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New England Patriots cornerback Marquice Cole is flying high following Friday's game against Tampa Bay

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A look at how a few players saw their stock change.

aaron-hernandez.jpgNew England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez warms up prior to an NFL preseason football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots in Tampa, Fla., Friday, Aug. 24, 2012.

We already went over some topics in an earlier post. To avoid being redundant, we kindly ask that you also check out that post to see some other players that deserve to be highlighted.

With the above disclaimer in place, here is a look at a how few players (who weren’t previously mentioned) saw their stock change during Friday’s loss to Tampa Bay.

Flying high

Marquice Cole – Cole may have won a roster spot with his performance Friday night. Covering the slot, the cornerback was strong in coverage and showed up with a pair of nice pass breakups, nearly recording an interception on one.

Nate Ebner – It’s easy to forget that Ebner played just three defensive snaps as a senior at Ohio State. The safety looks pretty polished. After recording an interception last week. Ebner played a role in the nickel package early in Friday’s game and later received some snaps with the starters. He finished with six tackles.

Aaron Hernandez – He’s been the most electrifying pass catcher during training camp, and now it’s showing up in games. Hernandez may end up being the Patriots’ biggest weapon this season if he stays healthy. Returning punts, like he did against the Bucs, won’t help accomplish that task.

In the doghouse

Donte Stallworth – Even with Wes Welker on the shelf, Stallworth couldn’t get on the field early in the game. He didn’t do anything wrong to land on this list, and he actually played well (three receptions, 40 yards), but it seems like he’s buried on the depth chart.

Brandon Lloyd-Tom Brady connection – Not to be an alarmist, but Lloyd has absolutely no chemistry with Brady at this point. Everything they’re doing in games appears to be forced and awkward. Their connection should develop over time, it just isn’t there yet.

Marcus Cannon – We already touched on this one in a previous post or two, but Cannon played horribly. He got Brady crushed on a strip sack, and continues to prove that he has no business on the top offensive line. If he’s the top backup, the Patriots will have huge problems if Sebastian Vollmer goes down with an injury.


Editorial: Scott Brown shies away from key role at Republican National Convention

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It's beginning to sound like the junior Senator from Massachusetts is going to enjoy the convention as much as most of us would a root canal.

082412_scott_Brown_friendly's.JPGU.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., is offered an ice cream cone after his tour of the Friendly's plant in Wilbraham on Friday. At left is his wife Gail Huff and Friendly's CEO John M. Maguire. Brown accepted the offer of ice cream, but has declined an offer to speak at the Republican National Convention.

Following advice from mothers everywhere not to say anything if you can’t say something nice, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has politely declined an invitation to speak at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, saying instead that he was going down “just to enjoy.”

Nor is he planning to enjoy the company of his fellow Republicans for very long, adding that he will attend only one day of the four-day convention.

“I have a race to run,” he said.

All of which sounds a bit curious to us since we always figured that the whole point of a convention was for voters to get to know their candidates and help cobble out their parties’ platform.

But that becomes a bit problematic when the candidate is more interested in being seen as an independent than a partisan, and when he finds that he must run away from a good portion of his party’s core beliefs.

For example, the Republican Party platform position calling for a constitutional amendment banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest presents a sticky wicket for Brown, who says he respects the pro-choice moderates within the party. Yet rather than trying to present that position on the convention floor, or argue for a change in the platform, Brown said that was “up to others,” since presumably he has a race to win.

It’s beginning to sound like he’s going to enjoy the convention as much as most of us would a root canal.

Certainly the role of political conventions has changed over the years. There was a time when they provided a vigorous forum for the debate of platform positions and when candidates could make themselves known to voters on a national stage.

Yet that seems to be exactly what Scott Brown is disinclined to do.

It will be interesting to see if Elizabeth Warren finds a better use of her time than attending the Democratic National Convention for its entirety and making her positions clear and forcefully during that time.

After all, she has a race to win, too.

United Way of Hampshire County gets input for allocating youth funds

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The survey endorsed investment in preventative strategies that address the needs of children at an early and engage their families as a whole.

NORTHAMPTON — United Way of Hampshire County is looking to fine-tune its focus on children and youth with feed-back from professionals and the public.

The agency recently compiled information from 200 surveys asking parents, human service groups and professionals who work with youth how to better allocate United Way funds. The needs of young people is one of three areas that United Way focuses on, along with economic security and health and safety. United Way annually distributes about $700,000 a year to 28 agencies in Hampshire County.

According to Executive Director James Ayers, United Way several years ago switched to a cycle in which it funds each of its three areas of concern for three-year periods instead of year-by-year. In preparation for allocating its support for programs dealing with the social, emotional and cognitive needs of young people, it surveyed area professionals and concerned members of the public on the subject.

Ayers said United Way found out there is a particular need for mentoring at-risk youth. The survey also endorsed investment in preventative strategies that address the needs of children at an early and engage their families as a whole.

Those needs were spelled out in a request for proposals that United Way sent out last month. Ayers said the organization expects to make its awards next March.

“This is a way to make sure we’re spending money as wisely as possible,” he said. “We see it as a way to be as transparent as possible.”

Similar surveys have helped United Way focus its funding on economic security and health and safety as well, Ayers said.

Empire State Building shooting: Gunman Jeffrey Johnson was quiet loner, victim Steve Ercolino outgoing family man

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Investigators were trying to piece together what caused Jeffrey Johnson, a T-shirt designer, to ambush Steve Ercolino, an apparel company vice president.

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By COLLEEN LONG and TOM HAYS

NEW YORK — A gunman who killed a former co-worker in cold blood in the shadow of the Empire State Building and then was shot dead by police after he turned his gun on them spent long hours in the quiet of Central Park, photographing hawks and marveling over nature's beauty.

His victim was a gregarious salesman, beloved by his nieces and nephews as the fun uncle who could talk with equal expertise about the New York Jets and the women's fashion accessories he sold.

Investigators on Saturday were trying to piece together what caused Jeffrey Johnson, a T-shirt designer, to ambush Steve Ercolino, an apparel company vice president, a day earlier outside the Manhattan offices of the company where they once were colleagues.

Police said Johnson hid behind a car and then killed Ercolino with five gunshots as he arrived for work. Johnson then was shot by two police officers who confronted him on a busy sidewalk.

Security camera footage showed the officers had only an instant to react when Johnson suddenly turned as they approached and pointed his gun at them, his arm cocked as if to fire.

Their encounter was over in eight seconds. The officers, who had been standing nearly close enough to shake hands with Johnson and had no opportunity to take cover, fired almost immediately.

Nine bystanders were wounded in the 16-shot volley, likely by stray or ricocheting police bullets. None of their injuries was life-threatening, police said.

Police investigating Johnson's killing of Ercolino were eyeing bad blood between them from when they worked together at Hazan Import, a garment district business where Ercolino was a vice president of sales.

Johnson and Ercolino had traded harassment accusations when they worked together, police said, and when Johnson was laid off from the company a year ago he blamed Ercolino, saying he hadn't aggressively marketed his new T-shirt line.

After Johnson's layoff, neighbors said, he continued to leave his apartment every day in a suit.

Internet records listed Johnson as the administrator of the website for a business called St. Jolly's Art, which sold iron-on graphic art for T-shirts. Art for sale on the site included stylized drawings of fighter planes and muscle cars and whimsical "seafaring vignettes" featuring pirate maidens and tall ships.

Johnson also was part of a community of bird watchers and photographers who document hawks and other wildlife living in Central Park, a few blocks from his home.

In one email to another bird watcher who works at The Associated Press, Johnson wrote tenderly about spending a winter night watching ducks in the park.

"Near midnight by the Harlem Meer I watched a little 'flotilla' of Mallards swimming and softly honking ... fifteen degree temp and they were carrying on unfazed. Just remarkable," he wrote.

His photographs of Central Park's hawk population appeared regularly on blogs tracking the birds.

A neighbor who often saw Johnson, 58, said he was always alone.

"I always felt bad," said Gisela Casella, who lived a few floors above Johnson in a modest apartment building on the Upper East Side. "I said, 'Doesn't he have a girlfriend?' I never saw him with anybody."

Ercolino, 41, was described by his relatives as the opposite of a quiet loner.

His eldest brother, Paul Ercolino, said he was a gregarious salesman who often traveled, had a loving girlfriend and was the life of any family gathering.

"He was in the prime of his life," he said. "He would do anything for anybody at any time. ... He was so wonderful with my children. At Christmastime, he was the one who always had the best presents for the kids."

Paul Ercolino said his brother, known to nieces and nephews as Uncle Ducky because of his nearly blond hair, had followed his father into the garment industry after growing up in Nanuet, just north of New York City, then later worked in women's handbags and accessories. He said his brother had never mentioned to the family that he had any problems with a co-worker.

Hazan Import Corp. executives didn't return phone calls seeking comment Friday.

Johnson, after waiting for Steve Ercolino to come to work, walked up to him, pulled out a .45-caliber pistol and fired at his head, police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. After Ercolino fell to the ground, Johnson stood over him and shot four more times, a witness told investigators.

"Jeffrey just came from behind two cars, pulled out his gun, put it up to Steve's head and shot him," said Carol Timan, whose daughter, Irene Timan, was walking to Hazan Imports at the time with Ercolino.

In security camera footage released by the police, Johnson can be seen walking calmly down the sidewalk after the shooting, distancing himself slightly from the other pedestrians, who appear to have no awareness that anything is wrong.

But when two police officers approach in a hurry, Johnson turns and pulls a handgun from a bag. Then, the scene explodes into action. People seated on a bench behind the gunman and pedestrians standing close to the two officers run for their lives.

Only a young child seems not to react, strolling out of view of the camera as adults all around leap away in terror.

Startled New Yorkers later looked up from their morning routines in the crowded business district to see people sprawled in the streets bleeding and a tarp covering a body in front of the tourist landmark.

"I was on the bus, and people were yelling 'Get down! Get down!" accountant Marc Engel said. "I was thinking, 'You people are crazy. No one is shooting in the middle of midtown Manhattan at 9 o'clock in the morning.'"

It was over in seconds, he said — "a lot of pop, pop, pop, pop, one shot after the other."

Afterward, he saw sidewalks littered with the wounded, including one man "dripping enough blood to leave a stream."

The officers who fired were part a detail regularly assigned to patrol landmarks such as the 1,454-foot-tall skyscraper since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, officials said.

Kelly, the police commissioner, said the officers who confronted Johnson had "a gun right in their face" and "responded quickly, and they responded appropriately."

"These officers, having looked at the tape myself, had absolutely no choice," he said.

A witness had told police that Johnson fired at the officers, but authorities say ballistics evidence doesn't support that. Johnson's gun held seven rounds, they said. He fired five times at Ercolino, one round was still in the gun and one was ejected when officers secured it, authorities said.

A loaded magazine was found in Johnson's briefcase.

Johnson legally bought the gun in Sarasota, Fla., in 1991, but he didn't have a permit to possess it in New York City, authorities said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said New York still is the safest big city in the country, on pace to have a record low number of murders this year.

"But we are not immune to the national problem of gun violence," he said of the shooting, following mass shootings at a Colorado movie theater and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

The nine people wounded outside the Empire State Building were all from New York City, except for a woman from Chapel Hill, N.C. They suffered graze wounds or other minor injuries.

Metal detectors and bag searchers have been standard at the Empire State Building since 1997, when a gunman opened fire on the 86th-floor observation deck, killing one tourist and wounding six others before fatally shooting himself.

The skyscraper remained open Friday throughout the mayhem, although its workers became witnesses.

"We were just working here and we just heard bang, bang, bang!" said Mohammed Bachchu, a worker at a nearby souvenir shop.

He said he rushed from the building and saw seven people lying on the ground, covered in blood.

Rebecca Fox said she saw people running down the street and initially thought it was a celebrity sighting, but then she saw a woman shot in the foot and a man dead on the ground.

"I was scared and shocked and literally shaking," she said. "It was like 'CSI,' but it was real."

Contributing to this report from New York were Alex Katz, Samantha Gross, Julie Walker, David B. Caruso, Adam Geller, Karen Matthews, Ula Ilnytzky, Anne D'Innocenzio and Meghan Barr.

Letters to The Editor: Neighborhood input needed on Springfield casino site; Romney-Ryan ticket troubling for women; and more

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Letter-writer: With a Romney/Ryan ticket, the stakes in November couldn't be higher.

Neighborhood input needed on casino site

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If Springfield’s citizens decide at the ballot box that they want casino gaming in our city, shouldn’t we also have a voice in which neighborhood the proposed casino should be located?

Springfield’s situation is unique because of the possibility of multiple bidders. I feel that the decision to pick which neighborhood (and subsequent casino bidder) wins over the others is just too important to be decided by the mayor and City Council.

If the citizens get to have a voice, or better yet, a vote on this matter, it legitimizes all aspects of that decision. It protects the citizens legally and removes any questions of improprieties. Related expenses incurred should be reimbursed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission from the fees they received from the bidding casinos.

– DANIEL ANGERS, Springfield


Romney-Ryan ticket troubling for women

082412 mitt romney paul ryan.JPGRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, and his vice presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., greet supporters during a campaign event at the Long Family Orchard Farm and Cider Mill in Commerce Township, Mich., on Friday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Regarding the Aug. 20 article, “Democrats target Paul Ryan on Women’s Issues,” we now have a full picture of this ticket, and it is deeply troubling for any woman who wants to make her own medical decisions and have access to basic health care.

Massachusetts family planning providers like Planned Parenthood have seen firsthand the women who are being hurt by the dangerous and out-of-touch policies that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan support.

Just like Romney, Ryan wants to end safe and legal abortion; would work to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood’s cancer screenings, birth control, and other basic health care; and would repeal the Affordable Care Act, denying access to birth control, well-woman checkups, and other preventive care.

With a Romney/Ryan ticket, the stakes in November couldn’t be higher which is why anyone who cares about women’s health needs to make their voices heard at the polls on Nov. 6.

– DIANNE LUBY, President, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund, Springfield


Museum’s Sara Orr a treasured worker

saraorr.JPGSara Orr, director of public relations and marketing at the Springfied Museums, is retiring at the end of the month after a career of more than three decades. She is shown here in the R. E. Phelon African Hall of the Science Museum, where she first started to work at the Quadrangle.

Anne-Gerard Flynn’s Aug. 13 story about Sara Orr’s retirement from her 36-year career with the Springfield Museums was superb, and so much more than the usual dry business announcement of a workplace departure.

Like Sara, I also became involved with the Springfield Quadrangle in about 1976 and have known her since then.

When Sara leaves, along with her will go an incredible amount of expertise, wisdom, knowledge and what is often called an “institutional memory,” something that is in short supply these days. Perhaps because she has hands-on experience with volunteerism, multi-media and more than a healthy dose of diplomacy, Sara is unique. Always even-tempered, forthright and blessed with a rare sixth sense that often saved the day, Sara managed to accomplish so much with grace and a smile.

It is hoped that the years ahead will be fruitful and satisfying for Sara in the presence of her family and her favorite things.

– FRANCES GAGNON, Springfield


Passing of Pesky stirs fond memories

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Garry Brown’s article, “Sox lose a legend in Johnny Pesky,” brought back some wonderful memories of my youth growing up in West Springfield, during the 1940s.

Since this was the pre-TV era, the radio was our only dependable source of entertainment for both sports as well as weekly serial programs such as “Amos & Andy”, “The Lone Ranger”, “The Green Hornet” and many others which allowed us to imagine all of the exciting drama which was unfolding before us.

On Saturday, my friend and I would either attend the movies at the Broadway (Springfield) for the unbelievable price of only 99 cents or at the Majestic in West Springfield for a special matinee price of 35 cents. When we returned home, we would spend the rest of the afternoon re-enacting the movie which, in most instances, was a Western. Our Western heroes were John “The Duke” Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

On Sunday afternoons, my dad and I would listen to the Red Sox with my childhood heroes of Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doer, Dom DiMaggio and Mel Parnell.

My Western heroes have ridden down the Long Trail toward the sunset and my Red Sox heroes are now playing in a beautiful ballpark where only happiness and perfect playing conditions will be theirs for eternity.

Since I had to use my imagination as a youngster, it is not hard to perceive that, standing at the Heavenly Gates, Saint Peter will say to Johnny Pesky “Johnny, welcome home. How about playing a little baseball with your many friends who have been waiting for this special day.”

– JOHN R. VENNARD, Springfield


Penn State penalties tough on the innocent

letters.jpgSubmit your letters to The Republican at letters@repub.com. All letters must include the writer's name, address and telephone number or e-mail address, and are subject to editing.

Before offering my comments I want to state that I was a victim of sexual abuse by a priest. In his recent column about Penn State, Ron Chimelis claims as inevitable that the innocent must suffer with the guilty and that it is the “only remedy that might deter future transgressions elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, I think the excessive penalties put too much of a burden on the present staff and students. Isn’t a better solution to target those who were immediately responsible for the abuse and impose just penalties? In the case of Wall Street, we taxpayers bailed out the financial institutions while those immediately responsible went off free, even taking home huge bonuses. We, the innocent, need to claim and receive those bonuses. Related to this, on a personal level I chose not to sue the diocese simply because I figured the money would be coming from the collection basket my family members contributed to and at the same time would affect the ministry of the diocese especially directed to those most in need.

In the current news, I read with much gratitude the way Bishop Maguire responded – he took personal responsibility for what happened and offered sincere regret in asking for forgiveness and understanding. His response is much different from the present Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict never responded to the allegations around his role in covering up the pedophile priests when he was Archbishop in Germany. He and Pope John Paul II presided over the silence of the Vatican during years of abuse. In fact Pope John Paul II awarded Cardinal Law with a position in Rome when he was forced to leave Boston because of the “mess” he presided over for many years. And now Pope John Paul II is being called “blessed” on his way to receiving the title of saint. Sounds like the bonuses Wall Street executives received.

The above situations are all related in so many ways and to me add up to the need to penalize those who are responsible and not the innocent.

– MAURICE J. PROULX, Springfield

Indian Orchard pizza shop owners victims of "black money" scam, investigators say

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The scam, which involves black construction paper cut to the size of U.S. currency, involves telling the victim the "bills" have been drenched in black ink to clear U.S. Customs and that they can be' restored' with a special chemical cleansing.

fbi-black-money.jpgMaterials seized by the FBI in connection with a so-called "Black Money Scam" in Honolulu.

SPRINGFIELD -- A former Maryland resident was held without the right to bail after a hearing in U.S. District Court on Friday in connection with a so-called "black money" scam leveled against two pizza shop owners in Indian Orchard, according to court records.

Cole Williams, 31, was arraigned in federal court as his defense lawyer requested a competency hearing, suggesting Williams did not understand the charges against him. They include conspiracy, wire fraud and possession of altered U.S. currency with intent to defraud.

A federal magistrate judge entered not guilty pleas on Williams' behalf.

A grand jury indictment handed up Aug. 9 states that Williams and a co-conspirator approached the owners of Village Pizza on Main Street in Indian Orchard. Williams and the unnamed co-conspirator offered to buy the pizza shop for $150,000 with "black money" smuggled in from Somalia, according to the charges.

Such schemes also are commonly known as "White Money Scams" or "Nigerian Money Washing schemes."

Through various means, investigators say scammers approach victims either via the Internet or personally with bundles of black paper cut in the shape of U.S. currency. The scammers contend the bills have been drenched in black ink to clear U.S. Customs, but can be restored with a special chemical cleansing, purported to be an expensive process the victims are asked to finance.

The charges in this case state Williams and another man approached the pizza shop owners in July of 2011 and presented a demonstration, "cleansing" $100 bills, before asking for $50,000 to obtain the $150,000 in "black money" they needed to buy the shop.

"We were in debt to the state, $50,000 in taxes," said VIllage Pizza co-owner Ramzi Gok, during an interview at the small shop on Friday afternoon, referring to a debt incurred when they opened a diner in Chicopee in 2008, just before the economic downturn. "These two guys approached us and came in a few times and said they were looking for a place to buy. We thought it would be great so we could pay off the debt."

Gok, a native of Turkey who owns the pizza shop wedged between a bar and a Zumba studio, said the men seemed sophisticated and spoke English well. He said he and his partner, Ahmet Citlak, bought the shop in 2010 and hoped to generate enough income to pay down their state debt.

"Late one evening, AC and RG again met at Village Pizza with the two men. The two men repeated the same process. They made stacks of bills by alternating the black money with AC's genuine $100 bills, wrapped the stacks in aluminum foil, and prepared a hot chemical bath," a complaint by a U.S. Secret Service Agent filed in connection with the case, which only identifies Citlak and Gok by their initials, reads. "Williams told AC and RG that the chemicals were poisonous and could kill them, so AC and RG stayed outside the bathroom."

The pizza shop owners were instructed not to open a black trash bag that contained the "cleansed" bills for 12 hours, and that Williams and the other man would return the next morning to finish the process and buy the business.

The following day, the two men never returned or called, according to the complaint.

"AC became suspicious and opened the black bag and discovered that it contained only black paper and none of their genuine currency," records state.

Gok said he and Citlak called local police who shepherded them to the Secret Service. When asked by a reporter about whether he had concerns that the men's alleged proposal was illegal, he said they were confused about the details.

"After it happened, we said: We are the stupid ones. But they were very professional. This has destroyed the lives of everyone involved," Gok said, adding that he and his partner had borrowed the $50,000 from friends and family. "But we were not the only ones. They have done this before."

Indeed, the complaint details other alleged attempts by Williams and a co-conspirator to scam other business owners in other states.

Gok said their state debt has triggered the suspension of their drivers' licenses, effective on Monday.

Federal agents tracked Williams through cell phone records the Indian Orchard men provided.

In court on Friday, Williams' court-appointed defense lawyer, Jeanne A. Liddy, did not contest the government's motion to detain Williams but asked that he be evaluated. She told U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth P. Neiman that Williams did not appear to understand the charges against him. He maintained a rather vacant look on his face throughout the proceeding.

Neiman noted that Williams had appeared before him earlier, after Williams' arrest in New York, and that Williams informed the judge he had only eaten two pieces of bread before his prior court appearance. But in fact, Williams had a full breakfast, two sandwiches, dessert and beverages on the government's dime while being held in the custody of U.S. Marshals that day.

"He may not be honest," but Williams appeared not to be mentally impaired thus far, Neiman said, inviting Liddy to file a written motion to request an evaluation before the defendant's next court appearance on Oct. 5.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow told Neiman that while prosecutors would not oppose a request for a mental evaluation, his impression was that Williams is "crazy like a fox," judging from accounts of the investigation.

Williams faces a maximum of up to 45 years in prison.

"I'm not interested in how much prison time he gets. We just want to get our money back and pay our debts," Gok said.

Life goes on for the New England Patriots following release of Deion Branch

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Those that survived cut-down day keep playing. The rest are left waiting by the phone.

deion-branch.jpgNew England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch (84) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Foxborough, Mass., Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.

The nameplate hanging over Deion Branch's locker still stood at Gillette Stadium. His assortment of gloves were still neatly strapped around a metal bar, pointing toward the sky, as they always have. His boom box, which often competed with Chad Johnson's musical tastes last season, sat lonely, waiting for an iPod to bring it to life.

All the evidence suggested that Deion Branch's laugh would soon be heard echoing through the halls, announcing his arrival long before his signature smile popped through the door.

But Branch wasn't coming. While his items remained, waiting to be carelessly thrown in boxes and sent off following his release Friday, the player sat at home, stuck in purgatory, impatiently waiting for a call that may never come.

"I think of that on days when people go like last Friday. It's like, 'Man ,that could be me one day,'" tight end Rob Gronkowski said, looking over the media toward Branch's locker, one of the last remnants of New England's nearly extinct Super Bowl era. "It was definitely a tough time."

As Gronkowski finished speaking and reporters broke off into clusters throughout the locker room, an assortment of foreign faces were ushered into the locker room.

In one corner former Bengals fullback James Develin sat, unrecognized by the masses, filling out paperwork with a staff member. Center Matt Tennant, signed Saturday evening, rushed in, stopping at his locker long enough to drop off a few items before scurrying off to a meeting.

Up a few lockers, Brandon Lloyd, the new present of the Patriots' receiving corps, held court. Unlike Branch, who dressed next to Tom Brady, Lloyd's stall stands across the room, splitting the tight ends.

Lloyd was peppered with questions about his chemistry with Brady, place in the offense, and the progress he made during the preseason, but he deflected all inquiries with an 'I don't know' or a laugh. He was unaware that Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP and face of the franchise, was released and offered no comment after being informed of the move that shocked the region.

As he spoke, Greg Salas, a wide receiver acquired Saturday in a trade with St. Louis, walked across the locker room with a staff member, en route to pick up his playbook and other team-issued gear.

Lloyd, who played with Salas last year in St. Louis, said he knew nothing about the former fourth-round pick, but said he could identify him in a lineup if asked, even if there was no evidence of that Sunday.

But the temperature was different down the other side of the room. Those that have been around Branch and got to know him could feel the move reverberating throughout the stadium.

"It always humbles you. I think you got to realize how blessed you are to have the opportunity to continue to play," cornerback Devin McCourty said. "To get released, you definitely feel for those guys. Like I tell a lot of people, it's one of the worst days of being in the NFL."

But with that day in the past, as horrific as it may have been for some, life goes on for a new era of New England Patriots. The rest are left waiting by the phone.

James Ihedigbo signs with Ravens

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It didn't take long for Ihedigbo to find a new home.

It didn't take long for James Ihedigbo to find a new home.

The Amherst native signed with the Baltimore Ravens after being released by New England Sunday.

"Fresh start...God is good..honored to be a Baltimore Raven," Ihedigbo tweeted Sunday morning.

Ihedigbo, 28, started 12 games at safety last season after being signed prior to the season. He battled shoulder injuries most of the season and became expendable after rookie Nate Ebner emerged as a viable option at safety and on special teams.


Patriots ready to turn the page to regular season, Titans

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With preseason over, the Patriots are now focused on the regular season.

belichick-pats.jpgBill Belichick.

FOXBOROUGH -- It's time to turn the page.

That was the overriding theme in the New England Patriots' locker room Sunday morning. Deion Branch is gone, things didn't go perfect during the preseason and no one knows if guard Brian Waters is going to play this year -- but none of that matters now.

The season starts Sunday in Tennessee and all systems are moving ahead with whoever is currently on board.

"It just shows it's pretty crazy seeing your friends go but that's last week now and just focus on the game now, Tennessee," tight end Rob Gronkowski said. "Just going to be preparing hard, mentally, physically getting ready."

For some those preparations began long ago. Head coach Bill Belichick said that he started preparing for the Titans since the schedule came out this winter and he began preparing his team for the game as soon as the preseason ended.

His players just don't know it yet.

"We'll probably start soon, we're always doing little things," Cornerback Devin McCourty said. "For us, as players, I think sometimes we do things for teams that we don't even know. We're just out there doing what coach says."

Gronkowski, in particular, is starting become over anxious for the start of the season. The last time he was on the field he was playing on an injured ankle, relegated to serve as little more than a decoy during the Super Bowl.

He's now ready to pick up where he left off after last season and prove that his ankle is fully healthy following offseason surgery .

" Definitely anxious," Gronkowski said. "You dig in big, physically, mentally, everything. It's game-time now. this is what counts. This is what starts the season is this game. Everything from here on our matters."

New England Patriots running back Jeff Demps done for year

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Demps is not eligible to return under the new injured-reserve rules.

Jeff DempsNew England Patriots running back Jef Demps before an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed that rookie running back Jeff Demps is done for the season after being placed on injured reserve Friday.

There was some confusion about Demps' status since the NFL instituted a new rule that allows teams to place one player on short-term injured reserve, but Demps would have had to remain on the 53-man through Tuesday to be eligible.

Demps, who won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. 4 x 100 relay team at the Olympics, suffered a leg injury against the Giants in the preseason finale. He is signed through 2014.

PRACTICE PEEK: Safety Steve Gregory, running backs Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen, and tight end Visanthe Shiacoe were not at Sunday's full-pads practice.

Offensive lineman Nick McDonald was not dressed for the session and tight end Aaron Hernandez retreated to the locker room at the start of the session without a member of the training staff. He did not return during the period that is open to media.

Safety Patrick Chung wore a red non-contact jersey.

Dot, dot, dot: The Patriots signed fullback James Develin (6-foot-3, 251 pounds) to the practice squad. He served on the Bengals practice squad last season after a stint in the United Football League. ... Guard Brian Waters still has not reported to work. He signed last year on Sept. 4 and was ready in time for the opener. ... Rookie defensive end Chandler Jones is excited for the opener, though he is still trying to learn how to manage all the free time he has a professional. ... Players are back for practice Monday before having the day off Tuesday.

Partly cloudy, an isolated shower early, low 57

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An isolated shower moves through this afternoon, mostly sunny skies return for Labor Day.

Gallery preview
A small trough moving through the region has triggered brief, isolated showers across western Massachusetts this afternoon. This small chance of rain will continue through the remainder of the afternoon but quickly end this evening. Otherwise, partly cloudy skies overnight with low temperatures in the upper-50s.

High pressure will start strengthening over New England as we head towards Labor Day. A mostly sunny day returns on Monday, and it will stay pretty comfortable with highs once again near 80 degrees just like today.

The remnants of Isaac will come to town for Tuesday and Wednesday. Both of those days will feature a fairly good chance of rain; especially late Tuesday night where about 2-3 inches of rainfall is currently expected when that system comes to town. It will also be very muggy for the middle of the week while the remnants of Isaac are with us. Sunshine returns by the end of the workweek.

Tonight: An isolated shower early, partly cloudy skies, low 57.

Labor Day: Mostly sunny, comfortable, high 80.

Tuesday: Showers, especially in the afternoon, humid, high 78.

Wednesday: Heavy rain in the morning, scattered showers through the afternoon, humid, high 80.

Holyoke motorcycle driver collides with car after performing a "wheelie" and suffers serious injuries

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No charges will be filed until the investigation into the accident is completed.

HOLYOKE – A man who crashed into a car while riding a dirt bike suffered serious injuries and remains in critical condition Sunday.

Perfecto Davila was riding the motorcycle at about 6:30 p.m., Saturday when he collided head-on with a car at the corner of Center and Mosher streets, said Police Sgt. Isaias Cruz, supervisor of the traffic department.

Davila, whose age and address was not available, was originally taken to Baystate Medical Center but was later transferred to Hartford Hospita. The driver of the car was not injured but his Honda was heavily damaged,

“Through our investigation it was learned that the operator of the bike, Perfecto Davila, was operating the dirt bike at high speeds, negligently and recklessly while also performing a wheelie,” Cruz said in a written statement.

Cruz said he went through the stop sign and collided with the Honda. Davila was not wearing a helmet.

It is against Massachusetts general laws to operate a dirt bike on a public way, Police Sgt. Kevin Thomas said.

Police are investigating the theft of the dirt bike at the same time, Cruz said.

“While officers and medical staff were attending to Mr. Davila’s injuries someone dragged the dirt bike from the scene and hid the bike behind a shed at a location in close proximity,” Cruz said.

A witness helped police find the bike. Police towed the bike, which is evidence in the accident, from the scene, he said.

The investigation is continuing. No charges will be filed in the accident or the theft of the bike until the investigation is completed, Cruz said.

Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of Unification Church, dies

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The Unification Church claims millions of members worldwide, though church defectors and other critics say the figure is no more than 100,000.

moon.jpgthe Rev. Sun Myuet Moon taken in 2009..

HYUNG-JIN KIM,Associated Press


GAPYEONG, South Korea (AP) — The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who turned his Unification Church into a worldwide religious movement and befriended North Korean leaders as well as U.S. presidents, has died, church officials said Monday. He was 92.

Moon died Monday at a church-owned hospital near his home in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, two weeks after being hospitalized with pneumonia, Unification Church spokesman Ahn Ho-yeul told The Associated Press. Moon's wife and children were at his side, Ahn said. Church officials planned to meet later Monday to discuss mourning and funeral arrangements.

Moon, born in a town that is now in North Korea, founded his religious movement in Seoul in 1954 after surviving the Korean War. He preached new interpretations of lessons from the Bible.

The church gained fame — and notoriety — in the 1970s and 1980s for holding mass weddings of thousands of followers, often from different countries, whom Moon matched up in a bid to build a multicultural religious world.

The church was accused of using devious recruitment tactics and duping followers out of money; parents of followers in the United States and elsewhere expressed worries that their children were brainwashed into joining. The church responded by saying that many other new religious movements faced similar accusations in their early stages.

In later years, the church adopted a lower profile and focused on building a business empire that included the Washington Times newspaper, the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, Bridgeport University in Connecticut, as well as a hotel and a fledgling automaker in North Korea. It acquired a ski resort, a professional soccer team and other businesses in South Korea, and a seafood distribution firm that supplies sushi to Japanese restaurants across the U.S.

The Unification Church claims millions of members worldwide, though church defectors and other critics say the figure is no more than 100,000.

In 2009, the Unification Church said Moon married 45,000 people in simultaneous ceremonies worldwide in his first large-scale mass wedding in years. Some were newlyweds and others reaffirmed past vows. He married an additional 7,000 couples in South Korea in February 2010. The ceremonies attracted media coverage but little of the controversy that dogged the church in earlier decades.

Born in 1920 in what is today North Korea, Moon said he was 16 when Jesus Christ called upon him to complete his unfinished work. While preaching the gospel in North Korea in the years after the country was divided into the communist-backed North and U.S.-allied South, Moon was imprisoned there in the late 1940s for allegedly spying for South Korea — a charge Moon disputed.

He quickly drew young followers with his conservative, family-oriented value system and unusual interpretation of the Bible. He conducted his first mass wedding in Seoul in the early 1960s.

The "blessing ceremonies" grew in scale over the next two decades, with a 1982 wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York — the first outside South Korea — drawing thousands of participants.

"International and intercultural marriages are the quickest way to bring about an ideal world of peace," Moon said in a 2009 autobiography. "People should marry across national and cultural boundaries with people from countries they consider to be their enemies so that the world of peace can come that much more quickly."

Moon began rebuilding his relationship with North Korea in 1991, when he met the country's founder Kim Il Sung in the eastern industrial city of Hamhung.

Moon said in his autobiography that he asked Kim to give up his nuclear ambitions, and that Kim responded that his atomic program was for peaceful purposes and he had no intention to use it to "kill my own people."

"The two of us were able to communicate well about our shared hobbies of hunting and fishing. At one point, we each felt we had so much to say to the other that we just started talking like old friends meeting after a long separation," Moon wrote.

He added that he heard Kim tell his son: "After I die, if there are things to discuss pertaining to North-South relations, you must always seek the advice of President Moon."

When Kim Il Sung died in 1994, Moon sent a condolence delegation to North Korea, drawing criticism from conservatives at home. Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il, sent roses, prized wild ginseng, Rolex watches and other gifts to Moon on his birthday each year. Kim Jong Il died late last year and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Un. Moon sent a delegation to pay its respects during the mourning period for Kim Jong Il.

Moon also developed good relationships with conservative American leaders, including former Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Still, he served 13 months at a U.S. federal prison in 1984-1985 for tax evasion. The church says the U.S. government persecuted Moon because of his growing influence and popularity with young people in the United States, his home for more than 30 years.

As he grew older, Moon quietly handed over day-to-day control of his multibillion-dollar religious and business empire, which included dozens of companies ranging from hospitals and universities to a ballet troupe, to his children.

His youngest son, the Rev. Hyung-jin Moon, was named the church's top religious director in April 2008. Other sons and daughters were put in charge of the church's business and charitable activities in South Korea and abroad.

After ending a first marriage, Moon remarried a South Korean, Hak Ja Han Moon, in 1960. She often was at Moon's side for the mass weddings. They have 10 surviving children, church officials said.

The youngest son told The Associated Press in a February 2010 interview that Moon's offspring do not see themselves as his successors.

"Our role is not inheriting that messianic role," he said. "Our role is more of the apostles, where we share ... where we become the bridge between understanding what kind of lives (our) two parents have lived."

Hollywood finds summer 2012 to be less than expected at box office

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"The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" were the big hits in an otherwise lackluster summer for movies.

avengers.JPGIn this photo provided by Disney, Chris Evans, portraying Captain America, left, and Robert Downey Jr., portraying Tony Stark, act in a scene from "Marvel's The Avengers."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Studio executives expected their biggest summer ever this year as they loaded their lineup with huge action movies and superhero franchises.

What they got were two colossal blockbusters, a handful of backup hits and plenty of duds that just didn't deliver, resulting in what may prove the lowest summer movie attendance in 20 years.

While domestic revenues are projected to come in as the second-best ever, the number of tickets sold shrank to about 532 million from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, down 4 percent from summer 2011, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com. If that holds by the time final ticket sales are counted through Monday, that would be the smallest audiences Hollywood has packed in for its busiest season dating back to 1993, the earliest summer revenue data maintained by Hollywood.com.

Revenues should finish at $4.27 billion from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, down 3 percent from the record of $4.4 billion set last summer, said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"On paper, the summer of 2012 looked like a clear record-breaker. I think a lot of us were expecting we could beat last summer just based on the titles, the sheer number of blockbuster titles that were in the mix," Dergarabedian said. "But the audience is what makes and breaks the summer, and they didn't come out in the numbers we expected for a lot of these films."

Summer was ending quietly over Labor Day weekend, with overall revenues through Sunday down slightly compared to the same period a year ago. Domestic sales totaled $102 million, off 4.6 percent from last year's Labor Day weekend, according to Hollywood.com.

The horror tale "The Possession" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $17.7 million from Friday to Sunday, compared to $14.6 million for the top draw a year ago, "The Help," which joined "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to give Hollywood a strong seasonal finish that made summer 2011 a record-breaker.

Before this summer arrived, Hollywood was on a box-office tear, with revenues up as much as 20 percent over 2011's. Studio executives hoped that would continue into summer, when they had what looked like the best lineup they've ever offered.

Instead of beating last summer's record, though, revenues for the season fell for the first time in seven years.

The picture gets worse factoring in higher admission prices. While revenues this time were well above the $3.6 billion haul in 2005, the last time summer dollars dipped, this season's estimated 532 million admissions is well below the 563 million tickets sold in summer 2005.

In the 20-year span since 1993, Dergarabedian said the only year that comes close to this season's attendance was summer 2010, when 534 million tickets were sold. A strong Labor Day weekend could put this summer on par with 2010 attendance, but it's still a soft season considering expectations at the start, when the superhero sensation "The Avengers" launched with a record $207.4 million debut over the first weekend in May.

"The beginning of summer is like the first day of spring training or the opening of football camp. You have to hope your summer's going to be great," said Dave Hollis, head of distribution at Disney, which released "The Avengers." "But it's hard to say what's going to connect or click."

"The Avengers" took in $618 million domestically and the Batman finale "The Dark Knight Rises" so far has added about $430 million, their $1.05 billion total amounting to nearly one-fourth of Hollywood's overall summer haul. Worldwide, "The Avengers" has pulled in $1.5 billion, while "The Dark Knight Rises" soon will cross the $1 billion mark.

Summer's third superhero saga, "The Amazing Spider-Man," climbed to $258 million domestically, while the animated adventures "Brave" and "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" both were $200 million hits. The raunchy talking teddy bear comedy "Ted" also topped $200 million, and summer produced solid successes with "Men in Black 3," "Snow White and the Huntsman" and a few other $100 million movies.

Yet a lot of duds accompanied the hits, with flops such as "Battleship" and "Total Recall" leaving audiences cold. Star power could not pack theaters, either, as fans generally ignored movies featuring A-listers ("That's My Boy" with Adam Sandler, "Rock of Ages" with Tom Cruise, "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp, "The Watch" with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn).

The international box office has been Hollywood's growth area as overseas audiences become more eager for big studio flicks. "The Avengers" did nearly 60 percent of its business overseas. "The Dark Knight Rises" has taken in well over half of its revenues internationally, the reverse of 2008's "The Dark Knight," which pulled in most of its cash from domestic crowds.

Domestic summer movie attendance hit a modern high of 653 million in 2002, when "Spider-Man" opened with a then-record $114.8 million. Hollywood has continually climbed to new dollar highs since, but actual attendance has steadily declined as entertainment options expanded with home theater systems, streaming video and endless portable gadgets.

This season, the Summer Olympics siphoned off movie audiences a bit, and the shootings that killed 12 people at a midnight debut screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado jolted the industry.

Studio executives say the shootings probably cut into business by no more than a fraction. The tragedy did prompt some moviegoers to think twice about heading to theaters when they have so many entertainment options right at home, though.

The upside for Hollywood is that revenue and attendance for the year is 4 percent ahead of 2011's, while attendance is up 3 percent. Hollywood hopes to build on that with a strong fall and holiday lineup that includes the James Bond thriller "Skyfall," the "Twilight" finale and part one of "The Lord of the Rings" prelude, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

Of course, studio bosses had the same hopes for summer before business took a downturn.

"We had a couple of movies ourselves that didn't meet expectations," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight Rises" and the surprise hit "Magic Mike" but also stumbled with "Rock of Ages" and "Dark Shadows." "There's the old cliche, nobody starts out to make bad movies. But we are looking at a very strong fall and Christmas ahead."

Rescuers help 39 stranded dolphins on Cape Cod

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The animal welfare group plans to patrol beaches to prevent any more strandings.

cape cod dolphinsTwo stranded common dolphins wait to be transported to a waiting vehicle by a team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare at Herring River in Wellfleet, Mass., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Julia Cumes)

EASTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Animal rescuers helped move 39 dolphins to deeper water after they became stranded at a Cape Cod beach.

A spokeswoman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare told the Cape Cod Times (http://bit.ly/OMUQDd) that members of her group responded Saturday night to a report of stranded dolphins at Thumpertown Beach in Eastham.

The spokeswoman, Kerry Branon, says all 39 dolphins appear to be safe for the time being. She believes the dolphins are part of a larger pod that includes up to 100 dolphins.

The animal welfare group planned to patrol beaches in Eastham and Wellfleet Sunday to prevent any more strandings.

Eight dolphins were stranded in Eastham on Aug. 18 and one died. Two days later, six dolphins became stranded in Wellfleet's town harbor and two died.


Bouncer of Mardi Gras in Springfield receives serious eye injury in attack

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Two men were charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury in the attack.

SPRINGFIELD – A bouncer at the Mardi Gras strip club received a serious eye injury early Sunday morning after being hit with a blunt object outside the club.

Two men, Juan Bastaldo, 24, and Elvin Bastaldo, 33, both of 32 Myrtle St. in the Indian Orchard section of the city, were arrested and charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and mayhem, Police Sgt. Christopher D. Hitas said.

The bouncer was outside Taylor Street club at 2 p.m., helping clear crowds from the parking lot when he was attacked. It is uncertain why the two men struck the bouncer, Hitas said.

Partly cloudy overnight, low 57

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Partly cloudy through Labor Day, rain returns Tuesday.

Gallery previewA small trough triggered an isolated shower across the region earlier today, but that has moved on and we'll be quiet overnight. Skies will be partly cloudy with low temperatures in the upper-50s.

High pressure will start strengthening over New England as we head towards Labor Day. A mostly sunny day returns on Monday, and it will stay pretty comfortable with highs once again near 80 degrees just like today.

The remnants of Isaac will come to town for Tuesday and Wednesday. Both of those days will feature a fairly good chance of rain; especially late Tuesday night where about 2-3 inches of rainfall is currently expected when that system comes to town. It will also be very muggy for the middle of the week while the remnants of Isaac are with us. Sunshine returns by the end of the workweek.

Tonight: Partly cloudy skies, low 57.

Labor Day: Mostly sunny, comfortable, high 80.

Tuesday: Showers, especially in the afternoon, humid, high 78.

Wednesday: Heavy rain in the morning, scattered showers through the afternoon, humid, high 80.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

Clancy Legacy to kick off uNi Coffeehouse series

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The first concert of the 2012-2013 season is set for Saturday night in Springfield

clancy legacy.JPGThe Clancy Legacy featuring Aoife Clancy and Robbie O'Connell

Irishman Robbie O’Connell, who opened last year’s uNi Coffeehouse Concert Series in Springfield, is back to kick off the new season on Saturday, and this time he’s bringing his cousin, Aoife Clancy.

She is the daughter of Bobby Clancy of the Clancy Brothers and O’Connell is their nephew, and the two are combining their talents to bring listeners the sounds of the Clancy Brothers through their Clancy Legacy performance.

Clancy said while they have successful careers of their own, there are no solos and both will be on stage together for the entire concert.

“We swap verses on songs and do harmonies on the choruses. What we do is go back and forth with songs passed down from family members like my uncles. These are not the rebel rousing songs, but more of the ballads. And we talk and interact on stage and share stories. Our chemistry is good and we get on well as cousins, it’s genuine on stage, not an act,” she said.


Clancy, from a small town in County Tipperary, Ireland, has been performing since her father placed a guitar in her hands at the age of 10 and by age 14 was performing with her father in nearby pubs. She has spent her career performing at festivals and concerts sharing the stage with some of Ireland’s greatest performers, including on Caribbean cruises with the Clancy Brothers. For the past four years, she has toured extensively, performing no less than 200 dates a year throughout the United States and Europe. She has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and Cincinnati Pops and, while performing with Cherish the Ladies, collaborated with the Boston Pops on their Grammy-nominated Celtic album.

O’Connell also grew up in County Tipperary, where he began to play guitar and sing at age 13. He soon became a regular performer at the local hotel’s weekly folk concerts and began touring with his uncles, the Clancy Brothers, in 1977 and recorded three albums with them before he launched out on his own. He toured extensively with Mick Moloney and Jimmy Keane, and also with Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan in the Green Fields of America. His songwriting and performing skills have taken him to Carnegie Hall and won him numerous awards for his many recorded and live concert performances.

But, unlike O’Connell who performed with the Clancy Brothers, Aiofe never did.

“Robbie is older, we’re about 17 years apart, and he began touring with them while I was in high school,” she said.

Clancy said she is amazed at the popularity of everything Irish, especially the music, in the United States.

“I don’t know what it is about Irish music, it’s so popular here and people are so proud to be Irish. I just can’t believe the crowds of people who turn out to listen. I have many people come up to me and tell me about their Irish heritage and that when they visited Ireland they felt as if they had gone home. And I think that feeling carries through in our music,” she said.

Clancy has been living in America for the past 20 years and currently resides in New Bedford. “I’ve moved around a lot, seven or eight times. An agent saw me performing on a cruise with my uncles and booked me to perform in Boston for two weeks, and I’ve been here ever since. But, I do get home to Ireland twice a year,” she said.

Partly cloudy, comfortable Labor Day, high 80

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A pleasant Labor Day...partly cloudy and seasonal.

High pressure will strengthen over New England for Labor Day. So far this holiday weekend we've had to deal with an isolated shower in the afternoon, but that should not be the case today as that high will keep any activity from developing. Just like yesterday, high temperatures will top out near 80 degrees in Springfield.

Clouds increase later on this evening as the remnants of Isaac begin moving towards the Northeast. An isolated shower is possible overnight, but most of the rain will hold off for the time being.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday will feature a fairly good chance of rain...especially late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning...where about 2-3 inches of rainfall is currently expected when that system comes to town. It will also be very muggy for the middle of the week while the remnants of Isaac are with us. Sunshine returns by the end of the workweek.

Labor Day: Mostly sunny, comfortable, high 80.

Tonight: Increasing clouds, an isolated shower overnight, milder, low 64.

Tuesday: Showers, mainly in the afternoon, humid, high 78.

Wednesday: Heavy rain in the morning, scattered showers through the afternoon, humid, high 80.

Labor Day car crashes plentiful as more motorists predicted to travel for holiday weekend

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Springfield reported several car crashes in the opening hours of Labor Day, while a pair of women died in a head-on collision in Enfield.

SPRINGFIELD — With fair weather on tap and many New Englanders trying to squeeze in one last getaway before fall, more drivers were expected to hit the highways this holiday weekend. But local motorists seemed to take that prediction by AAA literally, crashing into each other and stationary objects as a number of collisions and property damage car accidents were reported throughout greater Springfield.

Multiple accidents were reported in the City of Homes during the predawn hours Monday. Drivers survived the Springfield crashes with mostly minor injuries, but a pair of women were killed in a head-on collision in Enfield early Sunday evening, according to authorities in Connecticut.

Springfield police Lt. James Rosso said there were "no major injuries" in any of the city crashes, which began around 12:30 a.m. Monday and continued over the next few hours.

In the first incident, a car rolled over near the intersection of State and Benton streets in the Pine Point neighborhood, sending a person to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A second Pine Point crash, this time involving two vehicles, was reported around 1:30 a.m. near 1534 State St. That was followed about an hour later by a two-car crash at the intersection of Sumner Avenue and White street in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. One of the vehicles fled the scene, police said.

City police also kept busy investigating a handful of property-damage crashes. It was not immediately known if any of the incidents led to arrests.

In Enfield, two women died after the cars they were driving collided at the intersection of Route 5 and Broadleaf Lane at about 6:20 p.m. Firefighters had to extricate each driver from her vehicle, the Hartford Courant reports.
One woman was rushed to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield, the other to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. Both were pronounced dead, but the victims' identities were unavailable.

The fatal crash happened about 1½ miles south of Hazard Avenue. It remains under investigation by the Enfield Police Department, which is seeking information from the public about the crash. The department can be reached at (860) 763-6400, Ext. 8920.

The accidents coincided with AAA's prediction that more than 28 million Americans would take to the roads this Labor Day holiday weekend. In New England, about 1.6 million residents (about 11.3 percent of the region's population) were expected to travel 50 miles or more from home, representing a 3 percent increase from 2011, AAA reports.

The increase appears to reflect the nation's continued slow and steady economic recovery, according to AAA Southern New England. Recent data shows New England has seen modest labor market improvements, encouraging slightly more travel.

Material from the Associated Press and Hartford Courant was used in this report.


MAP showing approximate location of Sunday's fatal head-on collision between two cars on Route 5 in Enfield:


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