When employers are cutting few workers, as they are now, it doesn't take many hires to create a high net gain.

By PAUL WISEMAN

WASHINGTON — Companies have all but stopped laying off workers. They just aren't hiring many.

When the government issues the July employment report Friday, it will likely show another solid month of job growth. But the job gain can be misleading because it's a net figure: The number of people hired minus the number who lose or quit jobs.

When employers are cutting few workers, as they are now, it doesn't take many hires to create a high net gain.

Last week, the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 19,000 to 326,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was the fewest since January 2008.

Those applications reflect layoffs. And layoffs have averaged 1.65 million a month this year through May, even fewer than the 1.77 million average in the pre-recession year of 2006.

So few people are losing their jobs that it's easy to forget that the job market isn't yet healthy. The unemployment rate remains a still-high 7.6 percent — far more than the 5 percent to 6 percent associated with a normal economy.

According to a survey of economists by FactSet, the economy likely added 183,000 jobs in July. Yet the picture isn't as bright as that net gain might suggest. Consider why a net gain can be deceiving:

Suppose a company cut 40 workers and hired 50. Net gain: 10 jobs. But say it instead cut only 10 and added 30. It would have hired fewer workers. Yet it would have created twice the net job gain — 20.

Similarly, the Labor Department's monthly net job gain can look healthy despite only modest hiring. As layoffs have steadily declined, the economy has been generating a 202,000 net jobs a month this year, up from an average 183,000 in 2012.

"The layoff side of the employment equation remains stable," Jill Brown, an economist at Credit Suisse, wrote in a note to clients Thursday.

The hiring side, by contrast, has yet to accelerate.

Employers have hired an average of 4.36 million people a month through May this year, the government says. That's 18 percent below the 2006 average of 5.32 million hires a month.

Facing tax increases, federal spending cuts and weak demand overseas, companies have been reluctant to hire aggressively. And many have discovered since the Great Recession that they can manage with fewer staffers than before, thanks in part to machines and software that can do clerical and administrative tasks better and more cheaply than humans can.

Start-up companies, which produce a majority of new jobs, have become stingier about hiring. The average new business employed just 4.7 workers when it opened shop in 2011, down from 7.6 in the 1990s, according to a Labor Department study last year that attributed the drop to technology.

Employers' reluctance to step up hiring has hampered the jobs recovery. Even at this year's average monthly pace of 202,000 net job gains, it would take 11 more months to restore U.S. payrolls to their January 2008 peak — before the Great Recession started wiping out jobs.

Still, compared with the lackluster growth of the U.S. economy, the pace of hiring doesn't look so bad. The economy grew at a subpar 1.7 percent annual rate from April through June, the government said this week. That was better than the revised 1.1 percent growth rate for January through March but still far below a normal annual rate of roughly 2.5 percent to 3 percent.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve slightly downgraded its assessment of the U.S. economy, though it expects growth to pick up in the second half of the year.

The cautious message from the Fed might signal that it isn't ready to slow its bond purchases, which have helped shrink long-term interest rates and encouraged borrowing and spending.

Steady job growth had fueled speculation that the Fed might start scaling back its $85 billion a month in bond purchases as soon as September. Many economists now say the Fed might delay the start of any pullback in purchases until after economic growth has accelerated, perhaps by December.

The officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The Republican [file] 

CHICOPEE — A city police officer spun out on wet pavement and hit a pole on Granby Road with his cruiser Thursday evening.

The officer, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital as a precaution but was not seriously injured. The cruiser was badly damaged, Police Lt. Donald Strange said.

The officer was on patrol when he drove around a curve and lost control. “The pavement was wet and the tires weren’t that great,” Strange said.

The accident happened at about 7 p.m. No other vehicles were involved, Strange said.

Senators approved Samantha Power for the post by 87-10.

The gains were driven by a steady flow of encouraging reports on the global economy.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — Stocks roared back to record highs on Thursday, driven by good news on the economy.

The Standard & Poor's 500, the Dow Jones industrial average and the Russell 2000 index set all-time highs. The S&P broke through 1,700 points for the first time. The Nasdaq hit its highest level since September 2000.

The gains were driven by a steady flow of encouraging reports on the global economy.

Overnight, a positive read on China's manufacturing helped shore up Asian markets. An hour before U.S. trading started, the government reported that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits last week fell sharply. At mid-morning, a trade group said U.S. factories revved up production last month. And while corporate earnings news after the market closed Wednesday and throughout Thursday brought both winners and losers, investors were able to find enough reports that they liked, including those from CBS, MetLife and Yelp.

"It's just a lot of things adding up," said Russell Croft, portfolio manager of the Croft Value Fund in Baltimore. "It's hard to put your finger on why exactly, but basically it's a bunch of pretty good data points coming together to make a very good day."

Overall, analysts said, the news was good but not overwhelmingly so. Enough to suggest that the economy is improving, but not enough to prompt the Federal Reserve to withdraw its economic stimulus programs.

Earnings results covered a wide range. Boston Beer, which makes Samuel Adams, and home shopping network operator HSN rose after beating analysts' estimates for earnings and revenue. Kellogg, health insurer Cigna and cosmetics maker Avon were down after beating earnings predictions but missing on revenue.

It's becoming a familiar template this year. Stock indexes have been setting record highs since April even while the underlying economy is often described as improving, but hardly going gangbusters.

While layoffs are steadily declining, companies aren't hiring as quickly as they did before the financial crisis and Great Recession. The economy is growing, but not fast enough to drive significant job growth. The Commerce Department reported this week that gross domestic product, or GDP, the broadest measure of the economy, grew at a tepid annual rate of 1.7 percent in the second quarter.

"They're not great numbers, but they're positive and they're continuing to grow," said Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors in Oklahoma City. "That's about all the market needs to hear."

Because the stock market often looks ahead 6-9 months, it's not unusual for stock indexes to be ahead of economic indicators, when the economy is improving or worsening. Right now, stock investors may be anticipating a stronger economy and better earnings next year.

Among Thursday's stock index records: The S&P 500 index rose 21.14 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,706.87. The Dow rose 128.48 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,628.02. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks rose 14.62 points, or 1.4 percent, to 1,059.88.

The S&P is now up 19.7 percent for the year, the Dow 19.3 percent and the Russell 24.8 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 49.37 points, or 1.4 percent, to 3,675.74, in line with the daily gains of other indexes but still far short of its record. The Nasdaq, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, briefly veered above 5,000 points in March 2000, just before the Internet bubble burst.

Investors said Thursday that the S&P's crossing over 1,700 points might give consumers a psychological boost, but they were hardly crowing about a new era in stocks. Turns out it's quite common for indexes to hit records. Since 1950, the S&P has hit a high about 7 percent of the time, or an average of about every 15 days, Courtney said. The S&P's last record close was just eight trading days earlier, on July 22.

The S&P made the jump from 1,600 to 1,700 in less than three months. The index first traded above 1,600 on May 3. The first close above 1,500 was in March 2000.

The market's sharp advance Thursday was a stark contrast with the previous two days, when the S&P 500 moved less than a point each day. On Tuesday, investors didn't want to make big moves ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy announcement the next day. On Wednesday, the Fed didn't make much news after all. The central bank said, unsurprisingly, that the U.S. economy was recovering but still needed help. The Fed didn't give any indication of when it might cut back on its bond-buying program, which has been supporting financial markets and keeping borrowing costs ultra-low.

Among the good economic and corporate news that cheered investors Thursday:

— China's purchasing managers' index — a gauge of business sentiment — rose to 50.3 in July from 50.1 in June. Analysts had expected a modest decline below 50.

— The Labor Department said that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 19,000 to 326,000. That was the fewest since January 2008, one month after the Great Recession started in December 2007.

— The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said its index of manufacturing jumped to 55.4 in July, up from 50.9 in June and well above an expected reading of 51.8. A number above 50 indicates growth.

— Auto companies reported strong sales gains for July. Ford, Chrysler and Nissan each reported U.S. sales growth of 11 percent compared with the same month a year ago.

An index of transportation stocks also rose sharply. Many investors see that sector as a leading indicator for the economy because freight and shipping companies tend to get busier as the economy improves.

The Dow Jones Transportation average jumped 208.26 points, or 3.2 percent, to 6,670.06, led by a surge in Con-way, a Michigan-based freight company that reported earnings Thursday that were far higher than investors expected. Con-way rose $4.34, or 10.5 percent, to $45.79.

The price of crude oil rose $2.86, or 2.7 percent, to $107.89 a barrel. Gold slipped $1.80 to $1,311.20 an ounce. The dollar rose against the euro and the Japanese yen.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose sharply, to 2.72 percent from 2.58 percent late Wednesday. That means investors were selling U.S. government debt securities, possibly over fears that rates will go higher as the economy strengthens and they'll lose more money. When yields rise, the value of bonds falls.

Among stocks making big moves:

—Sprouts Farmers Markets more than doubled on the company's first day of trading, jumping $22.11 to $40.11 — another sign that investors are becoming more comfortable taking on risk.

—Yelp soared $9.70, or 23.2 percent, to $51.50. The consumer review website continued to lose money in its latest quarter, but it sold more ads and drew more visitors.

—Exxon Mobil fell $1.02, or 1.1 percent, to $92.73, after reporting lower earnings as oil and gas production slipped. Profit margins on refining oil also fell.

AP Markets Writer Steve Rothwell contributed to this story.

Following the vote at the school's Horace Mann Center, school President Evan Dobelle said he welcomed the involvement of the state inspector general because it will ultimately clear the air and demonstrate there is nothing wrong.

The $1.4 million in traffic improvements is set to begin in the spring.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council Thursday approved 12 eminent domain land takings that officials said will allow for long-sought traffic improvements at Homestead Avenue and Lower Westfield Road.

"This intersection has been long in need of an overhaul," Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin said.

Traffic is heavy through the intersection with vehicles coming to and from Holyoke Community College, to the north, and the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside and Barnes & Noble, to the east.

Residents who attended a council Redevelopment Committee meeting before the full council session said they were mostly agreeable to the deal.

Councilors succeeded in getting a pledge of cooperation from City Engineer Matthew Sokop on two residents' concerns. The construction will ensure the slope of the front lawn at the home of Grace S. Daunheimer, 1059 Homestead Ave., won't be so steep to prohibit lawn mowing, councilors said.

Also, councilors said, the plan to install a sidewalk in front of the home of Gerard N. Duval at 1083 Homestead Ave., will be revisited. Duval said a sidewalk there is unnecessary and he opposes it, though residents at a hearing in September questioned whether the project included enough sidewalks.

The council, meeting in special session to address the sole issue, voted 13-0 to approve the plan at City Hall. The special session was needed so the process of soliciting bids from developers to do the project could begin, officials said.

Two residents and a real estate company will be paid $24,910 for a combined 25,518 square feet of land to be taken to widen the intersection, said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Office of Planning and Economic Development.

Another $141,279 worth of property was donated for the traffic improvements by O'Connell Development Group here. O'Connell wants to build a $16 million retail plaza at the intersection at the former site of the Atlas Copco factory.

Construction on the $1.4 million in traffic improvements is scheduled to begin in the spring, officials said.

Engineering maps used in the meeting that were dense with words, numbers and lines were a challenge to read. Committee Chairman Aaron M. Vega asked city staff at future meetings to provide materials easier for people to understand.

"They're almost unreadable," Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander said.

Daunheimer said the busy traffic can cause waits as she tries to turn into her driveway, an inconvenience the project might not improve.

"It sounds like it's going to be difficult. It's difficult now," Daunheimer said.

Daunhaumer will receive $1,209 for surrendering 2,449 square feet, Marrero said.

Emil R. Schlegel, of 1079 Homestead Ave., will get $2,571 for 4,512 square feet, he said.

Crossroad Realty Holdings LLC will receive $21,129 for 9,190 square feet, he said.

A power outage in Wilbraham effects 500.

 

Fred Kuebler, media relations expert, said that as of 11:30 p.m. Thursday, the company is not sure where the outage originated, but repair personnel are on scene and searching.

"We have out crews out looking for the source of the outage,"Kuebler said.

The outage is isolated to Wilbraham, and is effecting about 500 customers.

This story will be updated as information warrants.

Newtown businesses still having trouble months after school shooting

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Months after 20 children and six educators were fatally shot in a Newtown elementary school, some local business owners said Wednesday that a financial downturn that began with road closings and an emotional pall over the town persists.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy visited downtown businesses to show support and learn how a $500,000 state grant intended to help local stores and restaurants is working.

"It's impressive," he told reporters after a one-hour tour. "People are very positive."

But Andy Lafreniere, who owns Suzuki Music School, told the governor that business is not good.

"We'd like people not to be afraid of Sandy Hook," he said, referring to the section in Newtown where the children and adults were killed by a gunman on Dec. 14. "There's just an aura about the place. Combined with the recession, we think people are avoiding Newtown."

First Selectwoman Patricia Llodra, whose job description even in normal times includes selling her town to employers and tourists, rejected Lafreniere's view of the local economy. She said the weak economic recovery is to blame.

"I think he's off-base totally," she said. "It's off everywhere. It's struggling everywhere."

Immediately after the shootings, roads in the area were choked with police cars and ambulances, then by TV satellite trucks and later thousands of visitors paying their respects at makeshift memorials. Access to more than a dozen area businesses was restricted or nonexistent.

"The town was taken over by visitors," Malloy told a gathering of town officials and others. "It became pretty tough for folks."

In addition, a long mourning period in the community halted holiday parties, shopping and decorating.

And the Sandy Hook Elementary School remains closed, robbing the nearby downtown of traffic by school staff who shopped and vendors who would stop for lunch or make purchases.

The state stepped in with the grant to help offset the losses, and about half of that money has been distributed to businesses. The other half is set to be used to continue a 10-year downtown improvement project with landscaping, new sidewalks, lighting and other changes. In addition, Newtown will use a portion of the state money for marketing and business development.

Marci Benitez, owner of Fun Kuts, a hair cutting business for children, and an adjacent children's toy and clothing store, said business is "getting back slowly."

"It's hard for people to come into town. It still hurts," she said.

Money from the state helped a little. "I still have rent. I still have everything," Benitez said.

The Villa, an Italian restaurant around the corner from the Sandy Hook Elementary School, was among the businesses that Malloy visited.

"I'm sorry about all your trouble, but we're trying to help," the governor told the owner, Vito Kala, and his employees.

The restaurant was shut for three weeks beginning the day of the shootings, costing him the entire Christmas and New Year's holiday season that typically brings office parties and family gatherings.

Business is now picking up, he said.

"We feel the place coming alive," Kala said.

A Pittsfield woman texted an offer to sell drugs but to the wrong phone number.

 

"Hey I got a few blu footballs for sale u interested?" the cell phone message read, referring to Xanax by its street name.

According to the Berkshire Eagle, several text messages were exchanged because, of course, Sgt. Meiklejohn was definitely interested in the "blu footballs." Over the course of several exchanges Meiklejohn testified that he learned that the illicit Xanax was selling for $20 a pill and he could pick them up at a nearby donut shop on First Street in downtown Pittsfield.

Thus Meiklejohn got to meet 31-year-old Allison Neil, the alleged holder of a very wrong cell phone number. The two met in the parking lot of the doughnut shop as agreed, but, thenn walked to a nearby library parking lot where Meiklejohn said Neil sold him six Blue Footballs. That's when some of Meiklejohn's colleagues swooped in and arrested the woman.

At the time of her arrest, Neil was carrying a small amount of heroin, a syringe and "works" to prepare the heroin for injection.

Her lawyer told the court that the Xanax was properly prescribed to Neil to combat anxiety.

Neil, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on charges of possession of a Class E substance with the intent to distribute, distribution of a Class E substance (Xanax) and possession of a Class A substance (heroin). She was ordered held in lieu of $1,500 cash bail or $15,000 surety. She is to return to court August 27.

A North Adams man is accused of kidnapping a New York City woman and bringing her to western Massachusetts.

 

Raymond Alexander, 20 of Chestnut Street, was arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court in North Adams Tuesday on charges of kidnapping, assault and battery and threatening to commit a crime (murder).

The North Adams Transcript quoted from a police report that North Adams police received a phone call from a New York 911 dispatch center shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, relating a call from the victim's sister. The story she told authorities was she had received an email from her sister alleging that she was taken from her Queens home by Alexander and brought to his North Adams home.

The two had a dating relationship for several years, but were experiencing disagreement over what school the woman should attend. Alexander insisted she enroll in the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, so she could be closer to him. She refused and Alexander allegedly became agitated, grabbed the woman by the neck at tried to choke her. He told her that is she didn't come to live in North Adams he would killer and himself. She said he then dragged her to his car and drove her to Massachusetts..

In court, Alexander was ordered to the Bridgewater State Hospital for a 20-day observation. After that he is to be held at the Berkshire County Jail, pending an Aug. 19 pretrial hearing.

A couple were arraigned on charges related to the murder of a Fitcburg man July 21.

 

According to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Dax A. Gibson, 36, and Ashley Frugugleitti, 25, fled to Virginia with their infant son after the July 21 death of Luis R. Rodriquez of 82 Marshall St. in Fitchburg.

Rodriguez was found unconscious and bleeding on the porch of 69 Marshall St., where police speculate he ran for help after being attacked by Alexander. He was taken to the Health Alliance Hospital in Leominster where he died a short time later.

The pair were arraigned in Fitchburg District Court Thursday. Alexander was ordered held without the right to bail on charges of murder, home invasion and armed assault in a dwelling.

Fruguglierri entered pleas of not guilty to charges of being an accessory after the fact of murder and misleading law enforcement. She was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

A third suspect, Dinkue Brown, 27, of Gardner, remains at large.

Amid a swirl of rumor and innuendo that the audit uncovered spending improprieties, the Board of Trustees voted to authorize the release of all documents related to the audit to the state office of the Inspector General. Watch video

08.01.2013 | WESTFIELD -- Westfield State University President Evan Dobelle waits in the hallway as the university's Board of Trustees meets in executive session.Photo by David Molnar / The Republican 

WESTFIELD — The Westefield State University board of trustees voted Thursday night to authorize the release of all documents related to a university audit to the state inspector general.

Following the vote at the school’s Horace Mann Center, school President Evan S. Dobelle said he welcomed the involvement of the state inspector general because it will ultimately clear the air and demonstrate there is nothing wrong.

“People say there must be something wrong. Well, there isn’t anything wrong,” Dobelle said. “I’m happy the (inspector general) is involved to show there is nothing there.”

The meeting was scheduled by the board to vote on a request by the inspector general for the release of documents related to an October 2012 audit. The request specifically seeks all draft copies of the audit, all notes and supporting documentation related to “travel, paid leave, employee expenses and reimbursement.”

Board chairman John Flynn III said the release of documents is “consistent with sound public policy and transparency.” 

Dobelle said as a routine matter the board voted to conduct an audit on travel policies that were implemented earlier that year.

A draft of the audit – but not the final report – has been completed. Campus groups have called for its release – including the campus faculty union which presented a formal request to the trustees calling for such Thursday night – but it remains a private document.

Dobelle said it has not been released because it is not a final document. Specifically, his administration has not had a chance to respond to the findings.

“I will be happy to release the report, once we are able to respond to it,” he said. “I have not been able to respond to it.”

Without his administration having a chance to respond, the draft is mostly numbers without context, he said.

Offering and then answering his own hypothetical example, Dobelle said. “Did we spend X number of dollars for dinner? Yes, but there were 25 students there that we thanked for their volunteer work on campus.”

“When it is a finished document, I will be happy to have everyone look at it,” he said.

One of those seeking a release of the audit was professor Buzz Hoagland, president of the Westfield State faculty union.

“They won’t let anyone look at it,” he said. “We want to see what is inside it.”

The audit, he said, was conducted by a private auditing firm O’Connor and Drew at a cost of $50,000 in university money. As such, members of the university and the public have a right to see what it’s findings are.

Initially the board was prepared to vote to authorize the release of documents, to allow full cooperation by anyone who worked in connection with the audit and to waive any professional privilege. But some trustees balked at waiving their right to maintain privilege. Following an hourlong executive session, the board emerged to amend the original motion to remove the privilege waiver.

Trustee Terry M. Craven, first justice of Suffolk County Juvenile Court, was one of two trustees, along with James M. Rubero, to vote against the motion to release information to the inspector general.

Craven said she could not vote to release any documents because “I have not had a chance to read any materials and it would be an uninformed vote by me.”

Trustees voting in favor included Elizabeth Scheibel, former Northwestern district attorney; Flynn, chief administrative officer of the state police; and Joseph Carvalho III, former president and executive director of the Springfield Museums.

Following the vote, university communications consultant Molly Watson, issued a statement saying, in part:

“As a matter of policy established by President Evan Dobelle, review of our operating practices are routinely undertaken. ... The chairman of the Westfield State Board of Trustees (sic) a letter dated July 11, 2013 from the office of the Inspector General requesting information related to a financial review. The university is cooperating with the IG and is providing responsive documents and information."

Westfield State Faculty Letter by masslive

Westfield State University statement on Special Board Meeting.

UMass releases updated discipline report/

AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts has released an updated off-campus student discipline report showing that 463 students received sanctions for behavioral issues, including three expulsions for the most serious, during the one-year period that ended May 31.

This is the first such report looking at a full year. Last year's report provided numbers only for the academic year.

Overall, 684 students were involved in 479 off-campus incidents for a full calendar year beginning June 1, 2012, and ending May 31, 2013, according to the report issued by UMass Dean of Students Enku Gelaye.

Of those disciplined, 15 were suspended and 84 placed on deferred suspension. Deferred suspension means the student faces suspension if there's another infraction.

Most students cited in off-campus incidents were first-time offenders, while 209 students, or 31 percent, had at least one more serious incident before.

According to the report, 274 received a university reprimand, with 108 put on probation. Also, 177 had to write a paper on their behavior.

Sixty percent of the incidents were processed within a month, and 73 percent within two or fewer months.

The numbers are similar to what they were the previous year.

For the previous academic year only, 652 students were arrested or cited by police for off-campus disturbances and 476 students received sanctions, while 176 did not. Of those, five were expelled and 18 were suspended. Also, 60 were put on deferred suspension.

Amherst Select Board Chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe said she doesn’t know how to read the numbers but said, “I appreciate that they represent all of those incidents that are being followed up on. This is another sign (the university) is taking off-campus issues very seriously.”

And she said there have been improvements. “It was a very successful spring. There was a lot of cooperation between the town and UMass,” O'Keeffe said.

To address some of the issues, particularly after the Blarney Blowout March 9, the university paid for additional police officers and for the addition of two ambulances to the fire department.

Those measures appeared to keep the size of incidents down.

During the course of the March 9 weekend prior to St. Patrick’s Day, police were pelted with snowballs, bottles and cans and other debris as they tried to break up a riot of about 2,000 students at the Town House Apartments at 50 Meadow St.

O'Keeffe said that cooperation between UMass and the town is excellent. “They’re responsive…they are working with us in every way we can think of.”

UMass and the town are sharing the cost of hiring a consultant to look at other ways to address town-gown issues. A committee will be meeting to look at a request for proposals soon, Town Manager John P. Musante said.

The Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking also initiated a Walk this Way program to divert students from residential neighborhoods in the Fearing Street area as they made their way from downtown on weekend nights to avoid disturbing neighborhood residents. That will resume this fall, according to a press release.

Also the Student Government Association launched the Sober Shuttle, a bus service to bring students back from downtown by bus to avoid disturbing neighbors.

O’Keeffe walked a couple of times on the Walk this Way walks. “I think it was a really good way to raise awareness of the students as they were going out at night. I don’t know if we really changed people’s routes home. It was just another way of reminding them (to be quieter).”

UMass released a report in March showing numbers from Sept. 1 until March 27. This is an update of that report.

UMass officials meet with police and town officials weekly during the school year to review off campus activity.

The discipline report provides numbers of on-campus offenses as well.

Read the full report below; the section on off-campus incidents begins on Page 9:

UMass-Amherst Dean of Students Office Annual Conduct Report 2012-2013 by masslive

The suspect was carrying a firearm in the waistband of the red gym shorts he was wearing.

WESTFIELD – State, Westfield and Southwick police spent nearly five hours Friday in search of a suspect in the armed robbery of the Rite Aid store on East Silver Street.

Westfield Police Capt. Michael A. McCabe said that a call was received from Rite Aid personnel at about 10:30 a.m. reporting the armed robbery of an undisclosed amount of controlled substances. The suspect was carrying a firearm in the waistband of the red gym shorts he was wearing.

“The perpetrator fled the scene on foot east toward East Main Street,” McCabe said. “We believe that this person is responsible for several other similar robberies involving Rite Aid stores in Hampden County and northern Connecticut.”

The suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, 5 feet, 10 inches to 6 feet tall, wearing red gym shorts, a white striped shirt and a baseball cap. He is believed to be 20 to 30 years old.

K-9 units from Westfield and Southwick were dispatched to the store to track the suspect’s scent, which lead them to the area behind the Price Rite grocery store on East Main Street. A state police helicopter was also used in the search.

“At some point, the suspect crossed over to the Main Line Drive area,” McCabe said.

The loading area behind Price Rite was cordoned off and swarmed by members of the Westfield, state and Southwick police.

The search was called off at about 3:30 p.m. when the officers’ “time and efforts didn’t appear to have any more value,” McCabe said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Westfield Police Department at (413) 562-5411 or Det. Anthony Tsatsos at (413) 572-6400.

Ashley Flowers, spokesperson from Rite Aid’s corporate offices in Pennsylvania, said the company is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading the arrest and conviction of the robber or robbers.

The alert was the first of its kind since an announcement preceding the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

By BRADLEY KLAPPER

WASHINGTON — The United States issued an extraordinary global travel warning to Americans Friday about the threat of an al-Qaida attack and closed down 21 embassies and consulates across the Muslim world for the weekend.

The alert was the first of its kind since an announcement preceding the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This one comes with the scars still fresh from last year's deadly Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and with the Obama administration and Congress determined to prevent any similar breach of an American Embassy or consulate.

"There is a significant threat stream and we're reacting to it," said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He told ABC News in an interview to be aired Sunday that the threat was "more specific" than previous ones and the "intent is to attack Western, not just U.S. interests."

The State Department warning urged American travelers to take extra precautions overseas, citing potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists and noting that previous terrorist attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats. It suggested travelers sign up for State Department alerts and register with U.S. consulates in the countries they visit.

The statement said that al-Qaida or its allies might target either U.S. government or private American interests. The alert expires on Aug. 31.

The State Department said the potential for terrorism was particularly acute in the Middle East and North Africa, with a possible attack occurring on or coming from the Arabian Peninsula.

U.S. officials pointed specifically to Yemen, the home of al-Qaida's most dangerous offshoot and the network blamed for several notable terrorist plots on the United States, from the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit to the explosives-laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.

"Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," a department statement said.

The alert was posted a day after the U.S. announced it would shut many diplomatic facilities Sunday. Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the department acted out of an "abundance of caution" and that some missions may stay closed for longer than a day. Sunday is a business day in Muslim countries, and the diplomatic offices affected stretch from Mauritania in northwest Africa to Afghanistan.

"I don't know if I can say there was a specific threat," said Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the House Foreign Affairs Committee's top Democrat, who was briefed on the State Department's decision. "There is concern over the potentiality of violence."

Although the warning coincided with "Al-Quds Day," the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan when people in Iran and some Arab countries express their solidarity with the Palestinians and their opposition to Israel, U.S. officials played down any connection. They said the threat wasn't directed toward a specific American diplomatic facility.

The concern by American officials over the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is not new, given the terror branch's gains in territory and reach during Yemen's prolonged Arab Spring-related instability.

The group made significant territorial gains last year, capturing towns and cities in the south amid a power struggle in the capital that ended with the resignation of Yemen's longtime leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh. A U.S.-aided counteroffensive by the government has since pushed the militants back.

Yemen's current president, Abdo Rabby Mansour Hadi, met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, where both leaders cited strong counterterrorism cooperation. Earlier this week, Yemen's military reported a U.S. drone strike killed six alleged al-Qaida militants in the group's southern strongholds.

As recently as June, the group's commander, Qasim al-Rimi, released an Arabic-language video urging attacks on U.S. targets and praising the ethnic Chechen brothers accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings. "Making these bombs has become in everyone's ... reach," he said, according to the English subtitles.

"The blinking red intelligence appears to be pointing toward an Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula plot," said Seth Jones, counterterror expert at the Rand Corp., referring to the branch of al-Qaida known as AQAP.

Britain also took action Friday in Yemen, announcing it would close its embassy there on Sunday and Monday as a precaution.

Britain, which closely coordinates on intelligence matters with Washington, stopped short of releasing a similar region-wide alert but added that some embassy staff in Yemen had been withdrawn "due to security concerns." British embassies and consulates elsewhere in the Middle East were to remain open.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said the embassy threat was linked to al-Qaida and concerned the Middle East and Central Asia.

"In this instance, we can take a step to better protect our personnel and, out of an abundance of caution, we should," Royce said. He declined to say if the National Security Agency's much-debated surveillance program helped reveal the threat.

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence panel, also supported the department's decision to go public with its concerns.

"The most important thing we have to do is protect American lives," he said, describing the threat as "not the regular chitchat" picked up from would-be militants on the Internet or elsewhere.

The State Department issued another warning a year ago about potential violence connected to the Sept. 11 anniversary. Dozens of American installations were besieged by protests over reports of an anti-Islam video made by an American resident, and in Benghazi, Libya, the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed when militants assaulted a diplomatic post.

The administration no longer says Benghazi was related to the demonstrations. But the attack continues to be a flashpoint of contention with Republicans in Congress who say Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and others in the government misled the country about the nature of the attack after failing to provide adequate diplomatic protection.

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Sagar Meghani and Kimberly Dozier in Washington and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

The university's Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to authorize the release of all documents related to the audit to the state inspector general.

WESTFIELD – Westfield State University plans to release documents related to a university audit as soon as it completes its review - a process which could take several more weeks, a spokeswoman said Friday.

The October 2012 audit was performed by a private firm, and campus groups - including the faculty union - have called for its release.

“We will review the documents and respond to the information included in the review,” university communications consultant Molly Watson said Friday. “I think we will release it once it’s final, and we expect to have our review complete in the next couple of weeks.” Watson said Westfield State hopes to get the review done “as quickly as possible and the school starts to celebrate its 175th anniversary this fall.”

John Flynn, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, said, “I think that is a good projection.”

He added, “I think it is an advantage to get the inspector general involved now.”

He said the university will be reviewing the results of the audit simultaneously with the inspector general.

Flynn said that all documents which should be made public will be made public.

“I am a graduate of this university and my son is due to graduate in May. There is nobody who is more concerned about the university than I am.”

The Westfield State University Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to authorize the release of all documents related to the audit to the state inspector general in response to a request by that state office.

Following the vote, school President Evan S. Dobelle said he welcomed the involvement of the state inspector general because it will ultimately clear the air and demonstrate there is nothing wrong.

Dobelle said the board voted to conduct the audit as a routine matter on travel policies that were implemented earlier that year. He said his administration has not yet had a chance to respond to the audit’s findings.

“When it is a finished document, I will be happy to have everyone look at it,” he said.

The meeting was scheduled by the board to vote on a request by the inspector general for the release of documents related to the audit. The request specifically seeks all draft copies of the audit, all notes and supporting documentation related to “travel, paid leave, employee expenses and reimbursement.”

One of those seeking release of the audit to the public was professor Buzz Hoagland, president of the Westfield State faculty union.

“They won’t let anyone look at it,” he said. “We want to see what is inside it.”

The audit, Hoagland said, was conducted by a private auditing firm O’Connor and Drew at a cost of $50,000 in university money. As such, members of the university and the public have a right to see what its findings are, he said.

Jack Meyers, a spokesman for the inspector general, said Friday the office will likely not comment on its work regarding the Westfield State documents.

“Generally, we keep our information about what our office is doing confidential as required of the statute that we were created under,” Meyers said.

Meyers, speaking generally, said once the inspector general’s office completes such reviews, it can refer matters to other agencies “for administrative action or other types of action.”

Watson described the documents as a review and not an audit. The Westfield State University board of trustees agenda for Oct. 11, 2012, however, refers to a fiscal year 2012 presentation of financial statements and audit results by O’Connor & Drew.

A chapter of the program, which helps veterans transition from military service into management positions at properties owned and operated by the casino giant, has launched in Springfield, where MGM hopes to build a casino.

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Resorts International has expanded its commitment to the Boots to Business program that helps veterans transition from military service into management positions at properties owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.

Through a grant of $250,000, MGM Resorts becomes a partner in the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Giving Program, which helps support members of the U.S. military, veterans and their families.

The grant will help identify, recruit and hire veterans into a MGM Resorts management-training program as well as provide deployment support for current MGM Resorts employees who are called to duty, and ongoing support in the form of mentoring and networking.

“We are proud to partner with the American Red Cross in the development and expansion of an innovative program that identifies, recruits and trains recent U.S. military veterans for entry-level management positions at MGM Resorts,” said Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts and MGM Springfield President. “The Boots to Business program will be an important part of our recruiting effort for MGM Springfield. The grant reinforces our commitment that MGM will place a significant emphasis on local and regional recruitment.”

The grant will support the initiative in five communities including Las Vegas, Detroit, Biloxi, as well as Prince George’s County, Md. and here in Springfield. The Grant will support the identification, recruitment and transition support for veterans into existing community-based employers.

“MGM is perfect partner because our values, commitment, and dedication to veterans are in full alignment,” said Rick Lee, Director of the Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter. “The Boots to Business program creates an opportunity for veterans to showcase the talents they built while serving our country and is a natural convergence of our shared mission.”

MGM Springfield, an approximately $800 million resort, is proposed for 14.5 acres of land between Union and State streets, and Columbus Avenue and Main Street. MGM is seeking the sole gaming license in Western Massachusetts.

MGM has also made a number of other donations in the community, including $60,000 for a holiday lighting display at Court Square last winter, $30,000 to Bright Nights; $20,000 to the Spirit of Springfield for the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast, $15,000 for the Fourth of July festivities and $5,000 for the balloon parade.

A cause is still under investigation.

The Republican / Lori Stabile 

HARDWICK — Fire on Tuesday leveled a home on Fisk Road, according to authorities.

Police Cpl. Kevin Landine said the fire was at 437A Fisk Road. He said no one was home when it started, and the cause is undetermined. Landine said he is continuing to investigate the cause, assisted by the state fire marshal's office.

The owner was Melissa Boudreau, who was living there with her three daughters, he said. The house, a camper and a car were destroyed, he said.

According to town records, the property's assessed value was $187,100.

The first call came in at 3:19 p.m. about smoke in the area. A 911 call about the structure fire came in just before 3:30 p.m., Landine said. In addition to the Hardwick Fire Department, firefighters from Ware and New Braintree responded.

The American Red Cross responded to assist the family. The Telegram & Gazette reported that three dogs, two cats, fish and numerous caged animals died in the blaze.

Edwin Alemany was charged with Lord's death when police were able to link him to the crime through DNA testing, officials said.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis ordered forensic testing in the Amy Lord homicide investigation – including DNA testing – be placed on the fast track, the Boston Herald reported on Friday.

The Herald quotes Boston Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca as saying, "The commissioner ordered that the testing be prioritized. Because of the similarity of circumstances in the South Boston assault cases, prioritizing DNA testing helped to tie the same suspect to all three incidents including the murder of Amy Lord."

Police on Thursday filed murder charges against Edwin Alemany in the July 23 killing of Lord, 24, a Wilbraham native who was living in South Boston.

Amy LordSubmitted photo 

Alemany was arrested July 24 and charged with assaulting two women in South Boston within hours of the attack on Lord. He was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital last Thursday after a judge ruled that he was not competent to understand the charges against him.

His arraignment in those cases is scheduled for Aug. 14. He could be arraigned on the murder charge the same day at the Boston Municipal Court in West Roxbury.

He was charged with Lord's murder when DNA test results linked him to her death, officials have said.

The Herald also reported that Lord died as a result of both stab wounds and strangulation. Police have previously said only that she had been stabbed.

Police allege that Alemany abducted Lord at her apartment, forced her to withdraw money from several ATM machines and then killed her and left her body at the Stony Park Reservation.

"At this point "Young Blooded Kings/YBK" has no known affiliation with any mainstream gang" known to law enforcement, police said.

Holland police put out this bulletin about the graffiti at Hitchcock Field. 

HOLLAND - Police are investigating vandalism at Hitchcock Field, in which "Young Blooded Kings" and "YBK" were painted in green in several locations at the field, and have contacted the state police gang intelligence unit.

"At this point 'Young Blooded Kings/YBK' has no known affiliation with any mainstream gang" known to law enforcement, Police Chief Bryan C. Haughey wrote in an email. "However we are still taking this very seriously."

Haughey said there are no reports of gang activity in the area. He said that photographs of the tagging were forwarded to the state police to add to their database, in case more of this graffiti is seen in the area.

Haughey said the tagging was observed by a Holland police officer on Sunday, and the investigation is ongoing. He said the town of Sturbridge had a similar tagging incident in town, where "YBK" was painted on the Bank of America on Route 20. The two departments are sharing information, Haughey said.

"We do have some leads which we are currently following up on," Haughey said.

He said it is not uncommon to see the word "blood" and "king" in the same graffiti, to reference the Bloods and Latin Kings gangs. But he said this graffiti is different from what actual Bloods or Latin Kings would do as the paint was green. Bloods use the color red, Latin Kings, yellow and black.

"We are asking the public to please come forward with any information they may have," Haughey said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Holland Police at (413) 245-0117.