Faculty and students at the schools provided musical entertainment.

South Hadley employees attend a luncheon recently hosted by Schools Superintendent Nicholas Young intended to update them on how the schools are doing. In the foreground is technology coordinator Amy Doyle. Photo courtesy of Anne Axton-Jones  

SOUTH HADLEY – Schools superintendent Nicholas Young continued to promote relationships between the schools and the rest of the town recently by inviting all town government employees to a "School and Town Partnership Luncheon" at the high school library.

About 100 employees, from offices ranging from the public library to the highway division to the fire department, sat at tables for six covered with white tablecloths and evergreen centerpieces.

Faculty and students at the schools provided musical entertainment.

Last month, Young hosted a a similar luncheon to strengthen connections with the business community in South Hadley.

In his opening remarks to town employees, he alluded to the upcoming budget process and wryly admitted that “when the drinking water gets low, the animals start looking at each other in a different way.”

The upbeat tone of the program was obviously designed to remind the town that they were all in this together.

“We need constructive and ongoing dialogue,” said Young.

He told his audience that schools are changing rapidly, with technology essential and standardized test results playing a much larger role.

He also said educators need to think not only “outside the box,” but “inside the box.” By that he meant nurturing a child's emotional life.

He inspired an “awww” moment with a story about a little boy who, before he went to sleep one night, asked his father how much he earned. The father, tired after a long day at work, resisted answering but finally said he earned $20 an hour.

So the boy asked him for $10. The father was again annoyed that the child had pestered him, and refused. Then he had second thoughts and handed over the bill. The boy put it under his pillow, where his dad noticed there was already a little pile of money. Curious, he asked the kid what he was saving for.

The boy replied that he was saving up for an hour of his dad’s time.

Young admitted that another purpose of the gathering was to do some “shameless” bragging about his schools.

Each guest got a copy of a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which placed South Hadley schools on the 2012 Advanced Placement Honor Roll. The high school now offers 17 advanced placement courses

The handout also gave succinct information on enrollment, athletics, music, outreach and special education.

Other speakers gave presentations, and three awards were given, to Public Works Superintendent Jim Reidy, Town Planner Richard Harris and School Resource Officer Steven Fleming.

The kids, though, stole the show. Eight students from Smith Middle School, clad in white shirts, black bow ties and red Santa hats, plunked out “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” on xylophones and drums.

Then a teen-age boy and five girls in dark red tops and black full-length skirts gave a performance that included Billy Joel’s “Lullaby.”

As they sang, “Good night, my angel, time to close your eyes.....You'll always be a part of me,” it was impossible not to think of the 20 little angels of Newtown, Conn.

The decision capped a day of intense political calculations for conservatives who control the House.

By DAVID ESPO
and ALAN FRAM

WASHINGTON – Maneuvered into a political corner, House Republicans abandoned demands for changes in emergency legislation to prevent widespread tax increases and painful across-the-board spending cuts and cleared the way for a final, climactic New Year’s night vote.

The decision capped a day of intense political calculations for conservatives who control the House. They had to weigh their desire to cut spending against the fear that the Senate would refuse to consider any changes they made in the “fiscal cliff” bill, sending it into limbo and saddling Republicans with the blame for a whopping middle class tax increase.

Adding to the GOP discomfort, one Senate Democratic leadership aide said Majority Leader Harry Reid would “absolutely not take up the bill” if the House changed it. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a requirement to keep internal deliberations private.

The legislation cleared the Senate hours earlier on a lopsided pre-dawn vote of 89-8. Administration officials met at the White House to monitor its progress.

“I do not support the bill. We are looking, though, for the best path forward,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., declared after one meeting of the party’s rank-and-file.

Despite Cantor’s remarks, Speaker John Boehner took no public position on the bill as he sought to negotiate a conclusion to the final crisis of a two-year term full of them.

It wasn’t the first time that the tea party-infused House Republican majority has rebelled against the party establishment since the GOP took control of the chamber 24 months ago. But with the two-year term set to end Thursday at noon, it was likely the last. And as was true in earlier cases of a threatened default and government shutdown, the brinkmanship came on a matter of economic urgency, leaving the party open to a public backlash if tax increases do take effect on tens of millions.

After intensive deliberations – a pair of rank-and-file meetings sandwiched around a leadership session, the GOP high command had not yet settled on a course of action by early evening.

Instead, they canvassed Republicans to see if they wanted simply to vote on the Senate measure, or whether they wanted first to try and add spending cuts totaling about $300 billion over a decade. The cuts had passed the House twice earlier in the year but are opposed by most if not all Senate Democrats.

“We’ve gone as far as we can go,” said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga. “I think people are ready to bring this to a conclusion, and know we have a whole year ahead of us” for additional fights over spending.

The economic as well as political stakes were considerable.

Economists have warned that without action by Congress, the tax increases and spending cuts that technically took effect with the turn of the new year at midnight could send the economy into recession.

Even with enactment of the legislation, taxes are on the rise for millions.

A 2 percentage point temporary cut in the payroll tax, originally enacted two years ago to stimulate the economy, expired with the end of 2012. Neither Obama nor Republicans have made a significant effort to extend it.

The Senate-passed bill was designed to prevent that while providing for tax increases at upper incomes, as Obama campaigned for in his successful bid for a second term.

It would also prevent an expiration of extended unemployment benefits for an estimated two million jobless, block a 27 percent cut in fees for doctors who treat Medicare patients, stop a $900 pay increase for lawmakers from taking effect in March and head off a threatened spike in milk prices.

At the same time, it would stop $24 billion in spending cuts set to take effect over the next two months, although only about half of that total would be offset with spending reductions elsewhere in the budget.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the measure would add nearly $4 trillion over a decade to federal deficits, a calculation that assumed taxes would otherwise have risen on taxpayers at all income levels. There was little or no evident concern among Republicans on that point, presumably because of their belief that tax cuts pay for themselves by expanding economic growth and do not cause deficits to rise.

The relative paucity of spending cuts was a sticking point with many House Republicans. Among other items, the extension of unemployment benefits costs $30 billion, and is not offset by savings elsewhere.

“I personally hate it,” said Rep. John Campbell of California. “The speaker the day after the election said we would give on taxes and we have. But we wanted spending cuts. This bill has spending increases. Are you kidding me? So we get tax increases and spending increases? Come on.”

Others said unhappiness over spending outweighed fears that the financial markets will plunge on Wednesday if the fiscal cliff hasn’t been averted.

“There’s a concern about the markets, but there’s a bigger concern, which is getting this right, which is something we haven’t been very good at over the past two years,” said Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio.

House Democrats met privately with Biden for their review of the measure, and the party’s leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said afterward that Boehner should permit a vote.

“That is what we expect. That is what the American people deserve,” she said.

For all the struggle involved in the legislation, even its passage would merely clear the way for another round of controversy almost as soon as the new Congress convenes.

With the Treasury expected to need an expansion in borrowing authority by early spring, and funding authority for most government programs set to expire in late March, Republicans have made it clear they intend to use those events as leverage with the administration to win savings from Medicare and other government benefit programs.

McConnell said as much moments before the 2 a.m. Tuesday vote in the Senate – two hours after the advertised “cliff” deadline.

“We’ve taken care of the revenue side of this debate. Now it’s time to get serious about reducing Washington’s out-of-control spending,” he said. “That’s a debate the American people want. It’s the debate we’ll have next. And it’s a debate Republicans are ready for.”

The 89-8 vote in the Senate was unexpectedly lopsided.

Despite grumbling from liberals that Obama had given way too much in the bargaining, only three Democrats opposed the measure.

Among the Republican supporters were Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, an ardent opponent of tax increases, as well as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, elected to his seat two years ago with tea party support.

It marked the first time in two decades that Republicans willingly supported higher taxes, in this case on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. Taxes also would rise on estates greater than $5 million in size, and on capital gains and dividend income made by the wealthy.

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Larry Margasak and Julie Pace contributed to this report.

The largest single reason for a drop appears to be a decrease in homicides involving young people. Just 3 of 12 involved victims under 25 years.

Springfield detectives on Oct. 26 examine evidence in the middle of Eastern Avenue where a 19-year-Dwayne Kelley was shot to death. The Republican file / Patrick Johnson  

SPRINGFIELD - Twelve people were killed in Springfield last year. And while any homicide is one too many, the numbers for the city represents a 10-year low.

In 2011, there were 19 homicides, three more than in 2010 when there were 16.

Twelve homicides in 2012 is the lowest number in any year in Springfield since 2002 when there were also 12.

Local officials said the reasons for the decline is difficult to pinpoint, but cite possible explanations as increased cooperation among different law enforcement agencies, a greater focus on high-crime areas, and more partnering between law enforcement and neighborhood residents to identify potential problems before they ignite.

“Can we point to any one thing and say ‘that’s the reason’?” Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni asked. “I’m not sure we can.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the 2012 numbers are good for the city and its reputation, and a reflection of the hard work by local law enforcement.

He said, however, it is hard to take comfort a drop in the homicide rate when there are still a dozen Springfield families who suffered a tragic loss.

The Republican / Robert Rich  

“It’s still 12 too many,” he said. “No one is jumping for joy; everyone is remaining vigilant,” he said.

Homicide numbers in Springfield are subject to flux from one year to the next.
For example, there were 20 homicides in 2007, a 15-year high. But there were 14 in 2008 and 15 in 2005.

For the decade of 2000-2009, there were 144 homicides in Springfield, which averages a little more than 14 per year. The second half of the decade was a period marked by an increase in youth and gang violence and the yearly average for 2005-09 was nearly 17 per year.

Incidentally, that 2002 total was itself recently revised upward from 11 when a shooting victim who lingered for nine years finally succumbed to his injuries in December 2011.

When dealing with fewer than two dozen data points in any year, any half-capable statistician would caution against reading too much into any apparent trends or emerging patterns.

With that in mind, the 2012 numbers show some interesting data.

The largest single reason for the drop would appear to be a decrease in homicides involving young people.

In 2012, just three of the 12 homicides, or 25 percent, involved victims younger than age 25.

The year prior, nine of 19 homicides were younger than 25, or 47 percent. In 2010, it was 10 of 16, or 62 percent.

For the entire decade of 2000-2009, there were 63 homicide victims under age 25 or 44 percent.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, people younger than 25 accounted for about 34 percent of all homicides in the United States between 1980 and 2008, the most recent year available.

With fewer young people dying, the average age of victims has also crept up, from 24 years in 2010 to 29.8 years in 2011 to 32.5 years in 2012.

Springfield did not have a single victim younger than age 25 until 19-year-old Dwayne Kelly was killed in a gang-related shooting on Eastern Avenue on Oct. 26.

The last two homicides in Springfield for the year also involved young victims. Twenty-year-old Felix Laurent was stabbed to death Nov. 8 on Union Street, and Keough Collins Jr. 19, was shot to death in a drug-related robbery on Robert Dyer Circle on Dec. 2.

Sarno attributed the declining numbers to several different fronts, including the city’s anti-violence task force in the schools, strategic police deployments in trouble areas, the 1 a.m. entertainment curfew in the city’s Entertainment District, and an increasing willingness by parents to keep track of their children.

From a law enforcement standpoint, a key factor has been regular meetings of various state, federal and local agencies to share information. Among the participating agencies meeting every other week are the Springfield and state police, the Hampden District Attorney, the U.S. Attorney, Hampden County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Probation.

Sarno cited the work of Springfield and state police in using the C-3 policing model in the North End and the Springfield police with the BADGE program in part of Forest Park to work with members of the neighborhoods to root out problems.

All together, Sarno said, “many times it helps us stop some things before they happen.”

Chelan Brown of AWAKE, a Springfield organization that tries to work with teens to prevent violence, said the decrease in homicides involving young people may be due to today’s teens may be turned off to violence after growing up watching their older brothers and sisters going to funerals.

“Many of the ones I’ve talked to say exactly that. They are tired of going to funerals and seeing mothers cry and hurt,” she said.

Brown said there are many who will take credit for any decline and be willing to cite a host of reasons ranging from increased police presence to more youth activities.

“But I feel like some of the credit has to be given to the parents of the community and neighborhoods and the youth themselves,” she said. “I’ve always told them that I believe (violence) begins and ends with them.”

Mastroianni said local law enforcement agencies have been making a coordinated effort, particularly in areas of Springfield and Holyoke that had been troubled by violent crime.

His office has been working with Springfield and Holyoke police and the state police in more outreach into problem areas in parts of Holyoke, and in Springfield’s North End and the areas around Mason Square. There has been an emphasis on providing a greater presence in patrols and in investigations, he said.

It is impossible to say for certain, but perhaps those efforts are paying off.

“At some point, you have to realize it is hard to say. You have to keep doing what you think is working and hope the numbers keep going down,” Mastroianni said.

There were three other homicides outside of Springfield, bringing the total for the Pioneer Valley to 15. This is also a significant drop from the previous two years, where there were 25 in 2011 in total and 29 in 2010.

Holyoke did not see a single homicide in 2012. There were four each in 2010 and 2011.

Jessica Pripstein, 39, of Easthampton was killed in her apartment on Feb. 20, and Jessica Dana, 30, of Huntington, was killed in her home on June 23. Each case was considered a domestic homicide, and suspects have been charged in both deaths.

On Sept. 28, 25-year-old Jean Carlos Bones-Colon, of Holyoke, was stabbed to death outside a bar in South Hadley. No arrest has been made.

Springfield police made arrests in seven of the 12 homicides. An arrest in an eighth case was not possible when Shawn Bryant, a suspect in the shooting that claimed the life of Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose, took his own life.

Homicides have been trending downward nationwide, according to FBI numbers.
According to the most recent figures available in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, homicides were down by 1.9 percent nationwide in 2011. The figures for 2012 are not yet available.

In New England, Boston saw its homicides decline from 61 to 55, while Hartford fell from 27 to 21, according to numbers provided by each department.

Nationally, New York City tallied 414 homicides, which is not only a drop from 515 in 2011 but also a 40-year low.

Homicide numbers in Washington, D.C., also fell to 92 from 108 the year before.
The most notable exception was the city of Chicago, which saw its homicide numbers increase, from 433 in 2011 to 499 last year.

Although the law allowing the use of marijuana for patients with serious medical conditions is now in effect, the state Department of Public Health has until May 1 to issue regulations on who will run the dispensaries, who will work there and how they will be operated.

Harborside Health Center employee Gerard Barber stands behind medical marijuana clone plants at the dispensary in Oakland, Calif., in 2011. While Massachusetts' medical marijuana law has just take effect, a California medical marijuana dispensary that bills itself as the nation's largest retail purveyor of pot went to court last month to fight the local federal prosecutor's effort to shut it down. Lawyers for Harborside Health Center and the city of Oakland asked federal judge to let the dispensary stay in business until a court decides if the government is exceeding its authority by going after businesses that comply with state medical marijuana laws. Associated Press file / Jeff Chiu  

By DENISE LAVOIE

BOSTON – Massachusetts voters may have enthusiastically approved the legalization of medical marijuana, but that hasn’t stopped communities around the state from rushing to amend their zoning regulations to make sure marijuana dispensaries are banned or restricted in their towns.

Although the law allowing the use of marijuana for patients with serious medical conditions goes into effect Jan. 1, the state Department of Public Health has until May 1 to issue regulations on who will run the dispensaries, who will work there and how they will be operated. DPH must also decide what constitutes a 60-day supply patients can receive.

While the DPH works on the regulations, some cities and towns are working to keep out dispensaries, or “pot shops” as they are often called. In Wakefield and Reading, the towns have already approved zoning changes to ban dispensaries.

“People are concerned about how broad the law was written and that the dispensaries could be used by more than just people with medical issues,” said Ruth Clay, the health director for Wakefield, Reading and Melrose, a city that is also working to pass a ban on dispensaries.

Clay said her communities receive a significant amount of state and federal grants to run substance abuse programs and are concerned that having a marijuana dispensary in town could “send a mixed message to youths.”

The law approved through Question 3 on the November election ballot eliminates civil and criminal penalties for the use of marijuana by people with cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, AIDS and other conditions determined by a doctor.

Opponents have said they are concerned that the DPH will not be able to prevent abuses of the new law. The department has faced criticism this year for a lack of oversight at a drug-testing lab that was closed in August after a chemist allegedly acknowledged skirting lab protocols and faking test results. The state’s pharmacy board, under the auspices of DPH, has also come under scrutiny in a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak linked to a steroid distributed by a compounding pharmacy in Framingham.

The DPH says it is committed to developing a thorough set of guidelines so that the state will not end up with problems seen in other states, including California and Colorado, where hundreds of dispensaries have opened and prompted complaints about misuse of medical marijuana and increased crime.

“We have the benefit that we are not the first state doing this, there are 17 other states that have done this, including some neighbors – Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine – so we don’t have to do this completely in the dark,” said Dr. Lauren Smith, interim DPH commissioner.

“We can look at what has worked well and what hasn’t worked well in other states and then determine what will work best here in Massachusetts.”

The new law limits the number of dispensaries to no more than 35 in the first year, but says the DPH could allow more after 2013.

The state’s legalization of medical marijuana has spawned an influx of consultants, attorneys and medical technology companies into Massachusetts.

Dr. Bruce Bedrick, the chief executive of MedBox Inc., opened an office in Natick soon after the ballot question was approved. His company offers consulting services and dispensing systems to people interested in opening dispensaries in Massachusetts.

The company’s technology requires patients to do a fingerprint scan in order to get their doctor-prescribed quantity of marijuana. The software also allows a dispensary to track when the patient’s prescription expires. Bedrick said MedBox now has more than 100 dispensing systems – which look similar to vending machines – in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Canada. Only dispensary employees have access to the boxes, which are located in a locked room in the dispensaries.

Bedrick said he has received a great deal of interest since he set up an office in Massachusetts.

“I would expect hundreds of people to apply for the (dispensary) license ultimately,” Bedrick said. “It’s a brand-new industry. It offers a tremendous amount of opportunity. I think this is only going to be positive for the economy of Massachusetts ... and certainly most importantly for the people who need the medicine.”

Others are wary of the new industry.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association is calling for a six-month delay in implementing the law. Executive Director Geoffrey Beckwith said cities and town need more time to review their local bylaws to decide if they want to pass restrictions. Beckwith said some communities may not want to ban them outright, but may decide to allow them to be located only near hospitals or away from schools.

“There are serious issues communities need to consider,” Beckwith said.

A cold stretch of days and nights ahead, but at least staying dry.

2012 will go into the record books as the warmest year on record for the Pioneer Valley. The complete recap can be found on the CBS3 Pinpoint Weather Blog.

Clouds have been coming and going, but not producing any significant threats of snow across the region. For the overnight hours, we are expecting a break of clear skies for western Massachusetts, which will allow temperatures to begin free-falling down to single-digit lows for many across the region.

We keep our attention to the cold this week. Partly cloudy skies stick around for the next few days, but it will stay chilly. High temperatures only reach the upper-20s Wednesday and Thursday. Winds tomorrow will be between 10 and 20 mph, reinforcing that cold feeling across the region. Overnight lows tomorrow night will once again be in the single-digits.

The cold snap will gradually come to an end by the weekend. The rest of the 7 day forecast remains dry, and high temperatures by Sunday will be back to a more seasonal mid-30s, with lows in the middle-teens. The good news? No major snow storms (and no minor snow for that matter) is in the 7 day forecast.

Tonight: Mainly clear and cold, low 8.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy, breezy and cold, high 29.

Thursday: Partly cloudy and cold, high 28.

Friday: Not quite as cold in the morning, partly cloudy, breezy and chilly, high 34.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

The bill's passage on a 257-167 vote in the House sealed a hard-won political triumph for the president less than two months after he secured re-election while calling for higher taxes on the wealthy.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, walks with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., following a closed-door GOP meeting as the "fiscal cliff" bill passed by the Senate Monday night waits for a vote in the Republican-controlled House, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday Jan. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Associated Press  

By ALAN FRAM and
DAVID ESPO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Past its own New Year's deadline, a weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avoid a national "fiscal cliff" of middle class tax increases and spending cuts late Tuesday night in the culmination of a struggle that strained America's divided government to the limit.

The bill's passage on a 257-167 vote in the House sealed a hard-won political triumph for the president less than two months after he secured re-election while calling for higher taxes on the wealthy.

In addition to neutralizing middle class tax increases and spending cuts taking effect with the new year, the legislation will raise tax rates on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. That was higher than the thresholds of $200,000 and $250,000 that Obama campaigned for. But remarkably, in a party that swore off tax increases two decades ago, dozens of Republicans supported the bill at both ends of the Capitol.

The Senate approved the measure on a vote of 89-8 less than 24 hours earlier, and in the interim, rebellious House conservatives demanded a vote to add significant spending cuts to the measure. But in the end they retreated.

Supporters of the bill in both parties expressed regret that it was narrowly drawn, and fell far short of a sweeping plan that combined tax changes and spending cuts to reduce federal deficits. That proved to be a step too far in the two months since Obama called congressional leaders to the White House for a postelection stab at compromise.

Majority Republicans did their best to minimize the bill's tax increases, just as they abandoned their demand from earlier in the day to add spending cuts to the package.

"By making Republican tax cuts permanent, we are one step closer to comprehensive tax reform that will help strengthen our economy and create more and higher paychecks for American workers," said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

He urged a vote for passage to "get us one step closer to tax reform in 2013" as well as attempts to control spending.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi also said the legislation included "permanent tax relief for the middle class," and she summoned lawmakers to provide bipartisan support as the Senate did.

The bill would also prevent an expiration of extended unemployment benefits for an estimated two million jobless, block a 27 percent cut in fees for doctors who treat Medicare patients, stop a $900 pay increase for lawmakers from taking effect in March and head off a threatened spike in milk prices.

It would stop $24 billion in across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect over the next two months, although only about half of that total would be offset with savings elsewhere in the budget.

The economic as well as political stakes were considerable.

Economists have warned that without action by Congress, the tax increases and spending cuts that technically took effect with the turn of the new year at midnight could send the economy into recession.

Even with enactment of the legislation, taxes are on the rise for millions.

A 2 percentage point temporary cut in the Social Security payroll tax, originally enacted two years ago to stimulate the economy, expired with the end of 2012. Neither Obama nor Republicans made a significant effort to extend it.

House Republicans spent much of the day struggling to escape a political corner they found themselves in.

"I personally hate it," Rep. John Campbell of California, said of the measure, giving voice to the concern of many Republicans that it did little or nothing to cut spending.

"The speaker the day after the election said we would give on taxes and we have. But we wanted spending cuts. This bill has spending increases. Are you kidding me? So we get tax increases and spending increases? Come on."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters at one point, "I do not support the bill. We are looking, though, for the best path forward."

Within hours, Republicans abandoned demands for changes and agreed to a simple yes-or-no vote on the Senate-passed bill.

They feared that otherwise the Senate would refuse to consider any alterations, sending the bill into limbo and saddling Republicans with the blame for a whopping middle class tax increase. One Senate Democratic leadership aide said Majority Leader Harry Reid would "absolutely not take up the bill" if the House changed it. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a requirement to keep internal deliberations private.

Despite Cantor's remarks, Speaker John Boehner took no public position on the bill as he sought to negotiate a conclusion to the final crisis of a two-year term full of them.

The brief insurrection wasn't the first time that the tea party-infused House Republican majority has rebelled against the party establishment since the GOP took control of the chamber 24 months ago. But with the two-year term set to end Thursday at noon, it was likely the last. And as was true in earlier cases of a threatened default and government shutdown, the brinkmanship came on a matter of economic urgency, leaving the party open to a public backlash if tax increases do take effect on tens of millions.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the measure would add nearly $4 trillion over a decade to federal deficits, a calculation that assumed taxes would otherwise have risen on taxpayers at all income levels. There was little or no evident concern among Republicans on that point, presumably because of their belief that tax cuts pay for themselves by expanding economic growth and do not cause deficits to rise.

The relative paucity of spending cuts was a sticking point with many House Republicans. Among other items, the extension of unemployment benefits costs $30 billion, and is not offset by savings elsewhere.

Others said unhappiness over spending outweighed fears that the financial markets will plunge on Wednesday if the fiscal cliff hasn't been averted.

"There's a concern about the markets, but there's a bigger concern, which is getting this right, which is something we haven't been very good at over the past two years," said Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio.

For all the struggle involved in the legislation, even its passage would merely clear the way for another round of controversy almost as soon as the new Congress convenes.

With the Treasury expected to need an expansion in borrowing authority by early spring, and funding authority for most government programs set to expire in late March, Republicans have made it clear they intend to use those events as leverage with the administration to win savings from Medicare and other government benefit programs.

McConnell said as much moments before the 2 a.m. Tuesday vote in the Senate — two hours after the advertised "cliff" deadline.

"We've taken care of the revenue side of this debate. Now it's time to get serious about reducing Washington's out-of-control spending," he said. "That's a debate the American people want. It's the debate we'll have next. And it's a debate Republicans are ready for."

The 89-8 vote in the Senate was unexpectedly lopsided.

Despite grumbling from liberals that Obama had given way too much in the bargaining, only three Democrats opposed the measure.

Among the Republican supporters were Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, an ardent opponent of tax increases, as well as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, elected to his seat two years ago with tea party support.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Larry Margasak and Julie Pace contributed to this story.

Goodman wed a dance teacher in London.

Len Goodman of "Dancing With the Stars." ABC photo  

"Dancing With the Stars" judge Len Goodman tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend at a surprise wedding ceremony.

Goodman, 68, married dance teacher Sue Barrett, 47, on Sunday in London. The couple have been dating for more than 10 years. It is Goodman's third marriage.

According to the Daily Mail, Goodman invited 30 family and friends to what they believed was a quiet Sunday lunch – until the registrar arrived.

"I wanted it to be a low-key affair, so we didn't tell anyone except my 96-year-old mum as I didn't want her having a heart attack with the surprise," Goodman told the Daily Mail.

Letter writer: The media often refer to the U.S. House of Representatives’ leadership. This is now a fractured position.

Shootings a symptom of our sick society

A school bus rolls toward a memorial in Newtown, Conn., for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting one day last month. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage, classes are starting Thursday for the Sandy Hook students at a repurposed school in the neighboring town of Monroe. Charles Krupa / Associated Press file  

We wonder about Newtown and how this could happen. We need to look at ourselves in the mirror.

We can call Adam Lanza any name we want: demonic, deranged, deluded, but Lanza was a monster created by our culture.

I have some questions to pose. Why was Adam home-schooled instead of attending an alternative school with councilors to help him learn social skills, with friends, with people to be with? Why wasn’t there a social service agency out there to help him find a job? Why was he so isolated?

These are the first services that are pushed off our fiscal cliffs. Why are those shoot¤’em up video games that kids spend much of their free time playing, acceptable? One game I observed had Army guys blasting away Arabs in an Arab neighborhood.

Then we wonder why an Arab-hating woman pushes a Hindu gentleman into a moving subway train. We have Howie Carr ranting about immigrants; Glenn Beck suggesting someone ought to assassinate Michael Moore and Hugo Chavez; Sarah Palin putting Gabriel Gifford into her rifle sights. These are just the cues some unstable individual needs.

Obama drops drones on innocent civilians. Both Bush and Obama allow unspeakable torture and isolation at our prisons. We expect Iran and North Korea to behave themselves, yet we have enough nuclear bombs to annihilate the world thousands of times over.

We get so incensed when other nations use chemical warfare, yet we use depleted uranium and white phosphorus. The most hideous crime of all is our unwillingness to lift one finger to save the human race from global warming. We as a people have a lot to answer for. The Newtown massacre was just another symptom of our sick society.

– CHARLOTTE BURNS, Palmer

School buildings must repel attacks

In the aftermath of such an unspeakable tragedy, the usual focus seems to be to look at improving gun control laws, which I fully understand.

I am not a gun enthusiast, but I do understand that there are those for whom collecting guns, belonging to gun clubs, shooting competitively, hunting, etc., are interests.

I must admit that I absolutely do not understand why assault weapons are so accessible. There is another factor in all of this that concerns me, and it is related to school safety.

According to the reports about Newtown, the shooter broke a window in order to gain access to the school. Every school that I know of has a system that requires a person to ring a bell or buzzer in order to gain access to a school. My question is whether or not the school alarm systems are set up so that if a window is broken or if a door is opened illegally, an alarm would not only notify the appropriate school staff that this has occurred, but would also be linked directly to the local police department. If such systems are not in place, it leaves the schools vulnerable.

Having an alarm system that would react to an illegal entry while also notifying the police department directly could save lives just from the perspective of having the police and the school leadership notified immediately, rather than attempting to call 911 after someone has gained entry to a school. Unfortunately, we must assume that other such heinous actions will take place, and we must do whatever is possible to keep our children safe in places where it is assumed that they are safe.

There are no words that can address the suffering and pain that so many families in Newtown are dealing with and in other places where families have had to endure the results of such horrific actions. We cannot change what has happened, but we must find ways to restore safety in places where our children need to feel safe at all times.

– ALLEN G. ZIPPIN, Longmeadow

House leadership fractured, at best

The media (print, cable and online) often refer to the U.S. House of Representatives’ leadership. This is now a fractured position.

First is current Speaker John Boehner who is fighting to hold on to his position. Next is Eric Cantor, who wants that job. Then there is Paul Ryan, who is thought in some circles to be the 2016 Republican candidate for president. And last, but definitely not least, the tea party members who feel that no matter what, dealing with the fiscal cliff is “my way or the highway.”

This is democracy?

No, it is an embarrassment of special interests and personalities.

– DAVID LITKE, Chicopee

Hugh Hefner, the 86-year-old Playboy magazine founder exchanged vows with his "runaway bride," Crystal Harris, at a private Playboy Mansion ceremony on New Year's Eve.

Airam Moreno, of Holyoke, is the first baby to be born in the Greater Springfield area this year. He was born at the Family Life Center for Maternity at Mercy Medical Center at 9.09 a.m. He is seen here with his mother Maria DeJesus and father Jose Moreno. The Republican / Mark M. Murray  

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) First baby of new year in Greater Springfield area is Airam Moreno of Holyoke [Stephanie Barry]

2) Driver critically injured in 2-car crash on Plumtree Road in Springfield [Elizabeth Roman]

3) Playboy founder Hugh Hefner marries bride 60 years his junior [Associated Press]

4) Competing Springfield casino companies face deadline for final proposals [Peter Goonan]

5) Winning $1.1 million lottery ticket purchased at Smok’in Deals in Springfield [Elizabeth Roman]

A single-digit start today, staying cold and dry all week.

2012 will go into the record books as the warmest year on record for the Pioneer Valley. The complete recap can be found on the CBS3 Pinpoint Weather Blog.

Mainly clear skies and lighter winds overnight allowed temperatures to free-fall, and has parts of western Massachusetts waking up in the single-digits. It will be a mix of sun and clouds passing through the region today, and winds this afternoon pick up again between 10 and 20 mph. High temperatures will only reach the upper-20s today, but wind chills will likely be stuck in the teens through much of the day.

We keep our attention to the cold this week. Mainly clear skies tonight will once again allow temperatures to bottom-out into the single digits. Similar days are expected for Thursday and Friday; partly cloudy skies, but stuck in the upper-20s.

The cold snap will gradually come to an end by the weekend. The rest of the 7 day forecast remains dry and high temperatures by Sunday will be back to a more seasonal mid-30s, with lows in the middle-teens. The good news? No major snow storms (and no minor snow for that matter) is in the 7 day forecast.

Today: Partly cloudy, breezy and cold, high 29.

Tonight: Mainly clear and cold, low 5.

Thursday: Partly cloudy and cold, high 28.

Friday: Not quite as cold in the morning, partly cloudy, breezy and chilly, high 34.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

The NFL season has been full of stories to keep fans on the edge of their couch.

Four months ago, when there were 256 unplayed games on the NFL schedule, with each team tied for first place, standing as equals with 0-0 records, all the talk was about the replacement referees, on what impact they’d have on the games. After three terrible, deteriorating weeks, the real refs were thankfully brought back, and the focus turned to the teams and players: the reeling New Orleans Saints, the soaring Denver Broncos – led by a rejuvenated Peyton Manning – the circus called the New York Jets, the batch of standout rookie quarterbacks who had taken the league by storm.

It’s been a season full of stories to keep even casual fans on the edge of the couch.

Oh, and by the way, while so much of the land was watching and reading about rookie QBs Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first and second picks in the 2012 draft, taken by the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, respectively, fans in New England were watching their guy work his magic once again. Patriots QB Tom Brady, who was picked 199th in the 2000 NFL draft, for those who are scoring at home, led his New England Patriots to a 12-4 record and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Fans of other NFL teams begin a season hoping to be playing meaningful games come December; those who follow the Patriots have grown accustomed to watching their guys in January. And maybe in February.To outsiders, it’s the same old thing year after year: Brady, the dazzling, heartthrob quarterback, and Bill Belichick, the sweatshirt-wearing, laconic coach, manufacturing win after surgical win. And the chance for more playoff dramatics.

But for those of us who live here and root for the home team, it never gets old. In fact, it’s always the story of the year.

A Massachusetts Senate election is expected to be a high-cost affair, with outside groups likely to get involved.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward D. Markey, pictured here in an AP file photo, was the first candidate to officially declare his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts that will likely be vacated by Sen. John Kerry. File photo / Associated Press  

For ad-weary Massachusetts residents, a third U.S. Senate election in as many years may be a turnoff. But for broadcasters, the election will likely be the gift that keeps on giving.

“It’s going to be Christmas again in the spring and early summer for TV and radio broadcasters,” said Jeffrey Berry, professor of American politics at Tufts University.

Political consultants, printing shops, and makers of campaign paraphernalia can all expect to see a windfall from the 2013 special election to replace U.S. Sen. John Kerry, should the Massachusetts Democrat be confirmed as U.S. secretary of state. But perhaps none are in a better position that broadcasting stations, which candidates rely on for the political advertising that gets their message to the masses.

Berry said much of the largesse will flow into the Boston media market, which is among the largest media markets in the United States and reaches almost the entire Massachusetts electorate.

“There will be huge amount of money poured into this election both in terms of a primary and then the general,” predicted Tobe Berkovitz, professor of advertising at Boston University.

According to an analysis by the Smart Media Group, in the 2010 special election after Sen. Edward Kennedy's death, Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley each spent around $3.1 million on broadcast and cable advertising, of which 79 percent was in the Boston market. (Each candidate spent a little over $7.5 million in total, according to Federal Election Commission reports.)

In the November 2012 election between Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren, both candidates were advertising consistently by May. The candidates spent close to $80 million in total, with a large portion of that going to advertising. (A Pro-Publica database of spending on political broadcast advertising tracked around $20 million worth of ads purchased by the Brown and Warren campaigns, but the database has only logged a fraction of the total ads purchased during the campaign.)

John Carroll, assistant professor of mass communication at Boston University, said given the 2010 and 2012 races, “a significant amount of money” will likely be spent on ads in 2013. “I think the expectation would be that this is a Christmas gift that keeps on giving for local broadcasters,” Carroll said.

Among the likely Democratic candidates, the most well-funded going into the race are U.S. Rep. Ed Markey and former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan. As of Nov. 26, Markey, who announced Thursday that he was in the race, had $3.1 million in his campaign committee account, according to FEC filings. Meehen, who served in the House from 1993 to 2006 and is now chancellor of University of Massachusetts Lowell, had $4.6 million in his campaign committee.

Most of the other possible Democratic candidates with existing campaign accounts have less than $1 million on hand. U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, who ran for the Senate in 2010 but lost to Coakley in the primary, had $491,000 in his campaign account. U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas had $166,000. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch had $740,000. Pittsfield State Sen. Ben Downing had $76,000 in his state campaign committee as of Oct. 29, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

On the Republican side, Brown has $464,000 left in his campaign committee, according to FEC filings, but campaign officials say the final amount left over after all the bills are paid from his 2012 run will be between $150,000 and $200,000. Brown is the most likely GOP candidate, though others, including former Gov. William Weld, could potentially enter the race.

Carroll said both sides can expect an influx of support – despite the potential for donor fatigue. Carroll said Republicans want Brown back in the Senate as proof that his 2010 election was not a fluke. “There are a lot of people on the Republican side who have a real serious interest in returning Scott Brown to the Senate if only for its symbolic value, but also for his vote,” Carroll said.

Democrats, Carroll said, have an interest in defending a Senate seat in liberal-leaning Massachusetts, where Democrat Edward Kennedy was in office for nearly half a century and Kerry has held his seat since 1985. Politico reported that President Barack Obama has already said he will campaign and fundraise on behalf of the Democratic candidate.

Outside groups could be a major force in spending – particularly on advertising. Tim Vercellotti, professor of political science at Western New England University, said the only other major political action in 2013 will likely be gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and a New York mayoral race. That means Democrats and Republicans nationally can focus on Massachusetts in a way that was impossible with contested races around the country in 2012.

Though control of the Senate is not up for grabs now, Vercellotti said Democrats in 2014 will have to defend a number of seats they won in the presidential election year of 2008. “Losing one now to the Republicans would just create more headaches for them,” Vercellotti said.

People involved in outside groups on both the Republican and Democratic side told The Republican/MassLive.com that the groups are waiting to see who the candidates will be, but they are watching the race and raising money.

For example, Neil Sroka, spokesman for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which helped Warren, left open the possibility that the PCCC could get involved again. “Elizabeth Warren is a bold progressive fighter for everyday families, and she needs someone in the Senate from Massachusetts who will fight right alongside her and not cancel out her vote,” Sroka said.

In 2010, labor and Democratic groups backed Coakley while tea party and business groups backed Brown. The Boston Globe reported that particularly in the closing days of the campaign, outside groups put huge sums into negative advertising.

In 2012, Brown and Warren signed the “People’s Pledge,” a pledge barring outside groups from advertising. Outside groups still spent around $6 million in areas not covered by the pledge, according to data compiled by the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation. Liberal groups in particular rallied around Warren, who was already a nationally known figure as an advocate for financial regulation.

But a “People’s Pledge” would be more difficult in a special election, since a pledge could only be made once there are general election candidates. By law, the primary will be held six weeks before the general election – and there will likely be a contested Democratic primary. “There isn’t much time for a pledge to emerge this election,” Berry said.

Berkovitz said the special interest groups will likely pressure the candidates to let them advertise this time. “They’re all chomping at the bit to be players in the upcoming special election,” he said. “It will be up to the candidates to see if they have any interest in maintaining the curb on that money.”

The chamber specifically states that "a preferential procurement program for goods and services from Springfield businesses is needed with targeted and measurable goals."

Renderings of the competing Springfield casino proposals show concepts for MGM Springfield, above, and Penn National's Hollywood Springfield. Artists' renderings  

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Chamber of Commerce, having endorsed plans for a casino in the city in a September board of directors vote, has followed up that position with a list of several concerns that it would seek to have addressed by the companies proposing casinos.

The new position paper, issued on Thursday, reiterates the chamber’s support for a casino but adds in its concerns regarding what the companies proposing casinos – MGM Resorts International in the South End and Penn National Gaming in the North End of downtown – intend to do about the purchase of local goods and services, and local hiring, and the enhancement of downtown development, among other issues.

“While the chamber does have some ideas on how these issues should be addressed, it looks to the applicants for the Western Massachusetts gaming license to address them in detail and encourages both the Mayor of Springfield and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to take those answers into consideration when making any determinations on licensing a casino in Springfield,” the chamber states in its position paper.

The chamber specifically states that “a preferential procurement program for goods and services from Springfield businesses is needed with targeted and measurable goals.”

In addition, the chamber states the successful bidder should consider how steps that may be taken in partnership with small businesses “to build capacity, create subcontracting opportunities and/or aggregation opportunities.”

A casino project would also add to the city’s vitality if the company employs the unemployed and under employed living in market rate housing now or in the future, the Chamber states.

“The enhancement of downtown development and Springfield at large is critical to continued economic development,” the chamber states. “Public safety, education and the promotion of a positive image of the city continue to be important issues to the business community.”

The chamber also said it was strongly vested in a study conducted by the Urban Land Institute done five years ago, and wants to know how the successful casino company would aid those recommendations including development of the State Street/Main Street corridor and other areas of the city.

Kruczek will return to Florida to be closer to his family, according to head coach Charley Molnar.

 

University of Massachusetts offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek is leaving the team to be closer to his family in Florida, according to head coach Charley Molnar.

The move was first reported by the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Kruczek had settled in Florida after spending the 1985-2003 seasons at the University of Central Florida — the last six as head coach — and his family did not relocate when he took the job in Amherst as part of Molnar's staff.

Molnar said that Kruczek notified him shortly before Christmas that he would be leaving UMass after spending one year as the offensive coordinator for the Minutemen.

Kruczek's son Garrett will be a senior quarterback at Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Fla., and the ability to see his son play his final high school season was a major factor in his father's decision to depart Amherst.

Kruczek himself was a quarterback, spending five seasons in the NFL after being selected in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft out of Boston College.

Molnar, who called the plays for the Minutemen this season, said as of Thursday night that he was not sure about a replacement for the elder Kruczek, and was not immediately sure whether he'd fill the position at all.

Lucas recently sold his Lucasfilm to Disney.for $4 billion and donated much of the money to an education foundation.

Mellody Hobson and George Lucas AP  

"Star Wars" director George Lucas is engaged to marry his longtime girlfriend.

Lucas, 68, is engaged to DreamWorks animation chairman Mellody Hobson, 47, a Lucasfilm spokesman told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.

It will be the first marriage for Hobson. Lucas was previously married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin. They adopted a daughter before their 1983 divorce. Lucas went on to adopt two more children on his own.

Lucas recently sold his Lucasfilm to Disney.for $4 billion and donated much of the money to an education foundation.

Residents can pick up voter registration paperwork at either the Warren or West Warren post offices if they cannot attend the registration session.

WARREN — The town is holding a voter registration drive on Saturday in advance of its upcoming special town meeting, according to Warren Town Clerk Nancy J. Lowell.

The registration session will be held from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Lowell's office at the Charles E. Shepard Municipal Building, 48 High St.

The special town meeting will be held on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Shepard building. The main item up for voter consideration is whether to replace the elementary school's boiler, according to an assistant in the clerk's office. A copy of the warrant was not available on the town's website.

Those unable to attend Saturday's voter drive can mail their voter registration paperwork to the town. A box containing mail-in voter registration cards and instructions are located at both the Warren and West Warren post offices.

The cards can be returned to the clerk's office in person or sent to the Office of Town Clerk, Charles E. Shepard Municipal Building, P.O. Box 603, 48 High St., Warren, MA 01083. Cards that are mailed must be received by 8 p.m. on Jan. 5.

Even with modest gains in hiring, the unemployment rate remains high. It fell to 7.7 percent in November from 7.9 percent in October. But that was mostly because many of the unemployed stopped looking for jobs. The government counts people as unemployed only if they are actively searching for work.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 12 2012 photo a job seeker leaves his contact information with a potential employer during a job fair in New York. More Americans sought unemployment benefits in the last week of 2012, though the winter holidays likely distorted the data for the second straight week. Associated Press  

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market showed resilience in three reports Thursday, suggesting it may be able to withstand a federal budget battle that threatens more economic uncertainty in coming months.

A survey showed private hiring increased last month, while layoffs declined and applications for unemployment benefits stayed near a four-year low. The data led some economists to raise their forecasts for December job growth one day before the government releases its closely watched employment report.

"The job market held firm in December despite the intensifying fiscal cliff negotiations," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Businesses even became somewhat more aggressive in their hiring at year end."

The most encouraging sign came from payroll provider ADP. Its monthly employment survey showed businesses added 215,000 jobs last month, the most in 10 months and much higher than November's total of 148,000.

Economists tend to approach the ADP survey with some skepticism because it has diverged sharply at times from the government's job figures. The Labor Department releases its employment report Friday.

But some economists were also hopeful after seeing businesses were less inclined to cut jobs last month.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said that the number of announced job cuts fell 43 percent in December from November, and overall planned layoffs in 2012 fell to the lowest level since 1997.

The decline in layoffs coincided with a drop last month in the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits. The four-week average was little changed at 360,000 last week. That's only slightly above the previous week's 359,750, which was the lowest since March 2008.

Most economists expect the Labor Department report will show employers added about 150,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate stayed at 7.7 percent.

Some economists saw potential for stronger gains after seeing Thursday's data.

Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank, raised his forecast for job growth in December to 190,000 jobs, up from 150,000.

Credit Suisse increased its forecast to 185,000, up from 165,000.

"Given that we have restraints, the labor market data do appear to be improving," said Dana Saporta, an economist at Credit Suisse.

Still, many economists remained cautious about where the job market is headed. While Congress and the White House reached a deal this week that removed the threat of tax increases to most Americans, they postponed the more difficult decisions on cutting spending. And the government must also increase its $16.4 trillion borrowing limit by late February or risk defaulting on its debt.

Congressional Republicans are pressing for deep spending cuts in return for any increase in the borrowing limit. President Barack Obama has repeatedly said wants the issues kept separate.

The economy has added about 150,000 jobs a month, on average, over the past two years. That's too few to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.

Hiring probably won't rise above the current 150,000 per month trend until after the borrowing limit is resolved, economists say.

A similar fight over raising the borrowing limit in 2011 was only settled at the last hour and nearly brought the nation to the brink of default.

"That's not an environment where you're likely to be taking risks," such as boosting hiring, said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight.

Even with modest gains in hiring, the unemployment rate remains high. It fell to 7.7 percent in November from 7.9 percent in October. But that was mostly because many of the unemployed stopped looking for jobs. The government counts people as unemployed only if they are actively searching for work.

The number of people receiving jobless benefits fell to 5.4 million in the week ended Dec. 15, the latest data available. That's down about 70,000 from the previous week. The figure includes about 2.1 million people receiving emergency benefits paid for by the federal government. The White House and Congress agreed earlier this week to extend that program for another year.

There are signs the economy is improving. The once-battered housing market is recovering, which should lead to more construction jobs this year. Companies ordered more long-lasting manufactured goods in November, a sign they are investing more in equipment and software. And Americans spent more in November. Consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic growth.

A benefit to assist the family with Reccord's medical expenses is planned in Ludlow.

WILBRAHAM - Brett Reccord, of Wilbraham, who was critically hurt Nov. 30 near Dallas in a car accident and underwent surgery for a head injury, is now recovering at home and receiving physical therapy.

A benefit to assist the family will be Jan. 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. at The Polish American Citizens Club at 355 East St., Ludlow.

There will be a pasta dinner and entertainment by John and Tim of PrideFalls. The event will be catered by Carol’s catering. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through email at friendsofthereccords@yahoo.com or purchased at the bar at the club in Ludlow in advance.

Tickets also may be purchased at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow.

All proceeds will go to the Reccords to assist them while Brett is recovering at home.

The Reccord family would like to thank those who have been generous to The Reccord Family Donation Account at the Hampden Bank, 1263 Allen St., Springfield.

The shooting — which came on the eve of students' return to classes in Newtown, Connecticut, after a horrific school shooting — also highlighted the easy access to firearms in gun-loving nations.

Policemen investigate the house of the gunman and the shooting scene after a shooting in Daillon, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. A man shot and killed three people and wounded another two in the Swiss village, and was then arrested by officers who shot and injured him, police said Thursday. Police in the southern canton (state) of Valais said they were alerted to the shooting in the village of Daillon just before 9 p.m. (20:00GMT) Wednesday. Three of the victims died at the scene and the two injured people were taken to hospitals. A police statement early Thursday gave no detail on their injuries. Associated Press  

JOHN HEILPRIN

GENEVA — A shooting in southern Switzerland has left three women dead, two men wounded and raised questions about how a troubled suspect was able to go on a rampage with an old military rifle.

The shooting — which came on the eve of students' return to classes in Newtown, Connecticut, after a horrific school shooting — also highlighted the easy access to firearms in gun-loving nations.

The suspect, a 33-year-old unemployed man living on disability payments, fired about 20 shots Wednesday night in the village of Daillon, authorities in the Swiss canton (state) of Valais said Thursday.

He opened fire from his apartment and pursued people in the street, police said. Armed with a Swiss military rifle and a handgun, he then threatened to shoot the officers sent in to stop him, police said.

"The shooter pointed his weapon at our colleagues, so they had to open fire to neutralize him, to avoid being injured themselves," police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet told Swiss radio.

The suspect, who police did not identify, was arrested and taken to the hospital with serious wounds. Bornet said he lived in Daillon but the motive for the shooting was unclear.

Guns are popular among the Swiss — the Alpine country has at least 2.3 million weapons among a population of less than 8 million. Many rural areas have gun clubs, with children as young as 10 taking part in shooting competitions.

The suspect was using a military rifle that was once standard issue in the Swiss army, interim cantonal police chief Robert Steiner said.

Prosecutor Catherine Seppey said the suspect was unemployed and had been receiving psychiatric care since at least 2005, when he was first admitted to a psychiatric hospital. He was currently under the care of the cantonal agency for the disabled, she said.

His weapons were confiscated and destroyed in 2005, she said, "and currently no arms register showed he had a weapon. The inquiry will have to determine where the weapons came from."

Buying a firearm in a Swiss shop requires a permit, a clean criminal record and no psychiatric disability, but buying a firearm from another person is less restrictive and old-style Army rifles are often sold at military surplus markets.

Most types of ammunition can be bought, while automatic firearms generally require a special police permit.

Seppey said the shooter knew several of the victims but "he was not known for making threats."

The victims were three women aged 32, 54 and 79 who died at the scene, and two injured men, aged 33 and 63, who were taken to the hospital, Seppey said. The two youngest victims were a couple with small children.

"We have no words to express ourselves after an event like this," Christophe Germanier, head of the Conthey district where the shooting occurred, told a news conference.

Daillon is near some of Switzerland's most popular ski resorts, such as Verbier and Crans-Montana, and is in the country's main wine-producing region. The area also boasts a sizeable share of the country's federally protected hunting reserves.

Authorities say firearms are involved in nearly a quarter of the 1,100 suicides a year in Switzerland — which don't include another 300 cases a year of assisted suicide — but shooting rampages are rare in peaceful, prosperous Switzerland.

A gunman who killed 14 people at a city meeting in Zug in 2001 was the nation's worst rampage, leading to calls to tighten national gun-buying laws. Friedrich Leibacher used a commercial version of the Swiss army's SG 550 assault rifle for the rampage, then killed himself.

All able-bodied Swiss men who are required to perform military duty often take their army-issued rifle home with them after completing military service. In 2007, the government began requiring that nearly all army ammunition is kept at secure army depots.

Many in Switzerland believe that distributing guns to households helped dissuade a Nazi invasion during World War II. In 2011, Swiss voters rejected a proposal to tighten gun laws.

"This is part of Switzerland's self-defense, where the entire army can be mobilized in 24 hours," said Daniel Warner of the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces. "I don't think (the latest shooting) is going to cause a change in attitude here."

___

McQuaid was known for a booming voice and quietly sincere acts of charity helping the less fortunate and his constant commitment to community and country.

WARE — The town has lost a giant of a man.

John E. “Jack” McQuaid, known for a booming voice, quietly sincere acts of charity in helping the less fortunate and his constant commitment to community and country, died on Dec. 28 at 87. He served Ware as a police officer and selectman and on other town boards, and was an active communicant of All Saints Church.

“Jack loved his community, loved his country and loved the veterans. He was just an all-around great guy who wanted to help out where he could,” said Greg Harder, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

“He was always a straight shooter,” state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, in a telephone interview on Thursday. “When I heard that he died, I wept. I have met a lot of really special people; he is at the top the list. He inspired people.”

Brewer will deliver a eulogy at McQuaid's funeral Mass, scheduled at All Saints Church on Jan. 12 at 10 a.m.

McQuaid served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1943 to 1946, earning the rank of corporal. McQuaid was part of the dangerous and massive Normandy D-Day landing.

A goal of the June 1944 mission – code-named “Omaha Beach” – was to liberate France from German occupation. The first step, and most deadly, was establishing a beach head.

McQuaid landed on the French coast three days into the daring military adventure with his compatriots from the 29th Infantry Division that was commanded by Major General Charles H. Gerhardt. The campaign was led by then-general and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“I often wonder what those eyes saw in war,” Brewer said.

Besides serving the nation, McQuaid was a family man, a police officer and town official.

Two years after his honorable discharge at Ft. Devens, he married Olive Van Wart on Oct. 27, 1948, at All Saints Church. They religiously attended Mass together the past 64 years.

The McQuaids raised three sons – Douglas McQuaid, who married Joanne Siegel and have two children, Damon and Jacob; John McQuaid, who married Bambi Witt, and have three children, Katie, John and Beth; and Frank McQuaid, who has a son, Charles.

Jack McQuaid’s dedication to All Saints Parish and the Catholic Church included leading efforts to build a new Knights of Columbus hall at 126 West Main St.

“He and his buddies back in the 1950s built the Knights of Columbus – I’d have to say he was the instigator of this,” son Douglas said in an interview. “My grandfather was a fourth degree grand knight and my father was a grand knight, fourth degree.”

The Knights in Ware previously operated out of the old Mansion House – where Veterans Park now sits, adjacent to the recently demolished Casino Theater.

McQuaid was also a curator at All Saints and was directly involved with renovations and fundraising in the 1960s and 1970s under Father Thomas Delahanty related to the Old St. William's and the new St. William's cemeteries.

McQuaid was a Ware policeman and a patrolman for the Metropolitan District Commission, protecting the Quabbin Reservoir.

Joseph E. Pellissier, 78, a longtime friend., served as a policeman with McQuaid. They would later serve as selectmen. The duo became friends in the 1950s.

“He was a helluva man, an excellent police officer – every thing he did was fair and square, he was a model cop, a gentleman’s gentleman,” Pellissier said. "I will miss him a lot. Everyone whose life he touched will remember him as an excellent man.”

McQuaid served on the Board of Health from 1951 to 1958, was an Assessor’s committeeman from 1996 to 2005 and a selectman from 2000 to 2005. He was a member of the Fire Station Building Committee.