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Former Ludlow School Committee member Michael O'Rourke launches write-in candidacy for assessor

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There is no candidate on the ballot for the three-year position.

LUDLOW – Michael O’Rourke of 425 Miller Street, a former School Committee member, has announced that he is a write-in candidate for assessor in the March 28 annual town election.

There is no candidate on the ballot for the three-year assessor position.

In announcing his candidacy O’Rourke said, “I will work to continue to maintain assessment levels which are allowable by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and assure that a timely tax rate is set each fiscal year.”

O’Rourke, a graduate of Westfield State College, has owned Belmont Driving School since 1975 and served on the School Committee for 12 years.

He also served on the Park Commission from 1988 to 1990. He was an elected precinct member for 13 years and served for nine years on the Board of Directors of the Ludlow Boys & Girls Club.

O’Rourke was appointed by the Secretary of State as a notary public in 1995 and served as a corporator of Ludlow Savings Bank for many years. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Ludlow Chamber of Commerce.

He was a 20-year elected member of the Town Democratic Committee, serving as vice chairman from 1986 to 1988.

He is married to Jean (Finn) O’Rourke. His children, Michelle and Shawn O’Rourke, both graduated from Ludlow High School.

“I believe my experience in town government as well as as a property owner and business owner qualifies me for this important town position,” O’Rourke said.


Gov. Deval Patrick 'frustrated' by Fidelity Investment's move out of Massachusetts

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Patrick said the company gave the Commonwealth "no opportunity to compete for these jobs."

Deval Patrick, Eliezer ShkediMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick meets with Eliezer Shkedi, CEO of El Al , not seen, at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Weighing in from England on Fidelity Investment’s recent announcement that it would shift 1,100 jobs from Massachusetts and close its Marlborough office, Gov. Deval Patrick issued a statement Wednesday saying he was “frustrated” by the lack of notice the company gave the state.

“I am disappointed and frustrated with this news. Massachusetts has been good to Fidelity just as Fidelity has been good to Massachusetts. Their leadership was in my office recently and is in frequent touch with Secretary Bialecki, and yet they gave us little notice of this decision and no opportunity to compete for these jobs,” Patrick said.

The governor, who has been traveling abroad for more than a week on a trade mission intended to shore up Bay State business opportunities, was criticized Tuesday and Wednesday for being out of the country rather than in Massachusetts fighting to retain the Fidelity jobs.

The initial response from the administration came from Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, the acting governor while Patrick is away, who said he and the governor were “disappointed” by the news, but still happy with the progress made over the past year putting people back to work.

In his statement, Patrick pledged to prove to companies like Fidelity that doing business in Massachusetts still has its advantages.

“We stand ready to show Fidelity or any other company the competitive advantages of doing business in the Commonwealth,” Patrick said.

Fidelity indicated that the driving factor behind its decision to relocate 1,100 jobs to New Hampshire and Rhode Island was the need to consolidate real estate space around a diminished workforce and maintain a strong presence in all three New England states.

Fidelity will still employ about 7,300 employees at its Boston headquarters when the Marlborough closure is complete by the end of 2012.

The Senate Post Audit and Oversight Committee, chaired by Sen. Mark Montigny, announced plans Wednesday to investigate the factors behind Fidelity’s decision to relocate jobs

Nine 'hometown heroes' honored, applauded at annual Red Cross breakfast

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Sirdeaner Walker, a champion of anti-bullying efforts, was among those honored.

03.17.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Sirdeaner Walker of Springfield accepts an award at the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter 9th Annual Hometown Heroes Award breakfast.

SPRINGFIELD - When Davin Robinson came across a man who was about to jump off a bridge, he asked the stranger for "one last hug."

Then the Wilbraham resident pulled the man to safety.

Robinson was one of nine "Hometown Heroes" honored at an annual breakfast held by the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter.

The event drew 580 people to the MassMutual Center Thursday, raising $40,000 in a year in which Red Cross services were stretched to the limit both locally and abroad.

Musician Dan Kane orchestrated high-energy interludes of live music which had people swaying and clapping in time. Waiters sailed by bearing such goodies as waffles, strawberries and bacon.

Touching stories of local heroism were read aloud by Channel 22 personality Sy Becker while images and video about the heroes unfolded on two large screens.

Gallery preview


The heroes honored this year are:

John Benerackis, of Feeding Hills, who responded to a car crash outside his home at risk to his own life.

Steve Kowalcyk, of Ludlow, who saved a busload of third-graders when the brakes froze on the bus he was driving.

June Leduc, of Longmadow, who provides entertainment technology and other distractions for children being treated for cancer.

Kathleen Barry, of Wilbraham, a registered nurse who came upon a car crash and saved a man’s life.

Anthony Rodriguez, of Springfield, who was 10 when he took control of a life-or-death situation in the form of his mother's severe allergy attack.

Davin Robinson, of Wilbraham, who stopped a man from jumping off a bridge.

Sirdeaner L. Walker, of Springfield, who has devoted her life to championing anti-bullying programs and legislation in the wake of the suicide of her son, Carl Walker-Hoover.

Nathaniel Lare and Matthew Morgan, both now living in Chicopee, who banged on doors in the early hours of the morning and saved dozens of people from a fire that ravaged their apartment house.



Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik to tap free cash accounts to balance budget

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The city currently has $8 million in cash reserves.

DKnapik2009.jpgDaniel M. Knapik

WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said this week he is prepared to use some of the city’s cash reserves to help balance and retain services in the fiscal 2012 municipal budget.

Knapik declined comment on budget projections for the year that begins July 1. He said he expects the School Department to formally address new year financial issues beginning April 4 and that the full city budget will be presented to the City Council for consideration at its May 5 scheduled meeting.

“I do not like to discuss the doom and gloom of what might or might not happen,” said Knapik about his budget plans. However, he did say, “We have, in recent years, already cut as much as possible in programs, expenses and services.”

Difficult issues facing the city continue to be insurance costs and the mayor said a review of insurance programs and costs will be completed shortly. Insurance costs to the city currently are about $14 million annually.

Also, Knapik said “while we will not break any new ground next year we do have some infrastructure issues that must be addressed.

“Right now the budget is fluid. I am awaiting figures from the state on allocations for Westfield for Fiscal 2012,” he said.

Currently the city has about $8 million in free cash and its stabilization account. Knapik used $1.5 million in reserves to offset the current $117 million city budget.

A preliminary School Department budget for the new year represents an increase of about $3 million over the current $52 million school budget.

“I have asked Superintendent Shirley Alvira and her financial team to reduce that by $1.5 million,” said Knapik.

But, Alvira said Wednesday, “It is impossible to live with the same amount for next year. There is uncertainty concerning revenue sources for next year and we are continuing to work with budget figures.”

In the past three years, because of financial constraints, the School Department has lost about 100 positions.

Last year the department was forced to cut 14 positions, but later restored 13 of those with receipt of $1.5 million in federal stimulus funding.

Knapik and Alvira said the budget intent for fiscal 2012 is to maintain public services and programs.

“But, we must be cautious in our financial planning,” Alvira said.

feb 2011 westfield city hall.jpgWestfield City Hall

Raymond Clark of Connecticut admits to killing Yale graduate student Annie Le

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Le’s body was found stuffed behind a research lab wall, five days after she was last seen inside the Yale medical building.

Annie Le Raymond Clark.jpgRaymond Clark III, right, of Connecticut, admitted Thursday that he killed Yale University graduate student Annie Le, of California, in 2009.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A former animal research technician has pleaded guilty to murder and attempted sexual assault in the 2009 killing of a Yale University graduate student.

Raymond Clark III entered the plea Thursday under an agreement with prosecutors that calls for a 44-year sentence.

He was accused of strangling 24-year-old Annie Le, of Placerville, Calif., in a case that drew intense national media attention to the Ivy League university.

Le’s body was found stuffed behind a research lab wall on Sept. 13, 2009, five days after she was last seen inside the Yale medical building. It would have been her wedding day in New York.

The 26-year-old Clark had been charged with murder and felony murder, each carrying a possible sentence of 25 to 60 years.
Le’s body was found stuffed behind a research lab wall on the day she was supposed to get married in New York in September 2009.
The crime drew intense national media attention and prompted the New Haven Register to print a rare extra edition announcing Clark’s arrest.

Le and her fiancé, Jonathan Widawsky, planned to marry on Long Island and honeymoon in Greece. Instead, family and friends held a memorial service at which Le was remembered for her academic success, sense of humor, ambition, love for shoe shopping and love for her fiance.

Le’s relatives were grateful for the support they have received from the community and from law enforcement, family spokesman Kevin Eckery said Tuesday. They didn’t want to comment on the guilty plea because it hasn’t happened, he said.

“But they’re very conscious of the sad fact that no plea and no sentence will bring Annie back,“ he said.

Le was a doctoral pharmacology student who worked on a team that experimented on mice as part of research into enzymes that could have implications for treatment of cancer, diabetes and muscular dystrophy.

Clark, 26, was a high school baseball and football player whose duties included cleaning mouse cages and the floors of the lab. Clark, who has been in prison on $3 million bail, has pleaded not guilty to murder and felony murder, which each carry a sentence of 25 to 60 years in prison upon conviction.

Felony murder is alleged when someone dies during the commission of a felony, such as robbery, burglary, kidnapping and sexual assault, or an attempted felony. Under Connecticut’s felony murder law, prosecutors don’t have to prove that a killing was intentional.

Police have said a green-ink pen under Le’s body had her blood and Clark’s DNA on it. Police said Clark signed into the secure building with a green pen the day Le disappeared.

Authorities have said they took plastic door panels and carpeting with “blood-like stains” from the car in which Clark was riding during the hours after Le’s disappearance.

They had also said DNA from Le and Clark was on a bloody sock found hidden in a ceiling.

Court papers describe a bloody crime scene and Clark’s efforts to scrub floors. Investigators say Clark tried to hide a box of cleaning wipes that later was found to have traces of Le’s blood.

Clark had scratches on his face and left arm that he said came from a cat, investigators wrote in court papers.

Emergency work on Japan nuclear plant complicated by high radiation levels, as U.S. authorizes evacuation of its citizens

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Japanese officials say they're ramping up efforts to cool their stricken nuclear facilities.

The United States has called for evacuations of American citizens as the crisis at a Japanese nuclear facility - without power and causing concern of a potential meltdown after last week's earthquake - grows worse.

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. is doing minute-by-minute analysis of the issue as it develops, according to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham.

Both The New York Times and NPR are following the story with live blog coverage, and The Times addressed reader questions and concerns last night in a Q&A.

The state of the nuclear facility

Japanese officials have made little progress cooling spent-fuel pools at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex over the past 24 hours. But what exactly is going wrong? The National Journal explains in detail:

Partial nuclear meltdowns and coinciding explosions have occurred in at least two of the reactors after the double whammy of the earthquake and tsunami knocked out the plant’s electricity. Those problems have arisen with the actual generation of the nuclear power. The news of the day Wednesday focused on problems with the fourth reactor’s spent-fuel pool, the nuclear waste left over once power has been generated.

The terms nuclear meltdown and spent fuel—and the dozens of others also cropping up in media reports—can be complex on paper and even more confusing to imagine. But one basic point is that the most important piece of the puzzle is water. And in Japan’s case, that piece of the puzzle has been missing. Read more: Explaining Japan's Nuclear Crisis »

The BBC reports that Japan is ramping up its efforts at cooling the facilities Thursday.

Japan Evacuation.jpgIn this photo released by US Navy, sailors move food and water onto an HH-60H Sea Hawk assigned to the Black Knights of Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 4 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Tuesday, March 15, 2011, off the coastline of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean. Ronald Reagan is in Japan to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Japan as directed in support of Operation Tomodachi which means "Friends" in Japanese.

The U.S. response

President Barack Obama, who is on a five-day trip to South America, offered Japan "any support needed" and the U.S. has already begun assisting with the response. The AP reports:

Several water pumps and hoses were being sent from U.S. bases around Japan to help at Fukushima, where technicians were dousing the overheating nuclear reactors with seawater in a frantic effort to cool them. The U.S. had already sent two fire trucks to the area to be operated by Japanese firefighters, said Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, The Republican's Stan Freeman reported yesterday that the crisis in Japan has intensified the debate over nuclear power's role in New England's energy future. The Boston Globe reports that the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has put a temporary hold on the Vermont Yankee plant's license renewal, citing staffing issues as they deal with the issues abroad.

More coverage:

You don't need to buy potassium iodide

It's been reported that potassium iodide pills - which protect the thyroid from nuclear exposure - have been in short supply in the U.S., presumably as people stock up in case radiation makes its way to the West coast.

The BBC reports that the pills have been given to some military personnel:

Some US military personnel in Japan have received potassium iodide tablets to help counter any radiation exposure and the US has urged American citizens living within 80km (50 miles) of the Fukushima complex to leave; Japan's own exclusion zone is only 20km. Read more »

But NPR reports that the Surgeon General's office and the Union of Concerned Scientists have said that no one but the workers at the plant should be concerned about exposure. The Times addresses many of the health concerns created by the crisis in their Q&A with reporters.

Elsewhere in Japan, Reuters reports that the official death toll has risen to 4,000 and over 15,000 people are unaccounted for almost a week after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

Genealogists identify President Barack Obama's Irish ancestors, living relatives

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Obama's living Irish kin includes a Vietnam veteran, a school nurse and a displeased Arizona Republican.

Obama's Irish KinView full sizeDorma Lee Reese poses for a picture at her home in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Reese, 83, a retired EEG technologist, learned about a year ago that she is a third cousin to President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama found out years ago he had an Irish ancestor who fled the potato famine in 1850. He can now claim 28 living relatives who also descended from that Irishman, including a Vietnam veteran, a school nurse and a displeased Arizona Republican.

The president's newly identified relatives are revealed in a study released to The Associated Press by Ancestry.com, whose genealogists also traced descendants of 23 other Irish passengers on the ship that brought Falmouth Kearney to the United States when he was 19.

The survey allowed genealogists to further trace branches in Obama's family tree and others who arrived on the ship, known as the Marmion, on March 20, 1850.

According to the survey, the passengers' descendants live in Canada, Syria and throughout the United States. Among Obama's newly identified relatives is 83-year-old Dorma Lee Reese, of Tucson, Ariz.

"I'm not a Democrat, so I can't say I clapped," said Reese, a retired brain-imaging technologist. "I don't appreciate what he's done by any means, but I do appreciate that he holds that office."

Kearney arrived with his brother-in-law William and his wife, Margaret Cleary. They were destined for Ohio, where Kearney's relative had left property in his name. Kearney married, had 10 children and later settled in Indiana, where he worked as a farmer.

Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, was a descendant of one of Kearney's daughters, Mary Ann Kearney, and Jacob William Dunham. The White House didn't immediately return a message Wednesday seeking comment on the president's Irish heritage.

When the 903-ton Marmion arrived after a 3,000-mile voyage to New York Harbor from Liverpool, England, carrying 289 passengers, it was following a well-worn route used by masses of Irish immigrants.

Among the carpenters, bricklayers and shoemakers arriving that day was Kearney, listed in records only as a laborer.

Like many of the passengers, he was fleeing a country ravaged by a potato blight that destroyed families and livelihoods and left the country starving. From the 1840s to the end of the 1850s, about 1.7 million Irish immigrants came to the United States.

On the day of the Marmion's arrival, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that the St. Patrick's Society in Brooklyn had held its first annual banquet; a toast was made to the passengers' homeland, referring to it by its ages-old nickname: "Though gloomy shadows hang o'er thee now ... as darkness is densest, even just before day, So thy gloom, truest Erin, may soon pass away."

By 1860, the city had the largest Irish population in the world outside Ireland. Nearly 37 million Americans claimed Irish ancestry in 2009, according to census estimates.

Ancestry.com revealed Obama's Irish roots and his connection to Kearney in 2007, but it is uncovering its new findings this week following months of work as part of a larger project on Irish heritage.

"We had this idea of trying to look at a micro-study of how Irish immigrants have impacted the United States," said Anastasia Harman, the lead family historian for Ancestry.com.

Other distant Obama relatives include Roma Joy Palmer, 66, of Mulvane, Kan., who is retired from the insurance business, and Dean Dillard, 63, a Vietnam War veteran and retired community college professor who lives in Chanute, Kan.

"I really don't like to claim a relationship to Obama. He is not my favorite president," said Palmer, a Republican. "I don't have anything against him personally. But I don't think we have the same agenda."

Dillard, though, said he took pride in his family "being related to a president of the United States," even though he is a registered Republican, did not vote for Obama and opposes his politics.

Sandra West, 65, of Hereford, Ariz., also was identified by Ancestry.com but had already discovered years ago that she was distantly related to Obama when she investigated the Dunhams of Kansas.

"I figured there had to be a connection somewhere," she said.

West, who works as a nurse at Palominas Elementary School, said that it had become a running joke and that the principal had suggested requesting a tour of the White House. But West figured the president already had enough going on.

"I don't think he would want to pay much attention to me," she said. "I'm sort of a peon down the road. I'm nobody special."

Jose Rodriguez sentenced to state prison for child rape

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Jose Rodriguez must serve a probation term after prison.

SPRINGFIELD – A 36-year-old city man was sentenced Wednesday to an 8- to 12-year state prison term after a Hampden Superior Court jury found him guilty of rape of a child.

Jose Rodriguez was sentenced to the term by Judge Constance M. Sweeney. A jury found Rodriguez guilty of four counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child under 14 years old.

The jury found Rodriguez innocent of one count each of rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old.

After Rodriguez serves his sentence he will be on probation for five years with one of the conditions being that he has no unsupervised contact with children under 16 years old.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick S. Sabbs had told jurors in his opening there would be no forensic or scientific evidence because the two girls did not tell anyone about the rapes until 2009.

The girls said they were raped and indecently assaulted in 2005, when Rodriguez was a family acquaintance.

Defense lawyer Edward J. Abare III argued the girls made up the allegations after Rodriguez was for the most part out of their lives.

“This is a case about lies,” Abare said during the trial.

Sabbs said the jury must make its decision based on the testimony of the victims.

Rodriguez must now register as a sex offender because of the convictions.



PM News Links: Big Dig light collapse kept secret 5 weeks, Springfield man extradited on home invasion charges and more

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A woman accused of killing her 3-year-old daughter believed God had instructed her to stick a rose down the girl's throat to ward off the devil, according to documents filed in Nantucket District Court.

Big Dig Tunnel 2006.jpgA police cruiser drives through a Big Dig tunnel towards Logan International Airport in Boston in 2006 following a fatal ceiling collapse. Click on the link, above right, for a report from the Boston Herald that it took state officials 5 weeks to release news of the collapse of a 110 pound ceiling light.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray defends state's decision to delay releasing news of Big Dig light collapse

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Murray said he supported the decision to wait until after a full inspection of the other light fixtures was finished before alerting the public to the problem.

Timothy Murray Feb. 2011.jpgMassachusetts Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray speaks at a press conference in Springfield last month. Thursday he defended the state's decision to delay releasing information about a ceiling light collapse in one of Boston's Big Dig tunnels.

BOSTON – Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray is defending the decision not to reveal problems with corrosion to light fixtures in Big Dig tunnels until after a six-week inspection had been completed.

State transportation officials announced Wednesday that they had discovered corrosion in some of the lighting fixtures throughout the tunnel system. They began the probe after one of the 110-pound fixtures crashed onto the road in early February, missing cars traveling below.

No one was injured.

Murray told The Associated Press on Thursday that he supported the decision to wait until after a full inspection of the other light fixtures was finished before alerting the public to the problem.

Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan said all the fixtures located over roadways have been inspected and the tunnels are safe for drivers.

Obituaries today: James Johnson, native of Ireland, was 34-year H.B. Smith employee

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Obituaries from The Republican.

031711_james_johnson.jpgJames Johnson

James Johnson, 91, of Springfield, died Monday. Johnson was born in Ballydavid (Baile na nGall), Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. He graduated from schools in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in September 1947. He worked as a molder for the H.B. Smith Company in Westfield for 34 years and as a stationary fireman at Mercy Hospital. He resided in Springfield and was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church for 64 years.

Obituaries from The Republican:


Developing: Springfield police arrest Mark Melendez, second suspect in the shooting death of Kevin Gomez

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Melendez was taken into custody at police headquarters, where he had been brought in for questioning.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police on Thuesday afternoon arrested a second suspect in this weekend's shooting death of 16-year-old Chicopee teen Kevin Gomez, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide for Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Members of the department's homicide unit charged Mark Melendez, 19 of 264 Fountain St., Springfield in connection with the homicide. He is the second person arrested in the case.
ON Tuesday, 17-year-old Gregory Falero of 157 Jardine St., Springfield.

Melendez was taken into custody at police headquarters, where he had been brought in for questioning, Delaney said.

He was charged with murder, possession of a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a license and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Springfield District Court.

Gomez was shot early Sunday morning in front of 729 Belmont Ave. as he was attending a private birthday party nearby.

Falero pleaded innocent Wednesday in District Court and was ordered held without right to bail by Judge Elizabeth Sanabria-Vega. Daniel M. Kelly was appointed to represent Falero, who was arraigned with the aid of a Spanish interpreter.

Springfield police did not release a mugshot of Melendez due to what Delaney called "future identification purposes."

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroiann since taking office in January has opposed releasing photographs of murder suspects, saying the resulting publicity during the investigation could hamper the ability of detectives to obtain identifcations that could be used in the prosecution.

At Wednesday's arraignment, Mastroianni filed a motion in District Court to keep cameras out of the courtroom. The motion was accepted by the judge.
He asked that the prohibition of cameras end March 23, when Falero will be brought back into court for a bail hearing.

Gov. Deval Patrick, on trade mission abroad, returns to Massachusetts with mixed bag on jobs

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Patrick is returning from a trade mission to Israel and the UK.

Deval Patrick, Eliezer ShkediMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, right, meets with Eliezer Shkedi, CEO of El Al , left, at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

By Matt Murphy

BOSTON — As Gov. Deval Patrick wrapped up his trade mission to Israel and England with an announcement of 50 new jobs coming to Boston, officials at home spent Thursday trying to reconcile a mixed bag of economic news.

A report that the economy added 15,400 jobs in February leaving the unemployment rate virtually unchanged at 8.2 percent only added to the complex picture and did little to mute the fallout from Fidelity Investments’ revelation earlier in the week that it planned to shift nearly 1,100 jobs to New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

On the last day of his international trade mission, Patrick announced that Cambridge Consultants planned to add 50 new jobs at its Boston office, doubling its workforce and making that the first tangible jobs gain that the governor has pointed to during his 10-day trip to Israel and England.

While the Patrick administration has been touting the formation of partnerships with British and Israeli companies and government over the past two weeks, there had been few concrete deals struck that Patrick could point to as accomplishments on his trade mission.

More coverage:

Patrick returns to Boston late Thursday night after 10 days overseas and will undoubtedly be asked on Friday when he faces the media to defend the success of the trade mission, as well as explain why he thinks Fidelity has decided to close its Marlborough campus and move the bulk of those jobs to neighboring states.

The governor has said he is “frustrated” by Fidelity’s decision, and claims he was given little notice of the mutual fund company’s plans an “no opportunity to compete” for those jobs.

The state announced on Thursday that the economy had added 15,400 jobs in February, but the unemployment rate dropped only one tenth of point to 8.2 percent. January’s job gains were also revised downward by 4,000, to 1,600.

“I am extremely encouraged by today's announcement that we added 15,400 jobs in Massachusetts last month. These numbers are another positive sign that our strategy for growing jobs by investing in education and our innovation economy is working,” Patrick said in a statement.

In an interview with the News Service, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray also called the job gains “encouraging news.”

“There are still challenges. We’re clear-eyed about those challenges,” he said. “But we’re making progress, and every day we’re working at it.”

Murray pointed to companies he’s visited in Hopkinton, Winchendon and Avon that he said are adding jobs

Murray also noted federal data showing that new unemployment claims fell faster in Massachusetts last week than they did in any other state. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment claims dropped by 2,482 in the week that ended March 12. The next closest state was Oregon, with a drop of 1,680 claims.

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said the “problem” with the unemployment rate is that it measures the number of people actively seeking employment.

“I think it’s probably more important to look at the actual jobs that were added, so 15,000 additional jobs is a very positive sign and I’m encouraged by that. I think the rate will gradually come down if we keep adding jobs,” Widmer said.

He said Massachusetts should continue to rebound from the recession, but predicted the recovery will continue to be slow.

“We’re having a recovery in Massachusetts. It’s not a dramatic recovery yet. I’m not sure it will be anytime soon, and obviously what’s happening both in the Middle East and in Japan are clearly questioning whether we’re going to have the slow economic recovery we in the nation thought we would have,” Widmer said.

Cambridge Consultants, which creates and licenses intellectual property and provides business consultancy in technology, joined Patrick Thursday in announcing plans to double its Boston workforce over the next year.

“For several years, the United States has been the single most important market for our company, and the East Coast is a particularly active area for us with a concentration of innovative companies looking for technology to give them real market advantage," Cambridge Consultants CEO Brian Moon said. "It is therefore a strategic imperative that we significantly grow our office in Boston, MA, and we are looking to increase our head count in our US office by 50. We are a people-focused business and are excited about the prospect of growing our US team with even more forward thinking, highly-skilled and innovative individuals.”

The company currently employs about 300 engineers, designers, scientists and consultants at its Cambridge, England headquarters and Boston office.

House Minority Leader Brad Jones, who caucused with Republicans on Evacuation Day to hear presentations from the Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation on health care payment reform and municipal health bargaining reform, questioned whether Patrick’s travels were worth the cost.

Jones said he had been led to believe from the administration that there would be a series of positive economic announcements coming from the trip, not just the single corporate expansion and several partnership agreements.

“I think that’s far short of what all of us we’re led to believe and it really makes it look more like instead of being a mission of advocacy for the Commonwealth leading to jobs, it look more like a nice vacation for the governor,” Jones said.

Jones also questioned why Democratic leaders were planning an investigation by the Post Audit and Oversight Committee on Fidelity’s move, but did not do the same for Evergreen Solar who shifted jobs overseas after it received tax breaks. Jones said that unlike Evergreen, he felt Fidelity lived up to its agreement from 1996 that provide tax incentives to the mutual fund industry in exchange for five years of job growth.

“None of us are happy that those jobs are leaving but we should be having a discussion about why those jobs are leaving from a broader economic perspective in terms of regulatory and tax policy,” Jones said.

Widmer, a former Dukakis administration official, stopped short of criticizing Patrick for traveling overseas, but said he’s never been a strong believer in trade missions.

“I’ve thought trade missions have always had more theater and less reality. I don’t fault this governor for doing what every other governor has done. In fact, he’s done less than most, so perhaps there’s some benefits, but I think in the end job creation is at home building on the companies that are here rather than trying to attract companies from across the globe,” Widmer said.

Consultant: Reducing number of lanes on Northampton's King Street would improve traffic flow

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The consultant suggested reducing lanes from 4 to 3, and adding a center turning land and bicycle track.

IMG_3474.JPGJason Schreiber from Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates of Boston presented proposals to improve King and Main streets in Northampton to a crowd of more than four dozen Wednesday night.

NORTHAMPTON - One way to ease congestion on King Street and accommodate the more than 40,000 vehicles that use it each day would be to reduce the number of lanes from four to three, and add a center turning land and bicycle track.

That was one of the proposals Jason Schreiber from Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates of Boston presented to a crowd of more than four dozen people Wednesday evening. The company was in town for three days to meet with residents, city officials, business owners and to talk about ways to improve traffic on King and Main streets.

This was the first comprehensive look at traffic in decades. With limited funding, the city focused on these streets because what happens on them affects what happens throughout the city, Wayne M. Feiden, director of planning and development, said.

Other proposals include extending sidewalks along Main Street and the south end of King Street, shortening crosswalks to make crossing faster and reducing the timing of traffic signals to move traffic through more quickly.

Another recommendation is to employ reverse-angle parking, an experiment the city attempted several years ago but abandoned.

In 2007, the city tried reverse-angle parking on Main Street with spaces between Gothic and Center streets. Schrieber said the sample was much too small to see the effectiveness of it. He said more communities are adopting it across the country. Feiden said he was pleased with the recommendations that will be included in a report to the city. He said it helps city officials measure the changes in other parts of the city against them.

He said, though, the changes won’t come quickly. They city will need to build consensus and then look for money, which is not readily available. He said the city will likely work on one project at a time.

He said officials planned to go to the Community Preservation Act Committee on Wednesday night after the traffic meeting to seek $100,000 to create a park in front of City Hall. That, he said, fits right in with what consultants recommended in terms of shortening crosswalks. The park would shorten the crosswalk across from City Hall and reduce the curve of traffic from Main onto Crafts Avenue.

Resident David Ruderman said he liked all aspects of the proposals. “I’m a Northampton resident, I bike, I drive.” He said what was proposed on King Street made sense. “Nothing can solve everything,” he said.

“It’s all good ideas for us to think about,” said former public works committee member and former Ward 3 councilor Robert C. Reckman. He too liked everything about the proposal.

Jason Johnson of West Springfield killed as car crashes into cemetery gate

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Police said the vehicle was speeding just before the crash.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Jason Johnson, 22, of West Springfield was killed after his speeding vehicle crashed into a cemetery’s brick pillar and wrought iron gate on King's Highway.

Police Sgt. Daniel Spaulding told WWLP-TV, Channel 22, that Johnson was killed instantly when his car slammed into the gate at Temple Beth El Cemetery at 1:45 a.m. Thursday.

Police said the vehicle was speeding just before the crash. There was no evidence of alcohol at the scene.

Johnson was alone in the vehicle and was the only one involved in the crash.


Initial bombing of Libya called successful; endgame unclear

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The top U.S. military officer suggested that Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi might stay in power in spite of the military assault aimed at protecting civilians.

U.S., British forces launch attack on Libya air defensesThis Saturday, March 19, 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) as it launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn from the Mediterranean Sea . The U.S. fired more than 100 cruise missiles from the sea while French fighter jets targeted Moammar Gadhafi's forces from the air on Saturday, launching the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war in support of an uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Fireman Roderick Eubanks)

By ROBERT BURNS
AP National Security Writer

WASHINGTON — The U.S. claimed initial success two days into an assault on Libya that included some of the heaviest firepower in the American arsenal — long-range bombers designed for the Cold War — but American officials on Sunday said it was too early to define the international military campaign's end game.

The top U.S. military officer suggested that Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi might stay in power in spite of the military assault aimed at protecting civilians, calling into question the larger objective of an end to Gadhafi's erratic 42-year rule. Other top U.S. officials have suggested that a weakened and isolated Gadhafi could be ripe for a coup.

A second wave of attacks, mainly from American fighters and bombers, targeted Libyan ground forces and air defenses, following an opening barrage Saturday of sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. Pentagon officials said they were studying the extent of damage done and the need for further attacks.

One senior military official said the early judgment was that the attacks had been highly successful, while not fully eliminating the threat posed by Libyan air defenses. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence data.

The systems targeted most closely were Libya's SA-5 surface-to-air missiles, Russian-made weaponry that could pose a threat to allied aircraft many miles off the Libyan coastline. Libya has a range of other air defense weaponry, including portable surface-to-air missiles that are more difficult to eliminate by bombing.

Sunday's attacks, carried out by a range of U.S. aircraft — including Air Force B-2 stealth bombers as well as Marine Harrier jets flying from an amphibious assault ship in the Mediterranean — demonstrated the predominance of U.S. firepower in the international coalition. By striking Libyan ground forces, coalition forces also showed that they are going beyond the most frequently discussed goal of establishing a no-fly zone over the country.
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U.S. missiles and warplanes were clearly in the lead Saturday and Sunday, but U.S. officials say the plan remains for the U.S. to step back once the threat from the Libyan military is reduced.

Although the mission was predicated on Arab support, there was no reported Arab participation in the military strikes. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Qatar would be "in the fight" in the next day or two after moving unspecified military aircraft to within striking range. A call by the Arab League last week for a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing a no-fly zone was a major driver of U.S. support.

President Barack Obama, traveling in Brazil, held a conference call Sunday with top national security officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Army Gen. Carter Ham, the U.S. general running the air campaign on what U.S. officials have suggested is a temporary basis until an allied power can take over.

Gates had planned to fly to Russia on Saturday but delayed his departure for a day so that he could be in Washington to monitor the operation's launch.

Vice President Joe Biden discussed the military action by phone Sunday with the prime minister of Algeria and the emir of Kuwait, the White House said.

Pressed repeatedly to explain the mission's objectives, Mullen said in a series of interviews on the Sunday talk shows that the main goal is to protect civilians from further violence by pro-Gadhafi forces, while enabling the flow of humanitarian relief supplies. He said the first step — imposing a no-fly zone — had been achieved, with little worry of Gadhafi shooting down allied patrols. But it was unclear how long the military effort would go on, or on what scale.

"I think circumstances will drive where this goes in the future," the admiral said on ABC's "This Week." ''I wouldn't speculate in terms of length at this particular point in time." He said early results were highly encouraging, with no known U.S. or allied losses and no reported civilian casualties.

"We're very focused on the limited objectives that the president has given us and actually the international coalition has given us, in terms of providing the no-fly zone so that he cannot attack his own people, to avoid any kind of humanitarian massacre, if you will, and to provide for the humanitarian corridors, humanitarian support of the Libyan people," Mullen added.

Asked whether it was possible that the military goals might be met without Gadhafi being ousted, Mullen replied, "That's certainly potentially one outcome." He described the Libyan strongman as more isolated than ever, adding that Gadhafi is "going to have to make some choices about his own future" at some point.

The prospect of Gadhafi remaining in control of at least a portion of the country raises questions about how far the Obama administration and its European and other partners are willing to go with military force. Clinton said on Saturday that although ousting Gadhafi is not an explicit goal of the campaign, his departure might be hastened as the conflict continues. Gadhafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years.

Clinton said enforcement of the U.N. Security Council resolution that called on Gadhafi to cease firing on his own people will "make a new environment" in which people close to Gadhafi might turn against him.

"The opposition is largely led by those who defected from the Gadhafi regime or who formerly served it, and it is certainly to be wished for that there will be even more such defections, that people will put the future of Libya and the interests of the Libyan people above their service to Col. Gadhafi," she said.

If the ultimate outcome of the military campaign is cloudy, so is the command arrangement. The Pentagon said on Saturday that it is led by Ham, who as head of U.S. African Command is responsible for U.S. military operations in Libya and much of the rest of the continent. Officials have not said much about the plan to hand off responsibility for the military operation — dubbed Odyssey Dawn — to some other unspecified country or coalition.

Libya's claims of civilians among the dead from the strikes appeared to make Arab countries nervous, after the Arab League took the unprecedented step of calling for a no-fly zone. On Sunday, Arab League chief Amr Moussa criticized the missile strikes, saying they went beyond what the Arab body had supported.

"What happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives," Moussa told reporters in Cairo. "What we want is civilians' protection not shelling more civilians."

One of the more vocal skeptics in Congress, Sen. Richard Lugar, said he worries that the U.S. may have entered a conflict with unclear goals.

"We really have not discovered who it is in Libya that we are trying to support," the Indiana Republican said on CBS' "Face the Nation." ''Obviously the people that are against Gadhafi, but who? In eastern Libya, for example, a huge number of people went off to help the Iraqis against the United States in a war that still is winding down."

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sunday that the U.S. intends to take a back seat soon.

"After the air is cleared of any threat there is going to be a hand off to our allies and this mission will then be carried on by French, by British and by Arab countries, and that's very important," Levin said.

NATO is seen as possibly taking the command responsibility, but thus far it has not agreed.

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

Massachusetts politicians gather for annual Boston St. Patrick's Day roast

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Gov. Deval Patrick's recent travels and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's history as a fashion model added some of the fodder.

scott brown and deval patrick happy.jpgU.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, were among the subjects of the annual St. Patrick's Day roast in Boston on Sunday.

By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick's recent travels and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's history as a fashion model added some of the fodder to the annual St. Patrick's Day political roast Sunday, as Massachusetts' political heavyweights gathered to trade barbs and celebrate the state's Irish-American heritage.

The most popular butt of jokes was Patrick's recent trade mission to Israel and England.

Brown, the only Republican member of Congress from Massachusetts, handed Patrick a cell phone in which he said he'd preprogrammed with the phone number for Fidelity Investments, a reference to Patrick's complaint that the company failed to let his administration know in advance of their plans to move more than 1,000 jobs out of Massachusetts.

Brown said he programmed the country code into the phone number, just in case Patrick was overseas when the call came.

Brown, who left the event early, also quipped that in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo would be driving in a car "where the previous speaker made the license plates."

Three former Democratic Massachusetts House speakers have been convicted or indicted on criminal charges, including Thomas Finneran, convicted of obstruction of justice charges; Charles Flaherty, convicted of tax evasion; and Salvatore DiMasi, who has been indicted on corruption charges.

Patrick sang a version of the old standard "Danny Boy" with new lyrics that poked fun at DeLeo's push to license "racinos" — slot machines at local race tracks.

"Oh Bobby Boy, the slots, the slots are calling, from Wonderland to down by Raynham Way," Patrick sang. "Those racinos in love with which you're falling while I as gov won't see the light of day."

DeLeo responded by poking fun at Patrick's travels.

"Just to let you know, spring break is usually just one week, not two," DeLeo said.

He then handed Patrick an Evergreen Solar necktie, noting that it was "made in China," a reference to the solar power company's decision to export hundreds of jobs from Massachusetts to China after receiving tens of millions in tax and other benefits from the state.

Sen. President Therese Murray handed out gag Oscar awards including one to DeLeo and Patrick for "Next Stop Wonderland" and another to Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray for "Home Alone." When Patrick is out of town, Murray serves as acting governor.

Democratic state Sen. Jack Hart, who represents the city's South Boston neighborhood, hosted the event and offered one-liners targeting those in the room.

He noted how the breakfast helped mark the end of what was a particularly snowy and cold winter in Massachusetts.

"It was so cold that I saw a picture of Sen. Scott Brown in Cosmopolitan Magazine — with his clothes on," Hart said, referring to Brown's decision to pose nude in a photo in the magazine while in law school.

Brown took a jab at his colleague in the Senate, Democrat John Kerry, saying that "thanks to a tip from Sen. Kerry" he's decided to register his famed pickup truck in Rhode Island, a reference to Kerry's much maligned decision to dock his $7 million yacht in tax-free Rhode Island. Kerry later said he always intended to pay taxes on the boat in Massachusetts and would write the state a check for about $500,000, regardless of whether he owed the money.

The yearly event gives veteran lawmakers and political novices a chance to test their skills at delivering political jokes and belting out traditional Irish songs like "Wild Colonial Boy" and "The Wild Rover" in between chowing down on corned-beef hash and scrambled eggs.

Many of the jokes fell flat this year as politicians tried to steer clear of any long-term criticism for especially cringe-worthy quips.

Fitchburg police shoot 21-year-old man to death

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Fitchburg police say they were forced to fire on a machete-wielding Eric Stafford.

FITCHBURG — Massachusetts state police are investigating a fatal shooting by Fitchburg police officers, who say they were forced to fire on a machete-wielding man.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. says two Fitchburg officers shot 21-year-old Eric Stafford to death at his Belmont Street home late Saturday night as he came at them with the machete. Early says Stafford's girlfriend called police to report that he was acting strange and may be armed.

The police officers' names haven't been released. Early says they first tried to subdue Stafford with less-lethal pepperballs, but that didn't stop him and he continued toward the officers with the machete.

The two officers have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is normal procedure.

Western Massachusetts' winter took a toll on government, homes

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Springfield spent $4.3 million on snow-related costs, including $1.5 million to remove snow from school and municipal roofs.

02/09/11 Springfield- Republican Photo by Mark M.Murray- An army of workers attempt to remove the snow from the roof of the Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial Elementary School, on Surrey Road in Springfield Wednesday. The school was closed for the day so the workers could get to the snow.

While most of the snow is gone, the start of spring has not erased the memory and budget hardships left by a whale of a winter.

Millions of dollars were spent, and some of the bills for snow plowing, sanding and roof clearing are still coming in, according to local officials in the area.

The insurance industry is also reeling as automobile and property insurance claims for snowstorm-related damage soared in New England and around the nation, according to reports.

Estimates for the entire winter are still coming in. But just the snow-and-ice storm of Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 cost auto and property insurers $790 million to $1.4 billion nationwide, according to catastrophe modeling from AIR Worldwide in Boston.

That storm cut a swath from Texas to Canada and collapsed more than 70 roofs in Massachusetts alone.

In Springfield, the city has spent $4.3 million for snow-related expenses, believed to be a record amount, officials said The city began the winter with a $1.6 million snow budget.

“It was unprecedented,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said. “All of New England and the Northeast and much of the country was affected by it. We did what we had to do.”

The snowfall was heaviest in the early winter, and made worse by back-to-back storms and freezing temperatures.

The amount spent in Springfield includes $2.8 million for plowing, sanding and related costs and $1.5 million to clear snow from 25 school roofs and five city buildings, said LeeAnn Pasquini, the city’s budget director. The city chose to clear the roofs out of fears that deep, heavy snow might damage the roofs, costing many millions of dollars, and could pose a danger to the safety of students and staff, officials said.

“God forbid, someone got hurt or killed,” Sarno said.

The city will consider transferring funds from other budget accounts, where there are surpluses, and also will use reserve funds, if necessary, Pasquini said.

The National Weather Service reports a total snowfall accumulation of 84 inches this winter, recorded at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. It was double the average snowfall of 41.6 inches. Last year, snowfall was 30.6 inches.

Another reminder of the severe winter are a plethora of potholes around the region, officials said. Allen R. Chwalek, director of public works in Springfield, said his pothole crew is working six days a week.

Many communities around the region reported overspending their snow budgets by great sums. Under state law, communities are able to deficit-spend for snow removal.

The winter onslaught included a snowstorm on Jan. 11-12 that dropped as much as two feet of snow in the region. The state announced recently that federal disaster aid is available to many of the hardest-hit communities, but is limited to municipalities in Hampshire and Berkshire counties.

Sarno has appealed to state and federal officials to consider expanding eligibility to Springfield.

William O. Trudeau, chief operating officer of Insurance Center of New England in Agawam, said insurance companies have been working to expedite the claims process and, at times, have been more generous just to get the case settled so they can move on to the next job.

“There are people who are having trouble finding good contractors,” he said. “They can’t get the work done.”

Anecdotally, state Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy said he’s heard that one insurance carrier saw its auto claims spike 20 percent and its homeowners claims spike 80 percent in January. But hard numbers will not be available for months.

The Gaudreau Group Inc. insurance agency in Wilbraham loaned out roof rakes and small snowblowers light enough to go up on a flat-roofed commercial structure, said Jules O. Gaudreau Jr.

“We even brought OSHA to look at one company’s roof so we could make sure it was safe to put people up there,” Gaudreau said.

In Chicopee, Stanley W. Kulig, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, said the city spent 10 times its budget on snow removal. The budget was $100,000, but Kulig said costs rose to $1 million.

“We just budget the minimal amount each year,” Kulig said. “We’re allowed by state law to overspend that.”

Holyoke began the fiscal year July 1 with a snow removal budget of $160,000. That was gone after the post-Christmas snowstorm clean-up.

As of March 7, costs for snow removal, employee overtime, private plowers, road salt and sand were more than $900,000, with another $25,000 available to be spent, said William D. Fuqua, superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

The more than $900,000 consists of $218,800 for 3,980 tons of salt, $8,569 for 925 tons of sand, $130,000 for employee overtime related to storm cleanup and the rest for snow removal. No money has been devoted to snow removal from roofs, he said.

In Westfield, Department of Public Works superintendent James M. Mulvenna estimated the cost of snow and ice removal at $918,000 but some bills are still being received.

Westfield’s current budget has $360,000 for snow and ice removal. City officials historically use free cash to cover any deficit in that account.

The School Department spent about $10,000 to remove snow from the roofs at the 13 public schools, using custodial staff, officials said.

In West Springfield, the Department of Public Works has spent $682,049 to date for snow removal compared to the original budget of $390,120, according to director John L. Dowd.

In Agawam, Department of Public Works Superintendent Christopher J. Golba said the department budgeted $95,000 for overtime and spent $116,000; it earmarked $111,000 for private plowing and spent $194,270. Of the $250,000 set aside for salt, he said the department has spent $158,000 so far.

In addition, Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said the School Department spent a total of $9,000 to have snow cleared from parts of various school roofs.

Northampton has spent $691,800 to date in snow removal costs for this season, a figure that Finance Director Christopher B. Pile said is higher than average. Pile noted that the final bill has not yet been calculated because the Department of Public Works is still in the process of repairing the machinery used in the removal process.

That figure does not include $216,280 that the city spent hiring private contractors to remove snow from the roofs of schools and other municipal buildings. Despite that expense, Pile said the project probably saved the city money because it suffered no major roof damage from the heavy snow pack.

“If one of our roofs had failed, that’s incalculable,” Pile said.

Sandra Shields, director of public works in Greenfield, said that to plow 11 times and sand 20 times cost $252,150, but the budget was only for $200,000.

In Easthampton, the snow removal budget was about $116,000 and the total expense was about $455,000.

Ludlow Public Works Director Paul E. Dzubek said Ludlow spent $595,800 for snow plowing this past winter, adding that $165,000 is typical and was budgeted. The spending is done as emergency spending and must be balanced against next year’s free cash.

Ludlow School Superintendent Theresa M. Kane said it cost an estimated $210,000 to remove snow from school roofs. The town’s insurance on town buildings will pay for those costs, she said.

In Palmer, Town Accountant Valerie Bernier said $367,000 has been spent on snow removal so far.

The Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School District spent $70,000 to remove snow from the roof of the school on Sykes Street in Palmer, and the Mohawk Trail school spent about $60,000 to clear roofs.

In Monson, Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell said $349,800 has been spent on snow removal.

Staff writers Jim Kinney, Michael Plaisance, Ted LaBorde, Sandra Constantine, Brian Steele, Fred Contrada, and Suzanne McLaughlin contributed to this report. 

Springfield High School of Commerce principal Philip A. Sweeney dies at 93

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Philip A. Sweeney was the principal at the Springfield High School of Commerce for 21 years before retiring in 1979.

Philip Sweeney.jpg

SPRINGFIELD – Back in 1966, Philip A. Sweeney, who was principal at Springfield High School of Commerce for 21 years, was appointed acting assistant superintendent for all of Springfield’s public schools.

“I think he lasted about two months,” his daughter, Janet Sweeney, said Sunday. “He asked to go back to being a principal. He missed the kids and he missed Commerce too much.”

Sweeney died Saturday, one month shy of his 94th birthday. He retired in 1979 after spending 37 years in education, starting as an English teacher at Monson Academy, now Wilbraham and Monson Academy, then teaching English at Forest Park Junior High School in Springfield. He was also the vice principal at the former Classical High School and principal at Forest Park Junior High School before going to Commerce.

After retirement, he became a tennis coach and adjunct professor at Western New England College. “He may have had two daughters, my sister (Christine Benoit) and myself, but he had thousands of children,” Janet Sweeney said. “His students loved him, and he loved his students.”

Cheryl A. McCarthy, who now lives in Hampden, earned the affectionate nickname “Number Three,” as in daughter number three, around the Sweeney household. She cried Sunday telling how that came to pass.

McCarthy’s mother died in June of 1969, the summer before she entered Commerce as a freshman. She said her father had trouble dealing with her mother’s death. There was trouble at home.

Things came to a head in a particularly trying incident just a few weeks into the school year. McCarthy was already friends with Janet Sweeney. She called the Sweeney home not knowing where else to turn.

Philip Sweeney came right over.

“He basically saved my life,” McCarthy said. “They took me in. They became my family. I became the honorary daughter.”

She came to rely on Philip Sweeney’s counsel.

“He would make you make your decision,” she said. “He didn’t judge you. He spoke to you like you were an adult. He taught you how to live your life.”

Janet Sweeney said the unrest of 1969 hit other high schools in Springfield, but not Commerce while her father was in charge.

“He said if you treat people decently, they will return it in kind,” she said. “People respected him. He respected his students.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno was freshman class president at Commerce in 1979, Sweeney’s last year there as principal.

“He was a gentleman and a true educator,” Sarno said.

Philip Sweeney’s wife, the former Ruth E. Jefferson, died in 1997. They were married 53 years. Sons Stephen and James also predeceased Sweeney.

A complete obituary will appear in Tuesday’s editions of The Republican.


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