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Massachusetts marks 8th anniversary of same-sex marriages

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The group MassEquality, which supported the court decision, said 18,462 same-sex couples have wed in Massachusetts since May 17, 2004.

gay marriage massachusetts.jpgRobyn Ochs of Boston, right, hugs Kirsten Steinbach of Westborough, Mass., both gay marriage supporters, at the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston in Sept. 2005, after the Massachusetts Legislature overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that sought to ban gay marriage but legalize civil unions. (Associated Press file photo)

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts is marking eight years since it became the first state in the country where same sex couples could legally wed.

Thursday marks the anniversary of the day when the historic Supreme Judicial Court ruling took effect and couples could marry. Lawmakers would later allow out-of-state gay couples to marry here.

The group MassEquality, which supported the court decision, said 18,462 same-sex couples have wed in Massachusetts since May 17, 2004.

The anniversary comes as President Barack Obama publicly declared his personal support for the rights of gay couples to marry.

Since the Massachusetts court ruling, dozens of other states have approved strict barriers to same sex marriage.

A smaller number of states have either adopted gay marriage or agreed to recognize same sex couples married in other states.


Massachusetts to release April jobs report

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State officials say Massachusetts added about 30,000 new jobs over the first three months of 2012 and they are hoping that trend continue will continue with the release of the April jobs report.

BOSTON (AP) — State officials say Massachusetts added about 30,000 new jobs over the first three months of 2012 and they are hoping that trend continue will continue with the release of the April jobs report.

The state's unemployment rate was pegged at 6.5 percent in March, down from 6.9 percent in the previous month and well below the national jobless rate of 8.2 percent in March.

The state Office of Labor and Workforce Development is scheduled to announce April jobs figures on Thursday.

While the state's economy has continued to show improvement in recent months, one concern is that tax collections in the current Massachusetts fiscal year are running $180 million below benchmarks set by state officials.

Massachusetts Senate to resume debate on health care bill

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The Massachusetts Senate is expected to resume its debate on a bill that sets an ambitious goal of reducing projected health care costs in the state by $150 billion over the next 15 years.

 Boston statehouseBoston Statehouse

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Senate is expected to resume its debate on a bill that sets an ambitious goal of reducing projected health care costs in the state by $150 billion over the next 15 years.

State senators are expected to tackle the wide-ranging bill and its multiple proposed amendments during their Thursday morning session. It is unclear when they are likely to vote on the proposed legislation.

The bill would limit future growth in health care costs to no higher than annual growth in the overall state economy. It would also create a new state agency that would monitor health care.

Gov. Deval Patrick praised lawmakers Tuesday for tackling this issue, but expressed concerns over the bill's provision to create a new state agency.

Sturbridge teen charged with making Facebook threats about bringing gun to school

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The 16-year-old boy, in remarks posted on the social media site, indicated his intent to use a gun to settle a beef with rival Tantasqua Regional High School students.

STURBRIDGE – A 16-year-old Tantasqua Regional High School student was arrested on Wednesday by Sturbridge police for allegedly posting threats on Facebook that indicated he might bring a gun to school to settle a beef with rivals.

Sturbridge Police Chief Thomas J. Ford III, who is handling all press inquiries regarding the case, did not immediately return a phone call Thursday morning, but a department press release said the male student was arrested Wednesday morning after posting the online threats to Facebook Tuesday night.

Sturbridge Police Lt. Mark G. Saloio said in the release that authorities learned about the threat from a parent whose child is friends with the suspect. The teen was arrested at Tantasqua High School and taken to Worcester Juvenile Court in Dudley for arraignment. The outcome of that hearing was not immediately known.

The teen allegedly made the Facebook threats — an increasingly common phenomenon on the popular social networking site – over conflicts he was having with other Tantasqua students. Authorities took the online remarks seriously. "Police and school officials took immediate action upon learning about the posts," Ford told abc40 news. "We feel that at no time were the students or faculty in any danger."

In March, two former Attleboro students were arrested after an alleged Facebook discussion about plotting an attack on Attleboro High School. One of the students wrote, "It's Columbine all over again," according to police and prosecutors.

Closer to home, a former Drury High School student admitted to making Facebook threats against his alma mater. Zachary T. Barbeau, 19, of Adams, pleaded guilty March 7 in Berkshire Superior Court to single counts of threatening to use a deadly weapon and causing serious public alarm. A judge last month ordered him to serve a two-year probation sentence and to attend counseling.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie, Newark Mayor Cory Booker channel Seinfeld in video parody

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the mayor of New Jersey's largest city are channeling the Seinfeld-Newman rivalry in a video parody that spoofs the mayor's heroics and Christie's vice presidential potential.

chris christieIn an image made from video provided by Gov. Chris Christie's office, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie grits his teeth and says "Booker!" in a video parody made with Newark Mayor Cory Booker that spoofs the mayor's heroics and Christie's vice presidential potential. The video played Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at the New Jersey Press Association's Legislative Correspondents Club show. (AP Photo/Gov. Chris Christie's office)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the mayor of New Jersey's largest city are channeling the Seinfeld-Newman rivalry in a video parody that spoofs the mayor's heroics and Christie's vice presidential potential.

The Republican governor finds himself thwarted at do-gooding by Newark Mayor Cory Booker. The Democrat rescued a neighbor from a fire last month.

Booker tells Christie "I got this" as he fixes the governor's flat tire, helps Bruce Springsteen replace a missing guitar and Tebows after catching a baby dropped from a state Capitol balcony before Christie's eyes.

Each time, Christie grits his teeth and says "Booker!"

Booker is then shown on a phone telling Mitt Romney he wouldn't make a good running mate. Christie grabs the receiver, saying: "Excuse me mayor, I got this."

The video played at Tuesday's New Jersey Press Association's Legislative Correspondents Club show.

Billionaire won't air Obama-Wright campaign ads

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Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney denounced the proposed $10 million TV ad campaign.

joe rickettsIn this Feb. 16, 2005 file photo, Ameritrade chairman and founder Joe Ricketts talks to shareholders in Omaha, Neb. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney sought to distance himself Thursday from a GOP-leaning independent group's plan for a $10 million TV ad campaign renewing attention to President Barack Obama's ties to his controversial former pastor. Obama's campaign accused Romney of failing to show "moral leadership in standing up to the very extreme wing of his own party." (AP Photo/Dave Weaver, File )

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The billionaire said to be weighing a proposal to resurrect incendiary comments by President Barack Obama's former pastor shelved the idea Thursday after Obama and Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney denounced the tactic.

An aide to Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade, said the proposal to draw the Rev. Jeremiah Wright into the presidential campaign — and the issue of race, by extension — went too far.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Ricketts' Ending Spending Action Fund, a conservative super PAC, was considering a proposal for a $10 million TV ad campaign highlighting Wright's sermons.

The blueprint, titled "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama: the Ricketts Plan to End His Spending For Good," was devised by a group of Republican strategists, one of whom confirmed its contents for The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss private working sessions.

Brian Baker, president of the super PAC, said Ricketts was not the author of the 54-page plan. Baker blamed consultants.

"Not only was this plan merely a proposal — one of several submitted to the Ending Spending Action Fund by third-party vendors — but it reflects an approach to politics that Mr. Ricketts rejects and it was never a plan to be accepted but only a suggestion for a direction to take," Baker said in a written statement.

Romney had urged the independent group, which favors his candidacy, to abandon the Wright strategy and to focus instead on his bedrock issue, the economy.

"I repudiate the effort by that PAC to promote an ad strategy of the nature they've described," Romney told the conservative website Townhall.com. "I would like to see this campaign focus on the economy, on getting people back to work, on seeing rising incomes and growing prosperity — particularly for those in the middle class of America."


Obama campaign manager Jim Messina criticized the plan as a "campaign of character assassination" and accused Romney "reacting tepidly in a moment that required moral leadership in standing up to the very extreme wing of his own party."

Messina noted that Republican Sen. John McCain, Obama's opponent in the 2008 presidential race, had rejected using Wright and Wright's sermons against Obama.

Messina commented before Romney's interview with Townhall.com, and issued no comment after Romney urged Ricketts' group to abandon the effort.

McCain made clear four years ago that he wanted to challenge Obama on his record, not on the words or deeds of those around him, and forbade adviser Fred Davis from incorporating Wright into their advertising plans.

But Davis, a colorful Hollywood consultant, clearly wanted another chance to go use the strategy against Obama.

"Our plan is to do exactly what John McCain would not let us do: Show the world how Barack Obama's opinions of America and the world were formed," Davis' proposal said. "And why the influence of that misguided mentor and our president's formative years among left-wing intellectuals has brought our country to its knees."

Davis' firm said in a statement Thursday that the document — which called for "hitting Barack right between the eyes" — was only a proposal and did not win Ricketts' approval.

Wright became a problem for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign when videos of the pastor's sermons surfaced. In a 2003 sermon, Wright said black people should condemn the United States.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," Wright said at the time. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

Wright, who preached at the Chicago church Obama once attended, became such a distraction for Obama that he ended up delivering a major speech on race relations to try to quell the controversy. He also severed his ties to Wright.

For his part, Arizona Sen. McCain said he had no regrets over his handling of the Wright issue.

"I remain proud of our campaign and proud of what we were able to accomplish, and I would do it over again," McCain told reporters Thursday at the Capitol. He said the matter seemed dead after Romney repudiated the proposal.

He shrugged when asked whether independent groups should take up matters such as Wright's remarks.

"It's a way for political operatives to continue to make money," McCain said.

Another top Republican, House Speaker John Boehner, of Ohio, declined to be drawn into the debate.

"This election is going to be about the economy," he said when reporters asked him to react to the proposed ad campaign. "I don't know what these other people do or why they do it."

Ricketts is the founder of Nebraska-based TD Ameritrade Securities and owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He has been active in conservative politics for years, most recently in Republican Deb Fischer's upset win this week in the Republican Senate primary in Nebraska.

Elizabeth Warren family cookbook 'Pow Wow Chow' surfaces as Native American criticism continues

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Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren is facing new criticism from Native Americans over her heritage claims as a nearly three-decades old family cook book called "Pow Wow Chow" has surfaced.

Elizabeth Warren Pow Wow ChowThe "Pow Wow Chow" cookbook contributed to by Elizabeth Warren and family members in 1984 is still on sale for $19.95 by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum of Muskogee, Oklahoma. (Photo courtesy of fivetribes.org)

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren is facing new criticism from Native Americans over her heritage claims as a nearly three-decades old family cook book called "Pow Wow Chow" has surfaced.

Warren, who is working to gain the Democratic nod to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in November's general election, has been under fire for several weeks as Brown's campaign and others have questioned whether she used family stories of Cherokee ancestry to further her career through affirmative action programs.

Although Warren, a Harvard Law School professor, has repeatedly denied such claims, and the universities that previously hired her released statements saying they weren't aware of such heritage claims or that they played no part in her hiring, the specter of such allegations has lingered.

This week, the "Pow Wow Chow" cookbook, which includes recipes contributed by Warren and family members, was obtained by the Boston Herald, documenting that Warren has identified with her family lore of Cherokee ancestry as far back as the early 1980s.

The book is a compilation of “special recipes passed down through the Five Tribes families,” according to the Herald, which mentions Warren's recipes for savory crab omelet and spicy barbecued beans.

For almost a decade in the 1980s and '90s, Warren listed her Native American ancestry in a directory of law professors compiled by the Association of American Law Schools, a move she said was to meet people "who are like I am," referring to the stories of Native American ancestry which were passed down by family members. When the directory proved fruitless as far as networking with other Native Americans, Warren said she stopped checking that box on the directory listing.

And as Harvard University, Warren's employer, was under fire for a lack of diversity hires in the 1990s, they touted the law professor as the school's first minority female hire, a claim Warren said she was unaware of until reading about the situation in the press.

Earlier this week, Politico reported that in a 1997 Fordham Law Review story by Laura Padilla called “Intersectionality and positionality: Situating women of color in the affirmative action dialogue,” a news director at Harvard Law School said Warren was the university's "first woman of color."

Brown has called on Warren to release all law school applications and personnel files from the universities where she taught.

Warren has denied using her ancestry to gain an advantage but she has also faced criticism as to whether or not she is actually Cherokee, even 1/32nd, as a New England Historic and Genealogy Society researcher had initially claimed. The organization later retracted its claims as it was unable to produce copies of original documents, prompting the Boston Globe which originally reported the development to issue a correction.

Twila Barnes, a Cherokee blogger and self-described genealogist, called on Warren to "come clean" recently, saying that she also doubts Warren's heritage claims.

"You have claimed something you had no right to claim -- our history and our heritage and our identity. Those things belong to us, and us alone," Barnes wrote on her blog. "These are not things we choose to embrace when they benefit us and then cast aside when we no longer need them, but that is what you seem to have done by 'checking a box' for several years and then no longer 'checking' it more recently, when apparently you no longer needed it."

Warren's press secretary, Alethea Harney, has repeatedly defended the consumer advocate against the criticisms, calling the situation a "distraction" from the real issues of the campaign.

"Elizabeth has been clear that she is proud of her Native American heritage and everyone who hired Elizabeth has been clear that she was hired because she was a great teacher, not because of that heritage," Harney told Politico. "It's time to return to issues - like rising student loan debt, job creation, and Wall Street regulation - that will have a real impact on middle class families."

Below are statements provided by the Warren campaign regarding her hiring at several universities across the country.

Why Did They Hire Elizabeth Warren

PM News Links: Flesh-eating bacteria attacks another woman, Colorado boy's MLK costume sparks controversy, and more

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General Motors announced that it will re-introduce a rear-wheel-drive sedan to the Chevy lineup.

Chevrolet Performance CarThis undated photo provided by General Motors shows a Chevy SS. For the first time in nearly two decades, the Chevrolet brand will have a rear-wheel-drive sedan in its U.S. lineup. General Motors Co. said Thursday, May 17, 2012, that the 2014 Chevrolet SS will go on sale in limited numbers late next year. The V-8-powered SS will be closely related to GM's Holden VF Commodore, a rear-wheel-drive sedan that will be sold in Australia. The new SS will also be Chevrolet's NASCAR Sprint Cup contender. It will debut in its race configuration at the 2013 Daytona 500. (AP Photo/GM)

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Retired West Springfield Police Chief Thomas Burke vacation pay issue tossed back to Mayor Gregory Neffinger

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The chairman of the Public Safety Commission said he does not believe the board can resolve the issue of how much to compensate Burke for unused vacation time.

060211 thomas burke.JPGRetired West Springfield Police Chief Thomas E. Burke

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Public Safety Commission Wednesday reached a consensus to throw the red-hot issue of retired Police Chief Thomas E. Burke’s vacation pay back to the mayor.

Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger has asked the commission to advise him on whether to pay Burke for the 11½ weeks of unused vacation Burke said he had left when he retired in March at the rate of nine days pay per week.

However, an angry Burke said following the board’s approximately one-hour discussion that he filed a complaint over the nonpayment for vacation time with the Fair Labor and Business Practices Division of the state Attorney General’s Office two weeks ago.

“I don’t know how, in fairness, we can resolve that issue,” William J. Fennell, chairman of the commission, said of the situation. “I have a lot of trouble with us being asked to resolve that issue.”

Fennell said Neffinger had committed the city to owing Burke compensation for 15 weeks of unused vacation time at the end of the calendar year and another five weeks could be added to that as of Jan. 1 as more time owed. At a minimum, the city could owe Burke pay for 100 days, Fennell reasoned. Beyond that is the issue of whether a week is five days, seven days according to court ruling known as the Holyoke Rule, or nine days, as Burke has said has been the practice for supervisors in his department.

In January, Neffinger had sent out a letter to employees telling them to take their unpaid vacation days by the end of March or lose it. Burke has said he never got the letter and could not have taken the time anyway because no one had been designated to take his place until about the time he stepped down at the end of March.

Commissioner Dennis L. LeFebvre reported to the commission that after his own investigation he did not find anything in police contracts going back to the 1970s allowing sergeants, captains and chiefs to be compensated nine days for each week of vacation as Burke has stated has been the case.

Although some police captains had said the practice of paying nine days went back as long as 40 years ago, LeFebvre said there was a consensus that it started 10 to 12 years ago.

“It appears to me this practice started sometime in the last 10 to 12 years, started by the Police Department without any authorization by an authority,” LeFebvre said.

Fennell said that a 2009 document shows that former Mayor Edward J. Gibson was aware that a week of vacation for police supervisors was nine days.

LeFebvre said it appears the Police Department gave itself the nine days for a week and then “covered it up.”

Burke has stated that the nine-day policy has been in effect at least since he started working for the Police Department 42 years ago.

“I’m really upset over this,” Burke said following the commission’s deliberations on his vacation pay. “The way the Police Department has been portrayed that we were doing something illegal and we were trying to hide it for years. That’s a crock. Just the insinuation is just ridiculous.”

Commissioner Charles Sullivan suggested the mayor, the chief and their attorneys meet to reach a compromise in the matter.

While Burke retired in March, the exact date he should have retired is also subject to debate. He worked to the end of the month, but some say he should have retired March 12, the day he turned 67 and was subject to mandatory retirement requirements.

Massachusetts officials to look into bid list after company wanted millions more than what Brimfield paid for tornado cleanup

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During a tour of the town, officials said the 600-acre Brimfield State Forest is strewn with knocked-down trees and poses a serious fire risk because equipment can not gain entry.

051612 steve fleshman jay gonzalez.JPGBrimfield Selectman Steve Fleshman, left, speaks with state Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez on the side of Paige Hill Road, an area that was hard hit by the June 1 tornado.

BRIMFIELD — Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s budget chief has promised to look into concerns raised by Brimfield selectmen Wednesday about the amount a company on the state bid list wanted to charge the town for debris removal in the days following the June 1 tornado that killed one resident, destroyed 42 homes, closed roads and left many acres of broken trees.

A company on the state bid list from Florida asked Brimfield if they could do the work for between $8 million and $10 million. Brimfield instead found an Upton company – not on the state list – that did the work for $420,000.

Neither state nor town officials have suggested anything improper was done by the company wanting the multimillion dollar bid, AshBritt Environmental. It is well-known among local officials for its work and the millions of dollars the company charged following the June tornado and the Oct. 29 snowstorm.

Ashbritt was the only company on the state list that could be hired while bypassing the time-consuming request for proposals process. Officials generally gave the company high marks for its cleanup work. A company spokesman could not be reached immediately for comment.

Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez along with members of Patrick’s administration and an aide to Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, met with Brimfield selectmen during a board meeting to gauge how the cleanup effort is going nearly a year later and to listen to concerns.

Selectmen told Gonzalez the president of AshBritt Environmental, Randy Perkins, came to Brimfield on June 5 saying his company could take care of the tree removal.

Perkins stated, “The town is probably looking in the $8 million to $10 million range to get the town back on its feet. Worst case scenario, the cost to the town could be $1 million after FEMA reimbursement,” Brimfield selectmen’s minutes from the June 5 meeting show. FEMA is the federal emergency management agency.

Meeting minutes from June 6 show Perkins telling selectmen that “Wilbraham, Monson and Springfield have contracted” with AshBritt.

Instead of using AshBritt, Brimfield Highway Surveyor Robert Hanna chose J.M. Cook Co. Inc., of Upton.

A document provided by the town shows Cook completed the debris removal in August, and payment of $420,400 was approved in December. Town officials say AshBritt and Cook agreed to remove debris from the streets and 10 feet on either side of the affected roadways.

“There are people out there who are capable and can save a lot of taxpayer dollars who could be on the state list,” Brimfield Selectman Steve Fleshman told Gonzalez.

“Yes, I will look into that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. ... That is not how state contracts are supposed to work; that is surprising to me,” Gonzalez said. “You are complaining to the right place.”

Town officials say Brimfield incurred $582,067.76 in tornado-related expenses, that the state reimbursed $170,000 in December and that the $412,067.76 promised from FEMA has not been paid.

During a tour of the town, officials told Gonzalez the 600-acre state forest is strewn with knocked-down trees and poses a serious fire risk because equipment can not gain entry.

Curt Schilling's company reportedly making overdue $1.1 million payment to Rhode Island

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The money was due May 1, but 38 Studios recently informed the state that it would not be able to make its payroll this week.

curtschilling.jpgFormer Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, center, is followed by members of the media as he departs the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. headquarters in Providence, R.I., on Wednesday.
By DAVID KLEPPER and
ERIKA NIEDOWSKI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island's governor said Thursday that former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's troubled video game company is making a $1.1 million payment it defaulted on this month, prompting worries about its solvency and the possibility the state might have to step in to pay its debts.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee said Schilling's 38 Studios — which got a $75 million loan guarantee from the state in 2010 — is paying the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. the money that was due May 1.

Judy Chong, a spokeswoman for the corporation, could not immediately confirm whether the payment had been received. Messages were left for Schilling and a company spokesman.

The company relocated from Massachusetts in 2010 after Rhode Island offered the loan guarantee, which state officials said would means hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.

38 Studios on Wednesday asked the economic agency for additional assistance after missing the scheduled payment, but the agency's board did not act on the request.

Chafee would not describe the details of the request after an emergency board meeting Wednesday. But he said Thursday that the board agreed "unanimously" not to give the company additional taxpayer support.

"I fought very hard to not have further taxpayer investment," Chafee said at the Statehouse. "No taxpayer concessions were made yesterday. So this is positive."

He said he did not know where the funds for the $1.1 million payment originated and if it was Schilling's personal money.

Chong told The Associated Press that 38 Studios informed the Economic Development Corp. that it would be unable to make its payroll this week.

As worries over the company's future mounted, Keith Stokes, the Economic Development Corp.'s executive director, submitted his resignation to Chafee, who accepted it Wednesday. The governor thanked Stokes for his service.

"Keith is committed to seeing Rhode Island succeed and I am confident that he will continue to be very involved in the state he loves," Chafee said.

Stokes told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had been considering stepping aside for a while. He said he met with his staff Thursday morning to inform them of his decision.

As to whether 38 Studios played a role in his decision, Stokes quoted novelist William Faulkner, saying "all of us fail to match our dreams of perfection."

Chafee has asked Colin Kane, a real estate developer who is chairman of a commission that is overseeing redevelopment of a key parcel in downtown Providence, to replace Stokes. It's not clear if Chafee wants Kane to serve permanently or temporarily. Negotiations are ongoing over compensation, Chafee said.

Kane did not immediately respond to a message left for comment.

Stokes said the legislation that allowed the Economic Development Corp. to back up to $125 million in loans was not intended for a single company and that other firms have benefited from the program. Since Chafee took office, the board has adopted a new policy that caps the amount that any company can receive in loan guarantees at $10 million.

After the loan guarantee was approved in 2010, Stokes called it a calculated risk "well worth taking." He said the board performed months of due diligence in analyzing the video game sector and 38 Studios and crafted an agreement that went "to great lengths to safeguard taxpayers and ensure economic performance."

Stokes was appointed head of the Economic Development Corp. by Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri in 2010 after serving 15 years as executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. Stokes also served on the Economic Development Corp. board for 16 years, and he said he was involved in every major development project over that time.

Chafee kept Stokes on when he took office last year despite misgivings about the loan guarantee for 38 Studios. Chafee, an independent, was a vocal critic of the guarantee, saying on the campaign trail he thought it was "one of the biggest risks I've ever seen."

In a statement, House Speaker Gordon Fox called Stokes a "tireless advocate" for Rhode Island's economy and a man of "great vision" and courage. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed said Stokes' resignation leaves a void that will be hard to fill.

Neither legislator mentioned 38 Studios.

Leonard Lardaro, an economics professor at the University of Rhode Island, called Stokes' resignation "ridiculous," saying he is being held responsible for the mistakes of political leaders like Carcieri, who pushed for the deal with 38 Studios.

"He is absolutely first-rate," Lardaro said of Stokes. "We can't afford to lose really good people like that. We're not going to get anyone better."

Carcieri has not returned a message left for comment. No one answered the door at his North Kingstown home on Thursday.

Stocks sink as Dow Jones industrial average posts 11th loss in 12 days

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The Dow posted its 11th loss in 12 days after a pair of discouraging economic reports unnerved investors already worried about a possible exit from the euro by Greece.

By PALLAVI GOGOI | AP Business Writer

041712 new york stock exchange.jpgTraders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A two-week slide, which is largely due to escalating worries about a breakup of the European currency union, has stripped the Dow Jones industrial average of much of this year's gains.

NEW YORK — The Dow Jones industrial average posted its 11th loss in 12 days after a pair of discouraging economic reports unnerved investors already worried about a possible exit from the euro by Greece.

The Dow lost 156.06 points to close at 12,442.49. It's now down 6 percent for the month so far and could be headed for its first losing month since September. The two-week slump represents a sharp turn downward since May 1, when the index closed at a four-year high.

The slide, which is largely due to escalating worries about a breakup of the European currency union, has stripped the Dow of much of this year's gains. As of the beginning of May it was up 8.7 percent for the year; now it's up just 1.8 percent.

"Europe is very much on investors' minds," said Brian Gendreau, market strategist at broker-dealer Cetera Financial Group. "It's been two years with multiple bailouts involving Ireland, Portugal and Greece and things don't seem to be getting better."

The dollar, Treasury prices and gold all rose as traders sought refuge in lower-risk assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note plunged to 1.70 percent, the lowest level of the year.

Caterpillar fell 4 percent, the most of the 30 stocks in the Dow, after reporting that global sales growth of construction and mining machinery slowed between February and April. Wal-Mart stock rose over 4 percent, the most in the Dow, after reporting a 10 percent jump in first-quarter income, beating Wall Street expectations.

Indexes opened lower on Wall Street following drops in European markets. The declines accelerated at mid-morning after the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said manufacturing slowed in the mid-Atlantic region for the first time in eight months. The report was far worse than analysts had been expecting.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 19.94 points to 1,304.86, its lowest close since Jan. 17. The Nasdaq composite fell 60.35 points to 2,813.69.

The Conference Board said its measure of future U.S. economic growth fell in April after six months of increases. The drop came from fewer requests for building permits and a spike in applications for unemployment benefits.

These gloomy reports were a surprise and exacerbated investors' fears of turmoil in the global markets from developments in Europe where Greece seemed headed for an exit from the euro bloc.

Greece's caretaker Cabinet was sworn in Thursday and will hold power at least until next month's election. In the recently-held elections Greeks didn't given any party a majority, but they did give strong support to politicians who rejected the tough austerity measures that came with the country's financial bailout.

Without that rescue package, Greece will likely default and be forced to leave the 17-country euro zone, which would destabilize other countries that use the euro. German, French and Spanish stock markets all fell more than 1 percent.

The economic damage is already being felt by other members of the euro bloc.

Spain was forced to pay sharply higher interest rates to raise $3.18 billion in a debt auction Thursday. And shares of Bankia, which Spain nationalized last week, plunged 20 percent on a report from the newspaper El Mundo stating that depositors have withdrawn over $1 billion since last Wednesday.

Oil prices continued to trade lower, falling below $93 a barrel, extending a two-week sell-off, as traders worried about the potential impact on global growth from the European crisis. Crude oil has plummeted about 12 percent from $106 two weeks ago.

Energy companies fell. Chesapeake Energy declined over 3 percent, while WPX Energy fell over 4 percent.

The one bright spot for the markets was the excitement surrounding the initial public offering of Facebook. The uber-popular social media company set the price of its shares at $38 apiece late Thursday. The stock is expected to start trading at 11 am Friday. Facebook is set to raise $18.4 billion, becoming the second largest IPO ever after Visa.

Among other stocks making big moves:

• Media General soared 33 percent after billionaire Warren Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy 63 newspapers from the company for $142 million.

• GameStop fell 11 percent after the world's largest video game retailer reported its first-quarter profit fell 9.8 percent, as fewer customers visited its stores and bought new games and systems.

• Sears Holdings rose 3 percent after the beleaguered retailer turned a profit in the first quarter, benefiting from a gain on the sale of some stores.

Westfield Rocky's Ace Hardware to host gala reopening Saturday

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Final road paving on Elm, Main and Broad streets is scheduled to begin on Monday.

ROCCO_FALCONE.JPGRocco Falcon, president of Rocky's Ace Hardware

WESTFIELDRocky’s Ace Hardware, considered a major private partner in the city’s downtown revitalization effort, will host a gala re-opening of its Free Street store Saturday.

The new, expanded store replaces the original Rocky’s that operated at the same site since 1970.

“We are pleased to be an integral part of the revitalization of downtown Westfield,” Rocco Falcone, company president, said. “We have served this neighborhood for 42 years. Now, we proudly reveal a brand new store to serve the community needs,” he said.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, who will assist in the re-opening celebration, said “the Falcone family has made a substantial investment in our downtown with this new store as well as ongoing renovation of other property they own here.”

Ward 2 City Councilor James E. Brown Jr., who represents the neighborhood, said “This project represents a brand new piece of our downtown redevelopment. It will bring more eyes on our city, especially our downtown.”

Falcone said the re-opening is “a reflection on the vision of town planners to offer an invigorating and inviting experience to residents and visitors of Westfield.”

The $2 million store features 12,000 square feet with state-of-the-art energy-saving lighting and skylights, expanded paint and landscaping products and other services.

The store is one of 33 Rocky’s Ace Hardware stores operated in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Florida.

A board cutting ceremony, using a chainsaw, will replace the traditional ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.

But Falcone said the celebration will begin at 8 a.m. with specials, demonstrations, refreshments and raffles.

The city’s $14 million reconstruction of Elm, Main and Broad streets, including renovation of Park Square, started two years ago, is also nearing completion. The project includes new utilities and sidewalks.

Final paving of the area, by Lynch Construction, is scheduled to begin Monday.

U.S. Postal Service to begin closing plants this summer

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The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a multibillion-dollar cost-cutting plan that will close nearly 250 mail processing centers.

051512_linda_graham_hope_alaska_postmaster.jpgIn this photo taken May 15, 2012, in Hope, Alaska, Linda Graham, the postmaster in Hope, discusses the U.S. Postal Service's plan to cut the rural Alaska post office's hours. The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service is moving ahead with plans to close dozens of mail processing centers, saying on Thursday it can no longer wait as Congress remains deadlocked over how to help. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

By HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON — The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a multibillion-dollar cost-cutting plan that will close nearly 250 mail processing centers, saying on Thursday it can no longer wait as Congress remains deadlocked over how to help.

At a news briefing, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the agency's mail processing network had simply become too big, given declining first-class mail volume and mounting debt. It will now consolidate nearly 250 plants as originally proposed, including 48 this summer, but will stretch out the remainder over a longer time frame in 2013 and 2014.

Earlier this month, nearly half the Senate had written letters to Donahoe asking that he hold off on closing any mail facility until Congress could pass final postal overhaul legislation. The Senate last month passed a bill that would halt many of the closings. The House remains stalled over a separate postal measure allowing for more aggressive cuts.

"To return to long-term profitability and financial stability while keeping mail affordable, we must match our network to the anticipated workload," Donahoe said. Failure to do so, he stressed, would "create a fiscal hole that the Postal Service will not be able to climb out of."

Under the modified approach, up to 140 processing centers will be consolidated by next February — roughly 48 in August and about 90 next January and February. Closings would be suspended during the Postal Service's busy election and holiday mail season. Another 89 closings would occur in 2014.

The consolidations are initially expected to reduce postal staff by 13,000 and save the struggling mail agency roughly $1.2 billion annually. By the time the full round of cuts is implemented by late 2014, the post office will have 28,000 fewer employees with estimated annual savings of $2.1 billion.

The latest postal move comes after vociferous protests from communities across the U.S., particularly those in rural areas, over the mail agency's initial multibillion dollar cost-cutting plan to close up to 3,700 post offices and 252 mail processing centers. The Postal Service last week backed off the closing of post offices, saying it would cut costs instead by reducing operating hours in 13,000 mostly rural locations.

Thursday's announcement seeks to allay consumer concerns about immediate, broad-scale cuts to mail processing centers that would have slowed first-class mail delivery of prescription drugs, newspapers and other services beginning this summer and would have virtually eliminated the chance for a stamped letter to arrive the next day.

Under the new plan, about 80 percent of the U.S. areas that currently enjoy overnight first-class mail delivery will continue to do so through the end of next year. After that, barring congressional action, the Postal Service will proceed with additional steps that could slow first-class mail and reduce overnight delivery more significantly, said Megan Brennan, chief operating officer of the Postal Service.

The Postal Service has been grappling with losses as first-class mail volume declines and more people switch to the Internet to communicate and pay bills. The agency has forecast a record $14.1 billion loss by the end of this year. Without changes, it said, annual losses would exceed $21 billion by 2016.

Donahoe stressed that even with the mail agency's latest moves, it still faces mounting losses without congressional action that would give it more leeway to eliminate Saturday mail delivery and reduce health and labor costs.

If the House fails to act soon, postal officials say they will face a cash crunch in August and September, when the agency must pay more than $11 billion to the Treasury for future retiree health benefits. Already $13 billion in debt, the health payment obligation will force the agency to run up against its $15 billion debt ceiling, causing it to default on the payments.

In many sprawling rural areas like Hope, Alaska, residents say they would have to drive nearly 100 miles for mail services in Anchorage if their local post office couldn't stay open long enough. Timely delivery from mail processing centers is also particularly valued in the winter months, when hazardous road conditions can make travel to a store or pharmacy difficult if not impossible.

"My wife's medical plan is basically that prescription drugs are mailed to her," said Doug Pope, a semi-retired lawyer who lives near Hope, an old gold rush town where the post office faces reduced hours. "There's a lot of people who will be here for months without going to Anchorage."

Pope says he's willing to accept moderate postal cuts, explaining that he's not sure what else can be done and whether politicians in Washington will do anything about it.

"I do think it's a sign of a larger, more worrisome trend to me that instead of trying to focus on our larger issues in our society, what we're trying to do is nickel and dime people on sort of the downstream end of everything," he said. "But that's a political issue."

Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen contributed to this report from Hope, Alaska.

Postal Workers: Springfield cards/letters sorting likely headed to Hartford; USPS official says other work headed to Indian Orchard

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Christine Dugas, a Postal Service spokeswoman, said the Postal Service is moving other work to Indian Orchard.

SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. Postal Service will likely move the handling and sorting of cards and letters from its facility on Fiberloid Street in the Indian Orchard neighborhood in August to Hartford, said Daniel Kuralt, president Local 497 of the American Postal Workers Union.

On Thursday, the USPS, which is nearly bankrupt, said it will go ahead with plans to cut costs by closing nearly 250 mail processing centers.

Kuralt estimates that the entire facility has 1,600 to 2,000 workers and he predicted that there won’t be any layoffs as a result of the move. The postal service will instead cut staff through attrition.

“There is talk about a retirement incentive package,” Kuralt said Thursday . “Nobody is going to lose their job here in Springfield.”

Christine G. Dugas, a Postal Service spokeswoman, said the Postal Service is moving other work to Indian Orchard. Specifically, Indian Orchard will do more processing of “flats,” the Postal Service term of for magazines and envelopes that are about the same size as a magazine.

The Postal Service also handles parcels and bulk mail, like letters sent out as advertising, at Indian Orchard, Dugas said.

Kuralt said the Postal Service is moving forward with the closings out of frustration with the U.S. Congress over a requirement that the Postal Service pre-pay retirement and health-care costs to the tune of $75 billion over 10 years.


Census: Whites lose U.S. majority among babies

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New 2011 census estimates highlight a historic shift underway in the nation's racial makeup.

By HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON — For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing.

New 2011 census estimates highlight a historic shift underway in the nation's racial makeup. They mark a transformation in a country once dominated by whites and bitterly divided over slavery and civil rights, even as it wrestles now over the question of restricting immigration.

"This is an important landmark," said Roderick Harrison, a former chief of racial statistics at the Census Bureau who is now a sociologist at Howard University. "This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders."

The report comes as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of Arizona's strict immigration law. Many states are weighing similar get-tough measures as fewer Hispanics are opting to enter the U.S. due to the weak economy.

"We remain in a dangerous period where those appealing to anti-immigration elements are fueling a divisiveness and hostility that might take decades to overcome," Harrison said.

As a whole, the nation's minority population continues to rise, following a higher-than-expected Hispanic count in the 2010 census. Minorities increased 1.9 percent to 114.1 million, or 36.6 percent of the total U.S. population, lifted by prior waves of immigration that brought in young families and boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years.

But a recent slowdown in the growth of the Hispanic and Asian populations is shifting notions on when the tipping point in U.S. diversity will come — the time when non-Hispanic whites become a minority. After 2010 census results suggested a crossover as early as 2040, demographers now believe the pivotal moment may be pushed back several years when new projections are released in December.

The annual growth rates for Hispanics and Asians fell sharply last year to just over 2 percent, roughly half the rates in 2000 and the lowest in more than a decade. The black growth rate stayed flat at 1 percent.

The immigrants staying put in the U.S. for now include Narcisa Marcelino, 34, a single mother who lives with her two daughters, ages 10 and 5, in Martinsburg, W.Va. After crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in 2000, she followed her brother to the eastern part of the state just outside the Baltimore-Washington region. The Martinsburg area is known for hiring hundreds of migrants annually to work in fruit orchards. Its Hispanic growth climbed from 14 percent to 18 percent between 2000 and 2005 before shrinking last year to 3.3 percent, still above the national average.

Marcelino says she sells food from her home to make ends meet for her family and continues to hope that one day she will get a hearing with immigration officials to stay legally in the U.S. She aspires to open a restaurant and is learning English at a community college so she can help other Spanish-language speakers.

If she is eventually deported, "it wouldn't be that tragic," Marcelino said. "But because the children have been born here, this is their country. And there are more opportunities for them here."

Of the 30 large metropolitan areas showing the fastest Hispanic growth in the previous decade, all showed slower growth in 2011 than in the peak Hispanic growth years of 2005-2006, when the construction boom attracted new migrants to low-wage work. They include Lakeland, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta; Provo, Utah; Las Vegas; and Phoenix. All but two — Fort Myers, Fla., and Dallas-Fort Worth — also grew more slowly last year than in 2010, hurt by the jobs slump.

Pointing to a longer-term decline in immigration, demographers believe the Hispanic population boom may have peaked.

"The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population," said Mark Mather, associate vice president of the Population Reference Bureau. "But we're seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road."

William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the census data, noted that government debates over immigration enforcement may now be less pressing, given slowing growth. "The current congressional and Supreme Court interest in reducing immigration — and the concerns especially about low-skilled and undocumented Hispanic immigration — represent issues that could well be behind us," he said.

Minorities made up roughly 2.02 million, or 50.4 percent of U.S. births in the 12-month period ending July 2011. That compares with 37 percent in 1990.

In all, 348 of the nation's 3,143 counties, or 1 in 9, have minority populations across all age groups that total more than 50 percent. In a sign of future U.S. race and ethnic change, the number of counties reaching the tipping point increases to more than 690, or nearly 1 in 4, when looking only at the under age 5 population.

The counties in transition include Maricopa (Phoenix), Ariz.; King (Seattle), Wash.; Travis (Austin), Texas; and Palm Beach, Fla., where recent Hispanic births are driving the increased diversity among children. Also high on the list are suburban counties such as Fairfax, Va., just outside the nation's capital, and Westchester, N.Y., near New York City, where more open spaces are a draw for young families who are increasingly minority.

According to the latest data, the percentage growth of Hispanics slowed from 4.2 percent in 2001 to 2.5 percent last year. Their population growth would have been even lower if it weren't for their relatively high fertility rates — seven births for every death. The median age of U.S. Hispanics is 27.6 years.

Births actually have been declining for both whites and minorities as many women postponed having children during the economic slump. But the drop since 2008 has been larger for whites, who have a median age of 42. The number of white births fell by 11.4 percent, compared with 3.2 percent for minorities, according to Kenneth Johnson, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire.

Asian population increases also slowed, from 4.5 percent in 2001 to about 2.2 percent. Hispanics and Asians still are the two fastest-growing minority groups, making up about 16.7 percent and 4.8 percent of the U.S. population, respectively.

Blacks, who comprise about 12.3 percent of the population, have increased at a rate of about 1 percent each year. Whites have increased very little in recent years.

Other findings:

• The migration of black Americans back to the South is slowing. New destinations in the South, including Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Orlando, Fla., saw sharp drop-offs in black population growth as the prolonged housing bust kept African-Americans locked in place in traditional big cities. Metro areas including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco had reduced declines or gains.

• Nine U.S. counties in five states saw their minority populations across all age groups surpass 50 percent last year. They were Sutter and Yolo in California; Quitman in Georgia; Cumberland in New Jersey; Colfax in New Mexico; and Lynn, Mitchell, Schleicher and Swisher in Texas.

• Maverick County, Texas, had the largest share of minorities at 96.8 percent, followed by Webb County, Texas, and Wade Hampton, Alaska, both at 96 percent.

• Four states — Hawaii, California, New Mexico and Texas — as well as the District of Columbia have minority populations that exceed 50 percent.

The census estimates used local records of births and deaths, tax records of people moving within the U.S., and census statistics on immigrants. The figures for "white" refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity.

Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, W.Va., contributed to this report.

In Western Massachusetts, majority-minority breakdown reflects latest U.S. numbers

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With diversity becoming increasingly complex because of intermarriage, a UMass population expert anticipates a day when the entire subject of race will be looked at differently.

HADLEY — Susan G. Strate, who manages the population estimates for the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, said federal census numbers showing white babies were for the first time in the minority last year are consistent with what she has seen in terms of the majority-minority breakdown in Western Massachusetts.

Federal census numbers released Thursday show racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S.

“It’s interesting because now the majority is no longer the majority,” she said.

Strate has observed that the younger population is increasingly diverse. At the same time, the median age for people of white European origin is increasing.

“New immigrants are young and they’re having more kids,” she said. “Basically, as a trend, America is becoming more and more diverse.”

Although she did not have the figures available, Strate believes that Springfield and Holyoke reflect this trend by which younger minorities are becoming the majority. With diversity becoming increasingly complex because of intermarriage, Strate anticipates a day when the entire subject of race will be looked at differently.

“It used to be relevant if you were from England or France,” she said. “It’s reasonable to expect that how you think about race and minorities will evolve.”

Among other duties, Strate helps local cities and towns ensure that their population estimates are correct.

Massachusetts court: Drunken driving law language allows repeat offenders to avoid stiffer penalties

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Motorists who admit there's enough evidence to convict them of drunken driving but aren't technically convicted are not subject to certain increased penalties under a law designed to stiffen punishment for repeat offenders.

By DENISE LAVOIE | AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON — Motorists who admit there's enough evidence to convict them of drunken driving but aren't technically convicted are not subject to certain increased penalties under a law designed to stiffen punishment for repeat drunken drivers, the state's highest court ruled Thursday.

The Supreme Judicial Court said the state Legislature didn't change the legal definition of what constitutes a "conviction" when it passed Melanie's Law in 2005. The definition includes people who plead guilty or no contest or those who are found guilty. It doesn't include people who "admit to sufficient facts," which allows them to admit there is enough evidence for a conviction but permits a judge to eventually dismiss the charges after a probationary period.

"Even if we were to consider the purpose of Melanie's Law, we are not at liberty to construe the statute in a manner that might advance its purpose but contravenes the actual language chosen by the Legislature," Justice Margot Botsford wrote for the court in the unanimous opinion.

The court ruled in the case of Paul Souza, who was first arrested on a drunken driving charge in 1997. Souza admitted to sufficient facts and his case was continued without a finding until he successfully completed a period of probation. After that, the charge was dismissed from his record.

Souza was arrested again in January 2010. He refused to take a breath test, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles suspended his license for three years, citing his earlier case. Under the law, his license would have been suspended for six months as a first-time offender.

Souza appealed. In its ruling, the SJC said Souza's first case doesn't fit the definition of "convicted" under Melanie's Law, named after 13-year-old Melanie Powell of Marshfield, who was killed by a repeat drunken driver as she crossed a street in 2003.

Souza's attorney, Dana Alan Curhan, said his client was acquitted last month in the 2010 case, about 2½ years after his license was suspended. His license was restored after the acquittal.

"The Legislature is perfectly capable of defining its terms, and they define conviction in a way that does not include a continuance without a finding," Curhan said. "If they want to change that, they are capable of doing that and they are welcome to do that."

State Sen. Bob Hedlund, R-Weymouth, the lead Senate sponsor of Melanie's Law, said he plans to talk with district attorneys as a result of the ruling.

"This creates a loophole situation, obviously, where someone benefits from having their case continued without a finding," Hedlund said. "It's just not something that we thought of, but I will tell you that the intent of Melanie's Law was to provide harsher penalties for repeat offenders."

Said Brad Puffer, a spokesman for Attorney General Martha Coakley: "While we respect the court's decision, we stand ready to work with the Legislature to remedy issues in this law to further protect public safety."

Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian said the agency is reviewing the decision "and determining the administrative course of action to be taken as a result."

"Drunk driving presents an unacceptable threat to public safety," Kaprielian said. "We remain committed to doing everything we can to protect and promote safe travel across Massachusetts."Bottom of FormSending your articleYour article has been sent.

Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik seeks $126.1 million budget for fiscal 2013

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The School Department must make up an $860,000 deficit.

WESTFIELD — Mayor Daniel M. Knapik unveiled a proposed $126.1 million city budget Thursday that does not include any city layoffs and presents an increase of about $2 million, or 1 percent over current municipal spending.

The budget however does include the potential for School Department staff reductions of up to 10 teachers and 20 paraprofessionals because of an $860,000 deficit in proposed school spending for the year beginning July 1.

102009_daniel_knapik_westfield.jpgDaniel Knapik

Knapik said the city’s property tax levy, along with state and other funds, will finance nearly $112.4 million of the budget while municipal fees will pay for water, sewer, ambulance and stormwater management totaling about $13.7 million. Also, the mayor plans to seek City Council approval to use $790,000 in available stabilization funds to help balance the new budget. The city will also use $1.1 million in School Choice funds to balance spending.

The City Council will now consider the budget request and Thursday night referred it to its Finance Committee for review.

Knapik said his financial plan calls for no municipal layoffs and no new positions. But he said the proposed budget does support appointment of a permanent director in the Parks and Recreation Department and a new director of Community Development.

“The budget includes funding for these positions on a half-year basis; the plan is to fill those after January,” Knapik said.

The mayor said funding for new labor contracts with municipal workers, which have been absent for the past two years, will be considered as a new appropriation after July 1. Negotiations with the city unions is ongoing, he said.

The budget includes just under $400,000 for the city’s new central emergency dispatch department.

Fire and police budgets show decreases of nearly $550,000 from police and $363,000 from the Fire Department from current levels.

The mayor said he is deferring capital improvement expenditures, including a $200,000 new platform truck for the Fire Department and other vehicles, until next fall in anticipation of certified free cash.

The spending package lists projected property tax revenue at $61.4 million and state Cherry Sheet funding at about $39 million. He acknowledged that figures will change as additional state aid information becomes available.

The School Committee earlier this week approved a $55.5 million budget for the new year that is included in the mayor’s total budget. The school budget projects a deficit of $860,000, despite Knapik’s increased school funding of $1.6 million over the current fiscal year.

School officials are considering attrition and possible retirement incentives to offset the deficit.

The School Department is losing nearly $2 million in federal jobs and Title I remedial program grants for fiscal 2013.

Anguished Sturbridge father pushes bill to prevent drownings at Massachusetts camps

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Derek Frechette said his son was not wearing a life vest when he went swimming at a town beach in Sturbridge in 2007 and drowned.

drown.jpgDerek Frechette of Sturbridge, standing in the middle, advocated at the Statehouse for a bill to help prevent drownings of children. To the left in the photo is Dorothy Drago, a director of the Drowning Prevention Foundation, and to the right is Cheryl Bartlett, a director at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

BOSTON — Derek R. Frechette says he is haunted by the drowning of his 4-year-old son five years ago and hopes that other parents can avoid similar tragedies.

Frechette, 42, an electrical engineer, came to Beacon Hill on Thursday to advocate for passage of "Christian's bill."

The bill, named after his son, would require boards of health to approve rules to require recreational camps to test minors at the start of the season for their swimming skills and to have life jackets available for children who can't swim or who lack enough skills. It would also require camps to accept a life jacket from a parent who feels that a child should have the safety device.

"I still have nightmares that he is in the water calling me and saying, 'Daddy, why didn't you save me?' " Frechette told reporters.

Frechette pushed for his bill on the same day Gov. Deval L. Patrick honored the tragic death of a Sutton teenager by signing a bill that requires school districts to approve medical response plans to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The new law is named after Michael Ellsessar, 16, who suffered cardiac arrest while playing junior varsity high school football in November 2010 at Quaboag Regional High School in Warren.

Frechette said his son, Christian E. Frechette, did not have a life jacket when he went swimming at the summer camp run by the Sturbridge Recreation Department. He was later found in 3 feet of water near a dock on the pond.

Frechette became choked up with tears during a press conference to advocate for the bill.

"It will save some kids this year," he said of the bill, which is being carried by a Western Massachusetts legislator whose brother drowned in a childhood accident. "It will. That's all I want to do."

xtian.jpgChristian E. Frechette

Frechette said he had life jackets for his two sons when he brought them to Cedar Lake in July 2007.

Frechette said a staff member told him that children were banned from having life vests or water toys. He said there were 30 children and eight lifeguards at the camp and he relied on the staff member. Frechette left and later learned from authorities that his son had drowned.

"I don't think they did anything wrong," he said of Sturbridge officials. "They went by what was the law. I don't blame a person. I just trusted. I didn't think."

Shaun Suhoski, town administrator in Sturbridge, declined to comment on Frechette's assertions about his son being prohibited from wearing a life jacket. Suhoski said there was a settlement between the town and the family.

The town now has a station with life jackets available for all swimmers at its beach on Cedar Lake, he said.

Suhoski said town officials have no formal position on the bill but any efforts to improve safety for children are to be applauded. Parents also have to be responsible and should determine if their children need a life jacket, he added.

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat, said the issue affects him personally. Brewer said he felt the anguish of the Frechettes because his brother, Max, was also 4 years old when he drowned at the family's farm pond in Charlton.

Brewer said his mother was hanging clothes on an outside line and turned her back for an instant before her son drowned.

Brewer said nothing can bring back Frechette's son, but legislators can move forward and attempt to make swimming areas safe. "I know it is the right thing to do," said Brewer, who is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The Senate in November voted 36-0 to approve the bill. The legislation is pending in the state House of Representatives, where it received initial approval in February.

Frechette said he and his wife, Christina, have "five children, including Christian, and a sixth on the way." He and his wife have started a nonprofit organization to provide life jackets to all children at all camps, lakes, beaches and town run pools in the state, said Frechette, who attended the Statehouse event with his mother, Janet Frechette of Stoneham.

Patrick signed a proclamation declaring May as "drowning awareness month." Patrick said drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death of children, particularly those 5 years old and younger.

During a separate ceremony, the governor said he was proud to sign “Michael’s Law,” which was filed in response to the death of Ellsessar.

A spokesman for the Worcester District Attorney's office has said a referee at the game attempted CPR on Ellsessar before he was taken by ambulance to Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, where he was pronounced dead.

Under the law, schools will now be required to put into effect several steps in addition to already-mandated evacuation plans for certain hazards.

The medical response plans will require a method and protocols for establishing fast communications, a list of important contacts, ways to direct emergency medical services, safety procedures for preventing injuries, ways to provide access to CPR and other training in first aid and the locations of defibrillators and people who are trained to use them.

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