No matter who is responsible, almost everyone seems to want the government to do something, even if people aren't sure what, exactly, it should or can do.

Associated PressGasoline prices hovering around $4 are seen at a gas station on the south end of The Strip, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Las Vegas. From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Families canceling vacations. Fishermen watching their profits burn up along with their boats' gasoline. Drivers buying only a few gallons of gas at a time because they can't afford to fill the tank.

From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer. And the cost is becoming a political issue just as the presidential campaign kicks into high gear.

Some blame President Barack Obama. Some just cite "the government," while others believe it's the work of big, greedy oil companies. No matter who is responsible, almost everyone seems to want the government to do something, even if people aren't sure what, exactly, it should or can do.

A Gallup poll this month found 85 percent of U.S. adults believe the president and Congress "should take immediate actions to try to control the rising price of gas." An Associated Press-GfK poll last month showed 71 percent believe gas prices are a "very" or "extremely" important matter.

Chris Kaufman, who spends $120 a week on gas to travel the 60 miles between his two jobs, at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls and at a hotel in Vermillion, S.D., blames the price spike on threats from Iran to cut off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

"I think the candidates running for president need to take a good hard look at that and determine what their foreign policy is going to be for countries that threaten to do that," he said. "It's going to affect every single citizen in the United States."

Still, he believes the president has little control over gas prices, adding that it is commodities traders who really dictate prices.

Trucker Cory Nissen of Ruther Glen, Va., agrees.

"The president is nothing but a fall guy," Nissen said as he took a break from his rig at a stop in Wilton, N.Y., earlier this week.

Nissen, who is paid by the mile, said he has seen his paychecks shrink because his employer has cut back delivery runs in reaction to the rising cost of fuel. "It needs to change and change quick," he said. "I got bills I got to pay, and half the time I can't pay them."

On the presidential campaign trail, Mitt Romney called on Obama last weekend to fire his energy secretary, interior secretary and Environmental Protection Agency administrator, dubbing them "the gas-hike trio." Fellow Republican Newt Gingrich promised to roll the price of gas back to $2.50 a gallon if he is elected.

Obama mocked Gingrich's promise, saying, "They start acting like they've got a magic wand and will give you cheap gas forever if you elect us."

Amy Lis of Buffalo, N.Y., and her boyfriend canceled their vacation to Florida this spring in favor of a three-hour drive to Cleveland for an overnight stay and a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even that trip will cost more than $100 in gas.

"It's more than our hotel," she said as she filled up her boyfriend's Ford Ranger pickup.

In truth, there is not a lot the president and Congress can do in the short term to push down gasoline prices. They are tied to oil prices, which have climbed in recent months, pushed by increased consumption from developing nations in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and by concerns about supply disruptions in Iran and elsewhere.

Mike Siroub, who has operated a Union Oil station in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia for 25 years, said customers who used to fill up their tanks now put in just $10 or $20 at a time, telling him that that's all they can afford and that they are driving less or using more fuel-efficient cars.

He himself has joined them.

"I used to have a car with a big V-8 engine," he said. "I traded it for a four-cylinder Toyota Camry."

Among the things the government can do to bring prices down is reduce gasoline taxes or push to get more fuel-efficient cars on the road. The first new fuel standards since 1990 are just now going into effect, and the U.S. auto fleet is now more efficient than ever

People are still feeling the pain.

"When I go out to change the prices, they honk their horns and yell at me," said Siroub whose station's cheapest grade of gas, regular unleaded, was selling for $4.44 a gallon earlier this week. "The other day one person even gave me the finger."

In New York City, some cab drivers say the high cost of gas is prompting them to race through the streets of Manhattan even more recklessly than usual to pick up more passengers during a shift.

"When the gas is up, the money you make is going down," said Less Sylla, who paid $4.17 a gallon earlier this week. "You see a lot of drivers, they're driving, boom-boom-boom, because the lease is too high and it's working on their minds. So that's why they go like that, and it causes a lot of accidents."

Sylla, who said he will vote for Obama, blames greedy oil companies.

In Anchorage, Alaska, general contractor W.M. Lewis said he has had to raises his prices to keep his half-dozen trucks running. "It affects your bottom-line pricing," he said as he put $90.13 worth of gas, at $4.25 a gallon, into one of those trucks.

Milton Walker Jr., whose Louisiana tour company takes vacationers on boat rides through the alligator-infested swamps, said he raised prices last year because of the increased cost of fuel and will do it again if gas hits $5 a gallon. He blames the Federal Reserve, saying it hasn't kept inflation in check.

"I don't think it matters who's president," he said.

Shrimpers in Louisiana and lobstermen in Maine complain that high fuel prices are cutting into their profits. Craig Rogers, who burns through 50 gallons of gas a day tending his lobster traps along Maine's rocky coast, blames commodities traders, though he questions whether politicians are doing enough. He said politicians are too well off to really grasp what ordinary people are going through.

"They can say they feel for us, they can say they understand us, but when you have that kind of money, there's no way you can truly understand what we're feeling," he said.

It hasn't been pretty, but the Republican establishment, the delegate math, the money and more are increasingly lining up in Mitt Romney's favor in the long and grinding race for the party's presidential nomination.

The Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign stop at an American Legion post in Arbutus, Md., Wednesday, March 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — It hasn't been pretty, but the Republican establishment, the delegate math, the money and more are increasingly lining up in Mitt Romney's favor in the long and grinding race for the party's presidential nomination.

The race will go on. Romney's most dogged rival, Rick Santorum, is all but certain to claim more victories before the primary season ends.

And an astonishing admission Wednesday by one of Romney's top aides — that primary-season policy positions may be no more lasting than squiggles on a child's Etch A Sketch drawing toy — will hardly reassure Republicans skeptical about his commitment to the cause of conservatism.

"Everything changes" for the fall campaign, said Eric Fehrnstrom, prompting Romney himself to try and limit the political damage. "The policies and the positions are the same," he said.

Still, Romney's Illinois primary victory provided fresh evidence of electoral strength, produced a big delegate haul and paid an overnight dividend in the form of an endorsement from Jeb Bush.

"Now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall," said the former Florida governor, the man most often mentioned as a last-minute savior for the party, who could swoop into a deadlocked convention and emerge with the nomination.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, a Romney supporter, summarized Santorum's position from the point of view of a man who lost his first try for the nomination before winning on the second.

"In every race, Romney is going to pick up delegates. Looking back at my race in 1988 ... I should have gotten out, but I just kept going out there," Dole said. "When you're out of money and you don't have the organization to buy TV, you have to take a hard look at it. As much as you don't want to do that, sometimes you have to face reality."

Much has changed since Dole last ran for the White House in 1996, including the emergence of super PACs that are allowed to raise money in unlimited amounts. That, too, is working to Romney's advantage.

So far, he has benefitted from more than $32 million in television ads from Restore Our Future, the entity that played the major role in wiping out Newt Gingrich with attack ads in the days before the Iowa caucuses and again in the Florida primary. More recently it has turned its attention to Santorum.

The Associated PressIn this March 21, 2012, photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at Superior Energy in Harvey, La. It's a good thing the GOP presidential race slows down from here: The candidates are even more tired than the voters. And, boy, does it show. Santorum's been making the kind of flubs that come with exhaustion. Newt Gingrich got caught sleeping on camera a few weeks back, and looked like he just might topple over. Mitt Romney has slept in his own bed just twice since Christmas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

For comparison purposes, the $32 million is more money than Santorum, Gingrich and Ron Paul plus super PACs supporting them have spent combined on television, and may be the reason Romney has been able to avoid dipping into his own personal fortune so far in the campaign.

Additionally, campaign finance reports released Tuesday showed that big donors to a GOP organization founded by political strategist Karl Rove have boosted their financial support for the Romney-aligned super PAC in recent months.

It's taken months, far longer than anticipated, for Romney to begin to take charge of a race that he began with overwhelming financial and organizational advantages. His record as a Massachusetts governor, particularly his embrace of a requirement for state residents to purchase health insurance, has made it hard for him to win over doubting conservatives in the South and elsewhere.

"Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs," he blurted out in one appearance, one of several utterances that suggest he doesn't quite understand the financial woes facing millions of Americans in the wake of the worst recession in decades.

Yet in Illinois, he won more votes than Santorum and Gingrich put together, a far better showing than the grudging victories he eked out in Michigan and Ohio over the previous few weeks.

Romney's delegate haul was even more impressive. He picked up 41, to 10 for his chief rival. That was hours after an aide to Santorum went on television to predict that the former Pennsylvania senator would win between 24 and 30.

There were more embarrassing moments for the former senator's campaign. The candidate himself backpedaled after saying on Monday that the economy wasn't the main issue of the campaign. "Occasionally you say some things where you wish you had a do-over," he said later.

The calendar, too, is a problem for Santorum, his objections aside.

In a memo released March 11, his campaign said Romney's claims of delegate superiority were based on "fuzzy math. ... Simply put, time is on our side."

In the days since, Romney has won 109 delegates, Santorum 44.

In The Associated Press count, Romney has 563 of the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination at the convention in Tampa, Fla., next summer. Santorum has 263, Gingrich 135 and Paul 50. That gives the front-runner more than half, a pace that will let him seal his victory by the time the primaries end on June 26.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results, and Santorum has every reason to anticipate victory on Saturday in Louisiana and elsewhere.

Yet the mid-range forecast is less than sunny for him.

He is not on the ballot in Washington D.C., effectively conceding 16 delegates in one of three primaries on April 3. Restore Our Future is already advertising on television in Maryland, the second of that night's three contests.

Wisconsin, the third, is likely to be the next big showdown. Restore Our Future has already sunk $2.3 million into TV advertising in the state, getting the sort of head start that helped Romney come from behind in Michigan and Ohio, and prevail in Illinois. Santorum has so far spent about $50,000.

Then comes a three-week break, followed by primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania. If Romney and Restore Our Future challenge him there in Pennsylvania, he will be stretched to mount much of a campaign in the other states.

"Saddle up," Santorum exhorted his supporters on Tuesday night after losing Illinois. He spoke not far from the historic battlefield at Gettysburg, Pa., where the tide turned decisively toward the better-equipped and financed Union in the Civil War.

"We're almost there," said Romney.

Cobb has called an April 4 executive session to discuss Cykowski's "reputation, character, physical condition or mental health."

EASTHAMPTON - The controversy surrounding city councilor Donald L. Cykowski has "cast a gray cloud" over the city and the incidents behind the outrage are "repugnant", council president Justin P. Cobb wrote in an email to local NAACP branch president Rev. Talbert W. Swan, II Wednesday afternoon.

Later in the evening, Cobb scheduled an April 4 executive session to discuss concerns about Cykowski, who recently resigned from the board of the Emily Williston Library amid allegations of sexual harassment and who came under fire for a racially charged remark he made during a public meeting.

Cykowski's resignation from the library board came after former library director Rebecca Plimpton alleged the councilor had harassed her for years before she left the position in 2007.

In December 2011, Cykowski drew criticism from Swan and others when he remarked "Where's a Puerto Rican when we need one?" as a colleague struggled to open a locked door after briefly leaving the room during a city council meeting.

Swan renewed his calls this week for Cykowski to resign -- or be ousted -- from his seat on the council. “I challenge the residents of Easthampton to display moral courage and have the gumption to remove Donald Cykowski from public office,” Swan wrote in an open letter to the city's residents Tuesday. Swan argued that there appeared to be a disparity in the level of public and official outrage over the harassment allegations versus Cykowki's comments about a minority group.

Responding to Swan's letter in an email sent at 3:16 p.m. Wednesday, Cobb wrote, "I too felt both incidents repugnant, and thank you for the work you do to provide voice to these issues."

Cobb informed Swan that he would call for the April 4 executive session "...to discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather then professional competence, of an individual, or discuss the discipline, or dismissal of, or complaints, or charges against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual."

Cykowski, a retired millwright, joined the council in Sept. 2004 following the resignation of councilor Bruce A. Gordon. Cykowski had finished fifth in a race for four at-large seats in the city's November 2003 election. But, under the terms of the city's charter, Cykowski qualified for Gordon's seat because he had received at least 30 percent of the total garnered by the top vote-getter in the at-large race.

Below, the full text of the email that Cobb sent to Swan.

Reverend Swan:

I too felt both incidents repugnant, and thank you for the work you do to provide voice to these issues.

From our last communication our Rules Committee is currently crafting an ethics rule, and tonight at the City Council meeting I intend to call for an Executive Session for 04/04/12, based on the following purpose (to discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather then professional competence, of an individual, or discuss the discipline, or dismissal of, or complaints, or charges against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual)

My office must respect due process to protect all individuals so the prior notice is required. This latest issue has cast a gray cloud over our City, distracting us from the good work we must do, and while I take solace in the actions by the Library Board, I am still appalled that this occurred in the first place, as I was shocked with the previous comment.

The frustration I feel due to a lack of real authority continues to drive me, and I hope the voters will make the right choice as you have advocated.

Continue the good work and I thank you for sharing your comments..

Justin Cobb
President, Easthampton City Council
District #2 City Councilor.

Easthampton City Councilor Donald Cykowski, left, and Springfield NAACP Director, Rev. Talbert W. Swan II

After an adviser to Mitt Romney told CNN Wednesday that "you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again" "almost like an Etch A Sketch" for the fall campaign, sharp criticism fell hard on Romney.

The Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses an audience during a campaign stop at an American Legion post in Arbutus, Md., Wednesday, March 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Lees will enter the private sector.

File photo | Don TreegerIn a February 2012 file photo, Brian Lees reads a proclamation at the induction ceremony for Judge John S. Ferrara as Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

SPRINGFIELD - Brian P. Lees announced Thursday he will not seek re-election to a second six-year term as Hampden Superior Court clerk.

In a statement emailed to The Republican, Lees said he "will enter private life after 24 years of public service, including 18 years in the Massachusetts Senate."

Lees was paid $109,800 in 2011, according to state records.

Lees, a Republican, said he would explore options in the private sector including possible consulting work on public policy areas and in the not-for-profit arena.

Earlier this week John Da Cruz, a lawyer and former Ludlow selectman, announced he is a Democratic candidate for the clerk's office.

The statement the Lees sent reads:

After spending the majority of my adult life in elected public office, I have decided not to pursue re-election to Hampden County Clerk of Courts. With the filing deadline for Clerk approaching in May it caused me to consider whether the time had come to return to the private sector where I began my career.

After consulting with my wife, Nancy, I decided it is the appropriate time in my life to explore other options outside of elective office.

I have been extraordinarily fortunate to serve the people of Western Massachusetts for nearly a quarter of a century, first in the Massachusetts Senate and for the past five plus years as their Clerk of Courts.

While one always feels they can do more in the public arena to advance the issues important to them or the quality of life of those we serve,

I'm proud of the things that were accomplished and that I was a part of both in the Clerk’s office and in the Senate.

This is a developing story. Details will be added as our reporting continues.

The South Street school is slated to close at the end of this school year. Church officials are evaluating possible future uses for the site, which includes the school and neighboring Holy Name of Jesus Church, which closed last year.

Staff photo by Mark M. MurrayHoly Name School Principal Patricia Kern and Rev. David Darcy, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church, said Thursday that the Chicopee school will close at the end of this school year.

CHICOPEE – Not even an eleventh-hour cash infusion would likely save Chicopee's Holy Name School from closing in June, said Rev. David M. Darcy, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church, the neighboring South Street sanctuary that closed last year.

Rising costs and dwindling enrollment at the 145-year-old school, whose structurally unsound parish church closed in February 2011 because of termite and masonry damage, are the main culprits fueling the decision to close the school. But the real challenge has been trying to provide Holy Name's 118 students with a quality, 21st-century education in an aging facility during a prolonged sour economy, Darcy said during a press conference Thursday on the school's front lawn.

The Catholic priest said he had a "heavy heart" delivering the bad news, which most parishioners had been bracing for since at least last year, when a last-minute decision was made to open the school for the current academic year.

"It's a done deal," Art Seymour said with a note of finality. The East Springfield man, who each weekday drives his four grandchildren from Springfield and East Longmeadow to the Chicoppe school, said the closure was expected considering Holy Name has been on life support for the past few years.

As a condition for opening this year, school officials had set certain enrollment and financial goals. Church officials said donations and ongoing support were not enough to sustain the school beyond this year, but some family members disagreed.

"We met all the criteria to stay open," said Janet Seymour, Art Seymour's wife, who accused Darcy and church officials of not caring.

The future of the Holy Name site, including the school at 63 South St., the neighboring church and a former rectory that's now the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning, is unclear at this point. Darcy said he and parish officials are evaluating which church properties "can be reworked and renovated," and which should perhaps be closed.

"We're looking toward a long-term goal," he said.

Darcy said Holy Name is "solely a parish school," which means it's not directly funded by the diocese. That said, the diocese has provided some past support, according to Darcy.

When Holy Name of Jesus Church closed last year, all services were moved to the Assumption of the Blessed Mary Church on Springfield Street. The Assumption and Holy Name parishes underwent a merger after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield closed churches in Chicopee.

Holy Name School Principal Patricia A. Kern said she and her staff of 17 will be out of work when the school closes in mid-June. However, the diocese has pledged to work with faculty and staff, who will get first dibs on any new job openings, she said.

"Mounting fiscal challenges," declining enrollment and outmoded facilities ultimately became insurmountable obstacles for the school, whose hallmark was always "academic excellence," Darcy said.

The pastor said the threat of closure had been "looming for many years," and that the school's faculty and students have "mixed emotions" about the decision. Art Seymour's emotions were crystal-clear on Thursday: He believes that both the parish and diocese have showed a lack of compassion in regard to the school.

"Where is the moral support from the church?" he said.

The school, founded in 1867, serves students from pre-kindergarten to the eighth grade. An academic fair featuring Catholic schools from neighboring communities will be offered to Holy Name families in the coming weeks, so parents can decide where to send their children next fall.

Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell offered "prayers to faculty, students and families as they learn of this sad news," adding that the economy "has not cooperated." McDonnell praised Kern and Darcy for doing all they could to keep the school open.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of Holy Name School, which is scheduled to close at the end of the academic year in June:

View Larger Map

The Massachusetts unemployment rate held steady at 6.9 percent in February, while the state added more than 9,000 new jobs during the month, according to the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The Republican / John SuchockiHolyoke , 3/15/12, Staff Photo by John Suchocki - Career Point Executive director David C. Gadaire speaks with HR Generalist Kristen Pospolita from McNair packaging of Westfield on the interview process they were conducting.

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts unemployment rate held steady at 6.9 percent in February, while the state added more than 9,000 new jobs during the month, according to the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The figures released Thursday follow recent downward revisions in estimated employment growth in 2011 that has prompted critics to question job creation claims made by Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick's administration.

The office also revised January jobs figures to show the state picked up 13,900 jobs in that month, rather than the 6,600 total that was previously announced. As a result, officials now say the state has gained 23,000 jobs since the beginning of 2012.

The monthly jobs figures are based on a sample survey of employers. The unemployment rate, which is based on a separate, monthly survey of households in Massachusetts, remained at 6.9 percent for the third consecutive month, well below the February U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3 percent.

The state revealed earlier this month that based on revised figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massachusetts gained only 9,100 jobs between December 2010 and December 2011, well below previous estimates by the state that more than 40,000 new jobs were created last year.

The federal statistics, which are calculated by a different method, could be revised again as more data comes in.

MassBenchmarks, a collaboration of the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said Wednesday it was lowering its estimate of overall state economic growth in 2011 to 1.8 percent, down from 2.9 percent, citing the revised jobs numbers.

Patrick administration officials say they believe the state gained more jobs last year than the latest figures indicate, but state House Minority Leader Brad Jones and other Republicans have accused the administration of painting too rosy a picture of the state's economic recovery.

Bissonnette said he would make a decision about whether to seek the post by the end of the month.

File photo | Greg SaulmonChicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette in his office at City Hall, November 2011.

CHICOPEE - On the heels of Hampden Superior Court clerk Brian P. Lees' announcement that he will not seek re-election this year, Mayor Michael Bissonnette today hinted at a possible run for the position.

In a message posted to his Facebook page Thursday morning, Bissonnette thanked Lees for his career in public service, adding: "To those who have been asking, yes it is something I am considering given my background in the law and public management."

Bissonnette said he would make a decision about whether to seek the post by the end of the month.

Lees announced Thursday that he would not run for a second six-year term. "After consulting with my wife, Nancy, I decided it is the appropriate time in my life to explore other options outside of elective office," Lees, who served as a state senator for 18 years prior to being elected clerk, wrote in his announcement.

Earlier this week lawyer and former Ludlow selectman John Da Cruz announced that he will run as a Democratic candidate for the clerk's office.

The deadline to file as a candidate for the office is in May.

The average price nationwide is $3.88 per gallon, the highest ever for March.

Associated PressGasoline prices of more than $4 are seen at a gas station on the south end of The Strip, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Las Vegas. From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer.

NEW YORK — Watching the numbers on the gas pump tick ever higher can boil the blood and lead the mind to wonder: Why are gasoline prices so high?

Many stand accused, including oil companies, the president, Congress, and speculators on Wall Street. Others assume that the earth is just running out of oil.

The reality, economists say, is fairly simple, but it isn't very satisfying for a driver looking for someone to blame for his $75 fill-up. Last year, the average price of gasoline was higher than ever, and it hasn't gotten any better this year. The average price nationwide is $3.88 per gallon, the highest ever for March. Ten states and the District of Columbia are paying more than $4.

Q: What determines the price of gasoline?

A: Mainly, it's the price of crude oil, which is used to make gasoline. Oil is a global commodity, traded on exchanges around the world. The main U.S. oil benchmark has averaged $103 per barrel this year. The oil used to make gasoline at many U.S. coastal refineries has averaged $117 per barrel.

Oil prices have been high in recent months because global oil demand is expected to reach a record this year as the developing nations of Asia, Latin America and the Middle East increase their need for oil. There have also been minor supply disruptions in South Sudan, Syria and Nigeria. And oil prices have been pushed higher by traders worried that nuclear tensions with Iran could lead to more dramatic supply disruptions. Iran is the world's third largest exporter.

Q: How are gasoline prices set?

A: When an oil producer sells to a refiner, they generally agree to a price set on an exchange such as the New York Mercantile Exchange. After the oil is refined into gasoline, it is sold by the refiner to a distributor, again pegged to the price of wholesale gasoline on an exchange.

Finally, gas station owners set their own prices based on how much they paid for their last shipment, how much they will have to pay for their next shipment, and, perhaps most importantly, how much their competitor is charging. Gas stations make very little profit on the sale of gasoline. They want to lure drivers into their convenience stores to buy coffee and soda.

Oil companies and refiners have to accept whatever price the market settles on — it has no relation to their cost of doing business. When oil prices are high, oil companies make a lot of money, but they can't force the price of oil up.

Q: Are oil prices manipulated by speculators on Wall Street?

A: Investment in oil futures contracts by pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange traded funds and other investors who aren't going to actually use oil has risen dramatically in the last decade. Much of this money is betting that oil prices will rise. It is possible that this has inflated the price of oil — and therefore gasoline — somewhat. But investors can also bet that prices will go down, and they do. Studies of the effects of speculation on oil markets suggest that it probably increases volatility, but that it doesn't have a major effect on average prices.

Q: Are politicians to blame for high prices?

A: Politicians can't do much to affect gasoline prices because the market for oil is global. Allowing increased drilling in the U.S. would contribute only small amounts of oil to world supply, not nearly enough to affect prices. The Associated Press conducted a statistical analysis of 36 years of monthly inflation-adjusted gasoline prices and U.S. domestic oil production and found no statistical correlation between oil that comes out of U.S. wells and the price at the pump. Over the last three years, domestic oil production has risen and gasoline prices rose sharply. In the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. production fell dramatically, and prices did too.

Releasing oil from emergency supplies held in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve could lead to a temporary dip in prices, but the market might instead take it as a signal that there is even less oil supply in the world than thought, and bid prices higher. Any price relief from a release of reserves would be temporary.

Politicians can, however, help reduce the total amount drivers pay at the pump. They could lower gasoline taxes and they can help get more fuel efficient cars into showrooms by mandating fuel economy improvements or subsidizing the cost of alternative-fueled vehicles. The first new fuel economy standards since 1990 are just now going into effect. Last summer the Obama Administration and automakers agreed to toughen standards further in 2016.

The U.S. fleet is now more fuel efficient than ever, and gasoline demand in the U.S. has fallen for 52 straight weeks. The U.S. is never again expected to consume as much gasoline as it did in 2006. That means that while drivers are paying more than they used to, they would have been paying much more if they consumed as much gasoline as they did in the middle of the last decade.

Q: Are prices high because the world is running out of oil?

A: Not yet. Prices are high because there's not a lot of oil that can be quickly and easily brought to market to meet demand or potential supply disruptions from natural disasters or political turmoil. Like most commodities, the need for oil is so great that people will pay almost anything, in the short term, to get their hands on what might be the last available barrel at any given moment.

But substantial new reserves of oil have been found in shale formations in the United States, in the Atlantic deep waters off of Africa and South America, and on the east coast of Africa. Canada has enormous reserves, and production is growing fast there. The Arctic, which is largely unexplored, is thought to have 25 percent of the world's known reserves.

All of this oil, however is hard to get and expensive to produce. That leads analysts to believe that oil will never stay much below $60 a barrel for an extended period again. As soon as oil prices fall, producers will stop developing this expensive oil until demand, and high prices, return. Current high prices have fueled a boom in oil exploration that is sure to bring more crude to the market in coming years. But it is not here yet, so for now, pump prices — and frustration — are expected to remain high.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the plant a 20-year license extension, but the state of Vermont wants the plant to close.

AP Photo/The Brattleboro Reformer, Zachary P. StephensEntergy security guards and Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark monitor the gates of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Brattleboro, Vt., Wednesday afternoon, March 21, 2012.

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Protesters marched in Brattleboro against the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant Thursday, the first day of its operation after its initial 40-year operating license expired.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the plant a 20-year license extension, but the state of Vermont wants the plant to close.

Hundreds of protesters began marching around noon to the plant's Brattleboro headquarters, and some were expected to trespass on Vermont Yankee property and be arrested.

Irina Markova, 66, of Montpelier, thinks nuclear power is a threat to the planet.

"People are saying, 'What about the jobs?' And I feel for them. But there won't be any need for jobs if there is a nuclear accident here. I'm hoping times are changing," she said.

In a statement, Vermont Yankee said that the company respects the rights of opponents to peacefully protest, but that the company's employees will not be distracted from their jobs.

"As it is every day, their focus on safety will be laser sharp. Anything that occurs outside the property will be coordinated by local and state law enforcement authorities," said spokesman Larry Smith.

Vermont and New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., the plant owner, have been embroiled in a legal battle over extending the Vernon plant's 40-year license, which expired Wednesday. A federal judge in January said the Legislature overstepped its bounds in trying to close the plant. The ruling landed the dispute back before state regulators.

The 485-mile Oklahoma line will run from Cushing, Okla., to refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast, removing a critical bottleneck in the country's oil transportation system.

Associated PressWith oil pump jacks as a backdrop, President Barack Obama speaks at an oil and gas field on federal lands Wednesday, March 21, 2012, in Maljamar, NM. The president is defending his energy agenda this week, traveling Wednesday to a solar panel plant in Nevada, but also the site of a future oil pipeline in Oklahoma.

CUSHING, Okla. — President Barack Obama firmly defended his record on oil drilling Thursday, ordering the government to fast-track an Oklahoma pipeline while accusing Congress of playing politics with a larger Canada-to-Gulf Coast project.

Deep in Republican oil country, Obama said lawmakers refused to give his administration enough time review the controversial 1,170-mile Keystone XL pipeline in order to ensure that it wouldn't compromise the health and safety of people living in surrounding areas.

"Unfortunately, Congress decided they wanted their own timeline," Obama said. "Not the company, not the experts, but members of Congress who decided this might be a fun political issue decided to try to intervene and make it impossible for us to make an informed decision."

Facing fresh criticism from Republicans who blame him for gas prices near $4 a gallon, Obama announced Thursday that he was directing federal agencies to expedite the southern segment of the Keystone line. The 485-mile line will run from Cushing, Okla., to refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast, removing a critical bottleneck in the country's oil transportation system. The directive would also apply to other pipelines that alleviate choke points.

"Anyone who says that we're somehow suppressing domestic oil production isn't paying attention," Obama said, speaking at the site of the new Oklahoma project.

Republicans said the moves were little more than a publicity stunt, arguing that it wouldn't help Canadian company TransCanada build the pipeline any sooner. Construction is expected to begin in June with completion next year.

"The American people can't afford more half-measures on energy from the president," said Kirsten Kukowski, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman. "No matter what he says, the reality is he killed the Keystone pipeline and the energy production and 20,000 jobs that went with it."

Environmentalists were also critical of Obama's move. Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council said it was "downright foolhardy to cut corners on safety reviews for permitting" the Texas-to-Oklahoma line, "especially when the industry has a history of oil spills."

Obama's order urges speedy review of the Cushing project and directs federal agencies to incorporate previous environmental studies of the Keystone proposal that included the southern route.

The use of previous studies should help move the project forward more quickly than if a review of the project started from scratch, although it's unclear exactly how much time the expedited review will save.

Republicans call the president's actions a belated attempt to take credit for a project over which he has relatively little control. While federal agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department play a role in the approval process for the domestic portion of the pipeline, states have a more direct say in approving the route.

Shawn Howard, a spokesman for TransCanada, said the company welcomed Obama's support for the Oklahoma-to-Texas portion of the pipeline but couldn't say whether his involvement would impact the timeline for completing the project.

The full Keystone pipeline became a political flashpoint late last year when congressional Republicans wrote a provision forcing Obama to make a decision and environmental groups waged a campaign to kill the project. Obama delayed the project in January.

Obama has been highlighting his energy agenda this week in Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and later Thursday in battleground Ohio, a trip that reflects the degree to which high gas prices have begun hitting consumers in their pocketbooks.

For Obama's advisers, rising gas prices pose a threat to his re-election bid because they could undermine the benefits of a payroll tax cut that he made the centerpiece of his jobs agenda last fall — Congress approved the tax cut extension in February — and throttle the economic recovery.

Republicans view rising gas prices as emblematic of Obama's energy record and hope to tag him with the blame even though no president has much control over prices at the pump. Gas prices have risen more than 50 cents a gallon since January in response to a standoff over Iran's nuclear program that has threatened to disrupt Middle East oil supplies.

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, campaigning at a Harvey, La., company that services oil rigs, said Obama's administration should open more federal lands for leases to boost U.S. oil production and revenue for the federal government.

"Here's an opportunity for us in this country to do something about it: increasing jobs, lowering energy prices, decreasing the deficit, all of the things you would think the president of the United States would be for," Santorum said.

Mitt Romney, Santorum's chief rival for the Republican nomination, has labeled Obama's top energy advisers the "gas hike trio," urging the president to fire three Cabinet secretaries because of the high prices.

Obama was ending the day with a stop in battleground Ohio, talking about automobile research and development at Ohio State University in Columbus. The president has cited his decision to raise fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon for new vehicles by 2025 as an important step in conserving oil and saving consumers at the gas pump.

Obama has repeatedly invoked his decision to rescue General Motors and Chrysler from collapse with billions in federal aid, a move that saved hundreds of thousands of auto assembly and supplier jobs in Ohio, Michigan and elsewhere. Romney opposed the bailout, and Obama's team intends to make it a stark contrast between the two candidates if the former Massachusetts governor wins the GOP nomination.

The man, who was not identified, had been trimming trees at the campground, the fire chief said.

MONSON - Monson and Palmer firefighters rescued a man stuck in an aerial lift that had caught fire on Wednesday afternoon at Partridge Hollow Campground on Sutcliffe Road.

Fire Chief George L. Robichaud said by the time firefighters arrived, the fire had been extinguished, but the fire had caused the machine to become inoperable, and the man could not get down. He said Palmer Fire Department brought its tower unit to reach the man.

The man, who was not identified, had been trimming trees at the campground, Robichaud said.

"It all turned out OK," Robichaud said.

Ohio Art, maker of the classic baby boomer toy, is sending a big box of Etch A Sketches to the presidential campaigns to say thanks for the publicity and a boost in sales.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds an Etch A Sketch as he speaks to USAA employees during a campaign stop, Thursday, March 22, 2012, in San Antonio.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Pushed to the bottom of the toy box by video games and other high-tech gadgets, Etch A Sketch is suddenly drawing lots of attention, thanks to a gaffe that has shaken up the race for the White House.

Ohio Art, maker of the classic baby boomer toy, is sending a big box of Etch A Sketches to the presidential campaigns to say thanks for the publicity and a boost in sales.

It started when Mitt Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom was asked Wednesday about the candidate's politics now versus next fall. He likened the Republican's campaign to an Etch A Sketch: "You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again."

Democrats and Republicans alike seized on the remark, saying it was evidence that Romney is a flip-flopper willing to alter his positions for political gain.

GOP rival Newt Gingrich told voters in Louisiana that "having an Etch A Sketch as your campaign model raises every doubt about where we're going." Rick Santorum brandished an Etch A Sketch and told voters he is a candidate who stands "firmly on the rocks of freedom, not on the sands of an Etch A Sketch toy." Santorum's staff also handed out miniature Etch A Sketches to reporters.

While Romney's opponents are hoping the remark will erase his momentum and reframe the debate, the biggest winner might be Ohio Art.

Its stock, which trades over the counter, had nearly tripled by Thursday afternoon to $9.65, and major stores reported a jump in sales, said chairman Bill Killgallon.

"We're proud that one of our products is shaking up the debate," he said.

Ohio Art has sold more than 100 million Etch A Sketches worldwide since its introduction in 1960. The toy, with its familiar gray screen and bright-red frame, allows youngsters to draw things by twisting two white knobs. A quick shake erases the image and lets you start over.

Etch A Sketches were made in Ohio until 2000, when the company moved production to China because of increasing costs.

Over the years, Ohio Art and Etch A Sketch have benefited from millions of dollars in free advertising from movies and television. The company saw a big jump in sales after Etch A Sketch landed a role in "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2."

In fact, the toy gets so much free publicity that Ohio Art spends very little on advertising it.

The company, based in Bryan, doesn't release annual sales figures but says Etch A Sketch has a steady market. It's most popular with grandparents and mothers who are looking for a bit of nostalgia.

How long the latest bump will last is anybody's guess.

"I'm not sure that just because the candidates are talking about Etch A Sketch that kids are going to tell their moms to go out and buy one," said Martin Killgallon, the company's marketing director.

One thing the Etch a Sketch won't do is pick sides in the presidential campaign, he said.

"We have a left knob and a right knob," he said, "so we neutrally speak to both parties."

Police Chief Robert Frydryk said the task force received information from the U.S. Postal Service regarding a suspicious package that was being sent to 100 Emery St. in Bondsville.

View Larger Map

File photo

PALMER - Two residents were arrested Wednesday afternoon after agents from the Eastern Hampden County Narcotics Task Force intercepted a postal package containing 400 Oxycodone pills that was sent to a Bondsville address.

Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said the task force received information from the U.S. Postal Service regarding a suspicious package that was being sent to 100 Emery St. in Bondsville.

A search warrant was obtained, and the people who received the package, Robert L. Matthews Sr., 62, of 1A Quaboag Valley Co-Op, Three Rivers, and Debra L. Puliafico, 59, of 100 Emery St., were arrested.

Matthews was charged with distribution of Oxycodone, subsequent offense; trafficking of Oxycodone, and possession to distribute marijuana. Puliafico was charged with possession of a Class B drug.

Matthews denied the charges at his arraignment before Judge Patricia T. Poehler in Palmer District Court on Thursday; he was ordered held in lieu of $35,000 bail. His next court date is April 17 for a pretrial conference.

Puliafico was on the list to be arraigned, but information about the proceeding was not available.

The suit claims the councilor and mayor have had a contentious relationship.

Daniel M. Knapik

WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik refused to comment Thursday on a federal lawsuit he’s facing on claims he ordered city public works crews to remove selected political signs the day before the November municipal elections.

“I have not been served (court papers) so I can make no official comment,” Knapik said on Thursday. “When I am served, I will engage legal representation and address the matter in court.”

The western regional office of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the legal action on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield on behalf of City Councilor David A. Flaherty, Municipal Light Board member Jane Wensley and Westfield property owner David Costa, of Russell.

The lawsuit describes Flaherty as having had a “contentious” relationship with the mayor. A conservative, Flaherty has questioned nearly all financial requests Knapik has submitted to the council over the past three years. The two have had conflicting opinions and engaged in brash debate on many issues.

The suit alleges that Knapik contacted public works director James Mulvenna on Nov. 6, the day before the municipal election, and ordered the removal of campaign signs for Flaherty and Wensley from Costa’s property at 38 East Silver St.. Wensley was running against a candidate supported by the mayor.

Signs for Councilor John J. Beltrandi III, who was also seeking reelection, were also removed that day, but Beltrandi is not a plaintiff in the legal action.

While he wouldn’t comment on the lawsuit, the mayor did say that the placement of political signs must not present a public safety issue by obstructing the view of pedestrians or motorists.

ALCU attorney Luke Ryan, who filed the complaint, said, however, “This action was no accident, and it was no routine enforcement of Westfield’s signage laws.”

Flaherty, in a statement to The Republican said, “I believe the evidence will substantiate all of the claims made in the complaint, and that Mayor Knapik, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election, ordered city employees to illegally remove my campaign signs the day before the election. This case is about what’s right and wrong and about stopping this type of illegal activity in the future.”

Flaherty was reelected to a second term on the council, while Wensley defeated John Callahan, who was supported by Knapik, for the Ward 3 seat on the Municipal Light Board. Beltrandi was also reelected to a second term; he said he did not participate in the lawsuit because he believed “my signs were not directly targeted for removal.”

The signs were removed from an area of East Silver Street between Cross Street and Lindberg Boulevard and across from Knapik’s home. Other campaign signs in the neighborhood were not removed, and there were no complaints about removal of signs in other sections of the city.

Flaherty said his signs placed in other sections of the city were not removed. He said he contacted the secretary of state’s office for assistance in gathering public records related to the incident but he has not filed a complaint with the state.

New regulations to limit the size of campaign and other temporary signs and establish time limits on their displa, were adopted by the council last September. Those changes were initiated by Flaherty who, at the time, said existing regulations were “outdated and not enforced.”

During debate on changes by the council and Planning Board, the Western Massachusetts director of the ALCU, attorney William C. Newman, sent council members a letter reminding them of First Amendment rights and the mandate to protect free speech.

The suit claims the removal of the signs constituted a violation of the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The coyotes were dumped sometime during the past week on property belonging to Native Lumber Co. on Route 181.

BELCHERTOWN - A state spokesman said investigators suspect that the 14 coyotes found dead at a Belchertown lumber yard were shot.

Reggie Zimmerman, spokesman for the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said the investigation by the environmental police is ongoing.

The coyotes were dumped sometime during the past week on property belonging to Native Lumber Co. on Route 181.

The property abuts the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission.

A neighbor riding on horseback noticed the carcasses when her horse spooked, the lumber yard owner, Janis L. Sugrue, has said. She told the Daily Hampshire Gazette that one had been partially skinned.

Sugrue reported the dead animals to the environmental police Monday, who visited the site Tuesday along with a representative from the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The discovery came two weeks after the end of coyote hunting season.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 78 points to close at 13,046

Associated Press photoAn investor looks at the stock price monitor at a private securities company Thursday March 22, 2012 in Shanghai, China. Asian stock markets fell Thursday after mixed U.S. housing data and disappointment over the limited scope of China's latest monetary loosening maneuver kept investors on the sidelines. (AP Photo)

By PALLAVI GOGOI

NEW YORK – Signs that China’s economy is weakening and Europe is slowing sent U.S. stocks lower.

The price of crude oil dropped 2 percent Thursday to its lowest level in a week. That hurt oil stocks: Alpha Natural Resources, Consol Energy, and Noble Energy each fell 4 percent.

The disconcerting economic news from overseas overshadowed other reports that suggested the U.S. economy is gaining momentum.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 78.48 points, or 0.6 percent, at 13,046.14.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 10.11, or 0.7 percent, at 1,392.78, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 12 points, or 0.4 percent to 3,063.32.

Eight out of 10 sectors declined in the S&P 500, led by energy and materials as investors worried about a drop in global demand for oil and raw materials.

China has released a string of worrisome economic reports recently. The latest, on Thursday, signaled that its manufacturing sector could be contracting. A manufacturing index compiled by HSBC fell to 48.1 in March from 49.6 in February. Figures below 50 indicate that manufacturing is contracting.

That’s a negative sign because growth in China has played a key role in shoring up the global economy since the financial crisis of 2008.

China is also the world’s largest consumer of raw materials, so a slowdown there would affect those companies. US Steel Corp. tumbled 5.82 percent, and copper wire and bar manufacturer Freeport-McMoRan Copper Gold Inc. lost 3.7 percent.

It didn’t help that another survey in Europe also pointed to slower growth. The purchasing managers’ index from Markit, a financial information company, fell to a below-forecast 48.8 points in March from 49.3 a month earlier. The index combines both the services and manufacturing sectors in Europe.

Those signs of a deceleration in key global markets dwarfed the latest positive news on the U.S. economy. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 5,000 to a four-year low last week, bolstering the view that the job market is strengthening. A measure of future U.S. economic activity, the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators, rose 0.7 percent in February for the fifth straight month, more evidence that the economy is gaining momentum.

The poor economic news from abroad also hurt FedEx Corp.’s stock, which fell 4 percent. Chief financial officer Alan Graf said the current global economic environment and higher fuel prices are driving more customers to “trade down” or choose slower methods of shipping to save money, just like they did during the recession. Investors decided to focus on his comments, rather than the company’s stellar performance. FedEx’s quarterly profit more than doubled between December and February after it shipped more packages and charged higher prices.

While news out of China has been bad for global company stocks, it may provide some relief to consumers with oil prices falling. Gasoline has risen 59 cents per gallon since Jan. 1 and the average price nationwide is above $4 in at least eight states, plus the District of Columbia.

It was a good day for IPOs. Payment processor Vantiv Inc. soared 14.7 percent in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while email marketer ExactTarget Inc. rocketed up 32 percent on its first day of trading.

In other corporate news:

• Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. jumped 3.8 percent on reports the generic drugmaker is in talks to buy European counterpart Actavis for about $7 billion.

• Discover Financial Services stock rose 2.7 percent, a day after it reported a 36 percent jump in its first-quarter profit. Customers used its credit card more and racked up higher balances but also improved their payment habits.

• Diamond Foods Inc. declined 7.2 percent after the maker of Emerald nuts and other snacks said it is suspending dividend payments to stockholders because of a new credit agreement.

Christensen said Cambridge College teaches night classes. Cambridge College started a regional center in Springfield in 1991.

Mark M. Murray/ The Republican10/18/11 Springfield-- Republican Photo by Mark M.Murray-. Tower Square will be celebrating its 40th annsy on Main Street later this month.

SPRINGFIELD — Management at Tower Square is finalizing designs for the new Cambridge College space with an eye towards having the college in the building by August.

Fred G. Christensen, senior property manager for Tower Square and its managers, CB Richard Ellis New England Inc., said the process of moving the College into Tower Square has not gone as quickly as he’d hoped. But the process is moving forward nonetheless.

In October, Cambridge College announced that it was renting 18,000 square feet of first-floor space facing Boland Way near Lorilil Jewelers that was once occupied by the U.S. Factory Outlets store and moving its operations from Cottage Street.

The move was announced during 40th anniversary celebrations for Tower Square, which opened as Baystate West in 1971. In those days, Baystate West was a hub of retail activity with airwalks to department stores Steiger’s and Forbes & Wallace. But in recent years, Tower Square lost retailers as shopping habits changed and turned more into a convenience center for the 1,100 workers in the office tower and the 8,000 people who work nearby. Retail space in the Tower Square had been only about 50 percent occupied prior to this announcement.

Christensen said Cambridge College teaches night classes. Cambridge College started a regional center in Springfield in 1991.

The center had been in Northampton since 1977.

Correctional officer said severe concussion caused memory loss.

The Republican / File photo

SPRINGFIELD – Joseph Giannetti described for jurors Thursday how Roland Ellison hit him from behind four or five times on the head before he lost consciousness and slipped from his chair to the floor.

Giannetti, a correctional officer at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, said he had both hands up trying to protect his head after Ellison – an inmate there – stepped up into the guard station while he was on the telephone calling his supervisor.

“The next I remember is being treated by medical down the hall,” Giannetti testified on the witness stand in the Hampden Superior Court trial of Ellison and co-defendant Alex Gonzalez.

Sheriff Michael J. Ashe previously called the assault the worst instance of an officer injured at the hands of an inmate in the last 20 years.

Assistant District Attorney Howard I. Safford showed Giannetti pictures taken of him, bloody and wounded, after the attack.

Giannetti said the pictures were of him, but he has no recollection of the time period in which they were taken. He said the first time he saw himself most of the blood was cleaned off him.

A few times during his testimony, Giannetti said he didn’t remember certain things that happened Jan. 5, 2011, due to the severe concussion, among other injured, he suffered in the attack that day.

Jurors in the trial before Judge Constance M. Sweeney saw – several times including once in slow motion – a recording of the event made by a stationary camera in the “pod” or section of the jail.

From that camera Ellison, 32, of Springfield, can be seen going into the partially-walled officers station and hitting downwards repeatedly.

Ellison is charged with assault and battery on a correctional officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of threat to commit a crime.

The dangerous weapon in the second charge is a metal grate. The grate was a fixed part of shelving in the office, and the charge is that Giannetti was injured with the grate when Ellison hit him into it.

Co-defendant Alex Gonzalez, 21, is charged in a joint venture with Ellison for the two assault charges. He is not accused of touching Giannetti but of planning with, and assisting Ellison in, the assault.

At the time of the assault, Ellison was awaiting trial on weapons and assault charges. He pleaded guilty to some of those charges in June 2011 and was sentenced to 7½ to 10 years in state prison for those.

Giannetti was the only correction officer staffing the pod when the 2 p.m. attack happened, where 20 or 30 inmates were present with all others from the pod in classes elsewhere.

Giannetti said when all inmates were in the pod he was the only uniformed correctional officer for the about 70 inmates housed there.

A counselor who is also a correctional officer was in her office in the pod and came out and yelled at Ellison to stop, as well as triggering alerts to other jail staff about the problem.

Giannetti also had a fracture to the left cheek, two staples in the back of his head, a fractured rib and lacerations in his forehead. He spent two days in Baystate Medical Center.

The trial is scheduled to resume Friday.

A spokewoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said brush fire season appears to be one month to six weeks ahead of schedule.

View full sizePhoto courtesy of Fireground360Hatfield firefighter Raymond Romero drags a hose across a field that was the scene of a brush fire Thursday. The fire burned 3 acres of land on the Northampton - Hatfield line before firefighters could bring it under control

SPRINGFIELD - Numerous brush fires were reported throughout Western Massachusetts Thursday, and officials warned that the combination of dry conditions, large amounts of branches on the ground and the recent warm temperatures has increased the fire danger significantly.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory for an elevated fire risk for Thursday and Friday. Wind gusts of up to 20 mph forecast for Friday will only compound the problem.

Brush fires were reported along the Springfield, East Longmeadow line, and in Holyoke, Whately, Hatfield and Hadley.

In an area of Northampton and Hatfield off Coles Meadow Road, a brush fire went through about 3 acres of land before firefighters could gain control.

It took firefighters from Northampton, Hatfield, Whately and the state Forestry Team about an hour to put it out.

The fire started out as a controlled burn by the property owner but it quickly spread out of control, resulting in a call to the fire department.

In Springfield Wednesday night, firefighters had to contend with 11 separate brush fires within a 75-minute span in an area between Brandon Avenue and Boston Road near Five Mile Pond. The fires were believed to be intentionally set, according to Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

S.J. Port, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said there have been more than 70 brush fires reported in Massachusetts since January, a number that is unusual for this time of year.

Brush fires are common in the region, but usually later in the spring, she said.

“We’re about a month to six weeks ahead of schedule,” she said.

The conditions this year make for a “perfect storm” for brush fires.

The unusual storms of 2011, including the October snowfall, downed large amounts of tree limbs and branches, and the relatively snow-less winter means all the brush has dried out, she said.

Add to that equation the recent warm streak where temperatures have been in the high 70s and early 80s, “and you have conditions ripe for brush fires,” she said

Dry brush on the ground is fuel for brush fires, and the amount of it this year means fires that start have the potential to spread quicker and burn bigger, she said.