Captains Daniel O'Brien is the commission's second choice.

Ronald Campurciani

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Three members of the Public Safety Commission Wednesday backed Police Capt. Ronald P. Campurciani as their first choice for the city’s next police chief, while the two remaining members of the commission supported the candidacy of Police Capt. Daniel M. O’Brien.

In keeping with a request by the mayor, they ranked each of the three finalists in order of their preferences. Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger, who has the final say, has said he expects to announce his choice Monday after he has had a chance to meet individually with each of the three finalists for the job. Capt. Daniel M. Spaulding was the third finalist.

If appointed by the mayor, Campurciani would be the first full-time chief since the retirement in March of longtime Police Chief Thomas E. Burke. Campurciani, 49, has run the department in the interim.

Commissioners announced their preferences speaking for about 20 minutes after coming out of an approximately 20-minute session closed to the public. Board Chairman William J. Fennell called for the session, citing concerns about privacy rights of the candidates, which he said is allowed under section 1-b of the state’s Open Meeting Law.

Questioned after the meeting, Fennell said the closed session did not concern any ongoing probes. The search has been slowed by the fact that O’Brien has been under investigation by the federal government since early this year over his treatment of a woman in policy custody during 2011’s Big E.

Fennell spoke glowingly of Campurciani, who was the top scorer on the Civil Service test for chief with a score of 90. The other two candidates tied at 86. Under Civil Service case law, Fennell said the appointing authority needs to demonstrate a sound reason if the top scorer on the test is not chosen.

The commission chairman said he was impressed that in his business plan for the Police Department Campuriciani showed how to reduce its size by 10 through attrition over the next three years with no adverse effect on public safety.

Commissioner Charles E. Sullivan said he was impressed with Campurciani’s test score and Dennis L. LeFebvre, who also ranked Campurciani number one, said he is the best candidate to change the culture of the department.

Commissioners Barry J. Hiney and Donna L. Santaniello, favored giving the job to O’Brien, who is 52.

Santaniello said she believes O’Brien would be good at bringing about needed change in the department and showed “innovative thinking.”

The fact that former Police Chief Burke had O’Brien run the command center during the June 1, 2011 tornado as well as have a leadership role in dealing with the Oct. 29, 2011 snowstorm impressed her, Santaniello said.

Hiney praised O’Brien as having come up with the “best and most comprehensive” business plan for the department of the three finalists. Hiney said he was also struck by O’Brien’s community service and the fact that he had the most references from retired police officers.

Last week, commissioners spent about five hours interviewing the three finalists for the position.

Kittredge, 60, was said to be resting following brain surgery at an undisclosed hospital in Boston.

Yankee Candle Founder and Holyoke native Michael Kittredge II, seen here in a May 2012 photo. Kittredge on Wednesday underwent surgery in Boston after suffering a stroke. The Republican file

BERNARDSTON – Michael Kittredge II, founder of the Yankee Candle Co., underwent surgery in Boston Wednesday to relieve pressure on his brain after suffering a stroke sometime Tuesday, according to published reports.

Kittredge, 60, was said to be resting following brain surgery at an undisclosed hospital in Boston. At last report, his condition is stable and he is resting, but the impact of the stroke is not known.

The news was announced Wednesday in two separate posts on the Kringle Candle Co. page on Facebook.com

The first was posted Tuesday afternoon, and it read:

“Earlier today, Mike Kittredge II was diagnosed as having suffered a stroke. While Mike is not in any apparent danger at this point, the total extent or effects are still not yet fully known. He has been transferred to hospital care in Boston. The next step will be for Mike to begin the recovery process and we know that many, many people will be in his corner.”

The statement closed with an expression of thanks for those expressing concerns, and a pledge to post more information as it became available.

A second update, posted at about 3 p.m. Wednesday read:

“As promised, we are striving to keep this community updated on Mike’s situation. After a relatively good Tuesday night at the hospital, he experienced a downturn early this morning. Fortunately, doctors quickly performed successful surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, and Mike is now again stable and resting following the procedure. His family is deeply appreciative of the incredible level of support we've seen here and they thank you sincerely for your thoughts and prayers.”

Michael Kittredge III posted on his Facebook page that his father suffered “a large stroke” on Tuesday morning and that he was being moved to Boston. He asked people to keep his father in their thoughts and prayers to aid a speedy recovery.

Kringle Candle was founded in 2010 in Bernardston by Kittredge’s son, Michael Kittredge III. The elder Kittredge founded Yankee Candle in his parents’ garage in Holyoke in 1969 and under his leadership it grew into a multi-million, year-round tourist destination in Deerfield.

Michael Kittredge II and his son, Michael III, stand in the main "Candle Room" at the Kringle Candle Company Store in Bernardston at its 2010 grand opening. File photo | The Republican

He sold 90 percent of his shares in the company in 1998 for an estimated $400 million. It was reported at the time that he was selling his shares due to undisclosed health concerns.

In 2006, he donated $1 million to Holyoke Community College for equipment for the Kittredge Center for Business and Community.

He remained on the Yankee Candle board of directors until his retirement in 2003. In 2009, he became an advisor in the start-up of his son’s company, Kringle Candle, which opened the following year in Bernardston.

The coordinator of the city's Let's Move program said 1 of every 3 children in the U.S. is overweight or obese.

Shelby R. Hall-Gibbons, Agawam community wellness ambassador, and Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen look over a brochure for the city's Let's Move program. Republican photo/ Sandra E. Constantine

AGAWAM – The city has gotten moving, and in a big way with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program to fight childhood obesity.

The city’s Let’s Move Committee launched its local effort with an Oct. 13 round-trip community walk down the 1.7-mile River Road Bike Trail along the Connecticut River, followed by two more such events.

City resident Shelby R. Hall-Gibbons is coordinating activities locally in her capacity as community wellness ambassador. It is a volunteer position she has taken on as part of her work chairing the local Let's Move Committee. She recruited Mayor Richard A. Cohen to launch the effort in Agawam.

Hall-Gibbons said during a recent interview in Cohen’s office that at least one of every three U.S. children is overweight or obese.

“Obesity leads to many chronic illnesses,” she said, citing diabetes and heart disease as two examples.

She and Cohen, who has taken part in the walks, said the campaign tries to get people – not just children – to exercise and improve their eating habits as part of increasing overall fitness.

The city has already improved the selection of foods offered in the schools and has worked with the Stop & Shop supermarket chain to hold seminars on nutrition, they said.

The Let's Move program stresses such skills as how to understand the labels on packaged foods.

One Agawam family will get a hand in improving its fitness with a free, 12-week makeover offered by Ashley Brodeur, personal trainer at Active Life Style Fitness. A dietary and exercise program will be tailored to the family's needs. Applications for the program are available in the mayor's office and on line at www.agawam.ma.us.

There are also plans in the works for programs over the city’s cable access television channel that will include a segment to be titled “Kids who Cook.” Local youngsters will get a chance to cook their favorite healthy recipes on the air.

Cohen and Hall-Gibbons are working to develop a youth advisory board and faith-based programs with local churches in an effort to get everyone involved and learn about local needs. Their exact roles of such groups have yet to be worked out.

“The message of this program is to start establishing healthy habits now. They could last a lifetime,” Hall-Gibbons said.

Cohen said the walks, which have drawn about 35 people, will start from the high school track next year.

The mayor said the committee has the twin goals of bringing Michelle Obama to Agawam and writing grants to get sponsors for more local initiatives.

“It is really about healthy goals for healthy living,” Cohen said.

“It is a coming together for the benefit of all and it is all fun,” Hall-Gibbons said.

The presentation of the Russian movie and musical performance is to raise money to renovate the Victory Theatre.

Members of Holyoke High School choir file into United Congregational Church of Holyoke to provide accompaniment to 938 movie "Alexander Nevsky" shown in the church Thursday. The Republican | Mark M.Murray

HOLYOKE - Russian movie about a 13th century battle. Score performed live by choir, organist and mezzo-soprano. In a church on a weekday.

The showing of the 1938 Russian movie "Alexander Nevsky" was an experience Thursday that high school students said they will remember.

"I thought it was awesome, and the singing, I thought it was a good cultural background," said Naisha Arroyo, 18, a senior at Dean Technical High School.

"I thought it was a really interesting idea. At first I wasn't really into it. I've never seen (an often) silent film, so I didn't know what to expect, but I got into it," said Carly Costello, 16, a junior at Holyoke High School.

Nearly 100 students attended a matinee show with the movie projected on a big screen in front of the altar at United Congregational Church of Holyoke, Appleton and Maple streets, accompanied by the Holyoke High School choir directed by Mark Todd, organist Peter Krasinski and mezzo-soprano Gigi Mitchell-Velasco.

The show previewed a main one that is open to the public Saturday at 7 p.m. at the church. Ticket prices include $125 for a gala that includes premium seating and pre-performance champagne and hors d'ouevres at the nearby headquarters of the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, 56 Suffolk St., from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Other ticket prices are $45 for general admission and $25 for students with identification.

MIFA is offering the performance as a fund-raiser toward renovation of the Victory Theatre, a stage and movie theater at 81-89 Suffolk St. The 93-year-old Victory has been closed since 1979.

The cost of renovating the old vaudeville house has risen to $28 million. Because of funding uncertainty, a scheduled reopening that has been changed a few times is now pegged only at within the next three years, said Donald T. Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA, the nonprofit organization that owns the theater.

Sanders said his organization has commitments for $21 million of the $28 million needed to redo the Victory in the form of tax credits from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and other government agencies and donations.

"Alexander Nevsky" was directed by Sergei Eisenstein with music by Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev. The 112-minute, black-and-white movie tells the story of "villainous Teutonic Knights" invading Russia in 1241 with a key battle detonating on a frozen lake near Novgorod, according to a New York Times review.

Nevsky is the prince who leads the defense of "Mother Russia" in a tale of horse-back charges, sword-wielding warriors and screen-filling, hand-to-hand combat resulting in many soldiers' deaths, but virtually no noticeable bloodshed.

Nevsky, played by Nikolay Cherkasov, is a fair-haired and bearded general who resembled a smoother Chuck Norris.

Toward the end, Mitchell-Velasco steps into the spotlight at the podium beside the screen, and later from the balcony, singing over the long camera shots of the battle's carnage.

Such shows highlight what MIFA can offer, said Sanders, noting actor Hal Holbrook's performance here as Mark Twain in November. "Alexander Nevsky" was a chance to show a tragedy with a standout score -- "It's considered one of the best scores ever written" -- and get students involved by enlisting the chorus, he said.

"I hope you will remember this," Sanders told the high schoolers. "You're going to be like Alexander Nevsky and fight for what you want to see."

Among the proposals is to increase the responsibilities, authority and accountability of the Town Administrator.

Dwight Shepard, The Republican

SOUTH HADLEY — The town is about to decide whether to make major changes in the job descriptions of several town officials with a special Town Meeting Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall Auditorium.

Town Meeting members will be asked to approve revised job descriptions for the positions of town administrator, town clerk/treasurer and town collector. Also, a new position of assistant town administrator will be proposed.

South Hadley currently does not have a permanent town administrator. Jennifer Wolowicz has served as acting town administrator since Paul Beecher resigned his post abruptly in January.

The proposals in the warrant were inspired by a 2011 Department of Revenue critique of town management, which was requested by the town. Since then, the issues have been researched and studied by an ad hoc Financial Policy Advisory Team, chaired by Priscilla Mandrachia.

Among the proposals Town Meeting members will be asked to vote on:

• Increase the responsibilities, authority and accountability of the town administrator.

• Establish an assistant town administrator.

• Make the town clerk and town treasurer two separate positions. Currently they are combined into one position.

• Hire a town clerk, town treasurer and town collector instead of electing them.

At the Selectboard meeting on Nov. 13, Mandrachia said the new job descriptions would create a more stable working environment.

She assured the board that, in re-thinking the town administrator position, the role of the Selectboard would not be diminished. “We’re not advocating a mayor by another name,” she said.

Mandrachia said that, since running a town is like running a “multi-million-dollar business,” the new town administrator would be expected to have the skills of a chief financial officer.

Despite a few cavils, the Selectboard voted unanimously to approve the proposals before passing them on to Town Meeting.

For more information on the proposed changes, a forum will be presented by Know Your Town on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall auditorium. Admission to the forum is free, and refreshments will be provided.

The Wilbraham Vision Task Force is seeking to collect data, thoughts, insights and visions from a wide variety of community members to develop a vision for the community.

Michael S. Gordon, The Republican

WILBRAHAM — The first ever “Imagine Wilbraham Day” will be Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. until noon in the cafeteria of the new Minnechaug Regional High School.

The entire town is invited to come with family and friends to share ideas.

“The town of Wilbraham wants to know what’s important to everyone in the coming decade,” Vision Task Force Chairman Chuck Phillips said.

The Wilbraham Vision Task Force is seeking to collect data, thoughts, insights and visions from a wide variety of community members to develop a vision for the community.

The task of the committee as set by the town Planning Board is to lead a community driven process to make Wilbraham a better place to live and work by generating a consensus-based guiding vision to address the town’s current and evolving challenges and opportunities.

Town Planner John Pearsall said the last time the town developed a master plan was in the 1960s.

Following a year-long process to develop a town vision, a master plan committee could be formed to develop a new master plan, Pearsall said.

“Whether you have time to attend for 10 minutes or three hours, the meeting is going to be an event people will not just remember, but one where they will know their ideas have been heard and recorded,” Phillips said.

There will be a lot for everyone to enjoy at the morning meeting, Phillips said.

“Door prizes and refreshments are included, and the free event encourages children to participate in drawings on “vision murals.”

Tables for different subject interests, like education, farming, housing, lifestyles and recreation, will be positioned where people can gather to share thoughts on special subjects, Phillips said.

“Surveys will be gathered and ideas generated,” he added.

The Wilbraham Vision Task Force has been asked by the Planning Board to listen to the expectations of people in town, collect data and examine trends that could affect the future.

The committee is seeking to generate a consensus-based guiding vision to address Wilbraham’s current and evolving challenges and opportunities, Phillips said.

The Task Force includes Carol Albano, Susan Burk, Dr. Stephen Brand, Edna Colcord, Karen Wilson Furst, Chris Novelli, Phillips, Nancy Ross and Dave Sanders.

The SEC said that even MassMutual's sales staff was confused by language associated with the accounts.

The MassMutual Financial Group's headquarters is seen on State Street in Springfield. The Republican file | Mark M. Murray

SPRINGFIELD - MassMutual Financial Group will pay $1.6 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that the company failed to tell investors in variable annuities that certain riders would stop earning interest once those investments reached a certain cap.

The cap wouldn't have kicked in until the year 2022 or so, but it posed a long-term threat to investors, according to a statement issued by the SEC Thursday in Washington.

"Investors shouldn't have their retirement nest eggs at risk because of undisclosed investment complexities," said Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement in that written statement. "Through our proactive investigative efforts, we exposed a problem with a complex variable annuity investment at least a decade before it could have harmed investors."

The SEC said that even MassMutual's sales staff was confused by language associated with the accounts. There wasn't information about the cap in MassMutual's sales literature or in its prospectuses.

MassMutual removed the cap after the SEC's investigation to ensure that no investors would be harmed. The cap potentially affected $2.5 billion worth of MassMutual variable annuities.

MassMutual issued a statement of its own:

"We are pleased to have resolved this matter with the SEC. In resolving this matter, MassMutual neither admits nor denies the SEC’s findings. Importantly, the settlement makes clear MassMutual improved the challenged disclosures beginning May 1, 2009, ... As the SEC notes in its announcement, no investors were harmed in this matter."

School Committee Chairman Michael Clark said most parents and teachers seem to be in favor of the change.

Schools are toughening rules regarding the use of electronic communications among students. The Republican photo illustration | Dave Roback

LONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow School Committee is still considering a social media policy that will allow teachers, students and parents to communicate through means like Facebook, Twitter and educational blogs.

A public forum was held recently to obtain feedback on the policy. School Committee Chairman Michael Clark said most parents and teachers seem to be in favor of the change.

"There were not a lot of people at the forum, but we have received a lot of e-mails from parents and teachers about this," said Clark, who drafted the new policy.

Clark said many teachers are in favor of the cell phone regulation in the policy.

"The current policy does not allow teachers to give out cell phone numbers to students,"
Clark said.

However, many teachers take students on day trips out of the state or on trips abroad and being able to give their cell phone numbers out would make it easier to track each student and make sure they are safe, he said.

The new policy would allow cell phone contact between teachers and students as long as several guidelines are followed.

According to the draft policy, the school principal must give authorization to the teacher to give out the number to students. Parents must also be made aware that the cell phone number has been given to a student and a teacher must only use it to communicate with a student on a trip, not to discuss academic performance.

The School Committee is now working to revise certain language in the policy before taking an official vote during its next meeting.

To view the draft policy visit www.longmeadow.k12.ma.us.

Clark will present the draft version of the policy during a Massachusetts Association of School Committees conference this week.

Joan George, the executive assistant to the mayor, said she was unaware she was violating state campaign finance regulations in sending out an email inviting department heads to his inauguration with an attachment soliciting $50 contributions.

Joan George, executive assistant to West Springfield Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger The Republican staff file photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance has purged $450 from the Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger’s campaign war chest and given it to charity to resolve two breaches of campaign finance laws by his executive assistant, who was reportedly unaware of the regulations.

The development was outlined in the fall report by the state office as resulting from Joan George, the mayor’s executive assistant, sending two emails from his office to city department heads.

The first email invited them to his inauguration party last January and included an attachment soliciting $50 contributions, according to the report.

The second email confirmed the mailing address for the mayor’s election committee.

State campaign finance laws prohibit county, city or town employees from soliciting campaign donations or using public resources such as the city’s computer and email account for that purpose, according to an Aug. 21 to Neffinger from Michael J. Sullivan, director of the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

The matter was resolved by the charitable donation and the campaign and political finance office conducting an educational seminar for the mayor’s staff and city department heads, the report states.

The letter states George sent the emails “in an attempt to be helpful and provide information to the department heads, as numerous city employees had contacted her during the workday for information regarding the inaugural party, and that the emails were not intended to pressure anyone into attending the event.”

At the time the emails were sent George was unaware that campaign finance laws prohibit such communications, according to Sullivan’s letter.

As a result of the emails, nine department heads made donations of $50 each for a total of $450, the letter states.

Neffinger could not be reached for comment, but George said she was unaware of the regulations and was just trying to be helpful.

“In no way was I intentionally campaigning for him” George said of the email.

After wrangling over the issue under cover of a lawsuit filed by the bar owners against the city in U.S. District Court, an aide for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced that the city has agreed to extend entertainment at three bars from 1 a.m. until 2 a.m. while the plaintiffs conceded to 1 a.m. deadlines at four other clubs.

SPRINGFIELD - City officials reached a compromise with the owners of seven downtown nightclubs in a long-running dispute over curtailing entertainment.

After wrangling over the issue under cover of a lawsuit filed by the bar owners against the city in U.S. District Court, an aide for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced that the city has agreed to extend entertainment at three bars from 1 a.m. until 2 a.m. while the plaintiffs conceded to 1 a.m. deadlines at four other clubs.

Scores, the Fifth Alarm, Oz and Pure will stop entertainment until 1 a.m. while the Mardi Gras, Center Stage and Xstatic will have a 2 a.m. deadline, with restrictions. Four of the seven are strip clubs.

Downtown club owners James and Helen Santaniello, Sherri L. Via, and Anthony Santaniello sued to fight a ban Sarno enacted in April to stop all entertainment at bars at 1 a.m. instead of the 2 a.m. closing time. A few exceptions were made for full-service restaurants that also served liquor.

Bar and restaurant owners resisted the ban, arguing it was another tactic to squash a nightlife already eroded by the economy and other public policies. Some clubs closed at 1 a.m. rather than continue another hour without entertainment, which could range from a television over the bar to strippers on stage.

In federal court, lawyers for the plaintiffs attempted a First Amendment defense, arguing the ban curtailed the "public's right to dance," to no avail. Public safety officials argued the 1 a.m. entertainment deadline significantly cut down on police calls and violent crime in the club quarter after the bars closed down.

"The mayor's regulations have made a significant difference in late night crime in the downtown area," spokesman for Sarno, Thomas Walsh, said in a statement, adding that there has been a 35 percent reduction in "calls for service" from the downtown area between midnight and 3 a.m.

Those calls dropped from 1,197 to 794 over a six-month period, beginning six months after the ban was enacted, according to police statistics.

"The sole purpose of imposing these regulations was a concern over public safety for patrons to downtown businesses and police officers on the job," Sarno said. "We have seen an improvement in public safety and I want to thank the responsible owner who have cooperated with the implementation of these new regulations. If the trends continue, the businesses and the public will benefit as the perception of the area changes."

Lawyers representing the bars could not be reached for comment. However, the compromise appeared to benefit the highest-grossing bars in the group, namely the Mardi Gras strip club on Taylor Street.

A fatal shooting there and at another nude dancing bar on Worthington in 2009 sparked verbal indictments by public officials and fueled a dialogue on restrictions.

As part of the settlement, bars enjoying the later entertainment deadline must adhere to added restrictions including: no admittance or re-admittance after 1 a.m.; having comprehensive security plans in place including a full-time security director; anti-loitering patrols and other measures.

The plan aims to keep parishes intact amid weak attendance, a looming priest shortage and decaying parish finances that have left 4 in 10 parishes unable to pay their bills.

By JAY LINDSAY

BRAINTREE — Cardinal Sean O'Malley on Thursday approved a plan to stabilize the Boston Archdiocese's declining finances by combining its 288 parishes into 135 clusters that share staffing and resources.

The plan aims to keep parishes intact amid weak attendance, a looming priest shortage and decaying parish finances that have left 4 in 10 parishes unable to pay their bills. Meanwhile, the archdiocese is banking on an ongoing evangelization effort to bring Catholics back into the pews.

O'Malley said he sees the reorganization as key to a spiritual revival, and his message to parishes was simple: "They must refocus on outreach and evangelization. ... We can't use all of our resources and time, just to serve the active Catholics in the community."

Anne Southwood, head of the Boston-area council of the lay group Voice of the Faithful, said O'Malley's announcement was an acknowledgement of how badly the church needs laypeople to bring it back to health.

"Basically, what they said today is, 'We're all they have,' " Southwood said.

Just 16 percent of Boston Catholics attend church, following a decade that saw the archdiocese battered by a clergy sex-abuse scandal and parish closings that shuttered dozens of local churches.

The archdiocese also is facing a priest shortage. About a fifth of the 420 active priests are 65 or older, and the church expects its number of active priest to fall under 200 in a decade.

The archdiocese planned the reorganization over two years, and decided early on against more painful closings.

"The possibilities collapse when we close a parish in a place," said the Rev. Paul Soper, director of pastoral planning.

The clusters, or collaboratives, will consist of one to four parishes in the same area, each of which will retain its legal identity. The collaboratives will be led by a single pastor and run by merged clergy and layperson staffs and councils.

The goal is to lower costs and improve efficiency while shedding redundant resources, such as unneeded rectories or offices. A collaborative could decide to close a church building, but that takes Vatican approval and would need to go through the archdiocese.

The first collaboratives will be officially formed in July, and the plan would be phased in over five years, the archdiocese said.

If it succeeds in increasing church attendance, the archdiocese would be defying national trends. But O'Malley said the faith has broad appeal and a hold on large numbers who identify themselves as Catholics, even if they rarely attend Mass.

"Our call is to try and bring them a little closer to church and get them involved in their parishes in more of an ongoing way," O'Malley said.

The reorganization includes intensive evangelization training for clergy and parish councils and an emphasis on cultivating candidates to boost the shrinking priesthood.

Thomas Groome, a Boston College theology professor, hailed the archdiocese for keeping parishes open and reaching out to lapsed Catholics.

But he said he doubted the reorganization could alleviate the coming priest shortage, and may just postpone an honest reckoning of it, which Groome believes includes accepting that married men should be allowed to serve as priests.

"To the people of God, the solutions are obvious," he said.

Southwood said parishioners have concerns about who will be in their cluster and what role they'll be asked to play in the re-evangelization. She said she's ready to do her part.

"You have to be involved," she said.

The recession is forecast to deepen, and make the debt crisis — which has been calmer of late — even more difficult to handle.

A protestor sits in front of the riot police riot to stop the clashes during a general strike in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. Spain's main trade unions stage a general strike, coinciding with similar work stoppages in Portugal and Greece, to protest government-imposed austerity measures and labor reforms. The strike is the second in Spain this year. Associated Press

LONDON — The 17-country eurozone has fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as the fallout from the region's financial crisis was felt from Amsterdam to Athens.

And with surveys pointing to increasingly depressed conditions across the 17-member group at a time of austerity and high unemployment, the recession is forecast to deepen, and make the debt crisis — which has been calmer of late — even more difficult to handle.

Official figures Thursday showed that the eurozone contracted by 0.1 percent in the July to September period from the quarter before as economies including Germany and the Netherlands suffer from falling demand.

The decline reported by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, was in line with market expectations and follows on from the 0.2 percent fall recorded in the second quarter. As a result, the eurozone is technically in recession, commonly defined as two straight quarters of falling output.

The eurozone economy shrank at annual rate of 0.2 percent during the July-September quarter, according to calculations by Capital Economics.

"The eurozone economy will continue its decline in Q4 and probably well into 2013 too — a good backdrop for another debt crisis," said Michael Taylor, an economist at Lombard Street Research.

Because of the eurozone's grueling three-year debt crisis, the region has been the major focus of concern for the world economy. The eurozone economy is worth around €9.5 trillion, or $12.1 trillion, which puts it on a par with the U.S.. The region, with its 332 million people, is the U.S.'s largest export customer, and any fall-off in demand will hit order books.

While the U.S has managed to bounce back from its own recession in 2008-09, albeit inconsistently, and China continues to post strong growth, Europe's economies have been on a downward spiral — and there is little sign of any improvement in the near-term. Last week, the European Union's executive arm forecast the eurozone's economy would shrink 0.4 percent this year. Then only a meager 0.1 percent growth in 2013.

The eurozone had avoided returning to recession since the financial crisis following the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, mainly thanks to the strength of its largest single economy, Germany.

But even that country is now struggling as exports drain in light of the economic problems afflicting large chunks of the eurozone.

Germany's economy grew 0.2 percent in the third quarter, down from a 0.3 percent increase in the previous quarter. Over the past year, Germany's annual growth rate has more than halved to 0.9 percent from 1.9 percent.

Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, tried to strike a positive note when she spoke to reporters in Berlin Thursday.

"I think we all are working on getting back on our feet again rapidly," she said.

"We see that economic growth is slowing, that overall we have a small drop in the eurozone but I'm also very optimistic that if we do our political homework ... we will again have growth after this small decline."

Perhaps the most dramatic decline among the eurozone's members was seen in the Netherlands, which has imposed strict austerity measures. Its economy shrank 1.1 percent on the previous quarter.

Five eurozone countries are in recession — Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Cyprus. Those five are also at the center of Europe's debt crisis and are imposing austerity measures, such as cuts to wages and pensions and increases to taxes, in an attempt to stay afloat.

As well as hitting workers' incomes and living standards, these measures have also led to a decline in economic output and a sharp increase in unemployment.

Spain and Greece have unemployment rates of over 25 percent. Their young people are faring even worse with every other person out of work. As well as being a cost to governments who have to pay out more for benefits, it carries a huge social and human cost.

Protests across Europe on Wednesday highlighted the scale of discontent and with economic surveys pointing to the downturn getting worse, the voices of anger may well get louder still.

"The likelihood is that this anger will continue to grow unless European leaders and policymakers start to act as if they have a clue as to how to resolve the crisis starting to unravel before their eyes," said Michael Hewson, markets analyst at CMC Markets.

Europe has no doubt made some progress this year in allaying some of the worst fears in the markets, notably through the announcement of new bond-buying program from the European Central Bank. However, with Greece still teetering on the edge and the eurozone in recession, the economic storms are never far away.

Mario Draghi, the ECB's president has been widely credited for helping foster the more optimistic tone in the markets but he admits there's still a long way to go.

"The year that is about to end will be remembered not only for the effects the European sovereign debt crisis has had on the euro and for the significant weakening of the European economy, but also for the responses to these challenges by the ECB, national governments and the European Union," he said in a speech at Univerisita Bocconi in Milan.

"Ultimately, it is up to governments to dispel once and for all the persistent uncertainties that markets perceive and citizens fear," Draghi added.

The wider 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro countries, avoided the same recession fate as the eurozone. Eurostat said the EU's output rose 0.1 percent during the third quarter, largely on the back of an Olympics-related boost in Britain.

The EU's output as a whole is greater than the U.S. It is also a major source of sales for the world's leading companies. Forty percent of McDonald's global revenue comes from Europe - more than it generates in the U.S. General Motors, meanwhile, sold 1.7 million vehicles in Europe last year, a fifth of its worldwide sales.

One person missing from the tableau: Afghan war chief Gen. John Allen, whose nomination to take over in Europe is on hold because of suggestive emails turned up in the investigation.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, Jr. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his confirmation to be the commander of the International Security Assistance Force and to be commander of the U.S. Forces, Afghanistan. Dunford would replace Gen. John Allen, who is the subject of a Pentagon investigation for potentially inappropriate communications. Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Top national security officials trudged to Capitol Hill on Thursday to grapple with fallout from the David Petraeus sex scandal as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asked service chiefs to review ethics training for military officers. He said he was unaware of any other top brass who could turn out to be ensnared in the debacle.

One person missing from the tableau: Afghan war chief Gen. John Allen, whose nomination to take over in Europe is on hold because of suggestive emails turned up in the investigation.

Legislators went forward with a hearing on the nomination of Gen. Joseph Dunford to replace Allen in Afghanistan. But with Allen's own future uncertain, they put off consideration of his promotion to U.S. European Command chief and NATO supreme allied commander. Allen had initially been scheduled to testify.

Panetta, speaking at a news conference in Bangkok, gave new words of support to Allen, voicing "tremendous confidence" in the general.

Citing a string of ethical lapses by senior military officers, however, Panetta asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review ethics training and look for ways to help officers stay out of trouble.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., opened Dunford's hearing with kind words for Allen, saying, "I continue to believe that General Allen is one of our best military leaders. And I continue to have confidence in his ability to lead the war in Afghanistan."

Leading administration officials, meanwhile, met privately with lawmakers for a third straight day to explain how the Petraeus investigation was handled and explore its national security implications. Among those appearing before the House Intelligence Committee: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Acting CIA Director Michael Morell.

Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the committee's top Democrat, said after the hearing he was satisfied that the FBI had behaved properly in not notifying the White House or lawmakers about the inquiry sooner, in keeping with post-Watergate rules set up to prevent interference in criminal investigations.

But committee member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said lawmakers would continue to ask questions because "there's a lot of information we need ... with respect to the facts about the allegations against General Petraeus."

Petraeus, the much-honored retired general, resigned his CIA post Friday after acknowledging an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The FBI began investigating the matter last summer but didn't notify the White House of Congress until after the election.

The CIA on Thursday opened an "exploratory" investigation into Petraeus' conduct. The inquiry "doesn't presuppose any particular outcome," said CIA spokesman Preston Golson. At the same time, Army officials say that, at this point, there is no appetite for recalling Petraeus to active duty to pursue any adultery charges against him.

In the course of investigating the Petraeus situation, the FBI uncovered suggestive emails between Allen and Florida socialite Jill Kelley, both of them married. President Barack Obama then put Allen's promotion nomination on hold.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he expects Allen to eventually take over the European Command, but he acknowledged, "I see this investigation and how long it could take affecting that."

Dempsey said he "absolutely" had confidence in Allen's ability to continue in command in Afghanistan despite the distraction of the scandal. He spoke in an interview with American Forces Press Service.

While Allen's nomination has been put on hold, the fact that it wasn't immediately withdrawn suggests there is at least some feeling that he could survive the investigation.

The initial expectation is that the Defense Department inspector general's probe into the emails will be done within weeks rather than months. The final decision would likely be made by Panetta and the White House after discussions with Capitol Hill leaders.

Even if Allen's move to NATO is shelved, Dunford's nomination to take Allen's place as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan will move forward.

Panetta this week sent Dempsey a memo asking the Joint Chiefs to brainstorm "how to better foster a culture of value-based decision-making and stewardship" among senior officers and their staff. In other words: Come up with a game plan for ending bad behavior.

"As has happened recently, when lapses occur, they have the potential to erode public confidence in our leadership and in our system for the enforcement of high ethical standards," Panetta wrote. "Worse, they can be detrimental to the execution of our mission to defend the American people."

Panetta didn't mention Petraeus in the memo, and the defense chief's spokesman said the request for an ethics review was in the works before the Petraeus matter came to light.

Petraeus, in his first media interview since he resigned, told CNN that he had never given classified information to Broadwell. He also said his resignation had nothing to do with his upcoming testimony to Congress about the attack on the U.S. Consulate and CIA base in Benghazi, Libya, that caused the death of four Americans.

He told the network he wanted to testify about the Libya matter. And he'll have that opportunity on Friday, when he appears before the House Intelligence Committee. Committee officials planned to limit the subject of that hearing to Libya, ruling out questioning about the affair with Broadwell and any potential national security implications.

Both Petraeus and Broadwell have said she didn't get any classified documents from him. But the FBI has found a substantial number of classified documents on her computer and in her home, according to a law enforcement official. That official spoke only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Broadwell, a former Army intelligence officer, has told agents that she took classified documents out of secure government buildings. The Army has now suspended her security clearance.

Asked why the Justice Department did not inform the president and Congress regarding the investigation involving Petraeus, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday, "As we went through the investigation and looked at the facts and tried to examine them as they developed, we felt very secure in the knowledge that a national security threat did not exist."

Had there been a security threat, "we would of course have made that known to the president and also to the appropriate members on the Hill," the attorney general said at a New Orleans news conference on another topic.

In the absence of such a threat, "we do not share outside the Justice Department, outside the FBI the facts of ongoing investigations," he added. He said the department does not share information from criminal investigations so that such probes "can be seen as being done in an impartial way."

Holder also said that "a very critical interview" took place Nov. 2, the Friday before Election Day, and that afterward, the Justice Department thought it appropriate to share information with top Obama administration officials.

A federal law enforcement official said that Friday interview was with Broadwell and that the questioning reassured FBI agents that they knew what classified documents Broadwell had, where they came from and that they had not come from Petraeus.

It was a case of the agents becoming satisfied that they knew the complete story about the origin, range and scope of documents involved, according to this official, who demanded anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing case. On Nov. 6, the FBI informed National Intelligence Director James Clapper of the investigation.

The sales ranking of Broadwell's biography of Petraeus rose in the 24 hours after his resignation from 76,792 on Amazon to 111, but it had dropped to 280 as of Thursday.

Five so-called super PACs reported making more than $200,000 in expenditures.

BOSTON – Unions and other groups have reported making more than $782,000 in independent expenditures to support or oppose more than 100 legislative candidates in Massachusetts in this year's election.

That’s according to a report by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance released Thursday.

The report also found that five so-called super PACs reported making more than $200,000 in expenditures.

Independent expenditures are made without coordinating with a candidate’s campaign.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association spent the most on independent expenditures this year at nearly $310,000. The health care workers union 1199 SEIU reported spending nearly $205,000.

Both unions also reported making contributions to super PACs.

Of the top 20 candidates supported by independent expenditures, 14 won.

The top beneficiary of independent expenditures was Senate President Therese Murray. The Plymouth Democrat won re-election.

Three thoughts from courtside in Bayamón.

Three thoughts from courtside in Bayamón:

Turnover City
The Friars looked far less comfortable under the gun of the UMass pressure than Harvard did, committing seven turnovers which led to eight UMass points.

However, UMass was even sloppier, committing ten turnovers that led to 13 Friars points. Terrell Vinson had three turnovers while Chaz Williams and Jesse Morgan each had two to contribute to the general sloppiness of the first half.

If the Minutemen could avoid the bad turnovers, their lead would be a lot more than six at the break.

Foul Watch
Maxie Esho and Cady Lalanne each picked up two fouls in the first half. With three games in four days, it's no secret that Derek Kellogg will want keep a close eye on Lalanne's minutes, but if Esho gets in foul trouble, he might have no choice but to leave Lalanne in the game if the Friars are keeping it close.

Batts(ing) Champion
Providence forward Kadeem Batts was easily the Friars' most dominant player in half number one, scoring from inside the paint and knocking down short jump shots against whatever the Minutemen defense threw at him on his way to 14 first-half points on 6-for-8 from the floor. He'll have to keep it up if the Friars are to have a chance to come back in the second half.

After an hour and a half meeting with the vice president, Bissonnette said Biden indicated that "everything’s on the table other than the middle class tax cut."

11/08/11 Chicopee - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - Mayor Michael Bissonnette celebrates his mayoral win at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee. Michael Beswick, The Republican

Democratic Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette said Vice President Joe Biden lived up to his reputation in their Thursday meeting.

“The vice president is known to be blunt, and he lived up to his reputation, and the mayors are equally blunt,” Bissonnette told The Republican/MassLive.com in a phone interview after the meeting.

Bissonnette was part of a 14-member delegation of mayors organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. For the White House, the meeting was part of a larger effort to reach out to groups including the mayors, labor leaders and business leaders as it tries to gain support for its approach to addressing the “fiscal cliff,” a mix of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to go into effect in January. The Obama administration wants to continue the tax cuts implemented by Republican President George W. Bush for the middle class but let them expire for those making more than $250,000. Republicans will not raise tax rates for anyone.

For Bissonnette and the delegation, it was a chance to express opposition to across the board cuts, which are scheduled to go into effect in January if Congress does not act, and which they say could harm local infrastructure and military bases.

After the hour-and-a-half meeting, Bissonnette said he hopes some of the discussion will be helpful when the Obama administration enters negotiations Friday with House and Senate leadership.

Bissonette said while most people are focused on budget cuts and tax increases, “We brought up the third leg of the grand bargain which is economic growth created by having the private sector do our public works.” Bissonnette said that Biden seemed supportive.

Bissonnette said Biden indicated that the first priority for the administration is getting the Bush-era tax cuts extended for the middle class. “It was made clear today that those folks should know what’s going to happen before the Christmas shopping season so they can plan their lives,” he said.

Asked where Democrats might compromise, Bissonnette said, “I think everything’s on the table other than the middle class tax cut. That’s got to be first. That will open the door to discussions of all of the other issues that can be cobbled together to make a compromise.”

The three winners were honored at a reception and dinner at Chez Josef in Agawam.

AGAWAM - Stephen E. Hays said he was pleased to receive the William Pynchon Medal as a representative of the arts.

“It’s good to have the arts appreciated,” he said.

Hays, the founder of The Drama Studio in Springfield, and two others were honored as William Pynchon Medal winners Thursday night at a reception and dinner at Chez Josef in Agawam.

The other two winners are Ellen W. Freyman, a Springfield lawyer honored for her efforts to help Somali families in the community, and Robert J. Perry, one of the founders of the Millbrook Scholars Program which gives young men from difficult home circumstances the support to attend college.

The three were inducted into the Order of William Pynchon, established in 1915 by the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts. The honor is given annually to individuals from the region who have demonstrated exceptional community and civic service.

Perry, a retired partner with the accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations, including the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity and the Greater Springfield YMCA.

Perry said he works daily with four young men ages 18 to 22 who are students at Springfield Technical Community College.

“I am in touch with them daily,” he said.

He said he has taught such life skills as going to the grocery store and ironing. He said he has also taken them on trips to concerts and ball games.

“Sometimes we text, sometimes I stop by,” he said.

He said he and the other founders of the Millbrook Scholars Program - York Mayo and Mark Jackson - realized that the young men needed support like family support - if they were going to make it through college.

“We saw a need and addressed it,” Perry said. “It was the right thing to do.”

Freyman, a partner with the law firm Shatz, Schwartz & Fenton, P.C., said Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Service and Lutheran Services were helping Somali families who have settled in Springfield when she realized the children had additional educational needs.

“They didn’t know how to use stairs or pencils,” she said.

She and her husband and two sons started tutoring children weekly and she helped launch a Somali youth soccer team, arranging for funding for uniforms, transportation and gasoline and finding a coach and fields for practice. The team has joined the Springfield Summer Soccer League.

Freyman, her husband and son still tutor, every Thursday.

Hays, who also founded StageWest in 1967, the Boar’s Head Festival at Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield and The Drama Studio, said The Drama Studio is one of only a handful of after-school acting conservatories in the U.S. where young people ages nine to 18 can intensively study theater curriculum.

The students pay for acting lessons, and there are scholarships for those who are unable to pay.

“Ninety nine percent of our students go on to college,” he said.

He said some go into acting, but those who do not also have learned about leadership and how to speak on their feet.

In Hampden County, Mastroianni said area colleges not only agreed to share information, some college investigators accompanied his staff to a sexual assault training workshop in Dallas.

District Attorney Mark E. Mastroianni makes a point in Hampden Superior Court recently. The Republican file | Michael S. Gordon

SPRINGFIELD – Hampden District Attorney Mark E. Mastroianni's office is preparing formal legal agreements emphasizing the need for local colleges to report suspected sex crimes against students.

Mastroianni said he met with police and security personnel for the seven colleges in Hampden County earlier this year to stress the importance of sharing information on sexual assaults on campus and in college-owned housing in the community.

Based on the meeting, Mastroianni’s office is drawing up formal agreements clarifying the roles of colleges, area police departments and the district attorney’s office in responding to sexual assault complaints filed by students.

“We want them and expect them to report to us,” Mastroianni said. “If someone commits a violent sexual crime, that person shouldn’t be able to skate from punishment."

Sexual assault reports on local campuses have drawn national scrutiny recently, with an alleged gang rape at the University of Massachusetts in October and criticism of Amherst College’s response to three sexual assault complaints dating back to 2010.

In a suicide note published with his parents approval last week, Amherst College student Thomas F. “Trey” Malone ̵, who jumped off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay on June 17 – said he felt doubly victimized by a campus sexual assault last year and by the “emotionless hand washing” of the college’s investigation.

Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, whose office is working to boost awareness and reporting of sexual assaults, said his office was never notified about Malone’s allegation.

In Hampden County, Mastroianni said area colleges not only agreed to share information, some college investigators accompanied his staff to a sexual assault training workshop in Dallas.

But he also noted that the U.S. Justice Department is demanding more aggressive action nationwide to investigate and punish sex assaults on campus.

A Justice Department survey in 2007 found that 1 in 5 undergraduate women are victims of attempted or actual sexual assault, along with 1 in 16 undergraduate men.

In an initiative, launched last year, the Justice Department established uniform standards for disciplinary hearings, with victims and alleged assailants receiving equal access to lawyers, evidence, character witnesses and appeals.

By law, students are given the option of pressing criminal charges or resolving the case through the college disciplinary process.

Victim rights advocates have long accused colleges of having a conflict in handling sexual assault complaints, which can lead to lawsuits and bad publicity for the school.

Mastroianni said sexual assault cases are difficult for victims, and present legal challenges for college investigators, as well.

Mastrioanni said his office has the expertise and independence to help with difficult investigations, especially dealing with traumatized victims who are reluctant to press charges.

“This is what we specialize in,” he said.

Let's not panic. We all know that Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Wonder bread and the rest of Hostess Brands' oddly everlasting foods aren't going away any time soon, even if the food culture that created them is gasping its last.

By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor

Let's not panic. We all know that Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Wonder bread and the rest of Hostess Brands' oddly everlasting foods aren't going away any time soon, even if the food culture that created them is gasping its last.

Yes, Hostess is shutting down. And odds seem to favor the roughly century-old company disappearing from our corporate landscape. But before you rush out to stockpile a strategic Twinkie reserve, consider a few things. Namely, that Twinkies never die. You know full well that the snack cakes down at your corner 7-Eleven are going to outlive us all. Probably even after they've been consumed.

And then there's the acquisition-happy nature of the business world, an environment that increasingly prizes intellectual property above all. It's hard to imagine the fading away of brands as storied and valuable as Ho Hos, Ring Dings and Yodels. Within hours of announcing the closure Friday, the company already had put out word that Zingers, Fruit Pies and all the other brands were up for grabs.

Even if production really did stop, how long do you think it would take for some enterprising investor intoxicated by a cocktail of nostalgia and irony for the treats Mom used to pack in his G.I. Joe lunch box to find a way to roll out commemorative Twinkies? Special edition holiday Ho Hos? It's just the nature of our product-centered world. Brands don't die, even when perhaps they should.

But let's pretend for a moment they did. What would we lose if Twinkies fell off the culinary cliff?

Certainly few obesity-minded nutritionists would bemoan the loss. With some 500 million Twinkies produced a year, each packing 150 calories... Well, let's just leave it by saying that shaving 75 trillion calories from the American diet sure could add up to a whole lot of skinny jeans.

Except that Twinkies aren't merely a snack cake, nor just junk food. They are iconic in ways that transcend how Americans typically fetishize food. But ultimately, they fell victim to the very fervor that created them.

Despite the many urban legends about the indestructability of Twinkies — Did you know they are made with the same chemical used in embalming? Or that they last 5, no 15, no 50 years? — and the many sadly true stories about the atrocious ingredients used to create them today, these treats once upon a time were the real deal.

They started out back in 1930, an era when people actually paid attention to seasonality in foods. James A. Dewar, who worked at Hostess predecessor Continental Baking Company in Schiller, Ill., wanted to find a way to use the bakery's shortbread pans year round. You see, the shortbread was filled with strawberries, but strawberries were only available for a few weeks a year.

So he used the oblong pans to bake spongecakes, which he then filled with banana cream. Bananas were a more regular crop.

Let's pause so you can wrap your mind around that for a moment. Twinkies once contained real fruit. Twinkies were created because of seasonality.

All went swimmingly until World War II hit and rationing meant — say it with me — Yes! We have no bananas. And so was born the vanilla cream Twinkie, which was vastly more popular anyway. Even then, there was a crafted element to these treats. The filling was added by hand using a foot pedal-powered pump. Pump too hard and the Twinkies exploded. These days you only see that when teenagers post YouTube videos of themselves microwaving them.

It was around this time that American food culture did an about face. It was an era when the industrialization and processing of cheap food wasn't just desired, it was glorified. Cans and chemicals could set you free. And they certainly set Twinkies free of the nuisance of a short shelf life. It's not formaldehyde that keeps these snack cakes feeling fresh, it's the lack of any dairy products in the so-called "cream."

"Something about it just absolutely grabbed the popular culture imagination," says Marion Nestle, a New York University professor of nutrition and food studies — and no fan of junk food. "It's the prototypical indestructible junk food. It was the sort of height to which American technological ingenuity could go to create a product that was almost entirely artificial, but gave the appearance of eclairs."

When Twinkies signed on as a sponsor of the "Howdy Doody" show during the 1950s, their cultural legacy was sealed. Taglines such as "The snacks with a snack in the middle" began etching themselves into generations of young minds and it was considered perfectly fine that Twinkie the Kid would lasso and drag children before stuffing his sugar bombs in their faces.

It was the snack cake heyday. Twinkies were being deep-fried at state fairs, doing cameos in movies like "Ghost Busters" and "Die Hard" and being pushed by Spider-Man in comic books. A pre-vegan President Bill Clinton even signed off on including Twinkies in the nation's millennium time capsule (the two-pack was later removed and consumed by his council overseeing such matters for fear mice would add themselves to the time capsule).

Sure, not all the attention was positive. Somewhere along the line, Twinkies became the butt of jokes, mostly about their perceived longevity (though Hostess staunchly maintains 25 days is the max). And not all associations were great. The so-called "Twinkie defense" came out of the 1979 murder trial of Dan White, whose lawyers included his junk food obsession among the evidence of his supposed altered state of mind.

Then something happened. Suddenly, Americans who for decades had been tone deaf to how food was produced suddenly started paying attention, seeking out organic goat cheeses made from the milk of an unoppressed herd raised on a fence-free collective within a 20-mile radius of home. Even Doritos went artisanal, and an awareness of seasons and availability crept back into the culinary consciousness.

Suddenly products that had so prospered by their artificiality lost their allure. Even Hostess, which blamed this week's shutdown mostly on a labor dispute that hobbled its facilities, has acknowledged that consumer concern about health and food quality changed the game. People just weren't buying snack cakes like they used to.

So what would we lose if Twinkies really did go away? From a culinary standpoint and from a nutritional standpoint, it's hard to love the Twinkie (or pretty much any Hostess product). It's hard not to wonder how the American diet, the American palate, would be different if the parents of the '50s hadn't begun a cycle of turning to processed packages as the de facto snack of childhood.

And does nostalgia alone justify the continuation of something so patently bad for us?

Of course nostalgia, even irony, taste awfully good.

And I notice that a growing number of — dare I say it — artisanal bakeries are going retro, creating their own inspired takes on classic processed snack cakes. Treats like the red velvet "twinkies" at New York's Lulu Cake Boutique. Real ingredients. So perhaps it isn't time for Twinkies to go away. Or to stay the same. Maybe it's time for them to go back to their roots. And then, we lose nothing.

Welker has been battling an ankle injury.

Wes Welker may not be fully healthy, but he isn’t willing to let something like that keep him off the field.

The Patriots wide receiver returned to practice Friday after missing the last two days with an ankle injury and plans to play Sunday against the Colts.

“I don’t know if anybody is 100 percent at this point in the season,” Welker said. “I don’t know where I’m at. I’m just looking forward to getting better and trying to contribute on Sunday.”

Welker has been battling a left ankle injury since October and apparently suffered a setback during the fourth quarter of last week’s win against the Bills when he pulled up lame after a long reception.

Welker said he felt good following Friday’s practice.

“It’s nice to get out there, get some reps and hopefully get ready for the game.”