In a patriotic Florida neighborhood there's an upside down American flag that's causing outrage amongst neighbors on Veterans Day.

Caleigh Harrison
• Pants like those of missing toddler Caleigh Harrison wash up on Rockport beach [Gloucester Times]


• West Springfield man held after items of concern cause authorities to close Adams street [North Adams Transcript]


• Flag protest on Veterans Day upsets Florida residents [WTLV-TV, NBC12, Jacksonville, Fla.]


• Officials identify woman who sparked inquiry into Gen. David Petreus [USA Today]


• Gov. Deval Patrick rumored as possible replacement if President Obama needs new Attorney General [Boston Herald]


• Dracut baby who had open heart surgery scores over 1 million Facebook 'likes' [WHDH-TV, Channel 7, Boston]



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• Israeli tanks hit inside Syria, but Israel not eager to enter conflict [Christian Science Monitor]


• Anti-Semitic graffiti found at Wheaton College [CBS Boston.com]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Slowed at age 35 by at least a step, Pierce has to make adjustments. And finally, head coach Doc Rivers said, he is willing to admit that.

AP Photo/Jim PrischingPaul Pierce continues to evolve in his 15th season.

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce has never relied on startling athleticism, because he was never startlingly athletic.

He has always thrived despite a lack of bionic legs, thrived because of footwork, strength, skill and know-how that allow him to overcome his absence of elite explosiveness.

But now, slowed at age 35 by at least a step, Pierce has to make adjustments. And finally, head coach Doc Rivers said, he is willing to admit that.

“I don’t think Paul is as athletic as he used to be, where before it was great having the luxury of knowing at any time you can just swing it to Paul, he’ll beat his guy and score,” Rivers said, according to ESPN Boston. “Now guys are doing a better job staying with him so we feel like we have to get a body off of him.

“We felt that last year, but Paul didn’t feel that. Now, Paul feels that. So that’s good. And he’s really good at pin-downs and coming off of him. It’s still an adjustment for him and he has to get used to it.”

Pierce had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead Saturday's victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. He has gotten considerably better at finding ways to perform within an offensive flow since being joined in Boston by Kevin Garnett, and his maturation continues in this, his 15th season.

If the Celtics and Pierce feel he's no longer as capable in isolation situations, some of their end-of-game play calls will need changing. Often in the past, they've cleared out and let Pierce go to work at the right elbow. Already this season, we have seen Rivers call Rajon Rondo's number in at least one situation during which the Celtics needed a quick shot (against the Washington Wizards, when Rondo hit a 2-for-1 jumper to give Boston the lead with 26 seconds left).

With Pierce not the same and Ray Allen gone, it will be interesting to see if the Celtics focus more and more on Rondo in crunch time.

More than 300 people turned out for the city's Veterans Day ceremony on the Town Common.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The city saluted those in uniform with a parade capped by rousing speeches at the Town Common in observance of Veterans Day on Monday.

Marching bands from the high school and middle school played patriotic tunes, and members of the Melha Highlanders contributed the skirl of bagpipes.

James G. Berrelli Jr., the city’s director of veterans services, noted that the parade was the community’s 11th annual such event. Former state Rep. Walter A. DeFilippi, a World War II Navy veteran, served as its marshal.

The parade concluded with a ceremony at the Town Common under sunny skies and attended by more than 300 people.

DeFilippi told the crowd that since the country’s founding more than 30 million have served in its armed forces.

“They gave us our freedom from England and they have kept us free,” DeFilippi said. “It is fitting that we honor them. Keep all of the veterans in the palm of your hand.”

Dr. Frederick S. Conlin, president of the West Springfield Veterans Council, told those in attendance that it is the soldier who gives us freedoms like the freedom of religion and the right to vote, not the preacher or the politician.

Ronald R. Colter, the city’s Veteran of the Year, spoke briefly. The ex-Marine noted after the ceremony that when he returned from military service in Vietnam the only people who greeted veterans of the Vietnam War were their parents.

Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger talked about the importance of having a moral compass with regard to faith, family and community and of the need to honor veterans.

“What a beautiful day,” Neffinger said. “Thank you so much for your service.”

“It is a duty to honor our veterans, past, present and future,” Berrelli said.

Also speaking briefly during the observance were state Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield; state Rep. Michael J. Finn, D-West Springfield; and Town Council Vice President John R. Sweeney.

The Rev. James Conroy of St. Thomas Church offered the invocation. The Rev. Robert P. Smith, the pastor of First Baptist Church, said the benediction. Town Councilor Lida M. Powell, an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Persian Gulf War, led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

J.C. Penney Co. executives may be confident in the department-store chain's everyday pricing strategy, but investors are panicking.

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney Co. executives may be confident in the department-store chain's everyday pricing strategy, but investors are panicking.

The company's stock fell nearly 11 percent on Monday — the biggest percentage decline among big companies in the S&P 500 for the day. Penney stock now is trading at about $18, its lowest price since the middle of the recession in March 2009.

The drop follows Standard & Poor's Ratings move to lower Penney's credit rating deeper into junk status on Friday. That came on the same day that the company reported its third consecutive quarter of big losses and sales declines since it decided earlier this year to get rid of hundreds of coupons and sales each year in favor of predictable low prices every day.

It's the latest sign that Wall Street isn't any happier with Penney's pricing than Main Street is: Investors had pushed Penney stock up 24 percent to about $43 after the company announced the pricing plan in late January. But with Monday's drop, the company's stock has lost nearly half its value.

Penney, which announced its plans for the holiday shopping season on Monday, did not immediately return calls seeking comment about its stock price. But during an investor meeting on Friday, executives assured investors that the company has enough money to continue with the strategy. And CEO Ron Johnson, the mastermind behind Apple Inc. stores who took the top job a year ago, reiterated his confidence in the plan and said returning the company to growth is "Job. No. 1."

"The CEO was selling the hope, but now investors are looking at what the company will look like in the first half of the year," said Brian Sozzi, a chief equities analyst for research firm NBG Productions who follows the company. "Investors are digesting the reality."

The reality is that customers still aren't embracing the strategy Johnson rolled out on Feb. 1. The goal of his plan was to wean customers off of the deep discounts that they'd become addicted to, but that were eroding profits.

He got rid of the nearly 600 sales Penney offered at various times throughout the year for a three-tiered strategy that permanently lowered prices on all items in the store by 40 percent, offered monthlong deeper discounts on select merchandise and periodic clearance events throughout the year.

But as Penney's coupons and sales disappeared, so did its customers. The company's losses and sales declines began to pile up. Johnson made some tweaks to the pricing plan — he got rid of the monthlong sales events in August. But that didn't help.

On Friday, the company reported its third consecutive quarterly loss that missed Wall Street estimates. Penney, based in Plano, Texas, said it lost 56 cents per share, or $123 million in the quarter ended Oct. 27. Revenue dropped 26.6 percent to $2.93 billion in the quarter. Analysts had expected a loss of 15 cents a share on revenue of $3.27 billion.

Revenue at stores open at least a year — a key measure of a retailer's health — plummeted 26.1 percent. That's higher than the 17.6 percent drop analysts had been expecting for the figure. Meanwhile, the number of customers coming into the store dropped 12 percent from the year-ago period.

On the news, Penney stock fell 5 percent, or $1.05, to close at $20.64 on Friday. That led Standard & Poor's to lower its corporate credit rating on Penney's credit, which was already in junk status, by two notches after the market closed.

S&P's credit analyst David Kuntz said in a statement that although he believes Penney's outlook is stable because liquidity will remain "adequate," the company's performance may weaken further over the next 12 months.

"Credit metrics have deteriorated substantially and we believe that they could erode further over the next few quarters," said S&P's credit analyst David Kuntz in a statement.

Now analysts, many of who once used words like "revolutionary" to describe Johnson's plan, are having doubts. Michael Exstein, an analyst at Credit Suisse downgraded Penney's stock to "underperform" from "neutral" on Monday.

Exstein cited a survey that Credit Suisse had done on Monday that showed that out of 17 retailers that suffered a total sales decline of between 15 percent and 25 percent, only four were able to recover the lost revenue. The remaining 13 were either acquired by private equity firms, went bankrupt or merged with the other public firms.

Exstein wrote that Penney "must find a way to significantly slow the sales decline within the next six months."

Burt Flickinger III of the retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group agrees that Penney has to improve sales, especially during the critical holiday shopping season in November December, a time when many retailers can get up to 40 percent of their revenue. But after Penney announced its plans for the holiday season on Monday, Flickinger said he has doubts that the company can compete with its peers.

The company said it will have its only sale of the year on the day after Thanksgiving Day known as Black Friday. But Penney said it will open at 6 a.m., much later than some of its rivals that are opening on Thanksgiving Day or at midnight on Black Friday. And it's using a gimmick to lure customers in: Penney plans to give out more than 80 million buttons to customers from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. Each button will feature a unique code on the back, which can be entered on Penney's website for a chance to win a vacation.

"The holiday season could be catastrophic for Penney unless it becomes more competitive more quickly," said Burt Flickinger III of the retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.

Longmeadow's full-time Veterans Services agent, Jason Dieni, has taken a job in Rhode Island.

LONGMEADOW — The Select Board is considering joining the Veterans Service District of Eastern Hampden County now that its full-time Veterans Services agent, Jason Dieni, has taken a job in Rhode Island.

A U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, Dieni was hired by the town in November 2011.

Initially, Longmeadow was looking to regionalize with East Longmeadow to hire a joint agent. East Longmeadow joined the Veterans Service District of Eastern Hampden County, but Longmeadow decided to hire its own full-time agent.

Dieni, who has taken a job at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., has been keeping up with the job through online and phone contact with veterans, said Acting Town Manager Barry Del Castilho.

The board met recently to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of joining the Eastern Hampden County district.

There was some concern over whether one full -time agent could handle all of the towns, Del Castilho said. The district currently includes Monson, Hampden, Holland, Wales and East Longmeadow.

Del Castilho said the board is researching what the current staffing is for all the towns. If there is a full-time agent as well as a part-time agent, then the town will consider joining as opposed to hiring a full-time agent of its own.

Dieni’s salary was around $36,000. It is unknown at this time what Longmeadow’s portion of the cost would be if it joined the district.

Del Castilho said the board will meet on Nov. 19 to vote on whether it will approach the district about joining. Del Castilho said that while there would be less cost associated with joining the established district, there are also benefits to having a full-time agent.

“Since the agent is stationed at the Greenwood Center there has been some discussion about assigning the person to other duties including assisting the staff at the Adult Center and the Parks and Recreation Department, which are both housed in the building,” he said.

Donnice Roberts is seeking at least $750,000 in damages and wants a judge to prevent the film from airing again

A publicity image for the National Geographic Channel series "Inside Afghan ER." National Geographic Channel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A widow of an U.S. Army soldier killed in a blast in Afghanistan has sued Fox Cable Networks and the National Geographic Society over a documentary that showed her husband and family.

The documentary about a combat hospital called "Inside Afghan ER" featured Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts, who was serving with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Khost province in Afghanistan in 2008.

A year after his death, his wife, Donnice Roberts, got a call from a service member in Germany who saw her husband in the documentary. According to the lawsuit filed in Texas on Nov. 1, she never knew there was video footage related to her husband's death and that the documentary existed.

She is seeking at least $750,000 in damages and wants a judge to prevent the film from airing again. She also wants the cable network to stop using images of military families without their permission.

The documentary was produced and distributed by the National Geographic Society, and was promoted and distributed by Fox Networks Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which owns part of the NatGeo network.

Scott Grogin, a spokesman for Fox Networks Group, said the film never aired in the United States. Instead, it aired on the National Geographic International channel.

"The filmmakers got permission from the military to shoot the documentary and as part and parcel of that, were granted permission to shoot the memorial service," he said.

No one immediately answered the phone or email for National Geographic.

Donnice Roberts said an image of herself and her children that had been stored on her husband's laptop was used in the documentary during scenes about his memorial service in Afghanistan.

She said she suffered mental anguish, shock and sadness from learning about the documentary.

"Moreover, Mrs. Roberts has fears and concerns that her minor children are depicted as the children of a warrior in the war on terror, which is fought by fanatic, radical individuals who have shown a propensity and desire to kill Americans, including women and children," the lawsuit said.

Sgt. Roberts joined the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and served two tours in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan. He received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart and was buried in Texas, where his family lives.

The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division is based in Fort Campbell, Ky.

The Board of Selectmen and Board of Assessors will hold a joint tax-classification hearing to establish a new rate for the town.

Conor Berry, The Republican

MONSON — The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Assessors will hold a joint public hearing on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Hillside Office Building, 29 Thompson St., to set the town's tax rate for fiscal 2013, according to Ann P. Murphy, Monson's principal assessor.

The purpose of the tax classification hearing, which will be held in the selectmen's meeting room at the Hillside Building (Hillside School), is to determine the percentage of tax levy to be borne by each class of real and personal property, Murphy said in a news release. She could not be reached for comment Monday because town offices were closed for Veterans Day.

The fiscal 2012 rate was $14.96 per thousand for all property classes, representing a 53-cent increase over the previous year's rate. That increase was partly due to the tornado that devastated much of Monson on June 1, 2011, Murphy told The Republican last year. "If the tornado hadn't happened, the tax rate wouldn't have gone up as much," she said.

Residential values dipped by 2 percent, from $578 million to $566 million – a roughly $12 million decline. More than 300 properties were affected by the tornado, including 41 that were destroyed, Murphy said.

"It's going to be a bit of a roller coaster for the next two or three years as things settle down," she said of the town's tax rate.

Any changes should be reflected in residents' late-December tax bills.

The association meets at the Greenleaf Community Center on Parker Street.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno The Republican staff file photo

SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Sixteen Acres Civic Association, scheduled Nov. 20.

The meeting is at 7 p.m., at the Greenleaf Community Center on Parker Street. The meeting will be preceded by a social time at 6:30, and a community police meeting at 6 p.m.

For additional information, call 413-787-7716. 

With the election over, the Massachusetts Republican Party's State Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on whether to adopt the national Republican Party platform.

Bob Maginn, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman. Fil photo

The state party had planned to vote in September on whether to adopt the national platform. At the time, the election weighed heavily on that decision. Supporters argued that it would be only fitting for the home state of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to adopt the platform for which he was the standard-bearer. But there were also concerns that it could hurt state and local candidates – such as Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown – who disagreed with parts of the national platform. Brown had written a letter to the Republican National Committee chairman opposing the national platform’s opposition to abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

The biggest differences between the national and state platforms are on social issues. The national platform, for example, opposes gay marriage. The Massachusetts platform does not mention either abortion or gay marriage.

State committee members ultimately decided to postpone the vote until after the election, saying they wanted more time to read both the Republican and Democratic Party platforms. The Republican platform is a 50-page document that addresses everything from the economy to energy to constitutional values.

State Republican Party spokesman Tim Buckley confirmed that the platform remains on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the John Carver Inn in Plymouth.

It remains to be seen how the election will influence committee members’ votes. William Gillmeister, a state committee member from Brookfield, said he always felt Massachusetts should adopt the national line – and the election did not sway his opinion. “I think it’s an excellent platform,” he said. “I think Massachusetts ought to step into line with it.”

In addition to the platform discussion, the meeting could provide an opportunity for Republicans to think about the direction of the party, after significant election losses. Brown lost his Senate seat, and Republican 6th District congressional Richard Tisei, seen as Republicans’ best hope to pick up a congressional seat, narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic Rep. John Tierney. Republican Party Chairman Bob Maginn is expected to speak about the election at the meeting.

Gillmeister said no matter what happens with the platform, he believes the party needs a “much stronger grassroots effort” on a town, city and ward level. “Once we get a good ground game going, we can make some gains,” he said.

Grants from Project Bread help organizations like Friends of the Homeless feed the needy.

11.09.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- Regina Packard, kitchen manager at Friends of the Homeless, prepares tomatoes for dinner service. The Republican | Don Treeger

Project Bread, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, has awarded $193,575 to 41 Western Massachusetts Groups that provide meals and grocery money to the region’s needy adults and children.

The funds were raised by the organization’s 44th annual Walk for Hunger. They will be used for such programs as food pantries, schools, farms, food banks, food salvage programs and community organizations that help the hungry. More than 43,000 people took part in this year’s walk.

Last year, food programs funded by Project Bread across the state reported serving 61 million meals to the needy.

“As we begin to think about the holidays, it’s essential to remember those who are struggling to put food on the table for their families,” Ellen Parker, executive director of project, said in a statement. “We owe them as great a measure of relief as possible to get through these difficult times.”

Among the programs in the region receiving grants this year are the Massachusetts Farm to School Project in Amherst, Holyoke Health Center in Holyoke, MANNA Soup Kitchen in Northampton, Friends of the Homeless Food Services Program in Springfield and Hilltown Community Health Centers Inc. in Worthington.

Bill Miller, executive director at Friends of the Homeless Food Services Program in Springfield, said his organization is “thrilled” to get a grant for its meals program, which serves about 13,000 meals a month.

“The funds from Project Bread enable us to stay open and serve three meals a day, seven days a week,” Miller said.

The Springfield organization has been awarded $4,000 to help provide meals at its Friends of the Homeless Inc. Resource Center on Worthington Street.

In October, the Friends group served a record 13,785 meals. It provides meals for free with no questions asked, according to Kathy L. Tobin, director of program development.

Suzanne Smith, development manager at Holyoke Health Center said her group won $6,500 from Project Bread.

“This is a huge, huge benefit to the community,” Smith said.

The money will be used to fund 150 to 200 vouchers clients may use locally to buy groceries.

“We do encourage people to go to local food coops and farmers markets,” Smith said.

“We are a low-budget operation and that is a significant part of our income,” Carl G. Erickson, board president of MANNA, said of the $2,000 it gets annually from Project Bread.

The organization serves meals three days a week in the fellowship halls of St. John’s Episcopal Church and Edwards Church in Northampton.

Project Bread provides millions of dollars annually to support hunger relief through emergency programs, schools, community health centers, farmers’ markets, community suppers, home care organizations, and other programs that protect the individual and strengthen community food security. For more information, visit www.projectbread.org.

A complete listing of the grants may be seen at www.projectbread.org/fundedagencies.

Pebbles Stevens, 22, of Hamden, Conn., and Julie Lee, 48, of Glenolden, Penn., were charged with shoplifting by price tag tampering

From left, in photos provide by Springfield police: Pebbles Stevens, Julie Lee.

SPRINGFIELD — Police charged two women – one from Connecticut, the other from Pennsylvania – with shoplifting after they were allegedly seen taking clearance tags off dresses that were marked down at the Boston Road Sears and affixing them to higher-priced dresses that were not on sale.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said the suspects then attempted to purchase several $100 dresses for $23 apiece.

Store security detained the women at the register and officers Brian Coleman and Eric Blair arrested them after viewing the video.

Charged with shoplifting by price tag tampering were: Pebbles Stevens, 22, of 1798 Dixwell Ave., Hamden, Conn. and Julie Lee, 48, of 19 North McDade Blvd, Glenolden, Penn.

Both women are slated to be arraigned Tuesday in District Court.

Baron previously held top editing positions at The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald.

Marty Baron

By The Washington Post

The Washington Post today announced that Marty Baron has been named executive editor of The Washington Post effective Jan. 2, 2013.

Marty Baron

“We are thrilled to have Marty Baron lead The Washington Post’s newsroom,” said Katharine Weymouth, publisher of The Post. “He has a demonstrated record of producing the highest quality journalism, which matches the legacy and expectations of The Post.”

Baron comes to The Post from The Boston Globe, where he has served as editor since July 30, 2001. He previously held top editing positions at The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Miami Herald.

“The Washington Post has played a defining and inspirational role in American journalism, and today it continues to lead as our profession undergoes a dramatic, urgent, and exciting transformation,” said Baron. “I am honored to join the supremely talented and dedicated journalists at The Washington Post.”

Under Baron’s leadership, the Globe won six Pulitzer prizes, including those for public service, explanatory journalism, national reporting, and criticism. The Globe received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for a Globe Spotlight Team investigation into the cover-up of clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

In directing the Globe newsroom, Baron has overseen the editorial operations of Boston.com, which draws more than 6 million monthly unique visitors and ranks among the nation’s largest newspaper websites; and BostonGlobe.com, a subscription-based site that was launched in late 2011. The Globe this year won six national Edward R. Murrow Awards in the competition sponsored by the Radio Television Digital News Association, and Boston.com won three EPPY awards in the competition sponsored by Editor & Publisher magazine.

Baron was named “Editor of the Year” by Editor & Publisher Magazine in April of 2001, and he was selected by the National Press Foundation as “Editor of the Year” in 2004. In 2012, he was awarded the Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award by the New England First Amendment Coalition and was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Baron succeeds Marcus Brauchli, who will step down, effective December 31 to assume a new role as Vice President of The Washington Post Company, working closely with Don Graham to review and evaluate new media opportunities.

Jeff Green appreciated advice from Kevin Garnett that he needs to be more aggressive.

AP

It's not often one is told to act more like a jerk. But when Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett encouraged teammate Jeff Green to do just that recently, Green received the advice well.

(Note: When Garnett says jerk, it comes out in cruder fashion, mostly because he's well-versed in minute-long strings of expletives.)

“He just wants me to be aggressive and demand respect and attack the rim — that way of being an (expletive),” Green told the Boston Herald before scoring seven points with five rebounds in Monday night’s 101-95 win over the Bulls. “He’s somebody I look up to, so I take those words and I use them to help my game and move on to the next step.”

As noted previously in this space, the key for Green isn't to sharpen his elbows and use them as weapons or drop in a 3-point stance and draw an unnecessary roughness penalty for a helmet-to-noggin hit on Luol Deng. When the Celtics encourage Green to be more of an (expletive), they are actually just coaxing him to be more active on both sides of the basketball. They are encouraging him to cut without the ball, box out when a shot goes up and keep his body between his man and the basket at all times.

As the Herald noted, Green has heard for his entire career - even dating back to his college days at Georgetown - that he should be more willing to put his mark on games. But he said the words mean more coming from Garnett.

“It’s one thing for somebody else to say it," Green said, "but for it to come from Kevin Garnett, that’s different."

Six teams are still alive for three of the region's 16 playoff spots.

The Chicopee Comp football team is battling Northampton for the final playoff spot in Division I.



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(The Republican file photo)

Carter's three-pointer with 1.2 seconds on the clock capped a furious rally in the final 81 seconds for UMass.

Republican Photo by Mark M. MurraySampson Carter and his teamates watch his last second shot head to the rim as he made it and they went on to win the game against Harvard Tuesday.

AMHERST — Just when it looked like the University of Massachusetts basketball team was in for a long flight to San Juan, Sampson Carter saved the day with his first three-pointer in 365 days.

After trailing by 5 with 1:21 to play, Carter took a feed in the left corner from a driving Chaz Williams, and drained the game-winning three with 1.2 seconds left to give UMass a dramatic win over Harvard in its opening game of the season.

“Once I saw Chaz go baseline, and my man went to cover him, I knew I was getting the ball. It’s something we work on, I knew to slide to the corner,” Carter said. “I heard my bench behind me saying ‘knockdown.’”

And knock it down he did, but as few as 10 days ago, coach Derek Kellogg didn’t know if Carter was going to be healthy enough to play. Carter last played a game on Nov. 26, 2011 against the College of Charleston, before surgery to repair a torn labrum sidelined him for the remainder of the 2011-12 season.

“As of a week and a half ago, I wasn’t sure that he was physically able to play to a certain extent,” Kellogg said. “The way he was kind of hobbling around, for him to kind of fight through, and he’s given up some of his body for his teammates, it’s fitting when a guy like that makes the game-winning shot.”

Carter would have never been in that position if it hadn’t been for Jesse Morgan.

Morgan, who came off the bench after Freddie Riley got the start at shooting guard but still played 31 minutes, was 5-for-16 from the floor when the Minutemen found themselves trailing by 5 with 1:21 to go. He hit a jumper from the free-throw line to pull UMass within three, forced a five-second call on Harvard’s Wesley Saunders, then banged home a deep three over Siyani Chambers with 39 seconds to go to even the score and bring the crowd of 3,748 to its feet.

“To Jesse Morgan, that’s a free throw” Williams quipped after the game, before Kellogg added, “We need more free throws then.”

Republican Photo by Mark M. MurrayPlayers, coaches and the crowd react to the winning shot by Umass over Harvard Tuesday at the Mullins center.

The second half was far more of a struggle for both teams, as each shot under 34 percent from the floor. UMass built up a six-point lead midway through the half, but each time it looked like Minutemen were going to pull away, Harvard wouldn’t let them.

Then, the Minutemen went ice cold, going more than five minutes without a point in the second half, before a layup and steal by Morgan evened the game at 56 with 6:08 to play. A Raphiael Putney three-pointed a minute later would give UMass a two-point advantage, but the Crimson scored the next seven points to grab the five-point lead with 1:21 to go.

To make matters worse, UMass forward Terrell Vinson fouled out with 3:05 to play. He was initially replaced by Cady Lalanne, who had an excellent game down low (9 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks in 32 minutes), but Kellogg decided to go with Carter for the game’s last 1:12.

“We had kind of a weird lineup out there with Sampson, Putney, Jesse, Freddie and Chaz, really one we hadn’t worked on too, too much in practice,” Kellogg said. “

After Morgan’s three tied it, Williams knocked the ball off of Harvard forward Christian Webster’s foot near midcourt, giving the ball back to UMass to set up the winning shot.

“We didn’t call a timeout, and I put the game in the players’ hands,” Kellogg said. “I learned that many years ago from the guy I played for, Coach Cal.”

Williams took the ball at the top of the key, waited for a pick from Raphiael Putney, drove deep into the paint and kicked it to a wide-open Carter.

“I knew I could probably get by man pretty easily, so I was looking at the next defender to see who would step up,” Wiliams said. “I saw Sampson’s man creeping in early, real early, and I just knew once I got to the rim, if he comes all the way to commit, I’m just going to pass it to Sampson and I know it’s going in.”

Kellogg was confident as well, despite the fact that Carter's last three-pointer came on Nov. 14, 2011 against Northeastern.

"It was funny, when Sampson was open, I instantly thought that he was going to make that shot. He's made that shot the last three days in practice every time," Kellogg said. "So if he didn't make it, I was going to be thoroughly disappointed."

The win gives the Minutemen a 1-0 record, and a little bit of momentum as they head to San Juan on Tuesday afternoon for the Puerto Rico Tipoff.

UMass’ first game in that tournament is set for 7:30 p.m. against Providence.

The state Division of Insurance's consumer services section provides direct one-on-one assistance to consumers who are having difficulty with their insurance company or agent.

11-13-12 - Springfield - Republican staff photo by Don Treeger- Joseph G. Murphy, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance, talks with Hampden resident Lynne Wallace during an "Insurance Awareness" event at Springfield City Hall. The Republican / Don Treeger

Joseph G. Murphy, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance, talks with Hampden resident Lynne Wallace during an "Insurance Awareness" event at Springfield City Hall on Tuesday. Don Treeger, The Republican

SPRINGFIELD — Insurance consumers brought their questions and concerns to staff from the state Division of Insurance on Tuesday at City Hall.

Belinda Williams of Springfield said her mother has been with the same insurance carrier for decades. But her mother has suffered a stroke and didn't notice when Superstorm Sandy damaged her home last month. Now the insurance company is threatening to drop coverage if her mother doesn't do repairs quickly.

"(The Division of Insurance) gave me a lot of information about other insurance companies that might be willing to offer her coverage," Williams said.

Gary Fowler of the Tatham neighborhood in West Springfield needed to know more about flood insurance.

"With climate change, we are getting hundred-year floods every few years," Fowler said.

Consumers like Fowler and Williams got a chance to meet individually with Division of Insurance representatives from Boston, pick up information and fill out complaint forms so that staffers can follow up once they get back to Boston.

"People don't like to think about Insurance," Joseph G. Murphy, commissioner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Insurance. "The idea here is to get people thinking about their coverage now, when hey can really look at it, not later when something bad has happened."

Murphy said consumers need to do an annual review of all their coverage – home, auto, life and health – to make sure they have the coverage they need. Some people end up with less coverage than they need. For instance they re-do their kitchen, but their homeowner's policy reflects only the old, less valuable, kitchen.

"They might even have some coverage they don't need," he said.

The state Division of Insurance's consumer services section provides direct one-on-one assistance to consumers who are having difficulty with their insurance company or agent. They can investigate or mediate specific issues on behalf of consumers. Last year, the Division of insurance was able to recover over $2 million for consumers.

The Division of Insurance consumer hotline can be reached at (877) 563-4467.

Tuesday Evening, Major League Baseball will announce the winners of the American and National League Manager of the Year awards, who will come out on top?

Will Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter take home his third Manager of the Year award?

Monday's Rookie of the Year Awards offered only a moderate amount of suspense.

The American League award went, as expected, to unanimous winner Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. The National League award was taken home by Bryce Harper.

Tuesday night the Manager of the Year awards will he handed out, and the list of potential winners will be cause for debate.

In the American League three managers stand out: Bob Melvin of the Oakland A's, Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox and Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles.

With Melvin calling the shots, Oakland surprised nearly everyone by winning the American League West.

Ventura took over the White Sox and turned the American League Central into an unexpected horse race. The Detroit Tigers were a heavy favorite to run away with the division; instead, the White Sox actually held onto first place well into the summer. The Tigers would eventually win the division, but Chicago was a tougher opponent than predicted.

Then there's Showalter, who led the Orioles to 93 wins and their first postseason berth since 1997. Baltimore had been a perennial last-place resident in the highly competitive American League East.

In 2012 the Orioles got off to a fast start, and never really let up. The Yankees ended up winning the division by one game, but Baltimore took the wild card slot and then extended the Yankees to seven games in a highly competitive ALDS.

It's a tough decision, but I'd give first place to Showalter, Melvin would get second and then Ventura would get third.

I'd give a slight edge to Showalter, who really had to utilize his bullpen to get his team wins. It almost seems unfair to have to put either manager in second place, since both men did outstanding jobs with teams that weren't expected to contend.

If Showalter wins the award it will be his third time. He won in 1994 with the Yankees and 2004 with the Rangers.

In the National League there are three other very qualified contenders.

Dusty Baker took the Reds back to the playoffs and won the National League Central as well.

Davey Johnson led the Washington Nationals to the best record in all of baseball.

Bruce Bochy led the Giants to the National League West title and a World Series crown. All voting for these awards is done before the postseason so Bochy's postseason accomplishments can't be factored into the voting.

The voting in the National League should be very close.

My ballot would give a nod to Baker, who led a Reds team that missed the playoffs in 2011 to 97 wins, second-most in all of baseball, despite enduring crucial injuries to closer Ryan Madson and first baseman Joey Votto.

Should Baker win the award it would be his fourth time claiming the mantle of baseball's best skipper.

He won the award in 1993, 1997 and 2000, all with the San Francisco Giants.

Second place would go to Bruce Bochy. The Giants won 94 games to capture the NL West. San Francisco was a steady and consistent team all season, even with several obstacles -- including one of their best starting pitchers having a terrible season.

Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young winner, suffered through a season that wasn't just bad by his standards, but bad by anyone else's. He finished 2012 10-15 record with a 5.18 ERA.

Adding to the Giants troubles was Melky Cabrera. The outfielder was in the midst of an All-Star season, leading the National League in batting when he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in August.

The Giants lost Cabrera, who was hitting .346 at the time, for the remainder of the regular season.

In spite of those obstacles, the Giants never really missed a beat. They won the division and Bochy kept his team focused and calm throughout.

In third place I'd put Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson.

Yes, the Nationals finished with baseball's best record, an impressive 98-64. Johnson did a great job, but he also had a roster teeming with some of baseball's best young talent.

Bryce Harper won Rookie of the Year, Stephen Strasberg looked every bit the "ace" he has been hyped as. Gio Gonzalez put together a Cy Young caliber season.

The Nationals are a team that is loaded with talent. As Red Sox fans are well aware, that doesn't always insure a team of success. Nonetheless the Nationals roster was such that not making the playoffs would have been considered a major disappointment.

Placing Johnson third on the ballot isn't meant to discount his accomplishments, it is more indicative of the impressive performances of Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy.

Thursday Evening the American and National League Cy Young Award winners will be announced.

A Newton-Wellesley emergency room doctor was charged with operating under the influence of drugs and alcohol after a violent crash near a supermarket in Wellesley.

Shena Hardin walks back to her car after holding up a sign to serve a highly public sentence Tuesday in Ohio, for driving on a sidewalk to avoid a Cleveland school bus that was unloading children. Click on the link, at right, for a report from the Plain Dealer about a judge ordering Hardin to serve the highly public sentence Tuesday and Wednesday. Associated Press | Tony Dejak
• Florida electrical worker attacked while in New York helping restore power for victims of Hurricane Sandy [New York Daily News]


• Cleveland woman ordered to hold 'idiot' sign as part of sentence for driving on sidewalk to pass school bus [Cleveland.com]


• Wellesley ER doctor charged with driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol and causing crash [WFXT-TV, Fox25, Boston]


• Emergency utility workers failed to get paid on time in National Grid payroll glitch [Boston Herald]


• Gen. David Petraeus's successor in Afghanistan ensnared in widening sex scandal [Washington Post]


• Arizona woman runs over husband for failing to vote against President Obama in election [ABC Action News]



KPHO-TV, CBS5, Phoenix

• Loophole allows sick dogs for sale to be delivered to Massachusetts [CBS Boston.com]


• Mitt Romney idea could help prevent 'fiscal cliff,' observers say [Christian Science Monitor]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Lalanne played 32 minutes in Tuesday's win.

Republican Photo by Mark M. MurrayUMass' Cady Lalanne heads to the hoop as Harvard's Kenyatta Smith defends him during first half play Tuesday.

AMHERST — If they were trying to set the expectations low in the preseason, University of Massachusetts basketball coach Derek Kellogg and forward Cady Lalanne did a good job.

After Tuesday’s win against Harvard the cat is out of the bag on Lalanne.

The sophomore center had a game-high 13 rebounds and four blocks Tuesday morning, but the surprise was that it came in a career-high 32 minutes.

Both he and Kellogg had indicated he would play around 20-22 minutes in the early going this season as he eased his way back into the lineup from a season cut short by a foot injury a year ago. Lalanne’s foot was healthy in the presesason, but he did suffer from shin splints that kept him from being in peak physical condition entering the opener.

Or so we thought.

“I just was just telling you he was going to play that many minutes. I planned on playing him 40,” Kellogg joked after Tuesday’s game. “He’ll play as many minutes as he can. If he’s still playing hard at competing, I think he brings us a weapon that you just saw a little bit of.”

What we saw was a player that has a chance to be a dominant presence in the post and on the boards, especially against teams like Harvard that don’t have a true big man to match up with him.

“I would have preferred like 26 (minutes), but I thought he was rebounding for us,” Kellogg said. “If you see him get in a little better shape, I think he’s going to become a big time player.”

CHAZ GOOD, BUT COULD BE BETTER

While he might have done so with Lalanne, Kellogg did not try to lower expectations of point guard Chaz Williams after Tuesday’s game.

Though Williams did pick up an assist on Sampson Carter’s game-winning shot, and finished the game with 12 points, 10 assists and three steals for sixth career double-double, Kellogg knows he can ask for more from the preseason first-team All Atlantic 10 selection.

“He didn’t have his best game today. He missed a couple easy ones that he usually puts in,” Kellogg said. “I expect him to dominate every game that we play. I thought he missed a lot of bunnies that he usually puts in.”

Williams shot a respectable 6-of-15 from the field, but was just 2-for-8 in the second half, and had multiple shots blocked at the rim by Harvard defenders.

“He’s trying to weigh being a floor general with what he does well, which is score,” Kellogg said. “He’s really trying to be a good teammate, but also wanting to score the ball.”

ONE LINERS

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick attended the game… The Harvard graduate wore a white UMass hat… The Minutemen’s 11 blocks were the most since Nov. 30, 2011 against Towson (13)… Freshman Trey Davis saw his first colleigate action, recotding tow fouls in one minute of playing time… Though Derek Kellogg said he was disappointed in how his team converted off of opponent turnovers, the Minutemen outscored Harvard 29-9 in that department

The East division will be UCF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and USF.

Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie watches action during the first half of their exhibition NCAA college basketball game against Massachusetts Lowell in Hartford, Conn., Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. AP Photo/Fred Beckham

The East division will be UCF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and USF.

In the West division is comprised of Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU and Temple.

The lineup will be reassessed when Navy joins in 2015, and possibly other schools are added. The conference championship will be held on the home field of one of the participants and not on a neutral field.

“This new alignment gives the Conference and its fans the best of both worlds—national exposure that is a result of the Big East being in six of the top U.S. media markets—with a schedule that focuses on spirited rivalries,” commissioner Mike Aresco said in a released statement.

Surely Temple can't be happy about being in the West when Cincinnati and Louisville are further west than the Owls, who are in Philadelphia. But this might simply be a case of new-kid-on-the-block treatment. Temple only rejoined the league this past year.

BIG EAST EAST DIVISION

Central Florida

Cincinnati

Connecticut

Louisville

Rutgers

South Florida

BIG EAST WEST DIVISION

Boise State

Houston

Memphis

San Diego State

SMU

Temple