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Fund-raiser started at Orchard Covenant Church to repair famous Meneely bell

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"The Bell Calls" capital funds program's goal is to raise $50,000 over the next year for maintenance of the bell tower and other projects around the historic building.

ebnerThe Rev. Nancy L. Ebner, and her husband, Wallace F. Ebner, stand in front of Orchard Covenant Church in Springfield, where the tower houses a noted Meneely bell that is in need of repair.

The Rev. Nancy L. Ebner, pastor of Orchard Covenant Church on the corner of Berkshire and Myrtle Streets in Indian Orchard, and her husband, Wallace F. Ebner, climbed into the church’s bell tower back in February to inspect its condition.

They found the structure solid, but discovered that the wire mesh installed in the bell room some time ago to keep pigeons out, had come loose. They also made note of repairs needed to the bell’s wood and bronze support structure and ring mechanism, to assure the bell can still be rung every Sunday before worship.

Then they looked at the big bronze bell itself, and saw this inscription with a quote from Revelation 22:17:
In Affectionate Remembrance of Charles Jordan Goodwin
Dedicated by his wife Dora F. Goodwin May 25, 1900
“Let him that heareth say come“

The bell was cast by a company in West Troy, N.Y. started by Andrew Meneely, born to Irish immigrants and married to Philena Hanks of Madison, Conn. Meneely had apprenticed in the early 1800s to Julius Hanks to learn the trade of “casting bells and making mathematical instruments.”

He went on to establish his own business at a former foundry of Hanks and, according to Meneely family records in 1876, it grew through the 1800s to be a “flourishing business.”

“There is scarcely a village of any note in the country,” read the records at http://danart.home.mindspring.com/bellsite/html/, “in which one or more of there bells is not heard; while their sale extends to the British American possessions, the Pacific Coast, West Indies, Mexico, South America and in fact, nearly all over the world.”

The Orchard church bell weighs about 1,500 pounds, according to a release from the church, and sounds a “G.”

Meneely bells can be heard in many places, such as Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and the Metropolitan Life Insurance building in New York City. Even the replacement for the Liberty Bell (the one that cracked) in Philadelphia was a Meneely bell.

Charles Jordan Goodwin was a prominent Indian Orchard businessman, who during 35 years in the community was president and treasurer of Chapman Valve, treasurer of several other Orchard manufacturing companies, director of a bank, an alderman and a school board member.

He was also a member of the executive board of the church. Goodwin died in 1898 and is remembered in the community by Goodwin Street and Goodwin Park.

The congregation was founded in 1848, the first church in the Orchard, and the sanctuary was dedicated in 1856. The church history reflects the changes in the community. The growth in manufacturing in the Orchard brought growth to the church as more people moved into the village.

Times of war and financial downturn brought struggle. The church’s first woman pastor was ordained in 1918, when her husband, who was chaplain of the regiment from the Orchard, went of to World War I in Europe.

At a recent dinner celebrating the church and its people, it was noted that all the companies Goodwin worked for are no longer in business, but the church remains. Their current pastor, the Rev. Nancy Ebner, has served the church since 2004.

The dinner was the start of a capital funds program, “The Bell Calls,” with a goal of raising $50,000 over the next year for maintenance of the bell tower and other projects around the historic building.

Anyone interested may contact the church at 95 Berkshire Street, Indian Orchard, at (413) 543-4204 or visit the website http://www.orchardcovenantchurch.org/aboutus/orchardcovenantchu/


New York Yankees turn up the heat on Red Sox for today's twin bill

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Saturday's day-night doubleheader will provide a test for both the Yankees and Red Sox, but the pressure is mounting on Boston to break through with a victory.

Yankees Red Sox Baseb_Kubo-1.jpgJosh Beckett's poor start was not the only reason for the Red Sox' Friday night loss to the Yankees.

Both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will literally be feeling the heat in Boston today.

With temperatures in the high 90's, and the requisite amount of sky-high New England humidity present as well, the day-night doubleheader on Saturday will be pressure-packed.

Heat rises, but the Yankees have to be feeling a little cooler looking down on the Red Sox from atop their 8 1/2 game American League East perch after last night's 10-8 win.Gallery previewThere really is not much time for the Red Sox, or their fans, to sweat the details of last night's loss.

Josh Beckett and Hiroki Kuroda were the two starting pitchers. Both were disappointments.

Beckett yielded five first-inning runs and headed to the dugout as a cascade of boos rained down, courtesy of the frustrated hometown fans.

Kuroda promptly gave that five-run lead right back. Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided the highlight with a three-run home run, his 17th of the season.

The two teams were tied after one inning, the Yankees won the next eight 5-3, and in the process, won the first game, of this crucial four-game series.

That only increases the pressure on the Red Sox to win at least one of the two games to be played on Saturday.

The games will start early — first pitch of Game One is 12:35 p.m. Phil Hughes will square off against Franklin Morales.

As good a story as Morales has been this season, the Red Sox need him to step up and have a good start this afternoon.

The second game is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. and will feature Felix Doubront and Freddy Garcia on the mound.

Dustin Pedroia is expected to miss at least three weeks nursing a ligament injury to his right thumb.

The injuries are bad, but being pushed further down the standings in the American League East is worse. At some point the Red Sox need to step up and win some of these tough games.

Last night's game, even with the terrible outing by Beckett, was winnable. The Red Sox didn't break through though. Good teams find ways to win the big games, mediocre teams just take the wins when they come to them.

The New York Yankees aren't going to just hand the Boston Red Sox any victories. The Red Sox are going to have to come out and play their best baseball to win these games. When the starter falters, the bullpen needs to be there to back him up. When the bullpen is stretched thin, the starters need to be better and pitch deeper into games.

Saturday's day-night doubleheader is going to be both a physical and mental test for the Boston Red Sox. Both games are winnable (for both teams); it's going to come down to which team comes out and executes better.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of baseball; heat waves are an unfortunate part of summer. This day won't be easy for the Red Sox or the Yankees, but one team has to win these games — may as well be the Red Sox.

Crash on I-91 snarls traffic in Springfield

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The accident was reported just before 10 a.m. and tied up traffic for an hour, state police reported..

massachusetts state police logo.jpg

SPRINGFIELD – An accident Saturday morning involving a car and a Mack truck snarled traffic for an hour on Interstate 91 southbound, near exit 2 by the Longmeadow line.

State Police reported that the four people inside the car were transported to Baystate Medical Center for what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. The accident was reported just before 10 a.m. and a state trooper said traffic was flowing freely by 11:15 a.m.

State police said the car and truck were both traveling south near the 2.8 mile marker when the crash happened. The accident remains under investigation.

Northampton seeks to gauge cost of controling storm-water runoff

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BPW chairman Terry Culhane believes that the problem areas can be addressed at a much lower cost, giving the city time to plan for long-term improvements.

Northampton flooding 2011.jpgMark Lussier, with son Rowan, 6, on his shoulders and daughter Charlotte, 8, all of Holyoke, walk beside a flooded portion of Route 5 near the Northampton and Easthampton line last summer after the remains of Hurricane Irene blew through.

NORTHAMPTON – Addressing the city’s storm-water infrastructure needs is going to cost taxpayers but the Board of Public Works is hopeful that that price tag won’t be as steep as originally estimated.

The board met twice last week to discuss a voluminous report by CDM of New Hampshire that projects it will cost as much as $1000 million to repair, replace and improve the drains that carry storm-water run-off out of the city and the dikes and dams that control flooding.

Some members of the board believe the only available source of revenue will be to create a stormwater enterprise fund similar to those already in place for water and sewer use. This would result in a new bill for property owners that would cost the average household an estimated $66 a year.

However, Board of Public Works Chairman Terry C. Culhane said he has been frustrated in the board’s review of the report because it is so comprehensive and long-term.

“I want to focus on the things we’re required to do right now,” he said.

In the fall, the city is due to receive a new permit from the federal Environmental Protection Agency that will mandate stricter requirements for disposal of its stormwater. The underground lines that carry run-off from storms are more than a century old in places and some portions need to be replaced.

Culhane believes that the problem areas can be addressed at a much lower cost, giving the city time to plan for long-term improvements.

“The numbers are kind of scary,” he said. “I’m concerned it makes it look like we’ll be spending like there’s no tomorrow.”

Although it might not have to replace the entire system immediately, the new EPA permit will require the city to clean the catch basins where the 3,750 storm drains flush out twice a year.

“That’s 7,500 cleanings a year,” Culhane said.

The Army Corp of Engineers has also mandated work on the dams and dikes along the rivers that run through Northampton. Failure to comply with those orders could end up penalizing the city.

The Board of Public Works will continue to discuss the stormwater report in the weeks to come with the hope of coming up with solid numbers about spending by the end of July. It will then present them to the City Council for further discussion.

Holyoke public hearing set on Phase II of Canalwalk in project envisioned as key link

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The Canalwalk is a pedestrian walkway along the scenic canals.

CanalWalkPerspective-CLR.jpgArtist's perspective of completed Canalwalk pictured as destination point.


HOLYOKE – A public hearing to discuss the construction of phase II of the Canalwalk is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

“This infrastructure enhancement will serve as a link between the revitalization efforts that are a focus of my administration,” Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

The Canalwalk is a pedestrian walkway along the scenic canals that serve the hydroelectric dam owned by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department.

Once completed, officials envision the multiphase project as a promenade linking City Hall, Holyoke Heritage State Park, the Holyoke Children’s Museum, businesses, artists’ studios, galleries and other destinations.

The Canalwalk’s Phase I is at the first-level canal across from Heritage Park and between Appleton and Dwight streets.

The Canalwalk’s second phase would go along the entire Race Street block between Appleton and Dwight streets. The work will include improvements to the former rail bridge and to sidewalks on Appleton and Dwight Streets, city Senior Planner Karen Mendrala said.

The plan is to seek bids from construction companies for Phase II next year, she said.

The city has $5.3 million in city, state and federal funding for the multiphase Canalwalk, she said.

Phase I cost $700,000. Phase II will cost $2.4 million because that includes renovating the rail bridge and dealing with longer distances and more improvements such as adding more trees and seating than in Phase I, she said.

The state Department of Transportation is conducting the hearing and officials said they hope residents attend with ideas or submit views in writing.

For information call (413) 322-5575.

Depending on funding, Mendrala said, additional Canalwalk phases would entail work on other parts of Race Street and on both sides of the first-level canal between Dwight and Lyman streets.

Chicopee soup kitchen facing budget woes because of cuts in grants

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Employees are realizing they are going to have to raise more money or reduce employees’ hours and cut back services at a time when the need for food assistance is increasing.

Lorraine's Soup Kitchen.jpg

CHICOPEE – Volunteers for Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry are trying to step up fund raising to make up for large cuts in grants.

“All the grants we relied on to purchase food are drying up and we need to find another way and that has been through fund raising,” said Kim Goulette, director of the kitchen.

The kitchen’s fiscal year began on June 1 and already employees are realizing they are going to have to raise more money or reduce employees’ hours and cut back services at a time when the need for food assistance is increasing.

The kitchen operated last year on a $265,000 budget, which funds three full-time and six part-time employees. This year the kitchen is expecting about $26,000 in cuts from different grants and already has a $20,000 deficit from last year, which was created when an expected Federal Emergency Management Agency grant was not funded, she said.

Goulette said she did not budget to receive that federal grant this year, and saw a cut, from $20,000 last year to $12,500 this year in Community Development Block Grants, which are federal anti-poverty grants administered through the city. In addition the WestMass Eldercare grant was cut from $3,000 to $1,900 and a Catholic Charities grant was cut from $17,000 to $15,000.

Although the unemployment rate has reduced from 9.3 percent in January to 7.2 percent in May in Chicopee, there are many without jobs and others working part-time.

An average of 30 to 40 people stop into the pantry daily, but that has been increasing. Last week on Monday there were 60 people and seven were new families, the following day two days there were 50 each day, Goulette said.

“These are all new faces,” she said. “Their unemployment has run our and there are two-people working families who are under-employed.”

Goulette said the first answer is to raise more money. Volunteers are focusing on the 5-kilometer run scheduled for Sept. 23. They are hoping for more sponsors and are already signing up runners on the website active.com or at the soup kitchen at 592-9528.

The Board of Directors, which recently added new members, will be using the run and its annual golf tournament as its main fund-raisers but are hoping volunteers will offer others, she said.

For example Calloway Golf Corp. held a chip and putt contest at the Fest of All for Lorraine’s. Along with raising money it also helped the pantry by giving it some publicity, Goulette said.

“We are trying to reach out to the community to have small events for us,” she said. “The problem is everyone is in the same boat.”

Goulette said local schools have helped a lot by running food drives and many businesses have been supportive. She said she hopes to reach out to local churches more and involve new businesses.

Recently the kitchen developed a new relationship with Porter and Chester Institute. Not only did they become a sponsor at the golf tournament, the culinary students at the technical school are helping some of the clients with job placement skills, she said.

In new ad, President Obama challenges Mitt Romney on China trade

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Obama is challenging Romney's promises to crack down on China's trading practices, saying in an ad released Saturday that the Republican candidate profited by allowing China to strip away U.S. jobs.

President Barack Obama visits Northeast Ohio
President Barack Obama speaks to supporters at Washington Park in downtown Sandusky during a campaign bus tour in Ohio July 5, 2012. (John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is challenging Mitt Romney's promises to crack down on China's trading practices, saying in an ad released Saturday that the Republican candidate profited by allowing China to strip away U.S. jobs.

Obama's ad turns again to a recent Washington Post report that several businesses backed by Romney's former private equity firm moved American jobs to China and India to cut costs. In a parting shot, a narrator says Romney is "not the solution. He's the problem."

The ad follows Obama's two-day bus tour in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where the president announced plans to file a trade complaint against China at the World Trade Organization for unfairly imposing duties on the exports of U.S.-produced automobiles. Ohio is home to several auto plants and tens of thousands of workers directly employed by the auto industry.

China remains a flashpoint in the presidential campaign.

Romney has accused Obama of failing to live up to promises to get tough on the economic powerhouse, saying he would label China a currency manipulator on his first day in office and fight the theft of intellectual property and job losses.

Obama's administration says it has taken a broad effort to crack down on what it calls unfair Chinese trading practices, filing seven trade cases with the WTO against Beijing.

The 30-second spot opens with a clip of Romney during a 2011 Republican primary debate. He says "the Chinese are smiling all the way to the bank taking our jobs and taking a lot of our future. And I am not willing to let that happen."

A narrator responds that Romney "made a fortune letting it happen."

The Obama ad refers to the Post account about the role Romney's firm played with companies that were "pioneers" in helping outsource jobs. It pointed to one business that said it was a "one-stop shop for their outsource requirements."

"Mitt Romney's not the solution. He's the problem," the narrator says.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said it was "no surprise President Obama would want to distract Americans from the devastating June jobs numbers, but the American people deserve better than dishonest ads."

The accusations over China come against the backdrop of a sluggish economy. The June jobs report released Friday found that the economy added only 80,000 jobs during the month and unemployment stayed at 8.2 percent, fueling Romney's charges that Obama has failed to guide the economy out of the recession.

The Obama spot is part of a $25 million ad buy in July and will run in New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.

The ad represents the latest attempt by Obama's team to discredit Romney's argument that his private sector experience makes him more qualified than the president to steer the economy during high unemployment. Obama's campaign has repeatedly cited a recent Washington Post story outlining how several businesses backed by Romney's former firm, Bain Capital, transferred jobs to lower-wage countries such as China and India.

Romney's campaign has questioned the accuracy of the report and asked the Post for a retraction. The newspaper stood by its report.

At campaign events, Obama has pointed to the outsourcing charges, saying he would end tax credits for companies that shipped jobs overseas, similar to a pledge he made during his 2008 campaign.

"You want somebody who will give tax breaks to companies that create jobs in manufacturing here in the United States, not ship them overseas," Obama said last month in Miami Beach, Fla.

Westfield's Volunteers in Public Schools prepares for 20th year of service to teachers and students

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Volunteers in Public Schools logged 8,645 hours of service during the 2011-2012 school year.

Barbara Trant 2009.jpgBarbara Trant

WESTFIELD – Volunteers in Public Schools will mark 20 years of service to teachers and students during the 2012-2013 school year with plans to expand and be more visible.

“Volunteering is an old fashioned word but the meaning remains the same. You get compensated for what you do in other ways than money,” said Coordinator Barbara G. Trant.

VIPS currently has 784 active volunteers but Trant hopes to add to those ranks. “Our mission is to support staff and students and our goal is to fill every single request that comes in front of us,” she said.

The groups started during 1993, the result of budget cutbacks that close most, if not all, public school libraries. “We started staffing libraries to give kids more library time,” Trant said.

“It is different today but budget cutbacks still happen and the need is there,” she said.

“Requests are more complicated today, like how much mulch goes on the play ground or is there sufficient sun and shade,” she explained.

In here annual report recently to the School Committee, Trant reported that VIPS staffers volunteered a total of 8,645 hours during the 2011-2012 school year.

Donations in support of VIPS, whether through fundraising or individual donations amounted to $4,425. Grants received from Westfield Bank, Westfield Kiwanis and the Shurtleff Children’s Services wee $6,084.

Trant reported programs and activities provided to schools cost $8,711.

Some activities during the previous school year included ‘Reach Out and Read’ where 137 volunteers visited reading classes in the elementary schools and the annual United Way Day of Caring that brought 111 volunteers for 18 projects at seven different schools.

VIPS also coordinated the Westfield Helps Its Public Schools program which is made up of members from individual schools who provide venue for sharing information and resources and coordinates the annual Westfield Into the Arts Festival and WHIPS grants for teachers.

“The mini grants are small but they go a long way in helping our schools,” Trant said. “We hope to expand this project so we can do more,” she said.

School volunteers provide everything from fixing books and other tools to helping in classrooms, libraries, lunch rooms, on field trips and fund raising.

VIPS recognizes is volunteers with a luncheon each spring that that is when the group will officially recognize its 20 years of service, Trant said.

The first project for the new school year is already set for Sept. 7 with the Day of Caring and Trant said more than 100 individuals are already to participate.

The agenda for the year will be determined at a VIPS and WHIPS organizational meeting in September, she said.


Yankees go deep to send Red Sox into a deeper funk

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The gap has become gaping between these two teams again.

Gallery preview

BOSTON - Franklin Morales must have looked at his team's lineup and wondered if he had been sent to Pawtucket without being told.

To call it a makeshift outfit would be kind, but the Red Sox left-hander did not give it a chance.

New York's 6-1 win over Boston Saturday afternoon made a good case for why Red Sox fans seem to find their team so uninspiring these days.

The gap between these archrivals looks daunting and growing, as shown by New York's 37-20 edge in runs in their first four meetings this year.

"I'm not frustrated. I think we have a chance to win, but we're got to keep the other team from scoring in the first inning,'' Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said.

"We have to let our offense play its game. Coming back is tough.''

Coming off three stellar starts, Morales found himself in a 4-0 first-inning hole. Back-to-back homers by Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones all but wrapped this one up.

That's because it was hard to see a Red Sox lineup with names like Nava, Ciriaco, Kalish, Aviles, Shoppach and Lillibridge slugging its way back - even against Freddy Garcia, the Yankees' starter who brought in a 5.94 ERA.

With its seventh loss in nine games, Boston fell to 42-42 entering Saturday's doubleheader nightcap.

The sinking expectation level for the Red Sox goes further than that. It looks as if they will be left to compete for the scraps of a wild-card spot, if they can do even that.

The days of genuinely giving chase to the Yankees? Those seem over.

Game 1 of the doubleheader was a boring, lifeless contest that left the Yankees 9 1/2 games ahead of Boston.

Entering Saturday night, they were 4-0 against the Red Sox. In the first two games of this series, New York scored nine first-inning runs.

"I threw my pitches. I just missed on them,'' said Morales, who was at a loss for a better explanation.

"Falling behind hitters was part of it. It's one game, and it's going to happen.''

It has happened to this team a lot. Boston's ERA for first-inning pitching this season is 6.21.

"If there were a solution, it would be solved,'' Valentine said.

"I had Nolan Ryan for three years (in Texas), and the first inning was always a problem.''

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, there are no Nolan Ryans on their staff these days.

Morales did not think a 19-pitch relief appearance in Oakland Wednesday worked against him.

Nor did he think the quality of the Yankees lineup doomed him. It was still hard to ignore that his successful starts had come against the weak-hitting Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners, as well as the Atlanta Braves.

"His fastball came over the middle of the plate, obviously. It wasn't running away from the right-handers like it had been,'' Valentine said.

"He threw fastballs in fastball counts, and they hit it.''

With erratic pitching, injuries and one of the least imposing lineups in years, this is a troubled time for the Red Sox.

The appeal of Boston teams of the last decade has been based largely on the notion that whether or not the Yankees won the 162-game marathon race to a division title, the Sox were good enough to keep it close.

When this series began, the Red Sox and Yankees series was 84-84 since the start of the 2003 season, or 91-91 if playoffs were included.

Ultimate Red Sox victory, either in the regular season or playoffs, looked difficult but plausible. Not these days.

Josh Beckett had dug his team a 5-0 first-inning hole in Saturday's 10-8 loss. This is no way for a team to compete.

Jones and Jayson Nix hit back-to-back homers in the fourth off Morales, whose best throws were to first base. He picked off two runners in the third inning.

It told the story of this game that Boston's best news was the work of its mopup man. Recent callup Justin Germano fired 5 2/3 innings of five-hit shutout relief with seven strikeouts, saving the bullpen for the nightcap.

Germano had been a starter in Pawtucket, going 9-4 with a 2.40 ERA.

"He did exactly what he was doing in Triple A. I'm glad it translated,'' Valentine said.

"I just tried to attack the zone and eat as many innings as I could. I was able to finish the game,'' said Germano, who replaced Morales in the fourth and threw 84 pitches.

Easthampton bicycle ordinance update to be considered by City Council

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The amended ordinance would allow bicyclists to ride on some city sidewalks as they make their way to the Manhan Rail Trail.

The celebration of the new bridge over Route 10 linking Easthampton and Northampton via the Manhan Rail Trail is celebrated in May of last year. The Easthampton City Council Wednesday night plans to consider updating its bicylce ordinance to make riding safer.

EASTHAMPTON – The Easthampton City Council will consider updating the city’s bicycle ordinance with new provisions that include allowing cyclists to ride on some sidewalks when necessary and requiring people 16 and under to wear a helmet when riding on a public way.

Councilor Salem Derby, chairman of the Ordinance Committee, said in the spring as the committee was reviewing the ordinance that some sections haven’t been updated since 1967. Some are redundant and some don’t match up with the state.

The idea is to create an ordinance “to protect cyclists and encourage as many people to ride as possible,” he said.

State law bans riding on sidewalks and the city has specific sidewalks also named in its current ordinance.

But Derby said riders should be allowed on some sidewalks as they’re making their way to the Manhan Rail Trail.

“Lets take a look at sidewalks as multiple use trails, to look at them as feeders to the bike path,” he said.

According to the amended ordinance, “bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interest of safety.”

Those districts include Cottage Street, Park Street between Main Street and Payson Avenue, Union Street, and Main Street between Northampton and Center streets.

The proposal also looks at the restricted usage clause when on the Manhan Rail Trail. The amended ordinance while continuing to ban motorized vehicles makes an allowance for vehicles used as mobility aids such as electric wheelchairs, electric assisted bicycles as well as emergency and public safety vehicles. The current bylaw bans motorized vehicles except for public safety and emergency vehicles.

The city’s amended bylaw would also require that anyone 16 or younger riding or operating a bicycle or being carried as a passenger on a bicycle on a public way wear a helmet to meet state law. Currently the Easthampton ordinance requires anyone 12 or younger to wear a helmet.

A new amendment also would allow a cyclist to leave the right side of the road when making a left turn or if they need to occupy the traffic lane if the road is too narrow or damaged. The amendment also stipulates that the cyclist must be able to keep pace with the flow of traffic.

The public hearing, one of three public hearings Wednesday night, is at 6:15 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Copies of the bylaw are available in the City Clerk’s office.

Springfield City Council approves nearly $1.8 million for Brookings and Dryden school reconstruction projects

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The Massachusetts School Building Authority approved both school projects a month ago, providing up to 80 percent reimbursement of costs.

brookings.JPGThe Elias Brookings Elementary School on Hancock Street is shown boarded up days after the June 1, 2011 tornado. The school sustained extensive damage and a new school is planned

SPRINGFIELD – Plans to build a new Elias Brookings School and to renovate and expand Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School moved another step forward last week with the approval of nearly $2 million in pre-construction funds by the City Council.

Both projects are progressing well in the aftermath of the tornado of June 1, 2011, that destroyed Brookings School and caused heavy damage at Dryden, including a destroyed wing, city officials said.

The council unanimously approved bond orders of $952,391 for Dryden, located on Surrey Road, for construction management services and other pre-construction costs. In addition, it approved $847,258 for Brookings, located on Hancock Street, needed for schematic design work and related costs.

Both bonds orders were submitted for approval by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

“The students, teachers, administrators and parents of both schools have been through so much since last June 1st, and I am so pleased that these two projects are moving forward so quickly,” Rita L. Coppola-Wallace, the city’s director of capital asset construction, said Friday.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority voted June 6, to authorize both projects to proceed – construction of a new, estimated $28 million school to replace the 87-year-old Brookings School, and $14.4 million for the renovation-expansion project at the Dryden School.

The projects are eligible for both state reimbursement from the state school building authority, and for federal disaster aid reimbursement.

First, any tornado-related costs such as the north wing at Dryden, are eligible for up to 75 percent reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coppola-Wallace said.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority will then fund 80 percent of eligible school project costs not covered by the federal disaster aid, she said.

The amount of federal disaster funding is not yet finalized.

The renovation-expansion project at Dryden will begin in the fall once bids are received, Coppola-Wallace said. Some advance work that was funded by the council includes environmental abatement and site work, she said.

Brookings will be redesigned to meet all modern codes and educational requirements, including larger classrooms, Coppola-Wallace said. The project remains in the design phase.

“I think it is very important to all those that have been touched by this devastation, but especially the children, that we continue to rebuild, as it teaches these kids a very important lesson,” Coppola-Wallace said. “When something knocks you down, don’t let it keep you down, do whatever it takes to get back on your feet and move forward.”

Wilbraham health agent Lorri McCool explains hypodermic needle buyback program

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Residents must find alternative ways to dispose of used sharps.

WILBRAHAM – A statewide ban which went into effect July 1 for disposal of hypodermic needles and lancets in household trash means that trash haulers may refuse to pick up suspected sharp containers in garbage, Lorri McCool, health inspector for the town, said.

Town residents who use this type of medical equipment must find alternative ways to dispose of used sharps.

Wilbraham does not have a designated sharp disposal site. The closest communities to Wilbraham that offer a disposal drop off site are Springfield and West Springfield, McCool said.

For residents who may have difficulty getting to a nearby sharp disposal site, another option is to dispose of sharps in a sharps disposal mail back program.

Most local pharmacies, such as CVS, offer a mail back program where a customer can purchase a disposal container that comes with a pre-addressed mailing package.

Once the disposal container is filled, the customer can use the pre-addressed mailing package to mail the used sharps back for disposal.

Other companies that offer sharp disposal mail back programs are Medasend: 1-800-200-3581; Stericycle: 1-800-355-87730; and MWDC: 1-866-810-3000.

“Currently the town is offering a temporary solution,” McCool said. She said that as various communities and resources for suitable sharp disposal for local communities such as Wlbraham are developed, the town will continue to update its disposal methods to offer convenient disposal for residents.

For more information residents can contact the Board of Health at 413-596-2800. As more information becomes available, it will be posted on the town website at www.wilbraham-ma.gov.

Massachusetts pushes to enroll income eligible residents for food assistance program

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Nearly 500,000 households across the Bay State receive federal food assistance.

SNAP calculator 7712.jpgThis is what the first page of the SNAP calculator looks like online.

Despite the dramatic increase in the number of people receiving federal food assistance during the recession, nearly a third of those eligible for it in Massachusetts and nationally are not enrolled.

A push is under way across the commonwealth to increase the enrollment among the low-income who are eligible, including senior citizens.

Some 46.4 million people participate in the Food Stamps program in the United States. It is also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“In Massachusetts, we have 863,000 individuals on SNAP, and that includes about 480,000 households. That means a big chunk of the total is children under 18,” said Daniel J. Curley, commissioner of the state Department of Transitional Assistance, which administers SNAP.

“Since 2007, there’s been more than a 100 percent increase in the enrollment. With the problems in our economy, there’s been a big upswing in need, even though Massachusetts has fared better than other states in employment and other kinds of economic indicators,” he said.

Sarah E. Gibbons, a spokesperson for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, said some who are eligible but unenrolled are not aware their income is low enough to receive SNAP benefits. However, others, especially seniors who have worked their entire lives, are often too proud to apply.

“The program can definitely carry a stigma,” Gibbons said.

However, the days of tearing a Food Stamp ticket out of a book while standing on the checkout line are long gone. Now, people can inconspicuously pay with a card with an electronic swipe strip that looks and acts like a credit or debit card.

“A lot of people aren’t aware that’s happened. So you don’t look like you’re wearing a scarlet letter anymore,” Gibbons said.

The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which work much like debit cards for people who receive welfare assistance from the state, came this year in the Legislature as efforts were made to add restrictions to the list of purchases allowed with the funds and to increase penalties for those who illegally purchase or sell the cards.

Curley said his agency is making serious efforts to reach out to eligible residents who are unenrolled and could benefit from food assistance.

“In the last few years, a lot has been done to do outreach in collaboration with certain agencies, like elder centers. We continue to try to create different way that people can find out about SNAP benefits,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been running radio ads in recent months to encourage those who are eligible to enroll. The campaign is targeted at the elderly, the working poor, the unemployed and the Hispanic community. About one in seven Americans is on food stamps.

“SNAP is one of those programs with a dual benefit,” Curley said. “You get food to those who need it, but it is also an economic driver, with an impact on local farmers.”

He said people who are curious if they are eligible “can go online and test the waters to see if they are eligible.”

On the website, http://www.gettingfoodstamps.org/SNAPCalculator/index.cfm, they will also receive an estimate of what amount of benefits they will receive, if they are eligible.

Dr. Seuss' 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street' to turn 75 years old

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Theodor S. Geisel, author of “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” which marks its 75th anniversary this fall, lived on Fairfield Street in the Forest Park section of the City of Homes.

061812_guy_mclain_mulberry.JPGGuy A. McLain, director of the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, holds a copy of the Dr. Seuss book "œAnd to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," while standing at Mulberry Street and Ridgewood Place in Springfield. The book turns 75 this year.

SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Seuss never lived on Mulberry Street, but oh, to think of all the things he saw growing up here a century ago.

Theodor S. Geisel, author of “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” which marks its 75th anniversary this fall, lived on Fairfield Street in the Forest Park section of the City of Homes.

But it’s likely he walked or rode the trolley past Mulberry Street on his way to Classical High School on State Street, says Guy A. McLain, director of the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

Most of Geisel’s books have a connection to Springfield because his childhood here was key in forming the images that appear in his books, according to McLain.

“His childhood was very important – the impressions, the people he met, the things he saw,” McLain said. “They had a major impact on him.”

Where people come from – including the street, house and room where they first lived – is often at the core of who they become, says Northampton-based children’s author Richard Michelson. “We first experience the world through a specific locale, and most good writers can transform their own specific memories into a universal feeling that resonates with all readers because of a certain universal attachment to our surroundings.”

Geisel’s upbringing and the community here sparked much of his own imagination. “The celebration of the child’s imagination – and the lack of that creative spark in the father (in the Mulberry Street book) – was a very pointed critique of how adult society often tries to tame inventiveness,” Michelson said.

Maybe young Geisel had a friend who lived on Mulberry Street, or maybe he just liked the sound of “mulberry,” McLain theorized about the choice of the street name for the book. “He was very, very sensitive to the rhythm of his words,” sometimes even making them up: grinch, sneetches, thneeds, lorax, fiffer-feffer-feff and zizzer-zazzer-zuzz to name a few.

Asked where he came up with funny words, his widow, Audrey G. Geisel, answered, “I cannot tell you. They were just there. He loved the sound” of his made-up words. “He identified with children who made up words, and they identified with him.”

The sound of words was important to Geisel, whose tale of a young boy’s imagination that turns a horse and a wagon on Mulberry Street into an increasingly grand extravaganza was the first of his 44 children’s books.

Geisel, born in 1904, grew up in Springfield, a city cleverly portrayed in the Mulberry Street story: A Mayor Fordis Parker look-alike is on the reviewing stand for the parade, and the police officers ride red motorcycles, the traditional color of the famed Indian Motocycles manufactured in Springfield.

“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” published in 1937, was Geisel’s first book.

“He never realized how special the book was. He was a man that was humble,” Audrey Geisel said. “He was a tremendous observer. He loved to see and talk about everything he’d see.”

Being observant is something “some people have and some people don’t; he had it,” she added.

That skill made him a better writer.

“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” teaches the quintessential lesson: “Open your eyes to the mysterious and wonderful, the magical and the imaginative. It’s out there. You just have to look,” says children’s book author Jane Yolen, of Hatfield.

Geisel “was very involved with everything growing up and paid a great deal of attention and began to see other things in everything he saw as a child,” Audrey Geisel said.

Geisel seemed to have fun even with the details of the Mulberry Street book.

For example, the sign post in the book marking Mulberry and Bliss streets could not exist in Springfield because the streets do not intersect. “He loved little inside jokes,” McLain said. “People in Springfield would know Mulberry and Bliss did not intersect.”

Bliss Street was named for a prominent local family, and Geisel might have included the street name in the book because he knew someone in the family. “Or did he pick ‘Bliss’ because of the concept of bliss?” McLain wondered. “There are a lot of tantalizing questions.”

But the historian did say with certainty that the rhythm of “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” came from the rhythm of the steamship engine that “got into (Geisel’s) head” on a trip home from Europe. “He wrote the lines of the book to reflect the rhythm of the engines” that sounded something like chug-chug-CHUG-chug-chug-CHUG-chug-chug-CHUG-chug-chug-CHUG.

It’s that rhythm that makes the book so appealing, so enduring, so easily recited. “It’s designed for children, and children can respond to the rhythmic lines. Everyone can, especially children,” McLain said.

“Like nursery rhymes, we carry those rhythms in our hearts forever,” Yolen added.

Geisel’s Mulberry Street rhymes include: “With a roar of its motor an airplane appears and dumps out confetti while everyone cheers;” and “‘Nothing,’ I said, growing red as a beet, ‘But a plain horse and wagon on Mulberry Street.’”

Audrey Geisel said her husband didn’t get back to Springfield often, but when he did, he found the attention “kind of overwhelming.”

“He never stood out, waving, saying, ‘Look at me,’” she said. But he knew he had reached a degree of recognition, and “he enjoyed that and took it in stride but was modest all the time.”

These days, when Dr. Seuss’ view of children’s literature has become time-honored and beloved, it is often difficult to understand how revolutionary it was when it first appeared, Michelson said. “He brought a spirit of mischievous fun, poetic wordplay and artistic exuberance to a field that was dominated by heavy-handed moral lessons and staid imagery.”

Asked what she has learned from Geisel, Yolen replied, “Not to try to write like Seuss for he was sui generis. A writer needs to make his or her own way, find his or her own voice. I have seen too many bad imitations of Seuss.”

Michelson owns R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, which represents the Dr. Seuss estate and is considered his “home gallery.” The gallery sells his original drawings plus the limited-edition, estate-produced fine art, sculpture and book illustrations. The Dr. Seuss works of art are among the most popular works exhibited there.

“Most people are familiar with the illustrations from his well-known books, but less well-known is his ‘secret art,’ which are paintings that he did outside of the published books,” Michelson explained. “They have the same whimsy and social commentary, though often with a sharper edge. Aside from the books, Dr. Seuss was an amazing artist, well-versed with – and often ahead of – the art movements of his time.”

Michelson enjoys watching families come into the gallery and bond over their love of Seuss in a way that he said is rare for any other artist.

“Little kids instinctively love the colors and patterns and rhymes, teenagers still find him politically and socially transgressive, and adults find their nostalgia tempered with a new appreciation of his craft,” Michelson said. “Seuss taps into our basic humanity and remains politically astute while covering it all with the sheer joy of being alive. Who doesn’t love inspired silliness? It is impossible to read his books or view the art without smiling.”

And to think, he might have seen it on Mulberry Street. 


Red Sox activate outfielder Ryan Sweeney for night game

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Ryan Kalish was expected to head to Pawtucket.

Jose Reyes, Ryan SweeneyRyan Sweeney, who came from Oakland in the offseason, came off the disabled list for the Red Sox Saturday,

The Red Sox activated outfielder Ryan Sweeney before Saturday night's game. He had been on the disabled list for three weeks with a fractured left big toe.

Ryan Kalish, who went 0-for-4 in the opener and is hitting .217, was expected to be optioned to Pawtucket.

Sweeney is hitting .292.

The Sox added pitcher Clayton Mortensen for one day Saturday.

New rules allow teams to add a 26th player for doubleheaders. They must be dropped the next day.

Mortensen had been optioned to Pawtucket Wednesday.


Springfield concert raises funds for shooting victim Charlene Mitchell and her family

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Charlene Mitchell remains hospitalized one month after the shooting in Springfield.

concert.phot.jpgJasmin Jiles sings “Tug of War” during a Saturday night benefit concert at The Hill in Springfield for shooting-victim Charlene Mitchell. The event was held by the Springfield Mending Wings Project.

SPRINGFIELD – Music, dance, and good will were on tap Saturday during a benefit concert for Charlene Mitchell, who was critically injured in a shooting June 4 that also took the life of Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose.

The Springfield Mending Wings Project sponsored the fund-raising event at downtown’s The Hill, 111 Chestnut St., which featured gospel music, dancers, rappers and singers.

“I definitely knew I needed to be here to show support,” said Jeanette Haines, who does not know Mitchell, but lived in the same Lawton Street apartment complex as Mitchell where the shootings took place. “We kept praying for her and the family.”

Haines said she also went to Ambrose’s wake.

“My heart was very heavy about the officer,” Haines said. “I gave the family my deepest sympathy.”

A relative of the Mitchell family who attended declined comment.

Mitchell, who remains hospitalized at Baystate Medical Center, was shot multiple times by Shawn Bryan, her estranged boyfriend and the father of her youngest daughter, after Bryan shot and killed Ambrose outside Mitchell’s apartment, police said. Bryan, a New York City correctional officer, then shot and killed himself.

Ambrose had been responding to the domestic call at Mitchell’s apartment.

The proceeds from Saturday’s event will help Mitchell and her two children, ages 13 and 1, organizers said.

The Mending Wings Project conducts fund-raisers for local causes, and has additional events planned, said Terrance Mack, the lead organizer.

He described Saturday’s event, known as “Rejoice With the Voice,” as a “celebration of gospel music with the bonus of raising money for Charlene Mitchell.” The number of people who attended, and the amount of funds raised was not immediately known, but approximately 50 people were gathered in the early evening.

Alysia Cosby, who served as emcee from WEIB 106.3 Smooth FM in Northampton, said she was happy to assist.

“I think it’s a wonderful event,” Cosby said. “We can’t go back and undo what’s done, but we can try to help the family in anyway possible with a benefit showcasing our talent with young people doing positive things.”

Nancy Williams, of Springfield, assisting with the event, said she was glad to help anyway she could, whether it was moving chairs or running the concessions.

Mending Wings Project has also raised funds for tornado victims, Shriners Hospital and scholarships, Mack said.

Donations to help the family can also be made to “Charlene Mitchell’s Courage Against Domestic Violence Fund” at any TD Bank location, according to a Mitchell family member.

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said his office is still investigating the shootings of Mitchell and Ambrose.

Red Sox get it together to salvage a split with Yankees

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Felix Doubront, Mauro Gomez and Pedro Ciriaco came up big in the nightcap.

gomez77.JPGAdrian Gonzalez, Daniel Nava and Mauro Gomez celebrate a run in Boston's 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees Saturday night.

BOSTON - When Pedro Ciriaco was a spring training sensation, only hardcore Red Sox fans paid much attention.

But Ciriaco is back in the majors, and people are watching now.

The journeyman infielder's three-run double in the sixth inning gave the Red Sox their first lead of a long day and night, and they salvaged a doubleheader split with a 9-5 win over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

The Yankees had taken a 6-1 opener. When they jumped to a three-run lead before a batter was retired in the nightcap, it looked like more of the same.

The Red Sox kept pecking at starter Phil Hughes, though, and reaped dividends when Ciriaco's double down the left field line gave them a 5-3 lead in the sixth.

When he came to bat in the eighth, the fans were chanting "Pedro! Pedro!''

That had not been heard at Fenway since a guy named Martinez was pitching.

"I'm not that, but everybody chanting my name was nice,'' Ciriaco said.

"I've got to take advantage, be aggressive, get my pitch and not try to do too much.''

It was the first win this year by the Red Sox over the Yankees in five tries, and the first under Bobby Valentine, who has been trotting over makeshift lineups with a heavy Pawtucket flavor.

The Yankees had outscored Boston 37-20 in the first four meetings. Felix Doubront put a stop to the skid, allowing four hits and four runs (three earned) in 6 1/3 innings of Game 2.

Doubront had a rocky first inning that was not entirely his fault. He's not alone.

In three games of this series, the Yankees have scored 12 first-inning runs.

"We've got to keep the other team from scoring in the first inning,'' Valentine said.

"We have to let our offense play its game. Coming back is tough.''

They couldn't do it in the opener. Franklin Morales found himself in a 4-0 first-inning hole.

Back-to-back homers by Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones all but wrapped this one up.

That's because it was hard to see a Red Sox lineup with names like Nava, Ciriaco, Kalish, Aviles, Shoppach and Lillibridge slugging its way back - even against Freddy Garcia, the Yankees' starter who brought in a 5.94 ERA.

Mark Teixeira's three-run homer put the Yankees on the board before Game 2 starter Doubront could retire a batter.

His drive came after Mauro Gomez showed why it's not always a good idea to call up a minor league first baseman and play him at third base. Gallery previewGomez made two errors on the same Derek Jeter grounder to open the game. Recognizing a free hit when he saw one, Curtis Granderson followed with a bunt single down the third-base line.

Teixeira's home run came next, giving this game a numbing resemblance to its afternoon predecessor.

After the home run, Doubront was spotless until the seventh, when Jones hit his third home run of the doubleheader.

He had allowed 10 earned runs and 23 hits over 16 1/3 innings in his last three starts, so this was very encouraging.

"That was an unexpected start, but I don't worry about the first inning,'' said Doubront (9-4).

There is a reason Gomez is playing. He can hit, and despite his inauspicious start in Game 2, he left to cheers in the seventh.

That is when Gomez left for a pinch-runner after swatting an RBI double, his seventh hit of this series and third of the game.

Adrian Gonzalez pushed his hitting streak to a career high 18 games.

Ciriaco captured the club's imagination in spring training. The Pittsburgh Pirates castoff hit .419 and did something exciting and positive on practically a daily basis, but there was no roster spot open for him.

Injuries have decimated the Red Sox, though, and Ciriaco was called up from Triple A Friday and had four hits and four RBIs in the victory.

"I tried to carry my spring training over to Triple A,'' he said, refusing to be disheartened at spending the first three months in the minors.

Boston ended a five-game losing streak and moved above .500 at 43-42. They are 8 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

Morales was at a loss for why he was so ineffective.

"I threw my pitches. I just missed on them,'' he said after giving up four home runs.

"Falling behind hitters was part of it. It's one game, and it's going to happen.''

It has happened to this team a lot. Boston's ERA for first-inning pitching this season is 6.35.

"If there were a solution, it would be solved,'' Valentine said.

"I had Nolan Ryan for three years (in Texas), and the first inning was always a problem.''

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, there are no Nolan Ryans on their staff these days.

Morales did not think the quality of the Yankees lineup doomed him. It was still hard to ignore that his successful starts had come against the weak-hitting Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners, as well as the Atlanta Braves.

Recent callup Justin Germano, who fired 5 2/3 innings of five-hit shutout relief with seven strikeouts. Germano had been a starter in Pawtucket, going 9-4 with a 2.40 ERA.

Man who survived being hit by freight train in Pittsfield identified

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The victim has been identified as 23-year-old David Shoemaker of Pittsfield.

Updates a story posted at 4:05 a.m. Saturday.

PITTSFIELD - Remarkably, a 23-year-old man has survived after being struck by a freight train early Saturday morning, the Albany Times-Union reports.

The Berkshire Eagle identified the victim as David Shoemaker of West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield.

Shoemaker suffered open skull fractures and multiple amputations after being run over by the 19-car freight train on the CSX railroad bridge on Woodlawn Avenue, according to the T-U report. He was treated at Berkshire Medical Center. His exact condition is unknown.

Authorities who responded to the scene found Shoemaker alive just west of the bridge, according to the Eagle. The incident occurred just before 12:45 a.m. and was reported by CSX personnel.

It's unclear what the victim was doing by the tracks. The William Stanley Business Park of the Berkshires is located nearby.


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Congressman Barney Frank marries longtime partner

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Frank spokesman Harry Gural says the 72-year-old congressman married 42-year-old Jim Ready in a Saturday evening wedding at the Boston Marriott hotel in Newton. Gural says more than 300 friends, family and colleagues attended.

This undated image provided by Fotique shows U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., left, and Jim Ready posing at their wedding reception Saturday July 7, 2012. Frank married his longtime partner in a ceremony officiated by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in Newton, Mass. Saturday. (AP Photo/Fotique, Jaime E. Connolly)

NEWTON, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Barney Frank has tied the knot with his longtime partner in a ceremony officiated by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Frank spokesman Harry Gural says the 72-year-old congressman married 42-year-old Jim Ready in a Saturday evening wedding at the Boston Marriott hotel in Newton. Gural says more than 300 friends, family and colleagues attended.

Frank, a Democrat who is retiring after more than three decades in office, represents the 4th Congressional District in southeastern Massachusetts.

Ready, of Ogunquit, Maine, has a small business doing custom awnings, carpentry, painting, welding and other general handyman services. He's also a photographer.

Mark R. Tolosky honored by the Massachusetts Hospital Association

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Tolosky joined Baystate in 1992. A graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, he earned a master’s degree in hospital and health care administration from Xavier University. He also holds a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore and has been admitted to the Maryland bar and to practice in the federal courts.

052311 mark tolosky small mug.jpgMark Tolosky

SPRINGFIELD – Mark R. Tolosky, chief executive officer of Baystate Health, has received the 2012 William L. Lane Hospital Advocate Award from the Massachusetts Hospital Association.

“I am most appreciative of this recognition and humbly accept the advocate award on behalf of the entire Baystate Health organization, of which it is my privilege to serve,” said Tolosky. “I am most grateful for their support over the years. Everyone at Baystate shares in our success and can be proud of their achievements in support of our core mission of patient care.”

The Lane award honors the spirit of William Lane, who led Holy Family Hospital in Methuen for many years. Each year at the association’s annual meeting, the hospital association presents the award to a senior hospital executive who “exemplifies exceptional leadership and the characteristics to which all hospital and health system leaders should aspire.”

Tolosky received the award last month in Brewster.

In March, Baystate Health opened the $296 million MassMutual Wing at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. It is a 640,000-square-foot addition housing a heart and vascular care center and a new emergency room that is due to open in November. Remaining space in the addition was left unfinished for future expansion.

Tolosky joined Baystate in 1992. A graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, he earned a master’s degree in hospital and health care administration from Xavier University. He also holds a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore and has been admitted to the Maryland bar and to practice in the federal courts.

Tolosky began his career in health care at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, before relocating to Boston as chief operating officer of Faulkner Hospital. Prior to joining Baystate in 1992, he served as executive vice president at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge. 

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