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Pres. Obama's re-election campaign team seeks new ways to fire up his base

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In the 2010 mid-term election, 37 percent of voters told pollsters they cast ballots explicitly to oppose the president.

obama shakes hands, 2011, APPresident Barack Obama reaches to greet students during an unannounced stop at the auditorium at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va., Monday, March, 14, 2011.

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama rode a wave of voter passion in 2008 fed largely by intense dislike of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, plus excitement among young and minority voters at the notion of electing the nation's first black president.

Now, as Obama cranks up his re-election campaign, all those factors are absent.

The president has many tools, of course, for inspiring and exciting potential voters. But he faces a different landscape, one in which key supporters are disappointed by concessions he has made to Republicans, and discouraged by huge Democratic losses last fall.

Obama acknowledged the challenge last week in Boston. "Somebody asked me, how do we reinvigorate the population, the voter, after two very tough years?" he told Democratic donors. "How do we recapture that magic that got so many young people involved for the very first time in 2008?"

One answer, the president said, is to persuade hardcore liberals to swallow their anger over political compromises the administration reached with Republicans, even when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress.

Obama's concessions include dropping his proposed public option for health insurance, and extending Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest.

"There's no weakness in us trying to reach out and seeing if we can find common ground," the president said.

Republicans predict Obama will easily exceed the record $750 million he raised for the 2008 race, even without a competitive Democratic primary.

Despite his pleas, many Obama supporters clearly are disappointed. When he was inaugurated, 83 percent of Democrats said they expected his presidency to be above average, and nearly half predicted it would be "outstanding," an AP-GfK poll found. Two years later, 68 percent of Democrats rated it above average so far, and just 20 percent called it outstanding.

Last fall's elections were a disaster not only for the hundreds of Democrats voted out of Congress, governorships and state legislatures. They raised questions about Obama, too.

Thirty-seven percent of voters told exit pollsters they cast ballots explicitly to oppose the president, while 23 percent said their votes represented support for him.

Top Obama aides say things will look better by mid-2012, for several reasons.

They say GOP-led efforts to end state workers' collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin and elsewhere are dramatically galvanizing the labor movement, a key Democratic constituency. Some union activists wish Obama would speak up more forcefully for them. But campaign aides say they think he is walking the right line by supporting unions without appearing unduly beholden to them.

Another key group, gays and lesbians, may shrug off several disappointments and work hard for Obama's re-election because he signed legislation beginning the repeal of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which barred gays from serving openly in the military.

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview that the president will be able to show solid progress on the economy, education and other topics that will persuade dispirited Democrats to fight for Obama's re-election.

These issues will "continue to animate core supporters of the president," Gibbs said, and "get them passionately involved."

He predicted that Republicans will help by focusing on undoing Obama initiatives, such as the 2010 health care overhaul, rather than offering an appealing alternative agenda. "Being against something is only going to get you so far," Gibbs said.

Several Democratic activists acknowledged that some black voters are disappointed in Obama, wishing he would do more for impoverished Americans. But these voters might be far more outraged and energized, the activists say, by people who say the nation's first black president was born in Kenya and has no legal right to be in the White House.

Some Democrats say they may need luck to replicate the passionate turnout of Obama's first campaign. The often-stated claim that voters would embrace the health care law once it began taking effect has proven mostly untrue. But another year may change that, these Democrats say.

For now, the Obama team is unveiling few new ideas specifically keyed to firing up core constituencies. A recent White House conference call urged young voters to hold roundtables, which administration officials may attend, to discuss priorities and offer feedback.

Beyond that, Obama eventually plans large rallies similar to those in 2008. They create showy spectacles that excite young voters, but they also serve a fundraising role. People who enter the stadiums or buy Obama T-shirts are asked to provide their names and contact information, which are used later to request donations and volunteer activities.

Republicans predict Obama will easily exceed the record $750 million he raised for the 2008 race, even without a competitive Democratic primary.

When it comes to energizing the Democratic base and turning out the vote, however, Obama will sorely miss one person: George W. Bush. His unpopularity helped cripple GOP nominee John McCain's efforts to overtake Obama in 2008.

A few days before the election, Bush's disapproval rating hit a record 70 percent in the Pew Research Center survey. A declining number of likely voters, meanwhile, felt McCain would take the country in a different direction.

Whatever problems the eventual 2012 Republican nominee may have, Bush will be a distant memory. Obama will have to find a new punching bag, and new incentives, to fire up his base.


Jury selection continues in Al Bruno murder trial; opening arguments could begin this afternoon

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Anthony Arillotta also was charged in the case but turned government witness and is slated to take the stand at trial.

Gallery preview

NEW YORK - Jury selection continues this morning in federal court in Manhattan for trial in the 2003 Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno murder-for-hire case.

A herd of prospective jurors were vetted on Monday, culling the crowd down to 39 candidates who will return to the courthouse today to answer more questions about their personal lives. Lawyers in the case believe they will be able to impanel a jury of 18, including six alternates, before the end of the day and possibly launch into opening statements later this afternoon.

Standing trial are reputed organized crime enforcers Fotios "Freddy" Geas, 44, of West Springfield; his brother Ty Geas, 39, of Westfield; and alleged onetime New York Genovese crime boss, Arthur "Artie" Nigro, 66, of the Bronx, NY.

The Geases and others are accused of plotting Bruno's murder, as well as the 2003 slaying of low-level mob associate Gary D. Westerman, the attempted murder of a New York union official the same year and carrying out a myriad of strong-arm schemes against Western Massachusetts businessmen. Law enforcement officials say Nigro was pulling the strings as the former leader of the most dangerous of New York City's five crime families.

Bruno was gunned down on Nov. 23, 2003, on the eve of his 58th birthday. Witnesses are expected to testify that Bruno fell out of favor with Nigro and was killed to make way for new Mafia leadership in Western Massachusetts. His reputed successor, Anthony J. Arillotta, 42, also was charged in the case but turned government witness and is slated to take the witness stand at trial.

Westfield's municipal election season will kick off April 4

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The city election is scheduled Nov. 8 with a preliminary election on Sept. 27 if necessary.

feb 2011 westfield city hall.jpgWestfield City Hall

WESTFIELD – The city’s local election season will officially kick off April 4 when nomination papers for various elected seats will become available.

City Clerk Karen M. Fanion has released the municipal election schedule that will lead up to city elections on Nov. 8.

All municipal elected seats will be up for grabs ranging from mayor to Westfield Athenaeum trustee, Fanion said.

Candidates can secure nomination papers from the City Clerk’s office beginning at 9 a.m. on April 4 and must return them with the necessary 60 signatures of registered voters by Aug. 9. A lottery drawing for ballot positions, for the scheduled Sept. 27 preliminary election if necessary, will be held on Aug. 30.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik officially announced his re-election bid March 1 and several City Council members has since said they are candidates for re-election.

Those include president Christopher Keefe, who represents Ward 1. Others include at-large members Brian P. Sullivan and John J. Beltrandi III. Ward 3 Councilor Peter J. Miller Jr.; Mary L. O’Connell, Ward 4 and Christopher M. Crean, Ward 6 are also seeking re-election.

Three of the six elected seats on the School Committee are up for election on Nov. 8. Those are currently held by School Committee vice chairman Mary Beth Ogulewicz Sacco, Mary Ann Cleland and Kevin J. Sullivan.

All six elected seats on the Municipal Light Board are also up for election this year. They include the Ward 3 seat held by the late William E. Buzzee who died in January.

Utility commissioners will meet in joint session with the City Council shortly to fill the remaining nine-months of Buzzee’s term. Three residents, Jane C. Wensley, Brian Hoose and John M. Callahan submitted letters on intent to seek the vacant seat by the March 4 deadline. Wensley was an unsuccessful candidate for Ward 3 in the 2007 municipal election.

Monson man arrested after assault with knife outside strip club

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Monson police said Justin Harvey followed a female employee out of the club and threatened her with a large knife as she approached her car.

MONSON – A Monson man was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly threatened a female employee at the Magic Lantern strip club with a large knife as she approached her car.

Police said Justin E. Harvey, 26, of 38 Paradise Lake Road, followed the woman out of the Route 20 club on March 9 and threatened her with the knife. The victim was able to get into her vehicle and escape without injury, police said. The incident happened at approximately 11:30 p.m.

The woman called police, who responded to the scene and found the suspect sitting in a car parked behind the club.

After an investigation, police arrested Harvey for assault, along with cocaine possession. Ryan D. Carey, 30, of 14 Barnes St., Apt. 1, Ware, was with Harvey in the car and also was charged with cocaine possession. Police recovered a knife from the vehicle. Palmer police assisted at the scene.

Harvey and Carey both had innocent pleas entered at their arraignments last week in Palmer District Court. Harvey will return to court April 7 for a pretrial conference; Carey, April 21.

Stocks erase nearly all gains of year on renewed fears of nuclear meltdown in Japan

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The Dow fell for the third day in a row, this time by 242 points.

China Mobile 31611.jpgWang Jianzhou, executive director and chairman of China Mobile Limited, left, and Li Yue, executive director and chief executive officer attend a company result announcement in Hong Kong Wednesday. China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone carrier by subscribers, says profit last year rose 3.9 percent on growing demand for mobile Internet services and as it signed up more customers.

NEW YORK — Financial markets were jolted for a third day Wednesday by fears that a partial meltdown may have occurred at a nuclear plant in Japan. Stocks fell heavily and erased nearly all of their gains for the year.

Stocks opened lower then dropped sharply in midmorning trading after the European Union's energy chief was quoted as saying that Japan's nuclear crisis could get worse. Japan's economy, the third-largest in the world after the U.S. and China, accounts for about 10 percent of U.S. exports.

Japan temporarily suspended work at a stricken nuclear plant after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain there. That came a day after Japan's prime minister said four crippled reactors at a nuclear power plant were leaking dangerous amounts of radiation.

Treasury prices jumped, sending yields to their lowest levels this year as investors piled into investments seen as being more stable. One measure of market volatility jumped 18 percent, a sign that investors expect more wild swings in stock prices.

"Right now, investors are moving away from anything that has an element of risk with it because they don't know what's happening in Japan," said Bill Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC Wealth Management.

The losses in stocks were broad. Each of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones industrial average fell, with IBM Corp. and General Electric Co. losing the most. All 10 company groups in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, the basis for most U.S. mutual funds, lost ground.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 242.12, or 2 percent, to 11,613.30. It was the worst drop since Aug. 11. The Dow has now lost 3.6 percent over the past three days, its worst three-day loss since last July.

The S&P index fell 24.99, or 1.9 percent, to 1,256.88. The S&P is now down 0.1 percent for the year, having been up as much as 6.8 percent in February. When dividends are included, however, the index has had a total return of 2.4 percent for the year, according to FactSet.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 50.51 or 1.9 percent, to 2,610. It is now down 1.4 percent for the year.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell as low as 3.15 percent, the lowest level this year. In late trading the yield edged up to 3.21 percent.

In the U.S., home builders tumbled after the Commerce Department reported that new home construction fell to the second-lowest level on record in February, reflecting weak demand. Homebuilders Lennar Corp. and D.R. Horton Inc. each fell more than 2 percent.

Wholesale prices rose last month by the most in nearly two years due to higher energy costs and the biggest increase in food prices in 36 years. Shares of companies affected by higher food costs fell.

Trash fee bills mailed to Springfield homeowners

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The trash fee is scheduled to expire June 30, unless a new fee is approved by the City Council.

springfield trash barrel.jpgSpringfield City Councilors voted 5-5 on a proposal by Mayor Domenic Sarno to extend the trash fee for two years, failing to give the proposal the majority it needed to be sent to the state Legislature for approval.

SPRINGFIELD – Trash fee bills were mailed on Thursday to homeowners, covering the current fiscal year and any unpaid balances from the prior year.

The annual fee is $75 per trash bin, and is for the period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.

Payments in full are due within 30 days and no later than April 15.

The trash fee is scheduled to expire June 30, unless the City Council approves a new fee. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has proposed a new graduated bin system that, if approved, would charge a fee that varies depending on the size of the barrel.

This year’s bill is $75, unless the homeowner is qualified and approved for a discounted rate of $56.25.

Any delinquent balances due from fiscal 2010 also appear on the bill plus accrued penalties and interest. Payments made on or after March 2, may not be reflected on the bill.

Homeowners can call the city’s call center with questions at 3-1-1, or (413) 736-3111.

Japan's radiation levels surge, US says nuclear power plant's spent fuel rods dry; Japan says no

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The conditions at the plant appeared to worsen, with white smoke pouring from the complex and a surge in radiation levels.

Japan-Nuclear-Disaster.jpgA man is screened for radiation exposure at a shelter after being evacuated from areas around the Fukushima nuclear facilities damaged by last week's major earthquake and following tsunami, Wednesday, March 16, 2011, in Fukushima city, Fukushima prefecture, Japan.

FUKUSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Nuclear plant operators trying to avoid complete reactor meltdowns said Thursday that they were close to completing a new power line that might end Japan's crisis, but several ominous signs have also emerged: a surge in radiation levels, unexplained white smoke and spent fuel rods that U.S. officials said could be on the verge of spewing radioactive material.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said in Washington on Wednesday that all the water was gone from the spent fuel pools at Unit 4 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, but Japanese officials denied it. Hajime Motojuku, spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., said the "condition is stable" at Unit 4.

If Jaczko is correct, it would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. The outer shells of the rods could also ignite with enough force to propel the radioactive fuel inside over a wide area.

Jaczko did not say how the information was obtained, but the NRC and U.S. Department of Energy both have experts at the complex of six reactors along Japan's northeastern coast, which was ravaged by last week's magnitude-9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The conditions at the plant appeared to worsen, with white smoke pouring from the complex and a surge in radiation levels forcing workers to retreat for hours Wednesday from their struggle to cool the overheating reactors.

As international concern mounted, the chief of the U.N. nuclear agency said he would go to Japan to assess what he called a "serious" situation and urged Tokyo to provide better information to his organization.

Japanese officials raised hopes of easing the crisis, saying early Thursday that they were close to completing a new power line that could restore the reactors' cooling systems.

Naoki Tsunoda, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, said the new power line to the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant was almost finished and that officials planned to try it "as soon as possible," but he could not say exactly when.

The new line could revive electric-powered pumps, allowing the company to maintain a steady water supply to troubled reactors and spent fuel storage ponds, keeping them cool. The company is also trying to repair its existing disabled power line.

Late Wednesday, government officials said they'd asked special police units to bring in water cannons — normally used to quell rioters — to spray water onto the spent fuel storage pool at Unit 4.

The cannons are thought to be strong enough to allow emergency workers to remain a safe distance from the complex while still able to get water into the pool, said Minoru Ogoda of Japan's nuclear safety agency.

TEPCO said it was also considering using military helicopters to douse the reactors with water, after giving up on such a plan because of high radiation levels in the atmosphere.

Wednesday's pullback by workers who have been pumping seawater into the reactors cost valuable time in the fight to prevent a nuclear meltdown, a nightmare scenario following the horrific earthquake and tsunami. The disasters last Friday pulverized Japan's northeastern coast and are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people.

The tsunami destroyed the complex's backup power system and left operators unable to properly cool nuclear fuel. The 180 emergency workers have been working in shifts to manually pump seawater into the reactors.

Japan's emperor, in an unprecedented made-for-TV speech, called on the country to work together.

"It is important that each of us shares the difficult days that lie ahead," said Akihito, 77. "I pray that we will all take care of each other and overcome this tragedy."

He also expressed his worries over the nuclear crisis, saying: "With the help of those involved I hope things will not get worse."

But officials are also taking increasing criticism for poor communication about efforts at the complex. There has been growing unease at the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency's 35 board member nations, who have complained that information coming from Japan on the rapidly evolving nuclear disaster is too slow and vague.

IAEA head Yukiya Amano spoke of a "very serious" situation and said he would leave for Tokyo within a day.

He said it was "difficult to say" if events were out of control, but added, "I will certainly have contact with those people who are working there who tackled the accident, and I will be able to have firsthand information."

The nuclear crisis has partly overshadowed the human tragedy caused by Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest recorded in history.

Millions of Japanese have been with little food and water in heavy snow and rain since Friday. In some towns, long lines of cars waited outside the few open gas stations, with others lined up at rice-vending machines.

National broadcaster NHK showed mammoth military helicopters lifting off Friday afternoon to survey radiation levels above the nuclear complex, preparing to dump water onto the most troubled reactors in an effort to cool them down.

The defense ministry later said those flights were a drill — then later said it had decided against making an airborne drop because of the high radiation levels.

"The anxiety and anger being felt by people in Fukushima have reached a boiling point," the governor of Fukushima prefecture, Yuhei Sato, fumed in an interview with NHK. He criticized preparations for an evacuation if conditions worsen, and said centers do not have enough hot meals and basic necessities.

More than 4,300 people are officially listed as dead, but officials believe the toll will climb to well over 10,000. Police say more than 452,000 people are staying in temporary shelters such as school gymnasiums.

Wednesday's radiation spike was believed to have come from the complex's Unit 3. But officials also acknowledged that they were far from sure what was going on at the four most troubled reactors, including Unit 3, in part because high radiation levels made it difficult to get very close.

While white smoke was seen rising Wednesday above Unit 3, officials could not ascertain the source. They said it could be spewing from the reactor's spent fuel pool — cooling tanks for used nuclear rods — or may have been from damage to the reactor's containment vessel, the protective shell of thick concrete.

Masahisa Otsuki, an official with TEPCO, said officials are most concerned about the spent fuel pools, which are not encased in protective shells.

"We haven't been able to get any of the latest data at any spent fuel pools. We don't have the latest water levels, temperatures, none of the latest information for any of the four reactors," he said.

In the city of Fukushima, meanwhile, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) inland from the nuclear complex, hundreds of harried government workers, police officers and others struggled to stay on top of the situation in a makeshift command center.

An entire floor of one of the prefecture's office buildings had been taken over by people tracking evacuations, power needs, death tolls and food supplies.

Elevated levels of radiation were detected well outside the 20-mile (30-kilometer) emergency area around the plants. In Ibaraki prefecture, just south of Fukushima, officials said radiation levels were about 300 times normal levels by late morning. It would take three years of constant exposure to these higher levels to raise a person's risk of cancer.

A little radiation was also detected in Tokyo, triggering panic buying of food and water.

Given the reported radiation levels, John Price, an Australian-based nuclear safety expert, said he saw few health risks for the general public so far. But he said he was surprised by how little information the Japanese were sharing.

"We don't know even the fundamentals of what's happening, what's wrong, what isn't working. We're all guessing," he said. "I would have thought they would put on a panel of experts every two hours."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the government expects to ask the U.S. military for help, though he did not elaborate. He said the government is still considering whether to accept offers of help from other countries.

There are six reactors at the plant. Units 1, 2 and 3, which were operating last week, shut down automatically when the quake hit. Since then, all three have been rocked by explosions. Compounding the problems, on Tuesday a fire broke out in Unit 4's fuel storage pond, an area where used nuclear fuel is kept cool, causing radioactivity to be released into the atmosphere.

Units 4, 5 and 6 were shut at the time of the quake, but even offline reactors have nuclear fuel — either inside the reactors or in storage ponds — that need to be kept cool.

Meanwhile, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency estimated that 70 percent of the rods have been damaged at the No. 1 reactor.

Japan's national news agency, Kyodo, said that 33 percent of the fuel rods at the No. 2 reactor were damaged and that the cores of both reactors were believed to have partially melted.

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Associated Press writers Elaine Kurtenbach and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo, David Stringer in Ofunato and Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Holyoke police arrest six, seize two guns, heroin and cocaine

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The search warrant resulted in six arrests after citizen complaints and an ongoing probe by police and state and federal authorities. Watch video

holyarrest 316a.jpgTop, left to right: Christian Javier Santiago, Eddie Noel Santiago, Aiileen Velazquez Figueroa. Bottom, left to right: Emmanuel Torres, Maria C. Davila and Yazmin Janett Garcia.

HOLYOKE – Six people were arrested after police executed a drug search warrant at 18 St. Jerome St. Tuesday.

Police seized two guns, three boxes of bullets, 634 baggies of heroin worth $6,340, 45 baggies of cocaine worth $1,000 and 22 baggies of crack cocaine worth $220, Police Chief Anthony R. Scott said in a press release Wednesday.

The guns were a Smith and Wesson .32 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Taurus .38 caliber revolver, he said.

The search warrant was the result of citizen complaints and a police investigation with federal and state authorities, he said.

Aileen Velazquez Figueroa, 44, of 164 High St., was charged with two default warrants, he said.

Yazmin Janett Garcia, 24, of 18 Jerome St. was charged with distributing heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of heroin, possession of cocaine and conspiracy to violate drug laws, he said.

Maria C. Davila, 39, of 18 Jerome St., was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of heroin, distributing heroin, distributing cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of a firerm and ammunition without a firearms identification card, he said.

Emmanuel Torres, 21, of 19 Charbonneau St., Chicopee, was charged with two counts of distributing heroin, conspiracy to violate the drug laws, possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card and possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, he said.

Christian Javier Santiago, 22, of 21 Hamilton St. was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of cocaine and conspiracy to violate drug laws, he said.

Eddie Noel Santiago, 25, of 660 South Bridge St. was charged with trafficking heroin and conspiracy to violate drug laws, he said.

Arraignment information was unavailable at press time.


MassWest Home and Better Living Show scheduled to open at Mullins Center in Amherst

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There will be 160 booths representing 130 companies from Western Massachusetts, Vermont and Northern Connecticut.

AMHERST – The MassWest Home and Better Living Show will fill the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts Saturday and Sunday with two days of seminars, information and helpful products for homeowners who are ready for spring.

“As soon as you walk into the Mullins Center, it will be like a breath of spring” with two welcome gardens by Amherst Landscape Design Associates, said Jay B. Appleman, promoter of the show and president of Red Stone Promotions Inc. in Longmeadow. “And we need it.”

The first home show in the region opens its doors Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be 160 booths representing 130 companies from throughout Western Massachusetts, Vermont and Northern Connecticut providing information about home building, remodeling, interior decorating, landscaping, sun rooms, custom sheds, kitchens, baths, windows, doors, flooring, furniture, garage doors, waterproofing, building materials, greenhouses and more.

There also will be a “green aisle” for companies exhibiting solar products, energy-saving windows and doors and all kinds of green products and services.

Items like hot tubs and custom oak furniture will be for sale, and seminars will be offered on such topics as “Attracting Honey Bees and Native Bees to Your Incredible Edible Landscape,” “Lighting the Night: A Pictorial Guide to Architectural and Landscape Lighting,” “Everything You Wanted to Know about Geothermal but did not Know What to Ask” and “Concrete Solutions for Common Concrete Problems.”

There will be information on losing weight and on retirement plans as well as cooking shows, live demonstrations, free samples, giveaways and door prizes.

The Boston Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster, will be on hand to meet and greet on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

“It’s been a hard winter so far for everyone,” said Appleman, a 33-year veteran of home shows and the home building industry. “Whether your home can use a little sprucing up or a major repair or facelift, the exhibitors in the MassWest Home Show give homeowners an opportunity to discuss their needs with professional builders and remodelers who will be able to help them with their home projects.”

He called the show “one-stop shopping” for home improvement. “You can see all the different companies you may need to fix up your home.”

Admission is $7 for adults, and children are free with an adult. Bring in a canned good or non-perishable item to support the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and receive an admission discount.

Discount tickets to the show are available at www.masswesthomeshow.com.

There is free parking, and food will be available for purchase.

For more information, call 800-294-7469.

Ward 4 Chicopee School Committee member Michael Pise to run for at-large seat

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City officials have debated eliminating one seat from the School Committee for at least 10 years.

Michael Pise 2005.jpgWard 4 School Committee member Michael J. Pise waves to voters in Chicopee's 2005 election.

CHICOPEE – A long-term School Committee member who announced he would not run for re-election in Ward 4 has taken out papers to run for an at-large seat on the board.

Michael J. Pise said he continues to be interested in the School Committee, but his main reason for running is to make it easier if city officials and voters want to eliminate the at-large seat.

“I wouldn’t challenge any action if they wanted to remove that seat,” he said.

City officials have a long history of debating removing an at-large seat from the 12-member committee.

The committee originally had 11 members but the mayor was added as chairman in the mid- to late-1990s, creating an even number board. Recently it deadlocked 6-6 when it tried to select a vice chairman, sparking new debates about eliminating one of the two at-large seats.

Pise said the debate has come and gone for a decade. In at least three instances, the committee debated it when the seat became vacant, but found people who wanted the job.

The most recent discussion came after member Susan A. Lecca died in November. The committee voted 9-0 to leave her seat vacant temporarily and ask voters in November if they wanted to permanently eliminate it.

When a joint meeting of the School Committee and City Council was held to discuss the position, the group took nominations and selected retired educator John F. Mruk for the seat.

Mruk said he will not run for re-election. Pise said, if elected, he could resign if voters decide any time in his four-year term to eliminate the seat.

“It’s up in the air and I think a charter commission should study it and do what the voters want,” he said.

A charter commission would be assigned to review all city regulations and propose changes. Voters decide on a referendum question if they want to form a commission and at the same time elect candidates to it.

Pise said he does not believe there is enough time to get the issue resolved and a question on the ballot for November. The deadline to place a question on the ballot would be in September.

There also continues to be interest in the seat. College student Joel D. McAuliffe has also taken out nomination papers to run for the at-large seat on the committee. He also took out papers for mayor.

Pise said he originally decided against running in Ward 4 because he felt it was time for someone new to take the job. He has held the seat for about 20 years.

“I think I am being true to what I said before. Ward 4 residents have an opportunity to run for the seat,” he said.

Pise is one of about 20 people who have already taken out nomination papers to run in November. Papers are due Aug. 2.

Incumbents interested in running for City Council are: Dino A. Brunetti, Ward 1; Charles M. Swider, Ward 2; John L. Vieau, Ward 3; Frederick T. Krampits, Ward 5; Timothy McLellan, Ward 6; George R. Moreau, Ward 7; Donald G. Demers, Ward 8; and James K. Tillotson, Frank N. Laflamme and Robert J. Zygarowski, all at-large. Newcomers who have taken out papers are: David Amo, Ward 6, and David Schryvar, Ward 8.

Incumbents who took out papers for School Committee are: Adam D. Lamontagne, Ward 1; David G. Barsalou, Ward 2; Deborah A. Styckiewicz, Ward 5; Susan A. Lopes, Ward 6; and Donald J. Lamothe, Ward 7. Newcomers who have taken out papers are Trina House, Ward 1, and Sandra A. Peret, Ward 4.

Incumbent Virginia Roback has taken out papers for assessor.

St. Patrick's Day twin birthdays celebrated by Conor and Liam Kearney of Wilbraham

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The midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy celebrated early in London with their Dad, Springfield Police Lt. Maurice "Mossy" Kearney.

031711 conor kearney maurice kearney liam kearney tower of london.jpgSpringfield Police Lt. Maurice T. Kearney helped his twin sons, Conor, left, and Liam, right, mark their St. Patrick's Day 2011 birthday in London.

SPRINGFIELD – To keep up a family tradition, Springfield Police Lt. Maurice “Mossy” Kearney boarded a plane for London last week to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with his sons.

It was a double celebration, actually.

In a bit of Irish family planning, the boys – Conor and Liam, both midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy – were born four weeks early, on March 17, 1991. Their sudden arrival forced cancellation of the family’s annual St. Patrick’s Day get-together in Wilbraham.

With the twins on board, all subsequent March 17s have been party days of obligation at the Kearneys’, bringing three generations together for mutton pies, Guinness beer and a supersized birthday cake decorated with shamrocks, leprechauns and a lucky rainbow.

“St. Patrick’s Day was always a big day for us,” said Kearney, who hosted all the parties with his wife, Susan Wilkie Kearney.

“But the birth of the twins definitely took things up a notch,” he said.

Considering their first child, Meredith, was born on March 11, 1989, the Kearneys fell just six days short of a St. Patrick’s Day trifecta.

As a Hungry Hill native and son of an Irish fisherman, Kearney, 56, had no shortage of reasons to celebrate his heritage.

His father, Maurice, was born on Great Blasket Island and served as an officer in the British Merchant Marines during World War II before making his way to Springfield in 1949.

His father-in-law, Joe Wilkie, hailed from a seafaring family in Rockland, Maine, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, participating in the D-Day invasion in Normandy.

Growing up landlocked in Hungry Hill, Kearney showed little interest in the sea, preferring toy guns, bikes and games of cops and robbers. A standout hockey player at Cathedral High School, Kearney joined the police department in 1977, and met his wife Susan while she attended Elms College.

As for his contribution to the family’s nautical heritage, Kearney said, “I went deep-sea fishing a few times. That was about it.”

His children, however, felt the pull of the water, thanks to stories from their grandfathers. Meredith is a rower at the University of Massachusetts, and Liam set his sights on the Naval Academy in high school.

After graduating from Minnechaug Regional High School, the twins split up, with Liam off to Annapolis and Conor, recruited to play lacrosse, heading for Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

For the first time, they missed each other – and Liam, unable to get leave from Annapolis, missed his birthday party, too.

The separation didn’t last long, however.

While visiting his brother, Conor was struck by the discipline and camaraderie at Annapolis; despite the appeal of life in Saratoga Springs, he enlisted at the end of freshman year, giving the family two Navy men again.

Nobody was more pleased than their father.

“They say there is something about the sea that gets in your blood,” Kearney said last week. “Maybe it was in their blood, from their grandfathers.”

“They (the grandfathers) never lived to see them go into the Navy, but I’m sure they would have been very proud,” he added.

The family’s other tradition – the St. Patrick’s Day party – is holding up, too, although the venue shifted this year to London, where the twins are vacationing with a Navy classmate, Chris Sardroni, and Chris Hill, a family friend.

Their father arrived last Saturday; the group’s itinerary was flexible enough to include trips to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Scotland Yard and a sampling of a local pubs.

The celebration was a bit premature – Kearney had to be back in Springfield by March 16 – but it didn’t matter. The tradition was maintained.

“St. Patrick’s Day has always been a fun day to have your birthday on,” said Liam Kearney.

“To be able to celebrate it with my father in London is a great thing,” he said.

Parole board nominee Lucy Soto-Abbe faces criticism during Governor's Council hearing

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Gov. Deval Patrick nominated Lucy M. Soto-Abbe of Springfield for a seat on the state Parole Board. The governor nominated her to fill a position that became vacant after he accepted the resignations of five board members who voted to release Dominic Cinelli about 18 months before Cinelli shot a Woburn police officer after a failed jewelry robbery on Dec. 26.

3-16-11LucySotto-Abbe.jpgLucy Soto-Abbe of Springfield is seeking to become a member of the state Parole Board
BOSTON -- A Springfield woman faced criticism from criminal defense lawyers and supporters of inmates during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday to become a member of the state’s Parole Board.

Lucy M. Soto-Abbe, an advocate for victims and witnesses for the Hampden District Attorney for the past 17 years, said that she would be impartial when voting on requests for parole. She said that she supports parole.

“I can be fair,” she said during the hearing in front of the Governor’s Council. “I know I am a fair and objective person.”

Opponents said the Parole Board would be stacked with members with backgrounds in law enforcement if Soto-Abbe and other nominees are approved. They said they respected Soto-Abbe and were against her appointment only because of her work in a prosecutor’s office, not for any personal reasons.

3-16-11PatriciaGarin,LucySotto-Abbe1.jpgPatricia Garin, left, a lawyer and advocate for inmate rights, spoke against approval of Lucy Soto-Abbe as a new member of the Parole Board.

Patricia Garin, a lawyer an adjunct professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, said six of seven members of the Parole Board would have law-enforcement experience if Soto-Abbe and two other nominees are approved.

Garin said it would be difficult for Soto-Abbe to be fair in judging parole requests. She said it is rare for a victim of crime to be cleared to sit on a jury.

“She is not of the skill set we need on the Parole Board,” Garin said.

A couple of criminal defense lawyers, including Margaret Fox of Boston, and two former inmates also opposed Soto-Abbe because of her position and experience.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick on March 4 nominated Soto-Abbe and three others for positions on the Parole Board. Members would receive $90,000 a year.

The Governor’s Council must vote whether to confirm nominees. The eight-member council is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on Soto-Abbe.

Patrick nominated the four to fill the positions of members who resigned after they voted to parole a repeat violent convict who then shot and killed a Woburn patrolman in December. Five parole board members resigned after they voted to release Dominic Cinelli.

Cinelli, the man who killed the Woburn officer, was serving three life sentences for assault and robbery convictions when he was released in early 2009. Cinelli died in a shoot-out with the officer, John B. Maguire.

Soto-Abbe said that victims of crimes sometimes ask for too much from a prosecutor’s office when they push for a maximum sentence. A maximum sentence may not always fit the crime, she said.

“You have to talk them down and not in a bad way,” she said.

Soto-Abbe, 39, said public safety would be paramount in her parole decisions. She said she would follow the legal standard in determining whether an inmate would be likely to commit another crime while on parole.

A native of the North End of Springfield, Soto-Abbe said she grew up with Christian values and morals, giving her a strong foundation to avoid problems such as gangs, drugs and violence.

Richard Soto, a Springfield police detective, is her brother.

She said parole can be better than requiring an inmate to serve a full sentence. If released on parole, an inmate will have support and supervision and may be able to stay away from old habits, she said.

In order to approve parole, she said, she would set conditions that would involve education, employment and counseling.

Former Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett joined Susan Hamilton, a lawyer in Springfield, and Joyce P. Brown, a teacher’s aide at an elementary school in Springfield, in supporting Soto-Abbe during the hearing.

Brown said Soto-Abbe was “excellent” as an advocate for her in court after a teenage student stabbed and killed her husband, the Rev. Theodore N. Brown, 51, a counselor at the Springfield High School, an alternative school. The student, Corey N. Ramos, was convicted of second-degree murder and given a mandatory life sentence with eligibility for parole after 15 years.

Brown said she was honored to support Soto-Abbe. “She stepped in and guided us through the whole process,” Brown said.


Update: Fire on Peterson Road in Palmer caused by oil on stove

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Heavy smoke was reported inside the house.

2007 palmer fire truck

PALMER - Thanks to the quick actions of a firefighter who lives nearby, a fire at a home at 9 Peterson Road on Wednesday night would have been much worse, Fire Capt. David Pranaitis said.

The fire was reported at 7:30 p.m. Oil in a pan on the electric stove splashed on the burner and caught fire. The fire spread up into the cabinets, Pranaitis said.

Firefighter Brian Sizer was the first on the scene.

“He brought a fire extinguisher and got a major part of the fire knocked down. There would be a lot more damage if he didn’t get it knocked down,” Pranaitis said.

Eighteen firefighters responded to the fire at the two-story Colonial-style home, which took about 10 minutes to get under control, he said; there were no injuries.

Pranaitis said there was heavy smoke inside, and the tenant, Helen Lemieux, was advised to stay elsewhere for the night. The home’s owner is Robert Sokoloff. A damage estimate was not provided.

Officials to search former Springfield Armory locations for traces of depleted uranium from 1960s weapons testing

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Army records show the Armory received 1,400 rounds containing depleted uranium in the 1960s, but only has records what happened to 200 of them after that.

stcc.JPGThe Federal Street entrance to the campus of Springfield Technical Community College carries a reminder of the site's historical past as the Springfield Armory.

SPRINGFIELD – State inspectors will be searching the grounds of the former Springfield Armory on Thursday for traces of radioactive materials used in weapons testing more than 40 years ago when the armory was still in production.

Suzanne Condon, Director of the Bureau for Environmental Health for Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said inspectors with monitoring equipment will be on the campus of the present-day Springfield Technical Community College to look for traces of depleted uranium. She said she hopes to have the investigation wrapped up by Friday afternoon.

She emphasized that while the investigation is necessary but health risks to the public are minimal.

“We don’t want people to panic,” she said.

Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the production of enriched uranium for nuclear power. It has 40-percent less radioactivity, but the same chemical toxicity as natural uranium, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Depleted uranium is commonly used in armor-piercing ammunition.

Condon said the depleted uranium is considered a chemical hazard, not a radiological one.

The armory, then a part of the Department of Defense, closed in 1968. While in operation, it included what is now the STCC campus, the STCC Technology Park, and the Springfield Armory National Historical Site at State and Federal Streets, and the Watershops Pond site at 1Allen Street. The testing will be limited to about 50 acres over seven separate sites. The sites were not identified, but one site, the grounds of the Springfield Armory National Historical Site, have already been ruled out.

Army records showed the federal Armory received 1,400 spotting rounds during the early to mid-1960s, but there was no record of what happened to most of them after that. Records show 200 of the rounds were sent to a site in Pennsylvania after Springfield.

Spotting rounds were used to mimic the trajectory of actual bullets. They were used to test the performance and accuracy of weapons, primarily at indoor ranges.

Condon said it is not clear that any of the depleted uranium is on site. All that is known at this point is the U.S. Army cannot find records that it was ever removed.

“What we know is that it was used,” she said. “They’re saying they brought it there. There’s supposed to be a paper trail.”

The Army is going through its archived records to track the remaining 1,200 rounds, but the search is expected to take well into April, she said.

She said it was decided to search in Springfield immediately rather than wait for the Army .

“We’re going out there to see if there is anything there,” she said.

The decision was made to publicize the investigation in advance to minimize any panic, she said. ”We don’t want people to get concerned that it is something more than it is,” she said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno issued a statement that said he has been briefed by Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.

He said he has instructed the city health director, its emergency preparedness director and his office to assist in any way they can.

STCC president Ira Rubenzahl sent an e-mail out to students, faculty and employees informing them of the investigation. He noted that in 1997, the site of a former shooting range in Building 28 and the area around it was cleaned up as part of a lead abatement project overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“In all likelihood, any uranium material would have been removed at the same time, he said.


Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic relocating from Springfield to Mohegan Sun

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The Birthplace of Basketball was doomed by economics and a scheduling conflict, officials said.

tipoff.JPGEven an appearance by the University of Massachusetts failed to draw crowds to Hall of Fame Tip- Off Tournament at the MassMutual Center last fall.

By JIM KINNEY
and JEFF THOMAS

SPRINGFIELD – The Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic is moving from Springfield’s MassMutual Center to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., taking with it a much-needed opportunity to draw people to downtown Springfield.

“Any time there is an event at the MassMutual Center it brings increased business,” said Keith P. Makarowski, co-owner of JT’s Sports Pub and Theodores', both located within a few blocks of the arena. “The return of the Tip-Off was encouraging to us.”

A disappointed Paul C. Picknelly, president of the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, said tournament organizers failed to reach out to either the local business community or to the downtown Business Improvement District, where Picknelly serves on the board.

“Springfield is the birthplace of basketball,” Picknelly said. “The first tournament of the year should be held in Springfield.”

Economics and a scheduling conflict with the MassMutual Center for the desired dates – the weekend of Nov. 19 and 20 – spurred the move, according to Hall of Fame president and CEO John L. Doleva.

“Financially, it made more sense for the Hall of Fame and secondly the dates for the MassMutual Center were not available,” Doleva said in a telephone interview from the west coast. “Economics have a lot to do with everything.”

According to MassMutual Center officials, the Market America Northeast Regional Conference will utiltize the main arena and other portions of the facility from Nov. 17 and 20. They said the conference has attracted between 5,000 and 6,000 people to downtown Springfield in the past.

The Tip-Off Classic was held in Springfield from 1979 to 2005, a successful college basketball game and event for both the shrine and the city. That ended when the event could not secure exempted status from the NCAA, meaning teams could schedule the game without it counting against their regular schedule.

The Hall of Fame brought the Tip-Off back in November, but the format – featuring on-campus games as well as Division II and III games – and ticket pricing led to very low fan turnout. A game between the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and New Mexico State drew just 2,274 fans. Overall, the event drew 4,842 fans over three days, well short of the 12,000 people that organizers had predicted. Basketball capacity for the MassMutual Center is listed at 6,679.

“We’ve done a real honest critique of ourselves about last year,” Doleva said. “We certainly don’t blame Springfield or the community or anyone else but ourselves. But that’s not the reason we’re going to the Mohegan Sun. It’s economics and it’s scheduling.”

For local sports fans, relocation of the tournament will mean missing the chance to see former UMass coach John Calipari and his University of Kentucky Wildcats this fall at the MassMutual Center.

Old Dominion and Penn State will play on Nov. 19 and 20, along with Marist College, Long Island University, South Florida, Vermont and Radford University. Kentucky, Old Dominion, South Florida and Penn State will also host two games each on campus as part of the Tip-Off.

Mitchell Grossinger Etess, chief executive officer of Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said he expects the Tip-Off to return to Uncasville year after year unless it grows big enough for larger arenas like the XL Center in Hartford. The Mohegan Sun Arena can seat 10,000 for basketball. It hosts a lot of games, including the WNBA Connecticut Sun, this weekend’s Connecticut high school championships and a number of college games.

The old Tip-Off Classic grew to be such a big event that the black-tie ball associated with it was too big to fit in one hotel, Picknelly said.

“We had to host it jointly with the Marriott,” Picknelly said.

In 2005 NCAA rules changes made it harder to schedule teams.

The new format with multiple teams takes advantage of NCAA rules and allows teams to play four games with them only counting as one game against the maximum number of games a team is allowed to schedule in a season.

Etess said Mohegan Sun has long had a relationship with the Hall of Fame and has hosted events related to enshrinement weekend for years.

“Really, I think it comes down to dollars and cents for the Hall of Fame,” Etess said. “We are committed to the growth of that facility and its thriving in Springfield. This would give them an opportunity to make the tournament a little bigger and benefit the Hall of Fame.”

Makarowski said organizers have themselves to blame for poor attendance last year. People had to buy tickets for the entire event, not just the games featuring their favorite teams.

“I heard that complaint a lot,” he said. “I wish they would have tweaked the event and made it better here.”

Doleva also noted the ongoing relationship between the Hall of Fame and the Mohegan Sun. Enshrinement week for the Basketball Hall of Fame, for example, features a series of events – public appearances, a press conference, clinics, a tournament and the like – in the city that are capped off by the formal enshrinement ceremonies at the casino

Doleva said the Hall of Fame continues to be very much invested in bringing basketball events to city and points to the six-year run of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as well as the three-year commitment to host the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s and women’s conference championships.

“We like to produce great basketball events and we’re hoping to produce another,” Doleva said.


Ex-crime boss Anthony J. Arillotta details rise in mob family during trial for 3 defendents in Adolfo Bruno's murder

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In an earlier plea agreement, Arillotta has admitted his role in Bruno’s murder as did the man who pulled the trigger, Frankie Roche, of Westfield.

Gallery preview

NEW YORK – Incarcerated former Springfield organized crime boss Anthony J. Arillotta began absorbing the underworld at a young age.

According to testimony in an ongoing mob murder trial in federal court in Manhattan, Arillotta was surrounded by mobsters at his father’s Springfield fruit and vegetable business as a boy. While his uncle was a driver for a local boss, he eased into a life of crime as a young man.

Standing trial for the 2003 murder of Arillotta’s predecessor, Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, and a laundry list of other crimes, are Arillotta’s onetime enforcers and closest friends, Fotios “Freddy” Geas, of West Springfield, his brother Ty Geas, 39, of Westfield, and reputed former acting boss of the New York-based Genovese crime family, Arthur “Artie” Nigro, of Bronx, N.Y.

sct trial 7.jpg Anthony J. Arillotta

In an earlier plea agreement, Arillotta has admitted his role in Bruno’s murder as did the man who pulled the trigger, Frankie Roche, of Westfield.

According to investigators and Arillotta’s own testimony, which began Wednesday afternoon just before 3 p.m. in U.S. District Court, the street-savvy, violent Geases helped him ascend to a position of power in the local rackets in 2003, while Nigro gave the go-ahead for Arillotta to take Bruno out of the mob hierarchy.

Referring to John Bologna, a New York emissary for Nigro who traveled to Springfield every weekend for nearly two years, Arillotta testified that the Geases once dazzled the out-of-towner by beating several people to a pulp outside a downtown Springfield bar in 2002.

“He seen Freddy and Ty fighting and beating kids. He actually seen it with his eyes and he liked it. He said: ‘Keep them close,’” Arillotta told jurors under direct questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark D. Lanpher, who methodically led Arillotta through his ascension through the ranks of the Genovese hierarchy.

In addition with being charged with the 2003 murder-for-hire of Bruno, the Geases are charged with the gruesome shooting and burial of drug dealer Gary D. Westerman (also Arillotta’s brother-in-law) who was killed the same year and dumped in an eight-foot grave in a wooded lot in Agawam. The trio also faces charges of racketeering, extortion and attempted murder.

Arillotta, who also has admitted his role in Westerman’s murder, will surely be the gem of the prosecution’s case, considering he was at the heart of nearly every crime charged in the indictment and will offer a rare, candid glimpse at being a “made guy” in one of New York’s most feared of five crime families.

The 42-year-old Springfield man calmly took the stand in drab khakis and was careful not to look at Nigro or the Geas brothers after he was forced to point them out for the jury. After telling the jury about his current living arrangements – “prison” – he recounted the tides of the organized crime landscape in Springfield since the late 1980s. Bosses came and went. Gaming, loan-sharking and drug-dealing were status quo. He survived a two-year falling out with Bruno after a drug arrest, which angered Bruno since drugs were taboo among Italian mobsters.

He revived his image with Bruno, his former mentor, in the late 1990s, when drug charges were dismissed and he was summonsed to the basement of Bruno’s former restaurant, Cara Mia, for a meeting.

“He was just coming home from jail himself. He wanted to know if I was done dealing in drugs and I said I was. He asked if I wanted to be with him, to be ‘on record’ with him as part of his crew. I said I did,” Arillotta said, although he admitted he just “tightened up” the drug-dealing aspect of his annual revenues afterward.

Arillotta soon became Bruno’s go-to person to bring pricey booze and homemade wine to higher-ups in New York at Christmastime, traveled with him, and ultimately became an usher of sorts to squire New Yorkers around Springfield. This ultimately led to Bruno’s demise, it seems.

Out-of-towners thought Bruno wasn’t “kicking enough (revenue) upstairs” although he had his hand in everything, Arillotta testified.

“You should reach out to these guys (in New York) more because when you’re in trouble, you’re going to need them,” Arillotta recounted, referring to advice passed on to Bruno by other New Yorkers.

Bruno was shot six times by Roche, a paid gunman, on the eve of his 58th birthday outside the Italian-American club he frequented in Springfield’s South End.



Carina Guillermo arrested after Springfield police interrupt her early morning flash-for-cash activities

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Police saw Guillermo repeatedly expose herself to every lone male driver going past her on the street.

Carina guillermo.jpg

SPRINGFIELD – Police arrested a 23-year-old city woman early Wednesday on Dickinson Street after they observed her flashing her breasts at male motorists in a bid to get them to stop so she could offer sex for money, police said.

Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet said Carina Guillermo, 41 Hall St., was charged with indecent exposure, common street walking, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Officers Christopher Goodrow and Felix Perez saw Guillermo standing at Hall and Dickinson streets at about 1 a.m. Every time a car with a lone male occupant drove by, she would open her coat and pull down her tank top, he said.

Goodrow and Perez approached Guillermo, who has a history of prostitution offenses, to tell her to cover up, Delaney said. She was taken into custody when she began shouting and would not calm down, he said.

Dickinson and Hall streets are in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

Walter A. Meissner III announces candidacy for Agawam mayor

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The 53-year-old millwright, who grew up in Agawam, said he is running out of concern for property taxpayers.

030911 Agawam Town Hall CloseupAgawam Town Hall

AGAWAM – Walter A. Meissner III has declared his intention to run for mayor in November’s election.

The 53-year-old millwright, who grew up in Agawam, said he is running out of concern for local property taxpayers.

“I see that the taxpayers get the raw end of the deal. There has got to be a better way,” Meissner said.

The resident of 1178 Suffield St. said he does not understand why taxes always go up.

“When my bills come in I have to adjust the way I live and take care of the bills,” Meissner said.

A 1976 graduate of Agawam High School, Meissner spent 30 months in the Navy in aviation maintenance administration, he said.

For the last 19 years, Meissner said he has worked as a millwright.

He has never held nor sought elective office. His father, Walter A. Meissner Jr., ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1990.

Meissner said he will take out nomination papers to run for mayor as soon as they are available from Town Hall. Mayor Richard A. Cohen has not publicly declared his intentions as far as the mayor’s office is concerned. Former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin has said she might also be interested in a bid for mayor.

Northampton police stop a man on King Street, confiscate loaded crossbow

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Walking downtown with a loaded cross bow is not illegal, said police, but it isn't too smart either.

NORTHAMPTON - A report of a man walking downtown with a gun led police to stop a man on King Street and confiscate a loaded crossbow, police said.

The man was not arrested, but the weapon and arrow were taken into police custody, said Lt. Michael Patenaude.

The arrow was fitted with a hunting tip, used for bringing down game, he said.

No charges were filed, but in the interests of public safety, police took the weapon back to the station, he said.

"It's not illegal but it's not the smartest thing to do," he said.

The man did not tell police why he was walking downtown with a crossbow.

Body found under Interstate 91 bridge in West Springfield; no sign of foul play

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This is the second body found in the area in recent months.

03.17.2011 | WEST SPRINGFIELD - A body found under the Interstate 91 bridge Wednesday evening showed no signs of foul play, police said.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – No foul play is suspected in the death of a man whose body was found under the Interstate 91 bridge Wednesday night.

At 7:40 p.m., two people walking near the Connecticut River called 911 to report the grim discovery.

According to Sgt. Paul Connor, the deceased man's body showed no signs of trauma and detectives are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Connor said detectives have identified the man but they are waiting to release his name until the family can be personally notified.

The bridge where the body was found bisects West Springfield's flood control dike, with the Riverdale Shopping Center to the south and the Olympia Ice Center to the north.

This is the second body found in the area in recent months.

In December, the body of missing Chicopee teenager Queen Ononiua was found was discovered in the wooded area behind the shopping center.

At the time, the West Springfield police department did not disclose a cause of death, but Detective Matthew J. Mattina said there was no sign of foul play.

Connor said the body found Wednesday was located some distance away from where Ononiua's body was found.


This is a developing story. Details will be added as they become available.

Assistant Online Editor Greg Saulmon contributed to this report.

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