town to pay for expenses related to the host community agreement for its proposed casino here.

The authority, which operates Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, wants to open a $500 million casino across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit on Thorndike Street (Route 32).

Town Council President Paul E. Burns called the money a "good first step" in the negotiation process.

Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said that the money will help fund consulting fees, as numerous studies will be conducted to determine the casino's impacts. He said that Mohegan is in agreement that the total cost of studies will be approximately $275,000.

He said he will ask for more money as the process moves forward.

Areas to be studied include the casino's impact on traffic and public safety, as well as the tax impact.

While Palmer stands to gain additional property tax revenue and meals tax revenue, it also could lose state aid and Chapter 70 educational funding if it becomes what is considered to be a wealthier community, Blanchard said.

"We are moving forward with a host community agreement with a mutual understanding of what work will need to be done on the part of the town," Blanchard said.

Blanchard noted that the full Gaming Commission has not been appointed, and estimated that it will be late this year, or sometime next year, by the time it calls for applications for a casino license.

A host community agreement is required before a binding vote can take place, which is required through the legislation. The agreement will detail the responsibilities of the gaming operator, and conditions for building in Palmer. And a community must have a favorable vote before a casino project can move forward.

Mitchell Etess

“We understand the importance of this initial payment to help the town of Palmer in the host community agreement process,” Mitchell Etess, chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said in a statement. “We look forward to the continuation of the host community agreement process and anticipate additional financial commitments to the town of Palmer in the months ahead.”

The refinancing, which was extended several times, was finally completed this week.

The refinancing of about $1 billion will buy it more time to develop its business and pay down debt, Etess told the Associated Press.

Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, which also operates a casino in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., negotiated with lenders the exchange of several notes, extending the due date for repayment to 2016 and 2018. The earliest notes were due next year.

The deal is expected to be approved by investors, according to Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, chairman of the authority's management board and Mohegan Tribal Council.

In addition to renegotiating debt of $961.8 million, the tribal gaming authority said it
also established $225 million in credit.

Investors have been nervous about Mohegan's debt because Mohegan cannot file for bankruptcy and creditors can't foreclose on its properties because tribal governments are sovereign.

Keith Foley, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service, said the gaming authority did not reduce its debt load, but won time for more flexibility. Even if the economy improves, he said Mohegan Sun will face increasing competition in the Northeast that will limit earnings, due in part to the plans to build casinos in Massachusetts.

Burns, who issued a press release commending the refinancing, said it will "help to reposition them as a strong competitor for a gaming license." Burns again said he is interested in meeting with developers interested in supporting and enhancing economic development opportunities provided by a casino development.

Palmer is competing for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license with three other communities – Springfield, where Ameristar has purchased the old Westinghouse site for a casino; Brimfield, where MGM Resorts International wants to build in the northwest corner of town; and Holyoke, where Hard Rock International identified Wyckoff Country Club as its casino site.

But the Holyoke project faces opposition from the new mayor, who is opposed to casinos.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Advocates are seeking 5 percent increases in financial aid and the operating budgets of campuses of higher education.

Photo by Robert DuffyAbout 90 students from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst lobbied for more state financial support for higher education including, from left to right, Sophia Zaman, Matthew Bonaccorsi and Aviv Celine.

BOSTON - Aviv Celine, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, says the costs of a college education are rising so fast that they could force some students to drop out of college.

“I've heard people tell me over and over again that if fees rise again, they won't be able to go to school,” said Celine, 20, a junior at the Amherst campus. “Students are finding that public higher education is no longer affordable and accessible.”

Celine was among hundreds of advocates for higher education who converged at the Statehouse on Thursday to lobby legislators for 5 percent increases in state operating budgets for campuses and financial aid.

Organizers said it was the first "advocacy day" for higher education that included students and leaders from all campuses.

The state’s 29 university and community college campuses each absorbed about 10 percent budget cuts this fiscal year in their budgets. Federal stimulus money vanished this fiscal year, after being used to help the state budgets of campuses the prior two years during an economic downturn.

Presidents and trustees of many of the campuses raised charges on students to compensate for cuts and close budget gaps.

Celine, Sophia Zaman, 22, a senior, and Matthew A. Bonaccorsi, 21, a junior, joined at least 90 students from the Amherst campus who attended.

The students said debt is a major problem. All three, who are members of the Student Government Association, said they each expect to graduate with between $15,000 and $20,000 in debt – an amount they said is relatively low compared to many other students.

“It’s becoming the single largest burden on the American economy,” Bonaccorsi said of student debt.

Melanie Mulvey

The event, including faculty, students and administrators, came as state legislators are preparing to approve a $32 billion state budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1. The budgets for the campuses will help determine if student fees could rise again.

Trustees for the University of Massachusetts, for example, last year increased mandatory fees and optional room and board to help close a budget gap.

The total cost for an instate undergraduate student on the Amherst campus, including fees , tuition, room and board, rose to $22,124 for this academic year, a hike of $1,578 from $20,546, up about 7.6 percent , according to the university.

Ira Rubenzahl

"Costs have risen dramatically," said Melanie T. Mulvey, 21, a senior at the Amherst campus. "It's really hurting the university and the state."

Ira H. Rubenzahl , president of Springfield Technical Community College, said the college this fiscal year received about a $2 million, or 10 percent, cut in its $21 million state budget from the prior year. Rubenzahl said all campuses received about 10 percent reductions.

“This is not the way to run public colleges,” Rubenzahl said. “We've got to have state support, or they become more expensive.”

He said the campuses are critical to the future of the state and the economy. “We all get ahead when each of our students gets ahead,” he said.

Students at Springfield Technical -- Crystal Hvertas, 26, and Raven Coleman-Tucker, 20, both single mothers, and David N. Rist, 21, of Lee, and Jo L. Densmore, 48, of Montgomery -- said they are concerned about the effects of budget cuts.

Hvertas said the college’s science department is suffering from outdated and broken equipment.

Michael Knapik

About 15 to 20 students crowded into the office of Sen. Michael R. Knapik, a Westfield Republican with Westfield State University and Holyoke Community College in his district.

Knapik told students that Massachusetts is different from most other states because of the priority it places on financing health care for poor and lower income people, squeezing other programs.

Knapik didn't make any promises to the students, other than to pledge that the state’s gas tax will not be increased.

“I'm in support of the best we can do,” Knapik told Camille L. Theriaque, 47, a student at Holyoke Community College, when she asked for his backing for 5 percent increases in financial aid and campus operating budgets.

The close left the Dow up 97 percent on the eve of the third anniversary of its low point during the Great Recession.

By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY | AP Business Writer

Associated PressSpecialist Christopher Culhane works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, March 8, 2012. Stocks gained Thursday as signs indicated that a deal to restructure Greece's debt will succeed, overshadowing a small increase in applications for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK — The stock market posted substantial gains Thursday as Greece closed in on a deal to restructure its debt and avoid a default. That overshadowed a small increase in unemployment claims last week.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 70.61 points, or 0.6 percent, at 12,907.94. Two days of solid gains have erased about three-quarters of the loss from Tuesday, when the Dow fell 203 points, its biggest loss of the year.

The close left the Dow up 97 percent on the eve of the third anniversary of its low point during the Great Recession. Last week, the Dow closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500 index has more than doubled in three years.

On Thursday, the S&P 500 added 13.28 points, or 1 percent, to 1,365.91. It has regained all of its loss from Tuesday, rising 22.80 points, its best two days since December. All 10 industry groups rose, led by materials companies.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 34.73 points, or 1.2 percent, to 2,970.42.

A Greek government official told The Associated Press that more than 75 percent of investors in Greek bonds had agreed to exchange them for bonds with a lower face value and interest rate.

Greece needs 90 percent of investors to participate to get a bailout of €130 billion, or about $173 billion, and avoid a default later this month that could rattle financial markets around the world. The Athens government will release final results Friday.

The Greek crisis is "starting to wind down, we hope," said Paul Powers, head of U.S. equity sales trading for Raymond James. "It doesn't seem nearly as dire as it was a couple of weeks ago."

The rally came despite a report from the Labor Department that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 362,000, up 8,000 from the week before. The four-week average remained near a four-year low.

The government reports Friday on how many jobs the U.S. economy added in February and the unemployment rate. Economists expect 200,000 jobs were added. If the unemployment rate falls from 8.3 percent, it will be the sixth straight decline.

"The trend here is that the job market has continued to grind higher, and I don't see any reason why tomorrow's number shouldn't be a good one," said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Federated Investors.

He pointed to a private estimate of hiring released Wednesday that exceeded expectations, along with the unemployment claims figures, as good indicators for more positive news.

Stocks rose around the world as optimism about the Greek debt deal took hold. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British stocks closed up 1.2 percent. Germany's DAX and the CAC-40 in France both gained 2.5 percent.

The euro rose almost a penny and a half against the dollar, to $1.328. In another sign of investor confidence in Europe, the yields on government bonds of both Italy and Spain both fell.

Asian markets also rallied, ending a three-day losing streak. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average climbed 2 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.3 percent, and China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.1 percent.

The prospect of a successful bond swap in Greece also helped push oil prices higher. Resolving the crisis would be good for the European economy, and demand could rise. Oil closed near $107 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price of gold rose $14.80 to $1,698.70.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 2.01 percent from 1.98 percent late Wednesday.

Brian Gendreau, market strategist for Cetera Financial Group, said that even if some of Greece's private investors reject the bond swap deal, the situation in Europe is clearly improving.

"A year and a half ago, the idea that private bondholders would take a hit wasn't even on the table," Gendreau said.

Among stocks making big moves Tuesday:

• Coach Inc. jumped 4.6 percent after the luxury accessories maker said it is sticking to its long-term sales goals.

• McDonald's Corp. lost more than 3 percent after reporting slower growth in February.

• American International Group Inc. fell 1.1 percent after the U.S. government said it would sell $6 billion of the common stock it holds in the bailed-out insurer.

The man, armed with 2 semiautomatic handguns, killed 1 person and wounded several others before he was shot dead, apparently by campus police, the mayor said.

Associated PressParamedics and police carry a shooting victim from Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Pittsburgh. A gunman opened fire at a psychiatric clinic at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday in a shooting that killed two people, including the gunman, and wounded seven others. (AP Photo/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Justin Merriman)

By JOE MANDAK and KEVIN BEGOS

PITTSBURGH — A man armed with two semiautomatic handguns entered the lobby of a psychiatric clinic at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday and opened fire, killing one person and wounding several others before he was shot dead, apparently by campus police, the mayor said.

Six people were wounded by the man's gunfire, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said. A seventh suffered unspecified injuries but wasn't shot, officials said.

The mayor stopped short of confirming the gunman was fatally shot by at least one University of Pittsburgh police officer who responded. But he confirmed "police acted admirably and did engage in gunfire."

"There's no doubt that their swift response saved lives today," Ravenstahl said.

One of the injured was a police officer who Ravenstahl said was grazed by a bullet. Officials didn't say if that officer shot the gunman, whose identity and relationship to the clinic, if any, weren't disclosed. It was unclear whether the seven wounded people were patients, employees or visiting family members.

Shooting witness Gregory Brant said he was in a waiting room on the first floor of the clinic building when pandemonium broke out.

"We heard a bunch of yelling, some shooting, people yelling, 'Hide! Hide!" he said. "Everyone's yelling, 'Stay down!'"

Brant, 53, and six other people, including a young girl and her parents, barricaded themselves inside the waiting room. But he said they did not feel safe because there were doors with windows along adjacent walls.

"The way the room was arranged, if he (the gunman) had gone to either window and would have seen us in there, he could have done whatever he wanted," Brant said.

The group crouched in a corner, hoping the gunman wouldn't see them as he went past, Brant said. The men in the group decided on the spot that if the gunman entered the room, they would rush him.

"We were kind of sitting ducks," Brant said. "Luckily, he didn't see us in there, and we didn't make eye contact with him."

Brant estimated the ordeal lasted 15 or 20 minutes.

Neighboring buildings were placed on lockdown for hours, police said.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokesman Paul Wood said media reports about a possible second gunman and a hostage situation at the clinic or at nearby UPMC Presbyterian hospital were unfounded.

A SWAT team was on the scene shortly after the shooting. A street was blocked off, and the area thronged with police. Most students are on spring break, though offices and buildings have been open.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said it had received some patients from the shooting. It said two patients were in intensive care, two were released and three were being admitted. All were expected to survive.

The clinic, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, is located in the city's Oakland neighborhood, a couple of miles east of downtown, and is affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and one of several affiliated hospitals adjacent to the university campus. Other schools are nearby, including Carnegie Mellon, Carlow and Chatham universities.

Pete Finelli, who lives two blocks from the clinic and once worked there as a student nursing assistant, said security guards are always at the part of the building where it the shooting is believed to have occurred, on the ground floor.

Patient rooms are on the upper floors, he said, but anyone on the first floor would have to be someone being either admitted or discharged.

"The only place a person would be on the first floor is the emergency room," he said.

Pitt sent out email and text alerts shortly after 2 p.m. to warn people of the shooting.

"An active shooter has been identified at Western Psychiatric Institute. Several injured," the alert said. "Possible second actor in Western Psych. Lockdown recommended until further notice. If safe to do so, tell others of this message."

Lawton Snyder, executive director of Pitt's Eye and Ear Foundation, said he and two other staffers were locked down about a block away, in a building that connects to the clinic. He said it was unnerving.

"Obviously I'm terribly sad for those injured. We're just hoping everybody's OK and things are resolved quickly and that they can apprehend those who are responsible," he said.

Patient Kevin Bonner, who was staying on the building's ninth floor, several floors above the shooting scene, said there was a normal atmosphere there, with patients in the common room listening to music, watching TV, drinking and eating snacks. Bonner said no one at the hospital had told them what was going on.

"They are probably just trying to keep a calm atmosphere," he said.

He said he had been napping and awoke to hear an announcement on the intercom: "Bronze Alert on the first floor."

"I didn't think I was hearing my ears right until I looked out the window" and saw police cars and a sniper, he said.

The alert and lockdown ended Thursday evening, but the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center asked that people avoid the clinic while the investigation continued. People were free to go when and where they pleased at the two network hospitals nearest the clinic, UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Shadyside, which also had been locked down earlier in the day.

Associated Press writers Mike Rubinkam in Allentown and Kathy Matheson and JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia and news researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

Todd Guertin said he regrets his comment about staffing cuts being behind the death of 84-year-old Phyllis Lamot.

HAVERHILL – A Haverhill firefighters’ union official is apologizing for saying the mayor should be charged with murder for staffing cuts he blamed for a woman’s death in a house fire.

Todd Guertin said Thursday he deeply regrets his comment about Mayor James Fiorentini over the death of 84-year-old Phyllis Lamot early Wednesday.

City officials, and Lamot’s son, say staffing cuts aren’t to blame. The state fire marshal said a medical oxygen tank contributed to the fire’s intensity.

The union and the mayor agreed the fire chief should investigate their response.

Firefighters also will use unpaid disciplinary time and volunteer to temporarily restore staffing to a rescue truck the mayor cut because of an overtime deficit.

Last year 27 firefighters agreed to some unpaid work after using false records to get state emergency medical technician certifications.

The board will consider the plan to install a 3-acre, 400-kilowatt photovoltaic array, capable of powering 40 to 50 homes, at a meeting next month.

BELCHERTOWN – The Planning Board has again continued the public hearing on a proposed dual-use solar array at the New England Small Farm Institute.

The board will consider the plan to install a 3-acre, 400-kilowatt photovoltaic array, capable of powering 40 to 50 homes, at their April 24 meeting, scheduled for 7:35 p.m. at Town Hall, 2 Jabish St.

NESFI and project partner Hyperion Systems say the installation will be elevated more than seven feet and the panels will be spaced out, allowing for animal grazing and other agricultural activities to continue on the site.

One point of contention between project officials and opponents is the location: A 5.5-acre hay field at the corner of Hamilton Street and George Hannum Road. Residents and the Board of Selectmen have said the array would block one of the most beautiful vistas in town.

The Board of Health is investigating the safety of solar panels, which Director of Public Health Judy Metcalf said must have a decommissioning plan before they go up.

She said the operators and the fire department need to communicate about how to put out a fire there because her research shows firefighters can be at risk if they don’t know exactly how the system works.

Since the panels are impervious, their presence would increase the burden of stormwater on the rest of the land, Metcalf said, and could create run-off. The engineering and design can and should address that problem, she said.

“It’s the same amount (of water), it just doesn’t get distributed evenly,” she said. “The stormwater plan is not an unreasonable thing. ... This is not an obstacle that’s difficult to overcome.”

Metcalf urges proper operation and maintenance of the array, as well as taking appropriate measures to dispose of and replace any panels that get damaged.

The Board of Health will decide on a formal set of recommendations to the Planning Board at their meeting Monday at 7:45 p.m., at the selectmen’s meeting room at Town Hall.

Residents Gilbert and Celeste DaCosta sent a letter to the Planning Board opposing the array at the proposed location. The DaCostas also call the dual-use and eco-friendly design a “cloak” to disguise the fact that it’s a tax-exempt commercial operation.

“The only relationship to agriculture is the fact this will be a cash ciw for the contractor/owner ... and the only folks that are getting milked are the residents of Belchertown!”

A group of 15 people wrote a letter of opposition, saying NESFI’s project is not appropriate for a residential area.

“This system will negatively impact the neighborhood due to noise, safety, property value, and health,” said the letter written by Melissa A. Desautels of 37 Hamilton St. and signed by 14 others who live as far as 5½ miles from the site. “The community members who live in this area say no.”

The Democratic-controlled Senate defeated the measure after President Obama lobbied Democratic senators to oppose the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.

Scott P. Brown

BOSTON – U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has voted in favor of a plan to speed approval of a new oil pipeline.

The Democratic-controlled Senate defeated the measure on a 56-42 vote Thursday after President Barack Obama lobbied Democratic senators to oppose the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.

The proposal is designed to carry tar sands oil from western Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Brown, a Republican, said the project could create thousands of new jobs, reduce gas prices, and help ease dependence on Middle East oil.

Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren blamed rising gas prices on oil speculators who she said are driving up prices at the pump.

Warren said the Commodities Futures Trading Commission has the tools to rein in speculation. She said those efforts are being blocked by Wall Street interests.

The bill calls for deposits on water, sports drink and iced tea containers as well as carbonated beverages.

HOLYOKE - Mayor Alex B. Morse is urging the state Legislature to approve an updated bottle bill that would allow for reimbursements for turning in water, sports drink and iced tea containers as well as those for carbonated beverages.

“This bill is particularly important to Holyoke, as it will take thousands of bottles off our city streets annually, encourage sustainability, and complements our designation as a ‘Green Community,’” Morse wrote Thursday to state Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield.

Morse asked that Knapik push for a favorable report of the bill out of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee.

The 208 new troopers are being eyed to shoring up the state police ranks, which Col. Marian McGovern says are down 500 bodies through retirement and attrition over the last 5 years Watch video

State police recruits at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree practice crowd control drills

NEW BRAINTREE – Noah Clock clutched his brand new pair of boots and beamed a great, big smile.

The shiny pair of size 10 1/2 EEE boots were his first reward for 21 weeks of hard work, toil and sweat.

“It’s hard to put into words,” he said. “My life-long dream has come true.”

Clock, 28, of Palmer, is one of 208 trainees of the Massachusetts State Police Academy who will graduate Friday and will serve on patrol as state troopers.

The graduation ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Timothy Murray are expected to be among the speakers at noon. Trainee Sean Kenney, of West Springfield, a National Guard veteran and Bronze Star winner during two tours in Iraq, has been selected to give the class address.

Col. Marian J. McGovern, the head of the Massachusetts State Police, said the class is the first major infusion of troopers in five years.

And with the state police ranks down by some 500 through retirement and attrition over that time, the newest troopers are both welcome and needed, she said.

“You’re going to see a lot more troopers on the streets,” she said.

At present, there are 2,037 sworn law-enforcement personnel with the state police. The 208 additions will raise that number, but it will still be below the 2,532 troopers needed for the ranks to be at full capacity, she said.

Having more troopers on patrol will increase safety for the general public, and provide additional backup. “Especially in Western Massachusetts, where troopers largely ride alone,” she said.

After graduation, the new troopers will be paired with a partner for a three-month orientation. After that, they will assume their first patrol assignments at state police barracks around the state.

Typically, McGovern said, new troopers are assigned to barracks some distance away from what they consider their home.

“Historically, we try to put them away from their homes and friends and people they know,” she said.

Clock is going to Russell.
Michael McNally, 29, of Springfield, is going to Shelburne, and he said he can’t wait.

A former Springfield police cadet who served in the Marines and was then hired with the Springfield police, McNally left after 10 months when the opportunity to join the state police arose.

“The Massachusetts State Police is the varsity,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to join.”

He said part of the appeal is the width and breadth of assignments in the state police that far exceed what a police officer in most municipalities could see.

More than just sitting by a highway and running radar, the state police have specialty units devoted to urban patrols, detective units and crime analysis, gambling, gangs and drug units and fugitive apprehension. There are also mounted patrols, K-9 units and the Air Wing helicopter patrols.

A police officer with the town of Amherst for four years, Clock jumped at the opportunity to join the state police.

In terms of what state police units he’d like to serve on down the road, Clock said, “I’m open to do pretty much anything. In a small town, you don’t have the same opportunity.”

The academy this time around was 21-weeks long, which is shorter than previous versions. But it also had more areas of the curriculum, McGovern said.

“We became very good at organizing our time,” McGovern said.

In addition to class work, defensive training and physical conditioning, the curriculum also included some 75 scenarios, or role-playing drills of situations troopers could see on the job.

Director of Training, Sgt. Michael Lyver said the scenarios where high-adrenaline, such as a man with a gun in a high school. Others were more routine, like aiding a motorist with a stalled car or catching minors with alcohol.

Sometimes, he said, they would stack them on top of each other, so the recruits have to adjust to going from fast-paced to slow-paced and back again, Lyver said. Just like real state troopers.

Gingrich’s aides have said the candidate needs to win Alabama and Mississippi next week to justify staying in the race.

By THOMAS BEAUMONT

TUPELO, Miss. – It was an ominous introduction for Republican Newt Gingrich, whose future as a presidential candidate rests in Mississippi and Alabama.

“I can tell you right now, he’s tired. He needs your prayers,” former state Sen. Lee Yancey told a half-full Jackson hotel ballroom before the former House speaker took the stage.

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich’s aides have said the candidate needs to win Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday to justify staying in the race. He scrapped weekend plans to campaign in Kansas ahead of the Saturday caucuses to stay in the South, his adopted home and the only place he’s won in the 2012 campaign.

“I want your help next Tuesday so we can win the Republican nomination,” Gingrich flatly told the group, his voice a little rough.

What few in the crowd of about 100 knew is that the night before, Gingrich took some time to enjoy himself. He shed his jacket and tie, sipped some wine and danced with his wife, Callista, in the bar, a carefree respite with staff that ran into the early hours of Thursday.

Gingrich was on time for his 9 a.m. appearance on his first day under Secret Service protection, adding dozens of new faces and a buzz of activity around his events. But the former college professor known for speeches resembling lectures drifted further afield from his usual contrast with President Barack Obama.

Gingrich seemed more focused on amusing his audience than pressing them for their votes.

He paused early in his remarks to comment on the thick accents of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, which drew laughs.

He took his routine mocking of Obama’s support for exploring the energy possibilities of algae and limits on drilling – a regular laugh line for Gingrich – further than usual.

And, explaining his interpretation of the Declaration of Independence’s “pursuit of happiness” passage, he went for laughs again.

“There’s no provision for happiness stamps for the under-happy,” Gingrich quipped.

Jackson Republican Bill Wolfson stood in line for a handshake and a picture, planning to vote for Gingrich Tuesday.

But Wolfson doubted Gingrich would win the nomination. “I’m afraid he won’t,” the retired architect said. “We might get Romney, but he’s not going to do the job Newt could.”

Despite his liberated air, Gingrich was keeping up a rigorous schedule on Thursday and Friday, with events planned from the far northwest corner of Mississippi to Gulfport on the Gulf Coast before plowing back into Alabama on Saturday.

And later Thursday, in Tupelo, the confidence of earlier in the week, when he predicted another comeback, was creeping back.

“This race has been a roller coaster, up and down. I believe with your help next Tuesday when we win here and we win in Alabama we’ll be back up again.”

Rival Rick Santorum, who won Tennessee, was also campaigning in the South. The former Pennsylvania senator drew twice the crowd in Jackson that Gingrich did the night before, and Santorum was an hour late.

The day brought another call from a top Santorum supporter for Gingrich to quit the race to help conservatives consolidate behind one candidate – Santorum.

Gary Bauer, a prominent social conservative who has endorsed Santorum, said Gingrich could best help the conservative cause by stepping aside.

“There is great admiration for Newt Gingrich’s contributions to conservatism, as well as his debating abilities,” Bauer said in a statement. “But the overwhelming sentiment was that he could most help the conservative cause by standing with Santorum so that voters have a clear choice in the remaining primaries.”

Although Gingrich is airing television ads promoting his plan to push gas prices down to $2.50, his rivals are more heavily invested. A political action committee supporting Santorum announced Thursday it was spending $600,000 on television ads in Mississippi and Alabama.

Alabama polls show Gingrich trailing Santorum and Romney.

Romney planned to campaign in Mississippi Thursday evening.

Robert Morra was hired to replace Bonnie Weeks, who retired last year.

AMHERST - The land use coordinator/building inspector/zoning enforcement officer for the town of Weston has been named the town’s new building commissioner.

Robert A. Morra was hired to replace Bonnie Weeks, who retired in December.

Morra has more than 13 years experience in public and private construction management, Town Manager John P. Musante said in a prepared statement.

For the past four years he has served the town of Weston.

Morra will earn a starting salary of $73,932 and is scheduled to begin work April 9, Musante said. Dave Waskiewicz will continue as acting commissioner until then.

Last month, the town hired Shutesbury builder Jon Thompson to the newly created building inspector/code enforcement officer position. Thompson is working part-time until June while he finishes a building project.

A man walking on Worthington Street was hit on the head with a cane and robbed of his wallet and cellphone, police said.

SPRINGFIELD - A man walking on Worthington Street was hit on the head with a cane and robbed of his wallet and cellphone, police said.

Lt. John Slepchuk said details of the case remain sketchy as police are still piecing things together.

Police have recovered the man's wallet but it had nothing in it, he said. It was not clear if money had been taken from it.

The assault took down the street from Theodore's Blues, Brews and Barbecues and not at the Worthington Street restaurant, he said.

Two are in custody but no information was being released until the booking procedures are completed.

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The envelope, which did not have a return address, was never opened, but was put in a plastic bag and given to the Westhampton Fire Department.

File photo | The Republican

WESTHAMPTON – The suspicious-looking envelope that arrived at Hampshire Regional High School on Wednesday turned out to contain box tops, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

The envelope, which did not have a return address, was never opened, but was put in a plastic bag and given to the Westhampton Fire Department.

A hazardous materials team from Northampton also went to the school. Suspicious envelopes have been delivered to other schools in the Northeast.

Despite Romney’s assertions, economists say there’s not much a president of either party could do about gasoline prices.

Photo by Evan Vucci / Associated PressGov. Phil Bryant, R-Miss., right, watches as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop at the Port of Pascagoula on Thursday in Pascagoula, Miss.

By JULIE PACE

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Seeking to tap into the public’s concern over rising gas costs, Mitt Romney on Thursday said President Barack Obama was “in part” to blame for higher prices at the pump.

Romney, the front-runner in the Republican presidential field, said Obama has tried to shirk his responsibility for increases in the price of gas, which could threaten to upend some recent improvements in the nation’s economy.

“He says ‘it’s not my fault,’” Romney said during a campaign stop on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. “This is in part his fault. This is a guy who has slowed down ... the licensing and permitting of offshore rigs, of onshore drilling.”

Despite Romney’s assertions, economists say there’s not much a president of either party could do about gasoline prices. The current increases at the pump have been driven by fears of a war with oil-rich Iran and by higher demand in the U.S. as well as in China, India and other quickly growing nations.

While the price of gas has stabilized somewhat in recent days, a gallon of regular unleaded is still nearly 50 cents higher than it was at the beginning of the year.

Speaking against the backdrop of massive oil rigs in the Port of Pascagoula, Romney renewed his calls for accelerating drilling permits and pledged to approve the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring oil from the U.S. to Canada. Approving the project, Romney said, should be a “no-brainer.”

Obama rejected the pipeline earlier this year, saying there wasn’t enough time to properly study the project ahead of the deadline forced upon him by Republican congressional lawmakers. On Thursday, the Democratic-controlled Senate blocked another Republican bid to speed approval of the pipeline, which would stretch from Canada to Texas.

The president says he supports an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that includes oil, gas, wind and solar power. U.S. oil production has increased during Obama’s term, though Republicans say that is due in part to the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Following a solid, if uninspiring performance, on Super Tuesday, Romney has a comfortable lead in the Republican delegate race as the GOP contest moves to the Deep South. Romney was spending two days campaigning in Alabama and Mississippi, both states holding primaries on Tuesday.

Seeking to boost his standing with Southern voters, the former Massachusetts governor said he was turning into an “unofficial Southerner” with the help of a campaign staffer who hails from Mississippi.

“I’m learning to say ‘y’all’ and I like grits. Strange things are happening to me,” Romney said jokingly.

Romney picked up the endorsement Thursday of Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who appeared with Romney at the Port of Pascagoula and pledged to campaign for him every day in the lead-up to the state’s primary. Bryant said he was hopeful for a strong Romney finish in Mississippi.

“I think he’s going to do well. People are going to embrace him,” Bryant said.

How fast can one rack up tickets? Try being pulled over for going 105 mph, 98 mph and 92 mph, all within an hour.

Republican file photo

PORTLAND, Ore. — Traffic officers along Interstate 84 in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge say a lead-footed driver was in such a hurry to make a court date on a meth possession charge that he racked up $2,000 worth of speeding tickets in an hour.

Police say 34-year-old Jose Romero-Valenzuela of Las Vegas, Nev., was zooming west Wednesday morning and got pulled over three times — first at 105 mph, then at 98 mph and finally at 92 mph.

Police say the last ticket appeared to have an effect. Down the road a bit, a trooper set up watch and clocked him at the limit, 65 mph.

Besides fines and penalties, police say his license could be suspended for up to 90 days if he's found guilty on the citation alleging driving in excess of 100 mph.

Police confirm he was indeed scheduled for a court appearance later Wednesday in Oregon City, south of Portland.

Child welfare agents are trying to unravel the story of the siblings, a 5-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, whose parents are in prison.

Associated PressAn old school bus sits in among debris Wednesday, March 7, 2012, in Splendora, Texas. Two children were found living inside the abandoned school bus,and are in the custody of Texas child welfare workers, officials said Thursday. A postal worker discovered the children, ages 11 and 5, at the bus outside Splendora, officials said. Their parents are believed to be in prison for embezzling money from Hurricane Ike victims in 2008. The children are not enrolled at local schools. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

By MICHAEL GRACZYK

SPLENDORA, Texas — The abandoned school bus had no engine and no front wheels. But there were crude curtains in the windows, an air conditioner and even bunk beds inside.

So when a postal worker repeatedly ran across two unkempt children at the scene, she grew concerned and this week contacted authorities to report that the pair had apparently been living there for months.

Now child welfare agents are trying to unravel the story of the siblings, a 5-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, whose parents are in prison and whose home was a dilapidated vehicle at the end of a muddy, one-lane road.

The postal carrier saw the kids Wednesday near Houston, and the two were swiftly placed in foster care while authorities investigate.

"The little girl's hair was just matted, like a stray dog's," Vanessa Picazo said.

The father of the pair said he never intended for the bus to be a permanent home. He said the family had planned to build a house at the site, which was now strewn with reeking trash.

"The house is normally clean. If me or my wife were there, it would not be in that shape, I assure you," Mark Shorten said. "Our house would be completed or almost completed."

Randal McCann, a Louisiana attorney who represented the children's mother prior to her imprisonment, said the aunt had been taking care of the kids since the case against the parents was launched more than a year ago. The kids were not enrolled in school.

"It was believed by everybody involved in this case that (the aunt) was properly tending to those children. What I saw in the newspaper this morning was shocking," McCann said, referring to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

McCann said the aunt would often contact him but only to discuss the criminal case and not the children.

"But there was no indication that the living conditions were as bad as those photographs," McCann said.

It was not clear how long the children had been living in the bus and whether the aunt lived with them or simply made visits.

A spokesman for Child Protective Services said authorities were less concerned about the bus itself than with children's overall well-being.

"It's not the bus. It's the condition and supervision issues," spokesman Gwen Carter said, explaining that the agency understands that poor families often must resort to dire living arrangements.

Shorten and his wife, Sherrie, were convicted of embezzling money from victims of Hurricane Ike, which struck in 2008. The mother was arrested in December 2010, the father in March 2011.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press from an Oklahoma City federal prison, Mark Shorten said he had not slept since his children were taken Wednesday.

Shorten said an aunt who was asked to watch the kids couldn't keep up, and he blamed the garbage blanketing his property on neighbors dumping their trash there.

Sherrie Shorten is scheduled to be released next month.

"I'm coming home in 30 days to be able to take care of my kids," she said from a separate federal prison in Lake Charles, La.

An AP reporter visited the site Thursday. The bus appeared to have electricity, and outside there was a small propane tank and homemade grill.

A woman who was in the bus declined to identify herself and told the reporter to leave.

The Shortens said the bus also has hot and cold running water, including a shower and flush toilets, as well as heat and closets.

Picazo said her latest visit to the bus was not the first time she was worried about the children. Once when she needed a signature for a package, the 11-year-old girl volunteered. But when Picazo handed her the signature slip, the girl confessed she didn't know how to sign her name.

That was a "red flag that she wasn't being schooled. But she was a bright child," Picazo said.

Mark Shorten said his children were being home schooled through a Texas Tech University program. He said his daughter was highly intelligent and "can even do tax returns."

He said the family was originally from Louisiana but that the hurricane left their home under more than 8 feet of water. They brought the bus to Texas and only planned to live in it "maybe nine months" while he built a new home on the property.

Neighbors told the Houston Chronicle that the children typically looked unkempt and could often be spotted running around at night.

"They always had dirty clothes on (and) no shoes, even in the winter," said Gayla Payne.

A woman on the property told welfare agents that she worked 12-hour shifts Monday through Friday but that she stayed with the children at night.

"The aunt said that she does provide meals for them during the day," Montgomery County Constable Rowdy Hayden told Houston television station KTRK.

Looking around the bus, "we didn't see a lot of food readily available," Hayden said. "One of the neighbors had told us earlier that from time to time she will bring food over for the children."

Splendora is 35 miles northeast of Houston.

Associated Press writers Schuyler Dixon and Nomaan Merchant in Dallas and Paul J. Weber in San Antonio contributed to this report.

A Springfield doctor accused of punching a door, throwing a surgical instrument and threatening an anesthesiologist in the operating room has lost his license to practice medicine.

Here are the most-read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse's brother Douglas Morse arrested in Northampton on drug, vehicle charges [Mike Plaisance]

2) Springfield police investigating alleged King Street home invasion involving local college students [Conor Berry]

3) Springfield doctor's license revoked for poor behavior [Associated Press]

4) Forest Park basement fire uncovers marijuana farm; tenant Michael Thompson arrested [Patrick Johnson]

5) Springfield police charge 47-year-old William Gray with extorting elderly Connecticut man after sexual encounter [George Graham]

And the No. 1 most viewed item for the past two days is the "Springfield Police Dept. narcotics sweep mug shots, March 7, 2012" photo gallery, seen above.