At least 30 new trees were planted during reconstruction of Park Square Green.

File photo | The Republican

The Republican file photo | John SuchockiThe Westfield Green construction as seen from the Westfield Fire Department Aerial Platform.

WESTFIELD — Opinions on proper tree planting may vary, but new trees planted on the green at Park Square are being inspected to ensure they are planted according to contract.

The City Council’s Natural Resources Committee met with representatives of the state’s Department of Transportation and Lynch Construction last week to review procedures used in the tree planting.

That meeting determined that some trees may need “some adjustment” in the way their were planted, Councilors Brian P. Sullivan and Agma Sweeney said Friday.

At least 30 new trees of various species were planted as part of the $14.5 million reconstruction of Park Square, Elm, Main and Broad streets.

“It was a productive meeting and we were able to come to some agreement,” said Sullivan. “Some remediation will be needed and DOT and the contractor have agreed to check each tree,” he said.

Brian Sullivan

Sweeney said “some trees may have been planted a little too deep,” noting that the DOT commitment to the city was that the root crown of each tree be exposed above the finished grade in the planting process.

Cynthia Hartdegen, a local arborist, has addressed the City Council several times during the past two years, warning that proper planting of the trees will ensure their success in growth.

She was unable to be reached for comment concerning the meeting with DOT and Lynch Construction.

“The inspection and review of the planting of new trees on the green is an attempt to be proactive by the council and respond to concerns that have been raised,” Sullivan said.

“There are different opinions on the planting process, but the meeting produced an agreement that the trees will be checked according to contract specifications,” he said.

wo cars collided head on, and another two cars apparently were unable to stop and crashed into the initial pile up.

View full sizePhoto by Gino Santaniello / TwitterTraffic sits at a standstill on the Mass Turnpike due to a four-car, head-on collision near Ludlow. At least two people were taken to the hospital.

LUDLOW - A head-on collision involving one car driving the wrong way shut down the Westbound lane of the Massachusetts Friday night and sent at least two people to the hospital with serious injuries, state police said.

All westbound lanes were closed down and troopers were diverting cars at Exit 7 in Ludlow, said Trooper Kenneth Gaetz. The crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. near mile marker 54, he said.

Two cars collided head on, and another two cars apparently were unable to stop and crashed into the initial pile up, Gaetz said.

At least two people have been taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, he said.

He said he had no idea when the road would be opened up, and that it could be at least a few hours.

Area police and fire departments are on the scene, as are the state police crime scene and accident reconstruction units, and the state Department of Highways.

Troopers are trying to determine how the crash happened, but it appears one car, a 2001 Honda from Connecticut, was driving the wrong way on the turnpike. It collided head on with a 1993 Subaru registered to an address in West Brookfield.

Reggie Miller saluted his sister, fellow Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller. Watch video

(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Members of the 2012 class of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame, from left, Katrina McClain, Reggie Miller and Don Nelson, were among 11 individuals and one team inducted Friday at Symphony Hall.

SPRINGFIELD - Above all else, and even beyond the glamour of its greatest stars, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has prided itself on its place as a home for diversity.

Never has that commitment been more evident during Enshrinement that in the Class of 2012, which was welcomed into the Hall of Fame Friday night at Symphony Hall.

One of the largest classes since annual elections began in 1959 covered the expanse of the sport. Represented were
NBA players who shined in every decade from the 1950s to the early years of the 21st Century.

There were also pioneers of gender and racial equality, coaching greats from the United States and the Soviet Union, an American Basketball Association legend, a premier referee and a giant of marketing and product development.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2012 included players Reggie Miller, Jamaal Wilkes, Ralph Sampson and Chet Walker, coaches Don Nelson and Lidia Alexeeva, racial pioneering player Don Barksdale and the All-American Red Heads, a touring women's pro team for 50 years.

Also inducted were U.S. Olympic great Katrina McClain, ABA superstar Mel Daniels, referee Hank Nichols and Nike co-founder and marketing innovator Phil Knight.

Miller was the headliner, so he spoke last.

"This is awesome!'' the Indiana Pacers' all-time scoring leader said.

Miller said that growing up, he emulated Wilkes, who had an odd but effective shot. According to Miller, he used Wilkes as the example when coaches tried to change his own style.

Miller also made note of Daniels, who was ill and unable to attend. Both played for the Pacers in different eras, and Miller referred to Daniels as an uncle.

He also had a word for Magic Johnson, one of his presenters.

"Magic taught me how to lie and cheat. Let me explain,'' Miller said, smiling.

He said Johnson would twist the rules to win at pickup games. Apocryphal or not, the message of the story was that Miller learned to put winning first.

He saved special words for his sister, Cheryl Miller. They are now the first brother-sister combination in a major sports hall of fame; Cheryl Miller was inducted in 1995.

"I just happened to live across the hall from absolutely, positively, the greatest women's basketball player ever. We (in the Miller family) rode on your shoulders,'' he said.

Further, Reggie Miller said the night was special because the three greatest players in basketball history were in the same room - Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Cheryl Miller.

Nelson brought an NBA record to enshrinement. His 1,335 victories are the league's all-time high, and he did it mostly with teams of only modest talent.

"Having Don on the sidelines was a huge advantage. He could win games with his decision making,'' said Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, who starred for Nelson at Golden State.

Nelson got a hand when he recalled his playing days with the Boston Celtics.

"I had a great career in Boston. I was one of the luckiest guys in the world,'' said Nelson, who won a forward's spot in 1965 after Tom Heinsohn's retirement had left a vacancy.

He stayed until 1976, winning five NBA titles as a player. His contribution to coaching has been a remarkable knack for innovation, turning mediocre teams into competitive clubs.

"He might have had that country bumpkin look, with his hair disheveled. But he was so clever, and always thinking out of the box,'' said Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, who played for Nelson in Milwaukee.

"Hopefully this will be the last tuxedo I'll be wearing,'' said Nelson, who has always enjoyed the affectionate humor about his Everyman look.

Miller ranks 14th all-time in NBA scoring, and second in three-point shooting. In interviews leading up to enshrinement, one of the game's most reliable clutch shooters called hard work his ticket to greatness.

"To me, repetition was always key. Because I was a late bloomer, I had to work hard, which is needed to get ahead in any profession,'' Miller said.

Sampson was one of the first big man with the dexterity to play away from the basket. At 7-foot-4, the three-time NCAA player of the year at Virginia was the biggest.

Sampson's height gave scoring easy as a youth, so "I learned to rebound, block shots and dribble,'' he said.

"I valued the game to the highest level you could value it.''
Wilkes was a gifted shooter and a consummate winner. He played on UCLA's 1972 and '73 NCAA championship teams, and on four NBA titlists in a 12-year NBA career.

Barksdale died at 69 in 1993. His son, Derek, accepted the award for the first African-American to play for the U.S. Olympic team (1948), and later a groundbreaker in the NBA.

"He was very humble,'' said Derek Barksdale, who did not realize as a youth the impact his father was making.

"His personality allowed him to rise above (bigotry he faced),'' said Bob Cousy, who was Barksdale's teammate with the Celtics from 1953-55. The All American Red Heads toured the nation from 1936 to 1986. The first women's team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was represented by Tammy Harrison, the daughter of team owner Orwell Moore

"In 1936, it was considered socially unacceptable and physically impossible to run up and down the floor, to sweat and to compete,'' said Harrison, whose mother was a star player for the Red Heads.

The Red Heads changed that perception. They entertained in the style of the Harlem Globetrotters, but also proved that women could play a very skilled brand of basketball.

McClain has been called the greatest power forward in women's basketball history. She voiced special appreciation for her years on the national team.

"I loved playing for USA Basketball. I loved playing for my country,'' the two-time Olympic gold medalist said.

As NCAA rules coordinator, Nichols was sandwiched between Springfield College coaches Ed Steitz and Ed Bilik in that role.

"Ed Steitz taught me that it doesn't matter how you write the rule, you have to teach it in the spirit and the intent of it. I never forgot that,'' Nichols said.h
Walker was saluted for a 13-year NBA career that produced 18,831 points. Knight's presenters were Michael Jordan and former Georgetown coach John Thompson.
The 88-year-old Alexeeva, who could not attend, was the Soviet Union's national women's team coach from 1962-84.
Also absent was Daniels, the ABA's all-time rebounder. He was hospitalized this week for a urinary tract infection, but a brief recorded acceptance speech was played.

Central rallied by scoring twice during the final 7:29, the go-ahead score coming on a 55-yard interception return by DaQuon Clemons.

Central rallied by scoring twice during the final 7:29, the go-ahead score coming on a 55-yard interception return by DaQuon Clemons.

They call DaQuon Clemons "Honey Badger," like the former LSU cornerback who finished in the top five in Heisman voting last season. But the comparison only goes so far.

Springfield Central's QB, (12) Cody Williams throws in the second as Putnam's (20) Tariq Lovejoy rushes in at the start of the High School Football Season opener that had Division I Central against Division II Putnam.



-

(Staff photo by Michael Beswick )

The Department of Public Health said the man in his 60s also had "severe underlying medical conditions" when diagnosed last month.

BOSTON — A Worcester man has died of West Nile virus, the second death from mosquito-borne illness in Massachusetts this summer and the first from West Nile since 2005, state health officials said Friday.

The Department of Public Health said the man in his 60s also had "severe underlying medical conditions" when diagnosed last month.

Another Worcester County man in his 70s, from Westborough, died of Eastern equine encephalitis, officials had reported earlier. A southeastern Massachusetts man died of EEE last year.

Health officials also announced three new West Nile cases in women ranging from their 50s to their 70s: two from the Boston area and one from Middlesex County, which has had the most cases. All are recovering.

Officials also said EEE has been newly confirmed in a horse.

There have been 13 cases of West Nile, up from six last year, and two of EEE, one which may have been contracted outside Massachusetts. There also were two EEE cases last year. Two of this year's West Nile cases have been in the western part of the state.

"Taken together, all of these findings point to the fact that the threat of mosquito-borne illness is very real in Massachusetts no matter where you live," DPH State Epidemiologist Dr. Al DeMaria said Friday.

State health officials raised the statewide mosquito threat level to "moderate" and added more communities considered at higher risk.

Officials raised the EEE threat to "critical" for Westborough and "high" in six nearby communities, and also for Mattapoisett in southeastern Massachusetts. The West Nile risk was raised to "high" in Worcester, Auburn and Methuen.

Health officials have urged high-risk communities to cancel outdoor evening events, and say everyone should take precautions such as using insect repellent until the first hard frost. Aerial spraying for mosquitoes has been conducted in southeastern Massachusetts.

Massachusetts authorities say the conditions are likely related to the early spring and hot summer.

Hundreds of West Nile cases and dozens of deaths have been reported around the country.

Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell said in a statement Friday that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman, has deprived same-sex couples of federal benefits and unfairly discriminates against them.

File photo | The Republican

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont attorney general says the state has joined New York and Connecticut in asking a federal appeals court to rule the federal law that fails to recognize gay marriage as unconstitutional.

Attorney General William H. Sorrell said in a statement Friday that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman, has deprived same-sex couples of federal benefits and unfairly discriminates against them.

He said the three states filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case pending in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

The states argue that they, not the federal government, regulate marriage and family relationships and that Congress hasn't the authority to refuse recognition of gay marriage and essentially "unmarry" couples.

Two children from California are safe and back with their mother after their estranged father kidnapped them from their home earlier this week and took them out to sea on stolen yacht.

the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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• GM stops deliveries to fix glitch in 60,000 cars [USA Today]




• School year just begun, teachers strike looms in Chicago [The New York Times]




• Abducted South San Francisco kids in stolen yacht safely recovered [San Jose Mercury News]




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President Barack Obama can beat rival Mitt Romney as a television draw, but can't eclipse his old self.

NEW YORK — President Barack Obama can beat rival Mitt Romney as a television draw, but can't eclipse his old self.

The Nielsen company said 35.7 million people watched the final night of the Democratic convention on Thursday between 10 and 11 p.m. Eastern time. That's when the president delivered his nomination acceptance speech.

Last week, Mitt Romney had 30.3 million viewers for his speech at the GOP convention, with an assist from Clint Eastwood.

Four years ago, Nielsen said candidate Barack Obama's speech was seen by 38.3 million. But that estimate did not include PBS' audience, which no doubt pushed the audience over 40 million.

Even though NBC did not show the second night of this year's convention due to a football game, loyal viewers returned to Brian Williams for the final night. NBC's coverage was seen by 7.38 million viewers on Thursday.

CNN was second with 5.56 million viewers, MSNBC had 4.55 million, ABC had 4 million, PBS had 3.86 million, CBS had 3.29 million and Fox News Channel had 2.86 million, Nielsen said.

Two drivers were taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where they were pronounced dead.

View full sizePhoto by Gino Santaniello / TwitterTraffic sits at a standstill on the Mass Turnpike due to a four-car, head-on collision near Ludlow. Two people were killed in the crash.

This is an update of a story first posted at 9:36 p.m.

LUDLOW -- A head-on crash Friday night on the Massachusetts Turnpike involving a car driving the wrong way on the highway has resulted in two deaths, police said.

Two drivers, an 84-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, were pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield following the 8:30 p.m. accident, said trooper Kenneth Gaetz.

Investigators have determined the 84-year-old man was traveling the wrong way in the Westbound lane when he collided head on with the other car. Two other cars were unable to stop and collided with the initial pile up.

The accident happened near Exit 6. Traffic was diverted at Exit 7 for more than two hours as police shut down all westbound travel lanes as they cleared the scene. There were reports of backed up cars sitting at a standstill on the highway.

Names of the deceased were not being released pending notification of their families.

Circumstances behind the accident remain under investigation by state police. The Ludlow Fire Department, Ludlow EMS, and Mass Department of Transportation all assisted at the scene.

The Democrats stated their case clearly, boldly and without apology. And the GOP has indicated it won't back down on its principles.

Associated Press | Charles DharapakPresident Barack Obama and his daughter Malia wave after President Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday.

Harry Truman famously said that if the people are given the choice of voting for a Republican, or for a Democrat who acts like a Republican, they’ll choose the real Republican every time.

The citizens will be getting a genuine choice this year. Last week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., made that abundantly clear.

The speakers were nearly all from what former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean used to call “the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.”

He developed that locution after years of seeing ersatz Democrats, Democrats who talked and acted like Republicans. These types were nowhere to be seen in Charlotte.

Democrats embraced their party, their plans, their president. And they embraced the notion that we are all of us in this together. Elizabeth Warren, seeking to unseat Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts, said so clearly, boldly, without apology.

Former President Bill Clinton, who controlled the room like the rock star he has long been in Democratic Party circles, was utterly masterful in his address. He came with a boatload of statistics, addressing every question, refuting every GOP talking point, turning back every Republican criticism. And he did it all with a smile.

And then came the president himself. His acceptance speech on Thursday night was less a soaring reprise of his 2008 campaign than it was a realistic call to arms. His work is not finished, he forcefully argued. It takes time to get out of a hole as big as the one the nation was in when he took office.

When Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tapped Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, he signaled clearly that he would not be tacking toward the center. His campaign would be a conservative one.

He would be all in.

So too are the Democrats.

The best elections offer a real choice. We’ve got one in 2012.

Both the fire chief and building inspector said they have received complaints about the condition of the property, which is a pile of burned rubble.

The Republican I Dave RobackA fire in downtown Palmer on May 29 destroyed a three-story building at Main and Central streets that housed the former Gale's Newsstand. Multiple fire companies responded to the blaze.

PALMER – Palmer Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said lightning has been ruled out as the cause of the blaze that destroyed the former Gales Newsstand building on downtown Main Street in May.

Roy said the cause of the May 29 fire is undetermined, and the building owner’s insurance company hired a private fire investigator to search for clues as to how the fire started. The investigator is working with the state fire marshal’s office. Roy said for a loss of that magnitude, it is standard practice for an insurance company to hire an investigator.

“There were no strikes within the area that evening,” said Roy, adding that the closest lightning strikes happened on Cook’s Mountain in Brimfield and Minnechaug Mountain.

A resident across the street reported to emergency officials that he saw lightning strike the building. Roy said the man could have seen the lightning from a distance, thinking it was closer than it appeared.

“Through my experience, it really didn’t seem like a lightning strike to me,” Roy said.

A pile of charred rubble continues to sit where the building stood at the corner of Central Street. Both Roy and Building Inspector Richard W. Rollet said they have received complaints about the mess.

Rollet left messages for the building owner and investigator on Friday, alerting them to the complaints about the property’s condition.

The property cannot be cleared until the investigation is complete. The building was vacant at the time of the fire. Building owner James R. Carvalho, of Ludlow, said he was planning to open a pizza shop there.

In Sprinfield, an observance begins at 10 a.m., Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the attacks.

Staff Photo by David Molnar From left, Springfield firefighterJeff Hall, Fire Lt. Ty Alexander and firefighter Brian Wanat during the ringing of the fire bell at the Sept. 11, 2011, observance of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

On Tuesday, it will be 11
years since terrorists from the
Middle East hijacked four air´
liners and crashed them into
the two towers of the World
Trade Center in New York
City, the Pentagon in Wash´
ington, D.C., and a field in
Pennsylvania.

Nearly 3,000 people died in
the attacks. The country was
stunned. People everywhere
had some connection to some´
one who died on 9/11, as the
tragedy came to be called.

Western Massachusetts
counted 21 victims who lived
here, went to school here, or
were co-workers or siblings or
children of someone who lived
here.

James F. Shea, of Westfield,
lost his daughter, Tara Shea
Creamer, who was on one of
the planes that crashed into
the towers.

Creamer was one of five
children, and had two children
of her own. “Our family re´
members Tara every day,”
said Shea, a widower. “I cer´
tainly do, in my prayers.”

Shea said he is not a man of
violence, but he believes jus´
tice was served when Ameri´
can troops killed Osama bin
Laden, mastermind of the ter´
rorist operation.

On the day of his death, said
Shea, “I received a call from
my son in Kansas City. He had
three words: ‘We got him.’¦”

Ernest and Salena Blake, of
Longmeadow, were robbed of
their granddaughter, Amy
Toyen, who had been attend´
ing a trade show at the Trade
Center.

Ernest Blake died last
month at age 93. “He was close
to all his grandchildren,” said
his widow, “but especially
close to her because she was
very artistic.”

One by one, people who
loved the people who died in
9/11 will themselves disap´
pear, but the tragedy that
changed American life will not
be forgotten.

Again this year, towns all
over Western Massachusetts
are paying homage to the vic´
tims of 9/11.

In Springfield, a 45-minute
ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.
with WWLP-TV news anchor
Barry Kriger as host.

Springfield Mayor Domenic
Sarno, Police Commissioner
William Fitchet and Fire Com´
missioner Joseph Conant will
speak. Singer Vanessa Ford
will perform the national an´
them and “God Bless Ameri´
ca.”

A bagpiper will play as the
Color Guard from Barnes Air
Base lowers the American flag
to half-staff. There will be a ri´
fle salute as a wreath is placed
by officials at a steel remnant
of the World Trade Center,
displayed on pillars.

Officials will also show a
drawing of a proposed perma´
nent monument in the likeness
of a sundial, which will incor´
porate the steel artifact.

In Palmer, a candlelight vig´
il will be held at 7 p.m. at the
War Memorial at Converse
Middle School.

Town Councilor Paul E.
Burns will give the welcome
address, and the Palmer High
School band will play the na´
tional anthem and “Amazing
Grace.” The Reverend Bruce
Prestwood-Taylor will deliver
the invocation.

Speakers will include state
Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-
Barre, state Rep. Todd M.
Smola, R-Palmer, and Town
Council President Philip J. He´
bert.

Councilor Mary A. Salz´
mann will read a poem about
first responders.

Eight Catholic parishes in
Chicopee and Ludlow are col´
laborating on their annual me´
morial Mass for those who
died in the terrorist attacks.

The event, which started in
2006, will take place this year
at St. Anthony of Padua
Church in Chicopee beginning
at 5:30 p.m.

A choir made up of 35 mem´
bers of the different parishes
will sing.

In Westfield, the Sons of
Erin will host their annual me´
morial remembrance of Tara
Creamer and two other na´
tives of Westfield who lost
their lives in the terrorist at´
tacks.

Brian Joseph Murphy and
Daniel Patrick Trant were em´
ployees of Cantor Fitzgerald
L.P., a bond trading company
with offices in the World
Trade Center.

Both Ludlow and Enfield
will hold their ceremonies at
monuments featuring steel
remnants of the World Trade
Center.

Here are some of the towns planning 9/11 events for Tuesday: 

Amherst, 9:55 a.m. Down´town Fire Station. 

Belchertown, 7 p.m. Can´dlelight vigil on the Town Common. 

Chicopee, 5:30 p.m. Me´morial Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church. 

Enfield, 6 p.m. Parade, fol´lowed by ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Garden at Enfield Fire Station No. 2. 

Ludlow, 10 a.m. Fire De´partment at Chapin and Center Street. 

Palmer, 7 p.m., War Me´morial, Converse Middle School. 

Southwick, 9:45 a.m. Fire Department Headquarters, Depot Street. Annual memo´rial service. 

Springfield, 10 a.m. Public Safety Complex, 1212 Carew St. Honor Guard, bagpiper, patriotic songs, speakers. 

Westfield, 6 p.m. Sons of Erin Club, 22 William Street. Annual memorial in honor of three Westfield natives who died in 9/11. 


Jeanette DeForge, Lori
Stabile and Ted LaBorde
contributed to this story.

A tornado hit a beachfront neighborhood in New York City earlier in the day.

The tornado watch has been canceled for Hampden and Hampshire counties and the Hartford, Conn. area, according to the National Weather Service.

A severe thunderstorm watch will remain in effect for the area until 11 p.m. Saturday, said meteorologist Stephanie Dunten.

Mike Skurko, CBS 3 meteorologist, said a line of thunderstorms hit Northampton Saturday night and moved into downtown Springfield before 7:30 p.m.

“They’re sweeping through all of Western Massachusetts,” Skurko said.

“We have a cold front coming through right now and when you have a cold front hit a very humid air mass, it triggers some showers and thunderstorms,” Skurko said.

Skurko said the region will enter a quiet weather pattern starting Sunday.

“It will be very chilly for the next couple of nights,” Skurko said.

Sunday through Wednesday, temperatures at night will drop into the 40s. The average low for this time of year is lower 50s, he said.

The Associated Press reported that a tornado hit a beachfront neighborhood in New York City on Saturday at approximately 11 a.m.; it moved through the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens.

The community of seaside bungalows was littered with broken flower pots, knocked-down fences and smashed windows, the Associated Press reported.

Mistakenly placed write-in ballots left Hobert uncertain as of the close of polls Thursday whether his political fortunes were up or down.

Jerome T. Hobert

HOLYOKE -- Jerome T. Hobert is on the ballot.

Hobert said Saturday tabulations show he has received 157 write-in votes in the primary election held Thursday and his name will be on the Nov. 6 ballot as the Green-Rainbow Party nominee for state representative.

"I'm in the race. That's good for Holyoke," Hobert said in a voice-mail message.

Confusion had left Hobert's status uncertain when polls closed. Write-in ballots for two of the city's 14 precincts were mistakenly locked away in ballot boxes with regular ballots, leaving Hobert, a political newcomer, at 132 write-ins -- 18 shy of the 150 needed to put his name on the ballot, city clerk staff said.

But votes from those precincts were counted Friday,with permission of the state, and additional write-ins triggered victory, said Hobert.

He who will face Democrat Aaron M. Vega, Republican Linda L. Vacon and write-in hopeful Miguel A. Vasquez

They are competing to replace Michael F. Kane. A Democrat, Kane had held the 5th Hampden District seat since 2001, until leaving in June for a job with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts.

France's highest public distinction has been given to foreign celebrities ranging from Clint Eastwood to Barbra Streisand.

AP photoFrench President Francois Hollande, left, awards British musician Paul McCartney during a decoration ceremony photo session at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. Hollande decorated the former Beatle with a Legion of Honor award, France's highest public distinction.

PARIS (AP) — France's Elysee Palace says former Beatle Paul McCartney has been decorated with the legion of honor for services to music.

On Saturday the presidential office said that seventy-year-old McCartney — who sang and co-wrote hits like "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday" — was decorated at the rank of officer by French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace, with members of McCartney's family attending.

McCartney joins the ranks of other singers to have received the honor. Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli were similarly honored by former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

McCartney — often referred to as "Sir Paul" or "Macca" in his native Britain — has already received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, who watched him perform at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The store will close for the renovations, which will likely happen within the next two to four weeks, according to the franchisee.

PALMER – The Palmer Planning Board recently approved a site plan for AAH Corp. to modify the entrance and drive-through at its Dunkin’ Donuts on North Main Street.

According to franchisee Kristopher J. Ventura, the changes will make it easier for customers to get in and out of the parking lot. The entrance and exit will move closer to the vacant Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, and all parking spaces will be angled. Customers leaving Dunkin’ Donuts now will have to drive around the building. Another lane will be added next to the drive-through, and the traffic will be funneled to one lane.

“I’ve seen it so jammed where nobody can move,” Ventura said of the current set-up.

The changes “will improve flow,” he said.

Ventura said the store will be shut down for a few weeks for the changes, which include an interior renovation. He said that will happen sometime within the next two to four weeks.

People Magazine reported that Swift's boyfriend - a senior at Deerfield Academy - has been getting a lot of pressure to have his girlfriend perform at his school.

APTaylor Swift performs at the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012, in Los Angeles. Next stop, Deerfield Academy?

Taylor Swift's next concert in Western Massachusetts might be at Deerfield Academy if her boyfriend's classmates at the prestigious prep school have anything to say about it.

The world famous pop star is reportedly dating Deerfield Academy senior Conor Kennedy, the 18-year-old son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

After rumors of a whirlwind summer romance on Cape Cod, the young Kennedy is back at his boarding school while Swift travels the world performing and accepting awards. This week, she'll be at the Canadian Country Music Awards, followed by a trip Thursday to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to perform, according to People Magazine.

People Magazine also reported that "once things quiet down for Swift, she already has requests from Kennedy's schoolmates to make an appearance on his campus."

"We have a Friday night concert thing – one is in late fall," a Kennedy peer tells PEOPLE. "People want her to come sing."

Taylor Swift is no stranger to Western Massachusetts. Swift performed at Tanglewood with James Taylor in Lenox this summer.

The Minutemen's defense took a step back in their 45-6 defeat at the hands of Indiana.

FOXBOROUGH — Bill Cosby is a legendary stand-up comedian and actor.

After Saturday, he can add football nostra damus to his resume.

A little more than an hour before he participated in the coin toss at Gillette Stadium, he diagnosed the problems that ended up undercutting the University of Massachusetts football team in its 45-6 loss to Indiana over the course of roughly 90 seconds.

“We need wrap,” Cosby said, referring to UMass’ tackling. “Wrap is what we’re looking for. Just don’t aim your body to hit. Keep your feet moving in the opposite direction of where the opposing player wants to go.”

Wrap is exactly what the Minutemen couldn’t find in their debut at Gillette Stadium as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

It began on Indiana’s first scoring play less than three minutes into the game. Hoosiers quarterback Tre Roberson took off up the middle. UMass linebacker Tom Brandt tried to slide back toward the middle and make the play, but Roberson slipped away from his outstretched arms, not to be touched again until his teammates mobbed him in the end zone 50 yards later.

Though no one got close enough to Roberson on his second long touchdown run to blame the tackling (the back seven bit so hard on a zone read play Roberson could have walked in from 39 yards out), the disturbing trend continued throughout the game.

“Our tackling was just atrocious,” UMass coach Charley Molnar said. “I saw more missed tackles today than I ever expected to see.”

It was especially disturbing because of how positive the vibes were about the UMass defense after last week’s game. After holding UConn to 5.3 yards per play and forcing three turnovers in the opener, the Minutemen yielded 6.8 yards per play Saturday and forced just one turnover.

“I was hoping that we would play darn near perfect in that area just because we tackled well in the first game, which is usually the worst tackling game of the year for a defense,” Molnar said. “We tackled well in practice, so I expected that we would continue to move forward in that area.”

Roberson rushed for 105 yards on four carries before a broken left leg in the second quarter ended his season. Running backs Tevin Coleman, Isaiah Roundtree, D’Angelo Roberts and Stephen Houston combined for 219 yards on 42 carries, as the UMass defense had no answer for Indiana’s zone-blocking running style.

So when backup quarterback Cameron Coffman stepped in for the injured Roberson, even without Roberson’s running ability, the UMass defense was already on its heels.

“What really hurt us was their run game,” Molnar said. “Their ability to dominate us up front was really the big difference defensively. As linebackers, everybody tightens up to the box and now it’s just a little easier to throw the ball.”

Coffman was 16-for-22 for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Cosby’s other point prior to kickoff was the following:

“We’ve got some challenges coming on our schedule with new players and a coach putting in his system,” Cosby said. “The challenges are great. We just expect them to play and look well coached.”

As most coaches will tell you, part of looking well-coached is discipline, and the Minutemen struggled in the penalty department mightily Saturday.

They racked up nine penalties for 85 yards, eight of which were in the first half. The Minutemen had two offside calls in fourth-and-short situations that resulted in Hoosier first downs to go along with a delay of game on offense on third down for the second straight week — this time turning a third-and-one into a third-and-six.

“Some of them were aggressive football mistakes or errors, and some of them were, as we call them, stupid penalties,” Molnar said. “The stupid penalties are easier to address because most of the time once that happens to a guy, and he gets the proper behavior modification during the week, they tend not to do them. And if that doesn’t work, they just don’t play.”

The driver was not cited, as the young girl darted out in front of his car.

LUDLOW - A 5-year-old girl was brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield on Saturday after she was struck by a car in the area of 179 Winsor St.

Fire Capt. Joseph P. Crowley said the girl had non-life-threatening injuries. Police Sgt. Daniel Valadas said the operator of the 2006 Toyota Scion, Fabio Rodrigues, 21, of Ludlow, was not cited. He said Rodrigues was driving west, and crossing East Street, when he struck the girl, who darted out in front of his car.

Valadas said Rodrigues was traveling at less than the speed limit at the time. The accident happened at 2:30 p.m.