Hampden County DA Mark Mastroianni also revealed that 1 bystander was injured in the shootout – a woman seated in her car at the nearby gas station was struck in the thigh as her car was hit repeatedly by gunfire.

CHICOPEE — The man in last week’s shoot-out with police, Carlos A. Gonzalez-Laguer, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head after he had been struck at least twice by bullets fired by police, according results of the autopsy disclosed Thursday by Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni.

The disclosure was part of a larger release by Mastroianni detailing the preliminary investigation into the April 13 confrontation on West Street between Gonzalez-Laguer, 41, of Springfield, and state and local police that resulted in more than 70 shots being fired, two people injured, including a state trooper, and the entire neighborhood left in terror.

Gonzalez-Laguer previously had been identified by authorities as Carlos Laguer.

The incident was part on an escalating domestic dispute between Gonzalez-Laguer and the unidentified woman living on the first-floor apartment at 102 West St. The woman had previously taken out a restraining order against Gonzalez-Laguer, but on that morning he was not deterred, arriving at her apartment with three guns and more than 200 rounds of ammunition and an apparent willingness to use it.

The very first officers arriving on scene just after 7:45 a.m. for reports of a home invasion were met with a hail of gunfire as Gonzalez-Laguer shot at them from an enclosed front porch. State trooper John Vasquez was struck by bullets in the left lower leg and right hand and by shrapnel in the right leg.

Mastroianni also revealed that one bystander was injured in the shootout. A woman seated in her car at the nearby gas station was struck in the thigh as her car was hit repeatedly by gunfire. She apparently left the scene and was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and then released. Authorities apparently did not know about her until the following day.

At the very beginning of the incident, before the police were even called, Gonzalez-Laguer pointed his .45-caliber handgun at the chest of a second-floor resident of 102 West St. and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire and the man was able to back away.

The owner of the three-family West Street home told The Republican and MassLive.com on Saturday that Gonzalez-Laguer demanded to be let inside the building, but her husband refused. She said Gonzalez-Laguer pointed a gun to her husband’s chest and said, “Well that’s too bad.”

She said he pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't go off.

The autopsy, conducted Saturday by Dr. Henry Neils, chief medical examiner for Massachusetts, showed Gonzalez-Laguer died of a gunshot wound to the head, but also had non-fatal gunshot injuries to the abdomen and arm. Neils determined those appeared to have been caused by police during the exchange of gunfire, but the wound to the head was self-inflicted.

Gonzalez-Laguer was found dead inside the kitchen at 102 West St. when troopers stormed the house more than two hours after the shooting started. All the gas burners on the kitchen stove had been opened and a candle had been left burning nearby.

Until the autopsy was completed, officials had been unsure if Gonzalez-Laguer had taken his own life or died in the shootout with police.

Mastroianni said police found Gonzalez-Laguer had three weapons and more than 200 hundred rounds of ammunition. The guns were an Olympic Arms AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle that was loaded with nine rounds in a 30-round clip, a Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with four rounds, and a Smith & Wesson .45 semi-automatic handgun that had one round partially loaded in the chamber. The gun had jammed and was incapable of firing.

Police also found 206 total rounds of ammunition and another 64 rounds in .40 caliber and 9 mm ammunition that was not compatible with any of the weapons found on the scene.

Mastroianni notes that Gonzalez-Laguer was not licensed or permitted to own either firearms or ammunition. State police are working to trace how he obtained the guns and ammunition.

Mastroianni said Gonzalez-Laguer fired 64 rounds of rifle ammunition and three rounds of .45 caliber handgun.

State police returned fire with just eight shots, five from a patrol rifle and three from handguns. Investigators are still working on ballistics testing of each recovered round, Mastroianni said.

Trooper Vasquez’ cruiser was struck 15 times, another state police cruiser four times and two Chicopee police cruisers once each.

Several civilian vehicles in the vicinity also were struck.

The conflagration of violence on West Street was the culmination of a stormy and often violent relationship between Gonzalez-Laguer and the woman residing in the first-floor of 102 West St.

The two had been in a relationship but had been estranged for a few months.

On Nov. 17, she applied for a restraining order in Springfield District Court, claiming he had previously beaten her, abused her and held her against her will. In her affidavit for the order, she said Gonzalez-Laguer threw a plate of food at her, threw bedroom furniture down the stairs, punched her in the right thigh, aggressively held her down and slapped her and held her hostage for seven hours in her bedroom with a gun. She wrote that Gonzalez-Laguer threatened her in front of her two children, “putting fear in their hearts. I am in so much fear of my life and my children.”

She wrote that Gonzalez-Lager was not employed, but received Supplemental Security Income.

She asked for and got the order to say Gonzalez-Lager could have “no contact with my kids.” The restraining order went into effect on Nov. 21 and would have expired on Dec. 5 of this year. In the restraining order, the man is referred to as Carlos Gonzalez-Laguer. The woman apparently did not seek criminal charges against him for holding her hostage and assaulting her, seeking instead to obtain the restraining order.

According to Mastroianni’s statement, on the morning of the April 13, she was getting ready for work and to send her son off to school when she received a text message from Gonzalez-Laguer saying he was on his way over. The text itself was a violation of the court order.

She told police she sent him a reply that “rejected his advances,” Mastroianni said.

When Gonzalez-Laguer arrived, he asked a second-floor tenant to help him enter the first-floor apartment. The man, who was not identified, declined to help, Gonzales-Laguer pointed his gun at him and pulled the trigger, but it failed to fire.

The woman told police she watched Gonzalez-Laguer smash the front window to her apartment. When she yelled at him, he fired several shots at her as she dove for cover and called 911. She told police she did not flee the apartment because her son was still inside.

Hampden DA Press Release on Carlos Laguer Chicopee Shooting

Gonzalez-Laguer entered the apartment through the window and met the woman’s 8-year-old son. He told the boy to go back to his bedroom while beginning to shoot from the window at fleeing neighborhood residents and police officers who had begun arriving on the scene.

Two of the officers at this time opened fire at Gonzalez-Laguer.

The woman and her son were able to escape the house unharmed once the initial exchange of gunfire subsided.

Mastroianni said the investigation is continuing jointly by state police detectives assigned to his office and the Chicopee police.

He said a final report will be issued once ballistic testing and examination of the evidence is completed and reports by investigators finalized.

He gave credit to all responding law enforcement and emergency personnel for what he called their “focused and professional efforts.”

Mastroianni said “The potential for greater injury to the victims, officers, and bystanders was minimized by the communication and cooperation show by responding law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel from the city of Chicopee and the Massachusetts State Police, and their courageous, appropriate and reasoned response to a volatile and dangerous situation.”

Staff reporter Buffy Spencer contributed to this article.

'Inside' students come from the the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center on Howard Street.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanWestern New England School of Law students enrolled in a program involving the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center in Springfield are, Anastasia, left, Katylyn, Lauren, Eamon, Christian, Jessica and Lillian. The students use first names only in the class. Professor Giovanna Shay is at far right.WNEU effort unites legal world.

SPRINGFIELD – “Adrian,” 26, said he is at a place in his life – finally – where he is open to things that are good for him.

That’s why he’s been among nine “inside” participants in a college-level course on gender and criminal justice.

He is called an “inside” student because he is under sentence in the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center on Howard Street.

The “outside” students in the “Inside-Outside” program attend Western New England University School of Law, which has offered the class since fall 2010 and will do so again.

The group met recently for their final class of the semester at the Howard Street correctional center, a meeting at which students shared thoughts about what the program has meant for them.

Professor Giovanna Shay completed training with the national “Inside-Out” program, based at Temple University in Philadelphia, to prepare as the course instructor.

Shay said the class is a great opportunity for law students, some of whom might end up as judges, to see what life stories led offenders to make the decisions they did. For the inside students, it gives them confidence and helps as a way to reentry into the outside world, and hopefully to more education.

All of the students only knew each other by their first names, a policy set at the national program level. There is no contact among them, except in the classroom.

“Adrian” has been in courtrooms before – as a defendant. He is due to be released from the correctional center soon. And, he hopes to continue what he’s been doing while at Howard Street, which is reaching out toward good things, like the class.

He said he loved the class, and believes it will help the “outside” students better understand the criminal justice system.

“I’ve seen a lot of lawyers, district attorneys and judges,” he said. “I don’t think they see a person, they just see what you’ve done.”

By taking a class with people who are incarcerated, the law school students will see “a slice of society” that will help them in their careers, he said.

“Jessica” is an “outside” student, about to graduate from Western New England law school. She said she liked the non-conventional nature of the class.

To be a good lawyer, a person needs to understand the perspective of people in very dissimilar circumstances, “to humanize” law, she said.

“Anastasia,” also close to graduation from the law school, has already worked with several defense lawyers. The class provided her with ideas and viewpoints which she believes will help break down stereotypes.

“Lillian” is an older law school student who’s looking to start a new career. She’d never been inside a correctional facility and found she enjoyed a different learning environment.

The class covered topics ranging from the domestic violence law reform movement to gender issues in sentencing and corrections.

Students were given readings from cases, law review articles, books and social science studies.

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program identifies itself as “a creative link between two of the largest and most highly-funded institutional and social structures in our country: academia and prisons.”

Investors shifted between buying and selling early, then stuck with selling after deciding that strong earnings results weren't enough to make up for weak reports on jobs, housing and manufacturing.

By BERNARD CONDON | AP Business Writer

Associated PressTrader Michael Capolino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK — A slew of U.S. companies announced big profits Thursday, but investors spooked about the economy sold stocks anyway.

Investors shifted between buying and selling early, then stuck with selling after deciding that the strong earnings results weren't enough to make up for weak reports on jobs, housing and manufacturing.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 68.65 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 12,964.10. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 8.22 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,376.92.

Morgan Stanley rose 2.3 percent after it beat Wall Street's earnings and revenue estimates. UnitedHealth Group Inc. rose 2.4 percent after reporting higher profits. EBay, Southwest Airlines and Bank of America also beat forecasts.

Stock indexes fell after two relatively weak economic reports came out mid-morning. An index of regional manufacturing compiled by the Philadelphia branch of the Federal Reserve dropped sharply, and the National Association of Realtors said home sales fell 2.6 percent last month.

Earlier, the Labor Department said applications for unemployment benefits dipped 2,000 to 386,000. When the number is above 375,000, investors take it as a sign that hiring isn't strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.

"None of these (reports) were disastrous, but they're not as strong as we like to see," said Brian Lazorishak, a portfolio manager at Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Va.

In other trading, the Nasdaq composite fell 23.89 points, or 0.8 percent, to 3,007.56. Tech stocks could be in for some gains Friday following a strong earnings report after the closing bell Thursday from Microsoft. The software maker was up 2.8 percent in post-market trading after reporting a rise in sales of its Windows operating system.

Thursday's slide began from the start of trading. Investors were on edge after stocks fell a day earlier on worries that Spain could have trouble paying down its government debt. Adding to the jitters, the Bank of Spain had reported that bad loans at the country's banks had hit an 18-year high.

Before the opening bell Thursday, investors were nervously watching a sale of new government bonds from Spain. The auction met with high demand, and more bonds were sold than expected, but yields rose anyway.

The yield on Spanish 10-year notes rose to 5.87 percent, an increase of 0.06 percentage point.

European markets mostly fell. Spain's IBEX index fell 2.4 percent, Greece's main index 1.8 percent and France's CAC-40 fell 2 percent.

All but three of the 30 stocks in the Dow fell. Companies whose profits are more closely tied to the economic cycle fell the most. Alcoa, an aluminum maker, and DuPont, a chemicals company, lost more than 1 percent each.

Travelers, an insurer, rose 4.3 percent after a strong earnings report.

Eight of the ten industry sectors in the S&P 500 fell. The biggest losers were industrial and information technology stocks, down more than 1 percent each.

Uri Landesman, president of hedge fund Platinum Partners, said the good earnings are a bit of a sideshow. "There are bigger things at work here — European fears, unemployment," he said. "People are more worried about what's going to happen than what's in the rearview mirror."

Stocks started drifting lower after noon. By mid-afternoon the Dow was down 136 points. The S&P 500 was hit by a drop in Apple.

The iPhone maker dropped 3.4 percent to $587. Some analysts think the stock's recent drop is just investors taking profits after a big run-up. Others think the fall reflects fear that that the company will sell fewer iPhones than expected.

In other corporate news, Tumi Holdings, a maker of high-end luggage, jumped 47 percent to $26.50 on its first day of trading.

The U.S.-listed shares of cell phone maker Nokia sank 3.8 percent after the Finnish company reported a loss for the first three months of the year and a 40 percent plunge in device sales. The company faces fierce competition from the iPhone and handset makers that use Google's Android software.

Human Genome Sciences doubled to $14.17 after the company spurned a takeover offer from GlaxoSmithKline of $13 per share, saying it undervalues the company. The biotech drug maker, which produces the lupus treatment Benlysta, said it would consider other options including a sale of the company.

$1,000 scholarships are available to any high-school senior who has lived in the town for at least two years.

File photo

MONSON – April 25 is the deadline for applications for the Arts Council’s fourth annual scholarship.

The $1,000 scholarship is available to any high-school senior, from any school, who has lived in the town for at least two years, including at graduation.

Candidates need not be seeking a degree in the arts to apply for this scholarship. The award will be paid directly to the college where they matriculate. The council awarded its first annual scholarship of $1,000 in 2009 to Sarah Surprenant, who was involved in community theater at the school and in town.

Last year’s award went to Jessica DeCristoforo, who is completing her first year at Boston University, studying in the field of communications.

The scholarship recipient is chosen based on two main criteria, a demonstrated interest and involvement in the arts, and an essay of about 250 words, explaining why the arts are important. Proof of involvement in the arts should be made by submitting a portfolio; submitting electronically by means of a thumb drive is recommended.

The scholarship is funded through an annual talent show, “Western Mass Performs;” this year’s show was held on Feb. 11.

Applications for the scholarship are available in school guidance offices. Interested applicants may also obtain information by calling (413) 267-9995. Applications should be mailed to Monson Arts Council Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 306, Monson, MA 01057.

Council President William Dwight, who also sponsored the amendment, called the ruling "the manifestation of the most activist court I've had occasion to witness."

NORTHAMPTON - The City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday calling for a Constitutional amendment that would reverse a Supreme Court decision giving corporations the same rights as people.

The resolution cites Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a law restricting corporate campaign contributions was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment right to free speech. Critics of the ruling, including the City Council, say it has unleashed a torrent of corporate money into the political process, influencing elections.

During the public comment session, a half dozen people spoke in support of the resolution. Amherst resident John Bonifaz, the co-founder of Free Speech for People, called the court's ruling "a direct threat to the integrity of our elections.

"Corporations don't breathe, corporations don't think, corporations don't have a conscience," Bonifaz said.

Former City Councilor William C. Ames said the resolution is an act of democracy.

"This is the people saying that we want the ruling overturned," he said.

Ward 6 Councilor Marianne L. LaBarge, one of the sponsors, said the Supreme Court ruling needs to be overturned and that, left to their own devices, corporations created wage inequality and send jobs overseas.

William H. Dwight

"The government of the people is replaced by the government of corporations," she said.

Council President William H. Dwight, who also sponsored the amendment, called the ruling "the manifestation of the most activist court I've had occasion to witness."

The council approved the measure 8-0. Ward 4 Councilor Pamela C. Schwartz was not in attendance. Copies of the resolution will be sent to President Barack Obama and to the Massachusetts congressional delegation.

Police say the mother went to retrieve a ball that bounced over a beach wall and when she returned 2 minutes later, the girl was gone.

Republican file photo

ROCKPORT — Authorities searching for a girl who disappeared from a Rockport beach say they aren't ruling out anything.

State Police say Caleigh Anne Harrison, who's three months shy of her third birthday, was last seen around noon Thursday with her mother, 4-year-old sister and their dog on Long Beach.

Police say the mother went to retrieve a ball that bounced over a beach wall and when she returned two minutes later, Caleigh was gone. The spot is near an estuary that was emptying into the ocean as the tide went out. Seas were reported to be 10 to 12 feet with strong rip currents.

Helicopters, police divers and Coast Guard and local law enforcement boats searched the water, while police, including canine units, searched the nearby area. Police said people on the beach haven't reported seeing anything.

Authorities claim the fraud at the store involved $700,000 in transactions in less than 2 years.

Republican file photo

BOSTON — A Quincy store owner faces criminal charges after what authorities claim was a scheme to trade food stamp benefits for cash.

Authorities arrested Pat Lu, the 48-year-old owner of Pat's Mini Mart, on charges including larceny and fraud.

The state Attorney General's Office says he pleaded not guilty Thursday in Quincy District Court and was held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Authorities say about 20 others also face charges for allegedly selling their food stamps.

The government benefits help people from low-income households buy food.

Investigators allege Lu or a clerk would swipe a customer's food stamps card, giving back half the sale amount in cash instead of in groceries, before profiting off the rest.

Authorities claim the fraud at the store involved $700,000 in transactions in less than two years.

The House Ways and Means Committee budget released last week recommends funding the so-called Sen. Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative at $2 million, it’s lowest level since the start of the recent recession, and down from $5.5 million this fiscal year.

EMBED CODE

By COLLEEN QUINN

BOSTON - A 64 percent cut to an anti-gang program in a House committee’s proposed state budget caught some lawmakers off-guard and has set off a flurry of efforts to restore funding.

The House Ways and Means Committee budget released last week recommends funding the so-called Sen. Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative at $2 million, it’s lowest level since the start of the recent recession, and down from $5.5 million this fiscal year. The Ways and Means budget also wipes out a separate $10 million program, backed by the governor, aimed at combating youth violence.

Secretary of Public Safety Mary Beth Heffernan said she was “disappointed” with the proposed cuts to Shannon grants and it falls short of what is needed to fund youth anti-crime programs.

“It will be devastating to programs,” she said in a phone interview.

In his annual budget proposal released in January, Gov. Deval Patrick recommended $8 million for the Shannon program, which directs grants to cities and towns to help coordinate anti-gang efforts. The program, named after the late-Sen. Charles E. Shannon of Winchester, received $13 million in fiscal 2009 and was slashed to $4.5 million in fiscal 2010.

Heffernan said even during the toughest part of the economic downturn the Patrick administration backed funding the grants which are distributed among police departments, district attorneys’ offices and community service organizations around the state.

“That is because of the commitment we have to Shannon grants. They work. They are good,” Heffernan said.

Asked about the cuts, House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, said there were “a lot of difficult choices this year.”

“Certainly we do fund Shannon, not to the extent the governor proposed, but we do fund those grants,” Dempsey said. “There are areas of the budget we wish we could do more.”

Dempsey pointed out the House budget increased local aid funding “to make sure public safety in every city and town receives adequate funding.” Communities could use local aid money to continue Shannon programs, he said. The House budget guarantees $899 million in unrestricted aid to municipalities, including $65 million that Patrick only proposed returning in local aid if a surplus existed at the end of the current fiscal year.

“I think we wanted to make certain first and foremost we were investing in local aid for cities and towns,” Dempsey said.

Rep. Viriato DeMacedo, R-Plymouth, the ranking Republican member on the House Ways and Means Committee, said Dempsey had an “unenviable job.”

“There are so many areas where the numbers are not up to where people would like,” DeMacedo said. “These are just difficult times.”

DeMacedo said he expects debate on the House floor about restoring funding to Shannon grants.

Although the governor has supported the program in recent years, he proposed eliminating it in 2007, his first year in office, and the move drew criticism from the program’s backers in the Legislature at the time. Lawmakers that year reinserted $11 million for the program during budget deliberations.

Lew Finfer, director of Massachusetts Communities Action Network, said losing millions of dollars in the FY’ 2013 budget will have a “devastating” effect on gang prevention efforts across the state.

“To go to $2 million is sort of hard to understand considering how successful these programs are. We are in hard budget times, but how many programs have gotten 75 percent cuts in this budget?” Finfer said, referring to Patrick’s $8 million recommendation for Shannon grants.

Finfer estimates about 40 percent of Shannon money goes to local police departments and district attorneys’ offices to fight violence, while the remainder is distributed among social service agencies that reach gang members and at-risk youth to prevent them from joining gangs.

“The street outreach workers can also reach them in other ways that a law enforcement agency couldn’t” Finfer said. “This would really devastate those kinds of efforts.”

Police who create anti-gang programs with Shannon grants said losing money would reverse a lot of the work done in the last few years.

Worcester Police Sgt. John Lewis said cuts to Worcester’s share of Shannon grants would “breakdown” some of the relationships the police department has built with community service organizations and young people over the last six years. In Worcester, police launched mentoring programs with 11 churches around the city, getting kids off the streets by using the churches as recreational spaces. Officers run programs at the churches, creating relationships with young people at risk for gang activity.

“Having these churches as a safe haven was a way for us to decentralize our efforts,” Lewis said. “If one officer does not attend a church, those kids will be at a higher level of at-risk than they are now. They don’t have anyone they can trust, and they cannot be redirected into positive solutions. They will be doing this on their own.”

Other Shannon grant backers said they could not understand the proposed funding cut because of the program’s successes.

Rep. Carlos Henriquez, D-Boston, said he has seen firsthand the difference anti-gang programs make in young people’s lives. A youth worker before he was elected state representative, Henriquez detailed the story of a young man he knows who was in a gang at 14 years old, carrying guns and selling drugs. With the help of programs like those funded by Shannon grants, he now attends Morehouse College in Atlanta, and every summer returns to Boston to work as a youth worker to help others escape gang violence.

“The Shannon grants are a great collaboration between local police departments, youth workers, community organizations, and young people,” Henriquez said.

Henriquez, a freshman representative who made his maiden speech on Shannon grants, said he was committed to fight for more funding. He filed a budget amendment seeking $8 million – the amount the governor sought in his proposed budget.

Other lawmakers said they are working to increase funding. The House starts debate on the budget next week.

Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, who was the co-chair of Public Safety Committee in 2009 when the program received its funding high of $13 million, filed an amendment to boost Shannon to $10 million. She said the programs are “working, not just to combat crime, but to prevent crime.” Anti-gang programs funded through Shannon are keeping kids out of gangs, Coakley-Rivera, a Springfield Democrat, said.

“I have a responsibility coming from one of the poorest areas of the commonwealth. These young men and women are worthy to be saved, and they can make a difference,” she said. “The Shannon money is working.”

“Obviously it is a difficult time, but it is going to be more difficult if we don’t try to salvage these children,” she added.

Rep. Stephen DiNatale, D-Fitchburg, also filed an amendment to fund the grants at the fiscal year 2012 budget level, $5.5 million.

“For my district, it is an important funding source to the nonprofits that reach out to young people, encouraging them as young as third and fourth grade, giving them alternatives to gang membership,” DiNatale said.

In Fitchburg, Shannon grants pay for an “instructional academy” run every year when school ends targeting at-risk youth who could be prone to joining gangs, DiNatale said. The academy could be in jeopardy this year if the grants are not increased, he said.

“I think this is something you have to sustain. It is not something that you go at once,” DiNatale said. “You have to have the resources to continue to hammer home finding alternatives to gang membership.”

The preference seems to be for a two-story school, which will leave a smaller “footprint” of about 40,000 square feet on the four-acre parcel.

SOUTH HADLEY – The deteriorating Plains Elementary School, which serves children in preschool through first grade, will be replaced by a new building on four acres next to its current site at the corner of Route 202 and Lyman Street.

The South Hadley School Building Committee voted unanimously Thursday evening in a meeting at Plains to choose the site from five options they had been studying.

Committee member Carl Weber said the search had been exhaustive. “I don’t see any other place we can put the school,” he said.

“It’s important for people to know this was a long process,” he added, and other school members also commented on the thoroughness of the search. “We looked everywhere,” said committee co-chair Diane Mulvaney.

In fact, the Plains building committee began meeting over eight years ago. At one point their work came to a halt as the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a major funding source for the project, redesigned their system for processing applications.

In 2011, Town Meeting approved the committee’s request for $750,000 to hire a project manager and an architect for Plains, part of it reimbursable by the state School Building Authority.

Other areas being considered included the “Toth property” not far from the Mosier Street School, which turned out to be virtually unusable because of its wetlands and endangered species.

The Mosier Street School property itself was considered, and the committee also considered keeping part of the current school and adding on to it.

Now that the site has been chosen, the committee still has many decisions to make, including whether they want a one-story or a two-story building. The preference seems to be for a two-story school, which will leave a smaller “footprint” of about 40,000 square feet on the parcel.

The committee plans to consult homeowners abutting the parcel for their ideas.

They will also continue to consult with the Conservation Commission, which plays a major role in land use. The plot that has been chosen is next to the Black-Stevens Conservation Area, which is protected.

Originally the committee had considered rebuilding the school on its current site. Then, about two months ago, it was discovered that a 17-acre area between the school and the conservation area belongs to the town and has no restrictions on it, which made it very attractive as a site for the new school.

John Hines, selectboard chairman and member of the School Building Committee, told the group that, in a meeting with Conservation Commission, he got the sense that the commission would not be averse to the letting the school have its four acres, in exchange for the remaining 13 acres.

Level 3 offenders are people previously convicted of sexual offenses and who the state considers to be of high risk to re-offend.

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Police Department has issued a list of 33 residents determined by the state Sex Offenders Registry Board to be Level 3 offenders.

Level 3 offenders are people previously convicted of sexual offenses and who the registry board considers to be of high risk to re-offend. It also determined that the danger each poses makes community notification appropriate.

All people convicted of sex crimes since 1981 are required to register with the Sex Offenders Registry Board.

The board determines the person's likelihood of re-offending according to one of three categories: level 1 or low risk, level 2 or moderate risk, and level 3 or high risk.

None of the people on the list issued by police are considered wanted, and the state warns against harassment of any of them.

City Councilor David Flaherty, Municipal Light Board member Jane Wensley, and property owner David Costa, of Russell, filed suit in against Knapik for ordering the removal of campaign signs from property along East Silver Street.

Westfield City Councilor David Flaherty and Municipal Light Board member Jane Wensley are involved in a civil rights suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik.

WESTFIELD – The City Council voted 8-2 Thursday night to provide Mayor Daniel M. Knapik with $40,000 for legal fees in his defense against an allegation that he violated civil liberties when he ordered campaign signs removed the day before the Nov. 8 elections.

“They spoke to the law,” Knapik said of the councilors who voted in favor of funding his defense. “They appropriately took a vote to indemnify. I look forward to my day in court.”

As explained by City Solicitor Susan C. Phillips during Tuesday night’s Finance Committee meeting, the city’s municipal code, under indemnification of certain officers, clearly states “the city shall” provide representation.

Two city officials, City Councilor David A. Flaherty and Municipal Light Board member Jane C. Wensley, as well as private property owner David Costa, of Russell, in conjunction with the Western Regional Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit in U.S. District Court against Knapik for ordering on Nov. 7 the removal of campaign lawn signs on property along East Silver Street.

Daniel Knapik

Knapik has said he ordered the removal of the signs because they posed a public hazard and cited Phillips’ opinion that he was within his right as mayor to act in the best interest of Westfield citizens.

“She determined that I acted within the law,” he said. “The signs posed a danger to pedestrians and motorists.”

He also stressed that he did not instruct city workers to trespass onto private property.

“At no time were any city employees ordered onto private property,” Knapik said.

Flaherty and City Councilor John J. Beltrandi III, whose signs were also removed from the property, abstained from the vote, while Councilors Mary O’Connell and Agma Maria Sweeney voted against the $40,000 appropriation.

“It is up to the court to decide the legal aspects of whether the mayor acted within the scope of his duties,” Sweeney said. “None of this is for us to decide. Our job is to decide to fund his defense. I deeply regret that I cannot support the defense of the mayor for acting outside his duties.”

City Councilor and Finance Committee Chairman Richard Onofrey Jr., who voted in favor of the expenditure, explained to the council Phillips made it clear that because of a conflict of interest caused by city officials suing the mayor, she cannot advise Knapik on the suit, making it necessary for him to hire outside counsel.

“This is not new ground that we’re breaking,” Onofrey said. “It’s something that we must do.”

The only way the city would not have to pay for a private attorney for Knapik, who is being represented by Michael Powers, would be if the mayor intentionally acted in a malicious manner, and since that is a matter for the court to decide, the council must provide the funds under city statute or possibly face legal action from the mayor.

The scorching ads that helped define the GOP nominating contest have yielded to the early stages of what will be an epic air battle between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Associated PressBarack Obama and Mitt Romney

By BETH FOUHY

NEW YORK — Get ready. The presidential ad campaign coming to a TV and radio near you is going to be nasty, expensive and heavily influenced by independent groups, particularly those that favor Republican Mitt Romney over Democrat Barack Obama.

Commercials airing in a handful of states offer a preview of what's to come.

"Mitt Romney stood with big oil, for their tax breaks," Obama's campaign says in an ad already running in six general election battleground states.

"No matter how Obama spins it, gas costs too much. Tell Obama, stop blaming others," the Republican-leaning group Crossroads GPS says in its latest ad, also airing in swing states.

The scorching ads that helped define the GOP nominating contest have yielded to the early stages of what will be an epic air battle between Romney and Obama as they scramble to define in the most unflattering terms and bring each other down. The emergence of outside groups known as super PACs is all but certain to ratchet up the negativity, adding a level of slash-and-burn rhetoric to the campaign that the candidates themselves might seek to avoid.

"The 2012 Republican primary was by far the most negative we've seen and my expectation will be that the 2012 general election will be one of the most negative in history," said William Benoit, who studies campaign advertising at Ohio University. "The super PAC ads will make it even more so."

Super PACs were borne from a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision easing campaign finance restrictions on corporations and wealthy people. Republican-leaning groups were very active in the 2010 contest, helping to wrest the House from Democratic control and picking up six Republican Senate seats.

The proliferation of super PACs and expected closeness of the Obama-Romney contest guarantee a TV ad rivalry much different than what voters saw in 2008, when Obama's campaign opted out of public financing and the state by state spending limits such financing requires. That decision allowed Obama to bury Republican Sen. John McCain beneath some $244 million worth of ads — a roughly a 4-to-1 spending advantage for Obama.

This cycle, that figure is likely to be swamped by spending by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS alone. The sister groups, both tied to President George W. Bush's longtime political director Karl Rove and largely financed by a handful of wealthy businessmen, have announced plans to pour as much as $300 million into attack ads against Obama and other Democrats.

Romney turned down public financing for the primary campaign and is expected to do the same for the general election, as is Obama. That clears the way for a full-fledged ad war between the two campaigns, amplified by ads from super PACs.

The Obama campaign has already spent about $2 million on its ad this month in Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, Florida and Nevada, according several media buyers who provided information to The Associated Press. Crossroads isn't far behind, having spent $1.8 million on its ad in the six states.

Crossroads' spokesman, Jonathan Collegio, said the group's current role is in part to fill the gap for Romney's campaign as it raises the money it needs for the campaign against Obama.

Collegio said the months between the primaries and the political conventions is a critical period where an outside group can provide "air cover" while a candidate regroups.

Romney's campaign spent $18.1 million on ads during the primary campaign but has gone dark since rival Rick Santorum suspended his campaign last week. Records show the campaign has not yet bought any television time to begin running ads again.

Restore Our Future, a pro-Romney super PAC founded by a team of his former aides, will have significant role in the general election. It was by far the most influential player in the Republican nominating contest, responsible for $36 million of the $100 million total that was spent on ads, according to the Smart Media Group, which tracks campaign spending.

Carl Forti, a founder of Restore Our Future and its spokesman, predicted that as many as 20 Republican-leaning super PACs would seek to oust Obama and would work together to figure out how to gain maximum traction from their ads.

"The outside groups are at our best when we do coordinate," said Forti, who was the political director for Romney's failed 2008 presidential bid and has been a Crossroads strategist since 2010. "We did so in the 2010 cycle and I expect and hope we will be able to coordinate again."

At least one super PAC backing Obama's re-election has been on the air attacking Romney.

Priorities USA Action, founded by two former Obama White House aides, went up with a new ad this week in Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia depicting Romney as a heartless businessman who would cut benefits for the middle class to give tax cuts to the wealthy as president.

"Mitt Romney. If he wins, we lose," the ad says.

Still, Priorities is spending just under $700,000 on the current ad buy, reflecting the group's significant fundraising disadvantage compared to Republican-leaning groups. Priorities and its affiliated nonprofit group have raised just $10 million since last year, while American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS together have raised more than $100 million since 2010.

Priorities founder Bill Burton insists the group's fundraising has picked up and will provide a counterbalance to Republican super PAC ads.

"People are starting to see the right-wing money machine is raising a ton of money. President Obama's re-election is in doubt. People are really starting to turn in a way they hadn't before," Burton said.

The presidential campaigns and most super PACs have a midnight Friday deadline to disclose their March fundraising totals.

It's unclear whether other pro-Obama groups will run ads supporting his re-election. While labor unions have run ads supporting Obama and other Democratic candidates in past elections, AFL-CIO political spokesman Jeff Hauser said the labor federation planned to devote its resources to field organizing rather than television.

Associated Press writer Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this report.

The suspect also allegedly threw the victim's wallet into her left eye, according to police documents.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE - A female, while she was allegedly being choked by a 21-year-old New Ludlow Road man during a domestic assault Tuesday, bit him to make him stop, according to a police report.

Police Capt. Steven Muise said a verbal argument between the two at 185 New Ludlow Road escalated into violence when the suspect grabbed the female’s cell phone to prevent her from calling 911.

The suspect, Miles Brown of that address, then threw the female’s wallet into her left eye and began choking her, Muise said.

Brown was charged with domestic assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon and witness intimidation, according to police documents. The woman suffered a black eye and scratches on her neck.

Both men suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

HOLYOKE - An argument over saltine crackers led to a bloody knife fight between an uncle and nephew in a South Bridge Street home Thursday night, according to police.

Capt. Arthur Monfette said the incident began when the uncle, Pedro Mendoza, 37, of 13 Worcester Place, became upset because his nephew’s ex-girlfriend was cooking with the saltines.

Monfette said the nephew, Carlos Pagan, 18, who lives at the 542 South Bridge Street residence where the incident occurred, stuck up for his ex-girlfriend and the argument escalated into a knife fight.

Mendoza was stabbed and slashed in 11 different places and Pagan got slashed once in the hand, Monfette said. Both men were taken to area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries

Charges are pending further investigation, Monfette said. Police were summoned to the home shortly after 10:35 p.m.

Republican file photo

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester did not say exactly when Zimmerman could go free.

Associated PressGeorge Zimmerman, right, enters the courtroom, Friday, April 20, 2012, during a bond hearing in Sanford, Fla. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester says Zimmerman can be released on $150,000 bail as he awaits trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Martin. He claims self-defense.

SANFORD, Fla. — George Zimmerman can be released on $150,000 bail as he awaits trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a judge ruled Friday during a hearing in which Zimmerman apologized to Martin's parents for the teenager's death.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set several conditions for Zimmerman's release, which he said would not occur Friday. He did not say exactly when Zimmerman could go free. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, also wants his client to be allowed to live in another state because of threats made against him, and wear a GPS monitor to track his whereabouts.

Wearing a charcoal suit, white shirt and gray tie — but also shackled and appearing to have on a bulletproof vest — Zimmerman took the witness stand to deliver a short statement to Martin's parents, who were in court.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not," Zimmerman said in his first public comments about the shooting.

The judge said he would hold another hearing on whether Zimmerman could go out of state if details could not be worked out with law enforcement.

Zimmerman cannot have any guns, drink alcohol or use illegal drugs and must observe a curfew between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Zimmerman surrendered his passport at the start of the hearing.

Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of the 17-year-old Martin. He claims self-defense and has said Martin was the aggressor in their confrontation at a gated community where Martin was staying. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer at the community, where he also lived.

The lack of an arrest for 44 days spurred protests nationwide in which participants chanted and held signs that said, "Arrest Zimmerman Now!" Anger over a delay in Zimmerman's arrest led to the Sanford police chief stepping down temporarily and the recusal of the prosecutor who normally handles cases out of Sanford.

Earlier, Zimmerman's parents and wife testified by phone in the hearing at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, saying he is not a flight risk nor a threat to the community. Zimmerman's family members were testifying by phone because they say they have been threatened.

"He is absolutely not a violent person," his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, testified.

Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., said that even when confronted his son was likely to "turn the other cheek." The father also described what he said were his son's injuries Feb. 27, the morning after Martin was shot and killed.

"His face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose. His lip was swollen and cut. And there were two vertical gashes on the back of his head," the Robert Zimmerman testified.

Zimmerman's mother, Gladys, said her son was "very protective" of vulnerable people such as the homeless and children. She described how he got involved in a mentoring program for children in Orlando, noting that both of the children he mentored were African-American like Martin.

Gladys Zimmerman said she was concerned about her son's safety in that program because he traveled twice a month to a dangerous neighborhood.

"He said, 'Mom, if I don't go, they don't have nobody,'" Gladys Zimmerman said.

Prosecutor Bernardo de la Rionda asked the family members about two incidents. In 2005, George Zimmerman had to take anger management courses after an undercover law enforcement officer accused him of attacking him as he tried to arrest Zimmerman's friend. In another incident, a girlfriend accused Zimmerman of attacking her. No charges were filed.

Zimmerman asked to meet with Trayvon Martin's parents before the hearing, but the family's lawyers said this was not the time.

"We believe (the) Zimmerman request is very self-serving, considering the timing of it 50 days later, right before his bond hearing," said Justin R. Campbell — an assistant to attorney Benjamin Crump — in an email Thursday.

Legal experts had earlier predicted Zimmerman would likely be granted bail. Key factors include his ties to the local community and that he doesn't appear to be a flight risk since he turned himself in voluntarily after he was charged last week. He also has never been convicted of a serious crime, which would indicate he doesn't pose a threat to society.

"Although it's not routine for people charged with murder to get bond, they do get bond, and I think there is an excellent argument to be made in his specific case for him to be released on bond," said defense attorney Randy McClean, who practices in Seminole County, about 15 miles northeast of Orlando.

Kim Cannaday, a spokeswoman for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, said she couldn't comment on what security procedures would be in place for Zimmerman if he is released. The sheriff's office does have the ability to monitor defendants outside the county if a judge requests a GPS monitor be used as a condition of release.

The DISCLOSE Act would reform campaign finance laws to roll back some of the anonymity granted to corporations and third-party groups as a result of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

Republican file photo/AP file photoDemocratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren, left, and Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Contentious campaign finance legislation from two years ago has been remixed for 2012.

And at a campaign event in Sommerville, Mass. on Friday, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren stood alongside former Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., in a call to pass the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2012.

Warren is in a heated campaign against Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who won his seat in a 2010 special election following the death of longtime Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.

The current version of the DISCLOSE Act would require any group spending more than $10,000 on election-related advertising to release the names of donors who contributed at least $10,000. The bill would undo the anonymity granted to third-party non-profit groups engaged in political campaigns as a result of the 2010 Supreme Court decision on the Citizens United Case.

"The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United permits powerful corporate interests to shovel millions of dollars into elections—without leaving any fingerprints to show where the money came from." Warren said in a statement. "People have a right to know who is contributing. We need more accountability and more transparency now."

The DISCLOSE Act also increases transparency by requiring organizations that sponsor political ads to report the top five funders of the ads. It also requires that the head of the organization state his or her approval of the advertisement—as political candidates do now.

"The DISCLOSE Act is a necessary step to cleaning up our political system," Feingold said at the event in Somerville. "I am proud to stand with Elizabeth and advocate for more transparency in elections."

Former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold served as a member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011 when he was defeated by Republican Ron Johnson. (Associated Press file photo)

Feingold served in the United States Senate from 1993 to 2011 and is known for his work to reform the campaign finance system, most notably his part in the 2002 bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, better known as McCain-Feingold.

"Without transparency in elections, our democracy is in danger of being hijacked by shadowy organizations with deep pockets," Warren said. "We've got to make sure the big corporate interests are held accountable for their actions and voters have the information they need to make informed choices."

When the bill made its way to the Senate in 2010, Brown joined Republicans in voting against it, saying it was "based on partisan politics instead of sound policy." Brown said that the bill would have provided "a tactical and political advantage" to labor unions little more than 100 days before an election.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI., reintroduced the bill this year but stripped some of the contentious clauses which Republicans cited as reasons for defeating it in 2010.

The bill currently has 40 co-sponsors in the Senate and a website publicizing the DISCLOSE Act has gained the signatures of more than 87,000 citizens who support the bill.

Brown's Senate office hasn't responded to a request as to whether he will support the new legislation or not.

Warren also said she didn't voluntarily pay higher income taxes in Massachusetts, where taxpayers can opt to pay a higher 5.85 percent rate rather than the standard 5.3 percent.

File photos | The RepublicanDemocratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren, left, is facing Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, right, in what is being billed as the costliest race in Senate history.

By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Scott Brown says he'll probably make public his tax returns for the last five or six years while his chief Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren said she didn't voluntarily pay a higher state tax rate.

The Republican told WTKK-FM on Friday that he had nothing to hide, but didn't say when he might release the returns.

Warren said Friday that she would consider releasing more than the two years of tax returns she had previously said she would release if Brown did the same.

Warren also said she didn't voluntarily pay higher income taxes in Massachusetts, where taxpayers can opt to pay a higher 5.85 percent rate rather than the standard 5.3 percent.

The Brown campaign has called Warren "hypocritical" for supporting higher taxes on millionaires without saying if she paid the higher rate.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Michael Masino

Michael "Mike" Masino, of Springfield, died on Wednesday. He was born in 1943 in Randolph, Vt., and lived in Springfield for over 30 years. His role model in his early childhood was his uncle Aldo Merusi of Randolph, who encouraged him to follow his passion and do what he enjoyed doing. Masino followed his dream and became a professional jazz drummer. He traveled around the world playing with various artists, including jazz legends Chick Corea and Horace Silver. Masino served in the U.S. Army, and had the opportunity to play his drums for President John F. Kennedy.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Adie Sr., Allan D.
  



• 
  Bizon, Jane N.
  



• 
  Dolat, Louis J. "Sonny"
  



• 
  Ford, Gloria M. "Chickie" (St. John)
  



• 
  Golfieri, Joan S. "Joanie" (Nichols)
  



• 
  Jackson, Raymond Thomas
  



• 
  Laporte, Reginald G.
  



• 
  LeCours, Georgette J. (Desjardins)
  



• 
  LeMay, Lucille I. (Aubrey)
  



• 
  Lucey, John A.
  



• 
  Masino, Michael "Mike"
  



• 
  Munro, Elizabeth "Beth" (Murray)
  



• 
  Nowak, Henry L.
  



• 
  Ottani, Cordelia Marie (Gaouette)
  



• 
  Poitras, Patricia A.
  



• 
  Pytka, Edward F.
  



• 
  Remillard, Albert J.
  



• 
  Sheldon, Ruth B.
  



• 
  Smith, James P. "Jim"
  

The blaze was reported shortly after 11 a.m.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – The Agawam Fire Department's patch.

AGAWAM - A broken tree limb, hanging near Silver and Garden streets courtesy of last year’s freak October storm, sparked a brush fire late Friday morning when it finally fell and took down two high-tension power lines.

Although initial scanner reports stated that the brush fire was threatening the building that houses Milennium Press at 570 Silver St., that was not the case, Fire Lt. B.J. Calvi said. The blaze, which spread to about a half-acre, was reported shortly after 11 a.m.

“The building was never threatened,” he said, adding that the fire got to within about 75 feet of the structure.

Firefighters contained the fire right away and completed the job a short time later when Western Massachusetts Electric Co. personnel arrived to ensure that downed lines were not energized.

“It’s very dry out there,” said Calvi, adding however, that the blaze was not an explosive one.

The National Weather Service warns of elevated fire risk for Friday.

CBS3 meteorologist Nick Morganelli said rain forecast for the weekend should bring needed moisture throughout New England.

In what is being dubbed as "Super Saturday," Republicans will be working phone banks and walking some neighborhoods in the state to support U.S. Sen. Scott Brown as well as four other GOP political hopefuls.

The Massachusetts Republican Party is holding a number of events this weekend to get out the vote for a number of GOP candidates.

In what is being dubbed as "Super Saturday," Republicans will be working phone banks and walking some neighborhoods in the state to support U.S. Sen. Scott Brown as well as four other GOP political hopefuls.

Supporters will be promoting Richard Tisei, 6th Congressional District candidate; John Golnik, 3rd Congressional District candidate; Steve Simonian, State Senate candidate in the 2nd Worcester District and Sandy Martinez, State Senate candidate in the 3rd Middlesex District.

Phone banking will take place from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the following locations:

• Boston – 337 Summer Street, Boston MA (contact: Brad, bgarnett@massvictory.com)




• Lowell - 963 Chelmsford St., Lowell (contact: Alex, aingram@massvictory.com)
• Plymouth - 168 Court St., Plymouth (contact: Maggie, mpaulin@massvictory.com)
• Worcester - 18 Grafton St., Worcester (contact: Kayla, kberube@massvictory.com)
• Attleboro – 15 Extension St., Attleboro (contact: Jillian, jnoah@massvictory.com)
• Lynnfield – (Tisei HQ) 932 Lynnfield St., Lynnfield (contact: Matt, mcocciardi@massvictory.com)

-Auburn
Grafton
Holden (contact: Kayla, kberube@massvictory.com)

-Braintree
Malden
(contact: Brad, bgarnett@massvictory.com)

-Carver
Hanson
Yarmouth
(contact: Maggie, mpaulin@massvictory.com)

-Dracut
Winchester
(contact: Alex, aingram@massvictory.com)

-Haverhill
Melrose
Newburport
(contact: Matt, mcocciardi@massvictory.com)