Obituaries from The Republican.

Joseph Michonski  

Joseph Michonski  

Joseph A. Michonski, 49, of Westfield, died Thursday. He was born in Westfield and was a graduate of Westfield High School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He owned and operated Jayco Manufacturing in Westfield. He enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting and fishing as well as summer vacations at Ocean City, N.J., and was an avid New England Patriots fan.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Albano, Pasquale
  



• 
  Aleks, Victoria H.
  



• 
  Ayers Sr., Edward T.
  



• 
  Baginski, Theresa C.
  



• 
  Balboni, Celia J.
  



• 
  Becker, Suzanne
  



• 
  Brady, Eileen M.
  



• 
  Clark, George
  



• 
  Clark, Jawhar Anahe
  



• 
  Cleland, Edna D.
  



• 
  Courchesne, Ann
  



• 
  Czarnecki, Stanley F.
  



• 
  Fitzgerald, Richard J.
  



• 
  Fuss, Althea A.
  



• 
  Groll, Marlyn D.
  



• 
  Gruszczynksi, Lola
  



• 
  Hannigan, Mary T.
  



• 
  LaBonte, Denise Y.
  



• 
  Lachowetz, Anthony
  



• 
  Lovern, Nora B.
  



• 
  Manners, Eleanor A.
  



• 
  McQuaid, John E.
  



• 
  Michonski, Joseph A.
  



• 
  Moran, Honore E.
  



• 
  Paquin, Armand
  



• 
  Real Jr., Frank G.
  



• 
  Scarfe, Geraldine A.
  



• 
  Snyder, Barbara A.
  



• 
  Tatro, Bernard R.
  



• 
  Vaill, Donald C.
  



• 
  Whitlock, Willie B.
  



• 
  Williams, Cora Lee
  



• 
  Williams Jr., Franklin
  

Maybe this time the Houston Texans really will be playing the biggest game in franchise history.

Maybe this time the Houston Texans really will be playing the biggest game in franchise history.

The last biggest game in franchise history came on Dec. 10 when they traveled to New England to take a 42-14 beating from the Patriots. But as soon as they game ended, the Texans decided the result didn't matter and set their sights on a possible rematch in the AFC title game.

Houston felt the result was fraudulent because it didn't play well. Judgment was to be withheld until it could put its best foot forward and players vowed to get revenge when that day finally came.

Here's their chance.

No, it isn't the AFC title game. Houston went on a tailspin during the final month of the season and will travel to Foxborough as the No. 3 seed to play Patriots Sunday at 4:30 p.m. It may not be the venue or date the Texans wanted, but the opponent is right.

And the message remains the same.

"I don't know how much I'm going to look at that, man," Houston running back Arian Foster told the Houston Chronicle when asked if he was going to look back at the tape. "They're a good team. We're a good team. I'll glance at it. But I'm not going to sit there and burn a candle and watch it."

Houston shot itself in the foot in the last meeting by allowing the Patriots to build a 14-0 lead in the first quarter following an interception. The quick swing took Foster out of the game, forced Houston to the air, and the Patriots ran away with the game by taking advantage of a predictable Texans offense.

So Foster has a reason to act like it never happened. He and his teammates probably also know that they psyched themselves out of the last game. The Texans labeled the contest the biggest game in franchise history – a curious claim for a team that was in the playoffs last season – and were already drowning under the pressure when they hopped off the busses at Gillette Stadium dressed in matching letter jackets.

By the end of the night, New England pulled Houston's pants off and left it standing exposed at midfield before a National television audience.

But this time there is little to lose and the mentality will be different. Houston isn't supposed to win. The pressure is off, but the desire for revenge is high.

"I'm pregnant with (a desire for revenge) and I told them that on the sideline," Texans defensive lineman Antonio Smith told the Chronicle. "Can't forget it. You gotta take it with you. You gotta feel it in you. Every bit of despair you felt going off the field, you gotta feel it. ... It's gotta be personal."

New England is still the better team. It should win. But something about an opponent with a bad taste in its mouth and nothing to lose seems a little more imposing than a team that's flying high and scared to fall.

Should the Patriots be scared? No. But they need to show up Sunday knowing that it's going to take more than one shot to the head to knock the Texans out.

If the original schedule stays put, the Bruins will either host New Jersey on Jan. 15 or be in Montreal on Jan. 19.

View full size Boston Bruins fans will soon be watching Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Dennis Seidenberg play at TD Garden. (AP Photo)  

With the NHL and players reaching a tentative agreement to end the lockout, one big question on Boston Bruins fans' minds is, "When's the season going to start?"

The league is still working on whether to have a 50- or 48-game schedule for what's left of the 2012-13 season.

If it goes 50, the Bruins are scheduled to host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at TD Garden. If 48, they are slated to be at the Bell Centre to face the Montreal Canadiens.

With news of the lockout ending, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was pulled out of his KHL game and told to get ready to head back to Boston according to CSNNE.com.

Chara's agent Matt Keator said that Chara is "in great shape and ready to go."

Here's a look at the remaining 2012-13 schedule:

JANUARY
Tue. 15: New Jersey, 7:00 (if 50 games)
Thu. 17: at Ottawa, 7:30
Sat. 19: at Montreal, 7:00 (if 48 games)
Mon. 21: Toronto, 1:00
Tue. 22: at N.Y. Rangers, 7:00
Tue. 29: St. Louis, 7:00
Thu. 31: at San Jose, 7:30

FEBRUARY
Sat. 2: at Phoenix, 6:00
Mon. 4: at Colorado, 7:00
Wed. 6: Buffalo, 7:30
Fri. 8: at Buffalo, 7:00
Sat. 9: N.Y. Rangers, 7:00
Tue. 12: Toronto, 7:00
Fri. 15: at Carolina, 7:00
Sun. 17: at Chicago, 6:30
Mon. 18: at Nashville, 5:00
Thu. 21: at Tampa Bay, 7:30
Sun. 24: at Florida, 6:00
Tue. 26: at Carolina, 7:00
Thu. 28: at Montreal, 7:30

MARCH
Sat. 2: Tampa Bay, 1:00
Mon. 4: Montreal, 7:00
Tue. 5: at N.Y. Islanders, 7:00
Sat. 9: Philadelphia,
Sun. 10: at Washington, 7:30
Thu. 14: Florida, 7:00
Sat. 16: Washington, 1:00
Sun. 17: at Pittsburgh, 7:30
Tue. 19: at Winnipeg, 7:00
Sat. 23: at Toronto, 7:00
Mon. 25: Toronto, 7:00
Wed. 27: Montreal, 7:00
Sat. 30: Philadelphia, 1:00
Sun. 31: at Philadelphia 7:30

APRIL
Tue. 2: Ottawa, 7:00
Thu. 4: Columbus, 7:00
Fri. 5: at Pittsburgh, 7:00
Wed. 10: at New Jersey, 7:30
Thu. 11: N.Y. Islanders, 7:00
Sat. 13: at Buffalo, 7:30

Follow Amanda Bruno on Twitter

On any given day, about 40,000 elderly people in Massachusetts receive state-funded home care.

Karla P. Shea's elderly mother receives about eight hours of state-funded home care each week, allowing the mother to avoid placement in a nursing home, at least for the time being.

Through a program provided by the Greater Springfield Senior Services, Shea said her 91-year-old mother, Dorothy, gets help at her Springfield home from an aide on tasks such laundry, preparing lunch and her hair and light housekeeping.

Shea, 57, a public school teacher in East Longmeadow, and her sister, Judy Szczygiel of Agawam, pitch in at nights and some mornings for several hours. They drive to Springfield and give their mother a bath, monitor her finances, help with groceries, dressing, meals, doctor and dentist appointments and assure she correctly uses five different prescription drugs.

Karla Shea, on left, and Judy Szczygiel, on right Photo provided to The Republican  

The mother suffered a mild stroke four or five years ago, but she is mentally alert and pays her own bills, Shea said. She had a fall in late May, breaking her pelvis and requiring her to be in a wheelchair.

It puts a lot of stress and strain on Shea and her sister. The mother is needing more and more help. Shea said she is grateful for the home care from the Springfield agency, but she would like to have some additional help, maybe 90 minutes for a few evenings a week.

The problem is that state funding is tight for many human services including home care. Shea said she has been unable to obtain the additional care for her mother.

"The care my mother receives through Greater Springfield is good and actually keeps her out of a nursing home at this point. If she went into a nursing home, I think she would give up," said Shea, who declined to provide her mother's last name, citing safety reasons because she lives alone. "It would be nice if we had more hours for home care, but it's not something I'm thinking we are going to get."

Ann Hartstein Photo by state Executive office of Elder Affairs  

There is a long wait list for state-funded home care.

There are three major programs for home care in Massachusetts, a basic program , and two enhanced programs that provide a higher level of service for frail people who are medically eligible for nursing homes. The programs all have income limits and co-pays in some instances.

Together, the programs cost about $180 million a year, according to a copy of the state's $32 billion annual budget.

As of Dec. 15, there were 1,104 elderly people on the wait list for the home care and enhanced programs, according to Al Norman, executive director of Mass Home Care, with an office in Montague.

The home care programs served about 64,000 different people last year, said Norman, whose association advocates for 30 nonprofit agencies in the state with a mission to help people with disabilities to live independently at home.

Some people with home care receive Medicaid, or health insurance for the poor, but having Medicaid is not a requirement for the service.

The home care programs provide services to eligible elderly people who need help to live independently in their homes. A team, including care managers and nurses, assess people in their homes to determine eligibility.

Greater Springfield and 26 other private, nonprofit agencies in the state, including four additional agencies in Western Massachusetts, administer the home care programs under contracts with the state. All are members of Mass Home Care.

Norman, a Greenfield resident, is urging the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services to reduce the wait list for home care. Norman successfully worked to help pass a 2006 law that allows elderly Medicaid recipients an "equal choice" between a nursing home and care in their own homes.

The goundbreaking law gives poor elderly people a right to choose "the least restrictive and most appropriate" setting to receive long-term care.

Ann L. Hartstein, the state's secretary of elder affairs, said the length of the waiting list fluctuates depending on the available funding.

"If we had additional resources, we would be able to serve everyone," Hartstein said. "That's not the reality of the fiscal situation."

She said home care is assigned on the basis of where it can be best used or is most needed.

Hartstein said an average of about 100 people a month are moved from nursing homes back into their homes. She said the state also offers a counseling program that provides information about services and can help the elderly decide if they want to be in their home or in a nursing facility.

"A lot of what we do is to try to keep people from entering nursing facilities," she added.

Hartstein said some people prefer to be in nursing homes, partly because they like the security.

"We do believe people should have a choice," she said.

On any given day, Hartstein said, about 40,000 people in Massachusetts are receiving home care, and 14,500 of those are eligible to be in a nursing home.

Hartstein said only two or three other states have some kind of home care service. Compared to other states, Massachusetts has a tremendous amount of home care, she said.

Elaine M. Massery, executive director of Greater Springfield Senior Services, said people need more help than what the state can finance.

Massery said her agency pays a provider about $756 a month for home care for Shea's mother, but the agency is reimbursed $662 a month by the state.

"She could use a lot more help, but we don't get adequate funds to pay for what she really needs," said Massery, whose agency recently had about 23 people on the wait list for home care.

"The bottom line is, you can't run an operating deficit for long," she said.

Norman, the leader of Mass Home Care, said Massachusetts was a pioneer in home care, creating the first program of its kind in 1973. But over the past decade, home care has lost funding, and had waiting lists every year since 2010. "Waiting lists are our chronic condition," Norman said. "We can't seem to shake it off - like a bad case of pneumonia."

Prosecutor can use Nathan Perez' testimony from first trial.

SPRINGFIELD – A jury was selected Monday in the murder retrial of Charles L. Wilhite and opening arguments and testimony are scheduled begin Tuesday.

In December 2010, Wilhite and co-defendant Angel Hernandez were convicted of first-degree murder in the October 2008 fatal shooting of Alberto L. Rodriguez on Pine Street in Six Corners.

Charles Wilhite  

In May, Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis granted Wilhite, 30, a new trial, in part because an important prosecution witness - Nathan Perez - recanted the identification of Wilhite he had testified to at trial.

Perez said he was pressured by police to identify Wilhite in the case, a claim police deny.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney heard pre-trial motions Monday.

She ruled Monday prosecutors could introduce Perez’ testimony from the first trial - in which he identified Wilhite - in this trial..

Assistant District Attorney Blake J. Rubin told Sweeney he expects Perez will say on the stand in this trial he was pressured to make the identification and it is not correct.

Sweeney said jurors will - in the case of several witnesses - have to decide whether to believe what the witnesses say on the stand now or what they told police or testified to previously.

Clinton, who suffered a concussion in December, was given a football helmet and jersey with the number "112" -- the record-breaking number of countries she has visited since becoming secretary of state.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheers, a standing ovation and a gag gift of protective headgear greeted Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as she returned to work on Monday after a monthlong absence caused first by a stomach virus, then a fall and a concussion and finally a brief hospitalization for a blood clot near her brain.

A crowd of about 75 State Department officials greeted Clinton with a standing ovation as she walked in to the first senior staff meeting she has convened since early December, according to those present. Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides, noting that life in Washington is often a "contact sport, sometimes even in your own home" then presented Clinton with a gift — a regulation white Riddell football helmet emblazoned with the State Department seal, officials said.

She was also given a blue football jersey with "Clinton" and the number 112 — the record-breaking number of countries she has visited since becoming secretary of state — printed on the back. Aides said Clinton was delighted with the gifts but did not try either of them on and the meeting turned to matters of national security and diplomacy.

"She loved it. She thought it was cool. But then being Hillary Clinton, she wanted to get right to business," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

At the meeting, Clinton stressed the need for the State Department to implement a review board's recommendations for improving the security at high-threat diplomatic posts, officials said. Clinton said she wanted to see all 29 of the recommendations from the independent Accountability Review Board in place by the time her successor takes over.

"She's expecting everybody to work hard in that regard," Nuland said.

President Barack Obama has nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to replace Clinton, who had long said she would step down after four years.

The review board, created after the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, harshly criticized leadership and management at two State Department bureaus that allowed the post to be inadequately protected. Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in the attack.

Clinton also told her staff on Monday that she would testify before Congress about the report before she leaves office, officials said. No date for that testimony has yet been set and Congress is in recess until Jan. 21, meaning that she may have to stay on as secretary of state for another week or so after Obama's inauguration on that day. After she testifies, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would take up Kerry's nomination.

Clinton fell ill with a stomach bug after returning from a trip to Europe on Dec. 7. The illness forced her to cancel a planned visit to North Africa and the Middle East and left her severely dehydrated. While at home, she fainted and fell and suffered a concussion that was diagnosed by doctors on Dec. 20.

During a follow up examination on Dec. 30, doctors discovered a blood clot in a vein that runs between the skull and the brain behind her right ear and she was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for treatment with blood thinners. She was released from the hospital Wednesday.

Yolanda Mercedes Perez Lopez, a native of the Dominican, took on the identity of Alicia Perez to remain in the United States.

 

SPRINGFIELD – A 51-year-old Agawam woman who entered the county illegally and assumed a fraudulent identity to work as a tax preparer was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for filing bogus tax returns for her clients.

Yolanda Mercedes Perez Lopez was also ordered by Judge Michael A. Ponsor to serve three years probation after her release and to make restitution of $46,300 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Perez Lopez pleaded guilty in November to several charges, including aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, making false statements to a federally insured financial institution, endeavoring to interfere with the administration of Internal Revenue laws, making false representation of United States citizenship, and making a false representation of a Social Security number with intent to deceive.

Prosecutors charged that from February 2007 through April 2008, Perez Lopez filed tax returns on behalf of her clients that she knew to be fraudulent in order to win them higher tax returns.

In addition, she was charged with filing a fraudulent loan application for an Agawam property with a local bank. Investigators also determined that Perez Lopez is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who entered the United States without a valid visa. To remain in the country, she assumed the identity of Alicia Perez, a U.S. citizen, to open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, insurance and a Massachusetts driver’s license.

Perez Lopez had worked as a tax preparer with Lopez Multiservice, a company that provides tax assistance and immigration counseling to a mostly Spanish-speaking clients..

After celebrating the resolution of the "fiscal cliff," investors are now shifting their focus to corporate profits.

A trader at the CME Group signals in the S&P 500 Futures pit in Chicago. The S&P 500 fell on Monday after reaching a five-year high on Friday. Associated Press file photo  

By MATTHEW CRAFT
and STEVE ROTHWELL
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK — Investors started the week on a cautious note, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from the five-year high it reached Friday.

The move lower on Monday is likely the result of traders taking some winnings off the table after the stock market's surge last week, said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ.

Investors are also preparing for corporate America's seasonal parade of earnings reports, which starts Tuesday.

"You can summarize it as profit-taking and preparation," Stovall said. "Investors are digesting some of those gains from last week and positioning themselves so they're not too far extended if fourth-quarter earnings slip a bit."

The S&P 500 fell 4.58 points to close at 1,461.89.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 50.92 points to 13,384.29, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.84 points to 3,098.81.

The S&P 500 soared 4.6 percent last week, ending Friday at a five-year high. The government reported that hiring held up in December during the tense budget negotiations in Washington, with employers adding 155,000 jobs during the month.

Investors celebrated to start the year as lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that came to be known as the "fiscal cliff." The law passed late Tuesday night avoided the full force of the budget cuts, which could have dragged the economy into a recession.

Investors are now shifting their focus to corporate profits. Aluminum producer Alcoa launches the reporting season for the fourth quarter of 2012 after the market closes on Tuesday.

Analysts forecast that companies in the S&P 500 will report that quarterly earnings increased 3.3 percent compared with the same period the year before, according to S&P Capital IQ. But all the events that took place in the last three months of 2012 -- Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and worries about the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff" -- could make for some surprises.

JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and others banks agreed to pay $8.5 billion to settle federal complaints that they foreclosed on people who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. Bank stocks ended the day little changed.

In a separate agreement, Bank of America settled with the government-owned mortgage finance company Fannie Mae over mortgage investments that lost value during the real-estate crash. BofA's stock fell 2 cents to $12.09.

In other trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was 1.90 percent. The yield on the note hit an eight-month high of 1.97 percent in intraday trading Friday, according to prices from Tradeweb, an operator of fixed-income markets.

Among other stocks making big moves:

• Archer Daniels Midland dropped 4 percent. Analysts at JP Morgan Chase said the ongoing drought in the Midwest will likely squeeze the crop-processing company's profit margins. The analysts also started coverage on ADM's stock with a price target of $28, below where it opened for trading Monday. ADM fell $1.21 to $28.01.

• Lowe's Cos. fell 82 cents to $34.76 after analysts at the money-management firm Canaccord cut their rating on the company to "sell" from "hold," saying that the home improvement company's efforts to improve stores and sales won't be successful.

• Walgreen Co. gained 85 cents to $38.03 after Jefferies analyst Scott A. Mushkin raised his rating on the drugstore chain to "buy" from "hold," saying the company's profits may get a boost from the flu season, Medicare drug plans and President Obama's health-care overhaul.

Statewide, the Gaming Commission expects about 10,000 casino jobs, with 3,000 in Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - No matter which of the competing developers end up building a casino in Western Massachusetts, the community and prospective job seekers need to start preparing now if they want casino jobs.

"If those doors open and our people are not ready, they aren't going to get these jobs," said Ira H. Rubenzahl, president of Springfield Technical Community College. "We know that in Western Massachusetts our level of education attainment is lacking compared with the rest of the state."

A consortium of community colleges from across the state lead by Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College signed worker-training agreements with four prospective casino developers Monday. The colleges already had an agreement with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the entity that will eventually choose an operator for a Western Massachusetts casino.

The consortium, called the Community College Casino Careers Training Institute, gives casino developers across the state a single point of contact to help develop their workforce, said William F. Messner, president of the 7,000-student Holyoke Community College.

"We don't want any arguments over territory or who is going to do what," he said. "We're going to work together."

Messner, who also leads the statewide Presidents Council of Massachusetts Community Colleges, said the Community College Casino Careers Training Institute will have similar programs in the other two regions of Massachusetts where the Gaming Commission is considering casino applications.

A representative from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester was at Monday's announcement,.

Messner to have a training program up and running sometime in 2015, about one year before any of the proposed casinos would open under current projections. The colleges have already bought a gaming curriculum from Atlantic Cape Community College near Atlantic City, N.J.

""But we are talking about more programs than just gaming. We are talking about accounting programs, about culinary programs, hospitality, maintenance, criminal justice and security," Messner said.

Potential casino operators have until Jan. 15, one week from today, to submit a formal application and an nonrefundable $400,000 fee to the state Gaming Commission.

The two developers interested in Springfield , Penn National Gaming and MGM Resorts International, have already submitted the $400,000 along with a a separate fee and application to the city.

Both MGM and Penn National were at the event Monday. They were joined by representatives of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, which runs Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and has a proposal in Palmer. The third group is Western Mass Development, a group involving Anthony L. Cignoli and others.

People from Both Penn National and MGM said it will be efficient to have community colleges working together rather than competing.

In a prepared statement Mohegan Sun said it is proud to sign this agreement with the Massachusetts Community Colleges to help facilitate the creation of new careers in the gaming industry.

J. William Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County said people interested in getting casino jobs should contact their local career center, like CareerPoint in Holyoke or FutureWorks in Springfield. If they don't have a high school diploma, they need to get their GED now. if their English skills are not good, they need to take English as a second language training.

"Your credit score," Ward said, "If you think you are getting a casino job with a bad credit score you are mistaken. It's time now for you to start cleaning that up."

Statewide, the Gaming Commission expects about 10,000 casino jobs. Of those, 3,000 will be at whatever Western Massachusetts location wins out. Ward predicts a 10-to1 ratio of applicants to jobs meaning casinos will winnow a field of 100,000 applicants.

"You need to compete in that pool," he said.

The Redskins and coach Mike Shanahan have been sharply criticized for allowing the hobbling Griffin to continue to play.

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III twists his knee as he reaches for the ball after a low snap Sunday. Associated Press  

Robert Griffin III has suffered partial tears of his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, as revealed by an MRI to the right knee of the Redskins quarterback, according to The Washington Post.

The report, citing "several people with knowledge of the test results," is not conclusive and could be showing the aftermath of an old injury.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said the results are prompting the team to send Griffin to Florida on Tuesday to see renowned orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations, essentially a second opinion that will decide the team's fate for the 2013 season.

An injury that sidelines RG3 well into next season is a real possibility - or at least it seemed that way Monday after Shanahan described the test results.

"There is a concern," Shanahan said. "That's why he's going to see him."

Griffin tore his ACL while playing for Baylor in 2009, and Shanahan said that old injury caused Griffin's latest MRI to prove inconclusive and produce "differences of opinion" in those who have looked at it.

"They want to take another look and have a physical exam with him," Shanahan said, "to make sure they're not looking at old injuries."

A torn ACL typically requires a rehabilitation period of nine to 12 months, although some players don't return to full health until their second season after the injury. On the other hand, one of this season's most remarkable stories was Adrian Peterson, who returned about eight months after tearing an ACL and nearly broke the NFL's single-season rushing record.

Notably, Shanahan referenced Peterson on Monday, pointing out that the Minnesota Vikings back had the big season without the benefit of an off-season practice program. It could be a possible scenario for Griffin.

Shanahan was grilled about his handling of Griffin's injury. Already playing with a heavy black brace in his third game since spraining a lateral collateral ligament, Griffin hurt the knee again when he fell awkwardly while throwing a pass in the first quarter of Sunday's 24-14 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Griffin stayed in the game, but he was far from his usual self, clearly favoring the knee and unable to run with the world-class speed that helped define his play early in the season.

Then, in the fourth quarter with the Redskins trailing by seven, the knee buckled the wrong way when Griffin tried to field a bad shotgun snap. The Seahawks recovered the fumble deep in Washington territory, setting up a short field goal that helped put the game out of reach. Griffin was done for the evening.

Shanahan said he thought he made the "right decisions" to keep Griffin in the game and that it would be "crazy" to think he would purposely sacrifice Griffin's career to win a game. He said he did not talk to team doctors initially after Griffin was hurt in the first quarter, instead relying on Griffin's word.

"I went up to Robert. I said, 'You OK?'" Shanahan said. "And he said, 'I'm fine.'"

Griffin was also feeling the criticism for not taking himself out. He did not appear in the locker room during the two hours it was open to reporters Monday morning and instead made his public statements via Twitter.

"Many may question, criticize & think they have all the right answers. But few have been in the line of fire in battle. ... I thank God for perspective and because of that I appreciate the support from everyone. I also appreciate the criticism. ... When adversity strikes you respond in one of two ways....You step aside and give in..Or you step up and fight," Griffin tweeted.

Teammates defended Griffin's desire to play hurt, saying it's part of an athlete's competitive nature.

"It's a slippery slope, I guess you can say, because you want to help the team," said receiver Pierre Garcon, who faced a similar dilemma this season while dealing with a painful toe injury. "But you want to help yourself in the long run and your career.

"You want to look out for all sides, but it's hard to really know exactly if you're doing the right thing because if you sit out and the team losses, it's like 'I could probably have helped.' If you go out there and don't help the team, it's like, 'I probably should've sat out.' You've just got to make a decision and live with it."

Shanahan's take on Griffin was also muddled by details that have emerged from the game in which the quarterback originally hurt the knee last month against the Baltimore Ravens.

The coach said at the time he was told by Andrews on the Redskins sideline that Griffin was cleared to return to the game, but Andrews told USA Today over the weekend that he didn't get a chance to examine the knee during the one play Griffin sat out after the initial injury.

Shanahan explained the apparent discrepancy.

"I don't sit down with him and say, 'Hey, did you give him a proper evaluation?'" Shanahan said. "I ask him, 'Is it OK if he goes back in the game?' He says yes or no. He said yes."

Either way, the various versions of what happened cast more intrigue on the protocol NFL teams use to determine whether someone is fit to keep playing. Redskins left guard Kory Lichtensteiger had to leave Sunday's game in the first quarter because he could no longer play on a sprained left ankle that kept him out of practice all week.

"I went out there," Lichtensteiger said. "But, in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have done it."

Griffin's injury and the playoff loss put a damper on the end of one of the best Redskins seasons in two decades. Washington rallied from a 3-6 start to win the NFC East after four straight last-place finishes. Assuming Griffin's knee will again be fully healthy, the future looks brighter than at any time since the Super Bowl era under coach Joe Gibbs in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"I think people have really learned around here - if you're down by seven, people aren't packing it in," said safety Reed Doughty, wrapping up his seventh season in Washington. "People aren't getting that 'Oh, the way things used to be' kind of feeling."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chartock, president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, says the singer/songwriter would have a better chance of winning than U.S. Rep. Ed Markey.

03.30.2004 | BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduces singer-songwriter James Taylor to perform during a fundraiser held at the home of Ron Burkle. Associated Press/Elise Amendola  

Forget Ben Affleck.

A public radio broadcaster is now encouraging singer/songwriter James Taylor to enter the race for John Kerry’s U.S. Senate seat.

Alan Chartock is president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, an Albany, N.Y.-based station that covers parts of Western Massachusetts. Chartock on Monday penned a blog post urging Taylor to run. Chartock argued that Taylor would have a better chance of beating likely Republican candidate Scott Brown than would Democrat Ed Markey, the dean of the Massachusetts congressional delegation.

“JT, who famously followed that road ‘from Stockbridge to Boston,’ is as much of a hero to the people of the Bay State as General Henry Knox was,” Chartock wrote, referring to the Boston-born Revolutionary War hero.

Chartock cited Taylor’s efforts fundraising for the Democratic Party. During the 2012 campaign, Taylor hosted a concert on behalf of Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and performed at a rally with Democratic President Barack Obama.

Taylor, who lives in Western Massachusetts, has deep Massachusetts roots. Perhaps his most famous song, “Sweet Baby James” references to “the Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston.”

Taylor’s spokeswoman, Pearl Evidente Feldman of the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency in California, said Taylor “has no comment at this time.”

Chartock said he has spoken to Taylor and his wife, and has not gotten any indication that Taylor is considering a run. “I’ve not gotten any kind of affirmative answer about whether this is something he’d want to do,” Chartock said.

Several Democratic consultants said they had not heard talk of a run by Taylor.

This is not the first speculation to surround a celebrity figure. Affleck was also rumored as a potential candidate until he took his name out of contention.

Patrick announced his administration would eliminate or change 286 state regulations as part of its ongoing review of the bureaucracy in state government.

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - Gov. Deval L. Patrick on Monday described a significant overhaul of state regulations that impact small businesses across the state, including legislation he plans to file to streamline or eliminate several licensing boards to make doing business simpler for owners and professionals.

Patrick announced his administration would eliminate or change 286 state regulations as part of its ongoing review of the bureaucracy in state government that the governor launched last March. Those changes include a standardization of the permitting and fee process for police escorts of oversized loads on the Mass. Turnpike.

Deval L. Patrick  

While some of the changes can be made administratively, Patrick said he will also propose legislation to consolidate, eliminate or change some of the 31 boards under the Division of Professional Licensure, removing what he described as obstacles and impediments to small business owners maximizing their opportunities.

Patrick used the example of his own barber in Boston to highlight the problem, explaining that the barber is looking to open a second shop with three barber chairs, but has encountered a maze of red tape despite having already secured a lease and space in the Longwood Medical area.

“This work of modernizing our rules will remove unnecessary barriers for starting a small business, make state government more efficient, and better align our practices with widely accepted national models. As important as modernizing the rules is modernizing the culture of state government,” Patrick said.

Through August, the administration has reviewed 446 sets of regulations out of an estimated 2,000 on the books, proposing changes to 286 regulations, or 64 percent of those that have been reviewed and 14 percent of the total. Since August, officials said hundred more regulations have been reviewed and will be included in the next package of reforms.

“This is a culture shift, a work in progress. But we’ve seen that it works and we’re sticking with it,” Patrick said.

Asked whether the full review would be done before he leaves office two years from now, Patrick said, “Better be.”

The legislation the governor plans to filed will consolidate the boards of registration of barbers and electrologists into a new Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, eliminate the Board of Registration of Radio and Television Technicians, and put a cap “at reasonable levels” on workforce reentry fees for licensed specialists like message therapists.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation also plans to make it easier to access MassDOT property for curb cuts or other construction access by standardizing the evaluation process for requests, and the Department of Revenue will streamline its process for granting tax return extensions to make the tax process easier for an estimated 71,388 small businesses.

Patrick was joined at the press conference by Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki, agency commissioners and business leaders, including Jon Hurst of the Massachusetts Retailers Association and Peter Forman, president of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

Forman, a former Republican House member, said he first proposed eliminating the Board of Registration of Barbers in the early 1980s as a budget amendment, and credited Patrick with helping him 30 years later to pass his first and only budget amendment.

“We are making it easier to do business in Massachusetts without undercutting any of the fundamental value, whether it’s consumer protection, environmental protection or otherwise that make this state a great place to live and work,” Bialecki said.

The Department of Environmental Protection is finalizing 21 regulatory reforms that Commissioner Ken Kimmell said will help the agency better deal with budget cuts that have led to diminished staff, avoid duplication and incentivize environmental improvement projects.

The DEP will stop issuing licenses for small docks and piers along the coast and on ponds and lakes that consume a lot of time for regulators, but pose little environmental threat. Instead, the DEP will propose general standards for building piers and docks.

Developers will also no longer have to seek permits to hook up to a local sewer system from both the state and the local licensing board, and the DEP will focus instead on the overall health of the sewer system, Kimmell said.

Finally, the DEP will standardize the permitting process for removing dams, piloting new technologies and “daylighting” streams by removing culverts or other obstructions to encourage projects generally seen to have benefits to local environments.

Follow the game below with tweets from college football analysts from around the country, and chat live with Advance's Michael Potter and Scott Goldman

The Coaches' Trophy and the BCS title are on the line between Alabama and Notre Dame.

A string of close victories have the Minutemen believing their time has come.

UMass senior forward Terrell Vinson sees a better foundation to his team's current seven-game winning streak than a similar surge at the beginning of the 2010-11 season. David Molnar | The Republican  

AMHERST – When Derek Kellogg was reminded his team's seven-game winning streak matched the best of his career, he did his best to change the subject.

"Let's not talk about that,'' the fifth-year University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach said when reminded of his first such seven-game run, which occurred in November 2010.

Kellogg is more at ease discussing the Minutemen's current streak, which will be put to the test Thursday night at Saint Louis.

The conference opener matches UMass against a bona fide Atlantic 10 title contender. The Minutemen hope to prove they also belong in that category, as well as give Kellogg his first eight-game winning streak.

"I'm happy it's our first league game. It will help us find out where we're at,'' senior forward Terrell Vinson said.

UMass is 10-3. Two years ago, the Minutemen jumped to a 7-0 start, but Kellogg sees great differences between the two streaks and the teams that fashioned them.

"We were a much more fragile team then. The guys were not used to success,'' he said.

He thought that helped explain why the success didn't last. Rather than serve as a steppingstone, the fast start two years ago became a prelude to unmet goals.

After winning its first seven games by an average of 12.4 points, UMass lost its next four and finished 15-15 with several blowout losses.

The crumbling of the 2010-11 season led to a public debate of whether Kellogg's program had lost its way. Last year, UMass answered with a 25-win season, a memorable upset of Temple in the A-10 tournament and a spot in the NIT final four.

The momentum from last year has carried over to this season. After a bumpy 3-3 start, UMass has been unbeaten since Dec. 1, against a schedule Kellogg calls more demanding than in 2010-11.

The Minutemen's first nine wins this season came by a total of 39 points. Their tightrope walk has been such that UMass took a 9-3 record into Saturday's Eastern Michigan game, yet had allowed more points over its first 12 games than it had scored.

A 75-61 win over Eastern Michigan finally pushed the Minutemen onto the plus side.

Kellogg hopes the experience of winning such close games proves useful in the Atlantic 10, which promises to offer a new round of nail-biters.

"We've figured out ways to win basketball games. The guys have gotten better and more mature, and the staff and myself have been able to get a good feel for them,'' Kellogg said.

"The close games we've won this year, we probably would have lost them a couple of years ago,'' said Raphiael Putney, a redshirt junior whose career began with that 7-0 start in 2010.

"Success came quickly to us. But we dealt with adversity, and this year, we are finding ways to win those close games, as we should.''

UMass' win Saturday was its first double-digit victory. The steady stream of last-second thrillers has been a bonding experience and a confidence builder.

"We've probably had more close games than I'd like, but this is a different time (than 2010), and the program is in a different place,'' Kellogg said.

"We have an identity and a (pressing, fast-breaking) style, and I like how our guys are playing in it.''

The current streak has been fashioned with the help of players such as Vinson, Putney, Freddie Riley and Sampson Carter, all of whom have gained experience since they were part of the seven-game streak of two years ago.

UMass is missing gritty Javorn Farrell, a member of that team who is sitting out this year with an injury. The biggest addition has been point guard Chaz Williams, whose leadership and skill became a rallying point from the moment the Hofstra transfer began his UMass career in 2011.

"He's a tough dude to guard,'' Putney said.

There is probably another reason to look at this year's streak as more solid and credible than the 2010 run.

"(Kellogg) has grown as a coach. He knows how to keep us going,'' Vinson said.

"A huge part of it, too, is that now we know what it's like to be familiar with success.''

The players who remember the 2010-11 streak are aware of the slim difference between victory and defeat. That could help the Minutemen do now what they could not then – use a seven-game winning streak as a catapult to even more success.

"We are finding our identity, and we've got our style,'' Putney said.

"We've been through this phase before, and we wound up 15-15. This time, we have to find a way to keep it going.''

The $40,000 project will be funded by proceeds from an annual golf tournament that benefits manufacturing technology students.

Westfield Vocational Technical High School The Republican file / Michael S. Gordon

WESTFIELD – The manufacturing technology program at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School is planning to add a robotics component to its curriculum next year.

Instructor Clement D. Fucci said the program will expose students to programming robotics for the manufacturing process.

“This is cutting edge technology, and students will program a robotics arm to identify parts, materials and to perform the necessary tasks toward production and completion of projects,” Fucci said.

Funding for the estimated $40,000 project will come from an annual golf tournament that benefits the manufacturing technology department. That fund-raiser is hosted by the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association and the high school’s manufacturing advisory committee.

“We are fortunate to have the funding source and we are pretty excited about the new curriculum component and the advanced education opportunities for our students,” Fucci said.

The program currently has 54 students in grades nine through 12. Fucci is joined by three other instructors.

Fucci said delivery of the robotics arm and associated software is expected early this year, at which time instructors will be required to become certified in the new technology.

“We plan to integrate the program into our curriculum next September,” the instructor said.

“This will be cutting edge and will allow us to train students for their futures on equipment, tools and curriculum that is up to date with what is happening in the industry,” Fucci said.

Manufacturing technology was recognized in early November by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation and awarded $35,000, over the next three years, to help upgrade its equipment and teaching tools at the vocational high school.

Westfield was one of six schools throughout the country identified by SME as prime exemplary schools that collaborate and create partnerships with local manufacturers and community colleges to enhance educational opportunities for students.

Peter Murphy replaced Christopher Collins as vice-chairman, with Collins continuing to serve as chairman of the Budget and Finance subcommittee.

Peter Murphy The Republican staff file photo  

SPRINGFIELD — Peter M. Murphy, the new vice-chairman of the School Committee, said Monday that he will propose that students perform 20 hours of community service as a new graduation requirement.

Peter Murphy The Republican, John Suchocki  

Murphy spoke of the community service proposal after being elected vice-chairman by the committee, in a 6-0 vote, replacing Christopher Collins.

The new community service proposal will be referred to the Curriculum and Programs Committee for discussion in coming months, and would not take effect until next school year if approved, Murphy said. There will be hearings and input from the public, students and administrators before any decision is made, he said.

“I think it’s important for our kids to be active in the community, to do some community service,” Murphy said. “Giving back to your community is an important part of education. Wherever they choose to do their service, they will learn a tremendous lesson.”

There are school districts in Massachusetts that require community service as a condition for graduation, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The requirement is a local matter, and does not need state approval, he said.

Murphy said he believes that requiring 20 hours of community service is a “very reasonable number.”

“Doing 20 hours of service to your community should not be a hindrance or obstruction to graduation,” Murphy said.

The seven-member School Committee annually elects its vice-chairman. The mayor of the city automatically serves as chairman.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno was absent from the organizational meeting due to a family medical matter.

Murphy, in his first official act as vice-chairman, named the membership and chairmanships of the eight standing, three-member subcommittees.

Six of the eight committee chairmen will remain the same, including Collins serving as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee.

Barbara Gresham was named the chairwoman of the Student, Parent Concerns Committee, while the former chairwoman, Antonette E. Pepe, will remain as a member.

In addition, Pepe was named chairwoman of the Buildings and Maintenance Committee, replacing Murphy.

Other subcommittee chairmen that did not change were: Gresham, School Safety Committee; Denise M. Hurst, Curriculum and Programs; and Pepe, Vocational Education.

In addition, Norman Roldan will remain chairman of the Technology Committee and the Legislative and Contracts Committee.

All members of the School Committee “care deeply about the education of our children,” said Murphy, who has served on the committee for three years.

“Over the course of the next year, my vice chairmanship, I hope to accent the many positive things that are happening in the Springfield public schools and to work with the superintendent to close the achievement gap and to make sure our test scores improve and that the schools continue to be a safe learning environment for our children,” Murphy said.

There will be discussion of school safety and whether there is a better way to deploy police officers now assigned within the middle schools and high schools, he said.

“It’s important that everything that we do is focused on the quality education for the kids of the city of Springfield,” Murphy said.

The home team has won 75 percent of the games Corrente has worked this season.

Tony Corrente will work as the referee for Sunday's game between the Patriots and Texans, according to FootballZebras.com

Corrente, who will be seeing the Pats for the first time this season, has worked nine New England games since 2000, with the Patriots posting a 7-2 record.

The home team has posted a .750 winning percentage in the games Corrente has presided over this season. The league average is .564.

The rest of the crew is as follows:

U Garth DeFelice

HL Steve Stelljes

LJ Darryll Lewis

FJ Barry Anderson

SJ Joe Larrew

BJ Greg Wilson

Here are the other games Corrente has worked (home team in CAPS):

San Francisco 34, JETS 0

PITTSBURGH 16, Philadelphia 14

WASHINGTON 38, Minnesota 26

HOUSTON 43, Baltimore 13

INDIANAPOLOIS 23, Miami 20

NEW ORLEANS 31, Atlanta 27

SAN FRANCISCO 32, Chicago 7

St. Louis 31, ARIZONA 17

Houston 24, TENNESSEE 10

GREEN BAY 27, Detroit 20

OAKLAND 15, Kansas City 0

GIANTS 42, Philadelphia 7

(H/T Chris Price)

Von Klemperer was a professor emeritus of history at Smith College in Northampton.

Klemens W. von Klemperer  

BOSTON – Klemens Wilhelm von Klemperer, a German refugee who wrote extensively about the rise and fall of the Nazi regime has died in Massachusetts. He was 96.

Von Klemperer was an emeritus professor of history at Smith College in Northampton. His Dec. 23 death of natural causes at his home in Easthampton was confirmed Monday by his son, James von Klemperer.

Klemens von Klemperer wrote numerous books and articles related to German and central European history, including “German Resistance Against Hitler: The Search for Allies Abroad, 1938-1945.”

“He felt his greatest accomplishment was to give a balanced view of this period of German history, that while it was dominated by evil and by terrible misuse of power, that there were some good Germans who tried to make a difference and change this,” said James von Klemperer.

Von Klemperer was born in Berlin and became one of the leaders of the anti-Nazi student movement in Vienna, Austria until he fled to the United States in 1938.

He enrolled at Harvard University, but his studies were interrupted in the 1940s by service in the U.S. Army. He received a doctorate from Harvard in 1949 and soon began teaching at Smith College.

Von Klemperer retired from Smith in 1987, but continued to teach classes at Smith and Amherst colleges, and the University of Massachusetts. At the time of his death, he still had an office at Smith.

His son said he continued writing well into his 90s and was an avid outdoorsman. He was a lifetime member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and made annual trips to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

The fire apparently started in the garage and spread to the interior of the residence.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – An Amherst Fire Department engine.  

Assistant Fire Chief Donald McKay said fire spread from the garage and attached breezeway into the interior of the home before firefighters arrived.

He said he did not yet have an estimate for the amount of damage, but it was severe enough to displace the five residents. The Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross was called to the scene to help with temporary lodging, he said.

It is not clear if anyone was injured. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene to evaluate at least one person, but McKay say no one ended up being transported to the hospital.

The call for the fire came in at about 5:15 p.m.

Amherst put out a call for mutual aid to assist dealing with the fire. The Northampton Fire Department sent a fire engine and an ambulance to the scene, while Belchertown dispatched an engine and crew to provide coverage from the central station.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, McKay said. It remains under investigation.

According records from the Town of Amherst, the home is owned by Alexey P. and Svethlana I. Peshkov. The single-story raised ranch and land has a total assessed value of $215,000.

View Larger Map

Investigators allege that Gaines also attempted to burn a dwelling at 385 Worthington St. on Dec. 21.

UPDATE: Gaines denied the charges against him during his arraignment in District Court on Monday afternoon. He was ordered held without right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Jan. 14.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police arrested a 42-year-old city man Monday and charged him with setting a blaze that heavily damaged a Northampton Avenue home on Christmas Eve.

Arson investigators saw the suspect, Lorenzo Gaines, at the scene of the fire at 185-187 Northampton Ave., police Sgt. John M. Delaney said. Investigators noted that Gaines had burns on his hands, Delaney said.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, which displaced nine people.

Investigators also allege that Gaines attempted to burn a dwelling at 385 Worthington St. on Dec. 21, said Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Gaines, who lives at 187 Northampton St., serves as director for the uAspire Springfield Promise Program . According to its website, the program partners with schools and community organizations to provide free financial aid advice and advocacy to young people and families to help them overcome the financial barriers to higher education.

Officials with the program, which maintains offices in Boston, Springfield. Lawrence and Miami, declined comment.

Gaines made an unsuccessful bid against state Rep. Benjamin Swan in a Sept. 2008 Democratic primary for the 11^th Hampden District seat.

Northampton Avenue residents said the Christmas Eve blaze spread rapidly and members of the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad determined that fires had been set in four separate areas of the building.

Police applied for and received arrest warrants for Gaines last Friday. Delaney said detectives looked for him over the weekend and arrested him Monday at Probate Court where he was making an appearance there for a separate domestic matter.

Gaines was charged with arson, malicious damage to property, disabling a fire alarm (at the Northampton Avenue property) and two counts of burn personality.

He will be arraigned Monday afternoon in District Court, Delaney said.