A bus carrying teenagers returning home from a church camp in Michigan crashed Saturday afternoon about a mile from its destination, killing three people and sending 26 others to hospitals, officials said.

Firefighters work to extricate people from a bus crash Saturday in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Fire Department says three people were killed when a bus carrying teens from a church camp crashed on a busy thoroughfare near Interstate 465. The bus was carrying 40 passengers who are members of Colonial Hill Baptist Church and were returning from camp when the crash happened Saturday afternoon.  

By RICK CALLAHAN

INDIANAPOLIS — A bus carrying teenagers returning home from a church camp in Michigan crashed Saturday afternoon about a mile from its destination, killing three people and sending 26 others to hospitals, officials said.

The bus came speeding off of Interstate 465 in northern Indianapolis, about a mile from the Colonial Hills Baptist Church that passengers attended. It struck a retaining wall as it tried to round a curve and overturned.

"They were not that far from home. ... That only adds to the tragedy," Indianapolis Public Safety Director Tony Riggs said.

The dead included a husband and wife, Riggs said. Authorities did not provide information on the third victim.

Indianapolis Fire Department Lt. Ato McTush said. He did not have information about the third victim.

Riggs visited the crash scene with Mayor Greg Ballard before heading to the church. Riggs said there was no indication that the driver had a medical emergency and called the accident "a great tragedy."

WTHR-TV reported the bus driver told witnesses his brakes failed. Indianapolis Fire Department Lt. Ato McTush said police and fire officials had not determined whether the bus had mechanical issues.

Duane Lloyd told the TV station that he heard a loud noise behind him as he was traveling near the intersection and saw the crash around 4:15 p.m.

"I heard a skid. I looked back. I see this bus in the air and people falling out of the bus," Lloyd said. "I could have gone my whole life without seeing that."

Karen Woodard, a member of Colonial Hills Baptist Church, cried as she stared at the wrecked bus surrounded by pillows, water bottles and clothing. She said the bus was returning from a youth camp in Michigan and some of the teens had their parents with them.

"It's so terrible. I can't believe it," she said.

Indianapolis Fire Department said crews had to free five people who were trapped inside after the crash. Four good Samaritans helped before first responders could arrive, including one man who helped pull the driver out of the bus, the agency said.

"People were stopping their cars. People were literally trying to lift the bus," Lloyd said. "You just try to do what you can do."

Fire officials said the bus was carrying about 40 passengers and that the injured included children and adults.

Nine teenagers were taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital, including one in critical condition. Four others, including three teenagers and a toddler, were in stable condition at Riley Hospital for Children, a spokeswoman for the hospitals said.

Many of the patients were suffering head, arm and leg injuries, fire officials said.

Roads near the scene were closed, and authorities were urging people to use caution in the area. A hazardous materials crew was cleaning up diesel fuel that spilled in the crash.

Outside the church about a mile away, families gathered to hug and talk quietly as parents paced back and forth talking on cellphones. A yellow school bus with the church school's name was parked outside with piles of sleeping bags and suitcases nearby.

Associated Press writer Tom Murphy contributed to this story.

A deadly nighttime speedboat crash on the Hudson River hurled a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man into the water and left the groom and three others injured, including a friend charged with vehicular manslaughter on Saturday, just two weeks before the couple was to exchange their vows.

PIERMONT, N.Y. — A deadly nighttime speedboat crash on the Hudson River hurled a bride-to-be and her fiance's best man into the water and left the groom and three others injured, including a friend charged with vehicular manslaughter on Saturday, just two weeks before the couple was to exchange their vows.

Six friends were on board the boat Friday night when it struck a barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge, sending Lindsey Stewart and Mark Lennon, both 30, into the water and injuring the other four, including groom-to-be Brian Bond, officials said.

A body matching Stewart's description was recovered Saturday while Lennon is presumed dead, Rockland County Sheriff's Department Chief William Barbera said. The search for Lennon's body will resume Sunday.

"The search has been suspended this evening and the tides have a lot to do with that," Barbera said. "We'll start again first thing in the morning."

Authorities charged the boat's operator, Jojo John, 35, of Nyack, with vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. He was arraigned from a hospital bed and ordered held on $250,000 bond, Barbera said. John is suspected of operating the boat while intoxicated but authorities are still awaiting the result of blood tests.

Attempts to reach John's family were not immediately successful and it was not clear if he had an attorney.

Earlier Saturday, authorities pulled a woman's body from the water that matched Stewart's description. Officials were working to confirm that the body was Stewart's but it was unclear how long that could take.

Stewart and Lennon were thrown from the boat when it struck a barge carrying materials for the construction of a replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge, about a half-hour's drive north of New York City.

The boat, a 21-foot Stingray, had left the village of Piermont for a short trip across the river to Tarrytown, authorities said.

Stewart, of Piermont, worked for an insurance company. She and Bond were set to be married Aug. 10, family members said.

Bond was knocked unconscious in the crash but later woke and was able to call 911, Stewart's mother, Carol said.

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.

Barbera declined to identify the other people aboard the boat and had no information on their conditions. He said the barge was equipped with lights, but it was still difficult to see on the water late at night.

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.

Stewart's former English teacher at Pearl River High School, who remained in contact with her through Facebook, called the accident "heartbreaking."

"She was one of my students and a bright, sweet girl loved by everyone," said Doreen Arney. "I knew that she was getting married, and to Brian. To happen to two such special kids — it just shouldn't happen."

The Hardwick Fair, the country's oldest fair, will be held Aug. 16 and 17.

Chef Enrico Giovanello at work.submitted photo 

WARE - Baystate Mary Lane Hospital will sponsor a Babysitters Academy to ready area youth for summer babysitting responsibilities.

The one day program will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The class will be held in the main conference room located on the hospital's second floor.

The Babysitters Academy is a certified babysitter program for young adults ages 12-15; the session offers potential babysitters instruction in baby care, first aid, CPR, fire safety, home security, child behavior and accident prevention.

Participants are given a course booklet containing helpful tips and other information, and will receive a graduation certificate upon completion of the course.

The program is offered by the Parenting program at Baystate Medical Center. There is a $30 fee. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required by calling Baystate Health Link at (413) 967-2488.

MONSON - Keep Homestead Museum, 35 Ely Road, will hold a concert on the lawn with Dick Chase and the millboys on Aug. 4 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

The millboys play mostly Irish music and country standards, along with melodies from nine other countries. The concert will be held rain or shine; in the event of rain, it will be moved into the barn. The air-conditioned museum will be open to visitors from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and all are invited inside to view the furniture and belongings of the Keep family that lived in the house for over 150 years. The museum also houses one of the largest button collections in the country.

Visitors should bring a lawn chair or blanket to the free concert. Donations are welcome; ice cream sundaes will be served in the barn.

BRIMFIELD - Chef Enrico Giovanello of the Table 3 restaurant group (Cedar Street Grille, Avellino and The Duck) will hold a cooking demonstration at Hitchcock Free Academy.

Create homemade pasta and sauces with the chef, who will share some of his preparation tips on Aug. 7, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Fee is $42 for Brimfield, Holland, Sturbridge, and Wales residents; all others, add $5. Visit www.hitchcockacademy.org for details. For more information on Table 3, visit www.table3restaurantgroup.com

HARDWICK - The 251st Hardwick Community Fair will kick off on Aug. 16 with the fair supper from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 per person.

Opening ceremonies and the fair dedication will begin at 7 p.m. Exhibit halls will be open from 7 to 10 p.m., including the antique tractor and implement exhibit.

Participants are asked to arrange their exhibits on Aug. 15 from 7 to 9 p.m., or Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Entries to certain categories may have earlier dates (visit www.hardwickfair.com for information).

The Paige Library book sale will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Hay rides with Mark Korzec will begin at 7 p.m., and the lumberjack contest will begin at 7:15 p.m.

The bluegrass band, "Livestock" will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday festivities will begin with the pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m.

The mountain bike ride/race will begin at 9 a.m., at the Hardwick Common. Helmets are required. The approximately one-hour competition will follow a beginner/intermediate trail through town.

Scarecrow contest exhibitors are responsible for mounting scarecrows for display on stakes provided by the Fair at the Town House Cemetery. Scarecrows should not have been exhibited at any previous Hardwick Fair.

The tennis tournament will begin at 9 a.m., at the Eagle Hill courts on Sessions Road. The tournament is divided into "adult mixed doubles" for ages 17 and older, and "junior doubles" for ages 16 and under. Participants must sign up before Aug. 16 by calling Phyllis Allen at (508) 867-2863.

The 37th annual road race will begin at 10 a.m. The race is a hilly, 5.7 mile course. The pre-registration fee is $12 on or before Monday, Aug. 12 and $15 after that date. The first registered 85 runners will receive a t-shirt. For information, call Chris Hinckley at (508) 885-2278 or John O'Donnell at (413) 477-8704.

Exhibit halls will open at 9 a.m. Paige library will continue their book sale at 9 a.m. Mark Korzec will offer hay rides from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cattle judging will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Larry Crockett's blacksmith exhibition will begin at 9:30 a.m., and Randy Noble's stone cutting exhibition will begin at 10:45 a.m.

The children's parade will begin at noon. This year's theme is "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Children are asked to dress in their favorite garden clothes, come as their favorite flower or vegetable, or carry a basket or push a wheelbarrow of their favorite garden delights. The parade will assemble by the bleachers on the common at 11:45 a.m.

Saturday's musical entertainment will be The Otters, which will take the stage at noon.

The Hardwick Fire Department will ring the lunch bell at 12:30 p.m. for the chicken barbeque. The antique tractor and implement parade will also begin at 12:30 p.m.

The frog jumping contest and horseshoe pitching contest will begin at 1:30 p.m.

The auction of the prize-winning baked goods, flowers and vegetables will take place at 3 p.m.

The Hardwick Fair Celebration Dinner will be catered by Reed's Catering and will feature barbequed beef brisket, potatoes, fresh, local vegetables, garden salad, dessert and coffee, tea and cold beverages. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. Music will be provided by "The Otters" from 6 - 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and are available in advance by contacting Micky DiMartino at (413) 477-6226 or Audrey Mazeika at (774) 230-6318. Tickets are also available at Clover Hill Country Store on Lower Road in Gilbertville.

Fair parking will be available at the Eagle Hill School- 242 Old Petersham Road in Hardwick. Free shuttle service will be available to and from the fair on Friday and Saturday at frequent intervals.

Volunteers are always needed during the fair and at the various fair-sponsored concessions. For information about volunteering, contact Fay Butler at fayfab@faybutler.com.

PALMER - The Yellow House on North Main Street is holding a Farmers' and Artisans' Market every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., until Oct. 19. WIC and senior coupons are accepted. The market features locally grown organic produce, plants, fruits and flowers, as well as grass-fed beef, and products from a local winery and two local bakers. Artisans are selling pottery, soaps, hand-carved wooden products, carved coins, quilts and jewelry.

MONSON - A magic show by Scott Jameson will be held Aug. 2 at 11 a.m. at Monson Free Library, marking the summer reading finale. The program is for the whole family.

Investigators were searching for a cause for the blaze on Saturday.

SOUTH HADLEY – Investigators were combing through the wreckage of the Dockside restaurant at Brunelle’s Marina Saturday, searching for clues about how and where a fire at the marina started on Friday.

“We’re still investigating. We brought the heavy equipment in today,” South Hadley Fire District 1 Chief Robert R. Authier said. “Unfortunately, these things take time.”

Authier’s department and investigators from the state fire marshal’s office were on the scene most of the day, sifting through the blackened remains of the restaurant and service center. Fire also burned the showroom, although all eight boats were salvaged. Authier said the damage was so extensive at the facility that he called it a total loss. All of the businesses were connected.

He said they were concentrating on the center bar area for the investigation because that’s where the first smoke detector went off. The fire department was alerted by the alarm company at 6:25 a.m. on Friday about the smoke detector sounding. Authier said the next message they received as they were en route to the scene was that all the fire alarms were going off.

Nearly 70 firefighters from several communities responded to the five-alarm blaze.

Crews from Marion Excavating start to raze the former Dockside Restaurant at Brunelle's Marina on Saturday. The facility burned during a multi-alarm fire on Friday. The Republican / Dave Roback 

Meanwhile, it was business as usual on the Connecticut River, with plenty of boaters taking their boats out to enjoy a summer day on the water. That part of the business was unaffected. With the restaurant closed, Brunelle’s offered hot dogs and hamburgers under its event tent for patrons. Co-owner Luke A. Brunelle Jr. said the tent will be open Sunday as well, noting he holds a seasonal liquor license for it.

“We’ll develop a better plan as the week goes on,” Brunelle, 50, said.

Brunelle repeated his vow to rebuild. The marina was started by his family in 1959. His father, co-owner Luke A. Brunelle Sr., 83, also was at the scene on Saturday. The business was started by Luke Brunelle Sr., his brother Richard and parents Alphonse and Beatrice. They have 150 boat slips.

“Fifty-five years ago we built this place. Now it’s going to be better,” the elder Brunelle said.

Luke Brunelle Sr. said he was thankful no one was hurt, and that family members intend to rebuild as soon as they can. He said he already picked a contractor to do the work - Associated Builders in South Hadley - and that rebuilding will continue through the winter. He said it’s been a tough season, but used a quote from his mother, who would say, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”

High water levels forced the marina to close its ramps several times this season.

Wally C. Lailer, of Southampton, visited Brunelle’s by boat to see the aftermath. Lailer said he is a frequent visitor. He was with Merv Broussard, owner of Mitch’s Marina in Hadley, who was visiting to show support for a fellow marina.

“It’s a blow to them obviously, but they’ll come back,” Broussard said.

Karen A. Pelczar, of Chicopee, was getting ready to go out on the river in her son Jason’s boat.

“It’s too bad,” she said about the fire. “It’s sad to see it.”

Pelczar said after a day of boating, they often would eat at Dockside. She liked the stuffed mushrooms and seafood pizza.

As the marina’s cruise boat, the Lady Bea, sounded its horn, Luke Brunelle Jr. said, “That sounds a helluva lot better than a fire horn.”

The Lady Bea cruises are running, and updates are being posted on the Dockside- Brunelle's Facebook page.

Traders were indecisive as companies reported disparate earnings news, and many were disinclined to make any big moves before getting direction from the Federal Reserve, which is scheduled to release an updated policy statement Wednesday.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — On the stock market Tuesday, it felt like late-summer inertia had already set in.

U.S. stocks wandered between the tiniest of gains and losses before closing mixed. Traders were indecisive as companies reported disparate earnings news, and many were disinclined to make any big moves before getting direction from the Federal Reserve, which is scheduled to release an updated policy statement Wednesday.

The calendar said late July, but on the stock exchange it seemed more like August, when many traders take off for vacation and fewer stocks trade hands. The Dow Jones industrial average rose as much as 72 points in early trading — less than 0.5 percent — before flickering lower. It dipped into the red for most of the afternoon and closed down 1.38 points, or 0.01 percent, at 15,520.59.

"It seems like the doldrums of summer have set in," said Dave Abate, senior wealth adviser at Strategic Wealth Partners in Seven Hills, Ohio.

The Nasdaq composite rose 17.33 points, or 0.5 percent, to 3,616.47, though even that gain was largely because Apple, its biggest component, was up more than 1 percent.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index plodded just a fraction higher, up 0.63 point, or 0.04 percent, to 1,685.96. Three of its industry sectors rose, led by technology stocks. Seven fell, dragged down by telecommunications companies.

Company earnings were equally inconclusive. Coach, the maker of upscale handbags, slumped 8 percent after reporting lower quarterly profit. But Goodyear Tire & Rubber jumped 9 percent after announcing that its quarterly earnings had doubled.

This earnings season has presented a picture encouraging on some fronts and troubling on others. Many companies, including big names like Apple and Visa, have posted better-than-expected results, and analysts predict that second-quarter earnings are up 4.7 percent for companies in the S&P 500, according to S&P Capital IQ. But the picture has its blemishes, including the fact that many of the gains are based not on business growth but on cost-cutting: Revenue is down about 0.5 percent.

"There's a little bit of swapping chairs on the deck," Abate said.

Outside of earnings reports, traders were keeping a close eye on the Federal Reserve, which began a two-day meeting Tuesday and will release an updated policy statement Wednesday.

Conjectures about the central bank have had a powerful influence on the stock market in recent months. Traders have bought and sold stocks while hanging on to every word of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, looking for clues about when the Fed might pull back on its bond-buying program or start raising interest rates. The central bank has been buying bonds to try to prop up stocks and encourage borrowing. It has also been keeping interest rates low, all in an attempt to pump life into a lagging economy.

"This week it's all about Bernanke and the Fed statement," said Bill Strazzullo, chief strategist of Bell Curve Trading. "Stocks need a supportive statement ... to go higher. That is the key driver."

The Fed has said it might start to pull back on its bond purchases later this year if the economy continues to improve, but the timing remains uncertain. The Fed has also said it won't raise its benchmark short-term interest rate until the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 7.6 percent, dips below 6.5 percent.

Crude oil fell $1.47 to $103.08 a barrel in New York. The price of gold inched down $4.80 to $1,324.80 an ounce. The dollar rose against the Japanese yen and fell against the euro.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from late Monday at 2.60 percent. The yield is a benchmark for many kinds of loans including home mortgages.

Among stocks making big moves:

—Coach dipped $4.55 to $53.30. Goodyear jumped $1.52 to $18.56.

—The Mosaic Co., maker of a key ingredient in crop fertilizers, was the worst performer on the S&P 500. It plunged after a Russian fertilizer company said it would drop out of a cartel that keeps prices high. Mosaic fell $9.15, or 17 percent, to $43.81.

— Masco jumped $1.06, or 5 percent, to $20.80. The company, which makes cabinets, plumbing fixtures and other building products, posted better-than-expected earnings late Monday, boosted by a surge in home construction.

AP Business Writers Bernard Condon and Matthew Craft contributed.

Sen. Gale Canderas, D-Wilbraham, said the state created the environmental hazard at Belchertown State School and now must pony up the money, as its moral duty, to make the former mental hospital and dairy farm safe for the public -- and in-shape for economic development.

BELCHERTOWN – With MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development authority, now in charge of the expensive pollution cleanup required at the former Belchertown State School, pressure is building on Gov. Deval Patrick's administration to start releasing the $10 million the Legislature allocated as bonds in 2008 to do that job.

The agency is requesting $2 million of it this year to begin the long-awaited remediation.

State legislators, including Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, are lobbying for the money’s release. The Patrick administration says the request is under consideration.

Candaras said the state created the environmental hazards at the site, and it has a moral duty to make the former hospital for the disabled safe for the public and ready for economic development.

“What went on here, in terms of the state abdicating its responsibility, is wrong. It is a wrong that has to be righted,” she said at the selectmen's meeting Monday.

Candaras said the area constitutes a “serious environmental hazard” and the state failed to secure to properly secure it. There are 11,000 feet of underground tunnels, she said.

Though some of the land has been sold for development, about 50 acres remains, much of it requiring expensive environmental cleanup.

MassDevelopment has directed many rehabilitation projects, including those at the former Northampton State Hospital and at the former Fort Devens in Ayer.

Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, addresses Belchertown selectmen Monday.Jim Russell 

“The first thing we have to do is work on permitting” at the Belchertown State School, MassDevelopment spokesperson Kelsey Abbruzzese said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Once that happens, we have remediation, demolition, putting out RFPs (requests for proposals) to make sure this project moves forward.”

Belchertown selectmen on Monday said they were please by MassDevelopment’s stepped-up involvement and applauded Canderas' leadership.

They said a draft from the agency showed MassDevelopment proposing that $2 million be spent this year and that $2.5 million during fiscal 2015 be allocated from the $10 million bond to clean the site.

Abbruzzese confirmed that MassDevelopment is seeking $2 million for the fiscal year that began on July 1.

A spokesman for state Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor said they are currently working on this year's capital expenditure requests. The results would be known by the fall.

"This earmark is under consideration," Shor's spokesman, Alex Zaroulis, said. "It would be premature to comment at this time. No decision has been made."

Weston Solutions Inc. has floated plans to build a 170-unit assisted living facility at the site after the pollution and abandoned buildings are gone.

Weston had also agreed to spend $2 million of its own money to remediate an 11-acre parcel, known as Pad 1, but with MassDevelopment’s involvement, the private firm will not be spending its own money for that.

Town meeting approved up to $1.25 million for a road project at the property in May 2012. Selectmen said that investment piece remains part of future development plans.

The selectmen-appointed Belchertown Economic Development Industrial Corp. is the legal owner of the former state school property.

On Wednesday – the same day that an increase in the gas tax takes effect – legislators plan to approve a sales tax holiday for the second weekend in August.

BOSTON — Lawmakers on Beacon Hill on Tuesday approved a $1.4 billion bill to improve state-owned public housing over five years and overrode more than $15 million in vetoes issued by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

Legislators still plan to approve a sales tax holiday for Aug. 10 and 11, but delayed approval until Wednesday.

Legislators are poised to approve the sales tax holiday on the same day that a 3-cent-a-gallon increase in the gas tax takes effect, along with $1 a pack increase in the cigarette tax, an increase on the tax on wholesale prices of cigars and smokeless tobacco and charging the state's sales tax on software services. Those tax hikes are part of a $500 million tax law that received final approval from legislators on July 24.

The state Senate voted 39-0 to approve the bond bill for refurbishing public housing, including $500 million for modernizing public housing and repairing units with a goal of reducing long waiting lists among low- and moderate-income people, the elderly and disabled.

Sen. James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat and co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Housing, said the state has 45,000 units of public housing - more than any other state.

"With housing prices on the rise, we must continue to develop new strategies to combat homelessness, as well as provide support for desperately needed affordable housing across the commonwealth," Eldridge said.

Sen. James B. EldridgeGeneral Court photo 

The state House of Representatives approved the housing bond bill early last month. Legislators will need to reconcile any differences in the two bills and vote again on a compromise bond bill.

The House and the Senate also voted overwhelmingly to override vetoes by the governor, both in the $34 billion state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 and in a separate $133 million spending bill.

The overrides started in the House and were proceeding in the Senate on Tuesday night.

The House voted 143-14 to override the governor's veto of $13 million for one-time grants to cities and towns, including $2 million for a pilot program to promote tourism in central and Western Massachusetts.

Voting 152-3, the House restored $95,000 for the center for agriculture at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to monitor and mitigate a brown stink bug and a spotted wing fly, both of which can cause serious damage to fruit or farm crops.

In lopsided votes, the House overrode the governor's vetoes of $570,000 for operating state parks, $250,000 in legislators' favorite projects including $75,000 for the "World is Our Classroom" initiative for Chicopee, Greenfield, Holyoke and Westfield, $930,000 in legislative earmarks, including $90,000 for the Russian Community Association of Massachusetts, and $575,000 in projects, including $100,000 for the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts for renovations and reopening of the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, including construction consulting, business planning and architecture and engineering costs.

Rep. Stephen Kulik, a Worthington Democrat and vice-chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he expected the Senate to follow with similar overrides. It takes a two-thirds vote in each branch to override a veto.

Kulik said all the overrides were affordable.

"Most of what we overrode were matters of statewide importance and statewide impact," he said.

Kulik said he expected the House on Wednesday to approve a two-day, tax-free shopping event called a sales tax holiday. During those two days, consumers will be exempt from paying the 6.25 percent sales tax on most items costing $2,500 or less.

The Senate approved a housing bond bill that is similar to the House version.

The bond bill has $55 million for modifying homes to make them more accessible for the blind or seriously disabled; $47 million for the development of community-based or supportive housing for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled; $305 million for a fund for producing and preserving affordable housing, and $45 million for producing rental units or units for home ownership that are in commercial areas served by public transit.

The bill also has $100 million for preserving and improving existing privately owned and state or federally assisted affordable rental developments, $80 million for grants or loans under the Housing Innovations Trust Fund, including housing for the homeless, domestic-violence shelters and housing for veterans and the elderly; and money for a five-year state demonstration program to develop cost-effective methods for revitalizing public housing for families, the elderly and disabled.

About 50 people turned out for the opening of campaign headquarters for Hard Rock New England's effort to get voters to approve a Sept. 10 referendum that would allow it to develop a casino on the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Hard Rock International Hotel & Casino New England Tuesday opened its campaign office to lobby for a Sept. 10 referendum to allow a casino in the city amid fanfare that included music, balloons and refreshments. About 50 people gathered for the kickoff in a storefront at 1425 Westfield St.

John P. Weiss, executive board member for the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, which supports the project, spoke briefly.

“We think it is a great project,” said Weiss, who was also on the now-defunct Mayor’s Casino Advisory Commission.

The proposed $800 million destination resort casino complex Hard Rock wants to build on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition would help local businesses and services, he said. Weiss expressed enthusiasm for the facelift and traffic improvements Hard Rock has promised for Memorial Avenue, the street off which the fairgrounds are located.

“That part of town has been kind of rundown lately. We look to Hard Rock to improve it,” Weiss said.

Weiss also said his checking with assessors in small towns that now have casinos showed him that property values do not decline after a casino is established.

Mark Rivers, the developer working Hard Rock and the exposition, used the occasion to give out lawn signs touting the project.

“It’s like a regular campaign, registering voters, absentee ballots, lawn signs. It’s old-fashioned, apple pie politics,” Rivers told a reporter.

People wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “West Side Support Hard Rock, Yes!” were out in force.

Donald G. Campofredano, 71, was one of them.

“We have too much to gain and nothing to lose. It is going to help the whole town, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Among the advantages he anticipates are lower taxes and help for such local causes park and recreation property, the public library and help buying the Elks Club property. The mayor wants to use the $400,000 Hard Rock gave the town recently to help the purchase.

Another Hard Rock supporter, Theresa M. Tease, 54, said at first she opposed the casino project, but changed her mind once she started going to information sessions and educating herself.

“I realized I had made a very uninformed decision initially,” she said.

Tease said she likes the idea that the casino will create 3,500 full-time equivalent jobs and that West Springfield residents will be given preference in being hired.

The state law allowing casinos in Massachusetts requires that residents in a community approve one by referendum vote. There are three proposals to open casinos in Western Massachusetts, and the state Gaming Commission is expected early next year to grant a license to one of them. There are also proposals to build a casino in Palmer and in Springfield.

There could be a preliminary election in Ward 8 for City Council, as Robert P. Tremblay made a last-minute submission of nomination papers.

CHICOPEE — An unexpected third candidate for mayor turned in nomination papers Tuesday, but did not have enough signatures to be listed on the ballot.

On Tuesday’s deadline to turn in papers to run for election, Erin-Kelly Lapierre submitted signatures to run against Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette and Richard J. Kos, a former mayor, which could have prompted a preliminary election, said Janina Surdyka, Registrar of Voters.

But an examination of the signatures showed she was short of the 250 needed to be placed on the ballot. Lapierre may request a review of the rejected signatures, Surdyka said.

Signatures from Kos and Bissonnette were turned in early and were certified.

There was also a last-minute submission from Robert P. Tremblay, who wants to run for the Ward 8 City Council seat, which could prompt a preliminary election in that ward. Candidates Harry P. Bishop and Gary R. Labrie earlier turned in signatures to run for the seat, which will be vacant since incumbent Donald G. Demers is not running. Tremblay’s signatures will not be reviewed until Wednesday, Surdyka said.

The field for candidates running for local elections is strong this year. A total of 46 candidates, 22 of whom are incumbents, turned in papers by the deadline, she said.

“I’m very impressed with the number of candidates and the quality of the candidates,” Surdyka said.

The mayor, the 13 City Council seats and 11 School Committee seats, treasurer, collector and two seats for assessor are all up for election, she said.

“I would say there is an average to above average amount of competition for spots,” City Clerk Keith W. Rattell said.

Along with the mayor’s race, Rattell said he believes the assessor's and treasurer's races and several of the ward races for School Committee and City Council will generate plenty of interest.

With longtime treasurer Ernest N. Laflamme retiring, two people will run for his seat. John Peret, a certified public accountant and auditor with MassMutual Corporate Audit Department Investment Team, and Marie Laflamme, the owner of an insurance agency and manager of a realty company, have had their nomination papers certified. Marie Laflamme is the daughter of Ernest Laflamme.

Candidates for assessor are Laura McCarthy, a long-term incumbent, lawyer Victor M. Anop, City Councilor Jean J. Croteau and Eugene J. Przybylowicz Jr. There are two seats, one made vacant by the retirement of Virginia Robak.

In addition Stanley Iwanicki, who is halfway through a four-year term for assessor, is running unopposed for collector. It will be up to the mayor to appoint someone to the vacant assessor seat in January if Iwanicki becomes collector, Surdyka said.

Three of the four at-large City Councilors, James K. Tillotson, Robert J. Zygarowski and Frank N. Laflamme turned in papers to run for re-election. They are being challenged by Gerard A. “Jerry” Roy, Ronald Czelusniak and James E. Tanhauser Jr.

Shane D. Brooks, a former City Councilor, had originally planned to run for an at-large seat, but instead decided to run for councilor in Ward 2, challenging incumbent Chuck Swider.

In Ward 1, incumbent Councilor Dino A. Brunetti is being challenged by School Committee member Adam D. Lamontagne. In Ward 6, David Amo is running against incumbent Timothy McLellan; in Ward, 7 William Courchesne is challenging City Council President George R. Moreau; and in Ward 9, retired Parks and Recreation Superintendent Stanley J. Walczak is running against incumbent Gerry Roy.

There will be four races for School Committee. At-large incumbent Chester J. Szetela is being challenged by Joel D. McAuliffe; Ward 2 incumbent David G. Barsalou is being challenged by Jason Reed and Ward 4 incumbent Sandra A. Peret will run against Roger J. O’Neil. For the vacant Ward 1 seat, Dana Cutter, who held the seat several years ago, is running against Robert Delano.

The accident was reported shortly after 4 p.m. and forced the closing of the road for some time until the scene could be cleared.

BELCHERTOWN – Two drivers were injured Tuesday afternoon following a car accident involving a Jeep Wrangler and a Honda Pilot on Route 21 near Turkey Hill Road, officials said.

The accident was reported shortly after 4 p.m. and forced the closing of the road for some time until the scene could be cleared.

Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan said the two operators were taken by ambulance to an area hospital. She did not disclose the nature of injuries for either except to say they were not life-threatening.

Their names were not disclosed to the press.

No one else was injured.

Carey said the accident is under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Belchertown police and the state police officers assigned to the Northwestern DA’s office.

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The former guidance counselor was fired in 2008.

PALMER - A settlement has been reached involving a former Palmer High School student who filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court because she said her guidance counselor targeted her for a sexual relationship and that school officials knew about his behavior and should have taken action against him.

The female student, identified as Jane Doe, said she had a sexual relationship with former guidance counselor Patrick Van Amburgh when she was a 17-year-old senior. In addition to Van Amburgh, former school superintendent Gerald A. Fournier, former high school principal Bonny B. Rathbone, the School Committee and the town of Palmer were listed as defendants.

The case was settled June 24. Terms of the settlement were not included in court documents. A 30-day period was granted to give all parties a chance to reopen the case "upon good cause shown," according to a filing. A joint motion for a seven-day extension was granted to give all the parties additional time to resolve minor outstanding issues relative to the settlement.

A protective order was filed on Monday on behalf of Doe by her lawyer to keep her identity a secret and prevent those involved in the case from disclosing it to third parties. The agreed upon order was granted by Judge Michael A. Ponsor. Doe's lawyer, Jeffrey E. Poindexter, declined comment on the case.

"We really can't say anything except it's been resolved," Poindexter said.

Van Amburgh, whose address is listed in court documents as Newburgh, N.Y., was represented by lawyer Hal Etkin, who did not return a call or email. Van Amburgh was hired by the Palmer public schools in 2005; it was his first professional position as a guidance counselor.

Superintendent Thomas A. Charko said he was ordered not to make any statements on the case, and referred questions to the lawyer for the town's insurance company, who did not return a phone call.

The suit on behalf of Doe was filed in June 2011, and followed a complaint filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination by Doe the year before; the commission found probable cause for the complaint.

Van Amburgh's educator license was later revoked by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education because of the sexual relationship with the 17-year-old female student.

Fournier placed Van Amburgh on paid leave in October 2008 pending an investigation into the allegations. A month later, Fournier told Van Amburgh he would be terminated after the investigation "for having sexual intercourse with a student, inappropriate interactions with other female students, misuse of work time
(including sending thousands of text messages to female students), and visiting inappropriate web sites during school time. Van Amburgh submitted a letter of resignation the same day," according to the court complaint.

Doe maintained the statistics for the high school football team, of which Van Amburgh was the co-assistant varsity football coach. He was not Doe's guidance counselor. Between Oct. 3 and Oct. 18, 2008, the two exchanged over 1,300 text messages. During her second visit to his house, the two had sex, the complaint read.

Doe said school officials should have known about his behavior, citing a 2006 police investigation in which it was reported that Van Amburgh had sex with a student. He denied he had sex with the student, but admitted to failing to maintain proper boundaries and using poor judgment, according to the suit.

The plaintiff alleged that Van Amburgh "failed to maintain proper boundaries with students, bragged about having sexual relations with female students, and bragged about participating in a 'contest' with another school employee to see who could have sex with the most female students," according to the complaint.

The suit stated that Doe was "vilified and ostracized by various students and staff members" because of Van Amburgh's popularity.

In a 2012 decision, Ponsor wrote: "It may be inferred from these allegations that Van Amburgh enjoyed the opportunity to harass Plaintiff and solicit sex from her by virtue of the authority he had as a high school guidance counselor and football coach. The fact that some of the relations (Van Amburgh) had with Plaintiff took place after school and not on school property does not change the fact that he was 'clothed with the authority of state law' at the time."

Clergy members representing more than a dozen churches in the Springfield area attended the event.

SPRINGFIELD — More than a dozen churches participated Tuesday night in a community worship service at St. John’s Congregational Church on Union Street that sought to highlight the “plight of black and Latino males” in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial.

Speaking about the violence which plagues communities of color in Springfield, the Rev. Calvin J. McFadden Jr., pastor of St. John’s, said, “We need to look at ourselves and how we are getting rid of ourselves within ourselves. It is time for this to stop.”

McFadden, senior pastor of St. John’s, said the intent of the church service was to “bring the community together to raise the social consciousness of the community, to commemorate the life of Trayvon Martin and to show a display of strong black and brown, African-American and Latino men as a picture of strength and solidarity.”

In the aftermath of the not guilty verdict in the trial of Zimmerman, who has Hispanic heritage, in the death of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin in Florida, McFadden said the purpose of the service was “to bring the community together for healing, racial reconciliation and to raise the social awareness of the plight of black and Latino males in these yet to be United States of America.”

“This is a Save Our Boys worship service,” McFadden said. He had the more than a dozen clergy members from the Springfield area who attended the service stand and be recognized.

McFadden said a large number of pastors and community leaders rallied behind the effort to bring the community together because “although we may not have agreed with the George Zimmerman trial verdict, we recognize that there is much work to be done to protect and preserve the lives of children and young adults, black and brown boys in particular, in the city of Springfield and in this region.”

The keynote speaker for the event was the Rev. Delman Coates of the Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Md.

Coates is a graduate of Morehouse College, Harvard Divinity School, and holds both a master’s degree and doctorate from Columbia University.

Other participants included comedian Gerald Kelly as well as GG Mime Crew and a 50-plus all male choir.

A special prayer was offered for young boys and men who attended the service. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Trayvon Martin Foundation, set up by Martin’s parents.

Participating churches and pastors included:

• St. John’s Congregational Church and McFadden;


• Progressive Community Baptist Church and the Rev. Brett Snowden, senior pastor;


• Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ and the Rev. Talbert Swan II, senior pastor;


• Mount Calvary Baptist Church and the Rev. Mark Flowers, senior pastor;


• MLK Presbyterian Church and the Rev. Peter T. Sylver, senior pastor;


• Zion Community Baptist Church and the Rev. Miles T. Crawford, pastor emeritus;


• The Family Church, Rev. Gail Hill, senior pastor;


• St. Mark’s CME Church, Rev. Maxine Moore, senior pastor;


• Christ Church Cathedral and The Very Rev. James Munroe, dean;


• New Life Calvary Baptist Church, Rev. Jesse Williams, senior pastor;


• Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ, Rev. J.P. Morgan Jr., senior pastor;


• Christian Faith Baptist Church, Rev. Amos L. Bailey, senior pastor;


• The Basilica of the Holy Apostles, Archbishop Timothy Paul, senior pastor;


• Canaan Baptist Church of Christ, Dr. W.C. Watson, senior pastor

During a meeting this week, a neighborhood activist and a property owner on Columbia Terrace said residents are concerned the store will attract loiterers and trouble, and that there is inadequate parking.

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council will consider approving a special permit for a small convenience store on lower Liberty Street, at a vacant storefront previously uses for purposes ranging from a hair salon to a church.

The proposed store at 418 Liberty St., at the corner of Columbia Terrace, is on the ground floor of a four-story building that houses apartments on the upper floors.

During a meeting this week, a neighborhood activist and a property owner on Columbia Terrace said residents are concerned the store will attract loiterers and trouble, and that there is inadequate parking.

The property manager, Fred Basile, said the store will be well-run and will provide a shopping convenience in the Lower Liberty Heights neighborhood. The property owner is Gulam Kagzi.

The council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee plans a meeting next Tuesday at the site, and the matter could come before the full council for a vote, likely Aug. 19, committee chairman Bud L. Williams said.

Basile said he has a track record of taking good care of properties, and said there will be cameras and security. Parking will not be a problem as most shoppers will come from walking distance, he said.

“A convenience store is just that — it’s convenient,” Basile said.

The ground floor site, zoned Business A, might be 750 to 800 square feet, and its uses years ago apparently included a store, a church, a barbershop and possibly illegal apartments, he said.

Teofilo Alvarado, of the Liberty Heights Community Action Team, said he doubts such as small store can be successful, and raised concerns about any more trouble coming to the neighborhood.

Williams said he understands the neighborhood is frustrated at conditions within that area.

The Planning Department is recommending, if the store is approved, that hours be limited to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The city is seeking proposals for redevelopment of tax-foreclosed property at 136 Walnut St., in Six Corners.Mark M. Murray / The Republican 

In other news relating to a business parcel, the city is seeking proposals for redevelopment of tax-foreclosed property at 136 Walnut St., in Six Corners. The vacant one-story building on the lot, located at the corner of Walnut and Pine streets, is a former car repair shop built in 1909, and the property is zoned Commercial A with on-site parking.

Proposals are due by Aug. 26, at 2 p.m., at the Office of Procurement at City Hall. A site visit for potential bidders is scheduled Aug. 8, from 10 to 11 a.m.

Some people think it isn't fair that the owners of single-family homes and multi-family homes of up to 4 units have trash pickup covered by the city while condominium owners do not.

AGAWAM — City Councilor Cecilia P. Calabrese has spearheaded an effort for condominium owners to be reimbursed for the cost of their trash collection to create parity with the owners of single-family homes, whose trash collections costs are covered by the city.

Cecilia Calabrese 

Calabrese said Monday that she has come up with a resolution to that effect with City Councilor Dennis J. Perry that she has submitted to the Law Department to make sure it is in the proper legal form. Calabrese said she is hopeful of getting the resolution before the City Council sometime in September.

Calabrese said it is an issue of fairness because condominium owners have their property taxed at the same rate as people who own single-family homes. Trash collection for single-family homeowners as well as for the owners of buildings with up to four housing units is provided as a service covered by their property tax bills.

“They pay the same (in property taxes) if not more than owners of single-family home,” she said of condominium owners.

The resolution provides for condominium associations to bill the city quarterly for trash collection with the money benefiting individual condominium owners. There is a provision capping the reimbursements so that the city would not pay any more for condominium trash pickup than it costs it to serve single-family homeowners, according to Calabrese.

“I tried to keep it as simple as possible,” Calabrese said of the resolution.

The issue came to head in July when a number of condominium owners complained about the situation during the City Council’s public hearing on the fiscal 2014 municipal budget.

One of those residents, Elaine M. Carlson, of 122 Brookfield Lane at the Longbrook Estates condominium complex, said the issue is one of fairness.

Carlson said city officials have said the city can’t come onto condominium roads to pick up trash because they are private property. However, Carlson said the city does pick up recyclables from condominium projects and benefits from selling the recyclables.

“The situation is totally unfair,” Carlson said. “All we are asking is that they pick up our trash.”

However, Tracy M. DeMaio, the city’s solid waste coordinator, said the condominium complexes have their own private agreement with the city’s waste hauler, Republic Services of Chicopee to have their recyclables collected. She said the city does get money for the sale of the recyclables but that it all goes for environmental purposes such as providing recycling containers for condominium owners.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen said the city’s waste hauler has a contract with the condominium complexes to pick up their recyclables, a private arrangement that does not involve the city.

Cohen estimated the cost of picking up trash at condominium complexes at about $300,000 year.

He said his office is looking into the matter as it has been an issue in the city for many years.

Bowe School educators have tried many initiatives including increasing the school day.

CHICOPEE — A tour of Patrick E. Bowe School shows things might be a little different next year.

Kindergarten classrooms will be clustered in the basement, the computer laboratory will be moved to a former kindergarten room, the special education interventionist office will be in the former principal’s office to make it easier for parents.

But the biggest changes will come as new Principal David T. Drugan begins to try to turn around the city’s lowest-performing school.

When Principal David M. Potter resigned for personal reasons after three years leading Bowe School, Drugan volunteered to take the principalship at the school.

As principal of Anna E. Barry School for five years, Drugan saw test scores slowly improve to make Barry School the highest-performing in the district and the only Chicopee school to be ranked as in the highest Level 1 category by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Bowe has consistently been the lowest-performing school in the district, despite a number of initiatives its educators have tried over the years, including extending the school day and implementing a state-sponsored Read First program.

“I thought it was an awesome opportunity,” Drugan said. “I want to level the playing field. There is no reason students shouldn’t be doing just as well as they are in other schools.”

Barry and Bowe School are about the same size but students have a much higher poverty rate at Bowe, with 85 percent instead of 58 percent of children from low-income families. The number of children who do not speak English at Barry is 12 percent instead of the 9 percent at Bowe.

While Drugan is changing some of the physical building over the summer, he is not trying to make major academic changes until teachers return and he can discuss ideas with them.

“I’m inheriting awesome teachers,” he said. “I want to help teachers make the best changes in their classrooms.”

He has also been asked to add an autism program that will serve about eight children of different ages integrated directly in the classroom. Barry had a similar program.

Drugan said in no way does he have all the answers. His first year as principal at Barry School, he saw MCAS scores drop.

“It worked out in the end and we learned what worked and what didn’t,” he said.

The one thing Drugan said he will focus on is small-group instruction, where children are divided into different groups. While one works with a teacher, other groups are with an assistant or work individually or with other children on a task.

“We will eliminate the idea of worksheets and work on hands-on center-based materials,” he said.

Drugan said he has been going through supply closets and has been telling teachers that he has met over the summer what they need for their classrooms. In addition, the school has computers and laptops and will be ordering more iPads.

With a strong focus on individualized instruction, Drugan has already drawn up a schedule that will allow a special education interventionist to be in classrooms to lead small groups at least once a day. He said centers are also to be flexible so children can move from one group to another depending on their changing needs. At Barry School, interventionists would even take children from different classes to create a group focusing on a particular concept.

Drugan said he will also adopt the philosophy of eliminating extra assessment testing, saying typically the classroom teachers already know where children are having problems and have classroom data to back it up.

While most of his staff are returning teachers, Drugan was able to hire three of his Barry teachers to fill vacant positions.

Cherie Curran, the new curriculum support specialist, said her main job will be to help teachers find better ways to reach students and will offer ideas and suggestions for new ideas for a child who may be struggling to learn a concept.

"We are hoping to take what was successful at Barry and try it here," she said.

A month after papers available, Easthampton School Committee candidates are needed.

 

EASTHAMPTON — Candidates wanted.

A month after papers became available to candidates in the annual city election in November, only two have taken out papers for School Committee.

School Committee incumbent Lori Ingraham and newcomer Wendy Blumenthal, who was one of five who sought to replace Bonnie Katusich who resigned in February, are the only two who have taken out papers for that seat, said City Clerk Barbara L. LaBombard.

The seven-member committee includes six elected members and the mayor.

Nancy L. Sykes, the current School Committee chairwoman, has filed papers for the mayor’s position along with Karen Cadieux, Mayor Michael A. Tautznik’s assistant. Tautznik is not seeking reelection.

Political newcomers David Ewing and Matthew Wark, who took out papers, have not filed them.

City Council incumbents taking out papers include Precinct 1 Councilor Daniel C. Hagan, Precinct 3 Councilor Joy Winnie, Precinct 4 Councilor Salem Derby and Precinct 5 Councilor Daniel D. Rist. Precinct 2 Councilor Justin P. Cobb had announced previously that he is not seeking reelection. Hagan has filed his papers.

Three of four at large councilors have taken out papers. They include Nathaniel P. Ziegler, Joseph P. McCoy and Chester A. Ogulewicz, Jr. McCoy has filed his papers.

At large Councilor Donald L. Cykowski, who was the subject of a recall attempt last year, has not yet taken out papers, LaBombard said.

Three newcomers have taken out papers for the council. Jennifer Hays has taken out papers for the Precinct 2 seat, Tamara Smith for the at large position and most recently newcomer Mary Cusack, for an at large seat as well.

Those running for citywide office need to collect 100 signatures of certified voters. Those running for precinct seats need 50 certified signatures. Papers are due at the City Clerk's office by Sept. 17.

2 downtown urban renewal projects at different stages of development are part of an overall plan to enhance the Elm Street corridor with additional restaurants, retail space, housing and a long-awaited intermodal center.

WESTFIELD — Two downtown urban renewal projects at different stages of development are part of an overall plan to enhance the Elm Street corridor with additional restaurants, retail space, housing and a long-awaited intermodal transportation center.

Jeff Daley, city advancement officer, said Tuesday the state Department of Housing and Community Development gave a formal stamp of approval last week on the construction of a $10 million downtown parking garage and $6 million, 1,800-square-foot transportation center.

“This allows us to move ahead with the plan and begin putting together properties for demolition,” he said. “We’re in the process of awarding a contract to help us with legal and property acquisition issues.”

The demolition of the Flahive building on Arnold Street, which will require the relocation of five businesses and 19 residents, and the destruction of the former bowling alley on Church Street, in addition to the two other buildings that have already been demolished, will make way for the intermodal center.

So far, Daley added, state funds have financed $250,000 in soil remediation and the removal of petroleum and lead where the two previously demolished buildings on Elm Street once stood.

The overall urban development plan, he said, was approved by both the Planning Board and City Council in May and with the state’s approval can now proceed to the predevelopment and engineering stage.

“The bulk of the project will be done with a state grant for $230,000,” Daley said. “We’ll get as far as we can with that money in the next month or so. My goal is to not have city pay for it, if can pull it off. We’re working with granting authorities and hope to use minimal city money.”

The step after that will be to file the plan with the federal transportation agency and environmental services.

“We’re hoping to get their approval pretty quickly so we can access federal funds,” Daley said.

The $6 million transportation center, he said, which is being paid for by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the state Department of Transportation, could result in 130,000 square feet of commercial and retail space requiring the participation of a private developer.

“This plan now will allow us to put together the parcels of land and clean and ready them for development,” Daley noted.

While the final decisions will ultimately be up to the developer, Daley said that with 30 feet of frontage on Elm Street, he would like to see a restaurant with outdoor seating on the first floor of the building, retail business located on the second and third floors in an open-market style, and possibly upper floors for prime professional office space.

“There are a lot of professionals within city and outside looking for space in the immediate downtown corridor,” he said.

In another proposed Elm Street project, city officials and contractors have completed a riverfront development plan in the area of the Great River Bridges on four acres of land along the south bank of the Westfield River, said Community Development Director Peter J. Miller.

“This is the next generation of potential downtown redevelopment,” Miller said. “We’ve contracted with a consultant for three different schemes for builders or anyone wanting to invest in the project.”

A riverfront project, like the intermodal center one, would include retail and commercial space as well as housing, and while no costs have yet to be attached to the plan, Miller said “it won’t be extravagant” because much of the area is city-owned and most of the utilities are already in place from the bridge construction and reconstruction.

The federal government paid the $20,000 for the consultant’s schematic plan, he added.

That area is important, Miller said, because the riverfront is most visible to motorists and visitors to the city when they cross the bridge.

“We’re hoping to bring some economic vitality to the area,” he added. “Over the years, as we’ve acquired property, that area has become underutilized.”

Also making the riverfront ideal for development, Miller said, is the proximity of the Columbia Greenway bike trail that runs through the area.

“We’re excited to start moving along,” Miller noted. “This is a long-term vision and strategy that was brought out in 2009. It seems to be the logical next step. We envision mixed use – housing, commercial, restaurants – we’re open to possibilities. We don’t want to leave anything off the table.”

According to the suit, 10 titles in Caballero Video's series besmirched Ben & Jerry's name and even infringed upon its clouds-and-cows logo

This product image courtesy of Ben & Jerry's for an ice cream flavor, "Schweddy Balls" that is an homage to an old "Saturday Night Live" skit featuring Alec Baldwin as bakery owner Pete Schweddy. The Vermont ice cream maker sued Caballero Video for making porn videos using names based on Ben & Jerry products 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The days of buying pornographic videos with names based on Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors are over.

Caballero Video has agreed to stop marketing "Boston Cream Thigh," ''Peanut Butter D-Cup" and other films spoofing the names of the venerable Vermont ice cream maker's products.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the agreement settles a lawsuit Ben & Jerry's brought against Caballero last year.

According to the suit, 10 titles in Caballero's "Ben & Cherry's" series besmirched the ice cream maker's name and infringed its trademark.

Not only were the names similar to real Ben & Jerry's products, but the films' packaging also mimicked Ben & Jerry's clouds-and-cows logo.

The Los Angeles-based video company previously agreed to pull the titles until the suit was resolved.

All the carpets are being cleaned, the superintendent said.

PALMER - Superintendent Thomas A. Charko said mold cleanup at Old Mill Pond School should be completed by Friday.

Thomas Charko 

Charko said carpets in all classrooms are being cleaned after spots of white mold were found on carpets by a custodian.

He said the problem was caused when employees left at the end of the school year and pulled the blinds down, creating a dark environment.

Paired with the high humidity, mold grew, he said. The problem was mainly in classrooms for younger pupils, where food on the carpet turned moldy, Charko said.

"The cleaning process is taking care of the mold," Charko said on Tuesday.

The air quality will be tested next week, he said. The start of school is Aug. 28, with a staff orientation scheduled for the day before. The town recreation program was moved to the high school because Charko said it was considered too unhealthy for the children to be in the elementary school during the cleaning.

The cleanup was covered under the town's insurance, Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association. Charko estimated the cost was just under $20,000. Servpro was hired to do the work, according to executive assistant Andrew M. Golas. Work has been under way for several weeks.

"It was definitely a pretty bad infestation," Golas said, adding Servpro is "doing a full mold treatment" on the carpets.

At 5-foot-1, one friend noted, Lord could still command a room with her humor and energy. Watch video

WILBRAHAM — Amy Beth Lord, the 24-year-old Wilbraham native slain during an assault and robbery in South Boston last week, was remembered at her funeral on Tuesday as a diminutive spark wherever she was – in schoolyards, on her high school cheerleading squad and at college.

Friends and family paid tribute to Lord, who Boston police said was beaten and forced to withdraw money from several ATM machines, before being fatally stabbed and left at Stony Brook Reservation in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston on July 23.

Lord was to be buried in a girlish white casket adorned with pink roses carved at the corners. Mourners began filling St. Cecilia's Church in the heart of the small town where Lord was raised an hour before a funeral Mass was scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. Many of them wore white ribbons on lapels and dresses in Lord's memory.

The ceremony skirted the details of her death and instead focused on a celebration of her life. Included in an estimated 800 mourners who packed the church were U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and a Catholic church pastor from South Boston, The Rev. Joseph White.

Among those who honored Lord were her boyfriend, Michael Cassell, cousins and friends – including those closest to her in two of her social groups dubbed "the Gypsies" and "the Bentley girls."

Lord graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 2007 and went on to study at Bentley University in Waltham. She was working as an online marketing specialist in Boston at the time of her death.

The Rev. Joseph Sorrano delivered a eulogy, noting that Lord's violent end came hours after the royal baby was born in the United Kingdom, prompting the world to marvel at new life.

"You are heartbroken over Amy's death," Sorrano said, after extolling Lord's best qualities. "Amy made friends, good friends, wherever she went," Sorrano told mourners.

Members of both "the Gypsies" and "the Bentley Girls" gave touching tributes laced with humor.

At 5-foot-1, one friend noted, Lord could still command a room with her humor and energy. Another told the crowd she "bedazzled" nearly everything she could get her hands on, loved to dance and was devoted to her friends and family.

"Amy wanted everyone in her life to be connected," one college friend noted.

Although the ceremony was solemn and the tributes brought many to tears, mourners smiled as traditional hymns were interlaced with some of Lord's favorite songs, including "Lord of the Dance," the theme to "Winnie-the-Pooh," and "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire. The Mass closed with that dance classic.

Sorrano also remembered Lord as "a big sister to so many."

Following the Mass, Ludlow resident Ryan Robillard, a childhood friend of Lord, said it was a fitting service for her. "You could feel the emotion in the church. It's a terrible, terrible thing," he said.

Robillard, who grew up with Lord, said her approach to life has made him a better person. "She changed my life, I know that much," he said. Robillard said he will always remember Lord's smile and her positive energy. "She'd brighten up everybody's day," he said.

Lord is survived by her parents, Dennis and Cynthia, and two younger sisters, Kimberly and Carly Lord.

In Boston, a picture of a young woman with seemingly limitless potential whose life was cut short by a criminally persistent young man has emerged. Lord's death has caused an uproar among residents in South Boston who now fear for their safety.

Police have said Edwin Alemany, 28, of South Boston, is a "person of interest" in the investigation into Lord's murder. Alemany, who has a history of dozens arrests, was arrested and charged with attacking two other women within hours of Lord's abduction. He was hospitalized at Bridgewater State Hospital before he could be arraigned for the two other alleged attacks.

A Boston police detective has been demoted in the midst of the investigation for not thoroughly investigating a 2012 attack on a woman, during which she was able to grab Alemany's wallet.

Staff reporter George Graham contributed to this article