Both Ann Berry and Sherry Suber will be back in court Jan. 22.

SPRINGFIELD -- Ann Berry, 53, denied a charge Friday of larceny over $250 by a single scheme and was released on her own recognizance.

The charge stems from an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of funds at the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.

01.18.2013 | SPRINGFIELD -- Ann Berry, 53, of Springfield, appeared in Springfield District Court Friday. She is charged with larceny by scheme over $250 for allegedly defrauding Putnam Technical-Vocational High School of more than $16,000. Michael S. Gordon | The Republican  

District Court Judge Robert S. Murphy Jr. set Berry's next court date for Jan. 22. She is represented by Vincent Bongiorni. State Assistant Attorney General Beth Lux represented Coakley's office for the arraignment.

In the fall of 2010, the Springfield Office of Internal Audits began an investigation and full scale audit of the school. The results of the audit were then referred to state Attorney General Martha Coakley's office for further investigation.

According to investigators, Berry allegedly defrauded Putnam Vocational of more than $16,000 through a separate scheme.

Berry worked as a teacher and adviser for the Academic Achiever's Club at Putnam Vocational, which ran the school store. According to investigators, Berry would buy inventory items to be sold in the store such as bottled water or snack foods using her personal credit card or personal bank account.

Berry would then deposit the profits from the school store in her personal bank account.

Sherry Suber, a onetime senior clerical employee at Putnam, has previously pleaded not guilty to allegations she skimmed $14,000 from a school fund that gleaned revenues from trade services provided by students. She was charged with larceny over $250 by a single scheme.

Suber, 45, and Berry are not co-defendants; their cases are separate.

Roche would be the second mob turncoat to be sentenced in the long-running case.

Frankie A. Roche  

SPRINGFIELD -- Sentencing was postponed on Friday for Frankie A. Roche, the shooter in the 2003 murder of Mafia boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno.

U.S. District Court officials said a new sentencing date had not been set.

Roche, 39, would be the second mob turncoat to be sentenced in the long-running case, which bounced from state court to federal court in Massachusetts before being transferred to federal court in Manhattan in 2010.

Roche is among eight co-defendants and was the first charged in the case and the first to sign a plea deal with the government. His is the only case that remained in federal court in Springfield, where he pleaded guilty in 2008. The other defendants have been or will be sentenced in federal court in New York City.

Roche turned government witness on the eve of his trial on state murder charges in 2008. He was later among three key government witnesses in two trials in New York City in 2011 and 2012.

During those trials, he told jurors he was recruited to kill Bruno by a prison buddy, and ambushed the gangster outside an Italian-American social club on Nov. 23, 2003. Roche fled the area and was arrested months later in Florida by the FBI. He was accidentally shot in the back during the arrest and later received a $150,000 settlement from the government.

Formerly of Westfield, Roche is facing life in prison but prosecutors are expected to recommend a sentence far lower than that in exchange for Roche's testimony at the two previous New York trials.

State Street plans to cut 630 jobs, or about 2 percent of its worldwide workforce, as the custody bank continues to work on lowering expenses. The company also reported fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street's view.

Specialist Anthony Rinaldi works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)  

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — State Street plans to cut 630 jobs, or about 2 percent of its worldwide workforce, as the custody bank continues to work on lowering expenses. The company also reported fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street's view.

Its stock rose 5 percent in morning trading Friday, briefly touching its highest level in more than three years.

Like many other banks, State Street has been pressured by persistently low interest rates. The job cuts announced Friday will be spread around the globe. The company has 29,660 employees worldwide.

State Street Corp. provides money-handling services to pension funds, mutual funds, retirement plans and other institutional investors, and also manages investments, including the "SPDRs" family of exchange-traded funds.

For the period ended Dec. 31, net income climbed 26 percent to $468 million, or $1 per share. That compares with net income of $371 million, or 76 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other items, adjusted earnings were $1.11 per share.

Analysts forecast earnings of $1.01 per share, according to a FactSet poll.

Revenue increased 6 percent to $2.45 billion from $2.32 billion, topping Wall Street's estimate of $2.37 billion.

The company's shares gained 32 cents to $50.70 before the market open.

State Street reported an increase in servicing fees and investment management fees during the quarter. Trading services revenue, which includes foreign-exchange trading revenue and brokerage and other fees, fell mostly because of foreign-exchange trading softness.

Assets under management, the value of the assets State Street invests for its customers, improved to $2.09 billion from $1.85 billion.

The Boston company's full-year net income rose 7 percent to $2.02 billion, or $4.20 per share, from $1.88 billion, or $3.79 per share, in the prior year. Annual revenue climbed slightly to $9.65 billion from $9.59 billion.

State Street shares rose $2.73, or 5.4 percent, to $53.11 in morning trading after rising as high as $53.56 earlier in the session. FactSet says that was its highest level since August 2009.

Rove, 62, started his tenure as an on-air contributor with the cable news network in 2008. Politico reports that he will remain an on-air personality through at least 2016.

In this June 1, 2011, file photo, GOP strategist Karl Rove arrives at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver , where he addressed Republicans at a fund raising luncheon. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)  

Karl Rove, arguably the most notable Republican strategist and the man known as the brains behind George W. Bush's two White House wins, has reportedly inked an extension to his contract with the Fox News station, Politico reports.

Rove, 62, started his tenure as an on-air contributor with the cable news network in 2008. Politico reports that he will remain an on-air personality through at least 2016.

On Nov. 6, 2012, as the network called Ohio for President Barack Obama over the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, Rove lashed out at the anchors and the science behind their election coverage, calling it "premature" to give Obama the state, and thus the election.

The Rove-backed super PAC, American Crossroads and its affiliate Crossroads GPS, spent millions on boosting Romney's campaign across the country and Rove predicted a landslide loss for Obama.

Following the outburst, Rove was temporarily banished from the network according to a New York Magazine report which quickly went viral.

But Politico says that Rove's new deal will keep him on the air with the Fox News crew and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who it brought on Wednesday, citing his “willingness to take a stand from his point of view."

Rove, with his eye already on the 2016 presidential election, told a group of Louisiana business people this week that he believes that state's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal would make a top contender for the job.

Join reporter Robert Rizzuto between noon and 1 p.m. as he moderates a live chat between Eric Schippers, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs & Government Relations for Penn National Gaming, and MassLive.com readers.

12/11/12-Springfield-Republican Photo by Dave Roback- Eric Schippers, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for Penn National Gaming makes a casino presentation at City Stage in Springfield. The Associated Press  

Join reporter Robert Rizzuto between noon and 1 p.m. as he moderates a live chat between Eric Schippers, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs & Government Relations for Penn National Gaming, and MassLive.com readers.

Penn National is planning a 300,000-square-foot casino complex, including 100,000 square feet of gaming space, on about 13.4 acres in the North End, including properties owned by The Republican. The casino resort would have about 2,000 square feet of retail space, a 250-room hotel and extensive renovations to the Paramount. There would also be a 2,500-space parking garage.

Click here to view the chat on a mobile device.

It will feel like the teens all day

Colder, drier air is with us through Saturday morning as arctic air makes a brief appearance.

It's a one-two blast from the north pole as a second more prolonged installment of arctic air moves in Sunday night behind another stronger cold front. This will bring us likely the coldest stretch of weather this winter.

Next week, lows will range from the single numbers and teens with highs generally in the 20s all week. Wind chills run near zero as we head back to work on Monday and we'll be tracking a high snow storm potential too.

Although it will remain mostly dry, the jet stream pattern will favor coastal storm development. So, the potential is high for something to develop next week. The question remains whether it then tracks close enough to bring us more snow. We'll keep you posted.

This afternoon:Sunny and breezy. Wind chill near 14. High 25.

Tonight: Clear start, clouds to finish. Low 12.

Saturday: Clouds and sun. High 38.

Sunday: Becoming windy. Dropping afternoon temperatures. Midday high near 35.

Monday - Wednesday: Bitter cold and mainly dry.

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, after spending the last 15 years in local and statewide public office, will not run for governor in 2014, citing the time commitment that would be required to juggle his current job, a full-time campaign, and his responsibilities to his family.

By Matt Murphy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, after spending the last 15 years in local and statewide public office, will not run for governor in 2014, citing the time commitment that would be required to juggle his current job, a full-time campaign, and his responsibilities to his family.

“As I contemplate the commitment required over the next 20 months (and the following four years as Governor) and weigh that against my obligations and responsibilities to my young family, I have decided that I will not be a candidate for Governor in the 2014 election cycle. Nor will I be a candidate for any other statewide office in 2014,” Murray said in a letter to supporters emailed out Friday morning.

Murray, who rose from a city councilor and mayor in Worcester to win two statewide elections and serve as lieutenant governor for the past six years, has been Gov. Deval Patrick’s righthand man since 2007, a constant supporter and the administration’s key liaison to cities and towns.

Over the past several months, Murray has ramped up his fundraising efforts, raising more campaign cash than any other statewide elected official in 2012 and building an account that many considered a prelude to his eventual run for governor next year. At a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in November, Murray said, “I would like to be governor,” but qualified that by staying he still had not made a decision to run.

Murray, however, said the political efforts of the past several months and his experience running two statewide campaigns gave him a taste of what it would be like for the next six years, should he win, campaigning mornings, nights and weekends while also performing his duties as lieutenant governor and being there for his family.

“This activity already adds to a busy schedule with more morning, evening and weekend events quickly filling almost every free moment,” Murray wrote. “Looking forward, I have given considerable thought on how I can sustain this pace for the next 20 months while working on my portfolio of issues as Lieutenant Governor. More importantly, I have been grappling with how I can juggle a campaign and work duties with my responsibilities as a husband and the father of two active and beautiful daughters, Helen and Kati, who are 7 and 6 years old.”

Murray has remained a popular political figure with mayors and city councilors around the state, but his political brand has suffered over the past year following an early morning car crash in Sterling, and questions about his political ties to disgraced former Chelsea housing director Michael McLaughlin.

In his letter, Murray does not allude to either of those hurdles to a successful gubernatorial campaign, talking only about his appetite to commit to the time and energy it would take to campaign.

Murray says in the letter that he was anticipating both a primary and general election contest, with Democrats like Treasurer Steven Grossman and state Sen. Daniel Wolf publicly considering running for governor in 2014. Dr. Donald Berwick, a pediatrician and former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid under President Obama, also came to visit Murray over a week ago to let him know he was considering running.

Wilhite's family members and other supporters, dozens of whom have been in the courtroom every day of the trial, erupted in cheers and were quieted by court officers while still in the courtroom.. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — A Hampden Superior Court jury on Thursday found Charles L. Wilhite not guilty of murder.

Wilhite's family members and other supporters, dozens of whom have been in the courtroom every day of the trial, erupted in cheers and were quieted by court officers while still in the courtroom.

The jury deliberated for four hours.

This was Wilhite's second trial for the fatal shooting of Alberto Rodriguez in October 2008 in front of the Pine Street Market.

He and co-defendant Angel Hernandez were convicted of first degree murder in 2010 for Rodriguez's fatal shooting, but a judge in 2012 granted Wilhite a new trial in part because a key prosecution witness recanted his identification of Wilhite.

First degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The prosecution's theory in both the first trial and in Wilhite's retrial is that Hernandez, the owner of the Pine Street Market who had a long running feud with Rodriguez, paid Wilhite to shoot Rodriguez and gave him a gun.

The trial began Jan. 7 with Assistant District Attorney Blake J. Rubin prosecuting.

Outside the courtroom, supporters and family members crowded into the attorney’s lounge to wait for Wilhite’s release.

When defense lawyer William J. O’Neil brought Wilhite into the room, Wilhite held his 5-year-old daughter Iesha Wilhite, and family members took turns hugging Wilhite and his daughter.

Wilhite’s other lawyer was David A.F. Lewis. Lewis, asked to comment on the verdict, referred to a quote he has heard: “Justice rides a slow horse but it always overtakes.”

He said Wilhite has been incarcerated for 40 months since the day he was arrested in September 2009.

Victoria Hazel, Wilhite’s girlfriend and Iesha’s mother, has been at the trial every day and had just gone to pick up her daughter when it was announced there was a verdict.

Vira Douangmany Cage, the aunt of Wilhite and one of the organizers behind the group Justice for Charles, thanked everyone who had stood beside her nephew.

“Justice for Charles is justice for Springfield,” Cage said.

“We don’t have deep pockets but we do have deep hearts,” she said. “There was no crime. He shouldn’t have served time.”

She asked Wilhite if he wanted to say anything, but he nodded no and just continued to hold his daughter and greet family and friends.

Cage expressed gratitude to the jury, Judge Constance M. Sweeney and court officers.

Wilhite’s uncle, Edward L. Cage Jr., thanked Wilhite for not giving up while he was in prison.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said his office reviewed the case brought by his predecessor, William M. Bennett, and concluded the evidence was strong enough for a retrial.

The prosecution presented three witnesses who picked Wilhite out of an 8-person photo array, and a fourth who made a partial identification, according to Mastroianni, who added the decision to retry the defendant “was not made lightly.”

“I understand, respect and will not criticize the jury’s decision – keeping in mind that another jury found there was proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

The case also illustrated the difficulty of prosecuting cases with reluctant witnesses, an increasingly common problem in Hampden County and beyond, Mastroianni said.

“You have a crime committed and nobody who witnessed it will come forward. You have a whole culture of not cooperating with the police,” he said.

Prosecutors say 2 teens abducted 15-year-old John McCabe in Tewksbury in September 1969, bound him, taped his eyes and mouth and left him in a Lowell field where he suffocated.

Edward Allen Brown shows how 1969 murder victim 15-year-old John McCabe attempted to defend himself after he was abducted as Brown testifies during the murder trial of Michael Ferreira in court Friday in Woburn. Ferreira, 58, and two others are accused of the 1969 kidnapping and murder of15-year-old John McCabe of Tewksbury. McCabe died of asphyxiation after being bound, gagged and left in a Lowell field. Josh Reynolds / Associated Press [The Boston Globe (pool)]  

WOBURN — A New Hampshire man has told a jury about a night 43 years ago when he and two friends allegedly abducted another teen in a squabble over a girl and left him to die.

Prosecutors say the older teens abducted 15-year-old John McCabe in Tewksbury, Mass., in September 1969, bound him, taped his eyes and mouth and left him in a Lowell field where he suffocated. Charges were filed in 2011 after Edward Brown, 61, now of Londonderry, N.H., told his story to authorities.

On Friday, Brown testified in the murder trial of Michael Ferreira, 59, of Salem, N.H. Ferreira's attorney, Eric Wilson, has said Brown is a liar whose version of events doesn't match the evidence.

Walter Shelley, 61, of Tewskbury also has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. Brown is charged with manslaughter in a plea agreement.

Brown testified the three forced McCabe into a car as he walked home from a school dance. He said thought his friends were only going to scare McCabe and rough him up because he had flirted with Shelley's girlfriend.

Brown said Ferreira and Shelley dragged McCabe out of the car. Brown said he sat on McCabe's legs while Ferreira hogtied him. He said he remembers McCabe struggling and crying.

Brown said the youths were shocked when they later returned to the field and found McCabe wasn't breathing. He said Ferreira warned them to keep quiet or he would kill them.

Brown testified he eventually told authorities his story because, "I'm a parent. If something happened to one of my children, I'd want to know," The Boston Globe reported.

The Park Commission praised the design of the Environmental Center project including its all-year use and environmental savings and innovations

Architect Stephen Jablonski, right, presents a rendering to the Springfield Park Commission of the proposed renovation-expansion of the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center in Forest Park. On the left is Park Commission Chairman Brian A. Santaniello and in the middle is Patrick J. Sullivan, director of parks, buildings and recreation management. Don Treeger / The Republican  

SPRINGFIELD – The Park Commission this week gave its enthusiastic support for the final design plans for a $2.5 million renovation-expansion of the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center at Forest Park, praising its design for year-round use by students and the public, and its state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

The commission voted 3-0 endorse the plans as presented by architect Stephen Jablonski of Jablonski Devriese Architects of Springfield. The wood-framed building that abuts Porter Lake is the former skate house at the lake, and has been home for the Environmental Center for Our Schools (ECOS) program since 1970, visited by thousands of science students, teachers and parents annually.

“Nothing could be more important than to be focused on the environment and nature,” said Brian A. Santaniello, Park Commission chairman, regarding the project. “It’s a fabulous job and a proud testament to Clifford Phaneuf.”

Jablonski said he and others have been working on the plans for approximately four years, and the project is “shovel ready.”

“It’s literally ready to go out to bid,” Jablonski said.

Commission members said they will urge that the project move forward as soon as possible.

The project is on the city’s list of top priority capital projects for the coming year, but the full funding sources are not yet determined, officials said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said he is committed to the project, and is reviewing options for funding. MassMutual Financial Group pledged $150,000 to assist with the construction costs.

There are two proposed additions to the building, and the main focus is on providing an “updated educational plant,” and provide for multiple uses of the building during after-school hours, weekends and summer, Jablonski said. The design features include a large kitchen, and there is the ability to rent the site for functions, he said.

“It could be a revenue generator,” said Patrick J. Sullivan, the city’s director of parks, buildings, and recreation management.

There are various “green” technologies incorporated into the building design including a hydro-geothermal heating, ventilation, air conditioning system, state-of-the-art insulation, and passive solar-energy efficient windows, according to plans.

Under plans, there will also be improved access to the lake including a wheelchair-accessible dock and ramp, a plaza, pavers and planters, Jablonski said.

In 1988, the Park Commission voted to name the building after Phaneuf who had worked there for 17 years as coordinator of the Environmental Center for Our Schools program. Phaneuf had died in January of that year.

Santaniello said the city is indebted to Phaneuf, who he described as a “true pioneer in education.”

In addition, Santaniello praised Burt D. Freedman, who has been a science teacher at the center, and taught there at its inception. Freedman has worked closely with the architect and city officials on the project plans for years and is urging the city to secure funding before the completed plans become stale.

Once funding is approved, construction might take six to eight months, Jablonski said.

Sullivan said the mayor continues to support the project “100 percent,” but is still facing the financial pressures from damage caused by two disasters — the June 2011 tornado and October 2011 snowstorm, and continued negotiations for disaster aid to cover much of the expenses.

Park Commission members Jay Griffin and Gregory Drew joined in praising the ECOS program and the renovation project.

“The ECOS program is a tremendous program,” Griffin said. “I have talked to kids who say ‘we don’t want to go out in the snow and weather and rain’ and then say they had a great time. It’s a great introduction to appreciate the outdoors and the four seasons.”

The president will seek to set an optimistic tone for the next four years, which will help define his legacy.

A painter touches up an entrance post outside the White House in Washington on Friday in preparation for this weekend's 57th presidential Inauguration. Susan Walsh | Associated Press  

By JULIE PACE and NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has been looking to historians for guidance on how to shape his second inaugural's words into a speech for the ages, eager to make good use of his twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity to command the world's attention.

He will take the oath of office Sunday in an intimate White House ceremony witnessed by family, and then again Monday at the Capitol before a crowd of hundreds of thousands on the National Mall. Washington will also play host to the traditional inaugural parade and formal balls Monday, as well as a day of service Saturday that kicks off the festivities.

But it's Obama's inaugural address that will be the centerpiece of the three-day affair. The president will seek to turn the page on a first term consumed by economic turmoil and set an optimistic tone for four more years that will help define his legacy.

The president has been working on his speech since early December, writing out draft after draft on yellow legal pads, aides say. He's read several second-term inaugural addresses delivered by his predecessors. And last week, he invited a small group of historians to the White House to discuss the potential — and the pitfalls — of second-term inaugurals.

Heading into his speech, Obama does have history on his mind, particularly two of the great American leaders he most deeply admires, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. The start of Obama's second term coincides with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of King's March on Washington, and he has chosen to take the public oath with his hand on both their bibles stacked together.

"Their actions, the movements they represented are the only reason it's possible for me to be inaugurated," Obama said of Lincoln and King in a video released Friday by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "It's also a reminder for me that this country has gone through very tough times before but we always come out on the other side."

Aides say the president will touch on some of the challenges he'll take on in a second term but won't delve deeply into the policy objectives he'll tackle in the next four years. Those details will be saved for his Feb. 12 State of the Union address.

But the tone and theme of Monday's speech will set the stage for the policy fights to come. Obama may in some way try to reference the Connecticut elementary school shooting that pushed gun control to the top of his agenda. He may also speak of a need to tackle comprehensive immigration reform, another second-term priority, and to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan.

Obama's speech won't be overly political. But aides said he will make the point that while the nation's political system doesn't require politicians to resolve all of their differences, it does require Washington to act on issues where there is common ground. And he will speak about how the nation's core principles can still guide a country that has changed immensely since its founding.

The president was still working on his speech heading into inauguration weekend. He's been hammering out the details for many weeks with longtime speechwriter Jon Favreau, who worked with the president on his first inaugural address and nearly every other high-profile speech he's given since.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president takes the responsibility of a second term "enormously seriously."

"He didn't seek re-election just to be re-elected," Carney said. "He believes that we have work to do, and he believes that both the agenda he has put forward so far and the agenda he will put forward in the future will help this country move forward in a variety of ways. This is something he feels very deeply."

The crowd spread before Obama is expected to be much smaller than the record 1.8 million who packed the National Mall four years ago to see him sworn in as the nation's first black president. But the estimates of 600,000 to 800,000 this time still would make it the largest attendance ever for a second presidential inauguration.

Obama has cut back on some of the reveling from four years ago — there will be no concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and only two balls instead of 10. But there will still be elaborate celebration — a long list of top entertainment acts including Beyonce, Katy Perry and Brad Paisley have signed on to perform at the weekend's events, including the two official balls that are expected to draw around 40,000 people to the Washington Convention Center.

Part of Obama's weekend also will involve thanking the donors who are contributing toward his committee's $50 million fundraising goal to put on the celebration. The president and first lady hosted supporters Friday at the White House, and he planned to attend a Sunday night reception at the National Building Museum with more donors.

Obama is trying to expand the National Day of Service that begins the weekend's events Saturday — a call for Americans across the country to honor King's legacy by serving their communities. He is hoping the day will become an inaugural tradition and also is looking toward his legacy with the speech.

The president sought advice from a small group of historians during a dinner at the White House last week. Beyond just the mechanics of second inaugural addresses, the dinner focused broadly on how presidents manage their second terms.

Perhaps more than any of his predecessors, Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inaugural address could serve as a model for Obama.

Each man took office amid economic turmoil that eased during his first four years in the White House. When Roosevelt spoke to the nation after taking the oath of office a second time, he reported economic progress but cautioned that there was more work to do. Obama has often voiced similar sentiments, using the signs of improvement as his justification for re-election throughout the 2012 campaign.

Obama may aim for brevity in Monday's speech. Still, he's certain to speak longer than Lincoln, who offered the nation just 700 words in his acclaimed second inaugural.

Douglas Brinkley, one of the historians who met with Obama, endorsed the "brief is better" strategy. But he also said that with Obama scaling back some of the grandeur of the broader inaugural celebration, there is an opportunity for his speech to become the focal point.

"This time around, I think the inaugural speech has to carry the day," Brinkley said. "There are less balls, fewer people. There's a chance to make this stand out."

The inaugural ceremonies are a national tradition but not constitutionally required. The 20th Amendment says the president and vice president automatically start their new terms at noon on Jan. 20.

Obama plans to take the oath officially shortly before noon Sunday in the White House's Blue Room, an oval space with majestic views of the South Lawn and the Washington Monument. Named for the color of the drapes, upholstery and carpet, it is not typically used for ceremonies and instead has primarily been a reception room as well as being the site of the only presidential wedding held in the White House, between Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsum in 1886.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who met with Warren, said Gov. Deval Patrick should name a gun-control advocate to fill Sen. John Kerry's seat if Kerry becomes secretary of state.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., met with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Friday to push for tougher gun control measures in the wake of the recent elementary school shooting in Connecticut. Mark M. Murray / The Republican  

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has met with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to push for tougher gun control measures in the wake of the recent elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Warren said Friday that she supports three proposals including one requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales.

The Massachusetts Democrat said she also backs a ban on assault weapons and another proposal to make gun trafficking a federal crime.

Menino, co-founder of the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said lawmakers need to stand up to those opposed to gun regulations including the National Rifle Association.

Menino also said Gov. Deval Patrick should name a gun-control advocate to fill Sen. John Kerry's seat if Kerry becomes secretary of state.

That interim appointee would serve until a special election is held.

The renovation of the fire headquarters is nearly complete.

WILBRAHAM - U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, Friday joined Fire Chief Francis Nothe and emergency service personnel to announce a $79,338 federal Department of Homeland Assistance to Firefighters grant for safety equipment for the Boston Road fire headquarters.

As a result of the funding, the Fire Department headquarters on Boston Road will undertake a pair of safety initiatives.

Francis Nothe  

The first project will be to install a vehicle exhaust system at the fire station headquarters.

“This will provide exhaust removal for all diesel apparatus and result in a safe, clean environment for our firefighters,” Nothe said. “With this award, we will be able to fulfill our goals and provide for our firefighters who in turn provide a great service to our community.”

Fire Captain Thomas Shaw said the diesel exhaust is a health issue for firefighters. Diesel exhaust is a carcinogen that can cause lung cancer and other respiratory ailments.

The second project will be to replace an antiquated Air Pack filling system at the fire station headquarters.

Shaw said fire officials have had to take the department’s five tanks to the Ludlow Fire Department to fill them.

“They weigh 100 pounds each,” he said.

“Since the Department of Homeland Security began offering Assistance to Firefighter Grants a decade ago, Pioneer Valley fire departments have been very successful in obtaining funding,” Neal said. “Today marks a milestone in overall public safety as our firefighters and residents continue to have state-of-the-art equipment,” he added.

The Wilbraham fire headquarters on Boston Road has been undergoing a $2.7 million addition and renovation project.

The renovation is nearly complete and firefighters have moved back to the fire station from the Main Street station.

Shaw said quarters at the Main Street station were very tight.

Critics said he hadn't been contrite enough in the first half of the interview, which was taped Monday in Austin, but Armstrong seemed to lose his composure when Winfrey zeroed in on the emotional drama involving his personal life.

FILE - In a Sept. 30, 2000 file photo, U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong waves after receiving the bronze medal in the men's individual time trials at the 2000 Summer Olympics cycling road course in Sydney, Australia. The Associated Press, file  

CHICAGO (AP) — Lance Armstrong finally cracked.

Not while expressing deep remorse or regrets, though there was plenty of that in Friday night's second part of Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

It wasn't over the $75 million in sponsorship deals that evaporated over the course of two days, or having to walk away from the Livestrong cancer charity he founded and called his "sixth child." It wasn't even about his lifetime ban from competition, though he said that was more than he deserved.

It was another bit of collateral damage that Armstrong said he wasn't prepared to deal with.

"I saw my son defending me and saying, 'That's not true. What you're saying about my dad is not true,'" Armstrong recalled.

"That's when I knew I had to tell him."

Armstrong was near tears at that point, referring to 13-year-old Luke, the oldest of his five children. He blinked, looked away from Winfrey, and with his lip trembling, struggled to compose himself.

It came just past the midpoint of the hourlong program on Winfrey's OWN network. In the first part, broadcast Thursday, the disgraced cycling champion admitted using performance-enhancing drugs when he won seven straight Tour de France titles.

Critics said he hadn't been contrite enough in the first half of the interview, which was taped Monday in Austin, but Armstrong seemed to lose his composure when Winfrey zeroed in on the emotional drama involving his personal life.

"What did you say?" Winfrey asked.

"I said, 'Listen, there's been a lot of questions about your dad. My career. Whether I doped or did not dope. I've always denied that and I've always been ruthless and defiant about that. You guys have seen that. That's probably why you trusted me on it.' Which makes it even sicker," Armstrong said.

"And uh, I told Luke, I said," and here Armstrong paused for a long time to collect himself, "I said, 'Don't defend me anymore. Don't.'

"He said OK. He just said, 'Look, I love you. You're my dad. This won't change that."

Winfrey also drew Armstrong out on his ex-wife, Kristin, whom he claimed knew just enough about both the doping and lying to ask him to stop. He credited her with making him promise that his comeback in 2009 would be drug-free.

"She said to me, 'You can do it under one condition: That you never cross that line again,'" Armstrong recalled.

"The line of drugs?" Winfrey asked.

"Yes. And I said, 'You've got a deal,'" he replied. "And I never would have betrayed that with her."

A U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that exposed Armstrong as the leader of an elaborate doping scheme on his U.S. Postal Service cycling team included witness statements from at least three former teammates who said Kristin Armstrong participated in or at least knew about doping on the teams and knew team code names for EPO kept in her refrigerator. Postal rider Jonathan Vaughters testified that she handed riders cortisone pills wrapped in foil.

Armstrong said in the first part of the interview that he had stayed clean in the comeback, a claim that runs counter to the USADA report.

And that wasn't the only portion of the interview likely to rile anti-doping officials.

Winfrey asked Armstrong about a "60 Minutes Sports" interview in which USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said a representative of the cyclist had offered a donation that the agency turned down.

"Were you trying to pay off USADA?" she asked.

"No, that's not true," he replied, repeating, "That is not true."

Winfrey asks the question three more times, in different forms.

"That is not true," he insisted.

USADA spokeswoman Annie Skinner replied in a statement: "We stand by the facts both in the reasoned decision and in the '60 Minutes' interview."

Armstrong has talked with USADA officials, and a meeting with Tygart near the Denver airport reportedly ended in an argument over the possibility of modifying the lifetime ban. A person familiar with those conversations said Armstrong could provide information that might get his ban reduced to eight years. By then, he would be 49. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a confidential matter.

After retiring from cycling in 2011, Armstrong returned to triathlons, where he began his professional career as a teenager, and he has told people he's desperate to get back.

Winfrey asked if that was why he agreed to the interview.

"If you're asking me, do I want to compete again ... the answer is hell, yes," Armstrong said. "I'm a competitor. It's what I've done my whole life. I love to train. I love to race. I love to toe the line — and I don't expect it to happen."

Yet just three questions later, a flash of the old Armstrong emerged.

"Frankly," he said, "this may not be the most popular answer, but I think I deserve it. Maybe not right now ... (but) if I could go back to that time and say, 'OK, you're trading my story for a six-month suspension?' Because that's what people got."

"What other people got?" Winfrey asked.

"What everybody got," he replied.

Eleven former Armstrong teammates, including several who previously tested positive for PEDs, testified about the USPS team's doping scheme in exchange for more lenient punishments. Armstrong said in the first part of the interview that he knew his "fate was sealed" when his most trusted lieutenant, George Hincapie, who was alongside him for all seven Tour wins between 1999-2005, was forced to give Armstrong up to anti-doping authorities,

"So I got a death penalty and they got ... six months," Armstrong resumed. "I'm not saying that that's unfair, necessarily, but I'm saying it's different."

Winfrey called Armstrong's tale "an epic story," and asked him what the moral was.

"It's, it, I don't have a great answer there," he began. "I can look at what I did. Cheating to win bike races, lying about it, bullying people. Of course you're not supposed to do those things. That's what we teach our children."

Armstrong paused to compose himself one final time.

"I just think it was about the ride and losing myself, getting caught up in that, and doing all those things along the way that enabled that. The ultimate crime is uh, is the betrayal of those people that supported me and believed in me.

"They got lied to."

Mementos kept by the late Studio 54 co-owner Steve Rubell, including paparazzi photographs, letters and artwork, are being auctioned off Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Various polaroids shot by Andy Warhol at Studio 54 on display in West Palm Beach, Fla. Memorabilia from the famed 1970s club is hitting the auction block. The private collection of co-founder Steve Rubell is being sold Saturday in West Palm Beach. Associated Press file photo  

By MATT SEDENSKY

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A trove of memorabilia from Studio 54 is going up for bid in an auction that is resurrecting those long-ago nights at the iconic 1970s clubhouse with a legacy greater than its lifespan.

Mementos kept by the late Studio 54 co-owner Steve Rubell, including paparazzi photographs, letters and artwork once belonging to the New York club's A-list guests, are being auctioned off Saturday in West Palm Beach.

The items give a fascinating glimpse of life at 54: author Fran Lebowitz shoulder-to-shoulder with pop artist Andy Warhol. A stone-faced Frank Sinatra staring off in the distance. Diana Ross, arms flailing on the dance floor. Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Cher — and on and on and on.

Rubell's partner, Bill Hamilton, finally decided to part with the treasures, more than 23 years after Rubell's death at the age of 45. The boxes of newspaper clippings, photographs and everything else had spent decades in their apartment on West 55th Street in Manhattan, where Hamilton still lives.

Giving up the items was hard, said Hamilton, who was too young to ever enjoy Studio 54 himself. He decided to auction them, in part, because he got married last year and wanted to shed some of his possessions. But as he took a final look at the photos, he was reminded of Rubell's generosity and how much fun he helped create.

"He really just wanted you to have a good time. And he might have just met you and he invited you into the club, but he was going to make sure you remember it," he said. "These people from 1978, 1979 are still living those nights."

Rubell and Ian Shrager opened Studio 54 in 1977 and sold it in 1981, after they "got out of camp," as they called prison, where they served time on charges of federal income-tax evasion. It continued operating under different management for years afterward.

"They just pushed the envelope every single night," Hamilton said.

The club's memories are captured in hand-scrawled notes from its guests, such as one from Farrah Fawcett to Rubell that says "Dearest Steve, Thank you for a fabulous weekend. You made it work!" Or the telegram from Yves St. Laurent to Rubell, inviting him to a black-tie celebration of his perfume Opium.

Most of the dozens and dozens of photographs were taken by news outlets or paparazzi and it's not known how many copies exist. But there's a handful of one-of-a-kind Polaroids shot by Warhol, making them the most valuable of the bunch.

Altogether, the collection broadens the public portrait of Rubell, known to many younger people only through Mike Myers' portrayal of him in the movie "54."

"I'm left with the belief that there was an energy with the way Rubell would put together these groups of people every night," said auctioneer Rico Baca of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, which is handling the sale. "And this energy comes out in these photographs."

Among the pricier objects on the auction block is a metal sculpture by Warhol of dollar signs, which was given to Rubell, and is estimated to fetch up to $50,000. There's also a Warhol drawing of Studio 54 drink tickets, estimated to go for up to $150,000, and a painted portrait of Rubell by Michael Vollbracht given to the club impresario on his 35th birthday, with an estimated value of up to $20,000.

Also being sold are drink tickets, posters, invitations and even Rubell's personal address book. And, perhaps most interestingly, the key to the fortress itself, Rubell's tattered front-door reservation book, which held his jotted notes on each night's guest list.

The book is filled with gads of famous names, notations on whether the guest's bill would be footed by the club, and the faint sound of disco-fueled memories frozen in time.

The move to surround Diabaly came as French and Malian authorities said they had retaken Konna — the central city whose capture prompted the French military intervention last week — from radical Islamists.

French troops arrive at Mali's main airport Thursday in Bamako. Friday marked the eighth day of the French-led military intervention to wrest back Mali's north from al-Qaida-linked groups. Jerome Delay | Associated Press  

By BABA AHMED and KRISTA LARSON

BAMAKO, Mali — French troops encircled a key Malian town on Friday to stop radical Islamists from striking closer to the capital, a French official said.

The move to surround Diabaly came as French and Malian authorities said they had retaken Konna, the central city whose capture prompted the French military intervention last week.

The United Nations warned that some 700,000 civilians could be displaced by the fighting in Mali, where the French-led international force is fighting to oust the rebels from power in the north.

The French forces moved around Diabaly to cut off supplies to the Islamist extremists, who have held the town since Monday, said a French official who spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to discuss sensitive security matters.

The Malian military chased the Islamists from Konna and are now holding the town, a Malian military official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, said Friday.

Telephone lines were cut off in the town, making it difficult to independently verify the claim though the French official also confirmed the rebels no longer hold Konna.

Doctors Without Borders has been trying to get to Konna since Monday but all roads leading to the community in central Mali have been closed by the Malian military, said Malik Allaouna, director of operations for the group known as MSF for its initials in French.

"Despite our repeated requests, we are still being refused access to the Konna region," he said. "It is essential to allow the delivery of neutral and impartial medical and humanitarian aid in the areas affected by the conflict."

In Geneva, United Nations refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said that the number of displaced Malians is expected to increase dramatically in the coming months.

Those who have fled "mentioned that large amounts of money are being offered to civilians to fight against the Malian army and its supporters," she said.

Meanwhile, authorities in the town of Niono said that a key road leading to Segou was being closed to traffic Friday between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Segou is one of the largest towns in Mali and the administrative capital of its central region. The road closure is an attempt to keep Islamists from entering towns further south, officials said.

The prefect, or district administrator, of Niono Seydou Traore said "neither cars, nor motorcycles, nor people on foot will be able to travel, as a security measure."

France has encountered fierce resistance from the extremist groups, whose tentacles extend not only over a territory the size of Afghanistan in Mali, but also another 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the northeast in Algeria, where fighters stormed a BP-operated plant and took dozens of foreigners hostages, including Americans.

They demanded the immediate end of the hostilities in Mali, with one commander, Oumar Ould Hamaha, saying that they are now "globalizing the conflict" in revenge for the military assault on Malian soil.

On Thursday, France increased its troop strength in Mali to 1,400, said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

West African neighbors also have begun sending troops to aid the French-led mission, with some Togolese and Nigerian forces arriving Thursday.

Nigeria has offered another 900 soldiers, while Chad has said it will send 2,000 to aid the mission.

A former French colony, Mali once enjoyed a reputation as one of West Africa's most stable democracies with the majority of its 15.8 million people practicing a moderate form of Islam. That changed last March, following a coup in the capital which created the disarray that allowed Islamist extremists to take over the main cities in the distant north.

Danielle Petrangelo, the Agawam police officer who the district attorney said accidentally shot a pregnant mother of two in the face while responding to a call, is no longer employed by the Agawam Police Department, according to the mayor.

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

The most viewed photo gallery was the Associated Press' "25 striking photos that helped define the week," at right.

1) How does Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees plan to slow Tom Brady? 'Hire Tonya Harding' [Nick Underhill]

2) South Hadley basketball coach Jeff Guiel 'exploring options' after Amherst takedown [Jay King]

3) Danielle Petrangelo, Agawam police officer who accidentally shot Britteney Miles, no longer on force [Sandra Constantine]

4) East Longmeadow police arrest 21-year-old Christy Imme after she allegedly hit boyfriend in head with fireplace broom [George Graham]

5) 3 Holyoke residents who admitted defrauding MassHealth ordered to repay $260K [Patrick Johnson]

In his book Tough argues that character is a better predictor of success than intelligence.

SPRINGFIELD - The final Springfield Public Forum Speaker Series for this winter will feature Paul Tough, author of “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, and Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America.”

Tough will speak Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall.

Paul Tough  

His book focuses on the steps necessary to improve the lives and education of underserved children.

Through the case study of Harlem Children’s Zone, Tough describes the struggle to establish a way to combat poverty which could be replicated nationwide.

Tough is an editor and contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, where he has written about education, poverty and politics, including stories on the Harlem Children’s Zone, the post-Katrina school system in New Orleans, and No Child Left Behind and charter schools.

Before the 7:30 p.m. speech, there is a 4 p.m. discussion scheduled with Tough at the Sheraton in Springfield.

“We wanted to extend the impact of the speakers,” said Page Brody, executive director of the Springfield Public Forum.

She said the Davis Foundation and Steven Mahoney, principal of Renaissance School in Springfield, helped to set up the 4 p.m. discussion which is open to the public on a first come, first serve basis.

In his book Tough tackles the culture’s belief that intelligence, endlessly measured by test scores, is the sole indicator of value in our educational system.

In his book Tough argues that non-cognitive skills - or character - is a better indicator of success - skills such as curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, self-control and grit.

The sponsors of Wednesday’s forum are the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, St. Germain Investment Management and UMass Amherst.

Algeria's special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the middle of the Sahara desert in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before they in turn killed seven hostages, the state news agency reported.

BY ANIS BELGHOUL and PAUL SCHEMM, The Associated Press

AIN AMENAS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria's special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the middle of the Sahara desert in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before they in turn killed seven hostages, the state news agency reported.

The report, quoting a security source, didn't specify if any hostages or militants remained alive or give the nationalities of the dead.

Algerian authorities estimated that around 30 militants occupied the Ain Amenas site Wednesday and with 18 already reported dead, it appears the hostage crisis involving hundreds of plant workers is finally over.

There was no official count of how many hostages were still being held by the final group of militants holed up in the gas refinery on Saturday, but the militants themselves had reported they were still holding three Belgian, two Americans, a Japanese and a Briton.

The plant is jointly run by BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state-owned oil company.

An international outcry mounted over the Algerians' handling of the crisis. Experts noted that this is how they have always dealt with terrorists, refusing to negotiate.

The standoff has put the spotlight on militancy plaguing the region and al-Qaida-linked groups roaming remote areas from Mali to Libya, threatening vital infrastructure and energy interests.

The militants attacked the plant Wednesday morning, creeping across the border from Libya, 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the natural gas plant, and fell on a pair of buses taking foreign workers to the airport. The buses' military escort drove off the attackers in a blaze of gunfire that sent bullets zinging over the heads of the crouching workers. A Briton and an Algerian, probably a security guard, were killed.

Frustrated, the militants turned to the vast gas complex, divided between the workers' living quarters and the refinery itself, and seized hostages, the Algerian government said. The gas flowing to the site was cut off, though the circumstances of the cutoff remain unclear.

Mayor Michael Tautznik is the process of finalizing the list to fund at the most dire of needs to first.

The Easthampton capital plan includes replacing police cruisers. The Republican file / Don Treeger  

EASTHAMPTON – An ambulance, police cruisers, and improvements at the White Brook Middle School are among the city’s $48.2 million in capital needs, according to the five-year fiscal 2013 capital budget.

But with limited funds, Mayor Michael A. Tautznik is in the process of finalizing the list to look at the most dire of needs to fund first.

“Things are tight,” Tautznik said. So with staff, he’s looking at “what’s most important” to go for now.

He said the Parks and Recreation Department has asked for a new office and community building and a lawn mower and would be likely to get a lawnmower, but not the building. According the plan, the department requested $500,000 for a new building and $17,500 for a commercial mowing machine.

The mayor has identified just $4.8 million in possible funding sources over the five-year period in question.

The budget needs were compiled after meeting with department heads and he will continue those discussions to prioritize their requests.

“A cruiser or two, a couple of trucks and an ambulance are likely the biggest needs we see now,” he said. An ambulance would cost about $200,000, he said.

He said Finance Director Melissa Zawadzki has suggested they might be able to borrow to help pay for the ambulance or dump truck, for example.

He said the ambulance would last about a dozen years and they could borrow for two years.

Instead of using Crown Victoria police cars, cruisers are more like sport utility vehicles so they cost more. The Police Department has requested $400,000 as part of the annual vehicle rotation over the five years.

The city currently has $898,036 in free cash, however, some of that money will likely be spent on a range of budget shortfalls including $103,000 for fire department overtime and $100,000 for a shortfall in the police budget, among other pending requests before the council. There would be some money available in free cash for the capital spending, he said.

Of the total needs, $6.7 million are enterprise fund projects that could be paid with money from the sewer and water accounts.

He said they have about $497,530 in retained earnings from those accounts.
The City Council would have to approve of any capital expenses he proposes.
He submitted the full capital plan to the council earlier this month, as required by the city charter. The council acknowledged it received the report.

Big ticket requests for the next five years include $9.7 million for White Brook Middle School repairs and rehabilitation, $550,000 for a fire department engine 1 pumper and $2.3 million for a Mt. Tom reservoir tank.