Restaurants find themselves populated with Wi-Fi squatters, who occupy seats for hours at a time.

The Republican

A few years ago Wi-Fi looked like a soon-to-be-obsolete Internet technology, as mobile broadband seemed poised to become the dominant form of wireless connectively.

Forces in the marketplace, however, have revitalized Wi-Fi, and the restaurant industry now finds itself increasing victimized by Wi-Fi's renewed popularity.

Around a decade ago, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops began to install Wi-Fi hot spots as a way of attracting customers. It was a strategy that proved moderately successful, and within a few years "laptop people" became a fixture in establishments that offered Wi-Fi service.

Then came the smart phone, a communications innovation that companies like Verizon and T-mobile at first promoted the use of by offering unlimited data plans.

However, about a year ago those mobile carriers began switching to pay-to-play pricing strategies that throttled back that once-unlimited access to their mobile broadband networks.

Since then, the traffic in Wi-Fi, which smart phones can use in lieu of a mobile broadband signal, has exploded.

Companies like Panera Bread, which has long offered free Wi-Fi in its bakery-cafe locations, now find themselves victims of their own success. In addition to struggling to provide enough capacity on their Wi-Fi networks to meet peak-hour demand, Panera finds itself with restaurants populated with Wi-Fi squatters who occupy seats for hours at a time.

Panera is so concerned about this problem that they are considering tying Wi-Fi access to a customer loyalty program. In order to have guaranteed Wi-Fi access, patrons would have to accrue points based on the amount they spent at Panera.

Some small independent restaurant and coffee shop operations have pulled the plug on Wi-Fi service altogether, finding its availability served as a drag on sales and profitability.

The days of free Wi-Fi in restaurants may be limited, it seems, as the voracious bandwidth appetite of smart phone technology turns providing free Wi-Fi into a competitive disadvantage.

Restaurant real estate is expensive and has to generate sales in order to pay for itself. Customers who nurse a cup of coffee while surfing the web for a couple of hours don't fit into such a business model.

A former Braintree school teacher becomes the first patient in New England to get a total artificial heart implant.

File photo by Robert Rizzuto / The RepublicanU.S. Sen. Scott Brown speaks with reporters during a visit to Springfield last month. Click on the link, at right, for a report from the Boston Herald that says Brown's campaign says the senator misspoke when he said he had met with kings and queens.

• Bus monitor bullied by students in upstate New York won't seek criminal charges [FoxNews.com]


• Police in Vermont release name of man who died after being tased [Burlington Free Press]


• Retired teacher from Holbrook gets first total artificial heart transplant in New England [WCVB-TV, NewsCenter5, Boston]


• Scott Brown ‘misspoke’ when he said he met with kings and queens [Boston Herald]


• UMass law school to freeze tuition, fees for 3 years [Boston.com]


• U. S. Supreme Court, saying broadcast decency standards too vague, throws out FCC rulings against ABC, Fox [Christian Science Monitor]


• New Haven highway traffic could come to crawl this weekend [Hartford Courant]


• Doug the Quahoag, predicts 84 days of sunny weather on Cape Cod this summer, really [Cape Cod Times]


• 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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Like the children's program, the adult version is free to the public and will include presentations, prizes, a book discussion and special events.

File photo | The RepublicanThe South Hadley Public Library.

SOUTH HADLEY -- For the second year, the South Hadley Public Library is offering an Adult Summer Reading Program to parallel the children’s summer reading programs that are popular all over the Pioneer Valley.

“Why should the kids have all the fun?” says librarian Desiree Smelcer. Last summer, she says, the first-time adult program drew 400 people.

Like the children’s program, the adult version is free to the public and will include presentations, prizes, a book discussion and special events. It’s for people 18 and older, with individual events open to all.

To distinguish itself from the kids’ program, the 2012 program has what sounds like a slightly racy title: “Between the Covers.”

It’s not only a pun on the experiences that lie in wait between the covers of a book, but a reference to several upcoming programs that concern activities after dark, such as dreams, astronomy, ghosts, UFO’s and relationships between couples.

On June 26 at 6:30 p.m., “Between the Covers” will kick off with a talk on dream interpretation by Erica Lorentz of the Jung Center of Western Massachusetts.

“Dreams: Your Inner Teaching Stories” will include a film about how dreams guided composer David Blum through his fight with cancer.

Like his contemporary Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung used dreams to understand the subconscious.

On July 9 at 6:30 p.m., the Amherst Amateur Astronomers Association will conduct an astronomy observation program. Relationships between adult couples will be the topic of an educational program on July 11 at 6:30 p.m.

The South Hadley Cultural Council will sponsor a presentation by actor Richard Clark on July 18 at 6:30 p.m., titled “The Lunatic, The Lover, and The Poet: Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits.”

Writers in all genres are invited to the Writers Workshop on July 21 at 10 a.m.

On July 23 at 6 p.m., Stephen Firamni will speak on “Alien Abduction in New England.” Firamni is director of the Mutual Unidentified Flying Object Network (MUFON).

The South Hadley Book Group invites Adult Summer Reading members to their book discussion on July 25 at 6:30 p.m. The book in question is “Nothing Daunted,” in which author Dorothy Wickenden tells the real-life story of two well-to-do young women who went West in 1916 to teach in a frontier school.

Finally, the Agawam Paranormal Society, which has given several well-attended talks at the South Hadley Public Library, will be back with a “Summer Ghostology Program” on August 1 at 6:30 p.m.

The South Hadley Public Library is at 27 Bardwell St. For more information, call (413) 538-5045.

Potentially dangerous heat indices over 100 will repeat again today. Expect highs in the upper 90s with high humidity with dew point temperatures near 70. Drink plenty of water and if you work or exercise outdoors, try to avoid the midday heat generally between 11 and 3 p.m. when temperatures are highest combined with the strongest sunshine. Happy summer!...

Potentially dangerous heat indices over 100 will repeat again today. Expect highs in the upper 90s with high humidity with dew point temperatures near 70.

Drink plenty of water and if you work or exercise outdoors, try to avoid the midday heat generally between 11 and 3 p.m. when temperatures are highest combined with the strongest sunshine.

Happy summer! Today is the first full day of summer. Any clear day gives us maximum solar radiation this time of year. Sunlight aids in forming ozone, a lung irritant. An oxygen molecule gains an oxygen atom to for the ozone molecule with 3 oxygen atoms. Two atoms linked is good for you, three is not. That said, air quality is another issue as it remains unhealthful for those with lung issues.

This evening: Hazy and humid. 80s.

Tonight: Very uncomfortable. Starlit and hazy. Low 70-74.

Friday: Showers and T-Storms, Sun and clouds. Highs upper 80s.

Saturday: Decreasing humidity. Sun and clouds. Highs low 80s.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Angelina F. Gagliarducci

AGAWAM - Angelina (Frasca) Gagliarducci, 89, died at home Tuesday. She and her late husband, Albert, owned and operated, "Al's Notions House", a toy and novelty shop in Springfield's South End. They also owned and operated Lake Lorraine Beach, in Indian Orchard. She was a parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Springfield.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Ayers, Clarence E.
  



• 
  Badman, Carol A. (Keglovits)
  



• 
  Courtney, Grace (Sullivan)
  



• 
  Dawson, Lynne A. (Kennedy)
  



• 
  Gagliarducci, Angelina (Frasca)
  



• 
  Gilbert, Elizabeth Conant
  



• 
  Haley, Elizabeth L.
  



• 
  Helgoe Jr., Calvin L.
  



• 
  Hohengasser, Elizabeth M.
  



• 
  Howe, Donald H. "Ding"
  



• 
  Karkevich, Joan A. "Baby Girl"
  



• 
  Kelley, Richard F. "Pop"
  



• 
  Kwolek, George J.
  



• 
  Lazaroff, Celestine "Peggy"
  



• 
  Littlehale, Anita I. (Goyette)
  



• 
  Livermore, Marilyn (Donaldson)
  



• 
  Logan, Edward M.
  



• 
  Niquette, Jacqueline C. (Chenier)
  



• 
  Norton, Francis E.
  



• 
  Seigiel, Robert A. "Eagle"
  



• 
  Stapert, Micah Dexter
  



• 
  Taylor, Ocie G. "Gee" (Harris)
  



• 
  Woods, Norma M. Devore (Becker)
  



• 
  Wrobleski, Patricia G. (Grimaldi)
  

The thirteen teams, each with four chefs, came from such institutions as Harvard University, Skidmore College, Florida Institute of Technology and the University of British Columbia.

Chefs, from left, Simon Stevenson, Anthony Jung, Shawn Stemp, and Taylor Whittemore won top prize for the University of Massachusetts team in the Chef Culinary Competition on June 15 in Amherst.

AMHERST – Institutional food just isn’t what it used to be – and the University of Massachusetts is making sure of that.

UMass dining services earned a gold medal from the American Culinary Federation at the 18th annual Chef Culinary Competition in Amherst last week.

That makes 10 national awards for its cuisine this year alone, said Garrett DiStefano, director of residential dining at UMass.

The Amherst contest capped the annual conference held on the UMass campus every year for high-volume food service providers.

About 200 chefs participated in the conference. “It’s a way to share and collaborate with chefs around the country and around the world,” said DiStefano.

Thirteen teams, each with four chefs, competed for the gold medal. They came from such institutions as Harvard University, Skidmore College, Florida Institute of Technology and the University of British Columbia.

DiStefano said they all did a “magnificent job” in the competition.

The teams were given minimal information ahead of time. Then, on the morning of the competition, they drew ingredients out of a “mystery basket.” Each team then had about two hours to whip up four healthy courses worthy of a gold medal.

Although the contest was held at UMass, nobody on the UMass team had an inkling about what they would be working with, DiStefano emphasized.

After they got their ingredient list, UMass chefs Simon Stevenson, Anthony Jung, Shawn Stemp, and Taylor Whittemore came up with these four showstoppers:

• Pan-Fried Cod with Myer Lemon Parsley Vinaigrette

• Stuffed Chicken Breast with Artichokes, Spinach and Charred Red Pepper, Morel Orzo, Glazed Beets and Sautéed Green Beans

• Sautéed Pork with Apple Craisin Compote

• Strawberry Stuffed Profiteroles.

Five judges rated the teams not only on their command of the basic fundamentals of cooking (If they had to peel vegetables, did they use the peel in a soup or sauce?), but also on how well they worked together, said UMass executive chef Willie Sng.

The UMass team was deemed the best.

As for the taste – well, people can do more than dream about the magic these masters concoct. Members of the public can have breakfast at the UMass dining commons for $7.50, lunch for $9.50 and dinner for $12.50. Parents of students on the meal plan dine free.

Chair of the annual culinary conference is Ken Toong, who is also executive director of auxiliary enterprises at UMass.

The city has spent more than $90 million upgrading the sewer system and may spend as much as $200 million before the projects are finished.

Republican file photoA man works on a Jones Ferry combined sewer overflow station in a past project to improve the sewer system in the city.

CHICOPEE – The city has finished about 60 percent of the work to upgrade the city sewer system and is developing plans to move onto the next project.

The citywide program to separate sewer from storm water pipes started in 1988 when Chicopee and many other cities were mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to stop dumping raw sewage into the Connecticut River, which happened frequently during rain storms. The main reason is storm water and sewage were carried by the same pipe and overwhelmed the treatment plant during rains, Department of Public Works Superintendent Stanley W. Kulig said.

The city has upgraded the treatment plant, but the biggest and most expensive, effort has been to add new sewer pipes throughout the city and use the older ones for storm drains, said Thomas M. Hamel, project supervisor for water pollution control facility.

“We have been working on it ever since. We have actively been working on it since the late 1990s,” Kulig said.

The city has now spent $93 million on the project and is expected to spend $125 on all the projects scheduled before 2015. The city is likely to spend as much as $200 million before it is finished, he said.

Unhappy with the pace of the improvements, the federal government threatened to fine the city if the amount of effluent flowing into the river did not decline quickly. During a series of negotiations, the two sides developed a schedule through 2015 to hasten improvements, Kulig said.

But Kulig said he and other officials hope to be able to open negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency after 2015, saying most of the problem will be solved then and the projects after that will be more complicated and most of the pollution will be eliminated.

This summer work along Grove Street, Broadway and Wheatland Avenue will be finished at a cost of $9.1 million. A second phase of Chicopee Falls, which includes East Street, Waite Avenue and side streets, should be finished by January. That work is to cost about $8 million, Hamel said.

The third phase of the Chicopee Falls project is scheduled to start this summer. It will separate pipes along Beauchamp Terrace, St. James Street, Broadway and Academy Street. The two-year project is estimated at $15 million, Kulig said.

This summer the city is also improving the sewer system on Memorial Drive near Friendly’s Restaurant and Home Depot. The $450,000 project is designed to increase reliability rather than meet federal requirements, Hamel said.

There are also plans for several projects.

“We are already designing the next phase of the sewer separation project and that will be bid by Christmas,” he said.

That project, estimated at $2 to $3 million, will cover the lower Montgomery and lower Sheridan street area, Kulig said.

The next project, scheduled for the end of 2013, will separate sewers from storm drains in Aldenville. That will be followed by a project in Willimansett, he said.

At the same time there are planned upgrades to the main wastewater treatment plant and two other pumping stations, Hamel said.

The quality of the river has been improved because of past projects and residents have benefited because sewer backups into homes have decreased, he said.

“If we got an inch of rain, we would have two pages of sewer backups. We would get 50-60 calls,” Hamel said. “Now we can get a two-inch rain and no one calls.”

Nearly all the improvements are being made with low-interest loans at an interest rate from 2.5 percent, which are being paid back through sewer and storm water fees. The city has also received a few small federal grants, Hamel said.

The mayor has called a deep budget cut to Senior Center maintenance an attack on the Council on Aging program.

Gregory C. Neffinger

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger has vetoed 11 of the 14 cuts that totaled about $2.1 million when the Town Council made to them to his proposed $81.9 million proposed fiscal 2013 budget last week.

Neffinger talked about his vetoes Tuesday, calling the reduction of $30,000 to the Senior Center cleaning services account an “attack” on that facility and criticizing an additional $1.5 million cut from the health insurance account.

“If they wanted to make a point that wasn’t the place to make it,” Neffinger said of the cleaning services cut, which would bring that account down to $3,500.

The mayor called a cut of $1.5 million from the health insurance account on a motion by Town Councilor Brian J. Griffin “not responsible.”

“We have gotten a lot of negative feedback about that cut,” the mayor said.

The account that covers the city’s self-insurance health program is now at $8,331,060, according to the mayor, and would decline to $5,950,099 under his budget, which calls for using $2.5 million of the account toward fiscal 2013 costs. If the city ends up seeing it cut to $3,836,906, Neffinger said a catastrophic health expense could jeopardize the system.

The mayor questioned why if Griffin wants to give residents a property tax break through cutting that account he did not propose that last year or the year before.

Griffin responded that last year and the previous year he had not been told by city officials that only about $3 million is needed in that account.

The mayor also took issue with the council cutting $60,230 from the Planning and Development Department, which he said could leave the city without the services of the recently hired Planning and Development Director Douglas P. Mattoon. That position is a new one created by Neffinger to do such things as facilitate permitting for local projects.

Neffinger said Mattoon has already started a number of initiatives, including looking into how the city can add Senior Center activities to a camping program for special needs children at Mittineague Park.

The council nixed $105,000 the mayor had earmarked to buy three new vehicles, one each for himself, the fire chief and the police chief. The Mayor’s Office currently does not have its own car.

Councilors also slashed the Mayor’s Office’s personnel account by the $34,130 Neffinger had earmarked for an office assistant. That leaves the Mayor’s Office a two-person operation, Neffinger and his executive assistant.

Neffinger said eliminating the $94,350 he budgeted for the newly create position of deputy police chief would eliminate savings to be gleaned by reducing out-of-grade pay for people filling in to the chief.

The other cuts Neffinger has vetoed are: $20,000 from Law Department general expenses, $39,814 from maintenance of the municipal office building, $9,000 from a newly created economic developer position, $7,823 from the deputy director of the Council on Aging and $50,000 from the reserve account.

To overcome a mayoral veto the nine-member Town Council must muster six votes.

The council will take up the vetoes when it meets on Monday.

Prosecutors described Sandusky as a serial molester who groomed his victims, while his defense lawyer said the former Penn State assistant football coach was being victimized by an overzealous prosecution and greedy accusers.

Associated PressFormer Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, left, leaves the Centre County Courthouse escorted to his car by Centre County Sheriff Denny Nau in Bellefonte, Pa., Thursday, June 21, 2012.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Jurors in Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse case began deliberations Thursday after prosecutors described him as a serial molester who groomed his victims, while his defense lawyer said the former Penn State assistant football coach was being victimized by an overzealous prosecution and greedy accusers.

Prosecutors said Sandusky was "a serial, predatory pedophile" who used gifts and the pageantry of Penn State's vaunted football program to lure and abuse vulnerable boys who came from troubled homes.

"What you should do is come out and say to the defendant that he molested and abused and give them back their souls," Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan III. "I give them to you. Acknowledge and give them justice."

Standing behind Sandusky, McGettigan implored the jury to convict him

"He molested and abused and hurt these children horribly," McGettigan said. "He knows he did it, and you know he did it.

"Find him guilty of everything."

Sandusky's attorney said the 68-year-old former coach was being victimized by investigators who led accusers into making false claims about a generous man whose charity gave them much-needed love.

"They went after him, and I submit to you they were going to get him hell or high water, even if they had to coach witnesses," Amendola said in a sometimes angry closing argument.

If convicted, Sandusky could spend the rest of his life in state prison. He is charged with 48 counts related to 10 boys over 15 years. The jury includes nine people with ties to Penn State University.

The closing arguments came after seven days testimony, some of it graphically describing alleged abuse suffered at the hands of Sandusky, including touching in showers, fondling and in some cases forced oral or anal sex. One alleged victim — a foster child at the time — testified that Sandusky threatened him, telling him if he disclosed the assaults he would never see his family again.

Although Sandusky didn't take the stand in his own defense, McGettigan seized on an interview he gave NBC's "Rock Center" just after his arrest. In it, Sandusky seemed to stumble at times and struggled to give direct answers to questions about his conduct.

Asked if he was sexually attracted to boys, Sandusky told NBC's Bob Costas: "Sexually attracted, you know, I, I enjoy young people. I, I love to be around them. ... No, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."

McGettigan said, "I would think that the automatic response, if someone asks you if you're a criminal, a pedophile, a child molester, or anything along those lines, would be: 'You're crazy. No. Are you nuts?'"

Prosecutors said Sandusky met his victims through The Second Mile, a charity for at-risk youth he had founded.

Eight young men testified that they were abused by the former Penn State assistant football coach, and jurors also heard about two other alleged victims through other witnesses, including another former coach.

It was the testimony of that coach, then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary, that prompted university trustees the fire longtime coach Joe Paterno and the university's president.

Sandusky has repeatedly denied the allegations, and his defense at trial included a suggestion that his accusers have a financial motive to make up stories, years after the fact.

McGettigan displayed the pictures of eight smiling children for the jury, reminding them of what he said were lives forever altered by Sandusky's abuse.

"These are childhoods ravished," he said. "Memories destroyed."

But Amendola anticipated that in his own closing statement, telling jurors not to let the prosecution tug their heartstrings.

"I'll be the first one to tell you that if he did this, he should rot in jail," Amendola said. "But what if he didn't do it? His life is destroyed. Don't be fooled. Don't get tied up with the pictures."

McQueary testified that he witnessed Sandusky in a team shower with a young boy more than a decade ago, and that he is convinced Sandusky was molesting the child.

Amendola questioned McQueary's recollection of what happened, of what he claimed to see and hear in a football facility shower and how he reacted afterward, going to his father and Dr. Jonathan Dranov, who then said he should report what he saw to Joe Paterno.

"Do they say 'We have to call the police?' You know what they said. 'Talk to Joe Paterno,'" Amendola told the jurors.

If McQueary believed that he saw Sandusky raping a boy, why would McQueary later attend a Second Mile event, Amendola asked.

"If this man was performing horrific sexual acts on young kids, would you continue to support him in a tournament?" he said. "It doesn't make sense."

"Does Joe Paterno say we've got to call the police?" Amendola asked.

Defense witnesses, including Sandusky's wife, Dottie, described his philanthropic work with children over the years, and many of the 28 defense witnesses spoke in positive terms about his reputation in the community.

Sandusky's arrest in November led the Penn State trustees to fire Paterno, saying he exhibited a lack of leadership after fielding a report from McQueary about the 2001 incident. The scandal also led to the ouster of university president Graham Spanier, and criminal charges against two university administrators for failing to properly report suspected child abuse and perjury.

The two administrators, athletic director Tim Curley and now-retired vice president Gary Schultz, are fighting the allegations and await trial.

Earlier Thursday, the judge in the case threw out three of the 51 child sex-abuse charges against Sandusky.

Judge John Cleland found one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and one count of aggravated indecent assault involving the accuser known as Victim 4 weren't supported by the evidence. Another charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving another boy was dismissed because Cleland said it duplicated another count.

That left 48 counts for jurors to consider.

The announcement will be televised this summer on sports-oriented programs on the ESPN, Fox Sports, MLB and NFL networks.

Vice President Joe Biden, Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies, center, and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, discuss a new public service announcement, Thursday, June 21, 2012, during a news conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. The PSA features President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden, professional athletes and role models who deliver the message that dating violence is unacceptable. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is issuing a public service announcement against dating violence, combining the voices of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden with those of top sports figures in a campaign to reduce assaults on women.

The campaign, which was launched by Biden last year, is called "1 is 2 Many." Last year, 1 in 10 teens was hurt by a date. In the announcement, prominent athletes urge men never to strike a woman.

"Violence against women hurts all of us," says former New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, recalling his own experience as a boy. "Growing up I was afraid and ashamed of my father when he abused my mom."

The announcement will be televised this summer on sports-oriented programs on the ESPN, Fox Sports, MLB and NFL networks. Among those featured are, international soccer star David Beckham, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin, baseball's Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies.

"The worst abuse of power is when a man raises a hand to hurt a woman," Biden says. "We all have to take responsibility. So if you see someone threatening a woman, step up, speak out and get help."

Springfield's new online program is patterned after the state's Open Checkbook program.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanJames J. Ferrera, III, right, president of the Springfield City Council gets ready to push the button to launch a new feature on the city's website Thursday in the city council chamber. The others from left are Robert J. Maggi, deputy chief information officer, Patrick S. Burns, comptroller, councilor Bud L. Williams, Andrew J. Doty, chief information officer and Michael V. Matles, payroll director.

SPRINGFIELD – The city’s finances just became an “open checkbook” for the public to see.

City officials including Council President James J. Ferrera III announced the launch of the 'open checkbook' feature on the city’s website on Thursday in which the public is able to view every vendor check and every payroll check that is issued by the city.

The information including the amount of the check, the recipient, and the general purpose can be found by clicking on the city’s website at: www.springfieldcityhall.com, on the home page.

The information is expected to be updated online on a weekly basis.

The new feature “is going to allow for full transparency and full accountability in city government,” Ferrera said, during a press conference at City Hall.

Springfield is the first community in Western Massachusetts to post its checkbook online. It is modeled after a open checkbook program implemented in December by state Treasurer Steven Grossman regarding state expenditures, and is also done in Worcester and some other communities, Ferrera said.

Ferrera was joined by Councilor Bud L. Williams and representatives of the Information Technology, Payroll and Comptroller’s departments in launching the new program.

Ferrera said the plan for an open checkbook were part of his pledges when he was selected council president in January. Williams praised Ferrera for making the pledge and then pursuing it, agreeing it makes government more transparent.

Chief Information Officer Andrew J. Doty said the information can be downloaded, and the city saves thousands of dollars by setting up the new system and maintaining it in-house, rather than go to an outside firm. The features does not bear an added cost for the city

City Comptroller Patrick S. Burns said residents needing additional information about certain checks can contact his office at (413) 787-6150.

When clicked on Thursday, the Open Checkbook showed several small checks paid to Ricoh Americas Corp. and Xerox Corp. for rental of office equipment. It also showed checks paid to The Republican for legal advertising and for WB Mason Co. Inc. for office supplies, among other checks.

Weekly and bi-weekly checks to municipal and school employees will also be shown, Payroll Director Michael Matles said. Many school employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis.

Matt Sandusky said he was prepared to testify for the prosecution in his father's trial.

Associated PressJerry Sandusky arrives at the courthouse Thursday for the closing arguments of his sexual abuse trial.

GENARO C. ARMAS and
MARK SCOLFORO
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Lawyers for one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted sons said the man has told authorities the former Penn State assistant football coach abused him.

The lawyers issued a statement Thursday naming Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted children, and saying that the 33-year-old had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors at his father's sex abuse trial.

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici wrote in the statement. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators.

"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment."

The statement was issued after jurors in the ex-coach's child sex abuse trial began deliberating 48 charges against him. The jurors are sequestered during deliberations.

Lawyers for Matt and Jerry Sandusky and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Matt Sandusky went to live with Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, as a foster child and was adopted by them as an adult.

Shortly after the former coach's arrest in November, Matt Sandusky's ex-wife went to court to keep her former father-in-law away from their three young children. Jill Jones successfully obtained a restraining order forbidding the children from sleeping over at their grandparents' home.

At around the same time, details emerged that Matt Sandusky had attempted suicide just four months after first going to live with the couple in 1995. He had come into the home through The Second Mile charity, which Jerry Sandusky founded, and was first a foster child before being legally adopted.

During testimony last week, an accuser known as Victim 4 said Matt Sandusky was living at the Sandusky home at the time he stayed there overnight.

When asked by prosecutors whether Jerry Sandusky ever engaged him in a soap battle in the showers, he recounted the time when he and Matt Sandusky had been playing racket ball. After they were done, he said, they went back to a locker room. Matt got undressed and got into the shower and then Victim 4 and Sandusky followed him in there, he testified.

"Me and Jerry came in. He started pumping his hand full of soap," he said.

At that point, Matt shut off his shower and left and went to another locker room to shower, the witness said.

Asked by prosecutors about Matt's facial expression when the soap battles started, he replied: "Nervous."

Jurors began their deliberations Thursday after prosecutors described him as a serial molester who groomed his victims, while his defense lawyer said the former Penn State assistant football coach was being victimized by an overzealous prosecution and greedy accusers.

Prosecutors said Sandusky was "a serial, predatory pedophile" who used gifts and the pageantry of Penn State's vaunted football program to lure and abuse vulnerable boys who came from troubled homes.

"What you should do is come out and say to the defendant that he molested and abused and give them back their souls," Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan III. "I give them to you. Acknowledge and give them justice."

Standing behind Sandusky, McGettigan implored the jury to convict him

"He molested and abused and hurt these children horribly," McGettigan said. "He knows he did it, and you know he did it.

"Find him guilty of everything."

Sandusky's attorney said the 68-year-old former coach was being victimized by investigators who led accusers into making false claims about a generous man whose charity gave them much-needed love.

"They went after him, and I submit to you they were going to get him hell or high water, even if they had to coach witnesses," Amendola said in a sometimes angry closing argument.

If convicted, Sandusky could spend the rest of his life in state prison.

Texidor's sister, Priscilla Texidor, and her boyfriend Manuel Lora, already were charged in the case. Those are pending.

SPRINGFIELD - The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force on Thursday arrested James Texidor in New York in connection with the Aug. 23 shooting death of Jonathan Tallaj, 25.

Tallaj was gunned down outside his home at 86 Wilmont St. in Forest Park just yards from his door, police said at the time.

U.S. Marshal Daniel W. Spellacy, of the Springfield office, said his marshals and the Springfield Police Department developed information that Texidor, 18, was staying with family members in Bronx, NY. New York City Marshals arrested Texidor there without incident, according to Spellacy.

Texidor's sister, Priscilla Texidor, and her boyfriend Manuel Lora, already were charged in the case. Those are pending.

James Texidor is scheduled for extradition to Massachusetts and will be arraigned in Springfield District Court. That proceeding has not yet been scheduled, Spellacy said.

Springfield city councilors said there has been a common theme at budget hearings this week with department heads saying their budgets are “bare bones.”

James J. Ferrera III

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council is expected to conclude budget hearings on Monday, which will be followed by meetings next week to vote on the budget and come to terms on any additional cuts.

Council President James J. Ferrera III said he will schedule a meeting Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. at City Hall to consider passage of the mayor’s proposed city budget and any cuts in funding. He will also schedule meetings the following two days next week in case additional time is needed, he said.

“There is plenty of opportunity here – three full days to debate the budget if needed,” Ferrera said.

Meanwhile, city councilors said this week there has been a common theme in recent hearings with department heads saying their budgets are extremely tight in attempting to carry out essential services.

“Department after department seems to be at close to bare bones or bare bones levels,” Councilor Timothy J. Allen said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has proposed a $551.8 million budget for fiscal year 2013, effective July 1, reflecting a 1.8 percent decrease in funding. The budget includes $344.3 million for the public schools.

The city budget, as proposed, includes 12 layoffs of municipal employees, the elimination of 96 vacant city jobs, the closure of three branch libraries and other cuts, he said.

The Finance Department has warned that additional cuts are needed unless the council approves a $10 increase in the trash fee and an increase in the hotel tax from 4 percent to 6 percent.

The council, by a 9-3 vote Monday, rejected the trash fee increase, and delayed action on the hotel tax. If not approved, there is a budget gap of about $800,000, officials said.

Ferrera said the council clearly rejected the trash fee, but the mayor is free to resubmit it.

“Any increase in fees or taxes in this economic climate is a very tough pill to swallow for any taxpayer in the city of Springfield,” Ferrera said.

The cuts may not need to occur right away, Ferrera said.

The budget can be unbalanced on July 1, as was advised recently by Lee C. Erdmann, the city’s chief administrative and financial officer. The budget must be balanced before the tax rate is set, which takes place in December or sooner.

The council did approve fee increases in the city clerk’s office, Building and Code Enforcement department and animal control budget. Many of the fees had not increased in many years and were significantly lower than fees in other communities, officials said.

Those fee increases are already factored in the mayor’s proposed budget.

Erdmann said he is confident there will be “further discussion and potential action on the trash fee and hotel tax,” and said he expects the trash fee proposal will be resubmitted.

Supporters are generally optimistic about a casino in the commercial heart of Springfield, saying it could boost tourism, provide thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in taxes.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanThe Republican building at 1860 Main St., in downtown Springfield is being eyed by developers as the possible site of a casino.

A downtown casino in Springfield might help revitalize the city if planners can devise ways to smoothly control traffic and link the casino to existing attractions such as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the MassMutual Center, observers said Thursday.

A casino could attract people to Springfield who otherwise would not visit the city, they said. While crime would be an issue and bankruptcies and divorce rates might increase, a casino could also improve the city if designed carefully with enough parking and traffic improvements, said the Rev. Richard McGowan, an adjunct associate professor at Boston College and author of books on gambling.

McGowan said the industry is moving to locate more casinos in downtowns such as a casino that opened in May in Cleveland and one planned to open next year in Cincinnati. Detroit and New Orleans also have downtown casinos.

"That seems to be the trend," he said.

Richard McGowan

The MGM Grand Detroit bills itself as "the first-ever Las Vegas-style destination to open in a major metropolitan core."

The dynamics of licensing a casino in Western Massachusetts may have changed on Wednesday when The Republican reported that Peter A. Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines, is proposing a casino for the North End of Springfield. The publisher of The Republican confirmed that two companies associated with Picknelly -- aiming to build a casino -- submitted an offer for an option to buy The Republican's Main Street building and property, as well as the newspaper's eight vacant acres on the Connecticut River.

George Arwady, Publisher and CEO of The Republican, said by e-mail on Thursday that there is no timeframe for the newspaper to respond to the offer by the companies associated with Peter Picknelly.
"We still are considering how to respond," Arwady said in the e-mail.

George Arwady

"Employees of The Republican are surprised and intrigued, but they clearly understand that there is nothing in this for them to worry about," he added.

The option offer includes proposals for funds for The Republican to re-locate its offices and build a new production facility.

Peter Picknelly's brother, Paul C. Picknelly, president of Monarch Enterprises in Springfield and a hotel owner and operator, has met with several city councilors in Springfield to discuss a proposal to develop a casino in the South End of the city.

A downtown casino for Springfield might pick up more traction if one or both of the brothers announces that he has teamed up with a casino operator.

Kevin E. Kennedy, chief development officer for the city of Springfield, has said it's logical that MGM and Hard Rock International would look at Springfield for a possible casino resort. Hard Rock planned a casino for Holyoke but after being rebuffed by the mayor, said it would consider other locations in the region. MGM said it is "100 percent" committed to bringing a world-class casino to Western Massachusetts.

Heriberto Flores

Kennedy said the downtown would be "a good place" for a casino and a "game changer" for the downtown.

Opinion on a urban casino for Springfield is sharply divided, judging by comments on Masslive.com attached to the story that ran Wednesday. Many people are skeptical that it would be approved.

"If a casino is going to be built in Springfield, the newspaper and Peter Pan Bus properties are a terrific location for it. Highly visible from I-91 and I-291, in a commercial area that won't have a negative impact on neighborhoods. This would be a major tourist draw for a city that has few, and it would help boost businesses in the downtown area," said a post by spfldr99.

"To put a casino smack dab in the middle of the inner city is NOT a good move. Do we want to be another Atlantic City where the perimeter of the casino is a real populated poor area? Does Picknelly think the current problems in the North End are going to be solved with a big fancy casino?" added a post by realyst.

Cheryl Coakley-Rivera

A plan for a downtown casino in Springfield would compete for a Western Massachusetts license with the Mohegan Sun, which is planning a casino in Palmer, and Ameristar Casinos, which is planning a casino off Page Boulevard in East Springfield, outside the downtown area.

The state's casino law authorizes up to three casino resorts including one for anywhere in Western Massachusetts.

The five-member Massachusetts Gaming Commission was created to license and regulate casinos.

Heriberto Flores, president of the New England Farm Workers Council in Springfield, which he said owns seven buildings in the area of Main, Hampden and Fort streets in downtown Springfield, said he is considering proposals for a downtown casino. Flores said he wants to make sure that any proposal makes sense to the council and is in the best interests of residents.

Flores said he would like to put the agency's downtown contiguous buildings into the casino mix.

Flores said it's a good sign when a company wants to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Springfield.

"It's another industry," he said. "It will create jobs."

Supporters are generally optimistic about a casino in the commercial heart of Springfield, saying it could boost tourism, provide thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in taxes.

If a casino is going to be in Springfield, there's no question "the strongest location" is the downtown, said Rep. Sean F. Curran, a Springfield Democrat whose district includes the site for a casino off Page Boulevard. "If you put $500 million into downtown Springfield, it could go a long way to bring more vibrancy to the area,' said Curran.

But Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, a Springfield Democrat,said an inner-city casino would be more vulnerable to problems such as crime. Puppolo said he doubts that people would feel comfortable going to a casino in downtown Springfield.

"I'd certainly be very, very cautious about putting a casino in a downtown urban setting," said Puppolo, who is supporting the Mohegan Sun's plans for a casino on 150 acres on a hill off Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike because he said it would be more a destination resort.

Puppolo said the city of Springfield could work out an agreement with Palmer and the Mohegan Sun to assure that the city benefits with jobs and economic development from a casino in Palmer.

Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, a Springfield Democrat whose district includes the North and South ends of Springfield, said she is going to reserve her opinion on a downtown casino. She said she has seen no concrete plans.

Coakley-Rivera said the residential areas in the north and south ends have some of the highest rates of poverty in the state.

"It's exciting that people are looking into purchasing land and developing land in Springfield," she said. "It's all about making Springfield a better place to live, a more viable place to live and putting people who live there to work."

City Councilor Kateri B. Walsh said she believed a referendum for a casino would be approved in Springfield.

She said she likes the idea of a downtown casino depending on how it is done.

Gerald D. Sedlow was arraigned in Palmer District Court on drunken driving charges.

LUDLOW – A local man was arraigned on charges of drunken driving and negligent operation of a motor vehicle after he hit a police cruiser which was escorting an ambulance carrying a critically-ill patient.

Gerald D. Sedlow, 65, was arraigned in Palmer District Court Tuesday. An innocent plea was entered and his case was continued, Police Sgt. Daniel Valadas said.

The accident happened at about 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of West Street and West Avenue when Sedlow sideswiped the cruiser leading the ambulance. The accident caused serious damage to the cruiser and delayed the ambulance, which was speeding to Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. The police officer was not injured in the accident, Valadas said.

The temperature on Friday is expected to top out at 93 and by the weekend, 83.

View full sizeThe Republican | Mark M. MurrayWhen trying to beat the heat, a water hose is the pause that refreshes ,as "Noggin" enjoys getting sprayed with water from the hose at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Shelter. With Thursday's heat, staff at the shelter sought ways to keep the population from becoming hot dogs. "Noggin" ios one of many available for adoption.

SPRINGFIELD - The combination of heat and humidity dominated the region for the second straight day, but some relief may be within sight as temperatures Friday are expected to drop to the low 90s before dropping further to the mid-80s in time for the weekend.

Across the Pioneer Valley, temperatures were just a shade below Wednesday’s highs in the upper 90s, but with the high humidity a degree or two here or there made little difference.

Communities across Western Massachusetts opened cooling centers and pledged to keep them open on Friday as relief for residents seeking escape from the oppressive conditions.

Bradley International Airport recorded a high temperature of 96 degrees, one degree below Wednesday’s high of 97, according to the National Weather Service.

Wednesday’s temperatures broke the previous high for the date of 96 degrees set in 1996. The best Thursday could do was to tie the high for June 21 set in 1953.

Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee had a high of 95 degrees while Barnes Airport in Westfield came in at 96.

The Republican weather station showed an unofficial high of 96 degrees in downtown Springfield

Typically the average high temperature at the start of summer is 80 degrees.

The forecast Friday calls for temperatures around 93 degrees with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning.

Saturday and Sunday are expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures of around 83 degrees.

For the second straight day, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory to alert people to the dangers of high temperatures and high humidity. The combination of the heat and humidity, a measure known as the heat index, made conditions feel as if it was closer to 102 degrees.

The advisory warns people against about prolonged outside and recommends people drink plenty of fluids.

Barclay Dugger, the head athletic trainer at Springfield College, said being overcome by the heat in weather like this is serious business and not just a concern for athletes at sporting events.

On hot days with high humidity, the human body is simply not as able to cool down on its own. The body releases heat by sweating, but on very humid days, all that sweat clings to the body instead of evaporating, he said.

Too much exertion on a hot day runs the risk of heat exhaustion, which is when a person’s body temperature rises to 104 degrees. The symptoms are lightheadedness or nausea, an urge to vomit and skin is cool and pale.

“Your body is telling you that you need to stop what you’re doing and get fluids in it.”

Heat stroke occurs when the body temperature rises above 104. The symptoms are similar although someone with heat stroke may show irritability or seem irrational. Failure to treat heat stroke can result in coma or death, he said.

“If you need to work outside, take frequent breaks,” he said. Cool down when you can and drink plenty of water or sports drinks.

Athletic trainers and athletes are always concerned about heat exhaustion, he said. But a typical suburban homeowner mowing his lawn, or a kid playing basketball on an asphalt court in the park may not be as aware, he said.

The exact same rules apply, he said.

Drink plenty of fluids, take breaks when you can and try to cool off when you can, he said. The most important thing is to show some common sense.

“Common sense tells you that you need to drink fluids when it’s hot,” he said.

In Springfield, the heat prompted the city to establish a number of cooling centers where residents can go to beat the heat.

“It is very important that residents heed the message to take whatever precautions necessary to stay cool and avoid exhaustion and other health ailments associated with the high heat index,” said Thomas Walsh, spokesman for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

The city also opened a dozen splash pads are locations around the city for people to go an get wet cool off.

On Friday, available cooling centers will be the Mason Square Senior Center, 74 Walnut St., Riverview Senior Center, 120 Clyde St., and Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 1/2 Parker St.. Each will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday.

Northampton opened a cooling center at the city Senior Center, 67 Conz St.

It opened Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will be open Friday during the same hours.

South Hadley opened a cooling center at the town library, 27 Bardwell St., on Thursday and intends to have it open again on Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In Holyoke, a cooling center set up at the War Memorial, 310 Appleton St., was scheduled to close Thursday at 8 p.m. after being open for two days, although depending on how Friday turns out it may reopen.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said he will review the weather forecast Friday morning and notify the Board of Health whether it should be reopened for another day.

The heat claimed the life to two dogs in Franklin County on Wednesday.

The Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in South Deerfield reported that two dog died Wednesday as a result of being overcome by heat after being left in a vehicle.

One dog was dead on arrival, while the other had to be put down because of heat-related injuries, said officials at the veterinary hospital on Greenfield Road hospital.

The dogs reportedly had access to water as they waited in the rear of a covered pickup truck whose windows were open.

Deerfield Police Chief Michael Krusiewski said he checked with hospital officials, and they told him that the incident did not occur in Deerfield, which places it outside of
his jurisdiction.

He said yesterday afternoon that he was notified the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is looking into it.

Rob Halpin, spokesman for the MSPCA, said investigators have just started gathering information about the case, but it is too soon to say if charges of neglect or cruelty will be brought against the owner.

“Most of the time when (a dog dies from being left in a car), its an accident and not neglect. It’s a very fine line,” he said. “And that’s what we’re looking at here.”

Supporters said a casino resort is the city's only short at huge job and revenue infusion.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanA fairway is seen at Wyckoff Country Club, near Interstate 91, where developers hoped to put a casino.

This version includes updates with Councilor Bresnahan saying public deserves right to be heard on casino plans and Paper City Development official saying no deal was offered to resident.

HOLYOKE – Residents who want a casino here despite the mayor’s opposition are suspending efforts to get a nonbinding question on the fall election ballot.

But it was the office of state Secretary of State William F. Galvin, and not Mayor Alex B. Morse’s unwavering no on a casino, that has halted the group, group leader Lorraine Gorham said Thursday.

The group had hoped to gather enough signatures of registered voters to put on the Nov. 6 ballot, “Shall a casino be permitted to operate in the city of Holyoke?”

But Galvin’s staff told the group a signature petition won’t work. Because Holyoke voters will be facing a ballot that includes state elections, placing a question on the ballot requires a special act of the Legislature, which requires approval of the City Council and mayor, and the deadline to do that was June 1, she said.

That doomed the effort because while the 15-member council might have given the green light, Morse would not.

Morse has said city economic development efforts are best suited in pursuit of technology growth related to the construction of the $165 million high performance computing center on Bigelow Street, the arts and other areas, not the $500 million casino resort hoped for by those like Gorham.

Gorham, of Joanne Drive, said the effort to put a question about a casino before Holyokers springs from the belief it’s the only job and revenue generator big enough to reduce homeowners’ property taxes.

“There are a lot of people in Holyoke that feel that way,” Gorham said.

The group will take a few months off and resume trying to put a casino question before voters in 2013, she said.

A state law established last year allows for three casino resorts featuring investments of at least $500 million each, including one in Western Massachusetts.

A state gaming commission has been appointed to oversee the process and casino companies have been pitching proposals in Springfield, Palmer and elsewhere for years.

Paper City Development, a local group, had teamed with Hard Rock International, of Florida, in proposing a casino resort at Wyckoff Country Club alongside Interstate 91. But that plan is believed to be dead as long as Morse is mayor.

The state casino law requires the scheduling of a binding voter referendum in a community where a company has proposed a viable casino resort, and a referendum can’t happen without approval of the mayor.

Despite the provisions of the casino law, Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan is among those who believe a proposal for a casino resort deserves a public airing.

“I’m not for a casino. Quite frankly, I don’t think a casino would work. But we need to give them an opportunity to be heard and we need to give the public an opportunity to be heard,” Bresnahan said.

Voters here have twice approved nonbinding casino questions, on Nov. 5, 2002 and April 25, 1995.

But critics have asked whether those questions were too general to reflect accurate city sentiment. Under the new casino law, the binding question a city or town will face will identify the casino developer and the address where such a resort would be built.

Gorham also said that she has heard the talk in the community that her efforts are based on a deal to sell her property, which is near Wyckoff, to a casino developer, and that such an assertion is false.

“I have nothing to gain from this at all. I just think it’s something we should have,” said Gorham, who said a local business person asked her, “‘What are you getting out of this?’ I just couldn’t believe it.”

Paper City Development’s Anthony L. Cignoli confirmed Gorham’s comments.

“Whoever is saying that about her is pretty mean because she is a really nice lady,” Cignoli said.

To put a question on the city election ballot, supporters must get signatures of at least 10 percent, or 2,410, of the city’s 24,108 registered voters.

Sen. Scott Brown said Thursday that he's held secret meetings with "kings and queens" and other top leaders during his time in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., questions U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan and the Department of Homeland Security's acting Inspector General Charles K. Edwards as they testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Sen. Scott Brown said Thursday that he's held secret meetings with "kings and queens" and other top leaders during his time in the U.S. Senate. An aide said Brown misspoke when referring to meetings with kings and queens.

The Massachusetts Republican made the comment during an interview Thursday on WTKK-FM, after being asked if it was time to move beyond questions about Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren's claims of Native American heritage to discuss other issues.

Brown renewed his criticism of Warren, but also defended his work as a senator.

"Each and every day that I've been a United States senator, I've been either discussing issues, meeting on issues, in secret meetings and with kings and queens and prime ministers and business leaders and military leaders, talking, voting, working on issues every single day," Brown said.

Brown did not elaborate.

When asked for further explanation about the secret meetings, a campaign spokesman said Brown was "referring generally to private meetings with foreign and domestic leaders."

"He misspoke when he said kings and queens," Brown campaign aide Colin Reed said.

Democrats were quick to jump on the comment.

The head of the state Democratic Party called on Brown to release a list of his secret meetings.

"If Scott Brown rests the substance of his campaign on meeting with royalty, he should tell the people of Massachusetts who he met with and what they talked about," said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh. "I had no idea Scott Brown was friends with so many kings and queens."

Democrats also said the comment echoed remarks Brown made last year in multiple television interviews when he had "seen the photos" of Osama Bin Laden's corpse, and that they were bloody and gruesome.

Brown had suggested he saw the photos during an official briefing, but later acknowledged that he had been duped and that the photos were "not authentic."

During Thursday's interview, Brown also defended a Republican-led U.S. House probe into the botched "Fast and Furious" gun-tracking operation. Two of the guns in the operation were found at the scene of the slaying of U.S. border agent Brian Terry.

On Wednesday, a House committee voted to hold the Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, and President Barack Obama invoked executive privilege to avoid turning over some documents related to the operation.

"The administration should be open and transparent so they can get to the facts because not only do Americans deserve answers, but more importantly the family of the slain officer, they deserve answers," Brown said.

Also Thursday, Warren and retiring U.S. Rep. Barney Frank held a conference call with reporters to accuse Brown and other Republicans in Congress of what Warren called "back-door attempts to undermine Wall Street reform."

Frank, a Democrat, said if Republicans gained control of the U.S. Senate after the November election, the financial regulations law he helped author two years ago would be in jeopardy.

Frank and Warren pointed to opposition from House Republicans to provide additional resources to regulatory agencies such as Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Asked how Brown specifically was working to weaken Wall Street oversight, Warren pointed to a recent report in The Boston Globe that a top Brown aide had sent emails to U.S Treasury officials advocating for a less stringent interpretation of the "Volker rule," a provision of the law meant to bar commercial banks from making certain risky investments.

While Democrats have derided Brown as a "favorite senator" of Wall Street, the Republican has pointed out that he cast a decisive vote in the Senate in favor of the Dodd-Frank bill.

Frank said he worked cooperatively with Brown prior to passage of the bill, and that both sought to protect Massachusetts institutions that had not been accused of serious wrongdoing in the financial crisis from some of the most punitive aspects of the law.

___

Associated Press writer Bob Salsberg contributed to this report.

The vote was 6-1 in favor of the budget during a meeting at City Hall, with member Antonette Pepe casting the sole vote against passage.

Christopher Collins

SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee on Thursday approved a $420.8 million school budget for the new fiscal year effective July 1, reflecting a 2.5 percent rise over the current budget due to a significant increase in state funds.

The vote was 6-1 in favor of the budget during a meeting at City Hall, with member Antonette E. Pepe casting the sole vote against passage. She had asked for a delay on the budget vote, saying she needed more detailed information, but her motion for postponement failed.

The budget increase of $10.3 million was the result of a $10.4 million increase in state Chapter 70 education funds for the coming year, officials said. It was critical in maintaining the level of services to the students, officials said.

“I am pleased with the overall package,” School Vice Chairman Christopher Collins said after the vote. “It keeps the focus on the students and classroom. There was little or no growth in administration or outside-of-school costs. We were able to balance the budget with basically no layoffs due to financial reasons.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, joined in approving the school budget, while having a much more challenging budget for city departments.

The city budget, which has not yet been approved by the City Council, is slated to result in 12 layoffs, the elimination of 96 vacant positions, the closure of three branch libraries, and reduced mowing and maintenance of parks among other cuts. The cuts may worsen, Sarno said.

Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram, who is slated to be replaced by new Superintendent Daniel J. Warwick on July 1, said the new school budget will strengthen student access to programs that help improve their performance and graduation rates. That includes new 9th Grade Academies to help with the transition to high school, academic intervention programs, and the provision of free night school and summer school for in-district students rather than charge fees, he said.

Another highlight of the budget was increasing the classroom supply funding from $85 per student this year to $90 per student in fiscal 2013, according to a budget summary.

Committee member Peter Murphy said the committee worked hard “to make sure the focus was the kids.”

“We’re thankful the state has continued to increase funds under Chapter 70 and that has been good for the kids of Springfield,” Murphy said.

The $420.8 million budget includes $285.8 million in Chapter 70 funds. The schools also received city funds, state and federal grants, revolving funds and private grants.

In other news Thursday, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced that it has awarded a $2,250,000 federal grant to the High School of Commerce to assist with its turnaround efforts. Commerce is among the lowest performing (Level 4) schools in the state.

Commerce is among 10 Level 4 schools in Springfield, all under mandates to improve and all recipients of various grant funds to assist with their turnaround efforts.