The victim was burned when gasoline fumes ignited as he was working underneath a car.

Republican file photo

SOUTHAMPTON – A Fomer Road man, seriously injured Monday afternoon when gasoline fumes ignited as he was working underneath a car in his garage, was listed in critical condition Tuesday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The accident occurred about 3:15 p.m. at 104 Fomer Road.

Although Fire Chief Stephen Hyde declined to identity the victim, street listings identify a resident there as Bernard Grynkiewicz. A spokeswoman for Massachusetts General said Grynkiewicz was in critical condition.

Hyde said the victim was working beneath his car when gasoline vapors from an open fuel line ignited when he lit a cutting torch.

The victim was able to put out the fire himself, Hyde said, adding that he suffered burns to an estimated 28 percent of his body.

The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and then flown by helicopter to Massachusetts General.

It is the second serious burn accident in Hampshire County in three days. On Saturday, Jennifer M. Driver-Nelson of 41 Marshall St. suffered critical burns when her bathrobe caught fire in a backyard fire pit. She was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital but died the following day.

The longtime girlfriend of mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for helping one of the FBI's most-wanted men stay on the run for 16 years.

This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Catherine Greig, the longtime girlfriend of Whitey Bulger, captured with Bulger June 22, 2011, in Santa Monica, Calif. Greig was by Bulger's side for more than three decades, first as a secret girlfriend he kept on the side while he lived with another woman, then as the faithful woman who left behind her life in Massachusetts so she could go on the run with him. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The longtime girlfriend of mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for helping one of the FBI's most-wanted men stay on the run for 16 years.

Catherine Greig showed no emotion when U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock handed down the sentence. The 61-year-old Greig had pleaded guilty in March to charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

The judge admonished Greig for her unfailing loyalty to Bulger, the former leader of the notorious Winter Hill Gang who is awaiting trial on charges he participated in 19 murders.

"We are all responsible for what we do. We all make choices," Woodlock said. "There is a price to be paid."

Greig, who was also fined $150,000, nodded to her twin sister in the front row as she was led from the courtroom.

Prosecutors say Greig and Bulger posed as married retirees from Chicago and had a stash of more than $800,000 in cash and 30 weapons in their apartment when they were captured last June in Santa Monica, Calif.

Her lawyer, Kevin Reddington, had appealed for leniency for his client, asking the judge to give her 27 months in prison. He said she fell in love with a "Robin Hood" like figure, never believing in the years she helped hide one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives that her outlaw boyfriend was a murderer.

"Why people fall in love has been debated since before Shakespeare's sonnets," attorney Kevin Reddington wrote to the judge on Monday. "Many times people fall in love and their family or loved ones do not approve or condone the relationship. The truth of the matter is that she was and remained in love with Mr. Bulger."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Pirozzolo referenced the sonnets on Tuesday as he told the judge Greig deserved a decade in prison because of the many years she helped Bulger evade capture and for the number of things she did for him, including taking him to medical appointments, posing as his wife to get his prescriptions and using false identities.

"This isn't poetry. This is a woman who by choice — whether love or not — who chose to help a man who has been accused of vicious crimes," Pirozzolo said.

Greig, a former dental hygienist and dog groomer, faced a maximum of 15 years — five years on each of the three charges.

She had been with Bulger for more than three decades, first as a secret girlfriend he kept on the side while he lived with another woman, then as the faithful woman who left behind her life in Massachusetts so she could go on the run with him.

Greig's plea deal with prosecutors doesn't require her to cooperate in the case against Bulger. But prosecutors said it doesn't preclude them from trying to compel her to testify against him.

In her plea agreement, Greig admitted that she used aliases, unlawfully obtained identification documents and repeatedly helped Bulger get prescription medication from a pharmacy by pretending to be his wife.

Authorities have said that Bulger initially fled Boston with girlfriend Teresa Stanley in 1994 after being tipped that he was about to be indicted. The tip came from former FBI agent John Connolly Jr., who was Bulger's FBI handler when Bulger was an informant who gave the FBI information about the rival New England Mafia. Connolly was later convicted of racketeering for his role in Bulger's disappearance.

After a few months on the run, Bulger returned to Boston, dropped off Stanley and picked up Greig, who had been his side girlfriend for 18 years while he lived with Stanley.

Greig and Bulger traveled extensively during their first year on the run — to Chicago, New York City, Grand Isle, La., and other places — but then settled in a two-bedroom rented apartment in Santa Monica.

Last June, Bulger and Greig were apprehended just days after the FBI began a new publicity campaign focusing on Greig.

n early May, four peregrine falcon chicks and their parents made a 21st-floor window ledge at Monarch Place their home, and the Pioneer Valley watched them grow on CBS 3 Springfield's livestream of the nest.

SPRINGFIELD -- In early May, four peregrine falcon chicks and their parents made a 21st-floor window ledge at Monarch Place their home, and the Pioneer Valley watched them grow on CBS 3 Springfield's livestream of the nest.

They watched them until Monday afternoon when CBS reported the last chick flew the nest.

Although the chicks can now fly, you may still see them perched on top of the Sovereign Bank building in downtown Springfield, according to CBS.

CBS 3 Springfield, housed in Monarch Place, pointed a camera at the falcon nest before the eggs even hatched, streaming video of the chicks being fed, leaving their gravel filled box to walk along the window ledge and fly from the nest.

The one female and three male chicks -- named Monarch, Celtic, Sumner and Skye by CBS viewers -- causing a buzz in homes and classrooms because of their endangered status.

Peregrine falcons are the most common bird of prey in the country, but they were formerly an endangered species, according to National Geographic.

According to National Geographic, peregrine falcons almost died out from use of DDT and other pesticides in the 50s and 60s, they have made a strong comeback in the last several years, living mostly in open areas but they are also known for nesting on skyscrapers in large cities like Springfield.

Watching these birds from birth to first flight gives researchers more insight into how to continue to help grow this population of birds.

The falcons were tagged by a specialist at the State Division of Fisheries and Wildlife so they can continue to be monitored throughout their lifespan.

National Geographic reported that falcons are known for nesting in the same location year after year, and successive generations of falcons have used the same nesting locations for decades. With this in mind, CBS 3 Springfield hopes to resume the camera next spring so the community can witness another cycle of life.

When asked if Elizabeth Warren did anything illegal by purchasing, rehabilitating and selling the houses, Scott Brown's campaign manager conceded that she did not.

(Associated Press file photos)Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren and Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren dismissed Republican criticisms about past real estate transactions on Tuesday, following a conference call hosted by the Massachusetts GOP targeting the Harvard Law School professor on the topic.

The Republicans referenced a recent Boston Herald report which listed several instances where Warren and her husband Bruce Mann purchased houses, rehabilitated them and sold them for profits. Most of the transactions took place in the 1990s and one took place in 2000, according to the Herald, but all were well ahead of the U.S. housing market collapse.

Jim Barnett, campaign manager for Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's reelection campaign, said that profiting off of another person's hardship, citing cases where Warren bought already foreclosed-upon homes, makes her "a hypocrite," a term used frequently by the Brown campaign when criticizing the candidate.

"In her TV ad released yesterday, Elizabeth Warren complains about people working hard to save and buy a house to see the value disappear," Barnett said. "In short, Elizabeth Warren was profiting off of middle class families' hardship."

When asked if Warren did anything unethical or illegal, Barnett conceded that she did not.

"No, there's nothing illegal here so far as we can tell. In our view, it's a contradiction between what Elizabeth Warren says and does," Barnett said on the call. "She's a real estate speculator who profited off the misery of middle class families."

When asked what constitutes "flipping" a house, as Barnett charged Warren did, he didn't have an answer, although he said "you know it when you see it."

Warren's campaign said the claims were baseless and that she and her husband purchased the homes to help out family members, since they were in a financially secure position to do so.

"Elizabeth and Bruce are fortunate to be able to help their family," said Alethea Harney, Warren's press secretary, in a statement. "They have been able to help relatives buy their homes and after Elizabeth's brother lost his job as a construction worker, Elizabeth and Bruce were able to provide him support to buy and fix up properties."

When a reporter asked if it would have been better if Warren's family didn't purchase and rehabilitate the homes, both conference call speakers, Barnett and State Rep. Elizabeth A. Poirier, R-North Attleboro, said that wasn't the issue.

"There is obviously nothing illegal about what she's done but it would be to her benefit to be more honest about her background," Poirier said.

Brown and Warren are neck-and-neck according to many recent polls and their battle for the Senate seat once held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy is slated to be among the most expensive in the history of U.S. Senate elections.

The budget cuts could worsen if the City Council does not approve an increase in the trash fee and hotel / motel room tax, according to mayor Domenic Sarno.

The Republican | 06.12.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- The Liberty Branch Library at 773 Liberty Street in Springfield is one city library location slated to close under the mayor's proposed budget.

SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno unveiled a grim budget proposal for the new fiscal year Tuesday. Cuts will close three branch libraries, end mowing and maintenance at 10 parks, and trigger 12 layoffs and more than 100 unfilled vacancies.

In addition, Sarno said the city will stop collecting trash at apartment buildings (over three units) and commercial properties, will stop repairing sidewalks, will take a Fire Department ladder truck out of service due to cuts in staffing and will not fill 31 vacancies in the Police Department, or expand the force, as requested.

The proposed $551.8 million budget, for fiscal year 2013, beginning July 1, reflects a 1.8 percent decrease from the current budget, officials said.

Sarno said he considers the budget to be “balanced and sound.”

However, the budget may need additional cuts because it was based on the presumption that the City Council would approve a proposed $10 hike in the annual trash fee and an increase in the local hotel / motel room tax, as was proposed in April, Sarno said.

The council has not approved either fee hike.

Sarno is asking the council to increase the annual trash fee from $75 to $85, effective July 1, and counts on that additional revenue in his budget recommendation. In addition, the budget presumes the council will approve an increase in the local hotel-motel room tax from the current 4 percent tax to a new rate of 6 percent.

Sarno and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Lee C. Erdmann, in a joint statement to the city and City Council, blamed the budget cuts on “the triple negative forces of reduced property tax revenues, lack of increased assistance from the state, and increased non-discretionary expenditures.”

“While we know that this is not an easy fight, we will continue to fight for our residents in need of municipal core services such as police, fire and public works,” Sarno and Erdmann said.

The City Council will now review the budget during the next two weeks, and has the power to make additional cuts. Under the city charter, the council does not have the power to add expenses to the budget.

Under the budget proposal the city will close the following library branches: Pine Point, 204 Boston Road; Liberty, at 773 Liberty St.; and East Forest Park, which is leased at 122-124 Island Pond Road. The city will continue to keep the other six branch libraries open at the current rate of 18 hours per week for each branch, Sarno said.

The libraries have been under threat in the past. In 1995, the former Springfield Library and Museums Association threatened to close five branches, then under its control, but a week-long public outcry led to a pledge of city funds to keep them open.

In 1993, four branches were closed but eventually reopened after public protests and increased funding. In fiscal 1993, more than 300 city employees lost their jobs including 76 police officers, 53 firefighters and 40 library workers.

In other budget news, Sarno announced the city will continue to pay approximately $1.8 million — half the cost of education incentive pay for police officers under the Quinn Bill, and will urge the state to fund the other half. Sarno said he is recommending the city set aside $1.8 million in the police budget should the state continue not funding its half.

A court ruling permitted the state and communities to stop paying their shares of the Quinn Bill.

Springfield Budget Message From Mayor Sarno and Lee Erdmann Amd Executive Summary

Adamopoulos, who teaches boradcastr journalism at Central High School in Springfield, repeatedly told his son that he loved him and that he would be alright as the ambulance arrived and took them both away.

Updates a story posted Tuesday at 2:06 p.m

NORTHAMPTON — James Adamopoulos and his son had been fishing serenely on Lake Norwich in the early evening of Aug. 17, 2010, when they suddenly looked up and saw a power boat bearing down on them, Adamopoulos testified Tuesday.

"Dad! Dad!" cried 10-year-old Augustus Adamopoulos just before his father turned. The boat, travling an estimated 35 miles an hour, was on them within seconds, Adamopoulos told a jury.

James Adamopoulos, the lead witness in the trial of Steven B. Morse, said when he came to the surface after the crash he could not find his son. A few seconds later, the boy everyone knew as Gus came up. He was missing his left arm and had a gash in his side so deep that it punctured his lung. Augustus Adamopoulos, who had earlier that day won a golf tournament, died as a result of his injuries.

Morse, 37, of Westfield, is charged with manslaughter, boat homicide by reckless operation while under the influence of alcohol and boat homicide by reckless operation, as well as three counts of child endangerment while under the influence. In his opening statement, defense lawter Michael O. Jennings told the jury thaty his client passed several field sobriety tests administered at the scene by police. Jennings attributed the accident to the gloare of the sun off the water at that time of day.

Adamopoulos, who called his son "a 10-year-old jewel," described how the boy loved sports. The Ludlow father and son had been fishing together since Gus was about 2 years old, Adamolopoulos said, and he hesitated when Gus asked to go fishing just after playing golf that day.

They set out in a kayak on Lake Norwich in Huntington. Adamolpoulos said there were only two power boats on the lake at that time of day and the scene was quiet until they were struck. Morse ferried Gus Adamopoulos to shore, where James Adamopoulos tried to use plastic wrap to help him breathe.

"You could hear the air sucking through (the wound)," he said.

Adamopoulos, who teaches broadcast journalism at Central High School in Springfield, repeatedly told his son that he loved him and that he would be all right as the ambulance arrived and took them both away. James Adamopoulos suffered a gash on his leg so deep that he could touch the bone, but said he didn't fully notice his own injuries while he was tending to his son.

Earlier in the day, the jurors visited the scene of the accident at Lake Norwich and viewed the motor boat and kayak outside the Northampton police station. The trial is scheduled to continue throughout the week.

The seven-time Tour de France winner maintained his innocence.

Associated PressLance Armstrong competes in the Ironman Panama 70.3. triathlon in Panama City, Panama, on Feb. 12.

AUSTIN, Texas – The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is bringing doping charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, threatening to strip his victories in those storied cycling races.

Armstrong could face a lifetime ban from the sport if he is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. The move by the USADA immediately bans him from competing in triathlons, which he turned to after he retired from cycling last year.

Armstrong, in a statement Wednesday, dismissed any doping allegations as “baseless” and “motivated by spite” and noted they came just months after federal prosecutors closed a two-year criminal investigation against the cyclist without bringing an indictment.

The USADA charges were first reported by the Washington Post.

The USADA’s letter to Armstrong informing him of the charges also said the agency was bringing doping charges against Johan Bruyneel, manager of Armstrong’s winning teams; team doctors Pedro Celaya and Luis Garicia del Moral; team trainer Pepe Martin, and consulting doctor Michele Ferrari.

The USADA letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, accuses Armstrong of using and promoting the use of the blood booster EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, human growth hormone and anti-inflammatory steroids. The letter doesn’t cite specific examples, but says the charges are based on evidence gathered in an investigation of Armstrong’s teams, including witnesses who aren’t named in the letter.

It also says blood collections obtained by cycling’s governing body in 2009 and 2010 are “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.”

USADA officials had said they would pursue possible charges against Armstrong even after federal criminal investigators had closed their case.

Armstrong, who has been in France training for a triathlon, maintained his innocence, saying in a statement: “I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one.”

Staff arrived Saturday and immediately noticed that the ship that fought in World Wars I and II and has served since 1948 as a memorial and museum was listing to one side.

View full sizeAP PhotoTourists visit the deck of the USS Texas as she lists slightly on the port side Wednesday, June 13, 2012, in Houston. The 100-year-old battleship's hull sprung a leak five days ago and she has been taking on as much as 1,000 gallons of seawater every minute as workers struggle to contain it. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

LA PORTE, Texas (AP) — Children shimmy up the barrels of massive cannons on the upper decks of the 100-year-old Battleship Texas, focused on firing at an imaginary enemy and oblivious to the tension in the historic vessel's belly where a crew works on pumping out dozens of gallons of oil-laced water.

The battleship where the young tourists roam became flooded over the weekend. Staff arrived Saturday and immediately noticed something was wrong with the ship that fought in World Wars I and II and has served since 1948 as a memorial and museum to those who sacrificed their lives.

The vessel was sitting awkwardly in its slip. She was lower in the water and listing to the left.

"We got down to the lower portions of the ship and discovered that we had taken on more water than usual in areas that we normally don't," ship manager Andy Smith said. "They started pumping throughout the day Saturday, and it got progressively worse."

The situation was so dire by Sunday that the ship's caretaker, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, had to find more pumps to help remove the water. Smith said the news got worse on Monday.

Water had entered areas that housed old oil tanks used when the ship was still in active duty and serving in every theater in World War II. The Navy had emptied out the oil before handing the vessel over to Texas, but hadn't cleaned out the tanks. Smith realized he had an environmental issue on his hands.

AP PhotoMen work to pump water from below the decks of the USS Texas Wednesday, June 13, 2012, in Houston. The 100-year-old battleship's hull sprung a leak five days ago and has been taking on as much as 1,000 gallons of seawater every minute as workers struggle to contain it. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

"It seems like every time we turn around there's more oil because obviously it's very residual but it spreads really nice, especially in this nice Texas heat," Smith said.

Until the oil is removed, workers can't get out all the water and look for the source of the problem, which could be several things. It is possible, he said, that the oil will be completely removed by late Wednesday. Then, it should only take a few hours to remove the water, though Smith said he is preparing for the possibility that more water will flow in for a short time after the oil is completely removed due to a change in pressure.

Still, he hopes to at least know the source of the problem by Thursday so the crew can begin designing a repair plan.

World War II veteran William R. Bradshaw, 87, hopes to be part of the repair effort. On Wednesday, he sat in a shady area of the vessel as rowdy children ran up the ramp. He was waiting to discuss with Smith whether the epoxy his plastics company produces can seal the holes, as it did in 1985 when the battleship had a five-month leak that befuddled the crew.

View full sizeAP photoNorman Snipe climbs out of a tank on the port side of the USS Texas after repositioning a pump hose Wednesday, June 13, 2012, in Houston. The 100-year-old battleship's hull sprung a leak five days ago and has been taking on as much as 1,000 gallons of seawater every minute as workers struggle to contain it. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Smith simply wants to get to the point where he can repair the problem and move ahead with a long-term, multimillion-dollar plan to build a dry berth for the battleship.

"It's a mammoth effort to keep her preserved. She is an artifact. She is a museum, too," Smith said, noting that normally artifacts are preserved in a climate-controlled environment, "on velvet, under glass."

"She can't be that way. We actually let people play on the artifact, run around on her, and the artifact interacts with the environment in a lot of negative ways," Smith said. "So we rust, constantly rust. There's deterioration, the sun beating down, hot, cold, all of that has an effect, long-term effect, on the ship."

UMass computer engineering researcher Michael Zink has been helping to establish this national research and education network for exploring future internets,

AMHERST – Scientists from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are among those from nearly two dozen institutions tapped by the National Science Foundation to develop an ultra-fast, software-defined next generation of Internet.

The project is called US Ignite, a national “innovation ecosystem”, according to a news release from the university.

UMass computer engineering researcher Michael Zink has been helping to establish this national research and education network for exploring future internets at scale, that is, similar in size to the current Internet.

Now, he and colleague Brenda Philips of UMass Amherst’s Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, another NSF project, will serve as lead investigators for the new US Ignite project. The project was formally launched Wednesday in Washington.

Mitchell was shot by her ex-boyfriend in the same incident which saw the fatal shooting of Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose.

Family photo of Charlene Mitchell and her children

SPRINGFIELD – As Charlene Mitchell – the woman shot by her ex-boyfriend in the same incident which saw the fatal shooting of city police officer Kevin Ambrose – continues her long road to recovery a fund has been set up to help her family.

Donations can be made to the fund – called Charlene Mitchell’s Courage Against Domestic Violence Fund – at any TD Bank location, according to a Mitchell family member.

Charlene Mitchell is the mother of 13-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Shawn Bryan, the father of the baby, fatally shot Officer Kevin Ambrose and shot Mitchell a number of times, police said.

The children are now with a member of Mitchell’s family.

Mitchell was shot in the face, abdomen and left elbow, according to information confirmed by Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni.

Mitchell is hospitalized and has had several surgeries. She is doing well and beginning to be able to communicate with her family.

Philip H. Lauro, a Springfield lawyer, said he has been asked by Mitchell’s father, a longtime acquaintance, to represent the family wherever needed. Lauro said he will work with the family as they face future issues druing Mitchell’s recovery.

Police said Bryan, a New York City corrections officer from Hempstead, N.Y., shot Ambrose through the door of his Mitchell’s apartment on June 4, shot Mitchell and then fatally shot himself outside in a car.

On the morning of the shooting Mitchell had obtained an emergency restraining order against Bryan. She called police to say he was in the area, and Ambrose was the first to respond to the call.

Also Wednesday, it was announced commemorative T-shirts honoring Ambrose and benefiting his memorial fund, are now available for sale to the public.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said a fellow officer came up with the idea to create the T-shirt as a fund-raiser, and they were initially available for sale to the thousands of out-of-town law enforcement officers who flocked to the city Friday for the funeral procession and services.

The shirts cost $20 and are available to the public at Guardian Uniform, 40 Robbins Road. Ludlow Printing and Bolduc Apparel approached Delaney and donated their services to get the T-shirts printed, he said.

The new owners are a father-and-son team, Sunil and Jay Kumar, and the Kumars pledge to grow the business in Holyoke.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 11:18 this morning.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanUniversal Plastics Corp. moved from Chicopee to the single-story former Kodak Polychrome building, seen here, at 75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, in 2003.

HOLYOKE – Universal Plastics, which employs 70 people at its Whiting Farms Road factory, has been sold by the Peters family.

The new owners are a father-and-son team, Sunil and Jay Kumar, and the Kumars pledge to grow the business in Holyoke, said Joseph L. Peters, current president of Universal Plastics who plans to stay on with the company after the sale.

“We wouldn’t have even considered somebody who was thinking of buying the company and moving it,” he said. “We were lucky enough to find these two guys who believe in manufacturing wholeheartedly. They have pledged to grow the company. They want to add technology.”

Sunil Kumar has an extensive background in manufacturing, having previously worked as president and CEO of International Specialty Products, GAF Materials Corporation and as executive vice president and member of the board of Bridgestone/Firestone Tires.

His son Jay, who will join him in ownership, is a graduate of Cornell University and has worked extensively in the investment arena, most recently as managing principal at PAON LLC.

“Jay was working on Wall Street and was ready to make a change,” Peters said. Jay Kumar plans to relocate from New York City, Peters said. Sunil Kumar lives in New Jersey and plans to split his time.

Jay Kumar is planning to move to this area. Sunil will be in the plant often as well, Peters said.

“They wanted to find a nice clean manufacturing business with a lot of potential,” he said. “They did their homework and they concluded that manufacturing is alive and well and it has a future.”

Universal Plastics has gross annual sales of approximately $10 million manufacturing a dizzying variety of plastic parts, everything the bow of a submarine used by Navy SEALS to birthing tubs and signs for bus stops in New York City.

Universal has also made kayaks, air ducts for the Space Shuttle. Customers include Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and BE Aerospace.

Universal Plastics uses thermoforming, a process that lends itself toward high quality and low volume. Such small-batch, precise work is often needed quickly and is unlikely to go overseas, Peters said.

Also, Universal Plastics products tend to be bulky and hard to transport. Universal Plastics was founded in Chicopee in 1966 by James R. Peters who along with his wife, Frances, and eventually their four sons, Joseph, Michael, James and Richard and daughter Mary Frances, grew the business. Universal Plastics moved to Holyoke in 2002. In 2008 they added a 30,000 square foot addition to their Whiting Farms Road building for a total of 100,000 square feet of production and office space. Joseph Peters and his brothers Michael and Richard serve as senior managers of the company and will stay on for the foreseeable future to ensure a smooth transition. Approaching retirement got the family thinking about selling, Joseph Peters said.

In April, Joseph Peters was named businessperson of the year by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. He plans to continue his involvement in local business, civic and industry organizations.

“I really believe that as business people we have a responsibility to integrate the business into the community,” Peters said.

A total of 97 teachers from across the country received the award.

Republican staff photo by Don TreegerCentral High School teacher Naomi Volain was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

SPRINGFIELD – Bored with her job as a nutritionist, Naomi Volain switched careers and started teaching at Central High School.

She hasn’t been bored since.

This week Volain was honored with a national Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, which was given to 97 teachers nationwide. She will receive the award and a $10,000 prize from the National Science Foundation this month in Washington, D.C.

“She is a consummate professional. Everything she does, she does very well. She is always learning ... and she is always improving,” Central Principal Thaddeus Tokarz said.

But more telling is students love her classes, he said. Probably the most popular is her pre-Advanced Placement biology lab, Tokarz said.

Volain also teaches Advanced Placement environmental science, botany and ecology. She is also a coach of the school's Envirothon team and is a member of the NASA Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers, he said.

“I wasn’t surprised because I know the caliber of professional she is, but I was thankful that she as a person and someone from Central was recognized for a high distinction,” Tokarz said.

Volain was shocked.

She was nominated by the school’s director of science, but had to fill out a large application. She also had to film a class that showed how she taught a topic difficult to understand. Volain said she filmed her biology class doing a laboratory assignment on cellular respiration.

“Everyone has been wonderful. I’ve received all kinds of congratulations. People are excited that someone from Central High School is going to Washington, D.C.,” she said.

The other Massachusetts award recipient also is from Western Massachusetts. Kathleen Erickson, of Great Barrington, was honored for math.

Volain earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She is a registered dietitian as well as a certified science teacher.

She worked as a medical copy writer and a registered dietitian, but eventually decided the job wasn’t for her.

“I wanted to be around young people,” she said.

Through a certification review panel she was able to take her job experience and degrees and transfer careers. She took four education classes and student taught at the High School of Science and Technology.

An opening for a science teacher at Central High School came as she was finishing her student teaching, and she has been there for 14 years.

“I like teaching. It is very active,” she said. “I love what I teach, it is very interesting, and I have a lot of academic freedom.”

Married for 25 years to Barry Volain, the couple has three children who graduated from Central High. Her youngest is in college, one is entering graduate school and one is in sports management.

Volain said she plans to use the $10,000 to travel and wants to zip line in the rain forests. Along with the excitement of seeing a new place, she said she hopes to gather information to enhance her classes.

“I’m always teaching even when I’m somewhere else,” she said.

The Republican | Don TreegerNaomi Volain of Springfield, a teacher at Central High, has been recognized with a presidential teaching award.

The Western Avenue campus is experiencing $103 million in capital improvements.

WESTFIELD – The Board of Trustees at Westfield State University plan to meet Thursday to approve a new operating budget for the college for fiscal 2013 that begins July 1.

Included in budget deliberations will be a review of the university’s student fee scheduled which last year was increased by $455 or 6 percent in mandatory assessments on each student.

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanStudents walk across the campus of Westfield State University one day last month.

University officials were unable to be reached for comment concerning both current and projected financial obligations.

Trustees for the University of Massachusetts last week approved a 4.9 percent fee increase for students there. That increase will add about $580 for in-state undergraduates there. Students at the Amherst campus will now pay, on average, $13,242 in fees. That does not include room and board.

The UMass increase follows a 7.5 percent or $880 increase that was approved for the school year that just ended.

At Westfield, students this year paid $16,833 in tuition, fees and room and board. The 2010-2011 total student bill was $16,034. At UMass total tuition and fees for the 2011-2012 year amounted to $22,124 at the Amherst campus.

Mandatory fees cover student activities, general funding, capital improvement and technology.

Holyoke Community College recently raised its mandatory fees for in-state undergraduates by 3.5 percent and Springfield Technical Community College by 6.9 percent for the academic year starting in September, according to the state Department of Higher Education.

During the academic year just ended, the average student at STCC, taking 10 credits, paid $1,520 while at HCC a student taking 12 credits paid $2,112 in fees.

STCC president Ira H. Rubenzahl said that when costs rise and the budget is level funded, then campus trustees basically have no place to turn except students to generate additional dollars on campus.

“The biggest issue is the ability of students to afford college,” Rubenzahl said.

Westfield trustees last year also increased optional fees by $344 or 5 percent to a total of $799. Optional fees are those for room and board, parking and health insurance.

More than 5,500 students attend WSU.

Westfield State University’s current operating budget is $84.1 million, up $4.4 million over fiscal year 2011.

Capital improvements at the Westfield campus include the recently completed dining commons upgrade, construction of new student housing and a new academic building.

Overall, capital improvements on campus have been tagged at $103 million.

Fee increases approved last year placed Westfield State University eighth our of nine state universities in enrollment costs for students.

Staff writer Dan Ring contributed to this report.

Since Ameristar introduced a casino plan in November for Springfield, officials and residents have wondered how the company would handle traffic.

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A Las Vegas-based company is planning an estimated $50 million road and bridge project off Interstate 291 in Springfield to service its planned casino.

Gordon Kanofsky, chief executive officer for Ameristar Casinos, Thomas M. Steinbauer, chief financial officer, and other top company officials quietly held separate meetings with city planners and engineers and a neighborhood group last week.

The meetings were held partly to brief local officials and residents on the company’s much-anticipated transportation plans for the proposed $500 million casino resort on Page Boulevard near I-291, which is a connector highway that joins Interstate 91 in downtown Springfield with the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Since Ameristar introduced the casino plan in November, officials and residents have wondered how the company would handle traffic.

“This is the number one question I get, not only from the neighborhood but also from the city of Springfield,” said Troy Stremming, a senior vice president for Ameristar. “We had to move forward with finding a solution.”

Troy Stremming

Ameristar last November purchased the 41-acre site at Page Boulevard and Interstate 291 for $16 million from an affiliate of the O'Connell Development Group Inc., which had anticipated a large-scale retail project on the site. The land was the site of an old Westinghouse plant.

The Ameristar transportation plan would not require the taking of any privately owned land or the removal of any home or businesses, according to Stremming. He said he did not believe it would require any easements but it will need state approval for using the right of ways off Interstate 291 for new frontage roads or dedicated lanes.

The plan, designed by VHB Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. in Springfield, calls for dedicated lanes in the right of way of both sides of I-291. The northbound lanes would be after the St. James exit and southbound lane after the Page Boulevard exit.

Heading north, or east, motorists would get into the dedicated lane, take a short ramp to a stop light at the top of the ramp and then take a left over a proposed new bridge over I-291 to the Ameristar property.

Traveling south, or west, drivers would be directed into another dedicated lane that would not require a bridge since it is on the same side of the highway as the planned casino. This lane would go over Page Boulevard and would exit onto the casino property.

Kevin E. Kennedy, chief development officer for the city of Springfield, said the plan generally makes some sense. The plan is appealing because it would keep a lot of casino traffic off city streets, Kennedy said.

Kevin Kennedy

Ameristar officials met with Kennedy and then presented the plan in more detail to officials with the planning department and the department of public works. Both departments were reasonably satisfied with the plan, Kennedy said.

Stremming said the plan would mean that 90 percent of the casino’s traffic would be removed from Page Boulevard. Stremming said the alternative was chosen over other, cheaper possibilities such as improving exits and entrances at Interstate 291 and Page Boulevard, installing traffic signals and widening the boulevard.

“People were impressed that we were not just trying to do the minimum,” Stremming said. “We are trying to do the right thing.”

He said the company may need to donate land to create a small city street to provide access to the proposed casino from a dedicated lane.

Stremming said officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation declined to meet with Ameristar leaders to discuss the transportation plan.

Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the department, said it is too early in the process to meet with casino companies about transportation plans. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the independent state agency that would license and regulate casinos, will not seek bids for specific projects until sometime next year.

Michael A. Fenton, a member of the Springfield City Council who represents Ward 2, said Ameristar’s proposal is encouraging.

Michael Fenton

Fenton, who is neutral on the casino proposal, said the proposal attempts to keep a large majority of casino traffic off main local roads in the area such as Page Boulevard, East Street, Carew Street, St. James Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. Those streets, as well as many side residential streets, he said, could be impacted by a casino.

“It’s headed in the right direction,” said Fenton, who attended the meeting with Ameristar and the East Springfield Neighborhood Council last week.

James J. Ferrera, president of the Springfield City Council, said a 15-member casino site committee will ask Ameristar to present the company’s transportation plan to the committee. Ferrera created the committee and appointed himself and other members including some who asked to be named.

Ferrera said it would be premature to comment because he has not seen any renderings or a formal proposal by the company.

In the only other announced casino plan for Western Massachusetts, the Mohegan Sun is planning “flyover” ramps off the Massachusetts Turnpike to bring customers directly to its proposed casino resort on a hill next to Exit 8 in Palmer.

Paul E. Burns, president of the Palmer Town Council, said the flyover would go over Route 32. Burns said he has not seen a plan of the flyover but Mohegan officials have talked about it and he believes it would be the best solution since it could mitigate traffic congestion.

A state law allows the gaming commission to license up to three casino resorts in different geographic zones including one for anywhere in the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

The second finalist in Springfield, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Warwick, said he is not a candidate for any other jobs.

Jesus F. Jara

SPRINGFIELD – Jesus F. Jara, who is a finalist for superintendent of schools here and is also a finalist for his current job in the Florida Keys, was selected this week as a semi-finalist for superintendent in Santa Fe, N.M.

Jara, reached for comment Wednesday, said he was recruited for the job in Santa Fe, and applied in April at around the same time he was applying in Springfield and Monroe County in Florida.

Jara said no one should doubt his desire to return to Massachusetts and to serve as superintendent in Springfield. He is a former principal in Springfield.

“Springfield has the potential to be a great school district, and I can lead Springfield to provide great opportunities for the children,” Jara said

The three job applications “are about having job security for the family,” Jara said.

The Springfield School Committee has two finalists for superintendent: Jara, superintendent of Monroe County; and Springfield Deputy Superintendent of Schools Daniel J. Warwick, who has worked for the local school system for 35 years.

The Santa Fe school district announced six semi-finalists this week who are scheduled for interviews next week, according to a prepared release.

Jara has a one-hour interview Monday before the Springfield School Committee at 3:30 p.m. at the Central High School Library.

Warwick, who has an interview with the committee on Friday, declined comment on Jara’s job applications except to wish him “the best of luck.”

Warwick said he has no other job applications himself.

“My heart is in Springfield and I love Springfield and I am not applying anywhere else,” Warwick said.

The Santa Fe school system has approximately 13,360 students, about half the number of students in Springfield. It has about 25 schools compared to about 45 schools in Springfield, according to school district information.

Jara was appointed superintendent in Monroe County in August by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, previously serving as chief operations officer. However, the system has now changed, requiring new applications and selection of the superintendent by the Monroe County School Board.

Jara thus opted to reapply for the job.

Springfield School Committee member Antonette E. Pepe said Jara’s application in Santa Fe, which she was not aware of, “tells me that he is not so sure he might get the job where he is.”

There are five finalists under consideration in Monroe County.

Rodriguez's reference to standing his ground is similar to the claim made by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who is citing Florida's stand-your-ground law in his defense in the fatal February shooting of an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin.

AP Photo/Pat SullivanRaul Rodriguez leaves a Houston courtroom during a recess Monday. Rodriguez was convicted Wednesday of murder in a triple shooting in 2010 that left one man dead and two others injured during a dispute over the neighbor's loud party. The retired Houston-area firefighter told a police dispatcher by phone that he feared for his life and was "standing his ground."

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston jury convicted a man Wednesday of murdering his neighbor during a confrontation outside the neighbor's home two years ago, rejecting his claim that he was within his rights to fatally shoot the man under Texas' version of a stand-your-ground law.

Raul Rodriguez, 47, faces up to life in prison for the 2010 killing of Kelly Danaher.

Rodriguez, a retired Houston-area firefighter, was angry about the noise coming from his neighbor's home, where a birthday party was taking place. He went to the home and got into an argument with Danaher, a 36-year-old elementary school teacher, and two other men who were at the party.

In a 22-minute video he recorded the night of the shooting, Rodriguez can be heard telling a police dispatcher "my life is in danger now" and "these people are going to go try and kill me." He then said "I'm standing my ground here," and shot Danaher. The two other men were wounded.

Rodriguez's reference to standing his ground is similar to the claim made by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who is citing Florida's stand-your-ground law in his defense in the fatal February shooting of an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin. Rodiguez's case, however, was decided under a different kind of self-defense doctrine.

Prosecutors called Rodriguez the aggressor who took a gun to complain about loud music and could have safely left his neighbor's driveway any time before the shooting. Defense attorneys argued Rodriguez was defending himself when one of the men lunged at him and he had less than a second to respond.

Rodriguez's attorneys did not present any witnesses at trial, seeking to put the burden on Danaher and the two other men who the defense claimed caused the confrontation to escalate.

But Danaher's widow told jurors her husband was not a confrontational person and that if he had known the get-together — a birthday party for her and their young daughter — was disturbing others, he would have taken care of the situation.

During the trial, prosecutors tried to show Rodriguez had a history of not getting along with Danaher and other neighbors in Huffman, an unincorporated area about 30 miles northeast of Houston.

One neighbor testified that Rodriguez, who had a concealed handgun license, bragged about his guns and that he told her a person could avoid prosecution in a shooting by telling authorities you were in fear of your life and were standing your ground and defending yourself.

Texas' version of a stand-your-ground law is known as the Castle Doctrine. It was revised in 2007 to expand the right to use deadly force. The new version allows people to defend themselves in their homes, workplaces or vehicles. It also says a person using force cannot provoke the attacker or be involved in criminal activity at the time.

The Brethren Community Foundation will sponsor Juneteenth celebration.

Members of the Peter Brace Brigade, a Civil War re-enactment group from Springfield, who will set up a historical encampment at the 2012 Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday at Springfield Technical Community College grounds

SPRINGFIELD – An annual celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery will be held Saturday at Springfield Technical Community College.

Juneteenth is the nation’s oldest African American historical observance and organizations across the country will host celebrations with music, Civil War re-enactment troupes and more.

“The Juneteenth celebration is one way to teach our youth about their history and to bring the community together,” said Raymond Berry, Jr., president of The Brethren Community Foundation, which is sponsoring the 6th annual event.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when in Galveston, Tex. Union General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued by President Abraham Lincoln. On that date, former slaves celebrated, launching the observance.

The celebrations will begin on the college green at 2 and go on until 6 p.m. Activities will include live local entertainment, free food, vendors, family and children’s activities and the Spirit of Sankofa Awards.

Youth from Dream Studios, a Springfield dance and drama troupe, perform at last year's Juneteenth celebration. They will perform this year again at the 6th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on the Springfield Technical Community College grounds.

“The Spirit of Sankofa literally means going back to the past, and bringing it forward. It’s important for African Americans to embrace their heritage, herald the strength of its people as survivors of slavery, and now celebrate freedom going forth,” Berry said.

Award recipients include Springfield Department of Health and Human Services Director Helen Caulton-Harris, Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe, Jr., DeLois F. Swan and, for their 2011-2012 season championships, the Central High School boys basketball team and the Roger L. Putnam football Team.

Berry said this year’s celebration feature singer Marquis “Mr. Qwes” Johnson, of Connecticut, Kafele Bandele, a jazz trumpeter, and local talent including singer Leon Spradley, Tom and Karen Bolden and rap artist Kyreem Tabar. Youth from Dream Studios Inc., a performing arts troupe, and the Peter Brace Brigade, a Civil War re-enactment troupe, will perform historical pieces. 

Brown urged the U.S. House to expand access to abortion care for military women in cases of rape or incest; in 2010, Brown voted to make it more difficult for military women to get elective abortions.

The Republican | Robert RizzutoU.S. Sen. Scott Brown tours East Forest Park in Springfield a year after a tornado struck the area.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown on Wednesday urged the U.S. House to support an amendment allowing women in the military to use federal funds for abortion care in cases of rape or incest.

“Military victims of such horrific crimes should be afforded the same rights as the regular citizens they protect who rely on federal funding for their health care,” Brown wrote in a letter to Republican House leaders. Brown cited the prevalence of sexual assault in the military and noted that at times, women “have no access to safe, non-military health services.”

But this is not the first time an issue surrounding abortions in the military has come before Brown. While Brown describes himself as pro-choice, Brown’s votes on the two amendments illustrate a record on abortion rights that is complex.

In 2010, Brown opposed an amendment that would have gotten rid of a ban on military hospitals performing abortions except in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother. Effectively, the amendment would have allowed women to use private money to pay for elective abortions. Advocates for the bill argued that it would give military women the same health care rights as private citizens in cases where women overseas do not have access to non-military health services.

The two issues are different. While Brown has not publicly stated his reasons for voting against the 2010 amendment, opponents raised concerns about potential violations of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother. In his letter to the House about the more recent amendment, sponsored by Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Brown made clear that the Shaheen amendment conforms with the Hyde Amendment.

Current law states that the Department of Defense cannot use federal money – through military health insurance or a base doctor – to provide abortion care except in cases when a woman’s life is in danger. Civilian federal employees also have access to abortions in cases of rape or incest. The Shaheen amendment would bring the military policy into line with the civilian policy.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-10 on May 24 to include the Shaheen amendment in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. Brown, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, and ranking Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain were the only Republicans to vote for it. The bill is pending before the full Senate. The amendment was not included in the House’s version of the act, so a decision will likely come down to a committee of conference.

Brown on Wednesday wrote to House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and committee chairmen urging the Republican House leaders to ensure that the Shaheen Amendment becomes law.

In 2010, the debate surrounded a separate provision of the law that bars Department of Defense medical treatment facilities from performing abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or life of the mother. Then-Sen. Roland Burris, an Illinois Democrat, proposed an amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act that would have lifted the restriction. The amendment passed in the Senate Armed Services Committee 15-12, almost entirely along party lines. Brown voted against it in the committee vote. (The underlying bill later failed in the Senate.)

Opponents told the New York Times that they worried federal funds would be used to pay for abortions, since the abortions would take place at public facilities. Proponents of the amendment said the full cost of the abortions would be paid for by private money.

In general, Brown has said he favors abortion rights (with restrictions on partial-birth abortions) and supports Roe v. Wade, but opposes federal funding of abortions and supports strong laws requiring parental consent. He has opposed efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

Brown’s Senate office declined to comment for this story.

The library department had three layoffs and four vacant positions eliminated.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanBrandon Lopez, age 8, of Springfield, picks out books last summer at the Pine Point branch library that is slated to close July 2.

SPRINGFIELD – Local officials and residents reacted with sadness this week to news that the city plans to close three library branches on July 2 as part of a series of city budget cuts and reduced staffing.

The Library Department will be closing the Pine Point branch on Boston Road, the Liberty Street branch in Liberty Heights and the East Forest Park branch on Island Pond Road.

“I wish they would keep it open,” said Madelyn Rolon, of Beacon Terrace, who was at the Pine Point branch Wednesday with her two children, Brandon Lopez, 7, and Tanisha Claudio, 16. “My son likes to read books. She gets books for projects at school. It’s sad they are going to close it.”

William Buchanon, of Boston Road, sitting at a computer at the Pine Point Library, said it will be inconvenient for many people in the neighborhood, including those who do not have home computers.

“It’s a sad thing,” Buchanon said. “It must be pretty bad out there or they don’t feel a need for it.”

Molly Fogarty, the city’s director of libraries, and Stephen Cary, chairman of the Library Commission, said they knew budget cuts were coming, but hoped for the best. The city budget recommended by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno currently calls for 12 layoffs in the city and the elimination of 96 vacant positions, which includes three layoffs in the libraries and four unfilled vacancies.

“We are hoping this is not permanent,” Fogarty said. “We certainly regret having to close any libraries. I feel the city is a city of neighborhoods and every neighborhood cherishes its library. The idea right now is we just don’t have the staff.”

The city is reducing the library department budget from $3,671,611 to $3,555,318, a cut of 3.2 percent. The department also receives about $473,000 in grant funds.

There is a petition already submitted with 200 signatures opposed to the closure of the Pine Point library, and staff have heard concerns elsewhere, Fogarty said. The Pine Point site will be open at times for a state and federally funded adult literacy program, she said.

The decisions on what branches to close was based on multiple factors including statistics on usage of those libraries, Fogarty said. In addition, the city was renting the East Forest Park site for $53,000 a year including utilities and maintenance, which cannot be afforded, she said.

There is talk of raising funds to build a library within the neighborhood, possibly at the Mary Dryden school, she said.

In the coming fiscal year, the Library Department will have 58 employees, spread among the Central Library and six branch libraries. The branches are currently open just 18 hours per week, and the hours are not expected to lessen, she said.

The library system has seen the closing of libraries multiple times over the years, including three branches closed in 2003 and a fourth one sold while owned and operated by the former Springfield Library & Museums Association. The city took over the system and the libraries reopened months later.

Cary said there will an expanded effort to obtain state and federal funds and grants.

“The library has been running lean and mean for quite awhile,” Cary said. “We are looking forward for ways we can work with the mayor.”

Cary said he and others realize the budget cuts are difficult decisions for the mayor.

The proposed $551.8 million city budget includes $344.3 million for the school system. The recommended budget reflects a 1.8 percent decrease over the current year’s budget, officials said.

Sarno and his chief financial and administrative officer, Lee Erdmann, said in a joint statement that the budget cuts were forced by “a triple negative forces of reduced property tax revenues, lack of increased assistance from the state, and increased non-discretionary expenditures.”

The pre-sentencing letter written by Margaret McCusker was one of several unsealed the day after Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping Bulger evade capture.

File photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye / Associated PressMargaret McCusker leaves federal court in Boston last summer where a hearing was held for her sister Catherine Greig, longtime girlfriend of former crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger.

Catherine Greig

BOSTON – The twin sister of Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger’s longtime girlfriend says in a letter to a federal judge that Catherine Greig deserved leniency because she “never possessed an evil bone in her body” and wasn’t involved in Bulger’s activities.

The pre-sentencing letter written by Margaret McCusker was one of several unsealed Wednesday, the day after Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping Bulger evade capture during 16 years on the run.

McCusker also wrote Judge Douglas Woodlock that her sister was affected by their father’s alcoholism, and always “had a sense of duty to care for people.”

“She has touched many with her kind acts, and her love for animals is unsurpassed,” McCusker wrote in the letter.

She said she did not know whether her sister was alive during the time she was gone with Bulger, who’s in his 80s.

Greig and Bulger were captured in Santa Monica, Calif., last year. She pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy. Bulger faces trial for his alleged role in 19 murders.