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PM News Links: Illegal alien accused in death may go free, mail carrier accused of spanking child, and more

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Members of the Scituate Gun Club ordered a permanent end to all shooting at the club after residents complained about stray bullets entering their neighborhood.

Christmas Morning FireFirefighters investigate a house in Stamford, Conn., where an early morning fire left five people dead on Christmas Day. Click on the link, at right, for a report from the Hartford Courant about an insurance company that is balking about making payments following the blaze.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.


Springfield employers swap disaster preparedness tips

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One executive suggested businesses need to keep abreast of weather reports, have a recovery plan they can execute with few resources and be very familiar with their insurance policy.

Workers from the associated building wreckers work on removing some of the remaining walls to the building at 947 Main St. in Springfield, which housed Square One corporate headquarters and one of its day care center. The building was destroyed in the June 1 tornado.

SPRINGFIELD — When a freak October snowstorm knocked out power across Western Massachusetts for more than a week, Solutia Inc.’s ability to recover hinged on hot showers and warm meals.

That's because employees could fully concentrate on their jobs only when they knew that they and their families had those basic needs, said David W. Lahr, plant manager for Solutia Inc. at its sprawling chemical factory in the Indian Orchard neighborhood.

“We have to be ready not just to think about our process, but to think about our people,” Lahr said Thursday morning at a seminar on disaster preparedness organized by Associated Industries of Massachusetts. “We really spent more time thinking about our people more than anything else.”

Providing food and shower facilities for families, was critical, Lahr said. Also important was providing a phone number employees could call at all hours to get updated information about what help was available and who was expected at work and when.

Solutia, which makes plastic interlayers for glass used in auto windshields and windows, has 425 employees at its Indian Orchard plant.

Disaster preparedness was tested often in 2011 in the Pioneer Valley. Starting with a snow and ice storm that collapsed roofs in February, the region was hit with the June 1 tornadoes, an earthquake and Hurricane Irene in August and the October snowstorm.

Dawn Creighton, a Springfield-based regional director for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, said the idea for Thursday’s discussion grew out of an informal talk she had last month with several executives. One told her a crew shoveling heavy snow off his plant’s roof in February 2011 did more than $100,000 worth of damage to the vent pipes he’d recently had installed for a manufacturing clean room.

“Who has a map of their roof?” Creighton asked.

Associated Industries is a Boston-based business lobbying and trade association that puts out a Business Confidence Index survey of executives statewide. About 85 people attended Thursday's seminar.

Patricia L. Guenette, vice president of human resources at Square One in Springfield, said businesses need to keep abreast of weather reports, have a recovery plan they can execute with few resources and be very familiar with their insurance policy.

Square One, a provider of early childhood education, lost its corporate headquarters and one of it’s centers at 947 Main Street in the South End to the tornado. She and her colleagues in administration are still working out of temporary offices at the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park.

Springfield City Councilor Thomas Ashe running for Hampden Superior Court Clerk

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John DaCruz and Linda Stec DiSanti are also running for the post.

Thomas Ashe mug 2011.jpgThomas M. Ashe

SPRINGFIELD – City Councilor Thomas M. Ashe is running for Hampden Superior Court Clerk.

Ashe, a Democratic candidate, said Thursday he has submitted over 1,250 signatures to the Springfield office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Ashe said he is grateful to his supporters “for their diligence in completing the signature portion of the campaign.”

“I am fortunate to be surrounded by a great group of family and friends that worked very hard in collecting the necessary signatures,” he said.

Ashe is a lifelong resident of Springfield, currently in his second term on the City Council after serving 10 years on the School Committee.

Ashe said his 18 years in the correctional field is the “motivator” for his run for clerk.

“Having spent 10 years at the Hampden County House of Correction, many as a supervisor in the classification department specifically in the area of sentence computation, and currently as the director of a community corrections program for the Worcester County sheriff, I have a wealth of experience in working with judges, attorneys, probation officials and district attorneys,” he said.

“Hitting the ground running and evaluating the operation of the clerk’s office is critical in determining the effectiveness of the office going forward,” Ashe said.

He said the steady flow of cases through Hampden Superior Court, one of the busiest in the state, is what the people of the county expect.

Ashe said strong relationships with the local legislative delegation is a key component in advocating for the needs of the office.

“Having worked in public life for 15 years, I have forged strong relationships with members of the general court that will be important as I analyze the funding requirements of the clerk’s office,” Ashe said.

He said the public demands open and efficient government and he will ensure that is the practice of the clerk’s office.

Ashe said annually overseeing and approving municipal budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars, this year over $500 million, has prepared him to look at all areas of operating budgets to determine cost effectiveness.

Ashe is a graduate of Cathedral High School and Assumption College in Worcester.

He is a former board member of the Carew Street Boys Club and the Zoo at Forest Park.

Two other Democrats have announced they are running for the clerk post, which will be left vacant as current clerk Brian P. Lees is not seeking reelection.

Ashe become the third person to announce a run for the position.

One is lawyer and former Ludlow selectman John DaCruz; the other is Linda A. Stec DiSanti of Chicopee, legal administrator/office manager at DiSanti Law Offices in West Springfield.

Nomination papers must be turned in to the Secretary of State’s Office by May 29. But May 1 is the last day for candidates to submit signatures to city and town election offices for certification of signatures.

Former South Hadley resident James June pleads guilty in $75 million mortgage swindle

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The 4-year scheme was so profitable that June threw a $100,000 party for co-defendant Jason Foisy at the Log Cabin in 2006.

2009 springfield federal courthouse summertime.jpgU.S. District Court in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — The mastermind of a South Hadley-to-South Florida real estate swindle faces more than 6½ years in prison and $15 million in restitution after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court.

James June, 51, formerly of South Hadley, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy, five counts of wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud and two counts of money laundering during a change-of-plea hearing before Judge Michael A. Ponsor.

Sentencing was set for Sept. 13.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Goodwin told the court that the defendant helped to hatch a multi-million mortgage and bank fraud conspiracy involving more than 100 real estate transactions in Florida and Greater Springfield.

The scheme involved $75 million in mortgages, most of which went into default, Goodwin said.

The four-year scheme was so profitable that June threw a $100,000 party for co-defendant Jason Foisy at the Log Cabin in 2006, and began construction on a $6.6 million waterfront home in an exclusive area of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the government contends.

Foisy previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 54 months in prison. A third defendant, David Tarczynski, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

June, whose most recent address was Rockville, Md., faces up to 30 years imprisonment on the bank fraud counts, up to 20 years on wire fraud counts, up to 10 years on money laundering counts, and up to five years on the conspiracy count.

Under a plea agreement, the government agreed to ask Ponsor to impose a sentence of 81 months in prison, $15,260,000 in restitution and six years of supervised release.

The case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit, the state police, the Northwestern District Attorney’s office and the South Hadley police.

DevelopSpringfield unveils master plan for post-tornado revitalization of city

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The master plan for Springfield could take 3 to 5 years to complete, and needs hundreds of millions of dollars in public and private investment.

Gallery preview

SPRINGFIELD – DevelopSpringfield, a private nonprofit organization leading the “Rebuild Springfield” effort, released its full, formal master plan Thursday that discloses long-term strategies to revitalize the city following last June’s tornado.

Representatives of DevelopSpringfield and city officials, including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, praised the “Rebuild Springfield” master plan during an afternoon press conference at City Hall. The release of the plan follows months of study and extensive public input.

“I need the city to rally behind this plan,” Sarno said. “This has been a grassroots effort. This plan was put together to say how can we not only rebuild the tornado-ravaged areas, but more importantly, lets build on the strengths of the city of Springfield, and lets conquer those urban challenges that urban centers face across the United States.”

Gerald Hayes, co-chairman of the Rebuild Springfield effort, said that implementation of the plan could take three to five years, and will likely require hundreds of millions of dollars. Federal disaster aid, other state and federal sources funds, and private contributions and investment will be needed, officials said.

More than 3,000 people participated in the planning process in attending community meetings and offering comments online, officials said.

An executive summary of the plan was released in late February.

DevelopSpringfield, working with the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, city officials and stakeholders and the community, will immediately move to the implementation stage, said Nicholas Fyntrilakis, chairman of the Board of Directors of DevelopSpringfield.

The organization and city will also pursue the maximum possible disaster aid reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Kevin Kennedy, the city’s chief development officer.

Rebuild Springfield Plan

Search terminated for missing 2-year-old girl at Rockport beach

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"We terminate the search with deep sadness for Caleigh and her family. Our mission throughout was singular: To bring Caleigh home to the people who love her," a state police spokesman said.

caleigh anne harrison.jpgCaleigh Anne Harrison

ROCKPORT - The state police announced Thursday afternoon that they have terminated the ocean search for 2-year-old Caleigh Anne Harrison, who disappeared without a trace from Long Beach a week ago, officials said.

State police spokesman David Procopio said the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Underwater Recovery Unit, assisted by Environmental Police and the Rockport Harbormaster, agreed to call off the search at about 2:30 p.m. after spending days searching approximately 5 square miles of ocean

"We terminate the search with deep sadness for Caleigh and her family. Our mission throughout was singular: To bring Caleigh home to the people who love her," he said.

The search party employed divers, both free diving and attached to the boat, and scanned the ocean floor with side-scan sonar. They also used aircraft to search from above, and deployed additional people and K-9 units to search the land in areas around the beach, he said.

They searched Milk Island, about a mile off shore, and nearby Saratoga Creek salt marsh.

Search parties consulted with commercial fishermen and the harbor master to understand currents and prevailing tides in hopes of finding where the water carried her.

"All searches met with negative results for Caliegh or any item of evidentiary value," he said.

Additionally, Rockport Police and State Police detectives attached to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office have investigated the possibility that Caleigh Harrison was abducted or in some other way subject to foul play.

Investigators interviewed several witnesses who were on the beach at the time the girl and her family were on the beach and when she was noticed missing.

"That investigation has yielded no evidence of abduction or foul play to date," Procopio said.
"While there is no evidence of criminality, we cannot rule it out 100 percent. If we become aware of additional evidence supporting the possibility of abduction, Rockport and State Police will follow it up thoroughly. "

Caleigh, her 4-year-old sister and her mother, Allison Hammond, were playing with their dog on the beach near Saratoga Creek at midday April 19. At one point while retrieving the ball, they were playing with, Hammond noticed Kaleigh was missing and could not find her.

Police have previously said the child was out of her sight for about 2 minutes.

Bill Ravanesi of Longmeadow among those honored by EPA for 'Health Care Without Harm' initiative

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Health Care Without Harm President Gary Cohen, of Jamaica Plain, and Boston Regional Director Bill Ravanesi, of Longmeadow, were given the EPA's New England Region Environmental Merit Award this week.

Health Care Without Harm logoHealth Care Without Harm was started in 1996 after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified medical waste incineration as the leading source of dioxin, one of the most potent carcinogens. (Stylized art courtesy of FoundationSource.com)

Two Massachusetts men were honored this week by the Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts to protect the environment in New England.

Health Care Without Harm President Gary Cohen, of Jamaica Plain, and Boston Regional Director Bill Ravanesi, of Longmeadow, were given the EPA's New England Region Environmental Merit Award this week for the organization's work to reduce the environmental impact of the health care industry.

According to the organization's website, HCWH is an international coalition of more than 508 organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care industry worldwide by implementing "ecologically sound and healthy alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and contribute to disease."

"Health Care Without Harm, dedicated to helping create a more ecologically sustainable health care industry, consistently has been a leading advocate for green chemistry in the health care industry, locally and nationally," the EPA said in a statement. "The organization, with Gary Cohen as its founder and executive director, was a major force behind the decision of one of the country's largest health care providers to convert its intravenous equipment to more eco-friendly alternatives."

The EPA noted HCWH's support of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a coalition of major health systems and organizations committed to improving sustainability and safety across the health care sector.

Partners Health Care, of Boston, MA, is a founding sponsor of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative.

"We are honored to receive this award," Cohen said in a statement. "We are proud of the hospitals in the New England region of the country who in many ways have been leaders of the sustainable health care movement. Even though the work of Health Care Without Harm is international in scope, the idea is to make communities healthier for families, and our work in the region, we hope, will make New England healthier for all of those who live here."

The agency praised the work of Ravanesi, who is responsible for working directly with hospitals in the Bay State and is currently working on an initiative organized by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission on extending sustainability throughout the city.

"Bill Ravanesi helps New England hospitals in toxicity and waste reduction, green building services, energy efficiency and climate change programs, focusing on sustainability and resiliency," the EPA said. "He is responsible for organizing program development and implementation, legislative and regulatory advocacy and policy reform initiatives and has engaged hospitals all over New England in adopting new ways of doing business that meet the challenge of environmental responsibility."

Home sales bump, earnings reports send stock market higher

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The upbeat signs muscled out a disappointing report on unemployment claims, mixed results on European markets and weakness at big-name companies like Aetna, UPS and Dow Chemical.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE | AP Business Writer

042612 sale pending sign.JPGA sign advertises a pending residential real estate sale in Framingham, Mass., Thursday, April 26, 2012. The National Association of Realtors said the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy U.S. homes rose in March, the latest sign the battered housing market is slowly improving. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

NEW YORK — On a day that brought both good and bad news about the economy, investors chose to see the glass as half-full.

U.S. stocks edged higher Thursday, pushed up by a batch of bright earnings reports and encouraging news about home sales. In the fight for investors' attention, those upbeat signs muscled out a disappointing report on unemployment claims, mixed results on European markets and weakness at big-name companies like Aetna, UPS and Dow Chemical.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 113.90 points to 13,204.62. The Standard & Poor's 500 climbed 9.29 points to 1,399.98. The index momentarily flitted above 1,400 in the late afternoon, its first foray past that psychological barrier in three weeks. The Nasdaq composite index rose 20.98 points to 3,050.61.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the number of contracts to buy homes is rising, which pushed up the stocks of home builders like PulteGroup and Lennar. Companies like Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense contractor, and Starwood Hotels, which runs chains including Westin and Sheraton, climbed after beating analysts' predictions for first-quarter earnings.

Still, investors didn't need to look far to find problems, or at least confusion, looming on the horizon.

In the U.S., the government reported that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits was little changed last week, stoking more uncertainty about when and if companies will return to pre-recession levels of hiring.

John De Clue, global investment strategist at U.S. Bank's wealth management business in Minneapolis, was watching the yield on 10-year Italian bonds tick up. That means the Italian government is paying more to persuade investors to hold its bonds, a sign that investors are worried about Italy's ability to repay its debts.

De Clue described the situation in Europe as "two steps forward and one step back."

"Okay, the situation doesn't look as serious as it did back in October," De Clue said. "But it's very difficult to understand what the market looks like with the need for austerity but also the need to avoid a recession."

But Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management in New York, thinks concerns about Europe are overblown. Though the debt crisis isn't solved, he said, the European Central Bank has set up enough safeguards to keep Europe's problems from spilling across the ocean for the near future.

"There's breathing room," Cote said. "I think they get it done no matter what happens with French elections, no matter if the Dutch government dissolves. This is way overplayed."

European markets were mixed. Stock indexes rose in Germany and Britain but fell in Greece, Spain and France. Spain's Banco Santander reported that it set aside more money to cover bad loans, heightening concerns that Spain could join Greece, Ireland and Portugal in asking for a bailout.

U.S. companies' earnings reports also underscored the European problem. Dow Chemical, the nation's largest chemical maker, and UPS, the package delivery company, both fell after citing a cooling down of business in Europe.

Despite those declines, first-quarter earnings reports have been mostly positive. Of the roughly 200 companies on the S&P 500 that have reported earnings, about 80 percent have beat analysts' forecasts, according to calculations by John Butters, senior earnings analyst at the financial data provider FactSet. That's better than the past four quarters, which averaged about 72 percent, he said.

Earnings growth has also come in better than expected. Four weeks ago, analysts had expected year-over-year earnings growth of about 0.1 percent. So far, companies have turned in about 5.9 percent.

That doesn't mean companies are reporting strong earnings across the board. Much of the growth is being driven by a few giant companies. Strip Apple out of the S&P 500, and earnings growth would drop to 3.6 percent, Butters calculates. And banks, which have also turned in strong first-quarter earnings, were helped by one-time items like accounting adjustments.

The past four weeks have been helter-skelter for the market, and indexes have wavered between gains and losses. The three major indexes are up for the week so far but down for the second quarter, which started at the beginning of April.

It's a contrast to the relative gaiety of the first three months of the year, when the market charged higher as investors shrugged off the previous year's concerns about Europe and gridlock in Washington over fiscal policy. Now, some of those concerns appear to be resurfacing.

Natalie Trunow, chief investment officer of stocks at Calvert Investments in Bethesda, Md., said investors will probably continue to be cautious until they have more clarity on those and other issues.

"We have an election coming up, we have the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and payroll breaks, we have the budget negotiations coming up soon," Trunow said. "All of this is going to give markets indigestion."


Diamond Pet Foods issues dog food recall

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The product was distributed to customers in Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salmonella concerns have prompted Missouri-based Diamond Pet Foods to recall a second batch of dry dog food produced at a South Carolina plant.

Production at the plant was suspended after an earlier recall this month.

A statement Thursday said the latest recall includes one production run of the company's Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food. The company said one bag tested positive for Salmonella, and the recall is being conducted as a precautionary measure. No dog illnesses have been reported.

The product was distributed to customers in Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

The plant is the same one that made mold-contaminated food that killed dozens of dogs nationwide in 2005.

The recall covers:

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul 35 lb. CLF0102B31XCW 27/JAN/2013, CLF0102B32XWR 28/JAN/2013

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Adult Light Formula 35 lb. CLF0102B31XCW 28/JAN/2013

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul 6lb. CLF0102B3XALW 28/JAN/2013

Goverment rests in Emilio Fusco murder trial

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The defense began putting on its witnesses including Fusco's sister, Angela Fusco, who told jurors her brother traveled to Italy in 2010 to attend her 50th birthday party.

NEW YORK - Prosecutors rested their case Thursday afternoon against accused mob murderer Emilio Fusco after seven days of testimony and dozens of witnesses in U.S. District Court.

The government closed with witnesses that included the Italian police official who arrested Fusco at a bus stop in Santaniello, Italy on July 29, 2010. Fusco is accused in the 2003 murders of Springfield, Mass., crime boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno and street thug Gary D. Westerman, plus a string of extortions, drug deals and illegal gaming rings. Fusco, 43, an Italian native who immigrated to western Massachusetts in the 1990s, had denied all charges.

Testifying through an interpreter, Massimiliano Guidone said he and eight other investigators with the "Carabinieri" tailed Fusco to Santaniello, where Fusco had rented an apartment in the Italian countryside. Guidone told jurors he hid in a shed near Fusco's apartment for six hours one day, until Fusco emerged on the road nearby and walked to a bar in the town square. The investigator said he finally approached Fusco at a bus stop to arrest him.

The government has argued Fusco fled to avoid prosecution amid intense publicity about a law enforcement dig for Westerman's body in a wooded lot in Agawam, Mass., in April of 2010 and speculation that mob captain Anthony J. Arillotta was cooperating with the FBI and state police.

Arillotta testified against Fusco for nearly four days in this trial under a plea deal, telling jurors he and Fusco were among four men who shot and bludgeoned Westerman to death before burying him in a ditch.

Defense lawyer Richard B. Lind has argued Fusco traveled to Italy to attend his sister's 50th birthday party in mid-April of 2010, and among the witnesses the defense called this afternoon was Fusco's sister, Angelo Fusco, of Quindici, Italy.

Through an interpreter, Angela Fusco testified that her brother arrived for her birthday party a few days before and was delayed in coming back by their mother's health problems and a volcanic eruption that disrupted European plane travel that year.

"I told him not to leave. It's not the right time. My mother was crying," Angela Fusco told jurors.

The testimony had a stuttery feel to it when Angela Fusco became intermittently confused by the questions. She left the witness stand with her brother becoming agitated and apparently scolding her in Italian.

Testimony will resume in federal court on Monday.

Visitors to Springfield describe plight in central Sudan

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Marx used to work on wells, schools, hospitals, radio communication, churches in the diocese in Sudan. Now, he said, all he works on is “relief” – trying to save lives.

sudan visitors.jpgSharon DeSouza, of Kenya, Tyler Balding of New Milford, Conn., Stefan Marx, project co-ordinator of the Diocese of El Obeid in Sudan and Adim Malek from Aweil, South Sudan, visit the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD – Tyler Balding was in town to talk about the people in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan.

With the government in Khartoum intent on spreading Islam all over the Sudan, these indigenous people are being killed for “not being Arabic enough,” as Balding puts it.

Underlying the bigotry are other factors: oil that was discovered in Sudan in the 1980s, gold, other valuable minerals. It’s created a nightmare.

Balding lives over the border in Kenya. He is a native of Milford, Conn., a lawyer whose grandfather founded the Catholic Medical Mission in the diocese of El Obeid in Sudan.

The hospital there is where Balding has worked since 2010, though the Sudanese government has tried to bomb the operation out of existence.

That’s why Balding and two of his colleagues from Kenya, communications coordinator Sharon de Souza and project coordinator Stefan Marx, was talking to the press on Thursday afternoon at the Bishop Marshal Center in Springfield.

Their mission is to advocate for the victims in the situation. “We can’t use the word ‘genocide,’” said Marx, “because no one can get in from the UN to prove it.”

The visitors want the Sudanese government to do three things, said Marx: Stop the bombing, give access to humanitarian groups and abide by the Peace Agreement of 2005.

“Our mission is solely to serve the people,” said Balding.

Marx gives a little puff of a laugh when he hears his title. He used to work on wells, schools, hospitals, radio communication, churches in the diocese.

Now, he said, all he works on is “relief” – trying to save lives.

On a laptop, he runs a documentary film by Aidan Hartley about the plight in the Nuba Mountains. The team is hoping to place it with PBS.

It shows people with stumps instead of arms and legs, a baby with an eye socket caved in, faces ripped by shrapnel.

“The president is bombarding his own people,” said Marx.

Then there’s the starvation. The government has stated publicly that it is trying to starve the people to death, said De Souza. “They have said they want to exterminate them like insects,” she said.

Also joining the visitors was Adim Malek, of Springfield. Malek will be graduating from Elms College in Chicopee with a business degree next month.

For him, what’s happening in the Sudan is a reminder of another life.

Malek was one of the “Lost Boys of the Sudan.” He and other children trekked hundreds of miles to escape earlier conflicts. Some were killed by animals, some drowned, some starved, said Malek.

“All we were focusing on was living day by day,” he said.

Malek brims with details about the history of the current conflict, but it doesn’t keep him from wanting to go back some day.

Said Malek: “My dream is to help my country.”

With Republican support, US Senate approves renewal of Violence Against Women Act

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The Violence Against Women Act's renewal was approved in a 68-31 vote Thursday afternoon with 15 Republicans joining all 53 Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

US capitol washington DC .JPGBy a vote of 68-31, the U.S. Senate voted to move forward legislation re-authorizing the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

The Violence Against Women Act's renewal was approved in a 68-31 vote Thursday afternoon with 15 Republicans joining all 53 Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

The re-authorization of the bill, originally passed in 1994 to provide grant money for police departments and agencies to aid victims and prosecute domestic violence offenders, is typically uncontested.

But this year the bill was expanded to include language which would extend protections for tribal Native Americans, undocumented immigrants and same-sex couples, a situation which many Republicans claimed was an example of Democrats playing election year politics.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., supported reauthorizing the bill even with the additional protections, citing his own story of growing up in a house where domestic violence was an issue.

“For me, this issue is personal, and I am pleased that the Senate reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act today. There are countless organizations in Massachusetts and throughout the country that are making a difference in the lives of survivors, and this funding will help them continue their very important work," Brown said in a statement. "This bill sends a positive message to those women; you are not alone in your fight. We must continue to do everything in our power to ensure that millions of women, including my mother, who have been in these types of situations have the support they need.”

scott brown, ap 2012Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., broke ranks with Republicans over the Violence Against Women act early on, saying that the legislation needed to be renewed without hesitation.

Brown's chief rival in his re-election bid, Democratic consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, previously spoke out in support of the bill.

The Republican battle against the bill was abandoned early Thursday when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced GOP senators would not filibuster the bill.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took aim at what has been pushed as a GOP war on women, which reverberated through national politics following the failed Republican Blunt Amendment which would have allowed employers or health insurers to deny coverage for services they say violate their moral or religious beliefs, including birth control.

"My friends, this supposed 'War on Women' or the use of similarly outlandish rhetoric by partisan operatives has two purposes, and both are purely political in their purpose and effect. The first is to distract citizens from real issues that really matter and the second is to give talking heads something to sputter about when they appear on cable television," McCain said on the Senate floor Thursday. "Neither purpose does anything to advance the well-being of any American. Women and men are no different in their rights and responsibilities. I believe this legislation recognizes that. I don’t believe the ludicrous, partisan posturing that has conjured up this imaginary war does."

The bill will now move to the House of Representatives where Republicans will have an opportunity to pursue changed to the legislation which were blocked in the Senate.

Grandson gets 2-year sentence for plundering dementia-stricken grandfather's Greenfield estate

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Judge Michael Ponsor also ordered the defendant to forfeit a Sony Bravia flat-panel TV; a 39mm semi-automatic assault rifle; and a 2006 GMC Sierra pickup truck.

2009 springfield federal courthouse summertime.jpgU.S. District Court in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — A New York man will serve two years in federal prison for bilking his dementia-stricken grandfather in Greenfield while serving as his court-appointed guardian.

Michael Ostrowski, 42, of East Patchogue, N.Y., also was ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay more than $185,000 in restitution, and forfeit $179,500 in cash stolen from his grandfather’s estate during a hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

In sentencing the defendant, Judge Michael A. Ponsor also ordered him to forfeit a Sony Bravia flat-panel television; a 39mm semi-automatic assault rifle; and a 2006 GMC Sierra pickup truck, all purchased with the proceeds of his fraud.

In January, Ostrowski pleaded guilty to mail fraud, conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen property and other charges in a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The maximum penalty for the offenses is 20 years in prison. As part of the deal, Ostrowski agreed to not oppose a sentence of 57 months or less while prosecutors will not challenge a sentence of 46 months or more.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow said Ostrowski was appointed temporary guardian in 2006 for his grandfather, who was incapacitated with dementia.

Instead of managing his assets and administering the estate, Ostrowski misappropriated more than $300,000 while lying to the Franklin Family and Probate Court and MassHealth, the state insurance program for elderly residents.

In August of 2006, Ostrowski liquidated a bank account belonging to his grandfather worth more than $250,000, taking the funds back to New York state. He also failed to file a 2006 federal income tax return, including the income that he derived from this fraudulent activity.

Under Ponsor’s order, Ostrowski was also ordered to pay restitution of $100,459 to MassHealth for his grandfather’s medical expenses and $85,751 to the Internal Revenue Service.

The investigation was conducted by the IRS’s Criminal Investigations Division with the assistance from the state police.

Springfield schools investigate Brookings Elementary teacher's role in masking tape allegations

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The teacher apparently handed out tape to students and gave them the option of sealing their mouths shut, and some did. What is not yet clear is how the situation developed, a school official said.

SPRINGFIELD - A grade 5 teacher at Elias Brookings Elementary School has been removed from the classroom while the school department investigates complaints that the teacher handed out strips of masking tape for students to seal their mouths shut, a School Department spokeswoman said.

Spokeswoman Azell Cavaan said Thursday night the schools are still trying to get a grip on what happened in the 5th grade classroom.

The initial statements from witnesses indicate the teacher, whose name is not being released, did not herself apply the tape to students, Cavaan said. Instead the teacher apparently handed out tape to students and then gave them the choice whether to apply it to their own mouths.

Several students apparently opted to tape their mouths shut, but it has not been determined yet how many of the roughly 25 students in the class participated.

“She did not tape them. She provided the tape for students,” Cavaan said.

Cavaan said it is not yet clear in what context the taping occurred, or whether it was intended by the teacher as a punitive action against students or some aspect of instruction.

The matter was brought to the attention of the Brookings office staff on Thursday and Principal Terry Powe immediately an investigation. She asked several witnesses to supply written statements from students and staff about what they saw.

Cavaan said the School Department is not allowed to levy disciplinary action until the investigation is concluded, but the teacher has been removed from all teaching duties for the time being.

Emilio Fusco jurors in New York hear 7 days of testimony in mob murder trial

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The defense told a judge it expects to call Gary Westerman's widow and a Springfield businessman who was partners with Bruno in an ill-fated cigarette exporting deal in 2002.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 6:15 this evening.


4 more mob mugs 42612.jpgWestern Massachusetts mob figures mentioned in the Emilio Fusco murder trial in New York include, clockwise from top left, Fusco and Anthony Arilllotta, and Adolfo Bruno and Gary Westerman, both deceased.

NEW YORK - Prosecutors rested their case Thursday afternoon against Emilio Fusco, accused of two mob-related murders in Western Massachusetts, after seven days of testimony and dozens of witnesses in U.S. District Court.

The government closed with witnesses that included the Italian police official who arrested Fusco at a bus stop in Santaniello, Italy on July 29, 2010.

Fusco, of Longmeadow, is accused in the 2003 murders of Springfield, Mass., crime boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno and street thug Gary D. Westerman, plus a string of extortions, drug deals and illegal gaming rings.

Fusco, 43, an Italian native who immigrated to western Massachusetts in the 1990s, had denied all charges.

Testifying through an interpreter, Massimiliano Guidone said he and eight other investigators with the "carabinieri" tailed Fusco to Santaniello, where Fusco had rented an apartment in the Italian countryside. Guidone told jurors he hid in a shed near Fusco's apartment for six hours on July 29,2010 until Fusco emerged on the road nearby and walked to a bar in the town square. The investigator said he finally approached Fusco at a bus stop to arrest him.

The government has argued Fusco fled to avoid prosecution amid intense publicity about a law enforcement dig for Westerman's body in a wooded lot in Agawam, Mass., in April of 2010 and speculation that mob captain Anthony J. Arillotta was cooperating with the FBI and state police.

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Arillotta testified against Fusco for nearly four days in this trial under a plea deal, telling jurors he and Fusco were among four men who shot and bludgeoned Westerman to death before burying him in a ditch.

Defense lawyer Richard B. Lind has argued Fusco traveled to Italy to attend his sister's 50th birthday party in mid-April of 2010, and among the witnesses the defense called this afternoon was Fusco's sister, Angela Fusco, of Quindici, Italy.

Through an interpreter, Angela Fusco testified that her brother arrived for her birthday party a few days before and was delayed in coming back by their mother's health problems and a volcanic eruption that disrupted European plane travel that year.

"I told him not to leave. It's not the right time. My mother was crying," Angela Fusco told jurors.

The testimony had a stuttery feel to it when Angela Fusco became intermittently confused by the questions. She left the witness stand with her brother becoming agitated and apparently scolding her in Italian.

Other witnesses for the defense included noted Boston criminal defense lawyer Anthony M. Cardinale, who represented Fusco in a 2001 loan-sharking case that yielded a three-year prison stint for Fusco under a plea deal - and produced a court document prosecutors in this case say effectively sealed a death warrant for Bruno.

Within a presentencing summary for Fusco, there was a reference to Bruno confirming to an FBI agent that Fusco was a "made man" in the Genovese family, which incensed Fusco, according to Cardinale, until the lawyer explained to his client that the reference did not equate to Bruno being "a rat."

"I told him that (if Bruno were formally cooperating with the government) it would never be disclosed in this fashion," Cardinale testified.

The Boston attorney conceded on cross-examination that he has represented a string of gangsters over 35 years as a trial lawyer, including the late Gambino boss, John Gotti.

Defense lawyer Richard Lind told U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel that he intends to call Westerman's widow, Sandra Berardi, to the witness stand, and Springfield businessman Carmino Bonavita, who was a partner with Bruno in an ill-fated cigarette exporting deal in 2002 the defense contends was at the root of his demise in the Genovese family.

Testimony is scheduled to resume Monday in U.S. District Court.


Lesbian Boy Scouts leader ousted; parents upset

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Parents who were aware of Jennifer Tyrrell's sexual orientation well before she took the boys on campouts and helped them carve race cars for the annual Pinewood Derby have rallied to her defense.

042512 jennfier tyrrell lesbian scout leader.jpgThis Wednesday, April 25, 2012 photo shows Jennifer Tyrrell and her son Cruz Burns, 7, during a visit to New York. Tyrrell traveled to New York from her home in Bridgeport, Ohio, to build momentum for a petition to overturn what she says are Ohio Boy Scout's anti-gay policies, after she was removed as den leader for her son's cub scout troop. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

By JOHN SEEWER

The first-graders in Ohio Pack 109's Tiger Scouts didn't know or care their den mother was a lesbian — at least not until the Boy Scouts of America threw her out over the organization's ban on gays.

Now, parents who were aware of Jennifer Tyrrell's sexual orientation well before she took the boys on campouts and helped them carve race cars for the annual Pinewood Derby have rallied to her defense in a case that has re-ignited the debate over the Scouts' policy.

"I teach my children to judge people on their actions," said Rob Dunn, a father in Bridgeport, a village of about 2,000 across the Ohio River from Wheeling, W.Va. "Whether you agree with their lifestyle or not."

The Boy Scouts of America, whose oath calls for members to be "morally straight," maintains that as a private organization it has the right to exclude gays and atheists from its ranks.

That stance was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 but has led many state and local governments to deny support for the Scouts.

Male scout leaders who are gay have long been barred, but instances of women being excluded are not well-documented and probably rare. A lesbian couple in Vermont were told two years ago that they could no longer be involved with their son's Scout troop.

Because of the policy, Tyrrell said she only reluctantly allowed her 7-year-old son to join up in Bridgeport, where she lives with her partner and their four children. Told, she said, by the local cub master that it didn't matter that she is a lesbian, she was drafted to lead the pack in September.

Tyrrell told parents at their first meeting about her sexual orientation. Some already knew her because she had coached youth baseball and volunteered at school, organizing class parties and reading to children.

"She wasn't trying to hide anything," said Dunn, whose son is among the dozen or so members of the boys-only pack. "Nobody I know of has ever made a single complaint against her."

Tyrrell said she was removed in April, right after she was asked to take over as treasurer of the local Boy Scout troop — which oversees Tiger Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts — and she raised questions about the finances.

She said the Boy Scout Council for the region told her she had to resign because she is gay.

"In this case, the policy was understood by her and her fellow volunteers but not followed," said Deron Smith, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America at its headquarters in Irving, Texas. "When a fellow pack leader made a complaint about it, to a local Scouting professional, they followed the policy."

The organization said it believes Scouting is not the right place for youngsters to be exposed to issues of sexual orientation.

Tyrrell said she is not certain who complained, but she felt betrayed.

So did parents, who organized a protest last week outside the church where the pack held its meetings. They demanded Tyrrell be reinstated.

Crystal Sabinsky said: "My son asked me last night, 'Why did Jen leave? Why is she in trouble?' He doesn't understand."

"The only people who were hurt were the kids," Dunn said "They're asking questions they shouldn't have to ask at this point."

Parents of the Tiger Scouts, a program for first-grade boys before they become Cub Scouts, said they never heard Tyrrell mention her sexuality to the children. Club rules require a parent or other adult to accompany each child to every meeting.

"I had no clue she was a lesbian. It doesn't really make a difference to me," said Don Thomas, whose grandson is in the pack. "She did a fantastic job, and the kids loved her. You couldn't ask for a better den leader."

Gay rights groups have taken up Tyrrell's cause, starting an online petition to get the Scouts to change their policy.

"The extent that people care is amazing," Tyrrell said. "We're a perfectly normal family. We're not dangerous. We're not predators. We're just normal, everyday people."

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Deepti Hajela in New York and Andrew-Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Report: Rebates from Obamacare health care law will top $1 billion

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The law requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of the premiums they collect on medical care and quality improvement or return the difference to consumers and employers.

041812 barack obama.jpgPresident Barack Obama speaks in Dearborn, Mich., last week. More than three million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said a report. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

WASHINGTON — More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said Thursday.

The rebates should average $127 for the people who get them, and Democrats are hoping they'll send an election-year message that Obama's much-criticized health care overhaul is starting to pay dividends for consumers. Critics of the law call that wishful thinking.

The law requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of the premiums they collect on medical care and quality improvement or return the difference to consumers and employers. Although many large employer plans already meet that standard, it's the first time the government has imposed such a requirement on the entire health insurance industry.

"This is one of the most tangible benefits of the health reform law that consumers will have seen to date," said Larry Levitt, an expert on private insurance with the Kaiser Family Foundation, which analyzed industry filings with state health insurance commissioners to produce its report. Kaiser is a nonpartisan information clearinghouse on the nation's health care system.

Still, health insurance is expensive, and $127 may not even pay a month's worth of premiums for single coverage.

And the insurance industry says consumers should take little comfort from the rebates because premiums are likely to go up overall as a result of new benefits and other requirements of the law.

"The net of all the requirements will be an increase in costs for consumers," said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the main industry trade group.

"Given that health care costs are inherently unpredictable, it's not surprising that some plans will be paying rebates to policyholders in certain markets," Zirkelbach added.

But the Kaiser report said the rebate requirement may be acting as a brake on the industry, discouraging insurers from seeking big premium increases to avoid having to issue refunds later and face possible criticism.

The new law has "provided an incentive for insurers to seek lower premium increases than they would have otherwise," the report said. "This 'sentinel' effect on premiums has likely produced more savings for consumers and employers than the rebates themselves."

The study found the largest rebates will go to consumers and employers in Texas ($186 million) and Florida ($149 million), where Govs. Rick Perry and Rick Scott have been among the staunchest opponents of the federal law. Both states applied for waivers from the 80 percent requirement and were turned down. Hawaii is the only state in which insurers are not expected to issue a rebate.

Here's how the rebates break down nationally:

More than 3 million individual policyholders will reap rebates of $426 million, averaging $127 apiece. These are consumers who are not covered through an employer and buy their policy directly. Consumers in Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arizona are most likely to be eligible.

Insurance companies must notify policyholders, and the rebates are due by Aug. 1. Some companies have already begun to pay.

In the small-employer market, plans covering nearly 5 million people will receive rebates totaling $377 million.

Employers do not have to pass their rebates on to workers, and can also take them as a discount on next year's premiums.

Insurers serving large employers face a stiffer requirement. Under the law, they must spend 85 percent of premiums on medical costs. The study found that 125 plans covering 7.5 million people at large employers will give back a total of $541 million.

Most plans operated by major national employers are exempt from the requirement. The biggest companies usually set aside money to cover most of their workers' medical expenses. Typically they hire an insurer to administer their plan, but they do not buy full coverage from the insurer.

Separately, a Goldman Sachs report estimated insurers would pay rebates of $1.2 billion. Among major insurers, UnitedHealth would pay $307 million, Aetna $177 million, WellPoint $94 million and Coventry $50 million.

Supporters of the requirement say it will keep insures from padding their profits at the expense of unsuspecting consumers.

"Millions are benefiting because health insurance companies are spending less money on executive salaries and administrative costs and more on patient care," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a leading advocate of the rebate provision.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the report shows how Obama's law is "already strengthening the health care system for millions of Americans."

Like everything else about the overhaul, the future of the rebates depends on whether the Supreme Court upholds the law in a decision expected by early summer.

Seventeen states applied for waivers from the 80 percent standard, producing evidence that it would destabilize their private health insurance markets. Federal regulators granted adjustments to seven states, usually meeting each state's request part way.

Data from the nation's most populous state, California, were not ready and thus were not included. Final statistics on the rebates will be issued by the federal government in early summer.

Utica First Insurance Co. balks at paying claims in fatal Christmas Day fire in Connecticut

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The insurer says if it knew all the facts, it would never have issued the policies.

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By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – An insurance company said it should not have to pay claims or lawsuits stemming from a Christmas morning fire that killed five people because a contractor renovating the house misrepresented the type and scope of work his company performs.

Utica First Insurance Co. argues in a lawsuit filed this week in New York that Michael Borcina misrepresented the number of employees with his company, Tiberias Construction, its sales and payroll, and size and type of work it performs. The insurer says if it knew the facts, it would not have issued the policies.

The fire in Stamford, blamed on discarded fireplace ashes, killed 9-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace Badger, and their grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson. Authorities have said Borcina, who was among those who escaped the blaze, is believed to have put the ashes in or outside an entry, near the trash.

The lawsuit says those who could be affected include the girls’ parents, Madonna and Matthew Badger; Madonna’s brother, Wade Johnson, and the estates of the victims. The Badgers are divorced.

The lawsuit requests a court judgment declaring the insurer has no obligation to defend or pay any claims or lawsuits that may arise from the fire.

“We are very disappointed that Tiberias Construction’s insurance company is trying to get out from under its legal obligations,” said David Grudberg, Borcina’s attorney.

Richard Emery, Matthew Badger’s attorney, said he has to examine the insurer’s claim.

“But at first blush it certainly seems that the insurance company is trying to wiggle out of their responsibility to compensate Borcina’s victims,” Emery said.

Emery said he was considering a lawsuit against Borcina “and a lot of other people that we believe are responsible for what occurred.”

Stan Twardy, attorney for Madonna Badger, declined to comment, saying he hadn’t seen the lawsuit. A message was left with an attorney for the insurance company.

The insurer says its rules for acceptable types of businesses and risks for which it provides insurance specifies limits on the number of employees, sales, payroll and type of work.

Matthew Badger has started a project that supports underfunded elementary school arts programs in memory of his daughters.

“Nothing is going to bring them back but perhaps their memory can be perpetuated effectively if the foundation that Matthew Badger has started is properly supported,” Emery said.

Proposed Springfield trash fee increase draws strong opposition at 1st public hearing

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The City’s top finance officials said the increase in the trash fee would help reduce layoffs and cuts in services.

SPRINGFIELD – A proposal to increase the annual trash fee by as much as $29 a year for five years drew strong opposition from city residents Thursday night during the first of four scheduled public hearings.

More than 50 residents attended the hearing at the Greenleaf Community Center in Sixteen Acres, many saying the city needs to find other ways to balance the city budget including taking action to reduce its expenses. The hearings are being conducted by the City Council General Government Committee before the council considers approving any fee increase.

David Downie, of East Forest Park, said the city needs to tighten its budget just as homeowners have to tighten their household budgets under difficult times.

“You want to put your hand in my back pocket and reach in my wallet,” Downie said. “Maybe it’s time you live within your budget.”

“How about management cuts?” resident Richard Talbot of East Springfield said.

AE trash 2.jpgLee C. Erdmann, Springfield's chief administrative and financial officer, fields questions at the City Council General Government Commitee's public hearing ona proposal to increase the trash fee.

Minnie Galloway, of Springfield, said she and others are “sick and tired” of increased taxes and fees. The city is going after more money from people who cannot afford it, she said.

Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Lee C. Erdmann, joined by other representatives of the Finance Department and Department of Public Works, said he is proposing the trash fee rise by $29 annually — from the current fee of $75 to a new fee of $220 — by 2017. Senior citizens would continue to pay a fee of $50 per year.

Under his proposal, the cost of picking up trash and trash disposal would be essentially self-funded by the trash fee, Erdmann said. Currently, rubbish collection and disposal costs about $10 million, while the $75 fee generates about $3.6 million, he said.

The city is facing major layoffs and cuts in services in the coming year, that can be reduced by steps including the proposal to raise the trash fee, Erdmann said. The city is taking steps to be more efficient including a reduction of its municipal workforce from 1,581 workers to 1,316 workers since 2008, he said.

Residents were unconvinced, saying the city needs to be more aggressive in collecting delinquent taxes and fees, and needs to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

Roger Thivierge of Sixteen Acres said the city has nearly $40 million in the “rainy day” reserve fund, adding “it’s raining.”

Another resident, upon hearing that budget cuts would affect all city departments including the police and fire departments, said he found the threat to police and fire services “insulting.” He also said the city needs to reduce waste in government.

Erdmann said the city is working to close a $27 million budget gap for the new fiscal year, while 60 percent of the municipal workforce are public safety employees, excluding school employees.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the Finance Department have offered three options for raising the trash fee, with Erdmann’s proposal the highest increase proposed. The other two options would raise the fee by $10 on July 1, followed by either a $10 or $5 annual increase the following four years with Sarno favoring the lowest increase.

Some residents also objected to a proposal to replace the current 95-gallon trash containers with new 65-gallon containers. Some said the 65-gallon containers will be too small, and they also questioned spending $2.5 million on new barrels under a multi-year lease to purchase agreement.

While city officials say the current barrels have reached their useful lifespan, some residents said their barrels are sturdy and not in need of replacement.

City officials said the smaller barrels will encourage more recycling.

Springfield Trash Fee Presentation 04.26.2012

Springfield police arrest city resident Antonio Correa on weapons charges, seize two handguns

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Correa of 200 College St. was found to be in possession of two handguns as police stopped to talk to him as part of a shots-fired investigations.

SPRINGFIELD - A 24 year-old city man was arrested on weapons charges Thursday afternoon near his College Street residence after police officers were able to link him to two separate reports of gunfire in the neighborhood a short time earlier, police said.

Antonio Correa of 200 College St. was found to be in possession of two handguns as police stopped to talk to him as part of the shots-fired investigations, said Capt. William Collins.

He was charged with two counts each of possession of a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, and single counts of possession of marijuana and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Police were called to the area of College and Shattuck streets at about 3:45 p.m. for a report of several shots being fired. Seven .380 caliber shell casings were found on the ground, Collins said.

About 45 minutes later, police received another report of gunshots on College Street and witnesses reported seeing a white BMW sedan drive away from the scene.

No one was reported to be injured in either incident, Collins said.

A short time later, officers patrolling College Street spotted a white BMW parked near 200 College St. and stopped to question the small group of men standing by the car.

Collins said because it was a gun crime and officers were concerned for their own safety, they conducted a pat-down search of the group. Correa was found carrying two handguns, a .38 caliber revolver and a .380 semi-automatic, he said.

Collins said there has been increased reports of gun activity in that section of the Bay neighborhood and police have responded with increased patrols.


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