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Holyoke police arrest Amherst man for alleged assault on child

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Ralph Reed, 48, of 1200 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, was charged with indecent assault and battery on a child age 13 or younger, according to Holyoke police.

HOLYOKE — A police traffic stop just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday led to the arrest of a 48-year-old Amherst man on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a child, according to Holyoke Police records.

Ralph Reed, who provided authorities with an address of 1200 N. Pleasant Street, was charged with one count of indecent assault and battery on a child age 13 or younger, records show. Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur Monfette did not return a phone message seeking comment. Further details were unavailable.

Reed was expected to be arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court. The outcome of that proceeding was not immediately known.

The charge comes with a possible maximum 10-year prison sentence. Under the statute, alleged victims under age 14 are incapable of consenting to any conduct of the defendant.

In September 2011, Reed was charged with stealing American flags from graves at Cavalry Cemetery on Northampton Street, according to Holyoke Police Lt. Michael J. Higgins. Reed was charged with larceny less than $250, removal of flags from a burial ground, and injuring or defacing a burial ground, police said at the time.

"These heroes are buried in our cemetery here after defending our country," Higgins said after last year's arrest. The small flags had been placed at veterans' graves, he noted.


Traffic, street stops lead to 2 dozen drug arrests by Holyoke police

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An apparent stepped-up enforcement effort led to the arrests of numerous suspects, most of whom were not city residents.

HOLYOKE — Paper City authorities over the past week have charged more than two dozen people with drug crimes, the vast majority of whom were not city residents, in an apparent crackdown on narcotics and other illicit drugs, Holyoke Police Department records indicate.

Only four of the people cited for alleged drug offenses — ranging from a single ticket for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana to drug possession, possession with intent to distribute and drug conspiracy — are from Holyoke, with the rest hailing from cities as close as Northampton and as far away as New York, the records show.

Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur Monfette did not return a phone call from The Republican seeking comment about whether an enforcement campaign is under way, but most of the arrests reportedly stemmed from police traffic or street stops.

Ten arrests were made Wednesday, and another six were made Thursday — the two busiest days for drug arrests by city police. Defendants hail from Agawam, Chicopee, Ludlow, Northampton, Palmer, Springfield, Westfield and the Bronx.

An arrest Monday afternoon near the McDonalds restaurant at 285 Maple St. resulted in three arrests. On Wednesday, the busiest day for drug arrests, a street stop near the Holyoke Inn, 245 Whiting Farms Road, just before 2 p.m. nabbed three alleged suspects. A little more than three hours later, a motor vehicle stop near the corner of Main and Sargeant streets nabbed another three, all of whom were charged with drug possession and "being present" where heroin was kept.

No further information was available.

Westfield School Department sends layoff notices to 26 teachers

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The notices are based on seniority; Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion said an early retirement incentive offered last month has been extended.

WESTFIELD — The School Department has notified 23 teachers of possible layoff at the end of the current school year because of a budget shortfall for fiscal 2013 that begins July 1.

Notices were sent to another three teachers because of teaching certification issues.

The notices are based on seniority. Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion said an early retirement incentive offered last month has been extended.

Scallion said notifications were “as precise as possible taking into consideration bumping rights and classroom needs.”

The department’s management team involving principals, supervisors and administration reviewed class sizes, with a focus on 20 students per teacher in grades kindergarten to grade three and 24 students in grades four through 12.

The superintendent said some classes were consolidated where appropriate.

The school district employs about 640 teachers.

The School Committee last month approved a $55.5 million school budget for the new year, acknowledging a deficit of $860,000 that must be resolved.

Scallion, at that time, said the intent would be to minimize staff reductions. She said all retirements and other attrition moves would be reviewed to determine the need for replacement.

The deficit has the potential for layoffs of 10 teachers and 20 paraprofessionals.

To date seven teachers have opted for the retirement incentive of $10,000 each to be paid out over a three-year period.

The School Committee last week endorsed the incentive. School Committee finance chairwoman Cynthia A. Sullivan said the anticipated savings are $40,000 annually for each position if each person taking early retirement is replaced.

PM News Links: Police chief charged with assaulting wife, evidence in 'Whitey' Bulger case shows obsession with self and more

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A new report shows that the number of baby deaths in Springfield increased from 25 in 2010 to 44 in 2011.

  • Waltham Police Chief Thomas LaCroix charged with assaulting wife [WCVB-TV, NewsCenter5, Boston]

  • Unveiled evidence shows 'Whitey' Bulgers obsession with news about self [Boston Herald]

  • Number of baby deaths in Springfield reportedly has increased [WWLP-TV, 22News, Chicopee]

  • Boston City Council lacked authority to oust councilor Chuck Turner, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules [WBUR-FM, 90.9, Boston]

  • Hopkinton man charged with assaulting 10-year-old autistic boy [WFXT-TV, Fox25, Boston]

  • Egypt protests 61512.jpgEgyptian protesters chant slogans against the country's ruling military council and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Friday. Click on the link, at right, for a report from the Washington Post about the military's decision to disband parliament.

  • Monson tornado victim’s donor database makes big impact on disaster relief [CBS Boston.com]

  • Woman who give birth unassisted won't face prosecution of baby dies, court rules [Boston.com]

  • Egyptian generals order dissolution of parliament [Washington Post]

  • Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]

  • Read more News Links »

  • Do you have News Links? Send them our way or tweet them to @masslivenews
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    Stephen Morse trial: Final witness in boating death case breaks down describing accident that claimed 10-year-old's life

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    Charles Tobin, who was the only defense witness, wept as he described pulling 10-year-old Gus Adamolpoulos into the back of the power boat that struck the boy.

    Gallery preview

    NORTHAMPTON — The final witness in the Lake Norwich boating fatality trial broke down on the stand Friday as he described how a perfect summer day on Aug. 17, 2010, ended in a nightmare.

    Charles H. Tobin, Jr. was water-skiing behind the power boat driven by Steven B, Morse when it struck something and seemed to skip across the water, Tobin said. A few seconds later, Tobin saw a kayak surface, then a man.

    "He was in a panic," he testified in Hampshire Superior Court. "He was calling 'Gus!'"

    Then Tobin saw Augustus Adamolpoulos, 10, rise to the surface, injured and moaning. He saw that the boy had deep gashes in his back and was missing his left arm. Adamopoulos, known to friends and family as Gus, died within hours of those injuries.
    Morse, 37, of Westfield is charged with manslaughter, boat homicide by reckless operation while under the influence of alcohol, boat homicide by reckless operation and child endangerment while under the influence in connection with the Ludlow boy's death.

    Tobin, who was the only defense witness, wept as he described pulling Adamolpoulos into the back of the power boat. An experienced skier from Connecticut, Tobin had brought some boys to the Huntington lake that day for the birthday party of his teenage son. Using his sister-in-law’s Malibu power boat, he pulled the boys around Lake Norwich dozens of times, stopping to rest and eat.

    Shortly after 6 p.m., Tobin said, he decided to do some skiing himself because the lake’s surface was so placid. He asked Morse, a distant cousin of his wife, to pull him on the Malibu.

    “He fired up the boat, slowly put it in gear, and I said, ‘Go!’” Tobin said under questioning by defense lawyer Michael O. Jennings.

    Tobin said Morse had pulled him before and that he trusted him to operate the boat. At one point, as they were making a turn, Tobin lost sight of his sons, who were sitting in the back of the boat, because he was blinded by the sun. Then came a bump.

    “All I saw was the boat just jump, skip,” he said.

    When it came to a stop, Tobin realized it had run over the kayak where Gus Adamopoulos and his father James had been fishing.

    Prosecutor Matthew Thomas maintains that Morse’s ability to operate the boat was impaired by a combination of beer and marijuana. He has admitted drinking three beers that day and smoking several bowls of pot. However, several police officers testified that they did not detect any signs of alcohol consumption, and Morse passed field sobriety and breathalyzer tests at the scene.

    Earlier on Friday, the prosecution rested after calling Dr. Andrew Sexton of the Massachusetts Medical Examiner's Office, who performed the autopsy on Adamopoulos. Sexton described in detail the boy's wounds and gave the cause of death as "multiple sharp force injuries." An Environmental Police officer told the jury that the kayak had a number of deep slashes consistent with propeller marks.

    Judge Daniel Ford scheduled closing arguments for Monday. The case will then go to the jury.

    Mass. court overturns conviction in baby's death

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    Women do not open themselves to criminal charges by giving birth without medical assistance, the highest court in Massachusetts said Friday as it ruled in the case of a Milford woman who gave birth to a nearly full-term baby whose body was later found in the trash.

    By DENISE LAVOIE
    AP Legal Affairs Writer


    BOSTON (AP) — Women do not open themselves to criminal charges by giving birth without medical assistance, the highest court in Massachusetts said Friday as it ruled in the case of a Milford woman who gave birth to a nearly full-term baby whose body was later found in the trash.

    The Supreme Judicial Court said the state has adequate criminal laws prohibiting murder, most late-term abortions, and the neglect and abuse of children to protect viable fetuses and living children "without the need to subject all women undergoing unassisted childbirth to possible criminal liability."

    "Imposing a broad and ill-defined duty on all women to summon medical intervention during childbirth would trench on their 'protected liberty interest in refusing medical treatment,'" Justice Barbara Lenk wrote for the court in the unanimous opinion.

    The ruling reversed the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Allissa Pugh. Because prosecutors had not proved that her baby was born alive or that calling for medical help would have saved his life, they lacked evidence that Pugh's failure to call for help was the cause of the baby's death, the court ruled.

    The infant's body was found in January 2007 as haulers were collecting trash in Pugh's neighborhood.

    Pugh told police she believed she was only three months pregnant and possibly having a miscarriage when she gave birth at home. She said that after her water broke, she felt the baby's foot first, realized it was in a breech position and thought she should hasten the baby's birth. She said she pushed about 10 times and pulled on baby to speed up the delivery. The infant was delivered a few minutes later, but was blue and unresponsive, she said. She later put the baby's body in the trash.

    Superior Court Judge Peter Agnes Jr. found that prosecutors had not proven that the baby was alive at birth but found that she recklessly injured the infant by trying to speed the delivery.

    The SJC found that prosecutors didn't prove that Pug's decision not to seek medical assistance caused the baby's death. The court also said it was not an intentional killing.

    The SJC said the judge found correctly that criminal liability can be imposed on someone who intentionally kills a viable fetus. But the high court said Pugh's case was not one in which a woman forgoes medical treatment during childbirth with the intention of killing her fetus or a case of a woman who undergoes unassisted childbirth after being told that doing so would severely imperil the baby's life.

    "Instead, we are presented with the situation of a woman undergoing unassisted childbirth who had no reason to suspect complications at its outset," Lenk wrote. "There is no affirmative duty in such circumstances to summon — and implicitly, to accept — medical assistance, even where the failure to do so might result in unintentional harm to a fetus."

    Pugh's lawyer, Peter Ettenberg, said Pugh believed she was only a few months along in her pregnancy and thought she was having a miscarriage when she went into labor. She had only gained 15 pounds, he said.

    Ettenberg said the ruling recognizes that many women give birth outside hospital settings and that a broad law making those women subject to criminal prosecution would be unfair.

    "If you are in a circumstance where you are giving birth unattended, you could open yourself up to selective prosecution. One police department or one government agency could choose to bring charges and another might not," he said. "I think the court is trying to protect a wide range of individuals who might be in a situation similar to the one Allissa found herself in."

    Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., whose office prosecuted Pugh, said he continues to believe that Pugh was "properly charged with and convicted of manslaughter in the death of her baby."

    "I do think that the court's opinion is misleading, because Judge Agnes did not convict the defendant for failing to seek medical care in delivering her baby. Instead, he convicted her for inflicting such severe injuries upon the baby that the baby suffered severe hemorrhaging throughout his body. The baby's abdominal cavity was filled with blood," Early said in a statement.

    "She then threw the baby's body in a trash can, and it was only discovered when it was crushed in a trash truck."

    Massachusetts Democratic Party to hold voter registration drives in Springfield, Boston

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    On Saturday, the Massachusetts Democratic Party is planning on holding voter registration drives in Springfield and Boston to commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when the last slaves were freed following the Civil War.

    John WalshMassachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh has served as the head of the Bay State Democrats since 2007. In 2006, he served as Deval Patrick's campaign manager during Patrick's successful gubernatorial run.

    The Massachusetts Democratic Party is planning on holding voter registration drives in Springfield and Boston Saturday to commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when the last slaves were freed following the Civil War.

    “It took nearly two and half years for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach the enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas and in the 147 years since then the slow march of freedom has continued because Americans of all stripes have kept pushing our nation forward,” said John Walsh, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in a statement. “Juneteenth is a chance to celebrate how far we’ve come, but it’s also a reminder that we need to keep fighting to make the American Dream available to every American.”

    According to the party, the registration drives are being coordinated by the Affirmative Action and Outreach Subcommittee of the Democratic State Committee.

    “No basic right is more fundamental to freedom than our blessed franchise and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Juneteenth than registering new voters,” said Dorothea Jones, co-chair of the AAOC. “Through our work on Juneteenth and beyond, the Massachusetts Democratic Party is committed to bending that long arc of the moral universe ever closer toward justice, fairness and equality under the law.”

    In 2007, Gov. Deval Patrick issued a proclamation making Juneteenth an official holiday in the commonwealth.

    Beth Choquette named principal at Northampton's Bridge Street School

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    Choquette, who was the principal of the Stamford Elementary School in Stamford, Vt., will begin her new post on July 2.

    NORTHAMPTON — Beth Choquette has been named the new principal of Bridge Street Elementary School.

    Choquette was appointed by School Superintendent Brian Salzer this week to replace Johanna McKenna.

    Choquette, who was the principal of the Stamford Elementary School in Stamford, Vt., will begin her new post on July 2.


    Westfield's South Middle School staff, students get 'A' in emergency drill

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    "Drills are held because there have been a lot of school shootings across the country. We need to practice this type of lockdown," Police Lt. Jerome M. Pitoniak said.

    061512 westfield school emergency drill ronald rix.jpgSouth Middle school principal Ronald Rix puts up a sign on the school's front door Friday announcing a lockdown emergency drill.

    WESTFIELD — Staff and students at South Middle School got an “A” for their response to an emergency drill involving a potential intruder.

    “The response exceeded my expectations,” Principal Ronald R. Rix said following the 20-minute drill Friday that involved a Code White total lockdown of the East Silver Street school. Only need-to-know personnel had previous warning of the drill.

    The building resembled an empty school immediately after the intercom announcement of the Code White.

    “That is what is supposed to happen,” Rix said, noting that all classroom doors are locked and all lights are shut off.

    In the auditorium, there were about 120 students, teachers and parents there for an assembly, but when that door was opened no one could tell, without walking into the auditorium, that anyone was there.

    Seven Westfield police officers responded along with K-9 units from Southwick and Ludlow. They went through their drill formalities.

    Police Lt. Jerome M. Pitoniak was equally pleased with the results of the drill. “Drills are held because there have been a lot of school shootings across the country. We need to practice this type of lockdown,” he said.

    061512 westfield school emergency drill michael whitney.jpgDuring a South Middle School lockdown emergency drill, Ludlow K-9 officer Michael Whitney led "Rocky" through the halls.

    Police and school staff meet following drills to discuss the results and any need for adjustment in procedure, he said.

    “It was an outstanding Code White drill,” Rix said.

    Officials used the drill to conduct a locker search, utilizing the K-9 units, for controlled substances.

    None were found, Rix said. Dogs used in the exercise were attracted to four student backpacks, but no controlled substances were found, the principal said.

    Rix said such drills are conducted once or twice each school year. Fire drills are conducted more frequently.

    South Middle School has an enrollment of 580 youngsters and 90 staff.

    Elizabeth Warren's husband calls on supporters to celebrate candidate's birthday with house parties across Massachusetts

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    Brown has used similar tactics in fundraising messages, and both candidates have included their own family members in their respective campaigns.

    Elizabeth Warren and Bruce Mann6-1-12 -SPRINGFIELD - Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren and her husband Bruce Mann attended the "Remembering and Renewing" ceremony at the Old First Church in Springfield's Court Square, marking the one-year anniversary of the tornado that hit Western Massachusetts. (Republican staff photo by Don Treeger)

    In an email to supporters, Bruce Mann, the husband of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, is calling on fans of the Harvard Law School professor to celebrate her birthday by hosting a party in her honor.

    Warren, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., for his Senate seat, will turn 63 on June 22.

    "Elizabeth is never eager to celebrate her own birthday. But family birthdays have always been different," Mann, also a Harvard Law professor, said in the email. "Our daughter and son still remember the parties she planned with them and the special cakes she baked for them, and I will always remember the fun she had doing it. Even now, she arranges her calendar around our grandchildren's birthday parties, which they eagerly plan with her."

    Mann says that Warren's campaign will provide willing house party hosts with "the necessary materials to invite your friends and engage your neighbors." He also encourages supporters to use her official website to set up a fundraising platform for the Democratic Senate hopeful.

    Brown has used similar tactics in fundraising messages, and both candidates have included their own family members in their respective campaigns.

    In April, Brown's campaign ran a contest in which one contributor was to be given the chance to spend the day with the senator, riding with him in the famous truck, campaigning and even going for a round of bowling and a beer.

    On Friday, Brown's campaign released a new web video featuring his wife Gail Huff and their two daughters telling stories of past Father's Day gifts and adventures. That release comes on the heels of several gender-related pieces of legislation under debate in the Senate, some of which Brown was criticized for opposing.

    Both candidates are currently sparring over a slew of debate invitations from organizations and media outlets across the state. While Brown's team has reportedly refused to meet with Warren's campaign to coordinate a schedule and agree to debate formats, both candidates have accepted separate invitations to debates while challenging the other to accept as well.

    Brown's campaign has said they are reviewing all proposals on their own. The candidates have mutually agreed to one televised debate in Boston hosted by CBS affiliate WBZ-TV and another in Springfield hosted by a consortium of media outlets in the region.

    Wayne Nutter of Westfield found guilty of 2 counts of child rape

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    Nutter was acquitted of eight other counts, including five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and three of rape and abuse of a child aggravated by the age difference between the defendant and victim.

    SPRINGFIELD – A Hampden Superior Court jury Friday found a 48-year-old Westfield man guilty of two counts of child rape.

    The jury convicted Wayne Nutter of two counts of rape and abuse of a child aggravated by the age difference between the defendant and victim.

    Sentencing by Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis was scheduled for July 11. Nutter faces a 10 year mandatory minimum sentence.

    Nutter was acquitted of eight other counts, including five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and three of rape and abuse of a child aggravated by the age difference between the defendant and victim.

    The victim was the same in all counts, but the different charges covered different time periods and acts.

    The jury deliberated for about four hours before reaching the verdict.

    State law sets a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years if: there is more than a five year age difference between the defendant and the victim and the victim is under 12 years old; or if there is more than a 10 year age difference between the defendant and the victim and the victim is between the age of 12 and 16 years of age.

    The girl had testified she was the victim of sexual abuse over multiple years, ending when she was about 15.

    Nutter was represented by Kathleen A. Cavanaugh Whitley, who argued the victim fabricated the accusations of rape by Nutter.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa G. Doran, who said the girl would have no reason to make false accusations.

    Feds share new details of Whitey Bulger's fugitive life

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    Hundreds of documents and photos released Friday offer a detailed look inside the apartment where Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, hid out during 16 years on the run.

    whiey bulger mug shot, mass apThis June 23, 2011 file booking photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows James "Whitey" Bulger, who was captured in June 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif., with his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig.

    DENISE LAVOIE
    AP Legal Affairs Writer

    BOSTON (AP) — A neighbor said the old man would sit up all night peering through binoculars. A handwritten sign on the apartment door said "Please Do Not Knock" because he slept during the day.

    But nearby residents had no idea that the man was really James "Whitey" Bulger, one of most wanted fugitives in the world.

    Hundreds of documents and photos released by federal prosecutors Friday offer a detailed look inside the California apartment where Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, hid out during 16 years on the run.

    In their Santa Monica apartment, investigators found a weekly planner filled with notes on everyday tasks, including laundry, cleaning, picking up prescriptions and going to doctor's appointments. But they also found holes in the walls filled with handguns, rifles and cash.

    Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang who was also an FBI informant, fled Boston shortly before he was indicted in early 1995. He was one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives until he and longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig were caught last June. He is currently awaiting trial for his alleged role in 19 murders.

    Descriptions and photos of the apartment, as well as interviews with people who knew the couple, were among hundreds of documents unsealed by prosecutors Friday, three days after Grieg was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping Bulger during his years as a fugitive. The documents offer a glimpse into the couple's life as fugitives.

    One photo shows a shelf with a stack of books about gangsters and crime, including several about Bulger himself. Some of the titles include "G-Men and Gangsters;" ''The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob," co-written by Kevin Weeks, Bulger's former right-hand man; and "A Mob Story" by former Boston Herald reporter Michele McPhee.

    But in other parts of the apartment, there are signs of a simple, unexciting existence. The weekly planner contained notes about going to pharmacies — Rite Aid and CVS — and grocery stores, Trader Joe's and Vons.

    Interviews with people who knew them in California — where authorities say they spent most of the 16 years — describe a quiet, older couple who mostly kept to themselves and pretended to be from Chicago.

    Joshua Bond, the general manager of the apartment building where they lived, said they were known in the neighborhood as "the old couple that always wore white." Bulger, he said, always wore glasses and a hat, and always had a beard.

    They called themselves Carol and Charlie Gasko, he said.

    Bond, who lived next door, said he would sometimes see Bulger through his window sitting up all night with binoculars.

    "Bond only ever saw Charlie get mad one time. This was because Bond had startled him. Charlie yelled at him and told him not to startle him again," a summary of an FBI interview said.

    Bond said Bulger gave him several gifts over the years, including a black Stetson cowboy hat, a beard trimmer and workout equipment.

    "If Bond had not thought the Gaskos were such a nice old couple, he would have thought that Charlie was trying to get Bond in shape because he (Charlie) was attracted to him (Bond)," the FBI said in its description of the interview.

    The photos show holes cut into the apartment walls, where authorities say Bulger hid more than 30 weapons and more than $800,000 in cash. One photo shows handguns visible inside one hole. Another shows a picture of a crucifix taped to a doorframe above a hole in the wall, where it appears the FBI removed a mirror that was hiding it. Another shows stacks of cash.

    Other photos show the couple's separate bedrooms. Bulger's room is cluttered, with an unmade bed, socks strewn on the dresser and crowded shelves. On one of the shelves is a Valentines' Day card with a picture of a puppy in front of a big red heart.

    Five pairs of sneakers line the top of a shelf, including four identical white pairs with blue stripes.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy and Jay Lindsay contributed to this report.

    Sen. John Kerry announces office hours in Berkshire and Worcester counties

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    Kerry said he will have staff in the Worcester County towns of Dudley and Webster on Monday, June 18, and the Berkshire County towns of New Marlborough and Sandisfield on June 19.

    John Kerry Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., center, gestures during a transportation rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 13, 2012, to urge the House-Senate Transportation Conference Committee to reauthorize the nation's surface transportation programs, due to expire on June 30. From right to left are: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Kerry. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

    U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., announced his staff will hold additional office hours in several Massachusetts communities on Monday and Tuesday to discuss local issues, offer assistance on individual cases, and answer any and all questions.

    “Folks all across our state should have the exact same access to their Senator and our staff as people in Boston, so we’re traveling to Central and Western Massachusetts to offer up our services and help solve problems and answer questions," Kerry said in a statement. "We want to be there to help in any way we can.”

    Kerry said he will have staff in the Worcester County towns of Dudley and Webster on Monday, June 18, and the Berkshire County towns of New Marlborough and Sandisfield on June 19.

    So far in 2012, Kerry’s staff has held office hours 60 different locations throughout the state.

    Information about future office hours is available online at Kerry's Senate website.

    The schedule for this round of visits is as follows:

    Monday, June 18, 2012

    10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Dudley Town Hall

    Room 210

    71 West Main Street

    Dudley, MA 01571


    1 – 2:30 p.m. Webster Town Hall

    Martel Conference Room

    350 Main Street

    Webster, MA 01778


    Thursday, June 21, 2012

    10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. New Marlborough Town Hall

    The Great Hall

    807 Mill River Southfield Road

    New Marlborough, MA 01244

    1 – 2:30 p.m. Sandisfield Old Town Hall

    3 Silverbrook Road

    Sandisfield, MA 01255

    Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren disagree on Barack Obama's new illegal immigration policy

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    Obama said the U.S. will stop deporting illegal immigrants who came to the country as children; Brown says the policy would "make the problem worse" and Warren said such young people "did nothing wrong."

    obama immigration.jpgIllegal immigrants, including Katye Hernandez, 22, of Silver Spring, Md., left, and U.S. citizens including Rachelle Robertello, 18, of Fairfax, Va., center, along with staff of Casa de Maryland, rally in front of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 15, 2012, in support of President Barack Obama after the President announced that the U.S. government will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

    Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said Friday that he opposes President Obama’s decision to stop deporting illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren said she supports the Democratic president’s policy.

    Obama announced on Friday that the Department of Homeland Security would grant temporary relief from deportation to some illegal immigrants who immigrated as children and do not represent a public safety threat. The policy is similar to the DREAM Act, a bill that Congress was unable to pass in 2010. But while the DREAM Act would have given children of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, the president’s policy will stop them from being deported for two years and grant them work visas.

    Brown opposed the DREAM Act, calling it a form of amnesty. On Friday, he said he continues to oppose the policy in the form of an executive order.

    “While I'd be open to allowing young people who have chosen military service to obtain citizenship in recognition of the extraordinary sacrifice involved, I'm afraid that the administration’s policy is too broad and would set off a new wave of illegal immigration, making the problem worse, not better,” Brown said in a statement.

    Brown called the policy unfair to immigrants who are waiting to enter the country legally. “Rather than sidestepping Congress on this major policy shift, the President should work with us toward a bipartisan, long-term solution,” Brown said.

    Warren has supported the DREAM Act, arguing that it is the right thing to do. On Friday, Warren said she supports the president’s policy.

    “These young people did nothing wrong, they were brought to this country by their parents,” Warren said in a statement. “They have gone to school here or served in the military, and they should be able to continue living and working here.”

    Warren criticized Brown for voting against the DREAM Act in Congress, saying Brown “denied the dreams of these young people” and “cost our communities and our country.”

    The Department of Homeland Security policy will give relief from deportation to illegal immigrants who came to the country when they were under 16, are now under 30, have graduated from high school or served in the military, have lived in the U.S. for more than five years and have no criminal record.

    The issue has particular political resonance for Obama, who is trying to attract the Hispanic vote in key swing states. Obama’s Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, said during the primary season that he opposes the DREAM Act and would veto it. The Associated Press reported that Romney, who has recently been trying to attract Hispanic voters, told reporters that the matter should be decided through legislation, not through an executive order. Romney did not say whether he would repeal Obama’s new policy.

    Obama for America Press Secretary Ben LaBolt said Obama remains committed to passing the DREAM Act, “but he won’t sit back and allow these children to get deported in the face of inaction.”

    Stocks climb higher to hit 1-month high; investors await Greek elections

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    A pair of weak economic reports helped push Treasury prices up and yields down.

    By MATTHEW CRAFT | AP Business Writer

    061512 wall street traders.JPGTrader Edward Schreier, foreground left, wears his 1976 Stony Brook University baseball cap as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 15, 2012. The Seawolves of Stony Brook have gotten the rock-star treatment since their stunning super-regional victory at LSU and undoubtedly will be the fan favorites when they open the College World Series, Friday against No. 2 national seed UCLA. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

    NEW YORK — Stocks recorded their third big gain of the week and closed at a one-month high Friday because of expectations that the central banks of countries around the world will step in to limit the damage from a debt crisis in Europe.

    The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 115 points.

    Now investors wait for a crucial election on Sunday in Greece that will help determine whether that country stops using the euro as its currency. Such an exit would destabilize financial markets.

    Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, said his institution stood ready to support Europe's banking system by continuing to lend money to solvent banks. He also appeared to leave open the possibility of an interest rate cut.

    Draghi said in Frankfurt that the ECB has a "crucial role" in extending credit to banks in times of instability, when banks can't always borrow money on financial markets.

    On Thursday, Reuters reported that ECB, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and other global financial authorities were ready to act in concert to limit the fallout from Greece.

    Investors also are more confident about the election itself, said Peter Tuz, a money manager, at Chase Investment Counsel, which runs mutual funds.

    "There's a growing sense of optimism," he said. "The betting now is that the 'let's stay in the euro' segment of the population will win."

    Borrowing costs for Spain were unchanged. They fell slightly for Italy, an indication that investors are feeling a little better about that country's solvency. They have been worried that Italy will have to seek financial rescue.

    The Dow rose 115.26 points to close at 12,767.17, its highest finish since May 11. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 13.74 points to 1,342.84, also its highest since May 11. The Nasdaq composite index rose 36.47 points to 2,872.80.

    For the week, the Dow rose 0.9 percent, the S&P 1 percent and the Nasdaq 1.3 percent.

    The week included four moves of 100 points or more for the Dow, the first time that has happened since April:

    • On Monday, the Dow lost 142 points as enthusiasm faded for a $125 billion rescue of Spanish banks.

    • On Tuesday, the Dow climbed 162 after a Federal Reserve official said he supported more measures to stimulate the economy.

    • On Thursday, the Dow gained 155, primarily because of late reports about possible coordinated action by central banks.

    Energy stocks rose the most Friday. OPEC oil ministers agreed Thursday to keep their production target steady, a compromise meant in part to soothe economically troubled countries.

    A pair of weak economic reports helped push Treasury prices up and yields down.

    A report on U.S. factory production showed a drop in manufacturing, a key driver of economic growth. A gauge of manufacturing in New York sank to its lowest level since November.

    The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.60 percent from 1.64 percent Thursday. Traders have been shifting money into the safety of the Treasury market ahead of the Greek election. That higher demand has kept yields near all-time lows.

    Among stocks making big moves:

    • Microsoft rose 68 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $30.02 following reports that the company is in talks to buy Yammer, a developer of social networks within companies.

    • Capital One Financial rose 80 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $53.81 after the company said uncollectable and delinquent loans at its credit card business dropped last month.

    • Defense contractor AAR plunged $1.23, or 10.6 percent, to $10.34. The company updated its forecast for fourth-quarter and fiscal-year earnings, and they were weaker than Wall Street expected.

    • YPF, Argentina's state-controlled oil and gas producer, rose 72 cents, or 6.9 percent, to $11.17 after Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim said he had acquired an 8.4 percent stake in the company.


    Young illegals excited over Obama policy shift on immigration, wonder if too good to be true

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    For many young illegal immigrants who have long wished to stay in the country and work without fear of deportation, President Barack Obama's announcement Friday is like an answer to a prayer.

    young illegals obama View full size"Right to Dream" students and supporters block the street outside the federal Metropolitan Detention Center Friday June 15, 2012, in Los Angeles to celebrate the Obama administrations decision to stop deporting younger illegal immigrants. Obama says his plan to stop deporting younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children will make the system "more fair, more efficient and more just."


    ATLANTA (AP) — Scores of young illegal immigrants who have called the United States home for most of their lives are excited by the Obama administration's decision allowing them to stay here legally, but they have a lot of questions. Most important: Is it too good to be true?

    How will it actually work? What are the risks or pitfalls?

    Still, that uncertainty didn't stop text messages and social networks from buzzing with optimism Friday.

    "I started shaking," said Cindy Nava, 23, of Santa Fe, N.M., who received the news in a text while on her way to class at the University of New Mexico. She immediately called an attorney, who confirmed the news.

    Nava is a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who came to the U.S. as a 7-year-old. She wants to go to law school after she graduates with a political-science degree next year, and hopes the policy shift will allow her to work.

    Some conservatives vehemently disagree with the new policy, even while expressing compassion for illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children. They say Obama's unilateral action by executive order deliberately skirts the law.

    Young illegal immigrants acknowledge they could be at risk if Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney is elected and decides to reverse the policy.

    Renata Teodoro, who came to the U.S. from Brazil when she was 6, says she plans to apply for a work permit, anyway.

    "We've been putting ourselves out there for a long time so we are willing to take a chance," said Teodoro, 24, leader of the Boston-based Student Immigrant Movement who has led vigils and organized illegal immigrants from around the country. Teodoro's photo is featured on the cover of this week's Time Magazine along with that of other young immigration activists.

    For many young illegal immigrants who have long wished to stay in the country and work without fear of deportation, President Barack Obama's announcement Friday is like a dream come true.

    young illegals obama2.jpgView full sizePeople gather around a laptop to watch the live broadcast of President Obama's announcement easing enforcement of immigration laws on Friday, June 15, 2012 in Salt Lake City. The new policy offers a chance for hundreds of thousands of younger illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. and work.
    "When I heard the news today, I said, 'Oh my God. Finally, justice has come,'" said Ricky Campos, a 23-year-old college student in Maryland who was brought to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador when he was 12. "I couldn't stop screaming. I can't believe this is happening. I think that finally President Obama has heard us, and he believes in justice as much as we do."

    Gaby Pacheco, 27, is an illegal immigrant from Ecuador who has been an outspoken advocate for the DREAM Act, legislation that would carve a path to U.S. citizenship for those who qualify. Multiple attempts to get the measure through Congress have failed.

    Pacheco said she hopes the new policy means she'll finally be able to pursue a career working with autistic children.

    In the U.S. since age 7, Pacheco has a bachelor's degree in special education and associate degrees in early education and music.

    She's been making ends meet by doing tutoring work as a private contractor, one of the few ways people without legal status can work.

    "My biggest desire and dream is to work with autistic children," Pacheco said. "I've been feeling empty for the last couple of years because I haven't been able to fulfill that dream."

    Pacheco was one of four students who walked 1,500 miles from Miami to Washington in 2010 to bring attention to the DREAM Act.

    "I think this is a testament to the power that our community has, that together when we set ourselves to do something, it can be accomplished," she said.

    Some of Pacheco's peers are not so confident.

    They have questions about how the new policy will work and worry it won't go far enough to protect them from deportation. Some are dismissing it as a meaningless election-year stunt.

    "This is politics again," said Dulce Guerrero, a 19-year-old activist who was one of several students arrested last summer in Atlanta while protesting the plight of illegal immigrant youth. "They're just trying to win the Latino vote."

    young illegal obama3.jpgNiouseline St. Jean, originally from Turks and Caicos Islands who lives in the U.S. illegally, holds a miniature U.S. flag and reacts during a press conference about the new U.S. immigration policy at Miami Dade Community College in Miami, Friday, June 15, 2012. President Barack Obama eased enforcement of immigration laws Friday, offering a chance for hundreds of thousands of younger illegal immigrants to stay in the country and work.

    Under the administration's new plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they are under 30 and brought to the U.S. before they turned 16; have been in the country for at least five continuous years; have no criminal history; have graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED; or who have served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.

    Jonathan Perez, 24, said the latest announcement isn't enough to move him or six other activists out of an Obama campaign office in Los Angeles where they have been holed up since Thursday.

    They're demanding an executive order to halt deportations of young people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act if it passed.

    The biggest problem with Obama's latest announcement, Perez said, is that students will need to identify themselves to immigration authorities — with no guarantee they'll get a work permit.

    "We want something that is actually going to stop all of our deportations," said Perez, a native of Colombia who lives in Montebello, Calif.

    He said immigration authorities don't consistently follow a directive issued last year to focus more on serious criminals when making decisions about deportation, and worries the new policy is equally vulnerable.

    Perez said he and others will continue protests at Obama campaign offices across the country until the president issues an executive order ending deportations for those who would qualify for the DREAM Act.

    "We're going to stand here and make sure they can't come to our community trying to get votes ... while they continue to deport millions of people," he said.

    Many Republicans, including former Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, chief sponsor of the state's 2010 immigration enforcement law, said the administration is making an unconstitutional end-run around Congress. Currently president of the Ban Amnesty Now group, Pearce characterized the change as a "backdoor amnesty."

    "The effect is just the destruction of the rule of law," Pearce said. "It's a slap in the face to those who come here legally."

    Jan Barton is a citizen activist in Georgia who has been a strong supporter of the state's tough law targeting illegal immigration. She said she is disappointed by the new policy.

    "I have compassion for those children that are here illegally, but this amnesty sends a message to all that it is OK to break the law," she said. "Millions of Americans are unemployed, and giving job permits to these people will take jobs away from Americans."

    ___

    Bear attack survivor Ben Radakovich reveals 'grizzly' details in brush with death in Alaska wilderness

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    "Bears are unpredictable," said Radakovich. "You can never be 100 percent certain that you'll have the time to fend off a bear."

    alaska guy.jpgView full size In this photo taken in July 2011, bear mauling victim Ben Radakovich stands in front of some peaks south of Anchorage, Alaska, that he was hoping to climb before the attack by the grizzly Sunday left him with a shredded back and neck lacerations. The 30-year-old resident of the Anchorage, Alaska, suburb of Eagle River was rescued almost two hours after he scrambled 30 feet up a tree.

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The grizzly bear sank its teeth into Ben Radakovich's back, at one point lifting him from the ground and shaking him hard as it mauled him on an Alaska trail.

    The 30-year-old man recalled that as the enraged bear with a young cub pounced, he had no time to fear death: just a split second to yell and step back.

    "I didn't really think anything," he said after Sunday's attack during a solo hike along the Penguin Creek Trail south of Anchorage. "I was just reacting instinctively."

    It was only later that Radakovich contemplated all the what-ifs. What if the grizzly had bitten him a little harder on the neck or gotten an artery or his spinal cord? What if Radakovich wasn't wearing a backpack that held the hard hiking helmet the bear dug into first?

    As it turned out, he was rescued after he scrambled 30 feet up a tree. He was left with wounds in his lower back and a lacerated neck, requiring multiple stitches to close up. He feels stiff, bruised and sore.

    "I'm just thankful that it didn't turn out worse," he said Thursday by telephone from his home in suburban Anchorage. "If that bear wanted to kill me, it easily could have."

    Radakovich moved with his family from Moscow, Idaho, to Alaska, where he and his wife, Tami, work as public school psychologists in Anchorage. They love the outdoors and like to go camping and hiking with their three children.

    Radakovich was eyeing the Penguin Creek Trail because he wanted hike up some peaks.

    He was an hour into the hike where the trail is narrow and winding, closed in by thick foliage. Bears were uppermost in his mind, so he kept calling out "hey bear" and "out of my way bear" to warn any of his presence.

    But the mother grizzly was just around a bend in the trail, poised to attack. Radakovich dropped one of his hiking poles and reached for his bear-repellent spray on his belt. The bear jumped on him, knocking the spray out of his hand and going for his backpack.

    Radakovich curled up in the fetal position. The bear lifted him with its teeth and shook him. He clearly remembers also being bitten in the neck. He doesn't know what happened for several seconds, and wonders if he passed out.

    "I just remember sitting and realizing the bear was gone," he said.

    He called 911 on his cellphone but hung up when he saw the bear coming back. He quickly climbed the tree and called again.

    For nearly a half hour, he could hear the bear grunting below him.

    Rescuers reached him after nearly two hours and he was flown by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital, where he was treated and released that evening.

    Radakovich says he and his wife won't be making any more solo treks in certain places. But he knows even people in groups can be vulnerable: Four teenage wilderness survival students were attacked by a grizzly in Alaska's Talkeetna Mountains last year and survived.

    "There are things you can do to make yourself safer, but bears are unpredictable," he said. "You can never be 100 percent certain that you'll have the time to fend off a bear."

    John Tierney and Richard Tisei fail to reach anti-PAC ad deal in Massachusetts 6th Congressional District race

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    Discussions between Democratic U.S. Rep. John Tierney and Republican Richard Tisei to agree on a "People's Pledge" style pact have reached an impasse.

    Richard Tisei John Tierney VSU.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, and Republican opponent Richard Tisei. (Campaign file photos)

    BOSTON (AP) — Competing proposals to limit third party attack ads and contributions from political action committees in the state's contentious 6th Congressional District race appear to have both collapsed.

    Republican congressional hopeful Richard Tisei had proposed placing limits on the amount each candidate could accept from outside political action committees.

    Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. John Tierney suggested instead that the two agree to the same deal signed by Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democrat challenger Elizabeth Warren to limit third-party attack ads in this year's election.

    On Friday both sides conceded no deal was in the works.

    Tisei said his attempts to reach an agreement with Tierney had reached at an impasse. Tierney blamed Tisei for balking at the proposal to limit ads by outside groups.

    Springfield school superintendent finalist Daniel Warwick gets support from parents, educators, old friends

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    Several also quizzed Warwick on his plans for the district while offering their own suggestions.

    061512 daniel warwick meet and greet.jpgDaniel Warwick, center, a finalist for Springfield schools superintendent, talks with Michael Martin, left, and Enrique Figueredo, right, during a meet and greet at the Springfield Central High School on Friday.

    SPRINGFIELD — Daniel Warwick arrived at Kiley Junior High School on May 21, 1976, for his first day as a substitute teacher.

    “I survived,” Warwick said, recalling his debut.

    On Friday, Warwick arrived at Central High School under more auspicious circumstances. After working as a teacher, special education supervisor, principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent, Warwick is one of two finalists for the school’s superintendent’s post.

    Billed as a public reception, the event was more like a reunion of people who worked with Warwick during the past 36 years.

    “It’s a meet-and-greet ... for someone whose been here for 36 years,” said Warwick, who is vying with former High School of Science and Technology principal Jesus Jara to be the district’s next superintendent.

    Following a similar session for Jara at Van Sickle Middle School Monday afternoon, the School Committee will discuss the two candidates to replace Alan J. Ingram, whose announced his resignation last August, effective June 30. A vote is also possible at the meeting.

    At Friday's event, about 50 parents, educators and old friends showed up to wish Warwick luck. Several also quizzed him on his plans for the district while offering their own suggestions.

    Lisa Bakowski, principal at Margaret C. Ells School and parent of two students, was particularly interested in Warwick’s strategy for reducing the dropout rate, especially among Hispanic males.

    Along with Judith Goodwin, the district’s early childhood supervisor, Bakowski said the deputy superintendent had the experience, expertise and temperament to lead the city’s school system.

    “We really need someone who knows the district,” Goodwin said.

    “He’s not going to have to acclimate himself” to the job and the city, Bakowski added.

    Gary Lantaigne, the system’s transportation coordinator, said he was sure Warwick was the right candidate, but less certain about his prospects when the School Committee votes Monday.

    To boost Warwick’s chances, Lantaigne said he will appeal to a higher power than the seven-member school board.

    “I’m going to be (dedicating) my Mass on Sunday” for Warwick’s selection, he added.

    Holyoke teachers union president, head of Collaborative for Educational Services clash over Dean Tech teachers' rights

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    The union president said 25 teachers at Dean were laid off and told they could reapply for their jobs only by agreeing to weakened collective bargaining rights.

    2010 dean technical high school buildingDean Technical High School in Holyoke.

    HOLYOKE — Twenty-five teachers at Dean Technical High School were laid off and told they could reapply for their jobs only by agreeing to weakened collective bargaining rights, the union president said Friday.

    But the head of the Northampton-based nonprofit agency that is managing Dean disputed that. She said that the teachers’ collective bargaining rights would be maintained and that the layoff notices used the School Department template that is issued to inform teachers each spring that funding might be unavailable for their services, common in most cities and towns.

    Meanwhile, the agency, the Collaborative for Educational Services, which has been running Dean since July under state order, said it won’t opt out of its contract and will continue running the vocational school.

    The events cap more than a week of negotiations between Holyoke School Superintendent David L. Dupont and Collaborative Executive Director Joan E. Schuman about the extent of control the Collaborative will have at Dean.

    Dupont told the School Committee Thursday he would inform the state Friday the city won’t opt out of its contract with the Collaborative.

    joan.JPGJoan Schuman

    Schuman issued similar remarks in a prepared statement Friday: “The Collaborative for Educational Services looks forward to continuing our work as the turnaround managers for Dean Technical High School.”

    “Efforts to turn around this struggling school will come with challenges, but we are confident that with the commitment from all who are involved to making this a success, we can create a better school at Dean,” Schuman’s statement said.

    Collaborative officials told the School Committee in May the organization would withdraw from the contract unless granted complete autonomy to hire, fire and move around staff, set student admission policy and make other changes.

    They said such total authority was needed to turn around the chronic academic and other problems that forced the state to require the hiring of a manager.

    But such authority doesn’t permit the stripping of collective bargaining rights as a condition of employment, said James M. Sullivan, interim president of the Holyoke Teachers Association.

    He said 25 Dean teachers received layoff notices from the Collaborative for Educational Services on Thursday that included the stipulation they could reapply for their jobs only if they surrender union rights.

    The union will fight the Collaborative’s notices, with a lawsuit if necessary, he said.

    “We’re going to seek relief on every level that we can,” Sullivan said.

    Any of the laid-off teachers who are asked back would have to sign a “Dean Technical High School Work Election Agreement 2012-2013.” The document, provided by Sullivan, spells out work expected from teachers and how Dean has been categorized by the state as a Level 4, or chronically underperforming, school.

    The agreement states that while teachers remain members of the Holyoke Teachers Association, the agreement supersedes the union contract if a conflict arises.

    Sullivan said a key change in the agreement is that a teacher with a dispute cannot go directly to the union. The teacher first must discuss the dispute with the school principal, a meeting that can include a union representative who works at Dean, the agreement said.

    If the conflict remains unresolved, the required steps would be for the teacher to take the dispute to the Collaborative executive director, then to a mediator and then to the grievance process through the union, the agreement said.

    Sullivan said that step eliminates the existing union right to take grievances to the School Committee and superintendent.

    Schuman said over the phone Sullivan’s characterization of the agreement was wrong because the notices clearly state teachers remain members of the union.

    “It’s absolutely inaccurate and it’s not true,” Schuman said.

    Federal and other grants are paying the Collaborative $606,520 a year to run Dean.

    Mayor Alex B. Morse, chairman of the School Committee, said he was hopeful enough common ground could be found for the city and Collaborative to improve Dean.

    “I look forward to working aggressively with them to accelerate academic and vocational performance at Dean. Our city’s young people deserve a quality vocational high and we pledge to be innovative as we seek out partnerships with the business community in a new and meaningful way. The status quo is unacceptable,” Morse said.

    Dean has a budget of $7.3 million, 600 students and 160 teachers and other staff. Students take shop classes that include auto body repair, welding, cosmetology and culinary arts.

    Dean Tech Work Election Agreement

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