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Anti-American violence in Sudan, Tunisia prompts US to order some diplomats out of both countries

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"Given the security situation in Tunis and Khartoum, the State Department has ordered the departure of all family members and non-emergency personnel from both posts, and issued parallel travel warnings to American citizens," said department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

9-15-12-anti-us-protest.jpgPolice officers guard the United States embassy in Tunis, Wednesday, Sept.12, 2012 as ultraconservative Muslims demonstrate outside the embassy to demand the closure of the embassy and the departure of the ambassador. The American embassies in Algeria and Tunisia warned of more protests Wednesday, following attacks by protesters in neighboring Libya in which the U.S. ambassador and three embassy staff were killed.

WASHINGTON — The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of all family members and non-essential U.S. government personnel from its embassies in Sudan and Tunisia and warned U.S. citizens against any travel to the two countries due to security concerns over rising anti-American violence.

"Given the security situation in Tunis and Khartoum, the State Department has ordered the departure of all family members and non-emergency personnel from both posts, and issued parallel travel warnings to American citizens," said department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

In Tunisia, the warning advised Americans that the international airport in Tunis is open and encouraged all U.S. citizens to depart on commercial flights. It said Americans who chose to remain in Tunisia should use extreme caution and avoid demonstrations. On Friday, protesters climbed the walls into the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, torching cars in the parking lot, trashing the entrance building and setting fire to a gym and a neighboring American school that is now unusable.

In Sudan, the warning said that while the Sudanese government has taken steps to limit the activities of terrorist groups, some remain and have threatened to attack Western interests. The terrorist threat level remains "critical" throughout Sudan, the department said. It noted that U.S. officials are already required to travel in armored vehicles and to get permission to travel outside Khartoum, where crowds torched part of the German Embassy and tried to storm the U.S. Embassy on Friday.

A U.S. official said on Saturday that Sudan's government is holding up the deployment of an elite Marine team that the U.S. planned to send to Khartoum to boost security at the embassy.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton worked the phones on Saturday, calling top officials from seven countries to discuss the situation following a wave of protest and violence over an anti-Muslim film that has swept across the Middle East and elsewhere in recent days. An obscure, amateurish movie called "Innocence of Muslims" that depicts Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a pedophile sparked the outrage.

On Tuesday, protesters in Egypt breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and then well-armed extremists attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. Since then, protests over the video have spread to more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. While most were peaceful, marches in several places exploded into violence, including Tunisia and Sudan.

Clinton on Saturday spoke to the prime minister of Libya, the president of Somalia, and the foreign ministers of Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Nuland said.

With Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur, Clinton spoke about the importance of bringing the consulate attackers to justice, Nuland said. The prime minister "expressed confidence that the attackers would be brought to justice, noting that the government was already starting to take action," she said.

With the Egyptians, Turks and Saudis, Clinton thanked them for their condemnations of the violence and spoke of the need to ensure security at diplomatic missions, Nuland said. Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr also "agreed that while the film may be offensive and reprehensible, it cannot be used as justification for violence," Nuland said.

Clinton's calls and the State Department travel warnings came as President Barack Obama paid tribute to the Americans killed in Benghazi in his weekly radio address and denounced the anti-U.S. mob protests that have followed.


Superbug kills 7th person at National Institutes of Health hospital in Maryland

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A deadly germ untreatable by most antibiotics has killed a seventh person at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Maryland.

BETHESDA, Md. — A deadly germ untreatable by most antibiotics has killed a seventh person at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Maryland.

The Washington Post reported the death Friday. NIH officials told the paper that the boy from Minnesota died Sept. 7. NIH says the boy arrived at the research hospital in Bethesda in April and was being treated for complications from a bone marrow transplant when he contracted the bug.

He was the 19th patient at the hospital to contract an antibiotic-resistant strain of KPC, or Klebsiella pneumoniae. The outbreak stemmed from a single patient carrying the superbug who arrived at the hospital last summer.

The paper reported the Minnesota boy's case marked the first new infection of this superbug at NIH since January.

Scott Brown holds 57-35 percent lead over Elizabeth Warren among independent Massachusetts voters in latest poll results

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A Sept. 6-13 poll finds Sen. Brown leading Democratic challenger Warren among likely independent voters, 57 percent to 35 percent, but trailing overall 50-44 percent.

elizabeth warren vs scott brown warren vs brown.jpgElizabeth Warren and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass.

Although Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has opened up a lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown overall, Brown continues to pull ahead of Warren among independent voters.

A new poll conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute for MassLive.com and The Republican finds Brown leading Warren among likely independent voters, 57 percent to 35 percent. Among all voters, Warren is ahead by 6 percent.

Both Brown and Warren do a good job attracting their parties’ bases. But because the Republican base is smaller than the Democratic base in Massachusetts, Brown must win a larger share of the independent vote to win the November election, making independents a critical voting bloc. As of August, 52 percent of Massachusetts voters were unenrolled, compared to 35 percent who were registered Democrats and 11 percent who were registered Republicans.

“They really hold the cards,” said Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England Polling Institute.

The poll finds that voters who identify themselves as independent have a more favorable view of Brown than voters overall – and a less favorable view of Warren. Among likely independent voters, 66 percent view Brown favorably and 20 percent view him unfavorably, compared to 54 to 32 percent among all likely voters. Forty-three percent of likely independent voters view Warren favorably and 41 percent view her unfavorably, compared to 53 percent favorable and 33 percent unfavorable among all likely voters.

However, so far, Brown’s strength among independents is not enough to make up for Warren’s popularity among Democrats. And Warren could still sway independents. Twenty-one percent of likely independent voters said they might change their minds, compared to 15 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of Republicans.

“There’s enough wiggle room there that it’s still anybody’s ballg ame,” Vercellotti said. “The votes just aren’t locked down.”

Alice Mandel, 60, a retired teacher and independent voter from Sudbury, said she is currently supporting Brown, who she thinks is more prepared to be a senator than Warren, a Harvard Law professor. Mandel said she was swayed by the controversy over whether Warren used her Native American heritage to advance her career. “I don’t like Ms. Warren’s possible misuse of her Native American heritage. I think that is a character issue,” Mandel said.

However, Mandel might change her mind. “I’m a little more liberal than (Brown) is,” she said.

Thomas Lynch, 48, a financial analyst from Pembroke, said he is also leaning toward Brown. “I don’t think he goes 100 percent with the party line, which is what I prefer,” Lynch said. But Lynch wants to hear more. “Once the debates occur, I think I’ll be able to make a decision,” he said.

In a state that is overwhelmingly liberal, Brown has cultivated a bipartisan image that appeals to independents. He released a coalition of nearly 500 Democrats supporting him and holds more events featuring Democratic endorsements than Republican ones. Three state Democratic officials taped TV ads for Brown. Former Democratic Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan endorsed Brown, saying it was his first time backing a Republican. Brown has distanced himself from the national Republican Party, sending a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus opposing an anti-abortion plank in the party’s platform.

Warren, who had a prime-time speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention, has generated enthusiasm from the Democratic base in Massachusetts and nationally. But she has been less successful with independents.

“It could simply be that Brown projects himself as more of a bipartisan senator, someone who’s willing to work with both parties, therefore that’s a more attractive quality for independent voters,” Vercellotti said.

In a MassLive.com/The Republican poll conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute in February, Brown led Warren by 29 points among independents. In a May poll, Brown led by 13 points among independents. (Overall, Brown led Warren in February by 8 points and Warren led Brown by 2 points in May. These poll numbers included all registered voters, while the September poll numbers counted likely voters.)

Asked about her difficulty attracting independent votes, Warren said last week, “I’m out there every single day working for every single vote.” Pressed by a reporter earlier this month on how she would attract independents, Warren said, “I’m going to talk about the issues that I think are important to independents.” She went on to reiterate the theme of her campaign – she is working on behalf of “working families” and the “system is rigged against them.”

The poll of 545 registered voters was conducted Sept. 6-13 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percent. The sample of 444 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.6 percent.

Elizabeth Warren leads by huge margin in Western Massachusetts, according to new poll

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According to a new MassLive.com/The Republican poll, likely voters in Western Massachusetts are supporting Warren, 61 percent to 33 percent.

Elizabeth Warren in CambridgeDemocratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Elizabeth Warren talks to the media after casting her vote in the Massachusetts state primary election at the Graham & Parks School in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)


Western Massachusetts voters are giving Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren her strongest edge in her fight to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

According to a new poll conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute for MassLive.com/The Republican, likely voters in Western Massachusetts are supporting Warren 61 percent to 33 percent – a huge margin, given Warren’s six-point lead among likely voters overall.

Western Massachusetts is a small portion of the electorate. Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England Polling Institute, said Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties contain 13 percent of the voting population. But it is heavily Democratic. In 2008, Democratic candidate Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain by 26 points statewide but 36 points in Western Massachusetts.

Brandon Charin, 38, a stock market trader from Longmeadow, said he plans to vote for Warren largely because he dislikes Republican policies. “It’s not really so much Warren versus Brown as it is Democrat versus Republican,” Charin said.

Boston and its suburbs are also a stronghold for Warren, favoring her 52 percent to 43 percent, the poll found.

Brown’s strongest region is Central Massachusetts, where voters favor him by a margin of 50 percent to 38 percent. The North and South Shores, which were grouped together in the poll, are more evenly split, giving Brown a two percent lead.

Vercellotti said the results are not surprising. Western Massachusetts and Greater Boston are the most Democratic regions of the state – though some Boston suburbs tend to be more conservative. Central Massachusetts is traditionally more conservative.

The poll of 545 registered voters was conducted Sept. 6-13 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percent. The sample of 444 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.6 percent.

Sen. Scott Brown's job approval climbs to 55 percent in Massachusetts

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Sen. Scott Brown's job approval has climbed since May despite the fact that Elizabeth Warren is leading by six points among likely voters in the U.S. Senate race.

Scott Brown DeedhamSen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., shakes hands with supporters during a walking tour of downtown Dedham, Mass. as he campaigns for re-election Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

SPRINGFIELD - At a time where congressional approval ratings are consistently dismal with the partisan gridlock in Washington, the junior U.S. senator from Massachusetts is seeing his own numbers climb.

A new poll conducted by Western New England University's Polling Institute through a partnership with MassLive.com and The Republican, shows that Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's job approval rating has grown to 55 percent among registered voters and two additional percentage points among likely voters.

Thirty percent of likely voters said they disapprove of the way Brown is doing the job and 12 percent said they weren't sure or refused to answer the question, according tot he survey.

In the poll conducted in late May, 51 percent of the registered Massachusetts voters surveyed said they approve of the way Brown represents the Bay State in Washington.

Brown, who is in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Elizabeth Warren, is trailing the Harvard Law professor by six percentage points in regards to likely voters, according to the telephone survey conducted between Sept. 6-13.

Among members of his own party, which make up 11 percent of the state's registered voters, 92 percent say they approve of the way Brown is conducting his duties as a senator.

Thirty percent of Democrats approve while 58 percent said they do not, but in the case of independents, which make up more than half of the registered voters in the state, Brown's approval rating is a solid 67 percent.

When broken down according to gender, Brown's job approval is strong among both men and women with 62 and 53 percent, respectively.

Warren and Brown have similar favorability ratings among likely voters, with slightly more than half of those surveyed viewing them favorably and about one-third viewing them unfavorably.

Favorability ratings for the larger sample of all registered voters, however, show Warren has made significant progress since the May poll. In the latest survey, among all registered voters, 54 percent view Warren favorably, 28 percent view her unfavorably, and 11 percent have no opinion.

Warren's favorability rating has climbed 13 percentage points since late May, and her unfavorability rating is virtually unchanged, while the percentage of the electorate that has no opinion about her has dropped by 10 points.

In contrast, Brown's favorability rating among all registered voters has changed only slightly since late May, with 52 percent viewing him favorably, up three points, and 30 percent viewing him unfavorably, down two points. Eleven percent of voters said they had no opinion, down from 16 percent in May.

The poll of 545 registered voters has a 4.2 percent margin of error, while the sample of 444 likely voters has a 4.6 percent margin of error.

Women favor Elizabeth Warren over Scott Brown, according to new poll

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Warren continues holds a strong lead among female voters, as women's issues have taken on a large role in this election cycle, according to a new MassLive.com/The Republican poll.

Brown Warren campaign trail compositeRepublican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, and his Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren, right, have been actively campaigning across the commonwealth and through TV and radio ads in an attempt to sway voters in the Senate race which is being billed as the most expensive in history. (Associated Press file photos)

Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren continues to hold a strong lead among female voters, as women’s issues have taken on a large role in this election cycle, according to a new MassLive.com/The Republican poll.

The poll, conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute, found Warren leading Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown 55 percent to 40 percent among likely women voters. Brown was ahead by five points among men, 49 percent to 44 percent. (Overall, Warren led Brown by 6 points.)

The 15-point margin is the same as in a MassLive.com/The Republican poll conducted May 29-31, though that poll counted registered voters and the current poll focuses on likely voters.

Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England University Polling Institute, said women in Massachusetts typically favor Democrats. But Warren may have been helped by the recent Democratic National Convention. “The narrative of the Democratic convention was that it sounded like the 1976 Democratic convention, talking about abortion rights and access to contraceptives,” Vercellotti said. “To the extent that narrative has been so active the last couple of weeks, that could factor in.”

The poll found women had a less favorable view of Brown and a more favorable view of Warren than voters overall. Brown’s favorable to unfavorable ratings were 46 percent to 35 percent among women and 54 percent to 32 percent overall. Warren’s ratings were 56 percent favorable to 26 percent unfavorable among women and 53 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable overall. Brown’s job approval ratings were also slightly less favorable among woman than among all voters.

Barbara Cappello, an independent voter from East Longmeadow, said she is leaning toward Warren, and has been swayed by the campaign’s focus on women’s issues. “I certainly think that women should be paid equally for equal jobs, they have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies,” Cappello said, echoing statements Warren has made on the campaign trail. “I think it puts me more on her side than his. Maybe it’s because she is a woman, I don’t know.”

Independent voter Barbara Jean Laetz, 68, a retired educator from Westminster, said women’s issues are one area where she agrees with Warren – in addition to Warren’s focus on regulating the financial industry and helping the middle class.

In August, U.S Rep. Todd Akin, a Republican Senate candidate from Missouri, said a woman’s body has a way to avoid getting pregnant from “a legitimate rape.” Brown condemned the remarks and called on Akin to quit the race. But Warren argued that Akin’s comments reflect a Republican agenda that is hostile toward women.

Warren held a campaign event attacking Brown on women’s issues and released a TV ad attacking Republicans for their stances on abortion, contraception and equal pay.

Warren criticized Brown for voting against the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have required employers to prove that a discrepancy in pay between men and women was job-related. (Brown said the legislation would harm small businesses.) She criticized Brown for co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed employers to deny insurance coverage for services that violate their religious beliefs, like birth control.

Brown has responded by running ads featuring his wife Gail Huff, who has been campaigning for him full-time. He urged the Republican National Committee not to adopt a plank in the Republican platform opposing abortion under all circumstances. Brown, who supports abortion rights with some exceptions, touted an endorsement from a Republican pro-choice group (though a local pro-life group also supports him) and has stressed his votes to fund Planned Parenthood and allow military women who were raped to have access to federally funded abortions.

The poll of 545 registered voters was conducted Sept. 6-13 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percent. The sample of 444 likely voters has a margin of error of 4.6 percent.

Poll: Elizabeth Warren opens 6-point edge on Scott Brown in Massachusetts Senate race

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According to the survey of Massachusetts voters conducted Sept. 6-13, Warren is leading Brown, 50 to 44 percent, among likely voters in the Bay State.

By ROBERT RIZZUTO and SHIRA SCHOENBERG

Scott Brown vs Elizabeth Warren September.jpgRepublican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is trailing behind Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren in the latest poll by Western New England University in a partnership with The Republican and MassLive.com. (Associated Press File Photos)

SPRINGFIELD — With 50 days left until Massachusetts voters decide who will represent them in the U.S. Senate for the next six years, Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren has pulled ahead of Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, according to a new poll.

The survey of Bay State voters conducted Sept. 6-13 by the Western New England Polling Institute through a partnership with The Republican and MassLive.com, shows Warren leading over Brown, 50 to 44 percent, among likely voters.

The gap among registered voters is even larger, according to the survey, which concluded Warren leads 53 to 41 percent. The poll of 545 registered voters has a 4.2 percent margin of error, while the sample of 444 likely voters has a 4.6 percent margin of error.

Tim Vercellotti, professor of political science and director of the Polling Institute at Western New England University, said Warren's lead comes in part from the fact that she's shored up support among Democrats to 89 percent, while losing only six percent of her party's support to Brown.

Part of that bump, he said, may be attributable to the fact that polling started at the end of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., and just two days after Warren delivered a prime-time speech ahead of former President Bill Clinton at the event.

"This may be not just due to her speech, but the overall enthusiasm Democrats have had coming out of their convention," Vercellotti said. "The data shows that Democrats are more fired up right now than independents or Republicans."

If Warren's lead is indeed a post-convention bump, Vercellotti said only time will tell if it lasts.

"When we poll again in the next couple of weeks, we will see if her numbers remain steady among Democrats, which may demonstrate that the party is unified under a continuing narrative that will carry on throughout the election season," Vercellotti said.

Brown continues to run strong among his base, with support from 91 percent of Republicans and only four percent of GOP voters gravitating to Warren. Brown holds a healthy 22-point lead among independents, but for now, that is not enough to overcome Warren’s strength among Democrats.

Brown's campaign has worked hard to win over independent voters, who make up more than 52 percent of the commonwealth's electorate. As of August, 35 percent of Massachusetts residents were registered Democrats and 11 percent were registered Republicans.

A Congressional Quarterly study designating Brown the second-most bipartisan legislator in the U.S. Senate in 2011 has been a boasting point as he has worked to portray himself as the Republican who works across the aisle to bridge the gap in an increasingly divided Washington. Brown has also consistently racked up endorsements from notable Democrats across the commonwealth, including former Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan and former Lowell Mayor Rita Mercier, which may boost his popularity with unaffiliated voters.

And with 21 percent of likely independent voters saying they might change their minds, compared to 15 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of Republicans, it is a strong possibility that those voters will be the ones to sway the election.

Warren has pointed out Brown's votes she says negatively affect women's rights and worked to tie him to what Democrats call the Republican "war on women." But the junior senator has moved in-step to combat such charges both in words and through TV ads, including one showing Brown as a family man cooking in the kitchen.

The poll concludes that Warren now holds support from 55 percent of the women likely to vote while 40 percent are backing Brown. Five percent say they are still undecided.

Barbara Cappello, an independent voter from East Longmeadow, said she is leaning toward Warren, and has been swayed by the campaign’s focus on women’s issues.

“I certainly think that women should be paid equally for equal jobs, they have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies,” Cappello said, echoing statements Warren has made on the campaign trail. “I think it puts me more on her side than his. Maybe it’s because she is a woman, I don’t know.”

Brown's female support has included a growing "Women for Brown" coalition, and his wife, Gail Huff, has also taken time away from her job as a TV reporter in Washington to campaign on her husband's behalf.

Brown remains ahead by five percentage points among men, 49 percent to 44 percent.

While support for each candidate also varies by region, the poll concludes that Western Massachusetts is strongly leaning toward Warren 61 percent to 33 percent – a huge margin, given Warren’s six-point lead among likely voters overall.

Vercellotti said Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties contain 13 percent of the voting population in the state, but are heavily Democratic. In 2008, for example, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain by 26 points statewide but 36 points in Western Massachusetts.

Brandon Charin, 38, a stock market trader from Longmeadow, said he plans to vote for Warren largely because he dislikes Republican policies.

“It’s not really so much Warren versus Brown as it is Democrat versus Republican,” Charin said.

In central Massachusetts, which has historically voted more conservatively, Brown holds an impressive lead over Warren with likely voters, 50 to 38 percent. That margin, when considering the higher concentration of people in the middle part of the state compared to the west, may hold more of a blessing for Brown than Warren's blowout here.

And while Brown holds a two percentage point margin over Warren in the North and South Shores (grouped together), likely voters in Boston and its suburbs are supporting the Harvard Law school professor over Brown 52-43 percent.

The candidates are roughly even in favorability among likely voters, with just over half holding a favorable view of both Brown and Warren and about one-third holding an unfavorable view.

Looking at all registered voters, Brown’s standing has improved, but Warren’s standing has improved to a greater degree. Brown’s favorable-unfavorable numbers among all registered voters are now 52 percent favorable, 30 percent unfavorable – a net positive rating of 22 points compared to a net positive rating of 17 points in May.

For all registered voters, Warren’s numbers are 54 percent favorable, 28 percent unfavorable, for a net positive rating of 26 points, compared to a net positive rating of only 11 points in May among all registered voters.

Vercellotti said that Warren's gain in favorability while her unfavorability stayed relatively the same also contributed to her lead over Brown overall.

And although many of the voters surveyed say their minds are made up, 17 percent said they could change their candidate of choice between now and the Nov. 6 election.

"Twenty-one percent of independent voters who expressed a preference said they might change their minds, compared to 15 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of Republicans," Vercellotti said. "It’s clear that a sizable number of independent voters are still up for grabs in this race."

The next phase of the election involves four televised debates between Brown and Warren in which voters will have the opportunity to see how they handle themselves when directly challenged by each other, rather than through dueling narratives reported in the news.

"Even if voters don't see the debates on TV or in person, there will be a buzz and people will be talking about them," Vercellotti said. "That buzz can help form the opinions of undecided voters and the first debate is coming up in short order."

The TV debates include one hosted by WBZ-TV, the Boston CBS affiliate, on Sept. 20; another hosted by the University of Massachusetts-Lowell on Oct. 1; a debate in Springfield hosted by a Western Massachusetts media consortium on Oct. 10; and a Boston media consortium debate to be held on Oct. 30.

For continuing poll coverage, check with MassLive.com on Monday for a look at the traits defining the voter opinions of the candidates and on Tuesday for an analysis of the presidential race.

AM News Links: Man bitten by snake at Mt. Tom, pregnant woman on way to hospital gives birth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and more

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Police say a man hiking at Mt. Tom on Saturday was bitten by what's believed to be a Copperhead snake. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center. His condition is unknown.


NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.


Out-of-state cash shapes Massachusetts ballot measure prospects

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There are no caps on how much a person or organization can contribute to a ballot measure campaign in Massachusetts, unlike clearly defined limits for state and federal elections.

By SCOTT VAN VOORHIS and MEG DEMOUTH
New England Center for Investigative Reporting

An out-of-state billionaire and deep-pocketed interest groups have hijacked the ballot measure process in Massachusetts, stacking the odds against the kind of grassroots political activism it was intended to empower, a review by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting finds.

There are no caps on how much a person or organization can contribute to a ballot measure campaign in Massachusetts, unlike clearly defined limits for state and federal elections. The unlimited ability to pump millions into ballot measures gives an unfair edge to well-heeled special interests, critics claim.

“You are not supposed to be able to buy a (ballot campaign),” said Mary Boyle, spokeswoman for the Washington D.C. based government watchdog group Common Cause. “Democracy should not be for sale to the highest bidder.”

An Ohio billionaire once jailed overnight for pot possession is bankrolling a medical marijuana proposal, hopelessly outgunning local police chiefs and other opponents, records at the Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance show.

And a pair of Oregon-based groups crusading to legalize physician-assisted suicide provided the bulk of funding to launch the Massachusetts ballot question, Dignity 2012, the records show.

The leading opponent of the assisted suicide question has raised more than $900,000, but barely $25,000 has come from inside Massachusetts, with out of state social action groups pouring in the rest, records show.

Ballot campaign sugar daddies

Ballot campaigns pushed by wealthy benefactors can have a huge financial edge over opposition efforts mounted by local organizations and ad hoc groups, records show.
The Committee for Compassionate Medicine has touted itself as a “grassroots’’ effort, raising just over $1,000 from 30 donors, campaign finance records show.

But almost all the committee’s 2011 donations came from Peter B. Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance and worth an estimated $1.2 billion. He contributed $525,000 of the $526,000 to the medical marijuana effort last year, with his 2012 contributions bringing his total donations to nearly $1 million, records show.

Again, the same pattern repeated itself this year, with Lewis contributing $465,000 to the medical marijuana committee and other donors $47,000. Of that, $25,000 came from a Washington, D.C.-based perfume fortune heir Henry Van Amerigen, with Hollywood TV producer Marcia Carsey chipping in another $10,000, according to state campaign finance records.

Lewis used medical marijuana to relieve pain after his leg was amputated, said committee spokeswoman Jennifer Manley of the Dewey Square Group. He has supplied millions to marijuana legalization efforts nationwide, campaign finance records show.

“Mr. Lewis is extremely passionate about ensuring all patients who can benefit from the use of medical marijuana have safe access to it,” Manley wrote in an email.

Proponents say the Massachusetts medical marijuana proposal say it is an attempt to help provide relief to terminally ill patients with diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, AID’s and multiple sclerosis.

peter-lewis.jpegPeter Lewis

“Massachusetts’s prohibition on medical marijuana means that patients and their physicians are unable to consider the full spectrum of medical treatments available,” Manley wrote. “In providing compassionate care, it should be up to the doctor and his or her patient to decide the best course of treatment, as it is in 17 other states.”

Unlimited contributions also flowed in from out-of-state donors supporting the second ballot measure – allowing terminally ill patients the option of physician assisted suicide.

Dignity 2012 raised $92,000 in cash last year from a range of donors in and out of state. But most of its $144,000 of in-kind contributions came from Oregon. Over $95,000 for signature gathering came from the Oregon-based Death with Dignity National Center. The Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Committee chipped in another $25,000 in services like fundraising and public relations, records show. Nearly $200,000 of the $302,637 raised in 2012 came from the Death with Dignity National Center and out-of-state activist groups and individuals, records show. If passed, the initiative would allow a patient with a terminal disease with six months or less to live to obtain medication to end his or her life.

Group spokesman Stephen Crawford denied the campaign is driven by deep-pocketed, out of state interests. The first backers of the initiative include two former editors of the New England Journal of Medicine and professors from local medical schools, he said.

“It is really something homegrown – it is not something from out west,” Crawford said.

Opponents have raised twice as much money, with the Committee against Physician Assisted Suicide hauling in more than $900,000 since late April.

However, only $25,000 of the cash raised by the committee came within from within Massachusetts, records show. The Tupelo, Mississippi-based American Family Association has pumped $250,000 into the opposition effort, campaign finance records show.

On Friday the $250,000 contribution was returned over differences in “agendas” with the conservative, evangelical group, a spokesman for the Committee Against Physician Assisted Suicide told The Associated Press.

The Connecticut-based Knights of Columbus anted up $200,000, followed by $175,000 contributed by the Washington. D.C.-based American Principles Project.

The only other source of support from within the Bay State involved $86,000 of in-kind contributions from the Archdiocese of Boston and iCatholic Media for web and video production, printing and shipping, among other assistance, state campaign finance records show.

Another group, MA against Doctor Prescribed Suicide – No on 2, raised more than $109,000 as of Sept. 4, with the bulk coming from right to life groups, local doctors and a New York hedge fund chief, campaign finance records show.

A third ballot initiative, requiring auto makers to cough up closely held diagnostic information to local mechanics, remains on the ballot, but there is little campaigning around it now since Legislature passed the proposal this summer. The initiative raised hundreds of thousands in 2011 from various auto industry interests, campaign finance records show.


Competing on a shoestring

By contrast, opponents of the medical marijuana initiative, led by a police group and a recently organized coalition of substance abuse educators, are fighting just to raise a few hundred dollars.

The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association is preparing to roll out a white paper detailing its opposition to this November’s ballot question, said Wayne Sampson, the Grafton-based group’s executive director. The chiefs have no money for ads or other efforts to get their message out, with $525,000 Lewis has contributed to the medical pot campaign more than the group’s annual budget, he said.

“We just don’t have the ability to raise money for a political issue,” Sampson said.

A loose coalition of substance abuse educators and counselors has formed a committee to fight the measure, but so far has raised only $600, with another $800 pledged, said Josephine Hensley, treasurer of Vote No on Question 3.

“We are up against a billionaire from out of state who is pushing the repeal of pot prohibitions across the country,” said Heidi Heilman of Acton, a school substance abuse educator who helped form the group. “We don’t have any money. This is crazy.”

Still, opponents to the pot push do have a powerful ally in the Massachusetts Medical Society, which argues there is no scientific evidence to back up claims that marijuana has medicinal value.

“We are looking at a so-called medical marijuana (ballot initiative),” said Walpole Police Chief Richard Stillman. “I use that term loosely because there is no such thing – it has no medical use. It’s all about smoking pot and getting high.”

But Manley, the spokeswoman for the medical marijuana campaign, said patients can only access the drug after receiving written doctors’ recommendations, with verification by the state. A new felony would be created for anyone “who defrauds the medical marijuana system with a penalty of up to five years in prison for distribution,” Manley wrote in an email.

“This initiative will be the safest medical marijuana law in the country,” she added.


Instant campaigns?

A cottage industry of lobbyists, public relations firms and other consultants can play a crucial roll transforming cash from wealthy individuals, corporations and advocacy groups into full-fledged ballot campaigns, Boyle of Common Cause said.

Of the $525,000 Lewis pumped into the medical marijuana campaign in 2011, almost all the money went to two sources, high-powered Boston public relations firm Rasky Baerlein and SpoonWorks Inc., a Brookline-based firm that specializes in collecting the thousands of signatures needed to get proposals onto the state ballot.

Rasky Baerlein has a track record of success in 13 state and local ballot initiatives in Massachusetts spanning more than two decades, said Joe Baerlein, the firm’s president. After doing work with the medical marijuana campaign last year, Rasky shifted its focus this year, teaming up with the Campaign against Physician Assisted Suicide. The firm got the lion’s share of the committee’s expenditures, billing for more than $365,000, campaign finance records show.

Dignity 2012 has paid Crawford, a top Boston area public relations strategist who is on his fourth ballot campaign, roughly $24,000 over the past two years. In the same time, SpoonWorks picked up $157,000 for collecting signatures, while another $15,000 was paid to a management consultant, records show.

“It makes it all the harder … they (grassroots groups) are competing against paid professionals,” said Common Cause’s Boyle.


History not encouraging

Recent ballot campaigns in Massachusetts foretell a grim scenario for grassroots campaigns short on cash.

George Soros, the multibillionaire financier, pumped $400,000 into a successful 2008 ballot initiative that decriminalized possessions of small amounts of marijuana. The Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project funneled another $320,000 into the effort, campaign finance records show. Supports ultimately raised more than $1.2 million while opponents like the Massachusetts Superintendents Association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving brought in only $50,000, state records show. The measure passed with nearly 63 percent of the vote.

“If you have money, you can obviously go a long way with a ballot initiative,” said Boyle, the Common Cause spokesperson “It is supposed to allow citizens on their own to put something on their ballot. But my guess is that it would be very difficult if not impossible if you are not a well-funded individual.”



The New England Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit investigative reporting newsroom based at Boston University.

U.S. Army Col. and former candidate for Hampden District Attorney Stephen Spelman confined by military for adultery

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Spelman opted to plead guilty during the proceeding on Sept. 6 despite the fact that his accuser did not come to testify at the court martial, according to Spelman's wife.

spelman.JPGU.S. Army Col. and former prosecutor Stephen E. Spelman is shown here during his campaign for Hampden District Attorney in 2010.

SPRINGFIELD - Once the chief criminal defense lawyer deployed to Iraq for the U.S. Army and a leading candidate for Hampden district attorney two years ago, Col. Stephen E. Spelman is now in the midst of serving a 60-day military confinement sentence for adultery and related charges.

Spelman, also a recipient of a Bronze Star medal, began serving the sentence at an undisclosed location after a court martial in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 6, where Spelman and his wife, also a former prosecutor and now head of the Bay Path College Criminal Justice Department, Elizabeth G. Dineen, testified.

Spelman also faces a $20,000 fine on the adultery charge if he returns to active duty; the charge involves having engaged in a prohibited extra-marital affair with a subordinate.

During an interview on Friday at the law office where Spelman, 56, went to work as a civilian following his loss in the 2010 Democratic primary for district attorney, Dineen said the sentence is not be the fall from grace it would seem for her husband.

“He deeply regrets his actions and the pain that it inflicted on me as well as his family. He admitted his indiscretion to me three-and-a-half years ago. Additionally, he admitted his failings to his children, his step-children and to my (late) parents,” Dineen said in a statement. She told a long, complicated story about an affair her husband had with a subordinate in the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG); the affair, according to Dineen, began while Spelman was serving a combat tour in Iraq in 2008 and continued for a time when both returned from overseas that year.

“We have worked extremely hard to heal as a couple, and we have,” Dineen said.

Having not spoken with her husband since a lengthy hearing at Fort McNair eight days earlier, Dineen said Spelman confessed his affair to her and their family members when he chose to end it in 2009. The woman, whom Dineen declined to identify, was silent on the matter until Spelman announced his candidacy for district attorney late that year.

According to Dineen, the woman, who does not live in Western Massachusetts, began sending emails to her and others and threatened Spelman to drop out of the race or she would expose him. He didn’t, and she did, Dineen said.

The woman reported the affair to the Army one day before the primary election in 2010. Spelman was runner-up in a five-way Democratic contest, losing to former state Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti, who went on to lose in the general election that year to Mark G. Mastroianni.

During the campaign, Spelman touted his military experience which included two combat tours in Iraq plus time working across the country as chief of the Army’s Trial Defense Service and as the senior military officer at Gen. David H. Petraeus’ Law and Order Task Force overseas. He also authored a series of essays for The Republican from the front lines during those tours.

“This tour in Iraq, things are a lot quieter than during my first combat tour,” he wrote in an article published on March 19, 2008.

Dineen, however, says Spelman’s tour of duty in Iraq left a volatile climate on the homefront where the two had married a day before he deployed in the fall of that year. She was grappling with work challenges and managing the ups and downs of Spelman’s two children from a previous marriage and her own son from a prior union. Her late father, Jack Dineen, was showing the early signs of dementia, Dineen said, explaining that she felt herself begin to crumble under the pressure and her attitude toward her husband sour. Isolation also was setting in, she said.

“Unlike the other tours, when I was a total cheerleader, I was ambivalent about this one, at best,” she said.

Dineen said it is unknown what, if any, action Spelman will face from the state Board of Bar Overseers in connection with the military court martial. Attorney Edward McDonough, a partner at the firm, Egan Flanagan and Cohen, where Spelman works, said Spelman instructed them to report it to the legal watchdogs and the outcome is unclear. There is no equivalent crime for civilian lawyers, which complicates the issue, McDonough said.

“Since Steve joined the firm, he has proven himself to be an able and skilled lawyer and a valued colleague. Certainly we regret the situation he experienced years ago during his third tour of duty while in Iraq, but in no way did it affect his work for us,” attorney John J. Egan, managing partner at the firm, said in a statement.

Spelman will retain his rank as colonel in the Army Reserve and intends to retire from the military upon his return home, Dineen said. He opted to plead guilty during the proceeding on Sept. 6 despite the fact that his accuser did not come to testify at the court martial.

“After 26 years as a prosecutor, I’ve never seen a real victim not show up to court,” Dineen said.

Dineen said she and their children will stand by Spelman.

“Our family loves and appreciates Stephen for who he is, for what he has accomplished in his life and for all the good he has done in his life,” she said. “As a family, we chose not to focus on a very human indiscretion that has taken on a disproportionate life of its own.” 

Springfield fights leave four with stab wounds

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The stabbings happened shortly after 2 p.m. on Main Street in Indian Orchard and on Chestnut Street.

SPRINGFIELD – Police are investigating two stabbing incidents from early Sunday morning that seriously injured two people.

One man, who was stabbed three times in the chest and arms, was dropped off at Mercy Medical Center at about 2:20 a.m. He was quickly transported to the neighboring Baystate Medical Center where surgery was performed, Springfield police Lt. John M. Bobianski said.

As of early Sunday the man, whose name and age was not available, was listed in critical condition, he said.

Reports of what happened were unavailable but the stabbing happened during a fight in the 150-170 block of Chestnut Street, he said.

Two other people were also stabbed in the fight. They were dropped at Baystate Medical Center for treatment. Their wounds were minor, Bobianski said.

Another man was stabbed in a separate fight at about 2:13 a.m. near Main and Myrtle Streets in the Indian Orchard section of the city.

He suffered a punctured lung and was brought to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance, Bobianski said.

On one else was injured in the second fight. No arrests have been made in the stabbings, he said.

The two stabbing incidents follow another that happened early Saturday on Euclid Avenue in Forest Park. That victim suffered non life-threatening wounds to his forearm and abdomen, police said.

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots agree: Bad practice week impacted 20-18 loss to Arizona Cardinals

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What went wrong in practice? According to Wes Welker, the same things that went wrong during the game.

gostkowski face down.JPG Arizona Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel, right, celebrates after New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, bottom, missed a field at the end of the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. The Cardinals won 20-18.


FOXBOROUGH -- Blame Stephen Gostkowski if you want.

The New England Patriots kicker missed a 42-yard field goal with 0:01 remaining that could have turned Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals into a victory.

But the Patriots' issues weren't at all confined to Gostkowski's right foot, and several players said the problems didn't begin Sunday.

"It all started in the week of practice. Everybody will tell you," said cornerback Kyle Arrington. "We knew what they were doing; we still couldn’t get it done. On the practice field, there were blown calls, lack of communication, and it showed up today in the game. We had our chances."

New England managed just 129 yards of offense in the first half, committed eight penalties for 60 yards and didn't score a touchdown until 2:06 remained in the game, seriously threatening not to reach the end zone for the first time since Oct. 26, 2003. In addition to the final missed field goal, the Patriots also surrendered a third-quarter blocked punt that gave the Cardinals the ball on the 2-yard line and set up the first Arizona touchdown.

"We just didn't come out there firing," said wide receiver Wes Welker. "We didn't have a great week of practice. Coach (Bill Belichick) made a point of that, that we need to not play catch-up. We really didn't do the things necessary to come away with the win, especially early. We have to start faster than that and come out, play from ahead and do things the way we need to."

Added Rob Gronkowski, "You have to be ready for any situation, for any game. That's what practice is for all week. Clearly, we didn't practice good enough. I didn't practice good enough all week. We have to pick that up and be ready for all situations at all times."

What went wrong during practices? According to Welker, the same things that went wrong during the game.

"Just a lot of mental errors and things like that, guys not doing their assignments and not doing their job," he said. "We talked about the different things they did defensively and the type of players they have, and people we had to control. We just didn't do a good job of that."

Sunderland man shot in face with pellet gun by suspected robber

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The suspect fled when roommates of the victims heard the noise and called police.

sunderland police patch.jpg

SUNDERLAND – A resident of Cliffside Apartments was shot multiple times with a pellet gun by a man who was attempting to break into his room at about 1 a.m. Sunday.

The suspect cut a window screen in the victim’s bedroom, reached into the room and demanded items from the victim. When the resident refused, the suspect shot him in the face and chest, according to a written statement from the Sunderland Police Department.

The suspect fled when two other roommates called police. They were in separate rooms during the incident and ran to the victim’s room when they heard the noise, police said.

The victim was not seriously injured. Sunderland Fire Department Ambulance responded to the Amherst Street apartments, but he refused treatment, Police Sgt. Brendan Lyons said.

The intruder was described as a light-skinned white or Hispanic man, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, thin, with a dark crew cut and thin mustache. The tenants said they did not know the man.

Rob Gronkowski after New England Patriots loss to Arizona Cardinals: 'I was playing awful'

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After the New England Patriots fell 20-18 to the Arizona Cardinals, Gronkowski did not mince words.

FOXBOROUGH -- Rob Gronkowski caught just one pass during the first half Sunday and had a holding penalty that nullified what likely would have been a game-winning touchdown.

After the New England Patriots fell 20-18 to the Arizona Cardinals, Gronkowski did not mince words.

"We were playing awful. I was playing awful," said the tight end, who finished with a respectable six catches for 75 yards and one touchdown thanks to five receptions in the fourth quarter. "I have to go out there, play better, play faster, play stronger. And not just the fourth quarter. Just staying in the game's not good enough. You have to be out there playing hard."

Gronkowski had two penalties on New England's final drive. The first was a holding that canceled out Danny Woodhead's 30-yard touchdown dash with 0:52 left. The second was a false start that pushed the Patriots from the 18-yard line to the 23.

When Bill Belichick decided to run down the clock for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal rather than go for the end zone, Gronkowski's second penalty ultimately forced Gostkowski to kick the potential game-winner (which he missed) from 42 yards rather than 37.

The tight end called his penalties "obviously frustrating," but noted that he didn't think the holding call should have been whistled.

"I felt like it was a clean block," Gronkowski said. "My hands were right inside, but I have to look at the film."

Despite hauling in the Patriots' lone touchdown to pull his team within 20-18 with two minutes left, Gronkowski thought the loss might have been his fault.

"Stephen (Gostkowski) does a great job. He kicked four great field goals to keep him in the game. The loss is not on him," said the tight end. "The loss could be on me. I got that penalty at the end holding the guy. And you can't have things like that happen. It's definitely not on Stephen. Great kicker and great player."

It's not just Florida anymore -- Retirees find unusual places to call home

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As baby-boomers reach retirement age, they're finding new homes in new places.

cdapic.jpgDavid Spoelstra canoes with his dogs across Fernan Lake near Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, a popular sport for retirees seeking new places to live.
By Clarke Canfield Associated Press  

CAMDEN, Maine – When Peg Davis was ready to find a retirement community to move to, she looked north – not south – for a place to spend her later years.

Rather than set her sights on Florida, Arizona or some other warm-weather locale, she packed up and moved from Big Flats, N.Y., to the small coastal Maine town of Camden.

Davis, 73, was in search of the slow pace of a small town with natural beauty, cultural opportunities and “a sense of place.” She hasn’t been disappointed since arriving in 2010.

“I wouldn’t go south of Pennsylvania,” said Davis, who vacationed here for years before making the move. “My mind operates like a Mainer. It doesn’t operate like people who escape to Southern comfort.”

The idea of people who uproot and move when they retire conjures up images of warm, sunny Florida or Arizona. But some of the older members of the baby boom generation, the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, are looking elsewhere, and a number of towns in cooler climates from Maine to Washington have become popular retirement destinations.

Camden is frequently cited in lists of best places for retirees. Others that have merited mention include Asheville, N.C.; Ruidoso, N.M.; Durango, Colo.; the San Juan Islands in Washington’s Puget Sound; St. George, Utah; Medford, Ore.; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kalispell, Mont.; and towns along lakes Superior and Michigan in northern Michigan.

“Boomers and retirees these days are considering a much wider range of destinations for retirement, often choosing states that don’t commonly come to mind, such as Maine and Montana,” said Mary Lu Abbott, editor of Where to Retire magazine. “Yes, the Sun Belt remains popular, but many people prefer a four-season climate and enjoy the changing of seasons. They seek towns that are safe and have active, appealing downtowns and good hospitals nearby, and increasingly they’re looking for places with a lower cost of living and lower overall tax rate.”

Maine doesn’t have a low income tax rate and housing prices are high in Camden. But the town fits the bill in most other regards, drawing more and more retirees over the years, many of whom have some previous connection to the town, spending summers or vacations in the area.

Camden, with a population of 4,850, has a picturesque harbor that is home to historic windjammers in summer and fall. Nestled at the base of the Camden Hills, the town has its own ski mountain. The downtown has stores and restaurants that are locally owned. Crime is low and incomes and education levels are high.

In 1990, about 33 percent of residents were 55 and older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2010, nearly half were 55 and over. By last count, Camden has more people in their 60s than in their 20s and 30s combined.

Camden’s median age is 53, which is old even by Maine standards. The Pine Tree State, with the nation’s oldest residents, has a median age of 42.7 years.

Smaller, far-flung places aren’t for all retirees, of course.

They can have long, cold, snowy winters and high housing costs. Many are remote, even isolated. Public transportation often isn’t available, and doctors can be in short supply in the more rural locales.

Some have a shortage of cultural opportunities, good restaurants and part-time jobs.

Different people have different ideas of retirement, said Leigh Smith, who moved to a Camden retirement community with her husband, Ron, from the Boston area in 2003. While Smith and her husband moved to Maine for retirement, a cousin of hers wasted no time moving away from Maine, to Florida, when he stopped working.

“You think, my goodness, why would you retire to Maine? It’s snowy, icy,” she said. “But the winters here, I have found, are better and milder than Boston.”

The idea of going to Florida didn’t appeal to the 66-year-old Smith because of the humidity, crowds and hurricanes. She likes that life here has a slower pace but that there’s still plenty to do.

“It’s like the 1950s here,” she said. “People trust each other. People don’t lock their homes or cars, although we do because we’re from Boston and it’s ingrained.”

She and her husband like that they can walk to downtown, that performance centers and museums are nearby, and that people are active around here – be it walking, biking, kayaking, boating, hiking or volunteering their time for community groups. It’s also important that a hospital is located nearby and there’s bus service from town when they want to go to Portland, Boston or New York.

“When we first visited Camden, neither of us had heard of the town,” said Ron Smith, 70. “But when we were shown the area, we were sold on it pretty quickly.”

With baby boomers now reaching retirement age, they’re looking for places that are walkable with good restaurants, volunteer opportunities and perhaps college courses they might be able to take, said David Savageau, author of “Retirement Places Rated,” now in its seventh printing. They’re also looking for places with familiarity, where they’ve visited on vacation or perhaps spent summers as a child.

For many retirees nowadays, the idea of a “golf kind of idle recreation” retirement associated with Florida isn’t appealing, he said.

“That’s the old view of retirement,” Savageau said. “And it’s kind of dying out, the desert Southwest and South Florida. That was for our parents; for us it might be somewhere closer to home, a college town, a ski resort or a historical area that gets some kind of tourism in season.”


Quick hits: Stephen Gostkowski unaffected, Aaron Hernandez vital to the offense,Wes Welker sees reduced role

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A look at Sunday's biggest storylines.

FOXBOROUGH -- Stephen Gostkowski didn't sit at his locker, moping, with a towel over his head or his hands buried in his face.

By the time the Patriots locker room opened to media following Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Gostkowski was standing tall at his locker, the stink of his missed last-second field goal washed away in the shower, ready to take responsibility for his shortcoming.

"I'm not scared to fail. It stinks when you do, but I wouldn't go out there every day if I was scared to screw up," Gostkowski said. "I'll feel bad about this for a few days, and I'm sure I'll get ripped for it by the fans. It's well deserved."

Gostkowski shouldn't have anything to feel bad about. In a game where the offense failed to build any momentum until it was too late, he hit four field goals and put the team in a position to compete at the end.

Because of that, his teammates patted him on the back instead of casting scorn his direction and were willing to stand up for him and accept responsibility for the loss.

"We didn't play very good," guard Logan Mankins said. "Not scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter, kicking field goals, penalties, pressures, negative runs -- the offense, we didn't bring our best game and it really showed."

We'll never know if it would have made a difference, but the offense never had a chance to get into sync after tight end Aaron Hernandez suffered an ankle injury during the second series of the game.After he went down, the offense had no identity and ran around lost like Matt Damon in the Bourne movies, minus the direction and an a executable plan.

It was somewhat stunning to see one man have such an impact on how the offense runs -- outside of Tom Brady, of course -- but it wasn't completely unexpected.

The offense, in a lot of ways, is centered on Hernandez's position flexibility. They can go into multiple looks in no-huddle sets and create mismatches by splitting him out wide or moving him in against a linebacker.

Once that was taken away, the Patriots were forced to go vanilla.

"Yeah, absolutely (the game plan changed)," wide receiver Wes Welker said. "Aaron is in there almost every play, so it changes quite a bit."

In the past, the Patriots have been able to operate without Hernandez, but they had time to find ways to fill his various roles in those instances. That task is a lot harder when it's happening on the fly.

In an unexpected twist, Welker may be the man taxed with filling some of the void since it appears that Julian Edelman has jumped over him on the depth chart.

Last week we considered it an aberration when Welker played 43 snaps against Tennessee, but there's no denying that Edelman was the top choice to play opposite Brandon Lloyd in two-receiver sets Sunday. He finished (unofficially) with 75 snaps to Welker's 63.

Those figures could have been even more lopsided if not for Hernandez's injury.

There's an outside chance that could change, though. Once re-established as a viable option, Welker caught five passes for 95 yards while Edelman checked in five for 50.

Maybe Welker is battling an unknown injury or something else that we are yet to find out. But even if he is, he proved that he's still the top slot receiver on the roster.

Why the Patriots choose to drive a Honda when they have an Acura sitting beside it baffles the mind.

They have to come to their senses eventually, right?

Cardinals: Stephen Gostkowski 'was scared' of getting kick blocked

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The Cardinals believe their field goal block team was on Gostkowski's mind Sunday afternoon.

FOXBOROUGH -- There's plenty of reasons why Stephen Gostkowski missed a last-second field goal that allowed the Arizona Cardinals to beat the New England Patriots, 20-18.

He stood tall and offered multiple explanations following the game. Not on his list was fear of the Cardinals, but that's exactly why Arizona thinks he missed wide left Sunday afternoon with the game on the line.

"We put a lot of pressure on a lot of field goal teams," Peterson said. "I think he was a little scared of us, honestly, that is why he pushed it left."

The Cardinals blocked a punt earlier in the game and swatted down a field goal against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, so it is possible that was in the back of his mind, but Gostkowski hit four field goals earlier in the game.

Cardinals wide receiver Andre Roberts doesn't think that matters, though. He co-signed Peterson's line of thinking and continued to pile it on Gostkowski when asked about the missed kick.

"It is his job to make the field goal and he missed the field goal," he said. "We have a really good field goal block team and I think that may have been in the back of his mind, you never know."

For his part, Gostkowski said he was ready to take whatever criticism was thrown at him and that he felt confident going out for the kick.

"I had a good game up until that point. I felt good going out there," Gostkowski said. "There's probably not another game where I would feel more confident going out for a kick like that. It humbles you really quick."

Wes Welker on being less involved for New England Patriots: 'You want to be out there'

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Asked about not being involved as often, Wes Welker didn't refute that his part in the New England Patriots offense seems to have changed.

FOXBOROUGH -- The first half ended Sunday at Gillette Stadium and Wes Welker had hardly made any impact at all.

He didn't start the 20-18 New England Patriots loss to the Arizona Cardinals and he wasn't targeted on a pass until the two-minute warning had already past. The 25-yard reception on his first target was Welker's 558th with the Patriots, pushing him past Troy Brown for the franchise career mark. But the honor came at an odd time.

Welker seemed an afterthought in an offense that featured him to the tune of 122 catches and 1,569 yards last season, in an offense that has helped him register each of the top three single-season reception marks in Patriots history. He began the game on the sideline as Julian Edelman lined up on the field and didn't even make a bigger mark in the first half when Aaron Hernandez went down with a right ankle injury.

Even after Welker finished with five catches for 95 yards as the Patriots went his way far more often in the second half, an unofficial count had the star taking just 63 snaps compared to Edelman's 75. For reference, Welker lined up for 89 percent of snaps last season; his unofficial 76 percent Sunday was considerably less than that, though higher than the 65 percent he recorded last weekend.

Welker's increasing amount of bench time could be just a meaningless, early-season blip that will fix itself over time. But asked about not being involved as often, Welker didn't refute that his part in the offense seems to have changed.

"You know, you want to be out there, I think, as a competitor and everything else. Especially on Sundays, it's what we play for and what we work for and you want to be out there," he said. "At the same time, (coach Bill Belichick) felt like whatever was best for the team and I'm for that. And I totally understand that and I'm just there to help out however I can."

Tom Brady was asked directly whether he was on board with Edelman playing in front of Welker.

He responded, "Those three guys rotate a lot, so there are plays that Julian is in there for; there are a lot of plays that Wes is in there for. I love both those guys and they both work really hard. That's always (coach Belichick's) decision -- who's out there, that's not really my decision."

Chandler Jones flying high, Rob Gronkowski in the doghouse following loss to Cardinals

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A look at how a few players saw their stock change following Sunday's loss.

By Nick Underhill and Jay King

A look at how a few players saw their stock change following the Patriots' 20-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Flying high

DE Chandler Jones -- Jones continues to run through defense like he's tearing down houses in the video game "Rampage." He showed up with another forced fumble Sunday, he's second of the season, and drew a holding call. There were also a few instances where he chased Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb out of the pocket. Remember when we all thought he was a project?

LB Brandon Spikes -- There was one play Sunday when Spikes used a beautiful spin move to get after Kolb that was an absolute thing of beauty, even though he didn't get the sack. He also forced the fumble in teh fourth quarter that gave the Patriots a shot at victory.

WR Wes Welker -- He once again saw a reduction in snaps and this may officially be a storyline to monitor with some degree concern. Still, he made the most of his 63 snaps, catching five passes for 95 yards. He also passed Troy Brown as the franchise's all-time leader in receptions.

In the doghouse

TE Rob Gronkowski -- Was whistled for two penalties on the final drive, one of which took away a touchdown from Danny Woodhead. Everything else he did was made meaningless by those two mistakes.

OC Josh McDaniels -- The Patriots didn't look like the Patriots on offense for a number of reasons, and some of that was due to odd play calling by the offensive coordinator. The call for a Woodhead sweep on third-and-6 late in the game comes to mind.

Special teams -- A blocked punt and a missed field goal buried the Patriots.

Ware accident seriously injures brothers on Osburne Road

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The two were close to their home on Osborne Road when they hit a tree.

WARE – Two brothers were seriously injured when the car they were in struck a tree Saturday night.

Michael Slattery and Robert Slattery, who are both in the 30s, were brought to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester by helicopter after the 9 p.m. accident.

They were listed in stable condition Sunday evening, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The two were driving west on Crescent Street near the intersection of Osborne and Walker Roads, when the car left the road, became airborne and struck a tree, Ware police said.

The men both live on Osborne Road and were just around the corner from their home, police said.

The accident is being investigated by Ware Police and the State Police Accident Reconstruction team, police said.

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