66 communities in Massachusetts have indicated support for the constitutional amendment.

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield City Councilors from left to right: Clodo Concepcion, Melvin A. Edwards, Michael A. Fenton, E. Henry Twiggs, Kateri B. Walsh, Zaida Luna, Bud L. Williams, James J. Ferrera III, John A. Lysak,Timothy J. Rooke, Thomas M. Ashe, Kenneth E. Shea and Timothy C. Allen.

Michael A. Fenton

SPRINGFIELD — The City Council will consider passing a resolution Monday that would call for a constitutional amendment to overturn relaxed limits on election spending by corporations by reversing a 2010 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Councilors Michael A. Fenton and Thomas M. Ashe are co-sponsoring the resolution, which would have the council join “66 other cities and towns across the Commonwealth” in supporting the constitutional amendment, the proposal states.

The council meeting is Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of “Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission,” ruling that the First Amendment, in guaranteeing free speech, prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, according to news reports.

Thomas Ashe

The ruling “will now unleash a torrent of corporate money in our political process unmatched by any campaign expenditure totals in United States history,” the council’s proposal states.

The resolution, as drafted, further states that the Supreme Court ruling “presents a serious and direct threat to our democracy.”

The constitutional amendment process can be used to “correct those egregiously wrong decisions of the United States Supreme Court that go to the heart of our democracy and self-government,” the resolution states.

Members of the Democracy Amendment Coalition of Massachusetts said last month that 66 communities across Massachusetts support overturning the ruling on Citizens United, as expressed by town meetings and city councils.

California recently became the sixth state to call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, passed by California Senate and Assembly.

The Springfield resolution states in part that a divided Supreme Court over the past three decades “has transformed the First Amendment into a powerful tool for corporations seeking to evade and invalidate democratically enacted reforms.”

After meeting with young professionals, Murray met with Community Enterprises Inc. of Northampton and with veterans in Chicopee.

The Republican / John Suchocki07/12/12 Northampton - - Lt. Governor Timothy Murray met with the Associated Industries of Massachusetts members at the Clarion Hotel to talk about business development in Western ma.

NORTHAMPTON – Young business executives from across the Pioneer Valley asked Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray questions Thursday, the same day MassBenchmarks issued a report saying the state gained jobs faster than had been reported in 2011.

But that same MassBenchmarks report said jobs are not being created fast enough and researchers doubt that job growth will be robust in the coming months.

“No one thought that coming out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression would be easy. The point is that we have to work hard, and keep scrapping, for every job and every new business we can find,” Murray said following a roundtable lunch with 25 members of the Northampton Area Young Professionals at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Northampton.

MassBenchmarks, a regular study of the state’s economy, said Thursday that the state added The state added 39,000 jobs in all of 2011, Romitti said. Statistics from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a gain of just 9,000.

But even the new numbers show just 1.2 percent growth, not the 2.5 percent growth considered healthy by economists, said Martin A. Romitti, director of economic and public policy research at University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute in Hadley and an editor at MassBenchmarks.

Murray said the state is working hard to attract high tech investment in the state with an emphasis on lower-cost options in Western Massachusetts.

“We want companies to use Massachusetts as their beachhead in the United States,” he said.

Following that meeting, Murray met with Community Enterprises Inc. of Northampton and with veterans in Chicopee. The subject was jobs for veterans and the state’s new veterans advocacy Website: www.massvetsadvisor.org.

“We want to connect veterans with all the resources that are out there,” said Murray, who heads the governor’s multi-agency committee on veterans issues.

Community Enterprises Inc. has about 20 veterans participating in its Northampton-area jobs program, said director Richard P. Horton. Community Enterprises received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to start the program which works with its effort to find jobs for those with disabilities and its Community Staffing, a placement agency for temporary jobs.

He said one veteran who was working a temp job through the program has already been hired full-time by the place where he was working as a temp.

At the lunch, Sampath Codalur, an information technology professional with MassMutual Financial Group in Springfield, told Murray that education is the Pioneer Valley’s greatest asset. But college educations are rapidly becoming unaffordable, he said.

Codalur lives in Longmeadow.

Murray compared the situation to rising health insurance costs. Last year, the state stopped a number of insurers from raising rates.

“That’s what has to happen here,” he said. “You can’t have college costs going up two and three times the rate of inflation. We can’t have people graduating with $200,000 in student debt and then expect them to buy a home and stimulate the economy. It isn’t going to happen.”

It's been 4 months since Mohegan Sun announced it would give $50,000 to Palmer to be used toward the host community agreement process.

This is a rendering of the proposed Mohegan Sun casino project in Palmer.

PALMER — Four months after Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun announced it would provide an initial payment of $50,000 to the town of Palmer to pay for expenses connected with the host community agreement for its proposed resort casino project, the town is still waiting.

But the town manager is not concerned.

Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said he received an email on Thursday from Paul I. Brody, Mohegan's vice president of development, saying that the check was sent by FedEx and should be at his office on Friday.

Blanchard had inquired about the check's status earlier this week.

Contacted by phone, Brody said the check was in the works, declining to say anything further, except that he anticipates there will be additional payments as the process moves forward.

Blanchard said there was never a timetable associated with the payment, calling it "open-ended." Blanchard said Mohegan wanted to ensure that the money would go toward the host community agreement, and he said a lot of time was spent working out the logistics of it. Blanchard said the money will be placed into a gift account specifically for this purpose.

At-large Town Councilor Paul E. Burns said he thinks it's time Mohegan makes the payment.

"I think four months is a long time to wait. If Mohegan is going to demonstrate their commitment and good faith to the town they should step up and make the payment immediately," Burns said.

Blanchard has retained RKG of New Hampshire as the town's professional casino negotiator. RKG is working with four other consultants to evaluate the impacts Mohegan says the proposed casino will have on traffic, water and sewer, the economy for the town and region, local entertainment venues and more. Blanchard said it could cost up to $300,000 for the studies.

Mohegan's proposal calls for a $500 million casino across from the Massachusetts Turnpike interchange on Thorndike Street (Route 32).

While other sites for casinos in Western Massachusetts have been discussed, the only other announced project is in Springfield, where Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos has purchased the old Westinghouse site off Page Boulevard.

Only one Western Massachusetts casino license will be awarded by the Gaming Commission, and a host community agreement is needed before a binding vote can take place – a requirement of the gaming legislation.

A community must have a favorable vote before a casino project can move forward.

The host community agreement will detail responsibilities of the gaming operator and conditions for building in a town or city.

MGM Resorts of Las Vegas, which backed out of a plan to build a casino in Brimfield earlier this year, but is still interested in a Western Massachusetts site, recently wrote a letter to the Gaming Commission about its concerns with the commission's two-part bidding process.

MGM said that could result in "significant resources, time and money of the commission being expended unnecessarily."

The commission rejected MGM's proposal for a single bidding process.

Under the commission's planned two-part bidding effort, casino operators would have to pass financial and integrity checks as a first step. Once that has been completed, the companies would then be allowed to submit bids for operating licenses at specific sites.

Casinos could open their doors in Massachusetts in three to five years under the current timetable.

Longmeadow was selected by Family Circle Magazine as one of the top places to live because of its highly rated school system.

File photoSchool Children walk on Longmeadow Town Green.

LONGMEADOW — With an excellent school system, classic New England homes and pristine lawns and parks, Longmeadow made the cut for best towns to live in the August issue of Family Circle Magazine.

The magazine determines what cities and towns are selected annually based on criteria including “outstanding schools, affordable housing, plenty of green space and a giving spirit,” according to the latest issue.

Longmeadow is joined by Bay Village, Ohio; Vail, Ariz.; Lake Oswego, Ore.; Fishers, Ind.; Ballwin, Mo.; Louisville, Colo.; Fort Mill, S.C.; Zachary, La.; and Oak Park, Ill.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Select Board Chairman Paul Santaniello.

Besides being a town official, Santaniello has also raised a family here with all three of his children going through the Longmeadow school system.

Santaniello said as a board member his job is to retain the character of the town.

“From the schools to the town green and events like Long Meddowe Days, there is a real sense of community here,” he said.

Santaniello said the residents can take most of the credit for keeping the town a scenic and safe place to live.

“If people in town are upset about something or they want something a particular way they voice their opinions and they make sure we take notice and that’s what helps retain the reputation and character of the town,” he said.

The magazine cites the school system as one of the reasons the town was selected, giving it a 9 out of 10 rating for quality.

“We are incredibly proud and honored that Family Circle Magazine would consider us for this list,” said School Committee Chairman Michael Clark, a 22- year-old lifelong resident and product of the Longmeadow School system. “I grew up here and still live here and I think it’s a wonderful place to live.”

Clark said the school district strives to keep with their motto of “eyes on the child,” providing a high level of education at all grade levels.

“So many people mention the school system as a reason for moving to Longmeadow, and as a committee we try to make decisions that will allow students to receive the best education possible. Our teachers challenge their students and have very high expectations of them, but they deliver,” Clark said.

The magazine also mentions the proximity of Springfield and cultural places like Symphony Hall as a highlight for living in Longmeadow. Santaniello said one of the reasons he moved here 25 years ago was the proximity to larger cities like Boston and New York.

“You can get there easily but always return home to Longmeadow where you feel safe,” he said. “People get involved in things, there is always something to do and it’s nice to see moms walking on the sidewalk with their children or seniors out walking their dogs.

“It really is a wonderful place to raise a family.”

The breakfast's new location was the front lawn of South Middle School on Silver Street.

Manon Mirabelli photoMary Ann Dennis, a member of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, takes pancakes off the grill during the chamber's 35th annual pancake breakfast on the front lawn of South Middle School.

WESTFIELD – Nearly 800 people ate thousands of pancakes and sausages Thursday morning during the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce 35th Annual Pancake Breakfast, an event that fosters community ties, organizers said.

Kate E. Phelon, the chamber’s executive director, said the organization’s “spark plug committee” was on site at the breakfast’s new location on the front lawn of South Middle School on Silver Street mixing pancake batter at 6 a.m. in preparation of the four-hour event from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.

“It’s always the second Thursday in July, and originally it was on the green,” she said, referring to downtown’s Park Square. “We moved it here this year, and this venue is just great. There’s plenty of room, parking and shade.”

Another benefit, Phelon added, is having the opportunity to use the school’s kitchen facility to keep ingredients, such as butter – lots of butter, and maple syrup – lots of maple syrup, easily refrigerated.

“This is great because we can use the school kitchen,” she said.

In addition to the breakfast being served, vendors were also on site at tables arranged on the school’s shaded front sidewalk. Jewelry, apparel, pet goods and newspaper subscriptions were just some of the sales being made. Mascots from the Springfield Falcons hockey and Armor basketball teams were also in attendance.

While all the usual officials such as Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, his brother, state Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield, and state Rep. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, were on hand dining on a hot breakfast prepared by chamber and guest griddle masters, the true beauty of the event, Phelon said, is the way it brings the community together and raises money for programs that support Westfield business.

Ten-year-old Avery St. Pierre, a student at Papermill Elementary School, enjoyed his pancake breakfast sitting on a sidewalk on the school’s front lawn.

“I like getting to share time with all my friends, and the pancakes are good,” he said.

All of the food was donated for the event by Sodexo food services from Westfield State University, and all the breakfast sausages were prepared by Cathy Gendreau, owner of Peppermill Catering.

One guest cook manning a grill was Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle, aided by his executive assistant, Nanci Salvidio.

Dobelle said he now knows when to flip a pancake. “I’ve also learned how hard this work is,” he said. “I can’t imagine doing this eight hours a day.”

The Liquor Commission still has to approve the beer and wine license.

CHICOPEE — The owner of the Pride Stations and Stores has received preliminary approvals to sell beer and wine at his gas station and convenience store on Chicopee Street.

The Planning Board voted 4-0 in favor of the plans from Robert L. Bolduc, president of Pride Stations and Stores, to modify his store so he could purchase a liquor license.

The city’s Liquor Commission and the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission also has to approve the license.

Bolduc said he first applied to the Planning Board several months ago but withdrew his application after the Fire Department issued concerns about the entrances and their proximity to the gas pumps on the property.

The new plans were approved by Fire Department officials, who worked with store employees to modify them, Bolduc said.

“We changed it. The access is separate instead of being accessible through the store,” he said.

The new plans show the section where beer and wine is to be sold to be separated from the rest of the store. It’s entrance is at the corner.

“It gets traffic away from the fill pumps,” Bolduc said.

The wall between the two will be a solid wall half-way down topped by glass. People in the convenience store or the liquor area can see into the other but will have to walk out of the exit door and into the next door to access either market, Bolduc said.

In other action, the Planning Board revised property lines between the former Belcher School and neighboring lots to make the property easier to sell.

There was some confusion in the lot boundaries, partly because the school is more than 100 years old and the land had never been put up for sale, city planner Catherine L. Brown said.

The city has requested bids on the property twice. There was some interest in using it for retail space but the proposal fell through.

Brenda Coggin, owner of Coggin Creek Stables, said not only is she heartbroken about losing her dogs, but by the thought that there are people who think she played a role in their deaths. Watch video

File photo | The RepublicanState and local officials are investigating the possibility that a kennel owner’s nine personal dogs died of Freon poisoning at Coggin Creek Stable in Westfield, shown here in a file photo.

WESTFIELD – State and local officials are investigating the possibility that a kennel owner’s nine personal dogs died of Freon poisoning Tuesday night when an air conditioning unit malfunctioned and emitted a toxic mist that caused the dogs to bleed to death.

“It was just a horrible accident,” said Brenda Coggin, owner of Coggin Creek Stables on Granville Road. “They died an absolutely horrendous death.”

Coggin said she put her American Kennel Club-registered Australian shepherd show dogs in the kennel at about 10:30 p.m., and when she went back several hours later to place another one of her dogs there she found the one male and eight females dead after apparently bleeding through their noses.

“They were very happy when I put them in there,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I’m just devastated.”

The dogs, Coggin added, ranged in age from just under 2 years to nearly 9, and she did not carry any insurance on them resulting in a significant monetary loss for her as well.

“I spent $8,000 on one saving her life,” she said. “I have no insurance, and I can’t recoup any of this.”

Coggin said that an official from the state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) arrived at the kennel on the next day, wrapped the air conditioning unit and took it with him as part of the investigation.

Westfield Animal Control Operations Manager Kenneth E. Frazer said Coggin did nothing wrong by burying her dogs on her property Wednesday night, but she is in violation of running an unlicensed kennel, which could carry a penalty of $50 per day in city ordinance violations per dog for each day a dog was boarded in the kennel. Other than that, he said Coggin has a good reputation for taking excellent care of animals.

“The dogs were well cared for,” he said. “There was no neglect – you can ask anyone who got a dog from her. She took good care of her dogs. She does have to have a permit, but no state law was violated.”

Frazer said he learned of the incident from all the media attention it received after someone anonymously contacted multiple media outlets informing them of the dog deaths and burials.

“They never contacted me,” he said.

Coggin said not only is she heartbroken about losing her dogs, but by the thought that there are people who think she played a role in their deaths.

“It kills me to think that anyone would think that I would have anything to do with this.”

Frazer said he and state officials are continuing the investigation into the cause of the deaths and will release the information when it becomes available.

“We’re getting all the facts now – what happened, how it happened, what caused it,” he said.

Coggin Stables, located at 1008 Granville Road, boards horses and provides equestrian lessons and training, according to its website.

Another police officer, this one from Washington, D.C., who worked a White House detail, has been put on administrative duty after being overheard allegedly threatening to shoot First Lady Michelle Obama.

Associated Press photoBoston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford signs autographs for fans at the Red Sox player development complex in Fort Myers, Fla., last week.

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• State police lieutenant fatally shoots man on Route 8 in Torrington [Hartford Courant]
• Samaritans jump into Boston Harbor to rescue man [WBZ-Boston]
• Disney unveils trailer for ‘The Lone Ranger,’ starring Johnny Depp, at Comic-Con [Washington Post]
• Drudge Report lists Condi Rice as top Romney VP candidate [ABC News]
• D.C. officer allegedly made threatening comments about first lady [Washington Post]
• 'Daily Show,' 'Colbert Report' cease streaming online due to Viacom vs. DirecTV battle [Huffington Post]
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With warmer air and increased humidity, the poor air quality is predicted for Friday and Saturday in western Connecticut, southwestern through northeastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and along the coast of Maine, from Kittery through Acadia National Park.

BOSTON — Environmental officials are predicting heat-related unhealthy air quality for parts of New England over the next two days.

With warmer air and increased humidity, the poor air quality is predicted for Friday and Saturday in western Connecticut, southwestern through northeastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and along the coast of Maine, from Kittery through Acadia National Park.

Exposure to elevated ozone levels can cause breathing problems, aggravate asthma and other lung diseases, and make people more susceptible to respiratory infection.

To help reduce ozone levels, environmental officials urge people to use public transportation and avoid the use of small gasoline-powered engines, such as lawn mowers and tractors, chain saws, power washers, string trimmers and leaf blowers. They also urge people to refrain from strenuous activity, especially children and adults with respiratory problems.

Dominque A. Lind was killed in a collision with a van on Sumner Avenue near Bairdcrest Street in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood.

These were the most-read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Dominque Lind, 24, of Enfield, killed in Springfield accident when motorcycle collides with van in East Forest Park [Patrick Johnson]

2) Springfield police: Chicopee man jumped from moving train after snatching Amtrak conductor's bag [Conor Berry]

3) Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick strikes casino deal with Mashpee Wampanoag tribe [Associated Press]

4) Mass. state trooper shoots, kills driver at Worcester traffic stop [Associated Press]

5) Fatal police shootings in Hartford, Worcester mirror Springfield incident [Conor Berry]

Police identify the driver of the motorcycle as 61-year-old George Intelisano.

PITTSFIELD - A man riding his motorcycle collided with the driver of a moped at the intersection of Tyler and Brown streets around 10 p.m., and was sent to Berkshire Medical Center with serious injuries, abc 40/Fox 6 reports.

Police identify the driver of the motorcycle as 61-year-old George Intelisano.

The driver of the moped, Elvins Sylvestre of New Jersey, suffered minor injuries, according to the report.

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Both tunnels were at least 150 yards long. One began under a bathroom sink inside a warehouse in Tijuana but was unfinished and didn't cross the border into San Diego. The Mexican army found the tunnel Wednesday.

In this undated photo provided by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, shows a 240-yard, a complete and fully operational tunnel that ran from a small business in Arizona to an ice plant on the Mexico side of the border, Thursday, July 12, 2012, in San Luis, Ariz.(AP Photo/Drug Enforcement Administration)

PHOENIX — Two drug-smuggling tunnels outfitted with lighting and ventilation systems were discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border, the latest signs that cartels are building sophisticated passages to escape heightened surveillance on land.

Both tunnels were at least 150 yards long. One began under a bathroom sink inside a warehouse in Tijuana but was unfinished and didn't cross the border into San Diego. The Mexican army found the tunnel Wednesday.

The other was completed and discovered Saturday in a vacant strip mall storefront in the southwestern Arizona city of San Luis. It showed a level of sophistication not typically associated with other crude smuggling passageways that tie into storm drains in the state.

"When you see what is there and the way they designed it, it wasn't something that your average miner could put together," said Douglas Coleman, special agent in charge of the Phoenix division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "You would need someone with some engineering expertise to put something together like this."

As U.S. authorities heighten enforcement on land, tunnels have become an increasingly common way to smuggle enormous loads of heroin, marijuana and other drugs into the country. More than 70 passages have been found on the border since October 2008, surpassing the number of discoveries in the previous six years.

A total of 156 secret tunnels have been found along the border since 1990, the vast majority of them incomplete.

Raids last November on two tunnels linking San Diego and Tijuana netted a combined 52 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border. In early December 2009, authorities found an incomplete tunnel that stretched nearly 900 feet into San Diego from Tijuana, equipped with an elevator at the Mexican entrance.

The latest Arizona tunnel was discovered after state police pulled over a man who had 39 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle and mentioned the strip mall.

The tunnel was found beneath a water tank in a storage room and stretched across the border to an ice-plant business in the Mexican city of San Luis Rio Colorado. It was reinforced with four-by-six beams and lined with plywood.

Investigators believe the tunnel wasn't in operation for long because there was little wear on its floor, and 55-gallon drums containing extracted dirt hadn't been removed from the property.

Coleman said investigators can't yet say for sure if the tunnel, estimated to cost $1.5 million to build, was operated by the powerful Sinaloa cartel. Still, authorities suspect cartel involvement because the group from Sinaloa controls smuggling routes into Arizona.

"Another cartel wasn't going to roll into that area and put down that kind of money in Sinaloa territory," Coleman said. "Nobody is going to construct this tunnel without significant cartel leadership knowing what's going on."

U.S. authorities were investigating the Tijuana tunnel for three months, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities found no connections to the smuggling operation involving the Arizona passageway.

The Tijuana tunnel was discovered inside a building advertised as a recycling plant in an area where industrial warehouses are common on both sides of the border.

The Mexican army said two tractor-trailers were found inside the warehouse, along with shovels, drills, pickaxes, buckets and other excavation tools.

The Mexican army estimated the tunnel was about 150 yards long and more than 10 yards underground. The walls were lined with dirt and wide enough for one person to get through comfortably.

It takes six months to a year to build a tunnel, authorities say. Workers use shovels and pickaxes to slowly dig through the soil, sleeping in buildings where the tunnels begin until the job is done. Sometimes they use pneumatic tools.

Massachusetts tried to end the free formula practice with a statewide ban in 2005. The decision was overturned several months later when Gov. Mitt Romney replaced some members of the council that approved the ban.

BOSTON — No more Massachusetts maternity hospitals are still offering free infant formula gift bags to new mothers, a milestone welcomed by breast-feeding advocates.

Public health officials tell The Boston Globe all 49 birth facilities in the state voluntarily eliminated the giveaways by the beginning of July.

Massachusetts tried to end the free formula practice with a statewide ban in 2005. The decision was overturned several months later when Gov. Mitt Romney replaced some members of the council that approved the ban.

Studies have shown that breast-feeding mothers who receive free formula are less likely to be breast feeding by the time their infant was 1 month old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed for the first six months to provide babies with protection against many illnesses and allergies.

A Massachusetts police officer is under investigation by his own department after allegations surfaced that he directed a racial slur at Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford last week.

The Associated PressBoston Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford cannot catch a ball hit by New York Yankees' Russell Martin during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts police officer is under investigation by his own department after allegations surfaced that he directed a racial slur at Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford last week.

Leominster (LEH-min-stuhr) Mayor Dean Mazzarella said Thursday the officer is on vacation and will be placed on desk duty when he returns next week during the inquiry.

He did not name the officer but says he is a 5-year veteran and white.

Crawford, who is black, was on a rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs on July 5 when he says before a game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Manchester, N.H., a heckling fan called him a "monday," which can be used as a derogatory term for blacks.

Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner has apologized to Crawford.

Frank and Patrick were selected as members of the party's platform drafting committee. The committee will meet this summer, before the Democratic National Convention.

The Associated PressIn this Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 file photo, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. gestures during his news conference on his retirement on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Two Massachusetts Democrats will help draft the Democratic Party’s national platform.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Barney Frank will be a member of the platform drafting committee. Gov. Deval Patrick will be an ex-officio member.

The Democratic National Committee and Obama for America announced the committee on Thursday. The committee will meet July 27-29 for a public hearing in Minneapolis, and will then draft the platform before a meeting with a larger committee Aug. 10-12 in Detroit. The platform will represent the party’s official positions for the next four years. The party’s 2008 platform can be seen here.

The drafting committee will be chaired by former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. The full platform committee will be chaired by Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker and Lt. General Claudia Kennedy.

One issue that is likely to come up before the committee is whether to include support for gay marriage in the platform. Frank recently became the first sitting member of Congress to marry a member of the same sex.

Former President Bill Clinton says Mitt Romney's financial record is a matter of legitimate campaign scrutiny because he's been selling himself as a fix-it man on the economy.

AP Photo/M. Spencer GreenFormer President Bill Clinton speaks at the second annual Clinton Global Initiative America, Thursday, June 7, 2012, in Chicago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton says Mitt Romney's financial record is a matter of legitimate campaign scrutiny because he's been selling himself as a fix-it man on the economy.

Clinton tells NBC's "Today" show Romney's hesitation to release all of his tax returns "struck me as a little odd." Romney has released a full tax filing only for 2010.

Clinton says Romney's record as the head of private equity firm Bain Capital is fair game and says taking a microscopic look at Romney's finances is "just as relevant as going over my record as governor when I ran for president."

He says voters "ought to make up their own mind" whether they support someone who apparently sought to minimize his federal tax liability by parking large sums of money overseas.

JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, said Friday that its loss from a highly publicized trading blunder had grown to $4.4 billion, more than double the bank's original estimate of $2 billion.

The Associated PressIn this Wednesday, June 13, 2012, file photo, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, head of the largest bank in the United States, testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. All eyes will be on JPMorgan Chase on Friday, when it becomes the first U.S. bank to report financial results for April through June. The $2 billion trading loss by the largest U.S. bank rattled the company's stock price, triggered a U.S. government investigation and hurt both its reputation and that of CEO Jamie Dimon. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

PALLAVI GOGOI, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, said Friday that its loss from a highly publicized trading blunder had grown to $4.4 billion, more than double the bank's original estimate of $2 billion.

The bank also said that it was reducing its net income for the first quarter by $459 million because it had discovered information that "raises questions about the integrity" of values placed on certain trades.

"We don't take it lightly," CEO Jamie Dimon told Wall Street analysts on a conference call.

Dimon said the bank had closed the division of the bank responsible for the bad trade and moved the remainder of the trading position under its investment banking division.

Overall, JPMorgan said it earned $5 billion, or $1.21 per share, for the second quarter, which covers April through June and includes the bank's disclosure of the trading loss on May 10.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet, a provider of financial data, had expected JPMorgan to earn 76 cents per share. JPMorgan stock was down 49 cents, or 1.4 percent, at $33.55 in premarket trading.

Just three months ago, JPMorgan was viewed as the top American bank, guided by Dimon's steady hand. Since the disclosure of the trading loss, however, that reputation has been eroded.

Dimon, who originally dismissed concerns about the bank's trading as a "tempest in a teapot," appeared before Congress twice to apologize and explain himself, and several government agencies have launched investigations.

Dimon was to speak before Wall Street analysts later Friday.

JPMorgan has lost about 15 percent of its in market value since the loss came to light.

The bank could take back pay from executives in charge of the division where the losses occurred. That procedure is known as a "clawback." It would be the first time JPMorgan exercised such a procedure.

The most likely candidate would be Ina Drew, JPMorgan's chief investment officer, who oversaw the division responsible for the loss and left the bank days after the disclosure. In 2011, her pay package totaled $15 million.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that three other employees of the bank tied to the trade, including one who was known as the "London whale," had left the bank.

Under close questioning from lawmakers in June about his own role in setting up the investment division responsible for the mess, Dimon declared: "We made a mistake. I'm absolutely responsible. The buck stops with me."

The trading loss has raised concerns that the biggest banks still pose risks to the U.S. financial system, less than four years after the financial crisis erupted in the fall of 2008.

Sgt. Denis Sheehan said the incident occurred at 28 South Brook Road. The resident had no reason to be targeted, according to Sheehan.

EAST LONGMEADOW - Police here say a local resident on Thursday afternoon reported her plastic mailbox destroyed, blown up by an M-80 sometime after 11 p.m. the night prior.

Sgt. Denis Sheehan said the incident occurred at 28 South Brook Road. The resident had no reason to be targeted, according to Sheehan.

Property records show the homeowners to be John and Erica Basile.

Sheehan said the incident is unrelated to the recent rash of vandalism in the town, which has included shattered vehicle windshields and windows. Businesses, too, have reported shattered windows and damage from BB or pellet guns.

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A second defendant denied a charge of larceny over $250.

File photo / The RepublicanNorthampton - Exterior of Yes Computers on Pleasant Street in Northampton. A default warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old Springfield man who failed to appear in court for arraignment pertaining to theft of about $1,000 worth of computer hardware from the store.

NORTHAMPTON - A default warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old Springfield man who failed to appear in District Court for his arraignment pertaining to the theft of about $1,000 worth of computer hardware from Yes Computers on Pleasant Street.

Police Capt. Scott A. Savino said Andre Jones, of Wilbraham Avenue, Springfield, had been summoned to appear in District Court Thursday to answer to a charge of larceny over $250.

A second defendant, Mariah Colemon, 21, 142 Middlesex St., Springfield, denied a charge of larceny over $250 on Thursday and was ordered to return to court on Aug. 23 for a pre-trial hearing, according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Savino said the suspects stole hardware from the store on May 31 and June 2. In the first instance, store personnel realized that items had been stolen about a half-hour before and called police.

A review of surveillance images showed the couple splitting up after they entered the store. While the woman engaged an employee, the man could be seen placing merchandise into a shopping bag,

Later, the woman could be seen placing merchandise inside a Victoria Secret shoulder bag, Savino said.

On June 2, the man and woman entered the store again and stole items, Savino said. This time around employees managed to get a plate number which led them to Colemon, who admitted to the theft.

Colemon told police that she and Jones sold the equipment to store called Game Hunters in Springfield. That transaction was captured on video surveillance at that store as well, Savino said.

Savino said police are still probing the after-hours theft of some $50,000 worth of electronics from Yes Computers on April 18, 2011. In that case, two men, wearing masks and dressed in black, broke into the store.

A blistering report that claims Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials concealed what they knew about Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children may prove to be an indelible stain on the beloved coach's 61-year tenure at the school where he preached "success with honor."

The Associated PressA young boy places a yellow rose at the foot of a statue of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., Thursday, July 12, 2012. After an eight-month inquiry, former FBI director Louis Freeh's firm produced a 267-page report that concluded that Paterno and other top Penn State officials hushed up child sex abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky for more than a decade for fear of bad publicity, allowing Sandusky to prey on other youngsters. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

By MARC LEVY and MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A blistering report that claims Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials concealed what they knew about Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children may prove to be an indelible stain on the beloved coach's 61-year tenure at the school where he preached "success with honor."

Paterno's supporters are legion, though, and some insist the late coach got a raw deal from former FBI Director Louis Freeh, whose 267-page report on the Sandusky scandal Thursday asserted that Paterno and senior Penn State officials made a decision to protect Sandusky to avoid damaging the image of the school and its powerful football program.

Penn State's internal investigation into one of the worst scandals in sports history is unlikely to settle the debate about Paterno's culpability — even as it showed him to be more deeply involved in the university's response to 1998 and 2001 abuse complaints about Sandusky than previously thought.

Damaging emails unearthed by Freeh and his team of lawyers and ex-law enforcement officials show the extent to which Paterno, Penn State President Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president Gary Schultz fretted over what to do about Sandusky. Ultimately, they did nothing — and their inaction allowed the retired defensive coordinator to continue molesting boys, the report found.

Freeh also faulted university trustees for failing to exercise proper oversight and said a culture that showed excessive reverence for the football program helped protect a pedophile. Sandusky, 68, was convicted last month of abusing 10 boys over 15 years and will likely die in prison.

Freeh's report could impact the ongoing criminal case against Curley and Schultz, who are charged with lying to a grand jury and failing to report child abuse. It will certainly factor into any future discussion about Paterno and a Hall of Fame career that includes two national championships, 409 wins, and the coach's self-proclaimed "grand experiment" that tried to blend academics, athletics and right living.

Karen Peetz, chairwoman of the board of trustees, said the panel believes Paterno's "61 years of excellent service to the university is now marred" by the scandal. Phil Knight, the Nike founder who won thunderous applause with his passionate defense of the coach at his January memorial service, acknowledged Thursday that "it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day."

Yet hours after the release of Freeh's report, people were still eating scoops of Peachy Paterno ice cream at Berkey Creamery on campus, Joe Paterno shirts still hung in stores across the street from the administration building, and many of those closest to Penn State and Paterno said their faith in the coach remained unshakeable.

"I don't care what anyone says, it doesn't change the fact that he's a great man," said Briana Marshall, a junior from East Stroudsburg.

Some students and alumni felt that Freeh turned Paterno into a scapegoat, and that there was little direct evidence that he took part in a cover-up. Paterno died before he could meet with investigators.

"It's easy to vilify or blame someone who's not alive to defend himself," said Tim Sweeney, president of Penn State's official Football Letterman's Club.

Freeh, who was hired by the school's board of trustees to investigate the scandal, expressed regret for any damage to Paterno's "terrific legacy." But he stood by his work.

"What my report says is what the evidence and the facts show," he said.

What they showed, the report said, was that Paterno, Spanier, Curley and Schultz "failed to protect against a child sexual predator," burying the allegations against Sandusky out of a desire to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity."

Freeh said officials had opportunities in 1998 and 2001 to step in.

In 1998, campus police investigated after a woman complained that her son had showered with Sandusky. The investigation did not result in charges. But the emails show Paterno clearly followed the case, Freeh said, and university officials took no action at the time to limit Sandusky's access to campus — a decision that would pave the way for Sandusky to victimize more youths.

Three years later, a coaching assistant told Paterno that he had seen Sandusky sexually abusing a boy in the locker room showers.

Freeh, citing emails and handwritten notes, concluded that Paterno intervened to stop a plan by Curley, Schultz and Spanier to report the 2001 allegation by graduate assistant Mike McQueary to child-welfare authorities.

According to the report, the administrators intended to inform the state Department of Public Welfare. But Curley later said in an email that he changed his mind about the plan "after giving it more thought and talking it over with Joe." Instead, Curley proposed to offer Sandusky "professional help."

In an email, Spanier agreed that course of action would be "humane" but noted "the only downside for us is if the message isn't (heard) and acted upon and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it."

Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference in Philadelphia, calling the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."

In a statement, Paterno's family strongly denied he protected Sandusky for fear of bad publicity.

"The idea that any sane, responsible adult would knowingly cover up for a child predator is impossible to accept. The far more realistic conclusion is that many people didn't fully understand what was happening and underestimated or misinterpreted events," the family said. "Sandusky was a great deceiver. He fooled everyone."

Attorneys for Spanier, Curley and Schultz vehemently denied Freeh's conclusions and said there was no effort to hide Sandusky's behavior.

The report chronicled a culture of silence that extended from the president down to the janitors in the football building. Even before 1998, football staff members and coaches regularly saw Sandusky showering with boys but never told their superiors about it. In 2000, after a janitor saw Sandusky performing oral sex on a boy in the team shower, he told his co-workers. None of them went to police for fear of losing their jobs.

Reporting the assault "would have been like going against the president of the United States in my eyes," a janitor told Freeh's investigators. "I know Paterno has so much power, if he wanted to get rid of someone, I would have been gone." He went on to assert that "football runs this university."

Freeh said Thursday the janitors "were afraid to take on the football program. If that's the culture at the bottom, God help the culture at the top."

Attorneys representing Sandusky's victims say the report showed that Penn State failed the youngsters it had a responsibility to protect.

"The Freeh report is absolutely devastating to Penn State," said Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici, part of a legal team that represents several victims in the case, including three who testified against Sandusky. "It confirms that at the highest level, Penn State officials, including the university president and head football coach, knew that Sandusky was a child predator, but made the deliberate and reprehensible decision to conceal his abuse. They chose to protect themselves, Penn State's brand and image, and their football program instead of children."
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Associated Press National Writer Nancy Armour and AP writers Marc Scolforo in Harrisburg, Genaro C. Armas in Scranton and Geoff Mulvihill, Maryclaire Dale and Randy Pennell in Philadelphia contributed to this report.