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Sally Ride, 1st U.S. woman in space, dies at 61

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Ride rode into space on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983 when she was 32.

By SETH BORENSTEIN | AP Science writer

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WASHINGTON — Sally Ride, who blazed trails into orbit as the first American woman in space, died Monday of pancreatic cancer. She was 61.

Ride died at her home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, said Terry McEntee, a spokeswoman for her company, Sally Ride Science. She was a private person and the details of her illness were kept to just a few people, she said.

Ride rode into space on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983 when she was 32. After her flight, more than 42 other American women flew in space, NASA said.

"Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars," President Barack Obama said in a statement.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said Ride "broke barriers with grace and professionalism — and literally changed the face of America's space program."

"The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers," he said in a statement.

Ride was a physicist, writer of five science books for children and president of her own company. She had also been a professor of physics at the University of California in San Diego.

She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1978, the same year she earned her doctorate in physics from Stanford University. She beat out five women to be the first American female in space. Her first flight came two decades after the Soviets sent a woman into space

"On launch day, there was so much excitement and so much happening around us in crew quarters, even on the way to the launch pad," Ride recalled in a NASA interview for the 25th anniversary of her flight in 2008. "I didn't really think about it that much at the time — but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected to be the first to get a chance to go into space."

Ride flew in space twice, both times on Challenger in 1983 and in 1984, logging 343 hours in space. A third flight was cancelled when Challenger exploded in 1986. She was on the commission investigating that accident and later served on the panel for the 2003 Columbia shuttle accident, the only person on both boards.

She also was on the president's committee of science advisers.

The 20th anniversary of her first flight also coincided with the loss of Columbia, a bittersweet time for Ride, who discussed it in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. She acknowledged it was depressing to spend the anniversary investigating the accident, which killed seven astronauts.

"But in another sense, it's rewarding because it's an opportunity to be part of the solution and part of the changes that will occur and will make the program better," she said.

Later in the interview, she focused on science education and talked about "being a role model and being very visible."

"She was very smart," said former astronaut Norman Thagard, who was on Ride's first flight. "We did have a good time."

It was all work on that first flight, except for a first-in-space sprint around the inside of the shuttle, Thagard recalled by phone on Monday. He didn't know who won.

One of Ride's last legacies was allowing middle school students to take their own pictures of the moon using cameras aboard NASA's twin Grail spacecraft in a project spearheaded by her company.

"Sally literally could have done anything with her life. She decided to devote her life to education and to inspiring young people. To me, that's such a powerful thing. It's extraordinarily admirable," said Maria Zuber, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the Grail mission.

Ride's office said she is survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years; her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear, a niece and a nephew.

Science Writer Alicia Chang contributed to this report from Los Angeles.


AdWatch: Barack Obama emphasizes election's high stakes in new TV ad

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This article is part of an occasional look at the claims in political advertising by the Associated Press.

Editor's Note: The following is part of an occasional look at the claims in political advertising by the Associated Press.

By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press

AD TITLE: "The Choice"

LENGTH: 60 seconds.

AIRING: In Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

KEY IMAGES: With soft music playing in the background, President Barack Obama speaks directly to the camera, wearing a dark suit, dark tie and a white shirt. Around the midway point of the ad, the footage shifts to clips of Obama in action — meeting with workers, standing near solar panels, talking with voters around a dinner table, writing in an office — before returning to more of Obama speaking directly to the camera. The ad fades to black and an image of the campaign's slogan, "Forward."

Obama's narration emphasizes the stakes of the election: "Over the next four months, you have a choice to make," he says. "Not just between two political parties, or even two people. It's a choice between two very different plans for our country. Gov. Romney's plan would cut taxes for the folks at the very top. Roll back regulations on big banks. And he says that if we do, our economy will grow and everyone will benefit."

Obama continues: "But you know what? We tried that top-down approach. It's what caused the mess in the first place. I believe the only way to create an economy built to last is to strengthen the middle class. Asking the wealthy to pay a little more so we can pay down our debt in a balanced way. So that we can afford to invest in education, manufacturing and home-grown American energy for good middle-class jobs. Sometimes politics can seem very small. But the choice you face? It couldn't be bigger."

ANALYSIS: Of late, both campaigns have lamented how nasty and trivial the presidential ad wars have gotten. President Barack Obama's new ad is notable because it has a more civil tone than his campaign's recent advertising efforts and yet is still a direct shot at his all-but-certain GOP opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

By speaking directly to the camera, Obama puts his credibility on the line more so than in other ads, which use images and narrators. Attacks delivered personally are much more likely to be associated with the candidate. Here, Obama avoids topics like Romney's tax returns, use of offshore tax havens or actions taken by the company Romney founded, Bain Capital, all of which have been the subject of recent ads from his campaign. The idea here is to present Obama as serious and to frame the election as being about serious issues.

Having Obama speak directly to the camera also seeks to leverage the president's likeability. Despite a saggy economy and middling approval ratings, Obama consistently rates highly when voters are asked if he is likeable.

The language Obama uses, framing the election as being "not just between two political parties or even two people," is also an attempt to reestablish the president as a high-minded politician, not someone engaged in the muck and mire of an election. He presents his own spin on what the choice between himself and Romney means for the country.

The president's facts are mostly correct. Romney has said a key part of his economic plan would be to cut taxes for everyone, including the wealthy, and make tax cuts first implemented by President George W. Bush permanent. It's debatable whether, as Obama says, the policies Romney supports "caused this in the first place." Obama is clearly trying to portray Romney as a continuation of Bush's economic policies, policies that polls show voters still largely blame for the country's slow recovery.

Obama's ad implicitly maintains that the only way to pay for things like education, manufacturing and energy production is by taxing the rich. Romney and his campaign maintain that is a false choice.

Boston Bruins reach multi-year extensions with coach Claude Julien and CBS Radio

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Julien ranks first in franchise history for most playoff wins with 36.

julien.JPGView full sizeThe Claude Julien era in Boston has been a mighty successful one.

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli announced Monday that the club has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with coach Claude Julien.

There are no other details at this time. A press conference will be held Tuesday at TD Garden.

Julien was named the 28th coach in franchise history in June 2007. He owns the club record for most playoff wins (36) for a .571 win percentage. The Bruins have never missed the post-season under Julien.

During his tenure, Julien boasts an overall record of 228-132-50 (.617). He ranks third all-time with 410 Bruins games coached and is fourth all-time in wins. Art Ross (361), Milt Schmidt (245) and Don Cherry (231) are the only coaches who've recorded more victories.

RADIO EXTENSION: The Bruins reached an agreement with CBS Radio Boston to a multi-year extension as games will continue to be broadcasted on 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM).

CBS Radio Boston has been the home of the Bruins since the 1995-96 season.

The Sports Hub debuted in August 13 2009 as the only FM station of its kind in the Boston area, airing B’s games since the 2009-10 season. Along with the extension, the Bruins and CBS Radio Boston also announced that The Sports Hub will extend “The Hockey Show” to a two-hour weekly broadcast.


West Springfield police file grievance over reserve police patrolling Bear Hole Reservoir

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Police believe that reserve police should not be patrolling Bear Hole Reservoir in lieu of full-time police officers.

071712 bear hole reservoir.JPGBear Hole Reservoir in West Springfield.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The unions representing local police have filed a grievance against the city over the use of reserve police officers to patrol Bear Hole Reservoir.

Robert F. Dickson, national representative for the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, said Monday the grievance is on behalf of its locals 365 and 365S. They represent patrolmen and superior officers, respectively.

Dickson said police filed a grievance Friday with the police chief, who has 10 days to get back to them before they may take the matter to the mayor. The union official said local union leaders wrote to Neffinger prior to the use of the reserve officers suggesting they would file a grievance if he used reserves in place of regular police officers.

“Then he went ahead and did it anyways,” Dickson said. The unions will sue if need be, he said.

Town Attorney Simon J. Brighenti Jr. said he got an e-mail from Dickson over the weekend or on Monday notifying him of the grievance. Police believe that assigning reserve officers for that detail violates their contract and should end, according to Brighenti.

“Apparently, they feel it is more appropriate to use (full-time) officers working overtime to handle it,” Brighenti said.

The attorney said he is awaiting additional documentation. Neffinger could not be reached for comment.

The mayor last week announced that as of July 14 he had closed Bear Hole Reservoir to the public for 14 days to do clean up and better secure the area from all-terrain vehicles.

At that time, Neffinger said reserve police officers had been tapped to patrol the area.

Neffinger said that while the attraction is closed, areas will be cleared to better allow police patrolling, litter will be removed and better gates will be installed.

During a news conference July 17 at the reservoir, the mayor said all-terrain vehicles are barred from the reservoir area, but people still use them illegally, creating ruts that cause erosion into Paucatuck Brook.

Bear Hole Reservoir is a backup source of city drinking water. The community currently draws all the drinking water it needs from artesian wells in Southwick.

Because of its isolation, the area has been the site of illegal dumping, with a crew from Americorps having pulled out three tons of trash there earlier this year.

Chicopee elementary schools hire 2 new vice principals

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2 middle school and 2 high school vice principal jobs are now vacant.

CHICOPEE — Two new elementary vice principals have been hired, but school officials are now searching for four more vice principals to fill vacant middle school and high school jobs.

The two elementary positions were created for next year for Lambert-Lavoie and Hugh Scott Streiber schools, which had never had a second in command. Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said the positions were needed especially because a new federal curriculum called Common Core and new teacher evaluation procedures are to be started this year.

Meanwhile two middle school vice principal jobs became vacant because the existing employees took new jobs. At the high schools, Vice Principal Claude Chapdelaine retired from Chicopee High School and Jeffrey Peterson, vice principal at Comprehensive High School, left to take a new job as head of Smith Vocational High School in Northampton, Rege said.

Principals in the middle and high schools are in the process of advertising and interviewing for new vice principals and should have replacements for at least three of the positions soon.

Principals at the two elementary schools said they are delighted to have the extra help. Both new vice principals were hired from the teaching staff in the schools.

“We have a lot of changes with the new Common Core curriculum, and every classroom is getting the (interactive) white boards. There is a lot coming down the pike, so it is great to get another administrator,” said January Wilson, principal of Streiber School.

She hired Michelle Pete, a third-grade teacher from Sgt. Robert R. Litwin School. Pete, who was recommended by her principal, Jordana Harper-Ewert, has already started working a little in the job and will take over full-time in August.

“I think one of the biggest things is she is coming right out of the classroom; she walked in the teachers’ shoes, and she has a lot of experience with the curriculum,” Wilson said.

Lambert-Lavoie Principal Ginger Coleman promoted her reading specialist, Joy Burke, to the position of vice principal. She is now advertising for a new reading specialist.

Burke has spent the past 23 years at Lambert-Lavoie and has some experience as a vice principal – she has served as acting principal when Coleman has been away from the building.

“She has always been fair, and she is highly respected by the staff,” Coleman said.

Coleman said she is thrilled to have an extra administrator at the school, which has about 330 students. Along with implementing the new curriculum, it will also help to have extra help especially because the school has two classes for autistic children and two for emotionally disturbed children, and the teachers sometimes need assistance if a student is having a problem, she said.

“It will be great just to have another set of hands when you need them,” she said.

Logan Mankins and Brandon Spikes among players placed on active/PUP list

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The players can return from the list at any time.

New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins and linebacker Brandon Spikes were among six players placed on the active/physically unable to perform list Monday.

Tight ends Jake Ballard (knee) and Daniel Fells (leg), defensive lineman Myron Pryor (shoulder) and offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back) were also placed on the list, according to ESPN.

Mankins suffered a torn ACL in Super Bowl XLVI, while Spikes underwent knee surgery during the offseason.

The players’ inclusion on the list likely indicates that they will not be ready to practice when training camp opens Thursday. They can be removed at any time and return to action.

The Patriots have more than a month to determine which players need to be placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which would keep them sidelined for the first six weeks of the year.

Holyoke chosen for state's first CreativeNEXT event to discuss how creativity can help economy

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The discussion is aimed at identifying what distinguishes a creative economy business or organization from others.

Alex Morse mug 2012.jpgAlex Morse

HOLYOKE – The state has chosen the city to play host Tuesday to the first in a series of tours on how creativity can help the economy.

The CreativeNEXT event is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Open Square, Mill 1 Event Space, off Lyman Street.

The state is planning 21 of these so-called “listening tour” events to help the Creative Economy Council set priorities. The council is an adviser to the Legislature and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

During the event, individual artists, as well as members of organizations and businesses, will be asked to identify what sets a creative economy business or organization apart from others, Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

They will discuss how the Creative Economy Council can help them. Participants also will be asked to talk about their businesses and ventures and opportunities to grow, he said.

In a related step, the city got more than 30 applications for the new position of creative economy industry director, Morse said. The application deadline was Friday.

Applications came from as far away as Colorado, as well as Boston and Cambridge. The job posting was clear that living in Holyoke is a requirement, Morse said.

The job’s yearly salary will be $43,037.

The director will coordinate the arts and cultural activities here with the aim of helping the economy. The director will work with businesses, individuals and organizations in music and other performing arts, architecture, film, publishing, marketing and other areas, Morse has said.

The mayor said he will review the applicants, interview some candidates and fill the job in a few weeks.

New Granby library construction bid deadline nears

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The Granby Free Public Library recently received a grant of $15,000 from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

GRANBY — The town’s new library on Route 202 will have 41 parking places, a multi-purpose conference room that holds 60 people, a children’s area, a teen area and photovoltaic cells on the roof to generate electricity, according to Tony Sievers, owners’ project manager for the forthcoming Granby Free Public Library.

Bids from prospective contractors are due on Wednesday. “Hopefully we will make the awards shortly after,” said Sievers.

The library parking lot will not be bordered by sidewalks, as had been suggested at a public hearing in the spring. At their most recent meeting, the Planning Board decided that sidewalks would be expensive and unnecessary and would delay the process.

The parking lot will have two spaces for the handicapped.

The capacity of the conference room would not cause a parking problem, said Library Trustees President Virginia Snopek, because most meetings happen at night and some people ride together.

Sievers said the photovoltaic cells on the roof won’t be the “big and clunky” versions that people may be used to seeing. The newer technology is thinner, he said.

An owners’ project manager like Sievers is a professional who represents the organization that hires him in negotiations. Massachusetts law requires the hiring of an owners’ project manager for public buildings.

Sievers is a senior project manager at Diversified Project Management, based in Newton. “It’s a community building,” he said of the Granby library, “so we want to keep people informed,” he said.

Johnson Roberts Associates is the architectural firm for the new library, whose facade will pay homage to the current library at 1 Library Lane.

The Granby Free Public Library was one of 66 organizations to receive grants from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for this cycle. The library received $15,000.

Nancy Reiche, vice president for programs at the Community Foundation, described the team that supports the new library as extremely hard-working and creative.


Amber Margraff of Chester sentenced to 2 - 4 years in prison for string of Berkshire County break-ins

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Margraff, 25, of Chester pleaded guilty to numerous housebreaks over a 6-month period last year in Berkshire County.

PITTSFIELD - Amber Margraff, 25, of Chester was sentenced Monday to 2 to 4 years in the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham after pleading guilty to numerous housebreaks over a 6-month period last year in Berkshire County.

Berkshire Superior Court judge John A. Agostini Jr. also sentenced her to three years probation.

Margraff of 54 Middlefield Road pleaded guilty an assortment of charges including five counts of breaking and entering, six counts of larceny from a building, and single counts of malicious destruction of property, possession of pepper spray without a firearms identification card and being a common and notorious thief.

Four other larceny charges were dismissed at the request of prosecutors.

The charges stem from a series of house breaks in Dalton, Hinsdale, Lee and Pittsfield between Jan. 22 - June 17, 2011.

Shutesbury resident to ride 192-mile Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on his unicycle

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Peter Corbett had to design a special seat to make the Pan-Mass Challenge ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown more comfortable.

UNI.JPGPeter Corbett of Shutesbury plans to ride 192 miles on this unicycle in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge to raise money for cancer treatment and research.

NORTHAMPTON – Peter Corbett doesn’t enjoy bike riding. Still, the Shutesbury resident will be one of more than 5,500 riders hoping to raise millions for cancer research.

Corbett’s 192-mile journey will take a little longer and be a little tougher than that of his bicycle-riding comrades. They will have two wheels and gears to help negotiate the hills. He’ll be riding a 29-inch unicycle.

His nods to technology? Different crank arms for his pedals to give him more leverage on hills – and a seat he designed himself to help make the ride a tad more comfortable.

The 33rd Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, with a goal to raise more than $36 million, runs Aug. 4 to Aug. 5 for those who choose the two-day ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown.

Corbett, 54, is leaving Sunday and hopes to arrive when bicyclists finish Aug. 5. His plan is to ride 25 to 30 miles a day – which he expects will take about 4½ hours each day.

Corbett learned to ride a unicycle when he met a family in his Burlington, Vt., neighborhood who rode them. “I became obsessed with learning it,” he said.

He said he got so adept that he could deliver newspapers that way – it was easier having both hands free – and ride to a local golf course with clubs on his back.

He started thinking about unicycles again in the spring of 2011 when his girlfriend’s daughter was planning to run a marathon. He talked to his two sons about running as part of a relay team. He told them he’d ride a unicycle if they agreed. But after he started training to see if he could make the ride, he learned that cyclists of any kind were banned from the race.

A friend had ridden in the Pan Mass Challenge, and so Corbett began thinking about that. In part, he wanted to ride as an act of solidarity with his brother, Ned, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease 15 years ago. His brother is fine now, he said.

And he also wanted to provide his kids with some good role modeling. He wanted them “to have a close-up view of perseverance. What if we choose to do something that seems impossible but moment by moment (we work) to solve the problems” and do it?

That problem-solving included designing the seat and building up his endurance. Unlike a bicycle, he doesn’t have gears and he can’t coast downhill. “When it’s flat, it’s not that hard.” But on a hill, “it’s pretty strenuous,” he said.

Corbett, a social worker, has offices in Amherst and Northampton. In Northampton, he has easy access to the bike trail right behind his office, so sometimes, in between clients, he can hop on his cycle and ride. On the weekends, he’ll also ride longer training runs.

“I think I’ll be able to do it. I’m still nervous,” he said.

In his bio submitted to race organizers, he wrote: “I expect there will be many moments when the burn in my legs or the strain in my back leads me to question the wisdom of taking on this crazy ride. I can’t say I’ve ever before taken on a challenge as big as this. To keep me going, I’m dedicating every groan and strain I feel to all the cancer patients whose daily endurance represents their commitment to thriving again on the other side of this disease, with the people they love.”

To donate, visit http://www.pmc.org/profile/PC0201.

Miguel Vasquez of Holyoke launches write-in campaign for 5th Hampden District state representative seat

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Vasquez is 21, has never held elected office and is a financial services associate at a People's United Bank.

Miguel Vasquez 72312.jpgMiguel A. Vasquez

HOLYOKE – Newcomer Miguel A. Vasquez announced Monday he is running a write-in campaign to be the city’s state representative on Beacon Hill.

Vasquez, 21, said he would push to get the state to reduce the burden of homelessness here. He wants the state to require that more cities and towns take in homeless people, a situation here that forces the city pay to transport homeless children to schools in their original communities, and to increase enforcement of benefit regulations, he said.

“That needs to change and it can be changed,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez, 21, of 100 Hampshire St., is a financial services associate at People’s United Bank at 1515 Northampton St. He has never held elected office and has an economics degree from the University of Phoenix’ online program, he said.

Promoting the city in Boston and working to get new businesses to operate here, which will lower the tax rate, will be his job in the Legislature, he said.

“I’m not a politician. I’m not a career politician, like other people are. But I wanted to help the city,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said last month he was leaning toward a bid for the 5th Hampden District seat.

He is running unenrolled in terms of party affiliation. Because his bid for the seat is coming after the May 1 filing deadline, he must mount a campaign in which he asks voters to write in his name, or put a sticker bearing his name, on the ballot in the voting booth Nov. 6.


Michael F. Kane, a Democrat, resigned June 8 from the state representative seat to take a job with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. Kane had held the seat since 2001.

Three other candidates are in the race. City Councilor at Large Aaron M. Vega, a Democrat, is the only one whose name will be on the ballot in the Sept. 6 primary election because he filed nomination papers with signatures of registered voters by the May 1 deadline.

Kane's name will remain on the ballot because he filed papers by the May 1 deadline.

Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon, a Republican, is running a write-in campaign, as is resident Jerome T. Hobert, an unenrolled candidate.

Wrestler Rodney Smith's journey to Olympic medal began at Springfield vocational high school

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Three wrestlers under Rodney Smith’s tutelage are competing in the London Olympics.

Roney Smith ceremony 1992.jpgSpringfield native Rodney Smith, a graduate of Western New England College, is seen at a medal ceremony at the 1992 Olympics.

Rodney Smith’s road to an Olympic bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling began in a corridor of Springfield’s Roger L. Putnam Vocational High School.

As he walked along with classmates, he talked way too loudly about his accomplishments as a running back on the football team. As fate would have it, he also walked into Bill Borecki, coach of the school’s wrestling team.

“Why don’t you take that mouth down to the wrestling room and we’ll get a good look at you,” Borecki said.

Smith bristled at the challenge.

“Sure, I’ll go down there. And I’ll whip everybody,” he remembered responding.

Not quite.

“Coach put me up against a kid who weighed about 120 pounds. I kind of laughed and figured it would be easy. No way. It took that kid about 30 seconds to turn me into a pretzel,” Smith recently recalled.

“That kid” was Wayne Stevens, one of the 31 Western Massachusetts champions Borecki produced in his 16 years as Putnam’s wrestling coach from 1973 through 1988.

“Little did I know,” Smith said with a wry smile.

Smith had done some wrestling at John F. Kennedy Junior High, but the Putnam program was a big step up – and he decided to stick with it.

“Rodney was a solid block of muscle when he came to us, but he needed to learn technique and endurance. He needed to learn that wrestling often comes down to the final minute, and you have to be ready to handle it,” Borecki said. “The upside for him was that he had undeveloped potential that just blossomed.”

It took a while.

“Rodney wrestled with us for two years. When he was a junior, he got beat up pretty good, but he won Western Mass. (140-pound class) as a senior in 1984 and finished second in the state,” his coach recalled.

Putnam’s culture of success in wrestling had long-lasting positive effects on Smith.

“My grades were up, my outlook changed. I started thinking about college, the Olympics, and being a writer,” he said.

Smith went on to attend what is now Western New England University, where he became a two-time All-America under the guidance of Bob Skelton, long respected as “the father of WNE wrestling.”

Smith made it into Skelton’s program with a big assist from the U.S. Marine Corps.

Rodney Smith wins 1992.jpgRodney Smith is declared the victor in Match 1 against Pedro Villuela, of Spain, during the 25th Olympiad, where he won a bronze Medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 149.5 pound class.

“At Putnam, I applied to Springfield College and Western New England. One day I got a letter saying that Springfield had turned me down. I got upset and decided to forget college, so I went down and joined the Marines.”

Two days before he was due to report to boot camp, his letter of acceptance to Western New England arrived. “It took a lot of doing, but when I told the Marines that I got accepted at college, they gave me a deferment on the condition that I would go into the military – not necessarily the Marine Corps – after I graduated,” Smith said.

He joined the Army soon after his commencement day in 1988.

By 1989, he was stationed in Atlanta, which served him well as a wrestler and as a student of writing.

“While I was there, the Army developed a training program aimed at producing world-class wrestlers that could be candidates for the Olympic team,” he said. “I got the chance to be part of that. At the same time, I was able to attend Georgia State University part-time in a journalism master’s program.”

In the wrestling department, Smith soon showed the Army that it had a winner.

“I was dedicated, and I won some Army tournaments, then a silver medal in an all-Armed Forces tournament, and then a military world championship in 1991,” he said.

From there, he was on a fast track to the Olympics.

“The training I had as a soldier made me very fit, and it helped me with my mindset and endurance. I could focus on the match, no matter what the competition was,” he said.

When training for the Olympics, he had a face-to-face meeting with Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, commander of coalition forces in 1991 during the first war in the Persian Gulf.

“He told me that my mission was to go to the Olympics and win a medal,” Smith said. “He saw it as a chance to give a big morale boost to troops serving in combat.”

At the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Smith wrestled in the 149.5-pound class and lost only one match – to Attila Repko, of Hungary, who wound up winning the Greco-Roman gold.

Smith’s quest for a medal came down to a match with Cecilio Rodriguez, of Cuba. Smith trailed 3-0 with only 90 seconds left, but made a miracle comeback to win the match 6-3.

It was a performance mindful of coach Borecki’s words about “being ready for the last minute.”

Reflecting on his medal ceremony, Smith said it was a bittersweet moment. “That’s because in my mind, my only mission was to win the gold,” he said. “I love my country, and my mom is very patriotic, so it was kind of hard to stand there and listen to the Hungarian national anthem being played.”

Smith also made the Olympic team in 1996, but did not medal.

He spent 10 years in the Army, and still works closely with its wrestling program, which now is based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I’ve been coaching some of the wrestlers, and three of my guys are going to London. I’ll be there with them,” he said.

Smith’s soldiers on the Olympic roster are Spenser Mango, in the 121-pound class; Justin Lester, 145.5; and Dremiel Byers, super heavyweight.

Smith is now a teacher at the Hampden Charter School of Science in Chicopee. Among his duties – coach of the wrestling team. He also works with junior wrestlers at the Martin Luther King Family Center in Springfield.

As he goes about his coaching duties, he never forgets what Borecki told him back in the late 1980s.

“Coach always said we should let our efforts on the mat speak for us. Don’t talk like a champ until you prove you are one – and never underestimate an opponent,” Smith said.

Garry Brown can be reached at geeman1918@yahoo.com

Springfield police arrest 31-year-old Indian Orchard resident Melissa Black after she allegedly stabbed boyfriend with kitchen knife

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The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of minor wounds.

SPRINGFIELD – Police arrested a 31-year-old city woman early Tuesday after she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the abdomen with a kitchen knife at her Indian Orchard apartment.

Lt. James Rosso said the victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. The stabbing was reported shortly after midnight.

Melissa Black, 22 Montgomery St., was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

2 killed, 2 wounded in Haverhill shooting

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Police in Haverhill say a shooting in the city has left 2 people dead and at least two others wounded.


HAVERHILL, Mass. (AP) — Police in Haverhill say a shooting in the city has left 2 people dead and at least two others wounded.

The shooting happened at about 10:30 p.m. Monday on River Street. Deputy Police Chief Donald Thompson confirmed to the Eagle Tribune (http://bit.ly/NOPPct ) that two people were killed and two others injured.

State police spokesman David Procopio told the newspaper that two crime scenes were being investigated, one at a home and the other outside on River Street.

No other details were immediately available but police were reportedly searching for two masked suspects in connection with the shooting. A state police helicopter was assisting in the search.

Procopio said ballistics experts were also on the scene.

There was no word on the identities of the victims.

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Information from: The Eagle-Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com

Mass. groups to call for constitutional amendment on corporations' rights

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A Massachusetts coalition of advocacy groups is calling on Congress to propose a constitutional amendment asserting that corporations are not entitled to the same rights as people and allowing states to place limits on political contributions.

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts coalition of advocacy groups is calling on Congress to propose a constitutional amendment asserting that corporations are not entitled to the same rights as people and allowing states to place limits on political contributions.

The Democracy Amendment Coalition of Massachusetts will announce that it has submitted petitions to the Secretary of State's office for a public policy ballot question Tuesday morning.

The coalition says it will submit more than 20,000 petition signatures to place the non-binding question on the ballot in six state Senate districts and 33 state Representative districts this November.

A spokesman from Secretary of State William Galvin's office said the signatures must be counted and approved to place a question on the ballot.


Police respond to family scuffle at home of Katherine Jackson

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Family members have been odds over the terms of Michael Jackson's will, which left his fortune to his elderly mother and three children.

Katherine Jackson.JPGKatherine Jackson

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to a "family disturbance" at the Jackson family home after, ABC News reported. Randy, Jermaine and Janet Jackson showed up and apparently tried to take the late Michael Jackson's three children away.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Monday there was a "scuffle" between two family members at the Calabasas home of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, but no arrests were made.

Over the weekend, Katherine Jackson had been reported missing by a nephew. Granddaughter Paris Jackson tweeted that she had not seen her grandmother in a week. (Katherine Jackson is the legal guardian of Paris Jackson and her siblings). However, other family members said the 82-year-old matriarch is in Arizona with her daughter Rebbie following a doctor's orders to rest.

Katherine Jackson's lawyer, Sandra L. Ribera, issued a statement, saying "Jackson family members ambushed Katherine Jackson's home after their vehicle tore through security gates on the tails of the SUV containing Michael Jackson's children." As a result, Paris, Prince, and Blanket Jackson were taken to safe location. "An altercation ensued shortly thereafter and law enforcement arrived at the scene," according to the statement.

The websiteTMZ posted a photo what it described as a heated exchange between Janet and Jermaine Jackson outside the Jackson home.

The incident comes less than a week after a letter signed by the late pop superstar's siblings -- Jermaine, Janet, Rebbie, Randy and Tito -- was made public. The Detroit Free Press reported it accused Michael Jackson's estate executors John Branca and John McClain of conspiracy and abusing their mother.

In his will, the singer left his fortune to his mother and three children. Jackson's siblings have called the will “fake, flawed and fraudulent.”

Reports: Mass. home sales up sharply in June

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Two new reports are pointing to continued strong growth in the state's housing market.


BOSTON (AP) — Two new reports are pointing to continued strong growth in the state's housing market.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors said Tuesday that sales of single-family homes in June rose 18.5 percent from the same month a year ago. It was the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year increases in home sales.

The group said the median selling price of a single-family home in June was $325,000, unchanged from a year ago.

The Warren Group, an independent publisher of real estate data, reported a 26 percent increase in single-family home sales last month compared to June 2011. The group said it was the best month for sales in two years.

Both reports also showed strong increases in condo sales in June.

The two organizations use slightly different methods for calculating sales.

Mass. Senate considers gambling compact with tribe

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The state Senate is expected to vote soon on a casino compact signed by Gov. Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.

mashpee wampanoagThis file image of an artist rendering released Apirl 26, 2012 by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe depicts a resort casino that the tribe has proposed be built in Taunton, Mass. The plan calls for a 150,000 square foot casino, three hotels, retail stores and a family-oriented water park. The state and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe have reached a tentative agreement on a compact for a resort casino in Taunton. (AP Photo/Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, File)

BOSTON (AP) — The state Senate is expected to vote soon on a casino compact signed by Gov. Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.

Debate that began in the Senate last week was put off until Tuesday. The House has already ratified the compact, which promises the state 21.5 percent of gaming revenues if the tribe succeeds in developing a resort casino in Taunton.

Some lawmakers from southeastern Massachusetts have been pushing to add to the compact a deadline by which the tribe must earn federal approval to place the land into trust. These legislators say the region could fall behind other areas of the state in casino development if the land-in-trust process drags on too long.

The tribe, meanwhile, has released an environmental report showing the proposed casino would generate nearly $512 million in overall annual revenue.

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Information from: Cape Cod (Mass.) Times

One or more suspects enter unlocked and occupied East Longmeadow home, steal credit cards and keys to SUV

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The vehicle was recovered in on Plainfield Street in Springfield a short time later.

EAST LONGMEADOW - Police urge residents to keep their vehicles and homes locked as they probe an ongoing series of break-ins - mostly into unlocked vehicles.

In one of the more recent break-ins, one or more suspects entered an occupied Susan Street home late Sunday or early Monday and stole a purse containing credit cards and the keys to an SUV parked in the driveway.

Sgt. Patrick Manley said the credit cards were then used for at least two transactions, one at a Pride station in Springfield and the other to make a T-Mobile payment online through WalMart.

“We are tracking down the use of the credit cards,” Manley said.
The break-in was reported shortly 7:30 a.m. Monday and the vehicle was recovered several hours later on Plainfield Street in Springfield, Manley said.

Police are examining surveillance video from the Pride station to see if they can identity whoever used it.

Manley said about a half-dozen vehicle break-ins were reported overnight Monday in that same general neighborhood off Maple Street - from the high school to the Longmeadow line. Break-ins were reported on Lori Lane, Marshall Street, Maple Street, Manley said.

Manley stressed the suspects are taking advantage of unlocked vehicles and homes. “Please don’t allow them to take advantage of you,” Manley said.

Similar break-ins have been reported this summer in a number of Western Massachusetts communities including Westfield, Southwick and South Hadley.

Families of Colorado theater shooting victims plan goodbyes

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With their anger and tears stirred by the sight of James Holmes in a courtroom with red hair and glassy eyes, the families of those killed in the Colorado theater massacre now must go home to plan their final goodbyes.

Madison Sherock colorado shootingMadison Sherock, 18, becomes emotional while remembering her friend Alex Teves from the Human X Academy, at a make shift memorial Monday, July 23, 2012, across the street from the Century Theater where the mass shooting occurred last Friday killing 12 and injuring dozens of others, in Aurora, Colo. Teves was killed in the attack. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

strong>By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — With their anger and tears stirred by the sight of James Holmes in a courtroom with red hair and glassy eyes, the families of those killed in the Colorado theater massacre now must go home to plan their final goodbyes.

Tom Teves' stare bore into Holmes as the 24-year-old former graduate student sat as though in a daze during his court appearance Monday. Teves' son was one of the 12 people Holmes is accused of killing after Alex Teves dove to protect his girlfriend in the shooting early Friday.

Another 58 were wounded, including seven critically, when a gunman opened fire at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in nearby Aurora.

The father called the red-and-orange-haired object of his anger "a coward" for allegedly mowing down defenseless victims, including a girl.

"Somebody had to be in the courtroom to say, 'You know what? You went in with ballistic protection and guns, and you shot a 6-year-old,'" he said. "And then when the cops came, you gave up? You've got the ballistic protection on. Take on some guys who know how to use guns."

That anger spilled out when the world got its first view of Holmes, shuffling into court in a maroon jailhouse jumpsuit. Relatives of the shooting victims leaned forward in their seats. Two women held hands tightly, one shook her head. One woman's eyes welled up with tears.

Robert Blache watched video clips from the 12-minute court appearance with his injured daughter Christina, who was shot in both legs during the rampage, and questioned Holmes' sanity.

"He doesn't look surprised at any of it, but he seemed amazed at what was happening. I'm pretty sure he's not sane," Blache said.

james holmesThis photo combination shows a variety of facial expressions of James E. Holmes during his appearance at Arapahoe County District Court Monday, July 23, 2012, in Centennial, Colo. Holmes is accused of killing 12 and wounding 58 in a shooting rampage in a movie theater on Friday, July 20 in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/Denver Post, RJ Sangosti, Pool)

To Dr. Jeffrey Gardere, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Holmes looked like "a person who's been through an emotional maelstrom and therefore might be totally wiped out emotionally."

Gardere said there could be "a psychotic process going on, and we see that being acted out there. Or, there might be some sort of malingering going on. In other words, trying to make himself look worse than he actually is. Or maybe a combination of all of those things."

After Holmes was led in handcuffs to the solitary confinement cell where he'd been held since Friday, the families of the dead were left to plan the next steps that they must take.

"We have people from out of town, and some of them need to go home and arrange funerals," said Boulder Police Department information officer Kim Kobel.

Kobel was one of the public information officers assigned to each family to make sure that they will still receive information — and can get their messages to the media — when they are gone.

Holmes is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, and he could face additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations. Holmes has been assigned a public defender.

His prosecution is likely to be a long road. He won't be formally charged until next Monday, and police expect months of working with behavioral analysts and scrutinizing Holmes' relationships to establish a motive. As for a trial, that could take more than a year, said prosecutor Carol Chambers.

Chambers said her office is considering the death penalty, but that a decision will be made in consultation with the victims' families.

David Sanchez said that would be the appropriate punishment if Holmes is convicted. He said his pregnant daughter escaped without injury but her husband was shot in the head and was in critical condition. His 21-year-old daughter, Katie Medley, was scheduled to deliver her baby at any time.

"When it's your own daughter and she escaped death by mere seconds, I want to say it makes you angry," Sanchez said. He said Medley and her husband, Caleb, 23, waited a year to watch the movie.

Chambers' office is responsible for the convictions of two of the three people on Colorado's death row. Chambers also is the only state district attorney to seek the death penalty in any case in the last five years, said Michael Radelet, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who tracks death penalty cases.

Colorado uses the death penalty relatively sparingly. It has executed just one inmate since capital punishment was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976. The state legislature fell one vote short of abolishing the death penalty in 2009.

At a news conference in San Diego, where Holmes' family lives, their lawyer refused to answer questions about him and his relationship to the family. Lisa Damiani said later: "Everyone's concerned" about the possibility of the death penalty.

When asked if they stood by Holmes, Damiani said, "Yes, they do. He's their son."

Weeks before, Holmes quit a 35-student Ph.D. program in neuroscience for reasons that aren't clear. He had earlier taken an intense oral exam that marks the end of the first year but University of Colorado Denver officials would not say if he passed, citing privacy concerns.

University officials have refused to answer questions about Holmes.

"To the best of our knowledge at this point, we think we did everything that we should have done," Donald Elliman, the university chancellor, told reporters.

The judge has issued an order barring lawyers in the case from publicly commenting on matters including evidence, whether a plea deal is in the works or results of any examination or test.
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Associated Press writers Kristen Wyatt and Thomas Peipert in Aurora; Dan Elliott and Colleen Slevin in Denver and Alex Katz in New York contributed to this report.

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