Common has appeared in films including "Date Night" and "Terminator Salvation."

Associated PressThis undated handout publicity photo provided by Geffen Records, shows rapper Common. Michelle Obama's "evening of poetry" at the White House set off Republican critics before the artists had uttered a word. But it was the inclusion of Common that set off Republicans. Common, who is considered fairly tame as rappers go, is known for rhymes that tend to be socially and politically conscious.

WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama's "evening of poetry" at the White House set off Republican critics before the artists had uttered a word.

The first lady invited prominent writers, musicians and a rapper to perform Tuesday night to "showcase the impact of poetry on American culture," her office said in announcing the occasion. The list of invited performers includes former poets laureate Billy Collins and Rita Dove, Elizabeth Alexander, who wrote and delivered the poem at President Barack Obama's inauguration, and musicians such as singers Aimee Mann and Jill Scott.

But it was the inclusion of Grammy-winning rapper and actor Common that set off Republican complaints. Common, who is considered fairly tame as rappers go, is known for rhymes that tend to be socially and politically conscious.

Karl Rove, who worked in the White House for President George W. Bush, labeled Common a "thug" and said on Fox News Channel that the performer had advocated assassinating Bush and violence against police. Rove added that the White House decision to include Common in the event "speaks volumes about President Obama and the White House staff."

Sarah Palin, for her part, tweeted, "Oh lovely, White House ..." and provided the link to an article critical of the decision.

Common, born Lonnie Rashin Lynn Jr., took the criticism in stride, tweeting back, "So apparently Sarah Palin and Fox News doesn't like me."

Rove's reference to Common's rap about Bush was based on lyrics criticizing the Iraq war that included the line: "Burn a Bush cos for peace he no push no button."

White House spokesman Jay Carney defended the decision to invite him and said reports about Common were deliberately being distorted.

Carney said the president has spoken out forcefully against violent and misogynistic music lyrics and has a strong record of support for law enforcement.

"I would say that, while the president doesn't support the kind of lyrics that have been raised here, we do think that some of these reports distort what Mr. Lynn stands for, more broadly, in order to stoke controversy," Carney said.

He said Fox News Channel just six months ago had described Common as a rap legend.

"One of the things the president appreciates, is the work Mr. Lynn has done with children, especially in Chicago, trying to get them to focus on poetry as opposed to some of the negative influences of life on the street," Carney said.

The first lady's office had no immediate comment.

Common, a Chicago-born rapper whose work has praised Obama, also has appeared in films including "Date Night" and "Terminator Salvation."

Poet Bob Holman, founder of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York, applauded the White House for inviting a "wonderful array" of poets, and described Common as a "moderate" voice among rappers.

"Common's commentary is wildly metaphoric and an imaginative re-visioning of U.S. politics," he said. "Let's listen to what Common has to say and then let's have our reaction."

The White House poetry night is part of a series of arts education events that Mrs. Obama has arranged over the past two years to promote different genres of music, dance and now literature. Most of the events have included afternoon workshops for young people and evening concerts.

First lady Laura Bush had her own difficulties with poetry at the White House.

She canceled a 2003 planned symposium on "Poetry and the American Voice," which would have featured the works of Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman, because some poets said they wanted to use the forum to protest military action in Iraq.

Want to try some lobster ice cream? Check out the Cape Cod Times' new video.

Associated Press photoRaj Rajaratnam, center, billionaire co- founder of Galleon Group, is surrounded by photographers as leaves Manhattan federal court, with his attorney Terence Lynan, left, Wednesday in New York. Click on the link, below left, for a report from the Wall Street Journal about the former business titan who was convicted of making a fortune by coaxing a crew of corporate tipsters to give him an illegal edge on blockbuster trades in technology and other stocks.

• Western Massachusetts police honor 38 officers killed in the line of duty [WWLP.com]


• Driver reportedly flees scene with baby following car crash in Fitchburg [Telegram.com]


• Widow sues contractor of Big Dig handrails in death of husband [Boston.com]


• Springfield resident's security camera catches image of suspect robbing house (video) [cbs3springfield.com]


• Rebels claim to capture control of key Libyan airport [WashingtonPost.com]


• Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam convicted on 14 counts of securities fraud, conspiracy [online.WSJ.com]


• Missing boater's father finds David Driscoll's body on Vermont river [BurlingtonFreePress.com]


• Ever had lobster flavored ice cream? Check out Ben & Bill's Ice Cream on Cape Cod (video) [CapeCodOnline.com]


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Defense lawyers Thomas Lesser and David P. Hoose contend that police stopped Baye without probable cause.

File photo / Michael S. GordonAnthony P. Baye

NORTHAMPTON - After a lunch of steak and mashed potatoes at the Bluebonnet Diner, Anthony P. Baye agreed to take a driving tour of the neighborhoods he allegedly terrorized in a deadly arson spree in the early hours of Dec. 27 2009.

His tour guides: state police trooper Michael Mazza, a fire investigator, and state police Sgt. Paul Zipper, who'd been interrogating him about the fires for several hours. During the drive, Baye admitted to setting some of the fires, but said he had no memory of others.

Audio of the lunch and driving tour, as well as video of the interrogation, were played in Hampshire Superior Court Wednesday as Judge Constance Sweeney sought to determine the admissibility of the evidence at Baye's trial. Baye, 26, faces two counts of first degree murder and some 40 other crimes in connection with 15 separate fires set that night. One of those fires destroyed the house at 17 Fair St. and took the lives of Paul Yeskie, 81, and his son, Paul Yeskie, Jr., 39.

Several hours into the interrogation, Mazza and Zipper take Baye to the Bluebonnet Diner on King Street for lunch. There the conversation turns casual, with Baye chiming in only when spoken to by the officers. He volunteers bits of information about his job, career aspirations and frustrations as a Denver Broncos fan. Baye has water while the others drink Coca Cola and coffee. Baye orders a steak, medium rare, for lunch.

The trio returns to the police station for a short time. Then, at Mazza's suggestion, they go for a drive around the area where the fires occurred. During the trip, Baye admits setting car fires on Fruit St., Crescent St. and Northern Ave. and starting a house first at 20 Union St. by putting a lighter to the mailbox. Baye tells the trooper and detective that he has no memory of fires on Williams St. and Pomeroy Terrace. On response to an inquiry by Zipper, Baye says he used only a lighter to start the fires. [View a map and timeline of the fires.]

The last site they pass is 17 Fair St. Baye tells the officers it was the first thing on his mind the when he woke up the morning after the fires, but says he has no memory of setting the fire there.

Mazza and Zipper then grill him, reminding Baye that he called the fire an "accident" and that no one but he could know that.

Earlier in the video, about four hours into the interrogation, Baye had acknowledged setting the fatal fire at 17 Fair St. and said that he never intended to hurt anyone.

Setti D. Warren, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and the mayor of Newton, believes energy conservation can lead to jobs.

Associated PressDemocratic Newton Mayor Setti Warren speaks to supporters during a campaign event in Newton, Mass., Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

BELCHERTOWN – Newton Mayor Setti D. Warren said Wednesday he chose the National Fiber insulation factory for one of his first U.S. Senate campaign stops because the company employs people who make energy conserving products, which will be a major theme in his candidacy.

Warren announced this week that he will seek the Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate in 2012 against incumbent Republican Scott Brown.

“One of my priorities is job creation, particularly in the area of energy conservation and renewable energy,” Warren said. “This is a company that has been doing it.”

Chris Hoch, who owns National Fiber, said his company which produces cellulose insulation at 50 Depot St. has 32 workers.

They are being singled out for their academic achievement and contributions to the Bay State.

Angelina Cavallini, of Springfield, Eric Gregoire, of Ludlow, Ruben Sepulveda, of Holyoke and Jacob Powers, of Montague, clockwise from top left, are scheduled to be honored with state "Who Shine" awards at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday.

BOSTON – A formerly homeless high school dropout and an aspiring actress are among the four graduates of state public institutions of higher learning with Pioneer Valley connections to be honored Thursday during a Statehouse ceremony.

They, along with 25 other students statewide, have been singled out for their academic achievements and their contributions to the commonwealth with the “29 Who Shine” awards. This marks the second year the state Board of Higher Education has give out the honor.

The student honorees range in age from 17 to 52. They were selected from among students at each of the state’s 29 public higher educational campuses.

“Each of these outstanding graduates has a remarkable story to tell,” Governor Deval L. Patrick stated in a prepared statement. “Collectively, they remind us of the power of public higher education, not only to change individual lives but to move Massachusetts forward in an increasingly competitive global economy.”

“Each one of these students is a success story in her or his own right and as a group they remind us of the power of public higher education to change lives,” said Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville in a press release.

“Individually and collectively, these students have proven themselves and shown that they will make significant contributions to our state’s future,” said Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland said in a press release. “They’ve studied hard to prepare for productive careers, but they’ve also made time to engage in the civic life of their communities, and Massachusetts is better off because of these efforts.”

The students will also be honored with donated full-page and half-page advertisements appearing on Thursday in most daily newspapers across the state. The Republican was the first newspaper to donate an advertisement to honor the students.

“As a publisher, I know that most of these students are Massachusetts residents who’ve grown up here and plan to stay here,” said George Arwady, publisher and chief executive officer of The Republican. “Many of these college students are members of my community and I’m delighted to be able to give them the recognition they so richly deserve.”

Twenty-one-year-old Eric A. Gregoire of Ludlow is this year’s Fitchburg State University award winner. He is finishing his term as president of its Student Government Association. In 2010, he was elected by his peers from state universities to be their representative to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

Jacob S. Powers, 23, of Montague, is this year’s Greenfield Community College honoree. He has been on the college’s board of trustees and has consistently made the Dean’s List. Powers is transferring to Amherst College.

Ruben Sepulveda of Holyoke, 36, is Holyoke Community College’s award winner. The formerly homeless high school dropout has worked full time while taking classes through the college’s Adult Learning Center. In January, he transferred to Amherst College, where he is pursuing a degree in psychology.

Angelina Della Cavallini, 30, the president of the Student Government Association at Springfield Technical Community College, is her institution’s honoree. An aspiring actress, she is family science adventure coordinator for the Springfield Science Museum.



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Bin Laden's personal, handwritten journal and his massive collection of computer files reveal his hand at work in every recent major al-Qaida threat.

Associated PressIn this Oct. 7, 2001 file photo, Osama bin Laden, left, and his top lieutenant, Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri, right, are seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast.

WASHINGTON — Deep in hiding, his terror organization becoming battered and fragmented, Osama bin Laden kept pressing followers to find new ways to hit the U.S., officials say, citing his private journal and other documents recovered in last week's raid.

Strike smaller cities, bin Laden suggested. Target trains as well as planes. Above all, kill as many Americans as possible in a single attack.

Though he was out of the public eye and al-Qaida seemed to be weakening, bin Laden never yielded control of his worldwide organization, U.S. officials said Wednesday. His personal, handwritten journal and his massive collection of computer files reveal his hand at work in every recent major al-Qaida threat, including plots in Europe last year that had travelers and embassies on high alert, two officials said.

They described the intelligence to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about what was found in bin Laden's hideout. Analysts are continuing to review the documents.

The information shatters the government's conventional thinking about bin Laden, who had been regarded for years as mostly an inspirational figurehead whose years in hiding made him too marginalized to maintain operational control of the organization he founded.

Instead, bin Laden was communicating from his walled compound in Pakistan with al-Qaida's offshoots, including the Yemen branch that has emerged as the leading threat to the United States, the documents indicate. Though there is no evidence yet that he was directly behind the attempted Christmas Day 2009 bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner or the nearly successful attack on cargo planes heading for Chicago and Philadelphia, it's now clear that they bear some of bin Laden's hallmarks.

Don't limit attacks to New York City, he said in his writings. Consider other areas such as Los Angeles or smaller cities. Spread out the targets.

In one particularly macabre bit of mathematics, bin Laden's writings show him musing over just how many Americans he must kill to force the U.S. to withdraw from the Arab world. He concludes that small attacks had not been enough. He tells his disciples that only a body count of thousands, something on the scale of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, would shift U.S. policy.

He also schemed about ways to sow political dissent in Washington and play political figures against one another, officials said.

The communications were in missives sent via plug-in computer storage devices called flash drives. The devices were ferried to bin Laden's compound by couriers, a process that is slow but exceptionally difficult to track.

Intelligence officials have not identified any new planned targets or plots in their initial analysis of the 100 or so flash drives and five computers that Navy SEALs hauled away after killing bin Laden. Last week, the FBI and Homeland Security Department warned law enforcement officials nationwide to be on alert for possible attacks against trains, though officials said there was no specific plot.

Officials have not yet seen any indication that bin Laden had the ability to coordinate timing of attacks across the various al-Qaida affiliates in Pakistan, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq and Somalia, and it is also unclear from bin Laden's documents how much the affiliate groups relied on his guidance. The Yemen group, for instance, has embraced the smaller-scale attacks that bin Laden's writings indicate he regarded as unsuccessful. The Yemen branch had already surpassed his central operation as al-Qaida's leading fundraising, propaganda and operational arm.

Al-Qaida has not named bin Laden's successor, but all indications point to his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri. The question is whether Zawahiri, or anyone, has the ability to keep so many disparate groups under the al-Qaida banner. The groups in Somalia and Algeria, for instance, have very different goals focused on local grievances. Without bin Laden to serve as their shepherd, it's possible al-Qaida will further fragment.

Lash has been president of the Washington D.C.-based World Resources Institute for 18 years.

Jonathan Lash

AMHERST - A expert on climate change, energy security and resource, environment and development policy will be Hampshire College’s 6th president.

Jonathan Lash, 65, has been president of the Washington D.C. World Resources Institute “whose research, analysis and policy recommendations provide practical solutions to global challenges of environment and sustainability, according to his Website.”

Lash, dubbed the finalist, was on campus today and in according blogger Marc Gunther, Lash said he was leaving WRI to become the Hampshire College president. “I will leave WRI with sadness, but with no misgivings about its future. The work you are doing is more innovative and having a greater impact than at any time in WRI’s history.” He has been at WRI for 18 years.

In 2005, Rolling Stone Magazine named him to its list of 25 environmental leaders.

According to the blog, Lash was born in Greenwich Village but went to the Putney School, a progressive boarding school in Vermont which.

Lash told Gunther, who writes about business and sustainability, that Hampshire, “it’s a natural place for me to go and continue to be a rabble rouser,” he said. “Apathy drives me crazy, and apathy is nowhere to be found on this campus,” he added.

Lash has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his masters and law degrees from the Catholic University of America.

According to the WRI Web site, Lash served as a law clerk to The Hon. Frank M. Coffin, then Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He was also the co-chair of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, a group of U.S. government, business, labor, civil rights, and environmental leaders appointed by President Clinton that developed visionary recommendations for strategies to promote sustainable development.

Lash replaces Ralph Hexter who announced last year August that he was making the “transition from the office.” He said that he would officially step down as president at the conclusion of his sabbatical, which started Sept. 1.

Philosophy professor and abortion-rights advocate Marlene Gerber Fried has served as the interim president of the college, founded in 1970.

Lash was one of four semi-finalists for the position.

Demand for gasoline in the U.S. fell by the largest amount in seven weeks.

Associated Press photoPeople carrying Macy's shopping bags walk past the Macy's flagship store, Tuesday in New York. Macy's, Inc. reported Wednesday strong sales, earnings and cash flow for the first quarter of 2011.

NEW YORK — Tumbling demand for commodities and a drop in the euro led to a broad stock sell-off Wednesday that pulled the Dow Jones industrial average down 130 points.

Demand for gasoline in the U.S. fell by the largest amount in seven weeks, the Energy Information Administration said, a signal that consumers are conserving money as gas prices near a national average of $4 a gallon. Gas futures fell almost 8 percent. Crude oil fell back below $100 a barrel, a loss of more than 4 percent.

Fewer fill-ups may be an early sign of a broader drop in consumer and business spending as customers forgo trips to malls and restaurants and companies ship fewer products. That, in turn, could lead to lower corporate earnings and halt a stock rally that has sent the stock market up 7 percent this year.

"People are becoming more conservative in their outlook and their spending as oil prices have risen, and that's making the market become more concerned about growth," said Quincy Krosby, the chief strategist at Prudential Financial.

The fall in demand for gas means that traders will take a close look at Thursday's weekly report on first-time applications for unemployment benefits. If they rise, that could indicate companies are cutting back in other areas as well, Krosby said. Stocks rose broadly on Friday after a report that companies added more than 200,000 jobs in April.

Stocks fell broadly, with energy and materials companies suffering the worst declines. The Dow lost 1 percent to close at 12,630.03. The S&P 500 fell 15.08, or 1.1 percent, to 1,342.08. The Nasdaq composite lost 26.83, or 0.9 percent, to 2,845.06.

The market's broad sell off, which sent all 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index lower, is a sign that the economic recovery still seems uncertain at times. Strong earnings have been carrying the market higher since the beginning of 2011. On Tuesday the S&P 500 climbed for the third straight day to within 0.5 percent of its highest close for the year.

"Every time that stocks start to go down a little bit, you're seeing more selling pile on because people have made so much profit over the past 9 months," said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners, a New York-based hedge fund.

The market's losses accelerated shortly before noon Wednesday. The dollar and government bond prices rose as traders moved money into safer assets. The dollar rose 0.8 percent against a group of other major currencies. The euro dropped 1.5 percent against the dollar.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.16 percent from 3.22 percent late Tuesday. Bond yields fall when their prices rise.

Energy stocks fell 3 percent, the most of any of the 10 industries in the S&P 500 index. Denbury Resources Inc. and Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. both fell more than 4 percent.

Materials producers also struggled after metals prices sank. Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., a miner, fell 5.6 percent. Copper fell 3.2 percent, and silver lost 7.7 percent. Silver fell sharply last week as part of a sell-off in commodities.

Commodities are still more expensive than they were a year ago. High oil prices helped push the nation's trade deficit up 6 percent to $48.2 billion in March from February. U.S. companies sold more automobiles and other goods and services to customers abroad, but it wasn't enough to make up for an 18 percent rise in oil imports.

Disney's results late Tuesday fell short of expectations, and its stock fell 54 percent, the most of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow. The earthquake that struck Japan in March cut into revenues at its theme parks there, and its movie studio profits took a hit from the box-office bomb "Mars Needs Moms."

Macy's Inc. was among the few companies that rose. The company jumped 7.7 percent after its earnings blew past expectations. The parent of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores said its first-quarter net income more than quintupled to $131 million from $23 million. The company raised its forecast for full-year earnings and doubled its quarterly dividend to 10 cents.

American International Group Inc. rose 3.5 percent after the government said it would sell 200 million of the 1.66 billion shares in the insurer that it owns to the public. The Treasury Department owns 92 percent of AIG after the company got bailed out during the financial crisis.

Intel Corp. rose 1.6 percent after the chip maker increased its quarterly dividend to 21 cents from 16 cents.

Three stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 3.8 billion shares.

She is awaiting prosecution on charges for a West Springfield bank robbery that authorities says was among a half-dozen she committed in six days.

Associated PressWest Springfield bank robbery suspect Heather Brown in Connecticut courtroom in September 2009

SPRINGFIELD – Portrayed in the media as a “serial bank robber,” Heather Brown is already facing a 16-year state prison term in Connecticut for a series of heists in 2009.

Now, she is in Western Massachusetts, awaiting prosecution on charges for a Sept. 24, 2009 bank robbery in West Springfield that authorities say was among a half-dozen carried over a six-day period.

Brown, who is being held at the Western Massachusetts Correctional Center for Women in Chicopee, was in Hampden Superior Court on Wednesday for a pre-trial conference in the case involving the West Side robbery. The case was continued to May 25.

The 35-year-old Brown gained notoriety when she was arrested for the string of bank thefts over the course of six days, four of them in Connecticut. She was also accused of robbing a bank in Rhode Island as well as the Webster Bank branch at 50 Elm St. in West Springfield.

At that sentencing Brown apologized to bank tellers, family and friends. Brown, of Willimantic, Conn., had a long criminal history that included a conviction for robbing a Groton, Conn., bank in 2006.

Brown, who admitted being drug addicted, used no disguise and in all Connecticut cases threatened bank tellers with the use of a bomb.

In the West Springfield robbery, police reported that the robber walked into the bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash.

Police are the "sentinels of peace," Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanSpringfield Police Capt. Thomas A. Trites and Police Officer Joseph Gentile carry wreath to monument of fallen Springfield police officers during a special ceremony Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield police Wednesday remembered those fallen police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty at a ceremony in front of police headquarters on Pearl Street.

Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet said the city had a critical incident two Saturdays ago which could have resulted in the fatality of a Springfield police officer and a state trooper.

“Through training, experience, common sense and the grace of God” they escaped what could have been a fatal injury, Fitchet said.

A Springfield police officer and a state trooper survived a shooting spree because they were wearing bulletproof vests. One man died in the shooting spree.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said that two Saturdays ago he received the chilling message that there were officers down.

“There is a growing disconnect in the respect for authority and for human life,” Sarno said.

Springfield police are the “sentinels of peace,” Sarno said.

He urged those present to “Say a prayer for the men and women in blue as they hit the streets.”

Police officers placed a wreath in front of a monument which honors 16 city police officers killed in the line of duty.

Maura Schiavina, sister of Michael Schiavina, who was gunned down with his partner, Alain Beauregard during a traffic stop in 1985, urged the families of police officers to “tell your family members you love them before they leave for their jobs.”

“Society is becoming more violent,” she said.

The annual service is timed to coincide with the observance of National Police Week. Each year, Springfield police honor the sacrifice of 15 officers and one constable who were killed in the service of the city.

Police responded after a neighbor called 911 to report a man climbing through a basement window.

Springfield police photoAlbert Garay

Garay, of 17 Better Way, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, carrying a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, and breaking and entering.

Detectives Sean Condon and James Mazza responded to the scene of a reported burglary in progress. A neighbor called 911 after spotting a man going through a basement window. Moments after they arrived, the resident showed up, and the two officers were allowed to search the house for the suspect.

During the search, they found a large black bag filled with marijuana in the closet. The resident told police it belonged to her boyfriend, who she had recently broken up with, Delaney said. The woman told officers she was in the process of changing the locks on the residence.

Condon and Mazza continued the search and found Garay hiding in the house. He was found to be carrying a .38-caliber revolver and more than $1,000 in cash.

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Warren, the mayor of Newton, talked about energy issues during a stop at National Fiber Co. in Belchertown.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 4:16 this afternoon.

Repubican photo by John AppletonChris Hock, left, owner of Nationial Fiber Co., shows Senate candidate Setti D. Warren the insulation manufacturing process at National Fiber.

BELCHERTOWN – Newton Mayor Setti D. Warren said Wednesday he chose the National Fiber insulation factory for one of his first U.S. Senate campaign stops because the company employs people who make energy conserving products, which will be a major theme in his candidacy.

Warren announced this week that he will seek the Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate in 2012 against incumbent Republican Scott P. Brown.

“One of my priorities is job creation, particularly in the area of energy conservation and renewable energy,” Warren said. “This is a company that has been doing it.”

Chris Hoch, who owns National Fiber, said his company, which produces cellulose insulation at 50 Depot St., has 32 workers.

Warren said that with the national unemployment rate hovering close to 9 percent, job creation would be a top goal if he is elected to the Senate, and the examples set by National Fiber for having a growing business in the field of energy conservation are areas to concentrate his efforts.

As mayor of Newton, Warren said he played a role along with the Board of Aldermen in having his city apply successfully to become one of the state’s Green Communities.

This program provides state grant money for qualifying municipalities for energy efficiency measures, and Warren said Newton will be spending its grant funds this summer for renovations to a community center that will make the building more energy efficient.

Warren said that if he is elected he would vote in accordance with the values of the state of Massachusetts and said Brown went against those values when he cast votes in the Senate against the Head Start program for pre-schoolers and against funding for police, teachers and firefighters.

“He questions the science behind global warming,” Warren said. “Those are the values I am talking about.”


Warren also said he would fight in the Senate against any attempt to repeal the health reform bill enacted in 2010, but said he would support some changes in it.

“We ought to defend the bill, but there are areas we have to reform,” Warren said.

Warren, 40, was elected to a four-year term as mayor of Newton in 2009.

Prior to that he was a Naval intelligence specialist who served in Iraq, a New England regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a special assistant for cabinet affairs in the White House under President Clinton and a member of the staff of U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry.

Alan Khazei, Bob Massie and Marisa DeFranco are also seeking the Democratic Senate nomination.

Orchards member John Dowd: "We are responsible people. It's not a frat-house mentality."

SOUTH HADLEY – The Selectboard has given the Orchards Golf Club permission to sell alcohol on its grounds from a beverage cart, despite objections from some residents at a public hearing.

Previously the club’s policy was to sell alcohol only in the clubhouse.

About 20 people showed up for the hearing on the matter, including a representative of Texas-based Century Golf Partners, which manages the course owned by Mount Holyoke College.

Most in the crowd spoke in support of the Orchards, which they described as a responsible operation. One woman said the bartender there even “carded” her son – and he’s 30.

Alistair Catto, who lives near the course and has complained before about noise and litter, spoke against permitting the alcohol expansion.

Catto said enforcement of liquor laws has been difficult. He had photos of people drinking out on the course even while the practice was banned.

Some agreed that liquor was sometimes smuggled in from cars, but they saw that as one more reason why the club should be given control over outdoor drinking.

Catto also brought up a sanitary issue, saying the course can accommodate 144 people but has no toilet facilities on the grounds for drinkers.

He cited a University of Alabama study that listed 48,000 golf cart accidents between 2002 and 2005, “often with alcohol as a primary factor.”

James Carey, owner of the Village Commons, objected to Catto’s descriptions. “This does not reflect the Orchards or any of the membership that I know,” he said.

“We are responsible people,” said Orchards member John Dowd. “It’s not a frat-house mentality.”

“It’s a lot of business people, a lot of respected people in town,” said David Pettengill.

Golfers said they should be allowed to have “a couple of beers” if they want to. “I’ve never had a golf course experience where it was denied,” said John Baker.

Catto was particularly concerned that in August a drunk driver was charged with running down a young South Hadley man after drinking at the Orchards.

The death of 22-year-old Frederick S. Kareta shocked the town. Speakers Mary Hall and Bruce Plichta, clearly distressed by the death of “Joey” Kareta, as Plichta called him, linked the tragedy with what they said was unsafe driving near the golf course.

But others disagreed, saying the Orchards wasn’t responsible. They even faulted “sensational” reports in the media for making the connection.

In the end, the most powerful argument in favor of expanding the liquor license seemed to be that once the practice became legal, management at the Orchards could monitor drinking on the grounds.

Certain parts of the course, including sections that overlap Granby, will remain alcohol-free.

The Massachusetts anti-bullying legislation has been recognized as the most comprehensive bullying prevention law in the country but there is no mechanism in place to track the number of bullying cases.

View full sizeRepublican photo by Mark M. Murray02.17.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni, left, addresses Attorney General Martha Coakley during a hearing on the anti-bullying legislation passed in May 2010.

The Massachusetts anti-bullying legislation that has been hailed as the most comprehensive bullying bill in the country, has no tracking system to measure its effectiveness and the state has no plans to track reported cases of bullying.

“There are no reported cases of bullying and there never will be,” said David Traub, director of communications for the Norfolk District Attorney’s office. “The anti-bullying legislation did not criminalize bullying.”

The anti-bullying legislation that was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in May 2010, just over a year ago, has been hailed as the most in-depth anti-bullying legislation in the country. Yet, there appears to be no way to track its effectiveness.

“It’s only half without a follow-up report,” said Eileen Moore, Phoebe Prince’s aunt. “I’m surprised, I’m shocked.”

The anti-bullying legislation was enacted after the deaths of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, of South Hadley, and 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover, of Springfield. Both committed suicide after allegedly being bullied repeatedly by peers in their schools.

“It’s important to have a tracking system to know that the schools are doing a good job and not just handing it over to the courts,” Moore said. “I hope the focus does stay and people will realize this is not acceptable behavior.”

In recent months, Moore created a group called Phoebe’s Messengers to help spread the word of the dangers of bullying and to give schools a “best practices” guide.

“Kids need to know the boundaries, that is really what the law is trying to do,” she said. “This has got to stop.”

Yet, there seems to be no way to measure the effectiveness of the law.

Jessica Venezia Pastore, director of communications for Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, said their office also does not have statistics on reported bullying incidents because the law did not criminalize bullying.

She said many cases that may fall under the definition of bullying are typically charged as assault and battery, harassment or identity theft.

“Because of this, an incident would not be coded ‘bullying incident’ but rather an assault case so, therefore, we would not have such statistics,” she said.

“Data on the number of bullying incidents is not required to be collected by the Department,” said JC Considine, director of board and media relations at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

According to a source who wished to remain anonymous, the Bullying Commission will use testimony given earlier this year, at a series of hearings held across the state, when compiling a report at the end of June. In this testimony, many who testified said that reporting bullying incidents to the DESE would be a good idea to improve the legislation.

The source also said that overall effectiveness is something that will be measured with time, not necessarily with statistics.

However, the law mandates that members of each school’s staff must report any incidents of bullying to administrators such as the school principal. If the bullying incident is considered to be at the criminal level, school administrators are required to notify local law enforcement.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office is also not responsible under the law to track the effectiveness of the bill by how many cases of bullying are reported to state district attorney’s offices as mandated by the bill.

Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan originally requested not to comment on the matter because the Phoebe Prince case was still under investigation in his office. Sullivan again declined to comment on the effectiveness of the anti-bullying legislation after the plea deals were reached.

“The anti-bullying law wasn't passed until May 2010, and there likely have been a few reports since then, but details would not be available with Juvenile confidentiality laws,” said Mary Carey, communications director for Sullivan.

The DESE wasn’t required under the law to review the plans once they were submitted to the Department, but they did so out of “courtesy.”

“We weren’t required to review the plans,” said Considine. “We did it as a courtesy to make sure the districts clearly understood what requirements were required by the law.”

Considine said the statute only stated school districts must submit a plan to the DESE by Dec. 31. He did not know what department, if any, is responsible for reviewing and approving the school districts’ bullying prevention and intervention plans.

The legislation was written by State Rep. Marty Walz (D- Back Bay) last May. Rep. Walz, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said in a Boston Globe story in April that she was frustrated with school districts inaction with their bullying prevention plans.

“I am enormously frustrated that it’s March 2011, and we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the law and this many districts have not met the basic requirements of the law,’’ said Walz.

What Walz was referring to was the fact that many schools had failed to submit sufficient plans by the Dec. 31 deadline.

As of March, 37 school districts out of the 393 public school districts and approved charter schools submitted plans deemed insufficient, meaning the districts were missing at least 25 percent of the requirements mandated under the law. Considine said he was not aware of any consequences for failure to submit a satisfactory plan on time.

Included in these districts were several area schools, including South Hadley Public Schools, Holyoke Public Schools, Palmer Public Schools, Adams-Cheshire Regional School District and Southern Berkshire Regional School District.

According to Considine, who did not include South Hadley in the original list of school districts that failed to submit sufficient plans, the school district was one of the first to submit a plan. However, the plan submitted did not include many of the basic requirements required under the legislation.

These schools were required to resubmit a plan or addendums by April 15. At the time of this publication only a third of the schools had done so.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley declined to comment.

The contracts the School Committee recently approved for teachers aides, secretaries and clerks closely mirror the collective bargaining agreement approved earlier this fiscal year for teachers.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee has unanimously approved three-year contracts for teachers aides, clerks and secretaries that allow for 2 percent cost of living raises the first year.

The committee voted 6-0 Tuesday with no discussion on the pacts, which closely mirror the agreement approved earlier for the union representing the School Department’s teachers.

“In today’s economy everyone is now on the same playing field,” School Committee Vice Chairman Daniel G. Sullivan said Wednesday. “No one (union) is getting more than the other ones. It adds fairness.”

The contract of Unit C of the West Springfield Education Association, which represents clerks and secretaries calls for second year with members to remaining at the step achieved the previous year. Funds equivalent to moving eligible members up a step will be divided by the total number of hours worked annually by all members and the resulting amount will be added permanently to each step.

The third year of the contract, which runs from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, allows for 1 percent raises as of July 1, 2012 with an additional 1 percent added Jan. 1, 2012 for 12-month employees and on the 93rd day of the 2012-2013 year for 10-month employees.

The contract for fiscal 2011, including the 2 percent raise, allows for a starting rate of $12.82 an hour with a maximum of $22.98 an hour at the highest pay grade after nine years. Unit C represents about 35 employees.

The contract for Unit D of the West Springfield Education Association, which covers teachers aides, allows for and no cost of living increase the second year. The third year of the pact provides for a 1 percent raise the first day of the school year with an additional 1 percent as of the 93rd day of the academic year.

That contract brings the starting rate for teachers aides with a high school diploma for fiscal 2011, the current financial year, to $11.14 an hour with a maximum of $16.21 an hour at the top of the scale after 25 years.

Unit D represents more than 100 teachers aides.

In February, the Town Council appropriated the $346,624 needed to fund 2 percent raises for the district’s approximately 350 teachers this fiscal year. Its approval for funding must also be gained for the teachers aides, secretaries and clerks to get their cost of living increases.

It will cost $44,086 to fund their pay increases, according to acting Assistant School Superintendent Kevin A. McQuillan.

The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald said Wednesday they are negotiating a plan under which the Globe would print and distribute some editions of its tabloid rival.

(AP Photo)The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald said Wednesday they are negotiating a plan under which the Globe would print and distribute some editions of its tabloid rival.

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald said Wednesday they are negotiating a plan under which the Globe would print and distribute some editions of its tabloid rival.

Globe spokesman Bob Powers said that no agreement has been signed, but under the proposal the Herald would pay the Globe to print and deliver the newspaper in the Boston area.

A Herald statement said the newspaper must take steps to reduce its operating expenses. Those steps might include layoffs of Herald truck drivers.

Patrick Purcell, president and publisher of the Herald, met with representatives of Teamsters Local No. 259 to initiate discussions regarding a reorganization of the newspaper's Delivery Department, according to the Herald statement.

"Purcell presented the reasons for the need to change Delivery Department operations and stated that the Herald would be proposing severance packages for employees affected by the reorganization," the statement said. "Purcell stressed the need for expedited discussions about the Herald's plans and said he hoped the parties could reach agreement swiftly."

The proposal calls for the Globe to print and distribute Sunday through Thursday city editions of the Herald, and all Saturday editions. Other editions would be published at the Dow Jones & Co. plant in Chicopee in western Massachusetts.

The newspapers' editorial departments would remain independent.

No further details of the proposal, like how much the Herald would pay the Globe, were made public.

Dan Kennedy, an assistant journalism professor at Northeastern University, said the proposal sounds like a smart move for both sides given the changing media landscape and the need for media outlets to cut cost without affecting journalism standards.

Kennedy said it's also a sign that the Herald, long rumored to be closing, isn't going anywhere.

"If I had a dime every time someone said the Herald was going out of business during the last 30 years," said Kennedy, "I'd be a millionaire."

Tests on DNA taken last year from the exhumed body of a man in Alabama have solved the 1992 slaying of a woman whose body was found burned in a fire in an abandoned building in central Massachusetts.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Tests on DNA taken last year from the exhumed body of a man in Alabama have solved the 1992 slaying of a woman whose body was found burned in a fire in an abandoned building in central Massachusetts, prosecutors said Wednesday.

An analysis of tissue recovered from the exhumed remains of James Earl Johnson showed that his DNA was a match for the sample recovered from the autopsy of 30-year-old Denise Comeau and DNA profiles in two other rape cases from the 1990s, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early said.

"The match means that Mr. Johnson was responsible for killing Ms. Comeau and for a rape in May 1993 and a rape in September of 1995," Early said in a statement.

The rape victims have died.

"We hope that this development can give some closure to the victims' families," Early said.

Firefighters battling a blaze in an abandoned building in Worcester in 1992 found Comeau's body. An autopsy showed that she was strangled before the fire burned her body.

Investigators later compared DNA recovered from her body with samples from rapes in the 1990s. Johnson was identified as a suspect in one of the cases, but he was never charged "because the victim did not wish to go forward with a charge," Early said.

Johnson lived in Worcester, one of New England's biggest cities, from the 1970s to the '90s. He died at age 58 in 2008, about a year after a Worcester County grand jury indicted the unidentified person whose DNA was linked to the rapes. His body was exhumed from a cemetery near Tuskegee, Ala., for DNA testing last October.

The government is taking in more tax revenue as the economy improves, but not nearly enough to keep the federal budget deficit from exceeding $1 trillion for a third straight year.

FILE - In this April 8, 2011 photo, President Obama poses for photographers in the Blue Room at the White House in Washington after he spoke regarding the budget and averted government shutdown after a deal was made between Republican and Democrat lawmakers. The Treasury Department reports on the federal budget deficit for March. In February, the government ran the largest-ever budget gap for a single month. The shortfall kept this year's annual deficit on pace to end as the biggest in U.S. history, $1.5 trillion. And that's not likely to change much, even after President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans struck a deal last week to cut $38.5 billion from this year's budget. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is taking in more tax revenue as the economy improves, but not nearly enough to keep the federal budget deficit from exceeding $1 trillion for a third straight year.

The deficit for April dropped to $40.5 billion, half the imbalance from the same month last year, the Treasury Department said Wednesday. Tax receipts were up 45 percent last month compared to the same month one year ago.

Still, the deficit is on pace to grow to $1.4 trillion in this budget year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That would be greater than last year's $1.29 trillion deficit and nearly match the record $1.41 trillion deficit hit in 2009.

Through the first seven months of the budget year, the deficit has totaled $869.9 billion — a figure that just three years ago would have ranked as the highest ever for a full year.

Soaring deficits are putting pressure on Congress and President Barack Obama to agree on a long-term plan to trim federal spending.

The White House and Democrats want to trim the deficit through spending cuts and also by ending tax cuts for the wealthy, which were first passed when President George W. Bush was in office and later extended by Obama.

Republicans reject that approach, saying it amounts to a tax increase. Their plan would focus exclusively on cutting spending. They have also proposed further tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

A decade ago, it seemed the federal budget was heading in the opposite direction. The government had a surplus of $127 billion in 2001 when President George W. Bush took office and was projected to run surpluses totaling $5.6 trillion over the next decade.

But by 2002, the country was back in the red. The deficits grew after Bush won approval for the broad tax cuts, pushed a major drug benefit program for seniors — which wasn't offset with revenue to pay for it — and entered the country into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2008, Bush's last full year in office, the deficit had grown to $454.8 billion, a record at the time. And when the economy soured, it jumped into the $1 trillion-plus range.

The Bush administration pushed a $700 billion bailout program in 2008 to rescue the nation's banks, financial firms and automakers. The following year, the Obama administration continued the bailouts and also backed a $787 billion stimulus program to boost the economy.

Higher spending for unemployment insurance and food stamps, and the sharp contraction in tax revenues, also widened the deficit. And it grew even more this year after Obama and congressional Republicans signed off on a deal that extended the Bush tax cuts for two years and also reduced Social Security payroll taxes for one year.

The monthly reports this year have shown that the revenue losses are turning around. Unemployment, while still high, has been declining. More people working means more tax revenue for the government.

Through April, government revenues totaled $1.31 trillion, up 9.2 percent from the seven months through April of 2010. The increase included the big jump in income tax payments received by the government from individuals filing in April and also a gain in corporate tax payments.

Government spending totaled $2.18 trillion through April, a 9 percent increase over the same period a year ago. One of the fastest-rising categories was interest on the government's debt held by the public, which rose 13.1 percent to $139.3 billion through the first seven months of this budget year.

Last month, Standard & Poor's lowered its long-term outlook for the federal debt from "stable" to "negative." The credit rating agency said there could be serious consequences if lawmakers failed to reach a deal to control the ballooning deficits.

The issue is expected to come to a head over the next few months as Congress debates legislation to raise the government's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said by Aug. 2 he will run out of maneuvering room to avoid a default on the national debt.

But House Speaker John Boehner said this week that any legislation to raise the debt ceiling should be accompanied by spending cuts larger than the amount of the permitted increase in the debt.

A House panel voted Wednesday to delay President Barack Obama's new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the military despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' argument that repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" will have little impact on the armed forces.

(AP Photo/File)A gay rights supporter watches a news conference on the House vote to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in December 2010.

By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House panel voted Wednesday to delay President Barack Obama's new policy allowing gays to serve openly in the military despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' argument that repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" will have little impact on the armed forces.

In a series of contentious votes, the Republican-controlled House Armed Services Committee added provisions to the military budget for next year that strikes at the policy. The votes came even as Americans increasingly support an end to the 17-year-old ban, with polls finding three-quarters say openly gay men and women should be allowed to serve in the military.

The committee, on a 33-27 vote, adopted an amendment by Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., R-Calif., that would require all four service chiefs to certify that the change won't hurt readiness or undermine the military. The repeal law only requires certification from the president, defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman.

"I want them to sign off on the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,'" Hunter said of the military leaders, arguing that Obama never served in the military, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, has never been in ground combat and Gates is a political appointee. "I, and others in this room, have more combat experience than the folks who sign off on 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

That drew a rebuke from Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the committee.

"That's a dangerous thing to say, that they're not quite qualified to make military decisions," Smith said of Obama, Gates and Mullen. "The president decides to go to war, they decided to take out Osama bin Laden."

In fact, the service chiefs have told Congress they communicate frequently with Gates and Mullen, and their opinions on whether the policy would hurt the troops' ability to fight are carefully considered. Last month in testifying, the four services chiefs largely echoed Gates' assessment that repeal would have little impact on the military.

Obama signed the law in December after a divided Congress passed the legislation. Final implementation would go into effect 60 days after the president and his senior defense advisers certify that lifting the ban wouldn't affect readiness. Military leaders say the training should be completed by midsummer, setting the stage for certification.

That timetable — plus strong opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate — likely will render the House panel's provisions moot.

Still, the committee approved a provision by Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., that would prohibit the use of military facilities for same-sex marriage ceremonies and bar Defense Department employees from conducting such ceremonies. The vote was 38-23.

On Tuesday, the Navy abruptly reversed its decision that would have allowed chaplains to perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon certifies openly gay military service later this year.

The House panel Wednesday also approved an amendment by Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of military benefits, regulations and policy. The vote was 39-22.

The committee worked toward early Thursday morning on a broad, $553 billion defense blueprint that would provide a 1.6 percent increase in military pay, fund an array of aircraft, ships and submarines, and meet the Pentagon's request for an additional $118 billion to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Still pending in the marathon session was an amendment on the pace of withdrawing forces from Afghanistan.

Earlier in the day, the panel voted to limit Obama's authority to reduce the nation's nuclear arsenal and implement a U.S.-Russia arms control treaty overwhelmingly approved by the Senate in December.

Over the objections of the Defense Department and Democrats, the committee approved a series of amendments directly related to the commander in chief's ability to make nuclear weapons reductions.

By a 35-26 vote, the panel approved an amendment that would prohibit money to take nuclear weapons out of operation unless the administration provides a report to Congress on how it plans to modernize the remaining weapons. The panel also adopted an amendment that says the president may not change the target list or move weapons out of Europe until he reports to Congress.

The measures passed by similar votes.

The New START treaty, signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April 2010, would limit each country's strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, down from the current ceiling of 2,200. It also would establish a system for monitoring and verification. U.S. weapons inspections ended in 2009 with the expiration of a 1991 treaty.

START stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The Senate approved the treaty on a 71-26 vote, with 13 Republicans breaking with their party leaders.

The provisions added by the House panel to the $553 billion defense spending bill for next year are unlikely to survive in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Still, they elicited a fierce and lengthy debate in the committee.

Frustrated with Obama's consultation with Congress on Libya, the committee unanimously approved a measure seeking "any official document, record, memo, correspondence or other communication of the Department of Defense ... that refers or relates to any consultation with Congress" on Libya.

Democrats on the panel challenged provisions of the bill that limit the administration's authority to transfer terrorist suspects from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to foreign countries, but were unsuccessful in undoing the provision.

Consistent with recent legislation, the bill bars transfer of detainees to facilities in the United States. The legislation also would prohibit family members from visiting detainees at Guantanamo Bay by barring the Defense Department from spending any money on such visits. The provision was a pre-emptive move as the Pentagon is considering allowing family visits.

The bill takes a step toward reviving an extra engine for the next generation F-35 fighter plane despite objections from the administration and Gates that the engine is not needed.

The Pentagon recently notified General Electric/Rolls Royce that it had terminated its contract and work was stopped a month ago, saving $1 million a day. The company said last week it would spend its own money to build the engine.

The bill would force the Pentagon to reopen competition for the engine if defense officials have to ask Congress for more money so Pratt & Whitney can build the chosen design. The provision would apply to Pentagon spending in the next budget year.

The committee went a step further in giving new life to the alternative engine, approving an amendment that would provide GE and Rolls Royce access to data on building the engine as the companies were using their own money. The amendment was approved on a 54-5 vote. Opponents of the extra engine vowed to renew their fight when the full House considers the defense bill, expected the week of May 23.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., called the effort a "back-door way" of getting the engine back in.

Days after U.S. commandos killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said he would offer an amendment to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Under his measure, the number of troops would be reduced by 90 percent by the end of 2013.

Facing strong opposition in the committee, Garamendi said his amendment would send a strong message to the administration as Obama considers how many troops to withdraw in July.

A growing number of war-weary lawmakers are calling for the United States to pull its troops out of Afghanistan, citing the cost of $10 billion a month and the death of bin Laden.

The bill would slightly raise health care fees for working-age military retirees in the next budget but cap future increases by linking them to cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. The rates have been unchanged for 11 years, and the defense bill accepts the administration call for a $2.50 per month increase for an individual and $5 for a family.

The road closings are due to the downtown pancake breakfast and parade

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanCrowds mingle last year at the 25th World's Largest Pancake Breakfast in downtown Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – Street closings are scheduled on Friday and Saturday and traffic will be rerouted in conjunction with the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast and the city’s 375th anniversary celebration.

The pancake breakfast is on Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. on Main Street. On Friday, Main Street from State to Bridge Street will be closed at 10 a.m., to allow for the set-up of the breakfast. Boland Way through Harrison Avenue and Court Street through Falcon Way will remain open until 4 a.m., on Saturday.

Main Street is expected to reopen to vehicular traffic on Saturday, by 3 p.m. In addition, there are street closings and rerouting of traffic on Saturday due to a parade for the 375th anniversary.

The parade is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on State and Main streets.

Armory Street will close to through traffic at 9 a.m. on Saturday, due to the parade. State Street will close at 10 a.m., and Main Street, from State to Mill Street will close at 10:30 a.m. Elliott at State Street will close at 7 a.m.

All streets in the downtown are expected to reopen before 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Other events on Saturday include Springfield’s 375th Chorus at 9:30 a.m., on the City Hall Esplanade; Springfield Museums activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Armory Day at the Springfield Armory from 1 to 5 p.m.; Blessings for Springfield at St. Michael’s Cathedral at 5 p.m.; the Sci-Tech High School Jazz Band Concert at 7:30 p.m., fireworks 9 p.m., at Blunt Park.

For a full schedule visit www.springfield375.org or contact the Spirit of Springfield at (413) 733-3800 or staff@spiritofspringfield.org.

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