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Bench removal sparks demonstration in Northampton

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NORTHAMPTON — It was less a sit in and more a stand under your umbrella protest, as a social media organized group of activists demonstrated against the removal of public benches from the busy Main Street shopping corridor Saturday morning. The call for action was dampened by cold, wind-driven rain, however. Nearly 40 protesters set up their own "benches," setting...

Hamp.JPGDemonstrators protested the removal of benches in Northampton, Saturday. The benches were removed after residents complained that they were being monopolized by the homeless. 
NORTHAMPTON — It was less a sit in and more a stand under your umbrella protest, as a social media organized group of activists demonstrated against the removal of public benches from the busy Main Street shopping corridor Saturday morning. The call for action was dampened by cold, wind-driven rain, however.

Nearly 40 protesters set up their own "benches," setting out patio chairs for anyone to sit on, at two of the bare concrete pads that once served as bases for the city's metal benches.

Benjamin F.C.Taylor, one of the organizers, said the decision to take six of the city's 16 public benches out of the busiest pedestrian area of the city amounted to classism.
"I am upset that they made this decision the way they did," he said. "They are hiding the homeless, the panhandlers, the indigent. This is not a mall. This is a town."

Taylor said downtown businesses are "scapegoating" the poor for declining sales and the removal of the benches is a self-defeating move.

"That misses the point they are trying to make. For 80 percent of us the recession is still going on," he said. "We are all feeling stagnant wages. They can't blame the panhandlers and the poor."

Bet Power set his lawn chair and sign in the most prominent place he could find.
"I'm here to fight classism," he said. "The begging poor need places to sit as well as any other. When they took out the benches they hurt all the people of Northampton. They leave no place for anyone to sit and enjoy the city."

Some 1,100 people signed on to a Facebook page calling for the demonstration.
"Enough is enough!" the page read. "It's time to SIT DOWN! No Classist War on the Poor in Noho!"

Employees of the city's Business Improvement District unbolted the benches on May 15 and put them into storage. BID Director Daniel Yacuzzo said that while the benches were installed for the comfort of all downtown pedestrians, they had become "a campground for the very few."

Mayor David Narkewicz said he approved the removal after he received numerous complaints about the homeless and panhandlers monopolizing the benches.
"It is an issue of people using them to store their stuff," he said. "They are not available to the public."

But not all downtown business people or city officials are behind the move to remove the benches. Peter Vogel, owner of Faces, a longtime Main Street mainstay, was concerned that one branch of the demonstration set up directly in front of his store, and that might send the wrong message about the store.

"Faces does not support the removal of the benches," Vogel said.

City Council President William Dwight said he was troubled by the mayor's order.
"I am disappointed by the message it transmits," he said. "While I am sympathetic, I am disturbed by the tone. It is being read it as some enjoying privilege and some not. I understand the pressures on the downtown businesses, I still feel the removal of the benches was misguided."

Dwight said the City Council is drafting an ordinance to restore the benches.


Thousands walk, run final mile of Boston Marathon

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Rosy Spraker was only a half-mile from the finish line of her seventh Boston Marathon when the bombs went off. She received her medal later in the mail at her Lorton, Va., home. But she couldn't bring herself to wear it until Saturday, when she and thousands of other athletes joined victims of the blast to run and walk the last mile of the race.


BOSTON — Rosy Spraker was only a half-mile from the finish line of her seventh Boston Marathon when the bombs went off. She received her medal later in the mail at her Lorton, Va., home. But she couldn't bring herself to wear it until Saturday, when she and thousands of other athletes joined victims of the blast to run and walk the last mile of the race.

"Now I feel like I've earned my medal," Spraker said, beaming, after she crossed the Boylston Street finish line, encouraged by a cheering crowd. "I wanted to run for the victims, for freedom, to show the world that nothing is going to stop us."

"Somebody that thinks that they're going to stop a marathoner from running doesn't understand the mentality of a marathoner," said her husband, Lesley, after he placed the medal around Spraker's neck.

On April 15, explosions near the finish line killed three people and wounded more than 260.

On Saturday morning, about 3,000 runners and bombing victims gathered in light rain to run the final mile of the world's oldest annual marathon, said Kathleen McGonagle, spokeswoman for those organizing the event known as OneRun.

OneRun honors victims and emergency workers and allows runners to reclaim the final mile, McGonagle said.

"For the runner that didn't get the chance to finish the marathon, this is the chance for them to experience the final mile that was taken away from them," McGonagle said.

For many runners, it was also a chance to heal from the events of that harrowing day.

"It was very emotional to run down this street and see all the people cheering," said OneRun organizer J. Alain Ferry, who was prevented from completing his ninth consecutive Boston Marathon on April 15 and ran the final mile Saturday.

"There were a lot of tears," Ferry said, clutching his 2013 marathon bib, with the number 22084. "And I can feel in my throat that there are going to be more. This was a scab for everyone that just was not healing."

While the event was not a fundraiser, donations from some corporate sponsors covered OneRun operating costs, McGonagle said, and any leftover funds will be sent to a charity set up to benefit bombing victims.

Before the race, the National Anthem was sung by the choir from St. Ann Parish, where 8-year-old victim Martin Richard's family worshipped.

"It was a beautiful thing," said an emotional Steve Poirier, of Chelmsford, who had been running his sixth Boston Marathon when he was turned back last month. "As a runner, you want the chance to finish. Better late than never."

Wilbraham & Monson Academy graduates 96 at 209th commencement

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The commencement speaker was David P. Angel, Clark University's president.

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WILBRAHAM - With the sounds of the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band signaling their arrival, the 96 graduates streamed across the lawn at Wilbraham & Monson Academy as a heavy rain fell for the 209th commencement ceremony on Saturday.

Carrying umbrellas, the girls wore traditional white dresses and the boys suit jackets and white pants. They plodded across the rain-soaked grass into the heated tent where their families and friends greeted them with cheers and applause. Prior to the ceremony, the graduates placed their engraved bricks in front of Rich Hall - a custom since 1947 at the school.

Rev. Steven P. Marcus, an academy trustee, told the crowd to reflect on the “300 acres of beauty” at the campus, “even in the rain.”

Rodney LaBrecque, head of school, bid the class of 2013 a fond farewell, and read lyrics from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s 1970 hit “Teach Your Children” that summed up the next stage in their lives: “You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by, and so become yourself, because the past is just a good-bye.”

“What is the code you will live by?” LaBrecque asked the graduates.

LaBrecque noted that the academy has stressed global citizenship, and how the world has changed since the song was written more than 40 years ago. He said the trials facing the students today are different from what faced their parents.

Commencement speaker David P. Angel, president of Clark University, also noted the school’s commitment to global citizenship, and said he has been a longtime admirer of the school. Angel reflected on his high school graduation in the United Kingdom– the graduates stood the entire time and it took place almost entirely in Latin.

On a more serious note, Angel praised the students for their hard work and determination.

“How can you make the most of the opportunity ahead of you?” Angel said.

He told them employers are looking for employees who have heart, are creative and resilient and able to deal with uncertainty, and who can think critically and clearly. Angel advised them to take courses outside their current area of interest, to broaden their horizons, and to participate in organizations, clubs and internships.

Mia D. Konstantakos was the class speaker.

The school also gave out numerous awards to exceptional students. The “Head of School” award went to Ryan Leaf and Hyo Won (Patrick) Seo. Leaf will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Seo, New York University. LaBrecque said Leaf has his own website that advises on business matters, and Seo is known for his sense of style.

The Harriet Jones Nelson Trust went to Maria Waslick for having the highest grade point average at the school; she will attend Vassar College. The Kyle E. Webb Award was given to Molley Shea, who is heading to Wheaton College. Philip Antonacci, who is attending the University of Pennsylvania, received the Dr. George E. Rogers Scholar Athlete Award, and Arnelle Williams received the Markell and Monson Class of 1898 Award/Owen David Dow Memorial Award. Williams will attend Wesleyan University.

The Gift of the Class of 1965, the constructive nonconformist award, went to Sarah Goolishian, heading to Tulane University, and Jonathan Viens received the Billy Lak prize; he will go to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Caroline Manghan received the Stephen D. Luckraft Memorial Award, Qianru (Vicky) Wu won the Frank Chapin Cushman Memorial Award, and Heather Little got the Cora Pease Chandler Award. Manghan is going to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland; Wu, Emory University; and Little, New York University.

Founded in 1804, Wilbraham & Monson Academy is a boarding school featuring many international students.

One car crash on Locust Street in Springfield sends driver to hospital

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A spin-out crash sent one man to the hospital

SPRINGFIELD — An unidentified man lost control of the pickup truck he was driving on Locust Street Saturday afternoon, spun on a rain-slicked roadway, crashed through a chain-link fence and slid down a steep embankment. The truck ended up teetering on the edge of the swollen Mill River.

Witness Fernando Herrera said he saw the truck drive eastbound up a hill toward his 200 Locust Street building at approximately 4:45 p.m..

"He came up Locust and then he spun around, and then came across the street and down the (embankment). I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said. "He was coming very fast."

Just a portion of the Ford F 150 front grill was visible from the roadway. Herrera said the driver, whom police refused to identify, climbed from the truck cab unassisted, but was taken from the scene to the Baystate Medical Center by ambulance.

Police said the incident remains under investigation.

Graduates in tornado-raked Oklahoma town vow to stay

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Saturday's graduations for Westmoore, Southmoore and Moore high schools are another step toward normalcy for this Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by an extremely strong tornado. Monday's twister killed 24, including seven children at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

torn.jpgSouthmoore High School senior Jake Spradling, hugs a classmate as they get ready to attend their commencement ceremony in Oklahoma City Saturday, May 25, 2013, five days after a tornado destroyed a large swath of their attendance area in Moore, Okla. Spradling's home was among those destroyed after a huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening a wide swath of homes and businesses. 

JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Seven tornadoes have swept through their town since they were born, but as new graduates donned caps and gowns to say goodbye to their high schools Saturday, they vowed they wouldn't say goodbye to Moore.

"I wouldn't want to be in any other place. It's our roots. Tornadoes are a part of life here," said 18-year-old Brooke Potter, whose current college aspirations take her to two neighboring towns.

Saturday's graduations for Westmoore, Southmoore and Moore high schools are another step toward normalcy for this Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by an extremely strong tornado. Monday's twister killed 24, including seven children at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

"I want to end up back here," Madison Dobbs, 18, said. "I've been here my whole life and can't picture myself anywhere else. Tornadoes happen anywhere."

While that's true, few other places have the amount and severity of tornadoes like Oklahoma — and no other place has had a tornado like Moore. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman says the Oklahoma City area has been struck by more tornadoes than any other U.S. city, citing records that date to 1893.

When the current graduating class was in second grade, Moore experienced an EF4 tornado with winds approaching 200 mph. And three months before they started pre-kindergarten, a twister with the highest winds on record — 302 mph — sliced through their town.

"Crazy storms happen; the goods outweigh the bads," said Potter, who wants to attend Oklahoma City Community College, and then transfer to the University of Oklahoma in neighboring Norman.

With graduates wearing red or black caps and gowns, Westmoore was the first of three schools to hold commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

A teacher in the district said despite being big enough to have three high schools, the 56,000-strong community is still tightly knit.

"This is such a big district, but this is a small town," said Tammy Glasgow, a second-grade teacher at Briarwood Elementary, which was also destroyed but didn't have any deaths. "When you see somebody in the street, it's not a 'hi' and a handshake, it's a hug."

Some students lost everything in the violent storm. Southmoore senior Callie Dosher, 18, said she sifted through the debris of her family's destroyed home in the past few days, looking to recover precious possessions — her mom's two Bibles and the teddy bear Callie's granddad gave her shortly before he passed away.

But Dosher, too, wants to stay: "These people, I've grown up with them. I have all my friends here," she said.

Miranda Mann, an 18-year-old Southmoore grad whose family also lost their home, couldn't recognize her own neighborhood because of the damage. Yet the family has vowed to rebuild on the same ground.

"We loved the house we were in," she said. "But we get to make new memories in the new house."

Westmoore Senior Alex Davis, 18, will attend University of Oklahoma after graduation partly so he can stay close to friends and family.

"It speaks to how the community's banded together," he said. "We're not going to let a natural disaster beat us."

NTSB: Bridge collapse in Washington is wake-up call

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Inspectors are working to find out whether the disintegration on Thursday of the heavily used span over the Skagit River, 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canadian border, was a fluke or a sign of bigger problems.

bridge.jpgA collapsed section of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River is seen in an aerial view Friday, May 24, 2013, in Mt. Vernon, Wash. Part of the bridge collapsed Thursday evening, sending cars and people into the water when a an oversized truck hit the span, the Washington State Patrol chief said. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday declared a state of emergency in three counties around the bridge, saying that the bridge collapse has caused extensive disruption, impacting the citizens and economy in Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom Counties. 

DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP
Associated Press

SEATTLE — The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday the bridge collapse in Washington state is a wake-up call for the nation.

"This is a really significant event and we need to learn from it, not just in Washington but around the country," Debbie Hersman said after taking a boat ride on the Skagit River below the dramatic scene where a truck bumped against the steel framework, collapsing the bridge and sending two vehicles and three people falling into the chilly water.

Investigators need to find out what happened in Washington and if it could be repeated at similar bridges around the country, Hersman said.

"At the end of the day it's about preventing an accident like this," she said.

Her team will spend a week to 10 days looking at the bridge, talking to the truck driver whose vehicle hit it, and examining maintenance documents and previous accident reports.

Other over-height vehicles struck the Skagit River bridge before the collapse on Thursday, she noted. Investigators are using a high tech 3-D video camera to review the scene and attempt to pinpoint where the bridge failure began.

Hersman does not expect the investigation to delay removal of debris from the river or work on a temporary solution to replace or repair the I-5 span. State and federal officials can, and will, work together on the investigation, she said.

They'll be watching for safety issues that could affect other bridges.

"The results can be very catastrophic," Hersman said. "We're very fortunate in this situation."

Washington state officials said Saturday that it will take time to find both short- and long-term fixes for the bridge that collapsed on Interstate 5.

While, the National Transportation and Safety Board finishes its inspection, state workers will begin removing debris from the river. Next, a temporary solution will be put in place to return traffic to Washington state's most important north-south roadway.

Inspectors are working to find out whether the disintegration on Thursday of the heavily used span over the Skagit River, 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canadian border, was a fluke or a sign of bigger problems.

"These things take time. We want to make sure it's done right, done thoroughly," Washington Transportation Department spokesman Bart Treece said.

A trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment Thursday evening when his load bumped against the steel framework over the bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw the span collapse into the water behind him.

Motorists should not expect to drive on I-5 between Mount Vernon and Burlington for many weeks and possibly months, Treece said.

Treece asked people to plan for an extra hour to make their way through detours around the collapsed bridge. There are three detour options northbound and two options southbound.

About 71,000 vehicles use that stretch of highway every day. Late Saturday morning, traffic was moving freely through the detours.

"We're expecting it to get worse as the day progresses," Treece said, noting that at 11 a.m., the cloudy skies and cool weather could be keeping Memorial Day weekend travelers at home.

State transportation officials began working on both a temporary solution and a permanent fix within hours of the bridge collapse, he said.

The goal is to get I-5 open as quickly as possible, while making sure the solution is as safe as possible, he added.

Officials were looking for a temporary, pre-fabricated bridge to replace the 160-foot section that failed, Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday. That option could be in place in weeks. Otherwise, it could be months before a replacement can be built, the governor said.

Inslee said it will cost $15 million to repair the bridge. The federal government has promised $1 million in emergency dollars and more money could come later, according to Washington's congressional delegation.

Anti-Muslim actions rise in U.K. over slain soldier

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Wednesday's murder in southeast London's Woolwich area shocked the nation partly because the horrific scenes were recorded on witnesses' cellphones, and a video picked up by British media showed one of the two suspects, his hands bloodied, making political statements and warning of further violence as the soldier lay on the ground behind him.

britain.jpgIn this Friday, May 24, 2013 file photo, military boots are laid in tribute outside the Woolwich Barracks, in London, in response to the bloody attack on Wednesday when a British soldier was killed in the nearby street. Counterterrorism police on Saturday were questioning a friend of Michael Adebolajo, one of two suspects in the savage killing of British soldier Lee Rigby. The friend, Abu Nusaybah, was arrested immediately after he gave a television interview telling his story about how Adebolajo may have become radicalized. 

SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON — Police, politicians and activists in Britain are warning of rising anti-Muslim sentiment following the slaughter of an off-duty British soldier in a London street, an apparent act of Islamic extremism that has horrified the nation.

Metropolitan Police investigating the killing of Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old soldier who was run over by attackers then butchered by knives, arrested three more men in the murder investigation Saturday. Stun guns were used on two of the three men, aged 24 and 28, police said.

The latest arrests came as an estimated 1,500 members of an extremist right-wing group called the English Defense League marched in the northern English city of Newcastle, chanting Rigby's name. In the southern English city of Portsmouth, police arrested two men for a racially motivated assault as hundreds of demonstrators gathered near one mosque, while several more people were detained for alleged racist offenses elsewhere.

The two men suspected of killing the soldier, Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, remained under armed guard in separate London hospitals after police shot them at the scene. Police have not officially named the suspects because they have not been charged, but British officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the investigation, have confirmed their names to The Associated Press.

Wednesday's murder in southeast London's Woolwich area shocked the nation partly because the horrific scenes were recorded on witnesses' cellphones, and a video picked up by British media showed one of the two suspects, his hands bloodied, making political statements and warning of further violence as the soldier lay on the ground behind him.

Counter-terrorism police also are questioning a friend of Adebolajo who was arrested Friday night immediately after he gave BBC Television an interview detailing why he thought Adebolajo may have become radicalized.

Metropolitan Police said the friend, identified by the BBC as 31-year-old Abu Nusaybah, was wanted himself on suspicion of "the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." The force declined to elaborate.

In his BBC interview, Nusaybah said he knew Adebolajo as a moderate Islam convert. He said he thought Adebolajo's behavior changed after a trip to Kenya last year, and alleged that Britain's MI5 domestic spy agency tried to recruit him upon his return six months ago.

Rigby's killing — and Adebolajo's apparent link to Islamic extremism — has stirred anti-Muslim backlashes across Britain. Police said they arrested three people on suspicion of posting racist tweets ahead of the English Defense League march, and further detained 24 others before and during the protest on suspicion of public drunkenness, vandalism and distributing racist literature. One group of marchers carried a sign that read "Taliban Hunting Club."

About 350 counterdemonstrators who called themselves Newcastle Unites shouted abuse at the marchers, including "Nazi scum off our streets!" The region's Northumbria Police said riot police prevented any direct clashes between the opposed groups.

Meanwhile, the far-right British National Party announced it would rally supporters next weekend on the spot where the young soldier was killed.

"Has the horror of Woolwich woken you up too? ... Join the British resistance," British National Party leader Nick Griffin said in a video address Saturday to supporters announcing his plans for a "Stand Up to Muslim Terror" rally at the scene of the crime, where thousands already have left floral bouquets paying tribute to the soldier.

A group that campaigns against extremism, Faith Matters, said it has received reports of around 150 anti-Muslim hate crimes across Britain since the soldier was killed Wednesday, more than 10 times the usual rate. Its director, Fiyaz Mughal, said he was particularly concerned by how geographically widespread the actions, including street fights and the vandalism of mosques, had become.

"Some of them are quite aggressive, very focused, very aggressive attacks ... against institutions or places where Muslims congregate," he said.

Questions abound over what could have led the two men to attack Rigby, a drummer and machine-gunner who had served in Afghanistan and was off-duty when he was walking near his barracks. Nusaybah's interview with the BBC offered one possible narrative. He said Adebolajo became withdrawn after he allegedly suffered abuse by Kenyan security forces during interrogation in prison there.

"Although that change wasn't necessarily one that became overt, aggressive or anything like that, he became ... less talkative. He wasn't his bubbly self," Nusaybah told the BBC.

He said MI5 agents approached Adebolajo after he returned to Britain and initially asked him if he had met specific Muslim militants, then asked Adebolajo if he was willing to act as an informer.

"He was explicit in that he refused to work for them," Nusaybah said.

The BBC said police arrested Nusaybah outside its studio immediately after the interview was recorded.

"This interviewee had important background information that sheds light on this horrific event," the BBC said in a statement. "And when we asked him to appear and interviewed him, we were not aware he was wanted for questioning by the police."

It was not immediately possible to verify the information provided by Nusaybah, who said he had known Adebolajo for about a decade. MI5 does not publicly discuss its efforts to recruit informers.

In Kenya, Anti-Terrorism Police Unit chief Boniface Mwaniki said police were checking their records to confirm whether Adebolajo had been in their custody. Mwaniki rejected any suggestion that Adebolajo had been abused.

Nusaybah said Adebolajo converted to Islam around 2004. His account corroborates those provided by two Muslim hard-liners who said they also knew Adebolajo.

Anjem Choudary, a former leader of a banned British radical group called al-Muhajiroun, said Adebolajo was a Christian who converted to Islam around 2003. Choudary told the AP that Adebolajo participated in several of the group's London demonstrations before Britain outlawed al-Muhajiroun in 2010.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, another former al-Muhajiroun leader and radical Muslim preacher, said Adebolajo is a Nigerian who was born and raised in Britain. He said Adebolajo attended his London lectures in the early 2000s, but added he had not stayed in touch with the suspect since then.

Bakri fled London and resettled in Lebanon in 2005 after suicide attacks on London's public transit system killed 56 people, including four bombers.

"I don't know what Michael did since 2004 or 2005," Bakri told the AP. "Two years ago he stopped attending our open lectures and lessons as well as our activities."

The University of Greenwich confirmed Saturday that Adebolajo was a student there from 2003 to 2005 but dropped out.

Fewer details have emerged about Adebowale besides one reported brush with death as a teenager.

The Guardian newspaper, citing police and court records, reported Saturday that Adebowale was stabbed in 2008, when a man attacked him and two friends in a London apartment. One 18-year-old friend died and the attacker received a life sentence for murder, the newspaper said.

MI5 Director-General Andrew Parker is expected to deliver a preliminary report next week to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee detailing what the agency knew about both suspects and whether the domestic spy agency could have done anything to stop the attack.

The directors of Britain's foreign spy agency, MI6, and Britain's eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, also are expected to give reports on what intelligence they had on the two men.

Police earlier this week detained three others in connection with the murder probe. Two women were released without charge, and a 29-year-old man has been bailed pending further questioning.

Associated Press writers Paisley Dodds in London, Tom Odula in Nairobi, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin contributed to this report.

French soldier stabbed in throat outside Paris

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"There are elements — the sudden violence of the attack — that could lead one to believe there might be a comparison with what happened in London," Interior Minister Manuel Valls told France 2 television. "But at this point, honestly, let us be prudent."

france.jpgPolice officers stand near the cordoned off spot where a French soldier was stabbed in the throat in the busy commercial district of La Defense, outside Paris, Saturday May 25, 2013, and France's president said authorities are investigating any possible links with the recent slaying of a British soldier. 

LORI HINNANT
Associated Press

PARIS — A French soldier was stabbed in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris on Saturday, and the government said it was trying to determine if there were any links to the brutal killing of a British soldier by suspected Islamic extremists.

French President Francois Hollande said the identity of the attacker, who escaped, was unknown and cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the assault on the uniformed soldier in the La Defense shopping area. The life of the 23-year-old soldier was not in danger, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

On Wednesday, British soldier Lee Rigby, 25, was viciously stabbed on a London street in broad daylight in a suspected terrorist attack that has raised fears of potential copycat strikes.

The French soldier was on a group patrol as part of a national protection program when he was attacked from behind, prosecutor Robert Gelli told Europe 1 radio. The assailant did not say a word, Gelli said.

"There are elements — the sudden violence of the attack — that could lead one to believe there might be a comparison with what happened in London," Interior Minister Manuel Valls told France 2 television. "But at this point, honestly, let us be prudent."

Rigby was attacked while walking outside the Royal Artillery Barracks in the Woolwich area of south London.

The gruesome scene was recorded on witnesses' cellphones, and a video emerged in which one of the two suspects — his hands bloodied — boasted of their exploits and warned of more violence as the soldier lay on the ground. Holding bloody knives and a meat cleaver, the suspects waited for police, who shot them in the legs, witnesses said.

In the video, one of the suspects declared, "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you ... We must fight them as they fight us."

Two Muslim hard-liners have identified that suspect as Michael Adebolajo, a Christian who converted to Islam and attended several London demonstrations organized by banned British radical group al-Muhajiroun.

French security forces have been on heightened alert since their country launched a military intervention in the African nation of Mali in January to regain territory seized by Islamic radicals. British Prime Minister David Cameron was himself in Paris meeting with Hollande when he first received word of the London attack.

Last year, three French paratroopers were killed by a man police described as a French-born Islamic extremist who then went on to strike a Jewish school in the south of France, killing four more people.

Associated Press Writer Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.


San Antonio flooding kills 1; dozens rescued

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A woman was trapped in her car, got on the roof and was swept away in floodwaters, said San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove. Her body was later found against a fence, he said. Her name was not immediately released.

flood.jpgFlood waters cover eight lanes of Highway 281, Saturday, May 25, 2013, in San Antonio. The San Antonio International Airport by Saturday afternoon had recorded nearly 10 inches of rain since midnight. 

MICHAEL BRICK
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Massive flooding from torrential rains in the San Antonio area left at least one person dead Saturday and sent emergency workers rushing in boats to rescue more than 100 residents stranded in cars and homes.

A woman was trapped in her car, got on the roof and was swept away in floodwaters, said San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove. Her body was later found against a fence, he said. Her name was not immediately released.

Rescue workers were searching for someone who was missing after being trapped in another car, Bove said.

By Saturday evening, the water was receding quickly in much of San Antonio. However, pools of water could still be seen in some low-lying areas and a major highway that links the suburbs and the city was closed due to standing water.

Authorities planned to continue searching for anyone who might be stranded.

"We'll be out there as long as daylight permits and again in the morning if the water recedes," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said, adding that going into floodwaters was more dangerous for firefighters than entering a burning building.

About 130 people were plucked from their homes and cars in the San Antonio area, many by first responders using inflatable boats, he said. The water was up to 4 feet high in some homes, Bove said.

Even a city bus was swept away, but firefighters on a boat were able to rescue the three passengers and driver early Saturday, public transit spokeswoman Priscilla Ingle said. Nobody was injured.

The San Antonio International Airport by Saturday afternoon had recorded 9.87 inches of rain since midnight, causing nearly all streams and rivers to experience extraordinary flooding. The highest amount of rainfall recorded since midnight was 15.5 inches at Olmos Creek at Dresden Drive.

Numerous roads in several counties were closed. Mayor Julian Castro urged residents not to drive.

"We have had too many folks who continue to ignore low-water warnings," Castro said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.

A flash flood warning was issued for nearly two dozen counties as 2-4 inches of rainfall was forecast overnight.

A flood warning remained for Leon Creek at Interstate 35, where the level was 27.1 feet and was expected to peak at 29 feet Saturday night — nearly twice the flood stage of 15 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The San Antonio River about 20 miles southeast of the city, near Elmendorf, was expected to peak at 62 feet by Sunday morning, well above the flood stage of 35 feet.

The National Weather Service called the region's flooding a life-threatening situation similar to what happened in October 1998. Up to 30 inches of rain fell in a two-day period, causing floods in the Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins that left more than 30 people dead, according to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Parts of 19 counties received at least 8 inches of rain in that storm.

Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth and Danny Robbins in Dallas contributed to this report.

Protesters in over 400 cities worldwide march against Monsanto, genetically modified food

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Organizers say two million people marched in protest against seed giant Monsanto in hundreds of rallies across the U.S. and in over 50 other countries on Saturday.

LOS ANGELES — Organizers say two million people marched in protest against seed giant Monsanto in hundreds of rallies across the U.S. and in over 50 other countries on Saturday.

"March Against Monsanto" protesters say they wanted to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food and the food giants that produce it. Founder and organizer Tami Canal said protests were held in 436 cities in 52 countries.

Genetically modified plants are grown from seeds that are engineered to resist insecticides and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply. Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States today have been genetically modified. But some say genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment. The use of GMOs has been a growing issue of contention in recent years, with health advocates pushing for mandatory labeling of genetically modified products even though the federal government and many scientists say the technology is safe.

The 'March Against Monsanto' movement began just a few months ago, when Canal created a Facebook page on Feb. 28 calling for a rally against the company's practices.

"If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success," she said Saturday. Instead, she said two million responded to her message.

Together with Seattle blogger and activist Emilie Rensink and Nick Bernabe of Anti-Media.org, Canal worked with A Revolt.org digital anarchy to promote international awareness of the event. She called the turnout "incredible," and credited social media for being a vehicle for furthering opportunities for activism. Despite the size of the gatherings, Canal said she was grateful that the marches were uniformly peaceful and no arrests have been reported.

"It was empowering and inspiring to see so many people, from different walks of life, put aside their differences and come together today," she said. The group plans to harness the success of the event to continue its anti-GMO cause. "We will continue until Monsanto complies with consumer demand. They are poisoning our children, poisoning our planet," she said. "If we don't act, who's going to?"

Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, said Saturday that it respects people's rights to express their opinion on the topic, but maintains that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy.

The Food and Drug Administration does not require genetically modified foods to carry a label, but organic food companies and some consumer groups have intensified their push for labels, arguing that the modified seeds are floating from field to field and contaminating traditional crops. The groups have been bolstered by a growing network of consumers who are wary of processed and modified foods.

The Senate this week overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization, a lobbying group that represents Monsanto, DuPont & Co. and other makers of genetically modified seeds, has said that it supports voluntary labeling for people who seek out such products. But it says that mandatory labeling would only mislead or confuse consumers into thinking the products aren't safe, even though the FDA has said there's no difference between GMO and organic, non-GMO foods.

However, state legislatures in Vermont and Connecticut moved ahead this month with votes to make food companies declare genetically modified ingredients on their packages. And supermarket retailer Whole Foods Markets Inc. has said that all products in its North American stores that contain genetically modified ingredients will be labeled as such by 2018.

Whole Foods says there is growing demand for products that don't use GMOs, with sales of products with a "Non-GMO" verification label spiking between 15 percent and 30 percent.


Further Online Resources:

Craft brewers team up on beer to help military families

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Craft breweries from around the country are toasting the troops with a beer aged with a unique ingredient that symbolizes America's pastime — baseball bats

526beer2.JPGFormer major league pitcher Chris Ray pours one of his baseball-themed beers at The Diamond in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. The specialty brew will be sold at the Double AA minor league Richmond Flying Squirrels' baseball game Thursday, May 23, 2013. The proceeds are given to military families.  

By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM

RICHMOND, Va. — Craft breweries from around the country are toasting the troops with a beer aged with a unique ingredient that symbolizes America's pastime — baseball bats.

Nine different brewers collaborated to create Homefront IPA, all using the same recipe, complete with orange peel and unfinished maple Louisville Sluggers. Toward the end of the fermentation process the beer soaks in a tank with the maple bats.

All proceeds from the beer, which is being released for Memorial Day, will be donated to Operation Homefront, a national group that provides emergency financial assistance to military families.

526beer1.JPGFormer major league pitcher Chris Ray talks with reporters about his baseball-themed beers at The Diamond in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. The specialty brew will be sold at the Double AA minor league Richmond Flying Squirrels' baseball game Thursday, May 23, 2013. The proceeds are given to military families.  

The Hops for Heroes project began in 2011 when Chris Ray, co-founder of Center of the Universe Brewing Co. in suburban Richmond, was pitching for the Seattle Mariners.

A home brewer at the time, Ray wanted to partner with a local brewery to create a charity beer. Together with Fremont Brewing Co. in Seattle and his brother, Phil, they developed the recipe and chose the charity Operation Homefront, which was suggested by Ray's childhood friend that served as a soldier in Afghanistan.

"I was always taught when I was growing up to help out the people that help you," Ray said while talking about the beer at The Diamond, home of the Flying Squirrels minor league baseball team. "They're putting their lives on the line for us every day. The least we can do is help them keep their car on the road or help them keep their house."

In addition to Center of the Universe and Fremont Brewing, the list of participating breweries has grown to include Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown, Pa., Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, the Phoenix Ale Brewery in Phoenix, Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., and Stone Brewing Co., in Escondido, Calif. Other sponsors within the craft brewing industry provided ingredients and supplies to help brewers keep their costs down and increase the amount of money raised for the cause.

Last year, the project helped raise $165,000, with additional donations to the group coming in because of the beer project, Ray said. After the beer is brewed, the bats also are dried and auctioned off.

The breweries will sell the beer in bottles and kegs in their areas, with all proceeds being donated to local chapters of the charity. Bottles in the Richmond market even include American flag caps.

"It doesn't really get any more Americana than beer, baseball and America's troops," Ray said.

While Ray is glad more breweries are participating in the project, he said he wants it to grow slowly to keep the beer novel.

Aaron Taylor, spokesman for Operation Homefront, said the project is a great opportunity for folks to support military families and have a good time.

"It's a win-win for everybody," said Taylor, whose group helped meet the needs of 151,150 military families in 2012 by paying for car and home repairs and other financial aid.

Craft brewers are known for using their beers to support causes that they believe in, said Julia Herz, the craft beer program director at the Brewers Association, a Colorado-based industry group.

"They're just so tied to their communities," she said. "It's a very symbiotic thing,"

And with beer lovers excited to see a craft beer that benefits a charity, the beers usually sell out fast.

"What feels good tastes even better," Herz said.

Other adult beverage makers also support projects that benefit the military.

Several wineries a have created wines to support military groups like Operation Homefront.

Bourbon bottler Jim Beam has partnered with Operation Homefront for the past five years to raise money and awareness through promotional events such as concerts. And whiskey company Wild Turkey has teamed up with The Boot Campaign, which supports veterans through the sale and promotion of combat boots. Its "Boots and Bourbon" initiative raises money and highlights returning veterans' issues.

Online:

http://www.hopsforheroes.com

http://www.operationhomefront.net

Beaver dam breach sends cascade into Warren, forcing evacuations

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Family rescued as flood threatens their mobile home.

Warren">WARREN — A bursting beaver dam sent torrents of water down town roads, undermining several streets, including Route 67 through the center of town, and forcing firefighters to rescue one family as high water levels threatened their home.

Warren Police Sgt. Joseph LaFlower reported that police found Route 67 under 3 to 4 feet of rushing water shortly after 12 noon Saturday. The flood waters, carrying boulders along with the flow, came from the direction of a state wildlife management area on North Road. A beaver dam had impounded a large pond which was released by the breach.

One family was evacuated from their mobile home by boat as the flood level continued to rise. LaFlower said the Red Cross was called in to assist the family.

Police and firefighters blocked several town roads as 2 to 3 foot torrents covered the streets and nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.

LaFlower said Mass Highway was called in to repair a section of Route 67 in the Spring Street area that was in danger of being undermined by the water flow.

The flood began to recede at about 2:30 p.m. allowing work to begin on the roads by afternoon, LaFlower said.

Missouri highway buckles after rail cars hit overpass

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The bridge collapsed after a Union Pacific train hit the side of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train at a rail intersection. Derailed rail cars then hit columns supporting the Highway M overpass, causing it to buckle and partially collapse.

trainderail.jpgEmergency personnel respond to the scene of a train derailment near Rockview, Mo., on Saturday, May 25, 2013. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the cause of a cargo train collision that partially collapsed a highway overpass in southeast Missouri, injuring seven people. 

Associated Press

CHAFFEE, Mo. — A highway overpass in southeast Missouri collapsed early Saturday when rail cars slammed into one of the bridge's pillars after a cargo train collision, authorities said. Seven people were injured, though none seriously.

The bridge collapsed after a Union Pacific train hit the side of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train at a rail intersection. Derailed rail cars then hit columns supporting the Highway M overpass, causing it to buckle and partially collapse.

The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the cause of the cargo train collision, which happened about 2:30 a.m. near Chaffee, a town of about 3,000 southwest of Cape Girardeau.

Only two vehicles were on the overpass at the time. Five people in the vehicles were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, as were a Union Pacific train conductor and an engineer. All seven had been released by Saturday afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Felecia Blanton said.

"You're driving down the road and the next thing you know the bridge is not there. ... It could have been really bad," Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said.

The crash derailed dozens of rail cars hauling scrap metal, automobiles and auto parts, tossing them into the overpass' support columns. The highway was shut down for about 8 miles from Scott City to Chaffee.

The overpass was about 15 years old and in good condition but just couldn't withstand the impact from the rail cars, Walter said.

Two 40-foot sections of the overpass buckled while two cars were on the roadway, sending the cars into the edges of the collapsed sections. A diesel fire also broke out in one of the locomotives after the collision, but was quickly extinguished, Walter said.

When Blanton heard about the crash, she immediately went online and saw video footage of the scene and was bracing for the worst, Blanton said. She said it was "a real blessing" that the injuries were relatively minor, the most serious being a fracture.

"If you look at the pictures, they're very dramatic, and there are no serious injuries," she said. "So it's amazing."

Walter said Deputy Justin Wooten was among the first at the scene and pulled the two Union Pacific employees out of the wrecked engine, which became lodged next to the train's second engine. That engine began burning after the crash.

"We're very fortunate he was there," Walter said. He said all seven people injured were already out of the wreckage when he arrived about 15 minutes after the crash was reported.

"People were talking; they were coherent. They understood what was happening," Walter said.

The cars on the overpass "took a really bad hit" when they collided with the bridge sections, but "they stayed on all four tires and they just hit and landed and that was it," he said.

BNSF spokesman Andy Williams said the 75-car BNSF train, which was carrying scrap metal, was hit by the Union Pacific train about eight cars back from the locomotive. He said 12 cars on the BNSF train derailed.

"Our crew was not impacted," Williams said.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Calli Hite said the 60-car UP train was carrying primarily automobiles or auto parts from Illinois to Texas. She said about a dozen UP railcars derailed.

Hite said the NTSB will determine what caused the accident. He said there was no immediate estimate on the amount of damage to the roadway or the rail cars.

"We have no indication as to cause of the incident, but that will be handled by the NTSB," Hite said.

Williams said cleanup had not yet begun at mid-day Saturday because crews were waiting for the NTSB to arrive.

"We are fully cooperating with the NTSB, and we have to defer to their timeline," Hite said.

President Carolyn 'Biddy' Martin delivers Amherst College commencement

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The president said 70 percent of the graduates who are going to work had already secured jobs. Of those to attend graduate school, 83 percent were accepted with 77 percent at their first choice.

amherst.JPGAmherst College graduates make their way to the school's 192nd commencement, Sunday. 
AMHERST – The raw weather and threatening skies did not dampen Amherst College’s 192nd outdoor commencement Sunday.

Despite high winds and temperatures in the unseasonable 40s, President Carolyn “Biddy” Martin made the most of the rare peeks of sun that appeared during the morning.

“I am so glad the sun decided to shine on your graduation, you deserve it, “ she said. The 467 class of 2013 graduates come from 43 states and 37 different countries.

The president said 70 percent of the graduates who are going to work had already secured jobs. Of those to attend graduate school, 83 percent were accepted with 77 percent at their first choice.

Amherst College graduate Alice E. Li has been accepted at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.

Her father, Xian Li, 48, said his daughter will instead attend Columbia Law School, which provided her a full scholarship.

“She is very smart; she has a very curious mind,” he said. Dr. Li has been on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for 16 years. He is currently director of transplant research at Texas Medical Center in Houston. Queendy Yu is Alice’s mother. Her parents are from China.

The senior class speaker, Reilly A. Horan, reflected on one of life’s persistent riddles: the pursuit of happiness.

“We have to figure out how to live a happy life when we leave here,” she said. “Making yourself happy . . . is sacred . . . the world will love you for it.”

Horan also said it is best not to let fear of what others think get in the way of personal growth.

“Be a little theatrical, express yourself, externalize,” she said. “The good stuff comes . . . when you just start swimming.”

Area graduates of Amherst college include: Mark Santolucito, Jacob Powers and Keri Lambert of Amherst; Bridget Crowley of Hampden; Mark Humphrey of Easthampton; Matthew Pieterse of Springfield; Sean Monaco of Granby; Oriel Strong of Hadley; William Workman of Northampton; and Kristin Young of Athol.

The school recognized World War II veteran Arthur J. Ourieff, who attended in the 1940’s but departed before graduating to join the service. Martin presented Ourieff his degree on Sunday; he is officially listed as graduating in 1945.

Amherst College bestowed an honorary Doctor of Law to attorney Barry Scheck.

A cofounder of the Innocence Project more than 20 years ago, Scheck has helped free hundreds wrongly convicted using the new DNA science tools. A book he co-authored, "Actual Innocence," details individuals wrongly convicted and later exonerated.

Jim Steinmann, who graduated Amherst College in 1969, was given a Doctor of Humane Letters. The music composer, lyricist, arranger and performer is currently working on a heavy metal version of Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker."

1971 graduate Dr. Robert Yarchoan received an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He is a pioneer in AIDS and HIV research. He is chief of the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch at the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

Memorial Day celebration honors Jewish Veterans

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Jewish War Veterans Post 26 holds ceremony in honor of Memorial Day.

jewish.jpgSpringfield- A memorial stone in honor of Jewish veterans sits in front of the Jewish Community Center in Springfield. 

SPRINGFIELD — The names of 50 Jewish soldiers who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq were read at the Jewish Community Center Sunday as part of a small ceremony honoring Memorial Day.

"We just want to express our gratitude to the men and women who gave their lives for this country," said Stanley R. Light, commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post 26.

A small group of veterans and their relatives gathered at the community center in Springfield to pay respect to those lost by reciting several Jewish prayers, playing "Taps" and having a moment of silence for the 50 Jewish soldiers, most in their early 20s, who have died since the conflicts began in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The names of 10 Post 26 council members who have died in the past year were also read, followed by a moment of silence.

Light thanked Beth El Boy Scout Troop 32 for placing flags on the graves of Jewish veterans buried in the area in the days leading up to Memorial Day.

Light also said that while Post 26 is still operating it has been struggling to stay active due to low membership and finances.

Any Jewish military personnel interested in joining or anyone interested in contributing donations to the organization should call Light at (413)734-2112.

In Wilbraham a small ceremony was held Sunday in Crane Park on Main Street. Belchertown and Warren were also set to hold ceremonies on Sunday.

However, most events will take place Monday including parades in Hampden, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Granby, Northampton and other towns across Western Massachusetts.

In Springfield a Bishop’s Mass will be held at 9 a.m., followed by a ceremony at the Veterans Monument at St. Michael’s Cemetery. 



Williston Northampton School awards 112 diplomas

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One thousand people were gathered under a tent in front of Reed Campus Center for the school’s 172nd commencement ceremony, where many, including graduates, were huddled under blankets on the unseasonably cold Sunday.

Students, faculty and family gathered in Easthampton, Sunday, for the Williston Northampton School's 172nd commencement. 
EASTHAMPTON – Standing before 112 of her fellow graduates, Miranda Gohh said a Williston Northampton School education gave students a head-start in college life despite having to start from the bottom once again.


“When I think about going to college, the first thought that comes to mind is, ‘We started from the bottom, now we’re going back to the bottom.’”


Upon further reflection, though, the student speaker, who came to the school from Providence, R.I., said she and her peers have the advantage of knowing how to do laundry, realize how good a friend coffee can be to a student and, most importantly, know “how to make the most out of what they have.


“We realize the importance of student-teacher relationships. We realize the value and influence that is derived from our peers and their talents. We know what it means to be learning both in and outside of the classroom, especially at a place where school is your home,” she said.


Another thought Gohh pondered before her peers was her fear of growing-up – that line that is crossed and can never be uncrossed.


“It’s only a matter of time until the Jordans turn into New Balance and bikinis turn into one-piece Speedos,” she noted, then advised her classmates to “take a second and find your parents or aunts or uncles or your teachers up on the stage and imagine yourself being them in a few years. This is called life. It happens.”


In the face of life happening, it is still all right to “hold onto your youth,” Gohh added, looking out at the nearly 1,000 people gathered under a tent in front of Reed Campus Center for the school’s 172nd commencement ceremony, where many, including graduates, were huddled under blankets on the unseasonably cold Sunday.


“Time is on your side now,” she said just before departing the stage. “Leaving Williston today, we know what we are capable of, and if we really want, can do anything and be anyone we want to be in this life.”

Deerfield Academy holds commencement ceremony

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Alum and Deerfield trustee Rory J. Cowan offered the commencement address.

deerfield.JPGDeerfield Academy 
DEERFIELD – Rory J. Cowan returned to his alma mater Sunday morning to deliver the commencement address as about 200 members of the Deerfield Academy Class of 2013 received their diplomas.

Cowan is chairman and CEO of Lionbridge Technologies of Waltham.

Before founding Lionbridge in 1996, he was executive vice president and member of the Management Committee for R.R. Donnelley & Sons. He also was chief executive officer of Stream International Inc., a multi-billion dollar division of R.R. Donnelley.

Cowan is currently a member of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee of LoJack Corporation and chairman of the Board of Directors of Sielox LLC and a member of the Board of Directors of Invoke Solutions.

A member of the Board of Trustees of Deerfield Academy, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University.

Joining him as a speaker under a tent on the grounds of the prestigious prep school were class speakers Emma Witherington of Hampton, N.H., and Adam Philie of East Sandwich.

Members of the graduating class processed to their seats under a large tent where the commencement exercises took place, culminating three days of activities that included an open house, theater performances, an awards luncheon, a music and dance performance and a dinner dance. A buffet luncheon followed the graduation.

One hundred percent of the Deerfield Academy Class of 2013 planned to continue their education.

Weston accident kills mother, injures her two teenagers

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The accident is under investigation by state police, who believe alcohol wasn't a factor in the fatal crash.

WESTON – A three-car crash killed a Boston woman and left her two teenage children with minor injuries Saturday, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The accident happened just after 12:30 p.m. on the ramps from the Massachusetts Turnpike to Route 128 northbound in Weston. A 1996 Toyota Carolla was badly damaged and trapped the mother and two children, ages 15 and 17 inside, state police said.

Newton firefighters responded and freed the family from the car. But the driver, Ana M. Espinal, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene, while her two children were taken to Beth Israel Hospital with minor injuries, state police said.

Drivers of the other two vehicles were uninjured, according to police, who said alcohol doesn't appear to be a factor and continue to investigate.

Survivor of 1963 Westover B-52 crash reunited with rescuer in Maine

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The B-52 flew north from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee when turbulence became severe and it crashed.

b52men.jpgEugene Slabinski, left, 83, of Hanover Township, Pa., poses with Gerald Alder, 81, of Davis, Calif., in Greenville, Maine, at a 50th anniversary remembrance of a B-52 crash in January 1963 on Elephant Mountain, Maine. Slabinski, an Air Force medic, dropped from a helicopter to rescue Adler, one of two survivors of the crash. Seven other crew members died. 

By DAVID SHARP

ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN, Maine (AP) — After surviving a deadly B-52 bomber crash and a night on a frozen mountainside, Gerald Adler, injured and frostbitten, could recall only the red handlebar mustache of his rescuer.

For the first time in 50 years, the retired Air Force captain came face-to-face with the mustachioed medic, Eugene Slabinski, who dropped from a helicopter to rescue him and the only other survivor after a night in 5 feet of snow in the wilderness of northern Maine.

The two gripped each other in a bear hug Saturday.

"He doesn't have the red mustache anymore," Adler joked, pointing out Slabinski's snow white hair.

The long-delayed meeting was a bright spot in a somber observance as 75 people joined Adler, 81, and Slabinski, 83, on Memorial Day weekend to remember the Cold War tragedy that occurred when the B-52 bomber encountered turbulence strong enough to snap off the vertical stabilizer, causing it to crash onto the side of Elephant Mountain on Jan. 24, 1963.

Seven crew members died. Adler survived along with the pilot, Lt. Col. Dan Bulli, after spending 20 hours on the mountainside as the temperature plummeted to more than 20 below.

A pained Adler said he had mixed emotions. He survived while others died. He raised a family and is now a grandfather living in Davis, Calif. Other families lost sons, fathers, brothers, uncles in the crash.

It was supposed to be a routine low-level training flight to test ground-avoidance radar.

Powered by eight jet engines, the B-52 Stratofortress flew north from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee before being buffeted by gusts coming off mountains in western Maine. Eventually, the turbulence became severe, and there was a loud bang. The B-52 crashed seconds later.

Only three crew members had time to eject.

Bulli ended up dangling in a tree 30 feet above the ground. The deep snow saved Adler's life after his parachute failed to deploy and he crashed to the ground in his ejection seat. The co-pilot also ejected but smashed into a tree. Six others went down with the aircraft.

The B-52 crash in Maine and another one six days later in New Mexico helped to reveal a structural weakness that caused the vertical stabilizer to snap off under certain conditions.

Slabinski, of Hanover Township, Pa., was part of the crew of the first rescue helicopter on the scene the following morning. He dropped to the snowy terrain to get Bulli, then Adler, both of whom were hoisted to safety.

He was happy to find two survivors. He recalled seeing Bulli first because he'd deployed an inflatable raft. He gave him morphine for his injured foot. Adler, though, was in worse condition with severe frostbite, broken ribs and a fractured skull. He was unconscious for five days and eventually his leg was amputated because of gangrene.

Bulli, 90, of Omaha, Neb., was unable to attend Saturday's event. He had specially engraved lighters sent to the five helicopter crew members at Otis Air Force Base, telling them in a note, "Thanks for the lift."

Slabinski still has his.

Saturday's remembrance included an event at the Moosehead Riders snowmobile club house in Greenville, followed by a rain-soaked event at the crash site, still strewn with debris. The families of several crew members participated, along with several rescuers who had used snowshoes and primitive snowmobiles to reach it 50 years ago.

Adler said the crash underscored that military service can be a deadly business, even in peacetime.

"Deaths don't always occur in combat. This is a noncombat situation, a combat simulation. That's why we were down so low. And seven men died. And people die all the time, and it's not just Vietnam, or Korea or World War II. Just give thanks that people are willing to give a portion of their lives over to help serve their country," he said.

New York beaches open despite Superstorm Sandy scars

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Seven months after Superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, most of New York's beaches are officially open this Memorial Day weekend.


By FRANK ELTMAN and JAKE PEARSON

NEW YORK — Not all the repairs are finished, not all the sand is replaced and not every nearby business has recovered.

But seven months after Superstorm Sandy devastated hundreds of miles of shoreline, most of New York's beaches are officially open this Memorial Day weekend.

After a cleanup effort that cost tens of millions of dollars, visitors from the Rockaways to the Hamptons will be able to enjoy miles of seashores that have been groomed and cleaned up by volunteers and work crews.

In some places, two-story-tall sand dunes have been washed away. In other places, miles-long stretches of boardwalk still need to be replaced. In still others, sunbathers may have to squeeze their towels a little closer on beaches shrunken in some places by half its normal size by the effects of erosion.

"People are going to rewrite the formula for the beach," says Andrew Field, co-owner of the popular Rockaway Taco restaurant near Queens' Rockaway Beach, a 7-mile stretch of sand off the Atlantic Ocean that was perhaps the city's hardest-hit beachfront. Repairs at Rockaway Beach have so far cost about $140 million.

"They're going to stand in front of the beach, look to the left and look to the right, and say, 'Where do we go?'"

At Rockaway Beach, about half of the 5.5 miles of boardwalk was destroyed by the storm. The city plans on replacing the stretch of boardwalk. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will work all summer to restore 3.6 million cubic yards of sand in a stretch of beach where, at high tide, what last summer was prime real estate for sunbathing is now part of the ocean.

The work to restore a 100-foot-wide beach from the boardwalk will occur periodically throughout the summer, prompting partial beach closures in work areas.

"It'll totally be different," says Field, whose beachside concession stand won't open until July, though his main taco spot blocks from the beach opened this month despite severe damage from the late-October storm. "It's going to take time, but people are just looking for some normalcy."

Still, after spending more than $270 million in repair costs, all 14 miles of New York City's beaches will be open for the Memorial Day weekend, including Coney Island, Brighton and Manhattan Beaches in Brooklyn; Orchard Beach in the Bronx; Midland, Wolfe's Pond, Cedar Grove and South Beaches in Staten Island; and, of course, Rockaway Beach in Queens.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had promised soon after the storm that the beaches would reopen by Memorial Day, and he trumpeted the accomplishment Sunday in his weekly radio address.

"It took a tremendous amount of work to get our beaches back open ... But we're not done yet: We're going to continue working to make our beaches more resilient for the long term — and, most importantly, to protect nearby communities from future storms," he said.

Farther east at Long Beach on Long Island, officials hope a new $44 million boardwalk will be 20 percent constructed by mid-July, though the remainder of the beachfront appears intact, with dozens of volleyball nets arrayed down the beach and lifeguard stands placed high above sand piles.

Jason Schatzberg, owner of the eatery Paninis and Bikinis, says the key to this beach season will be patience.

"It's coming back. Everything takes time and I don't think people understand that," says Schatzberg, whose shop just blocks from the shore was submerged in 4 feet of water and won't be open until a couple of weeks after Memorial Day. "You can't expect a major devastation and all of a sudden everything's normal again."

But, he says, "the beach is beautiful, amazing."

Caitlin O'Connor, a waitress at The Saloon, a popular bar along a strip of nightspots in Long Beach, lost two cars and the downstairs of her house to Sandy. She was also out of work for seven months but recently returned to prepare for a grand reopening this weekend.

"Everyone's really excited. It's summertime. Everyone's ready to party, especially after such a long winter," she says. "The beach looks great. It's just the boardwalk. Everyone's still a little bummed out, but they're starting to rebuild it."

At Brooklyn's Coney Island, where 10 million people visited last summer, the flagship Nathan's Famous hot dog stand opened last week after suffering extensive damage from Sandy. The company says the annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest will proceed as scheduled.

And on Long Island, state parks officials say Jones Beach and Robert Moses state parks, as well as all the other state park facilities on the island, have reopened after a $90 million repair effort.

One of the weekend highlights at Jones Beach was the 10th-annual Bethpage Air Show, which organizers had hoped would draw 250,000 visitors over the weekend but was cancelled Saturday due to weather. About 70,000 people saw the show on Sunday. The repaired Jones Beach Theater will feature a full concert season starting May 31.

Workers have replaced 1.5 miles of damaged boardwalk at Jones Beach using more durable material, such as Brazilian hardwood

"Everybody was devastated, the personal tragedies, it was just all bad. So now we're hoping we've turned the page and we go forward," says George Gorman, deputy regional director for the state parks department.

Fire Island officials announced weeks ago that the beaches there will be open this summer. In many places, gigantic sand dunes were washed away by the storm, but efforts are under way to rebuild them. Fire Island businesses are also funding their own $100,000 public relations campaign to encourage tourism.

A mile-long stretch of beach at Jacob Riis Park in Queens will be open this Memorial Day — but crews will be grooming sand and doing construction on some structures destroyed by the storm, National Park officials say. The beach at Fort Tildon in Jacob Riis Park will not open this summer.

"Honestly, it's all up in the air; we really don't know what it's going to be like," says Billy Murgolo, manager of Elegante Pizzeria, in Rockaway, of the coming season.

A six-foot storm surge ruined everything but the ceiling fans at Elegante's, a year-round business that relies on an uptick of business during the summer season. He said that while the pizzeria delivers to the beach, he might have to adjust delivery routes if beachgoers settle in less narrow parts of the sand.

"Unfortunately, that's all you can do," he says. "Wait and see and go from there."

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