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Somers man killed in motorcycle accident

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Joshua Wetherington was pronounced dead at Johnson Memorial Hospital Saturday night.

SOMERS – A 25-year-old local man was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident near his home Saturday night.

Joshua Wetherington, of 89 Pioneer Heights, was riding his motorcycle west on Pioneer Heights at about 6:45 p.m. when he lost control, left the roadway and struck a utility pole, State Trooper Jay Gershowitz said.

He was thrown from the bike and landed about 20 feet away, Gershowitz said.

Wetherington was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital, in Stafford Springs, where he was pronounced dead, he said.

The accident is being investigated by the Somers residents officers for the Connecticut State Police.


Two people threatened with gun in Springfield robbery

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No one was injured in the robbery.

SPRINGFIELD – Two people were robbed of cash and a cell phone as they were sitting in a car Sunday in the Yogurt City parking lot of 296 Cooley St.

The two people were approached by a black man wearing a stripped hooded sweatshirt who opened one of the car doors. He pointed a handgun at the two and demanded money, Police Lt. John M. Bobianski said.

The man fled on foot. No one was injured in the robbery, Bobianski said.

Report: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson reconcile

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The popular "Twilight" couple split in July after Stewart admitted having an affair.

PREMIERE_THE_TWILIGHT_SAGA__ECLIPSE_LA_7236577.JPGRobert Pattinson, left, and Kristen Stewart

Have the prayers of Kristen Stewart – and perhaps the producers of "Twilight" – finally been answered?

The Sun of Britain is reporting that Stewart and her "Twilight" saga co-star, Robert Pattinson, have reconciled.

The couple split in July after Us Weekly revealed Stewart had been having an affair with her married "Snow White and the Huntsman" director, Rupert Sanders, 41.

Stewart, 22, and Pattinson, 26, met in early 2008 during the filming of the first "Twilight" film. They did not publicly acknowledge their relationship until Stewart apologized for the affair with Sanders two months ago.

"I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected," she said back in July to People. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."

The Sun reported that Pattinson forgave Stewart for her "stupid mistake," according to one source.

"Kristen poured her heart out to Robert and told him it was a one-off and a mistake. Rob sees it as Kristen made a really stupid mistake," the source said. "After a lot of long tearful talks, they've worked it out. Rob can see how truly sorry Kristen is and has totally forgiven her. They really do love each other. For now they are focusing on themselves."

Earlier this month, Stewart told the Associated Press at the Toronto Film Festival that she and Pattinson were "totally fine." She added, "We're going to be fine."

The reconciliation comes two months before the November premiere of the final "Twilight" movie.

WNE poll reveals how Massachusetts voters view Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren

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Thirty two percent of the likely voters polled said they see Brown as a moderate while 42 percent say he is somewhat conservative. Only seven percent of those surveyed said he is very conservative.

Elizabeth Warren Scott Brown vs.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. (AP photos)

SPRINGFIELD — A new poll concluded that Democrat Elizabeth Warren has built a six-point lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown since late May, but it also reveals just how the voters are viewing each candidate with less than 50 days until the Nov. 6 election.

The survey, conducted by Western New England University's Polling Institute through a partnership with The Republican newspaper and MassLive.com, concluded that while both Brown and Warren have built up popular followings, there are still areas they can improve on to gain ground in the coming weeks.

When likely voters were asked to classify the candidates along the political spectrum from very liberal to very conservative, 37 percent gave Warren the first distinction, followed by 28 percent who said somewhat liberal and 13 percent who consider her a moderate.

While Warren's focus on being a fighter for middle class families hasn't involved portraying herself as an across-the-aisle bridge builder, her opponent has worked hard to craft such an image himself.

Brown, who won his Senate seat in a 2010 special election following the death of longtime Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, is largely seen as an independent-minded legislator, the poll concluded.

Thirty two percent of the likely voters polled said they see Brown as a moderate while 42 percent say he is somewhat conservative. Only seven percent of those surveyed said he is very conservative, a label Warren's campaign has tried to attach to the incumbent senator by highlighting his votes with the GOP against ending taxpayer subsidies for oil companies and to block debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which aimed to decrease payroll gender inequality.

The perception of being a moderate Republican is important to Brown in liberal leaning Massachusetts where 52 percent of the registered voters are independent or hold no enrolled political affiliation.

Additionally, 51 percent of respondents said Brown was best suited to work with senators from both parties to get things done in Washington while just 30 percent said the same of Warren.

When asked which candidate is honest and trustworthy, Brown and Warren ranked similarly with 38 and 35 percent, respectively. Sixteen percent of those polled said both candidates fall into that category, although "both" was not an option ready during the interview.

Brown and Warren each did better among their own genders as 46 of men said Brown was honest and trustworthy and 37 percent of women said the same thing about Warren.

It is also interesting to note that only 4 percent of Republicans responded positively to Warren while Brown has the trust of ten percent of the Democrats polled.

On the question of experience, Brown bested Warren 48 to 33 percent, although ten percent said both candidates were qualified to represent Massachusetts in Washington.

When respondents were asked which candidate "cares more about people like you," 47 percent said that was Warren; 36 percent said Brown and eight percent said both candidates. Although voters between ages 30-64 were within a six-percentage point margin fore each candidate, voters 65 and older overwhelmingly said Warren, 58 to 32 percent for Brown.

Since much of Warren's talk on the campaign trail has involved Wall Street misdeeds and regulations, it may come as no surprise that 59 percent of the likely voters surveyed said she would be tougher than Brown when it comes to regulating the financial industry. Just 25 percent said Brown would be the better financial watchdog even though he was one of the tie-breaking votes to pass the Dodd-Frank financial reform package in 2010.

Democrats have charged that after that vote, Brown worked behind the scenes to loosen the Volcker Rule, which is aimed at minimizing conflicts of interest between banks and their clients by limiting which kinds of investments a bank with funds insured by the federal government can engage in.

Likely voters rank both candidates roughly evenly in terms of who has the best ideas for creating jobs in the Bay State, with 39 percent citing Warren and 35 percent saying Brown. Warren, however, holds a significant advantage over Brown in perceptions of who has better ideas for improving health care, 42 percent to 25 percent among likely voters.

Tim Vercellotti, professor of political science at Western New England University and director of the polling institute, said that one of the most striking aspects of the likely voter's attitudes toward Brown and Warren regarding job creation and improving health care is the number of people who did not offer an opinion.

"Nineteen percent could not say or declined to say who has the best ideas for creating jobs, and 24 percent could not or would not offer an assessment of the candidates’ positions on how to improve health care," Vercellotti said. "The results represent opportunities for candidates to make inroads with voters in these important policy areas in the coming weeks, particularly in the upcoming debates."

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.

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.

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.

Letters to the Editor: Moon landing seen around the world; Mitt Romney shows ineptitude; and more

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Letter writer: When was the last time one of our Democratic Massachusetts representatives or senator voted against his party?

Moon landing seen around the globe

2 views of Armstrong.jpgTwo views of Neil Armstrong -- in 1969, left, and earlier this year.

On the evening of July 20, 1969, several of us students from American International College, along with hundreds from other colleges and universities, were studying in our dorm rooms in Strasbourg, France, for our next-day’s French language, civilization and culture classes.

News spread throughout the dormitory that the United States was about to achieve, what some around the world thought would be the unachievable landing a man on the moon.

We were told that spacecraft Apollo 11 and its crew were close to the moon and a landing would be imminent. Anyone wishing to see the televised event was encouraged to assemble, quickly, in the dorm lounge to watch the only television.

As we gathered and waited, with anticipation, the crowd was hushed until the touchdown occurred. The tightly-crowded room filled with thunderous applause. But, it was minimal in comparison to the clapping and joyous screams when astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin stepped foot onto the moon’s surface.

When we heard Neil Armstrong say, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” the roaring applause got even louder and whistles and hollers were not to be forgotten. Those of us, especially, from the United States, were filled with pride and awe of our country’s many men and women who participated in such an outstanding achievement.

The articles and photos covered in the Sunday Republican on Aug. 26 and The Republican on Sept. 5 brought back the many lasting memories of my studies, associations and travels in Europe. Nothing, of course, could compare with the travels, courage, intelligence and determination of our astronauts during their tremendous journey.

Thanks for the memories.

– ROBERTA PAGE, West Springfield


Romney’s shows scary ineptitude

It was appalling to see former Gov. Mitt Romney assail President Obama on Sept. 12 in the wake of our ambassador and embassy staff being killed in Libya, even before all of the victims’ families had been notified of their deaths.

To turn that horrific act into political gamesmanship showed Romney to be less than presidential in his thoughts and actions. Clearly Romney’s press conference had been calculated and staged with the American flags behind him and a podium with a fake “presidential” seal on the front.

For him to try to score political points with American voters and insert himself into an unfolding crisis as if he was speaking for the American People was akin to Alexander Haig announcing to the world that he was in charge when President Reagan was shot.

Romney was tactless, had not done his research, and clearly showed once again that he does not have the foreign policy acumen and chops to hold the highest office in our land. What is even more concerning is who he has selected as his campaign and foreign policy advisers to think that his rhetoric on Tuesday is acceptable on any level. He showed himself to be a blustering, ill-informed person having no concept of how his words would be perceived in our country and by our allies abroad, especially in the Mideast.

If this attempt was to give himself credibility in his ability to handle U.S. foreign policy, it goes the way of his other recent debacles on the foreign stage and just shows himself to be unqualified to be our next president.

- KATHRYN M. COULOMBE, South Hadley


State needs senator like Scott Brown

I found a recent letter to the editor saying that U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has fooled Democrats into supporting him very amusing.

If you don’t agree 100 percent of the time with the extreme left, you are either old, suffer from an addled mind, a fool or a has-been.

We need more senators and representatives who don’t blindly follow the party line 100 percent of the time. When was the last time one of our Democratic Massachusetts representatives or senator voted against their party?

– WILLIAM KUPIEC, Ware

Bright foliage expected after disappointing 2011

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Many hotels and inns are fully booked for the foliage season.

foilage.jpgIn this Sept. 12, 2012 photo, colorful leaves hang on a tree in Craftsbury, Vt. After images of Tropical Storm Irene scared away leaf peepers last fall, tourists are heading back to see the Northeast's fall foliage a year later and aren't worried about how the dry summer might affect the color.

LISA RATHKE,Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — An optimistic forecast has inn owners expecting brisk business when leaf peepers visit the Northeast this fall, with some hoping to recoup losses from last year after images of Tropical Storm Irene swallowing up bridges and roads scared visitors away from Vermont and other affected areas.

The Woodstock Inn & Resort had to cancel reservations for all of September last year due to flood damage. After multimillion-dollar renovations, it's quickly filling up for the five-week season and nearly booked for Columbus Day weekend.

"There's almost pent-up demand from people that missed out last year and they're very excited to be here this year," said Courtney Lowe, the inn's marketing director.

After Irene tore through Vermont at the end of August 2011, national news showed images of floodwaters carrying away roads and bridges, including several of Vermont's iconic covered bridges. Some would-be tourists from Texas and California canceled last fall at the Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield, and the inn was down nearly 25 percent in September.

"When they saw the covered bridge go down the river, and in their world, from Oklahoma to California (to) Texas, every bridge in Vermont" was destroyed, even though only pockets of the state were battered, said Round Barn Farm co-owner Tim Piper.

The inn made up some of the business in October, though, Piper said, when visitors from other parts of New England and from New York made the trek, partly to see the foliage, partly out of curiosity, and partly to help the economy. Vermont reaps more than $300 million from the foliage season, and fall tourism brings in an estimated $1 billion in neighboring New Hampshire.

Now, the inn is nearly full for the foliage season.

"This year, our numbers are back on track to where they should be," he said.

Several couples who were stranded at the Notchland Inn in Hart's Location in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for two days during last year's storm are returning this fall.

"We should have a decent foliage season as long as Mother Nature cooperates," said co-owner Ed Butler.

Visitors should see the show they're expecting.

Dry spells this summer aren't likely to hamper the fall colors in forests and mountains, experts predicted, and could even heighten them in some spots.

Light and the length of days are the chief factors for when trees start revealing the yellows, oranges and reds of fall. The key to the deep reds are cold snaps that stimulate the development of another pigment, said Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

Visitors could see some brown patches where trees growing in thin soils are dry or where trees are under some other stress and have turned early.

But the dryness also could enhance the color in some spots.

"We've had nice dry, hot summer," said Maine's foliage spokeswoman, Gale Ross. "We're setting ourselves up for an ideal foliage season." She's already fielded numerous inquiries from potential leaf peepers, even one from China.

The bulk of Maine's trees will turn color within the next few weeks.

The season's first online foliage report Wednesday showed leaves still green in the lower two-thirds of Maine. But in the far northern and northwestern parts of the state, 10 to 30 percent of the leaves had changed, marking the start of the season.

Tourism officials in New York's Adirondacks and Catskills said the storms didn't deter visitors overall last year, especially after word spread that a key road in the Adirondacks was quickly repaired.

But there were pockets of disruption.

Christman's Windham House is in an area of the Catskills that was hit hard by Irene.

Owner Brian Christman said there was damage around the 49-room hotel and 27-hole golf course in the Greene County town of Windham, but he was ready to accommodate visitors during the foliage season.

"When they put it on CNN that Windham was devastated, that pretty much stopped business," he said. "We had people come. It was just a fraction of normal."

He figures about a quarter of his annual business comes from leaf-peepers and said this year's reservations are much better.

No matter what Mother Nature produces, it's still spectacular, particularly to guests who come from far away, said Piper, co-owner of the Round Barn Farm.

"In our worst foliage season that I've ever had, they've been in total awe of what Mother Nature gave them. We have variations on what is good, but for these people it's still remarkable thing of nature," he said.

___

Associated Press writer George M. Walsh in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report.

Editorial: Protecting privacy in search for terrorists

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Federal authorities who are looking for terrorists who would do us harm may sometimes tap into the communications of ordinary citizens who are doing nothing more dangerous than living their daily lives.

TSA 2012.jpgTSA Security Officer Kevin Effan allows a screened passenger to board his American Airlines flight via the new TSA pre-check lane at Concourse C security checkpoint at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on its first day of operation earlier this summer.

Surveillance is a balancing act. Always has been and always will be.

Federal authorities who are looking for terrorists who would do us harm may sometimes tap into the communications of ordinary citizens who are doing nothing more dangerous than living their daily lives.

This is less than ideal, of course. That’s why adjustments are routinely made to the surveillance methods used by federal officials.

It was the same story back in the day when people communicated by letters posted in the mail. With the current surveillance law up for renewal in Congress, a couple of senators are getting antsy about the whole thing. How many times, they want to know, has the law been used?

The government says it can’t say. For one thing, going through all the data to tally up a number would itself compromise people’s privacy.

Another reason, of course – although authorities haven’t been saying this – is that any number they did actually provide, no matter how large or small, would immediately elicit howls of protest from those who would claim to care about privacy first and foremost.

Trouble is, it wouldn’t really be privacy advocates screaming loudest. It would be the folks who oppose anything and everything that President Barack Obama does.

Just as five or six years ago it would have been an entirely different group – the anti-Bush set – that would have been up in arms over news of potential privacy violations.

When George W. Bush was in the White House, we argued in this space that authorities need to be given the tools they need to track terrorists. At the same time, all reasonable efforts must be made to keep people’s privacy from being invaded willy-nilly. Keep things balanced.

With Obama as president we feel exactly the same way. And we’d make the same point a decade or two down the road.

Ware selectmen trade barbs at heated meeting

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Simmering tensions about how to save money in the police and fire departments and whether changes to how the chiefs are appointments boiled over at Tuesday’s selectmen meeting

4 Ware selectmen 2012.jpgFour of the selectmen from Ware are, clockwise from top, left, Richard Norton, Gregory Harder, John Carroll and John Desmond.

WARE — Simmering tensions about how to save money in the police and fire departments and whether changes to how chiefs are appointed boiled over at last week's selectmen's meeting, with two members vigorously pointing fingers at one another while speaking at the same time.

Instead of remaining with his colleagues, Selectman Richard Norton left his chair behind the sizable selectmen’s desk when the meeting began.

He sat in the audience, and began to criticize the actions of board Chairman Greg Harder and board members John Desmond and John Carroll, the latter of whom was not present.

Saying “if it is not broken, don’t fix it,” Norton criticized Carroll for the controversial proposal put forward to remove Ware from hiring the chiefs according to Massachusetts' Civil Service law at May’s annual town meeting. Carroll withdrew the article before it was voted on.

Without mentioning a name, Norton then criticized Desmond for questioning whether the town’s full time fire department and ambulance squad should instead be a volunteer unit.

“I think you were referring to me,” Desmond said.

“Yes I was,” Norton said. Desmond then criticized Norton, saying Norton opposed a townwide referendum on the new fire station. Work on the building, located at the former Goldstein & Gurwitz property on West St. is nearly completed.

The finger pointing began, between Desmond and Norton, prompting Harder to say: “We are not going to get anywhere with this, this is too heated.”

Norton then focused on Harder, saying the chairman “wanted to try the [fire] chief” for what Norton stated was “for no reason at all.”

”I don’t deny that at all,” said Harder who ended discussion on the matter saying, “we are going to move on.”

In other business selectmen unanimously approved a request by Gheppetto’s Grille on Main St. naming owner Joel Harder as the establishment’s manager. Board chairman Greg Harder, his brother, recused himself from deliberations and the vote.

Selectmen also unanimously said yes to a controversial request from Daniel Saad, the owner of Snow’s Restaurant, to serve alcohol until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Many neighbors attending the meeting objected. The restaurant and sports bar at 136 Pleasant St. sits in a residential zone but enjoys “grandfather” rights to operate.


South Hadley to seek feedback from residents on town administrator, clerk's posts

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To spur discussion, the team’s preliminary responses to the questions will be posted on the town Website by Sept. 14.

SOUTH HADLEY – Residents are invited to a forum on three big administrative questions facing town government, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium. The forum is sponsored by the Know Your Town group.

In the wake of the resignation of a permanent Town Administrator last summer, the Financial Policy Advisory Team has been considering these questions:

• What level of authority and responsibility should a new Town Administrator have?

• Does South Hadley need an Assistant Town Administrator?

• Should the Town Clerk-Treasurer and the Town Collector continue to be elected, or should they go through an interviewing and hiring process like other town employees?

Priscilla Mandrachia, chairwoman of the Financial Policy Advisory Team in South Hadley, said the questions were raised in a Financial Management Review by the state Department of Revenue in 2011.

That consulting service is offered free by the state, and the review was requested voluntarily by the town.

Now the advisory team wants to hear from residents. To spur discussion, the team’s preliminary responses to the questions were scheduled be posted on the town website by last Friday.

The consultants from the Department of Revenue, whose document also appears on the Website, recommended that the Town Administrator have a stronger role in town government.

To Mandrachia, that doesn’t mean more power. “What we’re talking about is responsibility and authority,” she said. “We want a clearly accountable position.

“When you want to run any business – and the financial aspect of a town is like running a business – you want to make sure that the lines of authority are clear and appropriate.

“That argues for a clear financial head, as opposed to mutiple heads.”

She adds that the change would be “purely operational, and does not impact the role of Town Meeting.” The people will still be voting on how money is spent.

In reference to the question on the Town Clerk-Treasurer, Mandrachia said the advisory team was also leaning toward making Town Clerk and Town Treasurer two separate positions, as they were earlier in the town’s history.

Those who can’t attend the forum are asked to send their opinions to Mandrachia at finpat@shadleyma.org.

Feedback from residents is an important piece of any decision, she said. “We want to be transparent, open and comprehensive.”

Springfield may change process for selecting casino, after criticism from Massachusetts gaming regulators

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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is scheduled to meet in Boston Tuesday to further discuss the city's process for picking a casino company among at least four proposals.

SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield is working to revise its process for selecting a casino resort, after state gaming regulators last week asked Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to slow down the timetable for choosing a casino company and aired concerns about a possible conflict with the city's gaming consultant.

In a separate development, casino opponents have filed papers with the Springfield Election Commission to organize a committee to oppose a proposed ballot question seeking approval for a casino. The committee, called Citizens Against Casino Gaming, can now raise money to finance an anti-casino campaign. Under state campaign finance law, the committee can accept corporate donations and donations without dollar limits.

ed.jpgEdward M. Pikula

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is scheduled to meet in Boston Tuesday to further discuss the city's process for picking a casino company among at least four proposals. Gaming commission members are also awaiting a ruling by the state Ethics Commission on whether the city's consultant, the Chicago law firm of Shefsky & Froelich, has a conflict of interest because it lobbies in Illinois for two of the companies seeking a license for a casino in Springfield.

Edward M. Pikula, city solicitor for Springfield, said on Monday that municipal officials are having policy discussions and may have some specifics on process changes in time for Tuesday's commission meeting. The city, at the request of the commission, agreed to postpone the start of its bidding process, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 5 with requests for preliminary bids from casino companies.

"The city has been working internally to revise our process to address the concerns we heard," Pikula said Monday.

stevecros.jpgStephen Crosby

The commission questioned Sarno and other city leaders during a five-hour meeting last week in Springfield. In the state's casino law, the five-member commission is given final authority over the award of a casino license for Western Massachusetts and licenses for two other geographic regions of the state. The Mohegan Sun, which is proposing a casino for Palmer,heg is competing with Springfield.

Pikula said the city has a contract with Shefsky & Froelich and is waiting to hear from the Ethics Commission.

Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the commission, declined a request for an interview on Monday. A spokesman for the commission, Elaine B. Driscoll, said Crosby has been talking with Springfield officials and was hopeful of getting more details on its casino process in time for the meeting on Tuesday.

Pikula said the city wants to work cooperatively with the gaming commission.

During last week's meeting, Michael J. Schaller, a lawyer with Shefsky & Froelich, said the law firm is a registered lobbyist in Illinois for MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming, two companies proposing downtown casinos for Springfield. The law firm does not perform actual lobbyist work for the two companies, however, he said. The work for MGM and Penn is solely for routine regulatory matters before the Illinois Gaming Board, he said.

The law firm's work for MGM and Penn National is done by lawyer Paul Jenson, not any lawyers working for Springfield, he said. Jenson is "walled off" from the firm's work in Springfield and lawyers for Springfield are "walled off" from any matters connected to the two companies in Illinois, he said.

Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas, which is proposing a casino off Page Boulevard and I-291 in Springfield, said it is concerned about the consultant's ties to MGM and Penn National. Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos may also seek to build in Springfield.

Schaller said the firm is asking for an opinion from the Ethics Commission and will make public that opinion. Schaller could not be reached on Monday.

Crosby has said he is looking at even a perception of a possible conflict of interest with the consultant.

Commission members are also concerned because under the city's proposed timeline, the city would enter into an agreement with a casino or casinos by the end of January and then hold a vote on a ballot question in the spring.

The city's timeline conflicts with the commission's own schedule. The commission is expected to seek preliminary bids from casino companies next month and receive those bids by the middle of January. Under the first phase of bids, the commission would decide some time in June whether to qualify casino companies based on their finances and ethics. That raises a possibility that the commission might disqualify a casino company after it was chosen by Springfield.

Thomas T. Walsh, a spokesman for Sarno, said on Monday that the mayor wants to work closely with the commission on a timeline that would be mutually satisfactory to both sides.

With the creation of a ballot question committee, Michael T. Kogut, a Springfield lawyer and chairman of Citizens Against Casino Gaming, said city residents will now have an avenue and forum for expressing opposition to a casino.

Kogut said he is against casinos in an urban setting. Dr. Mark J. Mullan of Springfield, who specializes in internal medicine, is treasurer of the committee and Archbishop Timothy Paul Baymon, president of the Council of Churches of Greater Springfield, will be an officer, Kogut said.

Sarno said last week that he wants to drive a hard bargain for the best possible deal for a casino in the best viable location for residents, taxpayers and businesses in Springfield.

Sarno said the city either has to slow down its casino-selection process or the commission needs to speed up. Sarno said he wants to work in unison with the commission to bring a possible $1 billion economic development project to the city.

Sarno said he wants to utilize competition among casino companies to assure the best project for the city. "I'll look everybody straight in the eye here," Sarno told reporters. "I don't care where this thing goes .. as long as it is the best deal for the city of Springfield."

MCAS scores best in the 14-year history of test, state officials say

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Individual scores for each district and school are to be released Wednesday.

More 10th graders than ever were judged proficient on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems exam this year, but fewer passed the crucial graduation test.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released statewide results of the MCAS exam that students in grades three through 10 took in the spring of 2012. The scores for individual districts and schools will be released Wednesday.

Department officials said 2012 scores are the highest in the 14-year history.

Among 10th graders, 88 percent scored proficient or above in English, topping the previous highest grade of 84 percent in 2011; and 78 percent scored proficient in math, besting the 2011 percentage by one point. Eighth-graders hit their highest English score in 2012, with 81 percent scoring proficient in English; The math score of 52 percent proficient tied with last year’s best score in that grade.

“I commend our students and teachers for the hard work that went into making these impressive scores possible,” Gov. Deval. L. Patrick said in a prepared statement. “I am proud of the progress we have made but won’t be satisfied until we close the achievement gap and all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Students in other grades did not do as well.

In Grade 6, 66 percent of students scored proficient in English, which was down from the 2010 high of 69 percent. In the fifth grade, 61 percent of students scored proficient in English, down from the 67 percent high achieved last year.

Also disappointing is the percentage of sophomores who failed at least one of the English, math and science exams, which they must pass to graduate. Last year, 13 percent failed one of the three tests, while this year 14 percent failed. Sophomores must earn a score of needs improvement, rather than proficient, to earn their diploma.

Students who fall into a variety of subgroups, such as being a racial minority or having a learning disability, are improving. Although they continue to score lower than their white, middle-class peers, the gap in achievement is closing, the department reported.

In the 10th grade English exam, for example, the number of black students scoring proficient or above increased to 76 percent from 69; learning disabled students’ proficiency scores rose to 60 from 49 percent; and proficiency levels for students learning English increased to 35 percent from 27. At the same time, the number of white students scoring proficient or above increased to 93 percent from 89, according to the state.

In Springfield, where 10 of the city’s 45 schools are listed as Level 4 because of chronic underperformance, the results were mixed, said Superintendent Daniel J. Warwick.

“I think our students follow the statewide trends. The scores will be up in grade 10 and some of our subgroups are up,” he said.

Mostly the scores are flat, which Warwick called disappointing.

“We were looking to improve more....although we are very pleased with the improvements in some of our schools and we were very pleased with the grade 10 results,” he said.

The biggest change this year is that the state will no longer use federal adequate yearly progress standards, which required all students reach proficiency in math and English by 2014. In the past, school systems that did not meet regular progress goals were sanctioned.

The standards will be replaced by the state’s progress and performance index, which calls for every school to reduce by half the proficiency gap between current scores and 100 in five years.

For example, 41 percent of students in Springfield scored proficient or above in 2011 in English. The district goal would now be to improve by 29.5 percent by 2017.

“We are happy with the change to the PPI standard. We feel it is more reasonable, and we are pleased they are taking into consideration student growth,” Warwick said.

Schools will also be measured using data that compares students’ improvement to that of other students who performed in the same range. The state has been using that data for several years.

Chicopee Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said he likes the new accountability system, calling it less punitive and more flexible.

“I would say I am cautiously optimistic about going forward. There were some scores where we thought we did very well and some scores I was not happy with,” he said.

While Chicopee schools remain in the Level 3 category, Rege said he is grateful none have moved to Level 4 status.

MCAS 2012 Summary of State Results_9_17 Am (2) (2)

UMass center Quinton Sales anchor of shifting offensive line

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The senior leader has had to hold down an offensive line that has yet to be 100 percent healthy in 2012.

quintonSales.JPG UMass center Quinton Sales has had to manage a group of offensive linemen that haven't yet gotten to full strength in 2012.

AMHERST — Most if not all football coaches will tell you that the most important thing for an offensive line is for all five players to play as one unit. That one missed assignment can turn what could be a big play into lost yardage, and that if all five guys aren’t on the same page, it’s nearly impossible to gain any yards at all.

Familiarity becomes paramount, and for the offensive line of the University of Massachusetts, familiarity and continuity are abstract ideals that rest in stark contrast to the concrete reality that the offensive line has been more akin to a carousel than anything else.

There has, however, been one constant: Senior Center Quinton Sales.

“He’s been the rock,” coach Charley Molnar said. “He’s been the most steady performer we have, not only on the offensive line, but really you could say on the whole football team. He’s there every single day. That really makes him special just from that standpoint alone.”

Sales is a natural leader. Because of the physical position at the middle of the offensive line, the center on any team is usually tasked with being the “brains” of the offensive line, and Sales is no different.

“Every team I’ve been on, I’ve been some sort of a leader, just position wise, because I play center, that’s how it is,” Sales said. “It’s not really new to me. It’s the kind of thing I’ve always been a part of. “

Fellow senior Nick Speller, who has played three different offensive line positions since spring practice (he’s finally settled in at right guard at the moment), said Sales has done a great job being the constant compass for the unit.

“He’s a good person to follow behind,” Speller said. “That’s the one guy I don’t think we can afford to lose. That’s the brains of the operation. It feels good playing next to him.”

Things won’t get any easier for UMass continuity wise this week. Though they got a boost from the return of right tackle Anthony Dima last week, left guard Michael Boland, missed the Michigan game with a concussion, and is unlikely to return for Saturday’s matchup with Miami (Ohio). Left tackle Stephane Milhim suffered a sprained ankle against the Wolverines, and spent Monday’s practice with a boot on, though Molnar said he hopes to have Milhim practicing Tuesday.

Add it all up, and it’s been somewhat of a headache for offensive line coach Ron Hudson to get his guys working together at the level they need to be at to be successful.

“(It’s been) brutally hard because what you end up doing is shifting guys around to fill holes,” Hudson said. “So a guy starts to get settled in a spot, and he’s got to move, and you get a different guy in this time because someone else is out.”

Still, Hudson and the rest of the Minutemen know they can count on Sales day in and day out to be the anchor up front.

“He’s a smart guy, he’s a selfless guy, he works his tail off,” Hudson said. “He tries to motivate others, and he loves the game, he plays with a great passion.”

INJURY UPDATE

In addition to the offensive line injuries noted above, UMass is reeling at some other positions as well.

Wide receiver Marken Michel did not practice Monday because of a bruised shoulder, and his return for Saturday has not yet been commented upon. Dalvin Battle, who Molnar said last week would see an increase in playing time in Michel’s stead, is out for the season with a knee injury he suffered against Michigan.

Senior Alan Williams started in Michel’s place Saturday, and Notre Dame transfer Deion Walker saw the field a lot more than he had the previous two weeks as well.

Defensive tackle Galen Clemons withstood a head injury against Michigan and could potentially miss Saturday’s game.

Holyoke Assessor Anthony Dulude says Mayor Alex Morse reprimanded him for improperly accepting annual stipend

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The certification issue arose after the city was forced to pay Macy’s nearly $960,000 to settle the department store’s complaint that it had been overtaxed the past three years.

120610 anthony dulude river crop.JPGAnthony Dulude

HOLYOKE - Chief Assessor Anthony Dulude said Mayor Alex B. Morse has written a letter of reprimand concerning his failure to complete his annual recertification from the Marlborough-based Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers.

Dulude failed to complete his annual recertification in spite of his receiving an annual $1,000 stipend for the recertification.

Dulude said he has been assessor for 20 years and received an initial certification, although he has not updated it since 2004.

He has agreed to repay the city $8,279 for a period dating to June 2,004 - the period during which he received the stipend.

The city will deduct $318.44 from Dulude’s check for each of the next 26 pay periods until the stipend is paid back.

Morse called a special meeting of the City Council for Monday night to discuss issues related to the assessor’s office. Dulude is an appointee of the City Council.

Dulude said after the meeting that the mayor’s letter of reprimand went directly to a public service subcommittee of the City Council and was not discussed by the council.

He said the City Council is likely to take it up after receiving a recommendation from the Public Service Committee.

The City Council held no discussion of assessor issues at the Monday night City Council meeting.

The certification issue arose after the city was forced to pay Macy’s nearly $960,000 on Aug. 27 to settle the department store’s complaint that it had been overtaxed the past three years.

After the city and Macy’s disagreed on how its 201,000 square feet at Holyoke Mall at Ingleside should be valued and the Board of Assessors denied an abatement, Macy’s appealed to the state Appellate Tax Board and a settlement was reached.

The abatement paid to Macy’s is $332,740 for fiscal year 2010, $367,321 for fiscal year 2011 and $256,359 for fiscal year 2012.

Dulude said assessors thought the assessment of Macy’s property should be based on the square-footage rate used to determine the mall’s value, which was $97 per square foot.

Macy’s argued that it should be treated as a store independent from the mall, at a square footage price of $37.

There was insufficient money in the abatement overlay account to refund Macy’s tax abatement, Dulude said.

Morse faulted Dulude for not alerting him to the possible payment to Macy’s.

Dulude said the assessors were “a little too aggressive” with the Macy’s valuation.

With the settlement, the city received $89,000 more a year from Macy’s than from the previous $535,000 paid by Macy’s, Dulude said.

Former Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald hopes DNA will help clear him in death of wife, daughters

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Joe McGinniss, a Pelham resident whose book “Fatal Vision” brought the case national prominence, is expected to testify at the hearing this week.

Joe McGinnissAuthor Joe McGinniss sits in Hampshire Superior Court in January while researching his upcoming book.

WILMINGTON, N.C. — For more than 40 years, Jeffrey MacDonald has never wavered from his claim that intruders killed his pregnant wife and two daughters. On Monday, the former Green Beret doctor came into federal court with new evidence he hopes will clear his name.

The evidence involves DNA on hairs found in the apartment on Fort Bragg and a statement from a deputy U.S. marshal. The marshal said a woman told him she was in the apartment in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 1970, when Colette, Kimberly and Kristen MacDonald were stabbed and beaten to death.

MacDonald, 68, has always maintained that he awoke on a sofa in the home as three men attacked his family and a woman, wearing a blonde wig and a floppy hat, chanted “acid is groovy, kill the pigs.”

Testimony on Monday focused on the statement from the marshal, Jimmy Britt, and on Helena Stoeckley, a drug addict and troubled woman who repeatedly said outside of court that she was in the MacDonald home. She testified, however, that she didn’t remember where she was that night.

Jeffrey MacDonald 2007.jpgJeffrey MacDonald

MacDonald’s attorneys said jurors wouldn’t have found him guilty in 1979 if they could have considered the marshal’s statement and DNA evidence that shows three hairs found in the home on the night of the killings did not belonging to any family member.

Those who believe MacDonald committed the killings have said the hairs could have come from anyone — neighbors or other people who had been in the home.

Joe McGinniss, a Pelham resident whose book “Fatal Vision” brought the case national prominence, is expected to testify at the hearing this week.

Reached in Wilmington, Monday, McGinniss said he could discuss new developments in the case after testifying.

He said plans to return to Hampshire Superior Court next week to resume work on “15 Gothic Street,” a serialized book covering one year at the Northampton courthouse.

Wade Smith, one of MacDonald’s trial attorneys, testified Monday about how Britt came to him in 2005 to say Stoeckley told him she was in the apartment when the MacDonalds were killed. Britt also said he heard the prosecutor, Jim Blackburn, tell Stoeckley that he would charge her in the case if she testified to that on the stand.

Britt, who has since died, came forward because “he wanted to unload his heart and his soul,” Smith testified. Stoeckley also is dead.

Blackburn, who later went into private practice, was disbarred and served a prison sentence for ethical violations. He is expected to be called as a witness.

But Smith also said a day before the trial that Stoeckley never said anything in his presence that helped prove MacDonald’s innocence.


Jack Flynn, a staff writer for The Republican, contributed to this report.

Cathedral High School will have a home in Wilbraham as long as needed, selectmen say

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Selectmen and school officials have been wrangling over where the funds from the lease should go.

072111 memorial school wilbraham.JPGThe former Memorial School in Wilbraham is being using by Cathedral High School as temporary quarters following last year's tornado.

WILBRAHAMSelectmen said that even after the town takes back Memorial School from the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, it is open to continuing to lease the building to Cathedral High School for as long as the school needs the building.

Cathedral is leasing the closed elementary school from the regional school district for $360,000 per year for two years.

The school district leases the school from the town for $1, but in two years is scheduled to return the building to the town.

Selectmen and school officials have been wrangling over where the funds from the lease should go.

School Committee Chairman D. John McCarthy said the funds must go to the regional school district which serves Hampden and Wilbraham.

Selectmen said they want the funds to support Wilbraham schools only.

Once the building is returned to the town, the funds will benefit the town, selectmen said.

At a meeting last week, Selectmen Robert Russell said, “We are open to helping Cathedral going forward.”

He added that the high school which is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is in “a tough spot” following last year’s tornado which squarely hit the building, rendering it inoperable.

Arbitration hearings are ongoing between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and its insurer, Nebraska-based Catholic Mutual Group Inc.

The diocese and Catholic Mutual are $55 million apart on the settlement, with the diocese considering several options, including building a new school, while the insurer wants to repair the Surrey Road site in Springfield.

The hearings are expected to last until November, with the earliest possible decision coming near the end of the year, according to diocese spokesman Mark E. Dupont.

Selectman James Thompson said, “There will be a home here in Wilbraham for Cathedral as long as they need it.”

Thompson added, “School Committee member Peter Salerno asked me about that, at that is what I said.”


Partial building collapse in Springfield's South End forces closure of Williams Street

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It appeared that several cinder blocks fell off the rear of the single-story building that had a sign that said "Carpaccio Trattoria" on it.

collapse.jpgSpringfield firefighters examine a section of the rear wall that collapsed on a one-story building at Main and Williams Street in the city's South end.

SPRINGFIELD — Fire officials responded to the scene of a partial building collapse around 10:30 Monday night at the intersection of Main and William streets in the city's South End.

It appeared that several cinder blocks fell off the rear of the single-story building that had a sign that said "Carpaccio Trattoria" on it.

According to fire officials, the building is a former bakery that was being converted into a restaurant. No injuries were reported.

The collapsing wall apparently ripped an electrical box off the side of the building, causing some sparking and smoke in the rear of the building.

Firefighters were waiting for crews from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. to shut off power to the building before they could go onto the property to check the stability of the building.

Public safety officials, however, closed off William Street as a result of the incident. The building is located in a section of the city heavily affected by last year's tornado.


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Elizabeth Warren leads over Sen. Scott Brown in Suffolk University poll

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A Suffolk University/WHDH News 7 poll of 600 likely voters concluded that Warren is besting Brown 48-44 percent.

elizabeth warren vs scott brown.jpgDemocrat Elizabeth Warren, left, is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in the most-watched, most expensive Senate contest in the country. (Associated Press file photos)

A third poll released in the past two days is showing Democrat Elizabeth Warren leading over Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race.

A Suffolk University/WHDH News 7 poll of 600 likely voters concluded that Warren is besting Brown 48-44 percent.

The telephone survey, conducted from Sept. 13-16, has a 4 percent margin of error and changed from the May Suffolk University poll which showed Brown leading over Warren, 48 percent to 47 percent.

“The Democratic National Convention appears to have connected the dots for some voters in Massachusetts,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston in a statement. “They’ve linked Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and Congressional candidate Joseph Kennedy, whose district includes Southeastern Mass. Warren benefited not only from her own speech, but from the oratory of others, both inside and outside of Massachusetts.”

The Suffolk University poll concluded that while Brown's favorability remained steady, his support from voters who say they are voting for President Barack Obama is declining, 19 percent in the current poll compared to 24 percent in May. Democratic enthusiasm for Obama's re-election campaign could be the boost Warren needs to overcome her lack of appeal to independents, which make up 52 percent of the state's electorate.

A Western New England University Polling Institute survey conducted through a partnership with The Republican newspaper and MassLive.com found that the Harvard Law school professor was edging Brown 50-44 percent among likely voters.

A Democratic Public Policy Polling survey released late Sunday concurred, putting Warren ahead by two points, 48-46 percent.

“Fresh off a new TV ad buy and a prime time convention speech, Elizabeth Warren has improved her popularity and overtaken Scott Brown head-to-head,” Paleologos said. “She enters the debate phase of the Senate campaign as the slight favorite, but the race is still fluid, and to win she must avoid peaking too soon.”

The final stretch of the election season 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.

The TV debates include one hosted by WBZ-TV, the Boston CBS affiliate, this coming Thursday; 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.

Stick with MassLive.com and The Republican for the latest on the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts and all your election year news coverage.


The data tables and press release from the new Suffolk University/WHDH News 7 poll can be downloaded here.

Suffolk University Poll Sept. 2012

Mitt Romney in leaked video: Nearly half of all Americans 'believe they are victims'

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At a hastily called news conference late in the day, Romney offered no apologies for his remarks and when he was asked if he was concerned he had offended anyone, he conceded the comments weren't "elegantly stated" and they were spoken "off the cuff."


By KASIE HUNT & STEVE PEOPLES, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Already scrambling to steady a struggling campaign, Republican Mitt Romney confronted a new headache Monday after a video surfaced showing him telling wealthy donors that almost half of all Americans "believe they are victims" entitled to extensive government support. He added that as a candidate for the White House, "my job is not to worry about those people."

At a hastily called news conference late in the day, Romney offered no apologies for his remarks and when he was asked if he was concerned he had offended anyone, he conceded the comments weren't "elegantly stated" and they were spoken "off the cuff."

President Barack Obama's campaign quickly seized on the video, obtained by the magazine Mother Jones and made public on a day that Romney's campaign said it needed a change in campaign strategy to gain momentum in the presidential race. Romney aides were already working behind the scenes to calm dissension in the GOP ranks and reassure nervous donors and consultants about the state of a race some Republicans worry may be getting away from their nominee.

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney is shown saying in a video posted online by the magazine. "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it."

"Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax," Romney said.

Romney said in the video that his role "is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

In his remarks to reporters before a fundraiser Monday night in Costa Mesa, Calif., Romney did not dispute the authenticity of the hidden-camera footage, but he called for the release of the full video, instead of the clips posted online. He sought to clarify his remarks but did not apologize.

"It's not elegantly stated, let me put it that way. I was speaking off the cuff in response to a question. And I'm sure I could state it more clearly in a more effective way than I did in a setting like that," Romney said. "Of course I want to help all Americans. All Americans have a bright and prosperous future."

About 46 percent of Americans owed no federal income tax in 2011, although many of them paid other forms of taxes. More than 16 million elderly Americans avoid federal income taxes solely because of tax breaks that apply only to seniors, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Obama's campaign called the video "shocking"

"It's hard to serve as president for all Americans when you've disdainfully written off half the nation," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in a statement.

An Obama adviser said the Democratic campaign might use Romney's comments from the fundraising video in television advertisements. The official wasn't authorized to discuss campaign strategy publicly and requested anonymity.

Mitt RomneyRepublican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/David McNew)

Romney's 2010 federal tax returns show he paid a tax rate of about 14 percent on an annual income of $21 million. The vast majority of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate than wages. His wealth has been estimated as high as $250 million.

Democrats have tried to make an issue of what Romney pays in taxes and what he is willing to divulge about his taxes and investments. While he has released his 2010 tax returns and a summary of his 2011 returns, he has rejected calls for releasing as many as 10 years of tax returns. His campaign has pledged to release his complete 2011 returns before the election Nov. 6.

The private remarks are the latest in a string of comments from the multimillionaire Republican businessman whom Democrats have criticized as out of touch. During the primary campaign, Romney insisted that he was "not concerned" about the very poor, said he knew what it felt like to worry about being "pink-slipped," and said that his wife drove a "couple of Cadillacs." Aides to Obama's campaign said the latest video would help them continue to make the case that Romney doesn't understand the concerns of average Americans.

Romney said he would not shy away from the message behind the remarks — that Obama believes in a "government-centered society."

"It's a message which I am going to carry and continue to carry, which is that the president's approach is attractive to people who are not paying taxes because, frankly, my discussion about lowering taxes isn't as attractive to them," Romney said. "Therefore I'm not likely to draw them into my campaign as effectively as those in the middle."

Voters say they believe Obama has a better understanding of their problems and concerns than Romney does. A CBS/New York Times poll showed 60 percent of likely voters said Obama understands the needs and problems of people like them, while 37 percent said he did not. For Romney, the same question found that 46 percent felt he did understand people's needs, 48 percent said he didn't.

Mother Jones writer David Corn told MSNBC that the video came from a May 17 fundraiser at the Boca Raton, Fla., home of Marc Leder, co-CEO of the investment firm Sun Capital Partners.

The magazine had said earlier that the date and location of the remarks were not being disclosed to protect the identity of the person who provided the video. On MSNBC, Corn said the source had allowed those details to be released.

Many of the Americans who owe no income tax are reprieved because basic exemptions — such as the "standard deduction" — took their taxable income below the cutoff levels. The other half rely mainly on a variety of tax breaks, such as the credit that helps offset child care costs.

These Americans range from the very poor to solidly middle-class families with jobs, homes, cars and vacations. The Tax Policy Center says "relatively few nontaxable households" have incomes exceeding $100,000; families that make between $50,000 and $100,000 often owe no income tax because of breaks for their kids and for education.

Americans who pay no federal income tax still often pay an array of other taxes. They include payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, sales taxes, property taxes and state and local taxes.

A handful of extremely wealthy families do not pay federal income taxes. This summer the Internal Revenue Service reported that six of the 400 highest-earning households in America owed no federal income tax in 2009.

Still, many are low-income Americans. According to the August 2010 AP-GfK poll, a majority of Americans who make less than $30,000 a year are Democrats. But 27 percent identify as Republicans, and 15 percent say they're independents. About 57 percent say they will vote for Obama, while 38 percent back Romney. About 43 percent identify themselves as conservatives.

Obama faced a similar moment in the 2008 campaign, when he told donors that many Americans who are angry about their struggles "cling to their guns or religion."

Romney's running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, made reference to that remark Monday at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I remember that one time when he was talking to a bunch of donors in San Francisco and he said people like us, people from the Midwest like to cling to their guns and religion," Ryan said.

Ryan went on: "And I've got to tell you this Catholic deer hunter is guilty as charged and proud to say so. That's just weird. Who says things like that? That's just strange."

__

Associated Press deputy polling director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington and Associated Press writers Ken Thomas in Los Angeles, David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa, and Charles Babington, Philip Elliott and Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

President Barack Obama's Massachusetts job approval rating climbs to 57 percent, WNE poll concludes

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According to past WNE polls, Obama's job performance rating in the Bay State hit a high of 68 percent among registered voters in Feb. 2009, while dropping to 55 percent in March 2012 and 54 percent in May.

President Barack Obama points to the crowd as he leaves a campaign event at Eden Park’s Seasongood Pavilion Monday in Cincinnati. (Associated Press | Carolyn Kaster)

SPRINGFIELD - President Barack Obama's job approval rating in Massachusetts is on the climb, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The telephone survey conducted by Western New England University's Polling Institute through a partnership with The Republican and MassLive.com, concluded that 57 percent of likely voters are giving Obama a thumbs up for his job performance while 36 percent say they don't approve of how he's handling the reigns of the free world. Among registered voters, 60 percent say they approve while 30 percent disapprove.

The numbers reflect an upward trajectory for the Democratic president hoping to win a second term against the Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

In May, the last time the university conducted a political poll, Obama had a 54 percent positive job approval rating among registered voters. Likely voters weren't distinguished in that poll because it was five months from election day.

Among Democrats likely to vote in Massachusetts, 93 percent approve of the way Obama is doing his job, while only 12 percent of Republicans said the same thing. Independents, which make up 52 percent of the electorate in the commonwealth, support the president's job performance by a margin of 45-49 percent.

Although voters across Massachusetts overwhelmingly support the president's job performance, the numbers vary by region.

In Western Massachusetts, 67 percent of likely voters gave Obama a positive report card. In Central Massachusetts and Boston and its suburbs, the two geographic regions respectively gave Obama a 60 and 59 percent positive approval rating. Fifty percent of likely voters in the North and South Shores, which were considered one group in the survey, approved of Obama's performance, while 45 percent said they disapprove. The poll suggests that the shores hold the least support for Obama in terms of his performance.

According to past WNE polls, Obama's job performance rating in the Bay State hit a high of 68 percent among registered voters in Feb. 2009, while dropping to 55 percent in March 2012 and 54 percent in May.

While Obama is widely expected to win Massachusetts over Romney in the Nov. 6 election, the poll shows the Democratic president leading 60 to 38 percent, among likely voters.

The margin among registered voters is even greater with Obama leading 64-32 percent. The previous WNE poll conducted in May, showed Obama edging Romney 56 to 34 percent.

The current 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.

Letters to the Editor: Church addressing abuses, Holyoke poised for revival and more

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Letter writer: Andy Murray did Scotland proud.

Catholic Church addressing abuses

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

I am writing in reference to the letter to the editor published Sept. 12 that makes the it appear that the Catholic Church is dragging its feet dealing with child abuse. Nothing is further from the truth.

In the last three years, an average of seven credible accusations were made against over 40,000 priests in this country. Indeed, 99.98 percent of Catholic priests did not have a credible accusation made against them last year.

Last year, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice issued its causes and context study that found the abuse scandal ran from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, peaking in the 1970s.

Since the end of the scandal, the church has reformed its policies and curbed the problem thus becoming a model of how to protect children. One instance of abuse is one too many.

However, let’s give the church credit for what it is doing and thank and pray for all the good and faithful priests for all they do.

– ROBERT V. DRAPEAU Sr., Holyoke


Holyoke is poised for another revival

I have lived in Holyoke for over 45 years. I remember the hustle and bustle of thriving businesses on downtown’s High Street and Main Streets. Apartment blocks were full, home ownership at its peak. However, like everywhere else, times and technology started to change. Malls emerged, manufacturers moved on and apartment buildings became vacant and/or abandoned.

A lot of changes happened, but Holyoke didn’t move with those changes. That was then, this is now. The Holyoke Redevelopment Authority was established in 2008 by then Mayor Michael Sullivan. The HRA has the powers to plan and implement activities needed to redevelop underutilized, deteriorated or blighted areas, to encourage new development, and to promote sound growth for the city of Holyoke.

Since its establishment our main goal was, and still is, to focus on the four lower census tracts of the city and develop an urban renewal plan to be approved this year – 2012. And I am proud to say that we are almost there!

Under the banner of “Connect. Construct. Create,” the HRA and city staff will be presenting this month a plan to revitalize center city Holyoke, and serve as a road map for the authority’s work.

Countless data was collected and several public meetings were held so that the HRA Board members could receive feedback and valuable input in our work to create a plan that would be acceptable to the City Council, the Department of Housing and Community Development and, most of all, the residents of Holyoke. In addition to Holyoke residents, business owners and community leaders gave us ideas and suggestions at those meetings that gave us the energy we needed to write a plan that will turn Holyoke into a place new businesses will want to invest, build and operate – and encourage families to buy or rent real estate knowing they will have job and educational opportunities, places to go, options for transportation and a safe and secure environment.

We hope to obtain the support of the entire community to help this process become successful. I also hope to again be around for Holyoke’s revitalization and get back to the hustle and bustle of thriving businesses, filled apartments and an affordable home buyers market. With all of our commitment, it can and will happen.

– JACQUELINE WATSON, vice chairwoman, Holyoke Redevelopment Committee


U.S. Open winner makes Scot proud

Watching last week’s U.S. Open final, I was glued to the TV for the five-hour match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

The physical stamina and talent of these two tennis players was amazing. As a Scot, now living here, it was great to see Andy win. The first Scot to do so since 1936.

Well done, Andy. You did Scotland proud.

– JANET DAVIES, Agawam


Automated phones try seniors’ patience

I am so frustrated and irritated with the machines you have to talk to when you try to contact companies to get answers about problems with their products.

With the economy like it is, it would be wise to hire someone to answer the phone and connect you to a person instead of having to hear the numerous numbers they ask you to push.

It’s no wonder this country isn’t like it used to be. Seniors like me aren’t able to adapt to these new gadgets. I hope some companies will listen to our concerns.

– CECILE RENAUD, South Deerfield

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