Catholic Youth Organization officials are hoping players' parents will sign a pledge included in a new code of conduct for parents. Those who violate the new guidelines could be barred from attending league basketball games.

Staff photo by Mark M. MurrayTimothy L. Forbes, a 34-year-old Springfield resident, is accused of biting off part of a winning CYO coach's ear after the team Forbes was rooting for lost a championship children's basketball game last week at Holy Name School in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. The Catherine Street man was charged with multiple offenses, including a felony mayhem charge punishable by a possible prison term. Forbes is due back in Springfield District Court on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD – Following an attack on a basketball coach who lost part of his ear, the Catholic Youth Organization of Western Massachusetts is poised to implement a new code of conduct for parents of children who play in the CYO's popular basketball league.

Anyone who runs afoul of the policy, which is expected to be in place before the start of the fall season, will be barred from attending CYO games, league officials said Wednesday. The nonprofit organization said it was waiting for a legal opinion regarding whether it could require parents to sign the code as a precondition to their kids' participation in the league

"We realize this is not a legally binding agreement, but we believe that this will heighten awareness of how parents are to act during their children’s games. We believe it will encourage parents to become even more invested in the maintenance of their own and fellow parents' behavior," said Anthony Cignoli, a CYO board member.

Any parent in violation of the conduct code — the same code that already applies to players, coaching staff and other CYO officials — will be barred from league games, whether they sign the pledge or not.

"We will not prohibit their children from participating, but parents will not be allowed to attend any league practices or games," Cignoli said. "We will, when appropriate, post online and inform league officials and local authorities of the decision to prohibit such parents from all league events."

The policy shift comes after an alleged assault by a parent at last Friday night's championship game at Holy Name School in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood. A CYO coach was seriously injured after part of his ear was torn off by a parent whose child was on the losing team, police said.

Authorities charged Timothy L. Forbes, 34, of Catherine St., Springfield, with felony mayhem and other serious offenses in connection with the incident. After the game had ended, Forbes approached the winning coach and got into a physical altercation with the man, who has not been publicly identified. Forbes then bit off part of the coach's ear, according to Springfield police.

CYO board member Anthony Cignoli

Forbes, who has a Springfield arrest record, is scheduled to appear for a so-called dangerousness hearing in Springfield District Court on Friday. At that time, a judge is expected to determine if the defendant should be jailed without the right to bail for up to 90 days.

"We've never had a code of conduct for parents," said Hugo H. Mariani Jr., CYO's athletic director.

Mariani said an emergency CYO board meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the alleged assault. "We went over the incident, obviously, and discussed how we can prevent this from possibly happening again."

CYO officials said they also plan to create a new website, which should be up and running soon, that will include an online copy of the new conduct code for parents. CYO officials are hopeful parents will sign the code before enrolling their children in the league, "but we can't force them to sign it," Mariani said.

The "zero tolerance" policy will specify what sort of behavior could lead to parents' banishment from games, Mariani said. "If they act up in a gym, yell profanity or whatever, and are asked to leave a gym, they'll no longer be allowed to attend any CYO games," he said.

The new rules won't take effect this season, which concludes next week. But Mariani said they definitely will be in place before the start of next season, which lasts roughly from November through mid-March. CYO officials said they were optimistic the code might be ready in time for the organization's popular summer league, which also includes night games at local city venues.

Initial reports indicated Forbes was an assistant coach. CYO officials quickly corrected that information, however, emphasizing that Forbes was not affiliated with the league or any of its youth teams even though he was seated on the losing team's bench. Cignoli said the mistake was understandable. "This guy was sitting near the coach. It appeared he was part of the team," he said.

Cignoli said the conduct code includes a new "bench policy," including "who can and can't sit on our bench." Under the new guidelines, no one — other than coaches, assistant coaches and players — can sit on a team's bench. If there is no table for the game's scorekeeper, that person will be permitted to sit on a bench.

Rep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield

Cignoli said the local CYO branch supports the principles of pending legislation sponsored by state Angelo J. Puppolo Jr., D-Springfield. The House bill, titled "An Act relative to Attacks on Sports Officials," would strengthen the punishment for attacks on sports officials in the commonwealth.

"We support the concept and principle of (the bill) and await to see its final form before endorsing the actual legislation," Cignoli said. "We understand that this bill will be amended as it progresses, (and) we hope to contribute to its development and progress to final form and passage."

Mariani was not present for Friday night's game at Holy Name School on Alderman Street, but those who were have described the disturbing incident to him, he said.

"He shouldn't have been there," Mariani said, referring to Forbes sitting on a team bench in the gymnasium. "But the gym was so packed and there weren't enough seats."

CYO officials do their best to ensure people's safety, Mariani said. "Everybody's got to understand that this is a volunteer group," he said. "The administrative part of it, they're all doing this on a voluntary basis."

Mariani said the CYO board was "shaken" by the incident, which is why officials took fast action to establish new guidelines. "This has never happened before," he said.

Cignoli said nearly 5,000 kids from Springfield and its surrounding suburbs participate in the CYO basketball league.

WMass CYO Statementon Code of Conduct: March 14, 2012

Under the previous ownership, the company moved its King Street headquarters to Village Hill, where it occupies the bulk of the available industrial space.

File photo | The RepublicanL-3 KEO, formerly Kollmorgen Electro-Optical, makes periscopes and other optical devices.

NORTHAMPTON – Kollmorgen Electro-Optical has a new owner and, with it, a new name.

The sale of the company, Northampton’s largest industrial taxpayer, to defense contractor L-3 Communications was finalized last month. The New York-based L-3 Communications has 61,000 employees around the world and contracts with the U.S. government for a variety of products and services, including reconnaissance systems, communications and intelligence. Kollmorgen makes submarine periscopes and other sophisticated optics equipment.

Receptionists at the company, which is located at Village Hill, now answer the telephone, “L-3 KEO, formerly Kollmorgen Electro-Optical.” Officials at the company declined to elaborate on the name change, although “KEO” are the initials for “Kollmorgen Electro-Optical.”

Under the previous ownership, the company moved its King Street headquarters to Village Hill, where it occupies the bulk of the available industrial space. It presently employs about 340 people.

In a statement released when it announced the purchase of Kollmorgen last December, Michael T. Strianese, L-3’s chairman and chief executive officer, said the acquisition would expand the company’s existing portfolio.

“Taken together, (Kollmorgen) adds important new capabilities and serves as an example of L-3 successfully executing its acquisition strategy,” he said.

The suspect is incarcerated in Maryland now and will be brought back to face the Holyoke charges once he finishes his sentence.

SPRINGFIELD – Vincent R. Deleonardis, a 43-year-old former Holyoke resident, has been charged in a previously unsolved 1993 Holyoke case involving sexual assault against a person with a disability.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said Wednesday DNA evidence from the case run through the national DNA database led to Deleonardis being charged with rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years old.

Deleonardis was the victim’s personal care assistant in 1993.

Holyoke Police Detective Jennifer Sattler was issued an arrest warrant for Deleonardis on Tuesday from Holyoke District Court.

Deleonardis is incarcerated, serving a sentence at the Maryland Correctional Institute in Hagerstown, Md., for unrelated theft offenses.

The Holyoke arrest warrant will mean he will be brought back to face the Holyoke charges once he finishes his sentence in Maryland.

In July 1993, a then-37-year-old man with physical disabilities who uses a wheelchair reported being the victim of a sexual assault. He was provided immediate medical attention and placed in a designated care facility for his safety, Mastroianni said.

Subsequent forensic analysis of the victim’s sexual assault kit in 2007 produced biological substances suitable for testing, Mastroianni said. A DNA profile was developed from the samples and submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Deleonardis was linked to the DNA profile last year.

Mastroianni praised the work done by Holyoke Police officers; investigators from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and the Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DPPC); and personnel from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory for their “effective multidisciplinary cooperation” that yielded a suspect.

Court documents say the victim is a quadriplegic and is non-verbal, although able to communicate with investigators.

NASA has delayed its planned launch of five rockets aimed at learning more about the jet stream's current at the edge of space.

In this Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 photo provided by NASA Wallops, a rocket flies through the aurora borealis after lifting off from the University of Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska. The mission was launched by a NASA funded group of 60 researchers studying electrical activity in the aurora borealis and the likelihood it's interfering with GPS and other signals. Cornell University says the 46-foot rocket sent back data as it flew through the aurora at an altitude of 217 miles. (AP Photo/NASA Wallops, Lee Wingfield)

This is an update to a story posted at 5:29pm

ATLANTIC, Va. (AP) — NASA has delayed its planned launch of five rockets aimed at learning more about the jet stream's current at the edge of space.

NASA initially said it would send up five rockets in five minutes from coastal Virginia early Thursday. But it subsequently announced Wednesday the launch was scrubbed due to a payload problem. The next attempt will be no earlier than Friday night.

The rockets are to release a chemical trail to track winds circling Earth at up to 300 mph, about 65 miles above the surface.

Officials had said long, milky white clouds could be visible for about 20 minutes from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to southern New Hampshire, and as far west as Morgantown, W.Va. — weather permitting. That area includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

Two men still face charges of accessory after the fact of murder.

Angel Gonzalez

SPRINGFIELD – A Holyoke man who had faced a murder charge pleaded guilty Wednesday to initially lying to police about the fatal shooting of Shaun M. Tiago in January 2010.

The prosecution dropped the murder charge and a charge of accessory after the fact of murder against Angel Gonzalez, 29.

Miguel Roman, 45, of Holyoke, was convicted of shooting Tiago in December in Holyoke and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Tiago was shot as he rode in a car with Angel Gonzalez, Felipe Gonzalez, Luis Soto and Roman.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez told Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara the Gonzalez brothers and Soto all eventually told police Roman shot Tiago and said they had no idea he was going to do so.

Velazquez said the charge to which Gonzalez pleaded guilty, willful interference with a criminal investigation, represents the falsehoods he told police in several statements before he identified Roman.

Velazquez asked for a sentence of three to five years in state prison for Gonzalez, who has already served about 26 months awaiting trial on the murder charge.

Defense lawyer Donald W. Frank said Gonzalez said he was threatened by Roman after the shooting. He asked for a sentence of three years, saying Gonzalez and Tiago were friends so his client lost a friend with the shooting by Roman.

“My client was under a significant amount of stress,” Frank said, saying it was Gonzalez’ information that resulted in Roman’s arrest.

Ferrara sentenced Gonzalez to three to four years in state prison.

Felipe Gonzalez of Chicopee and Soto, of Springfield, still face a charge of accessory after the fact of murder. They both testified for the prosecution in Roman’s trial.

Patricia LeClair, Tiago’s mother, said Shaun Tiago was a loving son and generous person, even though he had addiction issues.

Sid Tiago, Shaun Tiago’s father, said, “My son’s death was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

He said now he will never know if his son would have stopped using drugs and been able to better his life.

Czupkiewicz said the fire started in his garage, where his daughter’s boyfriend was working on a motorcycle.

This is an updated version of a story originally posted at 2:37 this afternoon.

SOUTH HADLEY – A fire that started in a garage on Parkview Drive on Wednesday afternoon destroyed a home owned by a 95-year-old World War II veteran.

The fire was reported at 1:03 p.m. Three minutes later, arriving units reported heavy flames. A second alarm summoning additional units to the fire was struck around 1:10 p.m.

Frederick Czupkiewicz, the owner of the home, watched from across the street as firefighters battled the blaze.

South Hadley District 1 Fire Chief Authier, who was among the first on the scene, said the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office.

Czupkiewicz said it started in his garage, where his daughter’s boyfriend was working on a motorcycle. He said he was watching television when the boyfriend called to him, warning him of the fire.

Both men fled the home. Three cats were unaccounted for.

Czupkeiwicz’s daughter, Linda Czupkiewicz, also lives in the house but was out shopping at a supermarket when the fire began. “I just left for not half an hour,” she said.

She “had a bad feeling” as she followed fire engines onto Parkview Drive, she said.

Larry Fisher, chief lineman for the South Hadley Electric Light Department, remarked on the intensity of the fire, which damaged the siding on the neighboring home to the north.

“We don’t have a lot of fires in this town, but on a scale of 1 to 10 it’s right up there,” Fisher said. “The flames were at least 15 feet above the house.”

Authier said another problem was that a power line attached to the home had let go and was lying across the street. “It was live and sparking when we got there,” he said.

Firefighters broke two bay windows of the one-story home to release some of the smoke. “It was rolling,” said Authier.

Both districts in South Hadley and one engine from Holyoke responded to the fire.

Czupkiewicz, a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war who was liberated from a German prison camp, threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Memorial Day in 2011.

He has lived in his Parkview Drive home since 1965.

His home was most recently valued at $190,400, according to town records.

In January, an interior fire damaged the home of Czupkiewicz ‘s next-door neighbor to the south, Leon Zochowski.

Leger said it was the 5th such incident he can remember where someone using oxygen has been burned in the last 5 years.

SPRINGFIELD - A 54-year-old Garvey Street resident suffered serious injuries to his face an upper body Wednesday afternoon when an oxygen machine that was helping him breath ignited into flames, apparently as he was smoking a cigarette, a fire official said.

James Walsh of 249 Garvey Drive was taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance following the 4 p.m. incident, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant. Walsh suffered burns to his face, neck and back, Leger said.

A Baystate spokesman said Walsh was being evaluated in the emergency department and his condition was not available.

Leger said firefighters found an oxygen purification machine was in the room where the fire started. There was also evidence that Walsh was either smoking or had just lit a cigarette, Leger said.

The fire burned a chair, the floor, and 3 feet of rubber tubing leading to the machine.

Leger said this is the fifth such incident he can remember over the last five years involving oxygen machines or canisters. " People that are using it breathe should not be smoking, he said.

The oxygen, which makes up 21 percent of the air in Earth's atmosphere, is not flammable by itself, but it is a critical element, along with fuel and heat, for any fire.

When high concentrations of oxygen are present, a fire will burn hotter and faster, and objects such as hair, clothing and plastics can ignite at lower temperatures.

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Federal stimulus grants of the past 2 years, such as the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) grants to prevent teacher layoffs, have run out.

GRANBY – An unexpected group of about 20 members of the school community filled the little library where the Granby School Committee was holding its March meeting last week, leaving standing room only.

Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez was direct about what lies ahead for the 2013 budget.

Isabelina Rodriguez

“Unless we get more money from the state or the town,” she told the School Committee and an audience that included viewers of Granby Community Television, “we are looking at having to cut $700,000.”

The extra visitors did not speak during the meeting. Afterward they said they had not come to argue, but rather to learn what they could do to support the high standard of education in Granby.

“We want to make sure we’re abreast of what’s happening,” said Kristen Naglieri, president of the Granby Education Association, a teachers’ union.

Rodriguez inherited a budget gap when she was hired by the Granby schools a year ago. Since then, grants have decreased by $489,972 between 2009 and 20012, she told the School Committee.

It’s not just Granby that’s suffering. Federal stimulus grants of the past two years, such as the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) grants to prevent teacher layoffs, have run out.

Chapter 70 funding, the schools’ main state source, is level rather than rising with costs. “Circuit Breaker” funding, which helps alleviate the high cost of educating “special” (disabled) students, is not enough, and schools are lobbying for full coverage.

Last year, said Rodriguez, Granby schools were able to plug the holes in the budget with “school choice” money. She was referring to a fund created from tuition that Granby gets whenever a student came to its schools from another district.

“Last year we used all our school choice reserves,” said Rodriguez. Granby’s school choice fund went from $1,466,485 to a projected $920,410.

Meanwhile, costs keep inching up. The budget for health services in the schools was $207,179 in 2012. For 2013, it’s $214,234. Transportation, athletics, building and grounds maintenance have gone up.

Nobody’s giving up, but everyone knows it’s not going to be easy. “Bake sales won’t do it,” cracked a member of the School Committee.

Rodriguez said she will make recommendations for budget cuts at the committee meeting on April 2. “I’d like to finalize some definite cuts and I want a plan in place that we will put on our Web page,” she said, referring to www.granbyschoolsma.org.

“Looking at the long term, it needs to be done. Otherwise we’re going to be back in the same boat next year.”

The School Committee meets on the first Monday of the month, though Rodriguez said it may meet more often.

Naglieri said her supporters will be there. “Granby has a very good school system,” she said. “We want to work collaboratively to keep education strong here.”

Andrea Nuciforo Jr. claimed this week that Rep. Richard Neal used his influence in the Democratic Party to attack him through the statements of others, a claim which Neal's camp denied.

View full sizeDemocratic U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Andrea Nuciforo Jr. and Bill Shein are all competing for the Democratic nomination to represent the new First Congressional District from Massachusetts in the House of Representatives. (Republican file photos)

The race for the newly drawn 1st Congressional District in Massachusetts is starting to heat up as the Democratic candidates work to define their competition well ahead of September's primary election.

For the first time in several years, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, is facing competition from within his party to land the Democratic nomination to run for Congress.

Neal currently represents the 2nd Congressional District, parts of which were incorporated into the new 1st district, which includes all of Berkshire County, most of Hampden County and parts of Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester counties.

Democratic Rep. John Olver, of Amherst, who is retiring at the end of his term representing the current First Congressional District, recently endorsed Neal for the job.

The battle to represent the new 1st District has brought Andrea Nuciforo Jr., a former state senator and the current Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds, and Bill Shein, a political satirist and activist, into the ring as they attempt to remove Neal from the House of Representatives, where he has served since 1989.

Nuciforo claimed this week that Neal used his influence in the Democratic Party to attack him through the statements of others, a claim which Neal's camp denied.

Citing a recent Berkshire Eagle article in which a former North Adams mayor spoke of Nuciforo's personality in what he said was an unflattering light, Nuciforo said Neal is playing dirty politics.

"He is using surrogates to distort my record and attack me personally," Nuciforo said. "This is the type of negative campaigning that is standard for Washington insiders, but not in Massachusetts."

Nuciforo said he believes Neal is trying to discredit and eliminate him ahead of the Democratic primary, because he fears losing his job.

"I see why he wants to stay away from the real issues facing the voters," Nuciforo said. "He's raised millions from Wall Street over the course of his career and he's consistently chosen the interests of corporations over the citizens. "

Neal's campaign dismissed the claims, saying that if Nuciforo has a problem with the article's content, he should take his concerns elsewhere.

"Congressman Neal is working hard to bring jobs to the region, simplify the tax code, and preserve and protect Social Security," said William Tranghese, a spokesman for Neal. "He has no interest in negative campaigns or personal attacks. If Mr. Nuciforo has concerns about the stories that were written about him over the weekend, he should share them with the reporter who wrote them."

View full sizeIn this photo provided by Bill Shein, the political satirist points out the differences between his breakfast invitation and an invitation for a breakfast held for Rep. Richard Neal.

In this race, campaign finance has also been an issue among the candidates. Both Neal and Nuciforo have, over the course of their respective political careers, collected hefty amounts of cash from political action committees, a sticking point which Shein has used to boost his image as an outsider.

Last week, as Neal held a pricey fundraiser breakfast in the nation's capitol, Shein held a meet and greet at a Great Barrington coffee shop. In his invitation, Shein pointed out that to attend Neal's event, individuals, political action committees and hosts had to donate $500, $1,000 and $2,500, respectively.

Shein's event invitation said that PACs and lobbyists weren't invited and the event was centered on discussing the economy, the environment and money in politics.

"If Democrats are going to be Democrats again, and be full-throated champions of the bold ideas we need to fix our democracy, transform our economy, and protect our natural environment, that’s precisely the kind of fundraiser we must stop attending," Shein said in a statement. "As Democrats, we can’t properly fight against the democracy-distorting power of wealthy and corporate interests if we fund our campaigns with their money. Period."

Data from the Federal Election Commission state that Neal ended 2011 with a total of $2.4 million cash-on-hand compared to Nuciforo, who had $136,607 cash-on-hand.

Shein didn't enter the race in time to be listed in the FEC database and he has distanced himself further from his competition by pledging to only accept campaign donations of $99 or less.

The three candidates are expected to engage in a public debate in the coming months leading up to the Democratic primary. A Republican contender has yet to emerge in the race.

The state could save money by changing law so that an indigent defendant does not have to be appointed a lawyer for certain misdemeanor charges.

BOSTON - Seeking some savings in the state's $200 million system of indigent defense, a legislative committee is recommending a new law that would eliminate the need for court-appointed lawyers on scores of misdemeanor charges.

The Post Audit and Oversight Committee of the state House of Representatives issued a report on Wednesday that said judges should not have to appoint a lawyer for an indigent defendant facing any of 41 misdemeanors including trespassing, payment for sex, selling fireworks and failing to stop for police while driving a motor vehicle. The misdemeanors are punishable by up to 2.5 years in jail, but prosecutors rarely ask for jail time when someone is charged with a single misdemeanor, and jail is rarely imposed by judges in such cases, the report said.

Right now, there is a presumption in state law that jail time will be sought for the misdemeanors, meaning the poor are appointed lawyers on the charges, even if they are facing only one charge, said Rep. David P. Linsky, a Natick Democrat and chairman of the oversight committee. Based on the report, Linsky is authoring a bill that he said would change law so that it is presumed that jail time will not be sought on those misdemeanor charges.

"We're cutting down on demand," Linksy said after releasing the report at a committee meeting at the Statehouse. Here is a copy of the report completed by the committee.

Benjamin Swan

Rep. Benjamin Swan, a Springfield Democrat who is vice-chairman of the committee, said the courts could save a lot of time and money if the state adopts the committee's recommendation

People are constitutionally eligible for a court-appointed lawyer if they are charged with a crime that could result in a jail sentence and if they fall under certain income and asset guidelines.

The state currently contracts with private lawyers to provide most of the defense.

The report estimated the state could save $3.6 million by changing state law so that a poor defendant facing one of those misdemeanors does not have to be appointed a lawyer.

The report also calls for improved verification of the income and assets of indigent defendants to assure they cannot afford a lawyer.

Overall, Linsky said, he is hopeful of saving $10 million from the state's $200 million annual costs of indigent defense.

Linsky said he is concerned that the $200 million strains the state's $32 billion state budget and affects the ability to provide other key services.

The state's probation commissioner signed agreements in October to verify financial information of defendants with the state Department of Transitional Assistance, which includes welfare, and the state Department of Revenue. The committee's report recommends that probation also ink agreements with the state Registry of Motor Vehicles and the state Department of Medical Assistance, which administers Medicaid.

Coria Holland, communications director for the probation commissioner, said probation can access information at the Registry to verify car ownership.

"Our agency is pleased with the progress being made on the issue of indigency verification," she said in a statement.

Lisa Hewitt, general counsel for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, which oversees legal representation for the poor, said she was encouraged by the committee's findings.

"It's hitting the major themes we have been trying to highlight," she said.

The committee did not take a position on Gov. Deval L. Patrick's legislation to save money on indigent defense by hiring additional full-time state lawyers to replace some of the work currently done under contract by private lawyers for the poor.

"That is for another day," Linsky said.

House Post Audit and Oversight Bureau Preliminary Report

As dean at the University of Indiana he raised $120 million.

Photo by Diane Lederman / The RepublicanKumble R. Subbaswamy, provost at the University of Kentucky visited UMass Wednesday. He is one of four candidates under consideration for chancellor.

AMHERST - The provost at the University of Kentucky demonstrated his understanding of faculty concerns and his sense of humor when answering a question about what he would do to address what is perceived as a top-heavy administration at the University of Massachusetts.

Kumble R. Subbaswamy said he would appoint an assistant chancellor to look at streamlining the administration. The 60 or so in the audience laughed and many applauded.

Subbaswamy, 60, who is called “Swamy” is the third of four candidates for the chancellor’s position to visit the campus.

Carlos E. Santiago, the current chief executive officer of Hispanic College Fund in Washington and former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, met with campus constituencies Monday. Susan Phillips, the provost and vice president for academic affairs, at the University at Albany, State University of New York, visited Tuesday and Sona Andrews, vice chancellor for academic strategies in the Oregon University System, visits Thursday.

UMass president Robert L. Caret has been interviewing the candidates in Boston and is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees soon. The board would have to call a special meeting, said Robert P. Connolly, UMass spokesman.

“None of us is smarter than all of us,” Subbaswamy said in opening remarks at the final campus meeting of the day. That means collaborating in all ways including with the other campuses in the system.

He elaborated on that after his campus meeting, stressing the importance of working with those campuses, Caret and the Board of Trustees. “UMass Boston in not a competitor,” he said.

He said if he wanted to implement something on campus and “I can’t persuade the president of the system, I haven’t done my job.”

His job is “to build a coalition… you don’t want any friction.”

Some have said that Chancellor Robert C. Holub, who is stepping down at the end of the academic year, and former chancellor John V. Lombardi had less than productive relationships with then President Jack Wilson and the trustees. Building that coalition is seen as key, according to those on the search committee.

He has other guiding beliefs including “sunshine is the best disinfectant. That’s a statement about transparency,” something he believes is essential.

He also believes “there is no progress without risk.”

When asked to elaborate, he explained that might mean having a conversation about the focus on Association of American Universities membership, something leaders have long said is a goal.

He feels that UMass is already there in academic quality and it makes sense to talk about whether the university wants to focus on the requirements of membership, which he said is “fairly political” and getting in “is not in your control.”

He talked about his fundraising abilities. As Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Indiana he was involved “in a lot of frontline fundraising.” He said he raised $120 million in the six years he was there. “I enjoyed it. It’s really the way of telling the stories of the university.”

Asked why he would like to come to UMass, he said, “Massachusetts is a progressive state, the chance to live and work in the state is attractive.”
Also his youngest son is going off to college. “It’s time for a new adventure."

The drama, starring Dustin Hoffman, recently had begun production on a second season.

Dustin Hoffman, star of "Luck."

HBO has announced it will cancel the series "Luck," already under investigation by the American Humane Association, after the death of a third race horse.

Entertainment Weekly reported that the network released the following statement:

“It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series Luck. Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horseracing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision. We are immensely proud of this series, the writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the celebration of the culture of horses, and everyone involved in its creation.”

Most recently, a horse was injured and euthanized Tuesday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The horse reportedly died from falling backwards and slamming its head into the ground.

The announcement was made even though production of a second season of the series had already begun. The show’s final two episodes will be aired.

The drama, starring Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina and John Ortiz, centered on a racetrack, gamblers and organized crime.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs allege Lively is part of a conspiracy that includes the Ugandan Minister of Ethics and Integrity James Buturo and Member of Parliament David Bahati. Watch video

This is an update to a story that was originally posted at 12:54 p.m. on Wednesday

The Republican | Don TreegerThe "Stop the Hate and Homophobia Coalition" has organized a nationwide protest calling for the end of Springfield based Rev. Scott Lively's promotion of what they say is hate against the gay and lesbian community. Here, marchers head up State St. to Lively's Holy Grounds Coffee House.

SPRINGFIELD – “Brother Lee” credits Pastor Scott Lively with saving his life amid divorce and homelessness.

On the other hand, a Ugandan gay rights advocacy group is suing Lively for crimes against humanity through persecution in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

The founder of “Abiding Truth Ministries” has frequently been at odds with local civil rights activists who take exception with his “gay rehabilitation” philosophy, but he is now being accused of stirring up anti-gay hysteria in the conservative, violence-riddled African nation by speaking there since 2002 on ways to sway gays “back” to heterosexuality.

Lively is an evangelical minister and owner of Holy Grounds coffee shop on State Street, where many young people and admitted lost souls gather for free coffee in a tastefully decorated space in Mason Square.

Lee, who declined to give his last name, said he is among Lively’s followers and now a tenant and the building manager at the building at 455 State St. where Holy Grounds sits. He said there are many others like him who have been embraced by Lively at their lowest moments.

“I came here two years ago after a divorce, when I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. I was homeless and had nowhere to stay ... and Pastor Lively said: now you have a place to stay,” said Lee, 38, who added that he subscribes to Lively’s belief that homosexuality is a sin but supports everyone’s First Amendment rights to public assembly.

Good thing – because Lee was among a handful of Lively supporters poised to respond to a group of about 100 protesters descending on the front steps of the coffee house Wednesday afternoon. A long parade of black-clad gay advocates – some wearing white masks to honor those they contend have been murdered in Uganda for being gay – beat makeshift drums and carried signs with various messages.

“Don’t hate. Liberate,” read stickers plastered to a bucket drum fixed around the neck of Holly Richardson, who helped coordinate the demonstration to coincide with the lawsuit filed by the New York City-based Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).

“We’ve learned Scott Lively opened this ministry in Springfield. And that’s a big deal,” said Richardson, noting that Abiding Truth has been labeled as a registered anti-gay group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. “People are being murdered (for being gay) in Uganda and people need to know about it.”

Central to the procession up State Street was a cardboard coffin memorializing David Kato, one of Uganda’s highest-profile gay activists murdered last year after his name and photo were published in a small magazine in that country. Police later announced the arrest of Kato’s driver who said he killed Kato because Kato failed to pay him for sexual favors. Gay advocates remain outraged, and the local federal lawsuit draws a connection between Lively’s rhetoric and of others who join in his philosophy.

The complaint alleges the magazine parroted the beliefs of Lively and others, characterizing gays and lesbians as pedophiles seeking to brainwash African children and corrupt the fabric of an already fragile society. Lively published a book called: “The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party” that some call hate speech but Lively says is a historical account of large numbers of homosexuals among Nazis. He was among a group of U.S. evangelicals who spoke at a 2009 conference against the gay movement.

Speaking from Uganda at a teleconference to reporters on Wednesday, gay advocate and plaintiff Frank Mugisha said he has avoided crowded markets and makes it a point to never be alone since Kato’s murder.

“People were being reported to the police as homosexuals, were thrown out by their families or thrown out by the church,” Mugisha told reporters.

Backers of the lawsuit argue that Lively may be a fringe player in the United States but is a “key player” in Uganda, which has struggled against an AIDS epidemic, widespread poverty and violence with scant resources.

Lively on Wednesday argued that although he believes being gay runs afoul of the Bible and preaches about that, he does not support a bill pending in the Ugandan parliament that proposes the death penalty for gays or criminalizing advocacy for equal rights for homosexuals.

File photo | The RepublicanScott Lively

“Someone’s lying. So who’s lying? They’re lying,” said Lively, who did not come to the coffee shop during the protest. However, his supporters at the shop operated quietly as if the looming crowd was a familiar fire drill.

“I don’t know if you can come in, we’ve got a little problem here,” a woman told a young man who arrived at the door.

Lively is being sued under the alien tort statute, which allows foreign plaintiffs to sue in American courts for violating international laws. Lawyers for the plaintiffs allege Lively is part of a conspiracy that includes the Ugandan Minister of Ethics and Integrity James Buturo and Member of Parliament David Bahati.

Plaintiffs liken the statute to the so-called Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 which punishes private conspiracies designed to deprive a specific group of citizens of basic protected rights. They are seeking unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees, according to the complaint.

Lively said he will fight the lawsuit.

Sexual Minorities Uganda v. Scott Lively

In a deal with prosecutors, Greig, 60, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

By DENISE LAVOIE | AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON (AP) — The longtime girlfriend of former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges she helped him evade capture during 16 years on the run, and a man who claims one of his relatives was strangled by Bulger called her a "monster."

In a deal with prosecutors, Catherine Greig, 60, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

Catherine Greig

Bulger, who was captured with Greig last year in Santa Monica, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to charges of participating in 19 murders. His trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 5.

Steven Davis, who says his 26-year-old sister, Debra Davis, was killed by Bulger, said Greig delayed for more than 16 years the opportunity for the families of Bulger's victims to get justice.

"This woman, she's not what she appears to be. She's a monster," Davis said during a victim impact statement. "She kept him in hiding for all that time."

Earlier in the hearing, Greig broke down in tears when U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock, while questioning her about her background, asked if she had ever received psychological treatment. She said she had received counseling in 1984 after a family member committed suicide.

Patricia Donahue, who says her husband, Michael Donahue, was killed by Bulger, said afterward that Greig's tears didn't make up for hiding Bulger.

"Where was she when I was crying?" Donahue said. "I don't think she's a monster. I think that she just made a lot of bad choices, and those choices hurt a lot of people."

Each of the three charges to which Greig pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but prosecutors told families of people who claim their relatives were killed by Bulger that Greig could face less than three years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Under the plea deal, prosecutors have agreed not to charge her with anything else. Although the plea agreement does not include an agreement to cooperate against Bulger, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said it does not preclude prosecutors from seeking to compel her testimony.

Ortiz would not reveal what sentence prosecutors plan to seek when Greig is sentenced on June 12 but said it would be "significant." She said the harboring charge against Greig was unusual in the number of things she did to help Bulger and the length of time involved. Typically, she said, the charge is brought against someone who does one thing to help a fugitive, such as provide a car.

"Here, she protected and aided this individual for 16 years," Ortiz said.

As part of her plea agreement, Greig admitted she had used aliases, unlawfully obtained identification documents and repeatedly helped Bulger obtain prescription medication from a pharmacy by claiming to be his wife.

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

"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.

Bulger, now 82, headed Boston's notorious Winter Hill Gang and was a longtime FBI informant who gave the agency information on the rival New England Mafia. Bulger's former FBI handler was convicted of warning him that he was about to be indicted, prompting him to flee Boston in late 1994.

Bulger and Greig were caught in June just days after the FBI began a new publicity campaign focusing on Greig and aimed at a female audience. The FBI said on Greig's wanted poster that she frequented beauty salons and had well-kept teeth and multiple plastic surgeries. The Boston Globe has reported that the tipster who reported the couple's whereabouts was a woman from Iceland who spent months at a time in Santa Monica and had bonded with Greig over a stray cat.

Greig, a former dental hygienist, has been held in jail since her arrest. During a bail hearing in July, her lawyer described her as a subservient woman who was in love with Bulger and was unaware of the extent of his crimes when she fled with him.

“When you begin building two-family homes, the issue of transiency comes up.”

SOUTH HADLEY – It’s an ordinary little street in South Hadley off Route 116, with modest houses that are a little worn down with age and a sports bar on the corner.

But, at a public hearing of the Planning Board on Monday, people who live on the street said that they want to keep it just the way it is.

They were responding to a request for a special permit by Gerald Coderre Jr. of Coderre Development, who wants to build a one-story duplex there for rental purposes.

Coderre owns land at 5 to 7 Wood Avenue, and has already built another house on the eastern end of his lot. The new duplex would be next door, to the west.

Coderre said he thought the project would enhance the neighborhood, being at a scale compatible with the surrounding area.

The 2,700-square-foot building, including garages, would use utilities equal to a single-family house, according to him. Together with the other house, his structures would only take up 25 percent the lot, when bylaws would allow him to use up to 50 percent.

“It isn’t going to fit into the neighborhood,” said Edward Courchesne, who lives on the street. “I’ve been here 65 years. How would you like to be crowded out of your neighborhood?”

The Planning Board mediated the discussion.

Dana Malone said she grew up on the street. She said hers would be the only house on the street directly opposite another building, and having the duplex there would take away her privacy when she sits on her porch.

It was clear from the comments that this was a close-knit street where people had lived for a long time and knew each other. They seemed to be especially worried about the rental aspect of the project.

“When you begin building two-family homes, the issue of transiency comes up,” said Malone.

“We’re not saying that ruffians and rowdies are going to live there,” said Patricia Walsh, who also lives on the street, “but do we want to subject a family neighborhood to we-don’t-know-what?”

Another speaker, however, pointed out that the “transients” could be teachers or firefighters who don’t earn enough to buy a house but are a benefit to the community.

Also, said Planning Board member Jeremy King, telling someone they can’t rent their house would be an infringement of the rights of everyone in the room.

Planning Board chairwoman Joan explained that, according to bylaws, two buildings on one lot require a special permit in the zoning of Wood Avenue.

Her comment was in answer to a question about whether something needs a “special” permit because it doesn’t belong there in the first place.

There were complaints that the renters would park in the streets, to which Coderre countered that he has even seen boats parked on Wood Avenue.

The hearing will be continued on March 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said it has met key requirements of the Massachusetts Gaming Law, including acquiring an option to purchase land in Taunton.

Associated PressMashpee tribal council Chairman Cedric Cromwell, second from left, smiles as Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr., left, speaks about a proposed casino that the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe wants build during a news conference in Taunton last month. Other city and tribe officials attended the press conference including tribal Chief Vernon Lopez, third from left. Under the state's new casino law, the tribe must negotiate a compact with Massachusetts by July 31. Taunton voters would have to approve the casino plan. (AP Photo/Cape Cod Times, Merrily Cassidy)

BOSTON — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is formally requesting Gov. Deval Patrick enter into compact negotiations as the tribe pushes plans to build a casino in Taunton.

In a letter to Patrick on Wednesday, tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said it has met key requirements of the Massachusetts Gaming Law, including acquiring an option to purchase land in Taunton. Taunton has scheduled a June 9 referendum giving residents a chance to vote on the proposal.

Patrick signed a law in November authorizing up to three resort casinos in different geographic areas of the state.

In the southeastern region, the law gives exclusive rights to a federally-recognized Indian tribe to negotiate a gambling compact with the state by July 31.

The federally recognized Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe of Martha's Vineyard has also expressed interest in developing a casino.

Yoda won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma Marin Fair for her short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs.

View full sizeAP Photo/Noah BergerIn this June 24, 2011 file photo, a judge evaluates Yoda during the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, Calif. The 14-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix took top honors winning $1000 and a plethora of pet perks at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. The 1.8-pound female Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix owned by Terry Schumacher of Hanford, died in her sleep Saturday, March 10, 2012. She was 15.

HANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- When a beloved pet dies, good manners usually dictate saying something nice about the departed companion.

And for Yoda, it was a compliment to say she sure was ugly.

Yoda won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma Marin Fair for her short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs.

The Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix died in her sleep Saturday. She was 15.

The 1.8-pound pooch had lived a rough life before Terry Schumacher found her abandoned behind an apartment building and mistook her for a rat.

The dog went on to bag $1,000 and a trophy 15 times her size when she won the contest held in Petaluma, Calif., last June. Yoda and Schumacher became famous, appearing on national television.

Contest producer Vicki DeArmon said Yoda will keep the title until a new ugliest dog is crowned in June.

Schumacher, of Hanford, Calif., told the Hanford Sentinel that she will miss "her funny little ways."

But Schumacher said she was "comforted knowing she will be joining my Mom and Dad, who loved her so much. Her memories will live on forever

Sadly, O'Green Day appears to have nothing to do with the mega-successful rock band Green Day.

File photo / Associated PressSay what? A school in Wilbraham is making waves for changing its observance of St. Patrick's Day to O'Green Day. O'Green Day, sadly, has nothing to do with the mega-successful rock band Green Day, pictured here.

WILBRAHAM - St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday this year, so school children around the Valley and throughout the country will celebrate it at school on Friday.

Except at Wilbraham's Soule Road School which this year is apparently trading in St. Patrick's Day for something called "O'Green Day."

Abc40 is reporting O'Green Day is not a tribute to the San Francisco-based mega-successful rock band Green Day, but heavy-handed attempt to instill political correctness among the impressionable 4th and 5th graders.

The station reports the school principal, Lisa Curtin, reportedly made the move to be “inclusive and diverse” and ease any discomfort that may go along St. Patrick’s Day. A similar renaming was done on St. Valentine's Day, also out of consideration of what are termed "faith issues," abc40 reports.

The School Calender notes that March 16 is to be known as "O’Green
Day/Tasting’ of the Green." Oddly, the same calender labels Saturday the 17th as St. Patrick's Day.

Abc40 also reports students are encouraged to wear green on O'Green Day, and that lunches will include a variety of green vegetables.

Curtain and the school superintendent Martin O'Shea were interviewed in the abc40 piece, so it is unclear if this O'Green Day business is political correctness run amok, or some subversive means on the part of the school to get kids to eat their vegetables.

Either way, one parent called O'Green Day "really stupid."

It calls to mind the recent move by the Saugus schools to end a decade-old tradition of allowing firemen dresses as Santa to visit the schools right before the Christmas break. The move angered parents and firefighters and attracted the attention of local and national media. The school superintendent would later change his mind, but that didn't stop the death threats starting coming in anyway.

Theresa I. Justice is charged with being intoxicated when the pickup truck she was driving hit an 18-year-old male crossing Northampton Street near the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home.

Republican file photo

UPDATE at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, March 15: Holyoke police records now include information about a woman charged in connection with this incident. Records faxed to The Republican newsroom at 2:40 a.m. Thursday did not include any arrest information for the woman.

HOLYOKE –: Police here have identified the woman driver of a pickup truck that struck and seriously injured a pedestrian on Northampton Street late Wednesday night as Theresa I. Justice, a 46-year-old Holyoke resident charged with drunken driving following an incident that was witnessed by local TV stations.

Crews from both abc40 and 22News were present at the time of the 10:21 p.m. incident, according to the media outlets. Abc40 reported that the driver of the pickup truck that struck the pedestrian was taken into custody, but it was not immediately clear if she was charged.

Police have since indicated that Justice, of 15 Peltiah St., is charged with a marked lanes violation and operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in a "serious injury." She is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court.

Police said the incident occurred near the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home at 2049 Northampton St., prompting officers to close a stretch of roadway between Laurel Street and Washington Avenue.

The victim has been identified as an 18-year-old male, whose name has not been publicly released. He is reportedly in the intensive care unit at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. An update on his condition was unavailable.

"Our 22News photographer was standing on Northampton Street when the pedestrian was hit," the Chicopee-based TV station reports on its website.

Abc40 said the driver, later identified as Justice, was loaded into the back of a police cruiser after taking an apparent field-sobriety test. Holyoke police records sent to The Republican early this morning indicated that the city's latest arrest occurred at 6:39 p.m. Wednesday. Those records have since been updated.

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

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate site where a male pedestrian crossing Northampton Street was struck by a pickup truck driven by a woman:

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The initial savings for Easthampton was expected to be $84,000.

Michael A. Tautznik

EASTHAMPTON – The days are getting longer yet the city is unable to take tap the power of the sun because of a communication problem between the Oliver Street landfill solar array and the electric substation on Gunn Street.

The engineers are trying to figure out how they would be able to cut the power from the solar array to the substation in an emergency. Until they do, the panels are producing electricity but aren’t tied into the grid.

“This is part of the pitfalls (of being) early in the technology,” said Mayor Michael A. Tautznik. “These are some of the glitches you’re not going to run into (later on.)”

The array was the first such project under construction in the state. The 2.3-megawatt installation is also the largest of those planned and is expected to save residents $1.5 million on power over 10 years.

Tautznik said the array was expected to save the city $84,000 in electricity costs this fiscal year but they won’t know until it becomes operational. “The system needs to be safe, it’s frustrating to wait.”

He said work on the array was completed in December. State officials toured the project in October.

But in an emergency such as a car hitting a utility pole, power has to be shut off instantly and until that can happen the power is not going to be connected to the city’s electrical system, he said.

Engineers from Verizon and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. are tying to determine what kind of wiring can be used between the two, whether the copper can be used or the communication has to happen over a fiber optic cable, Tautznik said. He does not know when it can be resolved.

Borrego Solar Systems Inc. with offices in Lowell built the system.

In Belchertown, meanwhile, the New England Small Farm Institute wants to install a solar array on one of its fields and that proposal is before the Planning Board.

Amherst continues to negotiate with BlueWave Capital for a solar array on a closed landfill there. Residents near the landfill have filed a lawsuit to prevent it from being built there.