Wielding some pretty good-sized mallets, a few community leaders took some whacks at a huge column that supports the main entrance of the DCU Center in Worcester.

Gas station attendant Youssouf Soukouna, 42, pumps gas into a vehicle at a LukOil station in Newark, N.J., one day last fall. Click on the link, below, for a report from CBS Boston.com about Massachusetts gasoline prices being higher than the national average. Associated Press / Julio Cortez  

• Motorcyclists clocked at more than 115 mph, New Hampshire police say [Union Leader]


• Four arrested at Manchester 'Heroin Mill,' police say [Hartford Courant]


• DCU Center to undergo $23 million renovation [Worcester Telegram & Gazette]


• Teenage boy saves his family from Mattapan fire [Boston Herald]


• Vermont has highest high school graduation rate, according to study [Burlington Free Press]


• Massachusetts gas prices 11 cents higher than national average [CBS Boston]


• Berkshire students star in short film with Treat Williams [The Berkshire Eagle]


• Whale sighting worries marine experts [Cape Cod Times]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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If a people divided truly can't stand on their own accord, then the Massachusetts Republican Party may have trouble pulling out a win in the anticipated special election to fill Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry's Senate seat if they don't come together.

Kirsten Hughes and Rick Green are both aiming to become the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, which will elect its new leader on Jan. 31 at the Verve Crowne Plaza in Natick at 7 p.m. (Submitted Photos)  

If a people divided truly can't stand on their own accord, then the Massachusetts Republican Party may have trouble pulling out a win in the anticipated special election to fill Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry's Senate seat if it doesn't unite and refocus for the new year.

With Kerry expected to be confirmed as the next secretary of state this Thursday, exactly one week later the Bay State's minority party will elect a new leader.

The remaining candidates for the job are Rick Green, a state committeeman who built a successful online auto parts distribution business; and Kirsten Hughes, a Quincy city councilor and the deputy financial director for former Sen. Scott Brown's 2012 campaign.

Both Green and Hughes have racked up impressive lists of endorsements, but a look at the names on their respective websites provides a picture of a fragmented Massachusetts Republican Party.

In simpler times, a Hughes' win may have been a no-brainer as Brown, the most notable state GOP politician, tossed his support behind the former campaign staffer. But despite the nearly unanimous in-party support for Brown, should he decide to run in a Senate special election, Republicans across the state don't necessarily agree on who is the best candidate to take the party's helm.

The Massachusetts Republican Party ended 2012 with just over $700,000 in its account as it faces the challenge of running a candidate, perhaps former Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, against Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Markey in a special election for John Kerry's Senate seat.  

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hughes had landed endorsements from 32 active state committee members while Green had 33.

Both candidates have said they plan to unite the party and bring those with differing views about its direction to the table to discuss its future. And as part of their respective platforms, Green and Hughes both plan to swell the party's ranks beyond the current 11 percent enrollment and develop a new generation of Republicans by focusing on local races across the state.

But the nearly split endorsements reflect varying opinions about who will not just talk the talk, but bring the party new successes.

The Massachusetts Republican Assembly, a conservative sub-group of the overall state party, is supporting Green, while calling Hughes the "establishment candidate."

"The Massachusetts Republican Assembly is pleased that under Rick Green, Massachusetts Republicans would no longer be marginalized by the progressive litmus test being imposed by the current regime," the group said in a statement. "Mr. Green has pledged to give ALL Republican activists equal representation, with a seat at the policy table, including those who uphold family values."

Green has also landed support from Western Mass. Republican state representatives Donald Humason and Nick Boldyga, who feel his style is best suited to take the party forward.

Humason, a Westfield Republican who represents the 4th Hampden District, said Green reached out to him personally and, following a couple conversations, earned his support.

"I typically don't get involved in party races but when he spoke about where he thought he could help take the party, I thought he was a real fireball," Humason said. "With his background in online business, he talked about revamping the state party's use of social media and the Internet to connect the town and city Republicans across the state. He also spoke of the state party fundraising for not just U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates but also those at the bottom of the ticket. Fundraising is the worst part of the job so to hear he would focus on candidates at all levels appealed to me."

Dean Cavaretta, who withdrew from the race in mid-January, recently threw his support behind Hughes saying that her approach to politics would equal success for the party.

"Kirsten and I agree that more urban outreach and greater direct candidate support, especially down ballot is essential. She is also open to introducing effective 2014 ballot questions which could re-frame and strengthen our overall message to voters, while uniting Republican moderates, libertarians and social conservatives," Cavaretta wrote in endorsing Hughes. "She agrees as I do that after several disappointing election cycles, we must think anew in reaching unaffiliated voters who are both fed up with Democratic politics as usual and worried about the future of the Commonwealth and our country."

Hughes has also landed endorsements from former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and state Sen. Michael Knapik.

The Republican State Committee will elect a new party chair at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Verve Crowne Plaza in Natick.

The state's Emergency Shelter Commission also has urged shelters to activate "Extreme Cold Weather plans," which appears to consist of urging all homeless to come inside.

William J. Miller, executive director of the Friends of the Homeless, stands in the womans' dorm area at the new Rescource Center on Worthington Street in Springfield. The Republican File Photo  

SPRINGFIELD - As the region is gripped by single-digit temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, homeless shelters already bursting at the seams are trying to find available space.

At Friends of the Homeless, a shelter for men and women on Worthington Street, its nightly average has leapt to 157 adults - up almost 20 percent over the same time period last year.

Executive Director William J. Miller said that over the last three months, the shelter has provided shelter for an average of 18 more people each night than last year. So, while the temperatures don't necessarily drive up numbers it ups the imperative.

CBS3 meteorologist Nick Morganelli said residents should expect bitter cold air with wind chills through Thursday. High temperatures will struggle to the mid teens Wednesday and Thursday (along with morning lows near or below zero). Tuesday night is expected to be zero to 5 below with wind chills in the nights to come almost 15 below.

"When it's zero out, it's life or death," Miller said, adding that economic factors appear to be bringing more people to shelter and that numbers have been trending up since he arrived at the shelter seven years ago. At that time, the average nightly count was 83 people per night.

During the daytime hours, which can be as bone-chilling as the night, homeless are able to stay at the resource center which has a common area, televisions and a computer access. In another communities, however, homeless are required to leave shelter at 6 or 7 a.m.

Danielle DeBerry, director of the Grove Street Inn and Interfaith Emergency Shelter in Northampton, said the agencies offer 47 beds in total and Grove Street has a waiting list of around 30 men and 12 women. On particularly cold nights they are able to accommodate about a half-dozen on couches.

"Generally it fills the gap," DeBerry said, but echoed Miller's remarks about their shelters nearly always being full.

In Westfield, Peter C. Gills, executive director of the Samaritan Inn, said their 37 open shelter beds and 10 transitional living beds also are full. While the frigid temperatures don't necessarily bring the homeless knocking at the door, he said there is a bottleneck created by those in certain residential substance abuse programs not anxious to leave in the cold - as a good number of people is shelters await those beds.

"Every program sees this in the winter because no one wants to move," Gillis said.

Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said so-called sector cars have been instructed to do foot patrols to keep an eye out for homeless in the coming nights and bring them to shelter.

Workers with the City's Department of Health and Human Services are doing outreach, Miller said.

The state's Emergency Shelter Commission also has urged shelters to activate "Extreme Cold Weather plans," which appears to consist of urging all unsheltered homeless to come inside.

The unexpected results could be seen a setback for Netanyahu's tough policies

Supporters of Naftali Bennett, head of Israel's Jewish Home party celebrate after the exit polls were announced at the party's headquarters in the city of Ramat Gan, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Associated Press  

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — In a stunning setback, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line bloc fared worse than expected in a parliamentary election Tuesday, exit polls showed, possibly forcing the incumbent Israeli leader to invite surprisingly strong moderate rivals into his government and soften his line toward the Palestinians.

TV exit polls showed the hard-liners with about 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament, a bare majority, and the counts could change as actual votes are tallied.

The unofficial TV results had Netanyahu winning only 31 seats, though he combined his Likud Party with the far-right Yisrael Beitenu for the voting. Running separately four years ago, the two won 42 seats.

If they hold up through the actual vote counting, the unexpected results could be seen a setback for Netanyahu's tough policies. The coalition-building process could force him to promise concessions to restart long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu made a quick phone call to a newcomer on Israel's political stage, Yair Lapid, whose centrist party debuted with a strong showing of 19 seats, making it the second-largest party after Netanyahu's.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Netanyahu said he would reach across the aisle to invite an array of parties to join a broad-based coalition.

"According to the exit polls, it is clear that Israel citizens decided that they want me to continue to serve as prime minister of Israel, and that I form the widest possible majority (coalition)," he said. "As early as this evening I will begin working to form the widest possible government."

Nearly 67 percent of Israel's 5.5 million eligible voters took part, more than in previous elections — apparently giving boosts to the centrists, especially Lapid's new "Yesh Atid" or "There is a future" party.

Lapid's surprise showing could make him a key Cabinet minister should he decide to join Netanyahu's government.

A Likud official said Netanyahu phoned Lapid after the results and told him, "We have the opportunity to do great things together."

Lapid and other centrist parties have said they would not join Netanyahu's team unless the prime minister promises to make a serious push for peace with the Palestinians. The moderates also want an end to the generous subsidies and military draft exemptions given to ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.

"We have red lines. We won't cross those red lines, even if it will force us to sit in the opposition," said Yaakov Peri, a former security chief and one of Yesh Atid's leaders, told Channel 2 TV.

The conflicting positions of the various parties point up the difficulties facing anyone who tries to set up a coalition government in Israel. If Netanyahu relies only on the religious and hard-line parties, it means constant fights with the opposition over social programs. If he tries to team up with the centrists, it means battles with the ultra-Orthodox over subsidies, as well as internal sniping over concessions to the Palestinians.

Some predicted Netanyahu might even fail to form a government.

"Netanyahu's victory is a pyrrhic victory, and it is not clear he will be the next prime minister," said Israeli political analyst Yaron Ezrahi. "Netanyahu will face difficulty in constructing a viable coalition," Ezrahi said, estimating the life span of the next Israeli government at no more than 18 months.

Netanyahu has won praise at home for drawing the world's attention to Iran's suspect nuclear program and for keeping the economy on solid ground at a time of global turmoil.

But internationally, he has repeatedly clashed with allies over his handling of the peace process. Peace talks with the Palestinians have remained stalled throughout his term, in large part because of his continued construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu himself has only grudgingly voiced conditional support for a Palestinian state, and his own party is now dominated by hard-liners who oppose even this. A likely coalition partner, Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home Party, which won 12 seats, has called for annexing large parts of the West Bank, the core of any future Palestinian state.

Palestinians viewed the election results grimly, seeing it as entrenching a pro-settlement government.

"Even if Netanyahu brings some center-left parties to his coalition, he will continue building in the settlements, he said that clearly and that is what we expect him to do," said Mohammed Shtayeh, an aide to the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In all, 32 parties ran in the election, and 11 won enough votes to enter parliament, according to the exit polls. Israelis vote by putting a slip with a party's initials into an envelope and dropping the envelope into a ballot box, so the process of counting all the votes by hand takes many hours.

Two hours after the polling stations closed, the official Election Commission had published results of only 60,000 votes out of about 3.5 million cast.

In a sign of the times, many Israelis advertised their voting choice by photographing their ballot slips and uploading them to Facebook.

Cassidy Michalsk,i of Deerfield, and Nicholas Taverna, of Greenfield, were both charged with unarmed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and shoplifting over $100.

 

This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:57 this afternoon.

NORTHAMPTON — A Chesterfield father was dragged across a parking lot after he tried to stop two suspects from stealing money from a group of Girl Scouts who were selling cookies, police said.

Police arrested two men in connection with the theft of Girl Scout cookie money at the Wal-Mart on Saturday.

Cassidy Michalski, of Deerfield, and Nicholas Taverna, of Greenfield, were both charged with unarmed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and shoplifting over $100.

According to police, Taverna grabbed the metal box where the Girl Scouts kept the money from their sales in the lobby of the King Street Wal-Mart on Saturday evening. He fled in a car driven by Michalski, police said.

The father pursued the alleged thief and was dragged across the parking lot when his hand got stuck in the window of the getaway car, police said. He has not been identified, and his condition was not available.

Michalski was arraigned on Tuesday in Northampton District Court. Taverna was scheduled to be arraigned later Tuesday.

Obama has made overhauling laws about who can legally live in the U.S. a centerpiece of his second-term agenda.

This Aug. 15, 2012 file photo shows applicants waiting in Casa de Maryland in Langley Park, Md., before they can apply for the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals, as the U.S. started accepting applications to allow them to avoid deportation and get a work permit _ but not a path to citizenship. AP  

By DENNIS JUNIUS & ERICA WERNER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 6 in 10 Americans now favor allowing illegal immigrants to eventually become U.S. citizens, a major increase in support driven by a turnaround in Republicans' opinions after the 2012 elections.

The finding, in a new Associated Press-GfK poll, comes as the Republican Party seeks to increase its meager support among Latino voters, who turned out in large numbers to help-re-elect President Barack Obama in November.

Emboldened by the overwhelming Hispanic backing and by shifting attitudes on immigration, Obama has made overhauling laws about who can legally live in the U.S. a centerpiece of his second-term agenda. In the coming weeks, he's expected to aggressively push for ways to create an eventual pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

The poll results suggest that the public overall, not just Hispanics, will back his efforts. Sixty-two percent of Americans now favor providing a way for illegal immigrants in the U.S. to become citizens, an increase from just 50 percent in the summer of 2010, the last time the AP polled on the question.

In an even earlier poll, in 2009, some 47 percent supported a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Further boosting the president on the issue, Democrats have opened a 41 percent to 34 percent advantage as the party more trusted to handle immigration, the first time they've held a significant edge on the matter in AP-GfK polling. In October 2010, Republicans held a slight edge over Democrats, 46 percent to 41 percent, on the question of who was more trusted on immigration.

Much of the increase in support for a path to eventual citizenship has come among Republicans. A majority in the GOP — 53 percent — now favor the change. That's up a striking 22 percentage points from 2010. Seventy-two percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents like the idea, similar to 2010.

The findings suggest that those GOP lawmakers weighing support for eventual legal status for illegal immigrants could be rewarded politically not just by Democrats and independents but also by some in their own party as well. This comes amid soul-searching in the party about how the GOP can broaden its support with Latinos, who backed Obama over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, 71 percent to 27 percent, in November. Romney received less support from Latinos than Republican President George W. Bush did. But his slice was on par with candidates Bob Dole in 1996 and George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Some Republicans have concluded that backing comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship is becoming a political necessity. Many lawmakers remain strongly opposed, and it's far from clear whether Congress will ultimately sign off on such an approach. But in the Senate, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to draft immigration legislation, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a possible 2016 presidential candidate, has offered proposals that would ultimately allow illegal immigrants to attain legal status.

One poll participant, Nick Nanos, 66, of Bellmore, N.Y., said that providing a way for illegal immigrants to become citizens would respect America's history as a nation built by immigrants.

"We act as if our grandparents got here legally. Don't want to ask a single Indian about that," Nanos said in a follow-up interview. "I don't think that most of us can solidly come to a point where our grandparents or great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents were here legally. What does that even mean?"

Overall, 54 percent in the poll said immigration is an important issue to them personally, a figure that's remained steady over the past couple of years.

Republicans aren't the only group whose views have shifted significantly. In August of 2010, just 39 percent of seniors favored a path to citizenship. Now, 55 percent do. Among those without a college degree, support has increased from 45 percent to 57 percent.

And 59 percent of whites now favor a way for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship, up from 44 percent in August 2010, and 41 percent in September 2009.

Overall, the poll found 35 percent strongly favored allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens over time, while 27 percent favored the idea somewhat. Just 35 percent of Americans opposed the approach, with 23 percent strongly opposed and 12 percent somewhat opposed. That compared with 48 percent opposed in 2010 and 50 percent in 2009.

The poll also found strong support for Obama's decision, announced last summer, to shield as many as 800,000 immigrants from deportation with conditions. Those affected would have to be younger than 30, would have to have been brought to the U.S. before turning 16 and would have to fulfill certain other conditions including graduation from high school or serving in the military. Illegal immigrants covered by the order now can apply for work permits. The order bypassed Congress, which has not passed "DREAM Act" legislation to achieve some of the same goals for younger illegal immigrants.

Sixty-three percent of Americans favor that policy, while 20 percent oppose it and 17 percent are in between or unsure, the poll said. The policy is supported by 76 percent of Democrats, significantly more than among Republicans (48 percent) or independents (59 percent).

Cordel Welch, 41, of Los Angeles, was among those poll participants who believes illegal immigrants brought to the country as children should be treated differently from people who came here as adults.

"The ones that were brought here by their parents, they're already here, they're already established," Welch said in an interview. "The adults should go through the process."

Melissa Johnson, 40, of Porter, Texas, disagreed.

"I think there were generations of people that came over here legally, and just because your parents snuck you in or snuck in while pregnant with you doesn't give you automatic citizenship," she said. "I think they should send them all back home."

The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted Jan. 10-14, 2013, by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,004 adults nationwide. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points; the margin is larger for subgroups.

At the time of the theft, Walsh served as treasurer for the Hadley Mother's Club, which helps support activities for children in the public schools.

The Hampshire County Courthouse in Northampton The Republican / File photo  

NORTHAMPTON – Elizabeth Walsh of Hadley pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday to a charge of larceny of more than $250 in connection with the theft of at least $10,000 from the Hadley Mother’s Club, according to the office of Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

Walsh, 46, was treasurer of the organization, which helps support activities for children in the Hadley public schools.

She was given 5 years probation and ordered not to volunteer or work in any capacity where she would be responsible for handling money.

Walsh on Dec. 21 pleaded guilty and was given a 2 ½ year suspended sentence in a separate and unrelated charge of larceny of more than $250.

In that case, she was accused taking more than $112, 000 from the Amherst-Pelham Education Association, where she had been treasurer, between 2006 and 2012.

The company has not announced which stores will close.

This July 23, 2006, file photo shows customers entering a Blockbuster video store in Dallas. APFile  

SPRINGFIELD — Blockbuster owner Dish Network Corp. says it plans to close about 300 Blockbuster stores across the country, losing about 3,000 employees, according to the Associated Press.

The company has not announced which stores will close. The Blockbuster at 1891 Wilbraham Road in Springfield appears to be the last local store in the chain. Employees there reached Tuesday night said that store is not closing.

Blockbuster has already closed stores in Westfield, Northampton, Chicopee and other cities in Western Massachusetts. Through-the-mail and online rental service Netflix and later online downloads and self-service kiosks have hurt Blockbuster's business over the years.

DuPont, Verizon and Travelers Cos., three of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, closed higher after reporting their financial results for the final quarter of 2012.

Trader Edward Curran scurries across the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Richard Drew / Associated Press  

By DANIEL WAGNER
AP Business Writer

Strong earnings reports from big U.S. companies helped push the Dow Jones industrial average to its eighth gain in nine sessions Tuesday.

DuPont, Verizon and Travelers Cos., three of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, closed higher after reporting their financial results for the final quarter of 2012.

The Dow closed up 62.51 points, or 0.5 percent, at 13,712.21. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 6.53, or 0.4 percent, to 1,492.51. The Nasdaq composite average rose 8.47, or 0.3 percent, to 3,143.18.

The indexes spent the morning edging between small gains and losses. Around noon, the Dow rose decisively and stayed higher for the rest of the day.

Earnings have been strong enough this season to drive a five-day winning streak for the S&P 500 and put the Dow on track for its biggest monthly percentage gain since October 2011. Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago, said traders have been encouraged by the number of companies beating analysts' profit expectations.

"Granted, we have diminished expectations, but companies are doing a decent job beating on the profit side," he said. The revenue side of the equation has been weaker, Ablin said, preventing a stronger updraft for stocks. Traders might gain more confidence if companies reported stronger demand from emerging markets and Europe, he said.

"The U.S. has been pulling this wagon by itself for the last couple years, and now we're facing some austerity measures. We could certainly use a hand," he said.

Among the Dow components that reported early Tuesday, chemical and bioscience company DuPont reported a sharp drop in net income on weakness in its electronics, communications and other businesses, but the results still beat analysts' forecasts. DuPont's stock closed up 83 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $47.82.

Johnson & Johnson said higher sales helped boost its profit from a year ago, when results were weighed down by a slew of one-time charges. However, the company's 2013 profit forecast fell short of analysts' estimates. J&J dropped 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $72.69.

Verizon Communications Inc. rose after the country's biggest wireless carrier said it activated a record number of new devices on contract-based plans in the fourth quarter. Verizon's net loss widened on restructuring and pension costs and expenses related to the cleanup from Superstorm Sandy. Its stock rose 40 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $42.94.

A fourth member of the Dow 30, property and casualty insurer Travelers Cos., rose strongly after it said core income categories like investments and premiums written rose. Net income fell because of claims filed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The stock shot up $1.64, or 2.2 percent, to $77.95, an all-time closing high. Travelers has risen nearly 27 percent over the past 12 months.

The market was closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Yet another company hit by Superstorm Sandy was Delta Air Lines, which said its fourth-quarter profit was nearly wiped out after it was forced to cancel more than 20,000 flights. The storm hit Delta harder than other airlines because it slowed operations at Delta's new oil refinery near Philadelphia. The results were still better than analysts were expecting. Delta rose 40 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $14.01.

Tech behemoths Google and IBM reported solid earnings gains after the market closed. Tech companies' results are being watched closely because many of them have warned about a weak fourth quarter.

Google soared after saying its fourth-quarter earnings rose 7 percent as online advertisers spent more money in pursuit of holiday shoppers. The stock gained $29.13, or 4.1 percent, to $732 in after-hours trading.

IBM said its net income rose 6 percent. The stock rose $6.82, or 3.5 percent, to $202.90 in late trading.

Apple reports after the bell Wednesday.

Freight rail companies are another key category at this stage in the economic recovery. They are seen as a proxy for the broader economy because their results track the demand for transportation of materials used in manufacturing and goods sold to consumers and businesses.

Two big railroads reported after the closing bell. CSX gained 74 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $21.55 in after-hours trading after beating analysts' expectations. Norfolk Southern rose $1.05, or 1.6 percent, to $67.99 after the bell.

Some homebuilder stocks fell after the National Association of Homebuilders said sales of previously occupied homes dipped to an annual pace of 4.94 million in December from 4.99 million in November. November's figure was revised lower, but was still the highest in three years.

Lennar Corp. fell a penny to $42.07. Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. lost 6 cents to $6.24.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 1.84 percent.

Benchmark oil rose 62 cents to $96.66 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as global economic reports remained generally positive.

The installation ceremony for Springfield's new fire commissioner will take place at Symphony Hall.

Acting Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant, left, is seen with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno last fall, as officials gave an update on the gas explosion in downtown Springfield in November. Conant is due to be named permanent fire commissioner Thursday. The Republican file / Dave Roback  

SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic J. Sarno will formally appoint Joseph A. Conant as the city’s permanent fire commissioner on Thursday during an installation ceremony at Symphony Hall.

The ceremony is being conducted at 1 p.m. Thursday, in the Mahogany Room at Symphony Hall, located at Court Square. The public is invited to attend.

Conant has served as acting fire chief for the past year since the retirement of former Fire Commissioner Gary G. Cassanelli.

“He has proven himself an outstanding leader on and off the street,” Sarno said Tuesday. “Through every natural disaster and man-made disaster, he has risen to the occasion and more, and has also risen to the occasion in his capacity as acting commissioner in dealing with the administration of the department and budgetary aspects.”

Sarno, who is the appointing authority for fire commissioner, has stated his intent to appoint Conant in recent months.

However, the appointment had to wait until the City Council changed the minimum qualifications for the permanent job. The council approved the changes by unanimous vote on Jan. 14.

Under the new ordinance, the commissioner must have a bachelor’s degree or be pursuing a bachelor’s degree, rather than a previous requirement for a master’s degree. Conant is pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

In addition, the fire commissioner must have at least 10 years experience in fire service, including at least five years that must be at the level of deputy chief or district chief, meeting Conant’s background. Previously, the commissioner was required to have a minimum of seven years as a deputy chief.

Sarno said he appreciates the vote of the council to make a “proper adjustment to the ordinance.”

Some critics had stated that the previous qualifications should have remained, and that an open search should have taken place for the permanent commissioner.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan is among the dignitaries expected to attend the Symphony Hall ceremony.

The defense also maintains that tesitmony by Baye's friends and family about his substance abuse and certain acts of vandalism failed to establish probable cause that he set the fires in question.

SPRINGFIELD - Judge Constance Sweeney has set an April 1 date for the two sides in there Anthony P. Baye case to argue a defense motion to dismiss the case based on issues regarding the grand jury that reindicted Baye last July.

Anthony P. Baye  

That grand jury was convened shortly after the Northwestern District Attorney's office dropped nearly all the charges against Baye connected with a series of fires on Dec. 27, 2009, one of which took the lives of a Fair Street man and his son. Baye had been charged with two counts of murder in relation to that fire.

However, the state's Supreme Judicial Court threw out a January 2010 interview between Baye and police in which Baye appears to confess to setting some of the fires. The court ruled that Baye's statement during that interview were involuntary because his rights were abridged.

The new indictments not only referenced the Dec. 27, 2009, fires but included charges stemming from 11 other fires in the same neighborhood prior to that date. In a series of motions filed last week, defense lawyers David P. Hoose and Thomas Lesser contend that there were improprieties in the second grand jury process and that the charges against their client should again be dismissed. Specifically, they argue that the testimony of state Trooper Joseph Gura, who told the grand jury all 27 fires in the indictment were arsons committed by the same individual, is "junk science" and cannot be supported by evidence.

The defense also maintains that testimony by Baye's friends and family about his substance abuse and certain acts of vandalism failed to establish probable cause that he set the fires in question. According to Hoose and Lesser, none of those witnesses professed any knowledge pertinent to the fires and had to do instead with prior cocaine use and acts such as egging houses.

Special prosecutor Joseph Vottero has until March 13 to file a response to the motion to dismiss. Sweeney will hear arguments on April 1. The trial is tentatively set for May. The two sides met with Sweeney in Hampden Superior Court Tuesday to discuss the schedule.

Farak is the second state chemist facing criminal charges for allegedly compromising drugs that had been seized as evidence by police departments.

Sonja Farak, left, appears Tuesday for arraignment in Eastern Hampshire District Court. The Republican / Don Treeger  

BELCHERTOWN – Sonja Farak, the chemist accused of evidence tampering and stealing heroin and cocaine at the state crime lab in Amherst where she works, pleaded not guilty Tuesday at her arraignment in Eastern Hampshire District Court.

She was released on $5,000 bail set by Judge John Payne.

Farak's arrest led to the temporary closing of the crime lab, and drew comments Tuesday from Gov. Deval L. Patrick and from Hampden District Attorney Mark G Mastroianni, who said cases will be delayed and he expects some will be dismissed.

Farak, 35, of Northampton, is charged with two counts of evidence tampering and one count each of heroin and cocaine possession -- the drug types that she allegedly stole. The lab analyzes illicit drugs seized in crimes.

Farak is the second state chemist facing criminal charges for allegedly compromising drugs that had been seized as evidence by police departments. Annie Dookhan, 34, a state chemist employed at the Boston crime lab, faces 27 charges including 17 counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence, perjury and falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university.

Authorities estimate that several thousand cases have been compromised. The Boston lab has also been closed.

Patrick, who returned to Massachusetts on Tuesday after attending President Obama's inaugural, said his initial response to the arrest of Sonia Farak was almost disbelief that a second person was charged for allegedly tampering with evidence at a state crime lab.

"My first reaction was, 'You've got to be kidding,' " Patrick said at a Statehouse press conference late on Tuesday.

Patrick said the arrest of Farak is "a very, very different situation" from that of the arrest in September of Dookhan.

Patrick said no one's due process was compromised because of Farak.

Patrick said he would not question the oversight at the Amherst lab because it was people in charge of oversight who dealt promptly with Farak.

But Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said Tuesday the arrest of Farak does cause a serious problem for his office.

“Today there were several cases on the trial list that were ready for trial in which she (Farak) was a named witness. Obviously she’s not available,” he said.

He said his office is informing both the District Court and Superior Court they are not prepared to go to trial on those now.

“We’ve asked for a two-week stay to report back to the court as to what we will do with all of these cases after we have had a chance to assess the material being produced by the Attorney General’s Office to show us what their investigation revealed,” Mastroianni said.

His office needs to assess how many samples of drugs were at the Amherst laboratory during the time Farak was employed there; and to assess how many samples Farak had access to.

The review needs to include cases going back several years, Mastroianni said.

He said State Police have taken into custody all samples that were at the Amherst laboratory. Samples determined to be unopened will be brought to another state laboratory for testing, he said.

“This is going to be a long procedure,” Mastroianni said.

“It’s not going to be a surprise to see some cases being dismissed, I can tell you that right now,” he said. Some cases will be reduced and some people will get reductions in bail.

He said he expects some people will file to have previous convictions brought back and re-examined.

Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan said his office would have no comment on the case and referred all questions to the attorney general's office.

Farak was arrested by state police Saturday night.

She had been held on $75,000 bail.

Assistant Attorney General Anne Kaxzmarek, who is prosecuting Farak, asked Payne that she be held on $10,000 bail.

Northampton attorney Elaine Pourinski, who represents Farak, asked that she be released on personal recognizance, calling Frank “a kind-hearted person very helpful to her neighbors.”

The defense attorney told the judge that were it not for the Dookhan case, “there wouldn’t be such scrutiny” and that Frank would be released without having to pay bail.

Payne set bail at 5,000 and set a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Farak was also required to surrender her passport.

The judge set a bind-over hearing date for Feb. 22.

Staff writers Buffy Spencer, Dan Ring and Fred Contrada contributed to this report.

Despite blindness, an Alaskan husky named Gonzo has resumed his place pulling a sled all over New Hampshire's North Country with the help of his brother, Poncho.

Sled dogs Poncho, left, and his blind brother Gonzo are hooked up for a run Thursday Jan. 17, 2013, at the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, in Jefferson, N.H. Poncho has taken to helping his blind brother on regular runs.  

By HOLLY RAMER

JEFFERSON, N.H. — When Gonzo started tripping over his food dish three years ago, no one could explain or stop the Alaskan husky's quickly advancing blindness. But a veterinarian offered some simple advice: "Run this dog."

Gonzo, one of 120 dogs at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, was happy to comply. With help from his brother, Poncho, he soon resumed his place pulling a sled all over New Hampshire's North Country to the delight of tourists and his caretakers, who quickly realized that if Gonzo didn't treat his blindness like an obstacle, neither would they. Given the dog's obvious eagerness, he was allowed to continue on as usual.

"Even though he's blind, he still knows when hook-ups are happening. He's still very aware," said kennel manager Ben Morehouse. "When you have a dog such as Gonzo, with such a want and a drive and a desire ... you try it, you hook up, you see what happens."

A frenzy of excited barking engulfs the kennel whenever Morehouse and other staffers haul out a sled. The chosen team is outfitted with harnesses and booties; those left behind scramble onto their doghouse roofs and howl. Gonzo and Poncho are lined up side-by-side, usually toward the back of the eight-member team — "brains to brawn" is how Morehouse describes the order.

A group of sled dogs from the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel runs a trail Jan. 17, 2013, in Jefferson, N.H. The kennel takes in rescues and “second-chance” dogs and is also home to a blind dog that relies on his brother to keep up with the rest of the team.  

Some dogs at the kennel, including Gonzo and Poncho, were born there. But it's also home to what kennel owner Neil Beaulieu calls "second-chance" dogs — former professional sled dogs a bit past their prime — as well as dogs rescued from bad situations.

The barking continues as the dogs pull away from the kennel onto a snow-packed trail. Within a few minutes, however, they settle into a nearly silent rhythm, the sled's runners skimming through the woods. While the other dogs look straight ahead, Gonzo often lifts his head up and to the right, using his hearing and sense of smell, said Karen Tolin, who has worked her way up from volunteer "poop scooper" to business partner in the years since she first came to Muddy Paw.

When Gonzo first went blind, Poncho didn't treat him any different, she said. But then he realized his brother needed help.

"At first, he'd be a little bit nervous when Gonzo would lean into him. And then somehow — I don't know how dogs communicate — he learned that he was utilizing him to determine where the turns are and how fast they were going. And he would let him do that — he wouldn't get as grumbly as he did in the beginning."

Usually if a dog trips, the others just keep going, Morehouse said.

I've never seen it with any other dog," he said. "There's definitely a bond there and communication beyond what we do with the two dogs, between the two of them themselves."

Beaulieu describes a spring day when he took the pair for a ride on a trail known for its deep snow, and Gonzo strayed to the edge of the trial and stumbled. With the team still moving forward, Poncho reached over, dug his head in the snow and pulled his brother out, grabbing his harness with his teeth.

"He essentially picked him out of the powder ... threw him back on the trail and never skipped a beat," Beaulieu said. "I've run dogs in a lot of places, all over the country, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen sled dogs do."

Beaulieu, a high school teacher, was living in Alaska 10 years ago when he volunteered to help out with the famed 1,000-mile Iditarod dog sled race. He was taking care of a team of dogs after their owner dropped out of the race, and somehow got talked into giving them a permanent home after the woman told him she never wanted to see a sled dog again.

Beaulieu grew up in Maine and had worked as a registered Maine Guide for more than a dozen years before heading to Alaska to teach. He knew nothing about sled dogs when he acquired his first team, but ended up starting his own business after moving to New Hampshire and helping a friend who ran tours from a local hotel.

"I had fun with it. I didn't think I would, but I did," he said. "And the dogs absolutely loved all the socialization and belly rubs and meeting all kinds of new people."

Sled tours range from 20-minute trips from the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods to a 50-mile overnighter billed as the "Longest Dog Sled Ride in the Northeast." Money from the tours help support what Beaulieu says has become a main focus — finding loving homes for dogs that might otherwise be killed.

"It's become much more than just a sled dog kennel," Beaulieu said. "A lot of shelters deem sled dogs unadoptable, and they put them down. For myself and the entire crew here, we know that's false. They are very adoptable."

Sled dogs do best with active families, he said, but that could mean regular hikes and long walks — not necessarily full-throttle running adventures. The kennel staff offers training in running, skiing and biking while hitched to a dog. Adoptive families are given phone and email support.

"Every time I run these dogs, whether it's Gonzo or anybody, I'm still in awe of the ability of these animals," Beaulieu said. "It's just amazing."

___

Online:

Business page: http://www.dogslednh.com/

Adoption page: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NH145.html

Stocks have surged this month, with the S&P 500 advancing 5.4 percent.

Trader William Lawrence works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Stock indexes posted broad gains on Wall Street. Richard Drew / Associated Press  

By STEVE ROTHWELL
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed above 1,500 on Friday for the first time since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, lifted by strong earnings from Procter & Gamble and Starbucks.

The S&P 500 rose 8.14 points to 1,502.96. It was the eighth straight gain, the longest winning streak since November 2004.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 13,895.98, up 70.65 points. The Nasdaq composite gained 19.33 points to 3,149.71.

Procter & Gamble, world's largest consumer products maker, gained $2.83 to $73.25 after reporting that its quarterly income more than doubled. P&G also raised its profit forecast for its full fiscal year. Starbucks rose $2.24 to $56.81 after reporting a 13 percent increase in profits.

"Earnings are growing," said Joe Tanious, a global market strategist at JPMorgan. "The bottom line is that corporate America is doing exceptionally well."

Tanious expects corporate earnings to grow at about 5 percent over the "next year or two," and stock valuations to rise. Currently, the S&P 500 is trading at an average price-to-earnings ratio of 14, below an average of 15.1 for the last decade, according to FactSet data.

Apple continued to decline, allowing Exxon Mobil to once again surpass the electronics giant as the world's most valuable publicly traded company. Apple fell 2.4 percent to $439.88, following a 12 percent drop on Thursday, the biggest one-day percentage drop for the company since 2008, after Apple forecast slower sales. The stock is now 37 percent below the record high of $702.10 it reached Sept. 19.

Apple first surpassed Exxon in market value in the summer of 2011, grabbing a title Exxon had held since 2005. The two traded places through that fall, until Apple surpassed Exxon in early 2012.

Stocks have surged this month, with the S&P 500 advancing 5.4 percent. It jumped at the start of the year when lawmakers reached a last-minute deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." Stocks built on those gains on optimism that the housing market is recovering and the labor market is healing. The Dow Jones is up 6 percent on the year.

Deutsche Bank analysts raised their year-end target for the index to 1,600 from 1,575.

Companies will be able to maintain their earnings even if lawmakers in Washington decide to implement wide-ranging spending cuts to narrow the budget deficit, the analysts said in a note sent to clients late Thursday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, climbed 11 basis points to 1.95 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves.

— Halliburton gained $1.91 to $39.72 after posting a loss that was smaller than analysts had expected. The oilfield services company said fourth-quarter profits declined 26 percent to $669 million on increasing pricing pressure in the North American market and one-time charges from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Wall Street had expected worse.

—Hasbro fell $1.14 to $37.31 after the toy maker said its fourth-quarter revenue failed to meet expectations because of poor demand over the holidays. The company plans to cut about 10 percent of its workforce and consolidate facilities to cut expenses.

— Green Mountain Coffee Roasters rose $2.53 to $46.31 after an analyst noted that sales of a competing coffee brewer introduced by Starbucks were getting off to a weak start.

A city councilor said there is plenty of work to do to keep both advisory committees to the mayor and the council busy regarding a resort casino complex proposed for the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.

Donald Rheault The Republican [file]  

AGAWAM — City Councilor Donald M. Rheault would like the board to appoint a committee to advise it on the casino resort complex proposed for the campus of the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds. The fairgrounds are located in West Springfield just across the Westfield River from Agawam.

Donald Rheault The Republican [file]  

Rheault said Friday that such a committee is needed to protect the interests of Agawam. Officials in Agawam have already expressed concerns that a casino would worsen traffic problems in the city, especially during the Big E regional agricultural fair. Last fall, the 17-day Big E drew more than 1.3 million people to the exposition grounds off Memorial Avenue in West Springfield. Traffic tie-ups are common on both sides of the river during the fair.

Hard Rock International has proposed building a $700 million to $800 million casino complex on 38 acres of the exposition’s 175-acre campus. Developers of the plan have pledged that Tighe and Bond consulting engineers are working on a traffic plan that will offer an improvement over the status quo.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen recently appointed a three-member committee to advise him on the proposal. That committee has one councilor, Paul C. Cavallo, on it.

However, Rheault said he believes another committee is warranted.

“There is plenty to do to protect the interests of the people,” he said.

Rheault wants the council to appoint a five-member advisory group consisting of three councilors, a citizen and a prominent member of the business community.

Rheault’s resolution calling for that action was referred Tuesday to the council’s Community Relations Committee. That committee will take up the proposal when it meets Feb. 4 at 6:15, just prior to the council’s next regularly scheduled 7 p.m. meeting.

West Springfield Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger has appointed a committee to advise him on the proposal. In addition, the West Springfield Town Council has an ad hoc committee looking into how any negative effects of a casino being built in Springfield would have on West Side and how they could be mitigated. Two casino developers have proposed casinos for Springfield, one in the North End of downtown and one in the South End.

The mayor has required that councilors wanting information from him first get a vote of the council.

West Springfield Mayor Gregory Neffinger, left, is seen in these file photos with city councilor George Kelly.  

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Town Council at a special meeting Monday plans to take up a resolution calling on the state attorney general to look into the mayor’s new policy on releasing information to individual town councilors.

Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger and the council have crossed swords’ points over the fact that the mayor has required that any councilor’s request for public information be preceded by a vote of the full nine-member council.

Town Councilor George R. Kelly said Friday he filed his resolution because individual councilors need information in a timely manner, particularly as councilors will need to scrutinize figures after the mayor releases his proposed fiscal 2014 municipal budget.

“You are disenfranchising people who have been picked by the voters to represent their interests,” Kelly said.

He noted that under state public records laws people may file freedom of information requests for information that must be responded to within 10 days. Kelly said that could mean they might get information before councilors.

“I don’t know how we could accomplish our jobs if this policy is strictly enforced,” Kelly said.

The councilor said because the mayor’s new policy is based on his interpretation of the city charter, going to the attorney general is the appropriate recourse.

Neffinger outlined the new policy in a Jan. 7 letter to Town Council President Kathleen A. Bourque. It states:

“I received a letter from Councilor (Brian) Griffin dated December 28, 2012 requesting various financial information. It is my understanding that under section 2-7 of the Home Rule Charter that the word council should be taken in the plural; and therefore no individual councilor can invoke the request for information, but must be voted on by the city council body.”

Neffinger said that he sent the letter to start a “dialogue” with councilors, whom, he said, have only to call him up if they want information.

“We need to have more of a dialogue between the mayor and the council. George, give me call,” Neffinger said.

Griffin, who is eyeing a run for mayor, is chairman of the council’s budget committee. He said “If we don’t have the proper information how can we pass a budget?”

Town Councilor Robert M. Mancini, vice chair of the budget committee, also expressed dismay.

“The bottom line is we need information so people can get paid,” he said. “We need to be able to ask for information from department heads. If you’re not giving me information then I’m not passing a budget for you.”

The special meeting has been set for 7 p.m. Monday in the municipal building.

The numbers of living donors are creeping up slightly because surgeons have been trending toward removing the donor kidney laparoscopically, or without major incisions. Watch video

Fraternal twins Pamela Rabbu, left, and Peter LaRocque, 53, of Lee, Mass., talk about their surgery while recovering from surgery at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield Friday. Pamela gave her brother one of her kidneys to save his life. The Republican / Michael Gordon  

SPRINGFIELD - When Peter LaRocque discovered he had polycistic kidney disease as a 20-year-old man, the uncertainty it cast on his future was manageable.

"Does anybody really know how their lives will turn out? It didn't really bother me at the time," LaRoque, 53, said from a hospital bed at Baystate Medical Center on Friday, two days after a kidney transplant.

Sitting directly next to him in a matching hospital johnny was his savior; also known as his donor; also known as his twin sister.

"I told him right from the beginning that if I was every able to, I'd give him mine. It wasn't even a question in my mind," said Pamela Rabbu.

LaRocque said his kidney function dwindled in his 30s and 40, keeping toxins in his body and making him gravely ill by the time he turned 50. He said he lost jobs, income, investments and a home to his illness. LaRocque was forced to go on dialysis three days a week, four hours a treatment starting two years ago simply to help his kidneys function minimally. He was forced to face his future.

The twins, both of Lee, began the transplant "work-up." It wasn't a given that their blood types would be compatible even though they are fraternal twins. There were batteries of blood tests, genetic tests, ultrasounds and more.

"It was a little discouraging at times. All I wanted to do was help my brother," Rabbu said.

Then, doctors at Baystate told them they would have to get healthier. Much healthier.

Rabbu, who had struggled with her weight all her life and was a smoker, had to lose 50 pounds and quit the habit. She managed both over the course of a year.

"By helping him, I also helped myself," she said.

The siblings reminisced about the eerie twin parallels that had experienced over the years: twin dizzy spells and other simultaneous maladies. LaRocque even contended that he sensed when his sister went into labor with her second child.

He also lost a whopping 148 pounds before the surgery, joining his sister in a healthier lifestyle.

Baystate transplant surgeon Dr. Alexander Kurbanov said the twins made it through the surgery and immediate recovery remarkably well. He noted that LaRocque was lucky in that living donors can be hard to come by for kidney transplant candidates.

"Donor shortage is an issue. There are 70,000 people waiting for transplants annually and there are 16,000 transplants a year. The average wait is three to four years," Kurbanov said.

About half of kidney transplants are completed with living donors and the other half with cadaver donors. The outcome for recipients of living donors are superior, according to Kurbanov.

"Most are family members, friends, some co-workers. And we get the occasional anonymous donor who just does it to make one available," he said.

Dr. Alexander Kurbanov performed the transplant surgery for fraternal twins Pamela Rabbu and Peter LaRocque, 53, of Lee, Mass., who are now recovering at Baystate Medical Center Friday. Pamela gave her brother one of her kidneys to save his life. Staff photo by Michael Gordon  

The numbers of living donors have been creeping up slightly because surgeons have been trending toward removing the donor kidney laparoscopically, or without major incisions.

Barring any complications, LaRocque should gain significant kidney function and his quality of life will improve vastly. Kurbanov said Rabbu should have no appreciable loss of kidney function.

The success rate for kidney transplants is in the high 70th percentile after five years. Kurbanov said. He estimated that Rabbu added around a decade to her brother's life.

In their shared hospital room, LaRocque mused about what his sister's donation meant to him.

"What would you do if you had a second chance? Everyone plays with that question. I'll actually be able to answer it," he said.

While Springfield and Holyoke continue to have graduation rates that are among the lowest in the state, officials in those communities said they were pleased to see gains.

Graduation rates continued to climb in Massachusetts in 2012, marking the sixth consecutive year of rising results, while Springfield and Holyoke were among school districts showing significant gains but still much work to be done.

Statistics were released last week by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, regarding both the graduation rates for four-year high school students, and dropout rates, with the statewide averages improving in both areas.

Springfield and Holyoke continue to have graduation rates that are among the lowest in the state. However, local officials in those communities said they were pleased to see gains in 2012 of 4.5 percentage points in Springfield and 3.3 percentage points in Holyoke.

Daniel J. Warwick  

“I am absolutely thrilled by our progress,” Springfield Superintendent of Schools Daniel J. Warwick said. “Great deals of resources have been invested in helping struggling students who may have quit in the past now stay in school. It’s rewarding to see those efforts taking root and encouraging knowing that our improvement rates outpace the state.”

In Springfield, the graduation rate rose from 52.1 percent in 2011 to 56.6 percent in 2012 – a 4.5 percentage point increase as compared to a statewide increase of 1.3 percentage points, according to the newly released results.

“There is more work to be done, but we are moving in the right direction,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who serves as chairman of the School Committee. “This is good news.”

And in Holyoke, the graduation rate rose 3.3 percentage points from 49.5 percent in 2011 to 52.8 percent in 2012.

Statewide, 84.7 percent of 73,479 high school students graduated within four years in 2012, according to the statewide statistics.

In Springfield, the district’s dropout rate fell from 11.7 percent in 2011 to 10 percent in 2012, the state reported.

Warwick said the public schools have a “total commitment” to making sure the number of students who graduate continues to rise in Springfield.

The state has been keeping the comprehensive statistics since 2006. Gains made by black, Latino and high needs students since last year outpaced other student groups, the state reported.

Warwick said the improvements are a result of “intensive, sustained efforts to keep students in school until the successful completion” of 12th grade.

Initiatives that have been effective include: identifying students at risk for dropping out early and providing the necessary academic and social/emotional supports; and improving student attendance and expansion of alternative and flexible pathways to graduation, such has online credit recovery courses, Warwick said.

In Holyoke, Mayor Alex B. Morse, chairman of the School Committee, said it was important to note both the positive aspect represented by the improvements and the clear need for more work.

Overview of Dropouts in Massachusetts 2011-12 by masslive

“It is great news to see positive movement on our efforts to increase high school graduation rates here in Holyoke,” Morse said. “While we have much more work to do, it is evident we are moving in the right direction.”

Morse said he was confident the schools’ work on reducing the number of students who drop out of high school, coupled with intense work on improving third-grade reading proficiency, will ensure the upward trend continues.

Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette said the city will keep striving to improve its graduation rate, which was 72.5 percent in 2012, but has been lower in the past. The school system has a program to track students at the early grades and to intervene and help before high school and during high school to improve their chances of graduation, he said.

Cohort 2012 Four-Year Graduation Rates – State Results by masslive

In Agawam, School Superintendent William P. Sapelli said he is very pleased with the situation at Agawam High School.

He said of 1,328 students at the high school only two, or .15 percent, have dropped out since the beginning of the current academic year. He also stated that for the school year that ended June 1, 2012, only two, or .15 percent, of the high school’s 1,323 students dropped out.

“When you have only two kids (dropping out) that is pretty good out of 1,300,” Sapelli said. “Obviously, we’d like zero percent.”

West Springfield School Superintendent Russell D. Johnston said the dropout rate at West Springfield High School was 5.1 percent a decade ago and has since fallen to 3.1 percent.

Among the things the school district has done to encourage students to stay in school is create its 21st Century Skills Academy that works with students at risk.

Greenfield School Superintendent Susan D. Hollins said the dropout rate in her school system has been going down for a while.

“We are extremely committed to finding ways to assure everyone graduates from high school,” said Hollins, who meets personally with every student who wants to drop out.

Northampton School Superintendent Brian Salzer said his system’s dropout rate is typically low.

“It’s nothing we have a problem with,” he said. “This community is pretty committed to education.”

Staff writers Michael Plaisance, Sandra Constantine and Fred Contrada contributed to this report.

2012 Cohort Graduation Rate and 2011-12 Dropout Rate by masslive

Another skateboard park design meeting is set for Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at Holyoke Heritage State Park.

Skateboard park architect Mike McIntyre of ASD-Stantec explains the skate park project during a meeting Thursday evening at Holyoke Heritage State Park. The Republican / Dave Roback  

HOLYOKE - They'll have to resolve the "tranny" vs. "street" issue.

Skateboarders' lingo bounced around a meeting Thursday that drew about 40 people offering ideas about what features to include in the $250,000 skateboard park the city plans to build at Pulaski Park on St. Kolbe Drive.

Some favored a park carved into a loop of paths that tilt and twist, ramps of different angles, and drops in grade that look like bowls all unimpeded by any installations to ensure continuous flow, or transitions -- "tranny."

"You want to be able to start at Point A and go to every element in the park and get back to Point A and stop and maybe get a drink of water if you want. That's what flow is, you want to keep going," said Joseph Lusignan, 24, of Holyoke.

Others said they want a place to skateboard lined with concrete and steel features they use on the street like railings, ledges and walls - elements less appealing to the transition-favored.

"I am a street skater," said a young man, who jumped on his board without offering his name and quickly left the meeting at Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitors Center.

Mayor Alex B. Morse has designated $250,000 of the city’s share of the federal Community Development Block Grant for a skateboard park to be built in the summer.

After an introduction from Teresa M. Shepard, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, skateboard architect Mike McIntyre led the meeting.

McIntyre has helped design more than 150 skateboard parks in North America, South Africa, London, Israel and the Cayman Islands, his website said. He showed slides of those parks in the meeting and offered proposed designs for the park here, which will be a 6,000 square feet to 7,000 square foot, in-ground concrete skateboard facility.

Shepard said the plan is for skateboarders at such meetings - another is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Visitors Center - to determine the park's design. Lack of consensus would throw the decision to the Parks Commission and the mayor, she said.

Angel Prosper, 21, a skateboarder from Springfield, said a challenge for the city will be dealing with the "rivalry" between "older" skaterboarders like himself who favor a transition-themed park that frees of them from constantly pushing off, and youths and teen-agers who want street-scape devices like railings and ledges.

"I'm too old for that. My knees are shot. I've got two pins in my ankle," said Prosper, meaning the right ankle he broke skateboarding in Springfield recently.

Also, he said, while a field of walls and protrusions might appeal to some skateboarders, such an obstacle course might discourage children from the activity.

"We need to keep in mind the up and coming skaters. It's too big and intimidating, they're not going to want to skate," Prosper said.

Alex Maldonado, of Holyoke, was among those urging that the park be free of things like a fountain or mulch that have nothing to do with skateboarding.

Maggie Bergin of the Friends of Pulaski Park, a group dedicated to preserving the park, said Friday the group hasn't taken a formal position on installation of a skateboard park but supports whatever would improve the site.

"Friends of Pulaski Park supports a vibrant, active park in the center of downtown," Bergin said.

Even though he hasn't even declared an intention to run, Republican Scott Brown is the favorite in a special election to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who will likely become the next secretary of state in the coming days.

Former Republican Senator Scott Brown, left, and U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Malden Associated Press file photos  

Although he hasn't officially declared an intention to run, Republican Scott Brown is the favorite in a special election to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who will likely become the next secretary of state in the coming days.

Brown, who lost his Senate seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in November, leads the only declared candidate in the race by more than 20 points, according to a MassINC Polling Group survey released on Friday.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, who's represented an Eastern Massachusetts district in Congress since 1976, is the only official contender in the race and seemingly not as well known as the popular pick-up truck-driving politician.

The MassINC survey of 435 registered voters revealed that when Brown is placed against Markey, he topples him by 22 percentage points, 53-31 percent. When Brown was placed against a generic unnamed Democratic candidate, he led 44-36 percent.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, has expressed interest in running despite a long line of Democrats who have already backed Markey.

And although the poll indicates Lynch also suffers from low statewide name recognition, respondents indicated they don't want the Democratic Party to dictate who their candidate is.

Only 16 percent of those surveyed said that "Democratic Party leaders (should) all get behind Ed Markey and encourage other Democratic candidates not to run" while 71 percent said they would rather choose the Democratic candidate in a primary.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh said Friday that the party would not endorse a candidate in a potential primary battle but instead focus on maintaining and growing its grassroots outreach network that helped lead to a win for Warren in the 2012 Senate race and U.S. Rep. John Tierney over GOP candidate Richard Tisei in the 6th Congressional District.

In terms of popularity, Brown also tops the list of potential contenders with a 55/32 percent favorable/unfavorable rating, followed by Markey at 24/17 and Lynch with 19/14. The survey was conducted from Jan. 16-19 and did not list its projected margin of error.

Following a nearly four-hour confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Kerry's nomination to become the country's top diplomat will now go before the full Senate for a vote.

If Kerry is confirmed for the position in President Barack Obama's cabinet, as he is expected to be, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick would appoint an interim senator, with a special election coming 145 to 160 days later, in accordance with current state law.

MassINC Polling Group Jan. 2013 Speical Election Survey by