The system can reduce evacuation time in a disaster by half.

Aura Ganz, a UMass electrical and computer engineering professor, has received a $1.6 million federal grant to perfect a disaster management system. The Republican / Diane Lederman  

AMHERST – Aura Ganz wants her engineering talents to save lives.

And a four-year $1.6-million grant from the National Institutes of Health will help her do just that.

The University of Massachusetts electrical and computer engineering professor has developed a system called DIORAMA I - Dynamic Information Collection and Resource Tracking System for Disaster Management. It can show who is injured and how severely at a disaster site and evacuate them at a 50 percent faster rate than current practice.

The grant money will allow her to produce the hardware and test it in myriad locations with larger trials in a project called DIORAMA II.

At a disaster site, there's often chaos as first responders move in to locate the injured. Now, typically, they mark the injured with cards colored to show the severity of injury, but then those who will treat those people have to locate them. “It’s very slow,” Ganz said.

Her system uses a marking card with a computer chip. That provides both the rescue workers on the ground and the rescue commander with a map of where each victim is, she said.

The chip will also let a responder find a victim using a smart phone.

She said the system reduced the evacuation and treatment time by 50 percent in the 10 or so trials that were run with a $400,000 exploratory NIH grant. She said health agency didn’t want to fund development “unless we could show the benefits.”

With the information, the system commander will know the extent and severity of injuries and “know how many resources to request.”

She said this system would work in any mass disaster from tornadoes to gas explosions or airplane and train crashes -- anywhere there are numerous casualties.

She will be working the Harvard Medical Disaster Team, federal and state emergency management agencies, emergency services in Boston and the state Department of Public Health.

“It’s very exciting. I’ve been working very hard for (funding.)” She said, “it’s exciting to make a difference to save lives.” She said that is also the mission of the NIH.

Ganz, who lives in Hadley, said she is collaborating with a biostatistician and engineer who is working on the hardware. They have to make the chip smaller and less expensive to produce. She will also work with two graduate students.

“It’s nice to get to collaborate with people in different disciplines.”

Although the research funds the project over four years, she’s hoping to see the system at work sooner.

The MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report found that sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods increased just 0.7 percent in the 2 months before Christmas compared with the same period last year.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — For the stock market, this week hasn't been the most wonderful time of the year.

U.S. stocks fell Wednesday for the third trading day in a row. Disappointing holiday sales weighed heavy on retail companies, and the unwelcome "fiscal cliff" package of higher taxes and lower government spending loomed nearer.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 24.49 points to 13,114.59. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.83 to 1,419.83 and the Nasdaq composite lost 22.44 to 2,990.16.

Karyn Cavanaugh, market strategist with ING Investment Management in New York, wrote a note to clients Wednesday highlighting the less-than-merry retail sales.

"I hope that they're reading this from the mall," she said later, "because retail sales could use a boost."

The MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report found that sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods increased just 0.7 percent in the two months before Christmas compared with the same period last year.

That was well below the 3 to 4 percent that analysts had expected and the worst performance since 2008, when spending shrank during the depths of the Great Recession.

Major U.S. retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Sears Holdings, Urban Outfitters, Limited Brands, Nike and Gap were all down. Handbag maker Coach, a bellwether of the luxury market, plummeted $3.39 to $54.13. It lost nearly 6 percent of its value, more than any other company in the S&P 500.

Right behind it was online retailer Amazon.com, which helps analysts get a read on the entire retail market. It lost nearly 4 percent, falling $9.99 to $248.63.

Plodding retail sales are a concern because consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy. When shoppers pull back on spending, that can take a chunk out of company earnings, which in turn pushes down the stock market.

The retail numbers are also a sign that despite scattered hints of an improving economy, including a report Wednesday about rising home prices, many consumers remain uneasy about their prospects.

"Consumers just aren't confident," said Jeff Sica, president and chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management in Morristown, N.J. "They don't feel a sense of security that they're going to be able to maintain their job or their income or their savings."

Sica pointed out that normally the market rises at this time of year — the so-called Santa Claus rally. Since 1969, stocks have risen an average of 1.6 percent over the last five days of December and the first two of January, according to The Stock Trader's Almanac.

This year, it seems, the retail sales and "fiscal cliff" have been too much of an overhang.

The "fiscal cliff" refers to lower government spending and higher taxes that will kick in Jan. 1, if Republicans and Democrats can't agree to a new budget by then.

The Senate is due in session Thursday, and President Barack Obama is expected to return early from his Christmas vacation in Hawaii, arriving back in Washington early Thursday. Still, congressional officials said Wednesday they knew of no significant strides toward a compromise over the long Christmas weekend, and no negotiations have been set.

It's not clear that the market would automatically rise if there is a deal, or automatically fall if there isn't. Except for the past three days, the market has risen more or less steadily since mid-November despite the lack of a "fiscal cliff" deal. That means many traders have been assuming that lawmakers would work out something before the deadline, so any positive effect from a compromise is already baked into stock prices.

While a compromise is still possible, some analysts said that what the market feared most wasn't the cliff, but the possibility that lawmakers would come up with only a stop-gap solution. That would probably mean they'd have to meet again in the new year to hammer out a permanent deal, dragging out the uncertainty.

"It's like ripping the Band-Aid off now versus later," Cavanaugh said. "The Band-Aid's got to come off. We've got to cut spending, we've got to pay down the debt."

The bright spot was a report from the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller national home price index, which said that home prices rose in most major U.S. cities in October compared with a year ago. However, prices fell in many cities compared to the month before.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged down to 1.75 percent from 1.77 percent Monday, a sign that investors were taking money out of stocks and putting it into bonds.

It was the first trading day after the Christmas holiday. Trading volume was low, and European markets were still closed.

Just 2.3 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. For the year so far, the average has been around 3.6 billion.

Expect snow to sleet and rain in the Greater Springfield and Holyoke area.

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for all of western Massachusetts beginning at 7 p.m. tonight and lasting into late Thursday evening.

Thursday morning's commute will be hazardous for many locations.

A nor'easter will bring moderate-to-heavy snow to parts of western Massachusetts, along with a mixture of rain and ice for tonight and Thursday. First, snow looks likely early this evening. It will intensify through the overnight hours, delivering the first major snowfall of the season for the region.

Tomorrow morning, a mild push from the south will start changing over that snow to rain with areas of sleet and freezing rain in between. So, a classic rain-snow line to make it interesting. This changeover will be most prominent in the valley, while the hill towns will hold onto the heavy wet snow for a while longer. This will help limit the total snowfall accumulations for the Springfield area.

Expected snowfall totals ... downtown Springfield 2 - 3 inches, Northampton near 4 inches, Greenfield around 6 inches, Berkshires 8-12 inches...with isolated amounts over a foot. This is welcomed news for local ski areas with school vacationers wanting to get out the snowboard or skis.

The factor that will throw off these snowfall totals is when the rain mixes into western Massachusetts ... too soon and snowfall totals will be reduced, barely any rain and snowfall could be much higher. The expected snowfall totals above count on rain commencing for the valley by early Thursday morning.

Friday will be a drier day, with just some leftover snow flurries in the Berkshires.

Tonight: Moderate snow developing. Several inches possible for the hill towns, mixing with rain by morning, low 30.

Thursday: Windy with morning rain or snow showers tapering off midday. High 38.

Friday: Sun and clouds. Berkshire flurries, windy and cold, high 34.

Subcommittee chairman Bud Williams said he expects early action on the zoning ordinance in the new year.

Springfield City Council Photo by Michael Beswick/The Republican  

SPRINGFIELD – A complete revision of the city’s zoning ordinance, which has been under review the past six years, died in committee this week and will have to be resurrected in the new year.

The revamped 287-page document, which is intended to provide a clearer guide for new development, was referred back to subcommittee by the City Council on Sept. 25 for further review, and died after a 90-day period due to inaction, under council rules.

Some advocates for the new zoning ordinance were critical of the council this week for failing to vote on the proposed ordinance.

“It’s 90 days and six years,” said Jane Hetzel, president of the Forest Park Civic Association. “I think there has been enough time to read it, study it, and know it’s important to Springfield to have it as a tool for planning.”

Councilor Bud L. Williams, chairman of the council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, to which the ordinance was referred, said he is confident the matter will return quickly and gain passage. Williams said he believes progress has been made in addressing some concerns, and he will ask for an update from the Planning Department in mid-January.

The ordinance and any new proposed revisions will need to return for consideration by the Planning Board, and a hearing then held within 65 days, officials said. The board will forward its recommendation to the City Council, which will conduct its own public hearing.

The council can vote to approve, amend, or reject the proposed ordinance, under council rules. Both the Planning Board and council had previously held hearings on the ordinance prior to it dying in committee and triggering the need for new hearings.

“I’m very confident that we have a document that will be done in the very near future,” Williams said. “I am very confident working with the city planner, neighborhood groups, and the business folks, we will have a document.”

Hetzel said she hopes Williams “sticks to his word” and will move ahead for passage of the ordinance.

Gloria DeFillipo of the Pine Point Community Council said when she did not see any committee meeting posted during December on the matter, she knew the ordinance would die in committee.

“I can’t even tell you my reaction,” DeFillipo said this week. “You won’t be able to print it. We need a new zoning ordinance. It should have been moved on already.”

The zoning ordinance has not had any major revisions since it was created in 1971. The revisions will provide a guide for new development ranging from home-based businesses to the conversion of old mills.

As proposed, the ordinance will create a new “tiered review system” for development ranging from Planning Department and Planning Board review at the lowest tiers to City Council approval at the highest, city officials said. Planning officials said the ordinance does not take away any powers from the council, which oversees zoning and land use issues in Springfield.

A few developers raised concerns in the past about the tiered review system and other issues, saying it could hinder development.

One of the developers, Frank Colaccino, president of The Colvest Group, said this week that he believes “a lot of the differences had been bridged.”

“I think it’s a good ordinance,” Colaccino said. “I think the way all the sides have conducted themselves, care has been taken to make sure of a good ordinance for the city at this time.”

The ladder, designed to help species like shad, blueback herring and Atlantic salmon reach spawning waters upstream from the Manhan River Dam, was supposed to have been in place nearly 2 years ago.

07.22.2010 | EASTHAMPTON -- Chrisopher P. Bartolini, of CRC Company, of Quincy, works on a temporary dam so construction can proceed on a fish ladder at the Manhan River Dam near Route 10 in Easthampton. The Republican staff file photo  

EASTHAMPTON — Seven firms submitted bids to complete the Manhan River Fish ladder project last week and the bids are being reviewed by the Westfield-based Tighe and Bond.

Mayor Michael A. Tautznik said officials will know more about the cost of the project once the bids are analyzed.

The U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service, which has been committed to the project on the Manhan River, has secured additional funding.

The money will come from a combination of expired American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the Holyoke Gas Coal Tar Deposits settlement reached in 2004 between state and federal officials and the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department and the Holyoke Water Co. for natural resource damages caused by the utilities to the Connecticut River and the fish and wildlife service, according to an email from Melissa Grader, a biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

There is $345,000 available in the settlement.

She wrote that they are still working on the final numbers to determine how much is available.

The ladder, designed to help species like shad, blueback herring and Atlantic salmon reach spawning waters upstream from the dam, was supposed to have been in place by the spring of 2011 but the contractor CRC Co. of Quincy said in 2010 it would need an additional $447,600 to finish the job.

During the work, crews faced a series of problems, including the discovery of wooden timbers buried under the sediment.

The ladder is complete, but cannot be installed until the timbers are removed.

The U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife Service had granted $750,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus money for the project. The project has been in the pipeline for about a decade.

Tautznik hopes that once the funding is in place, the project will be finished this spring.

Folks with carts full of kiddie kitchens and motorized scooters and Barbie accessories stood twelve deep at Toys R Us in Springfield.

Among the top reasons that local retailers draw consumers like magnets on the day after Christmas, when you could reason all had more than their fill of shopping, most were no surprise.

1. Returns.

Folks with carts full of kiddie kitchens and motorized scooters and Barbie accessories stood twelve deep at Toys R Us on Boston Road in Springfield on Wednesday morning. At Kohl's in West Springfield staff had carved out a special area of the store as a "return center" for those for whom a too-large sweater or a a food processor that fell a little short had gained critical and immediate importance in terms of righting the wrongs.

Similarly, easily 100 people lined up at Old Navy at the Holyoke Mall, about even split between returns and bargain shoppers drawn by $5 must-haves. Which brings us to the day's runner up.

2. Bargains.

The sales were prolific. At Toys R Us many items were "buy one get 40 or 50 percent off" a second item; Legos, Wii games and other electronics. The clearance aisle there had grew exponentially overnight with wrapping paper prices slashed and sales on other Christmas-themed items including a four-foot tall bubble gum pink plastic tree. Because who doesn't want one of those, particularly at a steep discount.

At Kohl's, Melissa Hipsher, of Westfield, and her mother, Louise Gazda, of Middlefield, said they have made day-after-Christmas shopping excursions a tradition for about five years. Their shopping carts were overflowing with toys and home goods about 90 minutes after they arrived. Most of the purchases were for their New Year's Day Yankee swap for extended family members.

"Most everything is 40 percent to 60 percent off. You can get a toaster oven for $35. A really good one," Hipsher said, plus, they joked, they walked off their eggnog and such from the day before.

Therefore, reason No. 3: Wanderlust.

This seemed to particularly afflict a mostly female demographic between 'tweens to early 20s, armed with returns and gift cards and cash gifts at the Holyoke Mall. Case in point: while some stores were tame or nearly empty, the Victoria's Secret store was swarming with girls in their popular "Pink" section aimed at the young set.

"I've been at home for three days, wrapping, then Christmas Eve then hanging out and eating on Christmas Day and helping my mom clean. I mean, I really love my family but I needed to get out of the house," Jessica Huron, 20, of Chicopee, said with a grin as she sifted through a mountain of sequined, boot-cut yoga pants looking for her size.

Others, meanwhile, used the post-Christmas shopping experience to grab a little more togetherness.

John Pickard of Williamsburg was watching his two children outside Cedar Chest at Thorne's Marketplace in Northampton while his wife was returning earrings at a nearby shop.

They also had to return some presents for the correct sizes. He said because of his children's ages, 1 and almost 3, – they shopped online a good deal but also looked for opportunities to shop locally.

Judy Seamon, of West Virginia, and her grandson Ben Gilsdorf, of Amherst, were waiting for Gilsdorf’s mother who was shopping at 25 Central in the same Northampton complex. It was a family outing and a way for the clan to show some of the many shops to Seamon who lives in a small town where the only option is a Walmart.

Despite disheartening national post-holiday sales reports economists attributed to everything from Hurricane Sandy to the fiscal cliff to the Newtown, Conn., shooting rampage, some retailers said they were encouraged by holiday shopping traffic.

“"The last two weeks were so busy. We were prepared (for the day after),”" said Joe Romanos, general manager of Cedar Chest. But the store was even busier than expected on Wednesday. He said other market merchants also reported a good business. “

"I’'m certainly encouraged,”" he said.

But, economists said national sales still suggest a general reticence about overspending.

Karl J. Petrick, associate professor of economics at Western New England University, said seasonal hiring was even off with stores deciding to hire fewer employees. Part of it, he said, is the agonizingly slow recovery from the recession. Stalled fiscal cliff negotiations in Washington aren’t helping.

“People are wondering what is going to happen,” Petrick said.

The federal social security tax will rise by two percentage points if a deal isn’t completed. Spending cuts will hurt industry.

“People start wondering what is happening to their income so they cut back on the shopping and start saving a bit more, just in case,” he said. “A lot of people make similar decisions to spend a little bit less, which in the aggregate makes a big impact.”

Last year, just one of five trades listed on the Big Board were actually made by people working on the floor of the Wall St. exchange.

When the first rotary telephones were created, the New York Stock Exchange had already been in business for 100 years.

The predecessor to the official exchange, the so-called Buttonwood Agreement of 1792, established a market – and a method – for buying and selling stock. Fully 220 years later, with the rotary telephone and manual typewriters and top hats having faded into history, the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange is still in operation.

Sort of.

Last year, just one out of five trades of stocks listed on the Big Board were actually made by people working on the floor of the historic building at 11 Wall Street.

Last week’s announcement that NYSE Euronext, as the New York Stock Exchange has officially been named since a 2006 merger, was being sold to upstart IntercontinentalExchange, an Atlanta-based electronic trading firm, further eroded the floor itself.

While it most assuredly gives one pause, creating another of those moments of reflection, it also is a time to be astonished that the old ways persisted for so very long.

The ringing of the bell that signaled the start of trading. The floor jammed with men, shouting, waving frenetically, jumping up and down, some of them perhaps holding their heads in their hands at the end of the day, slumped in a corner, literally and figuratively sapped of their strengths.

All the while, though, the largest stock market on earth, operating at a corner of Wall Street, itself a synonym for high finance the world over, kept up with the times behind the scenes. Computers and the high-speed trading they allowed would come to dominate the day.

One can imagine a tour of historic New York, a guide explaining: “There once were machines, called stock tickers, and there were traders, men literally out there on the floor ...”

Gronkowski is just waiting for medical clearance to get back on the field.

FOXBOROUGH – Rob Gronkowski has grown tired of being a spectator. He's watched five games from the sidelines, and is now doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't see a sixth.

But despite that effort and participating in the last five practices after suffering a broken forearm Nov. 18, he's yet to receive medical clearance from the team doctors. Coach Bill Belichick said that Gronkowski still hadn't received a clean bill of health as of Wednesday, but that could change in time for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

"When they know it's safe and sound and ready to go, that's when it will be ready to go," Gronkowski said. "I trust in that. I'm anxious to get out there."

"There's nothing more important than the player's health and safety. When they're cleared to play, then we make playing decisions," Belichick said. "If they're not cleared to play; then there's no decision to make. I don't think that's a decision a coach makes or influences."

Gronkowski feels that he's in good enough shape to step back on the field and contribute at any point, whether that moment comes Sunday or during the playoffs. He also added that his arm feels good after having a metal rod placed in it the day after suffering the initial injury.

The Patriots have maintained during his absence, winning four of five games while using a combination of Aaron Hernandez, Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui to fill his various roles. Gronkowski had 53 receptions for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns at the time of his injury.

Seeing his teammates carry on without him has made him even hungrier to get back on the field.

"Your teammates always put it on the line for you, and that's why I want to be out there – to put it on the line for them," Gronkowski said.

To get there, he's just going to stay the course and do whatever the trainers tell him to do.

"Just listening to the trainers everyday, what they had me doing to get back on the field and get me healthy," he said. "So far I'd say it's going pretty well. Just gotta keep doing what I've been doing."

Kelly was shot in the hip, shoulder, knee and wrist and twice in the back during the assault.

 

SPRINGFIELD - A few days before 19-year-old Dwayne Kelly was gunned down on Eastern Avenue, somebody left a two-word message for him on Facebook: “bang bang.”

The posting helped police identify Larry A. Green, 19, of Springfield, whom they believe was the gunman who leaned out the window of passing car and sprayed Green with bullets on Oct. 26, turning him into the city’s 10th homicide for 2012.

Green, of 11 Willard Ave., was arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court on murder and firearms charges for allegedly shooting Kelly outside Emily’s Market at 176 Eastern Ave. in what police called a gang-related killing.

The defendant – described in court documents as a member of the Sycamore Street Posse – pleaded innocent to one count of murder and four related charges. Judge William J. Boyle ordered him held without right to bail.

Kelly was shot in the hip, shoulder, knee and wrist and twice in the back during the assault, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. on a Friday. A vehicle parked near the market was hit by a stray bullet, police said.

Green was arrested in Pittsfield Dec. 22 after police responded around 3 a.m. to noise complaint at a Kent Avenue address. He was taking a shower when police entered the apartment and gave a false name while being questioned, police said.

An affidavit filed by Springfield police detective W. Shawn Kearney said Kelly was grazed by a bullet a week before the Oct. 26 slaying.

He never reported the incident to police, but told friends he believed that Green, also known as Little Smitty, was the shooter, Kearney stated.

Kelly’s friends alerted police to a Facebook page in which Green had entered the words “bang bang” next to Kelly’s picture shortly after the first shooting, according to the affidavit.

Kelly was born in Holyoke, educated in Springfield, and was employed by United Floor Covering and Painting Services, according to his obituary.

The warrant for Green’s arrest was Dec. 19.

Besides murder, Green is also charged with discharging a firearm within 100 feet of a building, carrying a gun without a license, possession of a gun without a firearm identification card, and malicious destruction of property worth more than $250.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.

The New England Patriots will spend Thursday telling everyone with a microphone that they would rather spend their February in New Orleans than Hawaii, but for now seven of them have tickets punched for a trip over the Pacific Ocean after being named to the NFL's Pro Bowl team.

FOXBOROUGH -- The New England Patriots will spend Thursday telling everyone with a microphone that they would rather spend their February in New Orleans than Hawaii, but for now seven of them have tickets punched for a trip over the Pacific Ocean after being named to the NFL's Pro Bowl team.

Those selected to the team Wednesday night were quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker, linebacker Jerod Mayo, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, tight end Rob Gronkowski, special teamer Matthew Slater and guard Logan Mankins.

Only Brady and Welker were not named starters. Of the seven selected, all but Mayo were on the Pro Bowl team last year. None, however, participated after making it to the Super Bowl.

Brady has passed for 4,543 yards and 32 touchdowns, making him just the fifth player to pass for 4,000 or more yards in five seasons. This is his eighth Pro Bowl selection after making the last four teams. John Hannah (nine) is the only player with more Pro Bowls than Brady.

Welker has made the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons and has 110 receptions, 1,260 yards and five touchdowns entering the final week of the season. He became the first player in NFL history to log five seasons with 100 or more catches earlier this year.

Gronkowski has missed the last five games with a forearm injury, but has made 53 catches for 748 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also made the Pro Bowl last season.

Mayo, who leads the team with 179 tackles, also made the Pro Bowl in 2010. He has 10 games with 10 or more tackles this season. Wilfork earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection.

Mankins, who has fought injuries throughout the season, earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod, while Slater earned his second nod.

The Patriots seven selections trailed only San Francisco (nine) and Houston. The Jets were second in the AFC East with two selection, while Miami had one. Buffalo did not have a player selected.

Patriots react:

Vince Wilfork:
“To be selected to my fifth Pro Bowl is amazing. I am honored and humbled. More importantly, I am proud that the other guys on my team are getting the recognition they deserve.”

Jerod Mayo:
“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers, the coaches and the fans, but it’s more of an honor to be one of seven of my teammates going to Hawaii, since that is a reflection of our overall team success. We’ll all enjoy the recognition tonight with our families and be right back to focusing on the Dolphins in the morning.”

Matthew Slater:
“I am very thankful to be selected to the Pro Bowl. God has blessed me with this opportunity and the ability to stay healthy. I have a lot of people to thank. An honor like this does not come without your teammates next to you making plays. I want to thank coach Belichick for believing in me and taking a chance on me so I can live out my childhood dreams of playing in the NFL. Coach Scott O’Brien has pretty much changed my career with the way he teaches and coaches me. I also need to thank Joe Judge for what he has been able to teach me.”

Logan Mankins:
“We have a lot of guys who earned the honor this year, so that is pretty cool. It’s always nice to have your peers, coaches and fans select you to the Pro Bowl. Getting voted in is always a reflection of our team success. While I do appreciate this recognition, we need to get ready and keep our focus on the game this week against Miami.”

Tom Brady:
“It is flattering to be selected, but I have always considered Pro Bowl recognition as a reflection of the team’s overall success. I am happy for my many teammates who were selected again this year. I know that there are many others who are equally deserving of the opportunity. One day, I am sure I will have a greater appreciation for individual accomplishments, but this week my focus is simply on our preparations for Miami.”

Berkshire and Franklin counties could see as much as a foot of snow.

Like real estate sales, the impact of this winter’s first major storm will depend on location, location, location.

“It is difficult to predict. It depends on where people are,” said CBS 3 meteorologist Nick Morganelli, media partner with the Republican and Masslive.com.

The Springfield area is expected to see two or three inches of snow fall before the storm switches to mixed precipitation and later rain while Greenfield will likely see six inches to a foot and a limited amount of mixed precipitation, he said.

The Berkshires, especially the hills, are likely to see about a foot of snow and little or no rain.

Morganelli warned that Thursday morning’s commute could be difficult no matter where people are.

Seeing predictions of the storm starting any time after 7 p.m., area communities called for parking bans starting at about 7 p.m. Wednesday and running through late afternoon Thursday. In Springfield, parking on the even side of the street is banned until 7 a.m. Thursday and on the odd side of the street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. Holyoke is banning parking on the even side of any street until 5 p.m. Thursday and all on-street parking is prohibited in Granby.

Most Department of Public Works started preparing early for the storm.

Northampton, where six to eight inches of snow was predicted, drivers were scheduled by 6 p.m. Wednesday and plows were on the trucks ready to go well before that.

“I’ve seen a bunch of different predictions so we play it by ear. We bring everyone in and when there is two inches on the ground we will start plowing. Sanders and salters will be out as soon as it starts,” Department of Public Works Superintendent Richard Parsiliti said.

Springfield Public Works Forman Matthew Pianka said sanding and salting on hills and major arteries was to begin as soon as the storm started. Employees came in around 7 p.m.

After that, Springfield employees would do whatever was necessary to clear roads depending if there was more snow or it the storm switched to a wintry mix early, he said.

“We are planning for snow but we are hoping for more rain,” said William D. Fuqua, public works general superintendent for Holyoke.

Forecasts put the line for snow and rain right over Holyoke, so Fuqua said he called in nine drivers to come to work at 7 p.m. so they could start treating roads as soon as necessary.

Bank of America has the second-largest market share in Greater Springfield, according to a recent report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 7:25 this morning.

 

SPRINGFIELD -- Bank of America will close its location at 3065 Main St. in Springfield on March 1 as part of a national effort to close branch offices.

Bank of America also announced this week that it will close just the drive-through window at its location at 10 Main St. in Westfield, also on March 1.

Bank of America doesn't ever reveal how many people work at its branches, said spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie.

She said Bank of America thinks it can serve its North Main Street customers at its other locations, including one at 1316 Carew St. and one at 225 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield. Bank of America also has a branch in the Monarch Place Office Tower on Main Street downtown.

Nationally, Bank of America has announced plans to close 750 of its roughly 5,700 branches.

Earlier this year, Bank of America closed its St. James Avenue location in Springfield as well as offices in Turners Falls and on Elm Street in West Springfield.

Bank of America has more than $1.6 billion in deposits locally giving it 11.91 percent of the market, according to the most recent report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That's the second-largest market share in Greater Springfield. TD Bank is first with $1.7 billion or 13.5 percent of the market.

Local banks widely see cutbacks and fee increases by national institutions like Bank of America as an opportunity to gain more customers.

Letter writer: Adam Lanza was a deeply troubled person and most likely had many mental and social and family issues but his Asperger’s did not cause him commit this unthinkable crime ...

Guns don’t belong in nation’s schools

We all know there is too much violence in our country, and there’s no excuse for ignoring it. An armed guard at every elementary school? May I ask - at the front door or at the back door or maybe at each window? What if a teacher or other employee in the school has “lost it”?

Sorry, the problem of violence is too complicated. One thing is for sure - Assault weapons have got to go! We need fewer guns, not more.

New York City Mayor Bloomberg makes sense!

– MARY ROSENTHAL, Springfield

NRA CEO LaPierre has some good ideas

National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre, gestures during a press conference in response to the Connecticut school shooting on Friday in Washington. The nation's largest gun-rights lobby is calling for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings." Associated Press / Evan Vucci  

I noticed the Sunday Republican’s editorial, “President right to push for gun control law,” (Dec. 23) and all the letters you published on that day were anti-gun and NRA.

As usual when liberal/progressive folks disagree with someone, in this case Wayne LaPierre of the NRA, they call them names such as stupid and laughable. They also are inaccurate calling out the use of “machine guns” which is untrue. Machine guns are highly regulated and almost never used in crimes.

However, I think Mr. LaPierre has some good ideas about having trained, armed, security in schools. Our political leaders have armed security most all the time. Malls, large business have armed security. Go to the airport. Security and police everywhere. Police on every corner? They already are. Drive down Elm Street in Westfield and you will oftentimes see three police cars before you get to the Turnpike entrance. After 9/11 we created the TSA. We have armed air marshals and armed, trained, pilots on our commercial flights to protect large groups of people. However, put an armed, trained person to protect our most precious, defenseless citizens at school and it is called stupid and laughable?

Just the other day I read a crank call came into a Holyoke school. What happened? They sent the armed police over to protect the school. Take the armed police off the construction sites and install flagmen for half the price and put the police in the schools for the price that a teacher’s aide would cost.

– GENE O’BRIEN, Westfield

Violence, Asperger’s don’t go together

I am like the rest of the people across this country mourning the devastation and loss of innocent lives in Connecticut. It was a tragedy that we will live with for the rest of our lives, but I would like to set the record straight about the mistake made in an Associated Press article, “Police look for answers,” (Sunday Republican, Dec. 16). The article quoted an anonymous law enforcement agent who said Adam Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness.

Young adults and adults who live with Asperger’s should never have been mentioned in this article. Lanza was a monster with many problems and issues and if he was autistic or had Asperger’s that did not cause the horrific crime that he committed. It is unthinkable and a mistake to mention Asperger’s in relationship to this crime. Yes, most Asppis are shy, may be quirky and have social issues, but like most people, they do not plot horrible crimes like this. It was a mistake and misstatement and the AP should apologize to the millions of young adults that live with Asperger’s. Most Asspi kids follow the rules and law above the average person. This law enforcement agent obviously needs to take a course in human behavior.

Adam Lanza was a deeply troubled person and most likely had many mental and social and family issues but his Asperger’s did not cause him commit this unthinkable crime and the statement has hurt many people with Asperger’s. I will continue to pray for the families and children effected by this tragedy.

– DAVID MOSCARITOLO, Greenfield

The NRA’s solution wrong one again

On the same day that there was a national moment of silence at to honor the fallen of the Newtown,Conn., mass shooting, the National Rifle Association held a press conference (no questions, please) to respond to this tragedy.

The time frame by itself is a bit ironic. I watched that complete speech by Wayne LaPierre, Jr., the CEO of the NRA. As I watched in amazement, my jaw continuing to drop, LaPierre resorted to the classic criminal defendant rational “some other dude did it.”)

As a former member of the U.S. Army, I learned to use weapons that were designed to inflict maximum casualties on the enemy. Sorry Mr. LaPierre, a teacher with a pistol will not ever stop some deranged individual with a 30 magazine weapon. The NRA recommends an armed police officer in every school in America. This is an organization that feels the government should get out of our daily life? Rather contradictory.

– DAVID LITKE, Chicopee

Police have closed Route 141, also known as Mountain Road in Easthampton and Holyoke, so it could be sanded..

Pedestrians walk by Thorne's Marketplace in Northampton as the snow started to fall on Wednesday evening. The Republican / Dave Roback  

A coating of snow on area roads caused slippery conditions Wednesday evening, police said.

Massachusetts State Police reported some cars had slipped off the roadways, but, as of about 8: 50 p.m., no serious accidents had been reported.

Police in Springfield and other communities called for sanding, especially on hills and major roadways.

In Westfield, state police said at least eight cars had slid off the Massachusetts Turnpike and the speed limit had been dropped to 40 miles an hour.

Tandem tractor trucks and propane trucks have also been banned from the Turnpike, police said.

Springfield Police Lt. James M. Rosso said there had been a few accidents but none have been serious.

"The roads are very slippery," he said.

Easthampton and Holyoke police temporarily shut down Route 141, also known as Mountain Road, for a short time so it could be sanded.

Nick Morganelli, meteorologist for CBS 3, said the Springfield region will likely see two or three inches of snow before it changes over to a mix of sleet and rain.

Franklin and Berkshire counties are expected to see as much as a foot of snow.

Earlier in the evening state police "tweeted" an announcement to its Twitter customers that a tractor trailer had jackknifed near mile marker 86 in the Pike in the Worcester area.

In Boston and along the coast, warmer temperatures were expected to turn the precipitation over to mostly rain, with minor snow accumulations.

A high wind warning has been issued for parts of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. Forecasters say gusts could reach 60 mph.

In Worcester, some were preparing for inclement weather by buying rock salt, shovels and windshield wash, Barrows Hardware president Brian Barrows said.

He called the volume of customers at his Webster Street store very steady Wednesday morning.

“You do get that supermarket effect for sure,” he said of shoppers stocking supplies before a storm.

Most flights were on schedule at Logan International Airport in Boston by Wednesday night, though there were scattered flight delays or cancellations.

At Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton, officials were hoping nature would augment the machine-made snow that’s on trails now. And the storm’s timing during school holiday vacations also had them pumped up.

“We love snow,” ski area spokesman Tom Meyers said. “We’re ready for it and this is perfect timing to give this season a little bit of a boost because it’s been limping along.”

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Despite its relatively strong growth in the past two years, Massachusetts still is trailing the nation’s population increase of 1.7 percent.

10/27/11-Springfield-Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin talks about the redistricting plans and the shift in Massachusetts population during a new conference at the Western Mass State Office Building in Springfield on Thursday afternoon.  

By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON – Massachusetts is enjoying a modest growth spurt, but not enough to win back a seat in Congress.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau numbers puts the state’s population at 6,646,144, up by 98,515 individuals from April 2010.

That growth increase of 1.5 percent was double the percentage increase of the rest the Northeast as a whole. Massachusetts was followed by New York which had 1 percent growth and New Jersey which had a 0.8 percent increase.

Connecticut and Pennsylvania both recorded a growth increase of half a percent, and New Hampshire’s population ticked up by 0.3 percent. Maine’s and Vermont’s populations held nearly even while Rhode Island recorded a decrease of 2,275 residents, a decline of 0.2 percent.

“We have some robust growth going on,” Massachusetts state Secretary William Galvin said Wednesday. “We seem to be the one place in the Northeast that has some sustained growth.”

Despite its relatively strong growth in the past two years, Massachusetts still is trailing the nation’s population increase of 1.7 percent since 2010.

Galvin said that while the growth in Massachusetts’ population is encouraging, it’s probably not enough to win back a seat in Congress.

Seats in the U.S. House are apportioned based on population, and Massachusetts saw its number of House seats drop from 10 to nine in this year’s election.

Galvin points to Washington state, where the population has grown faster than in Massachusetts. He said Washington’s population was ahead of Massachusetts’ when the seats in Congress were being divided up last time, and the state gained a House seat in the past election. Washington has increased its population to nearly 6.9 million in the most recent census, illustrating the difficulty Massachusetts faces in adding enough residents to reclaiming a seat.

“We’re not going to get back any congressional seats back any time soon,” Galvin said.

Massachusetts’ growth spurt may help the state stave off the loss of yet another seat in 2020, he said.

Galvin said that growth is worth noting given that Massachusetts, and the entire Northeast, has generally seen stagnant population numbers compared to other parts of the nation in recent tallies.

Galvin said it’s hard to know exactly why the state’s population has ticked up in recent years, but the state’s relatively strong economic outlook compared to the country as a whole may have played a role.

Massachusetts’ unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.6 percent in November, after climbing by more than half a point since June.

Still, the state’s unemployment rate is a full percentage point below the national rate of 7.7 percent in November.

Galvin said a better job at counting college students living in dorms in Massachusetts may also have helped contribute somewhat to the higher population number, but not enough to account for the entire increase.

Massachusetts remains the 14th most populous state in the country.

Officials said they are overwhelmed by the generosity of people from across the country.

Among a memorial to the Sandy Hook Elementary students and teachers, Julian Revie of Ottawa, Canada, plays Christmas music on a piano he helped bring to the memorial Tuesday in Newtown, Conn. People continue to visit memorials after gunman Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Dec. 14 and opened fire, killing 26, including 20 children, before killing himself. Associated Press / Craig Ruttle  

Overwhelmed with shipments of everything from teddy bears and school backpacks to clothing and cards from people who wanted to express their sympathy, officials from Newtown, Conn., are asking people to halt any further deliveries.

Financial support for the victims of the Dec. 14 shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, which killed 20 children and six adults, is still welcome and donations can be made to the Newtown Savings Bank.

The killings happened around 9:30 a.m. morning when Adam Lanza, 20, opened fire on 6- and 7-year-olds, teachers, the principal and the school counselor. He earlier shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, as she was sleeping in their house in Newtown. The rampage ended when Lanza killed himself.

An open letter was sent to the media through the New England Newspapers Association by John Voket, associate editor of the Newtown Bee. He said he was asked to help spread the word by First Selectman Pat Llorda, Police Chief Michael Kehoe and School Superintendent Janet Robinson.

“The Newtown Bee and our community continue to be awestruck by the outpouring of physical donations, and of monetary gifts to the primary benefit funds established following the event,” Voket said in the letter.

But he said in an interview the generous donations have overwhelmed the town of about 27,000. A warehouse is full of toys, school supplies and other goods sent to the community by people who want to express their sympathy and there are not enough volunteers to sort through them.

Under federal Department of Homeland Security guidelines all the items have to be inspected by police. Officers have been doing it mostly on a volunteer basis, but there are not enough police to do the work and concentrate on other duties, Voket said.

The first shipment of donations came in the days following the shootings, but the town started receiving tractor trailer trucks carrying more items in a second wave right around Christmas, he said.

The immediate needs of those affected by the shootings are being met and the long-term needs will be handled by donations which have already been stored in the warehouse, Voket said.

“They (community leaders) are asking that any items already collected be distributed within the areas or communities of origin with Newtown’s deepens gratitude and in memory of those we lost on Dec. 14,” Voket said in the letter.

Employees at the Westfield Athenaeum, who were planning to create a paper chain with names, signatures and sentiments of the community starting Jan. 2 said they will review the idea and decide if they should actually start the project.

The chain was to be presented to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown during national library month in February.

Newtown Savings Bank and United Way of Western Connecticut have es´tablished the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. Check donations may be mailed to: Sandy Hook School Support Fund, c/o New´town Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown, CT, 06470.

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The students have not attended school since a gunman killed 20 of their schoolmates and six adults earlier this month.

Members of the Rutter family of Sandy Hook, Conn., embrace early Christmas morning as they stand near memorials by the Sandy Hook firehouse in Newtown, Conn., on Christmas Day. Associated Press file / Craig Ruttle  

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The children at the Sandy Hook Elementary school won't be returning to classes for another week, but officials from the town, school district and local agencies are doing their best in the meantime to keep them occupied following a massacre at their school two weeks ago.

The students have not attended school since a gunman killed 20 of their schoolmates and six adults on Dec. 14.

Plans call for them to return to a different school next Thursday. In the meantime, they've been treated to field trips, toy giveaways and some organized play time.

"A couple of the teachers have done pizza parties," said Janet Robinson, Newtown's school superintendent. "Another met her kids at the library so they could have a little reading time together. The most important thing has been connecting the students back to their teacher and their classmates."

The Newtown Youth Academy, a nonprofit sports center, opened its doors to all kids in town at no cost shortly after the shooting. But from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. last week, the building's turf field, basketball and tennis courts, and giant inflatable obstacle course were reserved just for Sandy Hook Elementary students.

There have been arts and crafts for the smaller kids, as well as face-paintings. Some celebrities, including two members of the Harlem Globetrotters and former University of Connecticut basketball star Tina Charles, also have stopped by to play with the children. UConn's men's basketball team was making a trip Thursday.

"The idea was to get them away from the house, the television and all the coverage of this tragedy and get them to a place where kids can just be kids," said owner Peter D'Amico, a longtime youth coach in town.

On Thursday afternoon, school buses were loading up at the Youth Academy for a trip to Stamford and a larger complex, Chelsea Piers, which also has ice rinks and an indoor swimming pool, he said. Sports celebrities, such as Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries, planned to meet them there. No media were allowed.

University of Connecticut psychologist Julian Ford, who spent time counseling in Newtown in the first days after the shooting, said it's important for the grieving process to include an outlet that lets children know that while things will never be the same, it's OK to enjoy life.

"They are all going to be thinking about what happened," he said. "That, unfortunately, is inescapable. But this gives them a chance to say, 'Life is carrying on.' Nothing will be the same, but it's also continuing in ways that it should be."

Some students and their parents on Thursday toured the Chalk Hill school in Monroe, a former middle school being reopened next week for the Sandy Hook students. An open house is planned for Wednesday.

"Getting back into the school is like getting back on the horse," Robinson said. "Some of the scariness is gone once they cross that threshold. They are just so happy to see their teachers."

State police said they plan to keep their contact with the children to a minimum as they continue investigating the shooting.

"We certainly don't want to traumatize them any more than they've already been traumatized," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, the department's spokesman. "If (an interview is) not necessary it won't be done. Our investigators will make all those determinations."

In the meantime, Ford has encouraged parents to keep the kids involved in a normal holiday routine and deal with the tragedy as it comes up, rather than making it a focal point of their lives.

David Connors, who has 8-year-old triplets who attend Sandy Hook, said he and his wife have made play dates with their friends, brought the kids to see family for the holidays and participated in the class get-togethers and recreation events.

"That's been, I think, helpful at least in the short term just to kind of keep them doing things, keep them seeing their friends and being nearby and talking to family," Connors said.

Todd Wood of Newtown has five children, the youngest age 4 and the oldest in college. His children's piano teacher lost a child in the shooting, and the family knows other victims as well.

He said he's found that each child has reacted differently to the tragedy. He said he is not making the shooting the center of his family's life but is not pretending it didn't happen, either.

"We did Christmas, we had our lights here, we've tried to make things as normal as possible," he said. "But we also went down to see the memorials. I don't want to shield them from it. I want to let them grieve in their own way."

Ford said that is healthy. He said children will remember their friends as they go about doing normal kid things.

Chris Wolcott, the sport's academy's operations manager, said the best part of having the kids at the center is that the tragedy is pushed aside, at least for a little while.

"A couple times someone would drop a weight (in the facility's health center) and you would hear a bang and there would be a kid who would freeze for a second," he said. "But that would last a split-second. Most of the time, everyone just had a great time."

Associated Press writer John Christoffersen contributed to this report.

If everyone's taxes go up on Tuesday, the cliff will no longer be mere theory.

Why would someone leave an end-of-the-year vacation in Hawaii – with golf, even – for a series of economic meetings with elected officials in Washington?

Because he hopes that the meetings will bear fruit.

President Barack Obama had been vacationing in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, which is where he was born and spent his youth, when he decided to cut short his time in the tropical paradise to return to Washington in a last-minute effort to cut a deal to keep our nation from plunging over the so-called fiscal cliff, the half-trillion dollars in tax increases and automatic spending cuts that will go into effect next week.

Here’s how bad things have gotten: First, talk of a grand bargain, a real deal that would address tax policy and spending over the long term, gave way to reality, to discussions about a temporary fix, a grudging agreement that would make no one happy but would avoid disaster. Now, however, folks have actually had to acknowledge the harsh reality that the White House and lawmakers may not reach any kind of agreement, even a temporary patch. There’s talk these days about how best to pick up the pieces after we cascade over the edge.

If everyone’s taxes go up on Tuesday, the first day of the new year, and if fully $100 billion in automatic spending cuts, half to military programs, kick in a day later, the cliff will no longer be mere theory. There will be real-world impacts. Paychecks will decrease, giving people less cash each week. Federal operations will have less money to spend. The economy will contract. The sluggish recovery, with hopes of more to come, will be strangled in the crib.

What’s left is hope. Here’s hoping for an exceedingly fruitful weekend of talks.

The chamber of commerce is sending out a newsletter to keep residents and business owners apprised.

This bridge across the Manhan River along Route 10 in Easthampton will be replaced in 2013. The Republican file  

EASTHAMPTON – While work on the Manhan Bridge likely won’t commence until spring, crews recently have been putting up the traffic lights that have to be in place before the work begins.

The state Department of Transportation awarded the bid for the project in June to Northern Construction Services LLC, of Weymouth, which offered the lowest bid at $3,747,747.

The bridge, which carries the two-lane Route 10 over the Manhan River, has long been considered structurally deficient, although safe.

The bridge will remain open until spring 2013 to allow for the preliminary work to be finished. The project is expected to take about 16 months, but according to the contract the bridge cannot be closed for more than 180 days. The state will deduct $3,335 each day from the contractor or up to $100,500, for every day over that schedule. But there are incentives to finish early as well.

According the Massachusetts Department of Transportation website, the work is to be completed by October 2013.

To accommodate detoured traffic, the contractor has to make intersection improvements, including the installation of a permanent signal at O'Neil Street and Route 10, the erection of a temporary traffic signal at Ferry and Pleasant streets, and completion of traffic signal work at West and Mill streets.

In addition, a temporary pedestrian bridge at the site must be installed before the bridge can be closed.

The Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, has started issuing newsletters to keep people apprised of the project schedule, said Patrick Brough, chamber president.

Also he said anyone who wants text alerts can sign up by texting MANHAN to 96362. For those who want to sign up for the newsletter, they can text MANHAN to 22828.

The chamber is providing links to the state as well.

Initially, the project was to start in 2010 then in 2011.

According to the state, the project includes replacing the bridge, and resurfacing 500 feet north and south of the bridge.

An additional turning lane, north of the bridge structure, will be added for an entrance to West Street.

The building housed snowblower equipment and pool chemicals.

Republican file photo  

HOLYOKE — A malfunctioning ceiling-mounted propane heater caused a fire that destroyed an outbuilding Thursday morning at University Park Apartments on Easthampton Road.

Fire Dept. Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said investigators spent much of the day examining the cause and determined it was accidental.

The blaze was reported shortly before 10 a.m. at 20 Easthampton Road. The building, which contained pool chemicals and snowblower equipment, was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

No injuries were reported. Paquin said firefighters remained on the scene and smoke continued to emanate from the remains of the structure for more than an hour after the fire was extinguished.

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