The project will add 64 new cells to the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center and give Chicopee $640,000 in mitigation money.

File photo by The RepublicanThe Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee.

CHICOPEE — Construction on an addition to the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center could begin next month and be ready for inmates by the fall of 2013.

The $14 million addition will measure about 25,000 square feet and add 64 cells to the facility run by the Hampden Sheriff’s Department, said Larry V. Lajoie, assistant superintendent of the department.

Project manager Daniel O’Connell, of Holyoke, has been hired as the construction manager and the project has gone out to bid. Officials for the state Division of Capital Asset Management are reviewing the bids and will hire a contractor soon, he said.

“We would like to see building start next month,” Lajoie said.

The correctional center, which opened in 2007, was designed with the extra 25,000 square feet, but the size of the facility was reduced to save money.

“It was planned and designed in 2005, but the (addition) design has been altered a bit,” Lajoie said.

The expansion is being done now, in part, to take some burden off the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham, which is the only other women’s prison in the state. It will also allow the sheriff’s department to expand its re-entry program for women originally from Western Massachusetts.

The idea is to help women incarcerated in Framingham move closer to home so counselors can help them find housing and jobs when they approach their release date, Lajoie said.

“We find them substance abuse providers, employment and housing. If we can help them with a good plan, hopefully they will be law-abiding citizens,” he said.

The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department works with social service agencies and job counselors who help inmates prepare for release, Lajoie said.

“We will help alleviate overcrowding,” he said. “Framingham is the most crowded state facility and it is the oldest women’s correctional facility in the country.”

The Chicopee facility now has 120 cells and 175 inmates. The women incarcerated include those who are waiting for trial, women with sentences of 2.5 years or less and those in the re-entry program, he said.

The plans call for single-bunk cells, but they are large enough to accommodate two people if needed, Lajoie said.

“You always plan to have one to a cell, but when you are designing a jail you have to forecast how many inmates will be there 50 years from now,” he said.

The city does not receive annual tax payments for the jail, which is located on Center Street next to the border of Springfield. It will, however, receive a one-time payment of $10,000 per cell for the expansion, Lajoie said.

There have been no problems with the correctional institution in the five years it has been open, and the money will help the city with capital improvement projects or to build its reserves, Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.

Of the students surveyed after last year's job fair, 75 percent said they were exposed to new career paths at the events and 67 percent left with leads on specific jobs.

NORTHAMPTON — In a tough job market, young people who are having a hard time finding work have been flocking to a series of youth career fairs in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

Sponsored by the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board’s Youth Services Council in conjunction with the Franklin Hampshire Career Center’s Youth Programs, the fairs bring together local employers and young people in search of careers. Job fairs have already been held in Orange and Northampton. The third and final fair is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Greenfield.

The Northampton event on April 11 drew 87 young people from Northampton and Easthampton high schools, Amherst Regional High School and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, according to Donna DuSell, the Youth Pathways Coordinator for the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. The fair in Orange earlier in the month drew a smaller crowd of about 30, she said.

Both fairs featured a number of local employers. In Northampton, they included Smith College, Home Depot, Yankee Candle, the Northampton Police Department and Sheetmetal Workers Local 63.

“We asked people who have jobs available and employers from different sectors to talk about the opportunities in their sectors,” DuSell said.

In addition to openings at various businesses, the young people in attendance learned about union apprenticeships and internships. The fairs are open to youth between the ages of 16 and 24.

At the fairs, the students go from employer to employer, spending about five minutes with each one.

“It’s kind of like speed dating,” DuSell said. “Some of them came away with leads on jobs.”

Of the students surveyed after last year’s job fair, 75 percent said they were exposed to new career paths at the events and 67 percent left with leads on specific jobs.

The Greenfield job fair will take place at the Franklin Hampshire Career Center at One Arch Place, beginning at 9 a.m. It is free for all participating youth and employers. Among the presenters expected to attend are Bay State Franklin Medical Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Starstruck Design and Days Inn.

Ann Romney predicted that Mitt Romney's message of fixing the economy and getting people back to work will resonate with Connecticut's voters, especially women.

Associated PressAnn Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at the Connecuticut GOP Prescott Bush Awards dinner in Stamford, Conn., on the eve of Connecticut's primary Monday, April 23, 2012. Ann Romney told the packed crowd she believes her husband Mitt Romney has the right message to win the Democratic leaning state. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

By SUSAN HAIGH

STAMFORD, Conn. — Ann Romney told a crowd of enthusiastic Connecticut Republicans on Monday that she believes her husband has the right message to win the Democratic-leaning state in November.

Romney predicted that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's message of fixing the economy and getting people back to work will resonate with the state's voters, especially women.

"Even in this state, with that kind of message, with that economic message, with women that are caring about the economy, with all of us caring about deficits, that we can win," she told hundreds of Republicans, who gathered for the annual Prescott Bush Awards Dinner on the eve of the state's presidential primary. Romney is expected to win easily.

The event was expected to raise about $300,000. State GOP Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. said about 800 tickets were sold and that it would likely be one of the most financially successful fundraisers for the state party, crediting Ann Romney's growing popularity, reaction to how she was recently criticized by a Democratic strategist for being a stay-at-home mom, and how her husband recently all but clinched the Republican nomination. Labriola said ticket sales rocketed about 10 days ago, leading to Monday night's sell-out crowd.

"There's a growing belief within the party that we are in the midst of a turn-around story here in the Republican Party in Connecticut," Labriola said.

Ann Romney spoke for nearly 20 minutes, providing a glimpse into her relationship with her husband and their decision to have him run for president a second time.

She described how only one of the couple's five sons originally wanted Mitt Romney to run again, and how she had her own reservations.

"It's such an emotionally draining thing to go through. And the person that you're fighting for, that you love, that you cherish, you know that they're being maligned at times, you know they're being misrepresented at times, you know that they're not getting the proper treatment at times, and yet, here we go again," she said.

Romney said she ultimately agreed to support her husband's second bid for the White House after he promised her that if he was elected president, it was not too late for him to make a difference, help the country "turn things around," and that it worth going through another campaign.

"He said, 'No, it's getting late, but it's not too late,'" Ann Romney said.

She said she didn't need to know anything more. "If you can fix it, you must do this," Romney said she told her husband.

Republicans and Democrats, including President Barack Obama, have come to Romney's defense recently after a Democratic operative, Hilary Rosen, suggested that she's unqualified to speak about the economy's tolls because she's "never worked a day in her life." At Monday night's event, Romney spoke of the challenges she experienced raising five sons without outside help for much of that time and running a household. She said her husband was very supportive of her choice to be a stay-at-home-mother.

"He would remind me all the time that my job was more important than his," she said. "He didn't just say it, he believed it."

Romney also told the crowd about of her bout with breast cancer, as well as multiple sclerosis, a disease that challenges her today on the campaign trail.

"The days are long, the road is hard, the trials are there and I never know when this little grey cloud that's over my head ... (is) going to start raining on me again," she said, referring to her MS. "But I also believe that we're here for a purpose and that Mitt has been prepared and has done things in his life that will serve him so well for the next huge job that he has."

The lights cost about $105,000 and were approved during a special Town Meeting.

File photo | The RepublicanThe East Longmeadow High School field lights have been retrofitted, and night games can be played there again.

EAST LONGMEADOW — The first night game since last summer will be held on the East Longmeadow High School athletic field on April 30 now that the field's lights have been retrofitted, Superintendent of Schools Gordon Smith said at Monday night's school committee meeting.

The lights, which cost about $105,000 and were approved during a special Town Meeting, were provided by Musco Lighting.

Superintendent of Schools Gordon C. Smith said prior to the lighting retrofit there were many dark spots on the field, making it difficult and dangerous to play night games.

Smith said the previous average for foot candles, which determine how bright a field is, was 23.5, which was much lower than the 30- to 35-foot candle industry standard.

"Now we are averaging 45-foot candles, which is even better than we had anticipated," he said.

In other business Monday night:

• Assistant superintendent for business Theresa Olejarz also gave a quarterly report of the budget. Olejarz said $20,000 was added to the transportation fund in order to pay for the increased price of fuel for the school buses.

That was a cost the schools anticipated, she said.

She also said there was a $15,000 deficit in the department's athletic revolving fund.

"We were down in gate receipts by $7,400," she said. The reduced receipts were due to the lack of night games because of the lighting situation.

Olejarz said there has been reduced participation in sports, which also contributed to the deficit.

She said an increase in the number of participants in the reduced and free lunch program also has contributed to the athletic fund deficit due to the fact that students on the program are not required to pay athletic fees.

• The board voted to make Richard Freccero the new chairman of the committee. Elizabeth Marsian-Boucher will remain as vice chairman of the board.

Police issued a bulletin asking officers to watch for a silver BMW with Connecticut license plates and rear damage that may have been involved.

Updates a story posted Monday at 8:15 p.m.

CHICOPEE – Southbound lanes on Interstate-91 are open to traffic again after a serious car accident near the Chicopee curve forced their closure for nearly three hours Monday night.

Five people were seriously injured in the 8 p.m. accident, and motorists were diverted to Route 5, said Trooper Thomas Murphy, a spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police.

“Five people were transported to the hospital with serious injuries,” he said.

All five were brought to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance. Police, fire and emergency personnel from several area cities, including Chicopee and Holyoke, assisted, police said.

All of those injured were in the same car, and their names and conditions were not available Monday night. The car they were in was destroyed.

The accident happened at about 8 p.m. near the Chicopee curve at Exit 12. Investigators believe a second car was involved in the crash, but fled the scene. Police issued a bulletin asking officers to watch for a silver BMW with Connecticut license plates and rear damage that may have been involved.

The accident caused long traffic jams. Motorists were also unable to access Interstate-391 because I-91 was closed before the entrance ramp to the highway, police said.

The committee will gather input on how residents want its $3.6 million in funds used.

Republican file photo

AGAWAM – The Community Preservation Committee has set Wednesday as the date for its annual public hearing to gather input on how residents want its $3.6 million in funds used.

The session has been set for 7 p.m. at the Agawam Public Library.

Henry A. Kozloski, chairman of the committee, said Friday that holding such a hearing is a requirement of the state Community Preservation Act, which the town adopted in 2001.

The committee’s funds come from a 1 percent surcharge on local property taxes. It makes recommendations to the City Council, which has final say over how the money is used.

Of the $3.6 million, there is about $600,000 in its open space account; $328,000 in its historical preservation account; $359,000 in its community housing account; and approximately $2.3 million in its undesignated account that can be used for other purposes, including recreation projects.

The state law allows communities to use the funds for projects they could not otherwise afford and that relate to open space, historical preservation, affordable housing and recreation.

Among the local projects the money has been used for is $1.8 million to help build the first phase of the $2.3 million School Street Park.

Recently, Billy J. Chester, who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council last fall, launched his third bid to put the issue of whether the city should continue its community preservation program on the ballot.

His two earlier attempts resulted in him getting enough signatures to force the City Council to vote on a resolution calling for a ballot question. However, the efforts failed because his petitions were rejected as not being in the proper legal form.

This time, Chester has said he is working with City Councilor Cecilia P. Calabrese to put a resolution calling for a ballot question before the City Council. Putting a question on the ballot requires the authorization of the City Council.

“I think it is probably one of the best programs the town has. If we did not have those funds, School Street Park would not have been built,” Kosloski said. “It is a very economical program. I don’t know why you could get rid of a program so beneficial to the town.”

The program costs the average taxpayer $28.60 a year to fund, according to him.

Since the city started its program, it has collected more than $3 million in surcharges and received more than $2 million in matching funds from the state.

The Community Preservation Committee welcomes new project proposals. Anyone wishing to may submit such proposals to the committee by using the form and guidelines located on its website, www.AgawamCPA.com, or by picking one up at the City Hall Planning Office.

Patrick Major was suspended after an incident in which police were called to his home on a report of shots fired.

CHICOPEE — A disciplinary hearing scheduled for Lt. Patrick Major is scheduled for today, following a postponement Friday at the request of the police union, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.

Major was suspended after a March 18 incident in which police were called to his home between 2 and 3 a.m. on a report of shots fired. When officers arrived they found he had fired his weapon on the property, according to police.

Major was suspended for one week and his gun and badge were taken away temporarily. The police department and city solicitor have conducted investigations into the case.

The West Street School principal said both full-day and half-day kindergarten classes are "very academically-oriented."

File photo | The Republican

GRANBY — “For 15 years we’ve been waiting for this,” said Gail Ouimet, kindergarten teacher and a member of the Full Day Kindergarten Committee.

Ouimet was referring to the option of a full-day kindergarten, which will be offered for the first time this fall at West Street Elementary School in Granby.

Shortly after she took office in February 2011, Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez sent out a “climate survey,” which asked among other things whether parents wanted a full-day kindergarten. They did.

Since then, a lot has been accomplished.

Last month, Granby schools received a $40,000 grant from the state to fund the transition to full-day kindergarten. The district will continue to offer half-day kindergarten.

Among the items the grant will pay for are a coordinator and parent liaison for the full-time program.

Half-day kindergarten will continue to be free of charge. Tuition for full-day kindergarten will be $2,750 a year for the 2012-13 school year.

The fee can be modified on a sliding scale depending on the size of a family and their income. For example, a family of four living on $2,500 a month could pay $275 a year.

Full-day kindergartners will be in school about 6 hours, counting lunch and recess.

At the same School Committee meeting where Ouimet spoke, committee member Arthur Krulewitz worried that children coming out of full-day kindergarten would have an advantage over half-day kindergartners when they entered first grade.

But Pamela McCauley, West Street School principal and Full Day Committee member, said all kindergarten classes are “very academically-oriented,” with mornings dedicated to age-appropriate math, reading, handwriting, music, art and speech.

Full-day kindergarten, which will continue in the afternoon, will offer a greater opportunity for play, said McCauley, though children will still be learning.

They will have more read-alouds, more acting, more discussions about health and nutrition, more chances to explore conflict resolution and anti-bullying principles, she said.

Granby parents can sign up their children for full-day kindergarten in person at the principal’s office at West Street School.

Granby is also accepting “school choice” children – kids who live in other towns – for full-day kindergarten, though not for half-day.

So far, eight out-of-town children are on a waiting list, and the school is waiting to see if more apply. The decision is made by lottery. Kindergarten classes are limited to less than 20 children.

The 23-year-old man was shot in the lower leg on Maple Street near Avon Place, but he was uncooperative when questioned by investigators.

SPRINGFIELD – He may not be cooperating with investigators, but he told police what he needed after he was injured in an apparent drive-by shooting over the weekend.

Springfield police officers Carla Daniele and Jonathan Torres located a 23-year-old gunshot victim after responding to a report of gunfire in the vicinity of Maple Street and Avon Place at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The officers tried to get information from the man regarding who had shot him, but the victim was very uncooperative, according to Sgt. John Delaney, executive aide to Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet. "He stated to the officers, 'I'm from the 'hood, I'm a gangster. ... All I need is an ambulance,' " Delaney said.

The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of a single gunshot wound to the lower leg, police said. The victim was on Maple Street near the intersection of Avon Place when a vehicle approached and an occupant yelled something before opening fire. The victim declined to describe the car or its occupants, police said.

The case is being handled by Detective Richard Ryder, of the Springfield Police Department Criminal Investigation Bureau. No arrests had been made as of early Tuesday, according to Sgt. Dennis Prior.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, police on Friday charged a city man in connection with an alleged assault at his Sixteen Acres home. Details of the incident were unavailable, but Jose E. Ramirez, 38, of 6 Queensbury Drive, was expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court on charges of attempted murder and assault and battery. The outcome of the court proceeding was not immediately known.

Anyone with information about Sunday's shooting can reach detectives at (413) 787-6355. Anonymous text tips can be sent to CRIMES (or 274637). The message must begin with SOLVE.

The suspect was described as a skinny white male in his late teens with short brown hair. He left behind an ENYCE jacket (pictured), and police are hoping someone may recognize the garment and lead them to the suspect.

Granby Police DepartmentThe suspect who robbed Vickers Liquors on Route 202 Saturday night left behind this ENYCE jacket, according to Granby police, who are looking for a skinny white male in his late teens with short brown hair.

GRANBY – Police are looking for a teenage suspect wanted in connection with an armed robbery at Vickers Liquors, 367 East State St., just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

The suspect — described as a thin white male in his late teens, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with very short brown hair — fled with an undetermined amount of cash after struggling with a female clerk.

The suspect held a "hard object" against the woman's back and demanded money from the register, Granby police officials said Monday. A K-9 search failed to locate the suspect, who inadvertently left behind an off-white ENYCE hooded sweat jacket with an elaborate green print, police said.

The suspect was last seen fleeing the liquor store on foot. It's unknown if a vehicle was used in the crime, police said.

Vickers Liquors is located on East State Street (Route 202) near the corner of Greenmeadow Lane.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Granby Police Department at (413) 467-9222.

MAP of crime scene area:

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Elena Pirozhkova of Greenfield won a spot on the United States wrestling team for the 2012 London Olympics.

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

1) Interstate 91 south closed after serious car crash near Chicopee [Jeanette DeForge]

2) 3 Massachusetts hospitals cited for denial of ER care [Associated Press]

3) Review: 'Dan and Kim' kick off morning show on abc40 [Ray Kelly]

4) Wilbraham police identify fatal motorcycle crash victim as 36-year-old Bradford Storozuk of Stafford Springs, Conn. [George Graham]

5) Greenfield woman to compete in Olympic Games this summer [Paul Bowker]

High School prom season is underway and a popular photo gallery was images of the Agawam High School prom, seen at right.

The suspects, two 19-year-olds and an 18-year-old, were charged with breaking and entering a building at night to commit a felony.

File photo

SPRINGFIELD – Three teenagers were arrested early Friday morning in connection with an alleged burglary on the campus of Springfield College in the city's Upper Hill neighborhood, according to Springfield Police Department records.

Officers patrolling the Old Hill and Upper Hill neighborhoods responded to a 1:20 a.m. report at Springfield College, 263 Alden St., just east of Wilbraham Avenue. Details of the incident, including the building that was allegedly burglarized, were unavailable. But charged with breaking and entering a building at night to commit a felony were William Chin, 18, of Worcester, Quinton Christiano, 19, of Newton, N.J., and Christopher Tibbetts, 19, of 653 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield.

Police records didn't indicate if the defendants were local college students.

The suspects were expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court. The outcomes of their court proceedings were not immediately known.

MAP of alleged crime scene area:

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City Council President Kevin Jourdain questioned whether Holyoke can afford to create a new job.

HOLYOKE – Mayor Alex B. Morse said establishing a director of arts, culture and tourism would help the city mobilize the talents and strengths of its creative sectors.

And that would help economic development, he said Monday.

But City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said he was at best skeptical about spending money to for a new position with the budget tight.

Kevin Jourdain

The council Ordinance Committee is scheduled to debate the proposal May 8, Chairwoman Rebecca Lisi said Monday.

Also, the city will be taking the pulse of the arts and culture community with a survey to determine the housing, work and display spaces artists would need.

The Holyoke Arts and Innovation District Survey began April 13 and results will be collected until June 1, Morse said.

The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HolyokeArts.

Morse said he envisioned a new Office of Art, Culture, and Tourism working with artists and entrepreneurs who have opened shops at Open Square off Lyman Street and on Race Street and forging ties with others to come here.

That part of the city, which is near the site of the $165 million high performance computing center being built downtown, is known as the Arts and Innovation District.

Morse discussed having an arts and culture liaison in his campaign for mayor last year.

The plan gained momentum as Morse and a dozen city employees, business people and residents involved in arts and culture attended a Gateway Cities Creative Placemaking Summit on April 11 in Lowell.

“As more artists seek out affordable live/work spaces in the region, being priced out of once thriving artist residential and working hubs like Northampton and Easthampton, Holyoke is poised to capitalize on its affordable housing stock and vacant buildings which (can) be transformed into vibrant live/work artists communities that will revitalize our downtown,” Morse said.

“The new office ... will spur this development,” he said.

The director job would have a yearly salary of about $40,000, he said.

Establishing a new municipal position requires City Council approval.

Jourdain questioned whether $40,000 would be the limit or whether staffing and other things would increase the cost.

“I’m always willing to listen. I’m obviously skeptical of creating a new position. There’s going to have to be some show that this person is revenue-neutral, you know, is this person going to apply for grants” for example, Jourdain said.

Morse said later that seeking grants would be part of the new position.

Lisi said it makes sense for the city to have someone to coordinate arts, culture and tourism.

“We have a burgeoning arts community,” Lisi said.

That section of Route 10 has since reopened to traffic, police said.

Republican file photo

EASTHAMPTON - A late Tuesday morning accident involving a motorcycle at O’Neil and Northampton streets sent the rider to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Police Sgt. Bruce Nicol said he believes the crash was at “fairly low speed” and that the rider suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

That section of the roadway, also known as Route 10, closed for a time due to the crash, has since reopened, Nicol said. Additional information was not immediately available.

Under Juhasz's leadership, Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, Conn., was ranked among municipal courses as second in the state and eighth in the country.

File photo | The RepublicanThe Ledges Golf Course clubhouse in South Hadley.

SOUTH HADLEY – The Ledges municipal golf course brought in more money this year than it did during a comparable period in April 2011, according to Douglas Juhasz, the new general manager of the town-owned course.

Juhasz’s report added a positive note to some otherwise glum forecasts at the three-hour open hearings on the annual public budget last week in Town Hall.

Juhasz, who was hired in March and has been a golf course manager and golf professional at five courses in Connecticut and New Jersey, inherited a challenging situation. The Ledges was conceived at the end of the last century as a money-maker for the town, but eventually turned out to be a drain instead. The agreements with the state that funded the project make it impossible for the town to sell the course.

At this year’s Town Meeting, the town will be asked for $909,720 to sustain the course.

The hiring of Juhasz is a part of an effort to turn the course’s fortunes around. Even in these hard times, it has been a puzzle to many that a course with the attributes of The Ledges has not fared better.

At the public hearing, audience member Carol Constant asked Juhasz how he planned to market The Ledges.

Juhasz responded that he is advertising on several cable TV channels and that one of the spots that aired during the Masters Tournament was especially effective. “People booked tee times just as a result of seeing it,” said Juhasz.

He has also arranged with a golf magazine to include The Ledges on a coupon the magazine is giving for each new subscription.

He said he is “setting up a rate structure” that will offer discounts to golfers depending on time of day, loyalty, residence in South Hadley and other factors.

He plans to add more golf lessons to those already offered by the town’s Recreation Department, he said, and more programs for juniors and families.

Juhasz said customer service at The Ledges has been criticized in the past, and he is making it a priority.

Selectboard member Frank DeToma jumped in to tout another new attraction at the course, Frigo’s Valley View restaurant. “The food is great and the view is wonderful,” said DeToma.

From 2003 to 2009, Juhasz was general manager and director of golf at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield, Conn. Under his leadership, Wintonbury was ranked among municipal courses as second in the state and eighth in the country.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., announced his staff will hold additional office hours in several Western Massachusetts communities on Wednesday to discuss local issues, offer assistance on individual cases, and answer any and all questions.

View full sizeAssociated PressSen. John Kerry, D-Mass., announced that his staff is holding extended office hours in several Western Massachusetts communities on Wednesday, April 25, as part of his "office Hours" initiative. (AP File Photo/Alex Brandon)

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., announced his staff will hold additional office hours in several Western Massachusetts communities on Wednesday to discuss local issues, offer assistance on individual cases, and answer any and all questions.

“It’s not always easy for folks to get to my office in Boston so we’re sending the team to your doorstep,” Kerry said in a statement. “So if you live in Belchertown, Wilbraham, Longmeadow, or East Longmeadow, come down and bring your questions. Whether it’s cutting through red tape or getting in touch with federal agencies, we’ll be there to listen and help.”

In 2010, Kerry and his staff held office hours in all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. So far in 2012, Kerry’s staff has held office hours 35 different locations throughout the state, including stops in Granby and Ludlow last week.

From 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Kerry's staff will at Belchertown Town Hall at 2 Jabish St. and at Longmeadow Town Hall, 20 Williams St.

From 1 to 3 p.m., his staff will be at the Wilbraham Town Hall, 240 Springfield St., and at the East Longmeadow Town Hall, 60 Center Square.

Information about future office hours is available online at Kerry's Senate website.

Police said such stings deter drug-related crime and violence.

SPRINGFIELD – An undercover sting operation last Thursday yielded the arrest of 11 men who allegedly attempted to hire a female police detective for sex while she posed as a prostitute in the South End.

Those arrested included Ernesto Reyes, 17, of 529 Union St., Apt. 1R, who gave the detective, standing at Locust Street and Palmer Avenue, a rock of crack cocaine and promised her more, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

Police found 35 bags of crack inside Reyes’ underwear, Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said. He was charged with sexual conduct for a fee, distribution of crack cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Also arrested were Joseph Liberti, 30, 61 Thornton St. and Juan Cruz, 25, 170 Stuart St., Delaney said the two pulled up to the detective in a landscaping truck and offered her $40 apiece. Delaney said the two promised to return after servicing a customer’s lawn down the street.

They were arrested, charged with sexual conduct for a fee and their truck was towed away, Delaney said.

Anthony Carter, 45,12 Palm Ave., told the detective that he had $25 but offered her only $23 because he needed the balance for his bus ride home, Delaney said. He too was charged with sexual conduct for a fee and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute as well.

Also facing that charge are: Luis Lopez, 18, unknown address; Yohanes Tesfamariam, 32, 400 Franklin St.; Ralph Forbes, 63, 72 Hillside Drive; Leslie Graham, 54, 345 Lincoln Ave., Amherst; Luis Santiago, 39, 769 Worthington St.; Moises Pagan, 22, 17 George St.; Donald Lamore, 45, 75 Hampden St.

Delaney said such stings deter drug-related crime and other crimes in neighborhoods and added there will be other undercover stings soon.

“Where there is prostitution there are drugs and where there are drugs there is violence,” he said. “It just eats away at the neighborhood.”

President Barack Obama tells college students that he and his wife, Michelle, know what it's like to owe student loans because the two of them didn't come from wealthy families.

The Associated PressPresident Barack Obama greets the crowd upon his arrival at Raleigh Durham International Airport in Morrisville , N.C., Tuesday, April 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Jim R. Bounds)

By BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — President Barack Obama tells college students that he and his wife, Michelle, know what it's like to owe student loans because the two of them didn't come from wealthy families.

He says: "When we married, we got poor together."

Obama was speaking at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first of three college campuses he was visiting on a two-day tour promoting low rates for federal student loan rates.

The president is pressing Congress to extend a 2007 law that cut loan rates to 3.4 percent. If the law is allowed to expire on July 1, it would double rates to 6.8 percent.

The emphasis on his personal experience set up a contrast with his likely Republican presidential opponent, Mitt Romney, whose father was a wealthy auto executive.

Google is hoping to build the world's largest digital filing cabinet in the latest attempt to deepen people's dependence on its services.

The Associated PressGoogle workers ride bikes outside of Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Thursday, April 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Google is hoping to build the world's largest digital filing cabinet in the latest attempt to deepen people's dependence on its services.

The Internet search leader's latest product stores personal documents, photos, videos and a wide range of other digital content on Google's computers. By keeping their files in massive data centers, users will be able to call up the information on their smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and just about any other Internet-connected device.

Google announced the long-rumored service Tuesday. Available immediately, Google Drive is offering the first five gigabytes of storage per account for free. Additional storage will be sold for prices starting at $2.49 per month 25 gigabytes.

Google Inc. will be competing against similar storage services offered by Microsoft, Apple and rapidly growing startups such as Dropbox.

Al Bruno shooter Frankie Roche will be the 1st witness for the prosecution after a break in testimony this afternoon.

NEW YORK — When Gary Westerman could not manage to stay out of jail in the 1980s and '90s, he looked to the Massachusetts State Police as insurance.

Gary Westerman

Massachusetts State Police Capt. Peter Higgins on Tuesday told jurors in an ongoing murder trial in Manhattan that Westerman, after being released in 1996 after a 10-year stay in state prison for drug trafficking, stopped Higgins while Higgins was jogging on his lunch hour to discuss becoming an informant.

With a truck hijacking case pending in state court, Westerman was looking to mitigate another lengthy sentence and Higgins later agreed to sign Westerman on as an informant. But true to form, Westerman blew the agreement by getting caught up in a check-cashing scheme, and went back to prison in 2003.

Once he got out, he approached Higgins to renew their partnership, Higgins testified. Higgins passed Westerman off to Trooper Liam Jones, also a prosecution witness on Tuesday in the trial of Emilio Fusco in U.S. District Court. Fusco is accused of being among four men who shot and bludgeoned Westerman to death in November 2003 and helping to plot Springfield crime boss Adolfo Bruno's murder weeks later. Westerman's remains were not uncovered until 2010 in a wooded lot in Agawam, Mass.

Fusco has denied any involvement in the murders, but seven other gangsters have either pleaded guilty or have been convicted in separate trials in connection with the killings so far. Witnesses have testified Bruno was killed in a power play by a group of young upstart gangsters looking to wrest control over Greater Springfield's rackets.

Westerman was killed after his cohorts suspected he was giving information to police. And indeed, Jones told jurors that he met with Westerman more than a dozen times overs several months in the summer of 2003 to offer updates on the criminal landscape in Springfield.

"Gary Westerman said that Anthony Arillotta," Bruno's successor, and his "muscle were making moves on the street to either have Bruno removed or retired," Jones testified. "He never mentioned murder."

In fact, Bruno was shot dead by paid gunman Frankie Roche in a dark parking lot in Springfield on Nov. 23, 2003.

Roche is scheduled to be the first witness for the government after a break in testimony this afternoon.