Mayor Domenic Sarno is asking the License Commission to consider an earlier closing hour for bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

File photo | The RepublicanOutside a bar on a Saturday night on Worthington Street in the entertainment district in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — A group of bars and restaurants, concerned about a 1 a.m. curfew on entertainment and wanting to promote downtown safety, have proposed pooling their funds to pay for 16 additional police officers in the entertainment district, according to a local lawyer.

The proposal, however, surfaces as Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has asked the License Commission to consider options including an earlier closing hour for bars.

Currently, bars can stay open until 2 a.m., but have to turn off their entertainment including music and television sets at 1 a.m., unless they have a “late-night” entertainment permit from the mayor. The curfew, which took effect April 6, was aimed at reducing late night violence and easing the burden on limited police resources, Sarno said.

Frank A Caruso, a local lawyer, said Tuesday he has been working with many of the downtown merchants, including clients, on the police funding idea, saying it will benefit the businesses and the city.

The business owners are aware it could cost up to $1 million annually for the additional police, who would patrol in the entertainment district, Caruso said. In addition, the liquor establishments would need to sign and live up to a “code of conduct” in the downtown, he said.

In exchange, they are asking to be allowed to stay open and provide entertainment until 2 a.m., Caruso said, in a letter to city councilors, dated July 2.

“A lot of merchants are on board and excited about the fact they can do something,” Caruso said.

City Councilor John A. Lysak praised the proposal Tuesday and said he plans to sponsor an ordinance to establish the police fund and the code of conduct. Details need to be worked out, but something is needed to help the businesses that are losing significant money due to the curfew, Lysak said.

“We need a vibrant downtown,” Lysak said. “Businesses are dying in the downtown at night.”

Sarno, in contrast, is asking the License Commission to consider setting an earlier closing hour for bars and nightclubs citywide as well as other options. The commission will discuss the mayor’s letter at its regular meeting July 26, but it is not a hearing and the commission will not make any decision that date, commission Chairman Peter L. Sygnator said.

Sarno, in his letter to the commission, dated June 29, said the curfew is working well by reducing late night police calls and arrests, but said he is asking the mayor-appointed commission “to build on the efforts initiated”

“For example, I would request that the License Commission consider exercising its authority pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 138, section 12, to adjust the operating hours of (liquor) licenses,” Sarno said.

The commission has “discretion” under that law to set an earlier closing hour between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., Sarno said. Sarno, however, does not recommend a specific closing hour in the letter, and could not be reached for comment Tuesday regarding what closing hour he may favor.

Sarno’s letter also states that “other jurisdictions” have regulations to prohibit re-entry into a bar after 1 a.m.

Some bars have filed suit in federal court, seeking to overturn the 1 a.m. entertainment curfew, and recently lost a preliminary ruling.

Letter to Springfield City Council

Letter From Mayor to License Commission and Springfield Police Statistics

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is planning a public forum at Western New England University in Springfield.

BOSTON — Concerned about thin competition for a casino in eastern Massachusetts, gaming regulators may pitch the state to Wall Street to attract investors for gambling licenses.

Members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said they want to stimulate the same interest in the Boston area as is occurring in Western Massachusetts, where four or five major casino companies are planning or considering gambling resorts.

"It looks like in the views of the investors, if the market is talking, investors are telling us Western Massachusetts is the best market we have," Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the gaming commission, told reporters after Tuesday's nearly four-hour commission meeting.

File photo/APMembers of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, from left, are: Enrique Zuniga, James F. McHugh, Chairman Stephen Crosby, speaking, Bruce Stebbins, and Gayle Cameron.

The commission is planning a public forum, possibly the afternoon of Aug. 2, at Western New England University in Springfield.

Crosby said he is puzzled about why Western Massachusetts, the state's smallest market, is the center of a lot of casino activity, while the largest market in eastern Massachusetts isn't much of a contest so far.

Crosby said it is probably a good idea to reach out to Wall Street, but the commission just started to talk about it on Tuesday. Crosby said investors could get to know what is happening in Massachusetts and they might decide to finance a casino proposal. He said the commission would not speak for or against a particular casino proposal if meeting with investors.

Crosby said members would encourage investment in all parts of the state including Western Massachusetts. Crosby said competition is needed to provide the best possible economic development and the most jobs and revenues.

A partnership including Caesar's Entertainment is proposing a casino for the Suffolk Downs race track and is perceived to have the inside track for the Boston area license. David H. Nunes, a developer, may compete with Suffolk if he follows through with plans and applies for a license for a casino in Milford near the intersection of Interstate 495 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Fredric E. Gushin, a director of Spectrum Gaming Group in Linwood, N.J., a consultant for the commission, said that Western Massachusetts may be drawing the most casino interest because land is more economical and construction costs are lower than the eastern part of the state. Companies are looking for the best return on investment, he said.

Another commission consultant, Robert J. Carroll of Atlantic City, N.J., said that a proposal in Springfield by Peter A. Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines, is an example of a new type of casino investor. Carroll said it provides healthy competition when a company like OPAL – which new to casino development – steps forward and possibly joins with a casino manager.

Picknelly owns OPAL Real Estate Group, which could team up with a casino operator for a casino in downtown Springfield.

OPAL and another unidentified company have submitted a proposal for an option to buy The Republican's Main Street building and property in Springfield and the newspaper's eight vacant acres on the Connecticut River. OPAL and the unidentified company would like to develop a casino in the city's North End.

Other casino developers are staking claims in Western Massachusetts or looking for possible sites. Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas is planning a casino for Page Boulevard and Interstate 291 in Springfield and the Mohegan Sun is planning a casino on a hill overlooking Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Palmer. Several more major operators have said they are considering Western Massachusetts, including MGM Resorts, Penn National Gaming and Hard Rock International.

The state's casino law calls for up to three $500 million casino resorts in different geographic regions, including one for Western Massachusetts. The other regions are the southeastern part of the state and the Boston area.

The law provides an advantage to an Indian tribe in the southeast region. The Mashpee Wampanoag are currently negotiating an agreement with Gov. Deval L. Patrick for a casino in Taunton.

Bruce Stebbins, a former Springfield city councilor and a member of the commission, said Western Massachusetts would also benefit if the commission decides to offer presentations to Wall Street investors.

"As a commission, we are just happy to see a healthy, competitive region like Western Massachusetts is turning into," Stebbins said."I think it's good news for the state and good news for people looking for a job."

Stebbins said the August forum in Springfield will focus on providing some ideas about how to improve tourism with casinos, workforce training and ways for communities to negotiate agreements with casino companies.

The state law says that casino companies must reach a host agreement with a community's leaders, then gives local voters a say through a ballot question.

One company considering Western Massachusetts – MGM Resorts – wrote a letter to the commission, saying it is concerned that the commission's two-part bidding process for casinos could result in "significant resources, time and money of the commission being expended unnecessarily."

MGM is seeking a single bidding process for casinos. MGM said it wants to limit bids to those companies that negotiate an agreement with a community in which it wants to locate and do all the necessary preliminary work to get to that stage.

Under the commission's planned two-part bidding effort, casino operators would have to pass financial and integrity checks as a first step. If the companies pass that initial hurdle, they would then be allowed to submit bids for operating licenses at specific sites. The timetable would have casinos open their doors in Massachusetts in three to five years.

Commissioners shot down MGM's proposal for a single-step in bidding. MGM's letter came in response to the commission's requests for comments on its plan for two-stage bidding.

"I see the benefits to the bifurcated process," Stebbins said. "I think it kind of helps us expedite the process."

Stebbins said the commission would need to check a company's finances and ethics in any event. If the first step in bidding is done before a referendum, it saves a community some leg work and sheds some light on whether a company is serious or not, he said.

City officials in Springfield are gearing up for casino debates in the city.

The Springfield City Council’s Casino Site Committee has expanded its public outreach. It recently sent a letter to all neighborhood councils and civic associations, inviting all of their members, residents and business owners to participate in the casino review process.

In the letter, Council President James J. Ferrera III, on behalf of the site committee, states the group is inviting all residents to attend its meetings and to participate in regularly scheduled public "speak out" sessions. The next meeting is scheduled Monday at 5 p.m., at the council chambers at City Hall.

The panel will set aside time for public comment at the start of each meeting. People are asked to call the council office before noon on the day of a meeting at (413) 787-6170, to sign up to speak.

Staff reporter Peter Goonan contributed to this report.

A beer enthusiast, The Beer Shop manager Richard Caudill said he hopes to introduce residents to the many locally brewed beers in the area.

File photo | The Republican

EAST LONGMEADOW — Selectmen approved a liquor license and retail food permit for The Beer Shop, a new specialty beer, wine and cheese shop at the Harkness Avenue Plaza.

Manager Richard Caudill met with selectmen Tuesday night to discuss his plans for the business. A beer enthusiast, Caudill said he hopes to introduce residents to the many locally brewed beers in the area.

"Within a 100-mile radius of us there are about 300 microbreweries and I would love to expose people to that," he said.

Selectmen approved the hours of operation as Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Several neighbors abutting the business attended a hearing in which they expressed their concerns, particularly about the proposed hours.

Resident Randy White said he is concerned about the late hours on Mondays through Thursdays.

"All of the businesses currently in the plaza are closed by 9:30 p.m.," he said. "Package store transactions are quick and you have people coming and going all day."

White said he is concerned about the noise from the traffic as well as the fact that there are already three package stores within a mile of his home.

Town counsel James Donahue said there are no state regulations preventing the approval of several liquor licenses in any particular geographic area.

Caudill said he is not looking to be a typical package store.

"We want something more upscale. I want to bring in good quality beer and wine as well as cheeses," he said.

Caudill said he will not be selling lottery tickets or tobacco products at the establishment either.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Enrico Villamaino said he is in support of small businesses, but hopes Caudill will take the neighbors concerns into account.

"We like to be as accommodating to businesses as possible, we want them to be here we want them to thrive," he said. "We also ask strongly that you keep in mind that this does abut a residential neighborhood and that you entertain any comments or questions from them as you continue this process."

Approval from the state will take between four to six weeks. Caudill said he hopes to open shortly after that.

Ware parks department worker Denis Ouimette recalled 2 booming blasts when his riding mower detonated the fireworks.

Jim Russell photoWare parks worker Denis Ouimette was mowing Grenville Park on two occasions when fireworks left over from the town's July 4th celebration exploded under the mower. No one was injured.

WARE — Pyrotecnico claims to be “America’s most creative fireworks display, pyrotechnics and special effects company,” but its license to hold shows has been suspended in Massachusetts, according to state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan.

The action was taken by the state following the discovery of several unexploded shells in Ware and three other communities. The Ware fireworks show was June 30.

Officials say the explosives materials are known as “Salute” brand fireworks – and can cause serious injury and death. They advise anyone that may come across one to leave it alone and contact 911. The Salute fireworks resemble a large lollipop.

An ongoing state investigation shows the company appears to have left behind at least eight unexploded shells packed with gunpowder in Grenville Park following Ware’s Independence Day celebration sponsored by the Ware Lion’s Club. Two of the shells exploded when park worker Denis Ouimette drove over them while mowing the lawn – once on Friday and again on Monday.

After each explosion the state police bomb squad arrived along with the Ware fire and police departments and the state fire marshal. The park was closed to the public both times.

Coan said that unexploded fireworks were also found – after the fact – in Worcester, Waltham and Stoughton. He said investigations in seven other communities that used Pyrotecnico for their fourth of July fireworks display are also under way.

Coan said the company has been summoned to an administrative hearing scheduled to take place no later than July 20. The hearing would determine whether any action is taken against the company, which has also been ordered to turn over their records. Stephen Vitale is the Pyrotecnico company president.

In addition, Pyrotecnico must return to each site where they set off the fireworks and do a thorough sweep of the area, Coan said.

Communities that used Pyrotecnico but have not reported finding unexploded ordinances are Ayer, Hingham, Marion, Milford, Newton, Westford and Williamstown, Coan said.

“This incident is coming to light because of (what happened in) Ware,” Coan said in an interview at Grenville Park. “It is very much an ongoing investigation.”

In an interview Monday, Ouimette, 48, recalled the two booming blasts when his riding mower detonated the fireworks.

“I was shook up pretty good, my back is a little sore,” he said. “I continued working after each explosion.” He said “the blast was so loud my foreman heard it a mile away.”

He told a reporter on Tuesday that he is scheduled to see his primary care physician on Wednesday, and that he hopes to obtain medical clearance to return to work.

Officials reopened the park to vehicle traffic at 4:55 p.m. Wednesday – in time for a youth baseball game.

Ware Fire Chief Thomas Coulombe said parents and children must take precautions, as it is impossible to climb every tree and explore every nook and cranny in the nearly 100 acre park.

He said the town plans to demand that Pyrotecnico reimburse Ware for the costs associated with the search for unexploded fireworks.

The new town hall-police station is expected to be finished by summer 2014.

The Republican | Lori StabileHere is the condemned Monson Town Office Building on Main Street.

MONSON — While demolition initially was expected to begin soon on the condemned Town Hall on Main Street, Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers explained at Tuesday's selectmen's meeting that it will take a little longer than expected.

That's because the electricity for the Police Department runs through the closed building to the temporary trailers that the police have been in since the tornado ripped through town a year ago.

The police previously were in the basement of the Town Hall, which sustained a direct hit by the twister, forcing its closure. The trailers are behind the Town Hall.

Two weeks ago, voters approved the funding for a new town hall-police station, to be built at the site of the old facility. The project will be funded through a $3.4 million debt exclusion, plus an additional $6.9 million from an insurance settlement.

Neggers said the generator for the police also runs through the closed building, and they have to figure out the power situation for the police before it can be torn down. She said the police will have to get a new electrical connection from Main Street.

She hopes that a design for the new facility will be ready by the end of the year. The completion date for the project is June or July 2014. The next steps will be to hire a designer and project manager.

Selectman Edward A. Maia said he has heard from at least 12 people that they want to make sure the new facility is designed in a way that's historically accurate. Selectmen Chairman Richard Smith said he just heard the same request that day.

Selectmen approved adding three more members to the Building Committee overseeing the town hall-police station project – John F. Goodrich II, Stephen Lobik and Dorothy Whitaker. They join J. Kurt Kaiser, Charles T. Kuss, David Beaudoin, Jo Sauriol, Peter Matrow and Reed Coles.

Neggers praised the Building Committee, calling them a "diverse" group of volunteers.

"I think that they're going to do a great job," Neggers said. "I think the taxpayers are in good hands."

Non-essential water uses includes those that are not required: for health or safety reasons, by regulation, for the production of food and fiber, for the maintenance of livestock or to meet the core functions of a business.

File photo | The Republican

SHELBURNE FALLS — The Shelburne Falls Fire District has imposed mandatory restrictions on all non-essential outdoor water use between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., due to flow conditions in the North River adjacent to the district’s two wells.

Non-essential water uses includes those that are not required: for health or safety reasons, by regulation, for the production of food and fiber, for the maintenance of livestock or to meet the core functions of a business.

Examples of non-essential use include: irrigation of lawns, except by hand-held hose outside the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; washing vehicles other than by commercial car wash except as necessary for operator safety; washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks, except as necessary to apply paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.

Examples of acceptable outdoor water use include: irrigation of lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants with hand-held hoses only.

Sprinklers and soaker hoses are not permitted.

The district has the legal ability to issue fines or shut off water for non-compliance. For more information, call (413) 625-6392. 

The project's costs are nearly $650 million to demolish an old terminal and begin building a new one.

File photo | The RepublicanTravelers head to the gate to board their airplanes at Bradley International Airport.

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — A new terminal with 19 gates has been proposed for Bradley International Airport, significantly expanding the regional airport serving Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

The Hartford Courant reports that the project's costs are nearly $650 million to demolish an old terminal and begin building a new one. It's expected to be finished in 2018.

Based on projected growth, the airport will need 31 gates in 2028, which is 11 short of the 20 gates that will be available at Terminal A.

The cost would be financed by federal and state government.

Economic development executives say Bradley is crucial to adding and keeping jobs. The number of passengers in 2011 was up from the previous year, but down 24 percent from 2005.

An elderly woman and her pet dog managed to escape from a burning home at 19 Barre Drive. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Officials said the fire appears to have started in the kitchen. It was detected by the home's fire alarm system, which alerted firefighters. Barre Drive is off West Avenue, just south of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Ranking Ludlow fire officials were not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning, according to a department spokesman.

This is a developing story, and more details will be posted at MassLive.com as they become available.

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Officers assigned to the special BADGE unit have made more than 200 arrests since November 2011, according to the office of Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet.

Republican file photoSpringfield police officers Brian Beliveau, left, and Edward Van Zandt, members of the Springfield Police Department's special BADGE unit, are shown in this Republican file photo walking on Belmont Avenue near the "X" section of Forest Park in February. BADGE stands for the Business and Domicile Geographic Enforcement unit.

SPRINGFIELD — The day after a teenage boy was injured in a drive-by shooting on Westernview Street in the Forest Park section of the city, the Springfield Police Department released data on Tuesday purportedly showing a dip in the neighborhood's crime rate.

Police cited arrest numbers and other accomplishments of officers assigned to the city's special BADGE unit, which primarily focuses on reducing crime in and around the 'X' area — so named for the crisscross street pattern resembling the letter. But the information does not include comparative data to gauge how much crime has reportedly diminished during a specific time period.

Nonetheless, the four-man BADGE unit has made 210 arrests since its launch in November 2011, according to a release issued by the office of police Commissioner William J. Fitchet. In addition to making arrests, the unit has seized five guns, issued 98 criminal complaints and 1,020 motor vehicle citations, and conducted 213 high-crime-area street interviews, according to Fitchet's office.

"Numerous gang members" have been arrested and drug-trafficking operations have been interrupted, and all "without having one citizen's complaint filed against the officers," the release states.The area surrounding Forest Park and lower Belmont Avenue, the latter being a perennial crime hot spot, have both seen diminshed crime, according to police.

Fitchet said BADGE officers are dedicated to enforcing quality-of-life issues and quickly respond to business and citizen complaints. BADGE officers work closely with the Forest Park Business Association, the Forest Park Civic Association, and the Vietnamese American Civic Association. They also work closely with various specialized police units, including the Detective Bureau, the Narcotics and Vice Unit and the Street Crime Unit.

The BADGE unit is headed by Sgt. Julio Toledo and includes officers Eddie Van Zandt, Danny Brunton and Brian Belliveau.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, who attended a February new conference highlighting BADGE and the work it does, said in a statement Tuesday that residents "must remain forever vigilant to continue combating the small percentage of individuals who have disrespect for the quality of life of our residents."

Sarno said BADGE has made a positive impact on Forest Park, particularly around the 'X' area, the neighborhood's bustling commercial crossroads. He described the collaborative effort between police, residents and business owners as "empowering," and he praised "the men and women in blue" for their bravery.

The Business and Domicile Geographic Enforcement unit, or BADGE, is a crime-reduction initiative that involves increasing the street-level presence of officers in and around the "X" area. That effort has included more police foot patrols in the neighborhood's commercial district to prevent and reduce crime, officials have said.

Salvatore Circosta, a Forest Park native and owner of Sal's Bakery on Belmont Avenue at the "X," said the stepped-up police presence in the area has made a noticeable difference in the community where he lives and works.

"They've been really involved in this community policing, which has been great for us," he told CBS 3, media partner of The Republican and MassLive. "They're on their bicycles, they're everywhere," Circosta said of BADGE officers, whose presence has made residents and merchants feel safer and "a little bit more confident."

Crime is still a factor in Forest Park, which led Springfield in homicides last year. Monday's shooting is still under investigation, according to a city police detective reached Wednesday morning.

The accident caused public safety officials to reroute traffic away from the area while crews worked to remove the overturned truck.

HOLYOKE — No injuries were reported Wednesday morning when a box truck, heading north on Canal Street, hit an overpass at Lyman Street and overturned.

Holyoke Fire Lt. Thomas Paquin said the accident occurred about 6:10 a.m. Emergency personnel were working to remove the truck and remained at the scene as of about 7:40 a.m.

The overpass, near the point where Main Street turns into Lyman Street, has a posted clearance of 11 feet, 5 inches, and the truck has a posted height of 13 feet, 6 inches. The truck is operated by A-C Motor Express of West Springfield.

Some fuel leaked from the truck and personnel from the state Department of Environmental Protection were summoned to the scene. This marks the second day in a row that a mishap involving a truck in Holyoke resulted in leaked fuel.

Fast-acting firefighters, armed with kiddy pools, quickly contained fuel leaking from a truck on Route 141 Tuesday morning.

Kiddy pools, however, did not play any role in the fire department’s response to today's overturned truck, Paquin said. He said traffic from South Hadley is being routed around the block.

Emergency personnel, meanwhile, were summoned to a second accident, reported shortly after 7:30 a.m. at Beech and West Franklin streets.

The overpass at Lyman and Canal streets has been the seen of numerous past problems involving trucks that are too big to fit under the railroad bridge. In November 2011, a truck became wedged under the bridge, tying up traffic and taxing public safety resources that had already been deployed to another crash scene in the city.

The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, a study released on Wednesday concluded.

The Associated PressIn this Sept. 11, 2001, file photo, the twin towers of the World Trade Center burn behind the Empire State Building in New York. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, a study released on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, concluded. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, a study released on Wednesday concluded.

The only thing that came close was President John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath in 1963, but that was only for the people aged 55 and over who experienced those events as they happened instead of replayed as an historical artifact.

Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company collaborated on the survey. They ranked TV moments for their impact not just by asking people if they remembered watching them, but if they recalled where they watched it, who they were with and whether they talked to other people about what they had seen.

By that measure, the Sept. 11 tragedy was nearly twice as impactful as the second-ranked moment, which was the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Minutes after the first airplane struck New York's World Trade Center on a late summer morning, television networks began covering the events continuously and stayed with them for days.

The other biggest TV events, in order, were the 1995 verdict in O.J. Simpson's murder trial, the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 and the death of Osama bin Laden last year, the survey found.

Sony was interested in the study for clues on consumer interests and behaviors and found "that television is really the grandmother of all the social devices," said Brian Siegel, vice president of television business for the company.

The Associated PressThis Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy before he was shot in Dallas, Texas. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, a study released on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 concluded. The only thing that came close was President John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath in 1963, but that was only for the people aged 55 and over who experienced the events as they happened instead of replayed as an historical artifact. (AP Photo, file)

Going into the study, Siegel said he had anticipated that entertainment events like the final episode of "M-A-S-H" (ranked No. 42), the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (No. 43) and the "Who shot J.R.?" episode of "Dallas" (No. 44) would rank higher. Instead, television coverage of news events made the biggest difference in viewers' lives.

The Super Bowl is annually the most-watched TV event, with this year's game between the N.Y. Giants and New England Patriots setting an all-time record with 111 million viewers. The memories don't seem to linger, however: the top-ranked Super Bowl Sunday event in Sony's study came in 2004 and had nothing to do with football. It was Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction (No. 26).

Men and women agreed on the three most impactful television events — Sept. 11, Katrina and Simpson. After that, some of the interests diverged.

For example, women ranked the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana as the fourth most memorable event, while men put that at No. 23. Women ranked last year's death of Whitney Houston at No. 5, with men judging it No. 21.

Similarly, the 2003 bombing of Baghdad at the start of the Iraq War was seen as the No. 14 most impactful moment by men, and No. 37 among women. Men were also far more struck by boxer Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.

The passage of time has also diluted some moments once thought as unforgettable, simply because succeeding generations have no personal memory of them. Man's first moon landing in 1969 ranked No. 21.

Age also made a big difference in the survey. JFK's assassination was the second-most impactful TV event among people 55 and over, while for those between 18 and 34, it was the death of Osama bin Laden.

Young people also ranked Barack Obama's Election Night speech in 2008 at No. 3, while that didn't move older viewers quite as much (No. 24).

Simply because of their age, events like the JFK assassination, President Nixon's resignation and the moon landing didn't register at all among viewers 18 to 34. The oldest event to appear in their rankings was the 1980 shooting of John Lennon.

The study was based on an online questionnaire of 1,077 adults selected as a scientific sample from among Nielsen's panel of people measured for television ratings. It was conducted between Feb. 15-17 this year.

The study could be a good baseline for future looks at how television impacts viewers, said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president for custom research at Nielsen.

"I'd like to see these done on a periodic basis going forward," he said.

The second trial of a former Massachusetts police officer accused of raping a woman has started.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The second trial of a former Massachusetts police officer accused of raping a woman has started.

A jury in Worcester Superior Court jury on Tuesday heard opening statements in the trial of 39-year-old Jason Briddon of Westminster, a former part-time officer in Rutland. He's charged with rape and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the alleged assault on a 27-year-old Worcester woman in May 2007.

Briddon's first trial ended in a mistrial in March 2009.

He was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison in 2010 after being convicted of unrelated rape charges.

The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/L83Ehh ) reports that prosecutors say Briddon offered the woman a ride home from a bar but instead raped her.

Briddon's lawyer says there is no evidence of rape.

___

Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com

Supporters of a bill that would abolish parole for habitual violent offenders are pressing legislators to pass the measure before the session ends on July 31.

BOSTON (AP) — Supporters of a bill that would abolish parole for habitual violent offenders are pressing legislators to pass the measure before the session ends on July 31.

Les Gosule (GAW'-suhl), whose daughter Melissa was raped and murdered in 1999 by a man with 27 prior convictions, and law enforcement representatives have scheduled a news conference near the Statehouse on Wednesday.

Both legislative branches approved the so-called "three strikes" provision last year, but the Senate included it as part of a broader crime bill that would also do away with mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders.

House and Senate negotiators have been trying for months to reach consensus, but appear to be running out of time.

Critics of the three strikes provision warn it could unfairly target minority groups and lead to prison overcrowding.

The secretary is expected to meet with Paul Barabani, superintendent of the Soldiers' Home, for a tour of the Cherry Street facility and a discussion of ways to combat Alzheimer's disease.

Judy Ann Bigby

HOLYOKE — Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services JudyAnn Bigby is scheduled to tour the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

She will join Paul Barabani, superintendent of the home at 110 Cherry St., for a discussion on ways to combat Alzheimer's disease, and she will meet with staff that has been recognized for excellence in public service.

Barabani, of Chicopee, officially became superintendent of the home in February 2011. Bigby, at the time, said Barabani, a retired colonel in the National Guard, brought a wealth of personal and professional experience to the position.

The Cherry Street facility provides services to thousands of area veterans annually.

The selection process that picked Barabani for the superintendent post was shrouded in secrecy. A state official confirmed to The Republican that the seven-member board of trustees that oversees the Soldiers' Home and vetted candidates for the job had violated the state's Open Meeting Law by failing to cite reasons for holding closed-door sessions.

The panel recommended Barabani for the superintendent job in early November 2010, after having received 40 applications and narrowing the field to three finalists. But they refused to divulge the name of the candidate or other finalists, saying they were barred from doing so by the administration of Gov. Deval. L. Patrick. The administration finally admitted in late February 2011 that Barabani was the choice for the job, but only after The Republican had filed public records requests regarding the selection process.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, who administered the oath of office to Barabani, later said the superintendent search process should have been handled better. "Sorry you had to go through that hassle," he told a Republican reporter.

The new platform features comments that update in real-time. The immediacy of the user experience encourages more conversation on the site and draws the community to the center of the discussion.

Continuing a series of recent upgrades, including the launch of the redesigned homepage on June 19, MassLive.com is excited to announce the launch of a new comment platform with enhanced features that we believe will better serve our readers.

The new platform, which is scheduled to launch tomorrow, Thursday July 12, features comments that update in real-time, allowing readers to experience a lively conversation much like texting or instant messaging while commenting on news, sports and entertainment stories on the site.

The comment platform, developed by Echo, is used by a number of top news sites including ABC News, NBC News, ESPN and Slate. The immediacy of the user experience encourages more conversation on the site and draws the community to the center of the discussion.

It will also be easier for community users to flag inappropriate comments that violate the site's community rules. The "Inappropriate Post" button and form that currently appear beside comments has been replaced with a single ”Flag” link -- there is no form to fill out, and no other action required to report a post that may not meet our community standards.

Comments will also be easier to share with friends. Soon functionality will be added so that each comment has its own link, making it possible to share both your own comments and comments from other readers that you find compelling via social media, email or instant messaging.

Comment sorting will present the freshest content on top, although you can choose to view comments in the order they were posted. Voting will make it easier to acknowledge quality posts for their value, and a new "Recommended" ranking will help you find the best comment threads.

Enhanced functionality, stronger community management tools and increased speed will better serve MassLive.com's vibrant community. We hope you enjoy the improvements and we encourage you to give us your feedback via the comments section of this post or by sending an email to feedback@masslive.com.

Authorities say a 33-year-old woman had to be flown to a Boston hospital after she was found severely beaten in a Methuen home.

METHUEN, Mass. (AP) — Authorities say a 33-year-old woman had to be flown to a Boston hospital after she was found severely beaten in a Methuen home.

Police say 33-year-old Sarah Plazola had suffered serious face and head injuries when police responding to a 911 call found her at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Chief Joseph Solomon says they do not believe the woman was a victim of a home invasion because there was no evidence of a forced entry and investigators are leaning toward someone she knew as her assailant.

There have been no arrests.

Local police as well as the Essex district attorney's office are conducting the investigation.

Romney's advisers say he plans to focus, as he usually does, on the economy.

The Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures during remarks to volunteers working at the Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado to distribute food to those affected by the wild fire at the on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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By KASIE HUNT, Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney isn't going to win the black vote. But he's making a pitch to African-Americans at the NAACP's annual meeting, giving a major speech that's also aimed at showing independent and swing voters that he's willing to reach out to diverse audiences — and demonstrating that his campaign and the Republican Party he leads are inclusive.

Romney's advisers say he plans to focus, as he usually does, on the economy. The 14.4 percent unemployment rate among blacks is much higher than the 8.2 percent national average. He's also likely to mention his plan to increase school choice — he's called education the "civil rights issue of our era."

It's a difficult sell — 95 percent of blacks backed President Barack Obama in 2008. But no matter what Romney tells the NAACP on Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats say he's making a statement just by speaking to the nation's oldest civil rights group.

"The first thing you need to do is show up, so I ultimately think he's doing the right thing," said Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., one of two black Republicans in Congress. "What he's saying to everyone is that he's (running to become) America's president and not just those folks he thinks he can get votes from right now. I think that's a very important statement."

"You've got to get credit for showing up — for being willing to go — no question," said Karen Finney, a Democratic consultant who worked in the Clinton White House. "It's more about your actions than it is about what you say."

Obama spoke to the group during his 2008 campaign, as did his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain. Obama doesn't plan to speak this year — instead, Vice President Joe Biden will address the annual convention on Thursday. Obama plans to address the Urban League later this month.

Romney rarely speaks to a predominantly black audience at political events. One exception was a May visit to a charter school in Philadelphia, where he cast fixing the education system as a way to help blacks and other minorities.

In framing education as a civil rights issue, Romney is following in George W. Bush's footsteps. At a sweeping address to the NAACP in 2000, Bush, then the Republican presidential nominee, said the education system should "leave no child behind" — and he labeled the "soft bigotry of low expectations" as part of the problem facing black students.

The likely 2012 Republican nominee has a personal history with civil rights issues. Romney's father, George, spoke out against segregation in the 1960s and as governor of Michigan toured his state's inner cities as race riots wracked Detroit and other urban areas across the country. He went on to lead the Housing and Urban Development Department, where he pushed for housing reforms to help blacks.

Mitt Romney invoked that legacy during a 2007 interview on NBC's "Meet the Press": "My dad's reputation ... and my own has always been one of reaching out to people and not discriminating based upon race or anything else."

In recent months, Obama has approached race from an intensely personal perspective. After the shooting of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin in a Florida neighborhood — an act many blacks saw as racially motivated — Obama spoke directly to Martin's parents from the Rose Garden. "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Obama said.

Diminished enthusiasm for the president in the wake of the economic downturn could dampen black turnout. And that could make the difference in Southern states Obama won in 2008, particularly North Carolina and Virginia.

Other factors could keep blacks away from voting booths. Romney's address to the group comes as Democrats and minority communities are expressing concern over a series of tough voter identification laws in a handful of states. Critics say the laws could make it harder for blacks and Hispanics to vote.

"He'll be standing in that room asking people for their votes at the same time that Republican legislators are trying to disenfranchise minority communities," said Finney, the Democratic consultant.

Romney expressed support for such laws during a late April visit to Pennsylvania, which now has one of the toughest voter identification statutes in the nation. "We ought to have voter identification so we know who's voting and we have a record of that," Romney said then.

The shark that caused a sensation when a photo of its fin slicing through the waters off Cape Cod behind a frightened kayaker was distributed worldwide may not be a man-eating great white after all.

AP Photo/Shelly NegrottiWalter Szulc Jr., in kayak at left, looks back at the dorsal fin of an approaching shark at Nauset Beach in Orleans, Mass. in Cape Cod on Saturday, July 7, 2012. The state's top shark expert says the fin likely belonged to a harmless basking shark, a giant fish that feeds on nothing but plankton.

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) — The shark that caused a sensation when a photo of its fin slicing through the waters off Cape Cod behind a frightened kayaker was distributed worldwide may not be a man-eating great white after all.

The state's top shark expert says the fin likely belonged to a harmless basking shark, a giant fish that feeds on nothing but plankton.

Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries says he's not 100 percent sure, but based on the fin's shape and the depth at which the fish was swimming, he's almost positive it was a basking shark.

He says a basking shark's fin is more rounded at the top and basking sharks swim closer to the surface.

Of course, Skomal says, there really are great whites in Cape Cod waters.

The Registry estimated that Northampton Motor Classics sent buyers away with dealer's plates, ordinarily used for test drives, at least 15 times.

NORTHAMPTON — With the owner nowhere to be found, the License Commission revoked the dealer’s license for Northampton Motor Classics on Wednesday at the request of the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Photo courtesy Daily Hampshire GazetteAndrew Feuerstein

The Registry made the unusual request after several buyers complained that they were given dealer’s plates for their vehicles from the 968 Bridge Road business but never received titles. The Registry estimates that at least 15 customers were sent away with dealer's plates, which are ordinarily used for test drives.

Commissioners Stephanie Levin and Brian Campedelli voted to revoke Northampton Motor Classics’ Class 2 license with little discussion. Commissioner William Rosen was not present for the vote.

The commission tried numerous times to notify owner Andrew Feuerstein, both by telephone and email, but was unsuccessful. Feuerstein has a Florida telephone number. The business has been closed for several weeks.

A special investigator with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has been assigned to the case. The License Commission will send confirmation of its vote to him as well as to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Levin said she would have preferred to let Feuerstein voluntarily submit his license.

“I hate to take a license away from someone who is perfectly willing to turn it in,” she said.

She issued an invitation to Feuerstein to speak to the matter at the next License Commission meeting.

One person who did attend the meeting, Cheryl Maffie of Montague, left frustrated. Maffie said she bought a 2004 Mazda from Northampton Motor Classics on June 22 for $11,550, but has yet to receive a title. Moreover, Maffie said, the car was a “lemon.”

“It started spewing smoke,” she said.

Maffie drove the car to Maine, but when she returned a few days later, she found the business closed. She has been unable to get in touch with company executives.
Maffie said that she and other disgruntled customers are working with the Five College Credit Union in an attempt to reach Feuerstein and settle matters.

A mother left her mentally disabled daughter at a bar and refused to pick her up, according to officials.

The Olympic Stadium is seen at the London 2012 Olympic Park in east London, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, as work continues to get the park ready for the summer games which begin July 27.

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