The new pavilion will be located closer to the rose garden in Stanley Park.

Manon Mirabelli photoDiana McLean, Westfield Community Development Block Grant coordinator, acting director of Community Development and co-chairwoman of the Stanley Park Gala Decoration Committee, paints a pole in tiki style in preparation for Saturday's event, "€œUnder Polynesian Skies,"€ the park's biggest fund-raising effort of the year.

WESTFIELD – It has been more than a year since the historic pavilion at Stanley Park was razed after it was discovered advanced deterioration made it unsafe, but the fund-raising efforts to replace it continue with a Hawaiian-themed gala.

“Under Polynesian Skies,” this year’s gala event, will be held Saturday night at Stanley Park.

During the event, park President Jeffrey W. Glaze will unveil plans for a $3 million structure, which will be sited in a 700- by 340-foot wooded area in the lower Kensington area by the rose garden opposite the carillon tower.

Stanley Park Managing Director Robert C. McKean said modern conservation regulations make it impossible to rebuild the pavilion on its original footprint, but that blueprints for the new one allow planners to tie into city sewer and water lines on Kensington Avenue.

He added that this is an exciting time for the park as the city can look forward to a new, eight-sided pavilion with removable glass walls and the capacity to seat more than 500 people.

The glass walls he said, will extend the time the structure can be used from one season to three-and-a-half while providing shelter during last-minute, inclement weather.

“We want to build something that will be there for the next generation the way they did for us 62 years ago,” McKean said. “We want this to last many more than 60 years.”

The new pavilion, he added, will include a professional kitchen and state-of-the-art acoustical equipment for enhanced sound.

McKean said at the time the 62-year-old pavilion was deemed unsafe that razing the landmark structure was a “tough” decision, but one that had to be made in the safety and best interest of guests following an inspection of the facility and review by a structural engineer.

“We could not put anyone in harm’s way,” he said.

Four architects volunteered their professional services in preparing designs for the new pavilion that will “continue the legacy started by Frank Stanley Beveridge,” McKean said.

McKean also said that the professionals’ willingness to prepare designs on a pro bono basis is a clear indication of the community’s sense of ownership in the park.

“It really says a lot about the people in this area and the love they have for the park and their historic connection to it,” he said.

With the addition of the new pavilion, Glaze said “the legacy of Stanley Park will continue to flourish. This is an opportunity to rebuild an appropriate pavilion facility that will take Stanley Park into the next century.”

Manon Mirabelli photoDiana McLean, Westfield Community Development Block Grant coordinator, acting director of Community Development and co-chairwoman of the Stanley Park Gala Decoration Committee, paints a pole in tiki style in preparation for Saturday’s event, “Under Polynesian Skies,” the park’s biggest fund-raising effort of the year.

Donations are sought for care packages and food pantries and for service members' children.

A Peter Pan double-decker bus will stop at a half-dozen locations on Saturday on behalf of the Pioneer Valley USO to collect items for service members at Westover Air Reserve Base and their families.

Donations are sought for care packages and food pantries and for service members’ children.

Care package items include: lip balm, sunscreen, foot powder, single coffee servings, beef jerky, hard candy, toothpaste, razors, soap and shampoo, batteries, resealable plastic bags, office supplies and duct tape.

Food pantry items include: Canned vegetables, beans, beef stew, chili, fruits, juices in cans and boxes, bottled water, pasta, dry cereals and canned tuna and chicken.

Children’s items include: Juice boxes, coloring books and crayons, small games, small stuffed animals and healthy snacks.

The bus will be at the following locations on Saturday:

• Noon: Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield
• 12:30 p.m. American Legion, 83 Park St., West Springfield
• 1 p.m. Sacred Heart Church, Agawam
• 1:30 p.m. American Legion, 50 St. Kolbe Drive, Holyoke
• 2:30 p.m. Memorial Park (across from Walgreen’s), Ludlow, and
• 4:45 p.m. American Legion, 43 Exchange St., Chicopee.

For more information, call Lou at (413) 454-4874. 

Romney declared his energy plans – which include drilling for oil in a federal Alaskan wildlife reserve – would create 3 million jobs and more than $1 trillion in new revenue.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign event at Watson Truck and Supply Thursday in Hobbs, N.M. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By JULIE PACE and MATTHEW DALY

HOBBS, N.M. — Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney promised on Thursday to aggressively expand offshore oil drilling along Virginia, North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico, changing the subject from social issues like abortion and Medicare that have dominated the debate in the days before the critical Republican National Convention.

Speaking to voters in the heart of New Mexico's oil and gas industry, Romney declared that his energy plans — which include drilling for oil in a federal Alaskan wildlife reserve — would create 3 million jobs and more than $1 trillion in new revenue. And he predicted complete "North American energy independence by 2020," a never-realized goal claimed by presidential candidates for decades.

"That means we produce all the energy we use in North America," Romney said, emphasizing an expansion of oil and gas over wind and solar production. "This is not some pie-in-the-sky kind of thing. This is a real achievable objective."

President Barack Obama did not face voters on Thursday. Instead, he deployed a popular former president, Bill Clinton, to help convince a divided electorate that he simply needs more time to fix the nation's struggling economy. Clinton is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention next month and play a prominent role in the final months before Election Day.

"We need to keep going with his plan," Clinton says of Obama in a new television ad set to run in eight battleground states.

The push to re-frame the debate comes at a delicate time, sandwiched between the sudden resurgence of abortion in the race and Monday's opening of the Republican National Convention. The event in Tampa is supposed to be all about nominating Romney, emphasizing his plans for the economy and projecting unity. But those plans were disrupted this week by Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri, who said in an interview that victims of "legitimate rape" can biologically avoid pregnancy. Romney, who has relentlessly tried to avoid a fight over social issues, led a chorus of Republican officials who demanded Akin abandon his Senate bid. The congressman has so far refused.

The uproar raises broader concerns for Romney's effort to win over female voters. At the same time, a strengthening tropical storm is forcing Republicans to prepare for big schedule changes or even the possibility of mandatory evacuations. GOP convention planners on Thursday said they are working closely with local officials and are moving forward with the convention as scheduled.

The stakes are high, the outcome uncertain 75 days before voters choose their next president and the majorities of Congress.

Polling suggests that the presidential contest is essentially a tossup, although Obama maintains a slight lead among women. Research also suggests that more voters trust Obama's plans for Medicare than Romney's. It's an advantage that could prove significant given Romney's selection of running mate Paul Ryan, the House budget architect who crafted a controversial plan to transform Medicare into a voucher-like system for future retirees.

But Romney did not mention Medicare or abortion in Hobbs. And he agreed to an interview with CBS' Denver affiliate, KCNC, only under the stipulation that he would not be asked about abortion or Akin's comments.

Instead, the former Massachusetts governor accused Obama of crafting an energy policy designed to benefit campaign contributors.

"He's taken federal dollars, your money, to advance these companies — solar companies, wind companies — $90 billion in so-called green jobs," Romney said of the president, seizing on the administration's investment in the failed solar company Solyndra. "I don't want the government investing in companies, particularly companies of his campaign contributors."

That's much the same argument Democrats levy against Romney, whose energy policy favors the oil and gas industry. The former businessman has deep ties to big oil and raised more than $7 million from industry executives during a campaign fundraiser in Texas earlier this week.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith called Romney's energy plan "backward."

"This isn't a recipe for energy independence," Smith said. "It's just another irresponsible scheme to help line the pockets of big oil while allowing the U.S to fall behind and cede the clean energy sector to China."

The cornerstone of Romney's plan is opening up more areas for offshore oil drilling, including mid-Atlantic swing states like North Carolina and Virginia, where it is currently banned. He also wants to give states the power to establish all forms of energy production on federal lands, a significant shift in current policy that could face strong opposition in Congress.

Romney specifically cited drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as part of a broad plan to generate millions of additional barrels of oil each day.

A Romney campaign official later downplayed the comment. The plan would revive a longtime Republican goal to allow drilling for oil in the wildlife refuge. Congress has blocked drilling there for more than a quarter-century.

Romney also plans to approve the Keystone XL pipeline that has worried environmentalists and would run from Canada to U.S. refineries in Texas. And he is calling for the end of a production tax credit for wind power that is set to expire at the end of the year.

Many Republicans in battleground states such as Iowa support the credit, which the American Wind Energy Association says sustains 37,000 jobs.

"I think all energy sources need to stand on their own two feet," Romney said in an interview with a Colorado TV station Thursday, arguing that wind and solar power are subsidized at a higher rate than oil. "I would level the playing field."

Romney's campaign says he does not support ending oil subsidies.

The Obama administration has proposed a plan that would allow energy companies to begin seismic testing to find oil and natural reserves in the Atlantic Ocean. Companies would use the information to determine where to apply for energy leases, although no leases would be available until at least 2017.

The president told donors in New York this week that under his administration, dependence on foreign oil has gone below 50 percent for the first time in 13 years.

While the energy debate dominated the discussion on Thursday, Democrats will continue to pursue the abortion debate to help drive a wedge between Republicans and women.

Obama advisers consider Akin's comments a significant development and plan to continue linking Akin to Romney's running mate, Ryan, who cosponsored a bill with Akin to permanently ban federal funding for abortion except in cases of incest and forcible rape.

That language, which was eventually changed, would have narrowed the exception for rape victims.

Romney does not oppose abortion in cases of rape and incest or if it will save the mother's life, while Ryan does oppose abortion in cases of rape and incest.

Daly reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Washington contributed to this report.

Here are the average energy prices in the Pioneer Valley for the week.

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Tropical Storm Isaac still posed a potential threat to take a shot at Florida as a hurricane just as the Republicans gather for their national convention.

Associated PressThis NOAA satellite image taken Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 01:45 PM EDT shows Tropical Storm Isaac is now located about 165 miles south of San Juan, Puerto Rico. This system has maximum sustained winds at 40 mph and continues strengthening as it moves west-northwestward at 15 mph. It produces heavy rains and strong winds across Puerto Rico and parts of the Dominican Republic. To the north, a front brings more rain and thunderstorms to the Carolinas and northern Florida. Further north, a trough of low pressure pushes a front through the Plains, kicking up showers and thunderstorms from the Great Lakes through the Central Plains. Some of these storms will turn severe with strong winds and large hail. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

By DANICA COTO

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Isaac churned toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti late Thursday, although forecasters said it now appeared less likely to become a hurricane while in the Caribbean. It still posed a potential threat to take a shot at Florida as a hurricane just as the Republicans gather for their national convention.

Isaac dumped heavy rain across eastern and southern Puerto Rico and whipped up waves as high as 10 feet (3 meters) in the Caribbean as it moved through the region Thursday.

U.S. forecasters said Isaac probably wouldn't become a hurricane Friday as it approached the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was expected to weaken a little while crossing over Haiti and the eastern two-thirds of Cuba.

The storm was projected to head northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico and possibly be a hurricane by Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the forecast path was shifting westward, possibly to a track that could take the storm to a landfall near the Alabama-Mississippi border Tuesday night.

But hurricane center forecaster Eric Blake stressed that it was "too early to know" just what path the storm would follow this far in advance, and said Florida's Gulf Coast, including Tampa, the site of the Republican National Convention, was very much in the picture.

Isaac was centered 145 miles (235) kilometers south-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, late Thursday, with maximum sustained of 45 mph (75 kph). It was moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph), according to the hurricane center.

Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe urged people to avoid crossing rivers and to tape their windows, and said they should ask relatives overseas to wire money so they can stock up on food and water.

Above all, he said, it was important to stay calm. "Panic creates more problems," he said.

Lamothe and other officials in Haiti, which is prone to flooding, said that the government has set aside about $50,000 in emergency funds and that it had buses and 32 boats on standby for evacuations.

While Haiti's government spent the day preparing for Isaac, others did not because they didn't have the means. The notion of preparation in a country where the bulk of the population gets by on about $2 a day was met with a shrug.

"We don't have houses that can bear a hurricane," said Jeanette Lauredan, who lives in a tent camp in the crowded Delmas district of Port-au-Prince, stretching out her arms in concern.

About 400,000 people remain in settlement camps that are mere clusters of shacks and tarps as a result of Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake.

So far, Isaac itself had caused no reported injuries or deaths, but police in Puerto Rico said a 75-year-old woman died near the capital of San Juan on Wednesday when she fell off a balcony while filling a drum with water in preparation for the storm.

Schools and government offices remained closed Thursday on the U.S. territory, where Gov. Luis Fortuno said 7,800 people were without power and more than 3,000 had no water.

With rain falling on and off throughout the day, the governor warned Puerto Ricans to stay away from beaches and swollen rivers.

"It's not the day to participate in recreational activities in these areas," Fortuno said.

Jose Alberto Melendez, 51, disregarded the advice and went to a beach near Old San Juan.

"It's my birthday," he said. "I had already planned to come to the beach."

He unfolded his chair and turned on the radio just as a squall approached, sending him running for shelter.

Nearby, a group of four friends visiting from Poland picked up their beach blankets and took cover as well.

Agata Gajda, 24, said she and her three friends had slept on the beach because there was no room at a hostel. She said police woke them up Thursday morning and warned them about the storm.

In the Dominican Republic, authorities began to evacuate people living in low-lying areas but encountered some resistance.

"Nobody wants to leave their homes for fear they'll get robbed," said Francisco Mateo, community leader of the impoverished La Cienaga neighborhood in Santo Domingo, the capital.

The Dominican government plans to close all nine airports by dawn Friday, said Alejandro Herrera, civil aviation director. Schools closed by Thursday afternoon.

The approach of the storm led military authorities at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to cancel pretrial hearings for five prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks. They also evacuated about 200 people, including legal teams and relatives of Sept. 11 victims.

Isaac also posed a threat to next week's Republican National Convention in Tampa, where 70,000 delegates, journalists and protesters are expected to descend on the city.

Convention officials said they were working closely with state and federal authorities on monitoring the storm.

"We continue to move forward with our planning and look forward to a successful convention," convention CEO William Harris said in a statement.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said RNC officials had consulted with state, local and federal authorities and there were no plans to cancel the convention.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said some outside agencies that had planned to send officers to help with convention security in Tampa might be forced to keep them home to deal with a storm.

"My primary concern right now is that we will lose resources," he said

Out in the eastern Atlantic, another tropical storm, Joyce, formed over the open water, but forecasters said it posed no immediate threat to land. The U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and that it was becoming disorganized.

Associated Press writers Trenton Daniel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Tamara Lush in Tampa; Steve Peoples in Washington; and Ezequiel Abiu Lopez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, contributed to this report.

Akin is far afield, beyond most in his the Republican Party, but the party itself continues to move outside the mainstream of modern American thought.

The Associated PressU.S. Rep. Todd Akin, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator from Missouri, is maintaining his Senate campaign even as members of his own party turned against him and a key source of campaign funding was cut off in outrage over the Missouri congressman's comments that women are able to prevent pregnancies in cases of "legitimate rape." (AP Photo/St. Louis Pos-Dispatch, Christian Gooden)

A renewed debate on abortion following U.S. Rep. Todd Akin’s remarks shows Akin’s problems are the Republican Party’s problems.

No, we’re not talking about his greatly diminished electoral prospects, and we aren’t considering his suddenly immense financial difficulties. What we’re referring to are the statements that got Akin into the news in the first place. While they were truly outrageous, unbelievable, more like the random mutterings of some wacko on the street than pre-election assertions from a contender for a seat in the U.S. Senate, they are, at the end of the day, remarks that spring from the thinking inside today’s Republican party.

After the initial news accounts, reports on Akin tended to sum up his statements by noting that he had referred to “legitimate rape.” While there’s no denying that the locution marks the congressman as somewhere between completely out of touch and a man who has taken leave of his senses, the sad truth is that the phrase itself only touches on the whole disturbing mess.

What Akin actually said was that a woman who is raped does not tend to get pregnant. This, he asserted, is a truth he learned from doctors.

There is not a single legitimate medical professional anywhere who believes such a thing. None. It is important to note that the would-be senator made his statements in the context of a discussion of abortion. As the Republican Party has once again put forth a platform that is so anti-choice that it does not even allow a woman who was raped to terminate her pregnancy, the question is not merely an academic exercise, a difficult moment in a debate. It is terrifyingly real.

Yes, Akin is far afield, beyond most in his political party, but the party itself continues to move outside the mainstream of modern American thought.

The candidate’s problems, big as they are, are an extension of the party’s problems.

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said the company has signed an agreement to purchase East Marine marina in Falmouth.

By JAY LINDSAY

BOSTON — Cape Wind plans to move its headquarters to a Cape Cod marina as the offshore wind farm project preps for its long-delayed startup, company officials said Thursday.

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said the company has signed an agreement to purchase East Marine marina in Falmouth's inner harbor. The project's 50 permanent employees will be based there, with some taking daily trips to monitor and maintain the 130 turbines planned for a project that aims to be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S.

The deal was signed last week, said company spokesman Mark Rodgers, who didn't disclose the terms.

Cape Wind plans to begin construction in 2013, and to move its offices to Falmouth the next year, Rodgers said. It aims to produce power by 2015.

The wind farm, proposed in 2001, has been subject to lengthy review and has been beset by delays amid stiff resistance from opponents who say the turbines will be a visual blight and endanger marine and air traffic.

Opponent Audra Parker of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound said the project's high-priced power is a terrible deal in a state with already steep power costs.

"Cape Wind's 50 jobs would come at the expense of thousands of jobs, which will be lost in Massachusetts due to higher electricity prices," she said.

But advocates say the wind farm will create jobs and increase energy independence.

Gordon said he sees Cape Wind's move to Falmouth as a milestone in an emerging industry "that will bring greater economic prosperity as well as a healthier environment to this region."

Cape Wind is seeking financing for the $2.6 billion project. It has buyers for about three-quarters of its projected power output, but must sell all of its projected electricity before it can finance the entire 130-turbine project. It's currently seeking financing for 101 turbines, but expects to build the entire project, Gordon said.

Thursday's announcement comes a day after the alliance appealed a Federal Aviation Administration ruling that the wind farm poses no danger to airplanes. Parker says the FAA decision "shows a complete and utter disregard for public safety."

The FAA had previously ruled in favor of the wind farm, but a court ordered the agency to reconsider the decision, saying the FAA hadn't adequately determined the project's effect on pilots that fly by sight only.

Parker said the FAA is being driven by politics to approve Cape Wind, and cited documents her group obtained that showed FAA workers were feeling political pressure before they approved Cape Wind.

Gordon said the FAA has now approved the project four times since 2001, during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Rodgers said the alliance's appeal has dim prospects because the latest FAA ruling addressed the concerns the court expressed in its last ruling.

The FAA has said it makes its decisions based solely on safety considerations and the available ways to reduce risks.

The Department of Public Health raised the virus threat level to high in Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and Watertown.

The Republican file photo | Michael BeswickState health officials plan to begin aerial spraying for mosquitoes in nearly a dozen southeastern Massachusetts communities.

CAMBRIDGE — A local man in his 70s has been hospitalized with the state's second human case of West Nile virus this year, health officials said.

Thursday's announcement came just over a week after another Cambridge man, in his 60s, was reported with the first case of the mosquito-borne virus, which can develop into encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, and be fatal. Young people, old people and those with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable.

The Department of Public Health raised the virus threat level to high, meaning multiple cases are very likely, in Cambridge and the nearby communities Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Somerville and Watertown.

"Today's announcement is a compelling indicator that the threat of mosquito-borne illness is widespread, and people should continue taking simple, common-sense steps to protect themselves and their families against mosquito bites," Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach said.

He advised people to use insect repellant, cover their skin and avoid outdoor activities at dusk and after nightfall, when mosquitoes are most active. Health officials also recommend draining standing water from buckets, kiddie pools and other places where mosquitoes breed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only about one in five infected people get sick. One in 150 infected people will develop severe symptoms including neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis. Most infections are usually reported in August and September.

The West Nile virus has been found in 67 Massachusetts communities in nine counties this year. There were six cases in humans and one in a horse last year.

The virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999 in New York and gradually spread across the country over the years. It peaked in 2002 and 2003, when severe illnesses reached nearly 3,000 and deaths surpassed 260. Last year was mild, with fewer than 700 cases.

On Thursday, state health officials also announced that another mosquito-borne illness, Eastern equine encephalitis, has been confirmed in a horse in Georgetown and in an alpaca in Halifax.

As a result, the EEE threat level has been raised to critical, the highest of five levels, in Georgetown, and to high in nearby Boxford, Groveland, Newbury, Rowley and West Newbury, health officials said. The EEE threat level has been raised to critical in Halifax and to high in neighboring East Bridgewater, Hanson, Pembroke and Plympton.

The threat levels run from remote (human cases highly unlikely at this time) to low, moderate, high and critical (multiple cases extremely likely).

Health officials said they "strongly" recommend that evening outdoor events be curtailed in all the high- or critical-risk communities for the rest of the mosquito season.

There has been only one confirmed human case of EEE in Massachusetts this year: a Metrowest resident who may have contracted it out of state.

Letter-writer: By the time Massachusetts gets through with all its rules and regulations, casino officials will have lost interest.

It’s too late to join casino bandwagon

What in the world is wrong with this state? All this casino hype is a big joke. Every state around us has casinos now, and Massachusetts expects to get on the winning bandwagon, when Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are laying people off.

Massachusetts taxpayers {I use the term loosely) WAKE up. Your dollars and mine are being wasted, with these commissions and regulatory departments. (Another way to get politician’s friends and relatives jobs).

We should have been on the bandwagon 15 years ago. Now is too late. The “jobs” will be temporary and who will occupy the buildings after they are built? Needless to say, not only is there just so much money to go around for gambling, but by the time Massachusetts gets through with all its rules and regulations the casino officials will have lost interest.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a trip to the casinos, but now when the economy is in a downturn, who has money to gamble?

– LORETTA DORN, Springfield

Sacco-Vanzetti case historical reminder

Boston Public LibraryBartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco.

Thank you for the fine article on the 85th anniversary of the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti which appeared in Tuesday’s edition of The Republican.

May I make one small correction? The last legal execution in Massachusetts took place in 1947, not 1943. Source: http://www.nodp.org/ma/.

The first recorded judicial execution in Massachusetts took place in 1630, when John Billington, who had arrived on the Mayflower, was hanged at Plymouth for the murder of John Newcomen. The last executions were on May 9, 1947 when Phillip Bellino and Edward Gertson, both convicted of murdering Robert William, were electrocuted at Charlestown State Prison. In total, there have been approximately 345 executions within Massachusetts, including 26 people convicted of practicing witchcraft.

– JOHN J. FITZGERALD, Longmeadow

Fireworks company committed to safety

Associated Press

Our family-owned company, Pyrotecnico, has been a fireworks industry leader representing a standard of excellence for over 100 years – and safety has always been of utmost importance to us (“State hearing on Pyrotecnico unexploded fireworks at Massachusetts shows set,” The Republican Aug. 9).

It is our commitment to safety that led us to act immediately when we learned that unexploded fireworks shells were retrieved in some of the Massachusetts communities in which we recently performed shows. We acted quickly to conduct thorough examinations not only of the areas in which these shells were discovered, but in every single Massachusetts location in which we had recently performed shows.

With local authorities, we have determined that all of these areas are clear. While we believe the unexploded shells were an isolated event traceable to a defective product – one which we have separated from our inventory and will never use again – we also conducted an internal investigation containing findings that will likely lead us to enhance our safety training procedures moving forward. We are committed to ensuring that our shows uphold the highest level of safety for the families who enjoy them. We look forward to continuing to provide safe, reliable and entertaining fireworks displays throughout Massachusetts communities for years to come.

– STEVE VITALE, Pyrotecnico, New Castle, Penn.

Vega is capable of 2 elected jobs

Submitted photoHolyoke City Councilor at Large Aaron M. Vega

Following a July 9 article, questions arose as to whether or not Aaron Vega could serve on both the Holyoke City Council and in the 5th District State Representative seat at the same time.

I feel that this would not only be acceptable but would offer an extraordinary benefit to the citizens of Holyoke. I have spoken to Vega and told him that if elected, I would want him to retain his council seat. If elected, he would not seek re-election to the city council and would not accept any pay from city council duties. I have always found Vega to be open to new ideas and voter input as a councilor. He has taken his time to meet with people when they ask and I am sure he will continue this practice as a state representative. Some issues Vega and I have agreed on, and some issues were based on information that I had not known, and on other issues we have just had to agree to disagree.

However, one thing is certain: Vega has always thoroughly articulated his reasons why he supports or opposes a particular issue. So to the voters of Holyoke, please join me in voting for Aaron Vega for state representative on Thursday, Sept. 6.

– STEPHEN MESECHER, Holyoke

MGM officials declined to release exact poll numbers, beyond saying they are confident that a referendum would pass. Watch video

The Republican | Greg Saulmon08.23.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- MGM Resorts International executives met with reporters and editors from The Republican Thursday morning to discuss the company's proposed casino development in the city's South End and Metro Center neighborhoods. At left, Bill Hornbuckle, chief marketing officer of MGM Resorts International and president of MGM Springfield; at right, MGM's senior vice president of public affairs, Alan R. Feldman.

SPRINGFIELD — Executives behindMGM Resorts International’s plans for an $800 million to $900 million casino complex in the city’s South End said Thursday their polling data suggest that city voters would approve casino gambling here.

Bill Hornbuckle, chief marketing officer for MGM Resorts International, and Alan M. Feldman, senior vice president for public affairs, met Thursday with reporters and editors at The Republican. Their polling came up in reference to the extensive groundwork the company laid prior to Wednesday’s lavish rollout of its casino plans.

MGM officials declined to release exact poll numbers beyond saying they are confident that a referendum would pass.

The conversation also covered MGM Resorts finances and its controversial relationship with investors in Chinese Macau, which caused New Jersey regulators to require that MGM sell its half share in an Atlantic City casino.

On Wednesday, MGM Resorts proposed more than a half million square feet of new development in the city’s South End. The $800 million figure originally cited doesn’t count an entertainment zone MGM plans to build on what is now Howard Street. That part of the project moves forward only if MGM wins the right to buy the old South End Community Center, which hasn’t been used since the 2011 tornado. The entertainment zone pushes the project to $900 million, Hornbuckle said.

MGM's is just one of four casino proposals in Springfield. Ameristar Casinos, Penn National Gaming Inc. and Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment all have casino proposals in Springfield. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, owners of Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, have a proposal in Palmer.

The Penn National project would be in the North End and companies associated with that proposal recently presented an option to buy The Republican’s Main Street office and property.

But none of it will happen unless local voters approve. In 1995, a casino referendum was defeated, with 17,852 against and 16,169 in favor. In 1994 the vote was 17,825 votes against casino gambling and 16,930 votes in favor of casinos.

The citywide referendum, which is required by state law, will probably occur next spring, said Kevin E. Kennedy, the city’s chief development officer.

The people behind all four Springfield casino proposals will meet informally Monday with Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. Afterward, Sarno plans to announce a tentative timeline and request for proposals.

Casino opponent Archbishop Timothy Paul Baymon, president of the Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts, said his group is getting a very different impression going door-to-door and advocating against casinos in church congregations around the city.

“There is a fighting chance this could be defeated,” Baymon said.

But state and local regulators will look hard at every applicant, including finances and background. MGM has debt, but Feldman said a lot of that has to do with its $9.2 billion City Center project in Las Vegas, which opened in 2009.

“We kept going with that through the recession,” he said.

The company can lay its hands on $1.5 billion in financing now if needed, Hornbuckle said.

“Financing isn’t going to be a problem,” Feldman said. “The same is true, by the way, for all the applicants in Springfield. Financing in Springfield is not going to be a problem.”

Hornbuckle defended the company’s involvement with Pansy Ho in Macau. New Jersey regulators were concerned enough about Ho and her father, Stanley Ho, that they forced MGM to sell its half-interest in an Atlantic City casino.

Hornbuckle said MGM is the majority owner of the Macau operations and Stanley Ho has no influence over Pansy Ho or on the MGM operation. MGM acquiesced to New Jersey regulators because the Macau operation is simply worth more to them than Atlantic City.

Authorities said the woman, who is in her 70s, is expected to be released from hospital soon.

File photo | The Republican

BOSTON — Massachusetts health officials say a Berkshire County woman in her 70s is the state's third West Nile virus patient this year.

Authorities said Friday the woman is expected to be released from hospital soon. Two Cambridge men, one in his 60s and the other in his 70s, also have the mosquito-borne virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only about one in five infected people get sick. But patients also can suffer severe symptoms or die.

The latest case forced health officials to raise the virus risk levels to "high" for Pittsfield, meaning human cases are very likely. The risk was raised to "moderate" for Dalton, Hancock, Lanesborough, Lenox, Richmond and Washington — meaning human cases are moderately likely.

Authorities recommended draining pools of standing water and using bug repellent as some precautions against infection.

Last week, the Department of Public Health announced that the threat of West Nile virus in Ludlow was high following the reporting of a case of the virus in a horse.

The Rowe children and teachers will have their own classrooms, with the top floor converted into a wing for 5th- and 6th-graders.

File photo | Jeff BrownFirefighters pour water on the blaze that destroyed the Rowe Elementary School.

ROWE — Students from Rowe Elementary School, which was destroyed by fire on Aug. 4, will start school on schedule after all.

The children will be going to Hawlemont Regional Elementary School in nearby Charlemont when classes start on Wednesday.

The decision was made Thursday night at a joint meeting of the Rowe and Hawlemont School Committees, which had been deadlocked by a history of disagreements.

Things began moving forward on Wednesday, when Rowe formally withdrew a lawsuit it had previously filed against Hawlemont over a cost-sharing situation.

“We did whatever we had to do,” said Lisa Miller, chairwoman of the Rowe School Committee.

“I was incredibly pleased,” said Beth Bandy, chairwoman of the Hawlemont School Committee.

Volunteers from the schools and towns held a “work bee” to help teachers move in on Friday. Hawlemont is about 9 miles and 20 minutes away from the Rowe school.

The Rowe children and teachers will have their own classrooms, with the top floor converted into a wing for fifth- and sixth-graders. The schools’ two principals had toured the Hawlemont building in advance with maps to figure out where to place the Rowe kids.

At the joint meeting, the committees went through a memorandum of understanding “line by line,” said Bandy.

There were a couple of bumps in the road that she said were easily overcome. For example, there was a request that Rowe teachers be allowed to salvage materials from their burned-out building.

Hawlemont had learned from a flooding episode of its own last year that in such cases, the required testing of such materials for lead, asbestos and other toxins is too time-consuming to be practical.

The other sticking point was over the cost of additional services, such as having dumpsters emptied every week instead of every two weeks.

“In the end, Rowe was very generous,” said Bandy. She credits Noel Abbott, chairman of the Select Board in Rowe, for standing up and urging his town’s school committee to accept the figures proposed by Hawlemont.

By 8 p.m. Thursday, the members of the two school committees had all signed the memorandum, the children had a place to go, and the crisis was over.

“It’s been a long three weeks,” said Miller.

A rumored trade between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers would represent one of the largest transfers of player salaries in the history of Major League Baseball.

The Josh Beckett era appears on the verge of an abrupt ending with news of a blockbuster trade between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers

Remember that July 31 trade deadline?

The fun wasn't over then.

The real action appears to be taking place nearly a month later and should provide a seismic change in direction for the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Boston Globe and numerous other sources are reporting the details of a trade that would represent one of the largest transfers of player salaries in the history of Major League Baseball. In the proposed deal the Dodgers would acquire Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto from the Red Sox in exchange for a package of prospects, plus impending free agent first baseman James Loney.

The deal could transfer more than $270 million in salaries from the Red Sox to the Dodgers, which would give the Dodgers one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball--nearly as high as the New York Yankees.

The deal may also put the Dodgers in a prime position to win the World Series this year.

The Red Sox would be making the deal to rid themselves of a number of burdensome contracts. The trade would leave no doubt about who the team's upper management blames for the 2012 squad's problems. No, not Bobby Valentine.

Theo Epstein.

The Red Sox, in one fell swoop, will have negated three of the biggest contracts for Epstein-signed players.

In essence they'd be doing exactly what conventional sports wisdom says you can't do:

They'd be firing the team, going against the old adage that managers take the fall because you can't get rid of the players.

It looks like the Red Sox have no intention of firing Bobby Valentine, but they seem content to ship three major components to Los Angeles.

The deal is jaw-droppingly large. The Dodgers haven't just absorbed a ton of salary. They've absorbed a ton of long-range salary.

Gonzalez and Crawford are both signed to long-term contracts. Crawford's expires after the 2017 season while Gonzalez's doesn't conclude until after the 2018 season.

The package of prospects the Red Sox are rumored to receive in the deal is impressive.

Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, Ivan De Jesus and Allen Webster are the four prospects and all are legitimate potential big-leaguers.

None more so than De La Rosa, a 23-year-old Dominican right hander one year removed from Tommy John surgery who is already throwing in the high 90's. He has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. Webster is also an intriguing prospect.

There is ample evidence that this deal is all but completed, but waiting for the approval of Beckett and Crawford, who both have veto power on any deal. As both teams perform their due diligence on the players' medical reports, finalization of the deal could be delayed until later in the weekend.

Amherst police are investigating. No one was injured.

File photo

AMHERST — A man armed with a gun robbed Rogue Tattoo & Piercing on North Pleasant Street just after 5 p.m. Friday.

Part-owner Donald Stolgitis told WGGB that the shop's piercer was behind the counter when a Hispanic male came in and demanded money from the cash register. He told WGGB:

"My piercer said the armed robber had his finger on the trigger and pointed it directly at him so he tried not to make eye contact and gave the money over. The robber took off after that.”

Amherst police are investigating. No one was injured.

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Another 115 union jobs, also in assembling valves and fabricating large heat exchangers, could be eliminated starting in late 2013 and through 2014 as phase two of cutbacks announced last year.

Photo courtesy of NASAAstronaut Harrison H. Schmitt collects samples during Apollo 17 mission in 1972 wearing a suit designed by Hamilton-Standard, now Hamilton Sundstrand, of Windsor Locks, Ct.

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — United Technologies announced last week that it plans to cut 150 salaried positions around the world, including 70 white-collar jobs at UTC Aerospace Systems, formerly Hamilton Sundstrand, here.

The company is cutting 150 salaried positions globally, according to a news release.

But locally, the 70 cuts will be on top of 130 blue collar machinist jobs the company is hoping to eliminate through buyouts and layoffs as part of job cuts first announced in 2011. The first 80 machinist jobs were already cut through attrition, according to a news release from the company.

Anthony J. Walter, president of Local Lodge 743 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said UTC is moving the aircraft engine work to factories in Singapore, Russia, Poland, Puerto Rico and Phoenix. Those cutbacks were announced in 2011.

Walter said UTC is also eliminating 55 blue-collar jobs at Windsor Locks because it is losing the contract to build NASA space suits and the backpack extravehicular unit astronauts wear on spacewalks.

The 130 jobs will be gone by the middle of October. The space-related jobs will last into 2013.

Walter said the aircraft-related layoffs are resulting in a negotiated buyout offer: $7,000 lump sum, a week’s pay for every year with the company and a year of medical. The space-related layoffs are also resulting in a buyout: $5,000 lump sum, a week’s pay for every year worked and a year of dental.

Walter said workers must be 55 years old or older to take the voluntary buyout.

He said another 115 union jobs, also in assembling valves and fabricating large heat exchangers, could be eliminated starting in late 2013 and through 2014 as phase two of cutbacks announced in 2011.

All told, the former Hamilton Sundstrand plant, which had 1,100 union employees in January, will be down to about 800. Back in the 1980s, it had 4,000 union production workers.

“It’s not just UTC employees,” Walter said. “When you have a union machinist making $35 an hour, that person supports four other jobs in the economy. But it is all about cheap labor.”

A California jury decided Friday that Samsung ripped off the innovative technology used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad.

AP photoSamsung Electronics' Galaxy S III, right, and Apple's iPhone 4S are displayed at a mobile phone shop in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — After a year of scorched-earth litigation, a jury decided Friday that Samsung ripped off the innovative technology used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad.

The jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion. An appeal is expected.

Apple Inc. filed its patent infringement lawsuit in April 2011 and engaged legions of the country's highest-paid patent lawyers to demand $2.5 billion from its top smartphone competitor. Samsung Electronics Co. fired back with its own lawsuit seeking $399 million.

The verdict, however, belonged to Apple, as the jury rejected all Samsung's claims against Apple. Jurors also decided against some of Apple's claims involving the two dozen Samsung devices at issue, declining to award the full $2.5 billion Apple demanded.

However, the jury found that several Samsung products illegally used such Apple creations as the "bounce-back" feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.

As part of its lawsuit, Apple also demanded that Samsung pull its most popular cellphones and computer tablets from the U.S. market. A judge was expected to make that ruling at a later time.

After the verdicts were read, the judge sent the jury back to deliberate further on two inconsistencies involving about $2.5 million in damages awarded to Apple based on products jurors found didn't infringe Apple's patents. Those deliberations were continuing.

During closing arguments at the trial, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny claimed Samsung was having a "crisis of design" after the 2007 launch of the iPhone, and executives with the South Korean company were determined to illegally cash in on the success of the revolutionary device.

Samsung's lawyers countered that it was simply and legally giving consumers what they want: Smart phones with big screens. They said Samsung didn't violate any of Apple's patents and further alleged innovations claimed by Apple were actually created by other companies.

Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken Apple as the leading smartphone maker. Samsung's Galaxy line of phones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers.

Samsung conceded that Apple makes great products but said it doesn't have a monopoly on the design of rectangle phones with rounded corners that it claimed it created.

Google entered the smartphone market while its then-CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple's board, infuriating Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who considered Android to be a blatant rip off of the iPhone's innovations.

After shoving Schmidt off Apple's board, Jobs vowed that Apple would resort to "thermonuclear war" to destroy Android and its allies.

The trial came after each side filed a blizzard of legal motions and refused advisories by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to settle the dispute out of court. Deliberations by the jury of seven men and two women began Wednesday.

Apple and Samsung combined account for more than half of global smartphone sales. Samsung has sold 22.7 million smartphones and tablets that Apple claimed uses its technology. McElhinny said those devices accounted for $8.16 billion in sales since June 2010.

From the beginning, legal experts and Wall Street analysts viewed Samsung as the underdog in the case. Apple's headquarters is a mere 10 miles from the San Jose courthouse, and jurors were picked from the heart of Silicon Valley where Jobs is a revered technological pioneer.

While the legal and technological issues were complex, patent expert Alexander I. Poltorak previously said the case would likely boil down to whether jurors believed Samsung's products look and feel almost identical to Apple's iPhone and iPad.

To overcome that challenge at trial, Samsung's lawyers argued that many of Apple's claims of innovation were either obvious concepts or ideas stolen from Sony Corp. and others. Experts called that line of argument a high-risk strategy because of Apple's reputation as an innovator.

Apple's lawyers argued there is almost no difference between Samsung products and those of Apple, and presented internal Samsung documents they said showed it copied Apple designs. Samsung lawyers insisted that several other companies and inventors had previously developed much of the Apple technology at issue.

The U.S. trial is just the latest skirmish between the two tech giants over product designs. Apple and Samsung have filed similar lawsuits in eight other countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Australia.

Samsung won a home court ruling earlier Friday in the global patent battle against Apple. Judges in Seoul said Samsung didn't copy the look and feel of the iPhone and ruled that Apple infringed on Samsung's wireless technology.

However, the judges also said Samsung violated Apple's technology behind the feature that causes a screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image. Both sides were ordered to pay limited damages.

The Seoul ruling was a rare victory for Samsung in its arguments that Apple has infringed on its wireless technology patents. Samsung's claims have previously been shot down by courts in Europe, where judges have ruled that Samsung patents were part of industry standards that must be licensed under fair terms to competitors.

The U.S. case is one of some 50 lawsuits among myriad telecommunications companies jockeying for position in the burgeoning $219 billion market for computer tablets and smartphones.

The storm, currently packing tropical storm force winds of between 39 and 74 mph, is not projected to strengthen into a hurricane until it clears the Keys and moves into the Gulf.

A surfers swim out to sea at Manresa beach as Tropical Storm Isaac approaches Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Isaac strengthened slightly as it spun toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but seemed unlikely to gain enough steam early Friday to strike as a hurricane. The storm's failure to gain the kind of strength in the Caribbean that forecasters initially projected made it more likely that Isaac won't become a hurricane until it enters the Gulf of Mexico, said Eric Blake, a forecaster with U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. (AP Photo/Manuel Diaz)

The most up-to-date forecast of Tropical Storm Isaac's potential track has it traveling northwest in the Gulf of Mexico after passing over Haiti, Cuba and the Florida Keys.

On Friday, officials in the Keys announced they won't be instituting an evacuation for tourists.

Tropical Storm Isaac, currently packing tropical storm force winds of between 39 and 74 mph, is not projected to strengthen into a hurricane until it clears the Keys and moves into the Gulf. That could happen Sunday.

In the Gulf, oil drilling teams are evacuating. The exodus has sent oil prices higher on the threat of a disruption in production there, Bloomberg News reports.

The storm track has Isaac making landfall in the Florida panhandle.

According to the National Weather Service's latest Tropical Storm Isaac public advisory, the storm has temporarily slowed down, but is still expected to make landfall in Haiti late Friday.

Here is a portion of that advisory:

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * HAITI

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
* HAITI
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF CIEGO DE AVILA...SANCTI SPIRITUS...VILLA
CLARA...CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA...HOLGUIN...SANTIAGO DE
CUBA...AND GUANTANAMO
* ANDROS ISLAND
* THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG
ISLAND...RUM CAY...AND SAN SALVADOR
* SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE ACKLINS...CROOKED ISLAND...LONG
CAY...THE INAGUAS...MAYAGUANA...AND THE RAGGED ISLANDS
* TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF MATANZAS AND CIENFUEGOS
* JAMAICA
* THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...INCLUDING THE ABACOS...BERRY ISLANDS...
BIMINI...ELEUTHERA...GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...AND NEW PROVIDENCE.
* THE FLORIDA KEYS INCLUDING THE DRY TORTUGAS
* THE FLORIDA EAST COAST SOUTH OF JUPITER INLET
* THE FLORIDA WEST COAST SOUTH OF BONITA BEACH
* FLORIDA BAY AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Players were not surprised at a deal that will rock the baseball world.

Associated PressBoston Red Sox's Josh Beckett is still scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox Saturday night, but he might be headed to Los Angeles and the Dodgers instead.

BOSTON - In a dizzying day of rumor and activity, the Red Sox found themselves poised to make a trade that would change the direction of the franchise.

The Sox were engaged in talks with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a deal that looked destined to send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to LA for first baseman James Loney and four prospects.

The minor leaguers were pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster, outfielder Jerry Sands and second baseman Ivan DeJesus Jr.

Gonzalez declined comment before Friday's game against Kansas City. Seven minutes before the scheduled first pitch, he was scratched from the Red Sox lineup, a telling sign that negotiations were heating up.

On the West Coast, the Dodgers announced that Loney would not play against Miami.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he has not been part of the discussions, nor does he need to be.

"It's all in the works. I have a lot on my plate, and the last thing I need is a lot of what-ifs,'' Valentine said.

The manager said he spoke to Gonzalez when the player was pulled from the lineup.

"He had heard about it. He wasn't surprised,'' Valentine said.

"He asked, did this happen? I said no, but it might.''

The prize for Boston would be De La Rosa, 23, a top right-handed pitching prospect who has returned from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Sands has hit 117 minor league homers, with a season high of 35. The deal would also allow Boston to shed all or part $263 million in salary commitments to three players whose long-term deals have become albatrosses to the club.

Gonzalez is owed more than $130 million in a deal that stretches to 2018. He is an outstanding player and by no means a problem, but he has become visibly annoyed with the constant turmoil and scrutiny involved with playing in Boston.

Crawford just underwent Tommy John elbow surgery. He is owed more than $100 million on a contract through 2017.

While debate has occurred over whether Gonzalez is worth the money he is paid, Crawford has been an unmitigated bust in Boston. Dumping Beckett, though, would likely be viewed as the most appealing part of the entire deal.

The right-hander is 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA and has not won since July 15. He will be owed $31 million over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and questions about his clubhouse influence have dominated the headlines since last September.

The deal would plunge first-year general manager Ben Cherington into the spotlight, not unlike the way the 2004 Nomar Garciaparra trade stamped Theo Epstein as a GM of boldness and substance.

Beyond the electrifying nature of each deal, however, they could not be more different. The 2004 trade filled holes in a talented Red Sox lineup, and helped make the World Series title that year a reality.

This deal would represent a makeover unlike any the Red Sox have undertaken in memory.

It would be a break from the Epstein-generated strategy of spending big money in the 2010-11 offseason and building the team around Crawford, Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and a pitching staff that relied on Beckett.

Beckett is scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox Saturday. Valentine said on Friday that he was still the listed starter.

The Dodgers were awarded a waiver claim on Gonzalez, and put in a claim for Beckett Friday.

Beckett would need to give his approval, since he is a 10-year veteran with at least five years on his current team.

He has not indicated how he would respond, but Los Angeles would carry appeal as a good team in a major market.

Gonzalez is a different story. He is hitting .300 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs, and leads the major leagues with a .400 average with runners in scoring position.

Red Sox players were not surprised at the pending deal.

"Nothing would shock me. It happens all the time - that's the way the game is,'' outfielder Cody Ross said.

"One day you're here, one day you're not. Everyone here is fair game,'' shortstop Mike Aviles said.

"I can't comment on it till it's done. I can't say how I'll feel about it till it happens,'' pitcher Jon Lester said.

Valentine knows the long-term benefits would come at the loss of a star first baseman.

"We win, lose, and go through a lot together. But if Adrian is not here, it's hard to say that helps the team,'' he said.

The Dodgers would not entertain trade talks involving De La Rosa before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. His fastball has been timed at 100 miles per hour.

He was 4-5 in 13 games with 10 starts for the Dodgers in 2011, but underwent Tommy John surgery that August.

He was recalled to the majors Wednesday, walked two batters and was charged with two runs in two-thirds of an inning. The appearance was probably designed to showcase that he was healthy.

De La Rosa's fastball has been timed in the 90s since the surgery, and he believes he could reach 100 again. He was optioned to Double A after his Wednesday outing against San Francisco.

The left-handed Loney, 28, is a gifted defensive first baseman and a .284 career hitter who averaged 12.6 home runs per year from 2007-2011. He is hitting .254 with four home runs this year.

A look at the good and the bad from Friday's loss.

APNew England Patriots running back Jeff Demps brings the ball out of the end zone during an NFL preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday, August 24, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers defeated the Patriots 30-28.

Assessing what went well and what didn't during the Patriots' 30-28 loss to Tampa Bay Friday night:

The Good

Jeff Demps debuts: Is the rookie running back worth the hype? We won’t know until turning over the calendar a few more times, but he sure is exciting. Demps caused the world to sit up and take notice when he broke loose for a 29-yard run in the fourth quarter and seemingly arrived in the second level immediately after hitting the hole. The former Olympic sprinter, who won a silver medal as a member of the 4 x 100 relay team, made little impact in the return game (two returns for 44 yards), and clearly has no grasp on the playbook after signing last weekend, but showed enough to create excitement for the future.

Chandler Jones is a beast: Jones already proved that he’s a monster in the preseason debut. But he showed it again in a series of plays in the third quarter. On first down he shed a block and stuffed Tampa running back on third down, created enough pressure on second down to cause a Josh Freeman incompletion, and would have had a sack on third down if he were a step quicker. To make up for the lost opportunity, he shook his way out of a hold and brought Freeman to the ground two downs later.

Ryan Mallet’s performance: Bill Belichick said after the game that he isn’t ready to name a backup quarterback, but Mallett may force his hand. He followed up a strong performance against the Eagles (10 of 20, 105 yards) with another one against the Bucs. Entering the game in the fourth quarter, he completed 7-of-13 passes for 67 yards with two touchdowns. The highlight of his day came at the end of the fourth quarter when he evaded the rush, scrambled to the outside, and then jumped in the air to deliver a low strike to Jesse Holley in the back of the end zone.

Stevan Ridley: It was just a generally strong night for Ridley. He ran 16 times for 87 yards with a touchdown on a night where the first-team offense struggled at times to move the ball.The Bad

Offensive line: Once again, the patchwork crew couldn’t protect Tom Brady. Only this time it resulted in Brady taking a beating for three quarters. There’s plenty of blame to around, as almost everyone failed to do their job, but you never want to see the franchise getting abused in a meaningless game. The good news is that Logan Mankins made his first appearance after starting the season on the PUP list, playing a pair of first-quarter series. Sebastian Vollmer shouldn’t be far behind after dressing but not playing Friday.

Injuries: It seemed like everyone got hurt in this game. Running back Shane Vereen suffered a left foot injury, fullback Spencer Larsen banged up his knee, and safety Steve Gregory injured his thigh. Cornerback Kyle Arrington limped to the locker room at halftime and offensive lineman Nick McDonald turned up with an arm injury after the game.

Belichick’s reaction: If there were any good feelings about this one, Belichick erased them after the game.

His general feelings on the game: “I think it was pretty obvious tonight that we got a lot of work to do. We have a long way to go. We really didn’t perform to the level that we need to, in any area. When you can’t score offensively, and give up a lot of points on defense, and don’t make any plays in the kicking game, then you don’t really have a good chance to win and that’s pretty much the way it was tonight. We’re nowhere close to where we need to be. Hopefully we can close the gap here pretty soon.”

On Brady taking a beating: “We didn’t do anything offensively except lose yardage and turn the ball over, so yeah, it was tough to watch any of what we did offensively. There wasn’t anything. We throw them the ball. Can’t make any yards in the running game. Third-and-long all day. Yeah, it was real hard to watch.”

On the run defense: “We didn’t really make any game-changing plays, no turnovers, didn’t put them in long yardage very often, they did what they wanted to do. Scored 30 points.”
And we thought the run defense was pretty stout.

Mankins made his return from knee surgery Friday night.

AP file photoLogan Mankins.

Logan Mankins made his return to the field and played in a few offensive series in his first game action since having his right knee surgically repaired during the offseason.

Mankins told reporters that he was on a play-limit during Friday’s 30-28 loss to Tampa Bay and was forced to go the sidelines midway through his second series. He said he felt fine after the game.

“I survived,” Mankins said. “I didn’t get anyone killed out there.”

His teammates also did, though. With right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back) dressed but playing in his first game back since being removed from the physically unable to perform list, New England was once again forced to employ a patchwork offensive line.

As has been the case throughout the preseason, the group struggled. Only this time Tom Brady played three quarters, so the mistakes were magnified. The low point came when backup right tackle Marcus Cannon was beaten off the edge and gave up a strip sack. But as bad as it was, Mankins believes there is room for growth.

”How does a team respond from this? Do we learn from it, do we improve from it? Does it motivate us to work harder, study harder?” Mankins told reporters. ”I think any time you have as many plays go the way we did that were disappointing, I think you just have to see how the team sees those plays and responds to those plays.”