The Geriatric Authority would study whether an arrangement with the Soldiers' Home would work, under the council plan.

James Leahy

HOLYOKE – Space at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority would be used to provide beds for veterans the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is unable to accommodate, under a City Council plan.

The council approved an order Tuesday asking the authority to do a study on whether such an arrangement can be made to help veterans unable to get a bed or temporary apartment at the Soldiers’ Home.

“The Geriatric Authority has some space and we have so many veterans now,” said Councilor at Large James M. Leahy, who wrote the order.

To seek further help, councilors also sent the order to U.S. Sens. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., and Scott Brown, R-Mass., U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, Mayor Alex B. Morse and other officials.

The Soldiers’ Home is a state facility that opened in 1952 on a hill overlooking Interstate 91. It provides residential beds and outpatient clinic services including optometry, ear, nose and throat and social services.

The clinic treats 2,200 veterans a year and has nearly 300 beds for veterans and some temporary living apartments.

The authority is a nursing home that has 80 beds and 80 other slots for the daycare of senior citizens at 45 Lower Westfield Road. It is overseen by a board consisting of three appointed by the City Council and three appointed by the mayor, with those six choosing a seventh.

Leahy said he and other officials often get calls from relatives of veterans seeking help in getting a bed at the facility.

Placing veterans at the authority would boost that facility’s census numbers and make it eligible for additional federal funds, he said.

Steven E. Como, chairman of the Soldiers’ Home board of trustees, said he was unable to elaborate on Leahy’s plan on working with the authority because he was unfamiliar with the details.

“I can tell you that, I think anytime that you can offer anyone, not only a veteran, a chance at assisted-living care, it needs to be looked at,” Como said.

Como said it was a myth that has circulated in the community that the Soldiers’ Home is hard to get into and has a long waiting list. Any veteran is eligible to apply for a bed or temporary living quarter, he said.

Soldiers’ Home staff evaluate the veteran to see what kind of care is needed. Getting a bed depends on space available in the different kinds of care areas at the facility, such as long-term care and dementia, he said.

The Republican governor rose to national prominence last year after taking on public-sector unions shortly after being sworn in.

Photo by Morry Gash / Associated PressWisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker talks to reporters after voting Tuesday in Wauwatosa, Wis. Walker beat Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a special recall election.

By SCOTT BAUER

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker beat back a recall challenge Tuesday, winning both the right to finish his term and a voter endorsement of his strategy to curb state spending, which included the explosive measure that eliminated union rights for most public workers.

The rising Republican star becomes the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt with his defeat of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the union leaders who rallied for months against his agenda.

With 37 percent of precincts reporting, Walker was ahead 59 percent to Barrett’s 40 percent, according to early returns tabulated by The Associated Press.

A Barrett spokesman said the campaign was not conceding, citing ongoing voting in Milwaukee, Madison and Racine.

“We feel very confident when those come in, Tom Barrett is going to win,” Phil Walzak said.

Democrats and organized labor spent millions to oust Walker, but found themselves hopelessly outspent by Republicans from across the country who donated record-setting sums to Walker. Republicans hope the victory carries over into November and that their get-out-the-vote effort can help Mitt Romney become the first GOP nominee to carry the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

The recall was a rematch of the 2010 governor’s race. Throughout the campaign, Walker maintained his policies set the state on the right economic track. Defeat, he said, would keep other politicians from undertaking such bold moves in the future.

“We’re headed in the right direction,” Walker said many times. “We’re turning things around. We’re moving Wisconsin forward.”

Barrett repeatedly accused Walker of neglecting the needs of the state in the interests of furthering his own political career by making Wisconsin “the tea party capital of the country.” He said Walker had instigated a political civil war in Wisconsin that could be quelled only by a change in leadership.

“I will end this civil war,” Barrett promised in a debate. “That is something the people of this state want.”

Walker ascended into the national spotlight last year when he surprised the state and unveiled plans to plug a $3.6 billion budget shortfall in part by taking away the union rights of most public workers and requiring them to pay more for their health insurance and pension benefits. It was one of his first moves in office.

Democrats and labor leaders saw it as a political tactic designed to gut the power of his political opposition. State Senate Democrats left Wisconsin for three weeks in a sort of filibuster, as tens of thousands of teachers, state workers and others rallied at the Capitol in protest.

But the tea-party supported fiscal conservative remained steadfast: Walker believed his plan would help him control the state budget, and his opponents could not stop Republicans who control the state Legislature from approving his plans.

Walker went on to sign into law several other measures that fueled calls for a recall, including repealing a law giving discrimination victims more ways to sue for damages, making deep cuts to public schools and higher education, and requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Both sides mobilized thousands of people and millions of dollars to influence voters, whom polls showed were more divided than ever. Signs calling for Walker’s removal and those supporting the 44-year-old son of a minister dotted the state’s landscape all spring at a time normally devoid of political contests.

Turnout was strong across the state with few problems reported as some voters waited in line to cast their ballots.

“Typically we wait until 5 in the afternoon, but we were chomping at the bit to just get it over and done with because I think it has been an unjust campaign waged against the governor,” said Jeff Naunheim, a warranty analyst from St. Francis who voted for Walker first thing Tuesday.

Naunheim said the recall was a waste of money.

“I think the Wisconsin voters voted in 2010 to vote Walker in,” he said. “I don’t think he did anything illegal.”

Barrett supporter Lisa Switzer of Sun Prairie said Walker went too far.

“Even if it doesn’t turn out the way we want it to, it proves a point,” said Switzer, an occupational therapist and single mother on BadgerCare, the state’s health insurance program for the working poor. “People in Wisconsin aren’t just going to stand by and let a governor take over the state and cut social services.”

More than $66 million was spent on the race as of May 21, making it easily the most expensive in Wisconsin history. That money was spent on an all-out barrage of television ads, direct mail, automated calls and other advertising that permeated the state for months.

Walker used the recall to raise millions from conservative donors and bolster his own political fame in the face of the fight. National GOP groups, including Americans for Prosperity and the Republican Governors Association, poured money into the contest.

Unions got behind the recall drive, which started with the collection of more than 900,000 signatures over two months to force the vote. Barrett defeated the union-favored candidate in the Democratic primary in May and then tried to use that to his advantage, while also courting union support. He pledged to call a special legislative session to restore the collective bargaining rights Walker took away.

Also Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and three Republican state senators also faced recall elections, and a fourth open Senate seat was also to be filled. Democrats hoped to win at least one of the Senate seats, which would give them a majority at least through the end of the year.

The recall also focused as much on his record creating jobs as on the divisive union proposal. Walker promised in 2010 to create 250,000 jobs over four years as governor, and just how many jobs were created under Walker was a major point of contention. Walker relied on new data showing the state added about 23,000 jobs in 2011, while a different survey that Barrett favored found the state had lost about 34,000.

Walker expressed no remorse during the campaign, saying he was sticking with his convictions. “I’m not afraid to lose,” he said during a May interview with The Associated Press. “I plan to win, I’m running to win, but I’m not afraid to lose to do the right thing.”

But that doesn’t mean the public will see a changed Walker after the recall.

“I still think people elected me before in November 2010 and they’ll elect me again because they want me to fix things,” Walker said in the interview. “They want me to keep the focus and attention on fixing things. We’re just going to make sure we’ve got a more comprehensive and inclusive process to get there.”

For the third straight year every graduating student from The Renaissance School in Springfield gained acceptance to a four-year college. They walked at the school's graduation ceremony at Symphony Hall Tuesday night.

SPRINGFIELD – When the principal spoke at graduation Tuesday night, he didn’t refer to The Renaissance School’s 2012 graduating class as seniors. He called all of them freshmen. College ones.

For the third straight year every graduating student from The Renaissance School in Springfield gained acceptance to a four-year college, according to their principal, Stephen Mahoney.

Mahoney explained that although 100 percent of the graduating seniors gained college acceptance, not every student plans to head to college in the fall. Some students plan to enter the military, and others hope to pursue other plans after graduation. What is important at the Renaissance School, Mahoney explained, is that every student there is given the chance to choose their future path.

“The whole piece about being 100 percent college accepted, it’s not necessarily that every kid is ready for college right now, some kids aren’t ready for it yet. What it is is that every kid has a choice. That’s what it’s all about,” Mahoney said.

“School and a good education is about having choices in your life. You may choose to be a carpenter or you may choose to be a neurosurgeon, you may choose to be a schoolteacher, but those are choices that you make, they’re not things that get forced on you. No kid at Renaissance wakes up after graduation and says ‘Now what?’”

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno called on the graduating students to thank those who helped them arrive at graduation, and encouraged the students to continue serving as leaders in their communities, especially to those who may benefit the most from their guidance.

06.05.2012 | Photo by Brian Canova | SPRINGFIELD -- The Renaissance School principal Stephen Mahoney, right, gives a congratulatory hug to a member of the Class of 2012 during graduation ceremonies at Symphony Hall on Tuesday night.

“Many times the media is going to highlight the small percentage of negativity the youth may put forth in this country, but you are shining examples of the good of the city of Springfield. I need you to continue to be ambassadors and leaders because some of you will move on to lead in Springfield, some of you will go on to lead in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, some of you will go to lead in the United States of America, and yes, some of you will go on to lead the world,” Sarno said.

Renaissance graduate and future Wentworth Institute of Technology freshman Ashley Greaves, who was chosen by her peers to speak at graduation, explained to the crowd of approximately 500 that in crafting her speech she was confronted with a frustrating conclusion.

“I’m most likely going to forget 99.9 percent of everything I learned in high school, and no one here can tell me any different because I have yet to meet a single CEO who can make a paragraph using a hamburger,” Greaves said.

“The point is, it’s not necessarily all the things you’ve learned, but the lessons you’ve learned,” Greaves said.

Once the mayor and Springfield superintendent certified the graduating class' completion of their academic requirements, the gown-clad graduates paraded down the aisle and onto the steps outside Symphony Hall, where, with the sun finally broken through, they tossed their caps to the sky.

“They are the class of 2012, and they have every right to be proud of their accomplishments today,” Mahoney said.

The annual country fair, which celebrates the incorporation of Granby as a town in 1768, includes everything from a pie-baking contest to helicopter rides.

Old Country Road will perform bluegrass music on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Granby Charter Days Fair.

GRANBY – Cow Patty Bingo. Don’t expect to find it in any parish hall, but look for it on June 10 at Granby’s three-day mega-fair called “Charter Days,” Friday through Sunday at Dufresne Park in Granby.

The annual country fair, which celebrates the incorporation of Granby as a town in 1768, includes everything from a pie-baking contest to helicopter rides, a petting zoo, food vendors and fireworks.

Admission is $5 for parking.

The fair draws visitors from miles around, said Micheline Turgeon, co-chair of the fair with Richard Gaj. “We’ve had people come from as far away as the New Hampshire border,” she said.

This year’s fair will bring back a Saturday road race that has been absent recently and a Sunday tractor pull that was introduced last year.

Turgeon said her favorite attractions are the ones with the flavor of an old country fair, like the knitting contest.

For live music, she looked for bands with an ethnic flavor. Although she hasn’t found a band to represent Granby’s many residents with French roots like hers, fair-goers will be treated to Irish and Polish tunes by the Celtic band The Cabeys and the polka band Mark VI.

Also performing during the three-day run will be The Regulators, Freedom Street, Midlife Crisis, the Dave Collucci Show, the Bluegrass band Old Country Road and the Heart tribute band Crazy on You.

The Cow Patty Bingo is a new feature. Dorothy Tatro explained how it works as she sold tickets at a table she had set up at the town election recently

Tatro and her team will draw a grid of up to 500 squares on the ground on Sunday morning and assign a ticket number to each square. William Clark, who owns a farm in Granby and shows his cattle at the Big E, will provide the cow.

Tickets are $20, and all proceeds from the unusual bingo game will go to an organization called Homes for Our Troops, which arranged for a custom home to be built for wounded Afghanistan veteran Joshua Bouchard of Granby.

The Tatro family has become a major supporter of the cause, with dad Paul donating the heating and air conditioning for Bouchard’s new house, mom lining up youngsters to cheer Bouchard as he arrived for the house-raising, and daughter Heather holding “penny wars” at school to pay for a Marine flag and holder on the property.

More evidence that Granby has a big heart: Fairgoers are asked to bring an item of nonperishable food for donation to the Granby Food Pantry.

Letter writer: We need more Republicans like Scott Brown.

Inadequate staffing puts cops in danger

I am addressing all elected Springfield employees who are involved in forming the budget for the city of Springfield.

You spent money, time and energy to secure the complex jobs that you wanted. You worked to impress the residents (voters) of Springfield. Now, you should all commit to keeping us safe.

The murder of Officer Kevin Ambrose on Monday at 1:15 p.m. was a direct result of attempting to run a police force with an inadequate number of officers.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said it best: “Domestic violence, as you can see, is unfortunately a very dangerous call.”

No officer should ever be dispatched to a domestic dispute call without a partner. I am well aware that there is little money in the city budget. However, you asked the voters to hire you for impossible jobs. It is now time to do the impossible. Hire more officers. Find a way, if not for the safety of residents, then for the sake of the men and women who risk their lives every day for us.

– DEBORAH LODI, Springfield

Domestic violence much too prevalent

As we honor Officer Kevin Ambrose, let’s not forget that Officer Ambrose was shot because of yet another situation in which a man stalked and tried to kill his female domestic partner.

The attempted murder of Charlene Mitchell was all but invisible in Monday night’s regional press coverage about the police killing.

It is important that our region’s domestic violence problem, which disproportionately affects women, remains visible in the media as these incidents occur.

It reminds us that the victims and perpetrators in these situations are our neighbors and friends, and that this is not a problem that only happens elsewhere.

While honoring the fallen police officer, please also honor workers at our region’s domestic violence agencies and shelters, who similarly put themselves at risk through proximity to victims and perpetrators. Support their efforts to help community members in need through making tax-deductible financial donations, and by donating items on their agency “wish lists.”

– JULIE MELROSE, South Deerfield

Brown is likable, but his votes hurt us

I like Scott Brown. He seems to be a decent person, and he is certainly more level-headed than many of his colleagues. I wish there were more Republicans like him.

However, no matter how much he touts his ‘“independent, bipartisan” status he is still a Republican.

Think about what that party has clearly espoused through statements and policies:

• No increases in taxes despite the obvious need for money for many critical programs.

• Reduce aid to the poor, the needy and the elderly through drastic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, etc..

• Reduce taxes for the wealthy even though they already pay a lower percentage than they did when things were booming for them.

• Eliminate many federal agencies with the result that tens of thousands of people join the unemployed.

• Soften regulations of banks and other financial groups even though the absence of such regulations helped bring the crash of 2008.

• Continue the “borrow and spend” approach that greatly increased the national debt under Reagan and both Bush presidents.

• Continue the failed philosophy of “trickle down,” the misguided idea that by helping wealthy people amass more money will eventually benefit us all.

• Increase “defense” spending even though our nation spends much, much more on war equipment than other countries.

We need people like Elizabeth Warren in the Senate.

– DONALD COSTELLO, South Hadley

Campaign spending is anti-democratic

The amount of money being raised and spent today on our political campaigns is appalling. When will we wake up and change our ways? Instead of who can raise the most money, the question should be: who can do the job?

Why can’t we have a two-week campaign, with our TV stations providing each candidate an opportunity to make his or her case? If they can’t do it in that time, they need lessons in communication!

With funds needed in so many places, throwing tons of money into our political campaigns is totally inexcusable.

– MARY ROSENTHAL, Springfield

The cause of the fire at 289 Main St. was not immediately known. Property records list Norcross Appliance & TV as the business occupying that Main Street address.

The Republican | Lori StabileThe aftermath of the fire Wednesday morning at 289 Main St. in Monson. The building housed Norcross Appliance and two apartments.

MONSON — A commercial and residential building at 289 Main St. was damaged by a fast-moving fire early Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported at about 1:30 a.m., triggering a full-scale response from Monson firefighters with assistance by departments from other municipalities.

A Monson emergency dispatch official said the wood-frame structure appears to have served both commercial and residential purposes, with a business in the front and apartments in the rear. The building was severely damaged, he said.

Online records list Norcross Appliance & TV as the business at that address. Representatives of the business could not immediately be reached for comment.

There were no reported injuries in the fire, which remains under investigation. Monson Fire Department officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but reports indicate the building was fully engulfed with flames when firefighters arrived at the scene.

Multiple tenants lived at the building, which partially collapsed and sustained extensive damage, according to abc40.

MAP of fire scene at 289 Main St., Monson:

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After experiencing mechanical issues, the chopper landed in a field off Mill Valley Road, according to a Hadley police official. There were no reported injuries.

HADLEY — Engine problems forced a helicopter to make an emergency landing in field off Mill Valley Road shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday.

There were no reported injuries in the 8:52 p.m. incident, which was triggered by an apparent mechanical failure, according to a Hadley Police Department official.

Details about the helicopter, including where it was coming from and who was flying it, were not immediately available. A published report indicated the chopper was a military aircraft, but that information could not immediately be verified.

Officials at both Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield said the helicopter did not belong to them. Major Lisa Ahaesy, a spokesman for the Westfield base, said the chopper may be attached to the 103rd Fighter Wing at Bradley Air National Guard Base in Connecticut. A spokeswoman for that facility did not immediately return a phone message.

A Westover spokesman said the helicopter appeared to be a Chinook, based on the photo he viewed of the aircraft. Chinooks are large, twin-prop military helicopters.

It was unclear if the mechanical problems would be addressed at the impromptu landing site, or if the helicopter would be transported elsewhere for repairs. A public safety official told The Republican that the field where the chopper landed is roughly bounded by the Walmart store on Route 9, Mill Valley Road and South Maple Street.

More details will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

MAP of Mill Valley Road area where chopper was forced to make emergency landing Tuesday night:

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A labor dispute at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth has boiled over with management locking out unionized workers and both sides accusing the other of compromising public safety.

The Associated PressThis July 12, 1979 file photo shows the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Mass. (AP Photo/Tannen Maury)

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — A labor dispute at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth has boiled over with management locking out unionized workers and both sides accusing the other of compromising public safety.

The president of the Utility Workers Union of America Local 369 said Wednesday that plant owner Entergy locked out unionized employees after contract negotiations ended Tuesday. The union represents about 90 percent of the plant's work force.

President Dan Hurley called the move "deeply alarming." He called it "despicable" that management continues "shortchanging" employees a week after getting a 20-year license renewal. He says Louisiana-based Entergy is demanding "major concessions on health care, salary and staffing."

Entergy said the plant has implemented an emergency staffing plan because the union reserved the right to walk off the job at any time.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall victory in Wisconsin sets the stage for what's now expected to be a hard-fought presidential battle for this Midwestern state.

The Associated PressWisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker reacts at his victory party Tuesday, June 5, 2012, in Waukesha, Wis. Walker defeated Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a special recall election. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

By THOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall victory in Wisconsin sets the stage for what's now expected to be a hard-fought presidential battle for this Midwestern state.

The Republican's solid victory served as a warning for President Barack Obama about the potential hurdles he faces as he fights to hang onto a traditionally Democratic battleground he won comfortably in 2008. And, at least for now, it gave presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney a reason to feel optimistic about his chances of winning a state that has voted for the Democratic nominee in the past six elections.

The Wisconsin election tested voter attitudes toward Walker's aggressive governing style as well as a law that ended collective bargaining for most public employees and teachers.

"Gov. Romney has an opportunity ... to come in between now and Nov. 6 and make the case that he's willing to make those same sort of tough decisions," Walker told Fox News Channel on the eve of his victory.

In the coming days, national Republicans and Democrats alike will re-evaluate the Wisconsin political landscape. In setting their presidential campaign strategies, they will take into consideration the state's 6.7 percent unemployment rate — lower than the national average — the heavy chunk of independent-minded voters and the partisan atmosphere that led to the effort to recall Walker.

Both Obama and Romney had been waiting until after the recall election to determine how hard to compete here. Even so, their teams had been hinting in the days leading up to the recall about how Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes fit into their state-by-state game plans for reaching the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

Obama's team, which has been on the ground organizing but hasn't spent money on advertising for months, signaled this week that it believed the state had grown more competitive. In May, campaign manager Jim Messina had said Wisconsin was trending toward the president. By Monday, he was listing Wisconsin as "undecided."

There's no doubt now that Obama will defend his turf. Not that he has much of a choice.

Romney now plans to compete in the state aggressively, looking to capitalize on the Republican momentum that carried Walker to victory. His team considers Wisconsin a top target, along with Florida, Ohio and Virginia, and more attractive than even Romney's native Michigan, where the campaign had hoped to establish an Upper Midwest beachhead.

"The close vote on Tuesday confirms that Wisconsin will be a swing state," said Republican strategist Terry Nelson, an adviser to George W. Bush.

An exit poll of voters Tuesday that was conducted for The Associated Press sketched the state of the race in Wisconsin five months before the election, though November's electorate might be substantially different.

Walker supporter Susan Piekenbrock said his victory would likely mean she'd support Romney but not guarantee it.

"Do I like everything Romney says? No," said Piekenbrock, a longtime Democrat-turned-independent from West Allis, a western suburb of Milwaukee. "I'll support Romney if the reform theme is the same as Walker's."

Danielle Scriver's support for Walker is synonymous with Romney. "When you consider Obama is the alternative, it's automatic," the Republican from Racine said.

Obama had a 51-44 percent edge over Romney in exit polling, and more Wisconsin voters said that the president would do a better job improving the economy and helping middle-class voters than his GOP rival would. A sizable 1 in 5, however, said they trust neither party's candidate on the economy, the main issue in the presidential campaign.

"These data points clearly demonstrate a very steep pathway for Mitt Romney to recover in the state," Obama's Wisconsin campaign director, Tripp Wellde, said in a statement.

But there are warning signs for Obama, too.

Independent voters, who made up a third of the recall electorate and typically decide close elections, broke for Walker 53-45. And the power was on display of both the GOP's robust national get-out-the-vote effort and of deep-pocketed Republican super political action committees, which poured $18 million into the state to help Walker. Unions, a key Democratic constituency, failed to get their rank-and-file members to rally behind Barrett, an ominous sign for a Democratic presidential candidate counting on those ground troops.

Four years ago, Obama won the state by 14 percentage points. Democrats John Kerry in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000 carried the state by less than a single percentage point. Observers say Tuesday's results may foreshadow a similar scenario in November.

Neither Obama nor Romney had run TV ads in the state though that likely will change, with campaigns and super PACs alike gearing up to pour money into Wisconsin.

Expect both candidates to visit more frequently, too. Obama and Romney had steered clear of the state in the heat of the recall campaign.

Obama, careful not to weigh too deeply into what ended up being a losing race, didn't campaign for Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Instead, the president posted an endorsement of Barrett on Twitter and emailed a Web video to Wisconsin supporters encouraging them to back Barrett. Obama also dispatched top surrogates including former President Bill Clinton and Democratic National Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the state.

Romney, for his part, has not visited Wisconsin, advertised here or had staff on the ground since winning the Republican presidential primary in April. Campaign officials said the former Massachusetts governor plans to convert the 26 offices that helped Walker into get-out-the-vote centers for his candidacy.

Romney issued a statement late Tuesday saying Walker's victory "will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."

While Obama has included Wisconsin in most of his scenarios for winning the White House, he conceivably could win a second term without it. But having to compete aggressively for Wisconsin means Obama will have fewer resources to spend in high-priority targets like Ohio and Florida.

"As both campaigns look at the data in the coming days and weeks, I think it's going to show that Wisconsin is a state that's a toss-up in the presidential campaign," said Romney's political director, Rich Beeson.

Democratic pollster Paul Maslin is betting that Walker's win will motivate Obama supporters from 2008.

"People aren't going to abandon their judgment," said Maslin, who is based in Madison and polled for Barrett's primary opponent Kathleen Falk. "That's why I think, at the end of the day, if it's really close, Obama wins."
___

Associated Press writers Steve Peoples in New Hampshire and Scott Bauer in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Several people were living inside the former HBA Cast Products Co. building near the corner of Liberty and Franklin streets, said Springfield Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis Leger, executive aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant.

Springfield Fire Department/Dennis G. LegerA routine check by Springfield Fire Department Inspector Thomas DelNegro led to the discovery of numerous violations at a large commercial building on Liberty Street, which allegedly had been serving as an "illegal rooming house," according to Dennis Leger, executive aide to fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

SPRINGFIELD — A city fire inspector discovered numerous violations at a former industrial building near the corner of Liberty and Franklin streets in the city's Metro Center neighborhood, prompting officials to close the building and begin condemnation proceedings.

"It was an illegal rooming house; several people were living there," Dennis G. Leger, executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant, said of the property at 234-262 Liberty St.

Leger said the building's owner, Steven McCormick of Somers, Conn., will likely face fines and other punitive measures for racking up numerous violations, including illegally storing chemicals and allowing people to live on the premises. McCormick could not immediately be reached for comment. A phone number listed for the property does not appear to be a working number.

The large building formerly housed HBA Cast Products Co., whose name still appears on signs posted on the property.

"There were unlabeled, unsecured and unprotected flammable liquid chemicals in the building," Leger said. "Large amounts of flammable and hazardous chemicals were being illegally stored on the premises."

Leger said the violations were discovered by Springfield Fire Inspector Thomas DelNegro during a routine inspection Tuesday. That triggered a larger response by city building officials and other agencies due to multiple problems at the property, including missing pieces from the building's roof structure. Leger said it appears roofing materials were being mined for scrap, which can fetch money for the seller.

Officials found that the front section of the building that formerly housed offices had been "chopped up" into individual living spaces, Leger said. "There appears to have been several people living in there," he said.

Officials said they found a full-sized gas cooking stove fueled by a 20-pound propane bottle in the living area and other items to suggest people had been staying on the premises. Leger described the makeshift living quarters as an "illegal rooming house."

The building had no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors and numerous fire and code violations, Leger said.

David H. Cotter, deputy director of code enforcement for the city's housing division, said the city is in the process of condemning the building and shutting of power to the structure. The illegal tenants have been barred from the building, officials said

Ray Bradbury, the science fiction-fantasy master who transformed his childhood dreams and Cold War fears into telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters, and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451," has died. He was 91.

AP Photo, fileThis Dec. 8, 1966 file photo shows science fiction writer Ray Bradbury looks at a picture that was part of a school project to illustrate characters in one of his dramas in Los Angeles. Bradbury, who wrote everything from science-fiction and mystery to humor, died Tuesday, June 5, 2012 in Southern California. He was 91.

By JOHN ROGERS
Associated Press

Ray Bradbury, the science fiction-fantasy master who transformed his childhood dreams and Cold War fears into telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters, and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451," has died. He was 91.

He died Tuesday night, his daughter said Wednesday. Alexandra Bradbury did not have additional details.

Although slowed in recent years by a stroke that meant he had to use a wheelchair, Bradbury remained active into his 90s, turning out new novels, plays, screenplays and a volume of poetry. He wrote every day in the basement office of his Cheviot Hills home and appeared from time to time at bookstores, public library fundraisers and other literary events around Los Angeles.

His writings ranged from horror and mystery to humor and sympathetic stories about the Irish, blacks and Mexican-Americans. Bradbury also scripted John Huston's 1956 film version of "Moby Dick" and wrote for "The Twilight Zone" and other television programs, including "The Ray Bradbury Theater," for which he adapted dozens of his works.

"What I have always been is a hybrid author," Bradbury said in 2009. "I am completely in love with movies, and I am completely in love with theater, and I am completely in love with libraries."

Bradbury broke through in 1950 with "The Martian Chronicles," a series of intertwined stories that satirized capitalism, racism and superpower tensions as it portrayed Earth colonizers destroying an idyllic Martian civilization.

Like Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" and the Robert Wise film "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Bradbury's book was a Cold War morality tale in which imagined lives on other planets serve as commentary on human behavior on Earth. "The Martian Chronicles" has been published in more than 30 languages, was made into a TV miniseries and inspired a computer game.

"The Martian Chronicles" prophesized the banning of books, especially works of fantasy, a theme Bradbury would take on fully in the 1953 release, "Fahrenheit 451." Inspired by the Cold War, the rise of television and the author's passion for libraries, it was an apocalyptic narrative of nuclear war abroad and empty pleasure at home, with firefighters assigned to burn books instead of putting blazes out (451 degrees Fahrenheit, Bradbury had been told, was the temperature at which texts went up in flames).

It was Bradbury's only true science-fiction work, according to the author, who said all his other works should have been classified as fantasy. "It was a book based on real facts and also on my hatred for people who burn books," he told The Associated Press in 2002.

A futuristic classic often taught alongside George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Bradbury's novel anticipated iPods, interactive television, electronic surveillance and live, sensational media events, including televised police pursuits. Francois Truffaut directed a 1966 movie version and the book's title was referenced — without Bradbury's permission, the author complained — for Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9-11."

Although involved in many futuristic projects, including the New York World's Fair of 1964 and the Spaceship Earth display at Walt Disney World in Florida, Bradbury was deeply attached to the past. He refused to drive a car or fly, telling the AP that witnessing a fatal traffic accident as a child left behind a permanent fear of automobiles. In his younger years, he got around by bicycle or roller-skates.

"I'm not afraid of machines," he told Writer's Digest in 1976. "I don't think the robots are taking over. I think the men who play with toys have taken over. And if we don't take the toys out of their hands, we're fools."

Bradbury's literary style was honed in pulp magazines and influenced by Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe, and he became the rare science fiction writer treated seriously by the literary world. In 2007, he received a special Pulitzer Prize citation "for his distinguished, prolific and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy." Seven years earlier, he received an honorary National Book Award medal for lifetime achievement, an honor given to Philip Roth and Arthur Miller among others.

"Everything I've done is a surprise, a wonderful surprise," Bradbury said during his acceptance speech in 2000. "I sometimes get up at night when I can't sleep and walk down into my library and open one of my books and read a paragraph and say, `My God, did I write that? Did I write that?', because it's still a surprise."

Other honors included an Academy Award nomination for an animated film, "Icarus Montgolfier Wright," and an Emmy for his teleplay of "The Halloween Tree." His fame even extended to the moon, where Apollo astronauts named a crater "Dandelion Crater," in honor of "Dandelion Wine," his beloved coming-of-age novel, and an asteroid was named 9766 Bradbury.

Born Ray Douglas Bradbury on Aug. 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Ill., the author once described himself as "that special freak, the man with the child inside who remembers all." He claimed to have total recall of his life, dating even to his final weeks in his mother's womb.

His father, Leonard, a power company lineman, was a descendant of Mary Bradbury, who was tried for witchcraft at Salem, Mass. The author's mother, Esther, read him the "Wizard of Oz." His Aunt Neva introduced him to Edgar Allan Poe and gave him a love of autumn, with its pumpkin picking and Halloween costumes.

"If I could have chosen my birthday, Halloween would be it," he said over the years.

Nightmares that plagued him as a boy also stocked his imagination, as did his youthful delight with the Buck Rogers and Tarzan comic strips, early horror films, Tom Swift adventure books and the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

"The great thing about my life is that everything I've done is a result of what I was when I was 12 or 13," he said in 1982.

Bradbury's family moved to Los Angeles in 1934. He became a movie buff and a voracious reader. "I never went to college, so I went to the library," he explained.

He tried to write at least 1,000 words a day, and sold his first story in 1941. He submitted work to pulp magazines until he was finally accepted by such upscale publications as The New Yorker. Bradbury's first book, a short story collection called "Dark Carnival," was published in 1947.

He was so poor during those years that he didn't have an office or even a telephone. "When the phone rang in the gas station right across the alley from our house, I'd run to answer it," he said.

He wrote "Fahrenheit 451" at the UCLA library, on typewriters that rented for 10 cents a half hour. He said he carried a sack full of dimes to the library and completed the book in nine days, at a cost of $9.80.

Few writers could match the inventiveness of his plots: A boy outwits a vampire by stuffing him with silver coins; a dinosaur mistakes a fog horn for a mating call (filmed as "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms"); Ernest Hemingway is flown back to life on a time machine. In "The Illustrated Man," one of his most famous stories, a man's tattoo foretells a horrifying deed — he will murder his wife.

A dynamic speaker with a booming, distinctive voice, he could be blunt and gruff. But Bradbury was also a gregarious and friendly man, approachable in public and often generous with his time to readers as well as fellow writers.

In 2009, at a lecture celebrating the first anniversary of a small library in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley, Bradbury exhorted his listeners to live their lives as he said he had lived his: "Do what you love and love what you do."

"If someone tells you to do something for money, tell them to go to hell," he shouted to raucous applause.

Until near the end of his life, Bradbury resisted one of the innovations he helped anticipate: electronic books, likening them to burnt metal and urging readers to stick to the old-fashioned pleasures of ink and paper. But in late 2011, as the rights to "Fahrenheit 451" were up for renewal, he gave in and allowed his most famous novel to come out in digital form. In return, he received a great deal of money and a special promise from Simon & Schuster: The publisher agreed to make the e-book available to libraries, the only Simon & Schuster e-book at the time that library patrons were allowed to download.

Bradbury is survived by his four daughters. Marguerite Bradbury, his wife of 56 years, died in 2003.

___

Associated Press writer Robert Jablon contributed to this report.

The extremely rare spectacle is not expected again for 105 years.

HONOLULU — Filtering the sun's light to a minuscule fraction of its true power allowed sky-gazers around the world to watch a silhouetted Venus travel across Earth's closest star, an extremely rare spectacle that served as a reminder of how tiny our planet really is.

After all, the next transit is 105 years away — likely beyond all of our lifetimes but just another dinky speck in the timeline of the universe.

"I'm sad to see Venus go," electrical engineer Andrew Cooper of the W.M. Keck Observatory told viewers watching a webcast of the transit's final moments as seen from the nearly 14,000-foot summit of Mauna Kea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island.

[Photo gallery: Transit of Venus]

From Maui to Mumbai, Mexico to Norway, much of the world watched the 6-hour, 40-minute celestial showcase through special telescopes, live streams on the Internet or with the naked eye through cheap cardboard glasses.

"If you can see the mole on Cindy Crawford's face, you can see Venus," Van Webster, a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, told those who stopped by his telescope for a peek on Mount Hollywood.

For astronomers, the transit wasn't just a rare planetary spectacle. It was also one of those events they hoped would spark curiosity about the universe and our place in it.

Sul Ah Chim, a researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in South Korea, said he hoped people see life from a larger perspective and "not get caught up in their small, everyday problems."

"When you think about it from the context of the universe, 105 years is a very short period of time and the Earth is only a small, pale blue spot," he said.

The transit began just after 6 p.m. EDT in the United States. What observers could see and for how long depended on their region's exposure to the sun during that exact window of time, and the weather.

Those in most areas of North and Central America saw the start of the transit until sunset, while those in western Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe could catch the transit's end once the sun came up.

Hawaii, Alaska, eastern Australia and eastern Asia, including Japan, North and South Korea and eastern China, get the whole show since the entire transit happens during daylight in those regions.

While astronomers used the latest technology to document the transit, American astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station was planning to take photos of the event and post them online.

Online streams with footage from telescopes around the world proved popular for NASA and other observatories. A NASA stream midway through the transit had nearly 2 million total views and was getting roughly 90,000 viewers at any given moment.

Meanwhile, terrestrial stargazers were warned to only look at the celestial event with a properly filtered telescope or cardboard eclipse glasses. If the sun is viewed directly, permanent eye damage could result.

Roy Gal, an assistant astronomer at the University of Hawaii, told those viewing the transit at Waikiki Beach on Oahu that the telescopes were filtered to block all but 1/100th of 1 percent of the sun's light, plus all its infrared rays to keep the instruments from overheating.

"What we need to do is block out most of the light from the sun so that we don't go blind and we don't melt things," Gal said in an interview.

In Los Angeles, throngs jammed Mount Hollywood where the Griffith Observatory rolled out the red carpet for Venus. The last time the city witnessed a Venus transit was 130 years ago, in 1882. A 2004 transit was not visible from the western U.S.

Telescopes with special filters were set up next to the lawn and people took turns peering at the sun before and during the transit. Astronomers and volunteers lectured about the rarity of a Venus pass to anyone who would listen.

Minutes before Venus first touched the outer edge of the sun, they blared Sousa's "Transit Of Venus March." The crowd turned their attention skyward.

Jamie Jetton took the day off from work to bring her two nephews, 6 and 11, visiting from Arizona, to the observatory. Sporting eclipse glasses, it took a little while before they spotted Venus.

"I'm still having fun. It's an experience. It's something we'll talk about for the rest of our lives," she said.

Bo Tan, a 32-year-old software engineer took a half day off from work and went with his co-workers to the observatory. He admitted he wasn't an astronomy buff but could not miss this opportunity.

He pointed his eclipse glasses at the sun and steadied his Nikon camera behind it to snap pictures.

"It makes you feel like a small speck in the universe," he said.

Clouds obscured the view in Tokyo, but students and other viewers under clearer skies in southern and western Japan were seen on TV using dark lenses to gaze at the sun. One child remarked that it looked as if the "sun had a mole on its face."

In India, where astrology is so popular it influences decisions from when to get married to who should run for office, hundreds of enthusiasts gathered at New Delhi's planetarium to see Venus cut a path across the Sun.

"Celestial events, especially rare ones like this, generate a lot of public interest," said Rathnasree Nandivada, director of the planetarium. During the last Venus transit in 2004, more than 10,000 people visited the planetarium.

There was no disappointment for those who watched the planetarium's webcast of the celestial event from India's Astronomical Observatory in the Himalayan region of Ladakh — the world's highest observatory, at 14,800 feet (4,511 meters).

The low oxygen and air pressure along with minimal cloud cover over the station provide optimal conditions for sky viewing, according to Raghu Kalra, one of several volunteers for the Amateur Astronomers Association who provided the webcast feed from Ladakh.

In Mexico, at least 100 people lined up two hours early to view the event through telescopes or one of the 150 special viewing glasses on hand, officials said. Observation points were also set up at a dozen locations.

Venus, which is extremely hot, is one of Earth's two neighbors and is so close in size to our planet that scientists at times call them near-twins. During the transit, it will appear as a small dot.

It was the seventh transit visible since German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted the phenomenon in the 17th century. Because of the shape and speed of Venus' orbit around the sun and its relationship to Earth's annual trip, transits occur in pairs separated by more than a century.

It's nowhere near as dramatic and awe-inspiring as a total solar eclipse, which sweeps a shadow across the Earth, but there will be six more of those this decade.

In Hawaii, hundreds of tourists and locals passed through an area of Waikiki Beach where the University of Hawaii set up eight telescopes and two large screens showing webcasts of the transit as seen from telescopes at volcanoes on other Hawaiian islands.

But minutes after Venus crossed into the sun's path, clouds rolled overhead and blocked the direct view.

"It's always the challenge of being in Hawaii — are you going to be able to see through the clouds," said Greg Mansker, 49, of Pearl City, as he stood in line at a telescope.

The intermittent clouds didn't stop people from looking up through filters, but it did drive some to crowd the screens instead.

Jenny Kim, 39, of Honolulu, said she told her 11-year-old son the planet's crossing would be the only time he'd get to see the transit in person.

"I don't know what the future will be, so I think this will be good for him," Kim said as she snapped photos of the webcast with her smartphone.

Astronomers also hosted viewings at Pearl Harbor and Ko Olina. In Maui, 20 couples renewed their vows during a ceremony tied to the transit at the Hyatt Regency Maui, a spokeswoman said.

Some observers at the University of Alaska, Anchorage gathered on a campus rooftop, peering at Venus through special filtered glasses and telescopes.

"It's not really spectacular when you're looking at it," Kellen Tyrrell, 13, said. "It's just the fact that I'm here seeing it. It's just so cool that I get to experience it."

Most people don't tend to gaze at the sun for long periods of time because it's painful and people instinctively look away. But there's the temptation to stare at it during sky shows like solar eclipses or transits of Venus.

The eye has a lens and if you stare at the sun, it concentrates sunlight on the retina and can burn a hole through it. It's similar to when you hold a magnifying glass under the blazing sun and light a piece of paper on fire.

It can take several hours for people to notice problems with their eyes but, by that time, the damage is done and, in some cases, irreversible.

During the 1970 solar eclipse visible from the eastern U.S., 145 burns of the retina were reported, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

On the East Coast of the United States, amateur astronomer Vince Sempronio was at a viewing hosted by Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Md., but clouds there — as in many other places — limited visibility of the spectacle. Many at the college viewing crowded around a laptop to watch the NASA webcast instead of the Venus move across the sun.

"I was here at the same spot eight years ago when we had the last transit and I was able to show people, using my telescope then. So I'm not too disappointed," Sempronio said. "If modern science and medicine helps, maybe I'll be around in 105 years to see the next one. But I'm not crossing my fingers."

___

Oskar Garcia can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

___

Contributing to this report are AP Science Writer Alicia Chang in Los Angeles; and Associated Press writers Rachel D'Oro in Anchorage, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong and Hye Soo Nah in Seoul, Nasr ul Hadi in New Delhi and Noel Waghorn in Takoma Park, Md.

A jury convicted Aaron Deveau of Haverhill for causing a fatal car crash while texting on his cellphone.

Associated PressAaron Deveau, 18, listens to prosecutor Ashlee Logan during his trial in Haverhill District Court. Deveau, the first person to be tried in Massachusetts on a charge of motor vehicle homicide while texting, was found guilty of the charge on Wednesday. Authorities said then-17-year-old Deveau was texting behind the wheel during a February 2011 crash that killed Donald Bowley of Danville, N.H. (AP Photo/The Eagle-Tribune, Tim Jean)

HAVERHILL — A Massachusetts teenager has been found guilty of motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation for causing a fatal car crash while texting on his cellphone.

It was the first time someone had been tried in Massachusetts for the crimes while sending or receiving a text message.

Jurors reached a guilty verdict against 18-year-old Aaron Deveau of Haverhill on Wednesday on their second day of deliberations.

Deveau testified in his own defense Tuesday and said he was not sending or receiving text messages in the moments before the head-on collision in February 2011.

Police say the then 17-year-old Deveau crossed the center line and collided with a vehicle driven by 55-year-old Donald Bowley Jr. of Danville, N.H. Bowley died 18 days later. Prosecutors say he died from injuries suffered in the crash.

The average homeowner's annual water-sewer bill would rise by $49.20.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission has scheduled a public hearing Thursday to present a proposed $56.2 million budget for the coming fiscal year, and proposed increases in the water and sewer rates.

The hearing is at 6 p.m., at the City Council Chambers at City Hall.

As proposed, the average homeowner’s annual water-sewer bill would increase by $49.20 from $705.60 this fiscal year to $754.80 next year, effective July 1, said Katherine J. Pedersen, executive director. The combined rate increase is approximately 7 percent, she said.

Katherine J. Pedersen

“The primary drivers for this year’s increase includes unfunded mandates, much needed infrastructure renewal, and as it relates to day to day operations, we have had increases in fuel costs, treatment chemicals, materials and business costs,” Pedersen said.

Under the proposal, the residential water rate would increase from $2.29 per 100 cubic feet this year to $2.40 per 100 cubic feet for the new year.

In addition, the sewer rate would increase from $3.34 per 100 cubic feet this year to $3.64 next year.

The three-member commission is expected to vote on the new budget and rates on June 28.

As proposed, the budget would increase from $54.2 million this year to $56.2 million next year, an increase of 3.8 percent. The commission also is proposing a $10.5 million capital budget, which would be in addition to ongoing multi-year capital projects.

In the past, few residents have attended public hearings, “and we are hoping we have better attendance and more interest,” Pedersen said.

“We are encouraging residents to attend so they can learn more about what the Water and Sewer Commission is spending these rates on, particularly upgrading our water and sewer systems.”

Pedersen and other supervisors will present reports on the proposed operating budget, the capital budget, the three-year capital plan, and the schedule of fees and charges, and consider any public comments, she said.

The new rates would affect Springfield and Ludlow customers. Several other communities in the region receive water under contracts with the commission and are billed for the cost of discharging sewage at the regional wastewater treatment facility at Bondi’s Island.

The capital projects include federally mandated improvements to address combined sewer overflows to the Mill, Chicopee and Connecticut Rivers.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Kevin Ambrose

Kevin E. Ambrose, 55, of Wilbraham, Badge #7 and 36-year police officer for the City of Springfield, died Monday. He was born and raised in Springfield. He graduated from Springfield Technical High School and received a criminal justice degree from Springfield Technical Community College. Ambrose started his career with the Springfield Police as a cadet in 1974 and became a police officer in 1976. He worked in squads A, C and B, in the records division, and the traffic and detective bureaus. He received commendations in 1978, 1993, 1999 and 2005. He coached youth soccer, baseball and basketball for many years. Ambrose resided in Springfield most of his life and in Wilbraham for the past 24 years, and was a communicant of St. Cecilia's Church. He was an avid sports fan, enjoyed playing golf and was a member of the police golf league. He enjoyed watching the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Ambrose, Kevin E.
  



• 
  Andras, Patti
  



• 
  Baez, Antonio N.
  



• 
  Bamford, Vincent
  



• 
  Bartolucci, Thomas L.
  



• 
  Belisle, Margaret L. (Ciejka)
  



• 
  Boivin, Leo J.
  



• 
  Bray, Adelaide
  



• 
  Burns Jr., William A. (Billy)
  



• 
  Colodny, Dr. Stephen Z.
  



• 
  Gurka, Frank S.
  



• 
  Harbey, William C. "Billy"
  



• 
  Jester, Madge Annetta Cobb
  



• 
  Koprek, Stanislaw
  



• 
  Krayeski, Karol
  



• 
  Lagos, George M.
  



• 
  LaValley, Raymond H. "Ray"
  



• 
  LeClair, Constance
  



• 
  Mastalerz, Janina
  



• 
  Millimet, Robert L.
  



• 
  Napolitan, Norma (DePari)
  



• 
  Pierce, Esther A. (Baker)
  



• 
  Provost, Robert
  



• 
  Rojas, Vincente
  



• 
  Rosseau Sr., John
  



• 
  Tavernier, Arthur E.
  



• 
  Taylor Jr., Alan E.
  



• 
  Torres, Juan P.
  

Trustees agreed to freeze hikes in 2013 and 2014 if the state will take on half of the funding costs.

Deval Patrick stands with Elvis Mendez, the President of the UMass Student Government, during the "Fresh Start for Massachusetts" event at the Curry Hicks Cage[Photo Credit: Mieke Zuiderweg/The Republican]

AMHERST — Despite a letter of opposition from Gov. Deval L. Patrick, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees Wednesday supported the 4.9 percent fee hike recommended by the trustee finance committee the night before.

In the letter to UMass President Robert L. Caret, Patrick said he had instructed Secretary of Education Paul Reville to vote against the increase. Patrick appointed Reville trustee.

Robert Caret


Patrick wrote that the timing “of this fee increase is not good for students and their families.
Like the rest of state government, UMass must demonstrate that it is doing more with less before asking more from students.

"And I am not convinced that UMass has yet done enough to find efficiencies and reduce costs so that any new revenue is dedicated to teaching and learning,” Patrick wrote in his letter that was hand-delivered on the day of the trustee committee vote.

The vote to raise fees was 15 to 2. James Tarr, a UMass-Lowell student, and Reville voted in opposition.

Trustees agreed to freeze fee hikes in the fall of 2013 and 2014 if the state agrees to fund 50 percent of the university’s education budget, instead of the 45 percent it currently pays for.

Tuition and fees for in-state undergraduates will on average rise from $11,901 during this past year to $12,481 in 2012-2013. Students in Amherst however already pay $12,612 in tuition and fees and will now pay about $13,242. Tuition, however, is $1,714 and the remainder is fees. This hike does not include room and board. Those costs have not been set.

Deval Patrick

Patrick's proposed $32.3 billion fiscal 2013 budget includes $455 million for the five-campus UMass system, up 6 percent from the current budget.

But system costs rose because of a $34 million increase in union contract increases and a $29 million hike in the debt service from borrowing to pay for construction and renovation across the five campuses, according to UMass figures. According to a press release, increases were negotiated with 10,620 unionized employees.

The increased fees are expected to bring in $25 million in additional revenue, according to the release. Fees rose last year by 7.5 percent, or $880.

Patrick also suggested that the university “initiate a comprehensive analysis with independent support of efficiencies and cost savings that may be captured throughout the system."

Trustees voted to expand the scope and activities of its efficiencies task force and asked the task force to report back on findings and strategies for achieving cost savings for the university, according to a press release.

DiSanti said that as a small business owner, he understands the need for fewer restrictions on business and the need for tax and other incentives, such as low-interest loans.

Samuel S. DiSanti

AGAWAM - Political newcomer Samuel DiSanti, D-Agawam, has qualified for the ballot to take on Massachusetts State Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga, R-Southwick, in a race to represent the 3rd Hampden District in the state legislature.

DiSanti, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee and veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is unopposed on the Democratic ballot, clearing his way to take on first-term incumbent, Boldyga, in November's general election.

"You cannot win an election without a fundamental grassroots effort," DiSanti said. "I am pleased and humbled by the overwhelming support and positive feedback I am receiving from the constituents of the 3rd Hampden District. I have received the support of Republicans, Democrats and independents as I knock on doors and introduce myself to voters throughout the district. Many businesses have extended their support for my campaign; I am honored to have every one of them supporting my candidacy."

In March, Boldyga announced his intentions to run for a second two-year term, touting his role in pushing through an initiative that secured $65 million in local aid to municipalities across the Commonwealth, delivering more than $327,000 in additional local aid for Agawam, Granville, Russell and Southwick.

The two candidates have thus far squared off on accessibility to the public, an issue DiSanti said he will make a top priority if elected. Boldyga has said he holds regular office hours and even makes house calls to constituents who are unable to travel.

Among the issues DiSanti said led him to running are local development concerns in the district.

"I will work to breathe new life into the Route 57 extension project. The congestion level in Feeding Hills Center is alarming. There are two schools, a Stop & Shop grocery store, a package store, soon to be built Wendy's Hamburgers, a U.S. Post Office substation, three banks, three strip malls and three gas stations all competing for a section of street less than a third of a mile," DiSanti said in a statement. "With the start and completion of the Route 57 extension project we can create jobs, relieve the congestion and safety issues in Feeding Hills Center. Southwick will become more accessible thus making it more appealing to home buyers, which will increase property values and decrease property taxes in the town."

DiSanti, who runs an outdoor food concession stand near the D’Amour Cancer Center in Springfield, said that as a small business owner, he understands the need for fewer restrictions on business and the need for tax and other incentives, such as low-interest loans.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority voted to advance plans to build a new school to replace the Elias Brookings School in Springfield and to renovate the Mary Dryden school, both damaged in last year's tornado.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanMassachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman, left, Chairman of the Massachusetts Building Authority and Katherine Craven, right MSBA executive director, look over damage to the Mary Dryden School in Springfield after the tornado hit last year.

BOSTON - Moving to fulfill a pledge he made a year ago, the state's treasurer on Wednesday led a vote to secure significant state financing to repair one tornado-damaged Springfield elementary school and to replace another with a new building.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority, chaired by Treasurer Steven Grossman, voted unanimously to advance plans to build a new $28 million school to replace the 87-year-old Elias Brookings School and $14.3 in renovations to the Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School, both wrecked by last year's tornado.

"It's moving the ball forward," Grossman, a first-term Democrat, said in an interview. "It's a long process."

The authority also voted to invite the William J. Dean Technical High School in Holyoke to participate in a program that could provide state financing for improving science laboratories.

William J. Dean Technical High School in Holyoke William J. Dean Technical High School in Holyoke.

The authority also voted to approve the schematic design for new $25.6 million Plains Elementary School in South Hadley.

And the authority voted to invite Southampton to take part in an accelerated repair program for the William E. Norris Elementary School. The program will repair or replace roofs, windows, and boilers in schools that are otherwise structurally, functionally, and educationally sound.

The authority funds a portion of the eligible building costs. Depending upon a school district's economic health, the state share can vary from 31 to 80 percent of the project.

In the case of Springfield, it would be up to 80 percent, Grossman said. Regarding the tornado-damaged schools, it would be 80 percent of the costs not covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Grossman visited Springfield and both schools following the tornado and promised to work with state legislators to attempt to rebuild the schools with 100 percent reimbursement from the state.

Grossman and state Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield, are working on a bill that would allow the school building authority to pay up to 100 percent of the repair and replacement costs of schools damaged in a natural disaster. The 100 percent funding would be for school projects certified by the federal agency.

Without approval of that bill for 100 percent reimbursement, Grossman said, the city would be required to pay $11.2 million for the new Brookings school and $4 million for the repairs to the Dryden school, or about $15 million for both, Grossman said. Those are solid estimates but they could change as the projects unfold, he said.

The authority voted to approve the schematic design for repairing the roof and major building system's of the Dryden school. The next step is for the city and the authority to reach agreement on the project's scope and detailed budget.

The authority voted to move into the schematic design phase for the Brookings school, allowing the city's school district and the state to work together on detailed renderings of the new building.

Rita L. Coppola-Wallace, director of capital asset construction for the city of Springfield, said the Dryden renovations and addition should begin this summer and be completed by September of 2014.

She said construction could begin in the fall of 2013 on the new Brookings school and could take about two years to build.

"Phenomenal," she said about state funding for the projects. "It's great."

A spokesman for the National Guard said the pilot heard a rumbling noise coming from the driveshaft and smelled smoke. Watch video

Updates a story posted Wednesday at 6:47 a.m.

HADLEY — An Army National Guard pilot had to land the 23,000-pound helicopter he was operating in a field off Mill Valley Road on Tuesday night after hearing engine noise and smelling smoke.

The pilot, co-pilot and crew chief were making a maintenance run on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter out of the Army Support Facility in Windsor Locks, Conn., when they ran into trouble shortly before 9 p.m.

A repair crew worked on the helicopter on Wednesday, and after a vibration test, the Chinook was seen flying away Wednesday afternoon.

According to Col. John R. Whitford, a spokesman for the National Guard, it is common practice to make maintenance runs following work on the vehicles. Whitford did not know if the problem with the Chinook was related to its recent maintenance.

Whitford said the pilot heard a rumbling noise coming from the driveshaft and smelled smoke. As a precaution, Whitford said, the pilot set the Chinook down at approximately 8:52 p.m. in a field near Mill Valley Road, South Maple Street and the Walmart on Route 9. No one was injured.

The Army began using the large twin-jet helicopter in 1962 to transport both troops and cargo. It can seat up to 30 people, carry a maximum of 50,000 pounds and cruise at 149 miles per hour.

Speculation that governments in the U.S. and Europe will act to help their economies sent stocks surging.

By MATTHEW CRAFT | AP Business Writer

Associated PressGetco Securities traders Philip Finale, left, and its floor official Peter Giacchi, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. A 200-point charge Wednesday turned the Dow Jones industrial average positive for the year following a dismal stretch in May (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

NEW YORK — Speculation that governments in the U.S. and Europe will act to help their economies sent stocks surging to their best day this year.

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart said in a speech that weak job growth over the past two months highlighted the "halting and tenuous" recovery. If the trend continues, "further monetary actions to support the recovery will certainly need to be considered," he said.

At the same time, news reports indicated that Germany and European Union officials were considering a plan to lend money from the European bailout fund to help rescue Spain's hobbled banks.

In an ordinary stock market, neither development would likely cause a ripple. But the market has been anything but ordinary lately, posting decline after decline amid the financial crisis in Europe and the slowing economy in the U.S.

Traders now are hanging on rumors and speculation, said Jeff Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial. But the talk was enough to convince some that the worst was over for now.

As a result, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 286.84 points to close at 12,414.79, its biggest gain since December 20. The rally started early and gathered force in the afternoon. The charge turned the Dow Jones industrial average positive for 2012 and erased the biggest loss of the year less than a week after it happened: the 275-point plunge set off by a dismal U.S. jobs report on Friday.

LPL Financial has started to pull back on bets against the S&P 500 and the euro. "We've decided it's time to declare victory," Kleintop said. "The next 10 percent move is not down, it's up," Kleintop said.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 rose 29.63 points to 1,315.13. The Nasdaq composite rose 66.61 points to 2,844.72.

Companies whose stocks have been clobbered the most over the past month had the best gains. Homebuilders rallied, helped by a strong earnings report from Hovnanian Enterprises and rising applications for new mortgages. Hovnanian's CEO said he sees signs that the housing industry may be entering the early stages of recovery. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that applications for mortgages rose 1.3 percent last week, largely a result of more people trying to refinance their existing loans.

Hovnanian leapt 18 percent. PulteGroup Inc. surged 7 percent and Lennar Corp. 4 percent.

The gains were spread across the market. Only 11 companies in the S&P 500 dropped, and every industry group in the index rose, led by energy and financial companies. Roughly seven stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Jim Russell, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Cincinnati, Ohio, said it's natural for the market to have a strong day after an extended beat-down. On such days, it's usually the companies that were hit the hardest that fare best.

"In market language, it's called a technical bounce," he said. "There's no bad news today, so the market goes up. Frankly, it's that simple."

U.S. markets followed major European indexes higher. Indexes rose 2.4 percent in the U.K. and France. Borrowing costs eased for Spain, another positive sign.

A Federal Reserve survey showed growth across the country. Hiring was steady, according to the Fed's "Beige Book." That's in marked contrast to the government's monthly jobs report, which said employers added the fewest jobs in a year last month.

The dollar dipped and Treasury yields rose as investors moved money out of defensive investments. The yield on the benchmark rose to 1.64 percent from 1.57 percent late Tuesday.

Among stocks making big moves:

• Morgan Stanley jumped $1.08, 8 percent, to $13.94 amid reports that the Blackstone Group and other private equity firms may try to buy a stake in the bank's commodities business.

• UnitedHealth Group gained $1.66, 3 percent, to $57.70 after the health insurer said it will raise its quarterly dividend from 16 cents to 21 cents per share . The board also approved a plan to buy back stock.

• Tempur-Pedic International plunged $21.28, 49 percent, to $22.39. The mattress maker said it expects quarterly profits to fall by half compared to last year. Tempur-Pedic blamed its competitors' aggressive marketing campaigns and promotions for hurting its sales.