Long awaited Drew Peterson trial begins today, Penn State football begins first season without Paterno, and Syrian rebels say Aleppo will be theirs "within days", along with more local and national updates.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, speaks with Polish WWII veterans after laying a wreath at the Warsaw 1944 Uprising monument in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

Sweden's Sofia Jakobsson, center, celebrates her goal with her teammates during the group F women's soccer match against Canada at St James' Park in Newcastle, England, during the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

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Republicans are attempting to coax swing voters to consider Romney without criticizing the choice they made four years ago.

Associated PressIn this July 25, 2012, photo, President Barack Obama address the National Urban League Conference in New Orleans. Nearly all of the $100 million Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his allies have spent on TV ads in general election battleground states has been aimed at a single audience: swing voters who say they like Obama personally but are disappointed in his job performance.

NEW YORK (AP) — One Republican campaign ad describes the "buyer's remorse" some voters feel about President Barack Obama. Another ad features a woman saying she had supported Obama because "he spoke so beautifully," but he's failed to deliver on his promises. Still another ad woos Obama supporters with a direct but gentle prod: "It's OK to make a change."

Come on in, the water's fine. That's the message from Republicans as they try to persuade voters who supported Obama in 2008, many of them women, to switch to Republican candidate Mitt Romney this time.

Nearly all of the $100 million Romney and his allies have spent on TV ads in general election battleground states has been aimed at a single audience: swing voters who say they like Obama personally but are disappointed in his job performance. To reach those voters, Republicans have adopted a political soft sell: Coax them to consider Romney without criticizing the choice they made four years ago.

"You have to approach those voters with a respect for their former votes but to point them in a new direction," said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for the pro-Romney groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, which together have spent about $34 million on campaign ads so far. "There is a worry that the tonality of an ad, if it's too harsh, will turn off those voters and thus have them tune out the message."

The soft-sell approach drew a rebuke from Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who said Republican appeals to women in particular would fall short.

"There is no campaign ad that can change Mitt Romney's out-of-whack positions on issues important to millions of women across the country," Psaki said, citing Romney's support for a budget plan offered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., that would make deep cuts to programs like Head Start.

The Obama campaign is running a hard-hitting ad campaign aimed at mitigating Republican overtures to undecided voters, depicting Romney as a tone-deaf plutocrat whose policies would hurt the middle class. The Obama team has recently deployed the president himself in some ads, having him speak to the camera in a reassuring voice as a way to remind undecided voters of what they liked about him.

"You have a choice to make. Not just between two political parties or even two people. It's a choice between two very different plans for our country," Obama says in one ad.

To be sure, most ads from Romney and the Republican-leaning super PACs have been highly critical of Obama, bashing him for his handling of the still-fragile economy and persistently high unemployment. But most also have steered clear of criticizing the president personally.

Collegio pointed to 2004, when President George W. Bush's re-election campaign ran ads mocking Democratic rival John Kerry as an elitist who liked to wind surf. "Personal attacks at Obama because of his temperament and because of his good family pedigree are just going to be difficult to complete in the same way," he said.

Crossroads and other groups are even acknowledging in some of their ads the pride many now-disillusioned voters felt when casting their vote for Obama four years ago.

The Republican Jewish Coalition this week unveiled a new campaign, "My Buyer's Remorse," to appeal to Jewish voters who had supported Obama. Its debut spot features Michael Goldstein, a Democrat from New Jersey who voted for and raised money for Obama.

"I was a big Obama supporter. I really believed in him and what he stood for," Goldstein said, adding that his enthusiasm cooled because of the economy and Obama's policy toward Israel. "I've never voted for a Republican for president, but this time I'm going to vote for a Republican for president."

The ad is part of a $6.5 million campaign that was launched online Monday. The group will begin airing ads on television in September, director Matt Brooks said.

"These are real people telling their stories, not the big, bad Republicans here to hit you over the head with a 2-by-4," Brooks said. "There's no red meat, there are no scary pictures. And that's by design."

The Republican National Committee has put another $5 million behind a TV ad that's one the gentlest, calmest political spots on the airwaves.

The ad shows Obama taking the oath of office surrounded by his family. "President Obama came to the White House with big plans," it says, ticking through promises Obama made like reducing unemployment and cutting the deficit in half.

"He tried, you tried. It's OK to make a change," the ad says.

Republicans say the ad fares well especially with women, who are among the president's strongest constituencies and whom the Obama campaign is counting on to come out for him in large numbers.

"They like him personally, but they don't feel he's done the job," RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said. Instead of taking an us-against-them tone, he said, the message is, "We're all in this together."

Crossroads GPS ran an ad earlier this year that was noteworthy for its direct pitch to women. The ad featured a single mother worrying about her own retirement and the employment prospects for her two children.

"I supported President Obama because he spoke so beautifully. He promised change, but things changed for the worse," the woman said.

Mike McKenna, a Republican who runs an independent polling and strategy firm, told colleagues months ago that Republicans needed to help disappointed voters get over the hurdle of acknowledging that their 2008 support for Obama was a well-intentioned mistake.

McKenna said he and other researchers kept hearing the same thing from voters in focus groups. "They took a chance" with Obama in 2008, he said, "and it was a good chance."

"They just need some permission to say it didn't work out," McKenna said. Ads that made Obama out to be an idiot, he said, "implied you're an idiot for voting for him."

Ortiz strained his right Achilles tendon on July 16.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz runs out of the dugout as fans and teammates applaud during a ceremony recognizing his 400th career home run, prior to the Red Sox's baseball game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in Boston on Friday, July 6, 2012.

By SETH LASKO

BOSTON - Although Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who strained his right Achilles tendon on July 16, is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, it appears unlikely he'll be activated until after the Detroit Tigers leave town.

"I don't know if he was ever on goal (for Wednesday)," said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. "Whenever he's ready."

Ortiz, who began swinging a bat on Friday, reportedly experienced some discomfort in the injured area on Sunday, causing him to cancel the day's planned agility exercises. He has opted to run in the pool for the past two days.

"He was a little sore (yesterday)," said Valentine. "That's why he went to the pool today to do that running routine, but he's not far away. I don't know that Wednesday's the magical day. It will be sometime soon."

Some paraprofessionals dismissed last month may be included in the hiring process.

WESTFIELD — The School Department will use a Massachusetts kindergarten grant to hire as many as 24 paraprofessionals before the start of the 2012-2013 school year.

That hiring could include re-hiring some of the dozen paraprofessionals dismissed at the close of the classes last month, Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion and interim human services director Charles E. Tetrault said.

Suzanne Scallion

The $230,000 grant is awarded to enhance the city’s full-day kindergarten program offered at the city’s eight elementary schools.

Scallion said letters will be sent to all previous paraprofessionals notifying them of the 24 open positions. Any person rehired must meet qualifications required to assist kindergarten teachers in classroom instruction, Tetrault said.

Paraprofessionals, depending on qualifications, are paid a salary range from about $8.95 to $20 per hour.

Full-day kindergarten classes started here in 2003.

Last month, in additional to paraprofessionals, 23 teachers were notified of potential layoff because of a projected $860,000 shortfall in the department’s fiscal 2013 budget.

Scallion said administration continues to assess its instructional staffing needs for the new school year. She was unable to determine if an how many teachers might be rehired for the school year that begin Aug. 29.

Westfield has about 640 teachers.

“We are continuing to target student-teacher ratios of 20 students per teacher in grades kindergarten to grade three and 24 in grades four though 12,” she said.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said an $890,000 increase in state funding to the city will “help ease the number of layoffs within the School Department.”

But school officials said Chapter 70 state education funding has increased only about $350,000 which was already accounted for in budget planning for the new school year. The new school budget amounts to $54.4 million, an increase of about $2 million over last year’s budget.

File photo | The Republican

Jackson's longtime costumer reveals the secrets behind the King of Pop's meticulously crafted, regal rock-star look — and an intimate glimpse into the man himself.

SANDY COHEN
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The zipper-covered "Beat It" jacket. The military-inspired coats with their epaulets, crests and insignias. And, of course, that glittery glove.

Michael Jackson's fashion sense was as singular as his musical style and dance moves. Millions imitated his pegged pants and penny loafers, a fedora cocked just so.

Jackson's longtime costumer reveals the secrets behind the King of Pop's meticulously crafted, regal rock-star look — and an intimate glimpse into the man himself — in a colorful new book, "The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson."

"When you worked with him, you couldn't wait to get there and you didn't want to leave when you got done," said author/costume designer Michael Bush, who with his late partner, Dennis Tompkins, dressed Jackson for more than a generation. "It was hard to imagine anyone that projected fashion and style any better."

What most people don't know about Jackson, Bush said, is he was a joker — a playful prankster who loved to laugh and often teased those closest to him the most.

Bush tells of meeting Jackson for the first time in 1983, when both men were 25. The King of Pop hadn't retained a costumer yet, and Bush was up for consideration. Jackson had been holed up for hours in his trailer on the set of "Captain EO." Bush could hear a monkey squealing as he approached. It was dark inside and "like 120 degrees." Jackson was snacking.

Eager to please as he prepped the pop star's clothes, Bush felt something hit him gently in the head. A cherry stem. A few seconds later, it happened again. When it happened a third time, Bush lobbed a cherry at the rising superstar. Jackson tossed a handful back, and thus began a close professional and personal relationship that spanned the remainder of Jackson's life.

"I think he wanted someone he could play with. He just wanted to see, 'Am I going to have fun with this person?'" said Bush, now 54, an almost sheepish, informally trained clothier from Ohio who learned his craft from his mom and grandmother, who made wedding gowns, prom dresses and quilts.

"And I laughed every day until he died."

Bush wouldn't discuss the time Jackson wore pajama bottoms to court during his child-molestation trial in 2005, but relished in other details of the entertainer's unique approach to his performance attire.

"Michael's concept was, 'I want the fashion designers in the world, the big conglomerates, I want them to copy me. I don't want to wear what's out there. I want to push my individuality, and being that my music is me, my look should be me,'" Bush said in an interview at a warehouse in Los Angeles, racks of glittery history behind him.

Jackson's stage costumes were designed to display his dance moves, so Bush and Tompkins, who died last December, were treated to regular private dance recitals to inform their work. Jackson danced five or six hours a day whether he was on tour or not, Bush said: "He traveled with a hardwood floor in a road case."

All that dancing, such as during the 1987 "Bad" world tour, meant Jackson could drop so much weight during a concert that the costumes for his closing numbers had to be smaller than the ones for the show openers.

"Michael was usually a 28-inch waist, but by the midpoint of the show, when he was ready to perform his magic act of choice, right before 'Beat It,' he'd already lost five pounds of water, and his waist dropped to 27 and a quarter," Bush writes in "The King of Style." ''If we didn't have clothes hanging on the rack in the right order that were getting progressively smaller, we'd risk him putting on a pair of pants that would fall to his ankles with each rhythmic move of his body And there is no magic in that!"

The King of Pop preferred China silk, silk charmeuse and stretchy fabrics. "Spandex made Michael feel sleek and secure and worked for his dance style," Bush writes.

Then there were the military jackets, the rhinestone-encrusted interpretations of British war uniforms like the one Jackson wore at the 1984 Grammy Awards, when he raked in a record eight awards for "Thriller."

Jackson had a childlike fascination with rhinestones, Bush said.

"Sometimes I'd drive three hours to retrieve loose rhinestones straight from the factory, just because looking at them in that raw form pleased Michael to no end. Every time I opened the swatch of white felt that encased the rhinestones, he'd gasp," he writes. "He'd take them from me and delicately move them around with his fingertips and whisper... 'Can you imagine being a pirate opening a treasure chest? And seeing all the glitter inside? What a fascinating life, to be a pirate like that.'"

Bush and Tompkins worked with Jackson until the pop star's death in June 2009. Though they weren't in charge of the costumes for the ill-fated "This Is It" comeback tour, Jackson's longtime costume designers created ensembles for seven songs, including a reprise of his "Billie Jean" outfit with its loafers and spangled socks. There was also a burgundy and gold monogrammed top with a Chinese collar and bell sleeves, and a pair of black bedazzled shin guards.

Bush declined to share any details about Jackson's health or demeanor in his final days. He did say, though, that the King of Pop had always hoped his costumes would be celebrated in books and museums, and Bush is humbled by making that dream a reality. The costumer will exhibit some of Jackson's performance outfits in South America, Europe and Asia before releasing his book on Oct. 30. Many of the costumes will be sold at auction in December, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Recording Academy's MusiCares charity.

Online: www.dressingmichaeljackson.com

Fallen Westfield police officer Jose Torres, 53, who was killed in an accident while on duty at a construction site, will be laid to rest Tuesday.

Jose Torres

Complete coverage

Live blog: Westfield pays tribute to Torres: Thousands of law enforcement officers and members of the public are expected to attend funeral services today for officer Jose Torres, a 27-year veteran of the city's police force who was killed in an accident at a construction site last Thursday.

• More than 2,500 pay respects at wake for Westfield police officer Jose Torres
• Photos: Hundreds pay their respects at Torres wake
• Fallen Westfield police officer Jose Torres remembered as family man, ambassador for Police Department
• Westfield police officer killed in construction site accident identified as Jose Torres

Update: The funeral service scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. is now expected to begin around 11:30 a.m.

Fallen Westfield police officer Jose Torres, 53, who was killed in an accident while on duty at a construction site, will be laid to rest Tuesday.

The Republican, MassLive.com and media partner CBS 3 Springfield will be out in the community speaking to residents as they remember and honor the 27-year veteran of the city's police force.

The second annual "Springfield Unites" event is a community gathering to promote peace and positivity in the city.

Staff photo by Michael S. GordonIn this Republican file photo, participants are shown listening to speakers at the first annual "Springfield Unites" event held at Forest Park last summer. This evening's gathering is expected to include music and fun. Organizers are asking participants to bring their own picnic dinners.

SPRINGFIELD — A Forest Park gathering scheduled for Tuesday is being billed by organizers as "a beautiful day in the neighborhood," a chance for people to come to together on a summer evening to celebrate peace, positivity and resiliency in the city of Springfield.

The second annual "Springfield Unites" event, sponsored by the Mayor's Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force, will take place today from 5 to 7 p.m. in the park's picnic area near the Kennedy Eternal Flame.

"We're having it to show people it's not hard to get together and have some fun while promoting positive things" about Springfield, said task force member Gianna Allentuck, an adjustment counselor at Springfield's Elias Brookings Expeditionary Learning Museum Magnet School.

The goal, organizers say, is to celebrate the positive, resilient spirit of post-tornado Springfield while also enjoying food, music and summertime activities in the park. Organizers have asked those planning to attend to bring a picnic dinner, blankets, chairs, swimsuits, towels, basketballs, Frisbees, or any other recreational items, for an evening of fun with friends and neighbors.

In addition to music and Zumba — a recreational fitness craze involving dance and aerobic elements — the event will feature basketball games and a chance to cool off in Forest Park's water park.

Admission to Forest Park, located at 302 Sumner Ave., is $3. Parking is available near the park's Cyr Arena and farmer's market.

Formed 20 years ago, the Mayor's Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force is a collective of committed stakeholders who work collaboratively to develop solutions, interventions and prevention strategies to reduce violence in Springfield.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has asked city residents to help the powers that be fight crime in Springfield. "The police cannot do it all. The Mayor cannot do it all. The social service agencies cannot do it all. I need you, each and every one of you, to band together," Sarno states in a post on the group's Facebook page.

Members of the law enforcement community, including probation officers and city police officers, are expected to be in attendance at this evening's event. "We want people to know that when you see people in uniform, you don't have to be afraid," Allentuck said.

The probe into the defunct Cash Winfall game by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan details how a handful of players turned the game into a business.

OSTON (AP) — A report by the state Inspector General says lottery officials knew for years that a small group of sophisticated gamblers was reaping high payoffs by manipulating one particular game but did nothing about it until a report by The Boston Globe.

The probe into the defunct Cash Winfall game by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan details how a handful of players, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduates, turned the game into a business, spending $40 million on tickets over a seven-year period and winning an estimated $48 million.

Lottery officials not only knew about it, but were happy with the increased sales, even bending rules to allow gamblers to buy hundreds of thousands of tickets at a time.

State Treasurer Steven Grossman on Monday apologized. He discontinued Cash Winfall this year.

Wingfield's bail was revoked on a 2005 case.

SPRINGFIELD — Michael Wingfield, 35, of Springfield, was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail or $1 million surety on Tuesday after denying charges relating to the death of 19-year-old Ashley Ballester.

Springfield Police Dept.Michael Wingfield

Wingfield, of 30 Longfellow Terrace and 70 Harrison Ave., entered not guilty pleas to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident resulting in death and four other charges.

But for now, Wingfield, represented by Adam Narris, is held without right to bail as District Court Judge William J. Boyle revoked his bail on an older case.

A default warrant was issued Dec. 9, 2005, for Wingfield when he failed to appear for his jury trial on charges of resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, and possession of a Class B drug with intent to distribute.

The hit-and-run crash killed Ballester and seriously injured Ballester's nearly 2-year-old daughter on Sumner Avenue in the Forest Park neighborhood Friday night.

Wingfield turned himself in to police on Monday morning.

Ballester, was in the process of filling out the paperwork needed to start her first semester at American International College in the fall, where she was accepted into the nursing program, according to her mother, Gloria Ballester.

Ashley Ballester's daughter, Lailani, was tossed from her baby carriage in the collision and landed on the side of the road.

Gloria Ballester was in court for the arraignment, with two other people and a victim witness advocate.

Lailani remains in the pediatric intensive care unit at Baystate Medical Center, but is showing signs of improvement, according to her grandmother. She suffered some broken ribs, a collapsed lung and an abrasion to her liver. She also needed 25 staples to close a gash in her head, her grandmother said.

Wingfield is also charged with negligent operation, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, using a motor vehicle without authority and operating a vehicle without a license.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Doran and Narris agreed to a next court date of Aug. 29.

A police press release said Ashley Ballester was pregnant, but that was not mentioned at Wingfield's arraignment.

Springfield Police Dept.Michael Wingfield

The woman, who was later arrested, complained the statue did not accurately depict history.

photo courtesy of U.S. Parks ServiceThe Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, located across Beacon Street from the State House in Boston. Police report the monument was defaced by a woman who threw paint at it in protest of she called its historical inaccuracy.

BOSTON (AP) — A memorial depicting the famed 54th Massachusetts Civil War regiment has been defaced.

Investigators said a woman pulled up in a car Tuesday afternoon and splashed the statue with yellow paint. Some of the paint hit tourists, who detained the woman.

The statue, located across from the Massachusetts Statehouse, depicts the free black men who formed the regiment, which was led by Robert Gould Shaw, the son of a white abolitionist family.

The regiment was made famous by its 1863 attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. The regiment was also featured in the 1989 movie "Glory."

Investigators said the woman, who was later arrested, complained the statue did not accurately depict history.

The statue by famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is on Boston's Freedom Trail and is one of the most visited in the city.

Three high school girls asking for a female moderator to be included in the presidential debates have been ignored in Washington.

By Robert Rizzuto and Shira Schoenberg

Courtesy of Elissa SiegelFrom left to right, Emma Axelrod, Elena Tsemberis and Sammi Siegel. The three high school girls launched a petition advocating for a female moderator for one of the presidential debates.

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Three high school girls aiming to convince the Commission on Presidential Debates to include a female moderator in the 2012 presidential debates hit a snag on Tuesday, as the non-profit commission reportedly refused to open its doors and accept a petition the students started.

Emma Axelrod, Sammi Siegel, and Elena Tsemberis, friends who attend Montclair High School in New Jersey, went to Washington l following the successful collection of more than 160,000 signatures on two petitions. The inspiration for their ambitious mission came after a lesson in their high school civics class, where they learned that a woman hasn't moderated a presidential debate since 1992 when Carole Simpson, then a journalist with ABC News, became the first and only woman to ever moderate a general election presidential debate.

Despite several requests to meet with Janet Brown, executive director for the Commission on Presidential Debates, the girls say that their messages were never returned. And after traveling to the nation's capital from New Jersey, security guards reportedly didn't allow the students to enter the commission's office, and rejected a box of petition signatures decorated as a red, white and blue ballot box, citing "safety concerns."

A call to the commission from The Republican and MassLive.com was not returned on Tuesday.

“The Commission might be too afraid to meet with three high school students or to accept 170,000 signatures on our petitions, but that’s not going to stop us from delivering the message that it’s shocking and embarrassing that no woman has moderated a U.S. presidential debate in two decades,” Siegel said. “Our campaign will continue, and we will continue to try to meet with the Commission until they accept our signatures in person. Janet Brown won’t be able to ignore this issue or the tens of thousands of voices around the country for much longer.”

The students also planned to deliver signatures to both the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee, as de facto representatives for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, considering the influence they can have in the process. Neither campaign has commented on the students' request for a female moderator.

“This is about equal representation, not some partisan or political message,” Tsemberis said. “There are so many women who are capable of moderating a presidential debate. The Commission, the DNC and the RNC need to hear the message that 20 years is too long to go without a woman on the biggest debate stage in the world.”

Axelrod said, “The time is now for the Commission to meet with us and seriously consider selecting a woman to finally be on the presidential debate stage.”

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced last week that the first presidential debate, on Oct. 3 in Denver, Colo., will focus on domestic policy. The second, on Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., will be a town hall meeting where voters can ask questions. The third, on Oct. 22, in Boca Raton, Fla., will focus on foreign policy. The vice presidential debate will be Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky. The moderators will be announced in August.

Until then, the girls will be spreading their message via social media, press interviews, and their trip to Washington.

Mayor Alex Morse said needle exchange saves lives, but council president Kevin Jourdain said it could create a haven for drug addicts.

File photos | The RepublicanLeft to right, Alex Morse and Kevin Jourdain

HOLYOKE — City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain and Mayor Alex B. Morse are clashing over approvals needed to establish a needle exchange program.

City Solicitor Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ross issued an opinion last week that said City Council approval is unnecessary to establish a needle exchange program.

The local approvals needed to begin such a program were a vote from the Board of Health and the mayor’s signature, she said, and those approvals came on July 9.

Tapestry Health has begun offering needle exchange at its office at 15-A Main St.

Jourdain, a needle exchange foe since it became an issue in the mid-1990s, protested the program’s establishment because it happened without City Council approval and requested the legal opinion Rodriguez-Ross delivered July 26.

“It is my opinion that the well-established principles of statutory construction support the conclusion that ‘local approval’ within the meaning of (state law) does not require the approval of the City Council,” Rodriguez-Ross said.

In needle exchange, people submit used intravenous drug needles and get clean needles in return. The goal is to reduce the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C, diseases for which there are no cures and which can be spread through the sharing of infected needles.

Jourdain said Friday he would seek a court injunction to stop the needle exchange program. That discussion will happen at the Aug. 7 council meeting, said Jourdain, a lawyer.

Local approval clearly includes the City Council, he said, contrary to Rodriguez-Ross’ opinion.

“We have just as much authority (as the mayor). We’re 50 percent of the equation,” Jourdain said.

Morse and Rodriguez-Ross have ignored previous City Council votes against needle exchange, as well as voters rejecting such a program in a nonbinding referendum in 2001, said Jourdain, who criticized Morse.

“What the mayor is trying to do is create an emperorship over the city. ... This is what happens when you have a mayor focused on a radical agenda and not transparency,” said Jourdain, a councilor since 1994.

“I am going to defend my constituents. This is exactly why I became a city councilor, to make sure a mayor doesn’t go and do whatever he wants,” he said.

Morse replied, “I wish Kevin Jourdain would move beyond needle exchange and focus on more pressing issues. My ‘radical agenda’ is better schools, more business and safer neighborhoods.”

The key about needle exchange is that it saves lives, he said.

“This is not about politics, this is about public health,” Morse said.

As Rodriguez-Ross notes, Morse said, local approval on needle exchange here mirrored the state-approved, mayor/Board of Health process followed by Northampton in 1995.

Regarding Jourdain’s comment that Rodriguez-Ross writes opinions to suit the mayor’s decisions, Morse said that was untrue. The July 26 opinion was a clarification requested by Jourdain of a previously issued Law Department opinion on needle exchange, Morse said.

Jourdain said allowing needle exchange risks making the city a haven for drug addicts who know they can get needles to shoot up heroin.

The significant opinion, Jourdain said, is a July 1996 decision from the city Law Department. Former City Solicitor Daniel M. Glanville said in that opinion local approval of a needle exchange program means approval from the mayor and City Council, not the Board of Health.

Rodriguez-Ross said her office regards highly the opinions of previous solicitors. But Glanville’s opinion was written when needle exchange in the state was in its “infancy,” she said, and her research and interpretation of the meaning of “local approval” differs from Glanville’s.

Rodriguez-Ross said a City Council vote to have the Law Department seek a court injunction would present a challenge since her opinion as head of the department is clear that needle exchange was properly established.

Jourdain said Rodriguez-Ross could be asked to designate a lawyer on her staff to handle a council pursuit of an injunction to halt needle exchange or an appropriation could be sought for the council to hire outside counsel.

Jourdain and Rodriguez-Ross agreed the situation was uncharted territory.

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray selected the South Hadley native to serve as executive director of the task force.

Photo by Eric Haynes / Massachusetts governor's officeRetired Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald J. Quenneville has been tapped to lead the state’s efforts to block any reduction and closing of the commonwealth’s six military facilities.

SOUTH HADLEY – Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald J. Quenneville, a South Hadley native, will lead the state’s efforts to block any reduction and closing of the commonwealth’s six military facilities as the Defense Department moves forward with plans to cut $500 billion in spending over the next 10 years.

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, who earlier this year created a Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, selected Quenneville, a past state commander of the Air National Guard, to serve as executive director of the task force.

Quenneville joined MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development authority, as its senior vice president of defense sector initiatives last week. The position pays $90,000 a year.

Quenneville, whose last military assignment was as deputy commander of the 1st Air Force and the Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Region in Winnipeg, Canada, in 2007, said he plans to work with state and local officials, military commanders and industry and academic leaders to craft a strategy of success in preserving Massachusetts military units, jobs and defense contracts.

“Each unit provides unique capabilities in support of our national security and are major contributors to the Massachusetts defense economy,” Quenneville said.

He said defense cutbacks may be necessary for the economy but “the state’s job that reductions are not done with a hatchet but with a surgical instrument.

“We have important contributions to national security especially with the air superiority mission out of Barnes Air National Guard Base and the guard’s 104th Fighter Wing,” said Quenneville. “We have research and development at Hanscom Air Force Base and we want to keep that balance across the Commonwealth.”

Quenneville said the “early stand” launched by the lieutenant governor allows “the task force and everyone involved to work closely with military bases and their host communities.”

The task force was created in February by Murray to coordinate strategy in defense of the state’s military facilities that include Hanscom Air Force Base; Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee; Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield; U.S. Army’s Soldier Systems Center in Natick; Fort Devens and the Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod.

In February the U.S. Defense Department announced $259 billion in spending cuts proposed over five years nationwide. The cuts could affect the six military bases in the state.

In 2013 Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee is slated to lose 17 jobs. The Air Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield stands to be cut by three posts. It could also lose its explosives unit, and, eventually, Westover may lose half of its fleet of 16 C-5 Galaxy cargo jets.

The state’s other bases, including Hanscom, could also face cuts.

Murray said Quenneville’s military and defense experience will “complement our administration’s strong commitment to Massachusetts’ military bases and defense jobs.”

MassDevelopment is the state’s finance and development agency that works to stimulate economic growth across the state and is a key member of the task force, Murray said.

Last month an analysis of the state’s military presence revealed that the six bases are responsible for more than 45,000 jobs and nearly $14 billion in annual contribution to the state’s overall economy. That includes military and civilian jobs as well as contracts for base services and overall defense contracts to Massachusetts companies.

MassDevelopment president Marty Jones said Quenneville’s “depth of experience in the military and in Massachusetts uniquely positions him as a leader in defense sector initiatives, making him a great candidate to head this important task force.”

Quenneville began his military career in 1971, serving eight years in the Air Force before joining the Air Guard. He served in various command positions from squadron pilot to wing commander at Otis Air National Guard base on Cape Cod.

The West Springfield License Commission voted to allow Pintu Chawla to move his wine and malt license to the space now occupied by the Common Ground.

The Republican | Michael BeswickRestaurateur Pintu Chawla stands in front of Pintu's Indian Palace restaurant at 217 Elm St. in West Springfield.

File photo | The RepublicanThe Common Ground restaurant in West Springfield

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The License Commission has cleared the way for Pintu’s Indian Palace to relocate from Elm Street to the Park Avenue space now occupied by the Common Ground eatery.

The commission voted 2-0 Monday to allow Pintu Chawla, owner of the Indian restaurant, to move his wine and malt license to the new location on Park Avenue on the North End Bridge rotary.

The permission is contingent on approval by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. In addition, the move cannot take place until the owner of Common Ground sells that business’s liquor license. That is because one site may have only one liquor license associated with it, according to Paul M. Maleck, chairman of the License Commission.

“We should be open there very, very soon,” Chawla said Tuesday, declining to be any more specific.

He anticipates doubling his work force of 15 people and nearly tripling his restaurant’s seating capacity from about 60 to about 170.

“It is going to be a nicer, newer place,” Chawla said.

The popular Pintu’s was closed for about two months two years ago following what is believed to have been an electrical fire. Although there was only smoke damage, it cost about $50,000 to repair and refurbish the restaurant’s quarters.

Pintu Chawla

Chawla also operates a second restaurant, Q Pint2’s, in the former Boston Billiards building on Riverdale Street.

Michael P. Sullivan, who used to own the former The Cup restaurant, opened Common Ground on Park Avenue about two years ago. Prior to that, the site had been the former Rein’s Deli.

Sullivan named his new business Common Ground as a play on words reflecting the fact the location was long home to a Ground Round restaurant because local people still associated that name with the property.

Sullivan could not be reached for comment on what plans he has for his business.

File photos | The Republican

The right-hander was not moved at the trade deadline,

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)Boston Red Sox's Josh Beckett left with a back spasm after throwing 49 pitches.

BOSTON - Hours after the trade deadline passed and Josh Beckett remained in Boston, the Red Sox pitcher left Tuesday night's start against Detroit with a back spasm.

He left to a chorus of boos after allowing an infield hit, hit by a pitch and walking the next two batters.

Beckett had retired the first eight batters he faced before Omar Infante's infield single began the Tigers' mini-rally. He left with a 1-0 deficit.

No serious injuries reported in an accident involving a state police cruiser and a Westfield State University police cruiser. Watch video

This is an updated version of a story posted at 2:20 this afternoon.

WESTFIELD – This community offered its final respects Tuesday to Badge No. 4 that began with funeral services attended by thousands of family, friends, colleagues and ended with a community sponsored community picnic.

The well-liked and well-respected Jose Torres, a 27 year police veteran decorated twice in his career for heroism died in the line of duty last Thursday.

More than 700 colleagues including state and local police from as far away as Vermont and Rhode Island and numerous Fire Departments served as honor guards along with Westfield’s American Legion Post 124 Honor Guard. Torres, 53, was an Army veteran.

“It’s a brotherhood and we are here to honor a brother officer,” said Stephen O’Brien, chief of police in Lenox.

Dignitaries attending services included Gov. Deval L. Patrick, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Ma., Springfield Catholic Diocese Bishop Timothy McDonnell, state police Chaplain William Hamilton, Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr., Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni, former Mayor Richard K. Sullivan and Westfield State University president Evan S. Dobelle.

The Rev. Brian McGrath, pastor of St. Mary’s Church, celebrated the funeral mass inside Dever Auditorium at Westfield State University were it was standing room only. The auditorium has seating for 500 and university officials provided another 500 seats at nearby Scanlon Hall where the mass was televised.

The mass was also broadcast live on the city’s Channel 15 community station by the university’s Television Operations Information Technology Department.

In her eulogy, wife Kara said “Jose was truly my best friend. We went together like peanut butter and jelly. He lived his life to the fullest and was the perfect husband, father, brother and he took great pride in being a Westfield Police Officer.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Torres “had a big heart, a great smile and incredible heroism. His spirit forever will be on patrol on our streets.”

Childhood friend and fellow police officer Capt. Hipolito Nunez said Torres “only saw the good in everybody, he disliked conflict and he saw incidents as opportunities for people to find a better way of life.”

Also offering eulogy of Torres was supervising police Sgt. Alex Baginski who reminded everyone in attendance repeatedly during the service that “It was always a good day when you worked with Patrolman Jose Torres.”

Their description of Torres was echoed many others.

“To loose Jose, it’s like losing a brother. It’s really hard for us.” said David Luna who grew up with Torres on Orange Street and was at Court Square with daughters Janis and Jaslyn to pay his respects.

A number of mothers, interviewed by The Republican throughout Tuesday spoke of the positive impact that Torres had on their sons’ lives. “He was a great mentor to my three boys,” said a tearful Ellen Brosnan who offered her respects as the funeral procession passed Police Headquarters.

“He wasn’t just a police officer in this community, he was a friend,” she said.

Jayne M. Mulligan, former Westfield animal control officer and a funeral procession driver Tuesday, said “I never heard him complain or say anything bad about anybody. He was just an all-around good guy,” she said.

Sheriff Ashe said the funeral service “was very moving. I think the spirit of Jose was so present there.”

Graveside services for Torres at Pine Hill Cemetery were delayed due to an accident on Western Avenue involving a Westfield State University police cruiser and a state police trooper.

The accident injured three WSU officials, a university police officer and the state trooper. Names for the five, all transported to Noble Hospital for treatment, were not released by state police.

Reportedly WSU president Evan S. Dobelle was among those injured as he and others were being transported back to the university’s administrative offices following the funeral mass for Torres.

Late Tuesday, three of the injured had been treated and released and the trooper and university administrator remained at the hospital for evaluation.

The accident is being investigated by state police and Westfield State University police.

During graveside services, bagpipes played “Amazing Grace”, honor guards provided rifle salutes as a State Police helicopter hovered above.

At 2:44 p.m. a public address announcer offered a simulated police dispatch call declaring Officer Jose Torres ‘out of service’ and thanked him for his 27 years on the force.

Late Tuesday, the Sons of Erin Club on William Street was prepared to serve 5,000 mourners at a community sponsored picnic.

The facility, all foods and refreshments and entertainment were donated by various organizations, families and businesses both local and regional, said coordinators Daniel J. Puza, owner of North Elm Butcher Block and retired police Lt. William M. Adamczyk.

Sons of Erin president James Casey said “Jose enjoyed coming to the Sons of Erin especially for our 9/11 memorial tribute and to march in the Holyoke St. Patrick Parade.

“Our doors are always open to the Torres family,” said Casey.

The victim was in his early 20s; police said details of his condition were unavailable.

File photo

HOLYOKE — Police were seeking the driver of a Buick with Colorado license plates Tuesday after a man was hit in an alley near Appleton and Oak streets.

The man, who was in his early 20s, was taken to the hospital, but details about his condition were unavailable, Police Lt. Matthew F. Moriarty said.

Police were called about 7:30 p.m., he said.

This story will be updated as details become available.

The first time the picnic was held was following last year's tornado.

Photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanSigning the Mayor's Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force's banner is, from left, Ashley Joyner, of Washington, D.C., Imanni Hayes, of Springfield and Alexandria Simmons, also of Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD - For the second year in a row the Mayor’s Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force came together at Forest Park to celebrate peace and neighborliness.

Gianna Allentuck, an adjustment counselor at Springfield’s Elias Brookings Magnet School, said the Violence Prevention Task Force first wanted to celebrate residents’ kindness and generosity after last year’s tornado by holding a picnic and decided to hold the event again this year.

“There is so much negative news about the city,” Allentuck said. “Forest Park is beautiful. People are doing things here that are peaceful.”

Formed 20 years ago, the Mayor’s Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force was envisioned as a collective of committed stakeholders who work collaboratively to develop solutions, interventions and prevention strategies to reduce violence in Springfield.

Earl Harrington, a member of the Violence Prevention Task Force who lives in the East Forest Park section of the city, said there are a lot of agencies working together in Springfield to help youth who are at risk.

“The city is coming back,” he said. “This a a vibrant community that provides help to people.”

Carlos Bravo, a youth worker for Roca, which provides state and federal funding for programs for at risk youth, said the programs help to save disenfranchised youths ages 17 to 24, one person at a time.

“These are kids raised by one parent, and the street raises them,” Bravo said. He said he was one of those youths, growing up in Hartford, Conn.

“We try to give youth motivation to achieve short-term goals such as going to work tomorrow so that they feel different,” Bravo said.

“We can’t save them all, but we try,” Bravo said.

Allentuck said she hoped that people from different agencies would stay and talk with each other.

Neena Grover and Linda Shippie were representing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The foundation is sponsoring a walk to prevent suicide Sept. 30 in Springfield.

Part of the goal of the foundation is to increase education and remove the stigma around suicide. Suicide can be prevented if certain signals are not missed and help is given at the right time, Shippie said.

Members agreed that body art businesses should be allowed only in the business zone, but some disagreed on how far from churches and schools the establishments should be.

File photo | Associated Press

EAST LONGMEADOW — The Planning Board has approved a warrant article regarding body art establishments that will be presented at the special Town Meeting scheduled Oct. 1.

During its Tuesday meeting, the board discussed the article that it will present in conjunction with the Board of Selectmen acting as the Board of Health. While the Board of Health must establish health regulations and age restrictions, the Planning Board must decide where such businesses will be allowed.

All members agreed that body art businesses should be allowed only in the business zone, but some disagreed on how far from churches and schools the establishments should be.

George Kingston

Planning Board Chairman George Kingston suggested a distance of 1,000 feet from any public school or church.

Planning, Zoning and Conservation Director Robyn Macdonald told the board it has to be careful with not restricting the establishments too severely because the state Attorney General's office could reject the regulations if it feels it infringes on a person's First Amendment rights.

At 1,000 feet, body art establishments would be limited to 31 percent of the business district and would include a small portion of Shaker Road and North Main Street near the Springfield line.

Member Alessandro Meccia took issue with the distance restrictions.

"Someone could go to a hair salon and paint their hair green or yellow, but they can't get a tattoo," he said. "I have a problem with even a one-foot restriction."

Member Michael Carabetta said he would be uncomfortable not restricting the establishments at all, but suggested a 500-foot distance from schools or churches.

Michael Carabetta

"I think out of respect for First Congregational Church, which has been here 100 years, we should limit a (body art) business owner from opening right next to it," he said, referring to the church on the rotary.

Member Michael Przbylowicz felt the restrictions should also include distances from daycare facilities and charter schools.

"If we are worried about protecting kids at the high school level, why would we want to expose the younger kids to this?" he said.

Przbylowicz suggested not regulating the establishments at all and waiting to see if a small business owner would be willing to fight the current bylaw which does not list body art establishments as an allowed use in the business district.

"We are better off putting in a bylaw than ignoring this," Kingston said.

Member Ralph Page said he has visited several body art establishments in surrounding communities, talked to the business owners and their neighbors, and most said they had no problems.

"They are professional businesses and people are not just hanging out there," he said.

The board ultimately voted 4-1 to approve the article with a 500-foot distance from any public or charter school and church. Przbylowicz voted against the article.

Kingston said there will be a public hearing regarding the article prior to the special Town Meeting.

Police got the call about the accident about 7:30 p.m. and found the Buick a short time later.

File photo

HOLYOKE – A bicyclist was in stable condition at the hospital and police Tuesday were interviewing the driver of a car in relation to an accident in an alley near Appleton and Oak streets.

It was believed the man on the bike was hit at least twice by a car, Police Lt. Matthew F. Moriarty said.

Police were called at 7:30 p.m. and found the car, a Buick with Colorado, a short time later, he said.

The name of the victim, who was in his early 20’s, was unavailable. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield, he said.

It was unclear if the man police were interviewing would be arrested in relation to the accident, he said.