They are competing to replace Democrat Michael Kane, who had held the seat since 2001 until he left in June for another job.

The candidates for the 5th Hampden District state representative seat, left to right: Jerome Hobert, Linda Vacon and Aaron Vega. File photos

MassLive.com presents live coverage of tonight's debate between the candidates for the Massachusetts House of Representatives 5th Hampden District seat that encompasses the city of Holyoke.

The candidates at Holyoke High School for the debate set to begin at 6:30 p.m. are Democrat Aaron M. Vega, a city councilor at large, Republican Linda L. Vacon, Ward 5 councilor, and Jerome T. Hobert, the Green-Rainbow Party nominee.

They are competing to replace Democrat Michael F. Kane, who had held the seat since 2001 until he left in June for another job.

The media panel is Elizabeth Romàn, of The Republican/MassLive.com/El Pueblo Latino, George O'Brien, of Business West, and Mike Plaisance, of The Republican/MassLive.com.

Mohawk trail concerts

HOLYOKE - Mohawk Trail Concerts is dedicated to bringing chamber music in many styles, all historical periods and multinational places of origin to the hills of Western Massachusetts. This fall, Mohawk Trail Concerts will be performing on Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. at the Wistariahurst Museum.

The free autumn afternoon concert will be performed in the music room of the historic home.

The program will feature wonderful pieces by Brahms, Mozart and Faure and will be performed by musicians Masako Yanagita on violin, Ronald Gorevic on viola, Kezia Gorevic Fisher on cello and Anne Koscielny on piano.

The performing artists of Mohawk Trail Concerts represent distinguished visitors and outstanding regional residents of international renown together with young performers of great potential embarking on promising careers.

The concert will be informal as well as informative with musicians interacting with the audience.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the city's Cultural Council.

Suspended offensive lineman Nick Speller did not return, however.

Alan Williams will play Saturday against Vanderbilt. J. Anthony Roberts

AMHERST – After more than two weeks away from his football team, University of Massachusetts wide receiver Alan Williams has returned from an academic-related suspension.

Williams was on the field for Tuesday evening’s practice at McGuirk Stadium, and coach Charley Molnar said the whole incident was no longer an issue as far as he was concerned.

“He looked good, fresh legs,” Molnar said. “I always like guys to grow from their experiences, and he seems contrite. Obviously he has taken a step in the right direction and it’s all been validated.”

Offensive lineman Nick Speller, however, remains suspended for academic issues. Molnar said Speller would have to be back on the field Wednesday to have a chance to play Saturday at Vanderbilt.

“We’re hoping that he jumps through the hoops that he needs to jump through,” Molnar said. “He’s been away for a couple weeks and he would be rusty. He’ll be way behind if he doesn’t show up by (Wednesday).”

Molnar said Williams will have the opportunity to compete for a starting position and will definitely play Saturday.

“He’s got to earn his way back ..." Molnar said.

Williams (19 catches, 305 yards, three touchdowns in five games) said Molnar wanted to make sure he would graduate in December – something he is now on track to do – with a degree in sociology.

“It sucked being out. It was terrible, but it felt good knowing that (Molnar) wants me to succeed in the classroom,” Williams said. “I may not like it now, but it’ll be worth it when December comes around.”

ONE-LINERS

Linebacker Greg Hilliard could be out for the year with a shoulder injury, and Molnar said the team would begin exploring a medical redshirt for him … Defensive tackle Galen Clemons passed the first step of required concussion testing Tuesday morning and practiced later … Safety Ed Saint-Vil will not play Saturday after his injured leg was too sore for him to do much at practice … Former NFL No. 1 pick Tim Couch will provide the color commentary for Saturday's television broadcast.

The black and red “vampire” sweatshirt Garner wore during the 4 a.m. robbery was easily recognized when the store’s surveillance video was made public, police said. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD – A Springfield man dodged a state prison term Tuesday when a judge gave him a 5-year suspended sentence for robbing the St. James Avenue Racing Mart in March.

Thomas Garner, 25, of 43 Berkeley St., pleaded guilty to one count of unarmed robbery in Superior Court.

Garner turned himself into police on March 28, 12 days after the Racing Mart’s overnight clerk was robbed of $917.

The black and red “vampire” sweatshirt Garner wore during the 4 a.m. robbery was easily recognized when the store’s surveillance video was made public, police said.

Garner told police that his mother saw the segment and kicked him out of the house. He then went to his girlfriend’s home but she also watched the segment and refused to let him in.

Thomas Garner

Garner was initially charged with armed robbery, but admitted guilt to a reduced unarmed robbery charge in a plea deal before John S. Ferrara.

Assistant District Attorney Richard B. Morse said Garner told the clerk he had a gun, and demanded money from the store’s safe. When the clerk explained that he couldn’t open the safe, Garner made a point of expressing his displeasure.

The clerk had no way of knowing that Garner did not actually have a gun, according to Morse, who asked the judge to impose a 2- to 3-year state prison sentence.

“How long does the (clerk) have to deal with the possibility that he was going to be shot?,” Morse asked, adding that Garner remained in the store and continued to menace the clerk.

“He was hanging around, acting dissatisfied,” Morse said.

Garner lawyer, Marissa Elkins, said her client had expressed remorse for the robbery, which she called a “crime of opportunity” that occurred after her client had spent the night drinking.

Garner had no criminal record, had been a star basketball and football player, and had a steady working history that allowed him to support his longtime girlfriend and their two children, according to his lawyer.

“He’s pleading for mercy,” Elkins told the judge.

Morse also added that Garner was “doing the rare thing in this system, he’s coming in early” to plead guilty.

Ferrera said state law gave barred him from sentencing Garner to a county jail sentence, leaving him the choice of either a state prison term or suspended sentence.

“I’m disinclined to send him to state prison for a first offense,” the judge said.

He also ordered Garner to perform 50 hours of community service, make $917 in restitution and attend three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week.

After his prison sentence, Drew will continue on probation for his earlier convictions until approximately 2025.

Republican file photo

NORTHAMPTON – A Belchertown man was convicted Monday in Hampshire Superior Court of larceny over $250, misleading a police investigation, and threatening a state trooper in connection with selling an industrial rock crusher that belonged to a Conway man and keeping the proceeds.

Judge Daniel Ford, who presided over the jury-waived trial, sentenced Dennis A. Drew, 53, to 3 to 4 years in state prison.

While the owner thought Drew was merely advertising the crusher, Drew sold it for $130,000 to a Connecticut businessman, who later had to seize it from Drew’s business, D.A.D. Sales and Leasing, in Belchertown.

When suspicions arose, Drew told the owner and state police investigators conflicting stories of the crusher’s whereabouts. He also challenged a trooper investigating the case to a fist-fight, which the trooper declined.

At the time, Drew was on probation for swindling investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. In those cases, Drew pleaded guilty to selling heavy equipment he did not own, as well as failing to return investors’ deposits after “quick-profit” schemes fell through.

Drew was sentenced to probation on those convictions, and has paying restitution.

After his prison sentence, he will continue on probation for his earlier convictions until approximately 2025.

BOSTON – State officials said Tuesday they found un´ clean conditions including vis´ ible black specks of fungus in steroids and a leaking boiler near what was supposed to be a clean room at a pharmacy linked to a deadly outbreak of meningitis.

Dr. Madeleine Biondolillo, Director of the Mass. Bureau of Healthcare Safety, addresses reporters during a news conference regarding the Massachusetts pharmacy responsible for the meningitis outbreak during a news conference at the Statehouse in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. The outbreak of meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, has sickened nearly 300 people, including 23 who died, in more than a dozen states. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Associated Press

By BOB SALSBERG
Associated Press

BOSTON – State officials
said Tuesday they found un´
clean conditions including vis´
ible black specks of fungus in
steroids and a leaking boiler
near what was supposed to be
a clean room at a pharmacy
linked to a deadly outbreak of
meningitis.
ù Gov. Deval Patrick said the
state has moved to revoke the
licenses of the New England
Compounding Center and
three pharmacists there. He
also has ordered the state
pharmacy board that oversees
similar companies to conduct
surprise inspections and take
other steps to tighten over´
sight.
ù The first such unannounced
inspection was done at a com´
pounding pharmacy on Tues´
day, state health department
spokesman Alec Loftus said.
He would not reveal the name
of the facility and said results
of the inspection were being
reviewed.
ù State officials said a prelimi´
nary investigation found that
the NECC shipped orders
from the lots of steroid shots
suspected in the meningitis
outbreak before its own tests
came back confirming the lots
were sterile. In some cases,
they said, drugs went out up to
11 days before test results
came back.
ù Officials also said the com´
pany, in Framingham, just
west of Boston, operated as a
drug manufacturer by produc´
ing drugs for broader use,
rather than filling out specific
prescriptions for specific doc´
tors, which is all its license al´
lowed.
ù “Over the years and for a va´
riety of reasons, some phar´
macists have transformed
from your neighborhood drug´
store into large-scale manu´
facturers that sell products
across state lines,” Patrick
said.
ù The outbreak of meningitis,
an inflammation of the lining
of the brain and spinal cord,
has sickened nearly 300 peo´
ple, including 23 who died, in
more than a dozen states.
Each victim had received a
steroid shot, mostly for back
pain. Federal health officials
matched the shots produced
by the company to the out´
break after finding a deadly
fungus in more than 50 un´
opened vials there but have
not said how the shots were
contaminated.
ù New state documents re´
leased this week detailed
problems an outside firm hired
to do an assessment found
there years ago.
ù The state documents, ob´
tained by The Associated
Press under a public records
request, say investigators in
2006 found inadequate con´
tamination control and no
written standard operating
procedures for using equip´
ment, among other problems.
The problems were corrected
that year, and a state inspec´
tion in May 2011 as the compa´
ny prepared to update its
facilities found no such issues.
ù In a letter sent Monday to a
lawyer for NECC, the U.S.
House Committee on Energy
and Commerce sought nearly
10 years of documents about
safety and quality issues at the
company. It indicated that as
far back as 2002 and 2003 offi´
cials from the Food and Drug
Administration and the state
conducted joint probes of the
company after receiving a re´
port about a steroid shot.
Those probes preceded a 2004
joint investigation of the cen´
ter by the FDA and the Massa´
chusetts Board of Registration
in Pharmacy.
ù In January 2006, based on
several complaints, the com´
pany signed with state regula´
tors a consent agreement in
which it agreed to a full in´
spection of its drug com´
pounding practices by
investigators.
ù The company’s encounters
with regulators have been re´
ported since the outbreak be´
gan, but state pharmacy board
documents released Monday
offer a new level of detail.
They show the inspection by
Illinois-based Pharmaceutical
Systems Inc. found “signifi´
cant gaps” in procedures and a
lack of required documenta´
tion at the NECC facility.
ù NECC spokesman Andrew
Paven said he hadn’t seen the
committee’s letter but the
company continues to cooper´
ate with the ongoing investiga´
tion.
ù “NECC worked coopera´
tively with the Massachusetts
Board of Registration in Phar´
macy to resolve to the Board’s
satisfaction any issues
brought to the company’s at´
tention,” he said by email.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged Tuesday to its lowest level in nearly 7 weeks.

Trader Thomas Donato looks at a screen as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — Nobody was expecting this round of corporate financial reports to be great. But underwhelming results — particularly revenue, which offers a read on the economy — are still rattling investors.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged Tuesday to its lowest level in nearly seven weeks. Big-name companies reported weak quarterly revenue and lowered their forecasts for the rest of the year.

Since the end of the Great Recession, investors have rewarded companies for increasing profit, even if revenue growth has been unimpressive. And companies have turned in three years of growing profit.

But companies can squeeze profit many ways, including cost-cutting, and revenue offers a truer read on customer demand. That is on investors' minds as the world economy lumbers along.

And even the profit streak may be over. Financial analysts predicted that profit would fall at S&P 500 companies for July through September compared with the year before, which would end a three-year streak.

On Tuesday, the Dow sank as much as 262 points, or roughly 2 percent, before ending the day down 243.36 points to 13,102.53. The decline was the Dow's third-steepest this year.

Other indexes also fell sharply. The Standard & Poor's 500 index shed 20.71 points to 1,413.11, and the Nasdaq composite index lost 26.50 points to 2,990.46. The Nasdaq hadn't closed below 3,000 since Aug. 6.

Companies of all stripes signaled that the economy is far from healed, and that demand is weaker than a year ago. Revenue fell compared with a year ago at DuPont, 3M, UPS and Xerox.

Because of their global footprints and variety of products and services, those companies augur how the world economy is performing.

Chemical maker DuPont said it will have to cut jobs and other expenses to make up for weak demand. 3M, which makes all manner of products including Scotch tape and coatings for LCD screens, cut its profit prediction for the year.

UPS, the world's largest package-delivery company, warned that the pace of global growth remains uneven. And Xerox said the "challenging economy" is causing "cost pressures for large enterprises and governments."

The rest of the year isn't looking great, either. Since early July, 29 companies in the S&P 500 had updated predictions for fourth-quarter results, according to researchers at S&P Capital IQ. Of those, 23 lowered their forecasts, and six kept them roughly the same. None said they were expecting things to be better than they already had predicted.

And of 123 companies in the S&P 500 that had reported as of Monday, only 38 percent beat expectations on revenue, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, a provider of financial data.

That's far below the average of the past four years of about 56 percent. It's also the lowest proportion since the first quarter of 2009, when the stock market hit its lowest point of the Great Recession.

Companies have done better on profit: 67 percent have beat expectations so far, Butters said. But investors at the moment are more interested in revenue.

Tim Courtney, chief investment officer at Exencial Wealth Advisors in Oklahoma City, didn't think it was just soft results driving the market's plunge Tuesday. Analysts were already expecting lower revenue, so the weak results aren't a total surprise.

The financial results, Courtney said, are just a symptom of a bigger problem — a sputtering economy.

"They're using (earnings) as an excuse, but it's the broader issues that are driving it," Courtney said. "What's going to happen with the election, what's going to happen with the fiscal cliff? Europe is already in recession — are we going to go, too? That fear is driving a lot of the selling right now."

The so-called fiscal cliff is a combination of tax increases and government spending cuts that will take effect Jan. 1, and that could send the U.S. back into recession, unless Congress intervenes.

DuPont, Xerox and 3M were among the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 on Tuesday. DuPont slid $4.51 to $45.25. Xerox lost 36 cents to $6.67. 3M slipped $3.80 to $88.73. The exception was UPS, which rose $2.17 to $73.73.

Some of the disappointing revenue is because of weakness in foreign markets. Multinational companies are having a hard time selling to Europe, which has been hobbled by recession, and emerging markets like China and India, where growth is slowing. Businesses that had relied on growth there to offset weak U.S. consumer demand are being forced to come up with new strategies.

"The recession in Europe is very real," said Bernard Schoenfeld, senior investment strategist for Bank of New York Mellon Wealth Management in New York. "It's not going to disappear very quickly, and it will certainly negatively affect earnings of exporters in the United States."

Companies are also blaming some of the revenue declines on the stronger dollar. As the dollar gains value, as it has over the past year, the money that multinational companies make overseas translates into fewer dollars back at headquarters.

"They're feeling the pain of the stronger dollar," said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management in New York. "Companies try to hedge, but they don't always hedge perfectly."

This earnings season alone, Google, Philip Morris, IBM and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. have complained that the stronger dollar has hurt revenue, Lien noted.

The price of crude oil fell to a three-month low, another sign that investors expect a weak economy. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note sank to 1.76 percent late in the day, from 1.82 percent Monday, as nervous investors sold stocks and shifted money into low-risk U.S. government bonds.

Among other stocks making moves Tuesday:

• Luxury handbag maker Coach was a bright spot, reporting higher revenue for the latest quarter. It jumped $3.98, or 7.3 percent, to $58.15, making it among the best performers among S&P 500 stocks.

• Apple fell $20.67, or 3.3 percent, to $613.36 after it released a smaller version of the iPad, the Mini. It is meant to help Apple compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7. Apple priced the Mini higher — $329 for the basic model, compared with $199 for the cheapest Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. Apple has the most sway on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite, so a poor day for Apple's stock can weigh heavily on those indexes.

• Facebook gained 18 cents to $19.50 and climbed $1.60 more in after-hours trading after its earnings report provided evidence that the company is making inroads in mobile advertising, an investor concern.

A Texas family was taken for a $422 ride last summer through Central Park

In this Saturday, Oct. 20 2012 photo, a pedicab driver takes a couple for a tour of New York's Central Park. Ever since a Texas family paid a pedicab driver $442 to ride 14 blocks in New York City this summer, city officials have been pushing for a simplified pricing structure so tourists don't get taken for a ride. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Associated Press

By KAREN MATTHEWS
,Associated Press

NEW YORK — Even in an era of $500 hotel rooms and $18 cocktails, the $442 that a Texas family paid for a ride in a New York City pedicab has become notorious.

The outrageous fare made headlines in the city's tabloids over the summer, and since then, officials have been pushing for a simplified pricing structure so tourists don't get taken for a ride.

Even operators of the pedicabs — essentially adult tricycles with a padded seat that can carry three passengers — say publicity over the mother of all shakedown fares has given all of them a bad name.

"It was not good for us," Souleymane Toure said as he hawked riders for his pedicab in Central Park. "Because any time you stop somebody for the ride they say, 'Are you going to charge us $400?'"

Pedicab operators are allowed to charge whatever they like as long as their prices are posted on the side of the cab. But listed prices are often based on a confusing formula — for example, an initial charge of $5, plus $1 or $2 per short block and $3, $4 or $5 per long block. And not all rate cards state clearly that the charges are per rider. A loop through Central Park can be $40, $50 or more per passenger.

That was what led to the $442 fare, which Councilman Dan Garodnick cited during a hearing on the issue last week.

The driver told the Texas couple after their 14-block ride that there was a $100 fare for each additional passenger, even though the daughters, who sat on their parents' laps were 7 and 9. It was technically illegal to have four passengers, but such a trip for three people ordinarily costs $80 to $100.

A proposal before the City Council would scrap the rate cards for a per-minute charge that each driver could set. "They would set it, they would post it and that's the story," Garodnick said. "What we don't want are surprises at the end."

Drivers say they would support changing the current system, but not all agree on what it should be changed to.

Greg Zuman, the vice president of the New York City Pedicab Owners Association and a pedicab driver himself, acknowledges abuse of the rate cards but said he does not support the per-minute system.

His group, he said, would prefer a requirement that prices be quoted before the ride starts. "The prices aren't quoted up front right now, and that's a huge problem," Zuman said.

Tourist Alan Albright, of Kansas City, Kan., said he made sure to negotiate the price before he and a friend boarded a pedicab for a loop around Central Park.

"They told me it was $120," Albright said. "I told him I would only pay $100."

He added, sheepishly, that the original price would have been fair: "We're two people that are a little overweight, so it was a little hard for him to pedal around."

Pedicabs were introduced to New York City in the 1990s as a cheaper alternative to the horse-drawn carriages that operate some of the same routes around Central Park and midtown Manhattan. They have become increasingly popular ever since. There are currently 1,335 licensed pedicab drivers.

On a recent sunny day, a swarm of pedicab drivers tried to entice people waiting for a cab outside Penn Station to ditch the line and take a human-powered cab instead — sometimes just as fast on Manhattan's crowded streets as motorized means.

"I'd feel like a plutocrat, and I hate plutocrats," one man said as he declined.

Jeff Marcus, who lives in suburban Bellmore and works in the city, was tempted by a pedicab sales pitch but stayed in the taxi line instead.

"I know there's been some issues with people getting ripped off," Marcus said. "But if you ask how much it is before, and you agree to a price, you're not going to get ripped off."

Marcus said the pedicab driver quoted a price of $25, but he figured a taxi to his East Side destination would be closer to $10.

"If he'd said $15, I probably would have got in there and it would have been a different experience," he said.

Several Central Park customers said they had enjoyed their rides.

"We saw bridges from movies and fountains from movies," said Kellie Hopkins, of Shrewsbury, Pa., who paid $90 for her loop through the park with daughter. "The man was nice and very personable and he knew everything."

Autumn was lured to the house, where they apparently lived with their mother and stepfather, for the purpose of getting parts for her treasured BMX bike, which she rode frequently and talked about on her Facebook pages.

Police remove a bicycle from a home near where a 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale's body was found in a recycling bin, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 in Clayton, N.J. Authorities did not confirm the bike was the one belonging to Autumn Pasquale, but it matched the description of the white BMX she was seen riding Saturday afternoon before she disappeared. They also recovered a backpack they believe was hers. (AP Photo/Gloucester County Times, Tim Hawk) Associated Press

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

CLAYTON, N.J. — A teenage boy lured a 12-year-old girl into his house under the guise of getting parts for her treasured bicycle and then, with his older brother, killed her, police said Tuesday. The girl's disappearance had sparked a frantic search by residents of her small town until a tip from the boys' mother led police to her body, stuffed into a home recycling bin.

The boys, ages 15 and 17, were charged with murdering Autumn Pasquale, who disappeared while riding her BMX bike Saturday, a little more than a week before what would have been her 13th birthday. She appeared to have been strangled, Gloucester County prosecutor Sean Dalton said at a late-day news conference.

The boys' mother had come forward with information about a posting on a son's Facebook account, Dalton said. He wouldn't say what was on the website or discuss a possible motive for the killing, but said there was no sign of sexual assault.

Autumn was lured to the house, where they apparently lived with their mother and stepfather, for the purpose of getting parts for her treasured BMX bike, which she rode frequently and talked about on her Facebook pages.

Both brothers were charged with counts including first-degree murder, body disposal and tampering with evidence. The 15-year-old was also charged with luring.

The boys' names were not released because they are juveniles, but Dalton said his office is considering trying to have the case transferred to adult court. The boys turned themselves in with their attorneys, public defenders, but it could not be immediately determined who they are.

The girl's body was found around 10 p.m. Monday in a recycling bin on a vacant property next to the home where the boys live, police said. The suspects had attended a community vigil for her shortly before the discovery, several residents said.

Autumn's BMX bike and other belongings were recovered from the boys' home, the prosecutor said. He did not detail all the items, but a backpack matching a description of the girl's was also seen being taken out.

One of the three teenage brothers who friends said live at the house traded BMX bike parts, according to a according to a young man, Corey Hewes, 19, who said he was among those who traded with him.

Neighbors also said the house was a place where teens frequently hung out and had parties.

The home is just blocks from Autumn's house and from the town hall, where thousands of people gathered for the tearful candlelight vigil to pray for her safe return in this town of 8,000 about 25 miles south of Philadelphia.

"The search for Autumn is over," Dalton said Tuesday morning in the first of two news conferences, at which he was asked to assure residents they were safe with an apparent child-killer on the loose.

The girl's great-uncle, Paul Spadofora, thanked the community for its help in the search.

"There's evil everywhere, even in the small town of Clayton," Spadofora said.

Tuesday was trash collection day, and many residents had dragged their trash cans and recycling bins to the curb the night before. The covered recycling bins are collected by an automated truck that picks them up and dumps the contents into the back.

Police barricaded the block Tuesday morning, and friends and neighbors came by. Some mothers said they were keeping their kids out of school for the day. Even before the body was found, students reported that Spirit Week had been canceled because of the sorrow.

One young man rode a bike up, sat on a porch of a home and cried, then biked away.

Clayton Mayor Thomas Bianco walked to the scene, cried, hugged a police officer and gave a brief statement to the gathered reporters.

"You hear about it in other places but never think it would happen in our little town," he said.

Autumn was last seen around 12:30 p.m. Saturday pedaling her bike away from the home where she lives with her father, her two siblings, her father's girlfriend and the girlfriend's children, authorities said.

Relatives said they believed she was heading to see a friend, and they became worried only after she did not return by her 8 p.m. curfew.

Sunday morning, her disappearance became not only a crisis but a town-wide cause in Clayton. Volunteers by the hundred joined the search, scouring malls, nearby towns and passing out fliers.

By Monday evening, officials were thanking the volunteers for their help but asking them to call it a night.

Hundreds of people returned anyway for the vigil. Spadofora, the great-uncle, said he hoped the town could gather again a week later, with Autumn back, with candles to mark her birthday.

Instead, the community awoke Tuesday to news that her body had been recovered.

"I know a lot of you are angry over what has happened, and deservedly you have a right to be angry," Dalton said at day's end. "I hope today there is some measure of closure, and we can all mourn in the loss of this beautiful child."

Big-name companies reported weak quarterly revenue and lowered their forecasts for the rest of the year.

Trader John Panin, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Stocks are falling sharply at the opening of trading on Wall Street after 3M and DuPont slashed their earnings forecasts. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Associated Press

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — Nobody was expecting this round of corporate financial reports to be great. But underwhelming results — particularly revenue, which offers a read on the economy — are still rattling investors.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged Tuesday to its lowest level in nearly seven weeks. Big-name companies reported weak quarterly revenue and lowered their forecasts for the rest of the year.

Since the end of the Great Recession, investors have rewarded companies for increasing profit, even if revenue growth has been unimpressive. And companies have turned in three years of growing profit.

But companies can squeeze profit many ways, including cost-cutting, and revenue offers a truer read on customer demand. That is on investors' minds as the world economy lumbers along.

And even the profit streak may be over. Financial analysts predicted that profit would fall at S&P 500 companies for July through September compared with the year before, which would end a three-year streak.

On Tuesday, the Dow sank as much as 262 points, or roughly 2 percent, before ending the day down 243.36 points to 13,102.53. The decline was the Dow's third-steepest this year.

Other indexes also fell sharply. The Standard & Poor's 500 index shed 20.71 points to 1,413.11, and the Nasdaq composite index lost 26.50 points to 2,990.46. The Nasdaq hadn't closed below 3,000 since Aug. 6.

Companies of all stripes signaled that the economy is far from healed, and that demand is weaker than a year ago. Revenue fell compared with a year ago at DuPont, 3M, UPS and Xerox.

Because of their global footprints and variety of products and services, those companies augur how the world economy is performing.

Chemical maker DuPont said it will have to cut jobs and other expenses to make up for weak demand. 3M, which makes all manner of products including Scotch tape and coatings for LCD screens, cut its profit prediction for the year.

UPS, the world's largest package-delivery company, warned that the pace of global growth remains uneven. And Xerox said the "challenging economy" is causing "cost pressures for large enterprises and governments."

The rest of the year isn't looking great, either. Since early July, 29 companies in the S&P 500 had updated predictions for fourth-quarter results, according to researchers at S&P Capital IQ. Of those, 23 lowered their forecasts, and six kept them roughly the same. None said they were expecting things to be better than they already had predicted.

And of 123 companies in the S&P 500 that had reported as of Monday, only 38 percent beat expectations on revenue, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, a provider of financial data.

That's far below the average of the past four years of about 56 percent. It's also the lowest proportion since the first quarter of 2009, when the stock market hit its lowest point of the Great Recession.

Companies have done better on profit: 67 percent have beat expectations so far, Butters said. But investors at the moment are more interested in revenue.

Tim Courtney, chief investment officer at Exencial Wealth Advisors in Oklahoma City, didn't think it was just soft results driving the market's plunge Tuesday. Analysts were already expecting lower revenue, so the weak results aren't a total surprise.

The financial results, Courtney said, are just a symptom of a bigger problem — a sputtering economy.

"They're using (earnings) as an excuse, but it's the broader issues that are driving it," Courtney said. "What's going to happen with the election, what's going to happen with the fiscal cliff? Europe is already in recession — are we going to go, too? That fear is driving a lot of the selling right now."

The so-called fiscal cliff is a combination of tax increases and government spending cuts that will take effect Jan. 1, and that could send the U.S. back into recession, unless Congress intervenes.

DuPont, Xerox and 3M were among the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 on Tuesday. DuPont slid $4.51 to $45.25. Xerox lost 36 cents to $6.67. 3M slipped $3.80 to $88.73. The exception was UPS, which rose $2.17 to $73.73.

Some of the disappointing revenue is because of weakness in foreign markets. Multinational companies are having a hard time selling to Europe, which has been hobbled by recession, and emerging markets like China and India, where growth is slowing. Businesses that had relied on growth there to offset weak U.S. consumer demand are being forced to come up with new strategies.

"The recession in Europe is very real," said Bernard Schoenfeld, senior investment strategist for Bank of New York Mellon Wealth Management in New York. "It's not going to disappear very quickly, and it will certainly negatively affect earnings of exporters in the United States."

Companies are also blaming some of the revenue declines on the stronger dollar. As the dollar gains value, as it has over the past year, the money that multinational companies make overseas translates into fewer dollars back at headquarters.

"They're feeling the pain of the stronger dollar," said Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management in New York. "Companies try to hedge, but they don't always hedge perfectly."

This earnings season alone, Google, Philip Morris, IBM and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. have complained that the stronger dollar has hurt revenue, Lien noted.

The price of crude oil fell to a three-month low, another sign that investors expect a weak economy. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note sank to 1.76 percent late in the day, from 1.82 percent Monday, as nervous investors sold stocks and shifted money into low-risk U.S. government bonds.

Among other stocks making moves Tuesday:

— Luxury handbag maker Coach was a bright spot, reporting higher revenue for the latest quarter. It jumped $3.98, or 7.3 percent, to $58.15, making it among the best performers among S&P 500 stocks.

— Apple fell $20.67, or 3.3 percent, to $613.36 after it released a smaller version of the iPad, the Mini. It is meant to help Apple compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7. Apple priced the Mini higher — $329 for the basic model, compared with $199 for the cheapest Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. Apple has the most sway on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite, so a poor day for Apple's stock can weigh heavily on those indexes.

— Facebook gained 18 cents to $19.50 and climbed $1.60 more in after-hours trading after its earnings report provided evidence that the company is making inroads in mobile advertising, an investor concern.

Power is not expected to be restored until around 10 p.m, according to a WMECO spokesman

Erik Gallant, MassLive.com

SPRINGFIELD - Close to 700 electric customers in parts of Springfield are without power following an unexplained outage, a Western Massachusetts Electric Company spokesman said.

Power is not expected to be restored until around 10 p.m., said spokesman Frank Poirot.

The outage was reported at around 7:30 p.m.

It is concentrated primarily in the East Springfield neighborhood and along part of the State Street corridor, he said.

He said it is not clear what caused the loss of electricity at this point, but WMECO crews are responding to the scene.

"We're still researching the cause," he said. "Something caused the circuit to trip out but we don't know what it is at this point."

Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day.

In this Tuesday, July 26, 2011 file photo, Ben Shaw hangs from an oil derrick outside of Williston, N.D. U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer. U.S. production of oil and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent in 2012 to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day. It's the fourth straight year of crude increases, and this year drillers are on track to post the biggest single year gain since 1951. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) Associated Press

By JONATHAN FAHEY
AP Energy Writer

NEW YORK — U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer.

Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day. This will be the fourth straight year of crude increases and the biggest single-year gain since 1951.

The boom has surprised even the experts.

"Five years ago, if I or anyone had predicted today's production growth, people would have thought we were crazy," says Jim Burkhard, head of oil markets research at IHS CERA, an energy consulting firm.

The Energy Department forecasts that U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons, which includes biofuels, will average 11.4 million barrels per day next year. That would be a record for the U.S. and just below Saudi Arabia's output of 11.6 million barrels. Citibank forecasts U.S. production could reach 13 million to 15 million barrels per day by 2020, helping to make North America "the new Middle East."

The last year the U.S. was the world's largest producer was 2002, after the Saudis drastically cut production because of low oil prices in the aftermath of 9/11. Since then, the Saudis and the Russians have been the world leaders.

The United States will still need to import lots of oil in the years ahead. Americans use 18.7 million barrels per day. But thanks to the growth in domestic production and the improving fuel efficiency of the nation's cars and trucks, imports could fall by half by the end of the decade.

The increase in production hasn't translated to cheaper gasoline at the pump, and prices are expected to stay relatively high for the next few years because of growing demand for oil in developing nations and political instability in the Middle East and North Africa.

Still, producing more oil domestically, and importing less, gives the economy a significant boost.

The companies profiting range from independent drillers to large international oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell, which increasingly see the U.S. as one of the most promising places to drill. ExxonMobil agreed last month to spend $1.6 billion to increase its U.S. oil holdings.

Increased drilling is driving economic growth in states such as North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana and Texas, all of which have unemployment rates far below the national average of 7.8 percent. North Dakota is at 3 percent; Oklahoma, 5.2.

Businesses that serve the oil industry, such as steel companies that supply drilling pipe and railroads that transport oil, aren't the only ones benefiting. Homebuilders, auto dealers and retailers in energy-producing states are also getting a lift.

IHS says the oil and gas drilling boom, which already supports 1.7 million jobs, will lead to the creation of 1.3 million jobs across the U.S. economy by the end of the decade.

"It's the most important change to the economy since the advent of personal computers pushed up productivity in the 1990s," says economist Philip Verleger, a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics.

The major factor driving domestic production higher is a newfound ability to squeeze oil out of rock once thought too difficult and expensive to tap. Drillers have learned to drill horizontally into long, thin seams of shale and other rock that holds oil, instead of searching for rare underground pools of hydrocarbons that have accumulated over millions of years.

To free the oil and gas from the rock, drillers crack it open by pumping water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, a process is known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

While expanded use of the method has unlocked enormous reserves of oil and gas, it has also raised concerns that contaminated water produced in the process could leak into drinking water.

The surge in oil production has other roots, as well:

— A long period of high oil prices has given drillers the cash and the motivation to spend the large sums required to develop new techniques and search new places for oil. Over the past decade, oil has averaged $69 a barrel. During the previous decade, it averaged $21.

— Production in the Gulf of Mexico, which slowed after BP's 2010 well disaster and oil spill, has begun to climb again. Huge recent finds there are expected to help growth continue.

— A natural gas glut forced drillers to dramatically slow natural gas exploration beginning about a year ago. Drillers suddenly had plenty of equipment and workers to shift to oil.

The most prolific of the new shale formations are in North Dakota and Texas. Activity is also rising in Oklahoma, Colorado, Ohio and other states.

Production from shale formations is expected to grow from 1.6 million barrels per day this year to 4.2 million barrels per day by 2020, according to Wood Mackenzie, an energy consulting firm. That means these new formations will yield more oil by 2020 than major oil suppliers such as Iran and Canada produce today.

U.S. oil and liquids production reached a peak of 11.2 million barrels per day in 1985, when Alaskan fields were producing enormous amounts of crude, then began a long decline. From 1986 through 2008, crude production fell every year but one, dropping by 44 percent over that period. The United States imported nearly 60 percent of the oil it burned in 2006.

By the end of this year, U.S. crude output will be at its highest level since 1998 and oil imports will be lower than at any time since 1992, at 41 percent of consumption.

"It's a stunning turnaround," Burkhard says.

Whether the U.S. supplants Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer will depend on the price of oil and Saudi production in the years ahead. Saudi Arabia sits on the world's largest reserves of oil, and it raises and lowers production to try to keep oil prices steady. Saudi output is expected to remain about flat between now and 2017, according to the International Energy Agency.

But Saudi oil is cheap to tap, while the methods needed to tap U.S. oil are very expensive. If the price of oil falls below $75 per barrel, drillers in the U.S. will almost certainly begin to cut back.

The International Energy Agency forecasts that global oil prices, which have averaged $107 per barrel this year, will slip to an average of $89 over the next five years — not a big enough drop to lead companies to cut back on exploration deeply.

Nor are they expected to fall enough to bring back the days of cheap gasoline. Still, more of the money that Americans spend at filling stations will flow to domestic drillers, which are then more likely to buy equipment here and hire more U.S. workers.

"Drivers will have to pay high prices, sure, but at least they'll have a job," Verleger says.

___

Follow Jonathan Fahey on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey

The number of employed Springfield residents rose last month from 58,433 to 59,352; the number of jobless fell from 7,350 to 7,089.

Bob Rich

SPRINGFIELD — The city’s unemployment rate fell in September to 10.7 percent from 11.2 percent in August.

September’s jobless rate is also lower than the 11.8 percent recorded a year ago, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The number of employed Springfield residents rose last month from 58,433 to 59,352. The number of jobless fell from 7,350 to 7,089. The city’s total labor force rose from 65,783 to 66,441.

“That’s great. More people are looking for work, and there are more people with jobs,” said Karl J Petrick, associate professor of economics at Western New England University.

But even with an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent, Springfield had the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the state, behind Lawrence, Fall River and New Bedford. Holyoke was fifth-highest in the state at 10 percent, down from 10.9 percent in August 2012 and 10.7 percent in September 2011.

As a region, Greater Springfield had an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent, down from 7.8 percent last month and 8.2 percent a year ago. The region gained 7,500 jobs in the month, a 2.6 percent increase.

Much of that gain was seasonal, the result of colleges and schools staffing up for the new school year said Rena Kottcamp, director of research for the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment. But this year’s increase was bigger than 2011’s August-to-September bump of 6,600 jobs.

Since September of 2011, the region has gained only 1,100 jobs, or about four-tenths of a percentage point.

That’s too little growth, said Robert A. Nakosteen, professor of economics and statistics at the Isenberg School of Management of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He said the population grows at a rate of about 1 percent. Jobs would have to grow by about 2 percent to keep up with a growing population and make a dent in joblessness.

“I think we are sort of in a period where the economy is bumping along,” Nakosteen said. “I see nothing on the horizon that is going to turn it around.”

Nakosteen cited economic problems in Europe and Asia and the impending “fiscal cliff” of federal tax hikes and budget cuts.

Petrick said one big shock could come in January when a 2 percent cut in the payroll tax from 2010 is expected to expire. The cut stimulated spending by putting an average of $900 extra a year in the pockets of working families.

“It’s like getting a raise,” Petrick said.

According to the state, the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. Adjusted for seasonal changes in the economy, that works out to 6.3 percent.

The national unadjusted average is 7.8 percent.

Kottcamp said leisure and hospitality joined government, which includes public education, and private education and health care with big job gains over the past month.

Professional services, manufacturing and trade-transportation and utilities all lost employment as did construction. Construction is down possibly because the sector took off last summer with tornado recovery work.

At FutureWorks, a career center in Springfield, the number of job openings posted fell by 37 percent from 389 in September 2011 to 244 in September 2012, said Kevin E. Lynn manager of business services. On the positive side, 309 people told FutureWorks they’d found work in the last month, up 12 percent from the 276 who reported finding work last year at this time.

“People are getting hired more, but at the same time you are seeing that employers are less confident,” Lynn said. “I keep hearing that they don’t want to hire someone just to turn around and lay them off.”

UMass students say they feel security on campus is tight.

AMHERST — Shortly after midnight on Oct. 13, a University of Massachusetts student signed in three teens she did not know to a campus dormitory, a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.

Those three teens and a fourth who never signed in are now charged with rape.
In the wake of that incident, UMass officials are reviewing residence hall security to see whether changes must be made.

Officials are also looking at whether the student who let these three teens in will be disciplined. The four charged are not UMass students.

Pittsfield residents Emmanuel Toffee Bile, 18, Justin A. King, 18, Caleb Womack, 17, and Adam T. Liccardi, 18 were arrested Friday after a nearly weeklong UMass police investigation. All denied charges in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown Monday. All four are being held on $10,000 bail. Liccardi, meanwhile, is slated to go to trial in the Berkshires on separate assault and battery charges.

On campus over the next few weeks, “We will undertake a comprehensive review of our residence hall security,” said UMass spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski. In the meantime, resident directors will hold floor meetings to reiterate the security policy, which students are told about when they first arrive on campus.

That policy means don’t let people “tailgate” behind when entering a dorm and signing in only guests whom the resident knows.

Blaguszewski said there “is printed material to really emphasize they are responsible for any guests.”

This incident “is a very strong example of why you really need to be careful. There are consequences for signing in people into the building. You’re letting guests into your home.”

And he said, “as a resident in a resident hall you need to exercise good judgment.”

The alleged victim knew one of the four and had texted that she did not want them to come to campus, Jennifer Suhl, chief of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, said in court. They came anyway and were let it. They then went to the victim’s dorm room, which was not locked and waited for her to return, she said.

She had a couple of beers prior to returning, she said, and all of them drank vodka in her room along with two of her friends. The friends left and the victim was allegedly attacked and raped by all four, Suhl said.

Despite the attack, women on campus said they feel safe and feel that for the most part security is good, especially at night when guests have to sign in
During the day, it’s easy to slip in behind another student and gain access to various dorms. At night, though, security monitors sign in guests and guests must present photo identification.

“I feel safe at UMass,” said Maura Coyle, a junior from Lynn. And while the incident was horrible, she said, “Given the circumstance (of what happened), it wasn’t a stranger,” she said.

Coyle said she never signs in someone she doesn’t know, and neither do her friends. “It’s kind of understood.” She said students are concerned about theft. She said she always locks her door. “People are encouraged to lock their doors.”

But she said it can be awkward when someone is waiting to enter the dorm and wants to follow behind. Still, she feels there are enough checks in place to keep unwanted guests out of the dorms.

Kyra Simpson, a first-year student from California, lives in the high-rise Kennedy dorm. She said she never signs in someone she doesn’t know, something that was emphasized when she first came to campus. She hadn’t heard about the rape and said she feels safe.

Elisha Bettencourt from Middletown, Conn. agrees. “Security is really tight.” She said “It’s especially secure after 8 p.m.”

While UMass police won’t say whether alcohol played a factor in the alleged attack, it was clear from court testimony that all were drinking.

With safety paramount, UMass officials plan to look at the safety review “in the social context in which such an incident occurs,” Blaguszewski said.

The Student Government Association issued a statement Monday stating that “this tragedy has shocked our community and I want to state that neither the Student Body nor the University will stand by and let these actions go unnoticed. We are committed to providing a safe environment to all students and community members and will work tirelessly to ensure that we maintain this environment.”

Former Springfield College wrestling standout Jeff Blatnick died Wednesday at 55 from heart failure.

Jeff Blatnick, right, wrestles Sweden's Thomas Johansson during the Super Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling event at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The former Springfield College star died Wednesday at 55. AP File Photo

Former Springfield College star Jeff Blatnick, who overcame cancer to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics and went on to a career as a sports commentator and motivational speaker, died Wednesday in New York state at age 55.

Officials at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y., said he died there of heart failure.

“This is such a tragedy,” said Blatnick’s Springfield College coach, Doug Parker, now retired and living in Longmeadow. “Jeff had such an amazing intellect and he was so far ahead of everyone that it wasn’t even a contest.”

Blatnick received a degree in physical education from Springfield College in 1979. He was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic of Hall of Fame in 1987, and received an honorary doctor of Humanities degree that same year.

“On behalf of the entire Springfield College community, I wish to offer our heartfelt sympathy and support to Jeff’s family,” said Richard B. Flynn, president of Springfield College. “We are deeply saddened to hear of his untimely passing. An Olympic wrestling gold medal winner, motivational speaker, cancer survivor, and devoted son, husband, and father, Jeff was a role model and an inspiration to so many people. Jeff is an important part of the history and legacy of Springfield College.”

Blatnick was a high school state champion in suburban Albany in the mid-1970s and was a two-time Division II National champion and three-time Division II All-American at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

“I remember driving to Jeff’s hometown with coach Parker when they had a parade for him,” said Howard Davis, who was Springfield College’s Sports Information Director during Blatnick’s undergraduate years. “He was one of the finest persons I knew.”

Davis recalled being at the airport in Pittsburgh with the University of Massachusetts after he left Springfield College to work in Amherst when somebody came up to him from behind and gave him a big bear hug.

It was Blatnick, who never forgot where he came from or the people who helped him along the way. The bear hug did stun the Minutemen players.

“The players all ran,” Davis said. “But that was Jeff.”

He qualified for the U.S. Olympic team and was a member of the 1980 squad that didn’t compete because the U.S. boycotted that year’s games in Moscow.

In 1982, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. He was treated and the disease went into remission before he won the gold as a super heavyweight in Los Angeles in 1984.

“Jeff had such unbelievable determination,” Parker said. “He wouldn’t let anything bother him.”

Blatnick, who in 1979 became the first and only Springfield College athlete to grace the cover of an NCAA preseason guide, was also a three-time Greco-Roman national champion and won eight Greco-Roman All-American awards, two World Cup medals and two Freestyle All-American honors.

USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser also won a gold medal at the 1984 games as a teammate of Blatnick. Fraser and Blatnick were the first two U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers to ever win gold medals.

“I am devastated that Jeff Blatnick, who was a great Greco-Roman champion, has passed away,” Fraser said. “I am stunned by it.”

Fraser talked to Blatnick a few weeks ago about working to promote Greco-Roman wrestling.

“I am heartbroken,” he said. “He has done so much for the sport as an athlete, an announcer, a leader and a spokesman. My prayers go out to his family.”

Bob McGuire, the athletic director at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, recalled Blatnick asking if he could be a volunteer varsity wrestling coach at the school. Blatnick had gone to high school and competed in nearby Niskayuna.

“What do you say when you hear that from an Olympic champion,” he said Wednesday. “You open the door and say ‘Come on in’.”

Blatnick spent six years volunteering at the school.

“When you’re talking about high school sports, you’re always looking for that special individual who will be a role model for a lot of different children,” he said. “And Jeff Blatnick was that person.”

Blatnick also was successful as a motivational speaker and television commentator. He was an NBC Olympic wrestling analyst in Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, and Atlanta in 1996 among other assignments, according to his website.

“Jeff,” said Davis, “was a fantastic young man.”

Blatnick was an advocate for people of all ages to maximize their potential to be contributing members of society by developing their spirits, minds, and bodies and maintaining balance in their lives, which reflects the Springfield College mission. As the college’s commencement speaker in 2000, he said: “You can educate the mind. You can train the body. But, without spirit you have nothing, because spirit makes possible what is seemingly impossible.”

Flynn added: “The passing of Jeff Blatnick is a great loss to the Springfield College family and to all those whose lives he touched and inspired.”

(Material from the Associated Press was used in this article.)

Di Santi, a Democrat, has called questions raised by his Republican opponent about a state financial form "dirty politicis 101."

State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, R-Southwick, and challenger Samuel Di Santi, a Democrat from Agawam

AGAWAM – State Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga and the leader of a fiscally conservative government watchdog group have accused Democratic state representative candidate Samuel S. Di Santi of not properly filling out information about his former hot-dog concession on a state financial disclosure form.

And for his part, Di Santi has countered that he has provided information as required on his 2011 Statement of Financial Interest and has called the accusations nothing more than “dirty politics 101.” The accusation was made by Boldyga during a recent forum sponsored by the West of the River Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Paul D. Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, has contacted The Republican several times recently making the same allegation.

A first-term Republican representing the Third Hampden District, Boldyga is facing a challenge from Di Santi in the Nov. 6 election.

Meanwhile, David Giannotti, spokesman for the state Ethics Commission, released a copy of the form complete with redactions required by privacy rules of for the spaces for Di Santi’s home address and names of any relatives.

Di Santi wrote on the form that he was the sole proprietor of a business, which he told a reporter he operated from a concession trailer he used to store at his home. Under the heading of gross business income, Di Santi said he wrote “NA” for not applicable.

The candidate said he listed that because he had a business loss in 2011. Di Santi said rules allow him not to disclose income if he has taken a loss. The candidate said he sold the business in June.

Craney said he has asked the Ethics Commission to investigate the matter and that it will likely not finish a probe until after the election. Contacted by the newspaper, Giannotti pointed out that the Ethics Commission has a policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of an investigation.

“I could not confirm or deny that we are investigating anyone,” the Ethics Commission spokesman said, citing confidentiality rules.

“We have his completed form on record,” Giannotti said of Di Santi’s Statement of Financial Interest paperwork.

Craney said the Ethics Commission form that Di Santi filled out is required to provide information to parties like journalists and government watchdog groups.

Boldyga could not be reached for comment about the issue.

Craney said while information was blacked out to provide privacy, Di Santi still did not supply the name of his business or list anything for income.

“If Mr. DiSanti wants to become a state representative, his first order of business should be to provide straight answers. The fact that Mr. DiSanti left answers to very important questions at very best, vaguely written, should be a concern for voters who care about good government in their candidates,” Craney stated in an email about the matter to The Republican.

Boldyga said Di Santi has campaigned on a platform of offering transparency and should have provided more information on the form.

Di Santi has said he has contacted the state Ethics Commission and has been told he is not under investigation.

The website for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance describes itself as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization. “As residents of Massachusetts, we are concerned for our Fiscal future. Please join us, an Alliance of concerned fiscally responsible individuals to put our state government back on track,” information on the web site states.

In a related matter, Michael J. Sullivan, director of the state Office of Campaign & Political Finance, wrote a June 28, 2012 letter to Boldyga about its review of a column he wrote in May for “Southwoods Magazine.”

Sullivan wrote that Boldyga’s May column focused solely on the collecting of signatures on his nomination papers and as such “appears to be a campaign related announcement and, therefore, it would be considered a contribution.”

Because the owner of the publication, Nelson Caron, planned to consider the column as an in-kind campaign donation of $301.14, Sullivan wrote that no further action would be required and that the matter would be closed.

The duo, along with captain Rocco Carzo, have been the primary producers for the Minutemen through their first two games.

J. Anthony RobertsRocco Carzo rushes to celebrate with Brandon Gracel after the latter scored a goal against UConn on Oct. 12.

AMHERST — They became friends because they couldn’t get Tim Horton's before practice anymore.

At least, that’s part of the reason, according to Brandon Gracel.

Gracel and Steven Guzzo, two Canadians who found their way to the University of Massachusetts hockey team, began bonding over their shared experiences when they arrived in Amherst three years ago.

Last season, they were roommates in North Apartments. This season, they no longer share living space, but something more important: Ice time.

The duo finds itself on a line together with captain Rocco Carzo, and the chemistry has been immediate — the combination has accounted for four of the Minutemen’s five even strength goals.

It wasn’t a natural fit, though. Gracel, born and raised in Calgary, and Guzzo a, Toronto-area native, had both been centers for their first their three years at UMass. But Micheletto needed instant bonds, and instead of letting positions get in the way, he moved Gracel to wing.

“Ultimately what you’re trying to find is guys that have some sort of chemistry together,” Micheletto said. “It appears that that’s been the case.”

It doesn’t always come instantly. Guzzo said there is no typical length of time it takes guys to gel, but that him and Gracel did it quickly, each tallying a goal and an assist on opening night against UConn.

“The more you play with someone, the more you know their tendencies, what they’re likely to do and where they’re likely to go on the ice,” Guzzo said. “I feel like it just came easy for me and Brandon, we always knew where each other would be.”

Gracel and Guzzo said they had to split up their living arrangements because some players would have been left without roommates, but that hasn’t precluded on-ice success.

Neither had to give up taking faceoffs either. Although Gracel plays the wing position, he takes the faceoffs when he’s on his backhand (he’s a righty, while Guzzo is a lefty).

They have more in common than a love for Tim Horton’s and all things Canada. Both, like many Canadians who end up at American colleges, were late bloomers.

“I think I got a little bit better with age, so school was the best suited route for me,” Guzzo recalled.

Gracel’s story is a similar one.

“When I was younger, I went to WHL camp, and if I would have made it that year, I probably would have played,” Gracel said. “The fact that I didn’t make it that year, and I wasn’t actually ready to play major junior at 15 or 16, the college route gives me a chance to develop more.”

Their paths crossed in Amherst, and luckily so for the Minutemen. The Gracel-Guzzo-Carzo line has stepped up the production while the top line of Connor Sheary, Michael Pereira and Troy Power have yet to get going.

“You can’t rely on two guys in this league and expect to be successful. It’s to easy for teams to shut down one line or two players,” Micheletto said. “One of the things that I think everybody has recognized is that we’ve got depth. It’s something that we want to exploit as much as possible. Obviously Rocco and Guzzo and Gracel have chipped in.”

If the second line continues its production, and the first line can get it rolling, the Minutemen could pack a powerful offensive punch in 2012 and beyond.

The state has moved to revoke the pharmacy's license.

Dr. Madeleine Biondolillo, Director of the Mass. Bureau of Healthcare Safety, addresses reporters during a news conference regarding the Massachusetts pharmacy responsible for the meningitis outbreak during a news conference at the Statehouse in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. The outbreak of meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, has sickened nearly 300 people, including 23 who died, in more than a dozen states. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

JAY LINDSAY

BOSTON — Massachusetts regulators in 2004 proposed a formal reprimand for a company now linked to deadly meningitis outbreak, but they never delivered it after the company protested the reprimand could be "fatal to the business."

The sanction by the Board of Registration in Pharmacy was included in a proposed consent agreement that was meant to resolve complaints against the New England Compounding Center in Framingham. The complaints included a failure to meet accepted standards for making the same steroid that's been connected to the outbreak.

The agreement was among documents released this week by the state Department of Health that provide more details about past incidents at NECC, which was shut down in the wake of the fungal meningitis outbreak that has reached 17 states, sickening 317 people, 24 of whom have died. Compounding pharmacies like NECC custom mix solutions in doses or forms generally not commercially available.

The state has now moved to revoke NECC's license, but the reprimand represents a missed opportunity to crack down on the lab years before the current outbreak.

The proposed consent agreement, sent to owner Barry Cadden for review in October 2004, included the reprimand and a three-year probationary period for the company's registration and Cadden's license.

In its response, the company's attorney wrote that the board's dealings with the company were "a success story" and a reprimand was unwarranted.

"The collateral consequences to many, if not all of NECC's 42 other licenses (to operate in other states), would be potentially fatal to the business," attorney Paul Cirel wrote.

"Such a catastrophe is clearly not the intended result of the Board's proposed reprimand, nor is it warranted in this case," Cirel wrote. "The Board's mandate is to protect the public health safety and welfare, not punish the licensees."

In a footnote, he wrote, "Once disclosed, the reprimand will surely result in inquiries/investigations in those other jurisdictions. Regardless of the derivative actions taken, the attendant legal and administrative costs will be devastating."

The case ended without disciplinary action as part of a different consent agreement reached with the board in 2006.

Cirel did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

The 2006 agreement was signed under then-Gov. Mitt Romney's administration, but some members from that time remain on the pharmacy board.

Alec Loftus, a spokesman for the state's office of health and human services, said the state has expanded its investigation to include how the 2006 consent agreement was reached, including why the board never issued the reprimand and whether that was related to the protest from the company.

Loftus called the consent agreement "very troubling."

He added that the state was still compiling information on how frequently formal reprimands are given.

Loyd V. Allen Jr., editor of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, said the proposed three years' probation indicates the board considered the violations very serious. He said a plea from the company should have been irrelevant to the board's decision.

"Whether or not it's going to be hurtful or harmful to the business shouldn't really be the issue if patient safety is on the line," Allen said.

The pharmacy board recommended the reprimand after an investigation that followed a confidential report filed with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration district office in Stoneham in 2002. The report alleged that two patients had an unspecified "adverse effect" after taking an NECC compounded Betamethasone Repository Injection, a steroid used to treat joint pain and arthritis that's different from the one linked to the current meningitis outbreak.

An inspector's report, completed in March 2004 after numerous interactions between the state and NECC, said a toxin had been found in the drug and the company couldn't produce various records about the drug, including test results on its sterility. Similar problems have been uncovered in a preliminary investigation prompted by the outbreak, including failure to sterilize its products long enough and inadequate testing of its sterilization equipment.

The 2004 report also noted the FDA had notified the state pharmacy board in October 2002 about "a second incident" involving a drug the company had produced, methylprednisolone acetate, which is the same steroid linked to the outbreak.

The report offered no details about the second incident. But the FDA report to Massachusetts in 2002 came three months after New York resident William Koch became sick with bacterial meningitis after receiving an injection of the same steroid, made at NECC. He died as a result in 2004 and NECC later settled a lawsuit in the case.

A timeline of complaints against the company, released Monday among the Department of Public Health documents, showed only an October 2002 complaint involving that particular steroid, and the complaint originated in New York, where Koch lived.

The FDA said it could not give details about what it told the state in October 2002 and referred the AP to public records request forms.

The inspector's report said that a re-inspection of NECC showed it had corrected its problems by 2004. But the inspector cited previous concerns against the agency dating from 1999, and wrote: "It is this investigator's opinion that a formal reprimand should be issued."

Concerns about clutter left inside Memorial Hall by the Monson Arts Council also were voiced 2 years ago by selectmen.

Memorial Hall, Monson. Lori Stabile, The Republican

MONSON — The Monson Arts Council came under fire at Tuesday’s selectmen’s meeting over the condition of historic Memorial Hall.

This wasn’t the first time the council drew the ire of the selectboard. Two years ago, concerns about the cluttered interior also were voiced to the council, and an agreement was supposed to be drawn up by the selectmen regarding usage, but that never happened, according to Richard E. Guertin, the arts council’s treasurer.

“I think some of the criticism was valid. I just think it was overblown and overstated,” Guertin said on Wednesday.

Guertin said the problem, in his view, is that officials observed the building as the arts council prepares for its production of “The Secret Garden,” set to run this weekend and next.

Guertin also is responsible for booking events at the hall, which was built in 1885 as a memorial to veterans. The arts council pays $3,000 annually to use it, he said.

Selectmen gave the arts council two weeks after the conclusion of “The Secret Garden” to clean up the first floor, and then an additional two weeks to clean out the basement. Selectmen said Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers also will identify specific space inside the hall for the arts council to use, as the council has expanded beyond its designated office and storage closet.

Guertin said there are “things the arts council can do” to improve the situation, and suggested that someone be named to take responsibility for the hall when a set is being built.

Neggers explained at the meeting that it’s not only the arts council that is responsible for the problem, but the Parks and Recreation Department as well. She said the department has agreed to remove the costumes it has from the hall, and is bringing a Dumpster there for that purpose. Selectmen gave parks and recreation the same timeline as the arts council to remove items.

Selectman Edward S. Harrison said the hall “is a God awful mess” and suggested that the council builds its sets somewhere else, instead of inside the hall.

Selectmen Chairman Edward A. Maia said the building is being used as a storage unit, and it shouldn’t be. Maia said there is no sprinkler system, and “we’re begging for that poor, old building to burn down” as the basement is filled with combustibles. Maia said the building belongs to all the residents of Monson, and how it is being left is just “disgraceful.”

“In my opinion it seems like the building is really being abused,” Maia said.

Officials complained about clutter, sawdust, and the arts council taking over almost every usable space. They said numerous paint cans are in the basement, and must be removed.

Neggers also voiced concerns about fire hazards. She said a certain amount of the building is dedicated to veterans of the community, something that is “near and dear” to her heart.

“It’s a respect issue for me, too,” Neggers said.

She said she is a strong advocate for use of the building, and wants to see a long-term fix. Arts Council President Tod Beall said the arts council is not trying to disrespect anyone, and is trying to promote its cultural program.

The clutter issues, said Harrison, are the “unintended consequences of your good intentions.”

Mayor Gregory Neffinger had hoped an investigation by federal authorities of a finalist for police chief here would have been concluded by now.

Republican file photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD — WEST SPRINGFIELD – Interviews by the Public Safety Committee of the three finalists for the job of police chief are expected to start after Nov. 5, according to the mayor.

Gregory Neffinger

Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger said Tuesday that the finalists have all been given a month to complete take-home examinations that will be due Nov. 5, after which the committee will start interviews.

The search has been slowed by the fact that one of the finalists for the position, Police Capt. Daniel M. O’Brien, has been under investigation by the federal government since February.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is probing his treatment of a woman in custody during the Big E last fall. District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni in February completed his part of the investigation in February and turned over information to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Springfield.

Meanwhile, Neffinger said there is no word from the U.S. Attorney’s Office as to when it will finish the probe.

Christina Sterling, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reiterated Wednesday that her office can neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

Earlier, Neffinger had hoped the probe would end in time for him to be able to choose a new chief this month.

“We are getting to the point where we really need to choose someone. We are getting the point where this department really needs a chief to move forward,” the mayor said.

The Police Department has been without a chief since longtime Chief Thomas E. Burke retired in March. Police Capt. Ronald P. Capurciani is running the department in the interim. Campurciani and Police Capt. Daniel M. Spaulding are the other two finalists.

Neffinger said it would be difficult to bring O’Brien back to work because there is no light duty under his contract. O’Brien has been out on paid administrative leave since late last year. It could also be problematic to have O’Brien work with people who may be called upon to testify against him, according to the mayor.