The arrest of Correia, 26, outside the Pearl Street bar Tully O’Reilly’s garnered a lot of attention, both inside Northampton and around the world, when video of it was posted on Youtube.

NORTHAMPTON – The Northwestern District Attorney has opted not to prosecute a man arrested during a March 30 bar disturbance with resisting arrest, and is seeking to change a disorderly conduct charge from a criminal to a civil violation.

The arrest of Jonas Correia, 26, outside the Pearl Street bar Tully O’Reilly’s garnered a lot of attention, both inside Northampton and around the world, when video of it was posted on YouTube. The camera operator and other spectators can be heard in the video alleging police brutality and that Correia was singled out because he is black.

The video shows Correia at the moment he is pepper sprayed by police and being tackled in the road. Because of the distance involved, the lighting, and the unsteadiness of the footage as the camera operator walks, it is difficult to see what led to the spraying.

Someone can be heard shouting obscenities as they tell someone to walk away, but it is difficult to tell who is shouting and at whom.

The footage does not show police officers hitting Correa as he is on the ground.
As of Thursday evening, the 5-minute video had been seen more than 75,000 times.

In documents submitted to Northampton District Court on Thursday, assistant District Attorney Michael J. Russo III motioned for a nolle prosequi filing, meaning the prosecution is unwilling to prosecute Correia on the resisting arrest charge.

“After a full review of the evidence, the commonwealth is satisfied that at the time the defendant knew or should have known he was being placed under arrest he offered no resistance to the police.”

A second motion filed by Russo asks the court to convert the second charge, disorderly conduct, from a criminal to a civil infraction. The motion was allowed and the case continued until June 6. Conviction on a civil complaint carries a maximum penalty of a $150 fine.

Footage of the Pearl Street arrest posted to YouTube. Warning: contains profanity.

Northampton lawyer Luke Ryan and William C. Newman, director of the Western Massachusetts office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, hailed the decision not to prosecute.

The ACLU offered to represent Correia in his case in the days following the initial publicity stemming from the video.

“From the outset, we have maintained our confidence in Mr. Correia’s innocence. As today’s dismissal of the complaint shows, he is (innocent), ” Luke and Newman wrote in a prepared statement.

He commended Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan and his staff for dismissing what he called “unwarranted criminal charges.”

“Every district attorney has an ethical and legal obligation to refuse to go forward with a criminal prosecution that the facts show is unwarranted and unjustified,” he said.

Newman called on the Police Department to follow the lead of the DA’s office and dismiss the remaining disorderly conduct charge.

According to police reports filed after the original incident, police were called to Tully O’Reilly’s at 1:30 a.m. for a disturbance. Officers were in the process of arresting one patron when Correia is said to have gotten into an altercation with a bar employee outside the bar.

According to police reports, two officers reported seeing Correa yelling at the employee and then raise his fist and assume a "fighting stance." When officer Christopher Dumas grabbed Correa's wrist to stop him from hitting anyone, police allege that Correa attempted to break free despite commands to stop struggling.

At this point, Sgt. Alan Borowski sprayed him once in the eyes with his pepper spray. Other officers tackled Correa, handcuffed him and put him in the back of squad car, according to reports.

The school will replace the existing Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School.

The old Chicopee High School which is to be converted to a middle school.File photo | The Republican 

CHICOPEE – The City Council has unanimously approved borrowing $37.9 million to renovate the former Chicopee High School and convert it to a middle school, giving the last project approval before construction can begin.

The project received final approvals in April from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which has agreed to reimburse the city 80 percent of the renovation costs up to $30.1 million.

The next step will now be for architects Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc. to draw up final blueprints. The project is expected to go out to bid in December with the hopes students can move in September 2015, said Councilor William M. Zaskey, who is also the chairman of the school’s renovation committee.

The project calls for major structural upgrades in things such as the electrical system and heating and ventilation. New windows will be added, science laboratories and rest rooms will be upgraded, the building will be completely accessible to the disabled, and air conditioning will be installed, he said.

While the inside of the building will look new when completed, the only major structural change will be the cafeteria will be moved and enlarged to handle about 800 middle school students. The exterior will be the same, Zaskey said.

Once the building is completed, the plan is to move students from Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School across the Chicopee River to the renovated school. That school, which is inadequate for middle school students, will then be used for an elementary and early childhood school.

Selser School is then to be used as a permanent home for Chicopee Academy, which is now using the former high school. Officials have not decided how to reuse Szetela School, where the early childhood center now is located, but it has been considered for an administration building.

Before the vote School Committee member Adam D. Lamontagne who serves as the liaison to the City Council, urged members to approve the funding. For years many people have argued there should be a middle school on either side of the Chicopee River instead of about a mile from each other across the city.

Council members had no complaints about the project.

“It will be better to have the kids on both sides of the river,” Councilor Frank N. Laflamme said. He added there should be an about $200,000 annual savings in busing because students will not have to go so far.

Councilor John L. Vieau said he was always concerned the historic and beautiful school would some day be reused as condominiums or something else and is happy with the reuse plan.

“For $7 million we will get a building that is brand new and we are keeping the facade which people in Chicopee are proud of,” Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

The annual Town Meeting is Monday night at 7 in the auditorium of the new Minnechaug Regional High School.

WILBRAHAM - The Board of Selectmen and Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee Chairman D. John McCarthy Thursday night signed an agreement in which the selectmen agreed to provide for the future needs of Memorial School and to make the building available for Wilbraham students if needed in the future.

Currently, enrollment is declining in the regional school district, but a school study said enrollment could increase in the future if a sufficient amount of baby boomers sell their homes to young families.

The School Committee voted to close the school several years ago. The building is currently being leased to Cathedral High School which pays the schools more than $300,000 per year for the building.

School officials and town officials have been arguing over whether the revenue from the lease should go to the town budget or the school budget.

The lease funds have been going to a school department excess and deficiency Account.

This year the school department is applying $600,000 from the excess and deficiency account to help fund the fiscal 2014 school budget.

Boilard said the agreement between the schools and the town has not ironed out the future use of the lease revenues from the Memorial School building.

School officials say they are exhausting the account and are going to need the funds from the lease to pay for future school budgets.

School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said he is planning to reduce the school staff next year by a total of nine teachers to meet the budget appropriation of the school district.

The annual Town Meeting in Wilbraham at which the school budget will be appropriated is set for Monday night at 7 in the auditorium of the new Minnechaug Regional High School.

O’Shea will make a presentation on the school budget at the Town Meeting.

Federal officials became suspicious of Starr when his e-mail was found on a website known to produce kiddie porn videos.

 

SPRINGFIELD - Richard Starr of Westfield was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 3 1/2 years in prison for possessing child pornography, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

Starr, 56, was also sentenced by Judge Michael A. Ponsor to 10 years probation following his release, restitution of $3,800, and to forfeit various computer media.

Starr pleaded guilty in February to possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

Starr was arrested on June 17, 2008 when the FBI was alerted to an e-mail found on a website that specializes in the producing and selling videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activity. The e-mail, which traced back to Starr’s personal e-mail address, inquired about additional videos featuring a 14-year-old girl, officials said.

When agents appeared at his home in Westfield to interview him, he admitted to authoring the e-mail, to purchasing membership at the website and to downloading various images onto his computer, officials said.

The FBI and Westfield police obtained a search warrant for Starr’s computer and DVD collection and found what officials described as tens of thousands of digital and video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicitly conduct.

FBI complaint against Richard Starr

If convicted, Angel Luis Medina, Doel Vega, and Luz Eneida Morales could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD - Three Holyoke residents were charged in U.S. District Court Thursday after a grand jury indicted them in connection with a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone pills in Holyoke, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

Charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone, a controlled substanct, were Angel Luis Medina, 31, Doel Vega, 24, and Luz Eneida Morales.

The indictment alleges that between January 2009 and April 11, the three took part in an operation that sought to distribute illegal pills in Holyoke.

Medina and Vega were among nine people arrested in Holyoke April 11 as part of a multi-agency operation to shut down a trafficking operation.

Participating in the 10-month investigation were U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Holyoke police, Easthampton police, the office of Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni, Hampden County Narcotics Task Force, Hampden County Sheriff's Department, the Massachusetts State Police, FBI, Internal Revenue Service, the United Postal Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Officials said at the time the arrests, the drug operation brought oxycodone to Holyoke from Florida.

Conviction on the conspiracy charge can result in a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Investors are in love with small stocks because they stand a greater chance of surging ahead than large, global companies do if the U.S. economy continues to fare better than Europe and Asia.

Kenneth Polcari, right, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Japan's benchmark stock index surged Friday after the dollar hit a four-year high against the yen. Markets elsewhere gained as traders digested a positive U.S. jobs report. AP Photo/Richard Drew 

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK — Small was beautiful this week.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 15,000 for the first time on Tuesday, then held above that milestone for the next three days. But an index of small-company stocks put the blue-chip gauge to shame week. On Friday, the Russell 2000 closed the week up 2.2 percent, more than double the Dow's gain.

Investors are in love with small stocks because they stand a greater chance of surging ahead than large, global companies do if the U.S. economy continues to fare better than Europe and Asia.

"GDP growth was 2.5 percent in the first quarter — not spectacular, but better than Europe," said Joseph Tanious, global market strategist of J.P. Morgan Funds. "Europe is sucking wind."

On Friday, the Dow, an index of 30 large-company stocks including global giants like IBM and Caterpillar, rose 35.87 points to close at 15,118.49 after flitting between gains and losses most of the day.

The Dow's meager gain of 0.2 percent was trumped by the 0.9 percent advance in the Russell 2000. The small-company index rose 8.90 points to 975.16. Both indexes, as well as the Standard & Poor's 500, closed at record highs. All three rose for a third straight week.

The sharp increase in small-company stocks is also a sign that investors are more willing to take on risk. Small stocks can offer investors greater returns, but they are also more volatile than large stocks.

Dow stocks were held back by falling commodity prices. Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Alcoa — all Dow members whose fortunes are tied to the prices of crude oil and other basic materials — closed down 1 percent or more.

The price of commodities including crude oil and gold fell sharply as the dollar strengthened against other currencies, especially the Japanese yen. When the dollar rises against other currencies, it tends to weaken demand for commodities. Since commodities are priced in dollars, buyers using other currencies get less for their money when the dollar appreciates, and they respond by buying less.

Stocks have benefited from record-high corporate profits. Nearly all companies in the S&P 500 have reported first quarter earnings. The average net income for companies in the index is expected to rise 5 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ, a research firm.

"The talk at the end of April was company earnings are slowing," said Gary Flam, who manages stock portfolios at Bel Air Investment Advisors. "But clearly that's not been the case in the first ten days."

The S&P rose every day since the beginning of the month until Thursday, when it fell six points.

Flam speculates that stocks are rising partly because investors have shifted from fear to greed.

"The last few years, risk was defined as losing money," he said. "The last few months, it's been defined as not making money."

In another sign that investors were embracing risk, prices for ultra-safe U.S. government bonds fell, sending their yields higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose sharply, to 1.90 percent from 1.81 percent late Thursday.

The gains in the stock market were broad. Nine of the ten industry groups in the S&P 500 index were higher. Health care stocks rose the most, 1.1 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index was up 27.41 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 3,436.58.

One dollar was worth 101.58 yen, more than the 100.54 yen it bought late Thursday. The yen has been weakening since last fall as the Bank of Japan floods the Japanese economy with cash in an effort to shake the country out of a two-decade slump.

Japanese stocks surged. A weaker yen is a boon to Japanese exporters of cars, electronics and other goods because they can charge cheaper prices in overseas markets. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.9 percent to close at 14,607, its highest level since January 2008.

Prices for crude oil and gold fell. Crude fell 35 cents to $96.04 a barrel in New York, a loss of 0.4 percent. Gold fell $32 to $1,436 an ounce, or 2.2 percent.

Among stocks in the news:

• Priceline.com and chip maker Nvidia both rose about 4 percent after reporting higher earnings. Priceline jumped $27.91 to $765 and Nvidia was up 63 cents to $14.54.
• Clothing store chain Gap rose after reporting higher sales in April and predicting first-quarter earnings that were higher than financial analysts expected. Gap rose $2.18 to $40.99, or 5.6 percent.
• True Religion Apparel, known for high-priced jeans, rose $2.38, or 8 percent, to $31.82 after announcing it had agreed to a buyout offer of about $826 million from the investment management firm TowerBrook Capital Partners LP.
• Dell climbed after activist investor Carl Icahn and another big investor fighting founder Michael Dell's offer to take the company private launched another broadside against the plan. In a letter to Dell's board, they proposed a deal that would keep the company public and pay shareholders cash or stock worth $12 a share. Dell rose 13 cents, or 1 percent, to $13.45 per share.

Sponsoring the event are the bank, firefighters, a shredding company and a program that teaches safety skills to protect children.

Westfield Savings Bank, the Fire Department and other groups are teaming up for a free paper-shredding day Saturday at the bank's 1642 Northampton St. branch.(James Estrin/The New York Times, file photo)  

HOLYOKE -- Free paper shredding and bicycle helmet fittings will be available Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Westfield Savings Bank, 1642 Northampton St.

A fire truck display with Sparky the Firedog, cotton candy and popcorn also will be available, said a press release from the office of Mayor Alex B. Morse.

The event is sponsored by Westfield Savings Bank, the Fire Department, PROSHRED of Springfield and the Safety Village Program, a national program that teaches safety skills to prevent childhood accidents and injuries.

The investigation is continuing, police said.

The scene of the car crash Thursday night on Springfield Street in the Three Rivers section of Palmer.Photo by CBS 3 Springfield 

PALMER — A 2001 Chevy Cavalier crashed into a four-family home at 88 Springfield St. in the Three Rivers section Thursday night, and police are continuing to investigate.

Police said Chelsey J. Wasilausky, 23, of Moulton Hill Road, Monson, was driving east on Thursday about 7 p.m. when she crossed into the westbound lane and struck the home's front porch and foundation. She also hit a utility pole, police said.

Wasilausky and her passenger were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Sgt. Christopher J. Burns said the crash broke a sewer pipe into the home.

No residents were injured, police said. The state Building Inspector arrived on scene Thursday night to evaluate the damage.

In Ludlow and Chicopee the grants will be used to abate asbestos.

BOSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $12 million in brownfields grants to protect people’s health and create a cleaner environment in New England communities.

The grants provide communities with funding necessary to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

In Massachusetts, the Westmass Area Development Corporation in Ludlow has received two cleanup grants totaling $400,000 and the city of Chicopee has received a $200,000 cleanup grant.

Kenneth Delude 

“This was a very competitive grant application,” said Kenneth Delude, president of Westmass Area Development Corp. “We are very proud to be one of the recipients in Massachusetts.”

Delude said the $400,000 grant will be used to abate asbestos in two large mill buildings on the Ludlow Mills site.

“The buildings will come down,” Delude said, as preparation work for marketing the property to future industrial tenants.

Delude said Westmass currently is facing a challenging economic environment for attracting small businesses. He said the site preparation work will be complete by the time the economy improves.

The new $27 million HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Massachusetts, which broke ground last September on the Ludlow Mills site, will be completed later this year, Delude said.

WinnDevelopment’s planned $20 million senior housing complex should be built next year, Delude said.

The city of Chicopee will receive a $200,000 brownfields cleanup grant for the administration building of the Uniroyal property in Chicopee Falls.

The grant will be used for the clean up of asbestos and lead paint, said Lee Pouliot, a planner in the Chicopee Office of Community Development.

Chicopee is planning RiverMills at Chicopee Falls, which will be a mixed use project including retail, office and residential development.

Detour signs are posted to redirect drivers around the highways ramps being reconstructed.

 

HOLYOKE -- The on-ramp at Interstate 391 South at Main Street will be closed Monday and possibly Tuesday for construction.

The job is going faster than anticipated and should be done by Wednesday. Reconstruction of the off-ramp at I-391 North was completed in days last week, a press release from City Engineer Matthew J. Sokop said Thursday.

Orange detour signs have been posted to direct drivers around the closed ramps.

Speaking before 600 of the state's business leaders, Patrick pushed his plan to raise taxes in order to fund investments in transportation and education.

WALTHAM — Speaking before 600 of the state’s business leaders, Gov. Deval Patrick made the case for his plan to raise taxes in order to fund investments in transportation and education.

“I have proposed to invest in transportation and education because they are tried and true means by which government can help you grow jobs and opportunities,” Patrick, a Democrat, said at the annual meeting of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the state’s major pro-business trade association, at the Waltham Westin Hotel. “And I have proposed to do so by asking those who earn a little bit more to pay a little more.”

With his budget proposals under consideration in the state legislature, Patrick indicated what he will be looking for in new revenues in any final bill. He pinpointed several areas where he disagrees with the recent transportation bill passed by the House.

Patrick has been pushing for increased transportation funding of around $1 billion a year. Originally, he wanted to raise the income tax and lower the sales tax, but that proposal got little traction in the Legislature. The House and Senate ultimately passed bills that would fund transportation needs by raising the gas and cigarette taxes.

Lawmakers are working to reconcile the House bill, which would raise $500 million a year, and the Senate bill, which would raise $800 million a year. Patrick has said he would veto the House version.

Patrick has also been pushing for large increases in funding for public higher education.

On Friday, Patrick pushed his pro-tax message. He listed a number of concerns of Massachusetts residents, ranging from the challenge of paying for college or keeping a job to the reliability of the state’s rail system. “Part of the solution to every one of the challenges I just mentioned includes taxes,” Patrick said.

Patrick said he and other officials must make government more efficient, accountable and innovative. He said his administration already has eliminated 6,000 state government jobs, consolidated agencies and reformed the state pension system. But at the same time, he said, “Citizens who want and need public services to grow jobs and opportunity are also not off the hook when it’s time to talk about how to pay for those services.”

Patrick called the Senate transportation bill “a significant step” in the direction of generating the money needed to deliver a “safe, functional, modern transportation system.”

Patrick was more critical of the House bill. He said he will have a hard time accepting a bill that would pay for transportation by diverting money from other areas, including education. He said he opposes provisions of the House bill that cut funding for early education and cut funding for “innovation schools,” in-district, charter-like schools that allow more flexibility on things like curriculum and staffing.

He criticized the House bill for not taking steps to make public universities more affordable.

When considering the transportation bill that ultimately comes out of a conference committee, Patrick said his focus will be on whether the state can rely on the new revenue resources in the future; whether the revenues are real and can support sustained investment over a decade; and how soon the new resources will become available.

Patrick is also asking the legislature to give the executive branch authority to make additional reforms to achieve savings, including: tort reform to give transportation agencies the same liability as other state government agencies; flexibility with using toll revenue and inspection fees to cross-subsidize transportation systems; authority to procure electricity for the entire transportation network on the same terms that are used for the MBTA; and the ability to reform a process for approving surface transportation projects.

Patrick’s call for renewed investment in transportation and education was met with praise from several business leaders, but some were also skeptical of Patrick’s push for higher taxes.

Lynn Ostrowski, director of brand and corporate relations for Health New England in Springfield, said as someone who lives in Western Massachusetts, she recognizes the importance of public transportation in allowing residents to work in other parts of the state. She is also a strong advocate for education. But, she said, “We need to be careful with the amount we increase taxes.”

Ostrowski said with the economy still fragile, she is not sure families and businesses can afford to pay higher taxes without hindering the economic recovery.

“Before we implement new taxes, we need to look at the costs…what it looks like to individuals, families and small businesses that are looking to expand their businesses but are inhibited by new taxes,” Ostrowski said.

Doug Feinburg, owner of Thunder Sky, a Cambridge marketing agency, said he wants to see taxes balanced with government efficiency. Feinburg said while he likes Patrick’s focus on transportation, state transportation projects often seem to take a long time and cost an inordinate amount of money.

“They say they want more money. I want to know how money is being used currently,” Feinburg said.

Bob Smith, director of government affairs for Western Massachusetts Electric, said he likes that Patrick is trying to grow the economy. “Whatever we can do to grow the economy is very important to us,” Smith said. But asked about the need for new taxes, Smith said the state needs to “try to strike the right balance.”

“Taxes affect everyone,” he said.

MGM representatives said the casino company will mitigate impacts on surrounding communities.

LUDLOW - Representatives from MGM Resorts International told members of the Board of Selectmen to make their concerns known about having MGM as a neighbor in Springfield’s South End.

Selectmen said they are concerned about an increase in traffic due to the casino and the additional housing pressures the community could face.

Frank Fitzgerald, an attorney representing MGM, told the selectmen to formally register their concerns with MGM.

MGM will mitigate impacts on surrounding communities, he said.

If Ludlow has particular concerns, it should contact MGM directly, he said.

Carmina Fernandes 

Selectman Carmina Fernandes said traffic backs up over the Putts Bridge, which connects Ludlow to Indian Orchard.

“We could use a second bridge,” she said.

Selectmen said they also are concerned about increased traffic pressure at Exit 7, the Ludlow exit off the Massachusetts Turnpike.

“We also are concerned about housing pressures and appreciate your willingness to work with the town, individually,” Selectman Aaron Saunders said.

MGM representative Charles Irving that while 20,000 people per day are expected to visit the casino in the South End of Springfield if it is licensed by the state, visitors are not likely to be traveling during rush hour.

The proposed casino would be open 24 hours a day. It will have a free parking garage.

The casino would be built as an “inside-out casino,” Irving said, with restaurants facing out onto Main Street.

The casino, which is to include a 20-story hotel, also has plans for outside entertainment and will bring 3,000 jobs to the Springfield area, Irving said.

Irving said that with MGM properties, less than 40 percent of revenues come from gaming. Restaurants, hotel rooms and entertainment also provide significant revenue, he said.

“This is significant development to a tornado-devastated site,” he said.

In a statement Friday, O'Malley said abortion is "a crime against humanity" and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked Catholic institutions not to honor officials who promote it.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley give holy communion during a Mass at the Cathedral of The Holy Cross in Boston, in honor of victims from Boston Marathon bombings and the death of MIT Officer, Sean Collier on Sunday, April 21, 2013. The Cardinal said Friday that he won't attend Boston College's graduation because the Jesuit school's commencement speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, supports legislation to permit abortion. AP Photo/Boston Herald, Faith Ninivaggi 

By JAY LINDSAY

BOSTON — Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley said Friday that he won't attend Boston College's graduation because the Jesuit school's commencement speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, supports legislation to permit abortion.

The bill allows abortion if a doctor authorizes it to save a women's life. Opponents say the bill would lead to widespread abortion by also allowing it if a woman threatens suicide.

In a statement Friday, O'Malley said abortion is "a crime against humanity" and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked Catholic institutions not to honor officials who promote it. Kenny is set to receive an honorary degree from BC at the May 20 commencement.

O'Malley said that since Boston College hasn't withdrawn its invitation, and Kenny hasn't declined it, "I shall not attend the graduation."

"It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the confusion, disappointment and harm caused by not adhering to the bishops' directives," he said.

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn said the school respects O'Malley and regrets he won't attend graduation. "However, we look forward to our commencement and to Prime Minister Kenny's remarks," he said in a statement.

Dunn said Kenny was invited to BC because of his country's historically close relationship with the college and that the school "supports the church's commitment to the life of the unborn."

Kenny has said the bill affirms, rather than weakens, Ireland's general prohibition against abortion.

"Our aim is to protect the lives of women and their unborn babies by clarifying the circumstances in which doctors can intervene where a woman's life is at risk," he said in a May 1 speech.

An email requesting comment was sent to Kenny's office in Dublin on Friday and a voicemail requesting comment was left with an Irish Consulate-General in the U.S. Neither was immediately returned.

Ireland has the toughest abortion restrictions in Europe under an 1861 law that makes it a crime punishable by life in prison.

In 1992, its Supreme Court ruled abortion should be legal only if doctors determine it's needed to save the woman's life. But voters rejected two referendums, in 1992 and 2002, to allow abortion to stop a physical threat to a woman's life, not including suicide.

The latest bill is being debated following last year's death of Savita Halappanavar, who was 17 weeks pregnant when she was hospitalized at the start of a protracted miscarriage. She died of massive organ failure after doctors refused her request for an abortion.

The bill permits a single doctor to authorize an abortion if the woman's life is in immediate danger, requires two doctors' approval if a pregnancy poses a potentially lethal risk and mandates three doctors' approval if the woman is threatening suicide.

O'Malley said the Irish bishops have concluded the bill "represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law."

Last year, another Catholic college in Massachusetts was involved in a similar controversy after the Bishop of Worcester (Mass.) pressured Anna Maria College in Paxton to rescind an invitation to U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy's widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, to deliver its commencement address. Bishop Robert McManus objected to Kennedy's public support for abortion rights and gay marriage.

Kennedy later accepted the Boston College School of Law's invitation to give the keynote address at commencement.

If found guilty, Christopher Hoffman faces up to 20 years in jail on the charge of witness tampering through intimidation and up to three years in prison on a less serious count of witness tampering through attempted harassment.

WORCESTER – After about four hours of deliberations, jurors on Friday failed to reach a verdict in the witness-intimidation trial of the acting chief probation officer for Hampshire Superior Court.

The jury of 10 men and two women will return on Monday to begin deliberating again at U.S. District Court in Worcester. Jurors took up the case at about noon on Friday, after listening to closing statements in the morning from prosecutors and a defense lawyer.

Christopher Hoffman is shown leaving U.S. District Court in Worcester.The Republican photo by Dan Ring 

Hoffman elected not to testify in his own defense during the trial, which began on Monday before Judge Timothy S. Hillman.

A small parade of probation officers and support staff from Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties testified during the trial, which often focused on a system of hiring in the state Probation Department that favored connected people such as Hoffman.

Hoffman is charged with one count of intimidating and one count of attempting to harass Maureen Adams, of Goshen, a probation officer under his supervision who was interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into alleged fraudulent hiring practices within the state Probation Department.

Hoffman is charged with warning Adams, “I’m going to tell everyone you are a rat,” both before and after a meeting that Adams had with a special agent of the FBI in October 2011.

During his closing argument, Hoffman’s lawyer, Vincent A. Bongiorni of Springfield, attacked the credibility of Adams, who testified for three hours on Wednesday.

He said Adams had “an ax to grind,” because Hoffman was promoted ahead of her. Adams did not like Hoffman and she was jealous of his success in probation, Bongiorni told jurors.

“She blamed him for everything that was wrong in her life,” Bongiorni said.

Carrie Mazza, right, a probation officer at Springfield District Court, was among probation officers to testify in the trial of an acting chief probation officer in US District Court in Worcester. The Republican photo by Dan Ring 

Hoffman and his parents were good friends with William H. Burke III, of Hatfield, the indicted former state deputy probation commissioner who controlled much of the hiring and promotions in probation in Western Massachusetts. Hoffman rose quickly through the ranks of probation, jumping from probation officer in Hampshire Superior to the acting chief’s job in just three years.

“There’s no question there was political favoritism in hiring and promotion at the probation department,” Bongiorni said. “He (Hoffman) benefited from it, sure. Maureen resented it.”

In her closing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin M. Bell said Hoffman made repeated statements over two days in an attempt to persuade Adams to withhold the truth from the FBI.

“All these statements were made to silence Maureen Adams, to prevent her from being forthcoming with the FBI,” Bell said.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz launched an investigation of probation in Western Massachusetts after extensive reports in 2010 by The Boston Globe and then independent counsel Paul F. Ware Jr. of Boston that alleged a hiring system that benefited candidates recommended mostly by state legislators.

Bell said Hoffman had a strong motive to make intimidating and harassing statements to Adams. Hoffman was nervous he could lose his job and he also wanted to protect Burke, she said.

“He knew the FBI would ask about his relationship with William Burke,” Bell said. “He wanted to plant a seed to influence what she said.”

As part of the investigation into hiring practices at probation, Burke, along with former probation commissioner John J. O’Brien and former second deputy probation commissioner Elizabeth V. Tavares, was charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery All three have pleaded innocent to the charges.

If found guilty, Hoffman faces up to 20 years in jail on the charge of witness tampering through intimidation and up to three years in prison on the less serious count of witness tampering through attempted harassment.

Kenneth Chenault told graduates to take risk and serve a higher purpose

AMHERST — Kenneth I. Chenault, the chairman and CEO of American Express, told the largest graduating class in University of Massachusetts history to take risks but also aim to serve a higher purpose.

Chenault was the keynote speaker at Friday’s 144th undergraduate ceremonies at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. He also received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

“Risk is something you’ve got to embrace. Because now more than ever, it can’t be avoided,” he said. “When you take a risk, expect others to question you, and they should. You’re going to be faced with choices that only you can make.”

“The most successful people I’ve met all aim to serve a higher purpose," Chenault said. He said his colleagues know that he believes that “service is a noble calling. It’s a simple belief, but it keeps me challenged to do better every day and it motivates thousands of my colleagues around the world.”

He said gradates want a good job. “Yes you want to do great work, but what do you really want to achieve? What kind of difference do you really want to make? The mission matters,” he said.

UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, speaking at his first undergraduate commencement, said he was sending the class off "with great confidence in your ability to touch lives in communities near and far. For 150 years, UMass Amherst students have been bright, bold, unconventional thinkers. You carry that flagship legacy forward with you to make an impact in the wider world.”

Subbaswamy also asked for a moment of silence to remember the victims and aftermath of last month's bombings in Boston.

Security for the UMass commencement was increased following the bombings at the Boston Marathon. State police roamed the crowds with dogs, and bags were searched. UMass Police Chief John Horvath wanted the increased police presence as a precaution, said spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski. In addition, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency provided a support vehicle.

Graduates, many facing an uncertain future, are optimistic.

Hannah Chapdelaine, a 22-year-old from Springfield, is the first in her family to graduate from college. She has a degree in English. She hopes to teach and go to graduate school. But first she’s moving back home and plans to get a job for a year to pay off her debt, which, she said, is basically the cost of the four years at UMass. “I am proud," she said. "I didn’t think this day would come ... It was a big accomplishment. I love English, I think it’s important.” She said she's a little anxious but hopeful about her future.

Her friend Luangie Bou-Montes, 22, of Northampton, also earned a degree in English. She plans to travel next year. “I want to get as far away as possible,” Bou-Montes said. She took four years of Japanese and hopes to teach English in Japan. She too feels she’ll find work and will likely return to graduate school. “I’m really excited,” she said.

Caitlin Hoyt, 23, also of Northampton, had a major in art with a focus on animation. She has a job this summer at a studio in Boston teaching digital media. “I’d love to be part of the studio,” she said.

Anthony Cuoco, 22, of Littleton, spent a semester teaching at Amherst Regional High School and found his passion, he said. He studied government, but wants to teach history now that he is certified. He is working in a camp this summer and has job interviews lined up. “I’m very optimistic. With the experience I had at Amherst I have skills,” he said. He credited teacher Chris Gould for inspiring him.

In the morning, more than 1,200 doctoral and master’s degrees were awarded at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center.

Hank J. Porten, outgoing president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and its parent corporation, Valley Health Systems, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Traffic overwhelmingly was the main concern, as the proposed casino would be built across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 interchange on Route 32, an area considered congested now.

PALMER — They wanted to hear the good and the bad associated with a casino, and they got it.

The non-profit Partners for a Healthier Community held a community health assessment Thursday night at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School to consider health and quality of life issues associated with casinos. They asked the dozen residents in attendance to outline their concerns, both positive and negative, so the findings can be delivered to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in November.

"We want to get a whole picture of what this is going to look like," Katheen L. Szegda, project manager of the health assessments for Partners for a Healthier Community, said.

Traffic overwhelmingly was the main concern, as the proposed Mohegan Sun Massachusetts resort casino would be built across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 interchange on Route 32, an area considered congested now. That was followed by increased jobs (a positive) and effects on families such as addiction problems and domestic violence (negatives).

Gerald L. Chudy, owner of Chudy Oil in Three Rivers, said he sees some positive health impacts associated with a casino, namely people having jobs and "not being stressed out about not having a job."

Chudy said he's concerned about the lack of jobs now for high school and college graduates. He said it seems there is a "brain drain" in Western Massachusetts with young adults leaving the area in search of good-paying jobs.

Lawrence G. Dixon hears from residents about potential health impacts from a casino at a forum Thursday in Palmer.Photo by Lori Stabile / The Republican 

Two more health assessments will be held in West Springfield and Springfield, communities where casinos also are being proposed – on dates yet to be determined. A forum slated for Monday in West Springfield has been cancelled, Szegda said. She said that this is the only region in the commonwealth undertaking an examination of health impacts.

Partners for a Healthier Community will not make a recommendation as to which casino operator should be selected, Szegda said. Additional meetings may be held and a survey also may be developed.

The forum was not meant to debate the merits of casino gambling, although a few residents made their negative views known.

In attendance were Iris L. Cardin and Charlotte Burns, co-presidents of Quaboag Valley Against Casinos, as well as Jennifer L. Baruffaldi, spokeswoman for the pro-casino group Citizens for Jobs and Growth in Palmer, and Peter J. Schultz, Mohegan Sun Massachusetts' project coordinator.

Cardin called casinos "unhealthy" and said they ruin families. She expressed concerns about traffic and increased pollution from a casino, as did Burns.

Contractor Lawrence G. Dixon, who is working with Partners for a Healthier Community on the assessments, explained that they could make recommendations to social service agencies, or the gaming commission itself, regarding their findings.

Szegda said they received a $75,000 grant for the health impact project, which is a collaboration from the Pew Charitable Trust and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Casino licenses are expected to be awarded in February.

The answers to some concerns cited by residents are not known – will property values rise or fall with a casino?; will existing businesses be driven out?; will there be a drain on town services?; will Mohegan have its own emergency response team on site?

At-large Town Councilor Paul E. Burns, who is serving on the health assessment committee with Palmer Health Agent Joshua Mathieu, who also was in attendance, said Palmer is looking at holding a vote on the casino question in September or October. A host community agreement between Mohegan and the town is expected to be inked in July, which will include specifics on mitigation.

Paul Burns, no relation to Charlotte, said he sees potential improvements in public safety if a casino comes to town, such as a full-time fire department for the first time in town history.

Gould, an Amherst native, has 30 years experience in municipal and college law enforcement.

Ralph Gould Jr. Courtesy of Mount Holyoke College 

SOUTH HADLEY – Ralph J. “Buddy” Gould Jr. has been named as the new chief of police for Mount Holyoke, Smith and Hampshire colleges, the colleges announced Friday.

Gould, the director of public safety at Holyoke Community College since 2006, will now be in charge of public safety at the three colleges. Smith, Mount Holyoke and Hampshire merged their public safety departments in 2009 as a way of consolidating resources, eliminating redundancy and saving money.

He will assume the new post on June 24.

"I am delighted that Buddy will be our next chief of campus police," said Ben Hammond, Mount Holyoke’s vice president of finance and administration.

"His leadership of public safety and police on the campus of HCC exemplifies his commitment to community policing, support of the mission of the institution, and dedication to the safety and security of faculty, staff and students," Hammond said.

Hammond also said Gould has significant experience in disaster and emergency planning, as well as management and officer training.

Gould has 30 years’ experience in law enforcement as a police officer in Amherst, Belchertown and Hadley and as a campus officer at Amherst College and Holyoke Community.

Gould, an Amherst native, said he was honored to be selected to lead public safety for the three colleges.

“The opportunity to serve these campuses that are so rich in history, culture and diversity is the pinnacle of my professional career," he said. "From everyone I’ve met and spoken with, I can see the Campus Police are held in high regard, and I will strive to continue and, where possible, enhance that image and level of service. “

He succeeds Robert Smith who stepped down last year. Since then, Raymond LaBarre has served as interim chief.

Northampton Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz issued a statement Friday that asserted his officers did nothing wrong in arresting Correia.

NORTHAMPTON - One day after announcing his office would not pursue criminal prosecution of Jonas Correia, whose arrest outside a downtown bar in March was caught on video and posted on the Internet, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said police were correct to arrest Correia for disorderly conduct.

Sullivan issued a statement in support of the police for the March 31 arrest outside Tully O'Reilly's, an pub at Pearl and Pleasant streets.

He said that based on an independent review of all witness statements, police reports and of the video, his office concluded the police had probable cause to arrest Correia.

“In light of the circumstances surrounding his arrest and their own internal policies, the police used no more force than was necessary to affect the arrest,” Sullivan said in his statement.

The arrest of Correia, 26, outside the Pearl Street bar Tully O’Reilly’s garnered a lot of attention, both inside Northampton and around the world, when video of it was posted on YouTube. The camera operator and other spectators can be heard in the video alleging police brutality and that Correia was singled out because he is black.

The video shows Correia at the moment he is pepper sprayed by police and being tackled in the road. Because of the distance involved, the lighting, and the unsteadiness of the footage as the camera operator walks, it is difficult to see what led to the spraying.

Someone can be heard shouting obscenities as they tell someone to walk away, but it is difficult to tell who is shouting and at whom.

The footage does not show police officers hitting Correia as he is on the ground.

As of Thursday evening, the 5-minute video had been seen more than 75,000 times.

Footage of the Pearl Street arrest posted to YouTube. Warning: contains profanity.

In documents submitted to Northampton District Court on Thursday, assistant District Attorney Michael J. Russo III motioned for a nolle prosequi filing, meaning the prosecution is unwilling to prosecute Correia on the resisting arrest charge.

“After a full review of the evidence, the commonwealth is satisfied that at the time the defendant knew or should have known he was being placed under arrest he offered no resistance to the police.”

A second motion filed by Russo asks the court to convert the second charge, disorderly conduct, from a criminal to a civil infraction. The motion was allowed and the case continued until June 6. Conviction on a civil complaint carries a maximum penalty of a $150 fine.

Sullivan said his office was choosing to drop the resisting arrest charge because once it became apparent to Correia that he was under arrest, “he offered no resistance to the police,” Sullivan said.

As for the disorderly conduct charge, Sullivan said the district attorney’s office under state law is able to request that misdemeanor criminal offenses be treated as a civil infraction, putting it on par with a speeding ticket.

Northampton lawyer Luke Ryan and William C. Newman, director of the Western Massachusetts office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, hailed the decision not to prosecute.

The ACLU offered to represent Correia in his case in the days following the initial publicity stemming from the video.

“From the outset, we have maintained our confidence in Mr. Correia’s innocence. As today’s dismissal of the complaint shows, he is (innocent), “ Luke and Newman wrote in a prepared statement.

He commended Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan and his staff for dismissing what he called “unwarranted criminal charges.”

“Every district attorney has an ethical and legal obligation to refuse to go forward with a criminal prosecution that the facts show is unwarranted and unjustified,” he said.

Newman called on the Police Department to follow the lead of the DA’s office and dismiss the remaining disorderly conduct charge.

According to police reports filed after the original incident, police were called to Tully O’Reilly’s at 1:30 a.m. for a disturbance. Officers were in the process of arresting one patron when Correia is said to have gotten into an altercation with a bar employee outside the bar.

According to police reports, two officers reported seeing Correia yelling at the employee and then raise his fist and assume a “fighting stance.” When officer Christopher Dumas grabbed Correia’s wrist to stop him from hitting anyone, police allege that Correia attempted to break free despite commands to stop struggling.

At this point, Sgt. Alan Borowski sprayed him once in the eyes with his pepper
spray. Other officers tackled Correia, handcuffed him and put him in the back of squad car, according to reports. 

Northampton Police Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz issued a statement Friday that asserted his officers did nothing wrong in arresting Correia.

“The department’s internal review of the incident and the officers actions has been completed. No misconduct was identified as the response was in compliance with our use of force and arrest policies as established under the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission standards as well as the Massachusetts Police Training Council’s guidelines,” he said.

Of the decision by the district attorney to drop criminal complaints against Correia, Sienkiewicz called it “a common practice” to decriminalize misdemeanors for first-time offenders. 

“In this case, (Correia) is being treated no differently than any similar situated person,” he said.

The group of 28 town elected officials voted unanimously in favor of a plan that would construct a new building in the same location.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A task force of elected officials in Newtown on Friday recommended tearing down Sandy Hook Elementary School, the school where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed in December, and rebuilding on the same site.

The group of 28 town elected officials voted unanimously in favor of a plan that would construct a new building in the same location.

The proposal now goes to the local school board, which has final authority.

The panel had narrowed a list of choices to renovating or rebuilding on the school site or building a new school on property down the street. Each would cost between about $48 million and $60 million.

The 430 surviving students are attending a renovated school renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School in the neighboring town of Monroe.

Officials had said that whatever choice is made, a new or renovated school wouldn't be ready by Aug. 27, the start of the next school year.

A study found building a new school on the existing site would cost $57 million.

Sandy Hook Elementary School hasn't housed students since the killings. Some town residents said the school should be torn down because they couldn't imagine sending children back there. Others favored renovating the school, with some saying that tearing it down would be a victory for evil.

Residents of towns where other mass school shootings occurred have grappled with the same dilemma. Some have renovated, some have demolished.

Columbine High School in Colorado, where two student gunmen killed 12 schoolmates and a teacher in 1999, reopened several months afterward. Crews removed the library, where most of the victims died, and replaced it with an atrium.

Virginia Tech converted a classroom building where a student gunman killed 30 people in 2007 into a peace studies and violence prevention center. And an Amish community in Pennsylvania tore down the West Nickel Mines Amish School and built a new school a few hundred yards away after a gunman killed five girls there in 2006.

On the morning of Dec. 14, gunman Adam Lanza, who had killed his mother at their Newtown home, went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing the 20 children and the six adults. He killed himself as police arrived at the school.

The school shooting, one of the deadliest in U.S. history, has spurred national debate about gun control and Second Amendment rights.

Police have not disclosed possible motives for the Newtown killings. Law enforcement officials have said Lanza showed an interest in other mass killings and played violent video games.

Applicants will be notified in writing by June 17.

MONSON - Monson Public Schools will accept school choice applications from now until June 7.

Applications can only be obtained from the superintendent’s office, where they must be returned. If necessary, a public lottery will be held on June 12 at 11 a.m. in the superintendent’s office at Quarry Hill Community School, 43 Margaret St.

Applicants will be notified in writing by June 17. Applicants must return acceptance forms and signed release forms by June 21 to hold their slot. Failure to return both forms by the due date will result in placement on the waiting list.