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Walmart responds to Holyokers' criticism by saying workers paid well and can advance at company

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Walmart store managers can earn $50,000 to $170,000 a year, a company spokesman said.

HOLYOKE Walmart pays its workers the same or more than competitors' wages and gives employees opportunities to advance into careers with the world's largest retailer, which also is a good neighbor in a community, a spokesman said Friday.

Spokesman William Wertz responded to criticism directed at Walmart Thursday in a meeting attended by about 100 neighbors, labor union members and politicians at Donahue School.

HCT_WALMART_1_12731063.JPGHolyoke Mayor -Alex B Morse speaks against a proposed Walmart in Holyoke during a meeting on July 25 at the Donahue School. 
They were protesting Walmart's plan to build a 160,000-square-foot store at 222 Whiting Farms Road that Wertz has said will have more than 300 employees in a site offering general merchandise, a garden center and a full line of groceries at low prices.

"More than 11,000 people in Massachusetts make the choice to work for our company because we offer good jobs and the opportunity to build a career," Wertz said.

In fiscal year 2013, he said, hourly Walmart employees received more than $770 million in quarterly bonuses and $800 million in matching 401(k) contributions.

Walmart also meets the quality standards for employee health care plans under the federal Affordable Care Act, he said.

"Our lowest 'associate-only' medical plan is available for $8.70 per week...," Wertz said.

Walmart has a record of helping employees advance, he said, with 160,000 workers last year promoted to positions of greater responsibility and pay. Store managers earn $50,000 to $170,000 a year, he said.

"Our highest earning store manager last year earned more than $250,000. A job at Walmart – unlike some others – offers an opportunity for a real career," Wertz said.

Wertz also addressed criticism here that Walmart's low prices wind up being a no-net-gain in a community's economy because existing businesses suffer or close.

"Walmart stores often serve as magnets for other new businesses, large and small. The small businesses that surround our stores generally have products and services we don’t offer or are strong in areas where we can’t compete," Wertz said.

A big concern of residents who live near the site of the proposed Walmart is traffic will increase into even more of a problem in the area than it is now. Mayor Alex B. Morse said one reason he has changed course and now opposes the Walmart is because company officials in preliminary discussions they are not willing to make the extensive infrastructure investments needed to address traffic concerns.

Wertz, in a previous statement, addressed Morse's point: "The planning process for Walmart's Supercenter in Holyoke is in its very early stages, so discussions about what steps might or might not be needed to address traffic haven't really started. We have certainly not ruled anything out at this point."

Walmart has scheduled an informational meeting about its proposal from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 12 at Holyoke Community College, he said.

Here is the statement from Walmart spokesman William Wertz in response to criticism made of the company at a meeting Thursday:

With respect to Walmart’s wages and benefits:

"Walmart’s wages and benefits meet or exceed those offered by most competitors. More than 11,000 people in Massachusetts make the choice to work for our company because we offer good jobs and the opportunity to build a career. In Florida our average, hourly full time wage is $13.86 an hour. In fiscal year 2013, hourly Walmart associates received more than $770 million in quarterly bonuses, $800 million in matching 401(k) contributions and $550 million in savings via our 10 percent employee discount.

Our health care plans continue to exceed the test for affordability and quality of the Affordable Care Act, and we pay the majority of premium plan costs for our associates – over 75 percent, which exceeds other retailers. Our lowest “associate-only” medical plan is available for $8.70 per week, or about $17 per pay period, and offers benefits that include no lifetime maximum for covered expenses, preventative care covered at 100 percent and a company contribution of $250 to help pay for medical expenses. The $17 premium is half the national average for single coverage per-pay period.

In addition – and this is an important point – Walmart has a record of moving hourly associates into better and better jobs and into management. Our company promoted 160,000 people last year to positions with more responsibility and higher pay. Plus, around 75 percent of our store management teams across the country started as hourly associates, and their average pay is between $50,000 and $170,000 a year. Our highest earning store manager last year earned more than $250,000. A job at Walmart – unlike some others – offers an opportunity for a real career."

With respect to Walmart’s impact on local businesses:

"Walmart stores often serve as magnets for other new businesses, large and small. The small businesses that surround our stores generally have products and services we don’t offer or are strong in areas where we can’t compete. In fact, a study by Richard S. Sobel and Andrea M. Dean at West Virginia University said this in the abstract of their study: 'Saving traditional small ‘mom and pop’ businesses has been a justification for political and court decisions preventing Wal-Mart from opening new stores virtually everywhere across the United States. We present the first rigorous econometric investigation of how Wal-Mart actually impacts the small business sector. We examine the rate of self-employment and the number of small employer establishments using both time-series and cross-sectional data. Contrary to popular belief, our results suggest that the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has had no
statistically significant long-run impact on the overall size and profitability of the small business sector in the United States.'"


FAA certifies first 2 drones for domestic flight

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Most nonmilitary use of drones in the U.S. has been limited to police and other government agencies.

FRANCE_AIR_SHOW_12582541.JPGA Textron Flight Systems drone Aerosonde MK 4.7G is displayed at the 50th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, Thursday June 20, 2013. And in background the Predator B drone.  
By JOAN LOWY

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators say they have certified two types of unmanned aircraft for civilian use, a milestone expected to lead to the first approved commercial drone operations later this summer.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday the drones are Insitu's Scan Eagle X200 and AeroVironment's PUMA. Both weigh less than 55 pounds, are about 4.5 feet long and have wingspans of 9 to 10 feet.

A major energy company plans to fly the Scan Eagle off the Alaska coast starting in August to survey ice floes and migrating whales. The PUMA is expected to support emergency response crews for oil spill monitoring and wildlife surveillance over the Beaufort Sea.

Most nonmilitary use of drones in the U.S. has been limited to police and other government agencies.

Palmer police station construction ahead of schedule

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The station should be completed in February.

PALMER - The new police station is 30 percent complete, and the Police Department should be ready to move into it sometime in February, four months ahead of schedule.

Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said he never thought he'd see a new police station built during his career, so to say he's happy about the project is an understatement.

The frame is up, and each week it resembles a police station more and more.

Frydryk led a tour on a recent weekday of the new 23,000-square-foot facility, which is 10 times larger than the current police station and twice the size of the town building. The new building is being built on four acres behind the Town Building-Police Station on Main Street.

Now that the building is taking shape, Frydryk's focus has turned to making the relocation happen smoothly. Things taken for granted, like bricks, are more complicated than they would seem. The color has to be taken account - this building will use a red brick tinged with black. It will match the color of the Town Building.

A special committee comprised of police officers and dispatchers has been designated to pick out colors for the inside.

Thanks to the voters last year, a $7.4 million debt exclusion was approved to fund a new station.

This past week, the Town Council approved applying for a higher rated bond through the state that will give the town a lower interest rate, saving it between $350,000 and $550,000 over a 20-year period, according to Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard. That represents much of the outstanding debt for the police project, as well as sewer and school projects, At-large Councilor Paul E. Burns said.

He said a department his size, with 21 officers, should have at least 18,000 square feet. Extra square footage was added to make sure it meets future needs, Frydryk said. The size has been the target of some criticism, but Frydryk said the facility will help meet the needs of a casino, if Mohegan Sun is successful in its bid for a license.

Said Frydryk, "It's designed to function for 50 police officers . . . there's enough room for growth."

It also can accommodate a regional dispatch center, which is something being studied with the towns of Ware, Warren and Monson.

Frydryk said he is awaiting study results from the Collins Center at the University of Massachusetts-Boston regarding a regional dispatch center. Those results should be ready this fall.

The new facility features an expanded dispatch center with bulletproof windows, a conference room, online training area, and plenty of space for records and evidence. The court officer will have his own office, and there will be interview rooms.

There is a two-bay garage, a sally port for officers to pull cruisers into to drop off prisoners (now they are brought through the waiting area where the general public may be) and cells for men, women and juveniles.

There are locker rooms for male and female officers in the basement, showers, and an area designated for a gym - the equipment will be funded by the Palmer Police Association. Upstairs, there will be an area designated for the town's emergency management director, a kitchen, and a holding room for processing prisoners.

The station is being built by Marois Construction of South Hadley. Frydryk said officials looked at other police stations around the state such as Sturbridge, Paxton, Belchertown, Holden, Montague, to get ideas for the Palmer facility.

Frydryk said officers say it's a dream come true, and surreal to see the project finally happening.

"They're really excited about it," Frydryk said.
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Millions rally in Egypt, responding to army call; ousted President Mohammed Morsi formally placed under investigation

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Morsi's supporters also showed no signs of backing down, though they turned out in vastly smaller numbers.

By SARAH EL DEEB
and TONY G. GABRIEL

CAIRO — Called out by the army, the largest crowds in 2½ years of upheaval filled Egypt's streets Friday, while ousted President Mohammed Morsi was formally placed under investigation on a host of allegations including murder and conspiracy with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Morsi's supporters also showed no signs of backing down, though they turned out in vastly smaller numbers. The demonstrations in Cairo remained mostly peaceful into the night, but in the city of Alexandria seven people were killed and over 100 were injured, officials said.

Late Friday night in Cairo, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Morsi supporters — a possible sign of a new intolerance for marches that block city streets.

The announcement by prosecutors of the investigation against Morsi, which is likely to pave the way to a formal indictment and eventually a trial, was the first word on his legal status since he was deposed by the military July 3. Since then, the Islamist leader has been held incommunicado in a secret location.

Both sides tried to show how much public support they enjoy. But the millions who turned out for the pro-army demonstrations overwhelmed the streets in multiple cities in Egypt, including some that rarely seen any rallies since the 2011 uprising.

Throngs of people turned out in Cairo's Tahrir Square and in other cities, answering a call by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who urged them to give him a mandate to stop "potential terrorism" by supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Portraits of the smiling el-Sissi in sunglasses dominated the crowd in Tahrir and one near the presidential palace across town. Posters with his picture were emblazoned with the words "the love of the people," and demonstrators wore small photos of him around their necks or carried a picture of his face on an Egyptian one-pound note.

Security was heavy after el-Sissi vowed to protect the rallies from attacks by rivals. Tanks guarded one entrance to Tahrir and police were stationed at other parts.

"The army is here to protect the people. They don't lie," said Ezzat Fahmi, a 38-year-old in the crowd. He said el-Sissi called the rallies "so the entire world can see that the Egyptian people don't want the Brotherhood anymore."

El-Sissi's plea came at a time when the political standoff with Morsi's supporters showed no sign of resolution. It raised speculation that he may be planning a crackdown on the toppled president's allies, who have held a sit-in outside the Rabaa al-Adawiyah Mosque in Cairo and near daily rallies elsewhere in the capital for three weeks.

The rallies have often turned violent, with more than 180 people killed this month. The Morsi supporters and opponents blame each other for the bloodshed, and people in both camps have been seen carrying weapons.

The unrest, as well as claims that Islamist groups are stockpiling weapons and escalating attacks against troops in the Sinai, were used by the country's new military-backed rulers as a basis for demanding popular support.

The interim leader, Adly Mansour, told the private TV station al-Hayat that his government seeks to include everyone, but it will not accept lawlessness, blocked roads and attacks on state institutions. He urged the pro-Morsi protesters to go home, promising they won't be pursued or arrested.

"I can't negotiate with whoever has committed a crime. But those who were duped or those who want to belong to Egyptian society, we welcome them," he said. But he added: "The state must interfere (against lawlessness) firmly."

Not long after the speech, police moved in quickly to break up a crowd of Morsi supporters marching on a main overpass in Cairo near the pro-Morsi sit-in, firing tear gas. Clashes with security forces ensued as protesters tried to extend their sit-in beyond the mosque into a main boulevard. Mahmoud Zaqzouq, a Brotherhood official, said a number of protesters had minor wounds.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim told a private TV station that the sit-in at the Rabaa mosque will be removed by legal means. He did not elaborate but said residents of the area have filed police reports against the encampment.

Police spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif told The Associated Press that 53 pro-Morsi supporters were arrested around Egypt on Friday in possession of weapons, ranging from knives to homemade guns.

El-Sissi deposed Morsi after four days of huge protests by millions of Egyptians demanding the removal of the country's first freely elected president following months of disagreements between him and the largely secular opposition.

The accusations against Morsi are connected to a prison break during the 2011 uprising against autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Gunmen attacked the Wadi el-Natroun prison northwest of Cairo, freeing inmates, including Morsi and about 30 other figures from the Muslim Brotherhood. The prosecutors allege Morsi and the Brotherhood worked with Hamas to carry out the break, in which 14 guards were killed.

Egypt's MENA news agency said Morsi was being investigated over allegations of collaborating with Hamas "to carry out anti-state acts, attacking police stations and army officers and storming prisons, setting fire to one prison and enabling inmates to flee, including himself, as well as premeditated killing of officers, soldiers and prisoners."

In recent months, a court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia has heard testimony from prison officials and intelligence officers indicating Morsi and his Brotherhood colleagues were freed when gunmen led by Hamas operatives stormed the prison.

Morsi supporters called the investigation politically motivated. Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ahmed Aref said the move showed "the complete bankruptcy of the leaders of the bloody coup."

Brotherhood officials have said they escaped when local residents broke into the prison to free their relatives and that they had no knowledge of it ahead of time.

Hamas has consistently denied any involvement in the jailbreak. A spokesman for the militant group, Sami Abu Zuhri, condemned Morsi's detention order as "an attempt to drag Hamas into the Egyptian conflict."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki expressed deep concern about reports of Morsi's detention.

"I can't speak to the specific charges. But we do believe that it is important that there be a process to work toward his release," she said. "Clearly, this process should respect the personal security of him and take into account the volatile political situation in Egypt and that's where our focus is. We have conveyed publicly and privately that his personal security and treatment is of utmost importance."

MENA said Morsi has now been formally detained for 15 days pending the completion of the investigation. It did not say whether he would now be moved to a facility where he could receive family visits.

The head of the prison authority, Maj. Gen. Mostafa Baz, said he has not yet received orders for Morsi's transfer to any of his facilities. The news agency indicated that Morsi has already been interrogated.

Egyptian institutions lined up behind el-Sissi's call for Friday's pro-military rallies, reflecting the extent of antagonism against the Brotherhood's hold on power in the past year.

State TV and most of the private broadcasters showed the pro-army rallies in various cities around Egypt, including aerial footage provided by military helicopters. Nationalist songs and parts of el-Sissi's speech in which he called for support were played throughout the day.

On Friday evening, TV networks stopped running soap operas that are wildly popular during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In a further show of support, church bells rang out during evening prayers when hundreds of thousands of protesters broke their Ramadan fasts. Interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Belbawi participated in the rally held outside the presidential palace.

A giant banner stretched across an entrance to Tahrir Square, the cradle of the 2011 uprising. It read: "The people, the source of all power, mandate the army and police to purge terrorism."

Three tanks guarded another street leading into the square, and helicopters swooped overhead.

"We have no parliament. Today is a quick referendum to support el-Sissi against the Brotherhood, whose members are terrorists," said Mohammed el-Shaer, who stood in Tahrir holding a portrait of the general in a golden frame. El-Shaer held the hand of his 10-year-old daughter, who was dressed in a military fatigues.

He called the rally a "popular referendum" on el-Sissi.

In eastern Cairo, tens of thousands of Morsi supporters at the Rabaa mosque sit-in chanted against el-Sissi and vowed to continue their push for the president's reinstatement. Others marched through some neighborhoods of Cairo.

Their rallies were mostly covered on TV by Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, and pro-Morsi activists emailed journalists videos and links to a live feed.

"When I first heard el-Sissi's call I was anxious," said 39-year-old Sayed el-Rawi, protesting outside the mosque. "But today, we saw that his speech encouraged more people to go down in the streets. ... They won't be able to break up the sit in."

The rival demonstrations are only deepening the country's divisions since Morsi's fall.

Clashes and fistfights broke out between both camps in Alexandria, with seven people killed and over 100 injured, according to health official Ibrahim el-Roubi. Some pro-Morsi supporters took cover inside a major mosque, leading to a standoff with opponents who besieged the place, locking them inside for hours.

Skirmishes also broke out in the Mediterranean coastal cities of Damietta and Mahalla, in the southern city of Luxor, and a Cairo neighborhood that left 64 injured, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled el-Khateeb and local security officials said.

It remains unclear what steps the military is planning after Friday's show of strength — whether it would try to break up sit-ins by Morsi supporters or attempt to arrest more than a dozen Brotherhood figures who have warrants against them.

On the front page of the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper, the word "wanted" in English was plastered across photos of a number of Brotherhood leaders and allies who are facing warrants. Many of them are believed to be taking refuge at the Rabaa al-Adawiyah sit-in.

The prosecutors' announcement on Morsi also could signal a greater move to go after the Brotherhood in courts. Besides Morsi, five other senior figures from the group have been detained.

Hassan Mohammed, a 30-year old teacher who came from southern Egypt to join the pro-Morsi rally, remained steadfast.

"Even if we are going to die, me and my family, we won't leave this place before our president comes back. Even if it takes seven years. We are ready to be martyrs in the name of religion and the nation," he said.

Associated Press writers Hamza Hendawi in Cairo and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Gaza City, Gaza Strip contributed to this report.


Daniel McNair of Springfield charged with unlawful weapon possession following State Street traffic stop

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Police found a handgun loaded with a 14-round magazine, which is illegal in Massachusetts.

726 danielmcnair27.jpgDaniel E. McNair 

SPRINGFIELD - A 27-year-old man that police say has gang ties was arrested on weapons and motor vehicle charges Thursday after he tried to flee from a routine traffic stop on State Street, police said.

Daniel E. McNair attempted to ditch the car in the CVS parking lot at 600 State St. and flee on foot.
After police chased him down and took him in custody, they found a loaded 9mm Smith&Wesson semi-automatic handgun in the car, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet. The handgun was loaded with a 14-round magazine, which are illegal in Massachusetts.

McNair was charged with possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with two prior felony convictions, possession of a high-capacity feeding device, possession of large capacity firearm, resisting arrest, failure to stop for a police officer, speeding and a motor vehicle equipment violation.

Lt. David Martin and Detective Thomas Kakely attempted to pull McNair over because he was driving with a broken headlight on his Nissan Maxima, Delaney said.

House Ethics Committee extends John Tierney investigation review

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During the election campaign last year Tierney, of Salem, was beset by a gambling scandal involving his wife and two brothers-in-law.

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee says it intends to extend its review of an investigation into possible ethics violations by Democrat John Tierney of Massachusetts.

The panel does not identify the reasons for the investigation and notes that the extension does not in itself indicate that any violation has occurred. It says the committee received a referral on the matter last month from an independent investigative body, the Office of Congressional Ethics, and will announce its next course of action on or before Sept. 11.

During his 2012 battle to retain his Congressional seat, Tierney was embroiled at the edges of an ongoing scandal in which his wife and brother-in-law were convicted of crimes and served time in jail for their respective roles in relation to an illegal gambling operation in Antigua. Tierney said that he knew of the gambling operation, but thought it was legal.

His Republican competitor Richard Tisei capitalized on the controversy and hit Tierney over it at every opportunity, but in the end, the longtime congressman squeezed out a narrow win over Tisei, 179,603 votes, or 48 percent, to 175,953 votes, or 47 percent.

Tierney first took office after defeating Republican Peter Torkildsen in 1996.


Holyoke police on Leary Drive investigating case of 'seriously injured' child

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Police were on the scene at Leary Drive, which is in a Holyoke Housing Authority complex.

HOLYOKE -- A seriously injured child brought to Holyoke Medical Center Friday prompted hospital staff to contact police who are investigating an incident that occurred on Leary Drive, police said.

Police went to the hospital and were on the scene at Leary Drive, Sgt. Philip J. McKay said at about 9:20 p.m.

It was unclear how the child was hurt or what the child's name and gender were.

Multiple cruisers and police tape were blocking the entrance to Beaudoin Village, a Holyoke Housing Authority facility, where Leary Drive is located, according to a story on the website of cbs3springfield, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.com

Amy Lord murder investigation: Boston police probe September attack connected to 'person of interest' Edwin Alemany

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Boston police had arrested Edwin Alemany on Wednesday for allegedly stabbing a woman early Wednesday in South Boston.

BOSTON — The commissioner of the Boston Police Department said police in September had cause to arrest Edwin Alemany – "a person of interest" in the Tuesday murder of Amy Lord – and that he was "very disappointed" in a detective who investigated the case last year.

In a press conference on Friday afternoon to update the investigation into Lord's death, Edward F. Davis, commissioner of the Boston police, said the victim of the Sept. 28 crime had a wallet and identification of Alemany, who is a person of interest in the murder of Lord.The woman was attacked and robbed, but not sexually assaulted, Davis said.

062713 ed davis.JPGEd Davis 

Davis said a detective had probable cause to arrest Alemany and the department is conducting an internal review of the case. Davis said the detective held off on an arrest because the woman gave a vague description that was not sufficient for a positive identification.

Davis said there should have been a "more thorough and aggressive" investigation of that September attack. He said Alemany is a strong suspect in that case.

“We might not have been able to get over the bar of a guilty verdict on that case but that’s not our standard,” he said. “Our standard is probable cause.”

Davis said the department is on the right track in investigating the murder of Lord, who was raised in Wilbraham, but he said Alemany is a person of interest in her murder, not a suspect at this point.

"We're confident and comfortable we're on the right track in this case," Davis said at Boston police headquarters. "I wish I could say more about the Lord investigation, but I don't want to jeopardize it."

Davis said it is "incredibly frustrating" that Alemany had 18 arraignments on charges as a juvenile and 34 adult arraignments on charges, but was not in jail.

"This is clearly a violent guy we have arrested numerous times for violent crimes," Davis said.

On Tuesday morning, Lord, 24, was beaten, kidnapped and forced to withdraw money from automated machines at five Boston banks before she was murdered and her body was left at Stony Brook Reservation in the Hyde Park section of Boston.

Boston police arrested Alemany on Wednesday for allegedly stabbing a woman several times in South Boston early Wednesday.

The woman fended off the attack and described the assailant to police, who arrested Alemany. He was charged with assault with intent to murder in that case.

Alemany was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital on Thursday after a doctor said he was suicidal. A judge found on Thursday that Alemany was not competent to be arraigned on the assault charges, and delayed the arraignment for 20 days.

Davis said he spoke on Friday with Lord's mother, who he said was devastated.

Davis said Alemany did get out of jail on July 12 of last year.

"This is a dangerous guy – whoever is responsible – we need to get off the streets," the commissioner said.

Davis said the department is investigating every assault on a woman in Boston since he was released from jail.

According to a Boston police report, the woman attacked in September was walking on Parker Hill Avenue when she was grabbed from behind and strangled. The woman told police that “as she was falling to the ground, she grabbed an unknown object," which turned out to be Alemany's wallet, before she fell unconscious, The Boston Globe reported.

In the Lord case, the department is "working around the clock," and reviewing evidence, including significant video, tips and DNA.

"It's all ongoing," Davis said. "It's premature to say what we have and when we expect to have some definitive answer."

Lord's car, which was torched, was found early Tuesday in South Boston. Her body was discovered about eight hours later.

Lord graduated in 2007 from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, where she was an honors student and a varsity cheerleader. She also graduated from Bentley University in Waltham in 2011.

Lord was working for Genuine Interactive, a digital media company in Boston.



In Springfield, Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society goes beyond caring for sick, injured animals

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Operating on donations and grants, the Dankin Animal Shelter has been providing adoption, foster care, sterilizations and other service for dogs, cats, rabbits, geese, and exotic birds among other animals since opening as the Greenfield Area Animal Shelter in 1968.

SPRINGFIELD — “One-Eyed Jackie” was one sick cat.

Wheezing and dehydrated, with lungworm, dental disease and feline AIDS, the abandoned house pet was half-dead when a volunteer for Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society spotted her last fall.

Several months and surgeries later, the cat – minus an eye removed due to infection – is alive and prowling her new apartment in Westfield.

“She basically runs the house,” said Diane Lemanis, who adopted the cat in January from Dakin. On the subject of her new housemate, Lemanis insists that she, not the cat, is the lucky one.

“Getting her was one of the best things I’ve ever done,” she said.

One-Eyed Jackie is just one of thousands of animals helped by Dakin since arriving in Hampden County in 2009, filling a void left by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal’s hospital and adoption center.

Operating on donations and grants, the animal charity has been providing adoption, foster care, sterilizations and other service for dogs, cats, rabbits, geese, and exotic birds among other animals since opening as the Greenfield Area Animal Shelter in 1968.

After merging with Everett-based Dakin Animal Shelter and the Pioneer Valley Humane Society in 2006, the agency arrived in Greater Springfield with an agenda that went beyond caring for sick, stray or injured animals.

With innovative tactics and a flair for marketing, the organization has attacked the causes of animal abandonment and homelessness, with a particular emphasis on spaying and neutering.

Since 2009, the spay/neuter clinic in Springfield has been busy sterilizing about 12,000 animals each year. In September, an eight-month old pit bull mix named Maverick from Southwick had the distinction of becoming the 30,000th spay/neuter customer.

But cats, not dogs, are the real challenge for Dakin and other humane organizations.

The reason is biology: an unspayed female can give birth to two or three litters a year, for about 10 years – or more than 100 kittens.

At Dakin, 67 percent of incoming animals were cats last year, down from 72 percent over the previous two years.

As animal advocates know, too many kittens is a formula for suffering and death – on the streets for feral cats, or in shelters where cats that can’t be adopted often get euthanized.

Using a $199,400 grant from Petsmart Charities, Dakin identified 12 kitten-producing zip codes in Pioneer Valley communities and targeted them for a birth-reduction blitz last summer.

Low-income pet owners in Greenfield, Orange, Turners Falls, Belchertown, South Hadley, Ware, Holyoke, Chicopee and three Springfield neighborhoods were urged to round up their cats and bring them in for free neuter/spaying surgery - a service that usually costs $50 per cat.

The zip code initiative not only paid off in the designated areas, but it helped accomplish an overall drop of 36 percent of kittens coming into Dakin from across the Pioneer Valley.

“We’ve reached the tipping point,” said Leslie A. Harris, Dakin’s executive director.

Behind the large statistical drop were dozens of small dramas, including one involving a low-income Greenfield family that took in four stray kittens, naming them Ginger, Jumper, Reeses and Sophie Ann.

"The family soon discovered the new arrivals were all sisters - and, assuming nature ran its course, there could be 30 more mouths to feed within a year.

The family couldn’t afford to pay (the spaying costs of $50 each), but they didn’t want to give up the kittens either,” Harris explained.

Thanks to the Petsmart funding, the kittens were spayed and vaccinated without costing their owners a penny.

“It worked out well for everyone,” Harris added.

The agency has also expanded foster care placements for lost or abandoned animals. Last year, a network of Dakin volunteers took in more than 1,200 cats, dogs and other animals until permanent homes could be found.

To help low-income families, pet food is also delivered to area survival centers and Meals on Wheels programs to keep animals with their families.

The combined approach has paid off for pets, their owners and the agencies that care for them, said Pamela L. Peebles, executive director at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center.

“Dakin has been a really good neighbor; we work with them individual situations and on larger issues,” she said.

“Dakin has been a godsend for us,” said Debra L. LaBruzzo, coordinator for the Homeless Cat Project in Springfield.

With a budget of $3 million and 16 employees, the agency receives no government funding and relies on public support to survive.

Which explains, in part, its frisky marketing style.

Last November, Dakin held a Black Friday cat adoption sale, with vaccinations, neutering, health screening, a microchip, jewel-tone collar, ID tag and a starter bag of food for $5 – or $90 off the standard rate.

By noon, the line was across the parking lot and down the street. By the end of the day, 136 adult cats and 14 kittens went home with new families on Friday night.


Ware losing police officers to retirement and new job

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Ware Police Chief Dennis Healey said the full-time staffing is now down to 17, and the minimum adequate number is 19

Ware police car.jpg 

WARE – Selectmen announced last week that the Police Department will have two fewer police officers.

Ware Police Chief Dennis Healey said the full-time staffing is now down to 17, and the minimum adequate number is 19. That includes the chief's position and the two full-time sergeants.

In an interview, Healey said he plans to meet with selectmen and the town manager in August to ask that they authorize him to seek to fill the two vacancies via appointment from the state Civil Service list. The plan is to have new officers hired by late summer or early fall.

The chief said the next police academy training is in February, 2014.

Officer Raymond Chartier, a 25-year veteran of the force, retired on July 14.

Officer Robert Langimoniere is taking a position with the Cohasset Police Department. His last day with the Ware squad is Aug. 3.

The starting salary for a new officer is between $39,000 and $40,000.

Gunman, six others killed in shootout at Florida apartment complex

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A gunman holding hostages inside a South Florida apartment complex killed six people before being shot to death by a SWAT team that stormed the building early Saturday following an hours-long standoff, police said.

Apartment Shootings FloridaPolice cars line a street where a seven were killed at an apartment building in Hialeah, Fla., early Saturday, July 27, 2013. A gunman holding hostages inside the apartment complex killed six people before being shot to death by a SWAT team that stormed the building early Saturday following an hours-long standoff, police said. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Joey Flechas)

HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) — A gunman holding hostages inside a South Florida apartment complex killed six people before being shot to death by a SWAT team that stormed the building early Saturday following an hours-long standoff, police said.

Sgt. Eddie Rodriguez told The Associated Press that police got a call around 6:30 p.m. Friday that shots had been fired in a building with dozens of apartments in Hialeah, just a few miles north of Miami.

Rodriguez said that when police arrived, they discovered an active shooter situation: "He's inside the building, moving from floor to floor. Eventually he barricades himself in an apartment."

A crisis team was able to briefly establish communication with the man. Rodriguez said negotiators and a SWAT team tried talking with him from the other side of the door of an apartment unit where he was holding two hostages.

But Rodriguez said the talks eventually "just fell apart." Officers stormed the building, fatally shooting the gunman in an exchange of gunfire.

"They made the decision to go in there and save and rescue the hostages," Rodriguez said. Both hostages survived. Rodriguez said he didn't have any information on how long negotiations lasted.

He said police discovered two people, a male and female, shot to death in the hallway in front of one unit. Three more, a male and two females, were found shot and killed in another apartment on a different floor. Another man who was walking his children into an apartment across the street also was killed. Rodriguez said it wasn't immediately clear whether the gunman took aim at him from an upper-level balcony or if he was hit by a stray bullet.

"From up there, he was able to shoot at people across the street, catching this one man who was just walking into his apartment," Rodriguez said.

In the large Miami suburb of Hialeah, the entrance to the quiet neighborhood lined with apartment buildings was blocked off early Saturday.

The standoff occurred in an aging beige five-story building with an open terrace in the middle.

Miriam Valdes, 70, said she lives on the top floor — one floor above where the shooting began. She said she heard gunfire and later saw smoke entering her apartment.

She described running in fear to the unit across the hall, where she stayed holed up as officers negotiated with the gunman.

From the apartment, Valdes said she could hear about eight officers talking with the gunman.

She said she heard the officers tell him to "let these people out."

"We're going to help you," she said they told him.

She said the gunman first asked for his girlfriend and then his mother but refused to cooperate.

Ester Lazcano said she lives two doors down from where the shooting began and was in the shower when she heard the first shots. Then there were many more.

"I felt the shots," she said.

Neighbors said the gunman lived in the building, but police wouldn't confirm that information. Rodriguez said police were still investigating the motive and identifying the gunman and victims.

"Investigators are talking with families of the victims, neighbors, people that were present when all this began," he said. "That way we can start to piece together this huge puzzle that we're working with."


Obituaries today: Amanda Gentile worked at Walmart and Springfield YMCA after-school program

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
072713-amanda-gentile.jpgAmanda Gentile 

Amanda M. Gentile, 30, passed away on Tuesday. Born in Springfield, she was raised in Springfield and West Springfield, before recently moving to Westfield. She worked at Walmart and the after-school program with the Springfield YMCA. She was an artist and enjoyed glass blowing. She was instrumental in starting a walk with her family to raise money for the Rays of Hope for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Obituaries from The Republican:


Springfield pension system remains worst-funded in Massachusetts

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Springfield's pension fund remains the worst-funded in the state for the 3rd year in a row, according to information compiled in a new Pioneer Institute database. Springfield has just 29 percent of the money it needs to pay its promises to current and future retirees.

BOSTON — The city of Springfield’s municipal pension fund remains the worst-funded in the state for the third year in a row, according to information compiled in a new Pioneer Institute database.

Springfield currently has just 29 percent of the money it needs to keep its promises to current and future retirees. Measured in dollars, Springfield has an unfunded liability of $652.7 million, according to a 2012 annual report by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission.

The Pioneer Institute database gives new insight into what has been a perennial problem in Massachusetts – the funding of the state’s 105 public pension systems. The problem is particularly acute in Springfield, which has seen its unfunded liability grow steadily over the past decade.

The issue has particular resonance now due to Detroit’s recent bankruptcy. That city also had significant unfunded liabilities in its pension system. Whether those retirees will get more than pennies on the dollars which were promised to them is up to a bankruptcy court.

Anne Leduc, executive director of the Springfield Retirement Board, was asked if there is a chance that future Springfield retirees will not see their promised pension benefits. “If I could see in the future, I’d probably be laying on a beach right now,” Leduc responded. “I don’t think you’ll get a straight answer to that one.”

Under current projections, Springfield’s pension fund will be fully funded by 2037 – a date that puts the City of Homes in 15th from last among all of Massachusetts’s public pension funds.

But Springfield is not the only city with pension fund problems. Only one pension fund in the state is fully funded – the small Minuteman Regional School District in Lexington.

Twenty-five pensions are funded at less than 50 percent. Everett and Lawrence, the second and third lowest funded pension funds, are both funded at less than 40 percent.

“When one looks at the pension problem in Massachusetts, it’s clearly worse today than it was a decade ago,” said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “That’s a cause of great concern for the state and municipalities.”

All the pension funds were hurt by the 2008 stock market crash, Widmer said. The funds count on growth of about 8 percent a year from their investments, and anything that falls short of that increases the unfunded liability if the money is not made up by taxpayers.

Additionally, he said, legislation over the years has sweetened pensions, adding to the costs. People are also living longer.

Combined with separate unfunded liabilities for retiree health benefits, Widmer said, “It’s simply an overwhelming obligation that communities have assumed but they can’t pay for.”

Iliya Atanasov, the Pioneer Institute’s senior fellow on finance, who led the institute’s pension research, said cities like Springfield, Lawrence and New Bedford have had a more fundamental economic problem over the last couple of decades, since they lost their manufacturing bases.

“For a lot of these places, the pension issue is an integral part of general economic decline - falling housing prices, poor education. It’s the same kind of dynamic that we saw with Detroit,” Atanasov said.

A range of factors can contribute, Atanasov said, to a low-funded pension: annual cost of living increases given to employees, the number of employees a city has, small pension funds that do not have the capacity to make smart investment decisions, low employment rates and an ailing economy that limits the tax dollars available to pay these costs.

“There’s no one way in which this issue can be repaired,” Atanasov said. “We need to rein in management expenses, be more careful with payroll costs, find ways to boost the economy. We need to be sure the investments we make are wise.”

The conservative-leaning Pioneer Institute argued in a separate policy brief that consolidating administration of the state’s 105 pension systems would save up to $25 million annually in labor costs and stipends to board members, which could then be put toward the unfunded liabilities.

As of 2012, Springfield had around 3,200 employees and 2,700 retirees and paid an average retiree benefit of $21,300.

In Springfield, the investments made by the pension fund are controlled by the state. A 2007 state law requires the state pension fund to manage any public pension fund that does not meet certain investment standards. The goal was to help funds that do not have the same resources as the state to make investment decisions. Springfield’s fund has been invested with the state since 2005.

Springfield officials attribute the low funding ratio of the pension fund to market and economic conditions. “If you go over the last 10 to 15 years and the way the economy is, it added to the position that the Springfield retirement fund is in now,” Leduc said.

Springfield comptroller Patrick Burns, an ex-officio member of the retirement board, said the decline in funding is due to the 2008 stock market crash. The fund reported losing 28 percent of its value in 2008, the biggest drop in investment returns since 1985, the earliest date for which data available. “I think every pension system in the commonwealth was affected by the crash,” Burns said.

As the market has rebounded, the Springfield pension fund has improved its performance, gaining 13 to 14 percent in three of the last four years.

Burns could not explain why Springfield’s funding is still lower than others in the state. But, he said, the retirement board is addressing the problem by adopting a more aggressive funding schedule.

For fiscal year 2014, which started this month, the city paid $37.2 million into the pension system. Next year, it will increase that amount by 5 percent, with 6 percent increases every year thereafter. The new schedule, Burns said, will let the city fully fund its liability by 2037.

Historically, Springfield’s pension system had been funded at above 50 percent through 2002, hitting its highest funding level – 57 percent – in 2000. Investment returns dropped significantly in 2002 and the funding level never rose above 50 percent again.

James Harrigan, a retired firefighter who was on the retirement board from 1996 to 2008, said the fund “took a huge hit” around 2000 due to market conditions. The stock market crashed in both 2000 and 2002, and the country went into recession. Harrigan said the Springfield retirement board fired some of its money managers around that time.

In addition, Harrigan said, the city was hurting financially for years and did not always put enough money into the pension system. “It was just a hard time to come up with money,” he said.


Bride-to-be, best man missing after Hudson River boat crash

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A bride-to-be and her fiance's best man were missing in the Hudson River on Saturday after a speedboat carrying six friends crashed into a construction barge in a nighttime accident near the Tappan Zee Bridge.

PIERMONT, N.Y. (AP) — A bride-to-be and her fiance's best man were missing in the Hudson River on Saturday after a speedboat carrying six friends crashed into a construction barge in a nighttime accident near the Tappan Zee Bridge. Four others, including the groom-to-be, were hurt.

The crash happened late Friday, shortly after the 21-foot Stingray left the village of Piermont for a short trip across the river to Tarrytown, about a half-hour's drive north of New York City, authorities said.

Rescuers searched for the missing boaters for several hours overnight before suspending the hunt. They resumed the search at about 9:30 a.m. Boats and dive teams from several law enforcement agencies were participating in the search, but as midday came and went there was no sign of the missing victims.

The missing woman was identified by her mother as 30-year-old Lindsey Stewart, of Piermont.

"We are praying for a miracle," Carol Stewart said as she waited on the shore. She said her daughter was to be married Aug. 10.

Four other people, including the groom-to-be, Brian Bond, 35, were hospitalized after being pulled from the damaged boat. Bond was knocked unconscious in the crash but later woke and was able to call 911, Carol Stewart said.

Lindsey Stewart's stepfather, Walter Kosik, said the couple have known each other since they were 10 years old and used to go to church together.

"They have been friends the whole time, and they fell in love about 3 ½ years ago," Kosik said.

They were to be married at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pearl River, with a reception at a Hudson Valley winery, he said.

Rockland County Sheriff's Department Chief William Barbera declined to identify the victims. He said the barge, one of several loaded with construction material for an upcoming replacement of the bridge, was equipped with lights, but it was still difficult to see on the water so late at night.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Applicants face tough financial requirements for medical pot licenses in Massachusetts

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The first medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts could open by the middle of next year.

BOSTON -- Applicants for licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts will need to show strong finances, including having at least $500,000 in liquid capital to ensure they have the resources to operate.

In addition, the state Department of Public Health is proposing $31,500 in fees to apply for a license for a retail dispensary and growing operation.

pot2.JPGThe different strains of marijuana are displayed during the grand opening in February of the Seattle location of the Northwest Cannabis Market, for sales of medical marijuana products. 

Robert Carp, a Needham lawyer and president of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Dispensers' Association, said the state's capital requirements could effectively exclude some entrepreneurs and certain nonprofit organizations such as advocates for military veterans or certain diseases.

Carp said he is teaming up with a New York-based private investment firm to offer "100 percent financing" for qualified groups to open a medical marijuana dispensary. He said he is currently reviewing 15 applications for the financing.

"We want people who concentrate on helping patients, not just people who concentrate on helping themselves," said Carp, who says he has some friends and relatives with diseases who use marijuana for medical reasons.

Carp said Massachusetts is requiring stiffer capital requirements than most other states with medical marijuana.

Carp said applicants for financing from his affiliated firm will need to be "patient-centered" and demonstrate solid credit, a business plan and nonprofit experience.

Carp would not disclose the identity of the investment firm. He also declined to name any groups applying for financing.

The state Department of Public Health expects to have a competitive application process this summer and fall for licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries, according to David Kibbe, communications director for the department. The application form is not yet available.

The requirement for $500,000 in operating capital for marijuana dispensers is established within 45 pages of state regulations approved by the policy-making council of the department in early May.

The draft application fees for dispensary applicants and other fees for the program -- designed to fully fund state costs of regulation and oversight -- are expected to be made public soon.

The department expects to approve dispensaries by the end of this year, Kibbe said.

The department will be overseeing a two-part application process including a first phase intended to, among other things, show financial backing, and then a second phase to apply for a site-specific license.

All applicants must demonstrate nonprofit status.

The law requires up to 35 dispensaries around the state including at least one in each county and a limit of five for any one county.

People with certain "debilitating medical conditions," including cancer, glaucoma, the virus that causes AIDS or "other conditions" determined by a doctor, can obtain a registration card and possess up to a 60-day supply of marijuana, defined as 10 ounces in the regulations.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have approved medical marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law.

A total of 63 percent of voters in Massachusetts approved a medical marijuana ballot question last November.

Carp said he expects it will take six months to a year for a dispensary to open once it obtains a license. Each dispensary will need retail space, plus a growing facility that would require 20,000 to 40,000 square feet, plumbing, special lights and security, he said.

Carp said he expects the state to initially award licenses for 19 dispensaries. He said about 100 different organizations could be bidding for the licenses.

Carp and a legal partner have helped applicants for licenses in other states with compliance, taxes and other issues.


Body found in Hudson River where bride-to-be vanished

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Authorities pulled a woman's body from the Hudson River on Saturday near where a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man were hurled into the water when a speedboat carrying six friends crashed into a construction barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge.

This is an update of a story originally posted at 1:12 p.m.

PIERMONT, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities pulled a woman's body from the Hudson River on Saturday near where a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man were hurled into the water when a speedboat carrying six friends crashed into a construction barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Officials were working to confirm that it was the body of 30-year-old Lindsey Stewart, who has been missing since the Friday night accident, but they said it appeared to fit her description.

The search for the missing man, 30-year-old Mark Lennon, was continuing, said Rockland County undersheriff Robert VanCura.

The crash happened shortly after the 21-foot Stingray left the village of Piermont for a short trip across the river to Tarrytown, about a half-hour's drive north of New York City, authorities said.

The groom-to-be, art teacher Brian Bond, was among the four injured. He and Lindsey Stewart were two weeks away from their planned Aug. 10 wedding.

Stewart's mother, Carol, said earlier Saturday that she was praying for a miracle.

Four people were hospitalized after being pulled from the damaged boat. Bond, 35, was knocked unconscious in the crash but later woke and was able to call 911, Carol Stewart said.

Lindsey Stewart's stepfather, Walter Kosik, said the couple have known each other since they were young children and used to go to church together.

"They have been friends the whole time, and they fell in love about 3 ½ years ago," Kosik said.

They were to be married at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pearl River, with a reception at a vineyard in Hillburn, he said.

Rockland County Sheriff's Department Chief William Barbera declined to identify the other people aboard the boat. He said the barge, one of several loaded with construction material for an upcoming replacement of the bridge, was equipped with lights, but it was still difficult to see on the water so late at night.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The New York State Thruway Authority, which is overseeing the bridge project, said it was reviewing safety procedures.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time," the authority said in a statement. It added that the lighting on the barges appeared to be functioning normally.

Pile driving that had been scheduled to take place Saturday was suspended because of the accident.

National Night Out planned for Palmer

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The event will feature food, fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers.

PALMER - Palmer Events Planning and the Palmer Domestic Violence Task Force are sponsoring this year's National Night Out event at the Palmer Historical and Cultural Center on Aug. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event will feature food, fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers. Social service agencies have been invited. There also will be displays inside the building.

"We are hoping to create a true block party atmosphere, with fun theme related activities for families," a press release about the event states.

The National Night Out Against Crime, which started nearly 30 years ago, encourages communities across the country to get together in a show of force against gangs, drugs and crime. In 1984, the first year it was held, 2.5 million Americans took part across 400 communities in 23 states.

New principal appointed at Hardwick Elementary School

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The school serves approximately 250 students in grades kindergarten through six from Hardwick, Gilbertville and Wheelwright.

Peterson Jill (2).jpgJill Peterson, new Hardwick Elementary School principal. 

HARDWICK - Jill A. Peterson has been appointed as principal of the Hardwick Elementary School in Gilbertville, according to information from the Quabbin Regional School District.

The school serves approximately 250 students in grades kindergarten through six from Hardwick, Gilbertville and Wheelwright.

Peterson returns to the Quabbin District after a year serving as an administrator at the Hollis Primary School in Hollis, N.H. While there, she held the responsibilities of assistant principal, special education coordinator and preschool coordinator, a press release stated.

Previously, she was the assistant principal at the Ruggles Lane Elementary School in Barre and was Quabbin's Title I (grant) director.

Prior to joining the Quabbin faculty, she worked in a North Middlesex Regional School District elementary school, teaching grades one, three and five. She also was a Title 1 reading teacher for students in grades kindergarten through three.

Peterson earned her master's in education in administration and special education from Fitchburg State College (now university) and her bachelor of science in early childhood education from Framingham State College (now University). She is continuing post-graduate work through the Merrimack Educational Collaborative.


David Acosta named MassGaming's director of licensing

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A resort casino license is expected to be issued for Western Massachusetts no later than April, according to the Gaming Commission's website.

slots.jpgKaren Lingermuth, of Niles, Ill., plays the slots during a special event at the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill.  

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced the appointment of licensing veteran, David Acosta, as MassGaming’s first director of licensing.

With more than 29 years of regulatory and licensing experience in Ohio and New Jersey, Acosta will be responsible for establishing MassGaming’s new licensing division. He will serve as the operational and administrative head of the division and will be responsible for executing, administering and enforcing the provisions of the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Statute.

Most recently, Acosta served as the director of licensing for the Ohio Casino Control Commission. In this role, he ensured that the applicant met the requirements of the Ohio Revised Code and Regulations.

MassGaming Chairman Steve Crosby stated, “The License Division plays a critical role in the Commission’s long-term and relentless commitment to ensuring the integrity of the commonwealth’s gaming industry. With a proven track record spanning multiple jurisdictions, Mr. Acosta’s licensing expertise will be extremely valuable to the Commission as we set forth to design and implement new administrative systems to support the highest standards of operation within the upcoming gaming facilities.”

MassGaming’s newly formed License Division is responsible for all of the functions related to licensing administration.


Acosta earned a bachelor of arts in political science and public administration from Stockton State College in Pomona, N.J.

In Western Massachusetts, three companies are competing for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license - Mohegan Sun Massachusetts in Palmer, Hard Rock in West Springfield and MGM Resorts International in Springfield.

Springfield voters approved the host community agreement earlier this month; West Springfield will have its vote Sept. 10 and the town manager and Mohegan Sun are still working on a host community agreement for Palmer, which means that a referendum likely will be held sometime in October.

A resort casino license is expected to be issued for Western Massachusetts no later than April, according to the Gaming Commission's website.

Teresa Heinz Kerry leaves Boston rehab hospital

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Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, was discharged from a Boston hospital Saturday, just under three weeks after she suffered a seizure at their Nantucket home, a State Department spokesman said.

728heinzkerr.JPGTeresa Heinz Kerry was discharged from a Boston hospital Saturday, just under three weeks after she suffered a seizure at their Nantucket home, a State Department spokesman said. 

BOSTON — Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, was discharged from a Boston hospital Saturday, just under three weeks after she suffered a seizure at their Nantucket home, a State Department spokesman said.

Heinz Kerry, 74, is expected to make a full recovery from the July 7 seizure following additional outpatient treatment, spokesman Glen Johnson said.

"I'm extremely grateful for the quality of care Teresa received," Kerry said in the statement. "I've always known Massachusetts is blessed to have some of the greatest health care in the world, but we've just lived it, and are grateful to all."

Heinz Kerry thanked her doctors and caregivers. "They are the kindest people, who love what they do and do it superbly well," she said.

Kerry praised the State Department Diplomatic Security Service members who first responded when his wife fell ill. Heinz Kerry was treated at a Nantucket hospital and another in Boston before ultimately being discharged from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Johnson previously said the cause of the seizure had not been determined but doctors had ruled out a brain tumor, heart attack or stroke. The family does not plan to comment further on Heinz Kerry's health, he said.

Heinz Kerry, an heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune, is the widow of former U.S. Sen. John Heinz, who was killed along with six others in 1991 when a helicopter collided with a plane over a schoolyard in Merion, Pennsylvania. She married Kerry, a longtime senator from Massachusetts, in 1995.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, resigned from the U.S. Senate on Feb. 1 after being confirmed to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.

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