The victim is not cooperating with police

Republican staff photo by Michael BeswickSpringfield police officers search for bullet casings following a shooting Sunday night near the intersection of Allendale and Dwight streets.

SPRINGFIELD – A 20-year-old man was shot in the leg Sunday night, but was not seriously injured.

Witnesses said they heard at least four shots fired at about 8:40 p.m. near the corner of Allendale and Dwight streets and saw four men running away from the area, Police Lt. John Bobianski said.

Later police determined between five and seven shots had been fired and a car was also hit, he said.

The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance. His injuries were not life-threatening, Bobianski said.

He was not cooperating with police after the shooting, Bobianski said.

The shooting happened one block from Ringgold Street, where the mother of Tamik Kirkland and another woman were shot on April 23.

Kirkland escaped from the Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Shirley shortly after his mother was wounded. He is since been accused of killing one man, injuring another and shooting two police officers who were uninjured because they were wearing bullet-proof vests. Kirkland was shot six times by police and is recovering from the wounds.

Allendale Street was also the location of a shoot-out on May 1, 2010 that killed 16-year-old Rafael Montanez. More than 30 bullets were fired and three others, including an 8-year-old boy, were also injured. No arrests have been made in the shooting.

Dr. Katherine Atkinson, who practices in Amherst, said overhead is killing doctors.

SPRINGFIELD – Move into town with a family, call a pediatrician and it’ll take an average of 21 days to get in and see the doctor, according to a study released on Monday by the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Twenty-one days is relatively short, the composite average for specialists considered “primary care” doctors – cardiology, internal medicine, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, family medicine and pediatrics – is 36 days. But in 21 days a run-of-the mill childhood hernia can turn into a life-threatening obstructed bowel, said Dr. Kevin P. Moriarty, president of the Hampden District Medical Society, part of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Even the relatively short 13-day wait time for new patients to see a pediatrician in Hampshire County is more than enough time for an infected appendix — which often masquerades as a bellyache — to burst, Moriarty, division chief of pediatric surgery at Baystate Children’s Hospital, said last week in a telephone interview.

“A child with a ruptured appendix may be in the hospital for five days,” Moriarty said. “It’s not good.”

The Massachusetts Medical Society is releasing it’s “Patent Access To Health Care Study” on Monday, the same day doctors plan to lobby state lawmakers in Boston. Doctors say relatively low pay, high overhead and insurance costs and high student loans make it uneconomical to practice family medicine in Massachusetts. That’s driving wait times and making it harder for people to get the health care they need despite the high percentage of Massachusetts residents who have insurance, according to the study.

Statewide, the overall average wait for a first-time appointment was 35 days in 2010.

The longest wait time in Hampden County was 56 days for a gastroenterologist. But in Franklin county, the wait for a gastroenterologist was 174 days, the longest wait time for any specialist anywhere in the state. The longest wait time in Hampshire County was 60 days for an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Average wait times across specialties was 36 days in Hampden County, 33 days in Hampshire County and 53 days in Franklin County.

“That delays patients getting regular screens like mammograms,” Moriarty said. “This situation also drives people to seek treatment in emergency rooms. That’s not good care.”

Just 75 percent of the doctors in Hampden County are accepting new patients, according to the survey. In Hampshire County, 74 percent of the doctors surveyed are accepting new patients. In Franklin County, just 65 percent are accepting new patients.

That also varies by patient; just 43 percent of the family doctors in Hampshire County are accepting new patients.

Dr. Katherine J. Atkinson , whose patients call her “Dr. Kate” around her Amherst practice, said overhead is killing doctors. Her practice has three health-care providers and a support staff of 15.

“No one is sitting around,” she said. “We are very busy doing paperwork and jumping through hoops to advocate for patients.”

She also said insurance rates are based on actions, something medical reformers are talking about changing.

“If I spend an hour talking to someone who has just had a heart attack or a stroke, I might make $80 for that,” she said.

Massachusetts Medical Society 2011 Physician Practice Environment Report

But another doctor might get $2,500 for doing a 20-minute procedure.

“People are willing to pay me for what I can do, not for what I know,” she said.

Insurance rates are also high in Massachusetts. Other states have passed tort reform.

“Just cut some of the red tape and let me do my job,” she said.

Moriarty said more nurse practitioners and physicians assistants would help. That way doctors would be freed up because other professionals could see younger, healthier patients. He’d also like to see more slots open up in medic al schools and loan forgiveness for doctors who chose to be primary-care doctors.

Students won awards based on trade-show-type displays about their businesses.

photo provided20100427: Lindsay Weaver, winner of the Elevator Pitch Competition, has the idea for a business called Polar-EYES (a soft contact lens that provides outdoor UV protection, the power of polarization, AND can transition from dark to light as traditional sunglasses do. The competition was held at the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation Entrepreneurship Initiative Awards Ceremony and Banquet. (Photo Credit: Shana SUreck)

SPRINGFIELD – With an idea for contact lenses that also offer ultraviolet light protection, Bay Path College student Lindsay Weaver won first place in the “elevator pitch” portion of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative.

It’s called an elevator pitch, according to the Foundation, because students only get 90 seconds too sell their idea to a panel of local bankers. They need to make their case in the time it takes to ride an elevator.

The pitches took place in front of more than 470 at the Grinspoon Foundation’s awards ceremony and banquet April 27 in Holyoke.

Nate Lare from Springfield Technical Community College took second place based on his business concept RDS Enterprise a self-contained disaster relief housing unit. Nicole Provost a student at Elms College took third place with Computer Application which allows people with poor eyesight to use a computer without using their glasses or contact lenses.

The event featured a student representative from each of the participating local colleges: American International College, Bay Path College, Elms College, Greenfield Community College, Hampshire College, Holyoke Community College, Smith College, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, University of Massachusetts, Western New England College and Westfield State College. Each student participating received $100. First, second, and third place winners received $1000, $750 and $500 respectively.

Students also won awards based on trade-show-type displays about their businesses. These awards were also chosen by the bank judges by speaking with all 34 student exhibitors during the entrepreneurs’ exhibit hour. The five student/teams were: Julia Diaz Sullivan of Bay Path College for MA4U, homeowner short sale assistance; Adena Lavin of Mt. Holyoke College for Pow!Chow an innovative food development company; Jessica Kaplan of Smith College for Well-Dressed Greens a specialty, all natural salad dressing company; Shane Lindner of Springfield College for Simply Local Connecticut, LLC a service marketing company and finally Meg Kilroy and Marceilia Muehlke of UMass Amherst for Celia Sustainable Wedding Gowns, a sustainable wedding gown company. These student/teams were chosen for the quality of their exhibits and the quality of their sales pitch about their businesses.

The process involves heating plastic to 400-degrees then forcing that taffy-like goo through a nozzle so it forms a tube.

The Rerpublican / Michael S. GordonMel O'Leary, president and CEO of Meredith-Springfield Associates, Inc., with two of the 15-plus styles of molded plastic void formers used in concrete slabs during building construction to reduce the volume and the weight of the concrete. These products will be used in the construction of a new Miami art museum.

LUDLOW – When the $220-million Miami Art Museum opens in the fall of 2013, it’ll have a view of Biscayne Bay, art treasures collected from around Europe, Africa and the Americas, and hundreds of hollow plastic balls from Ludlow.

The balls, some round some squashed to a oval with flat tops and bottoms, will be part of a Swiss-designed building system called Cobiax that promises to make building out of cast concrete cheaper and more earth friendly. Those balls are also made by Ludlow-based Meredith-Springfield Associates Inc.

“I think this technology is going to really take off,” said Mel O’Leary, president and CEO of Meredith-Springfield. “With the emphasis on green building, and all the building projects that will go on now that the economy is improving. This company is going to have to expand to handle this work.”

The Republican / Michael S. GordonLeslie O. Ortiz, an inspector-packer at Meredith-Springfield Associates, Inc., loads a box with clear PET plastic bottles bound for American Distilling Co. in East Hampton, Conn., to be filled with a witch hazel product. In the background is Devin D. Bass, director of operations.

It’s part of a lot of expansion at Meredith-Springfield, where O’Leary has seen sales grow from $1 million to $2 million over the past few years thanks to two new $1 million machines that make bottles from stable, non-leaching compounds.

“We knew our customers were being pushed to switch,” he said. “We needed to get out in front of this,” he said.

He’s also gained business as competitors have gone out of business in the last few years. The company does blow molding of plastics. The process involves heating plastic to 400-degrees then forcing that taffy-like goo through a nozzle so it forms a tube. A mold then closes around that tube and air gets blown into the tube, expanding the molten tube to fit the mold.

A machine at the factory cranked out a maple syrup bottle with a satisfying “whoop” noise every few minutes.

O’Leary, once the plant manger at AIM Packaging in West Springfield, started Meredith-Springfield in his garage in 1983. It moved from there to Cottage Street in Springfield and then to Ludlow in 1996.

Meredith-Springfield is the exclusive maker of bottles for Vermont Maid-brand maple syrup and one of the large suppliers of bottles for Dickinson Brands Inc., maker of Dickinson’s Witch Hazel, which based in East Hampton, Conn.

Over the years, O’Leary has also carved out a niche making early test runs – a few million bottles – of now familiar products. Meredith-Springfield was the first to make bottles for Clorox cleaners that squirt the cleaners up under the toilet-bowl rim.

Barker Steel Inc. of Milford knew none of this back in 2008 when it picked Meredith-Springfield out of the phone book to make the plastic balls. Barker Steel has the North American rights for the Cobiax system

The strength in steel-reinforced concrete comes from the steel, O’Leary said. The concrete just takes up space.

“This is an engineered product, it’s not just tossing balls into the concrete,” he said.

Less concrete means fewer concrete trucks, less weight and fewer supports in the he building, he said.

Barker makes cages of re-bar and ships them to Meredith-Springfield which places the balls. Then the whole assembly gets shipped to Miami, the first North-American use of the technology.

The project has a Swiss architect used to working with Cobiax.

“This is all over Europe. The stadiums used in the World Cup in South Africa used Cobiax,” O’Leary said. “The whole rest of the world can’t be wrong and we’re right.”

No outside company has run a Springfield public school before.

The Republican | Mark M. Murray Focus on Results, Inc., a Boston-based firm that specializes in shoring up troubled schools in short periods, will help run the High School of Commerce on State Street in Springfield next year.

SPRINGFIELD – A private consulting group will help run the High School of Commerce next year, the latest attempt to rescue the school from the state’s underperforming list.

On a 6-0 vote, the School Committee approved an $800,000 contract last week for Focus on Results, Inc., a Boston-based firm that specializes in shoring up troubled schools in short periods.

No outside company has run a city school before, and details of the arrangement – including how much authority the team will exercise – were not disclosed at Thursday’s meeting.

The hiring, recommended by Superintendent Alan J. Ingram, comes one month after the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education refused to approve $744,592 for Commerce’s academic correction plan, citing a lack of confidence in the school’s ability to carry it out.

Eleven other underperforming schools in Springfield and Holyoke won approval for $15 million in funding, leaving Commerce the only school in the region to be rejected.

In a letter to Ingram, assistant state education commissioner Karla B. Baehr said “an alternative intervention” will be needed.

Ingram told committee members Thursday night that Focused on Results Inc. was on list of state-approved consultants, based on its record for helping schools such as Commerce.

“We have before us an opportunity that is unprecedented. Commerce has certainly had its pockets of success over the past several years, but the school has also had some very serious struggles,” Ingram said.

The consulting team will work with Commerce’s principal Paul A. Nycz, school administrators and teachers to make changes required in the state’s three-year improvement plan, Ingram said.

Details of the company’s role at Commerce will be shared with parents by letter and phone calls; for its part, the consultants first step will be performing a needs assessment, which will help develop an intervention plan, Ingram said.

Several committee members, including Peter M. Murphy, expressed concern about stability at the school, given a state order that 50 percent of the teachers must be replaced between 20010 and 2011.

Rapid teacher turnover could make improvements even harder to achieve, Murphy said. “If you’re going to move 50 percent of the teachers, that’s a lot of turmoil,” he said.

Committee member Norman Roldan said it was unfortunate that such a drastic step was necessary, but added, “We’ve all known that school ... had problems a long time ago,” Roldan said.

As Obama launches his 2012 campaign, he faces the challenge of millions of Americans without jobs, as unemployment has shot up under his tenure, and American with jobs are worried about the economy.

AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaPresident Obama makes a point during his appearance at the recent White House Correspondents Dinner.

By PERRY BACON JR.
and MICHAEL A. FLETCHER
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - As Barack Obama neared the Democratic presidential nomination in March 2008, he delivered an address dubbed “Renewing the American Economy.” The financial meltdown was still on the horizon, but he pointedly noted that most Americans were in the midst of a long economic slide that Obama said he would reverse if he were elected.

“For many Americans, the economy has effectively been in recession for the past seven years,” he said in the speech, delivered at Cooper Union in Lower Manhattan. He added, “Americans are working harder for less.”

Three years later, that speech could still be given by Obama - or, more ominously for him, by one of his Republican opponents.

As Obama launches his 2012 campaign, he faces the challenge of millions of Americans without jobs, as unemployment has shot up under his tenure - it doubled from the 5.1 percent the day he gave that speech, and was 9 percent in April, according to numbers out Friday. But perhaps more worrisome for the president’s political hopes, most Americans who are still working aren’t pleased with the economy either, according to polls.

And economic data suggest reasons for their dissatisfaction. Income inequality has risen, gas prices continue to spike and household income has declined, even as the stock market rises and corporate profits are setting records. The “new era of opportunity and prosperity” the president promised in 2008 has not yet appeared.

“The challenge for the president is that by the time he comes up for re-election next year, I suspect people will not feel a strong sense of forward momentum,” said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a labor-supported think tank. “And that is what you hope would happen, from his perspective. We have had the unemployment rate drop over a percentage point in recent months, but you don’t get the sense that people are feeling a strong recovery.”

The number most closely monitored in both parties is the unemployment rate, which has hovered above 8 percent for 27 consecutive months - just one marker of the economic problems confronting the country.

In early 2008, even before the economy crashed and unemployment soared, Obama was campaigning against a broader economic malaise.

Unlike the economic growth of the 1990s, which led to strong gains in income and home ownership by middle-class Americans, the growth during much of the George W. Bush years was heavily concentrated at the top of the wage scale. Productivity gains led to increasing corporate profits and stock prices without turning into increased wages and benefits for workers.

When he spoke at Cooper Union, Obama laid out a broad agenda from tax cuts to
health-care reform that would combat those troubling trends. But by the time he arrived in office 10 months later, the worst fiscal downturn since the Great Depression had reshuffled his agenda.

The president spent much of his first year dealing with calamities he had not anticipated early in his candidacy - the near-collapse of Wall Street and the U.S. auto industry. Obama then spent much of the next year pushing through complicated bills to reform the health-care system and tighten regulation of the financial sector, two priorities of his 2008 campaign.

The result is that Obama has a long list of accomplishments, yet many middle-class Americans don’t feel major changes in their lives.

Many of the new health-care provisions have not yet kicked in, and others have not had any effect on people who already have insurance. White House aides acknowledge that their message on the stimulus and the auto bailout - which is that tens of millions of Americans would have been adversely affected if those measures didn’t pass - has failed to persuade much of the public. And the financial regulatory bill also has limited impact on most middle-income families.

The daring raid that ended in the killing of Osama bin Laden boosted the president’s approval ratings, but it did not affect the negative view most Americans have of his handling of the economy, according to a recent Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll.

Between spring 2008 and September 2009, nearly a quarter of U.S. households experienced at least a 25 percent drop in household income, according to the Economic Security Index, a measure of middle-class well-being assembled by a team of scholars led by Jacob Hacker, a Yale University political scientist.

Although the downturn made things worse, the December 2010 report said “Americans’ economic insecurity has been growing for years, and it appears to have little diminished since 2009.”

Some of the Obama administration’s proposals aimed at aiding the middle class, - including doubling the child-care tax credit for moderate-income families, increasing aid for families caring for elderly relatives, capping student loan payments and creating automatic retirement savings accounts at the workplace - have floundered in Congress.

The biggest immediately tangible benefit Obama has delivered, an income tax cut in 2009 and 2010 and a payroll tax reduction this year, has put an additional $1,800 in the pocket of the average American family.

But much of the public believes taxes have gone up, not down, under Obama. White House aides said this is in part a communication problem and in part reality; cash-strapped state and local governments in some cases have increased fees and taxes, offsetting the benefit of the federal cuts.

Liberals say Obama has done good things but should embrace a broader economic recovery plan that would help the jobless and bolster the middle class. And they argue Obama’s new focus on reducing the budget deficit will do little to improve conditions for most Americans.

“All indications are that ensuring a strong middle class is going to take a lot more bold policy making than is on the table now in Washington,” said Tamara Draut, vice president of policy and programs at Demos, an economic advocacy organization. “Given all the talk about spending cuts as the only way to trim the deficit, it is going to be very difficult to rally support around bold new public investments that we know are key to creating a strong middle class.”

White House advisers argue that with private job creation gaining steam and the economy growing, conditions are already improving for middle-class Americans, and they are hoping the economic climate will be much improved by next November.

But some of the president’s political supporters are not nearly as optimistic, and they say the continued problems confronting workers could dampen enthusiasm for Obama.

“Right now, I don’t think there is anywhere near the level of energy there was in 2008,” said Joseph Hansen, president of the 1.3-million member United Food and Commercial Workers Union and an Obama supporter. “Right now, I don’t know how we get back to that level.

Company officials said the amount of work at the Enfield company was affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disrupting operations at camera manufacturers.

By HOWARD FRENCH
Special to The Republican

ENFIELD - Precision Camera & Video Repair Inc. has eliminated 115 jobs at its headquarters and plans to close at least a portion of the three-building operation, according to a notice filed on April 27 with the state Labor Department.

A company official declined to comment on which part of the Enfield operation will close. But on the portion of the Labor Department form that asks whether the facility where layoffs are occurring is to close, the company responded, “yes.”

Company President and CEO John H. Malinosky said the job cuts are due to “unforeseen business circumstances,” including the “unanticipated length and continuation of the recessionary economy and unforeseeable budgetary constraints.”

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan disrupted the supply chain of work from camera manufacturers, which in turn has reduced the amount of business in Enfield, Malinosky said in a letter accompanying the Labor Department filing.

David Marsh, the company’s director of sales and marketing, would not provide additional information Tuesday, including whether these layoffs are included in or on top of the 234 layoffs disclosed in March.

Marsh also declined to elaborate on the plant closing mentioned in the filing, instead referring to a March news release.”Our plans have not changed,” Marsh said Tuesday.

In that news release, Marsh said that Precision Camera will remain based in Enfield and will maintain a major presence there to repair mostly professional grade photo equipment.

Marsh has declined to provide total numbers of workers remaining in Enfield after the job cuts. But the Enfield operation has had as many as 575 workers in recent years.

The Enfield operation is divided among three buildings, Marsh has said. Technicians work in two buildings, and the third houses the company’s customer contact center, finance, computer, and human resources staffers.

The recession had a major financial impact on the company’s customers, Marsh said in March, as the price of digital cameras has slipped “drastically” over the last few years.

To adapt to the market change, “we have increased our capabilities surrounding high-volume product refurbishment and the rapid exchange business,” Marsh said. That type of work is more suited to Precision’s Southwest U.S. facilities, which have been in operation for the last three to four years, he said.

The company operates two large U.S. plants in El Paso, Texas, as well as a third in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Mexico plant handles international business in both Mexico and Central America, while the El Paso area facilities handle business in the Western U.S.

Marsh said that the Enfield operation is more suited for repair business involving “high-price-point products such as professional digital (cameras), professional lenses, and video camcorders.” The Enfield operation “remains our Center of Excellence,” he said, adding “we still have a large number of people employed on the Enfield campus.”

But he also acknowledged that the company has “transitioned a great number of people” to its Southwest plants.

The company does warranty service repairs for all major camera manufacturers, including Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Olympus. It also has service contracts with several major retailers, including Best Buy.

Western Massachusetts Electric Co.unveiled charging stations at the Springfield Community College Technology Park in Springfield and at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Hadley

By HARLAN LEVY
Special to The Republican

The age of electric cars may be inching into reality, and Northeast Utilities and its Connecticut Light & Power subsidiary have decided to take a major step to help it along by providing charging stations for plug-in vehicles in four municipalities, with plans to do so eventually in two-dozen other cities and towns.

NU announced this week that it is providing Level II charging station devices at no cost to the city of Torrington and the towns of Westport and Mansfield, with West Hartford expected to join the two-year project shortly.

Western Massachusetts Electric Co., a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, also unveiled charging stations this week at the Springfield Community College Technology Park in Springfield and at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Hadley. A third location is planned for Pittsfield.

NU will also give a unit to financial services giant UBS in Stamford for its employees. The only requirement is that the municipalities and businesses that participate must install and maintain the chargers.

NU has already installed charging stations at its company offices in Berlin, Hartford, Springfield, and Manchester, N.H. NU’s Western Massachusetts Electric Co. subsidiary has one customer site installed and another planned. About 20 other municipalities and businesses served by CL&P are expected to participate in the initiative eventually.

What NU and CL&P get out of the deal is research data to ascertain market demand for such services.

“By gathering information from municipal and business customers, we can gain tangible experience to help guide future decisions about our infrastructure, our policies, and how we will ultimately serve all of our customers as EVs become more common,” CL&P President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Butler said.

“By year-end, we expect to have a network of more than 30 charging stations in place and generating detailed meter data,” said Watson Collins, NU’s EV project manager. “We’ll have a robust picture of away-from-home charging levels to study along with home-based use as more EV drivers recharge overnight.”

NU also is testing Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid Volt in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif.

“It’s all about understanding how EV recharging impacts the electric utility system under a variety of conditions,” Collins said.

That breakdown of data is a necessary precursor to planning the region’s long-term EV infrastructure, CL&P officials explained.

“By anticipating and supporting the market for new plug-in EVs, we can all benefit from a cleaner, lower-cost and locally available fuel alternative,” Dan Esty, Connecticut’s environmental protection commissioner, said.

Some analysts predict significantly cheaper prices at the pump by summer, while others say volatility in the crude oil market and continued international demand could sustain higher gasoline prices for now.

Republican file photoGasoline prices have risen significantly since this photo of a Pride Station on King Street in Northampton was taken a few months ago.

"Sweet Relief." No, it's not the name of a summer blockbuster. But it may be coming to a gas pump near you, thanks to falling crude oil prices and lower demand.

Some market watchers predict significantly cheaper gas prices by summer, which, in recent years, has been a season marked by “fuel fury” and scaled-back vacation plans for many Americans.

However, some oil industry analysts caution that the overall volatility in the international oil market and ongoing instability and unpredictability in the Middle East could conspire to keep prices high for the foreseeable future, forcing drivers to continue forking over more money to get from Point A to Point B.

That said, many Americans simply aren't driving as much these days, which means the supply-and-demand principles of Capitalism 101 could eventually force pump prices to plunge in the days ahead.

Experts say falling oil prices could signal lower costs on the horizon, even though the average national price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline rose nearly 12 cents in the past two weeks. The national average for a gallon of regular self-serve gas reached $4 by this past weekend -- up 37 percent from a year ago.

But some analysts predict as much as a 75-cent-per-gallon decline by summer, which typically is when pump prices begin their seasonal rise.

Around the Pioneer Valley, gas prices hovered just below the $4-per-gallon level this weekend, with some area stations advertising prices as low as $3.82 a gallon. The Massachusetts average for unleaded regular reached $3.99 per gallon by the weekend, though a quick survey of greater Springfield gas stations shows slightly cheaper prices are the norm.

While $4 a gallon is shocking to most Americans, it’s still cheaper than the all-time high of $4.11 reached on July, 11, 2008. In Massachusetts, prices topped off at a record $4.09 in July 2008.

According to the nationwide Lundberg Survey, last week's falling crude oil prices could lead to an 8- to 12-cent drop in prices at the pump over the next few weeks. Massachusetts sedan drivers currently are paying anywhere from $40 to $45 to fill up their cars, while some SUV drivers are dropping more than $80 to fill their tanks.

“If gas goes down, that’ll be great -- we’re trying to save for a house,” bride-to-be Jessica Cipperly, 30, of Norwood, Mass., said in an interview with the Boston Herald.

AP Photo/Amy SancettaBay Staters can be grateful they don't live in the Midwest, where the high price of unleaded regular gasoline is reflected on a sign outside a BP gas station in Beachwood, Ohio. The average price of a gallon of regular in Massachusetts is now around $3.99.

At $4.50 per gallon, Chicago had the highest average for self-serve, regular unleaded gas, while the lowest price was $3.62 in Tucson, Arizona.

Some analysts predict pump prices settling between $3.25 and $3.75 a gallon for the summer driving season, which might help Massachusetts' lagging tourism industry, which in recent years has seen attendance dip at beaches, parks and other popular destinations.

Crude oil hit a two-year high of $114.83 a barrel last week, but by the weekend had dropped below the $100 mark for the first time since March. However, because the fundamental backdrop in the oil market remains “entirely unaltered,” with global demand still showing continued strength, oil prices should generally trend higher, not lower, according to a report by Barclays Capital.

That said, some U.S. analysts expect oil to drop as higher gasoline prices continue to undercut the demand for crude.

“Demand destruction already appears to be well under way in the U.S., reflected in the latest GDP data,” according to a recent report by Capital Economics.
“We expect oil to fall further as the global economy slows, the dollar continues to rebound, and the risk premium due to unrest in the Middle East eventually fades,” the report stated.

Along with Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-old Springfield student who also hanged himself after being bullied at school, Prince became the face of the anti-bullying movement.

Family photoPhoebe Prince

For months, the New England chapter of Anti-Defamation League had been trying to get Massachusetts officials to look at its model legislation for addressing the issue of school bullying.

As Regional Director Derrek L. Shulman recalls, it was slow going.

“It was hard to get people’s attention at the State House,” he said.

That changed fast after Jan. 14, 2010. Locally, many will remember that date sadly as the day when Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old freshman at South Hadley High School, took her life after being bullied in school.

It is Prince’s legacy, however, that others will mark it as the day the tide turned in the fight against bullying.

“After that, people were calling us,” Shulman said.

The Anti-Defamation League had been focused on the issue for a long time, identifying it as a key to educating the public on a range of discrimination matters.

“Regarding safety and respect and where people learn how to respond to prejudice, they learn it at schools,” Shulman said.

The League had painstakingly built a coalition of like-minded groups to help it push the legislation.

After news of Prince’s tragedy broke, police unions, gay and lesbian organizations and an array of others joined in.

“The size of the coalition exploded overnight,” he said.

Submitted photoCarl Walker-Hoover

Along with Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-old Springfield student who also hanged himself after being bullied at school, Prince became the face of the anti-bullying movement.

In Massachusetts, that movement culminated last May when Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed into law what some have called the most comprehensive anti-bullying bill in the country.

Tragic as their deaths were, Shulman said the impact of the Phoebe Prince and Carl Walker-Hoover stories cannot be overestimated.

“For the first time in our history, a bright spotlight shined on the destructive impact of bullying,” he said.

The state law mandated that every school system in Massachusetts devise its own plan to deal with bullying. It also served as a template for those plans.

In no community did the legislation hit home more than in South Hadley, where 350 people showed up for the initial meeting of a newly formed Anti-Bullying Task Force.

“It was unprecedented,” said School Superintendent Gus A. Sayer. “While our plan probably doesn’t look all that different from many plans around the state, it came from a tremendous number of people in the community.”

A chapter in the Phoebe Prince saga closed last week as five of six former classmates charged in connection with her treatment resolved their cases in court. The charge against the sixth was dismissed.

None of the five teens appearing in court last week was sentenced to jail, but all will undergo a period of probation that requires community service. In what was perhaps a greater punishment, all six had to undergo a year of public scrutiny in which they were subjected to withering criticism.

Sayer said the tension at South Hadley High School eased somewhat with those resolutions.

“Throughout the year, people were wondering what was going to happen,” he said. “I think now we can move forward more clearly.”

As a result of the Prince tragedy, Sayer believes there has been a significant increase in student awareness of bullying. The public dialogue in the wake of her death has also forced the schools to clarify aspects of their own policy that had been ambiguous.

“Because of the national attention, there are indications that the behavior in our schools has improved this year,” Sayer said.

Critics of the South Hadley school administration still insist, however, that it needs to examine its own role in the Prince tragedy. Although no school officials were ever charged with a crime in connection with Prince’s bullying, both former Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel and her successor, David E. Sullivan, have expressed concerns about the way they handled the matter.

Darby O’Brien, the owner of a local public relations firm and a long-time critic of the South Hadley school system, said the adults must set the example for the students.

Darby O'Brien

“If you don’t hold the professionals responsible, how do you expect the kids to do the right thing?” he asked.

O’Brien said he has received calls for help from people in other communities, and there is a common theme.

“The constant is that school officials look the other way,” he said.

Although O’Brien agrees that Prince’s death has greatly affected the discussion surrounding school bullying, he said it remains to be seen if it will percolate up to the top and galvanize school officials to take more aggressive action.

“Will they take it seriously?” he asked. “It’s definitely generated a lot of attention. I don’t know.”

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Allergy season is upon us as trees, in their mission to propagate, have become prolific pollen factories.

File photo | The RepublicanAs a white oak tree unfurls its leaves, it releases pollen.

The quintessential sound of spring: Ah-choo!

Allergy season is upon us as trees, in their mission to propagate, have become prolific pollen factories, pushing out a steady stream of tiny granules that cause noses to run and eyes to water.

“We are seeing tree pollen explode right now,” said Dr. Jonathan L. Bayuk, a Springfield allergist.

“The pollen counts are rising, and I am seeing about five to seven more acutely allergic ill patients every day,” he said. “This is more than usual for this time of spring.”

Jonathan Bayuk

As many as 50 million Americans suffer allergies. In the early spring, tree pollen is the main source of the problem. By mid-May, grass pollen becomes the dominant instigator. And in the fall, ragweed becomes the principal culprit.

Right now, maple, oak and birch trees are some of the prime sources for the pollen in the air. Flowers, which are pollinated by insects, tend to produce sticky pollen that does not generally get airborne to provoke human allergies.

The pollen is not what directly causes allergy symptoms. Instead, it causes the body’s immune system react to it as an invader. The body counterattacks by attempting to expel the particles through sneezes and a running nose.

In the Pioneer Valley, the tree pollen counts have been rated high most locally and through much of southern New England this week and will likely be for the next week. Rain can wash pollen out of the air, but dry windy days put it right back in.

Dr. Barry D. Elson, an allergist in Northampton, said the best treatment is “allergy neutralization therapy,” such as a weekly shot, specifically formulated based on blood or skin tests that identify the source of the allergy.

However, there are also more traditional treatments, such as antihistamines, nose sprays and eye drops, he said.

Nasal steroid sprays, which reduce inflamation in the nose, are also widely prescribed by doctors.

Elson said, “Natural remedies we use include hesperidin (found in citrus fruits), quercitin (found in fruits, vegetable leaves and grain), stinging nettle capsules, nasal emollients with volatile oils like eucalyptus, and similisan eye drops.”

The Westfield club will break ground June 1 on a $2.5 million expansion project.

Submitted photoRoxanne Spillett, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

WESTFIELD – The Boys and Girls Clubs of America has a new three-point strategic goal aimed at improving the lives of its members.

The goals, outlined by national president Roxanne H. Spillett to Massachusetts club representatives at Westfield State University Thursday, aim at the academic success of its young members, building healthy lifestyles and ending obesity, and building good character and citizenship.

“Boys and Girls Clubs across the country continue to focus on those kids most in need and those who have the least amount of opportunities,” Spillett said. “We must continue to provide them the opportunity to experience new things that support their strong futures.

“Across the country only 75 percent of children graduate from high school, and in some places that percentage is only 50 percent. The United States ranks ninth in the world in the number of young people with college degrees,” she said. “We must do more, and our clubs will do this through homework help, tutoring, coaching and mentoring, all aimed at inspiring our youth.

“Our hope is every child who enters our doors will progress through high school and on to college,” Spillett said.

Spillett said the country’s “economic security depends on how well our children do.”

The clubs will also focus on First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to end obesity by teaching and practicing healthy lifestyles and instill responsibility in all members to be of assistance to others, the national president said.

Spillett took time from a busy schedule Thursday to tour the Westfield Boys and Girls Club and review its plans for a $2.5 million expansion at the West Silver Street facility.

“I visited this club 33 years ago when it was on Free Street, and I am again struck by the dedication of its volunteers and the community support it receives,” she said.

“This is an excellent example of good people coming together around a great idea,” she said.

The local club will break ground June 1 on an expansion project that will add a second story to its building, allowing expansion of programs and services to its 1,600 members. A fund-raising drive has already raised $1.9 million of the $2.5 million needed.

Nationally there are 4,000 Boys and Girls Clubs that provide programs and services to four million members through its 50,000 professional staffers and 200,000 volunteers, said Spillett.

The Westfield Wheelmen and the Tradesman of Westfield Vocational-Technical High School will square off at Bullens Field.

File photo | The RepublicanAction from a Westfield Wheelmen vintage base ball game.

WESTFIELD – It’s being billed as the “game of the century.”

The Westfield Wheelmen and the Tradesman of Westfield Vocational-Technical High School will square off at Bullens Field on Saturday night in a “vintage base ball” game to benefit the high school.

“We’re celebrating our 100th anniversary this year. One of our biggest events is the vintage baseball game; we call it ‘the game of the century,” said Clement D. Fucci. Fucci, a member of the school’s 100th anniversary committee who also serves as baseball coach.

“We’re going to be playing vintage rules. Players will be decked out in vintage baseball clothing and old-style gloves,” he said. There will also be vendors with concessions to bring an old-time feel to the fund-raising event.

With the Tradesman of Westfield Vocational Technical High School featuring an alumni roster, Fucci said, he expects the event to be well attended and a hit for the whole family.

The Wheelmen are part of the Western New England Base Ball League and plays games all season long at Bullens Field.

There will be a home run derby in which the public will be able to participate; $10 for 10 swings, and the winner will receive a vintage baseball bat, Fucci said.

The game, in addition to providing entertainment for baseball aficionados, will also benefit two important scholarship funds, he noted.

One is the Michael Gonzales Scholarship Fund which helps students buy tools or help them further their trade, and the other is the Scott Prefontaine Scholarship Fund which helps students cover the costs of their athletic fees at the school, Fucci said.

Already, the game has some major sponsors, including Westfield Bank and Lane Construction Corp., which donated $1,000 each, according to Fucci.

The School Committee is expected to vote on the final budget around June 6.

Holyoke School Superintendent David L. Dupont

HOLYOKE – The School Committee Monday received a proposed budget for the next fiscal year, excluding funding from grants, of $77.9 million.

That proposal is $2.1 million, or nearly 3 percent, more than the current $75.7 million, according to the School Department website.

Presentation of the budget by Superintendent David L. Dupont and his staff will trigger School Committee hearings on the budget over the next few weeks.

That will undoubtedly result in cuts from the proposal, Dupont said, and a vote by the School Committee on the final budget by June 6.

The budget is for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

If grants are included, the proposed budget swells to $87.9 million. While officials said grants by their nature aren’t guaranteed funding, Assistant Superintendent Kimberly Wells and Finance Director Christine Regan said the proposed budget includes only those grants that have been consistent from year to year.

Dupont said he wanted to assure the School Committee that his staff and school principals understand the budget as proposed will undergo cuts and other changes.

“What we have here is what the school administration is saying it needs ... it is not intended to put the School Committee on the spot,” Dupont said.

Mayor Elaine E. Pluta last week proposed a budget to run the city in the next fiscal year, including $62.9 million devoted to the schools, of $120 million.

That proposal is $3 million, or 2.5 percent, higher than the $117 million citywide budget approved for the current fiscal year.

More than half the city budget consists of funding from the state. State aid is projected to be $77.4 million in the next fiscal year compared to the current $76 milion.

The expected state aid features $67.5 million in Chapter 70 general education aid, up from the current $65.6 million, according to the state Department of Revenue.

The proposed school budget includes $5.9 million for 150 new positions, including teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators, Wells and Regan said. The School Department now employs 1,250 people, Human Resources Director David Lawrence said.

Committee member at large Howard B. Greaney Jr. said it was unfortunate the budget includes $311,000 for rent for the School Department offices at 57 Suffolk St., raising a long-standing sore point. Greaney is among those who believe municipal space should be found for central offices instead of paying rent.

“I think it’s something that we, as elected public officials, are obligated to address,” Greaney said.

The audience included about 40 principals and other school staff. Committee member at Large Michael J. Moriarty praised them for the narratives that accompany the schools’ spending plan in the proposed budget.

“These narratives, by the way, are fabulous,” Moriarty said.

Pluta, chairwoman of the School Committee, noted the $160,000 budgeted for legal services and said she would like to see that reduced.

Officials thanked school principals and administrators for their work on the proposed budget.

“I want to say thank you all for ... what you do every day for our children. You do make a difference,” Ward 4 member Cesar Lopez said.

“I think that you and your staff did a terrific job,” Greaney said.

The fourth grade strings program was cut several years ago due to budget constraints.

LONGMEADOW- The fourth grade strings program will be reinstated next year after a music task force came to a compromise that works for teachers, administrators and parents.

"The task force worked together to make sure our students have as much access to music as possible," said Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle.

The fourth grade strings program was cut several years ago due to budget constraints. The fifth grade band was cut last year, but was reinstated after parents, students and teachers protested the decision.

Doyle said the problem with the music program was that it pulled students from math, science, social studies and English classes.

"The fifth grade teachers were frustrated, especially when they were having students pulled from math class because it is hard to make up the time lost,"she said.

The task force came to a compromise which will allow students to be pulled from any class except math class.

Teachers have also agreed to do some lessons before and after school, Doyle said.

She commended the task force and the teachers for being able to restore the fourth grade strings program as well as the fifth grade band without any additional staff.

The School Committee also voted to accept two additional students into the kindergarten METCO program bringing the total to four new students next year. The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, or METCO is a voluntary school desegregation program that allows minority students from Boston and Springfield to attend suburban schools in nearby towns.

School Committee member John Fitzgerald said he has spoken to a lot of parents and teachers who believe METCO provides diversity in the town and benefits the residents as well as the recipients of the program.

School Committee Chairman Armand Wray did not agree with the decision to add two additional METCO students next year.

"This will have a financial impact to the district. The reimbursement for the program is not in line with the cost of each student. I think this is a fiscally irresponsible move," he said

The committee voted 4-3 to accept the four students. Wray and members Geoffrey Weigand and Thomas Brunette voted against bringing on the additional students.

As part of the plea deal, Batchu, a psychiatry resident at the University of Illinois, agreed to accept a 24-year sentence.

File photo | The RepublicanThe federal courthouse in Springfield, where Mani Batchu of Chicago pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting an Amherst teenager he met on the Internet.

SPRINGFIELD – Mani M. Batchu’s odyssey from Chicago psychiatry resident to accused sexual predator took another turn Monday when he pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting an Amherst teenager he met online.

By pleading guilty to five counts in U.S. District Court, Batchu assured himself a minimum prison sentence of 24 years and perhaps a decade longer for long-distance trysts with a 15-year-old girl in motels in Connecticut and Florida and the Hampshire Mall in Hadley.

Batchu, 29, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor and four related charges in a plea deal with prosecutors. Wearing a khaki prison uniform and hightop sneakers, the defendant was briefed by Judge Michael A. Ponsor on the consequences of his guilty pleas before offering his guilty pleas in a confident, if subdued, voice.

Sentencing was set for Oct. 5.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow said the government will ask for a term of between 302 and 405 months; as part of the agreement, a sixth charge will be dropped and Batchu will not appeal any sentence shorter than 293 months.

Sexually explicit videos involving other minors were found at Batchu’s home during a raid in 2009, according to Breslow, who said the University of Illinois psychiatry resident was studying adolescent psychology at the time of his arrest in 2009.

Before accepting the guilty pleas, Ponsor reminded the defendant that the maximum penalties for the charges ranged from 30 years to life in prison.

Batchu has been held in federal custody since his arrest in August 2009 following a rendezvous with the 15-year-old girl at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley.

Using the name Mark Taylor and claiming to be 17 years old, Batchu first encountered the girl on an Internet dating site, and eventually took flights and drove cross-country from Chicago for further encounters; the girl, identified in court papers as Minor A., initially claimed to be older, but later confessed her real age, prosecutors said.

The defendant “groomed” the teenager for sexual relationship through hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and text messages, and mailed cards, songs and expensive gifts to her home.

After the relationship was discovered and two restraining orders issued, Batchu continued to see the girl, visiting her in Florida while her family was vacationing and meeting her at the Hampshire Mall on the day he was arrested.

Along with five family members, the victim watched the hearing and left without comment; Ponsor complimented the girl for “poise and bravery.”

The committee voted 4-3 to hire the Napa, Calif., elementary school principal over Westfield South Middle School principal Ronald Rix.

Manon Mirabelli photoSuzanne Scallion has been named superintendent of schools in Westfield.

WESTFIELD – Suzanne Scallion, an elementary school principal in Napa, Calif., with roots in Massachusetts, was voted by the School Committee to become Westfield's next superintendent of schools Monday night.

“I am very excited and I cannot wait to get started,” Scallion said from her California home just minutes after the School Committee voted 4-3 to hire her.

“It is an honor,” Scallion said of her appointment. “This is a chance for me to get back,” the former principal of Northampton’s Leeds Elementary School said.

Scallion, upon successful contract negotiations, is expected to begin her new duties on or about July 1. She succeeds Shirley Alvira, who will retire in July after serving the past four years as superintendent here.

School Committee members voting for Scallion were Mary Beth Ogulewicz Sacco, Mary Ann Cleland, Cynthia A. Sullivan and Laura K. Maloney.

Three members, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, Kevin J. Sullivan and William Duval cast their ballots for Westfield native and South Middle School principal Ronald R. Rix.

Rix was a finalist four years ago when the committee hired Alvira as superintendent.

Sacco said Scallion, who holds a doctorate degree in education, “represents resilience and creativity.”

Members who support Scallion each praised her ability to succeed in California where budget restrictions in recent years have been worse than Massachusetts.

Also, Maloney said Scallion “has done as much as anyone can do to prepare (professionally) for this job.”

Cynthia Sullivan said she support Scallion because of her support for alternative education and cited a $6.6 million grant she assisted in securing for her Napa, Calif., school district to launch magnet schools.

Cleland also cited Scallion’s support of alternative education.

Kevin Sullivan and Knapik said they supported the “home grown” candidate in Rix with Sullivan adding “I expect him to be here a long time.”

The mayor said he wanted “someone vested in the city who will not take a year to get up to speed.”

“ Mr. Rix is committed to students. He knows the district and we need someone who can hit the ground running,” Sullivan said.

Duval added that “under Ron Rix’s leadership, South Middle School is one of only six schools in the country to be recognized for its literacy success.”

Scallion called Westfield “a fit for me. I have been searching for a district like Westfield. I like the size.”

Scallion will reside in Easthampton in a home she has owned since she was principal of Leeds Elementary School and before becoming principal at Alta Heights Elementary School in Napa in July 2008.

Scallion and Rix were two of four finalists for the superintendent position. Also interviewed for the job were Maureen F. Bingham, assistant superintendent in Swampscott, Melodie L. Goodwin, curriculum director for North Adams School District.

The School Committee posted a salary range of $130,000 to $165,000 for its new superintendent.

Belchertown Town Meeting approves $44.1 million budget and conservation purchase.

BELCHERTOWN – Residents at Monday's Town Meeting approved a $44.1 million town budget and authorized a $175,000 Community Preservation grant as the town's share of the $750,000 purchase of the Holland Glen conservation area.

The town budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 is 2.2 percent higher than the budget for the current fiscal year.

It includes $24.9 million for the town school system, an amount that School Committee Chairman Eric Weiss said would mean the loss of some staff positions but no reduction in the number of teachers.

As part of the budget, a $30,000 appropriation for maintenance and weed control at Lake Arcadia and Lake Metacomet was approved by a nearly unanimous vote in a new section of the budget.

Before the vote on this section, Selectman Kenneth E. Elstein said, "There is a critical need now to do something to preserve these lakes.''

Elstein said the people who live at the lakes are contributing $10,000 to the weed control project through their organization, the Tri-Lakes Association, but there is also a need for public funds for the lakes, which have a town beach and other public access.

Finance Committee Chairman Paul Silva said that in order to fund this budget and retain the current level of town services, $252,000 from the town's Stabilization Fund, known as the rainy day fund, is being used.

The Community Preservation grant for the Holland Glen purchase will be combined with a $500,000 state grant and ongoing fund-raising efforts.

Conservation Administrator LeeAnne Connolly said that donations and pledges received to date will bring the town within $6,000 of covering the cost of the property and related expenses and she has confidence that additional donations will bring in the balance of what is needed.

Residents at the Town Meeting also voted unanimously to authorize the town to enter a contract with Siemens Corp. for $3.3 million worth of energy efficiency upgrades for town and school buildings.

The upgrades will be made to heating, insulation, air-conditioning and other energy related systems in the buildings under provisions allowed by state law through which Siemens will guarantee that the town's expenses for these improvements will be matched by energy savings.

Public Works Director Steven J. Williams and Town Administrator Gary L. Brougham said this project will result in cost savings for the town and also will reduce energy consumption and be good for the environment.

Brougham called this a giant step toward energy efficiency and said the energy savings estimated for this project are conservative.

This project has been developed for more than a year with input from the town Energy Committee and was recommended by the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee.

The vote was delayed until a June 13 session; voters appropriated $5,000 for Celebrate Ludlow.

LUDLOW – The annual Town Meeting convened Monday night, but voters agreed to postpone action on the proposed fiscal 2012 town budget and other financial articles until a June 13 session.

Selectman Aaron Saunders told town meeting members that the town is facing “a difficult budget year.”

The School Committee will be meeting Tuesday night at 7 at the School Department offices on Chestnut Street to consider an additional $350,000 in budget cuts due to an increase in health insurance costs for all town employees.

The annual Town Meeting will reconvene June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Exit 7 Theater on Chestnut Street.

At Monday’s session of the annual Town Meeting, voters agreed to appropriate $5,000 to the annual Celebrate Ludlow celebration held every July.

Selectman William E. Rooney said the financial gifts and donations which are used to fund the event have decreased over the past two years along with the troubled economy.

The town has been holding the event for the past 11 years. The first Celebrate Ludlow was organized in 1999 to celebrate the town’s 225th anniversary.

Celebrate Ludlow Committee member Kathleen Ouimette said proceeds from the annual celebration which includes fireworks go to fund non-profit civic groups in the community such as high school athletics clubs and other youth organizations.

Originally, the group asked for a $7,500 appropriation this year, but the amount was dropped to $5,000, Ouimette said.

Christine Banas, a member of the Hubbard Memorial Library Board of Trustees, said she was opposed to the appropriation to Celebrate Ludlow because there are some town departments such as the library which have had funding cut for part-time positions.

“The library could use this money,” she said.

The $5,000 appropriation to Celebrate Ludlow was approved by a majority show of hands.

Also at the Town Meeting voters approved a $10,800 request from the Fire Department to replace thermal imaging cameras and a transfer of funds for an automatic chest compression device which Fire Chief Mark Babineau said makes a dramatic improvement in the survival rate of heart attack victims.

Town Administrator Gretchen Neggers used a movie quote to illustrate the town's budget woes: "Well, it's Groundhog Day ...again."

MONSON – Voters at Monday night's annual Town Meeting approved the .75 percent meals tax as a way to generate an estimated $29,000 in yearly revenue for the cash-strapped town.

The meals tax previously was defeated at a special Town Meeting in 2009. This time around, voters approved the tax 111 to 49.

Lakeshore Drive resident Andrew Jaffee voted against it. He wanted to know if restaurant owners had been polled beforehand, and said this would be another increase on top of the recent change in the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.

Finance Director Deborah A. Mahar said she did not know if the restaurant owners had been approached. Jaffee said the town has a "responsibility to reach out to them" and said he had an issue with the process.

"We need all the businesses in this town to thrive," Jaffee said. "This does not necessarily engender their growth or stability."

"What's next, a toll at Route 32?" he said to laughter.

Jeffrey D. Lord, of Green Street, said if he spent $20 at Mug & Muffin, that would amount to 15 cents.

"Wow," said Lord, who voted for the meals tax.

Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said when the meals tax was first presented to the voters 18 months ago, she said it had no track record.

Since its implementation in other communities, Neggers said there has been no visible impact on restaurants.

"Palmer has it, and it hasn't put the Palmer Dunkin' Donuts out of business," Neggers said.

Another article on the 30-article warrant that generated discussion was the stretch energy building code, which was ultimately approved. Opponents expressed concern about additional costs, and said it also should be an individual's choice to pursue more energy efficient measures.

Selectmen Vice-Chairman John F. Goodrich II said adopting the stretch code will allow the town to move forward with 'green community' status, opening it up to needed grant opportunities.

The code requires stricter energy efficiency requirements in new residential and many new commercial buildings, as well as residential additions.

Though it may add an additional $3,000 in building expenses for the average single-family home, and 1 to 3 percent in additional costs for commercial structures, homeowners and building owners should save on energy costs over time as energy efficiency is expected to improve by 20 percent.

Neggers used a movie quote to illustrate the town's budget woes: "Well, it's Groundhog Day ... again."

"Things haven't really changed," Neggers told the voters.

She estimated the town is in the fourth year of budget cutbacks, and that Monson is continuing to operate with declining revenues and less state aid, while costs for fuel and health insurance are skyrocketing. For example, she said in 2001 the town's healthcare costs were $500,000. Now, they are $2.3 million. Healthcare climbed 16.5 percent, or $343,000, since last fiscal year, she said.

Initiatives such as the meals tax, and stretch code, should help the town, she said later.

School Department cuts, which include 4.5 teaching positions, were not questioned by the voters. The positions are a districtwide music teacher, special education teacher at the middle school, and two teachers at Quarry Hill Community School, likely in the third and fourth grades. A full-time gifted and talented teacher at Quarry Hill will be reduced to part-time.

The total budget approved for fiscal 2012 is $22 million, compared to fiscal 2011's $23 million. Of the town's 5,560 registered voters, 186 turned out for the Town Meeting.