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Tax time is the time to go back through receipts, seek advice

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the 2010 returns most people filled out last year at this time are virtually the same as the 2011 returns they face this year.

Tax time is the right time to comb through that wad of receipts collected through 2011, be they from medical expenses or energy-saving home improvements, in search of deductions.

“People tend not to keep good records about this stuff,” said Rodney D. McCorkill, tax manager for the Springfield accounting firm Moriarty & Primack. “But it all adds up.”

According to the Internal Revenue Service, taxpayers have until April 17 this year. April 15 falls on a Sunday and the Monday is a holiday in Washington.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, sites where low- and moderate-income people can get their returns filled out for free have seen a rash of business already because people are hungry for their refunds, said Barbara A. Baran, the coordinator of Holyoke Credit Union’s VITA program, which is in its first year.

“We’ve been told to expect a run at the end as well,” Baran said.

McCorkill said people also have until April 17 to make contributions to retirement accounts, like IRAs, and have the tax benefit apply to 2011.

According to the IRS, legislation enacted in December 2010 extended several popular tax benefits, including the American Opportunity Credit for parents and students, the Enhanced Child Tax Credit and the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit.

McCorkill said that means the 2010 returns most people filled out last year at this time are virtually the same as the 2011 returns they face this year.

For businesses, the big thing that is going on is the Business Health-Care Tax Credit, part of the federal health care reforms. McCorkill said a business averaging fewer than 25 employees who earn an average wage of less than about $50,000 a year can claim a tax credit of up to 30 percent of the health-insurance premiums the company pays for employee health-care.

“For certain small businesses, if you meet the requirements, it can be a substantial credit,” he said. “And a lot of smaller companies that don’t have a professional doing their taxes might not know about it.”

For individual homeowners, the energy-savings credit is not quite as attractive as it once was, McCorkill said. But there is still a tax credit of up to $500, down from the $1,500 combined limit that applied for 2009 and 2010, available for people who put in efficient windows, or an energy-efficient furnace or water heater. “You might have bought it in a hurry because the old one conked out,” McCorkill said. “But you should always save the paperwork from that type of thing.”

According to the IRS, a lot of taxpayers are also asking questions about mileage. The standard mileage rate for business use of a car, van, pick-up or panel truck is 51 cents a mile for miles driven during the first six months of 2011 (January through June) and 55.5 cents a mile for the rest of the year, up from 50 cents for 2010.

Income tax time is also an opportunity for low-income citizens to take advantage of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. But the problem is, too few do so.

According to a study released last year by the United Way of Pioneer Valley, 18,195 Hampden County residents failed to claim their federal income-tax refunds and Earned Income Tax Credit in 2010, a loss to the community of a collective $35 million.

Baran said that’s one reason the Holyoke Credit Union is a VITA site this year, with credit union employees trained as volunteers.

Tax help is available only at the Holyoke office, 490 Westfield Road, every Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays, March 24 and 31 and April 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We’d rather see the money go directly to these people instead of them paying to get their taxes done,” she said.

Holyoke Credit Union also wants people to avoid expense refund anticipation loans offered by some for-profit tax services. Those loans cost people a chunk of their refunds. Instead, Baran said Holyoke Credit Union will give folks a $100 bonus if they sign up for a checking account at the credit union and get their refund direct deposited. The funds show up in a few days.

“What we are hoping to do, especialy in this economy, is for people to put their money to good use,” she said.


Community comes together to honor memory of Jessica Rojas and Ana Cruz, victims of domestic violence

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Jessica Rojas, Jessica Pripstein and Ana Cruz are all recent victims of domestic violence.

rally1.JPGA large gathering of people protested domestic violence along Plainfield St. in the wake of the recent murder of Jessica Rojas whose boyfriend was charged in that killing. Ana Cruz is pictured in the photograph, she was killed due to domestic violence in July 2009.

SPRINGFIELD – She never met Jessica Rojas, the young woman who was killed by her boyfriend on March 3, but Jennifer Rivera felt it was important to honor her memory and speak out against her death.

“We cannot stay silent. Too many women are dying,” said Rivera, a 25-year-old Springfield resident who set up a rally against domestic violence at the intersection of Plainfield and West streets Sunday.

“I just wanted people to come together to say this is wrong and it should not have happened,” she said.

Rojas, 25, and a mother of four, was stabbed to death by her boyfriend Jose Santiago at her home at 132 Washburn St. in the city’s Brightwood neighborhood. Springfield Police have charged Santiago with her murder.

Jessica RojasJessica Rojas, seen her in a photo from her Facebook page.

Although she did not know Rojas, Rivera did know Ana I. Cruz, a Springfield mother of four killed in 2009 by her estranged husband Benjamin Sanchez. Sanchez was sentenced to life in prison last month.

“I was very close to her daughter and I wasn’t able to be there for her when her mother was killed, but I am doing this now for her and for Jessica and all the women who face domestic violence in our community,” she said.

Family and friends of both victims as well as residents who live in the area attended the rally in honor of their loved ones.

“We remember her, we miss her and we love her,” said Kristal Cabrera, 21, of Springfield, who is a family friend of Cruz. “She was a wonderful lady.”

Members of Rojas family also attended the event.

“She was a great girl. She loved her children and she worked hard,” said her uncle Angel Miranda, of Springfield. “She was a beautiful person and we can’t believe she is gone.”

Rivera said she thinks often times women, particularly Hispanic women, are afraid to come forward if they are being abused.

“It’s not OK to keep it hidden and it’s not OK for women to stay in relationships where they are being hurt,” she said.

Rivera got pamphlets with facts about domestic violence from the YWCA and passed them out to drivers at the intersection and asked for donations for Rojas funeral.

“It gives people information on where to call to get help,” she said. “No woman should think it’s normal to be in an abusive relationship.”

It only took Rivera several days to set up the event in hopes to raise money that will go to a funeral fund set up for Rojas by her family at Hampden Bank.

“I just went the family and said I wanted to do this. I didn’t know Jessica, but she was important to the people in her life and to her children and now her life is over,” said Rivera.

Already in 2012 Western Massachusetts has had two murders associated with domestic violence.

Along with Rojas, Jessica Pripstein, 39, of Easthampton, was killed by her boyfriend Ryan D. Welch on Feb. 20. Welch has been charged with her murder.

For help visit www.ywworks.org or call the YWCAs 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (413)733-7100.

Attic fire causes major damage to business on Boston Road in Wilbraham

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The fire started outside the building but entered the eaves and spread through the attic, meaning the entire roof will likely have to be replaced, a fire official said.

wilcleanup.jpgView full sizeFirefighters clean up following a fire in a garage in the rear of 2460 Boston Road in Wilbraham on Sunday afternoon. The fire causes major damage to the building's roof.

WILBRAHAM – A fire Sunday afternoon behind a large storage garage at 2460 Boston Road spread to the inside of the building and caused heavy damage to the structure, said Fire Chief Francis Nothe.

Nothe said the fire entered the building through the eaves and spread throughout the attic, causing significant damage to the entire roof. Firefighters also had to cut holes in the roof to vent some of the smoke.

Nothe said the entire roof will likely have to be replaced.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control, he said.

One firefighter had to be taken to the hospital after being overcome by the heat, Nothe said.

The garage is located to the rear of a cluster of shops at 2460 Boston Road. Nothe said it was occupied by two businesses, Preco Power Equipment and Trinity Landscaping.

Nothe said an investigator with the state Department of Fire Scenes arrived on scene to help determine the cause.

The preliminary reports are the fire was caused by unauthorized burning of materials in the rear of the property but that will have to be determined, he said.

Firefighters from Ludlow and East Longmeadow assisted Wilbraham through mutual aid.


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Obituaries today: Myrel Olmstead worked at Curran Construction, was professional boxer

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Obituaries from The Republican.

031112_myrel_olmstead.jpegMyrel Olmstead

Myrel Olmeda Olmstead, 81, of Holyoke, passed away on Friday. He was born in New York and had lived in Holyoke for many years. Olmstead worked for many years at the James A. Curran Construction Company in Holyoke, retiring in 1989. Prior to that, Olmstead was a professional boxer. The highlight of his boxing career was fighting 10 rounds with the No. 1-ranked featherweight champ Willie Pep on Nov. 3, 1955. From 1950 to 1960, he boxed at the former Valley Arena in Holyoke and in various other states.

Obituaries from The Republican:

Cigarette starts house fire on Benton Street in Springfield's Pine Point

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It was the second fire of the day in Springfield started by careless disposal of cigarettes.

SPRINGFIELD - A fire started by an improperly disposed-of cigarette caused an estimated $5,000 damage to a house at 76 Benton St. in the city’s Pine Point neighborhood Sunday evening, said Dennis Leger, Aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The 6 p.m. fire damaged a wall in a second-floor rear bedroom but firefighters extinguished it before it could spread, Leger said.

No one was injured, and the residents were allowed to remain, he said.

Investigators determined the fire was started by a cigarette that apparently lodged in the window frame and smoldered for a while after someone tried flicking it out the window, Leger said.

It was the second fire of the day started by careless disposal of a cigarette. A two-family home at 2934 Main St. sustained heavy damage from a 1 p.m. fire that started on the front porch.


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Granby gets $40,000 to lay groundwork for a full-time kindergarten

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“A good number of districts throughout the state – almost 50 percent – charge tuition.”

GRANBY – The School Department in this town has won a $40,000 grant from the state to study the possibility of implementing a full-day kindergarten for 5-year-old children next year, according to Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez.

If this turns out to be something that parents want, said Rodriguez, it could become a source of revenue for Granby schools.

“A good number of districts throughout the state – almost 50 percent – charge tuition,” she said, adding that she would not want the cost to exceed $5,000 a year.

Granby is the only town in Western Massachusetts that doesn’t have a full-day kindergarten.

If the state Department of Education approves the plan made possible by the initial grant, Granby could keep the program going with further grants.

“The key here for us is that we will get funded next year,” said Rodriguez, “depending on how many children we can enroll.

“Right now, it looks like we could have at least three full-time kindergarten classes.”

Without the grant, the Granby schools could not have embarked on this initiative, said Rodriguez, as the school district is facing a deficit.

With tuition and a grant, the program could make a go of it, said Rodriguez. She said the program also would have access to $17,000 to $19,000 set aside this year for equipment.

A full-day kindergarten would run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., she said.

This year’s grant is strictly for investigating the possibility. “We want to survey our parents and create a committee,” said Rodriguez, “and we want to involve day care providers.”

She said she tuition may not be a permanent part of the program for Granby parents.

Even so, revenue would come in if families used “school choice” to send their 5-year-olds to Granby from other school districts.



Titanic Historical Society to unveil memorial in Springfield's Oak Grove Cemetery to honor victims on 100th anniversary of famed disaster

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The Titanic Centennial Memorial will be dedicated to those who died on April 15, 1912, including two passengers with Western Mass. ties: Milton C. Long and Jane Carr.

kamuda1.JPGEdward S. Kamuda, president of the Titanic Historical Society at the Titanic Museum in the Indian Orchard Section of Springfield.


SPRINGFIELD – A black granite memorial to the 1,496 people who died a century ago on the Titanic will be unveiled and dedicated on April 21 at Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Titanic Centennial Memorial will be dedicated to those who died on April 15, 1912, including two passengers with ties to Western Massachusetts – Milton C. Long, 29, and Jane Carr, 47.

Long was the only child of Charles L. Long, a judge and former mayor of Springfield. A first-class passenger, Long was returning to the United States after a trip to Europe. He is buried beside his parents at Springfield Cemetery .

The Irish-born Carr worked as a domestic and cook in Springfield and at the Chicopee Falls Hotel before returning home to Ireland in 1909. She was traveling as a third-class passenger aboard the Titanic to settle her affairs and planned to return to Ireland. Her body, if recovered, was never identified.

The memorial at Oak Grove Cemetery at 426 Bay St. is the brainchild of Paul A. Phaneuf, of St. Pierre-Phaneuf Funeral Chapels, who is a member of the advisory board of the Titanic Historical Society.
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“The Titanic Historical Society originally planned to place this $35,000 memorial of polished black granite in honor of all who perished and especially Milton Long and Jane Carr in Springfield Cemetery, but were turned down by the general manager and board of directors as they did not deem the project worthwhile to the city and the cemetery,” Phaneuf said. “We ultimately selected Oak Grove Cemetery and were welcomed with a beautiful site that was donated, that will be seen and enjoyed by visitors for future generations.”

The memorial will show how the City of Homes is connected to the Titanic, Phaneuf said. The 4,000-member Titanic Historical Society is headquartered at 208 Main St. in
Indian Orchard.

“For nearly a half century the Titanic Historical Society has been preserving the memory and history of RMS. Titanic, educating people about the ship and hosting worldwide visitors” said society president Edward S. Kamuda. The society’s journal, The Titanic Commutator, has featured numerous connections between Springfield and the ill-fated liner.

Added Kamuda, “The Titanic Centennial Memorial is not the first memorial project by the Titanic Historical Society. At Titanic’s first port of call in Cherbourg, France, a beautiful granite plinth in a square near the harbor was placed. In Cork, Ireland, her final port until New York, there is another granite memorial with a bronze relief of the ship in memory of the Irish who were seeking a better life in the New World. The Cobh Titanic Memorial is located on the waterfront and was partially funded by Titanic Historical Society members. The Titanic Historical Society has been welcomed for memorial dedications in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the ship was built and in Southampton, England where Titanic embarked on her maiden voyage.”

In addition, a plaque from the society was placed on the Titanic’s undersea wreckage by oceanographer Robert D. Ballard.

Karen B. Kamuda, publisher of The Titanic Commutator, said the Springfield memorial had the support of society members around the globe.

The society “relies entirely on private contributions and, for a while although members were enthusiastic, we wondered if the it would be matched by donations,” she said. “To raise the funds voluntarily was a daunting challenge especially with the economy we are living in. All previous memorial projects have been located in other countries, understandably, so having a memorial in the city where the (Titanic society) was founded and reaching the financial goal has shown their approval.” 

Granby's new 'blue bag' program makes immediate dent in town's waste stream

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In the month since went in place on Feb. 1, residents threw away 65 fewer tons of trash that they did in February last year.

GRANBY – Preliminary numbers suggest the new Blue Bag trash disposal program, which went into effect in Granby Feb. 1, has already made a big dent in the amount of waste produced by residents.

“The town did a good job,” said Thomas Murray, senior district manager for Waste Management, the company in charge of the landfill and transfer station in Granby.

According to Murray, residents threw away 165 tons of trash in February 2011, and about 100 tons in February 2012.

In the months before the Blue Bag program went into effect, the town mounted a campaign on the benefits of recycling rather than disposing indiscriminately.

Known in some towns as pay-as-you-throw, the new program requires residents to purchase standardized trash bags in which all their refuse must fit. The fewer bags they have to purchase, the cheaper for them.

Participants in the town program take their Blue Bags to the Waste Management transfer station themselves, although Town Administrator Christopher Martin has said that a pick-up program is one of several options being studied for the future.

Granby had to change its trash disposal system because its landfill finally became full last year.

For years, the town had not only been getting a “host fee” for allowing Waste Management to keep their landfill on town property, but residents were also allowed to drop off their trash for free.

Once the landfill closed, everything changed. The town had to start paying. For the past year, town government has been paying $65 a ton to Waste Management, a sum they could not continue to sustain.

This reversal was not easy for people in town to accept. Some assumed that they could throw away their trash for free forever, and the Blue Bag program was a difficult wake-up call.

Murray said he was surprised at how effective the program has been in its first month. “We could tell just by observation that the number of cars using the drop-off center that (trash disposal) was ¤’way down,” he said. “But I don’t know if we expected it to be down that much.”

The system will be in use at least into 2013, but the Selectboard has said that residents can expect more changes in the future. Waste Management may be part of those future plans, said Murray.


Switch to beef cattle could be the savior of declining Western Massachusetts dairy farms

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A recent study found that there is the potential for sales of up to 1.3 million pounds of locally grown and processed ground beef in New England.

Johanna Anderson-PrattJohanna Anderson-Pratt, an owner of Apple Valley Galloway Farm in Ashfield, stands near the barn as some of her belted and white Galloway cattle and her horse, Daisy, eat hay.

ASHFIELD - Raised in a Boston suburb, Johanna Andersen-Pratt took the back-to-the-land philosophy to heart in the 1970s and milked cows on a dairy farm here for two years after college.

Later, she and her husband, Jerry, bought their own land here and began a beef cattle operation, Apple Valley Galloway Farm.

Now, with dairy farms steadily disappearing throughout New England and good pastureland going unused, she believes it’s time for a revival of that earlier philosophy, saying a beef cattle industry, providing meat to local markets, can flourish in the region.

“It can be a perfect retrofit for a dairy operation,” Andersen-Pratt said. “Dairy farmers have the equipment and the know-how, but a lot of them don’t realize it’s profitable. And it’s certainly simpler than dairy farming.”

A recent study commissioned by the six New England states’ departments of agriculture found that there is the potential for sales of up to 1.3 million pounds of locally grown and processed ground beef to schools, colleges, hospitals and other organizations.

The study also found that nearly a third of the institutional buyers surveyed would be interested in buying beef direct from a local producer, if that avenue were available to them.

“We see great potential .¤.¤. to supply locally sourced beef to meet the growing demand for locally grown products,” said Scott J. Soares, the Bay State’s commissioner of agriculture. Such an effort “has the potential to increase profitability for our region’s dairy and beef producers,” he said.

There’s no denying that dairy farms are fading from the region. In 1950, there were an estimated 5,000 just in Massachusetts. Today, there are fewer than 180, according to the state Department of Agricultural Resources.

“Right now, there is a lot of beautiful open farmland because dairy farmers are going extinct,” said Andersen-Pratt, who raises grass-fed belted and white Galloway beef cattle. “When dairy farms go out, the fields are mowed and hay is made. So there is still lots of grazing land. But there needs to be education to inform people that it is viable to raise beef cattle. It is a pretty simple and straightforward operation.”

However, it will take many beef producers to meet the local demand from
institutions, Andersen-Pratt said.

“Institutions want a steady supply year¤’round and no fluctuation. Even restaurants want to have a guaranteed and steady supply,” she said. “So you would have to have a lot of different small farmers doing this.”

At Wheel-View Farm in Shelburne, John and Carolyn Wheeler raise grass-fed belted Galloway beef cattle.

“The awareness raised about feed-lot beef and their conditions with antibiotics, hormones, corn, etc. has created a huge market for grass-fed beef,” Carolyn Wheeler said, noting, however, that there are few local beef producers.

“People travel two to three hours one way to our farm just to purchase beef that they know has been raised without antibiotics, hormones and corn,” she said. “Instead of (complaining) about not making a profit with dairying, many farmers could convert to raising beef.”

One of the principal obstacles to moving from dairy to beef farming in this region is the lack of enough local slaughterhouse capacity, Wheeler said.

“Adams Farm in Athol is really our only option,” she said. “Because we work with other farmers for trucking and send a combined total of 12 to 20 animals a month, they try very hard to accommodate us. However, the Adams family, who run the facility, are really busy, working seven days a week. The region could easily use another small processing facility.”

The six-state study also found that there are regulatory obstacles to making a successful changeover.

For instance, the study noted, in 2008, that 10,000 pounds was the lowest bid accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture food program – a threshold out of reach for New England producers or processors. The study recommended the implementation of a state or regional bidding process that would decrease the volume to a level that is feasible for New England processors to meet. 

Sunshine Week: Massachusetts 'Open Checkbook' initiative demystifies state spending

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The site provides a searchable database that details such aspects of state spending as payroll and pension information and payment details for over 50,800 vendors.

sunshineweek.jpg

Ever wonder how the state spends your tax dollars? A new initiative in transparency now allows the curious to open the state’s “checkbook” online and take a look for themselves.

Launched by State Treasurer Steven Grossman and other state officials late last year, the Massachusetts Open Checkbook website provides a searchable database that details such aspects of state spending as payroll and pension information and payment details for over 50,800 vendors.

“Every citizen has the right to know where and how their hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being spent,” Grossman said.

The site can be found at mass.gov/opencheckbook.

The state is taking a leadership role in the push towards more transparency, said Charlie Schweik, associate professor at the Center for Public Policy and Administration and Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts.

“I am not surprised that Massachusetts is doing this,” Schweik said, adding that the state government and its Information Technology Division has a track record of striving to make data more readily available over the Web.

A prime example, Schweik said, is the state Office of Geographic Infomation which has made state geographic data available online for years.

Schweik said he was attending a conference in Cape Town, South Africa in 2005 when he heard the director of Google Maps praise the MassGIS system.

Meanwhile, Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency, last week gave the Massachusetts state website an A+ rating in its third annual Sunny Awards. The awards honor the most transparent government websites in the nation.

Several other states, including Maryland and Alabama have undertaken similar open checkbook-style iniatives, Schweik said.

“While surely it was possible to gather data on spending by department, or by vendor, prior to the launch of this site, this new system appears to make access to that data easier for citizens or watchdog groups,” Schweik said.

The website includes pie charts that llustrate the overall spending by funding source and state spending breakout based on the Commonwealth’s 2011 $51.3 billion financial report.

The Open Checkbook represents over 5 million records of actual data. It includes all state agencies, the judiciary (courts and departments), the legislature, independent boards agencies, boards, commissions and more.

It does not include summary information or protected data sich as child support, lottery winnings, debt service, or retirement health care.

Quasi-public agencies, cities and towns and spending from tuition and fees collected by the University of Massachusetts, state universities and community colleges are also not included.

The Republican and Masslive.com recently made use of the database to determine that dozens of state police troopers and corrections officers at state prisons earn more than $100,000 in in some cases more than $200,000.

Brenda Bushouse, an Associate professor with the Department of Political Science and also the Center for Public Policy and Administration at UMass, said Open Checkbook could play an active role in shaping public policy.

“It depends on to what degree watchdog groups monitor that data and then use it as a basis for lobbying for change. And the degree to which media pays attention to it,” Bushouse said. “It could cut back on aspects of political patronage as well.”

2012 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Line of March

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From parade honorees to the Melha clowns, here is the lineup for the March 18 parade.

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The 61st annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade kicks off on Sunday, March 18, at 11:30 a.m. from the Kmart Plaza on Northampton Street. Marching bands, floats, local dignitaries, clowns and lovers of all things Irish will make their way along the 2.6 mile parade route. The parade will be broadcast live on WGBY-TV, Channel 57.

PARADE OFFICIALS

Grand Marshal: Barry J. Farrell

Parade President: Russell J. McNiff Jr.

Chief-of-Staff: Roger Reidy

Deputy Chiefs of Staff: Kathleen Krisak, deputy chief in charge; Peter Brady, Alan Cathro, Jane Chevalier, Bill Dinn, Johnny Driscoll, Mary Lynch, John Mansfield, Russell McNiff, Sr., and Jim Wildman.

Police-Traffic Coordinator: Chief James Neiswanger and Capt. Kevin Pratt, Holyoke Police Department.

Fire Department Coordinator: Fire Chief John Pond, Holyoke Fire Department

Emergency Medical Coordinator: Robert Moore, EMT

Mass. State Police Coordinator: Lt. John Healy

Float Co-chairmen: Daniel Tierney, Richard DuPuis


Float Judge Coordinator: Chris Larkin

Music Co-Chairmen: Peter Brady, Patricia Brown, Alan Cathro, Johnny Driscoll, Brynn Feyre, Russell McNiff Sr., and Joe Paul



Coordinator Music Judge:
Patricia Brown

Marketing Committee: James Leahy, Sheila Moreau

Parade Communications: Tower Communications

Communications: Conor Brennan, Michael Brennan, Joe Morrison, amd Johnny Driscoll

Assembly area: K-Mart Plaza Parking Lot , Northampton Street, Route 5, and Whiting Farms Road

Reviewing area: City Hall - Parade Committee and Mayor’s Reviewing Stand

WGBY/ 57 commentators: Eileen Curran, Brian Corridan and Fred King.

First-aid stations: K-Mart Plaza and Holyoke Medical Center areas – (Robert Moore, EMT, and EMT and AMR staff)

021812_brianna_fitz_grand_colleen.JPGBrianna M. Fitz, 20, of Holyoke, is crowned grand colleen Saturday during an event at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke.

DIVISION A
HOLYOKE ST. PATRICK'S PARADE COMMITTEE


Town Crier Sign

Parade Program Books- Holyoke Catholic Students

Town Crier Truck – Joe Griffin

Holyoke Police Vehicles

Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps – Norwalk, Conn.

Holyoke Police Cruiser

Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger

Holyoke Police Department Marching Unit

Holyoke Auxiliary Police Guard

Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band - Holyoke

Grand Marshal Sign

Grand Marshal – Barry Farrell, Donna Farrell

Past Grand Marshals (car)

J.F.K. National Award Winner Sign

J.F.K. National Award Winner Kevin O’Hara, Belita O’Hara, Brendan O’Hara, Eamonn O’Hara

J.F.K. National Award Winner Aide – Raymond Feyre, Susan Feyre

Past J.F.K. National Award Winners

Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee Banner, Flags and Color Guard

Carried by American Legion #185

Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee

Hot Tamales – Boston

Parade President –Russell J. McNiff Jr., Terri McNiff

Rohan Award Winner – Mark F. O’Brien, Jean O’Brien

O’Connell Award Winner – Kara E. Shanahan

Gallivan Award Winner – Suzanne Morin-Poulin, Robert Poulin, Michelle Kinsella

Jack and Ben Kinsella

Past Presidents and Past Award Winners

Holyoke ParadeThe 61st annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade steps off on Sunday.

Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee Grand Colleen Float “Irish Garden,” Brianna M. Fitz and her court

Miss Congeniality – Maggie E. Kuntz

Blue Equiculture Wagon And Horse Team

Miss Congeniality – Maggie E. Kuntz

Holyoke Past Grand Colleens and Courts

Filarmonica Santo Antonio – Cambridge

2012 Ambassador Award Winners - Adrian Flannelly and Aine Sheridan

Past Ambassador Award Winners

Republic of Ireland Consul General – Michael Lonergan

Republic of Ireland Officials - Frances Fitzgerald A minister of the Republic of Ireland

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

2012 Citizenship Award – Massachusetts State Police, Troop B

Mass. State Police Color Guard

Mass. State Police Cruisers & Motorcycle

Massachusettes State Police Pipes and Drums

Mass. State Police Marching Unit

Mass. State Command Post Van

Past Citizenship Award Winners

St.Patricks Parade Chaplin- Rev. William Lunney

4th Degree Knights of Columbus Color Corps

Archbishop William Assembly

Fr. Doyle Assembly

Bishop Conaty Assembly

Fairview Assembly

3rd Degree Knights of Columbus Marching Unit

morse.jpgHolyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse

DIVISION B
CITY OF HOLYOKE


Holyoke High School Cheerleaders

Holyoke High School Band – Holyoke

Holyoke Mayor- Alex B. Morse

Holyoke City Council

Holyoke School Committee

Holyoke Fire Department Banner

Holyoke Fire Department Color Guard Unit

Holyoke Fire Chief John Pond

Holyoke Fire Department Marching Unit

Holyoke Fire Antique Truck

Dan Kane Singers

Federal Dignitaries

National Association of Letter Carriers – Branch 46

State Dignitaries

Governor Deval Patrick

Westbrook Fife & Drum Corps. – Westbrook, Conn.

Sheriff Michael J. Ashe and Marching Unit

County Dignitaries/ City Dignitaries

1919 Holyoke Medical Center Antique Ambulance

Holyoke Medical Center Marching Unit

Windsor Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps – West Windsor, NJ

Sports Across Ireland

Holyoke VNA

Blessed Sacrament Marching Unit

Mater Dolorosa Marching Unit

Bureau For Exceptional Children “Jericho “

Aqua String Band – Cherry Hill, N.J.

Girl Scouts 100 Anniversary Float

Miinechaug High School - Holyoke ParadeMinnechaug Regional Band at Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade

Girl Scouts of Western Massachusetts marching unit

Massachusetts Outstanding Teen “ Sydney Rachael Levin- Epstein”

Miss Greater Holyoke “ Tamara Saclarczyk”

Teen Miss Western Mass “ Courtney Ingles”

Miss Hampden County “Cherise LeClair”

Massachusetts National Guard Jazz Band

Dunkin Donuts

New Leaf Marching Unit

William J. Dean AF ROTC Marching Unit

Holyoke/Chicopee/Springfield Headstart Marching Unit

A.O.H. Float with Dancers and Music

AOH Man of The Year – Joe O’Connor

LAOH Women of The Year – Barbara Twohig

AOH Marching Unit

PVTA Trolly with the Holyoke High School Drama Club presenting “Legally Blonde”

Worcester Kiltie Band – Worcester

Hallamore Clydesdales – Lakeville

United Water Sweepers

Pioneer Valley Red Cross - Holyoke ParadePioneer Valley American Red Cross Chapter at Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade


DIVISION C
MILITARY



82nd Airborne Division Association Color Guard

Massachusetts National Guard Fife & Drum

IRAQ and Afghanistan Returning Veterans

Barnes Air National Guard, 104th Fighter Wing

104th Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol

Pearl Harbor Attack Veterans Marching Unit - Edward F. Borucki -

State Sen. Michael Knapik and Family

Boston City Band – Boston

American Legion Post 338 Southwick, Mass Color Guard and Motorcycles Holyoke Soldiers Home Marching Unit

American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter
Gallery preview

DIVISION D
WESTFIELD


Division Sponsor Sign

Westfield Banner

American Legion Post #124 Color Guard

Westfield Parade Marshal – Lisa Healy McMahon

Executive Director of the Westfield Business Improvement District

Westfield Mayor – Daniel Knapik

Westfield City Officials

State Representative Donald Humason

Westfield Police Department – Chief John Camerota

Westfield Fire Department – Chief Mary Regan

Westfield on Weekends – Board of Directors and Volunteers

Westfield High School Marching Band - Westfield

Andrea Nuciforo, Jr. Candidate for U.S. Congress

St. Mary’s Parish - Marching Unit Fr. Brian McGrath

St. Mary’s 150th Anniversary Commission Float

St. Peter’s Drum Corp – New Hartford, Conn.

Thomas M. Kane Irish Man of the Year James Kane

Dorothy Griffin Irish Women of the Year Helen Tymeson

Sons of Erin Marching Unit – President Jim Casey, Board of Directors, Members

Sons of Erin Women’s Auxiliary Marching Unit- President Leslie Dodge

Westfield Colleen Float “Irish Christmas,”
Megan S. Casey and court


Firehouse Dixie Band – Providence, R.I.

Noble Hospital Marching Unit

Westfield University Marching Unit

AGAWAM_COLLEEN_1_10110783.JPG2012 Agawam Colleen Allison McCluskey, a 17-year-old senior at Agawam High School, after being crowned at the 2012 Agawam Colleen Coronation held Feb. 12 at Chez Josef.

DIVISION E
AGAWAM



Division Sponsor Sign

American Legion # 81 Color Guard

Agawam 2012 Parade Marshal - Tim McGrew

Agawam 2012 Ann Sullivan Award Recipient – Sue Wills

Agawam 2012 Citizenship Award Recipient – MaryAnn Zicollela

Agawam St. Patrick’s Parade Committee

Agawam Colleen Float and Court

Agawam High School Band – Agawam

State Rep. Nicholas Baldyga

Agawam Town Banner

Agawam Mayor – Richard Cohen

Agawam City Officials

Agawam Fire Chief – Alan Sirois

Agawam Fire Department

Agawam Senior Citizens Shuttle

Six Flags Trolley and Characters

City Of Albany Pipe Band – Albany, NY

Special Olympics of Western Massachusetts

Ms Massachusetts Senior America” The Honorable Judge Nance Dusek-Gomez”

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Chicopee Colleen Coronation Ball 2/25/12Erin McDonald learns she has been selected to represent the City of Chicopee as the 2012 Colleen while she is applauded by court members Annie O'Reilly, left, and Samantha Hill, right, during the Chicopee Coronation Ball on Saturday night at the Castle of Knights, Knights of Columbus Council.

DIVISION F
CHICOPEE


Division Sponsor Sign

Chicopee Banner

Chicopee Marshal – Sr. Mary Reap

Past Parade Marshals

Chicopee Comprehensive High School Band - Chicopee

2012 Chicopee Parade Committee President – Jeremy J. Procon

2012 Woods Award Winner – Raymond LeHouiller

2012 Atkinson Award Winners- Ted and Barbara Hebert with Benny and Bella

Chicopee Parade Committee

Chicopee Colleen Float “Tree Of Life”

Chicopee Past Colleens and Award Winners

State Representative- Joseph Wagner

Bellamy Middle School Drill Team and Cheerleaders

Chicopee Mayor – Michael D. Bissonnette

Chicopee City Council and Elected Officials

Chicopee Police Department-Chief John R. Ferraro, Jr.

StPatParadeMap.jpg

Long Island Sunrisers Drum & Bugle Corp – Brooklyn

Buddy Bright

Chicopee Electric Light- Jeffery Cady, Manager

Chicopee Fire Department -Chief Stephen S.Burkott

Antique Hose Wagon

Excelsior Drum & Bugle Corps. – Troy, NY

Teddy Bear Pool’s Smart Car

Elms College Irish Cultural Center Float

Elm’s College Irish Culture Center Marching Unit

Moose Lodge Truck with Moose

Moose Family Center #1849 Officers Marching Unit

WWLP Channel 22 Television Station Marching Unit

WWLP Channell 22 Van

Worcester City Brass Band – Worcester

Chicopee Youth Football Association

Chicopee Indians Youth Baseball Association

Holyoke/Chicopee Relay for Life

Quabog Highlanders Pipe & Drums – Monson

Kung Fu Academy

Interstate Towing Vehicles

Warehouse Point Ancient Fife and Drum Corps – Windsor, Conn.

AE_PARADE_16_8512439.JPGThe 2012 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade is set for March 18.

DIVISION G
NORTHAMPTON


Division Sponsor Banner

Northampton Banner

10th Massachusetts Volunteers Regiment - Florence

Northampton Marshal Banner

Northampton Parade Marshal- Jim Durfer

Northampton Mayor – David Narkewicz

Northampton City Councilors

Asst. Adjutant Brigadier General Gary W. Keefe

Framingham High School Marching Band – Framingham

Florence Savings Bank Marching Unit

Department of Conservation “ Smokey Bear”

Northampton St.Patrick's Association Banner

James Brennan Award Recipient- Bill (Red) Ouimet

Joan Tobin Citizenship Award Winner – Andre Chaput Smith Vocational High School

William F. O’Connor Shanachie Award Winner- Shannon Diggins

Hampshire Regional High School

Saint Patrick: Bill Metzger

Northampton St. Patrick’s Association Members

Northampton St. Patrick’s Association Float – “Puck Fair”

William Diamond Fife & Drum Corps – Lexington

Look Park Jeep

Calvin Coolidge Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Facility Marching Unit Hampshire County Sheriff’s Triad Division

Gallery preview

DIVISION H
EASTHAMPTON/SOUTH HADLEY
AMHERST/BELCHERTOWN


Division Sponsor Sign -

Easthampton Police Color Guard.

Easthampton Police Cruiser

Easthampton Fire Department-Chief David Mottor

Red Knights Drum And Bugle Corps. – Pittsfield

Easthampton Parade Committee Banner

Easthampton Parade Marshal 2012- Mrs. Melissa Boyle Pike

Gallagher/Walker Award – Recipient: Mr. John Sheehan

Easthampton Past Parade Marshals

Scholarship Award Winners: Caroline O’Leary, Nicholas Quinn

Easthampton Chamber of Commerce

State Representative John Scibak

Easthampton Mayor – Michael Tautznik

Easthampton City Officials & City Council

“Easthampton Float “Irish Cottage”

Distinguished Young Women of Greater Easthampton: Molly Bialecki and her Court

Easthampton High School Band - Easthampton

Division Sponsor Sign for South Hadley

South Hadley Banner

Police Color Guard

South Hadley Parade Marshal - Thomas W. Carey

South Hadley Irish Knights Award – Joanne Trybus

South Hadley St. Patrick’s Committee Float

South Hadley Police Contingent

South Hadley Fire District # 1 Fire Chief Robert Authier

South Hadley Fire District # 2 Fire Chief David Keefe

South Hadley Town Officials & Board of Selectman

South Hadley /Granby Chamber of Commerce

Arco Fitness

Mount Holyoke College Marching Unit

South Hadley High School Band - South Hadley

Amherst Police Department – Chief Scott Livingstone

Amherst Fire Department – Chief Tim Nelson

UMASS Police

JR Sweepers 1

Avalon String Band – Cherry Hill, NJ

BIG Y Marching Unit

Leprachaun Plunge

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

DIVISION I
SPRINGFIELD


Division Sponsor Sign

Springfield Banner

Springfield Parade Marshal - Daniel Warwick

John & Agnes Burke Award – Ann Shea and Mary Shea

Paul G. Caron Award – Claire O’Brien

Appreciation Award- Mayor Domenic J. Sarno

Springfield St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee Banner & Marching Unit

Cathedral High School Cheerleaders and Hockey Team

Cathedral High School Band – Springfield

SABIS International Cheerleaders

Central High School ROTC

Environmental Center for Our Schools

Springfield Colleen Float “Tea Time”

Springfield Kiltie Band - Springfield, Ma

John Boyle O’Reilly Club “ Irish Person of the Year” – Bobby Desormier

John Boyle O’Reilly Club Marching Unit and Antique Cars

John Boyle O’Reilly Club Float

Moodus Fife & Drum Corps. – Moodus, Conn.

Springfield City Council

Springfield School Committee

Springfield State Reps & State Senator

Springfield Police Department Honor Guard

Springfield Police Marching Unit-

Springfield Fire Department Marching Unit

Connecticut Hurricans Senior Drum & Bugle Corps. – Ansonia, Conn.

Springfield Lodge of Elks # 61 - Irish Elk of Year “ Michael P. Ashe”

Springfield Lodge of Elks # 61 Marching Unit

Springfield Lodge of Elks Float

7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. – New London, Conn.

Baystate Ambulance

Baystate Health Systems Marching Unit

Life Choice Donor Services

Fusion Core Drum & Bugle Corps. – Morris County, NJ

Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center

Springfield Rugby Team
Gallery preview

DIVISION J
WEST SPRINGFIELD


Division Sponsor Sign

West Springfield Banner

West Springfield Town Marshal – James Conlin

West Springfield Past Marshals

Ray Destefano Citizenship Award – Mike and Rose Desrosiers

Past Citizenship Award Winners

Olde Mitteneague Award – Tony Liquori’s

Olde Mitteneague Past Award Winners

Jinx Powers Award Winner – Daniel Patten

Jinx Powers Past Award Winners

Irish Elk of 2012- Ruth Martin

West Springfield Colleen Float “Tommy John The
Irish Fire Engine”


West Springfield Parade Committee

West Springfield Varsity Cheerleaders

West Springfield High School Marching Band – West Springfield

ABC 40 & FOX 6 Marching Unit and Van

State Sen. James Welch

State Rep. Michael Finn

West Springfield Mayor Gregory Neffinger

West Springfield Town Council

West Springfield School Committee

Belchertown High School Marching Band – Belchertown

Lt. Governor Timothy Murray

West Springfield Police Department: Chief Thomas Burke

West Springfield Fire Department: Chief William Flaherty

Minnechaug High School Marching Band – Wilbraham

Caballos De-Paso Horses

JR Sweepers 2

AE_PARADE_21_MIEKE_2674582.JPGMelha Shriners will take part in the annual Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade.


DIVISION K
MELHA SHRINERS



L.O.S.N.A.

Rainbow Girls

Parade Marshal – Robert Waltermire

Melha Banner - Color Guard - Legion of Honor

Illustrious Potentate – Russell D. Mitchell

Divan

Chief Rabban- Edward F. Griffin

Asst. Rabban- Bill Faust

Past Potentates

Melha Temple Military Band - Springfield

Legion Van

Trustees

Administrators

Aides and Ambassadors

Directors - Float

Directors Van- Mel Balloon on Trailer

Past Masters

Mini Scooters

Shrine Club: K-9,Burns Brigade, Berkshire Shrine Club

Clowns Float

Rider’s Mini- Choppers

Flyers - Trailer

Highlanders - Band

Vintage Autos

Dazzle Balloon Float

Melha Temple Oriental Band - Springfield

Mariners

Melha Riders

Hadji: Dune Buggy, Mustang, Mini-Bikes, Big Rig’s Plus, Rattlers, Model T’s Monster Trucks, Go Carts, Dune Buggy.

Jeeps

Trykes

Melha Temple Drum Corps

Melha Bus

US Army sergeant kills 16 in Afghan villages

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The attack threatened the deepest breach yet in U.S.-Afghan relations.

031212afghanistan.jpgAn Afghan soldier is seen in a guard tower at a military base as civilians gather outside in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 11, 2012.

BALANDI, Afghanistan — Moving from house to house, a U.S. Army sergeant opened fire Sunday on Afghan villagers as they slept, killing 16 people — mostly women and children — in an attack that reignited fury at the U.S. presence following a wave of deadly protests over Americans burning Qurans.

The attack threatened the deepest breach yet in U.S.-Afghan relations, raising questions both in Washington and Kabul about why American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan after 10 years of conflict and the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The slayings, one of the worst atrocities committed by U.S. forces during the Afghan war, came amid deepening public outrage spurred by last month's Quran burnings and an earlier video purportedly showing U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban militants.

The Quran burnings sparked weeks of violent protests and attacks that left some 30 Afghans dead, despite an apology from President Barack Obama. Six U.S. service members were also killed by their fellow Afghan soldiers, although the tensions had just started to calm down.

According to U.S. and Afghan officials, Sunday's attack began around 3 a.m. in two villages in Panjwai district, a rural region outside Kandahar that is the cradle of the Taliban and where coalition forces have fought for control for years. The villages are about 500 yards (meters) from a U.S. base in a region that was the focus of Obama's military surge strategy in the south starting in 2009.

Villagers described cowering in fear as gunshots rang out as a soldier roamed from house to house firing on those inside. They said he entered three homes in all and set fire to some of the bodies. Eleven of the dead were from a single family, and nine of the victims were children.

U.S. officials said the shooter, identified as an Army staff sergeant, acted alone, leaving his base in southern Afghanistan and opening fire on sleeping families in two villages. Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in. He was in custody at a NATO base in Afghanistan.

The suspect, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., was assigned to support a special operations unit of either Green Berets or Navy SEALs engaged in a village stability operation, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still ongoing.

Such operations are among NATO's best hopes for transitioning out of Afghanistan, pairing special operations troops with villagers chosen by village elders to become essentially a sanctioned, armed neighborhood watch.

Some residents said they believed there were multiple attackers, given the carnage.

"One man can't kill so many people. There must have been many people involved," Bacha Agha of Balandi village told The Associated Press. "If the government says this is just one person's act we will not accept it. ... After killing those people they also burned the bodies."

In a statement, Afghan President Hamid Karzai left open the possibility of more than one shooter. He initially spoke of a single U.S. gunman, then referred to "American forces" entering houses. The statement quoted a 15-year-old survivor named Rafiullah, who was shot in the leg, as telling Karzai in a phone call that "soldiers" broke into his house, woke up his family and began shooting them.

"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said.

Obama phoned the Afghan leader to express his shock and sadness, and offered condolences to the grieving families and to the people of Afghanistan.

In a statement released by the White House, Obama called the attack "tragic and shocking" and not representative of "the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan." He vowed "to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible."

The violence over the Quran burnings had already spurred calls in the U.S. for a faster exit strategy from the 10-year-old Afghan war. Obama even said recently that "now is the time for us to transition." But he also said he had no plan to change the current timetable that has Afghans taking control of security countrywide by the end of 2014.

In the wake of the Quran burnings, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, visited troops at a base that was attacked last month and urged them not to give in to the impulse for revenge.

The tensions between the two countries had appeared to be easing as recently as Friday, when the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding about the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan control — a key step toward an eventual strategic partnership to govern U.S. forces in the country.

Now, another wave of anti-American hatred could threaten the entire future of the mission, fueling not only anger among the Afghans whom the coalition is supposed to be defending but also encouraging doubts among U.S. political figures that the long and costly war is worth the sacrifice in lives and treasury.

"This is a fatal hammer blow on the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan. Whatever sliver of trust and credibility we might have had following the burnings of the Quran is now gone," said David Cortright, the director of policy studies at Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and an advocate for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Gen. Allen offered his regret and "deepest condolences" to the Afghan people for the shootings and vowed to make sure that "anyone who is found to have committed wrongdoing is held fully accountable."

"This deeply appalling incident in no way represents the values of ISAF and coalition troops or the abiding respect we feel for the Afghan people," Allen said in a statement, using the abbreviation for NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

In Panjwai district on Sunday, grieving residents tried to make sense of why they were targeted.

"No Taliban were here. No gunbattle was going on," cried out one woman, who said four people were killed in the village of Alokzai, all members of her family. "We don't know why this foreign soldier came and killed our innocent family members. Either he was drunk or he enjoyed killing civilians."

The other 12 dead were from Balandi village, said Samad Khan, a farmer who lost all 11 members of his family, including women and children. Khan was away from the village when the attack occurred and returned to find his family members shot and burned. One of his neighbors was also killed, he said.

"This is an anti-human and anti-Islamic act," Khan said. "Nobody is allowed in any religion in the world to kill children and women."

One woman opened a blue blanket with pink flowers to reveal the body of her 2-year-old child, who was wearing a blood-soaked shirt.

"Was this child Taliban? There is no Taliban here" said Gul Bushra. The Americans "are always threatening us with dogs and helicopters during night raids."

Dozens of villagers crowded the streets as minibuses and trucks carried away the dead to be washed for burial. One man used the edge of his brown shawl to wipe away tears.

Officials wearing white plastic gloves picked up bullet casings from the floor of a house and put them in a plastic bag.

An AP photographer saw 15 bodies in the two villages, some of them burned and other covered with blankets. A young boy partially wrapped in a blanket was in the back of a minibus, dried blood crusted on his face and pooled in his ear. His loose-fitting brown pants were partly burned, revealing a leg charred by fire.

It was unclear how or why the bodies were burned, though villagers showed journalists the blood-stained corner of a house where blankets and possibly bodies were set on fire.

International forces have fought for control of Panjwai for years, trying to subdue the Taliban in their rural strongholds. The Taliban movement started just to the north of Panjwai and many of the militant group's senior leaders, including chief Mullah Mohammed Omar, were born, raised, fought or preached in the area.

The district has also been a key Taliban base for targeting neighboring Kandahar city and U.S. forces flooded the province as part of Obama's strategy to surge in the south starting in 2009.

The Taliban called the shootings the latest sign that international forces are working against the Afghan people.

"The so-called American peacekeepers have once again quenched their thirst with the blood of innocent Afghan civilians in Kandahar province," the Taliban said in a statement posted on a website used by the insurgent group.

U.S. forces have been implicated before in other violence in the same area.

Four soldiers from a Stryker brigade out of Lewis-McChord, Washington, have been sent to prison in connection with the 2010 killing of three unarmed men during patrols in Kandahar province's Maiwand district, which is just northwest of Panjwai. They were accused of forming a "kill team" that murdered Afghan civilians for sport — slaughtering victims with grenades and powerful machine guns during patrols, then dropping weapons near their bodies to make them appear to have been combatants.

Obama has apologized for the Quran burnings and said they were a mistake. The Qurans and other Islamic books were taken from a detention facility and dumped in a burn pit last month because they were believed to contain extremist messages or inscriptions. A military official said at the time that it appeared detainees were exchanging messages by making notations in the texts.

Massachusetts Treasurer Steven Grossman to announce appointment to Gaming Commission

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The salary for commission members has been set at $112,500.

SteveGrossman2010.jpgTreasurer Steve Grossman

BOSTON - Treasurer Steven Grossman will announce his appointment to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in a 12 p.m. press conference today at the State House.

Grossman's appointment -- expected to be someone with experience in corporate finance and securities -- will mark the third person named to the commission.

In December, Gov. Patrick named Stephen Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, as chairman of the commission.

Last month, Attorney General Martha Coakley appointed former New Jersey State Police detective Gayle Cameron to the commission. Cameron was previously assigned to the Casino Gaming Bureau in New Jersey.

After today's announcement, two slots on the commission will remain. Those members will be appointed jointly by Patrick, Coakley and Grossman.

The salary for commission members has been set at $112,500. Grossman said in February that several candidates, citing wages for comparable positions in the private sector, had taken themselves out of consideration because they felt the pay was too low.

The commission, which is charged in part with selecting a total of four gaming sites from a number of development proposals, was mandated under the gaming law Gov. Deval Patrick signed in November. The law authorizes three resort casinos and one slot machine facility in Massachusetts.

All proposals are due by March 21.

NY fugitive wanted by Secret Service captured in Mass.

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A New York man wanted by the U.S. Secret Service for his alleged role in a multimillion dollar cellphone cloning scam has been captured in Massachusetts after a routine traffic stop.

PEABODY, Mass. — A New York man wanted by the U.S. Secret Service for his alleged role in a multimillion dollar cellphone cloning scam has been captured in Massachusetts after a routine traffic stop.

Police in Peabody say they pulled over an SUV just before 3 a.m. Saturday.

They say 30-year-old Miguel Argenys Jesurum was driving, but tried to switch places with a female passenger. Police say he appeared nervous, gave officers a false name and did not have a driver's license.

Finger printing at the station determined his real identity.

Police say Jesurum is part of a ring that stole information from cellphone accounts and used it to create a black market in international calls.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges including being a fugitive from justice.

Springfield police investigating stabbing incident in city's Pine Point neighborhood

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A 37-year-old man was taken to Baystate Medical Center after being stabbed multiple times on Boston Road.

SPRINGFIELD – A 37-year-old man was stabbed multiple times early Monday morning in the city's Pine Point neighborhood, according to a published report.

Springfield Police Capt. Cheryl C. Clapprood said the man was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of three stab wounds received during an altercation reported at 3:45 a.m. this morning at 339 Boston Road, 22News is reporting on its website.

Police said the victim, whose injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, was not cooperating with investigators.

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


THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a stabbing in the city's Pine Point neighborhood early Monday morning:


View Larger Map


Springfield police seeking suspect in ear-biting attack on CYO basketball coach

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The coach was attacked after his team won a game in the Catholic Youth Organization finals at the Holy Name School gymnasium in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

holy name school.JPGA man is accused of biting off part of a Catholic Youth Organization coach's ear at the conclusion of a basketball game Friday night at Holy Name School on Dickinson Street in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – Police are apparently still looking for the man wanted in connection with an attack on a Catholic Youth Organization basketball coach, biting off part of the coach's ear at the conclusion of a Friday evening game at Holy Name School in the Forest Park neighborhood.

Several ranking Springfield police officers said they had no new information about the case on Monday morning, adding that they were unsure if any arrests had been made over the weekend. Police say they know the identity of the man they are seeking, according to a published report, but neither the suspect or the injured basketball coach have been publicly identified.

Mark E. Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said the CYO teams were not affiliated with Holy Name or the diocese. The game was held in the gymnasium of the Dickinson Street school.

Police said the attack occurred just after the game had ended, when players from both teams had gone onto the basketball court to shake hands. Springfield Police Lt. Robert P. Moynihan said the attacker started punching the coach of the winning team, biting off part of his ear during the assault. The coach was treated at an area hospital and is expected to recover.

More information will be posted on MassLive as it becomes available.

Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to call city detectives at (413) 787-6355.


THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of Holy Name School in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. A CYO basketball coach was assaulted at the conclusion of a Friday night game in the Catholic school's gymnasium on Dickinson Street:


View Larger Map

Business Monday from The Republican, March 12, 2012: Stories to guide you through tax season

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Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican.

flipped.JPGA house is turned upside down on Stewart Avenue in Monson following the June 1 tornado.

Start the week informed with Business Monday from The Republican:

Tax time is the time to go back through receipts, seek advice
Are you eligible for these tax credits? Jim Kinney tells you when you're supposed to file, where you can get help and what tax benefits are out there for individuals and businesses. Read more >>

IRS offers tax relief for victims of tornadoes, other natural disasters
If you were a victim of a natural disaster last year, there might be a "silver lining on otherwise terrible events" waiting for you when it comes to your taxes, according to the Associated Press. Read more >>

Every taxpayer's nightmare: getting returns audited by the IRS
Last year the Internal Revenue Service audited nearly 1.6 million individual returns, wrote the AP. Find out the best defense against an audit in this AP story. Read more >>

More Business Monday:

Beer and wine at the Chicopee Friendly's just part of a larger experiment

Red Sox 2011 late-season collapse felt by Massachusetts Lottery; team scratch tickets out at home

Commentary: Koch brothers' fight to control Cato Institute damaging to libertarian think tank's reputation, prestige

Editorial: Reducing high school drop-out rate has economic benefits for society

Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council hosts Hampshire College discussion of the Valley and video gaming industry

Voices of the Valley: Dmitry Voloshinov, Vantage Sports and Rehab LLC, Palmer

Notebooks:

Business bits: Sovereign Bank to become Santander, Eastern Bank re-ups A-Gone

Business etc: shadows at MassMutual, Big Y promotes NuVal, HAPHousing warns of foreclosure scams, and more

Smith College president Carol Christ announces retirement

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Christ told The Boston Globe she plans to take a sabbatical and work on writing projects when she steps down.

NORTHAMPTON (AP) - The president of Smith College has announced that she plans to step down in June 2013.

Carol Christ says in a statement posted on the school's website that her decade at the prestigious women' college "has been rich with accomplishments."

She tells The Boston Globe she plans to take a sabbatical and work on writing projects when she steps down.

She says Smith has become more competitive and more diverse during her time. The college has also launched several academic initiatives including groundbreaking programs to promote science and engineering learning for women.

She says the school remains strong financially with a $1.4 billion endowment.

A search committee has been established to screen candidates for the trustees. Louise Parent, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, will chair the search committee. The executive search firm of Isaacson, Miller will assist in the hiring campaign.

Smith was established in 1871 and currently has about 2,500 students.

Massachusetts State Police catch wanted man in Springfield

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Police said Darin Heartley, 41, of Springfield struggled with officers as they attempted to take him into custody on outstanding warrants.

SPRINGFIELD – A traffic stop in the city's Forest Park neighborhood Friday night sparked a foot chase that resulted in the capture of a wanted man, according to Massachusetts State Police officials in Framingham.

After stopping a driver at about 9 p.m. Friday, Trooper Matthew Simpson had to call for backup when the male subject fled the scene on foot. A perimeter was set up with assistance from Springfield police and troopers from the Springfield barracks and K-9 unit.

Officers later spotted suspect Darin Heartley, 41, of Springfield, running down Garfield Street, where they took him into custody. Heartley, whose street address was unavailable, had outstanding warrants for probation and abuse-prevention order violations, police said.

Heartley also allegedly struggled with arresting officers, who additionally charged him with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

He was expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

Catherine Greig to plead guilty to helping Whitey Bulger avoid capture, but won't testify against him

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Greig could face as little as 32 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

By DENISE LAVOIE | AP Legal Affairs Writer

Gallery preview

BOSTON — The longtime girlfriend of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger will plead guilty to helping him evade capture but won't testify against him at his trial, prosecutors and relatives of people he's accused of killing said Monday.

Catherine Greig, 60, was charged with conspiracy to harbor a fugitive after she was captured with Bulger in Santa Monica, Calif., in June, more than 16 years after Bulger fled Boston.

Late Monday, prosecutors, after meeting with about a dozen people who say their relatives were killed by Bulger, filed a superseding indictment against Greig, adding charges of identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

Under a plea agreement, also filed late Monday, Greig will plead guilty to all three charges Wednesday.

Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, but prosecutors told the families that Greig could face as little as 32 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Catherine Greig 81111.jpgCatherine Greig

In the plea deal, prosecutors said they have agreed not to charge Greig with any additional offenses. They said they will not make a sentencing recommendation and reserve the right to seek a sentence higher than a range to be calculated under federal guidelines.

Bulger, 82, headed the notorious Winter Hill Gang and was a top-echelon FBI informant who ratted out the rival New England Mafia. His former FBI handler, John Connolly Jr., was convicted for warning him that he was about to be indicted, prompting him to flee Boston in late 1994.

Bulger is charged with participating in 19 murders. He has pleaded not guilty.

In a statement of facts signed by Greig and filed in court Monday, Greig acknowledges that she agreed to join Bulger on the run beginning in early 1995.

She also admits she agreed to conceal him from authorities for 16 years, used aliases, possessed unlawfully obtained identification documents such as driver's licenses and Social Security cards of other people and repeatedly helped him obtain prescription medication from a pharmacy by claiming to be his wife.

"I engaged in conduct that was intended to help Bulger avoid detection from law enforcement and to provide him with support and assistance during his flight from law enforcement," the document states.

"Together, we falsely posed as a married couple. ...I also told false cover stories to people we met in Santa Monica in order to conceal our true identities from law enforcement," the document states.

Tom Donahue, who says his father, Michael Donahue, was killed by Bulger and another man in 1982, said he was angry about what he called a "sweetheart deal" and a "slap on the wrist" for Greig.

"I'm not happy with the deal," Donahue said. "She helped keep that guy on the run. We could have had questions answered 16 years ago."

Michael Donahue's widow, Patricia Donahue, said prosecutors told the families they could not force Greig to testify against Bulger.

"They said, 'We cannot make anybody do anything they don't want to do,'" she said.

Patricia Donahue and her son said prosecutors told the families they did not want to risk Greig getting acquitted at trial.

Steven Davis, who says his sister, Debra Davis, was killed by Bulger, said he had mixed feelings about Greig avoiding trial.

"I mean, she's going to get what's coming to her ... it's never going to be enough," he said. "You can't bring my sister back."

Davis said the families met for a little over an hour with U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and assistant U.S. attorneys.

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