Our media partners CBS 3 are reporting the man has died.

Photo by Kenneth RogersFire and Police officials respond to a accident where a truck hit a tree and then a garage in South Hadley.

SOUTH HADLEY – A truck hit a tree and then crashed into the garage of a house on 197 North Main Street Wednesday night, seriously injuring the driver.

The driver of the truck was trapped in the vehicle and had to be removed with the Jaws of Life. He was brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield by ambulance, District 1 Fire Chief Robert Authier.

Authier said he did not know the name or condition of the man. CBS 3 Springfield, media partners to The Republican and Masslive.como, is reporting the man has died.

Police refused to immediately comment on the accident.

The driver went airborne at one time and ended up on top of the classic Pontiac parked in the car. Both cars were damaged, the engine came out of the truck and automobile parts were strewn across the lawn, Authier said.

“We examined the physical living quarters and we did not see any structural damage. The garage was devastated,” he said.

The accident happened at about 6:45 p.m. The residents were home but no one was injured, Authier said.

South Hadley and Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash, he said.

Brady slipped three spots on the NFL Network's Top 100 list.

Pat Semansky | Associated PressTom Brady fell from his perch atop the NFL Network's Top 100 list.

It looks like Tom Brady is now the fourth-best player in the NFL.

One season after being named the top player in the league, the New England Patriots quarterback fell three spots on the NFL Network’s Top 100 list.

Brady completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 5,235 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. He also helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl XLVI, where they fell to the New York Giants.

While the list was compiled through a player survey, not everyone agreed with Brady’s ranking.

“(Brady is) the best. Best ever. Best in the game,” New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has been one of Brady’s chief rivals over the last few years, said. “I’ll probably tell my kids and grandkids about him.”

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (21), wide receiver Wes Welker (23), guard Logan Mankins (64) and nose tackle Vince Wilfork (81) also made the list.

NFL Network Top 5
1. QB Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
2. QB Drew Brees (Saints)
3. WR Calvin Johnson (Lions)
4. QB Tom Brady (Patriots)
5. CB Darrelle Revis (Jets)

Thomas said the call from the governor came "out of the blue" and in the end he was honored and humbled to be selected as trustees chairman.

Republican file photoUrban League of Springfield President and CEO Henry Thomas has been appointed chairman of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees.

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Deval L. Patrick announced Wednesday that Springfield resident and Urban League president Henry M. Thomas III has been named chairman of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, the legislative body that oversees the five UMass campuses.

Thomas, contacted Wednesday night, said he is “honored and humbled” to be selected by the governor to lead the UMass system.

“It is a great vote of confidence and a significant challenge. I am really excited about it,” he said.

Of the next chapter in the UMass history, Thomas said “The sky is the limit if we stick to our core values: student centered, research committed, and academically uncompromising.”

The appointment takes effect on July 1 and will be for 5 years.

He will succeed James J. Karam, who was appointed to the board in 2002 by then-Gov. Jane Swift and re-appointed by Patrick in 2007. Karam served a total of four years as chairman, first from 2004-06 and then again beginning in September.

Thomas was appointed to the UMass Board of Trustees by Patrick in 2007. He is at present the board’s vice chairman and the head of its Committee on Academic and Student Affairs.

He also serves on the state Board of Higher Education, and previously served on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Patrick, in a prepared statement, said that Thomas “is the consummate citizen servant. He has served on three of our education boards and brought strong, committed, and well-respected leadership to UMass.”

Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville said “I am fully confident that Henry Thomas will provide just the kind of 21st Century leadership that will guide UMass into its next extraordinary chapter. “

The UMass Board of Trustees functions as a legislative body and deals mainly with questions of policy. UMass President Robert L. Caret who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the university system, and each of the chancellors at the five campuses in Amherst, Dartmouth, Boston, Lowell and Worcester, answer to the board.

There are nineteen voting members, 17 of whom are appointed by the governor.

Thomas is a native of Springfield and still resides in the city with wife Devonia J. Thomas.

Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master of arts degree in human resource development from American International College, and a jurisprudence doctorate from Western New England University School of Law.

He has been involved in Urban League of Springfield for 35 years, including the last 31 as president and CEO.

Thomas said he did not know the UMass chairmanship was in the works and the
call from Patrick came “out of the blue.”

Thomas said Patrick called and asked him what he the UMass system, “and we talked a lot about the possibilities and the potential of the university to do even greater things.”

It was after that discussion that the governor asked if he was up for being the trustee chairman and Thomas accepted.

Thomas said the UMass system needs to remain mindful “of the reason it exists, to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth as a public option for higher education,” he said.

He said he will encourage lobbying for additional funding assistance from the legislature, combined with the search for more efficient ways for the campuses to operate, while looking for additional outside funding through the alumni gift-giving and grants from foundations and corporate donors.

The district attorney said that 26 items recently were sent to the crime lab for DNA testing in connection with the Bish case.

Photo by John FerraroneA crowd gathers on the Warren Town Common to mark the 12th anniversary of the kidnapping and slaying of Molly Anne Bish.

WARREN - Twelve years ago, Molly Anne Bish disappeared from her lifeguard post at Comins Pond here, and her family held a vigil Wednesday night to ensure the memory of their daughter endures.

Molly Anne was 16 when she was abducted from the pond on June 27, 2000. Her killer has never been found.

In an emotional ceremony on the town common, Molly Anne's mother, Magdalen, said it has been 4,320 days since she last saw her daughter. She said that as she reflects on that day, she was lucky to have told her daughter that she loved her, and to have her say it back.

"I have longed for your touch . .. Your gentle, silly ways," Bish said.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said that 26 pieces recently were sent to the crime laboratory for DNA testing.

"Hopefully, we catch a break," Early said.

His spokesman, Timothy J. Connolly, earlier in the day said that one of those items was a cigarette butt, and that the items were collected from the pond area. Connolly said that there is no update on the Bish case.

Early told the crowd that his office gets leads every week on the Bish case, and they follow up on them all.

"We do everything we can to try and find Molly's killer," Early said. "We're not going to rest."

Early spoke of the work the Bish family has done for children over the years, and their latest effort, to get Molly's bill, the EZ-ID license plate, passed. That would incorporate a symbol in a license plate, such as a star or heart, which is something people of all ages and reading abilities could easily identify, according to Gary P. Richard, president of EZ-ID. He said 70 percent of all crimes involve the use of a motor vehicle.

Photo by John FerraroneMolly Bish's father John, right, chats with The Rev. Christopher Nerreau on the Warren Town Common during a vigil Wednesday marking the 12th anniversary of Molly Anne Bish's death, held on the Warren Town Common.

Reed V. Hillman, a former state representative and retired colonel-superintendent of the state police, said that he hopes that next year at this time, they will celebrate the incarceration of Molly's killer.

"Our work on behalf of children is unfinished . . . I look forward to the day in America when we can let our kids go wherever they want and they'll be safe," Hillman said.

There were 28 yellow roses on display, marking the age Molly Anne would have been. Noah Lis, of Palmer, sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow," "In the Arms of an Angel" and "In My Life." Melody Johnson sang "Safe and Sound."

Molly Anne's sister, Heather Bish, said her parents taught her perseverance.

"We have to keep hoping and we have to keep persevering and we have to keep Molly's memory alive," Heather Bish said.

Candles were lit for other missing and murdered children.

The family of Holly Piirainen, who was 10 when she was abducted in Sturbridge, and the mother of Lisa Ziegert, who was 24 when she was murdered in Agawam, lit candles in their memories.

Memory boards were on display for guests to place their written memories of Molly Anne. The letter Molly Anne wrote to the Piirainen family when she was 10 was posted on it.

"I am very sorry. I wish I could make it up to you . . . I hope they found her. She is still in my heart," Molly Anne wrote.

The question would have asked voters to boost School Department funding.

File photo | The RepublicanWestfield City Hall.

WESTFIELD – The City Council Wednesday, by an 8 - 5 vote, killed a request to place a Proposition 2 1/2 override question on the November state election ballot.

The request, from City Councilor David A. Flaherty, would have asked voters to approve an override to provide an additional $2.5 million in local funding for the School Department beginning with fiscal 2014.

Flaherty told fellow councilors the $2.5 million is based on the School Department’s fiscal 2013 budget, a total of $54.4 million and if approved by voters would become a permanent property tax increase benefiting the public schools.

Councilors who spoke against the measure questioned the necessity of an override and that if a request was presented to voters it should address financial needs of the entire city government.

Those in favor of placing the question on the ballot said voters should have the opportunity to decide the financial obligation.

Also, resident Stephen Dondley, who two years ago started a website ‘savewestfieldschools.org’ in support of the School Department and its struggle with declining funds, said called the Proposition 2 1/2 request “ill-advised.”

“This will give the voters, who pay the bill, the opportunity to decide,” said Flaherty, noting that the amount represents funding schools lost this year from the federal American Recovery and Investment Act and declining allocations from the state in Chapter 70 school funding.

Councilors John J. Beltrandi III and Mary L. O’Connell said they favored allowing residents the opportunity to vote on the matter.

Councilor Christopher M. Crean said he did not believe the city “is at the Proposition 2 1/2 point” and argued for additional budget review before placing it before voters.

Councilor James R. Adams said additional financial information from the School Department is needed before he would consider a property tax override.

Voting in favor of sending the question to voters were Flaherty, O’Connell, Beltrandi, Christopher Keefe and Agma Sweeney.

Opposed were Adams, Crean, James E. Brown Jr., Kevin Harraghy, Ann W. Callahan, Richard E. Onofrey Jr., Brian P. Sullivan and Brent B. Bean II.

Neither the School Committee nor Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion have requested consideration of a tax override.

He died at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., after a four-year battle with cancer.

dongrady.comDon Grady

Don Grady, who was a Mouseketeer on the classic "The Mickey Mouse Club," and played son Robbie on the long-running sitcom "My Three Sons," died Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times has reported. He was 68.

Grady died at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., after a four-year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Ginny, and their two children, Joey and Tessa.

"Sad, sad day. My dear friend and TV brother, Don Grady, passed away today," Barry Livingston, who played Grady's adopted brother, Ernie, on "My Three Sons," wrote on his Facebook page. "He was an inspiration to me in so many ways and his impact on my life is indelible. I will miss him greatly."

After "My Three Sons" ended its run in 1972, Grady pursued a musical career. His works included music for the Blake Edwards comedy film "Switch," the theme song for "The Phil Donahue Show" and the Las Vegas multimedia stage show "EFX," which starred Michael Crawford.

Grady was born Don Louis Agrati in San Diego, Calif., the son of Mary (Castellino) Agrati, a talent agent, and Lou A. Agrati, a sausage maker.

The agreements underscored the pressures both parties face to avoid angry voters and embarrassing headlines in the run-up to this November's presidential and congressional elections.

AP photoHouse Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, center, joined by other House GOP leaders, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, following a political strategy session.

The agreements underscored the pressures both parties face to avoid angry voters and embarrassing headlines in the run-up to this November's presidential and congressional elections. Letting road-building programs grind to a halt during an economic downturn would be a blow to the image of lawmakers, while Democrats and Republicans alike seemed eager to avoid enraging millions of students and their parents by boosting the costs of college loans.

In contrast, enactment of the transportation measure would create or save 3 million jobs, said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chief sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. And the student loan measure would spare an estimated 7.4 million students who get subsidized Stafford loans beginning July 1 — this Sunday — from facing $1,000 in higher interest costs over the lives of their loans, which typically take over a decade to repay.

Congressional leaders were planning to combine the highway and student loan measures into a single bill to reduce potential procedural obstacles and hoped for final approval this week. Lawmakers would then leave Washington for a July 4 recess.

The two-year highway bill would prevent the government's authority to spend money on highways, bridges and transit systems from lapsing on Saturday, along with its ability to collect gasoline and diesel taxes. With both parties checkmating each other's top priorities this campaign season, Democrats and Republicans say the highway measure will be Congress' top job-creation initiative until the November elections.

"This is the jobs bill for the 112th Congress," said House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla.

As the price for the highway agreement, lawmakers said Republicans dropped a House-approved provision requiring the government to approve the proposed Keystone pipeline, which is to move oil from western Canada to Texas' Gulf Coast.

Pipeline approval — which prompted a veto threat from President Barack Obama — has been a top goal this election year for the GOP, which has pitted its claims that it would create jobs against environmental worries that it could accelerate global warming and endanger Midwestern water supplies.

Republicans also agreed to abandon language blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating the toxic ash generated by coal-fired power plants, lawmakers said. The ash is used as an ingredient in some types of cement.

In return, House Republicans won Senate concessions that would halve the time allowed for environmental reviews for highway projects, and squeeze money for bike paths and pedestrian safety projects by forcing them to compete with other transportation projects, said congressional aides and environmental lobbyists.

The bill would give states more flexibility in spending federal money, impose new safety regulations and expand a federal loan guarantee program to encourage private investments in transportation projects.

Despite the measure's short-term impact, the bill delays for two years decisions about a long-term funding scheme for highway and transit programs. Gas and diesel taxes no longer cover the cost of transportation programs and are forecast to bring in less revenue as the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks increases.

President Barack Obama spent weeks this spring touring college campuses and lambasting Republicans for not pushing a freeze on student loan rates through Congress. GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney, looking to avoid handing Obama an issue, quickly said he favored the interest rate extension and congressional GOP leaders did too, though some Republicans think the government should not spend money to keep loan rates low.

The student loan pact would keep today's 3.4 percent interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans from doubling for new loans approved beginning on Sunday, an automatic increase that Congress enacted five years ago to save money. If they did double, it would affect 7.4 million students expected to get the loans over the 12 months beginning July 1, adding $1,000 to the interest costs of the typical borrower over each loan's life.

The tentative agreement was on the same package Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had said Tuesday that they had shaken hands on, said a congressional Republican who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the measure's status. McConnell said he expected the House to accept the agreement.

"We're moving, I think, towards an agreement on a transportation bill that would also include a one-year fix on the student loan rate increase," Boehner told reporters early Wednesday after meeting privately with House Republicans.

Some GOP lawmakers at that meeting said Boehner seemed to favor the emerging deal and said it received a positive reception.

"The general sense is there's a tremendous amount of support for getting it done," said Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y. "That's what's going to drive it across the finish line."

The two parties spent the last several weeks dueling over how to pay for the $6 billion cost of the student loan bill.

Under the agreement, the government would raise $5 billion by changing how companies calculate the money they have to set aside for pensions. That change would make their contributions more consistent from year to year and in effect reduce their payments initially, lowering the tax deductions they receive for their pension contributions.

Another $500 million would come from increasing the fees companies pay for the government to insure their pension plans, linking those fees to inflation.

In addition, $1.2 billion would be saved by limiting federal subsidies of Stafford loans to six years for undergraduates.

Lawmakers decided to wrap in another Senate bill to reauthorize the national flood insurance program for five years.

The program, which provides federally backed insurance for 5.6 million households and businesses, many in flood-prone areas, has gone deeply into the red from claims after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Senate legislation would try to return the program to fiscal soundness through such steps as allowing premium increases and reducing subsidies for vacation homes.

Curry will remain with NBC and assume new duties in the news division.

NBCAnn Curry and Matt Lauer of "Today."

An emotional Ann Curry told USA Today she will announce her departure from "Today" this morning during the NBC broadcast.

It's "going to be a bit of a tough day," she told the newspaper in a 40-minute phone interview. "I'm going to have to tell our viewers. That's what makes me more emotional than anything. I don't want to leave them. I love them. And I will really miss them."

Curry will remain with the network under the terms of a new multi-year deal. She will lead a seven-person unit with a ticket to cover the world's biggest stories, produce network specials and pieces for "NBC Nightly News," "Dateline," "Rock Center" and "Today" — and occasionally fill in as anchor on "Nightly News."

In the USA Today interview, she says she was hurt by leaks about her departure and bristles at the view she was responsible for "Today's" slip in the ratings because she lacked the necessary chemistry with co-host Matt Lauer.

"You know, Matt and I have had great on-air chemistry for 14 years, been part of the No. 1 winning team for a history-making number of years," Curry told USA Today. "That said, I just finished my freshman year as co-host. In every single co-host's first year, there have been kinks to be worked out, and perhaps I deserve as much blame for that as anyone."

Curry, who replaced Meredith Viera just one year ago, was reportedly seeking a $20 million payoff and planned to leave the network. She was paid $10 million a year to co-host "Today."

The front-runner to replace Curry is Savannah Guthrie, who co-anchors the third hour of "Today."

Another possible candidate is Hoda Kotb, who currently co-hosts the late hour of "Today" with Kathie Lee Gifford, a scenario that raised the possibility of Regis Philbin being signed to co-host that hour with his old "Live" partner, according to the New York Daily News.

Authorities have yet to publicly identify the man, who crashed a car into a residence at 197 Main St. The people inside the home were uninjured, according to South Hadley fire officials.

Kenneth RogersA man crashed a car into the garage of a North Main Street home in South Hadley shortly after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The man died in the crash, but the homeowners were uninjured.

SOUTH HADLEY — The man who crashed his car into a residential garage on North Main Street Wednesday evening was pronounced dead shortly after the dramatic crash.

South Hadley Fire Department District 1 Capt. Jim Pula confirmed the fatality Thursday morning, but officials otherwise have yet to release any information about the victim. A South Hadley police spokeswoman reached early Thursday said ranking officers were unavailable for comment and that authorities had no immediate plans to publicly identify the victim.

The incident happened just after 6:30 p.m. and is being investigated by town police and troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service.

Pula said the vehicle driven in the accident was a passenger car, not a truck, as was previously reported. Firefighters had to use a Jaws of Life extrication tool to remove the trapped driver from the car. Pula said the man was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead.

Reports indicate excessive speed may have played a role in the fatal crash. The man was driving at a high rate of speed when he crashed into tree, then a home at 197 North Main St. The car damaged a pickup truck parked in the driveway and plowed into the garage, severely damaging a vintage Pontiac car that had been stored there to protect it from the elements, officials said.

District 1 Fire Chief Robert Authier told The Republican Wednesday evening that the homeowners were inside the house at the time of the crash, but they were uninjured. The driver went airborne at one point, ending up on top of the Pontiac, Authier said, adding that both cars were wrecked.

The car hit the garage with such force that debris — including the car's engine — was thrown onto neighboring properties, officials said.

Eight people were arrested because police said they were where they shouldn't have been.

File photo

HOLYOKE – Trespassing arrests were dismissed in Holyoke District Court this week.

Police had arrested four adults and four juveniles at 470 Maple St., apartment 1L, a few minutes after midnight Sunday for trespassing. Police reported disturbances at that address previously.

Cases were dismissed at arraignments Monday in district court for Alberto Febus, 18, of 287 West Franklin St., Alexander A. Lopez, 18, of 129 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, Matthew Lopez, 17, of 94 Beacon Ave., and Eric Perez, 20, of Dwight Street.

Arraignment results for the juveniles were unavailable, but the mother of one of them told MassLive.com Tuesday the case was dismissed, as well.

Police Chief David LaBrie said the fatal crash on North Main Street is under investigation by South Hadley and state police.

Photo by Kenneth RogersFire and Police officials respond to a accident where a truck hit a tree and then a garage in South Hadley.

Updates a story published at 6:32 a.m. Thursday, June 28.

SOUTH HADLEY — The man who died when he crashed his car into a North Main Street home Wednesday has been identified as Gregory A. Kwasny, a 41-year-old Agawam resident, according to South Hadley Police Chief David J. LaBrie.

Police said Kwasny was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed when he crashed into the garage of a home at 197 North Main St. shortly after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The crash scattered debris over a large area.

A pickup truck parked in the driveway of 197 Main St. and a vintage Pontiac stored in the home's garage were damaged in the incident. "The garage was destroyed," LaBrie said.

Authorities declined to identify the homeowners, who were inside the house at the time of the crash. They were uninjured, police said.

The accident is under investigation by town and Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to the Collision and Analysis Reconstruction Section, who remained at the crash scene through Wednesday evening.

"We'd like to know what caused it," LaBrie said, adding that police were awaiting the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests.

LaBrie was unable to verify reports from the scene that the car's emergency brake was engaged at the time of the crash, but investigators are probing the possibility of mechanical failure or a medical condition that contributed to the crash. "That's something the state police will be looking at," he said.

Toyota, the world's second biggest automaker, has grappled with faulty accelerator pedal issues in recent years. In some cases, problems have led to sudden or unintended acceleration in some Toyota models, prompting a 2010 recall of some 8 million vehicles worldwide.

Robert Daniels, who lives near the North Main Street crash site, said he knows of at least two local cases involving Toyota gas pedals that malfunctioned through his job as an insurance claims manager in Northampton. No skid marks were detected at the crash scene, according to Daniels.

Police said Kwasny struck a tree before plowing into the garage at 197 North Main St., sending debris flying in all directions. Few details were immediately known about Kwasny, who lived in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, according to LaBrie.

Gov. Patrick said the state health law is a great model for the nation.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks, as Health and Human Services Secretary Judy Ann Bigby and Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez listen at right, during a news conference at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday, June 28, 2012 where he spoke about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The individual insurance requirement at the heart of the law is being hailed by officials and advocates as a vindication for Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

More politics news

SCOTUS ruling a victory for Obama: The Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's sweeping federal health care law handed the Democratic incumbent crucial election-year vindication for his signature legislative accomplishment.

• Reactions to the Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Obama's health care law
• Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act: Overview of ruling, context and what happens next
• Full Supreme Court ruling

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick today cheered the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, saying it affirms American ideals.

"Today's decision is a victory for the American people, a victory for the proper role of government and a victory for our system of constitutional checks and balances," Patrick, a Democrat in his second term, said at a Statehouse news conference.

During the event, Patrick said the federal law is similar to the 2006 Massachusetts health law signed by former Gov. W. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican president nominee.

If elected president, Romney said he would act to repeal the federal health law during his first day in office.

Patrick said the experience in Massachusetts shows Romney is wrong in his sharp criticism about the federal health law. Patrick has been campaigning around the nation for the re-election of Obama.

"We're seeing improvements in health, especially among women and poor people. It has not busted the state budget," Patrick said of the state law. "Massachusetts health care reform has become a competitive advantage, attracting young people and entrepreneurs who know they can come here and take a chance on a new company and still have access to the best care in the world. And premiums are stabilizing or are going down, not growing. In other words, each and every one of the list of horrors Governor Romney now says will happen in America because of Obamacare did not happen in Massachusetts because of Romneycare."

With passage of the 2006 law, Massachusetts became the only state that requires most people to purchase heath insurance or face a penalty. The court today approved as constitutional the federal health care law's key provision requiring Americans to have insurance.

The 2006 state law has resulted in 439,000 newly insured people, mostly with money from Medicaid, a federal-state health-care program for the poor and disabled. A total of 187,000 of those are in a state-subsided program provided to people who meet certain income levels -- up to $33,000 a year for an individual and up to $66,000 for a family of four.

About 98 percent of Massachusetts residents have health insurance in the wake of the state law.

People in that state subsidized program -- called Commonwealth Care -- are subsidized through a health connector, similar to the exchanges created for states under the federal law.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert A. DiPietro

HOLYOKE - Robert A. DiPietro, age 57, of Holyoke, died Friday, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Born in Milford, he was the son of Janet (Tellier) Beccia of Mendon and the late Robert DiPietro. He was employed as a plumber for the Springfield Housing Authority and was president of union Local 288 IUE-CWA at Solutia Inc.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Anthony, Herbert W.
  



• 
  Buswell, Constance M. (Doe)
  



• 
  Canady, Louise
  



• 
  Cantalini, Mario P.
  



• 
  Carroll, Claire
  



• 
  Dana, Jessica M.
  



• 
  DiPietro, Robert A.
  



• 
  Englehart, Norton F.
  



• 
  Figueroa, Noel
  



• 
  Golambeski, Helena A. (Bocon)
  



• 
  Haines, Ruth G. (Nicholson)
  



• 
  Handyside, Robert B. "Bob"
  



• 
  Hoffman, Nancy E. (Hakanson)
  



• 
  Jaynes, Robert W.
  



• 
  Lewis, Jacquelyn M. (Johnson)
  



• 
  Montminy, Louise
  



• 
  Morales, Carmen
  



• 
  Moriarty, Dr. William E.
  



• 
  Prescott, Donald E.
  



• 
  Raymond, Jean W. "Muffy" (Whalen)
  



• 
  Roberts, Regina A. (Maroon)
  



• 
  Sadowski, Augusta (Ronconi)
  



• 
  Siciliano, Robert P.
  



• 
  Tumidajski, Stella
  



• 
  Walker, Frederick D. "Mike"
  

A dozen of the faculty and staff volunteered to buy ukuleles on their own and learn to play the song.

Photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanSarah Cooper-Ellis, of Putney, Vt., joins students for a concert at Jackson Street School in Northampton. Cooper-Ellis founded the Bart Gordon Music Fund, which benefits the school, in memory of her husband.

NORTHAMPTON – Sarah Cooper-Ellis said it was just what her late husband would have wanted.

A jazz ensemble was playing on stage, teachers were strumming ukuleles, and about 300 children on the gym floor of the Jackson Street School were singing their little lungs out to a tune called “Bring Me Sunshine.”

The school concert on Friday was made possible in part by the Bart Gordon Music Fund. Cooper-Ellis, who lives in Putney, Vt., is the widow of Bart Gordon.

He was a Springfield lawyer with a passion for American music. “Blues was his first love,” said Cooper-Ellis, “and traditional African-American music. He just steeped himself in it from childhood. He was a scholar, with a collection of hundreds of recordings.”

Gordon and a friend hosted a blues show Sunday nights on WRNX-FM in Amherst, under the names Black Bart and Blue Bill. “It was his favorite thing ever,” said Cooper-Ellis.

Gordon was only 46 when died in 1995 from a respiratory illness.

A year after his death, family and friends held a memorial concert at Theodore’s in Springfield, and used the proceeds to start the Bart Gordon Music Fund.

The money wound up going to Northampton, where the family used to live and where Gwen Agna, principal of the school, was a friend.

“Jackson Street seemed to be a culturally diverse home for it,” said Cooper-Ellis. “We thought that would be a fitting memorial.”

Every few years, the school takes the interest the fund has generated and uses it for a music project, said Kim O’Connell, Jackson Street music teacher.

This year it paid for 22 ukuleles that are now in the music room for student use.

View full sizeThe Republican | John SuchockiSarah Cooper-Ellis in the center of the school staff that are part of the Uke Ohana's ukulele players and thanks to her donations from the Bart Gordon Music Fund. The school bought ukulele's and a tuner for the Jackson St. School Uke Ohana's, and the faculty and staff joined students in learning to play.. Pictured are from left to right, back row, Cindy Dourmaskin, Kathy Malinosky, Kim Gerould, Kent Brenneck, Pat Russell, Garrett Adams, Linda Barca, and Kim O'Connell. Front row are Lilly Pastor, Sarah Cooper-Ellis, and Deirdre Johnson.

But O’Connell had more plans up her sleeve for this year of ukulele. At the beginning of the school year, she showed faculty and staff a YouTube video of the Jive Aces playing “Bring Me Sunshine” on ukuleles.

That, she said, was what they were going to do.

A dozen of the faculty and staff volunteered to buy ukuleles on their own and learn to play the song. The children practiced singing the lyrics.

On Friday, the Pittsfield Sister City Jazz Ambassadors, a terrific jazz band, was engaged for an educational visit to the school. They had the children bopping and clapping even before the ukulele part began.

Then the ukulele players took their places, swinging the bright little instruments left and right in unison. The children sang. The band joined in. The sax wailed.

A roar rose from the children as they saw two of the adults jitterbugging to the irresistible beat. They got up, danced in pairs and by themselves and with their teachers.

Black Bart would have loved it.

Tickets for the September 7 concert by the music icon will go on sale in two weeks.

AP file photoBob Dylan

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bob Dylan will perform at Holyoke's Mountain Park on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, priced at $85, $70, and $55, will go on sale on July 13 at 10 a.m. through the Northampton Box Office, by calling (413) 586-8686, or online at iheg.com

The Holyoke appearance will come after a string of appearances in New York state and a day before a gig at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.

Mountain Park recently kicked off its 2012 season with a performance by Bonnie raitt. Upcomign Mountain Park shows include: Death Cab for Cutie, July 20; Get the Led Out, July 21; Jackson Browne, Aug. 1; Josh Turner Aug.3; Girls talk, Aug. 18; and Darius Rucker, Sept. 14.

The City Council refused to vote on the final city budget in 2009.

WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik’s $125.7 million spending plan will go into effect Sunday without endorsement from the City Council.

The council Wednesday failed to act on the new budget following apparent confusion over its rules and traditional procedure. The last time the council failed to act on an annual municipal budget was June 30, 2009 when it refused to act on $116 million requested by then Mayor Michael R. Boulanger. At that council budget meeting, councilors abruptly adjourned with no formal consideration of the budget. Councilors later defended their action claiming lack of participation in the budget process and their belief the city did not have financial stability.

“This budget is lean,” Knapik said Thursday. “But, it covers all our liabilities and maintains municipal services for next year,” he said.

David A. Flaherty

The council, earlier this week, offered no reduction to the mayor’s budget. Councilors did cut $61,000 from the salary account for the Sewer and Waste Water Treatment Department. That amount was earmarked for a new employee and the department is supported by user fees rather than property taxes.

Councilors Wednesday approved Knapik’s last minute request to add $210,000 to the budget for next year, the highest amounts for the Police Department for three new patrolmen and an overtime account for the new Public Safety Communications Department.

But then the council failed to vote on the entire budget when Councilor David A. Flaherty objected to a motion to suspend council rules to allow for a final vote on the budget. A unanimous vote of the 13-member council is required to suspend rules, allowing for a second reading and final passage of ordinances and financial matters. Traditionally the council, when it acts on the annual budget, does so at the same meeting.

Flaherty, an advocate for transparency and budget scrutiny, told the Republican Thursday his “no vote made no real difference to the bottom line budget as presented by the mayor.”

Richard Onofrey

Ward 5 Councilor Richard E. Onofrey Jr., finance committee chairman, said he was “very disappointed and offended as a taxpayer that the council was prevented from voting on the budget. “The Finance Committee spent the past month, and three meetings this week on the budget,” he said.

The budget requires no municipal staff reductions or cuts in services. But, the School Department could be forced to reduce as many as 10 teachers and 20 paraprofessionals if the School Committee fails to offset a current $860,000 shortfall in its $54.4 million school budget.

The Dow Jones industrial average had been down as much as 177 points after the Supreme Court’s health care ruling but closed off only 25 points.

Photo by Richard Drew / Associated PressTrader James Dresch works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday. Many insurance stocks were down significantly, but bank stocks were the biggest losers in the broader market.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE

NEW YORK – A late recovery on Wall Street wiped out most of the stock market’s losses Thursday, leaving the Dow Jones industrial average down just 25 points.

The Dow had been down as much as 177 points but came back sharply in the last 20 minutes of trading.

Many insurance stocks fell sharply after the Supreme Court upheld most of President Obama’s health care law. The stocks of hospital operators rose. The ruling upheld the central provision of the law, a requirement that almost all Americans carry health insurance.

There were varying explanations for the late comeback on the stock market. European leaders were holding their first day of summit talks to address the region’s sluggish economic growth and collapse of investor confidence in the finances of weak countries like Greece and Portugal.

There wasn’t any concrete or official plan to emerge from the meeting, but rumors swirled that the European Central Bank could cut interest rates, and that European leaders were becoming more conciliatory, rather than just confrontational, as they worked on how to prop up troubled countries that are too big to bail out, like Spain and Italy.

Bank stocks erased much of their losses in late trading. JPMorgan cut its loss in half. The stock was down as much as $1.93 but ended with a loss of 90 cents at $35.88. It was still the biggest loss among the 30 stocks in the Dow average.

The New York Times reported that its loss from a complex trade that went wrong could swell to $9 billion, much larger than the bank has acknowledged. The bank had said previously the loss was $2 billion but could get larger.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 24.75 points at 12,602.26.

Other indexes also cut their losses. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 2.91 points to end at 1,329.04 and the Nasdaq composite fell 25.83 points to 2,849.49. Both indexes had been down more earlier.

The dollar and Treasury prices rose as investors parked money in low-risk assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.59 percent from 1.63 percent late Wednesday. The dollar rose about a penny against the euro to $1.24.

There was little for investors to like in new reports on the U.S. economy.

The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.9 percent in the January-March quarter, according to a new government estimate. Consumer spending, which accounts for a huge part of the economy, grew 2.5 percent, below the previous 2.7 percent estimate. The four-week average of applications for unemployment benefits didn’t decline, a sign that layoffs aren’t easing.

News Corp. fell 1 percent after the media conglomerate said it would separate its publishing and entertainment businesses into two public companies. The stock or Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling media empire, which includes The Wall Street Journal, the Fox TV network, Fox News Channel and newspapers in Australia and Britain, gave up 32 cents to $21.99.

Family Dollar Stores fell $1.93 to $67.20 after the discount retailer of household goods and food reported earnings and revenue that were short of what Wall Street analysts were expecting.

Paychex dropped 95 cents to $30.98. The company, which provides payroll, human resources and benefits services to employers, reported revenue was shy of what analysts were expecting.

Rising stocks outnumbered falling ones three to two. Volume was average at 3.8 billion shares.

Rosol kept Nadal on the defensive throughout the match.

Associated PressRafael Nadal takes a spill during his loss Thursday at Wimbledon.

By STEVEN WINE
WIMBLEDON, England — Rafael Nadal made his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2005 when he was overpowered Thursday by big-serving Lukas Rosol 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon.

Rosol, a 26-year-old Czech ranked No. 100, earned the biggest win of his career playing in Wimbledon's main draw for the first time. He lost each of the past five years in the first round of qualifying.

As the match stretched beyond dusk, the conclusion came with the retractable roof closed for the final set on Centre Court. The upset on tennis' biggest stage was no fluke: Rosol served brilliantly and repeatedly stepped instead the baseline to hit aggressive groundstrokes, while Nadal found himself pinned deep and on the defensive.

Republicans pushed through the resolution because Holder did not turn over documents related to a botched gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious.

Associated PressAttoney General Eric Holder speaks during a news conference in New Orleans, Thursday, June 28, 2012.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a precedent-setting resolution to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress. It was the first time a sitting Cabinet member has been held in contempt.

A number of Democrats boycotted Thursday's vote.

Republicans pushed through the resolution because Holder did not turn over documents related to a botched gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants Justice Department records from a 10-month period after February 2011. That month, the department initially denied guns were allowed to be purchased in Arizona and be taken to Mexico. In early December that year, the department acknowledged the assertion was wrong.

A separate vote will be held to hold the attorney general in civil contempt.

The WTKK debate is the fifth one that the Massachusetts Senate candidates have agreed to, and the first on the radio.

U. S. Senator Scott Brown is seen with Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has agreed to a fifth debate with Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown – this time on the radio.

No date has been set yet for the debate on WTKK’s Jim & Margery Show, which will be hosted by Jim Braude, a former Democratic Cambridge City Councilor, and Margery Eagan, a columnist for the Boston Herald.

The candidates have been sparring for weeks over which debates they will appear at. The candidates agreed to four televised debates – two in Boston, one in Springfield and one in Lowell. In addition, Warren has been calling on Brown to participate in televised debates in Worcester and New Bedford. Brown has been calling on Warren to participate in two radio debates.

Brown appeared by himself on WBZ-AM radio with talk show host Dan Rea Wednesday night – the first radio forum where he had challenged Warren to a debate. On Thursday, Warren agreed to the debate at WTKK-FM, a Boston talk radio station.

Warren campaign manager Mindy Myers said, “Elizabeth looks forward to talking about the issues on the Jim & Margery Show. She and Brown have very different visions for the Commonwealth. While Elizabeth has consistently fought to create opportunities and a level playing field for working families, Scott Brown has just as consistently stood up for Wall Street, big oil, and millionaires and billionaires....It’s important that as many voters as possible across Massachusetts see there is a clear contrast between the candidates in this election.”

Brown spokeswoman Alleigh Marre said, "It didn’t look good for Elizabeth Warren to skip the first debate of the campaign. She obviously has had a change of mind and we’re pleased that she will now be attending the next debate. Voters deserve to know more about Professor Warren’s extremely liberal views, her support of higher taxes and more debt and how that would hurt jobs and throw a damper over the economy.”

So far, Brown has put a much stronger focus on targeting radio audiences than Warren has. Brown releases frequent “radio reports.” A recent MassLive.com analysis of advertising buys from both candidates found that Brown outspent Warren on radio nine to one, as of mid-June. Warren had not spent any money on advertising at WTKK, as of mid-June, while Brown spent $11,800 on ads at WTKK between March 19 and June 15. (Warren has put more money into TV, and has outspent Brown overall.)

In a statement announcing Warren’s acceptance of the debate, Myers renewed her call for Brown to participate in the regional forums. The Brown campaign has said Brown has already accepted more debates than any past incumbent senator, and he will not participate any additional debates.