Massachusetts may be the only state that requires casino developers to negotiate fees or other mitigation measures in written agreements with multiple communities located near a city or town where a casino would be built.

Casino companies in Western Massachusetts and municipal leaders are preparing for some high-stakes negotiations over impact fees and other measures to alleviate the effects of gambling projects on cities and towns that surround a community that would be home to a casino.

Massachusetts is among many states that require commercial casinos to negotiate contracts with municipalities where the resort would be built. But unlike other states, Massachusetts also requires developers to reach separate, written mitigation agreements with each community that might border or be close to a "host" community, casino executives said.

In Western Massachusetts, that means up to a couple dozen different communities could eventually be negotiating agreements for fees, traffic or sewer improvements, school funds or other ways to offset the impacts of casinos in a nearby city or town.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the powerful five-member state agency that will issue licenses for casinos, would be ultimately responsible for designating some municipalities as "surrounding" communities, authorizing them to negotiate agreements with casinos.

At this point, no one knows for sure how the upcoming negotiations will proceed between casino companies and a surrounding community.

"That remains to be seen," said Edward S. Harrison, a selectman in Monson, which will be aiming to receive some funds for extra an police officer, road work on Main Street or other needs stemming from a casino resort being planned in neighboring Palmer.

The gaming commission is still drafting regulations to guide the process.

The requirement sets up some tricky dynamics. For instance, it forces a casino company to negotiate with a community that is seeking to be the site of a rival casino company.

MGM Resorts or Penn National, for example, which are planning casinos in downtown Springfield, would need an agreement with Springfield and at least one other with the town of West Springfield, where Hard Rock International is planning a casino. Hard Rock would sign an agreement with West Springfield and then would bargain a deal with at least Springfield.

In a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, an official with Penn National said the requirement for written agreements with so-called surrounding communities holds the potential in Western Massachusetts for a "host" community to cooperate with a developer while attempting to thwart the efforts of a competing developer in a "surrounding" city or town.

Carl Sottosanti, a vice president and deputy general counsel for Penn National, also wrote that the casino selection process could be dragged out by one or two small communities with little or no impact. He urged the commission to approve regulations to help prevent the "opportunity for mischief" by potential nearby communities.

The Mohegan Sun, which is planning a casino in Palmer, could face some possibly hostile talks in neighboring Monson, where there is strong anti-casino sentiment. The Mohegan Sun might also need to sign a contract with Amherst, which doesn't share a border with Palmer but might be heavily affected by a casino resort.

Under the state's casino law, the four casino developers are competing for a single state license reserved for Western Massachusetts.

The law also authorizes resorts in Greater Boston and in the southeast part of the state, plus one slots-only facility that could be anywhere.

The commission is planning to issue the first resort license in February of next year.

Casino developers have not yet started negotiations with the so-called surrounding communities, but both sides are already staking out some positions ahead of the talks.

Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said he expects the city should be able to obtain a good deal, including impact fees, from casino companies in Springfield and West Springfield. Agawam has hired a legal consultant to help with negotiations.

"We will certainly make sure our assets and our people are protected," Cohen said.

The casino law mandates that casino developers reach written agreements with communities where they want to open a resort and then put the details in those agreements up for a vote. Casinos need voter approval before they apply for a state license.

The adjacent or surrounding communities don't get to vote on casinos, but they can negotiate with companies for fees, improvements to roads or other infrastructure and other protections. The agreements with surrounding communities need to be approved before the gaming commission grants a license.

Casino companies must reach mitigation agreements with surrounding communities as part of the process for applying for a state license from the gaming commission.

It's currently unclear what communities will be officially named as "surrounding" communities and allowed to bargain for agreements.

Under the commission's draft regulations, a casino company, as part of its license application, can designate a nearby community for negotiating an agreement, or a developer and a surrounding community can execute an agreement and submit it with the application. A community can also petition the commission for the designation.

The regulations said that if the commission approves a petition or if a company itself makes the "surrounding community" designation, the municipality and the casino company get 30 days to finalize an agreement.

If they can't settle on an agreement, the community and the casino would each present "a best and final offer" to binding arbitration.

Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the gaming commission, said that generally any city or town with a "material impact" from a casino could be considering a surrounding community and eligible for mitigation.

Crosby said the commission's process will require a casino developer and a surrounding community to come to a reasonable agreement.

“There is a tremendous incentive on the part of bidders to negotiate with the community because otherwise their process is going to be slowed way down," Crosby said.

A common border doesn't necessarily mean a community is cleared to negotiate. In a letter to the commission, for instance, Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewiciz argued that Northampton, which does not have a common border with any possible casino "host" community, could be considered "a surrounding community," partly because the city's retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues could be affected by a resort in Western Massachusetts.

The commission is also planning to offer grants to communities for hiring consultants or lawyers to help hammer our agreements with casino companies. The grants would come from the $400,000 fees that each of 11 casino developers has paid to the commission in preliminary license applications submitted in January.

Penn National Gaming, which is planning a casino in the North End of Springfield, including options to buy properties from The Republican, said that in the 19 jurisdictions in which it operates, Massachusetts is unique in requiring agreements with surrounding communities.

In his letter to the gaming commission to comment on the draft regulations, Sottosanti, the vice president of Penn National, said the requirement has "a significant and inordinate impact" on the company's proposal for Springfield.

Leaders of casinos companies are asking the commission to assure that the regulations account for the "positive impacts" on surrounding communities including jobs, increased tourism and sales and other taxes.

Michael Mathis, vice president of global gaming development for MGM Resorts, which is planning a casino in the South End of Springfield, said the company expects to pay impact fees in agreements with surrounding communities.

MGM and Penn National are in a fierce competition in Springfield, but Mathis and an official with Penn National agreed that In determining any agreements with surrounding communities, it would be important to "net" any positive effects from a casino, including increased sales and other taxes, additional tourism and jobs, with any adverse effects.

"We're going to be really thoughtful about the impacts," Mathis said.

"The real impacts -- pro and con -- need to be considered," added D. Eric Schippers, a senior vice president for Wyomissing-Pa.-based Penn National.

The officials said MGM and Penn National plan to complete negotiations on an agreement with Springfield before starting similar bargaining with nearby cities or towns.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno will decide if one or both of those agreements go on the ballot.

Kevin E. Kennedy, chief development officer for Springfield, said there will be "a time and place" for Springfield to negotiate an agreement with Hard Rock in West Springfield, but he suggested that would be only after Springfield first seals a deal with one or both of the casino companies that want to build in Springfield.

"Our approach will be fact based, not emotional," Kennedy said. "It will be straightforward."

The gaming commission might not be designating "surrounding" communities until late this year after casino companies submit final applications.

A casino company in Springfield could potentially be negotiating such agreements with six other communities that abut the city.

Hard Rock could be in line for agreements with at least the five communities that are adjacent to West Springfield.

Mark Rivers, president of Los-Angeles-based The Bronson Companies, a consultant for Hard Rock, said a common border doesn't automatically qualify a community for getting a written deal with Hard Rock. Rivers said Hard Rock would definitely need agreements with Agawam and Springfield, but still is assessing other possible communities for such contracts.

"I don't think it's about fees as much as it is mitigating challenges," Rivers added. "Our focus isn't on fees. Our focus is on the issue."

West Springfield Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger said there could be "distinct differences" in the agreements West Springfield would need from a Springfield casino and what Springfield would need from Hard Rock in West Springfield.

On public safety, for example, Neffinger said crime from an urban casino in Springfield could more easily spill over to West Springfield than any such possible problems from what he said would be a more contained and controlled entertainment resort being planned by Hard Rock at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. Neffinger said the plan by Hard Rock would discourage crime.

In Palmer, the Mohegan Sun might need to sign deals with seven abutting communities including Belchertown, Ware, Warren, Brimfield, Monson, Ludlow and Wilbraham.

Mitchell G. Etess, the CEO of the tribal authority that owns the Mohegan Sun, said the company is currently concentrating on reaching a host agreement with Palmer.

Emy Shepherd, of Monson, a member of Quaboag Valley Against Casinos, said she doubts that Monson will be properly compensated for traffic congestion, crime or problems with the schools and the environment that could come from a casino in Palmer.

"I don't have any confidence that we would get very much support, that we would come out ahead in this process," Shepherd said.

Paul E. Burns, a town councilor in Palmer and supporter of a casino for Palmer, said officials need to be careful to balance legitimate needs of a surrounding community with a legitimate right to develop a casino.

"Each community has to look out for its own interests," Burns said.

MGM and Penn National are asking the gaming commission to consider possible independent evaluations by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in determining whether to name surrounding communities.

Timothy Brennan , executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said the issues are complicated. He said there are no "cookbook answers" about what could constitute a city or town being designated a surrounding community.

Brennan said a casino could affect a neighboring community's public safety, storm water, drinking water, schools, environment and businesses. Brennan said potential surrounding communities and developers need to start talking. "The best time to do mitigation is before a developer has very specific construction drawings," he said.

Staff writer Peter Goonan contributed.

A combat fighter pilot, Col. Keefe is a recent graduate from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.During his military career, he has served in many leadership positions, including commander of the 131st Fighter Squadron, where he flew A-10 attack aircraft at Barnes

Col. James J. Keefe, new commander of the Barnes Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing, speaks during the change of command ceremony held Saturday at the base. Photo by Manon L. Mirabelli  

“This is amazing,” the senior Keefe said of his son. “He did this on his own. I did not push him into the military.”

Nor did he push his other three sons, Gary, Patrick and Timothy, into the military, all of whom, with the exception of Timothy, who is no longer a member of the armed services, are in significant leadership positions.

Executive Officer Maj. Matthew T. Mutti said that in addition to James Keefe, his brothers in leadership positions include Brig. Gen. Gary Keefe, commander of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and Army National Guard Lt. Col. Patrick Keefe.

In addition to the commanding brothers and their father, also on hand for Saturday’s ceremony was George Keefe’s older brother, Edward Keefe, who was the first Keefe to join the military in 1956.

“He and George enlisted together and worked for the fire department on base,” Executive Officer Maj. Matthew T. Mutti noted. “George later became an officer, a second lieutenant, as well as a two-star general.”

With such an honorable background, James Keefe is sure to continue the outstanding legacy that began with his father and uncle, Mutti said.

“Col. James Keefe brings a tradition of excellence that is part of his family,” Mutti said. “This is not a typical job for the Keefes, but a family business, and everyone here is family.”

Mutti echoed the words of Gary Keefe, who said a large portion of his childhood memories revolve around the 104th where he and his brothers were practically raised.

“Since 1956, this has been our family business. We used to come here every Memorial Day,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

In his remarks to the unit, James Keefe said he is honored to continue a heritage steeped in honor.

“My dad taught me a lot,” he said. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Leading this outstanding organization is not just a job. It’s home.”

Brooks, the outgoing base commander, is moving to a staff position at the guard’s state headquarters in Milford.

“It is a little bittersweet,” Brooks said of his transfer. “But, four years in this job is long enough. It is always good to get fresh blood in this position. This is a great unit, and I am looking forward to new challenges.”

James Keefe, of Northampton, was also directly responsible, along with Col. Kenneth L. Lambrich, commander of the 104th Operations Group, for the retraining of pilots in the F-15 Eagle jet fighters assigned to Barnes as part of the base homeland security mission.

“I have been coming to Barnes since I was 1-year old,” said James Keefe, claiming there will be little change, if any, in his command style or direction for the Guard unit.

“Our mission and responsibilities will remain the same, while we focus on our upcoming readiness inspection scheduled next year,” Keefe said.

A combat fighter pilot, Col. Keefe is a recent graduate from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.During his military career, he has served in many leadership positions, including commander of the 131st Fighter Squadron, where he flew A-10 attack aircraft at Barnes, Mutti said.

The event also featured three additional changes of command.

Maj. Michael Dibrindisi assumes command of the 104th Maintenance Squadron from Lt. Col. Christian Bigelow, who has been appointed the Deputy Maintenance Group Commander. Lt. Col. Jeffry Blake will accept command of the 131st Fighter Squadron from Lt. Col. Alex Haldopoulos, who will accept the 104th Operations Group from Lambrich, selected as the new Vice Wing Commander.

The Republicans are hoping to reclaim one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats after former GOP Sen. Scott Brown lost his re-election bid last year to Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Rep. Dan Winslow of Norfolk. Republican file photo  

Nearly 200 Republican voters have cast ballots in a U.S. Senate race straw poll won by state Rep. Dan Winslow of Norfolk.

The nonbinding poll was held Saturday at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers. Winslow beat out Gabriel Gomez, a Cohasset businessman and former Navy SEAL, and former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, his opponents in the April 30 primary.

He slipped out of the yacht club before the votes were tallied to spend the afternoon campaigning.

The Republicans are hoping to reclaim one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats after former GOP Sen. Scott Brown lost his re-election bid last year to Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The winner will face Democratic Congressmen Stephen Lynch or Edward Markey in the June 25 special election. That race will fill the Senate seat left vacant by John Kerry, who resigned to become secretary of state.

Springfield Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said a line of people began queuing up before the start of the event, far exceeding his expectations for the gun buyback event.

A line snakes around the lobby of the Springfield Police Department, 130 Pearl St., during a gun buyback program Saturday that drew hundreds and collected more than 330 guns. Michael S. Gordon, The Republican  

SPRINGFIELD — By contrast with what the Police Department's expectations were, the city's first gun buyback effort in five years on Saturday was huge, netting 333 guns during the seven-hour event.

"The city of Springfield and Hampden County is that much safer with these 333 guns out of homes and in safe hands," said Sgt. John M. Delaney, a spokesman for Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Organizers ran out of $7,500 worth of $50 Visa gift cards in the first two hours, leaving them scrambling for $5,000 more with a long line of grumbling potential donors snaking around the lobby of the police station at 130 Pearl St. Later-comers were informed they would receive gift cards by presenting a voucher of sorts to Convenient Cards at Monarch Place starting on Monday.

Delaney said the line began queuing up before the 10 a.m. start of the event and far exceeded his vision of the numbers the invite would draw. "I've been doing research and I think Florida collected 129 guns once. We collected 100 during the first hour. This is historic," he said.

A team of police volunteers hustled to check in guns and ammunition and inventory the weapons in a room off the lobby. They primarily collected rifles including some extremely valuable ones.

"This is a World War II German rifle, John," Det. Juan Flores called out. "It should be looked at by the Springfield Armory. It's worth a lot; in the thousands."

Aside from the apparently valuable guns, the department plans to destroy the rest, Delaney said.

The department called for guns and ammunition, in bags or boxes, no questions asked, in return for $50 Visa gift cards. Delaney said the last collection drew about 70 guns; he was stunned by Saturday's response.

"I'm not sure if it's because of the economy or because Sandy Hook and other examples of gun violence are so much on people's minds," Delaney said. "Old guns are kept in basements and closets, and when somebody breaks in they're looking for money first, and guns second."

Allyn Peterson of East Longmeadow, a widower with a 5-year-old grandson, turned in a handgun and a rifle around noontime. "I don't do any shooting anymore, and I just wanted them out of the house," he said.

The initiative drew out-of-pocket sponsors including trauma surgeons and nurses from Baystate Health.

"A lot of our doctors and nurses donated out of their pockets and Baystate matched it," said Dr. Kevin Moriarty, medical director of pediatric trauma services at the health system. "Five hundred children across the country die each year from accidental gunshot wounds. If we can prevent one unintentional injury or death from this, it's a success."

Fitchet said the public safety value of the event is immeasurable. "There's probably no way to measure what we've prevented in terms of injuries or lives saved," the police commissioner said.

A bake sale and walk was held in honor of Jessica Rojas who was killed March 3, 2012 by her then boyfriend Jose Santiago.

Springfield- Jennifer Rivera and Jessica Rojas' oldest son, Nathan Laporte speak to the press prior to the Walk Against Domestic Violence from City Hall to Northgate Plaza honoring the life of his mother, Jessica Rojas. Michael Beswick, The Republican  

SPRINGFIELD — A year after her death, Jessica Rojas was remembered as a happy, motivated, loving mother, cousin, daughter and friend.

"She was my best friend, my partner in crime. I miss you so much," said Daisy Aviles, Rojas' cousin and organizer of an event held Sunday in Springfield.

Rojas was stabbed in front of her apartment on Washburn Street in the city’s Brightwood section, on March 3, 2012. It was her 25th birthday. She later died at Baystate Medical Center. Her boyfriend Jose Santiago has been charged with her murder and awaits trial.

About 100 people gathered on the steps of City Hall and marched to Northgate Plaza on Main Street where many friends and relatives shared their memories of Rojas. A bake sale was also held to help raise money for the care and education of her four children.

Rojas' 11-year-old son Nathan Laporte has lost both parents to violence. According to family, his father was killed several years ago.

Laporte thanked everyone for attending the event.

"I'm really surprised so many people came to walk today," he said.

At the time of her death, Rojas had just gotten a job at City Hall, was studying criminal justice at Springfield Technical Community College and was enjoying her life, friends said.

"This violence has to stop. See it. Hear it. Report it. Don't close your eyes to it," said Milta Vargas, domestic violence coordinator for the Springfield Police Department.

Jessica Rojas, seen her in a photo from her Facebook page.
courtesy of Facebook




 

Rojas' longtime friend Stacy Rodriguez came to the event to celebrate her friend's life.

"We met in high school, and she was a wonderful person, a wonderful friend," she said.

Herself a victim of domestic violence, Rodriguez said it is important for people to be aware of it and make an effort to speak up and put an end to it.

"We don't want her death to be in vain," she said.

Jennifer Rivera helped organize an event last year after Rojas' death and helped the family organize the event this year.

"This was something they wanted to do for Jessica, but I thought it would be great to get as many people out here as possible to bring awareness to this," she said.

While she was not close friends with Rojas, Rivera was friends with Julie Treadwell, a 26-year-old Springfield woman killed Feb. 8 by her ex-boyfriend Anthony Brown, who subsequently killed himself.

"This needs to stop. Young women cannot keep dying because no one is willing to say anything," she said.

MGM Springfield hopes to reach out to its Latino neighbors with a Spanish-language website

Plaza view.

MGM Springfield released new renderings of its proposed Springfield casino, with images taken from its 'digital flyover' promotional video. For the initial group of MGM Springfield's renderings, click here.  

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield has launched a Spanish-language version of its website. The interactive site allows visitors a state-of-the-art view of the residential, retail, dining and entertainment district that MGM is proposing to build in Downtown Springfield.

“To better connect with the community at large, we have launched a Spanish version of our website. Our goal has always been to engage as many Springfield residents as possible in this process and this relaunch is just one more way we can do so," said Bill Hornbuckle, President and Chief Marketing Officer of MGM Resorts.

Based on the 2010 US Census, 38.8 percent of Springfield's residents identify themselves as of Hispanic or Latino origin, and 35.5 percent say a language other than English is spoken at home.

"MGM believes that to truly be successful, Springfield's renaissance must embrace and promote the city's strong, diverse community," Hornbuckle said.

The Spanish-speaking population can go to www.mgmspringfield.com/es/ to get all the up to date information regarding the MGM Springfield project, including career opportunities and a "share your thoughts" section.

Faithful attending Sunday Mass on five continents for the first time since Pope Benedict XVI's retirement had different ideas about who should next lead the Roman Catholic Church.

By BRADLEY BROOKS

SAO PAULO — Faithful attending Sunday Mass on five continents for the first time since Pope Benedict XVI's retirement had different ideas about who should next lead the Roman Catholic Church, with people suggesting everything from a Latin American pope to one more like the conservative, Polish-born John Paul II. What most agreed on, however, was the church is in dire need of a comeback.

Clergy sex abuse scandals and falling numbers of faithful have taken their toll on the church, and many parishioners said the next pope should be open about the problems rather than ignore them.

Worshippers in the developing world prayed for a pope from a poorer, non-European nation, while churchgoers in Europe said what was more important was picking a powerful figure who could stop the steep losses in Catholic numbers.

Some South African Catholics called for what they said was a more pragmatic approach to contraception given the AIDS epidemic devastating that continent. They also suggested ending the celibacy requirement for priests, insisting on what's viewed as the traditional importance of a man having a family.

Catholics likely will find out this week whether such hopes become reality, as cardinals worldwide arrive in Rome for a conclave that could elect a new pontiff. Many expect the church to pick another European to replace the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who resigned on Thursday.

In Brazil, the Vatican has seen its numbers chipped away by neo-Pentecostal churches offering the faithful rollicking music-filled services and hands-on practical advice. It's an approach matched by the massive Mother of God sanctuary led by Brazil's Grammy-nominated "pop-star priest" Marcelo Rossi.

More traditional Catholics snub Rossi's "charismatic" masses, but many point to his style of aggressive evangelization as the way forward in the world's biggest Catholic nation, which has seen Catholics drop from 74 percent of the population in 2000 to 65 percent a decade later.

"I'm certain the most important step in surpassing the challenges facing the church is having a new pope who renews the believers," said Solange Lima, a 32-year-old new mother who spoke over the roar of a Christian rock band at Mother of God. "A Brazilian pope could do this. Look at the faithful here, this place is a laboratory for what needs to be done."

The archbishop of Sao Paulo, Odilo Scherer, is considered by many to be Latin America's leading candidate to become pope.

That message of change was echoed by chimney sweep Zbyszek Bieniek, who was among 200 worshippers at a Mass in Warsaw's 13th century St. John's Cathedral. For him, the sex abuse scandal that has enveloped the church will be the next pope's most pressing challenge.

"The key thing will be to clear the situation and calm the emotions surrounding the church in regard to the comportment of some of the priests, the cases of pedophilia and sexual abuse," Bieniek said. "The new pope should tell the truth about it and make sure that such things don't happen again and are no longer swept under the rug."

Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, is still much admired in his native Poland and elsewhere, and many faithful around the globe said the next pope should strive to be as beloved as him.

"I have been praying for a new pope to be just like Pope John Paul II, who was close to the people and was very humble," said Charlene Bautista, while attending Mass in the working-class Baclaran district in Manila, Philippines.

The Southeast Asian country, for the first time, has a cardinal being mentioned as a papal candidate, Father Antonio Luis Tagle. That encouraged the Rev. Joel Sulse as he celebrated Sunday Mass at the Santuario de San Antonio parish in an upscale residential enclave in Manila's Makati business district.

"How we wish that, you know, there will be a pope coming from the third or fourth world," he said, so that the pontiff would understand the suffering in poor nations.

Some were looking for even more radical change.

Nigerian medical laboratory technician Boniface Ifeadi, who was worshipping at the Holy Trinity church in Johannesburg, said while he believes in abstinence, the reality of human nature makes it difficult to follow church doctrine that's generally against condom use. Benedict did say in a 2010 interview that if a male prostitute were to use a condom to avoid passing on HIV to his partner, he might be taking a first step toward a more responsible sexuality.

It was a significant shift given the Vatican's repeated position that abstinence and marital fidelity were the only sure ways to stop the virus.

Some nuns and priests even give out condoms in Africa, which has the highest number of AIDS victims of any continent in the world. South Africa suffers the biggest number of AIDS cases of any country.

"The church must take sexuality out of its preaching because what they are saying is not what is happening on the ground and that is why they are losing members," said Ifeadi, a father of three girls.

The Rev. Russell Pollitt of Holy Trinity said he believed the fact that the numbers of cardinals from the West outweighed those from the developing world lessens the chances of a pope from Africa, but he didn't think that necessarily would be a bad thing.

"Our African cardinals tend to be conservative and likely would be less open to any new initiative that I think the church is in need of — someone new to bring about an openness for new dialogue about ecumenism, about our relationship with other religions, about priestly celibacy and homosexuality," he said.

Yet not everyone was seeking change.

In Washington, D.C., a parishioner at St. Matthews Cathedral said he sought a continuation of the conservative line of the last two popes in the coming papal choice.

"I'd like to see a very strong leader who would bring the church back to its traditionalist past and its best years, in a sense, picking up where Benedict left off," said parishioner John Gizzi. "Pope Benedict had a tough job, much like Rudy Guilianni in New York, and he cleaned up a mess. He took a lot of criticism for it, he made enemies, but he left the place better off when he came in."

Associated Press writers Michelle Faul in Johannesburg, Jim Gomez in Manila, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw and APTN producer Thomas Ritchie in Washington contributed to this report.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday over an apparent stomach infection that has ailed her for days.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has been taken to the King Edward VII hospital in central London suffering from gastroenteritis, Sunday, March 3, 2013. A palace spokesman said she was expected to stay in hospital for two days and all engagements for this week will be either postponed or cancelled.  

By RAPHAEL SATTER

LONDON — Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday over an apparent stomach infection that has ailed her for days, a rare instance of ill health sidelining the long-reigning monarch. Elizabeth will have to cancel a visit to Rome and other engagements as she recovers, and outside experts said she may have to be rehydrated intravenously.

Buckingham Palace said the 86-year-old queen had experienced symptoms of gastroenteritis and was being examined at London's King Edward VII Hospital — the first time in a decade that Elizabeth has been hospitalized.

"As a precaution, all official engagements for this week will regrettably be either postponed or cancelled," the palace said in a statement. Elizabeth's two-day trip to Rome had been planned to start Wednesday. A spokeswoman said the trip may be "reinstated" at a later date.

The symptoms of gastroenteritis — vomiting and diarrhea — usually pass after one or two days, although they can be more severe in older or otherwise vulnerable people. Dehydration is a common complication.

The illness was first announced Friday, and Elizabeth had to cancel a visit Swansea, Wales, on Saturday to present leeks — a national symbol — to soldiers of the Royal Welsh Regiment in honor of Wales' national day, St. David's Day. She instead spent the day trying to recover at Windsor Castle, but appears to have had trouble kicking the bug.

A doctor not involved in the queen's treatment said that if medical officials determined that she is losing too much fluid, she would be rehydrated intravenously.

"Not everyone can keep up with oral hydration so it is pretty routine to go to hospital and have a drip and wait for the thing to pass and keep yourself hydrated," said Dr. Christopher Hawkey of the University of Nottingham's faculty of medicine and health sciences.

Britain's National Health Service says that the two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults are food poisoning and the norovirus, a common winter vomiting bug which typically afflicts between 600,000 and 1 million Britons each year. British health guidelines advise that people with the norovirus avoid work for at least two days.

"It's very infectious and strikes in winter because people are indoors and it spreads more easily," Hawkey said.

Elizabeth has ruled since 1952 and is Britain's second-longest serving monarch, beaten only by Queen Victoria in terms of the number of years spent on the throne.

Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip, 91, has had several hospital stays, but Elizabeth has rarely let sickness get in the way of her still-busy schedule.

About five months ago, she cancelled an engagement due to a bad back. The spokeswoman, who demanded anonymity because palace rules do not let her go on the record, said the last time Elizabeth was hospitalized was in 2003 for a knee operation.

The queen has undertaken a number of engagements over the past week. On Tuesday, she met the new archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at Buckingham Palace, and on Thursday she presented a host of British Olympians, including track and field star Jessica Ennis, with honors during an investiture ceremony.

Ingrid Seward, the editor of the Britain's Majesty Magazine, said that the queen "probably agreed to be hospitalized in order to get better quickly."

"Everybody will want to be wishing her a speedy recovery," she told Sky News television.

That includes British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose office said he passed on his best wishes to the queen.

Online:

Britain's National Health Service on gastroenteritis: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gastroenteritis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

The vice president and black leaders commemorating a famous civil rights march on Sunday said efforts to diminish the impact of African-Americans' votes haven't stopped in the years since the 1965 Voting Rights Act added millions to Southern voter rolls.

Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., lead a group across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 3, 2013. They were commemorating the 48th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when police officers beat marchers when they crossed the bridge on a march from Selma to Montgomery.  

By PHILLIP RAWLS

SELMA, Ala. — The vice president and black leaders commemorating a famous civil rights march on Sunday said efforts to diminish the impact of African-Americans' votes haven't stopped in the years since the 1965 Voting Rights Act added millions to Southern voter rolls.

More than 5,000 people followed Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma's annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee. The event commemorates the "Bloody Sunday" beating of voting rights marchers — including a young Lewis — by state troopers as they began a march to Montgomery in March 1965. The 50-mile march prompted Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act that struck down impediments to voting by African-Americans and ended all-white rule in the South.

Biden, the first sitting vice president to participate in the annual re-enactment, said nothing shaped his consciousness more than watching TV footage of the beatings. "We saw in stark relief the rank hatred, discrimination and violence that still existed in large parts of the nation," he said.

Biden said marchers "broke the back of the forces of evil," but that challenges to voting rights continue today with restrictions on early voting and voter registration drives and enactment of voter ID laws where no voter fraud has been shown.

"We will never give up or give in," Lewis told marchers.

Jesse Jackson said Sunday's event had a sense of urgency because the U.S. Supreme Court heard a request Wednesday by a mostly white Alabama county to strike down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act.

"We've had the right to vote 48 years, but they've never stopping trying to diminish the impact of the votes," Jackson said.

Referring to the Voting Rights act, the Rev. Al Sharpton said: "We are not here for a commemoration. We are here for a continuation."

The Supreme Court is weighing Shelby County's challenge to a portion of the law that requires states with a history of racial discrimination, mostly in the Deep South, to get approval from the Justice Department before implementing any changes in election laws. That includes everything from new voting districts to voter ID laws.

Attorneys for Shelby County argued that the pre-clearance requirement is outdated in a state where one-fourth of the Legislature is black. But Jackson predicted the South will return to gerrymandering and more at-large elections if the Supreme Court voids part of the law.

Attorney General Eric Holder, the defendant in Shelby County's suit, told marchers that the South is far different than it was in 1965 but is not yet at the point where the most important part of the voting rights act can be dismissed as unnecessary.

Martin Luther King III, whose father led the march when it resumed after Bloody Sunday, said, "We come here not to just celebrate and observe but to recommit."

One of the NAACP attorneys who argued the case, Debo Adegbile, said when Congress renewed the Voting Rights Act in 2006, it understood that the act makes sure minority inclusion is considered up front.

"It reminds us to think consciously about how we can include all our citizens in democracy. That is as important today as it was in 1965," he said.

Adegbile said the continued need for the law was shown in 2011 when undercover recordings from a bribery investigation at the Alabama Legislature included one white legislator referring to blacks as "aborigines" and other white legislators laughing.

"This was 2011. This was not 1965," he said.

Bobby Rogers, a founding member of Motown group The Miracles and a collaborator with Smokey Robinson, has died.

Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the Miracles, has died. Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls said Rogers died Sunday, March 3, 2013, at his home. He was 73. Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.  

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Bobby Rogers, a founding member of Motown group The Miracles and a songwriting collaborator with Smokey Robinson, died Sunday at his suburban Detroit home. He was 73.

Motown Museum board member Allen Rawls said Rogers died about 6 a.m. in Southfield. Rogers had been ill for several years.

Rogers formed the group in 1956 with cousin Claudette Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White and Robinson. Their hits included "Shop Around," ''You've Really Got a Hold on Me," ''The Tracks of My Tears," ''Going to a Go-Go," ''I Second That Emotion" and "The Tears of a Clown."

"Another soldier in my life has fallen. Bobby Rogers was my brother and a really good friend," Robinson said Sunday in a statement. "He and I were born on the exact same day in the same hospital in Detroit. I am really going to miss him. I loved him very much."

Roger's cousin Claudette told the Detroit Free Press that everyone was drawn to his personality.

"People always commented on the tall one with the glasses," she said. "He was personable, approachable and he loved talking to the women, loved talking to the guys, loved to dance, loved to sing, loved to perform. That was the joy of his life."

His voice can be heard on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," with Rogers saying, "It's just a groovy party, man, I can dig it." Mary Wilson of the Supremes said that captured his essence.

"If people want to remember him, they should put that record on and listen to Bobby," Wilson told the newspaper. "That's who he was."

Rogers and The Miracles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. He was too ill to attend the ceremony.

He shared songwriting credits with Robinson on The Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do," The Contours' "First I Look at the Purse" and The Miracles' "Going to a Go-Go."

Funeral arrangements through James H. Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit were incomplete Sunday afternoon.

AGAWAM - A Feeding Hills resident discovered a "soda bottle bomb" in front of his home Sunday, according to Agawam police, and transported it to the police station in his car. The Agawam Fire Department, state Fire Marshal's office and Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad tested the contents of the bottle and determined they were not hazardous and disposed of...

AGAWAM - A Feeding Hills resident discovered a "soda bottle bomb" in front of his home Sunday, according to Agawam police, and transported it to the police station in his car.

The Agawam Fire Department, state Fire Marshal's office and Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad tested the contents of the bottle and determined they were not hazardous and disposed of the bottle, said Agawam Fire Department Lt. James Deming.

Denning cautioned people not to go near anything that may be explosive. He advised leaving it a wide berth and calling for help.

"Certainly if you have any suspicion, call 911," Deming said. "Don't put it in your car and transport it anywhere."

Crews on Sunday razed more than half of the Florida home perched over a huge sinkhole that swallowed a man three days ago, managing to salvage some keepsakes for family members who lived there.

By TAMARA LUSH

SEFFNER, Fla. — Crews on Sunday razed more than half of the Tampa-area home perched over a huge sinkhole that swallowed a man three days ago, managing to salvage some keepsakes for family members who lived there.

Jeremy Bush, 35, tried to save his brother, Jeff, when the earth opened up and swallowed him Thursday night. On Sunday morning, Bush and relatives prayed with a pastor as the home — where he lived with his girlfriend, Rachel Wicker; their daughter, Hannah, 2; and others — was demolished and waited for firefighters to salvage anything possible from inside.

Early Sunday morning, just before the demolition began, Bush and an unidentified woman knelt and prayed at the mailbox in front of the home, owned by Leland Wicker, Rachel's grandfather, since the 1970s.

After praying, Bush and the woman walked across the street to a neighbor's lawn to watch the demolition.

The operator of the heavy equipment worked gingerly, first taking off a front wall. Family belongings were scooped onto the lawn gently in hopes of salvaging parts of the family's 40-year history in the home.

As of Sunday afternoon — when demolition had stopped for the day and only a few walls of the home remained — a Bible, family photos, a jewelry box and a pink teddy bear for Hannah were among the items saved. Firefighters also were able to pick out the purse of one of the women in the home.

Cheers went up from family, friends and neighbors each time something valuable was salvaged.

Wanda Carter, the daughter of Leland Wicker, cradled the large family Bible in her arms. She said her mother and father had stored baptism certificates, cards and photos between the pages of that Bible over the years.

"It means that God is still in control, and He knew we needed this for closure," she said, crying.

Carter said she spent from age 11 to 20 in the home, and she had to close her eyes as the home was knocked down.

"Thank you for all of the memories and life it gave us," she said.

The Rev. John Martin Bell of Shoals Baptist Church said he had been with the family all morning. "We just prayed with them," he said. He added that all five who lived in the house — Bush, Wicker, Hannah and two others ages 50 and 45 — were in need of support and prayers from the community.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said the remaining walls of the home would be knocked down Monday and then crews would turn to clearing the debris as much as possible to allow officials and engineers to see the sinkhole in the open. Officials also will determine what will happen to the two homes on either side of the now-demolished house; experts say the sinkhole has "compromised" those homes, but it's unclear whether steps can be taken to save them.

Several generations of family members lived in the home at the time of the ground collapse, including Jeff Bush, the man now presumed dead.

Jeremy Bush tried to save his brother by jumping into the sinking dirt hole. He had to be pulled out of the still-shifting hole by a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy, who was visibly shaken when talking about the incident more than a day later.

"I've never seen anything move so fast and do so much destruction," Deputy Douglas Duvall said.

The search for Jeff Bush, 37, was called off Saturday. He was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner — a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa — when the ground opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house at the time escape unharmed as the earth crumbled.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is conducting the investigation. Detective Larry McKinnon said the sheriff's office and the county medical examiner cannot declare Bush dead if his body is still missing. Under Florida law, Bush's family must petition a court to declare him deceased.

"Based on the circumstances, he's presumed dead; however the official death certificate can only be issued by a judge and the family has to petition the court," McKinnon said.

The area around Seffner is known for sinkholes due to the geography of the terrain, but they are rarely deadly. No one — from longtime public safety officials to geologists — could remember an incident where a person was sucked into the earth without warning.

The spending cuts are here to stay if you believe the public posturing Sunday.

President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room in Washington, Friday, March 1, 2013, following a meeting with congressional leaders regarding the automatic spending cuts.  

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

WASHINGTON — The spending cuts are here to stay if you believe the public posturing Sunday.

The Senate's Republican leader Mitch McConnell called them modest. House Speaker John Boehner isn't sure the cuts will hurt the economy. The White House's top economic adviser, Gene Sperling, said the pain isn't that bad right now.

So after months of dire warnings, Washington didn't implode, government didn't shut down and the $85 billion budget trigger didn't spell doom. And no one has yet crafted a politically viable way to roll back those cuts.

"This modest reduction of 2.4 percent in spending over the next six months is a little more than the average American experienced just two months ago, when their own pay went down when the payroll tax holiday expired," McConnell said.

"I don't know whether it's going to hurt the economy or not," Boehner said. "I don't think anyone quite understands how the sequester is really going to work."

And Sperling, making the rounds on the Sunday news shows, added: "On Day One, it will not be as harmful as it will be over time."

Both parties cast blame on the other for the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts but gave little guidance on what to expect in the coming weeks. Republicans and Democrats pledged to retroactively undo the cuts but signaled no hints as to how that process would start to take shape. Republicans insisted there would be no new taxes and Democrats refused to talk about any bargain without them.

"That's not going to work," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. "If we're going to increase revenue again, it's got to go to the debt with real entitlement reform and real tax reform when you actually lower rates. ... I'm not going to agree to any more tax increases that are going to go to increase more government."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said any tax increases were unacceptable.

"I'm not going to do any more small deals. I'm not going to raise taxes to fix sequestration. We don't need to raise taxes to fund the government," Graham said.

All of this comes ahead of a new, March 27 deadline that could spell a government shutdown and a debt-ceiling clash coming in May.

Boehner said his chamber would move this week to pass a measure to keep government open through Sept. 30. McConnell said a government shutdown was unlikely to come from his side of Capitol Hill. The White House said it would dodge the shutdown and roll back the cuts, which hit domestic and defense spending in equal share.

"We will still be committed to trying to find Republicans and Democrats that will work on a bipartisan compromise to get rid of the sequester," Sperling said.

Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans last week put forward alternatives that would have avoided the cuts, but each side voted down the others' proposals. The House Democrats proposed an alternative but the House Republicans did not let them vote on it.

House Republicans twice passed alternatives last year.

Obama has phoned lawmakers but it isn't clear to what end; the White House refused Sunday to release the names of lawmakers Obama phoned. Boehner and McConnell said they had a productive meeting with Obama on Friday, but it didn't yield a deal.

"Well, no one can think that that's been a success for the president," said Mitt Romney, Obama's unsuccessful rival in November's election. "He didn't think the sequester would happen. It is happening."

Obama and the Republicans have been fighting over federal spending since the opposition party regained control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. The budget cuts were designed in 2011 to be so ruthless that both sides would be forced to find a better deal, but they haven't despite two years to find a compromise.

The $85 billion in cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. But without a deal they will continue slashing government spending by about $1 trillion more over a 10-year period.

McConnell spoke to CNN's "State of the Union." Boehner was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press." Sperling appeared on ABC's "This Week," NBC and CNN. Ayotte appeared on ABC. Graham spoke with CBS' "Face the Nation." Romney was a guest on "Fox News Sunday."

The maker of Budweiser is using splashy newspaper ads to poke fun at a lawsuit that alleges its beer is watered down.

This image provided by Anheuser-Busch InBev., shows a full-page advertisement placed the maker of Budweiser and other beers, that was meant to counter a lawsuit filed in several states that accuses the brewer of cheating consumers out of the stated alcohol percentage by adding water just before bottling its beers. InBev poked fun at the suit by pointing to its charitable donations of drinking water to relief organizations responding to disasters. The ad ran in newspapers across the country.  

The maker of Budweiser is using splashy newspaper ads to poke fun at a lawsuit that alleges its beer is watered down.

In full-page ads in U.S. newspapers nationwide Sunday, Anheuser-Busch InBev shows one of the 71 million cans of drinking water it has sent to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations in disasters.

"They must have tested one of these," the ad says.

The class action lawsuit, filed in several states, accuses the brewer of cheating consumers out of the stated alcohol percentage by adding water just before bottling its beers.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has called the claims groundless. In the ads, the company calls its beer "the best beer we know how to brew."

"We take no shortcuts and make no exceptions. Ever."

Three economists estimated that 2.3 million private sector jobs have been lost since 2008 because of uncertainty over government policy.

Alison Brown, chairman of Navsys Corp., sits in her office in Colorado Springs, Colo. Three budget crises ago, when Republicans and President Barack Obama faced off over raising the debt ceiling in early 2011, Alison Brown saw the writing on the wall. Washington was entering a cycle of partisan brinksmanship over the federal budget that would sow confusion among federal agencies and delay contracts to small companies like Brown’s Navsys, which designs satellite navigation systems. So Brown slashed her 40-strong workforce in half. And as she feared, her revenues have since plunged by a similar amount.  

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Three budget crises ago, in early 2011, Republicans and President Barack Obama faced off over raising the debt ceiling — and Alison Brown saw the writing on the wall.

Washington had entered the cycle of partisan brinksmanship over the budget that has sown confusion among federal agencies and delayed contracts to small companies like Brown's Navsys Corp., which designs satellite navigation systems in this military town. So Brown slashed her 40-strong workforce in half. And as she feared back then, her revenues have since plunged by half.

The latest crisis hit on Friday with across-the-board automatic spending cuts. They total about $85 billion, but the economic damage created by two years of showdowns is far greater. And there's no end in sight: Temporary resolutions funding the government expire on March 27. May brings another debt ceiling standoff.

"We're planning for the worst," Brown said in her office with a view of the Rampart Range, a portrait of President George W. Bush on the shelf behind her. "We're not going to be taking risks and making investments, and that's bad for the country as a whole."

Thousands of businesses are in similar straits, from defense contractors like Navsys to wind turbine manufacturers to wheat farmers. It is one reason the U.S. economic recovery has been so persistently anemic. But it is happening quietly, drowned out by dueling press conferences inside the Beltway and general disgust at the perpetual drama over federal spending.

In a paper this year, three economists estimated that 2.3 million private sector jobs have been lost since 2008 because of uncertainty over government policy. That uncertainty has spiked dramatically since the start of the budget showdowns in 2011.

While debates always have generated some uncertainty, "now every single decision is subject to this excruciating process," said Scott R. Baker, one of the paper's authors and an economics professor at Stanford University.

"We seem to be stuck in this series where we're staggering from politically-made crisis to politically-made crisis, and even if we solve it we do so in a way that lowers confidence in our ability to deal with the next one," Baker said.

With deficits setting records in recent years, Obama insists on a mix of tax increases and spending cuts. Republicans insist on cuts-only. Voters ensured two more years of uncertainty by re-electing Obama and a Republican-controlled House in November.

The impact is felt in Colorado, an economic microcosm for the country with 7.6 percent unemployment, only 0.2 percent below the national average. Its economy includes a robust aerospace industry and several military bases, and it contributes more in federal taxes than it takes in.

On the eastern plains, Colorado farmers should be enjoying skyrocketing prices for wheat, soybeans and other staples. Instead, they're fretting over the fate of the farm bill that has been held up in the budget debates. Farmers don't know if they'll still be protected from crop failures or other natural disasters. A last-minute, temporary extension Congress issued in January is little comfort to those who must decide what to plant based on the seasons, not the congressional calendar.

"You can tell that people are keeping their money close to them, waiting for resolution," said Kent Peppler, a grain farmer in the town of Mead who has put off buying machinery. "The farm bill is like the rule book. It's pretty hard to play the game if you don't know what the rules are."

Denver's suburbs were partly insulated from the economic downturn by a strong renewable energy industry. But wind energy tapered off when a federal tax credit, due to expire at year's end, became a hostage of the presidential election. Republican Mitt Romney called it a wasteful subsidy. Obama and some Republicans called it crucial to a growing industry.

The credit was extended in January, a few days after it expired, for one year. But that was too late for Vestas, a Denmark-based wind turbine manufacturer that employed 1,700 people in Colorado at the start of 2012. On Feb. 21, it announced it was cutting 10 percent of its remaining 1,100 manufacturing workers because of the late extension.

"It does take a while to get the industry re-started," said Peter Kelley of the American Wind Energy Alliance, which has tracked thousands of layoffs caused by credit uncertainty. The industry fears more turmoil because the new credit expires in December, he said.

"We continue to tell everyone on Capitol Hill you need long-term policies to get long-term growth in the wind industry," Kelley said.

The budget battle's most visible impact in Colorado has been on its many defense contractors, ranging from giants like Lockheed Martin to smaller firms like Brown's Navsys.

In 2011, Obama and Republicans could not agree on cutting the deficit enough to convince the House to raise the debt limit. They did agree to $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years that ultimately kicked in March 1 if they couldn't find other savings and revenues. Half those cuts affect the military. The combined pall of looming cuts and month-to-month budgeting has frozen the civilian defense industry.

"No real investments are going on," said Brad Michelson, a vice president at Infinity Systems Engineering, a Colorado Springs-based government contractor in engineering, intelligence and information technology.

At Navsys, five of its 20 remaining workers have shifted to a four-day workweek. Navsys has won competitive bids, Brown says, but the money won't come because the budget limbo has delayed payments. Brown is focusing more on commercial contracts.

"I'm not holding my breath that this problem is going to get fixed," she said.

Julien mentioned Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban by name.

View full size Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien personally called out Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban for embellishing. AP  

Julien went off when asked about captain Zdeno Chara's 17-minute penalty assessment, which came in defense of teammate Tyler Seguin who was cross-checked in the ribs by Habs defenseman Alexei Emelin in the second period.

There was no call on Emelin, which infuriated Chara as he stormed after him and landed numerous punches.

Chara drew a minor for instigating, fighting major, and 10-minute misconduct.

"Right now the frustrating part is that you end up with 17 minutes in the penalty box when you should have been on the power play. It’s as simple as that," Julien said. "It’s frustrating because, you know, tonight as everybody saw there was a lot of embellishment. This is embarrassing for our game – the embellishing – and right now they’ve got over 100 power plays so far and it’s pretty obvious why. We’re trying to clean that out of our game, and it’s got to be done soon.

“It’s not about tonight. It’s about the game and the embellishment embarrasses our game, and we need to be better at that because it was pretty obvious when (Canadiens) P.K. (Subban) gets hit, he throws himself into the glass and holds his head. You know what? If we start calling those penalties for embellishment, maybe teams will stop doing it, but until we take charge of that, it’s going to be an issue.”

Seguin left for a brief period, but returned. He admitted afterwards he was in a bit of pain.

Seguin played one of his best games yet this season finishing with a goal, assist, plus-2 rating, and team-high five shots. He has three goals and six assists in seven of his last eight games.

Chara said he was trying to avoid the instigator call waiting for Emelin to drop his gloves, but added he'd stick up for anybody.

Follow Amanda Bruno on Twitter

Several area communities, including Springfield, say Winter Storm Nemo left deficits or near deficits in their annual snow removal budgets.

A rough winter season that included a nearly 2-foot pounding of snow on Feb. 8-9, has some local highway departments seeing red and asking for permission to “deficit spend” — exceed their snow budgets —to cover the cost of any future storms.

In Springfield, the city’s Department of Public Works has nearly depleted its $1.6 million snow removal budget and does not have enough funds to plow another snowstorm, Director Allan R. Chwalek said Friday.

“Clearly, the 2-foot snowstorm was the one that was very expensive and very difficult,” Chwalek said. “It was well over a week still cleaning up.”

That one storm cost Springfield approximately $553,141 for snow removal, salt spreading, hired equipment, hired crew and other expenses, said Timothy J. Plante, the city’s acting chief administrative and financial officer.

In addition, there have been about 12 “snow events” this winter, requiring responses by Public Works ranging from salting to plowing, Chwalek said.

Under state law, cities and towns can deficit spend for snow removal with approval from local officials. The deficit would have to be covered by the community by the following year’s budget, by law.

The Springfield City Council will consider granting approval to a deficit spending request at its next meeting Monday, at 7 p.m., at City Hall.

The snow removal account had a balance of approximately $269,048, as of last week, Plante said.

Last year, in contrast, the Department of Public Works had a surplus in the snow removal budget due to a mild winter, Chwalek said. The surplus was used for other city expenses.

In Chicopee, the city’s $100,000 annual budget for snow removal budget has been long depleted. It cost the city nearly $200,000 alone to clean up after Winter Storm Nemo, of Feb. 8-9.

The city always expects to deficit spend for the cost of plowing and sanding after winter storms, officials said.

Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen has sent a request to his city council asking permission to spend money in excess of what is appropriated for snow and ice removal. The funds are running out and the Department of Public Works’ overtime account for snow removal is down to about $5,500, Cohen said.

The city had originally funded $95,000 in that account.

Cohen said he is seeking permission because the area could still be hit with more snow.

In West Springfield Department of Public Works chief Robert Colson said the city has spent about $390,000 on snow and ice removal and is out of money.

The city has sent on a request to the Town Council for an appropriation of another $250,000 to be prepared for any future snow storms. Colson said only five times over the last 14 years has the city spent under $390,000 on snow and ice removal.

In Holyoke, the City Council recently approved a transfer of $250,000 for snow removal and overtime costs and a request for $100,000 more will follow shortly, an official said. Funds came from the Free Cash surplus account.

That came after Department of Public Works General Superintendent William D. Fuqua said the $160,000 for snow removal and $20,000 for overtime budgeted to begin the fiscal year in July 1 was gone by December.

Dealing with the 18 to 20 inches of snow dumped on Feb. 8 and 9 cost Holyoke approximately $110,000, with $50,000 for snow removal and $60,000 to widen streets, he said.

Both Northampton and Easthampton have declared states of emergency allowing for deficit spending.

Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik said the city budgeted about $115,000 for snow removal and has already $200,000 over expended. They’ll pay for it out of next year’s budget.

In Northampton, the city budgeted $426,350 and with the most recent storm, though not all the bills are in, they are just about there in terms of spending what they budgeted, said Finance Director Susan Wright. Given the winter, she said, “this is not too bad.”

Staff writers Sandra Constantine, Michael Plaisance, Diane Lederman and Jeanette DeForge contributed to this report

The store, the chain's first in Massachusetts, sells hobby and craft supplies as well as home decor items.

Hobby Lobby, on the lower level next to Sears, opens on Feb. 25 at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside with Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse looking of store items with district manager Troy Moore. The Republican / John Suchocki  

HOLYOKE - Hobby Lobby had a ceremonial grand opening on Monday, Feb. 25, for its new store in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

The store, the chain's first in Massachusetts, is located at the former H&M clothing location near Sears on the mall's first floor. The store totals about 51,000 square feet, making it similar in size to the Mall's Best Buy location.

Based in Oklahoma City, Okla., Hobby Lobby sells hobby and craft supplies as well as home decor items.

The next nearest Hobby Lobby is in Warwick, R.I., although the chain has one due to open soon in East Haven, Conn.

The store employs 40 to 60 staff members.

Greenfield Police said that there are similarities between the robber from incidents on Sunday at Feb. 17 at the same TD Bank branch.

This is a surveillance camera image of a suspect wanted in connection with the robbery of a TD Bank branch in Greenfield Sunday. Surveillance photo provided to CBS 3 Springfield  

This is a surveillance camera image of a suspect wanted in connection with the robbery of a TD Bank branch in Greenfield on Feb. 17. Surveillance photo  

GREENFIELD — The TD Bank branch at 324 Main St. was robbed on Sunday, just two Sundays after a previous robbery there.

The same bank was robbed on Feb. 17 just before 11:45 a.m.

CBS 3 Springfield, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.com, reported that Sunday's incident took place sometime between 2:40 and 2:50 p.m.

Sgt. David Rice told CBS 3 Springfield that Greenfield Police were not immediately linking the two robberies, but he said that there are similarities between the suspects in both incidents.

Rice said that the suspect in Sunday's robbery showed a gun and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

In a surveillance photo, the suspect appeared to be wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt, a ski mask and glasses.

Sunday's robbery remains under investigation.

In the Feb. 17 robbery, police reported the suspect entered the bank wearing a ski mask, sunglasses and a hat. He was armed with a handgun and demanded cash from a teller.

Police described the suspect as a white male, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt and black cargo pants, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Greenfield Police Department at 413-773-5411.

A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday.

Dr. Deborah Persaud, of Johns Hopkins Children's Center, led an investigation that deemed a child born with the virus causing HIV was "functionally cured," meaning in long-term remission even if all traces of the virus haven't been completely eradicated.  

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON — A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

There's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure.

Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to eliminate HIV infection in children, especially in AIDS-plagued African countries where too many babies are born with the virus.

"You could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure, that we've seen," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.

A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than is usual, starting a three-drug infusion within 30 hours of birth. That was before tests confirmed the infant was infected and not just at risk from a mother whose HIV wasn't diagnosed until she was in labor.

"I just felt like this baby was at higher-than-normal risk, and deserved our best shot," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi, said in an interview.

That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body. Those so-called reservoirs of dormant cells usually rapidly reinfect anyone who stops medication, said Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center. She led the investigation that deemed the child "functionally cured," meaning in long-term remission even if all traces of the virus haven't been completely eradicated.

Next, Persaud's team is planning a study to try to prove that, with more aggressive treatment of other high-risk babies. "Maybe we'll be able to block this reservoir seeding," Persaud said.

No one should stop anti-AIDS drugs as a result of this case, Fauci cautioned.

But "it opens up a lot of doors" to research if other children can be helped, he said. "It makes perfect sense what happened."

Better than treatment is to prevent babies from being born with HIV in the first place.

About 300,000 children were born with HIV in 2011, mostly in poor countries where only about 60 percent of infected pregnant women get treatment that can keep them from passing the virus to their babies. In the U.S., such births are very rare because HIV testing and treatment long have been part of prenatal care.

"We can't promise to cure babies who are infected. We can promise to prevent the vast majority of transmissions if the moms are tested during every pregnancy," Gay stressed.

The only other person considered cured of the AIDS virus underwent a very different and risky kind of treatment — a bone marrow transplant from a special donor, one of the rare people who is naturally resistant to HIV. Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco has not needed HIV medications in the five years since that transplant.

The Mississippi case shows "there may be different cures for different populations of HIV-infected people," said Dr. Rowena Johnston of amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. That group funded Persaud's team to explore possible cases of pediatric cures.

It also suggests that scientists should look back at other children who've been treated since shortly after birth, including some reports of possible cures in the late 1990s that were dismissed at the time, said Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco, who also has seen the findings.

"This will likely inspire the field, make people more optimistic that this is possible," he said.

In the Mississippi case, the mother had had no prenatal care when she came to a rural emergency room in advanced labor. A rapid test detected HIV. In such cases, doctors typically give the newborn low-dose medication in hopes of preventing HIV from taking root. But the small hospital didn't have the proper liquid kind, and sent the infant to Gay's medical center. She gave the baby higher treatment-level doses.

The child responded well through age 18 months, when the family temporarily quit returning and stopped treatment, researchers said. When they returned several months later, remarkably, Gay's standard tests detected no virus in the child's blood.

Ten months after treatment stopped, a battery of super-sensitive tests at half a dozen laboratories found no sign of the virus' return. There were only some remnants of genetic material that don't appear able to replicate, Persaud said.

In Mississippi, Gay gives the child a check-up every few months: "I just check for the virus and keep praying that it stays gone."

The mother's HIV is being controlled with medication and she is "quite excited for her child," Gay added.