Brown and Warren each provided written answers to 10 questions on international relations.

Foreign policy might be getting lost as a topic so far in the bitter U.S. Senate contest in Massachusetts, but the winner could be dealing a lot with the issue in the years ahead.

Considering the important role Congress plays in foreign policy, The Republican and Masslive.com posed ten questions on the issue to U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown, the Republican incumbent, and Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic challenger and a Harvard law professor.

Each candidate provided written answers that reveal some contrasts in tone and positions on issues such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran's potential to produce nuclear weapons and the wisdom of cutting foreign aid during the debt crisis.

Photo by APPresident Barack Obama greets, from second from left, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on Capitol Hill in Washington after delivering his State of the Union address in January.

Warren, for example, said the U.S. should leave Afghanistan "as quickly as possible," consistent with troop safety and a transition to Afghan control.

She wrote that the troops "have done all that we could have asked them for and more in Afghanistan, but it is time for them to come home."

Brown, 52, said he supports President Barack Obama's current plan to draw down troops in the region.

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Brown said he will continue to monitor the war in Afghanistan.

"The last thing any of us want is for Afghanistan to be a haven for terrorists to launch attacks on our country," Brown wrote.

The two also struck different chords when asked if the War in Iraq was worthwhile or a mistake.

While she praised the courage and fortitude of troops in Iraq, Warren, 63, said people need to learn a larger lesson from the war.

"We should exhaust all other options before going to war, and we must never again put wars on a credit card for our grandchildren to pay for," Warren wrote. "If war is unavoidable and in our national interest, then we should be willing to pay for it as we fight it."

Photo by APBarack Obama waves to supporters as he hugs Elizabeth Warren before addressing supporters during a campaign fundraiser at Symphony Hall in Boston last month.

Brown said that Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi president, was a "murderous dictator" who had to be stopped.

"It was the American forces that captured Saddam and gave the Iraqi people the chance to chart their own destiny, voting in free and fair elections for the first time," Brown wrote. "While each country is a unique case, I also believe that seeing Iraqis vote and get a taste of democracy has had a positive ripple effect across the region."

On the issue of Iran, Warren said a nuclear Iran would be a threat to the world.

"I support economic sanctions in conjunction with other countries that have placed political pressure on Iran, as well as vigorous diplomacy to try to resolve the situation through negotiations," Warren wrote. "Like the president, I believe the United States must take the necessary steps to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon -- but also that careless talk of rushing to ware in unhelpful."

Brown said that there is no greater threat to the world than Iran obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

"Evidence that Iran is working toward a nuclear weapon continues to emerge," Brown wrote. "It would be counterproductive to embrace this dangerous ambition with the full recognition of the United States government."

The two stressed different themes on the need to cut foreign aid in the face of the fiscal cliff in Washington. Warren said the budget cuts should start with tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, loopholes for hedge fund managers and special deals that allow some multinational companies to pay no federal income taxes.

Brown said foreign aid is important for humanitarian purposes and provides leverage in negotiations involving national security for the U.S. The aid is a relatively small portion of the federal budget, but the nation should not spend anything more than necessary to accomplish those goals, Brown wrote.

The next senator from Massachusetts could have a say on a possible new war, a treaty, the budget of the State Department or other items involving international relations.

Read on to determine if certain foreign-policy stances of Brown and Warren could affect the way you vote on Nov. 6.

Q. There are concerns that violence between major factions in Iraq could erupt into a full-blown civil war. Is Iraq unraveling? Should we have kept a residual military force in place instead of withdrawing troops?

BROWN: American troops did their job. Now, the US government must continue to aid Iraq and assist in a full transition to a competent, capable and functioning government and security force so that Al Qaeda cannot reemerge as a serious threat to our national interests.

I supported the surge of forces in Iraq and believe the country has improved in many ways since then. However, many challenges remain. The security threats of al Qaeda and affiliated groups still pose a risk to regional stability. While battered and bruised, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) maintains a presence in Iraq and will continue to attempt to stage attacks. Iranian-backed militias, other violent extremist organizations, and lingering ethnic tensions between Sunni and Shia and Arabs and Kurds will present challenges to the Iraqi government in providing critical government services.

Scott Brown

The next year in Iraq will be critical and marks the final stage of transition in Iraq from the drawdown of the US military operation to normalized relations under the Status of Forces Agreement (SFA). We must continue our interaction with Iraq by building upon the structure in the SFA and improving our strategic partnerships in areas of defense, education, economics and diplomacy.

WARREN: After years of sacrifice by America’s armed forces and billions of dollars in spending put on a credit card for our children and grandchildren to pay, President Obama made the right decision to end combat operations in Iraq. Now we must build a strong political and economic partnership with the Iraqi government to promote stability in the region.

Q. Should the US be arming the militants in Syria? Why or why not? The Syrian government is backed by Iran and Hezbollah and is using its Army to kill the opposition and civilians in the process.

BROWN: I’m deeply concerned about the current situation in Syria. With over 10,000 civilians killed by their own government and violence spilling over into Lebanon, the international community cannot afford to sit idly by as (president Bashar al-)Assad continues down the path of destruction and mass killings. I strongly support the Syrian people in their pursuit to oust the oppressive Assad regime.

While all options should remain on the table, at this time, I do not think we should be committing any U.S. troops, but I do believe strongly that we have a responsibility to protect human life. We must work with the international community to stop the violence and help the opposition, including providing food and medical supplies, and assisting in training.

Elizabeth Warren

WARREN: The ongoing killing of civilians in Syria is a terrible tragedy, and Assad has got to go. The unfolding question is how to accomplish those goals. The President is right to try to work with others in the region and in the international community to influence Syria. Because assistance can have complex and unintended consequences, we should not act unless we are confident that we can do more good than harm and that we have a clear plan and achievable goals.

Q. Should we get out of Afghanistan as soon as possible? Or should we make sure the situation is stabilized first? President Obama has set a withdrawal date of 2014. There are about 80,000 troops in Afghanistan now after a surge of troops approved by Obama in 2009. Do you support Obama’s withdrawal plans? Or should we withdraw more quickly?

BROWN: First, I’m exceptionally proud of our men and women in uniform for their enduring display of resolve to accomplish the mission.

I supported President Obama’s troop surge and I support the current plan to drawdown the troops in the region according to the Strategic Partnership Agreement. However, I have concerns with making the withdrawal date public, because I do not believe we should be telling our enemies our strategy when it comes to exit plans. I’m focused on ensuring we capitalize on the gains we’ve made while responsibly withdrawing our forces, building the capacity of the Afghan security forces and improving Afghanistan’s governmental institutions to fill in the gaps once we’re gone. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will continue to monitor the situation. The last thing any of us want is for Afghanistan to be a haven for terrorists to launch attacks on our country.

AP Photo by Charles KrupaScott Brown speaks at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston in May.

(Note: Brown has served 32 years in the Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan fulfilling his yearly military training duty. He was there for nearly 2 weeks in 2011.)

WARREN: We need to get out as quickly as possible, consistent with the safety of our troops and with a transition to Afghan control. Our brave service members have done all that we could have asked them for and more in Afghanistan, but it is time for them to come home. Ultimately, it is the Afghans who must take responsibility for their own future.

Q. Was the War in Iraq, which ended last year, a worthwhile effort or was it a mistake from the start? About 4,500 US military members were killed and another 32,000 injured. What was accomplished in Iraq that made it worthwhile?

BROWN: Saddam Hussein was a murderous dictator who had the blood of Israelis, as well as hundreds of thousands of Kurds and Shia, on his hands. He was a state sponsor of global terrorism, and I’ll never forget his missile attacks on Israeli civilian targets in the first Gulf war. His murderous reign had to be stopped. It was the American forces that captured Saddam and gave the Iraqi people the chance to chart their own destiny, voting in free and fair elections for the first time. While each country is a unique case, I also believe that seeing Iraqis vote and get a taste of democracy has had a positive ripple effect across the region. We’ve since seen people in countries like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and now Syria demanding an end to autocratic rule.

AP Photo by Michael DwyerElizabeth Warren fires up delegates at the Democratic State Convention in Springfield last month.

WARREN: With my three older brothers having served in the military – one career, with 288 combat missions in Vietnam – I know first-hand how tough, smart, and resourceful our servicemembers are. I also know how much they and their families contribute to our country. The men and women of our armed forces who served in Iraq did everything we asked of them, and no one doubts their courage and fortitude. We should honor and respect their service, their commitment, and their efforts in ending a brutal regime. But we also need to learn a larger lesson from the war in Iraq. We should exhaust all other options before going to war, and we must never again put wars on a credit card for our grandchildren to pay for. If a war is unavoidable and in our national interest, then we should be willing to pay for it as we fight it. If public support is so weak that the American people are unwilling to pay for the war, then we should not go to war. Either all of us go to war, or none of us go to war.

Q. North Korea has active nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs and a terrible record on human rights that includes labor camps for those who disagree with the government. What is your strategy for dealing with North Korea?

BROWN: North Korea is an unpredictable and dangerous threat to regional stability. Given their track-record, I remain deeply concerned over North Korea’s proliferation of nuclear weapons technology to state and non-state actors. We must use all of our diplomatic resources to continue to be tough with the North Korean government, including working with our allies in the region to send a united message that a defiant, nuclear-armed North Korea is unacceptable.

Our strategy should include targeted sanctions on the regime, the enforcement of international restrictions on ballistic missile components, eliminating the illicit trade networks that keep regime loyalists well-funded, and working with China to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear program. The real victims of the North Korean regime are the North Korean people. They are suffering from famine and extreme poverty. Their repressive government spends what money it has on its military, its nuclear program and luxury goods for the ruling elite, rather than providing basic necessities to its own population. If North Korea cooperates with the international community, food aid and economic assistance can be restored.

WARREN: Around the world, the proliferation of nuclear weapons remains a critical challenge. The recent leadership transition in North Korea and its failed missile launch in April 2012 are developments that require continued U.S. monitoring and attention, in addition to close cooperation with our allies and continued efforts with those in the region. If there is to be progress, North Korea must first take action to demonstrate good faith including suspending enrichment, halting missile tests, and allowing international inspectors into the country.

Q. What can be done about abuses of human rights in China, an incredibly valued trade partner? According to certain organizations, issues include the use of capital punishment, the one-child policy, the political status of Tibet and a lack of freedoms in the press and religion and a lack of legal rights.

The Republican photo by Mark M. MurrayScott Brown speaks at a press conference in Springfield last year.

BROWN: Our country is a model for the world in terms of human rights and democracy and we should not miss occasions to insist that the Chinese make serious progress in respect for its citizens. Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton has been able to press the Chinese to make progress on human rights issues. China is heavily reliant on trade with the United States. The U.S. should continue to use its leverage with China to encourage the country to respect human rights. In addition, we should continue to support democracies in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea so that the Chinese people have neighboring examples of democracy and human rights.

WARREN: China’s rise over the last generation has been incredibly important. Today, our economies and security are in many ways intertwined, as we work together on issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to piracy. The United States must continue to stand up for the universal values this country was founded on, including free speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement. In the short-term, this position will inevitably introduce some frictions into our foreign relations. In the longer term, China’s engagement with global issues – from human rights to global and regional security challenges to ensuring a level economic playing field – will help sustain a stable, long-term relationship between our two nations. I support the U.S. government’s efforts to connect with the Chinese government on these issues, and I hope that both governments will continue to build those connections in the future.

Q. President Obama has been criticized for using the raid that killed Osama bin Laden as a way to boost his re-election campaign. The Associated Press reported that he used the May 2 anniversary of bin Laden’s death to help maximize a political narrative that portrays the president as bold and decisive. Is it appropriate for the president to use the death of bin Laden for his re-election campaign?

BROWN: Osama bin Laden’s death was a victory for the United States and peace loving people around the world. President Obama deserves credit for ordering the raid.

However, I do have concerns about the possibility that the Administration shared sensitive information about the raid, including the identities of sources and the tactics and techniques used. Not only did this put American lives at risk, but also risked the lives of the brave individuals who work and partner with the United States abroad. The Pakistani doctor that assisted the CIA with a vaccination clinic that covertly collected DNA from Osama’s Abbottabad compound, Dr. Shakil Afridi, is now in prison for treason because his identity was leaked to the New York Times.

AP Photo by Michael BalceElizabeth Warren, former special adviser on federal consumer protection, prepares for an interview at the White House last year.

WARREN: President Obama displayed strong leadership with his decision to order the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and his assertive operations have eliminated many of al Qaeda’s senior leadership and weakened its affiliates. We must continue our political, military, economic, and diplomatic efforts against al Qaeda and its affiliates, and we need to continue to support the efforts of our intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security, and military professionals.

Q. What can be done to weaken the powerful drug cartels in Mexico? Would you support drone strikes by the United States against the cartel operations if approved by the Mexican government?

BROWN: As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I have worked with my Senate colleagues to improve border security and the security of cargo imported through our ports of entry. However, the violence in Mexico underscores the importance of strong security along our Southwest border. The motive for the Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) is short and simple—it’s about greed. Whoever controls the routes controls the profit. DTOs seek to create an environment of lawlessness and chaos that they can freely operate in.

Mexico’s drug problem does not stop at our border, and nor will the violence, if serious gains are not made against the problem in the coming years. Greater emphasis needs to be made on interdiction and disruption of trade routes, forcing the drug traffickers out of their ‘zones of safety’. Counternarcotics and intelligence collection and sharing should be prioritized. I don’t believe drone strikes should be considered at this time. Drone strikes don’t address the demand side of the problem, as disruption of the networks in Mexico doesn’t mean disruption of the trade, routes will simply move elsewhere. Drone strikes that kill civilian bystanders will quickly reverse civilian sentiment on the war.

WARREN: The United States must continue to work with the Mexican government to identify ways to end the escalating violence by drug cartels in Mexico. Mexico and the United States share a common interest in ending this illicit behavior, and our responsibilities both start at home. That is why I support the Obama Administration’s focus on reducing demand from within the United States for illicit drugs and on working collaboratively with the Mexican government to find a comprehensive solution to the trafficking of narcotics and weapons.

Q. Do you support restoring formal diplomatic relations with Iran? What needs to be done so that the U.S. has formal diplomatic relations with Iran?

BROWN: We must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. There is no greater threat in the world. There is no room for nuance with Iran. The U.S. must be clear and unequivocal. Establishing formal relations with Iran while they continue to thumb their nose at the international community is exactly the wrong message.

Formal diplomatic relations with Iran cannot be realized until the Iranian government has opened its nuclear program fully to international inspectors, demonstrated without question that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, proven it has ceased its support of terrorist organizations, and renounced its calls to “wipe Israel off the map.”

Evidence that Iran is working toward a nuclear weapon continues to emerge. It would be counterproductive to embrace this dangerous ambition with the full recognition of the United States government.

I was a strong supporter and sponsor of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions legislation, now law, which hinders Iran’s ability to finance its nuclear program. I was also an original co-sponsor of an amendment to sanction the Central Bank of Iran which has also been signed into law.

WARREN: I support the approach President Obama – joined by a bipartisan consensus in Congress – has taken in working to prevent Iranian development of a nuclear weapon. A nuclear Iran would be a threat to the United States, our allies, the region, and the world. I support economic sanctions in conjunction with other countries that have placed political pressure on Iran, as well as vigorous diplomacy to try to resolve the situation through negotiations. Like the president, I believe the United States must take the necessary steps to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon – but also that careless talk of rushing to war is unhelpful.

Q. With the deficit crisis in the U.S., do you support cutting the State Department’s budget and federal foreign aid? Would you cut the Peace Corps, disaster aid and food assistance to Africa, for example?

BROWN: I’m the second-most bipartisan senator in Congress. Believe me when I tell you that the only way we’re going to fix our debt and deficit problem is by working together. As you know people are hurting in our own country and we must focus our efforts domestically. We need a bipartisan approach to secure a long-term deficit reduction plan.

Foreign aid is important for humanitarian reasons, and to help give us leverage in negotiations involving our own national security. But, while it is a relatively small portion of our budget, we ought not spend a penny more than is necessary to accomplish these vital goals.

Moreover, what’s clear is that Washington does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.

No government function should be held completely immune from cuts, and foreign aid is no exception. However, smart investments in diplomacy now can help prevent more costly foreign policy problems later.

The Congressional Budget Office’s annual long-term budget forecast is evidence that our exploding debt and deficits will cripple us if we fail to make tough choices. For example, CBO found that since 2008, U.S. debt has gone from 40 percent of GDP to more than 70 percent, the highest since WWII.

WARREN: Our foreign policy should be smart, tough, and pragmatic, using every tool in the toolbox, including using defense, diplomacy, development, and other tools to advance U.S. interests in the world.

We must remember that diplomacy and development can, in many cases, prevent the need to engage in far more costly wars – costly in lives and in money. Development and diplomacy can help countries from drifting into instability, where terror, criminal networks, and lawlessness can take hold. Development and diplomacy can help create economic growth that enables people to lift themselves from poverty – and grow markets for U.S. companies. And development and diplomacy can advance democracy and human rights, while fighting disease and hunger. These are important benefits – particularly given that international development and diplomacy is only 1% of the federal budget.

At a time when the federal debt is more than $15 trillion, we need to be smart about the budget and about where and how to cut. A budget is about finance and economics, but it is also about our values. We need to cut the tax breaks to the oil and gas industry, the loopholes for hedge fund managers, and the special deals that allow some multinational companies to pay nothing in federal income taxes. That’s where we should start.

File photos | Associated PressRepublican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, and Democrat Elizabeth Warren, candidates for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, provided answers to an in-depth electronic Q&A on foreign policy with The Republican and MassLive.com that reveal some contrasts in tone and positions on issues such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran's potential to produce nuclear weapons and the wisdom of cutting foreign aid during the debt crisis.

Brett Manley, 9, who plays the young version of Mark Wahlberg's character in the hit comedy “Ted,” has decided to spend the summer on Cape Cod rather than taking acting jobs. In real life, Manley is a fourth-grader from Newton, Mass.

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Make some plans to enjoy the comfy dry weather the next several days

A cold front will continue pushing southward. This will allow drier air to work in today thanks to a Canadian high pressure system that will move in and will stick around through mid-week.

This front will stall across the mid-Atlantic and return as a warm front late in the week. This will bring clouds back into the forecast, as well as a few scattered showers as dew point temperatures climb above 60 again.

Today: 99% Sunshine and comfortable. High 85.

Monday through Wednesday: Pleasant, mainly sunny. Chance of a shower Tuesday afternoon. Lows 50s Highs 80s.

Thursday and Friday. Sun and clouds. Mainly dry. Highs 80s.

The water department is working to fix the problem. The break was said to have happened around 4:30 a.m.

CHICOPEE - A water main break occurred earlier this morning at the bottom of Granby Road, WWLP-22News reports.

The water department is working to fix the problem. The break was said to have happened around 4:30 a.m.

Traffic is not being affected, according to the 22News report.

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Obituaries from The Republican.

Jennifer L. Dodge

Jennifer L. Dodge, 45, of Preston, Conn. passed away at home on the morning of Tuesday, July 3, 2012 after a 12-year battle with cancer. She was born on June 17, 1967 in New Boston, N.H. and grew up on the family dairy farm. Dodge took part in competitive snowshoe racing, and won many awards, including the breaking of two world snowshoe running records. She was a professionally trained massage therapist, and owned a therapeutic massage practice in Springfield for many years before getting her Bachelor of Science and master's degrees from Springfield College as a physician assistant. The college's Physician Assistant program is creating an award to be given out each year to the student that best demonstrates the commitment, determination and compassion Dodge brought to her medical education and career. Dodge underwent over 15 major surgeries over the past 12 years, along with several radiation and experimental drug treatments.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Allen, E. Louise (MacMullen)
  



• 
  Badore, Betty (Zeno)
  



• 
  Barnshaw, Libby
  



• 
  Blanchard, Margaret R. "Marti" (Weber)
  



• 
  Brouillard, Richard J.
  



• 
  Curley, Lorraine R. (Bernard)
  



• 
  DaFonseca, Jose
  



• 
  Desmarais, Charles H. "Chuck"
  



• 
  Dodge, Jennifer
  



• 
  Dusza, Walter F.
  



• 
  Finck, Claudette (Houle)
  



• 
  Galazka, Zbigniew W. "Z"
  



• 
  Gamache, Therese
  



• 
  Gormley, John
  



• 
  Herne, Ralph
  



• 
  Johnson, Florence M.
  



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  Lucier, Rene G.
  



• 
  Novak, Valeria M. (Kosior)
  



• 
  O'Neil, Dr. John J.
  



• 
  Price, Helen
  



• 
  Redin, Norma T. (Faust)
  



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  Riga, Barbara T. (Turner)
  



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  Ryder, John C.
  



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  Slinsky, James W.
  



• 
  Smith, Bertha Kennedy (Cloutier)
  



• 
  Smith, Gordon R.
  



• 
  Speed, Ellen (Buckities)
  



• 
  Walker, Anthony
  

A coalition of health care, neighborhood and labor groups is urging U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to drop his opposition to the health care law signed by President Obama.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his opponent Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Elizabeth Warren have vowed to fight attack ads on television, radio and the Internet, but in their emailed appeals to supporters, the two routinely portray each other in the harshest light possible. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON (AP) — A coalition of health care, neighborhood and labor groups is urging U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to drop his opposition to the health care law signed by President Obama.

In a letter sent to Brown on Sunday, the groups say if Brown cares about creating jobs and making health care affordable, he should encourage fellow Republicans in Congress to abandon efforts to repeal the 2010 law.

The coalition represents more than a dozen groups including the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts and Health Care for All.

Brown ran for the Senate in 2010 vowing to oppose the law, which passed despite his opposition.

He said he supports trying to insure as many people as possible, but that Obama's Affordable Care Act includes tax hikes and would hurt the economy.

Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic challenger to his U.S. Senate seat, said she was relieved by the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the health care law, and that now is not the time to re-fight the battles of two years ago.

The full text of the letter can be read below.

Dear Senator Brown,

We write today to urge you in the strongest terms to drop your opposition to the Affordable Care Act. With last week’s Supreme Court ruling, the Affordable Care Act has been approved by all three branches of the federal government, and is the settled law of land. If you care about creating jobs and making health care affordable for Americans, you should encourage your colleagues in Congress to abandon their efforts to repeal the law.

When you voted as a state senator to support health care reform in Massachusetts in 2006, it proved to be good for jobs, and good for the economy. Your rationales for opposing the Affordable Care Act are unraveling quickly, in part because of the success that similar reforms are having in Massachusetts – reforms that, to your credit, you originally voted to support. The Affordable Care Act will make health care more affordable for small businesses in Massachusetts and across the country, enabling those companies to hire more workers and invest in their businesses. In terms of job growth and employment, Massachusetts has established a clear track record of consistently outperforming other states that have not made similar reforms. The Affordable Care Act will have a similar positive effect on jobs and the national economy, unless you continue making the partisan choice to hold America back by siding with national Republicans, and refighting the political battles of the past two years.

In addition to the positive impact it will have on job creation, the Affordable Care Act has already begun to deliver new financial security for thousands of Massachusetts families. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are over 70,000 Massachusetts seniors who have saved an average of $648 each thanks to the closing of the Medicare donut hole. 2.5 million Massachusetts residents are now free of lifetime limits on their insurance plan, and 1.3 million Massachusetts residents with private insurance now receive all preventive services without any
co-pays or other cost-sharing.

No independent minded Senator would support robbing Massachusetts families of these hard-won and much deserved financial benefits. No Senator that truly cares about job creation should be siding with the insurance giants in order to make health care more expensive for American small businesses.

Additionally, 780,000 Medicare recipients have already received free preventive services – such as mammograms, colonoscopies and free wellness visits with their doctor. Approximately 85,000 Massachusetts families will see an average refund of $140, because the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to reimburse customers if the insurer spends too much on administrative expenses like executive bonuses, and not enough on patient care. Last, but certainly not least, Massachusetts health centers have received over $107 million in federal funding through the law, improving the quality of medical care for thousands of patients and maintaining real jobs in our state’s largest employment industry – health care.

If you and your colleagues continue to push to repeal the law, all of these jobs and benefits to Massachusetts families are at risk. Your pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act is in fact a misguided promise to kill jobs in our state and jeopardize significant health care savings for millions of Massachusetts families.

Each day wasted attempting to repeal health care reform is one more day that you have spent working against job creation – and against the interests of your constituents. We encourage you and your colleagues to stop refighting the political battles of the past two years and to support the Affordable Care Act as the law of the land, and as an engine to bring financial relief to millions of American families and businesses for the sake of job creation and a stronger economy.

Sincerely,

Boston Workers Alliance

Chelsea Collaborative

Chinese Progressive Political Action

Coalition for Social Justice

Crittenton Women’s Union

Greater Boston Labor Council

Health Care for All

Massachusetts AFL-CIO

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Massachusetts Senior Action Council

MassUniting

Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts

Neighbors United for a Better East Boston

Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts

Henriquez was arrested early Sunday morning by Boston police after a getting in a physical dispute with a young woman in his car in the Fenway area, according to Boston police.

Massachusetts State Rep. Carlos Henriquez, D-Dorchester, as seen in his official Mass. Legislature portrait. Henrizuez is a member on the Joint Committee on Education, the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

By Matt Murphy, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

BOSTON -- State Rep. Carlos Henriquez, a freshman Dorchester Democrat, was arrested early Sunday morning by Boston police after a getting in a physical dispute with a young woman in his car in the Fenway area, according to Boston police.

Henriquez, 35, was arrested at the scene and charged with domestic assault and battery and domestic kidnapping after the woman told police she had been held against her will in the vehicle, and what started as a verbal argument escalated into a physical attack, according to Boston Police Officer James Kenneally, a department spokesman.

Kenneally would not confirm that the man arrested was the same Henriquez who represents the 5th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, but mug shots obtained by several Boston area media outlets clearly show the suspect to be the first-term Democrat.

According to the police report read to the News Service, the woman claimed to have been driving around Boston for several hours with Henriquez and indicated that she wanted to be allowed to return home, but was denied.

A verbal argument escalated into a “physical attack,” according to Kenneally, and the woman was able to jump out of the car and flag a Northeastern University safety officer near 21 Forsyth Street in the Fenway neighborhood around 4:30 a.m.

Boston police responded to the scene and arrested Henriquez, who was born and raised in Roxbury. Neither Henriquez, nor his staff, could immediately be reached for comment.

Henriquez, who is running for his second two-year term in the House, has one opponent in November, Alethea Garrison, running under the Independent People’s Party, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Hang glider stuck in tree at Skinner State Park.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickHadley- A hang glider is seen stuck in trees by the Summit House at Skinner State Park Sunday as two other gliders wait on the cliff.

SOUTH HADLEY- A hang glider was rescued by fire crews after he became snared about 25 feet up in trees Sunday at Joseph Allen Skinner State Park.

The man was not injured in the accident and hiked out of the woods with his rescuers, according to a statement by Hadley Fire Chief James Kicza.

The hang glider could be seen from Interstate 91.

The man had been taking off from a hang glider launch pad, which is about 100 feet above where he became ensnared, Kicza said.

“He tripped during take off and that put the hang glider in a spin,” he said.

About 15 firefighters from Hadley responded to the accident scene. They brought an all-terrain vehicle and other vehicles, but the woods were so thick firefighters had to hike into the area.

The Republican / Dave MolnarAn Amherst Fire Department ambulance leaves Joseph Allen Skinner State Park after a hang glider was freed after being stuck in a tree near the top of the park. The park was closed during the emergency.

They were able to lower the victim to the ground using ropes, Kicza said.

Other responders from South Hadley, Amherst and Northampton also assisted.

Amherst firefighters responded with an ambulance.

Emergency personnel checked the hang glider but he declined to be treated at the hospital, Kicza said.

The governor filed a separate bill that calls for $20 million to pay for this year's sales tax holiday.

AP Photo/The Boston Globe/Dina RudickGov. Deval Patrick signs the state budget on Sunday in the Statehouse.

BOSTON — Gov. Deval L. Patrick Sunday vetoed $32.1 million in spending from the state budget approved by legislators, saying the state's fiscal situation remains challenging.

In signing the budget for the fiscal year that started July 1, Patrick also rejected the Legislature's plan for an expanded ban on the use of electronic benefit cards that would include prohibitions on the purchases of items such as firearms, tattoos and pornography. Instead, Patrick sent those provisions back to legislators with an amendment that would forbid the use of the cards in businesses where those items are sold such as gun dealers, tattoo parlors and adult bookstores and strip joints.

In an unusual day of the week for a budget ceremony, Patrick signed the spending plan on a Sunday afternoon, noting the day fell on the final of 10 he is legally given to review an annual state budget.

"Great," the governor said after signing the document at the Statehouse. "We have a budget. Thank you all for coming."

The $32.5 billion budget means spending will be up about 4 percent from the prior year, just under the expected 4.5 percent growth in state tax revenues for the next fiscal year, Patrick said.

Patrick said the budget includes $5.32 billion in state aid to cities and towns, an increase of 3.7 percent over the prior fiscal year. General education aid to school districts increased by 4.5 percent to a historic level of $4.171 billion, the governor said.

A Democrat in his second term, Patrick also filed a separate spending bill that he said includes $20 million to pay for this year's sales tax holiday, expected to be approved by legislators and usually the second weekend in August. Patrick noted that he has been less than enthusiastic in the past about the holidays, which exempt most purchases of $2,500 or less from the state's 6.25 percent sales tax.

Patrick said it is "responsible and prudent" to designate funds to support a popular two-day event that saves money for consumers and generates sales for retailers. He said his proposal would ensure the state will be able to afford to go without the estimated $20 million in sales tax collections for a weekend.

The $20 million to pay for the holiday would come from one-time legal settlements, according to Patrick.

During the event, Patrick joked about a reporter's "sour expression" after the reporter questioned the reason for scheduling the signing on a Sunday.

"Ten days," the governor said. "This is the day. We need every day."

Patrick's vetoes included $10 million from the state probation commissioner's $123 million budget, $10 million from a $20 million reserve for a cost-of-living increase for 31,500 workers of private organizations that contract with the state for human services, $3.5 million in grants for school districts that face certain extraordinary costs and $300,000 in legislative earmarks in the $7.2 million budget of the state Office of Travel and Tourism.

Patrick also vetoed $100,000 for the Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., a private, nonprofit agency that helps counsel possible home buyers who have credit or other financial hurdles. Patrick said the program was not recommended.

Instead of providing $10 million for small pay increases for human-service workers, Patrick said he wanted to use the money for a current program to improve the state's system for purchasing services from health and human service providers. One goal is to develop standard rates of reimbursements and to coordinate them across departments of state government.

As part of the budget process, Legislators can override vetoes with a two-thirds vote in each branch.

Patrick also signed items that could change the management of the state's 15 community colleges and more closely connect them with employers. Under one measure, Patrick obtains new powers to appoint the chair of a college's board of trustees, something that could strengthen ties between the administration and the campuses and possibly make the colleges more accountable.

Another measure could lead to a new funding formula for the campuses based partly on their performance.

Patrick said the colleges are vital to the state's economic success. He approved new money for the community colleges including $5 million for competitive grants to improve graduation rates, develop standard courses that can easily be transferred to other colleges and universities and ways to consolidate administration and bidding for services.

He also signed a new program for $2.25 million in grants to community colleges, partly to establish worker training programs within three months of a request by an employer.

At the end of the ceremony, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said he wanted to highlight that Patrick signed the budget near a framed portrait of Foster Furcolo, the late Springfield lawyer and Democratic governor from 1957 to 1961 who led an effort to create the state's system of community colleges.

As for his proposed proposed amendments to the Legislature's plan for electronic benefit cards, Patrick said those changes reflect findings of a state study commission on the cards, which are used by income-eligible recipients for food stamps and monthly welfare. Patrick said the technology for the cards can determine where a purchase is made, but not necessarily what is bought.

Patrick said he also rejected a budget rider approved by the Legislature that was partly aimed at increasing documentation requirements for certain immigrants seeking to register a motor vehicle. Patrick said the Registry of Motor Vehicles is ill-equipped and lacks the staff for such an assignment. He said the federal government is charged with enforcing immigration laws.

According to current state law, the Registry can provide license plates as long as the applicant has a valid insurance policy. There is no law forcing the Registry to verify if a person is a legal immigrant or has a license.

Patrick submitted a proposed amendment that he said shows more common sense and provides balanced registration rules. Under the governor's bill, no registration could be issued unless the person had a license, ID card, social security number or other proof of residence, provided that the registrar of motor vehicles could provide certain exemptions. Patrick told legislators in a letter that he was concerned that their provisions could deny registrations for seasonal residents or foreign students with an international license.

Patrick said the budget is balanced partly with $350 million from the state's rainy day fund, still leaving $1.28 billion in the fund, the most of any state with such a fund except oil-rich Alaska and Texas.

The cause is under investigation but is suspicious.

Republican staff photo by Michael BestwickHolyoke firefighters battle a fire in an abandoned building on West Street.

HOLYOKE - Firefighters are battling a stubborn blaze at an abandoned two-family house on West Street.

The fire was first reported at about 5:20 p.m. and smoke blanketed the neighborhood around East Dwight, West Dwight and West streets, Fire Lt. Thomas Paquin said.

The home has been empty for at least two years, according to neighbors and firefighters, and it is not believed anyone was inside when the fire started.

"Gaining access was a challenge because it is so overgrown," Paquin said.

Most of the flames were extinguished in 20 minutes, but firefighters are struggling with the fire re-igniting in the building, he said.

Shortly after firefighters thought most of the fire was extinguished, it started again, burning through the roof of the back and threatening a nearby apartment complex and a duplex.

Firefighters, who were inside the building, were ordered out for safety reasons.

Firefighters had to cut through a gate of a chain link fence and climb up concrete steps overgrown with brush just to reach the front door of the home, which is set back from the road.

It was slightly easier to gain access to the back of the house, which is near an alley, he said.

BOSTON - The years-long Mark Teixeira-Vicente Padilla feud continues, and don't expect the Red Sox reliever to be invited to speak at any Title IX seminars soon. Two days after the Yankees slugger tripled off Padilla, the pitcher told NESN that Teixeira once threatened to hit him with a bat - and that's when they were teammates on the...

Associated PressNew York Yankees' Mark Teixeira has nothing nice to say about Vicente Padilla, and the feeling from the Red Sox reliever is mutual.

BOSTON - The years-long Mark Teixeira-Vicente Padilla feud continues, and don't expect the Red Sox reliever to be invited to speak at any Title IX seminars soon.

Two days after the Yankees slugger tripled off Padilla, the pitcher told NESN that Teixeira once threatened to hit him with a bat - and that's when they were teammates on the Rangers.

He also took exception to Teixeira's past complaints about the brushback style of Padilla, who has hit him three times with pitches,

"In this sport, as competitive ball players, we get pretty fired up. So I think, maybe, [Teixeira] picked the wrong profession. I think he'd be better off playing a women's sport,'' Padilla retorted.

Yikes. There go all those requests for Padilla to endorse this political candidate or that.

Did Teixeira have a response for Padilla's comments Sunday? Why, of course.

"That's crazy. But I really wouldn't expect anything else, really,'' the first baseman said.

Teixeira was especially miffed at Padilla's comments that suggested the New York star had problems with other Latinos on the Rangers, where both men played in 2006 and 2007.

He mentioned Frank Francisco, the Texas closer at the time. Teixeira challenged Padilla's take.

"If that's the case, then I ask you guys to interview every one of my Latin teammates in this (Yankees) clubhouse right now and ask them. That's why it's funny. It's completely erroneous.''

Padilla is not going to win this war of words in the court of public opinion. Teixeira is considered so mild-mannered that many analysts are surprised he's even getting worked up enough to talk about this situation.

As for Padilla, he is something of a mystery to Red Sox fans, though his work as setup man has been a tremendous boost.

He has hit 107 batters in a career that began in 1999. In 2006 as a starter in Texas, he led the American League with 17.

Fortunately, after Sunday, the Red Sox and Yankees meet ""only'' 12 more times this year.

The paving is expected to last 3 days, an official said.

File photo | The Republican

HOLYOKE — Pleasant Street from Yale to Northampton streets will be paved Monday through Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., an official said.

Drivers are urged to take alternate routes, said William D. Fuqua, general superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

“This paving is one of the final steps in completing the $1.3 million reconstruction of Pleasant Street that includes the installation of a new roadway surface along with new pedestrian and landscaping amenities such as sidewalks, curb ramps, brick-paver crosswalks, trees and landscape buffers,” Fuqua said Friday.

Palmer Paving Corp. is doing the work, he said.

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Surgery is possible for his elbow someday, but not during this season.

Associated PressBoston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford thinks he is close to playing, a recent groin injury notwithstanding.

BOSTON - Carl Crawford expects to resume his rehab game schedule Thursday for Pawtucket. The injured Red Sox outfielder downplayed a groin injury that sidelined him last week.

"I just tweaked it. It's not that big a deal,'' Crawford said Sunday.

Of greater concern is the long-term condition of his left elbow, the reason he has missed the entire season.

Crawford said the elbow has bothered him more in warmups than in games.

"It's weird,'' he said.

Asked if surgery is in the forecast, he said that "at some point, it probably is.''

So why not have it done now, accept a lost season but be sure to be ready for spring training of 2013?

"I've thought about it, but if I didn't think I could help the team this year, I wouldn't be out there,'' he said.

"With the extra wild card, a team can make the playoffs late. We could make a run at it.''

Crawford is convinced that for all the delays and setbacks, he is close to playing. He said it might be smart to return with caution.

One example would be to hit the cutoff man from left field.

"That might be better, but I can't say that once I got out there, the competitor in me wouldn't take over,'' he said.

Jacoby Ellsbury is winding down his rehab campaign and could be activated by the Red Sox as early as next weekend. He has been out since April with a shoulder injury.

For Bruce Barthelette, pool – or pocket billiards, as it is sometimes called – has been a full-time undertaking for 23 years.

The Republican / Don TreegerJimmy Glanville, of Chicopee, left, and Bruce Barthelette, of South Hadley, are trick shot pool artists.

SOUTH HADLEY – Bruce Barthelette shot his first game of pool when he was 4 years old.

He’s been on the ball ever since.

Now 57, the 6-foot, 4-inch Barthelette ranks as one of the giants in a sport that has worldwide appeal in several disciplines.

One of those is trick-shot billiards, a competition requiring consummate skill and daring. Because Barthelette has all of that, he has been a member of Uncle Sam’s World Cup team for seven years. The yearly competition matches Team USA against Team Europe.

“We’re looking forward to the 2012 tournament, and we’ll have one new player, Mike Dechaine, in our lineup,” Barthelette said.

Dechaine, 24, comes from Waterville, Maine. He’ll be joining a four-man team of veterans led by Andy Segal, of Huntington, N.Y., who has won the world artistic pool championship the last two years. Barthelette’s other teammate is Jamey Segal, of Gales Ferry, Conn., another world-class player.

“We got together at the end of June to start practice,” Barthelette said recently.

The 2012 World Cup competition will take place on Oct. 25 at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn. It will be taped by ESPN for airing on TV at a later date.

For Barthelette, pool – or pocket billiards, as it is sometimes called – has been a full-time undertaking for 23 years.

“I went to high school at Chicopee Comp(rehensive High School), and then I worked for 15 years on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Along the way, my wife Ann and I got involved with running a pool business. Finally, it got so busy, we reached a point where we had to give up our other jobs to concentrate on the pool franchise,” he said.

Since 1987, the Barthelettes have operated a Connecticut franchise in the American Poolplayers Association, an organization which formed in 1979 and now includes 300 leagues and 265,000 players, with branches in Canada and Japan.

“We have 7,000 players in our Connecticut program, which covers from Enfield to Milford. We’re the second largest in the country. Only Baltimore has one larger,” Barthelette said.

Western Massachusetts has a franchise based in Millers Falls, owned by Jack Wadlich for 32 years and managed by Tracy Shaffer for 30.

“We have 10 teams going to Las Vegas,” Shaffer said, referring to the American Poolplayers Association’s national team championships to be held from Aug. 16 to 25 at the Riveria Hotel and Casino.

Barthelette’s league will send 200 players to Vegas.

From time to time, Barthelette also uses his expertise to help aspiring players. One such player is Jimmy “The General” Glanville, a 50-year-old Chicopee resident who made a strong showing in the 2012 World Artistic Pool Championship in Oaks, Pa., in March. He and Barthelette often practice together.

“I placed 11th out of 36 in the nationals, and made the playoffs,” Glanville said.

In the round of 16, Glanville lost to “Quick Nick” Nickoladis, a World Cup veteran who is a fixture in the Team Europe lineup. Nickoladis went on to finish second to Segal in the championship round.

“I won a medal, and I hold a world champion ‘Trick & Fancy’ title in one of eight disciplines,” Glanville said. “I have been playing professionally for five years, and I have been fortunate enough to have one of the best teachers in the world in Bruce Barthelette. They don’t come any better than this guy.”

Glanville uses another discipline, karate, to help his concentration in pool competition.

“I hold a second degree brown belt. Karate helps me tremendously in breathing, and that in turn helps me at the pool table,” he said.

“Jimmy is dedicated, and he’s made a huge jump since last year, elevating his game tremendously,” Barthelette said.

So what is there about pool that draws players like Barthelette, Glanville and friends to become top-level competitors?

“From way back when I was playing in my basement at home, the game seemed to come naturally to me,” Barthelette said. “It’s a great challenge, a thinking man’s game. Like any other sport, defense is just as important as offense. You have to play good defense to win.”

There are many variations of pool, both in nine-ball and eight-ball competition. The game really gets complicated in the hands of the trick-shot artists.

Barthelette explains it all in his book, “Knack Make It Easy Pool and Billiards,” published in 2011.

“It tells you everything you need to know to improve your game,” he said. 

He endeared himself to Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy," but he first gained fame as the heavy in "From Here to Eternity."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ernest Borgnine, the beefy screen star known for blustery, often villainous roles, but who won the best-actor Oscar for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in "Marty" in 1955, died Sunday. He was 95.

His longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, told The Associated Press that Borgnine died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife and children at his side.

Borgnine, who endeared himself to a generation of Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy," first attracted notice in the early 1950s in villain roles, notably as the vicious Fatso Judson, who beat Frank Sinatra to death in "From Here to Eternity."

Then came "Marty," a low-budget film based on a Paddy Chayefsky television play that starred Rod Steiger. Borgnine played a 34-year-old who fears he is so unattractive he will never find romance. Then, at a dance, he meets a girl with the same fear.

"Sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts," Marty movingly tells his mother at one point in the film. "And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. I chased after enough girls in my life. I-I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough. I don't wanna get hurt no more."

The realism of Chayefsky's prose and Delbert Mann's sensitive direction astonished audiences accustomed to happy Hollywood formulas. Borgnine won the Oscar and awards from the Cannes Film Festival, New York Critics and National Board of Review.

Mann and Chayefsky also won Oscars, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hailed the $360,000 "Marty" as best picture over big-budget contenders "The Rose Tattoo," "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," "Picnic" and "Mister Roberts."

"The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful," Borgnine told an interviewer in 1966. "But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the messes I did in my personal life."

Those messes included four failed marriages, including one in 1964 to singer Ethel Merman that lasted less than six weeks.

But Borgnine's fifth marriage, in 1973 to Norwegian-born Tova Traesnaes, endured and brought with it an interesting business partnership. She manufactured and sold her own beauty products under the name of Tova and used her husband's rejuvenated face in her ads.

During a 2007 interview with the AP, Borgnine expressed delight that their union had reached 34 years. "That's longer than the total of my four other marriages," he commented, laughing heartily.

Although still not a marquee star until after "Marty," the roles of heavies started coming regularly after "From Here to Eternity." Among the films: "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Johnny Guitar," "Demetrius and the Gladiators," "Vera Cruz."

Director Nick Ray advised the actor: "Get out of Hollywood in two years or you'll be typed forever." Then came the Oscar, and Borgnine's career was assured.

He played a sensitive role opposite Bette Davis in another film based on a Chayefsky TV drama, "The Catered Affair," a film that was a personal favorite. It concerned a New York taxi driver and his wife who argued over the expense of their daughter's wedding.

But producers also continued casting Borgnine in action films such as "Three Bad Men," "The Vikings," "Torpedo Run," "Barabbas," "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Wild Bunch."

Then he successfully made the transition to TV comedy.

From 1962 to 1966, Borgnine — a Navy vet himself — starred in "McHale's Navy" as the commander of a World War II PT boat with a crew of misfits and malcontents. Obviously patterned after Phil Silvers' popular Sgt. Bilko, McHale was a con artist forever tricking his superior, Capt. Binghamton, played by the late Joe Flynn.

The cast took the show to the big screen in 1964 with a "McHale's Navy" movie.

"We lost another great guy today," tweeted actress Barbara Eden, who starred in another 1960s television show, "I Dream of Jeannie."

Borgnine's later films included "Ice Station Zebra," "The Adventurers," "Willard," "The Poseidon Adventure," "The Greatest" (as Muhammad Ali's manager), "Convoy," "Ravagers," "Escape from New York," "Moving Target" and "Mistress."

More recently, Borgnine had a recurring role as the apartment house doorman-cum-chef in the NBC sitcom "The Single Guy." He had a small role in the unsuccessful 1997 movie version of "McHale's Navy." And he was the voice of Mermaid Man on "SpongeBob SquarePants" and Carface on "All Dogs Go to Heaven 2."

"I don't care whether a role is 10 minutes long or two hours," he remarked in 1973. "And I don't care whether my name is up there on top, either. Matter of fact, I'd rather have someone else get top billing; then if the picture bombs, he gets the blame, not me."

Ermes Efron Borgnino was born in Hamden, Conn., on Jan. 24, 1917, the son of Italian immigrant parents. The family lived in Milan when the boy was 2 to 7, then returned to Connecticut, where he attended school in New Haven.

Borgnine joined the Navy in 1935 and served on a destroyer during World War II. He weighed 135 pounds when he enlisted. He left the Navy 10 years later, weighing exactly 100 pounds more.

"I wouldn't trade those 10 years for anything," he said in 1956. "The Navy taught me a lot of things. It molded me as a man, and I made a lot of wonderful friends."

For a time he contemplated taking a job with an air conditioning company. But his mother persuaded him to enroll at the Randall School of Dramatic Arts in Hartford. He stayed four months, the only formal training he received.

He appeared in repertory at the Barter Theater in Virginia, toured as a hospital attendant in "Harvey" and played a villain on TV's "Captain Video."

After earning $2,300 in 1951, Borgnine almost accepted a position with an electrical company. But the job fell through, and he returned to acting, moving into a modest house in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

His first marriage was to Rhoda Kenins, whom he met when she was a Navy pharmacist's mate and he was a patient. They had a daughter, but the marriage ended in divorce after his "Marty" stardom.

Borgnine married Mexican actress Katy Jurado in 1959, and their marriage resulted in headlined squabbles from Hollywood to Rome before it ended in 1964.

In 1963, he and Merman startled the show business world by announcing, after a month's acquaintance, that they would marry when his divorce from Jurado became final. The Broadway singing star and the movie tough guy seemed to have nothing in common, and their marriage ended in 38 days after a fierce battle.

"If you blinked, you missed it," Merman once cracked.

Next came one-time child actress Donna Rancourt, with whom Borgnine had a daughter, and finally his happy union with Tova.

On Jan. 24, 2007, Borgnine celebrated his 90th birthday with a party for friends and family at a West Hollywood bistro. He seemed little changed from his years as a lusty villain or sympathetic hero on the screen. His only concession to age had come at 88 when he gave up driving the bus he would take around the country, stopping to talk with local folks along the way.

During an interview at the time, Borgnine complained that he wanted to continue acting but most studio executives kept asking, "Is he still alive?"

"I just want to do more work," he said. "Every time I step in front of a camera I feel young again. I really do. It keeps your mind active and it keeps you going."

BOSTON - Bobby Valentine has heard the question many times before, but he still paused before answering it Sunday. Has this been a challenging year? Can anyone say "belaboring the obvious?'' "I would say it's been extremely challenging,'' said Valentine, whose Red Sox team has been looking at the All-Star break the way staggering marathon runners look at a...

AP photoBobby Valentine was all smiles when he took over the Red Sox, but the challenges of this season have been no laughing matter.

BOSTON - Bobby Valentine has heard the question many times before, but he still paused before answering it Sunday.

Has this been a challenging year? Can anyone say "belaboring the obvious?''

"I would say it's been extremely challenging,'' said Valentine, whose Red Sox team has been looking at the All-Star break the way staggering marathon runners look at a water station.

"I don't know if I can rate it. Major league baseball is very challenging, and we've had some situation that have added to the mix.

Valentine's first year as Red Sox manager has been an uphill climb from the outset. The team stumbled to a 4-10 start, dipped a bit more to 12-19, then righted itself to move five games above .500.

Just when it looked as if the worst had been endured, the Red Sox faltered again. They took a 43-42 record into Sunday night's game against the Yankees, who led the fourth-place Red Sox by 8 1/2 games in the American League East.

Valentine is not giving up on his team catching the Yankees, even if most analysts are.

"They're a veteran ballclub, and they're healthy, but they're catchable. Anybody is catchable,'' Valentine said.

The Yankees have been missing CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Brett Gardner, but the Red Sox injury list reads like an All-Star team.

Boston has been counting on the returns of Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Andrew Bailey and Clay Buchholz to strengthen their lineup. Whether that is enough to escape the mediocrity of a .500 season remains to be seen, especially with Dustin Pedroia out for at least a few weeks, too.

"I'm very optimistic. I think the guys I have tonight can win, and the guys after the break - I have the same feeling,'' Valentine said Sunday.

Buchholz is scheduled to pitch Saturday at Tampa Bay.He knows the so-called "Big 3'' of himself, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett must do better for the Red Sox to contend.

Lester took a 5-5 record and 4.33 ERA into Sunday night's start. Beckett is 4-7 and 4.43.

"We haven't actually sat down and talked about it, but we know we have to go out and do our jobs,'' said Buchholz, who is 8-2 despite a terrible April that explains his 5.53 ERA.

"We've got one of the best teams in baseball. We've got to find our niche.''

The problems with the Red Sox start with injuries but don't end there. Valentine's relationship with Kevin Youkilis was rocky from the start.

It ended when Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox on June 24. He has hit better than .300 with power for his team new, while Red Sox rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks has missed the last week with a hamstring problem.

Middlebrooks is expected back Friday when the Red Sox resume play. There are those who that all things considered, Boston's current status is a tribute to the team, not an indictment.

"I don't think anybody thinks about it consciously, but to see where we came from to where we are now says a lot,'' said outfielder Daniel Nava, a pleasant surprise who was called up from Pawtucket in May.

Coincidentally or otherwise, Boston's recovery from its poor first month began when Nava joined the team. If all the club's star outfielders were healthy and playing, it's not certain how Valentine could find playing time for him.

But that day never seems to come, so Nava is still hitting leadoff and playing left field.

"I just want to help get things going and help the team win. Hopefully, we can get into the playoffs because that's what it's all about,'' Nava said.

Valentine's relationship with general manager Ben Cherington was a forced marriage from the start, but the two men seem to be co-existing as well as can be expected.

Perhaps they both know they're in this together. Like battle-scarred warriors, they probably also see it's pointless to scrap with each other when so many other challenges are hitting them from the outside.

Valentine does not know if he'll be leaving Boston during the four-day break.

"I'm still waiting to see how many meetings there might be here that might involve me. Then I'll make my plans,'' he said.

At least the fans are not clamoring to have him leave town and not come back. They, too, sense the challenging nature of a season that could still end with a measure of success - or collapse under its own weight.

"Managing a team for the first year is always a challenge,'' Valentine said. He did not have to say that as challenges go, this year's bumpy ride ranks right up there.

Take a look back at the late actor's amazing career and life.

Ernest Borgnine, who died Sunday at the age of 95, Borgnine, endeared himself to a generation of Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy."

However, he first gained attention as the vicious Fatso Judson, who beat Frank Sinatra to death in "From Here to Eternity" and as the shy "Marty," in a film scripted by Paddy Chayefsky.

Click here for a look back at his amazing life and career.

So, while the nursing shortage of recent years may have largely disappeared, and new nursing school graduates are taking significantly longer to find their first jobs, the shortage is likely to return with a vengeance in a few years.

Republican file photo / Mark M. MurrayLisa Scliopou, a registered nurse, left, at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, works with Elms College nursing student Jacintha deVillier, in Baystate's emergency room in this 2010 file photo.

The recession has swelled enrollments in nursing schools, caused hospitals to cut back general hiring of nurses and persuaded many older nurses to delay retirement.

So, while the nursing shortage of recent years may have largely disappeared, and new nursing school graduates are taking significantly longer to find their first jobs, the shortage is likely to return with a vengeance in a few years when the economy recovers and baby boomers reach their Medicare years in greater numbers, say health officials.

Kathleen Scoble

“Before, (they) would have their jobs lined up by March before they graduated, sometimes choosing from five different offers. Now, my estimation is that it’s taking our graduates to September for the majority of them to land a position. And my impression is that (many) are accepting positions that are not what they would have wanted a few years ago,” such as in nursing homes rather than in hospitals, she said.

A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine pronounced the long-standing nursing shortage over – for the time being.

With the recession, older nurses delayed retirement, and nursing schools were sending more graduates into the work force, easing the shortage of nurses, the report stated. But, by 2020, a nursing shortage could make a strong return if the economy improves.

The current abundance of nurses is a “temporary bubble that is likely to deflate during the next several years,” the report concluded.

Joan Hurwitz, director of communications for the American Nurses Association, agrees the nursing shortage “will re-emerge under a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances, including an improved economy.”

“For example, each year for 25 years, 2 (million) to 3 million baby boomers will age into Medicare, increasing enrollment by 50 percent. (That) will drive demand for nursing services,” she said.

“Also, older RNs, who have deferred retirement for financial reasons, will start retiring in waves as the economy improves. Forty-five percent of RNs are 50-plus, and the average age of employed RNs is 45,” she said.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law may also increase the need for nurses, Hurwitz said.

“Roughly 30 million individuals will gain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act by 2014. These circumstances will likely usher in another nursing shortage,” she said.

Nursing school enrollment has risen significantly over the last decade. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of graduates from four-year baccalaureate programs in nursing more than doubled in this country.

However, even during the recession, the shortage of nurses with higher-level technical skills has persisted, say health officials.

Korinne Carpino, director of talent acquisition at Baystate Health, said, “Throughout Baystate Health there are about 60 open positions that require a registered-nurse license at this time. A significant portion of those opportunities are for experienced registered nurses in specialty areas.”

“The continuing transformation of the way health care is provided and financed presents a challenge in finding nurses” with advanced skills, she said.

Scoble, of Elms College, said that nurses coming out of four-year degree programs, such as those offered there, at American International College, Westfield State University and at the University of Massachusetts, are having better luck in the job market than graduates of two-year programs.

“My impression is that people with only associate degrees in nursing are getting fewer job offers,” she said.

However, employers are looking especially for nurse practitioners, those with master’s and doctoral degrees in nursing who can deliver direct care in many situations, standing in for doctors, Scoble said.

The majority of the accidents have happened near the intersection of Basil Road and near the Country Trading Post.

Republican staff photo by Dave RobackAn automobile turns onto Basil Road off of Burnett Road in Chicopee. Timothy S. McLellan who represents Ward 6 is proposing a stop light installed at the intersection.

CHICOPEE – One city councilor is petitioning for a new traffic light on Burnett Road, saying the number of accidents at one intersection has more than doubled since the street was paved and widened.

Councilor Timothy S. McLellan, who represents Ward 6 where Burnett Road is located, is asking that a stop light be installed at the intersection with Basil Road, near the Country Trading Post restaurant and store and the entrance of Chicopee State Park.

“I want to be proactive rather than reactive. I want to do this before there is a serious accident,” he said.

The City Council agreed with his request to have the idea studied more in its ordinance and public safety committees and voted 11-0 to transfer the request to the committees.

The Massachusetts Highway Department widened the busy street, which connects to the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 291, in 2009. The extra room allows motorists to pass cars which are trying to turn, creating accidents, McLellan said.

McLellan said he researched police records and found from June 2008 to June 2009, before the road was improved, there were 7 accidents combined at the intersection of Basil and at the Country Trading Post, which is about a half-mile away.

That increased to a total of 31 at the two locations from June 2010 to 2011 and 29 from June 2011 to last month, McLellan said.

There has always been some confusion about whether the street is owned by the city or the state, but McLellan said his research shows it is a Chicopee-owned street. It was paved by the state because the road connects to the end of Interstate 291.

But McLellan said he has also talked to Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield, about installing the light and he supported the proposal.

“It is impossible to pull out onto the street,” he said.

In addition to the accidents, residents who live in the neighborhoods across Burnett Road complain it is difficult to pull out onto Burnett Road because of the traffic and it is dangerous to try to cross the street to the park, he said.

The poor condition of the house and property made fighting the fire difficult.

Republican staff photo by Mike BeswickFirefighters battle a smokey fire at 141 West St.

HOLYOKE – A two-family house which had been vacant for at least five years was destroyed in a fire that also threatened a neighboring apartment building and a duplex Sunday.

The poor condition of the building, Sunday’s heat and the fact that the house was so close to other homes made the fire especially difficult to fight. At one point firefighters thought they had it mostly extinguished and under control then it flared up again and burned through the roof.

“Things can change very quickly,” Fire Lt. Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said.

The fire at 141 West St. was first reported at about 5:20 p.m. A crew of 17 responded and then a company of three more firefighters were called to help. Because of the heat, commanders had to make sure the firefighters were well hydrated and took breaks, he said.

“Gaining access was a challenge because it is so overgrown,” Paquin said.

Firefighters had to cut through a locked gate of a chain link fence and use chain saws to clear the area around concrete steps overgrown with brush just to reach the front door of the home, which is set back from the road. The back of the house was reached through a narrow alley, he said.

Republican staff photo by Mike BeswickThe fire on West Street in Holyoke rekindled and destroyed this vacant building at 141 West St.

The home has been empty for at least five years, according to neighbors and firefighters.

It is owned by Charles Brower, according to city records. One neighbor said Brower had moved back to Puerto Rico several years ago.

“It is an old building that has been empty for a while,” Raymond Perez said. “If they don’t take it down after this it will be a problem.”

When the fire rekindled, it destroyed the building, collapsing the roof, the chimney and some of the walls.

Firefighters frequently do not enter abandoned buildings, instead fighting the blaze from outside. In this case they did go inside because of concerns about how close the burning house was to a duplex at 131-129 West St., Paquin said.

“They were up in the attic when the second floor started collapsing and the deputy chief ordered everyone out,” Paquin said.

No one was injured. The second floor collapsed partly because of fire and in part because of the poor condition of the house. Then when the chimney fell, it provided added oxygen that fueled the flames, he said.

Some firefighters who had been sent back to relieve Chicopee and West Springfield fire department members staffing Holyoke stations under mutual aid were called back when the fire started again. West Springfield firefighters had not left yet so they remained at the station, he said.

Paquin said firefighters then took a defensive stand, pouring water on the blaze and occasionally spraying nearby roofs to prevent them from igniting. They also covered cars parked next to the house with tarps to protect them from falling, flaming debris.

Heavy black smoke blanketed the neighborhood around East Dwight, West Dwight and West streets. Many residents had left their windows open and alarms, activated from the dense smoke, could be heard up and down the street.

A number of roads in the neighborhood, including Mosher, East Dwight, West Dwight and West streets were closed to motorists