Loughner pleaded guilty three months ago to 19 federal charges under an agreement that guarantees he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The 24-year-old man who pleaded guilty to the deadly Arizona shooting rampage at a political meeting last year is likely to come face to face in court Thursday with some survivors of the attack, including then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Jared Lee Loughner will be sentenced under terms of a deal with federal prosecutors for the January 2011 shootings that left six people dead and 13 wounded outside a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store.

According to prosecutors, some victims will comment before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns sentences Loughner. A source close to the family who was not authorized to release the information confirmed to The Associated Press that Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, would be in court, and that Kelly would make a statement.

FILE - This photo provided on Feb. 22, 2011, by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jared Lee Loughner. Loughner, who pleaded guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage, will be sentenced Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, for the attack that left six people dead and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as well as 12 others. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Office, File) AP Photo

Both sides reached the deal after a judge declared that Loughner was able to understand the charges against him. After the shooting, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent forcible psychotropic drug treatments.

Some victims, including Giffords, welcomed the deal as a way to move on. It spared victims and their families from having to go through a potentially lengthy and traumatic trial and locks up the defendant for life.

Ron Barber, a former Giffords staffer who was shot in the cheek and thigh during the attack and later won election to her seat when Giffords stepped down, plans to make a statement, said his spokesman, Mark Kimble.

Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times while trying to save her 9-year-old neighbor, and Mavy Stoddard, whose husband died shielding her from bullets, plan to address the court.

"He has to pay the consequences for what he did, and justice will be served," Hileman said.

Judy Clarke, Loughner's lead attorney, didn't return messages seeking comment.

Christina Pietz, the court-appointed psychologist who treated Loughner, had warned that although Loughner was competent to plead guilty, he remained severely mentally ill and his condition could deteriorate under the stress of a trial.

When Loughner first arrived at a Missouri prison facility for treatment, he was convinced Giffords was dead, even though he was shown a video of the shooting. He eventually realized she was alive after he was forcibly medicated.

It's unknown whether Pima County prosecutors, who have discretion on whether to seek the death penalty against Loughner, will file state charges against him. Stephanie Coronado, a spokeswoman for Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, said Wednesday that no decision had been made.

It's unclear where Loughner will be sent to serve his federal sentence. He could return to a prison medical facility like the one in Springfield, Mo., where he's been treated for more than a year. Or he could end up in a prison such as the federal lockup in Florence, Colo., that houses some of the country's most notorious criminals, including Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.

Police have identified the driver as 46-year-old Windsor Locks resident William Daigle.

John Kurty

WESTFIELD -- Witnesses to the accident that took the life of 86-year-old bicyclist John Kurty told police that the well-known retired soccer coach turned into the path of the pickup truck that struck him Tuesday on Western Avenue.

“State police are still doing their reconstruction at this time,” Westfield Police Lt. Jerome Pitoniak said Thursday morning. “I don’t think there will be charges unless something comes up.”

Pitoniak said there is no indication that alcohol or speed were factors in the accident, which occurred about 2 p.m. near Westfield State University’s Woodward Center.

Pitoniak identified the driver of the pickup as 46-year-old William Daigle of Windsor Locks, Conn. Both Daigle and Kurty were traveling east when the accident occurred, Pitoniak said.

Pitoniak said two witnesses provided investigators with information on the accident.

Kurty, a Westfield resident, died of injuries at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

He was a legendary soccer coach, first with the Ludlow public schools and later at Westfield State College. He retired in 1988 as a physical education instructor at the college, now called Westfield State University.

Kurty was elected into the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame for his career at the college as soccer coach. From 1966 to 1977, he compiled a record of 153 wins, 36 losses and 13 ties. At the time of his retirement, his winning percentage of .790 was the highest on record for New England colleges and universities. He also coached volleyball and was an assistant coach for the baseball team, according to the college.

Prior to coaching at Westfield State, Kurty was soccer coach at Ludlow High School, where he had a record of 150 wins, 19 losses and 19 ties over 10 years. His team won three consecutive state titles.

In 2007, he was elected into the Ludlow High School Sports Hall of Fame, both as a player and as a coach.

This marks the fourth time in six days that face-to-face negotiations have taken place after both sides rejected proposals Oct. 18.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, center, arrives with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, right, as the NHL and its locked-out player resume negotiations in Toronto on Wednesday Oct. 16, 2012. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young

This is the 54th day of the lockout, and this week is considered critical for the hockey season to be saved.

Owners and players already have bargained for about 13 hours over two days this week at an undisclosed site in New York. Little information about the talks has been disclosed by either side.

This marks the fourth time in six days that face-to-face negotiations have taken place after both sides rejected proposals Oct. 18.

The lockout began Sept. 16 after the collective bargaining agreement expired. It has forced the cancellation of 327 regular-season games, including the New Year's Day Winter Classic in Michigan.

The vice president's office said Biden taped a cameo appearance back in July. It will air next week.

Vice President Joe Biden AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh off re-election, Vice President Joe Biden will appear on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation" on Nov. 15.

The vice president's office said Biden taped a cameo appearance back in July. He said Thursday on Twitter that "my whole family loves the show, and I had a great time doing it."

The show's executive producer told The New York Times that Biden's appearance was taped under strict secrecy. The show was warned that provisions might have to be made to give Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan a similar cameo if word of Biden's participation leaked out before Tuesday's election.

Biden frequently has been mentioned on the show as an object of fascination by lead character Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Kenneth C. Burl Jr.

Kenneth Burl Jr.

Kenneth C. Burl Jr., 69 of Westfield, passed away on Monday. He attended local schools and graduated from Westfield Trade High School in 1961. He served as a member of the 104th Tactical Fighter Group, ANGB out of Barnes. He was trained in Texas at the Lackland Air Force Base in 1963. He was a retired master diesel mechanic, and had been previously employed as fleet mechanic for over 30 years with Commercial Distributing Company of Westfield.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Boudreau, Bernice Rose
  



• 
  Brand, Mildred
  



• 
  Burl Jr., Kenneth C.
  



• 
  Capalbo, Joseph J.
  



• 
  Diaz, Epifania
  



• 
  Hamer, Donald G.
  



• 
  Lefebvre, Alfreda
  



• 
  Maynard, Jeannette B.
  



• 
  Mercure, Patricia Ann
  



• 
  Merriam, Jarrad P.
  



• 
  Merrill, John
  



• 
  Mizejewski, Emily W.
  



• 
  Moran, Robert J.
  



• 
  O'Neil, Edward F.
  



• 
  Orszulak, Sophie C.
  



• 
  Partynski, Paul V.
  



• 
  Perry Sr., Richard J.
  



• 
  Plaza, Alphonse A.
  



• 
  Porter, Michael A.
  



• 
  Sokolowski, Olga T.
  



• 
  Talley, Mary E.
  



• 
  Walsh, Reverend Flavian A.
  

Police said they broke through the suspect's driver's side window after the crash and handcuffed him.

Thomas Marrero

SPRINGFIELD – Police, attempting to arrest a suspected crack cocaine dealer armed with a loaded handgun in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood Wednesday night, broke through a vehicle window to get to the man before he could get to his weapon.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said the suspect, fleeing narcotics detectives from the Colonial Estates complex on Beacon Terrace, had crashed into a police cruiser moments before as he attempted to flee west onto North Branch Parkway.

The incident began about 7 p.m. as detectives, surveilling the complex after learning that the suspect was about make a delivery of crack cocaine, approached his vehicle, said Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

The suspect accelerated as the officers approached, jumped a curve and drove across the housing complex grounds to North Branch Parkway.

After crashing into the cruiser, the suspect refused to get out of his vehicle. Police, seeing the handgun, broke the driver’s side window and handcuffed the 30-year-old city man as he violently resisted, Delaney said.

Police recovered a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun -- loaded with nine rounds -- 20 rocks of crack cocaine and $43, Delaney said.

Police are working to trace the weapon, Delaney said.

Thomas J. Marrero, of 17 Pasadena St., Apt. 7, was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, resisting arrest and assault by means of a dangerous weapon (vehicle), Delaney said.

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The recall affects Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years and Libertys from model years 2002 and 2003.

DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler is recalling more than 919,000 older-model Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs worldwide because the air bags can inflate while people are driving them.

The recall affects Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years and Libertys from model years 2002 and 2003, according to documents posted Friday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

The safety agency said that a part can fail in the air bag control computer, and the front and side air bags can inflate while the SUVs are being driven. An agency investigation started last year found that the air bags went off 215 times, causing 81 minor injuries. No crashes were reported, but NHTSA said the problem could cause a wreck.

Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, will install an electrical filter free of charge to fix the problem. The company will begin notifying owners of the recall in January.

The recall includes nearly 745,000 SUVs in the U.S., 49,000 in Canada and 22,000 in Mexico. The rest are outside North America.

Dashboard warning lights normally come on before the air bags are inflated, Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne said. If that happens, the driver should contact a Jeep dealer.
The problem happens in less than three-hundredths of a percent of the vehicles on the road, Mayne said.

NHTSA began investigating the air bags in October of last year after getting complaints about air bags inflating for no reason in Jeep Libertys. Investigators traced the cause to electrical stress on one of two circuits in the control computer. The problem also causes the seat belts to tighten as if a collision were about to happen.

The Grand Cherokees covered by the recall were built from Aug. 1, 2001 to May 16, 2003, while the Libertys were built from June 6, 2001 to March 19, 2003.

Closing the investigation doesn't mean something did or did not happen, only that there wasn't enough admissible evidence to get a conviction.

It's too early to tell whether former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, right, will get his job back. At left is head coach Jim Boeheim. AP file

By JOHN KEKIS
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Federal authorities have dropped their investigation into sexual abuse claims that cost a Syracuse University assistant basketball coach his job, threw a top-ranked team into turmoil and threatened the career of Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim.

After a probe spanning nearly a year, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said Friday there was not enough evidence to support claims that Bernie Fine had molested a boy in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room.

"The nature and seriousness of these allegations, which involved conduct typically committed in private with individuals who are reluctant to come forward, warranted a thorough federal investigation," Hartunian said.

It wasn't clear yet whether Fine, 66, could get his job back.

His lawyers, Karl Sleight, Donald Martin and David Botsford, said in a statement that they were not surprised by the decision.

"The damage inflicted upon Bernie and his family is simply immeasurable," the lawyers said. "Bernie hopes and prays that the lesson learned and remembered is that a rush to judgment has irreversible consequences."

The investigation erupted in the glare of a spotlight on child abuse shone by the Penn State University scandal that broke shortly beforehand. Two former Syracuse ballboys, Bobby Davis and Michael Lang, came forward Nov. 17 and accused the longtime assistant of fondling them when they were teens. Davis said the sexual contact continued for years.

But the claims by Davis and Lang had happened too long ago to be prosecuted. Ten days later, though, a third man, 23-year-old Zachary Tomaselli, of Lewiston, Maine, went public with an accusation that Fine had molested him in 2002 in a hotel room when the team played in Pittsburgh. The same day, ESPN aired an audiotape in which Fine's wife, Laurie, apparently acknowledged to Davis she knew about the molestation he alleged.

Fine, who denied the allegations, was fired Nov. 27, and the federal government began investigating Tomaselli's claim, the only one that fell within the statute of limitations. The federal statute of limitations that went into effect in 2002 allows prosecution until the victim reaches age 25; Tomaselli was 23 when he made his claims.

Hartunian, in his statement, said closing the investigation doesn't mean something did or did not happen, only that there wasn't enough admissible evidence to get a conviction. He said that people should come forward with tips if they have any more information.

Davis had made the same accusation against Fine to the university and Syracuse police a decade before, but the police couldn't investigate because of the statute of limitations, and the school said its probe turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. Davis did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.

From the start, there were doubts.

When Davis and Lang came forward in November, Boeheim angrily defended his assistant of 35 years and said the accusers were only out for money, seeking to cash in on the publicity generated by the Penn State scandal, in which former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing several boys.

Another accuser, Floyd Van Hooser, said Fine abused him for years but later said he was lying.

That left Tomaselli, who was himself accused of sexually abusing a boy at a camp in 2010 and whose father had said the boy was lying. Tomaselli was eventually convicted of sexual abuse and started a prison sentence of three years and three months in April.

Before he went behind bars, Tomaselli took the media on a wild spin, repeatedly lying in a bid, he said, to keep his name in print:

• He said Fine had made harassing phone calls to him, and Tomaselli got an order of protection. Then he said that was a lie.

• He said he had lied about the whole thing, that Fine had never touched him.

• He reverted to his old claim and insisted Fine abused him.

Tomaselli is serving a prison sentence of more than three years in Maine and could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Justin Leary, was in court and could not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There were other sordid claims to come out, including that Fine's wife had sex with players and that Boeheim knew, or should have known, of his assistant's behavior.

While his No. 1-ranked Orange continued to rack up wins — they wouldn't drop their first game until Jan. 21 — Boeheim endured criticism and scrutiny and was questioned during news conferences about the case.

Boeheim, who just completed his 36th year coaching Syracuse, vehemently supported his longtime assistant when the accusations broke and said Davis was lying. "The Penn State thing came out, and the kid behind this is trying to get money," he told the Syracuse Post-Standard.

Amid criticism from victims' rights advocates, Boeheim apologized and said he spoke out of loyalty and was basing his comments on a 2005 university investigation that failed to corroborate Davis' claims.

Boeheim referred questions to the university's press office. University spokesman Kevin Quinn said that Syracuse appreciated the work done by the U.S. attorney's office and that the decision to fire Fine was appropriate.

"It was made in the best interest of the university," Quinn said.

Davis and Lang sued Boeheim and the university for defamation, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying Boeheim's defense of his friend was clearly opinion. Gloria Allred, the lawyer who represented the two men, did not immediately comment.

Fine, who put his Syracuse home on the market in March, has been in Florida and was recently hired as a consultant for an Israeli basketball team.

Laurie Fine has sued ESPN, alleging defamation and claiming the network knew that Davis was lying and ruined her life. That suit is pending.

The university's prompt response to the allegations was done in good faith but was flawed because, among other things, there was no direct contact with law enforcement, a special committee of the university's board of trustees said in a report released in July.

Davis met Fine in the early 1980s at a park that was a basketball hangout for kids in a working-class neighborhood. After he became a ball boy in 1983 around age 11, Davis said, he went everywhere with Fine.

Fine turned into a father figure, and as Davis spent more time at the older man's house — actually living there sometimes — the abuse escalated from touching outside the pants to inside, according to Davis.

During an interview in December with The Associated Press, Davis said the abuse would sometimes occur in Fine's campus office with secretaries just beyond the closed door, at Syracuse basketball camp and at a fraternity house.

Some of the abuse would occur in Davis' bed in Fine's basement while Fine's wife was home, Davis said.

A former Boston paramedic has pleaded not guilty to stealing and tampering with painkillers and sedatives from ambulances and locked drug storage areas during the course of his work.

BOSTON (AP) — A former Boston paramedic has pleaded not guilty to stealing and tampering with painkillers and sedatives from ambulances and locked drug storage areas during the course of his work.

Brian Benoit was released without bail after his arraignment on 73 counts Friday in Suffolk Superior Court on the condition that allow himself to be fingerprinted and photographed by police and that he not work as a paramedic or EMT while his case is pending

Prosecutors allege during the summer of 2011 he stole painkillers and sedatives intended for patients being transported, and in some cases replaced the medications he stole with other liquids.

Prosecutors say there is no evidence anyone was harmed by the 40-year-old Benoit's actions.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a call left at his office.

The robbery was reported at the Peoples Bank branch, 201 North Main St., at about 11 a.m.

Joe Deburro, The Republican

EAST LONGMEADOW - Police are probing the robbery of a North Main Street bank late Friday morning.

Police, still on the scene shortly before noon, could not be reached for comment.

WWLP reported that the robbery occurred at the Peoples Bank branch, 201 North Main St., at about 11 a.m. Additional information was not available.

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Applause, tears, hugs and smiles followed the surprise appearance of the military mom and dad. Watch video

Staff Sgt. Juanita Phillips and husband Sgt. 1st Class Eon Phillips surpised their children, Trinity, 7, and Zion, 5, at the Veterans Day ceremony at Mary Walsh School in Springfield. The couple are stationed in Louisiana but were home for a weekend visit after not seeing their children for six months before the surprise visit. Staff photo by John Suchocki

SPRINGFIELD -- There was an early Veterans Day surprise awaiting two young students at Mary M. Walsh Elementary School on Friday — dad and mom were home from the military, unknown to the children and waiting in the wings during a school assembly.

Trinity Phillips, 7, and her brother Zion, 5. were sitting in the first row during a Veterans Day ceremony at the school when called to the front by their principal, Lynda Bianchi, for “a very special surprise for both of you.”

Applause, tears, hugs and smiles would quickly follow as their parents, Staff Sgt. Juanita Phillips and First Sgt. Eon Phillips of the U.S. Army, emerged from the hallway, home on a weekend leave from their base in Fort Pork, Louisiana.

“My heart is overwhelmed and overjoyed right now,” Juanita Phillips said. “I can’t wait to get them out of here. We are going to spoil them rotten for a couple of days.”

The couple had arrived home at 1 a.m., Friday, “and we both couldn’t sleep at all,” Juanita Phillips said.

The parents had arranged the surprise visit at Walsh School through the children’s grandmother, Lorraine Velez of Springfield, and the school.

The couple had not seen their children for about six months.

This year, the children have been attending Walsh School and living with Velez while the couple has been stationed in Louisiana. The couple flies back to Louisiana on Monday and will be deployed to Afghanistan in August.

Trinity said she was surprised and “excited” to see her parents, and missed them “a lot” after such a long separation. Zion said he felt “good.”

Juanita Phillips said she “really wanted to run” to her children rather than walk into the auditorium.

She said she never expected such a “wonderful, honorable ceremony,” as seen at Walsh School. The program included songs and read essays by students.

With 327 regular-season games already called off, neither side was offering any insight to the talks.

AP fileNHL commissioner Gary Bettman, foreground, arrives with deputy commissioner Bill Daly as the NHL and its locked-out player met for negotiations last month.

By IRA PODELL
NEW YORK — NHL owners and players face lots of work to save the hockey season. Whether they are moving closer after a week of talking remains to be seen.

The league and the players' association met Friday for the fourth straight day and fifth time in seven days, trying to reach an agreement to end the lockout. A union spokesman said there will be multiple meetings during the day to discuss collective bargaining matters.

The sides got an earlier start Friday than in previous days, perhaps recognizing the urgency on the 55th day of the lockout. The league has already called off 327 regular-season games, including the New Year's Day Winter Classic in Michigan, and said a full season won't be played.

If there is no deal soon, the NHL could lose a full season to a lockout for the second time in seven years.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and players' association executive director Donald Fehr spoke publicly Thursday night after talks ended. Neither provided details on what was discussed or if progress was made. The one encouraging sign is that the sides continue to talk.

"I am not going to characterize it except to say, as I have before, that it's always better when you're meeting than when you're not," Fehr said Thursday night after the sides negotiated for more than five hours at the law offices of Proskauer Rose, the Manhattan firm of NHL lead counsel Bob Batterman.

It wasn't clear if the NHL responded favorably to a pair of offers the league received from the union Wednesday or if it made counterproposals Thursday. Both sides held internal meetings to review developments and prepare for Friday's discussions.

"I am not going to discuss the negotiations or the substance of what we're talking about," Bettman said Thursday on a wind-blown street corner. "I really don't think that would be helpful to the process.

"We have work to do, and my hope is that we can achieve the goal of getting a long-term, fair agreement in place as quickly as possible so we can play hockey."

The atmosphere was positive enough that Fehr didn't rule out the possibility that talks could stretch into the weekend, too.

But even if an agreement is reached soon, it isn't clear if any of this season's games that have been called off through Nov. 30 can be rescheduled. The NHL has said a full 82-game season won't be played.

"Every day that passes, I think, is critical for the game and for our fans," Bettman said.

During a second consecutive day of marathon negotiations Wednesday, the players' association made an offer on revenue sharing in which richer teams would help out poorer organizations, and another proposal regarding the "make-whole" provision that would guarantee full payment of all existing multiyear player contracts.

"There have been discussions over a wide range of topics. ... I am not going to comment on the substance of the discussions," Fehr said from the same spot on the street where Bettman talked.

Along with a handful of team owners, eight players attended Wednesday's talks, five fewer than Tuesday. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and others left New York to try to avoid the impending snowstorm that hit the area, the union said. On Thursday, seven players were in attendance, according to the NHLPA, and at least three owners.

The lockout began Sept. 16 after the collective bargaining agreement expired, and both sides rejected proposals Oct. 18. The belief is that the players' association has agreed to a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues, but that division wouldn't kick in until the third year of the deal.

"Collective bargaining is a process, and it has peaks and valleys and ebbs and flows," Bettman said. "It is very tough to handicap."

Revenue sharing and the make-whole provision are major hurdles. Both sides have made proposals that included a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues. The NHL has moved toward the players' side in the "make-whole" provision and whose share of the economic pie that money will come from.

Along with the split of hockey-related revenue and other core economic issues, contract lengths, arbitration and free agency also must be agreed upon.

The union accepted a salary cap in the previous labor pact, which wasn't reached until after the entire 2004-05 season was canceled because of a lockout. The union doesn't want to absorb the majority of concessions this time after the NHL had record revenue that exceeded $3 billion last season.

The operator of seven Burger King restaurants in western Massachusetts has been fined $50,000 for violating state child labor laws.

AP Photo/LM Otero, File

BOSTON (AP) — The operator of seven Burger King restaurants in western Massachusetts has been fined $50,000 for violating state child labor laws.

The state attorney general's office said Friday that the fine assessed against MHC Services LLC of West Springfield was for multiple violations between May 2009 and October 2011.

The state started investigating after a tip and found that the company's restaurants employed minors later than 10 p.m. on school nights and later than midnight on weekend nights, both child labor law violations. The state says the company's restaurants also allowed minors to work hours beyond state-set daily limits.

The attorney general's office says MHC cooperated and has changed procedures to stay in compliance with the law.

A phone call left for an MHC official was not immediately returned.

Everything you need to know for Saturday's game.

Massachusetts Minutemen (0-9, 0-5 MAC)
at Akron Zips (1-9, 0-6)
Saturday, November 10, 2:00 p.m.
InfoCision Stadium, Akron, Ohio (Capacity: 30,000)

How to watch

Live video streaming at mac-sports.com

How to listen

UMass Sports Network
105.5 FM WEEI Springfield
1440 AM WVEI Worcester
95.9 FM WATD South Shore

Ticket information

$15-$100 on Ticketmaster

Game previews

UMass and Akron both cautiously optimistic about chances this week

Battles with Akron nothing new for UMass coach Charley Molnar

UMass Podcast with Maroon Musket's Bob McGovern

Minutemen adjusting to changing weather

Five other Winless-Against-FBS Teams

Campus report: Akron

Lineups

Game notes from UMass Athletic Dept. [PDF]

Smartphone app

Install the free UMass football app on your iPhone or Android phone

In other post-election news, Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod may yet shave his mustache.

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney waves to supporters at an election night rally in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, where he conceded the race to President Barack Obama. AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

When Mitt Romney’s staffers tried to take cabs home after the Republican presidential nominee’s election night concession speech, they discovered a problem. According to NBC, the Romney campaign cancelled staffers’ campaign credit cards in the middle of the night.

NBC went on to report about the disassembling of the Romney campaign – but the anecdote about the credit cards has gone viral, getting picked up by the likes of Esquire and Forbes.

It’s not the only bit of quirky trivia reported on in the post-election coffee buzz.
The Boston Globe discovered that Romney planned an eight-minute fireworks display over the Boston Harbor as part of his victory celebration. The Globe’s Glen Johnson reported, “The Romney show had a patriotic theme, heavy on red, white, and blue colors, and featured crowd-pleasing large chrysanthemum bursts.” After Romney’s concession, the show that never happened got dismantled and returned to the fireworks company.

On the Obama side, senior strategist David Axelrod showed his lighter side on Morning Joe. “Axe” had bet his mustache on an Obama victory. It’s safe, but maybe not for long. Axelrod, whose daughter has epilepsy, announced that if donors gave $1 million to epilepsy research, the ‘stache is history.

On a more serious note, campaign coverage has focused on what’s next for Romney - who has likely run his last political campaign. Aides said their goodbyes, as did the Secret Service, as GQ reported.

One piece of local trivia: Romney lost his home state of Massachusetts by 23 points, the largest home-state loss in presidential history. Bloomberg reported that the previous record was held by Herbert Hoover who lost his home state of Iowa by almost 18 points.

Coverage of Obama quickly pivoted to his next major policy challenge – addressing the so-called “fiscal cliff," a combination of tax increases and spending cuts facing the nation if Congress does not act by the end of the year.

The Obama campaign – apparently with its credit cards still intact - released a video of Obama tearing up while thanking his campaign supporters.

Obama accepted calls of congratulations from around the world and the country – even, Bloomberg reported, from Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Romney’s top surrogates.

Ninkovich couldn't move forward until he cleared his mind.

FOXBOROUGH – For a while, it didn't look like Rob Ninkovich was going to make it.

A linebacker since joining the Patriots in 2009, he was moved to defensive end during the offseason, and the transition didn't go as planned. He struggled, was routinely overpowered by the opposing offensive tackle, and was a virtual non-factor during the opening weeks of the season.

"Run or pass? Can I beat this guy? Should I set my moves up earlier? Which way is the play coming?"

Every down a train of thoughts went through his head, and, as the cliché goes, he suffered a case of paralysis by analysis. Ninkovich needed to get back to just worrying about beating his man and reacting to the play.

"I took it personally, some of the things that were going around about my style and how I was playing, and obviously that wasn't the way I wanted to have my play evaluate," Ninkovich said last month. "I kind of went back, and when I was playing defensive end in college [at Purdue], it was kind of like a high-motor, keeping going, never stop."

Whatever tweaks were made during his self-evaluation have propelled Ninkovich into a key role and helped him emerge as one of the most valuable players in the New England Patriots defense.

He's collected 32 tackles, forced four fumbles (one shy of the team record set by Mike Vrabel in 2007) and five sacks. He also, unofficially, should be credited with two wins for creating timely fumbles.

His forced fumble against the Broncos on a fourth-quarter run by Willis McGahee at the goal line preserved a Week 5 victory, and he did the same with a strip-sack on Mark Sanchez in a Week 7 overtime win over the Jets.

While fans may be surprised by Ninkovich's sudden ascension into stardom, the New England coaching foresaw his success at defensive end since many of the things that made him a good linebacker were transferable to his new spot.

"Rob's been playing that position since he's been here: end of the line, standing up, three-point stance, whatever it is, it's been pretty much the same," coach Bill Belichick said. "I wouldn't say there's been a lot of change in what he's done – some, but not a lot.

"He's certainly been productive and that's good to see because he's had a lot of production really all season, but the last four or five games."

His versatility has come with added value. Strictly a defensive end at the beginning of the season, Ninkovich has been forced to move around the defense and take some snaps at linebacker due to injury.

Staying true to the company line, Ninkovich downplayed the moving about and refused to voice a preference for either spot.

"Defensive end, outside linebacker — they are physical positions, both of them," Ninkovich said. "You're taking on guys and dropping in coverage. It's not too much different, but you have to have a different mentality when you're in coverage and when you're not."

Maybe the best mentality is a blank one. 

The Zips are 1-9 and haven't defeated an FBS team since Nov. 26, 2010.

Michael Cox and UMass are looking for win No. 1 at Akron on Saturday. Associated Press

AMHERST — Last week, Akron and Kent State played for the Wagon Wheel.

As the 1-9 Zips get set to host the 0-9 University of Massachusetts football team Saturday, perhaps the two should play for Wheels That Came Off.

Winless in its FBS debut season, UMass can take solace in the fact that Akron hasn’t defeated an FBS team since Nov. 26, 2010. Incidentally, that was also the last time — until this week — that the Zips were favored against an FBS team. That day, the bookmakers gave them a one-point edge over Buffalo.

20 FBS losses later, Las Vegas still likes the Zips by 17 against the Minutemen.

And why shouldn’t it? UMass has been blown out in all but two of its games this season, most recently 63-0 by Northern Illinois. Akron went punch-for-punch with Miami (Ohio), was tied at halftime with Tennessee in Knoxville, were close in the fourth quarter with Kent State and went to overtime at Florida International

Still, the 1-9 record gets the attention of fans. If there ever were a time for optimism to pervade the Minutemen’s fan base in 2012, it would be now.

“If there’s any increased optimism, it’s because they’re similar to us in that they’re trying to get their feet underneath them,” UMass coach Charley Molnar said. “Each one of us would like to feel like we’re getting closer and closer every day, but the reality of it is that at the end this Saturday, one of us won’t be as close as we’d like to be.”

UMass will have to contend with an Akron offense, led by quarterback Dalton Williams, that has been explosive at times, especially early in the season. The Zips scored at least 26 points in all four of their September games, including a 49 spot they hung on Miami (Ohio).

“We talk over and over again about how well their quarterback plays and how accurate he is,” Molnar said. “He gets the ball out of his hands fast and he’s really a rhythm passer. He has a good sense of timing”

Despite the regression in the numbers — Akron has scored more than 26 just once since September — senior safety Darren Thellen said he sees what the Zips are capable of on film.

“You can see they’re dangerous and can put up points at any moment,” Thellen said. “At the beginning of the season, they were putting a lot of points, that just shows us the potential they have.”

First-year Akron coach Terry Bowden says that he understands Molnar’s plight, but that his team won’t be taking the Minutemen lightly.

“I think (UMass) is a hard-hitting team, and I empathize a lot as you come into this league. You see how many teams are going to go to bowls and they’re not going to lose,” Bowden said. “They know that both of these two teams have struggled and it’s about not giving up and playing hard. Our seniors want to win. These guys, there wasn’t a lot of crying going on in that locker room.”

If UMass is to capture its first FBS win, Molnar said he thought it would most likely come in a shootout, rather than a defensive battle.

“I’m just used to being in shootout games, so maybe I have a higher tolerance for that,” he said. “If it was just a close, grind-it-out, it would be hard to have great confidence that we could win that game because we haven’t won one like that.”

Then, he added a key dose of perspective.

“Of course, we haven’t won one the other way either,” he said. “Beggars can’t be choosers, I’d take any kind of win right now.”

The WMECO line workers could be in New Jersey for a long as 2 weeks.

11-9-12 - Springfield - Seventeen linemen from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. prepare, shortly before dawn, to drive down to New Jersey to help restore power to victims of Superstorm Sandy. They will be gone for as long as two weeks. Submitted photo

SPRINGFIELD — Seventeen Western Massachusetts Electric Co. line workers, who have been working to restore power here and in Connecticut ever since Superstorm Sandy hit nearly two weeks ago, are on their way to New Jersey, where hundreds of thousands remain without power.

“These are guys that have been working around the clock since the superstorm hit,” said WMECO spokeswoman Priscilla Ress. “There is nothing that slows them down.”

The line crews, headed up by Thomas Campbell, systems project manager for WMECO, left the utility’s service center on Cadwell Drive early Friday morning.

“They are just proud of what they do,” said Ress. "It's dangerous, they know what they are getting into. But, they have the training and they are good at what they do.”

“Mutual aid is a proud and time-honored tradition of utilities helping utilities,” said Peter Clarke, president of WMECO. “The same principle that sends our crews to assist others in their time of need also promises help when disaster strikes here at home.”

The Associated Press and NJ.com reported that as of 6 a.m. Friday, about 265,000 New Jersey homes and businesses were still without power due to the double-punch of Sandy and the early-season nor’easter that followed.

According to several media outlets, the head coach was fired Friday by the Lakers after guiding a 1-4 start.

AP Photo/Gregory BullThe Lakers didn't show much patience with head coach Mike Brown, who's been fired after five games.

The Mike Brown era has reportedly come to a close in Los Angeles.

According to several media outlets, the head coach was fired Friday by the Lakers after guiding a 1-4 start.

ESPN reports that Brown is likely to be replaced by assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff or Chuck Person on an interim basis. Yahoo! Sports reports that Mike D'Antoni is a potential replacement.

After acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason, the Lakers entered the season with high expectations. But they stumbled in their first five games, during which Brown's chosen Princeton offense drew much scrutiny.

President Barack Obama says raising taxes on wealthiest Americans must be part of deficit reduction plan but says he is "open to compromise" and "new ideas." Obama says he will refuse to accept any approach that "isn't balanced."

By BEN FELLER
AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says raising taxes on wealthiest Americans must be part of deficit reduction plan but says he is "open to compromise" and "new ideas." Obama says he will refuse to accept any approach that "isn't balanced."

Obama says in his first public comments since the election that Congress should pass a bill that would prevent Bush-era tax cuts from expiring for all but the wealthiest Americans. He says lawmakers from both parties need to work together to tackle the nation's fiscal problems.

The president says he is inviting congressional leaders of both parties to the White House next week for talks on how to avoid the fiscal cliff. Lawmakers face a Jan. 2 deadline to reach an agreement.