Mayor Alex Morse will participate in the conference, which he said can help Holyokers inexperienced with financial decisions.

Staff photo by Michael BeswickState Treasurer Steven Grossman

HOLYOKE – State Treasurer Steven Grossman will provide money management tips at a free conference Saturday at Holyoke Community College.

The conference will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development at the college on Homestead Avenue.

“It’s basically household budgeting and sharpening your consumer skills,” Jon Carlisle, Grossman spokesman, said in a phone interview Monday.

Grossman will discuss spending and saving skills and how to protect assets from predatory financial practices, he said.

The conference includes a complimentary continental breakfast and lunch, along with free childcare for children ages 2 and older, he said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse, who will participate in the conference, said such tips can help Holyokers who lack experience with financial decisions.

“Financially savvy individuals build a better future for themselves, but also contribute to building stronger families and a stronger community. We sometimes overlook the importance of what seem to be minor financial decisions, yet they have big implications on one’s life,” Morse said.

Grossman is providing such conferences regionally. The last one was in May in Fall River.

More information is available at themoneyconference.com

Asked about the ad at an event in the morning, Warren declined to address it directly, but by evening, her campaign had shot back a response.

More politics news

Brown attacks Warren for use of Native American heritage with new TV ad : There’s no more Mr. and Mrs. Nice Guy in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race.

• Sen. hopeful Elizabeth Warren weighs in on ballot questions
• Democrats charge that Scott Brown's campaign not doing enough to gather missing employer information from 16 percent of donors
• U.S. Sen. John Kerry says control of the Senate is at stake in Scott Brown - Elizabeth Warren race

Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren responded to a TV ad attacking her use of her Native American ancestry with her own ad that directly addresses the controversy.

Monday morning, the campaign of Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown released a TV ad attacking Warren on the question of whether she used of her Native American heritage to benefit her career.

Asked about the ad at an event Monday morning, Warren declined to address it directly. But by the evening, the Warren campaign had shot back a response. In an ad featuring Warren talking directly to the camera, Warren offers a similar explanation to one she gave in Thursday’s night’s debate.

Warren says in the ad that as a kid, she never asked her parents for documentation of her heritage. “What kid would?” she asks. She says her parents eloped because father’s family didn’t like that her mother was part Cherokee and part Delaware. “Let me be clear,” Warren says. “I never asked for and never got any benefit because of my heritage. The people who hired me have all said they didn’t even know about it.” The ad concludes with Warren saying, “Scott Brown can continue attacking my family, but I’m going to continue fighting for yours.”

Warren listed her herself as a minority in law directories, and Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania both listed her as Native American in diversity statistics. Warren has not provided documentation of her heritage, but has said it is part of her family lore. Individuals involved in her hiring have said her heritage was not a factor.

Warren announced the ad in an email to supporters, which also criticized Brown’s voting record.

The controversy proved damaging to Warren in May and June. At that time, stories about the controversy dragged on for weeks as Warren failed to address the issue head-on.

Brown has repeatedly called on Warren to have Harvard release her personnel files.

Asked about the issue in a radio interview Monday morning, Warren said the only box she checked was in a law directory. Brown campaign manager Jim Barnett pointed to a statement Warren made to the Boston Globe, saying that she told Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania about her heritage after she was hired. “Elizabeth Warren is not being straight with the people of Massachusetts,” Barnett said.

The committee is holding a forum next week to answer questions on the override.

Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik, left, is seen with School Committee chairman Peter T. Gunn.

EASTHAMPTON – With less than six weeks before the November election, supporters of a $1.4 million Proposition 2 1/2 property tax override launched their official campaign Tuesdaywith a rally at the rotary on Route 10 and Main Street.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik who supports the override, School Committee members including chairman Peter Gunn and others spoke at the afternoon event.

The City Council this summer agreed to place the question on the ballot.

The School Committee is seeking the override to close the approximate $660,000 budget gap in fiscal 2013 as well as restore programs that have been cut over the last several years and to improve education into the future. 


Marin Goldstein, a parent and member of The Committee for Stronger Schools, said parents have been passing out information at places such as soccer games and at a table at the Big E in West Springfield, but the event Tuesday is a more formal kick-off to the campaign.

Marin, who moved to the city last year with a son who just entered kindergarten, said, “I heard good things about the schools. Teachers have really big hearts, not enough resources.”

He said “from the figures that I’ve seen, funding for the schools in the last five years has largely flat-lined.” He sees the only recourse is to pass an override.

The group has scheduled a public forum Oct. 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building and another rally at the rotary Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. Organizers are holding a fundraiser Oct. 5 at the Pulaski Club from 7 to 10.

Marin said he is hoping people will come to the forum that will feature School Committee members and Tautznik. He wants residents “to come out and ask specific questions of the mayor. Really get a sense why this is needed. To make educated decisions.” He believes that the override benefits the whole city not just parents because it will increase home values and help the economy.

“I certainly one hundred percent understand this could be looked on as hardship.” But he said if residents can afford it, “it’s all about us helping each other as a community.”

Finance Director Melissa Zawadzki has said that the amount requested in the override would add about $1 per $1,000 to the tax rate. With a home valued at the average of $228,000 that would mean about a $228 increase in taxes per year.

Residents will also be paying another 84 cents per $1,000 for the new high school. That will add about $191 to the homeowner's tax bill. The current rate is $13.27 per $1,000 or about $3,002 for the average home. 


Marin said he knows that might be hard for some but he said the city does have one of the lowest property taxes around.

Easthampton ranks 260th out of 328 communities, City Councilor Daniel Rist told the council this summer.

The selectmen's interest is in looking out for the interests of the Wilbraham taxpapers, Selectman Robert Russell said.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanThe Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee has agreed to allow the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield to use the former Memorial School in Wilbraham as a temporary home for Cathedral High School.

WILBRAHAM - Wilbraham selectmen told the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee on Tuesday that they want to see the revenues from the leasing of Memorial School to Cathedral High School to be used to benefit Wilbraham students in the school district.

“Our interest is in looking out for the taxpayers of Wilbraham,” Selectman Robert Russell said.

Selectman James Thompson said selectmen recognize that the regional School Committee has the final decision making over appropriation of the funds.

School Committee member Peter Salerno said the regional School Committee plans to return oversight of the closed elementary school to the Wilbraham selectmen in 2014.

At that point, the selectmen would collect the revenues from Cathedral High School if it continues to lease the property, he said.

In the meantime, the regional school district is collecting revenues from the lease to Cathedral.

Cathedral is paying the regional school district $360,000 per year to lease the closed elementary school for use as its high school.

D. John McCarthy, chairman of the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee, said he wants to make sure the funds are spent equitably between Wilbraham and Hampden while the regional school district is collecting the funds.

Hampden students have sometimes failed to receive the same services as Wilbraham students, he said.

School Committee member Lisa Morace said some funds from Hampden taxpayers were used to prepare to close down the building when it was closed as an elementary school several years ago.

McCarthy said he favors using a portion of the funds from the lease for a capital fund to pay for needed maintenance repairs to the new regional high school in future years and some funds for technology Internet improvements needed to Wilbraham schools.

The regional School Committee will be deciding in future weeks how to appropriate the funds, he said.

“I think we will be able to come up with something that everybody thinks is fair,” McCarthy said.

Viewer votes could not save the "Baywatch" beauty from elimination.

It was a brief twirl on the dance floor for Playboy model Pamela Anderson, who became the first celebrity eliminated from Season 15 of "Dancing With the Stars.'

Her elimination cam as little surprise since Anderson scored the lowest with judges during Monday night's broadcast. Andeson garnered 17 points from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli for a poorly executed cha-cha. In sharp comparison, former Dallas Cowboy star and Season 3 sensation Emmitt Smith scored an impressive 24.5.

Eliminations are based on a combination of judges' scores and viewer votes.

The "Baywatch" beauty said she was not surprised by her elimination, but assured fans that she and her professional partner Tristan MacManus will keep on dancing.

With Andersons' elimination, the remaining contestants are Smith, former Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan (Season 5); Olympians Apolo Ohno (Season 4) and Shawn Johnson (Season 8), former 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey (Season 2), race car driver Helio Castroneves (Season 5) and soap star Kelly Monaco (Season 1). Also taking part: Bristol Palin (Season 11), daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, TV personality Melissa Rycroft (Season 8), Playboy model Pamela Anderson (Season 10), "Cheers" star Kirstie Alley (Season 12), French actor Gilles Marini (Season 8), and former 'N Sync singer Joey Fatone (Season 4).

Click here to see photos from the first week of the competition.

After 6-years in the making, the proposed new zoning code, which would address issues ranging from home-based businesses to conversion of old mills, was sent back to committee for further review.

SPRINGFIELD – Residents and business representatives urged the City Council this week to approve a new, revamped city zoning ordinance after six years of review and revisions, saying that continuing concerns raised by a development group should not cause further delay.

James Ferrera

The council, however, after hearing from proponents and opponents at a public hearing Tuesday, referred the matter back to its Planning and Economic Development Committee for further review.

“Its been a long and difficult process,” council President James J. Ferrera III said after the vote. There are pros and cons to either side, and we are hopeful the committee can review it, have further discussion on it, and we can bring the matter back before the City Council in due time.”

The 287-page document, that is intended to provide a clearer guide for new development ranging from home-based businesses to the conversion of old mills, was sent back to committee two years ago. Since then, it has been debated at multiple meetings involving city planners, a citizens advisory committee, and the development group and died in committee, officials said.

Several residents said the revised ordinance will help bring Springfield into the 21st century, including the introduction of a site plan review process for developments and land uses beyond existing special permit cases, Deputy Planning Director Philip Dromey said.

In addition, it would create a “tiered review system,” with the level of review matching the scope of the project, Dromey said. It would range from staff review to Planning Board review, to Planning Board-approved special permit, to City Council-approved special permit.

The advisory board recommended passage of the revised ordinance while developers represented by lawyer A. Craig Brown, stated the ordinance grants too much power to the city Planning Board, would be too subjective, and would discourage development.

Katie Stebbins, a resident and chairman of the Planning Board, said the City Council would retain all its current powers on special permits and gain additional authority on development and land use, while her board would also gain powers.

“You should trust us to do that,” Stebbins said. “This actually creates a better system. This is a good investment and a long time coming.”

Mary Dionne, vice president of the Outer Belt Civic Association, was among representatives of several neighborhood groups speaking in favor of the ordinance.

The zoning ordinance, which has not been amended since approved in 1971, is not intended to give the businesses an upper hand or the residents an upper hand, she said.

“I’m tired of feeling like a dinosaur,” Dionne said of the current zoning ordinance. “We need to all work together. They work with us and we work with them.

Steven F. Bradley, a vice president at Baystate Health in Springfield, joined in praising the new ordinance on behalf of Baystate. Baystate’s new, $350 million “Hospital of the Future” project “is a better project today because of the site plan review process,” he said.

Ferrera said one key issue deserving additional study is the potential that the code needs to be revised further for the potential that Springfield could have a new casino development worth $500 million to $1 billion. There is a proposal to create a special casino district in Springfield, not in the existing zoning code or the new proposed zone, he said.

The council president said the assessors can bring legal counsel to the meeting about the possible discipline.

Anthony Dulude

HOLYOKE -- The City Council will consider whether to discipline Chief Assessor Anthony Dulude and Assessor Deborah J. Brunelle regarding the over-taxing of Macy's that forced the city to refund the department store nearly $960,000, councilors said Tuesday.

The discussion will include Dulude's taking of a $1,000-a-year stipend from the city for eight years for a certification from a trade group that he actually didn’t have. Dulude is repaying the city with deductions from his paycheck, officials have said.

"We will be discussing their job performance clearly as it relates to these two matters," council President Kevin A. Jourdain said, in the meeting at City Hall.

The council Public Service Committee will discuss the assessor issues in a meeting to be held next month. Such a public meeting is needed to address the public's questions about the assessors' issues, Chairman Peter R. Tallman said.

Dulude and Brunelle declined to comment when reached after the meeting.

Jourdain said the council was following city charter rules for the possible disciplining of employees by announcing a meeting date and giving notice to the employees.

"They're welcome to come with legal counsel, if they wish," Jourdain said before the meeting.

The council appoints the assessors. But it was Mayor Alex B. Morse who has considered the issues serious enough that he has put a letter of reprimand in Dulude's personnel file, Dulude said last week.

Councilors David K. Bartley, Tallman and others said they were disappointed how the assessors' issues have been handled so far, but it was unclear if that was a criticism of Morse.

Dulude was paid the stipend for supposedly having yearly certification from the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers, of Marlborough. But Dulude hasn’t had the certification from the group since May 2004, according to online records.

The association is a statewide professional association whose primary function is to help assessors learn about the profession and stay trained. It is unaffiliated with the state of Massachusetts.

Jourdain has said Dulude had assured him he would complete a course to get recertified with the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers by the end of this month.

The state Department of Revenue requires that those who work as municipal assessors complete the department’s Division of Local Services’ Course 101, Assessment Administration: Law, Procedures and Valuation. It is the basic training program provided for local assessors.

The city had to pay Macy’s in August to settle a complaint it had been over-taxed the past three years.

The issue was the city and Macy’s disagreed on how its 201,000 square feet at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside should be valued, officials said.

Macy’s sought an abatement, which the Board of Assessors denied. Macy’s appealed to the state Appellate Tax Board in a case involving three years worth of values. Assessors and Macy’s lawyers settled the case in August.

An abatement is paid from a part of the budget known as the overlay account.

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, City Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra said.

Assessors determine property values based on sales of similar properties in the past year. Dulude previously 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 a square foot.

This raised the value of Macy’s to $27 million and increased its tax bill to $990,000 a year from the previous $535,000 a year, Jourdain said.

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

Under the agreement, Macy’s assessed value dropped from $27 million to $18 million for fiscal year 2010, $17.2 million for fiscal year 2011 and $16.2 million for fiscal year 2012, Jourdain said.

The agreement drops Macy’s tax bill to $624,000 a year, said Jourdain. He argued that a silver lining despite the forced $956,420 payout is that the city with the $624,000 bill will be getting $89,000.

Selectmen also approved hiring Daedalus Projects Inc.of Boston as the owner's project manager for the new Police Station-Town Office Building on downtown Main Street

MONSON - The four finalists for the fire chief's position were announced at Tuesday's selectmen's meeting, and the board will conduct interviews at its next meeting on Oct. 9.

Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said the finalists are: Brian Harris, Monson Fire Department's deputy fire chief; Belchertown Fire Department Captain Craig Bodamer; Laurent McDonald, certification program manager with the National Fire Protection Association; and Fred Mitchell, a deputy fire chief in Cumberland, R.I.

The pay range for the position is $56,365 to $68,492.

Neggers explained that she and Interim Fire Chief Marshall L. Harris, no relation to Brian Harris, interviewed 12 of the 30 people who applied for the position.

She said they eliminated far-flung applicants from places such as Alaska and Idaho.

"I think it's important that whoever we hire is relatively close," Smith said.

Selectmen asked if the Rhode Island candidate would be willing to relocate, and Neggers replied yes. Neggers thanked Marshall Harris for assisting with the fire chief interviews. He stepped in after George L. Robichaud resigned from the fire chief job July 1.

Selectmen also approved extending Harris' interim fire chief contract through Dec. 31. Harris retired four years ago; Robichaud was his replacement.

In other business, selectmen approved hiring Daedalus Projects Inc.of Boston as the owner's project manager for the new Police Station-Town Office Building on downtown Main Street. A total of $200,000 has been allocated for this position, which takes the project from start to finish and oversees each stage of design, bidding and construction.

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2014. It will be built on the site of the current Town Hall-Police Station, which was damaged by the 2011 tornado and had to be condemned.

Torres showed a military knife but no injuries were reported, police said.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE – A man showing a knife stole a bottle of beer from Dillon’s Package Store, 589 High St., and was arrested moments later, police said.

Angel Torres was charged with armed robbery in the incident that occurred about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sgt. Kevin Thomas said. Torres, whose age and address were unavailable, was caught near the store, he said.

Torres was being held at the Police Station lockup, 138 Appleton St., and was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Holyoke District Court, he said.

Torres showed a special forces, or military, knife, but no injuries were reported, Thomas said.

Schools in the Manchester area were ordered locked down while police scoured the area for a vehicle seen fleeing the scene.

MANCHESTER, Conn. – A father and son and an unnamed juvenile are under arrest following a Tuesday afternoon shooting on Oak Street in which police said several rounds were fired from a moving vehicle.

No one was injured in the incident, which was reported in the area of 243 Oak St. at about 2:30 p.m.

Schools in the immediate area were ordered locked down while police scoured the area for the vehicle seen fleeing the scene, police said.

The car was later spotted parked at a house at 358 Main St. Police converged on the area and arrested three people.

All were being held at the Manchester Police Department. Police said charges were pending.

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney is unlikely to win Bill Clinton's vote, but that doesn't mean he can't soak up a bit of the popular former president's luster.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney steps to the podium after an introduction by former President Bill Clinton, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

More politics news

Scott Brown criticizes Elizabeth Warren for her work on behalf of mining company : Warren defended her work in two cases that have recently come under fire, saying that while she was hired by an insurance company and a corporation, she was working "for a principle."

• Secretary of State William Galvin, Scott Brown's campaign spar over absentee ballot deadline
• Video shows staff members of Scott Brown, Republican Party doing war whoops at rally
• Lawyers say Elizabeth Warren didn't need Mass. legal license for Supreme Court work

By JOSH LEDERMAN & KASIE HUNT, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney is unlikely to win Bill Clinton's vote, but that doesn't mean he can't soak up a bit of the popular former president's luster.

The two men stood side by side Tuesday as Clinton introduced Romney before the GOP candidate's speech to Clinton's annual global conference in New York. Clinton recalled working with Romney to save AmeriCorps, and praised the former Massachusetts governor's efforts to persuade fellow Republicans to support the national service program.

Romney, taking the podium, returned the compliment.

"If there's one thing we've learned in this election season, by the way, it is that a few words from Bill Clinton can do a man a lot of good," he said, prompting loud laughter and applause from the crowd.

It was a clear nod to Clinton's speech praising President Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month, and the slight uptick in the polls that Obama enjoyed soon after.

"All I got to do now is wait a few days for that bounce to happen," Romney quipped.

Such moments of bipartisan levity have been rare in a campaign marked by harsh accusations, heavy-handed rhetoric and relentless attack ads between the presidential campaigns and the outside groups that support them.

Obama's campaign currently is running one such ad against Romney that uses a clip of Clinton's convention speech where the former president says Romney wants to "take us back to the policies that got us into trouble in the first place."

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is introduced by former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

But any resentment was noticeably absent Tuesday as Clinton and Romney appeared chummy, patting each other on the shoulder and chatting onstage after Romney's speech.

"That was good," Clinton told the man hoping to dislodge Clinton's party from the White House.

Before the speech, Romney spoke backstage with Clinton and Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, said Romney spokesman Rick Gorka. He declined to say what they discussed.

Clinton has an outsized influence on the presidential election more than a decade after he left office. Both Obama and Romney have pointed to Clinton's economic leadership as an example for the nation, citing prosperity and a federal budget that was balanced under his leadership.

Clinton is using the full weight of those credentials to boost Obama's bid. In his convention speech, he systematically rebutted Romney's attacks on Obama, accusing the Republican of pushing an economic plan that doesn't add up.

The Obama-Clinton political alliance was back on display a few hours later when the two Democrats shared a handshake and a hug on the same stage where Romney had spoken earlier in the day.

Normal protocol, Clinton said, would require him to simply introduce the president and then be quiet.

"I just want to make one comment. I'm going to finish that speech I started in Charlotte," he said, poking fun at himself over a sermon that at times seemed like it might never end.

Obama, before beginning a wrenching speech about human trafficking, thanked Clinton for the warm introduction.

"Although I have to admit," Obama joked, "I really did like the speech a few weeks ago a little bit better."

___

Lederman reported from Washington. AP White House Correspondent Ben Feller in New York contributed to this report.

Ann Romney says the election of her husband, a Mormon, would signal "that prejudices are left behind" just as the election of President Barack Obama sent that signal.

In this photo provided by NBC, Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, left, appears on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ann Romney says the election of her husband, a Mormon, would signal "that prejudices are left behind" just as the election of President Barack Obama sent that signal.

The wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tells "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno that she loves the fact that the nation elected its first African-American president.

Asked by Leno to reflect on the significance of the first Mormon president, Mrs. Romney said she hoped that if her husband were elected, "We would see more of the same, that prejudices are left behind."

The Romneys met in high school. Asked whether Mitt Romney was a good dancer back then, she tells Leno: "He's gotten to be a better dancer."

Mrs. Romney's appearance was taped for Tuesday's night Leno program.

Juan Ortiz was convicted in 1985 for the slaying of Springfield police officers Alain Beauregard and Michael Schiavina. Citing his excellent prison record, acceptance of responsibility and remorse for the victim’s families, Juan Ortiz argued for his release after 27 years in state prison Tuesday.

Brown and Romney, although distant on the campaign trail, share a number of staff members and a top advisor, Eric Fehrnstrom.

In this photo taken Jan. 19, 2010, former Massachusetts Gov. and presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, right, introduces and congratulates U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass. at his Boston victory party after he won the seat vacated by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. The two Massachusetts Republicans have a history of supporting each other throughout their political careers, but facing tough elections neither is playing up that history now, perhaps with good reason. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

More politics news

Scott Brown criticizes Elizabeth Warren for her work on behalf of mining company : Warren defended her work in two cases that have recently come under fire, saying that while she was hired by an insurance company and a corporation, she was working "for a principle."

• Secretary of State William Galvin, Scott Brown's campaign spar over absentee ballot deadline
• Video shows staff members of Scott Brown, Republican Party doing war whoops at rally
• Lawyers say Elizabeth Warren didn't need Mass. legal license for Supreme Court work

The campaign of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the Senate campaign of GOP U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts are respectively taking issue with absentee ballot deadlines in Vermont and the Bay State.

Romney's campaign is complaining some Vermont military personnel serving overseas might not be able to get their absentee ballots in time to vote. On Tuesday, Brown's campaign raised the same concerns in Massachusetts.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, Romney's veterans' affairs adviser Anthony Principi says delays by Condos' office caused 53 towns to miss the 45-day deadline needed to ensure veterans receive their absentee ballots and can return them by election day.

Condos says the recount in a primary race delayed the printing of the November ballots, but town clerks were sent electronic copies of the ballots prior to Saturday's deadline and the vast majority of veterans should have been able to receive them on time.

Condos, a Democrat, calls the issue "a show" by the Romney campaign.

In Massachusetts, where Brown is facing a tight race against Democrat Elizabeth Warren, an attorney with his campaign sent a sharply-worded letter to Secretary of State William Galvin alleging that ballots were delivered late. In the letter, the attorney threatened litigation if Galvin doesn't extend the deadline for returning the absentee ballots, citing concerns about votes from military overseas counting.

Galvin called the letter a "political stunt" while the Brown campaign said the letter was about ensuring that every vote counts.

Brown and Romney, although distant on the campaign trail, share a number of staff members and a top adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom.

Letter writer: I pray that the day is not far off when love and devotion among couples of all ages regardless of sexual orientation will be celebrated and hateful letters calling it a perversion are a thing of the past.

Lines for iPhones a sad commentary

Associated Press | John MinchilloHazem Sayed, 54, the first in line to purchase the new iPhone 5, takes pictures outside the Fifth Avenue Apple store Friday in New York. Hundreds of people waited in line through the early morning to be among the first to get their hands on the highly anticipated phone.

I don’t get it.

In New York City, long lines of people can block the sidewalk and even camp out without getting arrested if they are there in order to purchase the new iPhone.

But if you are there to speak your mind in a constitutionally protected protest, you will be ordered to move or be arrested if you block the sidewalk or camp out.

– TRUDY KNOWLES, Westfield

Brown key bipartisan voice

It was with interest that I watched the two conventions promote their philosophy; however it was unfortunate that neither party called for a return to bipartisanship.

Americans ideological segregation evidently is acceptable. We have a turbulent and acrimonious legislature. The 112th Congress is the least productive body in a generation.

In Massachusetts we have a hotly contested race for the Senate where moderation and compromise is criticized. One frequently hears that party line votes and partisan politics are hurting our country. The democratic members in Congress vote 96 percent party line with similar percentage by republicans.

Our Massachusetts delegation is even more partisan. Evidently compromise is considered a dirty word.

Our current Republican junior Sen. Scott Brown was deemed the second most bipartisan member of the Senate by the Congressional quarterly.

However, many Massachusetts voters seem to want our delegation to vote 100 percent party line. The voters of Massachusetts have an interesting choice – to re-elect a person that is not always in lockstep with party leaders or to elect an individual that will follow the directives of the party leadership 100 percent of the time along with our other representatives and senator.

– PAUL X. WELCH, Longmeadow

Brown’s votes show new partisan shift

Scott Brown daily loves to tell us that he is a bipartisan senator. It is hard to believe he is when he signed the Grover Norquist pledge as soon as he got to Washington in 2010. For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is an agreement put before all new Republicans elected to Congress to promise never to raise taxes.

There is an implicit threat that if they deviate from it their re-election will be challenged.

In addition, Brown voted 93 percent of the time with the Republicans until Elizabeth Warren entered the race for Senate. At that point he realized that in Democratic Massachusetts he would have to appear much more moderate if he hoped to get re-elected. He then voted only 75 percent of the time supporting Republican positions.

His TV ads promote the family man, a good-looking man who could live next door but he seldom discusses issues in these ads. Each and every voter needs to look a whole lot further into what he really stands for, how he has voted, and know that he is about as Republican as they get.

–PEGGY MCLENNAN, Westfield

U.S. owes gratitude to gay soldiers, too

I was extremely saddened by a recent letter of rebuke to The Republican.

The letter was in protest of a photo printed on Sept. 17 of a same sex military couple in joyful post-deployment homecoming embrace.

Thankfully at last all our soldiers, not just heterosexuals, are free to openly rejoice with those they love after serving their country in perilous places far from home. How sad it is that some of us are not able to see the image of these two young men for what it is. There is nothing lewd about this demonstration of love and happiness upon reunion after a long and stressful separation.

I pray that the day is not far off when love and devotion among couples of all ages regardless of sexual orientation will be celebrated and hateful letters calling it a perversion are a thing of the past.

– M.L. JENNINGS, Springfield

Brown shows clear disdain for Warren

Republican Sen. Scott Brown’s body language clearly showed his disdain for his Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren. His expression spoke volumes. He did not want to be there, it was above his status to debate her.

What an oaf.

– KATHLEEN STEVENS, Springfield

WEST SPRINGFIELD – When it comes to watching the chicks hatch in the Big E’s Farm-A-Rama, the old kids sometimes outnumber the young ones. A recent visit there found in the Stroh Building found a crowd of more than 30 people, mostly adults, rapt before the hatchery. “It still amazes me,” 47-year-old Tracie L. Carrier, of Enfield, said Monday....

The Republican | Michael S. GordonThree-year-olds are shown during the Northeast Brown Swiss Show Tuesday at the Big E in West Springfield Tuesday.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – When it comes to watching the chicks hatch in the Big E’s Farm-A-Rama, the old kids sometimes outnumber the young ones. A recent visit there found in the Stroh Building found a crowd of more than 30 people, mostly adults, rapt before the hatchery.

“It still amazes me,” 47-year-old Tracie L. Carrier, of Enfield, said Monday. Carrier has come to the fair every year since she was a kid and still can’t get over the hatchery.

“I guess it’s the whole cycle of life,” she said. “They sleep because it is such hard work getting out of the egg. Plus, they are cute.”

Seven-year-old Matthew F. Parizo, of Easthampton, saw chicks peck their way out of eggs for the first time Monday.

“It’s pretty cool how I see them get out of their eggs,” Matthew said.

The Republican | John SuchockiJoey Collins, 2, of Watertown, Conn., checks at the chickens the Stroh Building at the Big E in West Springfield.

His father, David P. Parizo, said he always likes to stop by the hatchery because he just likes chickens.

“Actually, I try to talk my wife into getting chickens,” Parizo said. “She says rabbits are enough.”

The huge Clydesdale horses were another popular draw when it comes to attracting kids of all ages.

“I love ’em,” 69-year-old Sharon Lintner, of Plainville, Conn., said.

“I think it is pretty interesting. How big they are,” 10-year-old Molly R. Wojnicki said of the Clydesdales.

Her grandmother, 62-year-old Linda M. Reardon, of Clarksburg, had brought her to the Big E.

Even though the Clydesdales impressed her, Molly said her favorite part of the fair is the display of giant pumpkins.

What the report did not find was some kind of effort from the top to remake the facts or cover them up.

Ineptitude is not conspiracy. Nor is dysfunction. Or plain old human error.

To have heard conservatives tell the tale, the federal government’s gun-running operation dubbed “Fast and Furious” was some kind of deceit of the highest order, cloak-and-dagger stuff fit for a Tom Clancy novel.

Well, maybe not.

Eric Holder

An exhaustive, 471-page report from the Justice Department’s inspector general found that Fast and Furious was full of problems. It found fault with individuals, their actions and failings. A couple of them have left their posts, while others will likely be reassigned.

What it did not find, or even hint at, was some kind of conspiracy, some effort from the top to remake the facts or cover up the truth.

Attorney General Eric Holder has been the target of conservative yammerers and a handful in Congress who seem mostly to want to find something, anything, that would bring down the nation’s top legal official.

They haven’t found it. Not in Fast and Furious, and not anywhere else.

Fast and Furious was a 2009 operation that allowed the sale of illegal guns to low-level smugglers in the hope of having those sales lead authorities to those at the top of the ring.

It didn’t work. Not as planned, and not at all.

President Obama’s time in the White House has been remarkably free from scandal. Given the level of animus that many conservatives feel toward this president, this can only be because his administration has been operating largely above board, playing by the rules. But this doesn’t stop his enemies from continuing to find conspiracy no matter where they look.

They might wish to take a look at the inspector general’s findings to see what’s really been going on.

Sometimes a botched job is just a botched job.

America’s Voice called Brown, the incumbent Republican, a “hard-liner” on immigration who supported the Republican filibuster of the DREAM Act and opposed President Barack Obama’s executive order that essentially halted the deportation of young, undocumented immigrants who met certain criteria.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren. (AP photos)

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BOSTON- A pro-immigration reform group that supports a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants labeled the race between U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren one of six Senate contests to watch heading into November.

America’s Voice called Brown, the incumbent Republican, a “hard-liner” on immigration who supported the Republican filibuster of the DREAM Act and opposed President Barack Obama’s executive order that essentially halted the deportation of young, undocumented immigrants who met certain criteria.

“Brown gave up all pretense of moderation when he voted in support of the Republican filibuster of the DREAM Act,” the group wrote in a short synopsis of the campaign.

Warren, by comparison, hold views “at the welcoming end of the spectrum” and supports both the DREAM Act and Obama’s deportation policy, according to the organization.

Immigration has yet to emerge as a hot-button issue in the Brown and Warren race, but America’s Choice said the the Latino voting population was a growing bloc in Massachusetts. According to Latino Vote Matters, in Massachusetts, the state electorate is comprised of 5.7 percent Latinos, a 98 percent increase between 2000 and 2010 when Brown was first elected.

The latest Suffolk University/7NEWS poll that showed Warren leading Brown 48 percent to 44 percent among likely voters, also found that the Democrat had a 70 percent to 19 percent lead over Brown among Hispanics, with 11 percent undecided. The poll surveyed 37 Latino likely voters, or 6 percent of the overall sample.

Brown, according to his website, opposed “amnesty” and supports stronger border enforcement and an employment verification system with penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants.

“I recognize that our strength as a nation is built on the immigrant experience in America. However, we are also a nation of laws, and government should not adopt policies that encourage illegal immigration,” Brown said in the issues section of his campaign site.

Warren says she supports a three-pronged approach to immigration that starts with upholding existing laws, protecting the country’s borders and enforcing laws against recruiting, hiring and exploiting undocumented workers.

The Democrat and law professor, however, said she supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that would require them to pay taxes and “go to the back of the line.” Any policy, Warren says, must also “help us retain talent trained at our world-class institutions and support job creation.”

America’s Voice describes itself as an organization focused on building public support for policies that “secure full labor, civil and political rights for undocumented immigrants and their families.” The group supports legal status and a path to citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Officials from the organization did not immediately respond to questions about how involved the organization might become in Massachusetts in the final few weeks of the election, and whether they planned to run ads.

The group singled out the Senate races in Massachusetts, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia. Four of the six states have higher Latino voting populations than Massachusetts, each in double digit percentages, while Virginia has the smallest with just 2.2 percent Latino voters.

Holyoke Heritage State Park also received money for improvements.

The Republican file photo | Dave RobackPeople from Westfield State University take part in the Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover Anti-Bullying Back to School road race and walk in Springfield last month.

BOSTON — Gov. Deval L. Patrick is providing Westfield State University with $500,000 to study the design of a new science building, in an important move toward constructing the first new academic building on campus in 40 years, a university leader said on Wednesday.

The $500,000 will come from Patrick's plan to issue $1.97 billion in state bonds to finance capital improvements across the state for the fiscal year that started July 1.

Kenneth M. Lemanski, vice president for government at Westfield State University, said: "The $500,000 is the first step towards us erecting a new academic building on campus, the first new academic building in 40 years. We are really excited about it."

The $500,000 study would show how to best use an additional $33 million that Patrick and state legislators approved in a 2008 bond law for helping construct the new science building, Lemanski said. Approval of the $500,000 means the state is committed to releasing the $33 million, he said.

The science building would be 52,000 square feet and four stories. The science building would be located next to Wilson Hall and adjacent to the commuter lot.

Kenneth Lemanski

The project, also including work on Wilson Hall , is expected to cost $47.8 million, he added. Westfield State University would have to pay for the money above the $33 million, by borrowing or raising money from the private sector, he said.

The existing labs in Wilson Hall would be removed and the space converted to classrooms.

The $500,000 study would also look at possible renovations to other buildings, Lemanski said.

A new 400-bed residence hall for the state university is currently being built next to the Ely Library & Campus Center. That project costs $50 million and is being financed by the Massachusetts State College Building Authority.

In a separate move, as part of his long term capital plan, Patrick said he also approved $1.75 million for a four-year initiative to revitalize the state's so-called Heritage Parks, primarily located in urban areas, that provide exhibits and historic information about communities where they are based.

Alexandra Zaroulis, a fiscal spokeswoman for Patrick, said Holyoke Heritage State Park will receive money for repairs, upgrades to audio visual components and enhancements to interpretive materials.

A visitor center at the park has exhibits about paper manufacturing and Holyoke's industrial history, as well as a slide show on the city's blend of cultures and people, according to the park's web page. Special programs are offered year-round. The Children's Museum, the restored antique Holyoke Merry-Go-Round and the Volleyball Hall of Fame are also located within the park.

A City Council committee is polling neighborhoods on whether they favor a citywide vote or ward vote on casinos.

MGM Resorts International recently unveiled plans to build an $800 million casino complex in the South End, that includes renovation of existing buildings. This is a rendering of the South End streetscape under the casino plans

SPRINGFIELD — Most residents who gathered for a South End neighborhood meeting on Wednesday said it makes sense to have a citywide vote on casino gambling, rather than limit it to just the ward or wards where casino projects are proposed.

“It seems logical, a citywide vote,” resident Rose Costa said. “It will impact the entire city.”

Just 11 residents and three city councilors attended the nighttime meeting at the Gentile Apartments on Williams Street, with the low attendance blamed on competing events including a debate at nearby Symphony Hall between U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren.

One of the proposed casinos in Springfield is being proposed in the South End by MGM Resorts International.

The council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee is conducting neighborhood meetings around the city to gauge if residents want a citywide vote or ward vote, which is one critical step for approving a casino in Springfield or some other community. Just one casino is allowed in Western Massachusetts under state law.

Of the 11 residents at the South End meeting, 10 were in favor of citywide vote.

Residents including Leo Florian and Ed Madaloni, however, said they would hope voters citywide take into strong account any concerns raised by a neighborhood where a casino is proposed.

During a prior meeting in Sixteen Acres, residents were also strongly in favor of a citywide vote.