Big Y, where Corey Cooke once interned as part of a “life skills” program at the Granby schools, helped collect some of the 600 flags that were burned in the ceremony at the American Legion.

Corey Cooke, of Granby, reads the names of the states represented on the American flag, as part of a ceremony to retire soiled or tattered flags. At right is his father, George Cooke, chairman of Boy Scout Troop 306 in Granby.

GRANBY – Where do flags go when they die?

This is the time of year when American flags are much in evidence, snapping smartly in the breeze for patriotic holidays. But, because they are made of cloth, these symbols of country and honor can wear out, and eventually they don’t have the desired effect.

On a recent Sunday at American Legion Post 266 in Granby, Boy Scout Corey Cooke of Troop 306 in Granby experienced first-hand the correct process for laying a flag to rest.

This was his Eagle project, which takes Cooke a step closer to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting.

He has already collected numerous badges toward that goal, which he laid out on a sofa to show a visitor.

He explained what each of the brightly colored images represented: hiking, pottery-making, painting, farming (he planted vegetables in his garden), swimming (he swims regularly at a pool in Belchertown), and many others whose meaning he has forgotten.

Corey is developmentally disabled. Typically Boy Scouts graduate from a troop at age 18. Corey is 21, having received a waiver to continue working on his badges.

After the flag retirement project, he has only four badges to go before he is eligible for the esteemed title of Eagle Scout.

Big Y, where Corey once interned as part of a “life skills” program at the Granby schools, helped collect some of the 600 flags that were burned in the Sunday ceremony at the American Legion.

George Cooke, Corey’s father and committee chair for Troop 306, prefers to say the flags were “retired,” as flag-burning can have negative connotations for some. The main thing, says George, is to treat a damaged flag respectfully.

Five other Boy Scouts helped Corey dispose of the old flags.

The Scouts built a fire in a pit and then cut out each of the 50 stars and each of the stripes, srepresenting the 13 original colonies, from the biggest flag.

“It was a huge flag,” said George. “Each star was about 10 inches. We used razors to cut them.”

Then, as Corey stood at a microphone and read the name of each state, the pieces were delivered one by one to the fire and burned.

The rest of the flags were delivered to the fire without the ceremonial cutting, and burned continuously for about three hours. “Taps” was sounded.

It’s a solemn ceremony. “I got sentimental just seeing Corey perform it,” said his mother, Dawn Cooke.

The ashes are now in a container at Corey’s home, and will eventually be interred at the American Legion.

George said a flag can be retired when it is soiled or tattered. If people are unsure of how to dispose of it respectfully, they can contact their local American Legion, VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) or Boy Scouts.

Tierney's brother-in-law, Daniel Eremian, said last week after he was sentenced to three years in federal prison that Tierney "knew everything" about the operation.

U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, denies knowing of the family's illegal gambling operation as his brother-in-law alleged while walking out of court on Thursday, June 28, 2012. (Associated Press file photo)

By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press

SALEM, Mass. (AP) — U.S. Rep. John Tierney is defending himself after his two brothers-in-law said the congressman had been aware that their offshore gambling operation was illegal.

The Salem Democrat, who is seeking a ninth term in the House of Representatives, told reporters on Tuesday that he had believed until recently that the gambling business in Antigua was legitimate.

Tierney's brother-in-law, Daniel Eremian, said last week after he was sentenced to three years in federal prison that Tierney "knew everything" about the operation.

Robert Eremian, who's a fugitive from justice, made similar claims in an interview with The Boston Globe.

Tierney, who has not been charged with wrongdoing, said his brothers-in-law are "trying to blame anyone but themselves."

The congressman's wife, Patrice Tierney, pleaded guilty last year to helping file false tax returns for her brother.

Tierney is facing tough reelection competition in the 6th Massachusetts Congressional District from Republican former State Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei.

AP file photoU.S. Rep. John Tierney

A change to Residence C zoning offers the most development opportunities, Ward 1 City Councilor Christopher Keefe says.

File photo | The RepublicanThe Westfield City Council will address zoning issues along Lockhouse Road near the transfer station on Twiss Street, above, when it meets in regular session Thursday.

WESTFIELD — The City Council will address zoning issues along Lockhouse Road near the city’s transfer station when it meets in regular session Thursday.

The council will host a public hearing on a request from Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe to change from Residence B to Residence C the zoning for seven parcels along Lockhouse Road and Twiss Street.

The Planning Board will consider the request at a public hearing July 17. That board will then forward a recommendation to the City Council to be considered next month.

Christopher Keefe

“The request just brings these parcels in line with what is going on in that section of the city,” Keefe said.

Residence B allows for single family and two-family homes while Residence C allows for single family to multi-family dwellings.

“This will catch up to the uses already there and makes current lots conforming to zoning regulations,” Keefe said. Development in that neighborhood is mostly apartments and multifamily dwellings.

“This is a stretch of road on the way to the city’s transfer station. There is an abandoned single family home on one parcel and also another vacant parcel that have not received must attention in the real estate market,” the council president said.

“Residence C zoning offers the most development opportunities for this neighborhood,” Keefe said.

The zone change will reflect the current uses of the parcels, the councilor said.

The parcels are located at 6 Twiss St.; 88, 100, 109 and 110 Lockhouse Road; 0 Lockhouse Road; and 0 Arch Road rear.

Thursday’s hearing will be held during the 7 p.m. City Council meeting.

View Lockhouse Road near Twiss Street, Westfield in a larger map

Energy stocks rose the most because of increased tension over oil-rich Iran.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE | AP Business Writer

Associated PressAn oil pump works in the Sakhir, Bahrain, desert oil fields at sunset Tuesday, July 3, 2012. The price of oil jumped more than 4 percent Tuesday to the highest level since May on renewed fears of a military conflict with Iran. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

NEW YORK — Stocks climbed Tuesday in an abbreviated holiday trading session after an encouraging report about manufacturing. Energy stocks rose the most because of increased tension over oil-rich Iran.

Major stock indexes wavered in early trading, then moved decisively higher after the government reported that factory orders rose in May. Caterpillar, Alcoa, Boeing and other stocks that depend on manufacturing rose.

The report was welcome after a trade group reported on Monday that U.S. manufacturing shrank in June for the first time since July 2009, the first month after the Great Recession ended.

The price of oil climbed more than 4 percent after Iran threatened to block a critical Persian Gulf shipping route. On Sunday, Europe enacted stricter rules against buying oil from Iran, trying to force it to be more open about its nuclear program.

New York crude rose $3.91 per barrel to $87.66. The supply fears drove energy stocks up more than 2 percent, more than any other industry in the Standard & Poor's 500. Chevron rose $1.51, or 1.4 percent, to $107.37.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished 72.43 points higher at 12,943.82. The S&P 500 index rose 8.51 to 1,374.02. The Nasdaq composite index rose 24.85 to 2,976.08.

Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Fund Management, was investing in energy companies — not just oil but also natural gas. He figures that as the price of oil rises, more businesses will explore natural gas as an alternative.

"Like it or not," Jacobsen said, "we're dependent on a variety of energy sources."

Ford and General Motors both jumped after they and other car companies reported higher sales for June. Overall car sales still came in slightly below what analysts polled by FactSet were expecting.

Factory orders increased 0.7 percent in May from April, the Commerce Department said. Core capital goods, which include machinery and computers, rose 2.1 percent. That was better than the 1.6 percent estimated last week.

"Not much was expected, and it managed to come in just above 'not much,'" said Patrick O'Keefe, director of economic research at J.H. Cohn.

O'Keefe said he keeps waiting for the U.S. economy to turn a corner but hasn't seen it yet. "We're still getting growth, and that was expected," he said, "but it's growth that is both weak and erratic."

Mostly, investors were in a holding pattern, waiting for the government's Friday report on June employment, and for companies to start reporting second-quarter earnings next week.

Trading volume was light. The market closed three hours early, at 1 p.m., and many traders had already taken off for the Fourth of July holiday.

Europe was relatively quiet, though with underpinnings of discord. A Greek government spokesman said the government was preparing an "alarming" report on its recession in a bid to renegotiate the terms of its bailout.

Slovakia's prime minister said his country was running out of patience for bailing out its more free-spending neighbors. Cyprus opened talks with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund on a bailout for its troubled banks.

The European Central Bank will announce later this week whether it will cut interest rates, a move that would likely drive markets higher but also signal that Europe's economy is still weak. Major indexes in France, Britain, Germany, Spain and Greece rose.

Fire hydrants malfunction in West Springfield, list of Mass. state universities to raise fees, along with discovery of Penn State sex scandal emails, and more local and national news.

Photo by Julio Cortez / Associated PressSophie Katz, 4, of Hoboken, N.J., runs on the athletic field at Stevens Institute of Technology, where a large hot air balloon draped with the colors of the U.S. flag was being deflated, Tuesday in Hoboken, N.J. Click on the link, above left, for an essay on the true meaning of the Fourth of July.

Associated Press photoAimee Copeland is seen in this family photo with her parents outside Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Ga., one day last month. Click on the link, above right, for a report from MSNBC.com about the woman who has survived a flesh-eating bacteria.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

The vandalism occurred either late Monday or early Tuesday, police said. The two streets are each off Parker Street but about a mile apart.

The Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD - Police are investigating reports of vandalism to as many as eight cars that were parked overnight on Ellendale Circle and White Oak Road in the city’s Sixteen Acres neighborhood.

Police were notified beginning Tuesday morning by car owners on each street waking up to find windows on their cars had been smashed, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

The vandalism occurred either late Monday or early Tuesday, he said. The two streets are each off Parker Street but about a mile apart.

Cars on each street had windows smashed out on either the driver’s side or passenger side, Delaney said. Some of the targeted cars were parked in driveways and some in the street.

The damage per vehicle has been estimated at between $300 and $400.

The detective bureau is investigating and is pursuing some leads in the case, Delaney said.

In the meantime, police are warning people in that area to be alert and call 911 if they see any suspicious activity, he said.

People with information are asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to “CRIMES,” or “274637,“ and then beginning the body of the message with the word “SOLVE.“

View Vandals strike eight cars in Sixteen Acres in a larger map

Holmes, a Roman Catholic, converted to Scientology, but later decided that its rules were not for her or her daughter.

Katie Holmes, right, and Tom Cruise at the premiere of "The Kennedys" (AP photo)

Katie Holmes filed for divorce in New York to boost her chances of gaining custody of 6-year-old daughter, Suri, and keeping her away from Tom Cruise's faith in  Scientology, TMZ reported.

Tensions in the Cruise-Holmes household had reportedly been simmering for a while over how central a role Scientology should play in Suri’s life, Time reported.

Holmes was convinced Cruise was going to send their daughter to Sea Organization, where the highest levels of Scientology are taught. Sea Org has been compared to a boot camp and several ex-Scientologists (including Oscar winner Paul Haggis) have been outspoken against its military-like conditions, according to TMZ.

Holmes will have her work cut out both in severing ties with Scientology and in obtaining sole custody of her young daughter, according to Fox News.

“I don’t know if they (Scientology) really ever let you leave. For Katie to have managed to come this far without anyone finding out, she would have been so unbelievably meticulous and careful,” a source told the cable TV news channel. “Scientology has an amazing spy network. But Tom is an amazing parent, so for her to win sole custody, she I is going to have to have something big to prove.”

Holmes, a Roman Catholic, converted to Scientology, but later decided that its rules were not for her or Suri, according to the Washington Post.

She may be concerned about her daughter turning against her, the Washington Post reported. After Cruise divorced his second wife, Nicole Kidman, their two adopted children, Connor and Isabella, sided with him and have infrequent contact with their mother.

Larger employers were more positive than small business on almost all the questions, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

A spate of bad economic news in the United States drove down Massachusetts employers’ confidence in the economy, according to the results of a survey released this week by Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index fell 8.5 points in June to 48.3 on a 100-point scale where 50 is considered neutral. At 48.3, the index is at its lowest point since October.

Associated Industries is a statewide business lobbying group based in Boston.

The 8.5-point drop is the second-largest monthly loss in the survey’s 21-year-history.

Nationally, consumer confidence also fell in June to 62.0 points from 64.4 in May, according to The Conference Board, a New York City economics research institution. The Conference Board’s Expectations Index which asks about the future declined to 72.3 from 77.3.

“Most of those survey responses came in right around the middle of the month when things really seemed to have broken down in Europe, the stock markets were way down. All that was followed by an unfavorable jobs report here at home,” said Andre Mayer, senior vice president for communications and research at Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

“All of that is real legitimate negative news and a reason to be discouraged,” he said.

Since the survey, the European Union has taken steps to address its problems, Mayer said. Massachusetts businesses watch Europe because Europe is a big export customer.

Mayer said this is the third consecutive year where business confidence improved in the first half of the year only to decline in June and then rebound in the fall. In 2010, it was the end of consumer-oriented portions of the federal stimulus, Mayer said. In 2011, it was the fight over the federal debt limit that spooked executives.

“Conditions have certainly improved over the past few years,” Mayer said. “A lot of companies are certainly doing better than they were. But everyone is very aware of the threats that are out there. Much more so than they were five years ago.”

The Associated Industries survey doesn’t hold out much hope that the state’s labor market will improve in the near future. When asked about hiring in the last six months, 27 percent of employers said they added to their payroll and 23 percent reported job cuts. When asked about the next six months, 15 percent expect to add staff and 18 percent anticipate layoffs.

Larger employers were more positive than small business on almost all the questions, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

A number of local banks including Chicopee Savings Bank, Monson Savings Bank, Country Bank for Savings, Hampden Bank, United Bank and Easthampton Savings Bank all sued in federal court contending that the city overstepped its powers.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanU.S. District Court judge Michael A. Ponsor is seen in his courtroom in Springfield in 2010.

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor has ruled in favor of Springfield Tuesday and cleared the way for the city to implement two ordinances aimed at dealing with the mortgage foreclosure crisis.

One law requires banks to proffer a surety $10,000 bond to the city to secure and maintain any of its foreclosed, vacant properties in Springfield. The other law established a city-approved mandatory mediation for homeowners facing foreclosures. Both went on the books in December 2011 but have not been implemented due to the legal challenges.

A number of local banks including Chicopee Savings Bank, Monson Savings Bank, Country Bank for Savings, Hampden Bank, United Bank and Easthampton Savings Bank all sued in federal court contending that the city overstepped its powers.

Ponsor disagreed.

“Widespread mortgage foreclosures undisputably are an issue of serious public concern to municipalities like Springfield,” Ponsor wrote in his 22-page decision issued Tuesday. “The modest effort made by the city to soften this crisis through the promulgation of the two ordinances violates no constitutional provision or state statute.”

Amaad I. Rivera, former Ward 6 city councilor who was the author of the ordinances, said local banks were never really the problem. Most foreclosures in the city and all the problems with unkempt properties involved large national lenders, not local lenders.

“We want to see these implemented as soon as possible,” Rivera, now director of public policy for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Rivera is planning a news conference for Thursday on the steps of City Hall.
Judge Ponsor ruling in favor of Springfield's anti-foreclosure ordinance

Superintendent Daniel Warwick said the award recognizes how well the public and private sector has come together in Springfield to boost childhood literacy levels, a crucial factor in learning.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The Republican Sally Fuller, project director of Reading Success by Fourth Grade - Cherish Every Child for the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation in Springfield, reads one day last year to children at Square One, formerly Springfield Day Nursery, in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – A communitywide campaign to promote literacy by third grade has won Springfield recognition as an All-America City by the National Civic League.

From more than 100 entries and 32 finalists, Springfield was honored Monday as one of 14 communities at the forefront of the national childhood literacy initiative at the foundation’s conference in Denver.

Also recognized was Pittsfield, the only other Massachusetts community lauded for early literacy efforts. Only one other New England community, Providence, R.I, won recognition.

“This ... is recognition of what the entire Springfield community knows is critical for the success of all our children – the ability to read proficiently by the end of third grade,” said John H. Davis of the Springfield-based Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, which helped to launch the initiative four years ago.

With more than a dozen sponsors from the public and private sector, Springfield’s READ: Reading Success by Fourth Grade program features everything from family and pre-school reading support to advanced training for elementary school teachers.

The goal of Springfield’s campaign is for 80 percent of third graders to be reading at a proficient level on MCAS exams by 2016.

When literacy project was launched four years ago, 33 percent of third graders were reading at proficient levels here; the figure increased to 40 percent for 2011.

Superintendent of SchoolsDaniel J. Warwick said the award recognizes how well the public and private sector has come together in Springfield to boost childhood literacy levels, a crucial factor in learning.

“Getting a good start (in reading) makes a huge difference for students,” said Warwick, adding that Springfield’s designation as an All-American literacy city “is a fabulous thing.”

Along with the Davis Foundation, sponsors include the Springfield School Department; the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council and United Way of the Pioneer Valley; WGBY, Channel 57; the Regional Employment Board; the Springfield Housing Authority and other business and non-profit organizations.

Representatives of Springfield in Denver during were Mary E. Walachy and Sally C. Fuller from the Davis Foundation; Natalie Dunning, Springfield School Department; Joan Kagan, from early education provider Square One; Springfield City Councilor Timothy C. Allen; Springfield lawyer Ellen Freyman and the project’s communications consultant Paul Robbins.

Other winners include San Francisco; San Antonio; Baltimore; Seattle and South King County Cities, Wa.; Louisville, Ky.; Roanoke, Va.; Dubuque, Ia.; Marshalltown, Ia.; Quad Cities, Ia. & Il.; Southern Pines, Nc.; Tahoe/Truckee, Ca.

Misty the cat is safe in the arms of her family, the Peltiers of Palo Alto Road in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD – After seven days stuck in the upper branches of a 60-foot oak tree, Misty the cat is safe in the arms of her family, the Peltiers of Palo Alto Road.

For three hours on Tuesday afternoon, the family and their neighbors were transfixed, looking skyward agape as a worker from the Animal Rescue League of Boston inched close to the animal, finally managed to slip a noose around its neck and one paw, and deposited it in a soft-sided carrier to be taken two doors away.

Laurie Peltier said she has had the cat for three years.

The drama began the night of June 27, when Peltier’s daughter Aliya heard Misty crying from a neighbor’s tree. Laurie, in her nightgown, rushed over and tried to coax the cat down. No luck.

Laurie called the Springfield Fire Department. Two fire trucks showed up. But the cat was higher than the 50-foot ladder, and it would have hit a high-tension wire, so they had to give up. She called a tree company, and that failed, too.

The cat was meowing so loudly that neighbors Mary and Christopher Rarogiewicz, on the next street over, heard her and started making calls.

The Fire Department came back, more tree companies declined.

Then Mary did what anyone should do in an emergency like this: She called the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society at (413) 781-4000 for advice.

Dakin immediately told her to call the Animal Rescue League in Boston. Boston? Yes, Boston.

“It’s difficult for us to get out here that often,” said Michael Brammer. But he and Mark Vogel, wearing red T-shirts emblazoned with the name of the 113-year-old organization, jumped in their van and got to Springfield in two hours.

They shot a thin nylon cord, weighted with a 10-ounce bag, into the highest branches of the tree and Vogel strapped on his gear for the climb. It was agonizingly slow, as Vogel had to cut leaves away. He was sweating mightily under the July sun.

Mary Rarogiewicz's husband described the developments by cell phone to the neighbor whose tree Misty was trapped in. The couple were in Albany, N.Y., but the wife had been distressed about Misty's predicament.

All the while, Laurie kept calling to her cat – “It’s OK, pretty girl!” – and each time Misty would answer, as she had been doing all along. But the cat wouldn’t come down. Misty answered Aliya, too. After all that time, it was a wonder the cat had the strength.

Vogel could not get next to Misty, but he did manage to get a loop over her head and one paw, and dropped her into the net Brammer held below. The wayward kitty, terrified, leaped away – and ran back up the tree! Vogel, with the infinite patience these rescuers exhibited throughout, caught her again – and this time she was zipped into a soft-sided carrier so Laurie could take her home.

It was 5:45 p.m., and the men had started at 2:15 p.m. All in a day’s work, said the rescuers.

"We’ve had some that have been, like, 100 feet up in a snowstorm,” said Vogel. They said it has never taken them longer than three days to rescue a cat. Misty was number two of three assignments they had that day.

Readers who want to learn more about the Animal Rescue League of Boston can go to its website at www.arlboston.org or call (617) 226-5635.

The Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield and Leverett is online at www.dpvhs.org.

View Animal League of Boston rescues Misty the cat in a larger map

Former Southampton resident Rachel Truehart will be competing to find love and win $250,000.

02.22.2012 | The Republican file photo by Don Treeger | SOUTHAMPTON — Rachel Truehart talks about her experience on the television show "The Bachelor" in the Southampton home in which she grew up. She is scheduled to appear in "Bachelor Pad" on ABC beginning July 23.

SOUTHAMPTON — Rachel Truehart did not make a connection with Ben Flajnik on “The Bachelor,” but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to give up on love just yet.

Truehart, a Southampton native, is returning to the airwaves as a participant in “Bachelor Pad” when that show debuts on July 23. The show features contestants from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” series competing to find love and win $250,000.

“We’re excited for her,” said Truehart’s mom, Cathy Truehart. “She had a great time doing ‘The Bachelor’ and she made a lot of friends, and this was a chance to reunite with some of them.”

Truehart said her daughter had just started a new job in New York City when she was offered the opportunity to be on the show.

“She had said she would never do ‘The Bachelorette’ because it would be too stressful, but she decided to take a chance and do this show,” she said.

Truehart, 27, who has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and psychology from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, will run into fellow contestants from season 16 of “The Bachelor” including Blakeley Jones, Lindzi Cox, Jamie Otis and Jaclyn Swartz.

“I think she’s looking forward to seeing everyone again,” Cathy Truehart said. “She’s not a naturally competitive person, but I think she will give it her all.”

On “Bachelor Pad,” 15 past reality show contestants and five “super fans” will compete for love and a chance to win $250,000.

Each week the contestants will square off in head-to-head challenges to compete for immunity and the opportunity to go on a date with contestants of their choice. The winner of each challenge will then grant immunity to one of his or her dates via the presentation of a rose. At the end of each episode, the contestants will vote amongst themselves – the men will vote off a woman and vice versa — to determine which cast members will be eliminated from the competition.

“We will be hosting a big party to celebrate the first episode of the show just like we did for ‘The Bachelor,’ and then we will see what happens from week to week,” Cathy Truehart said.

The show will air Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m.

File photo | The RepublicanRachel Truehart

Pudelko as personnel chief was one of the mayor's first appointments upon taking office at the turn of the year.

HOLYOKE – Mayor Alex B. Morse Tuesday terminated the employment of Adam Pudelko as city personnel director, but Morse and Pudelko wouldn’t say why.

“He was terminated effective immediately. I can’t comment on the decision out of respect for his privacy,” Morse said.

“I’d like to thank Mayor Morse for the opportunity to be a part of his administration and I’d like to wish him the best of luck going forward," Pudelko said. "I very much enjoyed my time working for the city of Holyoke.”

Pudelko’s yearly salary was $60,600.

Adam Pudelko

Morse’s appointment of Pudelko, who was a staff attorney in the city Law Department, as personnel director was one of his first steps upon taking office Jan. 3.

Morse and Pudelko wouldn’t discuss reasons for Pudelko’s ouster.

It was unclear if Pudelko’s departure was related to the City Council having held up his confirmation in committee. The personnel director here is appointed by the mayor subject to City Council confirmation, and councilors had questions about whether Pudelko had enough experience as a staff supervisor.

Pudelko told councilors he believed he was qualified to be personnel director.

Councilors also have said it was troublesome Pudelko was named in a lawsuit filed by Jeanette Berrios, whom he replaced as personnel director. Morse fired Berrios Jan. 3 because he said she lacked a bachelor’s degree as the job requires.

Pudelko, of Springfield, graduated from Harvard University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and Western New England University School of Law in 2009.

Morse said he might appoint an interim personnel director and eventually will choose a permanent director.

Pudelko said he will take time to reflect..

“I’m going to take some time and reevaluate my options,” Pudelko said.

The warm-up to the free features all the performances for the main event, but without the pyrotechnics.

BOSTON – Massachusetts residents and visitors gathered at the Charles River Esplanade to watch rehearsals for the 2012 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

This year’s Independence Day celebrations coincide with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the Star-Spangled Banner.

Conductor Keith Lockhart was scheduled to lead the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra’s rehearsal from the Hatch Shell starting at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The warm-up to the free Fourth of July show will feature all the performances for Wednesday’s show, but without the pyrotechnics.

Punk bank Dropkick Murphys, Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson, and the U.S. Navy’s official chorus also will perform.

Wednesday’s show will include a 23-minute fireworks display starting at 10:37 p.m.

If fireworks are called off because of bad weather, organizers say they’ll be fired off at 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

The council also voted to increase the local hotel room tax from 4 percent to 5 percent.

File photo / The Republican

SPRINGFIELD — The City Council on Tuesday gave first-step approval to increasing the annual trash fee by $15 that includes funds to reopen three branch libraries that were shut down this week.

In other action, the council voted to increase the local hotel room tax from 4 percent to 5 percent starting Oct. 1.

The trash fee increase still needs a final vote of approval at the next council meeting July 16. As proposed, the annual fee will increase from $75 to $90, effective this fiscal year.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno asked for a $10 increase in the fee, rejected by the council on June 18. The higher amount of $15 was proposed by Councilor Timothy C. Allen to include an extra $5 targeting the libraries.

“I’m thrilled with the support of the council,” Allen said following the vote. “This allows us to get very close to reopening the libraries.”

The branch libraries closed on Liberty Street in Liberty Heights, Boston Road in Pine Point, and Island Pond Road in East Forest Park due to city budget cuts. Sarno is willing to restore funds for the closed libraries if the trash fee increase is approved, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Lee C. Erdmann said.

Approximately 20 people attended the council meeting Tuesday, many applauding as several councilors said they would back the trash fee increase to help reopen the libraries.

East Forest Park resident William T. Foley, a former councilor, said that he, and other people he has spoken to, are willing to pay the extra money on the trash fee for “critical” services such libraries.

Kathleen Murphy, also of East Forest Park, said she gets a $25 discount on her trash fee as a senior citizen, but will pay the extra $5 voluntarily for the libraries.

Other residents have opposed any increase. Mary Dionne, of the Outer Belt area, stated in an email to councilors that the trash fee increase is “clearly a tax” and the council should stick with the June vote to reject the increase.

Voting for first-step approval were Council President James J. Ferrera III and Councilors Kateri B. Walsh, Kenneth E. Shea, Melvin Edwards, Bud L. Williams, Michael A. Fenton, Timothy J. Rooke, Thomas M. Ashe and Allen.

Councilors Clodovaldo Concepcion, John A. Lysak and Zaida Luna were opposed.

The hotel tax increase to 5 percent was approved by a 7-5 vote. Sarno had asked for a 6 percent tax, but many councilors said they feared the higher tax would hurt local businesses, particularly in reducing convention business.

The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau opposed the 6 percent tax.

“Typically, a hotel tax increase has a negative impact upon attracting visitors and conventions,” bureau President Mary Kay Wydra wrote in a letter to the council. She said it could cost jobs in the region if business slows.

Allen made a motion for the compromise tax of 5 percent, that is estimated to trigger about $150,000 in new tax revenue this fiscal year, according to a city estimate.

Voting for passage of the 5 percent tax were Walsh, Edwards, Williams, Luna, Allen, Ashe and Ferrera. Voting against the tax increase were Concepcion, Shea, Fenton, Lysak and Rooke.

Ashe, in voting for the room tax increase, said the city has serious concerns about public safety, and needs funding for police to help promote security. The perception that the downtown is not safe can lead to less people downtown, he said.

Media outlets are reporting that as many as 10 people, including some children, have been injured when some fireworks exploded inside a house on Dodge Road just after 7:30 p.m.

Update: The Union-Leader is reporting a total of nine people were injured and seven were taken to the hospital. Two children were transported to a Boston hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. Another child and four adults were transported to local hospitals by ambulance. Their injuries were described as minor to moderate.

PELHAM, N.H. - Media outlets here are reporting that as many as 10 people, including some children, have been injured when some fireworks exploded inside a house on Dodge Road just after 7:30 p.m.

WMUR.com is reporting several fire trucks and ambulances have responded to the scene, as has at least one helicopter ambulance.

The website is quotes a neighbor who lives 200 yards away from the house saying his house shook as he heard what he described as a strong, rushing explosion.

The Nashua, N.H. Telegraph is reporting via its Twitter feed that two children have been seriously burned and have been transported to the hospital by helicopter.

The Union-Leader in Manchester, N.H. quoted a neighbor who said the explosion happened as the family was prepared to light off its annual fireworks display that it puts on for friends. The neighbor said it sounded "like a million gun shots going off."

Pelham is just across the state line from the city of Lawrence in the northeast corner of Massachusetts.

A report from the scene by NECN.

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Hannahan said the students are impressed by community spirit, the way volunteers pull a parade together.

View full sizePhoto by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanSamantha Camera, left, academic director of the Pakistani Young Leaders poses with some of her students. They include, from left: Jahangir Khan, Badar Muneer, Maryam Akram, Hina Sabeen Khan, Amal Shakeel, Aleena Khan and Madiha Umar.

The floats. The firetrucks. The antique cars. The little kids wearing sunhats and waving flags. The Fourth of July parade in Chesterfield is expected to be spectacular Wednesday, as befits a 250th birthday.

And no one was looking forward to it more than a group of college students from Pakistan.

“We are very excited,” said Amal Shakeel, of Islamabad, earlier this week. “There’s been so much hype for it already. It’s a good chance for us, to be here when it happens.”

Shakeel’s group is participating in the University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative of the Donahue Institute. They will be in Amherst for a month, concurrently with a group from Iraq. An Argentinian group has already gone home.

The intensive program, supported by grants and devoted to spreading the word about democracy, brings together outstanding young people from other parts of the world for classroom lectures on history and culture, reading lists, homework assignments, papers, exams.

The month also includes outings to power centers on the East Coast – New York, Washington D.C., Boston – and chances to relax. American students serve as mentors in the program.

“We hope this becomes as much a social experience as a learning experience,” said political science professor Michael Hannahan, who founded the Initiative nine years ago.

Hannahan said a small-town Fourth of July parade has been on the schedule every year, and in past years visitors have picked up differences in how patriotism is displayed here and elsewhere.

“Generally, they find our parades to be less nationalistic and militaristic,” he said. “No tanks, no guns. A lot of times nationalism is so negative, but on the Fourth of July, it’s more like a party!”

Hannahan said the students are also impressed by community spirit, the way volunteers pull a parade together.

The Pakistani students, who all speak fluent English, are eager to dispel stereotypes on both sides.

“We come from urban centers, and we are educated and literate,” said Hina Sabeen Khan, of Islamabad. “We know how to distinguish between stereotypes and reality.”

Maryam Akram, of Lahore, said she is studying public relations for that reason. “I want to change the attitude about stereotypes that is built in Pakistani minds,” she said, adding that ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan especially sadden her.

Jahangir Khan (no relation to Hina), of Quetta, also said he was troubled by the relationship with India. “We’re not sure if they are really friends or really enemies,” said Khan.

But even budding world ambassadors need down time, and a day in pastoral Chesterfield should fit the bill.

“It’s going to be magnificent,” promised Erin McEnany, coordinator of the Chesterfield parade. “The community just all pull together to make it special. And, anyway, being in Chesterfield is like being in heaven.”

Clayton Osbon, who recently was found mentally competent to stand trial after a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, will be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination.

File photo by Michael Schumacher / Amarillo Globe-NewsJetBlue pilot Clayton Frederick Osbon, right, is escorted to a waiting vehicle by FBI agents as he is released from The Pavilion at Northwest Texas Hospital, in Amarillo, Texas, on April 2. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas found Osbon, a JetBlue Airways pilot who left the cockpit during a flight and screamed about terrorists, not guilty by reason of insanity.

AMARILLO, Texas – A federal judge in Texas found a JetBlue Airways pilot who left the cockpit during a flight and screamed about religion and terrorists not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson in Amarillo issued the ruling during a bench trial for Clayton F. Osbon, noting he suffered from a “severe mental disease or defect.” Osbon’s attorney, Dean Roper, declined to comment.

Osbon, who recently was found mentally competent to stand trial after a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, will be sent to a federal mental health facility for further examination until another hearing on or before Aug. 6. The judge will decide then whether he can be released or should be committed to a mental facility.

Osbon was indicted on one charge of interfering with a flight crew after the March 27 incident on flight from Las Vegas to New York. Passengers say they wrestled him to the floor after he ran through the plane’s cabin yelling about Jesus and al-Qaida.

Next month’s hearing puts the burden on Osbon to show “by clear and convincing evidence” that his release would not pose future danger, according to the court records.

JetBlue spokeswoman Alison Croyle said Tuesday that the airline “continues to support the Osbon family; we don’t have further comment as we let the judicial process play out.”

“We can confirm he is still employed, on inactive status, with JetBlue,” she said.

A group of scientists, historians and salvagers think they have a good idea where Earhart's plane went down, and they're trekking to a remote island in the Pacific nation of Kiribati in hopes of finding wreckage.

HONOLULU (AP) — A $2.2 million expedition is hoping to finally solve one of America's most enduring mysteries: What exactly happened to famed aviator Amelia Earhart when she went missing over the South Pacific 75 years ago?

A group of scientists, historians and salvagers think they have a good idea, and they're trekking from Honolulu to a remote island in the Pacific nation of Kiribati starting Tuesday in hopes of finding wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane in nearby waters.

Their working theory is that Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan landed on a reef near the Kiribati atoll of Nikumaroro, then survived a short time.

"Everything has pointed to the airplane having gone over the edge of that reef in a particular spot, and the wreckage ought to be right down there," said Ric Gillespie, the founder and executive director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, the group leading the search.

"We're going to search where it — in quotes — should be," he said. "And maybe it's there, maybe it's not. And there's no way to know unless you go and look."

Previous visits to the island have recovered artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan, and experts say an October 1937 photo of the shoreline of the island could include a blurry image of the strut and wheel of a Lockheed Electra landing gear.

"That was the icing on the cake," said Gillespie, who said the picture added to 24 years of evidence gathering used to form the group's working theory.

The photo was enough for the U.S. State Department to hold an event to give encouragement to the privately funded expedition, and enough for the Kiribati government to sign a contract with the group to work together if anything is found, Gillespie said.

But the hunt using nearly 30,000 pounds of specialized underwater equipment is just a sophisticated way to try to prove a hunch that could be flat wrong, or not provable if the plane simply floated too far or broke up into tiny, undetectable pieces.

A separate group working under a different theory plans its third voyage later this year near Howland Island.

Earhart and Noonan were flying from New Guinea to Howland Island when they went missing July 2, 1937, during Earhart's bid to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.

Gillespie's group raised enough funds to embark on the nearly monthlong voyage through individual and corporate donors, including funds from Discovery, which plans to document the trip and air it on cable TV in August, and $250,000 worth of free shipping from FedEx of the underwater science gear.

Still, the trip is nearly a half-million dollars short, said Patricia Webb, a retired Air Force colonel who helped raise funds for the trip.

If the voyage succeeds, it could add to Earhart's legacy and solve a mystery that's captured national attention since her disappearance, she said.

"If they find something, that adds a lot of credibility to her, to her navigator Fred Noonan, and to their survival skills because of the things that have been found so far on Nikumaroro," she said.

The trip is planned to last roughly 26 days, including 10 days of searching and 16 days traveling between Honolulu and the atoll. The voyagers will use a ship owned by the University of Hawaii, an oceanographic research vessel named Kaimikai-O-Kanaloa, which translates into English, "The Searcher of the Seas of the God Kanaloa."

Gillespie said the group has as good of a chance as it can expect given its equipment, including an unmanned vehicle that looks like a torpedo used for mapping terrain on the ocean floor and a tethered remote-operated vehicle that will be used to take pictures and look at objects identified in the water.

And Earhart's standing as an American icon — especially to young women — and fascination in her story means it's important to solve the mystery, he said.

"That kind of inspiration matters," Gillespie said. "We want to know what happened to her."

Scattered showers and thunderstorms move in overnight and for the Fourth.

Showers and thunderstorms are working their way through the mid-Atlantic ... which are expected to arrive in western Massachusetts after midnight. Right now, these lines are pretty scattered in nature, but should get a little more organized by the morning. Temperatures and dewpoint levels stay up tonight, both numbers settling into the mid-60s.

Heading into the Fourth of July, we will be faced with some rain showers and the possibility of some stronger/severe thunderstorms. Our first round of rain is expected right from the get-go early tomorrow morning. After that, we dry out a little bit in the afternoon, but that will allow the atmosphere to stay a little bit unstable (a hot, sunny afternoon likes to destabilize the air for thunderstorms). It sounds like a contradiction, but the more sun we see poke out, the more of a chance of thunderstorms redeveloping later in the day. A strong thunderstorm is possible, but a wild severe weather threat looks to be escaped with the steady rain coming in so early in the day.

After the Fourth of July, we could be in for another heat wave across the region. High temperatures return to the 90s for Thursday, Friday and Saturday with humidity a bit on the high side.

Tuesday night: Scattered thunderstorms, becoming widespread by morning, low 64.

Independence Day: Periods of showers and thunderstorms, most widespread early in the day, a few storms may be strong, humid, high 88.

Thursday: Hazy, hot, and humid, high 91.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, hot and humid, high 90.