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Boston Bruins to offer free concessions for month of January

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Other highlights include a chance to win game-worn players' jerseys, fly with the Bruins on their team charter to an away game, and receive free parking at North Station garage for all home games.

boston bruins merchandise.jpg View full size Boston Bruins fans will receive 25 percent off all merchandise from the ProShop for the month of January.  
Like many NHL clubs, the Boston Bruins are too making sure to show fans their appreciation with some impressive offerings.

For the month of January, fans will receive free concession vouchers at all Bruins home games, which will be good for three complimentary food or non-alcoholic beverage items from a select menu.

There are four home games scheduled: Jan. 19 vs. the N.Y. Rangers, Jan. 21 vs. Winnipeg, Jan. 25 vs. the N.Y. Islanders, and Jan. 31 vs. Buffalo.

There will also be a 25 percent discount at the ProShop and Fan Zones. Season ticket holders and Premium Club clients will receive a 30 percent discount.

Opening night has perhaps the sweetest offers. Highlights include a chance to win
game-worn players’ jerseys, fly with the Bruins on their team charter to an away game, visit the Bruins locker room post-game, and receive free parking at North Station for the Bruins remaining 23 home games.

For a look at the Bruins 48-game schedule click here.

To view their training camp schedule click here.



HALFTIME: Terrell Vinson, UMass, getting it done at Fordham, lead 40-26

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Three thoughts from courtside in the Bronx.

Three thoughts from courtside in the Bronx.

Vinson pulls Minutemen away — by himself
Forward Terrell Vinson went bonkers at the end of the first half, scoring 11 straight UMass points on his way to a 16-point first half on 6 for 11 from the floor.

It could have been more — Vinson was just 1 for 4 from 3-point range, but the Minutemen will take 16 in the half from the senior, who entered Sunday averaging 11.4 points per game.

The other factor for UMass — Trey Davis and Tyler Bergantino have been contributors, playing a combined 14 minutes in the first half and holding their own quite well.

Homecoming dance
Chaz Williams has plenty of fans in the stands, and he hasn't disappointed — putting up 10 points, six of which came on patented Williams drives to the hoop where it looks like he's going to get mauled, then somehow manages to lay it in softly off the glass.

And, as always, his mother Diane — a former official herself — is making sure the referees are aware of any perceived mistakes.

Lid on the rim
Most teams shoot better at home, but it's been a massive struggle for Fordham to put any shots — inside, outside, free throws — through the first half the Rams are 11 for 41 from the field, 2 for 9 from 3-point range and 2 for 7 from the line.

Still, they've racked up a gaudy 16 offensive rebounds, keeping them from getting completely run out of the gym.

Chris Gaston in particular, who has given UMass absolute fits in the past, had a horrific first half, missing bunny after bunny inside and finishing the half 1 for 10.

Welcome to Gillette Stadium for some playoff action between the Patriots and Texans

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It all comes down to this.

Gillette.jpg  
FOXBOROUGH – It all comes down to this. Preparations are done. It’s now win or go home.

The table’s set for a favorable road to the Super Bowl. If the Patriots beat Houston today, they’ll host the Baltimore Ravens in next Sunday’s AFC title game. Lose and it won't matter.

The Patriots seemed loose and confident near the end of the week, and had a positive development on Friday when 15 of the 20 players who had been listed on the injury report were removed from the list.

So now it’s simply about going out and executing the game plan. The inactives will be announced 90 minutes prior to the 4:30 p.m. kickoff. We’ll update this post with that information once it is available.

For updates during the game, check out our reporter updates or follow me on Twitter @Nick_Underhill.

Rep. Ed Markey hires Sarah Benzing as campaign manager for Massachusetts special election

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U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, one of the state's leading Democratic contenders for John Kerry's U.S. Senate seat, announced this weekend that he is bringing on a veteran political operative as his campaign manager.

092311 edward markey.JPG House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee member Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., delivers an opening statement on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Sept, 23, 2011, during the subcommittee's hearing on Solyndra. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)  

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, one of the state's leading Democratic contenders for John Kerry's U.S. Senate seat, announced this weekend that he is bringing on a veteran political operative as his campaign manager.

Sarah Benzing, who most recently helped lead U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, to victory amid a flurry of outside spending, will join Markey's plight to ascend to the upper chamber of Congress should Kerry be confirmed as secretary of state as expected.

“It is an honor to join Ed in his fight for Massachusetts’ workers and middle class families,” Benzing said in a statement. “I have long admired Ed’s core values and commitment to fighting the special interests. I look forward to helping him bring this important fight to the U.S. Senate.”

Markey has also enlisted two of Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's campaign staffers, Colleen Coffey and Michael Pratt, who worked on financing the former Harvard law School professor's successful big-ticket battle against Republican Scott Brown.

Markey, who has represented Massachusetts in Washington since 1976, is among a small group of Democrats who have expressed interest in running for Kerry's Senate seat.

U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano of the 7th Congressional District, and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch of the 8th Congressional District, are both reportedly still mulling the decision, although state Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield, announced on Friday that he is no longer planning to run.

Brown, who won a 2010 special election following the death of longtime Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, is reportedly among the Republicans considering a run for the seat.

Markey has received nods of support from Democrats including Kerry and retired U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, but the endorsements have not encouraged Capuano and Lynch to bow out early.

"Sarah is the best choice to lead this campaign of big issues and ideas,” Markey said in a statement. “Her proven track-record managing grassroots campaigns shows she has the leadership, know-how and passion to lead this campaign to victory. I am excited to have Sarah join us as campaign manager."

PM News Links: Woman found dead in jail, court won't hear appeal of man convicted of killing wife and daughter, and more

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Three Brockton men accused of tangling with police and overturning tables before they were Tasered into submission at a baby shower gone wrong in Stoughton pleaded not guilty to the charges and are free on $1,000 cash bail each.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Scott Houghtaling of Agawam charged with Suffield burglary

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When police searched the house, they found Houghtaling hiding in a basement crawl space.

114houghtaling.jpg Scott Houghtaling  
SUFFIELD – A 26-year-old Agawam man was arrested on burglary charges Sunday night after police found him hiding in a crawl space inside a house on Mountain Road, police said.

Police were called to the residence at about 11:30 p.m. for a report of a burglar alarm sounding. A search of the basement revealed Scott Houghtaling of 82 Hall St., Agawam, hiding in a crawl space inside the cellar, said Capt. Craig Huntley.

Houghtaling, who was wearing a mask when found, was charged with first degree burglary, breach of the peace and third-degree criminal mischief.

An investigation showed Houghtaling apparently gained entry by kicking in a basement window, Huntley said.

He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bond or cash surety pending his appearance in Enfield Superior Court.

Agawam Mayor Richard Cohen forms committee to advise him on proposed casino at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield

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Agawam is going to study and sit in on plans for a resort casino in neighboring West Springfield.

Agawam casino 11413.jpg Agawam school committee member Wendy Rua, City Clerk Richard Theroux and Mayor Richard Cohen appear at a press conference Monday at which the mayor announced he is forming an advisory committee to study what effect a casino proposed in neighboring West Springfield would have on his community.  

AGAWAM - Mayor Richard A. Cohen Monday announced his appointment of a three-member committee to look into and to advise him on plans by the Eastern States Exposition and Hard Rock International to build a $700-$800 million resort-type casino across the Westfield River in West Springfield.

In making the announcement, Cohen said he has deep concerns about how a project on the fairgrounds of the Eastern States Exposition would affect traffic in Agawam as well as the economic well-being of Six Flags New England. Six Flags has a major amusement park on Main Street and is a big local employer. The mayor said he is also worried about the effect on large and small businesses and, “most importantly,” residents.

Cohen said Eastern States Exposition chief executive Eugene J. Cassidy has told him the committee may sit in on all major meetings the exposition and Hard Rock have on the proposed casino project. Noreen P. Tassinari, exposition director of marketing, confirmed that that is the case.

She released a written statement from Cassidy stating that Agawam will be the second largest beneficiary of a project at the fairounds.

“The Big E and Hard Rock are working on a comprehensive traffic mitigation plan that will improve traffic in both Agawam and West Springfield and the casino project will be the catalyst for providing funding to improve the traffic situation for both communities which previously has not been addressed due to the lack of federal and state funding available to resolve these issues, Cassidy stated.

“With the state’s announcement today, of a $1 billion funding gap available for state and regional transportation improvements, the casino project at Eastern States Exposition will be a catalyst for traffic improvements that will be undertaken in both West Springfield and Agawam. Our project will not only improve traffic in West Springfield, but it could even serve to mitigate Agawam’s existing traffic issues associated with Six Flags New England.

“If the casino project goes to Springfield, both Agawam and West Springfield will not receive any substantial revenue sharing and both communities will continue to have traffic problems in their communities.”

The Agawam mayor said the three committee members have not made up their minds about the project and he picked them because of their open-mindedness. The members of the committee are Town Clerk Richard M. Theroux, who will serve as chair, and City Council Paul C. Cavallo and School Committee member Wendy T. Rua.

“My goal is to protect all the residents’ interests and the interests of the community,” Cohen said.

He and Theroux noted that whether West Springfield hosts a casino is up to its voters, who must approve it by referendum, and the state, which will have the final say. Three casinos, one in Western Massachusetts, will be allowed in the commonwealth.

Cohen said he is concerned a casino could take entertainment business away from Six Flags, which has concerts in the summer.

“I have grave concerns at the impact (casino) traffic will have on a daily basis not just on 17 days,” the mayor said, alluding to the fact that the exposition’s Big E regional agricultural fair runs for 17 days every fall.

Both Cohen and Theroux said exposition is not in any way obligated to give Agawam a seat at the table in talks.

The mayor said West Springfield Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger has also said he will work with Agawam.

“The mayor has told me he will work with Agawam because he does not want to blindside us or harm us,” Cohen said.

Theroux said he will look beyond donations by the casino to local charities to Agawam to the city getting a piece of the project’s revenue stream.

While Cohen said he is not taking a position on a casino, he allowed “My con list is bigger if I make a pro and con list....I am not convinced casinos are a deficit cure all.”

Theroux said so far exposition officials have not had any discussions with Agawam about traffic.

The committee, advisory in nature and non-paid, will conduct business in public meetings posted in keeping with the state’s Open Meeting law, according to Theroux. The body does not have an official deadline or charge to come up with a report, according to Cohen, who said he expects to be briefed regularly on issues.

Theroux said that more than 20 years ago when Agawam residents were asked their opinion of a casino being built at Riverside Park, the precursor to Six Flags, they were overwhelming opposed.

As casino application deadline approaches, dark horse candidates may emerge

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Hours away from the Jan. 15 deadline for filing an application and a $400,000 non-refundable fee to potentially develop a resort casino in Massachusetts, a few mysteries remain in the Pioneer Valley.

Hours away from the Jan. 15 deadline for filing an application and a $400,000 non-refundable fee to potentially develop a resort casino in Massachusetts, a few mysteries remain in the Pioneer Valley.

The four major casino companies expressing an interest in developing a Western Massachusetts resort casino have jumped the first hurdle. The deadline, referred to as "Phase 1" by the state, does not require a company to have a site-specific plan at this point. Instead, all they need is the cash and to fill out the appropriate paperwork to be considered.

Mohegan Sun, which is looking to develop a casino in Palmer, announced Monday it would live up to its word and pay the fee to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The Connecticut gaming company has partnered with the New York-based Brigade Capital Management, which will reportedly finance its development should their project pass all obstacles to fruition.

"We believe this partnership gives us the most solid financial footing of all the parties in competition," said Mitchell Etess, chief executive officer of the MoheganTribal Gaming Authority. "You can put this on top of all the other advantages our proposal has."

MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming both filed applications for their respective Springfield-based casino proposals early while Hard Rock International, which recently jumped into the local casino game with its West Springfield proposal, making their place in the competition official last week.

Gallery preview

Still up in the air are the known Holyoke casino proposals, which have sustained a roller coaster ride of sorts as Mayor Alex Morse has had a few changes of heart on the topic before finally settling on opposition to any casino.

Eric Suher, a local entertainment mogul who proposed a resort casino at Mountain Park, has been tight-lipped as to whether or not he will still pay the fee and apply, although he's made several allusions to it being a futile effort at this point.

Representatives of Paper City Development LLC., which previously aimed to build a resort casino at Wyckoff Country Club, said early Monday that they were spending the day going over questions with legal council about what their next move will be.

Additionally muddying the water, Clairvest Group, a Canadian private equity management firm that operates casinos and racetracks in North America, announced in December it's expressed interest in procuring a Bay State gambling license.

There has also been speculation swirling as to whether Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., which announced plans to buy Ameristar Casinos in December, will throw its hat into the running and file the fee. Ameristar dropped its plans to develop the former Westinghouse site in East Springfield in late November.

According to Elaine Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, there has been interest expressed from other potential applicants and that they may still apply before the 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday.

Monday afternoon, she said that the four big casino developers in Western Massachusetts had filed the application and paid the fee along as competing companies in the eastern part of the state started to follow suit.

Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville is competing with Raynham Park, a former dog racing track, to acquire the state's sole license for a slot parlor. As of Monday afternoon, Plainridge Racecourse was the only competitor officially in the running, Driscoll said.

Suffolk Downs racetrack in East Boston has partnered with Caeser's Entertainment to build a $1 billion facility in East Boston, while competing proposals in Everett and Milford are on the table to land the state's sole license for that region. As of this story's publication, Suffolk Downs had submitted the fee, but not the paperwork while the Everett developer, Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas, had filed both, according to Driscoll.

The state law reserved a casino in the southeast part of the state for the Wampanoag tribe of Mashpee. But in October the federal government rejected the state's compact with the tribe, saying the state was going too far in taking 21.5 percent of gaming revenues from the tribe in exchange for approving land in Taunton for a casino.

Driscoll said the gaming commission will soon meet with the Mashpee tribe to determine "how far they've progressed over the past few months," and potentially move forward with the development.

The Tuesday deadline for applications and fees applies to any entity seeking either the sole resort casino or slot parlor license. Once an entity ponies up the cash and the appropriate paperwork, they have entered what is known as phase one.

Driscoll said that the $400,000 fee will help pay for an "exhaustive" background check into each of the applicants, which will include involvement from the state police, the FBI and a team of experts and consultants working with the Massachusetts Gaming commission.

"The investigation will determine the suitability, in terms of financial viability and integrity, for every applicant," Driscoll said. "We encourage the applicants to continue discussions with host and surrounding communities while the investigation proceeds but we are cautioning cities to wait until afterwards to hold a referendum. But it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be planning in the meantime."

$50,000 of each application can be procured by towns and cities that apply for a grant through the commission to fun mitigation studies relating to the impact of a casino in or nearby their municipality.

Driscoll said the commission hopes to move into phase two sometime in the summer or fall, although it is yet to pinpoint a specific date. This phase, she said, would involve applicants presenting their location, design, host and surrounding communities agreements and a mitigation plan for critique.

After passing this level of scrutiny, a casino developer's proposal must pass a voter referendum in the respective municipality and then go back to the state for final approval. After several companies spend millions in planning, marketing and land acquisition or agreements, only one will get the license to build a resort casino in Western Massachusetts with another popping up in the eastern part of the state.

The phase two deadline for the slots parlor application is expected to come sooner, according to Driscoll, with such a facility landing its license in late 2013 compared to the resort casino licenses, which are expected to be granted in February 2014.

Driscoll said that following the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, the commission will announce which companies will proceed to the next phase of consideration by filing the proper paper work and paying the fee.


Staff writers Peter Goonan and Dan Ring contributed to this report.


Charles Wilhite willingly identified as Alberto Rodriguez's shooter by witness, Springfield police officer Anthony Pioggia testifies

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Madelyn Dones detailed contentious relationship between victim and Angel Hernandez.

WILHITENEW.JPG Charles Wilhite is seen in Hampden Superior Court last week.  

SPRINGFIELD - Police Officer Anthony Pioggia testified Monday that Nathan Perez willingly identified Charles Wilhite as the shooter of Alberto Rodriguez.

Pioggia was on the stand in Hampden Superior Court at the murder retrial of Wilhite, 29, of Springfield.

Angel Hernandez and Wilhite were convicted of first-degree murder in 2010 in Rodriguez’s killing on Oct. 14, 2008, in front of the Pine Street Market.

A judge granted Wilhite a new trial last year, in part because Perez recanted his identification of Wilhite as the shooter.

Perez said Pioggia and another officer coerced him to identify Wilhite by threatening to charge him with accessory after the fact to Rodriguez’ murder if he didn’t identify Wilhite.

Perez had picked up shell casings from the street after the shooting and discarded them.

Perez testified last week he did not know who shot Rodriguez.

Pioggia is scheduled to be back on the stand Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Blake J. Rubin plans to introduce small segments of a 43 minute interview Pioggia did with Wilhite after Wilhite was arrested in September of 2009 for the October 2008 killing.

Defense lawyer William J. O’Neil has yet to cross examine Pioggia.

The jury was dismissed earlier than normal Monday as Judge Constance M. Sweeney continued to instruct lawyers on how the segments of the videotaped interview - totaling about 10 minutes - will be played to the jury.

Sweeney has made rulings, after listening to the positions of both prosecution and defense, on which segments can be admitted in the trial.

Abinal Zayas testified he heard the gunshots which killed Rodriguez.

Zayas said he did not see the person who shot Rodriguez outside the Pine Street Market.

The prosecution’s theory is that Hernandez, who owned the Pine Street Market, had an ongoing feud with Rodriguez and paid Wilhite to kill him.

Madelyn Dones, who was Rodriguez’s girlfriend at the time of his murder, testified about the contentious relationship between Hernandez and Rodriguez.

She said the day before the shooting she picked up Rodriguez in front of the market as two young Hispanic men were hitting him.

When she drove past the market with Rodriguez in the back seat, he stuck her child’s toy out of the car window at Hernandez and said “Bang.”

She said Hernandez hit the ground when he saw Rodriguez point the object, which was really a bobble-head toy.

Wilhite’s name was not mentioned during Dones’ testimony.

Massachusetts faces $1 billion annual transportation funding gap, state report shows

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A new state reports finds the state needs an additional $1.02 billion a year over the next 10 years to maintain and upgrade its transportation system. New investments proposed in the report could benefit western Massachusetts.

The elevated section of Interstate 91 in Springfield. The section needs needs $360 million to $400 million worth of reconstruction. The project was included in the state's 10-year transportation plan unveiled Monday.

This is an updated version of a story that was originally posted at 2:35 p.m.

By Shira Schoenberg and Jim Kinney

BOSTON- Massachusetts needs an additional $1.02 billion a year over the next 10 years to maintain and upgrade its transportation system, according to a plan released Monday by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Transportation Secretary Richard Davey unveiled the 10-year plan for the state’s transportation system at an event at UMass Boston. “It is clear to us that what our customers are asking for is more,” Davey said. “What they want is more reliability, they want more services. We have to find a way to do this.”

The plan would require $13 billion in additional revenue over the next decade, more than doubling the state’s current $12 billion transportation budget. That does not cover the entire cost of the proposed expansions, which will be funded over a 25-year period, Davey said.

Davey did not suggest how the state plans to raise the additional revenue. Gov. Deval Patrick will unveil his proposal on Wednesday, which will then go to the state legislature. Patrick said he accepts the department’s plan. “The results confirm two things,” Patrick said. “There is not sufficient funding to support the system we have today, and second, there is not sufficient funding for the system the public wants and the Commonwealth needs.”

Patrick said any new revenue stream will have to be comprehensive enough to pay old bills and modernize the transportation system going forward; dedicated specifically to transportation; and done in a way that keeps Massachusetts competitive with other states. Patrick said while he anticipates broad public and legislative support for parts of the plan, “there’s room for debate” regarding how to pay for it.

There are numerous possible revenue options that the department identified that could be used: increasing the gas tax, which has not been done since 1991; instituting a payroll tax; raising the sales or income tax; assessing cars a fee based on their carbon emissions; instituting a fee for vehicle miles traveled; increasing registry fees, transit fares or raising tolls; and maintaining the tolls on the western part of the turnpike, which are scheduled to end in 2017.

State Sen. Brian Joyce, a Milton Democrat and chairman of the Senate Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, said he believes there is support for investing in the state’s “crumbling transportation infrastructure.” “The devil’s in the details of course on how we’re going to pay for it, and I think we’ll have a very spirited and open debate on the best means to pay for it,” Joyce said.

Joyce said possible ideas that could enjoy public support include applying the sales tax to gas and selling air rights for development at South Station. “I’m a fiscally moderate legislator who has supported just one tax increase in 16 years and yet, and I see the need for some new revenues to support our transportation infrastructure,” he said.

The Department of Transportation has already identified some reforms that will save money, including moving to electronic tolling and modernizing the Registry of Motor Vehicles to include more self-service and internet service.

But Davey said that the state does not even have enough money to maintain the current system. Without expansions, the state has an unfunded liability of around $684 million a year for the next 10 years – including annual operating costs, which are now paid for with borrowed money, and costs for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs).

The report also proposes infrastructure improvements – including $5.2 billion for roads and bridges; $3.8 billion for subway and bus repairs; and $275 million in the Registry of Motor Vehicles and local airports.

Several of those projects would help Western Massachusetts. Included in the road repair budget is a $350-million to $400-million multi-year rehabilitation of the Interstate 91 viaduct through downtown Springfield.

Opened in 1968, I-91 carries more than 100,000 cars a day and is the region’s north-south spinal column hauling people and freight. The two-mile stretch of elevated highway has become a crazy quilt of temporary patches over the years, and a major rehabilitation is necessary, according to state officials.

“These are transportation systems that not only move people but also move the economy,” said Timothy Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

Brennan said design work could take a year and a half. Subsequent construction would take about that long.

The report proposes a $100-million a year increase to state road funding for cities and towns.

The transportation plan also provides “forward funding” to transit bus providers like the Pioneer Valley Transit authority. Now, the PVTA must borrow money for bus service then wait for the state to reimburse the expense – so money is paying for interest rather than bus service.

Mary L. MacInnes, administrator at the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, said the governor’s plan would increase funding overall and divvy it up by ridership. State funding for her agency would go from $17 million to $50.5 million a year.

That is enough money to increase the frequency of bus service, cut wait times, add more weekend service and run buses later at night. MacInnes said now, most PVTA service shuts down by 6 or 7 p.m., causing problems for second shift workers.

“I believe if we could increase our frequency of service, we would get more choice riders,” Macinnes said. “People who chose to ride either to save money for the environment.”

In addition, the state plan proposes going forward with six expansion projects throughout the state, including two in western Massachusetts – the extension of rail service between Springfield and Boston and between Pittsfield and New York.

The Springfield-Boston project, which includes a rail stop in Worcester, is estimated to cost $362.4 million, which covers the cost of track construction, station rehabilitation and equipment for a rail line. The project is expected to support economic development along the route.

The route would compliment improvements now underway to the north-south rail line from New Haven, Conn., through Springfield, Holyoke and Northampton and into Vermont. Work has already begun on a $73-million federally-funded project to improve the north-south line in Massachusetts. In Vermont, work on a $54 million stimulus-funded rail project was delayed by Hurricane Irene. Connecticut has $121 million in federal money for work on the north-south line.

“All those projects will be a boon to Springfield and to Union Station,” Brennan said.

The Pittsfield rail project would cost $113.8 million, which includes rehabilitating track signals and stations between Pittsfield and the Connecticut state line, which would then connect with rail service that continues to New York City. The Department of Transportation projects that this would increase the tourist economy in the Berkshires and create more potential for development in Western Massachusetts.

Other projects include expanding the South Coast Rail, which would provide commuter rail service to six municipalities including Fall River and New Bedford; extending the Green Line T to Somerville and Medford; expanding Boston’s South Station to add seven new tracks and more rush hour service; and adding summer weekend rail service between Boston and Hyannis.

Pittsfield State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a Democrat, said currently, Western Massachusetts residents pay more for transportation than they get in benefits. Farley-Bouvier said she appreciates that Patrick wants to invest in the regional transportation authorities and in the Western Massachusetts rail projects. “To have him understand these two pieces is great,” she said.

Davey told MassLive.com that that proposal will direct significant new resources to Western Massachusetts, through money to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authorities, the viaduct project and the new rail service. “We believe this is a very equitable and regionally based program unlike what’s been done in the past,” he said.

Several transportation advocates said they hope legislators and voters understand that the price of inaction is greater than the cost of funding additional improvements.

“You can’t sit on your hands when it comes to transportation funding, or you end up adversely impacting the economy,” said Richard Dimino, president and CEO of the transportation advocacy group A Better City.

The next step will be determining where to find the revenue. Kristina Egan, director of the Transportation for Massachusetts coalition, a group of around 30 organizations working to improve the state’s transportation system, said the group believes all revenue streams should be kept on the table. “Everything needs to be on the table and fully explored,” she said.

On Tuesday, the Campaign for Our Communities – a group of unions, progressive community organizing groups and others – is holding a State House press conference to announce its proposals for new revenue. The group said previously that it wants to raise the income tax rate in a way that affects primarily upper income individuals.

At the same time, the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance said the state must focus on spending, not revenue. "Our elected leaders need to realize that taking more money from taxpayers seldom is a viable solution for fixing the state's spending problems,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Taxpayers don't need another revenue plan, they need a plan from our elected leaders for how to spend our money more effectively and efficiently.”

Springfield police arrest 2 Chicopee residents for dealing crack, heroin in North End

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James Yates and Jackeline Quintana were found with a total of 640 packets of heroin and crack cocaine.

yates quintana.jpg From left: James Yates and Jackeline Quintana  
SPRINGFIELD – Two Chicopee residents were found in possession 500 packets of heroin and 140 packets of crack cocaine as city narcotics detectives intercepted what they say was a delivery in the city’s North End, police said.

Arrested were James D. Yates, 31, and Jackeline Quintana, 28, both of 1189 Grattan St., Chicopee.

Each was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, and violation of a drug-free school zone.

Yates was also charged with driving a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

They were arrested at about 7 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Mobile station, 3111 Main St., said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet.

Narcotics detectives under the command of Sgt. Martin Ambrose had the parking lot under surveillance after learning that a large drug deal was to take place there.
Police spotted their car waiting in the lot and moved in.

The crack cocaine and heroine were each packaged for street sales. Yates and Quintana were also found with $877 in cash.

They were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court, but information from the court was not available.

Springfield's Caring Health Center celebrates start of construction on new clinic in South End

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Neal said the new facility reflects new priorities in health care, from improved access for low-income residents to an emphasis on prevention and wellness.

2 Caring health center 11413.jpg Rocky Thompson, left, representing Carpenters Union Local 108, speaks during a luncheon at the Caring Health Centers' administration offices, as U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and Ann Awad, Health Center's chief executive officer, look on.  

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield joined electricians, iron workers and other tradesmen to celebrate the start of construction on the Caring Health Center’s $23 million clinic in the South End.

The project, to be called the Congressman Richard E. Neal clinic, is scheduled to open in August after multiple delays and setbacks, including a pummeling from the June 1, 2011 tornado.

The clinic, located at the old Hampden Furniture building at 1049 Main St., will offer medical and dental offices, as well as prevention and wellness center, community meeting rooms and administrative offices.

Speaking at a luncheon at the center’s Main Street headquarters, Neal said the new facility reflects new priorities in health care, from improved access for low-income residents to an emphasis on prevention and wellness.

“This will be the face of modern health care,” said Neal, who secured a $500,000 federal grant last year for the project and also assisted the center’s private fundraising efforts. About 120 people attended the luncheon, including unionized construction workers currently building the clinic, said Anne S. Awad, the center’s president and chief executive officer.

In a show of support, four labor unions - the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, local 7 and Sheet Metal Workers, local 63, both based in Springfield; Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, Local 3 in Charlestown; and the Ironworkers Union, local 7, in Boston – donated about $37,000 to the project, Awad said.

“It was great; it was a complete surprise,” Awad said.



Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah Winfrey described as 'emotional'

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The interview will be broadcast Thursday night.

Armstrong Oprah Cycling Lance Armstrong  

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says Lance Armstrong has completed his interview with Oprah Winfrey and that it was "emotional at times."

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity and would neither confirm nor deny that the disgraced cyclist confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs during the taping, scheduled to be broadcast Thursday night.

A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon.

Earlier Monday, Armstrong stopped at his Livestrong Foundation and delivered a heartfelt apology to staff members, some of whom broke down in tears. A person with knowledge of that meeting says Armstrong said he was sorry for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to the group about using banned drugs.

Armstrong was stripped of seven Tour de France titles last year for running what officials described as a sophisticated doping operation.

Memo's coffee shop patrons in West Springfield worry about traffic impact if casino is built at Eastern States Exposition

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More traffic problems on the top of existing ones on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield were tops on the minds of coffee shop patrons interviewed about the possibility of a casino being developed at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.

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WEST SPRINGFIELD – For or against gambling, the sages at Memo’s Restaurant and Catering Monday morning expressed strong concerns about traffic regarding the $700-$800 million Hard Rock International resort casino project proposed for the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds just across the street.

Worry about traffic was the common denominator among the half a dozen customers interviewed at the popular local coffee shop. They commented that traffic delays are bad enough during the 17-day Big E fair that attracts 1.3 million visitors down Memorial Avenue, without adding a casino to the mix. The told tales of traffic backups on nearby Route 5 and I-91.

“I don’t like the idea. It’s going to be so much traffic,” 37-year-old Sherry A. Foley said.

The Agawam resident recalled that one day when her daughter had a 5 p.m. appointment with a doctor whose office is near the fairgrounds during the Big E they ended up being an hour late because of traffic snarls.

Mark Rivers, president of the Bronson Companies, consultants and developer for the project, has said plans are in the works to create access to the fairgrounds that bypasses Memorial Drive and will offer solutions to existing traffic problems.

“How do you put another flyover coming from Route 5?” 66-year-old West Springfield resident Chester M. Clark said. “You can only come off the (Route 5) circle with so many roads.”

Opinions among the diners seemed divided about gambling

Clark, and Sue Nieske, a 47-year-old resident of Wilbraham voiced opposition to it even though it is anticipated a casino in West Springfield would create 2,000 jobs.

“How are people going to afford to gamble? There are not enough jobs here,” Nieske said.

Clark said he sees a casino at the fairgrounds as being a self-contained entity that will not create economic spillover for existing businesses and may create public safety and crime problems to boot.

“I wouldn’t mind. I love to gamble,” West Springfield resident Beverley F. Small said of the prospect of a local casino.

Small, who gives her age as over 80, joined Clark in saying an isolated location like in Palmer would be a better site for a casino. They contended any problems, traffic and otherwise, would be easier to contain and deal with.

“If it were further away then I wouldn’t be so tempted (to gamble),” Small said.

And ditto for Foley, who said, “I love to gamble and I like that casinos are far away.”

“I’m definitely not opposed to the idea,” said Domenic Pompi, the 44-year-old owner of Memo’s of the whole casino ball of wax.

He attended the rollout of plans for a local casino held Friday at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds. The affair, to which about 200 local leaders and dignitaries were invited, featured throbbing pop music with mammoth slide shows of Hard Rock International casinos and resorts around the world. The luncheon also featured singing by music idol and television star Bret Michaels as well as promises from Hard Rock International that it will support local charities.

“Going in (to the event) I wasn’t too crazy about the idea,” Pompi said. “Right now I’m open-minded. I’m right on the fence....The plan looked good.”

Sixty-year-old Kenneth Haskins, who would give his address only as “out of town,” said he is fine with gambling and would vote in favor of a local casino if it is put on the ballot.

“I’d probably vote for it — anything to bring in more revenue to the city, but the politicians would squander it somewhere else,” he said. “Every time you turn around they’ve got another one (casino proposal).”

Pediatrician Donald Berwick of Newton eyes campaign for Massachusetts governor

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Donald Berwick says Senate Republicans in Washington blocked his nomination to become administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.


Donald M. Berwick, a noted pediatrician in Boston and former top administrator of federal Medicare and Medicaid, said he is considering a bid for governor in next year's election.

As a courtesy, Berwick, 66, a Democrat, said he met with Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, another possible Democratic gubernatorial candidate, on Jan. 7, to inform him he was thinking about a run for governor. Berwick, a Newton resident, said he is very serious about the possibility.

Donald Berwick 2013.jpg Donald Berwick  

"I really enjoy executive leadership," Berwick said in an interview.

A month or so ago, Berwick said he also spoke about his possible candidacy with Gov. Deval L. Patrick, who is not running for re-election after completing his second term next year.

"I certainly respect his leadership and what he has done," Berwick said of Patrick. "I agree with him on many issues."

In addition to Murray, Treasurer Steven Grossman, also a Democrat, said he is strongly leaning toward a run for governor.

Attorney General Martha Coakley has said she is focused on her job and interested in running for a third term as attorney general.

Charles D. Baker, the Republican nominee for governor in 2010 who lost to Patrick, has been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for governor next year. Baker, who could not be reached for comment, is currently an entrepreneur in residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm based in Cambridge.

President Barack Obama named Dr. Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2010 as a temporary "recess appointment." The U.S. Senate had to confirm the position, but the president can act unilaterally if the Senate has recessed.

murr.JPG Timothy Murray  

In December 2011, Berwick stepped down in the face of a possible Republican filibuster to prevent a longer tenure for him. Senate Republicans were leery of Berwick's past statements in support of universal health care in Britain and positions they interpreted as possible health care rationing. "In the end, Republicans blocked my nomination," he said.

Berwick, the oldest of four brothers, grew up in the small town of East Haddam, Conn., in the Moodus section, a son of a general medical practitioner. He graduated from a public high school in Connecticut and then graduated from Harvard College and from Harvard Medical School.

Before his appointment by Obama, he was president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a private nonprofit that works to improve health care, and a professor at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Berwick's wife, Ann G. Berwick, is chairwoman of the state Department of Public Utilities.

Berwick said he still needs to meet with leaders in Western Massachusetts as part of his effort to test the waters for a run for governor. He also said he needs to do some fund raising.

gross.JPG Steven Grossman  

A brother, Robert S. Berwick, is a town meeting member in South Hadley, and plans to help his older brother meet some people in Western Massachusetts. He said his brother's potential candidacy is exciting.

"He would approach the job the way it should be approached," said Robert Berwick, a retired private school teacher. "How can Massachusetts be a terrific place for each person in Massachusetts?"

In an interview, Grossman, who was chairman of the national Democratic Committee from 1997 to 1999, said he has never met Berwick but he said he has impressive credentials in the medical field.

"I'm leaning strongly in that direction," Grossman said when asked if he would run for governor. "Governors, chief executives do something absolutely critical for the state. They lay out a strategic vision, they lay out a set of plans, they bring a great team together. They execute every day, bringing those common sense solutions to fruition, and they are held accountable by the media and by voters every day. That's something I would be very comfortable doing. I have been comfortable doing that."

Murray, a two-term lieutenant governor and former Worcester mayor, said that when he met with Berwick, Berwick just wanted to give him a heads up that he intended to run for governor. Berwick is "an accomplished guy," Murray said.

"Campaigns are good things and voters having options are good things," Murray said. "I didn't know that he specifically was going to tell me he was going to run. I had heard from a number of people that he was talking to people about running for governor so I wasn't surprised by it."

Murray said he is focused on carrying out the administration's agenda and building a record of accomplishments across the state. "There will be a timetable for announcements and decisions," Murray said. "I'll be ready when that time comes."

Berwick's possible candidacy puts next year's governor's contest in focus at a time when many people are awaiting a special election to fill the seat of U.S. Sen. John Kerry, picked by Obama to become the next secretary of state.


Northampton High School students have mixed views on police using handwritten pledge in threat investigation

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Most of the students said they viewed the practice of providing handwriting samples as a way to help police with their investigation.

NORTHAMPTON — High school students interviewed by The Republican/MassLive.com on Monday mostly agreed with Northampton officials' decision to request a written pledge from students after the discovery of threatening note on Dec. 19, though most claimed teachers failed to tell them their statements could be used as possible evidence in the ongoing criminal probe.

The students were asked to write and sign the pledge on Dec. 21, two days after the handwritten note was found inside a bathroom at Northampton High School. The instructions were delivered by teachers during first-period classes at the Elm Street school.

Calyx Moore, 17, said her teacher dictated the statement, then asked students to write it out. Moore said she recognized that writing a pledge was an invasion of her privacy, but the benefits outweighed her concerns about civil liberties possibly being trampled in the process.

"Honestly, I didn't really have any problems with it. It wasn't intrusive," she said.

Brandon Steriti, 17, said he could not recall if he was absent or late to school on the morning of Dec. 21. But Steriti is sure of one thing: He would not have provided school officials with a statement, he said. "It seems like a pretty large invasion of privacy," he said. "I didn't even pledge allegiance to the flag when I was kid."

Steriti characterized the school's decision to solicit handwriting samples from students as highly invasive and a first "standardized step" toward creating a profile of the school. "It's also a full-on invasion of our privacy," he said.

Sam Gaudet, 16, said he viewed providing a statement to school officials as a necessary evil that could aid investigators with their probe of the threat. "I didn't think it was that big a deal," he said. "It's the best thing they could have done to get a handwriting sample.

Gaudet said he was not concerned that school officials neglected to mention that the samples might be used by police to see if they matched the lettering of the Dec. 19 note.

Isaiah Feldman-Schwartz, 16, said his teacher initially did not tell students their statements might be used in the investigation. But the teacher later alluded to the true purpose of the exercise, according to Feldman-Schwartz, who wasn't fazed by the request.

"It seemed a little haphazard," he said. "If anything, it was more of an annoyance."

Amherst sewer rates could rise by 10 cents while water rates remain stable

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The new UMass dorm should bring in about $300,000 in additional water revenue.

amherst seal amherst town seal.jpg  

AMHERST – Sewer rates may rise by a dime in fiscal 2014 while water rates remain the same.

The Select Board is expected to vote on the increase Jan. 28 after being presented the proposed new rate by Town Manager John P. Musante last week.

With an increase from $3.45 to $3.55 per 100 cubic feet, the average sewer bill would rise $12 from $414 to $426 a year beginning July 1, according to a memo.

The average Amherst homeowner water bill is projected to remain unchanged at $408 per year.

According to Musante’s memo, the town’s bills are still below the state average water bill of $470 and sewer bill of $638. Locally, Musante reported that Hadley and Northampton had average water-sewer bills of $455 and $552 and $545 and $581, respectively.

While the Water Department budget is expected to rise by 9.6 percent , no rate changes are needed because the department is expected to see a $300,000 boost in revenue when the new Commonwealth College dorm and classroom building opens in the fall at the University of Massachusetts. The dorm is adding about 1,500 beds.
“They’re pretty much paying for what they use,” Musante said.

The water budget is up because of the cost of collective bargaining from 2011, an amount reserved for contract negotiations for the contract beginning in fiscal 2014. Also half a position that hadn’t been paid for from that budget will now be included. Plus more employees are seeking health care coverage along with an increase in the retirement assessment and health care costs for retirees.

The overall Sewer Department budget of will increase by 2.9 and the additional revenue from rates is needed to offset the hike.

Last year, the town had to raise both water and sewer rates by 10 cents each per 100 cubic feet.

Musante likes to provide such information before a vote so Select Board members can review it and take comments.

Springfield City Council President James Ferrera names 17 committees, says no one punished

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The council president reshuffled committees and named numerous new chairmen.

ferrera.phot.jpg Springfield City Council President James J. Ferrera III, center, announces new committee appointments and chairmanships. He is joined (left to right) by Councilors Zaida Luna, Timothy C. Allen, Clodovadlo Concepcion and Bud L. Williams.  

SPRINGFIELD — City Council President James J. Ferrera III reshuffled his committees for the new year on Monday, appointing several new chairmen and again denying that any appointments are used to punish any councilor.

“No one ever gets punished on committees,” Ferrera said during a press conference at City Hall to announce his committee appointments. “That’s just a fallacy. I have faith and confidence in every member.”

As council president, Ferrera appoints seven standing committees and 10 special committees, with each of the 13 city councilors serving on multiple committees.

Of seven standing committees, five have new chairmen in 2013. The two chairmen staying the same are Councilor Thomas M. Ashe as chairman of the Public Health and Safety Committee and Bud L. Williams as chairman of the Planning and Economic Development Committee.

Ferrera was re-elected president on Jan. 7. by a 10-0 vote. However, two councilors, Michael A. Fenton and Timothy C. Allen, did not support Ferrera, saying “present” when asked to vote on the presidency.

Some controversy occurred in January 2011 when Fenton and Allen were slow to support Ferrera for president.

Last January, Fenton and Allen received no chairmanships and just one committee assignment each. Fenton at the time was stripped of his chairmanship of the Finance Committee and chose not to accept his sole appointment as a member of the Animal Control Advisory Committee.

Ferrera denied at that time and again on Monday that his appointments were in any way unfair and vindictive.

This year, Allen has been appointed as chairman of the Human Services Committee, and as a member of Planning and Economic Development, and was also appointed to a newly created Special Committee on Residency to evaluate an ordinance that has long required employees to be residents of Springfield but has not been enforced for the most part.

Allen said he was “happy” to be on three committees this year.

Fenton was appointed chairman of the Special Committee on Residency, and as a member of the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee has a new chairman, Clodovaldo Concepcion, replacing Timothy J. Rooke. Kenneth E. Shea will be the third member of Finance, which considers all financial matters proposed by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

Williams said that he is hoping that a proposed complete revision of the city’s zoning ordinance, which has been discussed and worked on for the past six years, will be ready for council action shortly. Some residents have criticized the council for the prolonged review.

Concepcion, who is chairman of the Committee on Elder Affairs, said there is “a lot of work to do” including seeking funding for a new senior center.

Zaida Luna, chairman of the General Government Committee, said she looks forward to working with the community and working together on the council.

The standing committee assignments are as follows, with the chairman listed first:

  • Finance: Clodovaldo Concepcion, Kenneth E. Shea, Michael A. Fenton
  • Public Health and Safety: Thomas M. Ashe, Zaida Luna, John A. Lysak
  • Planning and Economic Development: Bud L. Williams, Timothy J. Rooke, and Timothy C. Allen
  • General Government: Zaida Luna, Melvin A. Edwards, Rooke
  • Human Services: Timothy Allen, E. Henry Twiggs, Kateri B. Walsh
  • Maintenance and Development: Kateri Walsh, Concepcion, Shea
  • Intergovernmental/State and Federal Relations: John Lysak, Luna, Edwards

The special committees are as follows, with the chairman or sole member listed first:

  • Committee on Elder Affairs: Concepcion
  • Audit: Twiggs, Rooke, Williams
  • City Council/School Committee: Ashe, Shea
  • School Building Committee: Williams
  • Special Committee on Residency: Fenton, Allen, Williams
  • Green Committee: James J. Ferrera III
  • Responsible Employee Ordinance Committee: Williams, Edwards
  • Animal Control Advisory Committee: Ferrera
  • Special Permit Review Committee: Shea, Luna, Ashe
  • Casino Site Committee: Paula Meara, and current members

Opponents urge Ware selectmen to reject federal Forest Legacy Program

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The goal of the Forest Legacy Program is to protect certain forests from development.

US Forest Service patch  

WARE – The Forest Legacy Program, a federal government initiative to keep selected private forestland free from commercial development and housing in perpetuity was trashed by Ware and out-of-town residents and municipal officials at a recent selectmen’s meeting. More than half the nation’s forests are held by private landowners.

One of the more colorful objections was voiced by an Easthampton resident, Stanley Jasinksi.

He told attendees packed into the standing room only meeting hall that the forest preservation effort is an international conspiracy to degrade capitalism and gut individual property rights.

“Sustainability came out of the United Nations in the 1990’s,” according to Jasinki, who stated that the conspiracy “is a well organized [campaign] – using pleasant words [such as] open space. . . green forests.”

The Legacy Program is administered by the United States Dept. of Agriculture’s Forest Service in coordination with state governments, municipal officials and private landholders. The government says the program to date has protected more than 2 million acres nationwide from development.

Michael J. Fleming, a planner with the state Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry, told selectmen the goal of the Forest Legacy Program is “to protect forests from development” by placing conservation restrictions on the land.

A private owner who agrees with the idea is paid.

The forest owner is then legally barred from developing the land – forever. The owner would continue to pay property taxes but at a lesser rate than if the land could be developed.

The federal government pays 75 percent to a private landowner and 25 percent is from private sources such as land trusts, or from state or local government sources.

But without broad community support, federal dollars will not be allocated to a particular region, Fleming said. The selectmen’s meeting was convened to see whether the board would endorse the Forest Legacy Program.

Selectmen took no action on the matter.

Many of the opponents said they support conservation – but vociferously object to the perpetual deed restrictions on forestland, which is a signature component of the Legacy Program.

Fleming said the state has gotten $27 million from the Forest Service since 1995 to protect 10,000 acres -- mostly in the North Quabbin region of the state. He said competition for the money is fierce and that Congress currently has appropriated $15 million for the Forest Legacy Program.

One of the most ambitious government initiatives to protect private land from development occurred in Massachusetts in 1961, when 43,000 acres of outer Cape Cod land became the Cape Cod National Seashore.

District attorney: 'Legally permissible' for police to use Northampton High School pledge in threat investigation

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In releasing the pledge, Northwestern DA David Sullivan said "the solicitation of a written pledge was a reasonable response, both to quell the tension permeating the school and to try to identify the author of the threat to safeguard the entire school population."

NORTHAMPTON — With pressure mounting on officials to provide details about a pledge Northampton High School students were asked to write after the discovery of a threatening note on Dec. 19, the Northwestern District Attorney's office on Monday released a copy of the three-sentence pledge, which might be used as evidence in an ongoing criminal probe into who wrote the note.

On Dec. 21, Northampton school officials, with input and advice from city police and District Attorney David E. Sullivan, asked high school students to write a pledge acknowledging they take such threats seriously and share the safety concerns of police and school administrators.

Sullivan said the threatening note, whose contents have not been publicly divulged, was found in a bathroom at Northampton High School just five days after a gunman killed 20 students and six employees at Sandy Hooke Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The Dec. 19 note "exposed an imminent danger to the lives of the students and staff at Northampton High School," Sullivan said in a statement released late Monday afternoon. "The note's discovery came five days after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School and two days before the end of the Maya calendar, both events producing heightened alert in school across the country," he added.

sept 2010 david sullivan mug Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan  

Sullivan said soliciting a written pledge from students was a reasonable response "to quell the tension permeating the school," and a "legally permissible" way to try to identify the author of the threat.

The district attorney pointed out that students were not required to offer handwriting samples. Many did provide samples, while others abstained, according to Sullivan, who did not provide precise numbers. He cited case law, upheld by the state Supreme Judicial Court, stating that "students do not have an expectation of privacy in their handwriting."

Bill Newman, director of the Northampton office of the American Civil Liberties Union, strongly disagrees with the approach used by authorities in the threat investigation.

"There's a serious First Amendment issue here. This is forced free speech," Newman said, adding that he believes the claim that the pledge was a voluntary exercise is disingenuous. "I think it is of significant concern that the police utilized teachers as law enforcement agents to secure handwriting samples from the students," the attorney said.

Northampton police took the handwritten note seriously and evacuated the high school on the afternoon of Dec. 19.

Sullivan said the impetus for the pledge – coinciding with an atmosphere of heightened anxiety over school violence and mass shootings, including the fatal movie theater shooting in Aurora, Col. – played a key role in the decision to solicit the handwriting samples.

Soliciting the samples was a "prudent and legally justifiable effort to protect the school population by identifying the note's author," Sullivan said. "Due to the gravity of the threat, and the context in which it was made, this minimally intrusive action was reasonable and, thus, legally permissible."

Law enforcement officials said they would not use the writing samples beyond the scope of the Northampton threat investigation.

Howard Moore, a member of the Northampton School Committee, said he has mixed views about the intent and efficacy of the pledge, specifically whether it was a "proportional response" to the threatening note. The School Committee was not alerted ahead of time about school officials' decision to solicit the handwriting samples, Moore said, adding that he hopes the statements are returned to students at the conclusion of the criminal probe.

"When my kids came home and told me about it, I was like, 'Oh jeez, I see some issues there,' " he said. "But I'm pretty sympathetic with the sort of pressures that the administration is dealing with."

Moore fell short of criticizing school officials, but he wonders if requesting the written statements was even necessary. "I don't know what the threat was, but apparently it was determined not to be credible ... because school was held the next day," he said. "We all know that bad situations sometimes make for bad actions."

The overarching issue – the need to protect school children while also upholding civil liberties – also weighs on his mind, he said. "There are definitely some serious issues here with free speech and the Fourth Amendment, in terms of self-incrimination," Moore said. "What kind of school community do we see ourselves being, and how does this play into it?"

The School Committee will likely discuss whether the school's handling of the matter was appropriate or excessive, according to Moore. "That's a discussion to have, and I do hope we will," he said.

Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, and school Superintendent Brian L. Salzer did not return calls seeking comment.

Northwestern DA Statement Re Northampton High School Incident by masslive

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