V-One Vodka, the brainchild of Hadley businessman Paul J. Kozub, was selected as not only the best vodka for overall quality, but the best vodka to use in a martini, according to Pikimal.com. The Pittsburgh-based Website also ranks hunting rifles from Westfield’s Savage Arms number one in some categories as well.

The Republican / Dave Roback03/29/10-Hadley-Paul J. Kozub and his award winning V One vodka.

HADLEY – Pikimal, an Internet startup that asks consumers to rank aspects of the product they buy that are the most important, has crunched the data according to its patented algorithm and has come up with an answer: V-One.

V-One Vodka, the brainchild of Hadley businessman Paul J. Kozub, was selected as not only the best vodka for overall quality, but the best vodka to use in a martini, according to Pikimal.com. The Pittsburgh-based website also ranks hunting rifles from Westfield’s Savage Arms number one in some categories as well.

Not that Pikimal founder Eric Silver has ever fired a Savage Arms rifle or enjoyed a V9 cocktail – that’s V-One Vodka with V-8 juice.

“It’s never meant to be my opinion.” Silver said this week. “It’s not our editorial purpose to drink 600 or 700 vodkas.”

What Pikimal, pronounced pick’em all, does is collect data on products: where they are made, what goes into them, how many awards they’ve won and crash-test and mileage data for automobiles. Products are in a wide variety of categories from the best flat iron for frizzy hair to the best set of golf clubs for the beginner. Visitors vote not on the products themselves, but on the aspects they think are the most important.

For instance, voters liked a vodka that is distilled in Poland, which Kozub does using some spelt wheat grown in the Pioneer Valley, Silver said. The site also took into account that V-One won the prestigious “Double Gold” medal at the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco in 2010, beating out some 256 other vodkas.

Silver throws in some categories just for fun. Penn State’s Joe Paterno is the number one college football coach. Comparing 2011 baseball teams: the St. Louis Cardinals are number one followed by Cleveland and Cincinnati. The Red Sox are fourth and the Yankees are fifth.

Silver said he raised $1.5 million for the site in October. It’s doubled its traffic every week since then and now gets 10,000 unique visitors as day. His plan is to make money by referring consumers to electronic retailers so people can buy the products they rank.

Kozub said awards like the Double Gold and mentions on Pikimal are critical for his business. He’s fighting against brands that spend more on advertising, or have celebrity spokesman like Sean “P-Diddy” Combs.

“We were voted number one in quality,” Kozub said. “That was my goal when I started V-One seven years ago. We need to continue doing well in tastings. That’s really important in big cities outside our area. Kozub said his company sold 3,000 cases last year and he hopes to grow that to 5,000 or 6,000 cases by the end of 2011. He’ll do it by getting his V-One into more high-traffic liquor stores, then promoting it once it's on the shelves.

He’s signed a deal with a distributor and sold some of his equity to local investors to raise cash. He’s also added sales staff.

Most of the administrative offices were moved out of Hillside School in September 2008 as a way to save money for the school district.

Patrice Dardenne

MONSON – The superintendent’s office will move from Granite Valley Middle School to Quarry Hill Community Elementary School in time for the start of the 2011-2012 school year.

The School Committee voted on Wednesday to put aside $10,000 for the move, which Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said is mostly for relocation expenses.

In September 2008, Hillside School on Thompson Street, which once housed all the administrative offices, was partially closed, as a way to save money. The superintendent, superintendent’s secretary and business manager were moved to Granite Valley Middle School, also on Thompson Street, into former guidance office space. The curriculum and special education directors relocated to Quarry Hill Community School on Margaret Street.

Still at Hillside are Business Manager Donald R. Smith’s staff and the transportation department.

Smith’s two-member business staff also will move to the middle school. Within the next 12 months, the transportation department will be moved out of Hillside, and into a former wood shop area now used for storage at the middle school, Dardenne said. Most of the buses are parked at the middle school now.

Granite Valley is the most crowded of the town’s three schools. Once the administrators leave, the space will revert to guidance offices, he said. The middle school’s guidance counselors now work in the former school store and in a small utility room.

Dardenne said the move will help consolidate the administrative offices, which will help both his staff and the public.

“The central office is in three different buildings now . . . (Quarry Hill) will be a place that the community will be able to go to and do whatever business they need to do with the schools,” Dardenne said.

The administrators will use vacant classroom space at Quarry Hill, he said. The school district, like others in the area, has experienced declining enrollment, a trend that’s particularly apparent at the elementary school, where the building has lost 200 students over the last four years, Dardenne said.

“Even with this move, there are still two or three open classrooms,” Dardenne said.

“This will help us with our efficiencies, our processes, and our procedures,” Dardenne added.

When the decision was made to partially close Hillside, Monson was in the midst of a severe budget crisis. School Committee members were told that the partial closing could net an energy savings of $20,000 the first year and $30,000 the next.

Now that Hillside has been partially unused, Dardenne estimates it would cost a “quarter to a half-million” dollars to renovate the space for reuse. Improvements needed include a new roof, he said.

The School Committee voted 3 to 2 to fund the $10,000 contingency fund, with Chairman Jeffrey D. Lord and members Holly Battige and Joshua Farber voting in support, and Joel Keller and Peter A. Sauriol voting against it.

Gas will run you a buck more per gallon than it did this time last year; Connecticut cops respond to a triple motorcycle crash in Meriden; and more of this morning's news.

AP Photo / The Paris News, Sam CraftArmy personnel carry the casket of Pfc. Floyd Thurman Coker to the gravesite Sunday, May 29, at the Knights of Honor Cemetery in Blossom, Texas. Coker died a prisoner of war in a North Korea war camp in 1951, but his remains were only recently identified and returned to the U.S.

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• Obama consoles tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri. [AP.org]


• Despite harder times, the U.S. is experiencing fewer crimes [WSJ.com]


• Memorial Day comes as troops fight in Afghanistan [AP.org]


• Meriden, Conn., police respond to triple motorcycle accident [Courant.com]


• Northampton residents concerned about bears hanging around apartment complex playground [Gazettenet.com]


• Cape Cod village comes back to life -- slowly [CapeCodOnline.com]




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Paquette, 55, Senior News Producer at WFCR, was an award-winning journalist and a respected member of the Western Mass. community.

Photo courtesy of WFCRBob Paquette, 55, Senior News Producer and host of Morning Edition at WFCR, died of an apparent heart attack in Bloomfield, Conn.

The Western Massachusetts news community, as well as the community at large, lost a major voice this weekend when Bob Paquette, Senior News Producer and host of Morning Edition at WFCR-FM, died of an apparent heart attack in Bloomfield, Conn.

Paquette, 55, began working in radio his freshman year of college in 1973 and joined the staff of WFCR in 1991. During his tenure at WFCR, Paquette received 10 awards for his reporting work from the Associated Press and four awards from the Public Radio News Directors Association.

Paquette was born on May 14, 1956 in Maysville, North Carolina, to Robert and Martha (Byrd) Paquette. Before WFCR, he worked as a morning news announcer at WRNX and WTTT, both in Amherst. Paquette was a 1973 graduate of Dracut (Mass.) High School and a 1977 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He and Michael Packard began a 25-year partnership on June 4, 1986, and would have celebrated their 25th anniversary on what is now the date of his memorial service. The couple had a commitment ceremony on July 11, 1992 and were wed on July 11, 2004.

"There are no words to express our shock and grief over the loss of our colleague and friend Bob Paquette," said Martin Miller, CEO and General Manager of WFCR and WNNZ. "Our heartfelt condolences and sympathies go out to Bob's husband Michael Packard, and to their families, friends and colleagues."

In addition to his radio work, he also worked part time as a bartender in several local restaurants and for the past few years served as a justice of the peace, officiating many local weddings. Paquette also enjoyed being a part of the graduation ceremonies at the University of Massachusetts for the past several years, announcing the undergraduate schools and introducing the graduate students. He also was frequently asked to serve as master of ceremonies for local charity events.

"Bob Paquette will be deeply missed at UMass Amherst. He is best known as an outstanding journalist who each day enlightened thousands of listeners in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, "said Robert C. Holub, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. "He was also a proud UMass graduate, and we will cherish the memory of his role at our commencement ceremonies, where his voice of authority and joy set the perfect tone for our most important community celebration. He shared his talents in many ways, and for that we will always be grateful."

Paquette was diagnosed with cancer in the early part of the last decade, but had been cancer-free for the past three years. He was frequently called upon to counsel newly diagnosed cancer patients, an activity that meant a great deal to him, according to Packard. He was also a volunteer at the PanMass Challenge each year.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. on June 4 at the First Church of Deerfield.

U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan paused Monday to remember the fallen in Memorial Day services, as a war nearly a decade old trudges on.

U.S. soldiers holds candles to mark the Memorial Day at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Some U.S. troops in Afghanistan have held a candlelit remembrance for those lost ahead of Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan paused Monday to remember the fallen in Memorial Day services, as a war nearly a decade old trudges on.

Some prayed and held flag-raising ceremonies at dawn to recognize the more than 1,400 killed in combat here since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that triggered the war.

"We reflect on those who have gone before us. We reflect on their service and their sacrifice on behalf of our great nation," said Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta, who commands a Marine division in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. "We should also remember those serving today who embody that same commitment of service and sacrifice. They are committed to something greater than themselves and they muster the physical and moral courage to accomplish extraordinary feats in battle."

In Iraq, an estimated 46,000 U.S. troops remain stationed there though officials say combat operations are over in a nation that saw more than 4,400 American troops die in combat. Under an agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the troops still in Iraq must leave by Dec. 31.

Black Hawk helicopters churned through the night sky Sunday as a strong wind coming over Kabul's surrounding mountains blew against the flickering candles that cast an orange glow on those gathered for a remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' headquarters.

A U.S. soldier writes his name on a board to mark the Memorial Day at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Some U.S. troops in Afghanistan have held a candlelit remembrance for those lost ahead of Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Earlier in the day, those working there enjoyed one of their five days off a year from building police stations, dams and other projects in a nation torn by decades of war. Col. Thomas Magness, 47, of Los Angeles, California urged the more than 100 corps employees and U.S. troops gathered there to remember the meaning of Memorial Day — advice that could carry home to America.

"While we were playing volleyball today, no doubt some soldier gave the ultimate sacrifice," the corps commander said.

Memorial Day, instituted to honor America's war dead, will be observed Monday with a public holiday. This Memorial Day comes before the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, which ultimately brought U.S. troops into Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban government and hunt terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

"Our country got attacked, and we're here to fight the war on it," said Roger Nowicki of the corps.

While Navy SEALs shot and killed bin Laden earlier this month in neighboring Pakistan, the U.S.-led war here continues. President Barack Obama plans to draw down U.S. troops beginning in July, while NATO has committed to handing over control of security in the country to Afghans by 2014.

In the meantime, the war grinds on toward its 10th year. The sharp pangs of loss are visible on some attending the event, like Maj. Erica Iverson, 33, of Vermillion, South Dakota. She spoke of serving as a casualty assistance officer after the 2010 death of Staff Sgt. Adam Dickmyer of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who once served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.

A U.S. soldier speaks during a ceremony to mark Memorial Day at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Some U.S. troops in Afghanistan have held a candlelit remembrance for those lost ahead of Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Iverson's voice choked as she recounted how Dickmyer's mother fell off her chair in grief when her son's body returned to the U.S. His widow chased after the casket, screaming: "Don't leave me!"

"His wife has an empty house," Iverson said. "His entire unit came home today, and he didn't come with them."

Iverson said speechwriters for Obama called her in recent days, saying the president may honor Dickmyer in remarks on Memorial Day.

Increasingly skeptical American and Afghan publics question why U.S. and NATO forces remain there. The Taliban recently begun its spring offensive, as suicide bombings, roadside explosions and attacks in remote posts have returned with a frightening regularity.

"You don't get used to it because you're in a war zone," said civilian corps worker George S. Triggs, 54, of Louisville, Kentucky. "You learn to tolerate it and do the best you can."

Yet the worst stress, some acknowledged, is that of family members waiting at home for their loved ones to return. Lt. Col. Jon Chytka, 44, of Tabor, South Dakota recounted having to explain to his 5-year-old daughter why he had to leave.

He gave this answer: "I told her that before she was born, there were 19 people who killed 3,000."

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

A plaque paying tribute to Army Capt. Anthony Palermo Jr. is scheduled to be unveiled at City Hall Plaza on Monday after the city's annual Memorial Day Parade.

Captain Anthony Palermo's Memorial plaque was mounted and dedicated today in conjunction with the Memorial Day observance in Brockton, Massachusetts.

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — The city of Brockton is honoring a local soldier killed in Iraq.

A plaque paying tribute to Army Capt. Anthony Palermo Jr. is scheduled to be unveiled at City Hall Plaza on Monday after the city's annual Memorial Day Parade.

Veterans services agent David Farrell tells The Enterprise of Brockton the plaque was designed by the family with the costs divided between the city and Palermo's family and friends.

The plaque will be displayed in City Hall next to the names of other Brockton residents killed in the nation's service.

Palermo and two other soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad in April 2006. He was 26.

The 1998 Brockton High graduate died just weeks before his wife gave birth to a son.

While America's last 10 years of war have propelled women into new and far more risky roles across the military, there are still some doors that are closed. Chief among those are the special operations forces.

(Jacquelyn Martin, AP)While women have broke down barriers in the military over the past decade, there are still some closed doors, such as the special operations forces.

By LOLITA BALDOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a dramatic tale.

Elite Navy SEALs storm a walled compound in Pakistan and take out the world's most wanted terrorist.

Footnote: They were all men.

While America's last 10 years of war have propelled women into new and far more risky roles across the military, there are still some doors that are closed. Chief among those are the special operations forces.

But perhaps that door is inching open.

"As a philosophical thing, there shouldn't be anything that's closed off as a career," said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. And while he is quick to note there is a ban on moving women into combat and infantry jobs, Mabus said more and more women are working with special operations forces in support roles. And he did not rule out the idea that a qualified woman could eventually become an elite commando.

Still, Mabus cautioned that it would take time. "We're going to have to take some careful, well-thought-out steps in that direction," he said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed a similar view late last year, telling North Carolina ROTC students that he believes women will eventually be allowed to serve in special operations jobs. At some point, he said, "there will be a careful step in that direction."

One of those steps is the Navy's recent decision to allow women to serve on submarines. Of the 18 women selected for the program, eight will report to their submarines in November to serve as supply corps officers. Others will report to subs next summer.

In this Aug. 26, 2011, file photo Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is interviewed by the Associated Press at the Pentagon. While America's military women have been propelled into new and riskier roles over the last ten years of war, some doors remain closed, chief among them special operations forces. Mabus noted that there's a ban on moving women into combat and infantry jobs, but said more women are working in support roles with special operations forces. He did not rule out that a qualified woman could eventually become an elite commando, but cautioned "We're going to have to take some careful, well-thought-out steps in that direction." (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The first eight — all are newly commissioned ensigns — will be divided among four ballistic missile submarines, the USS Wyoming, USS Georgia, USS Maine and the USS Ohio. And there will be a senior female officer — likely a lieutenant — on each of the subs to serve as a mentor and work with the ensigns to help with the transition.

"We are making a concerted effort to not only look at retaining women, but at bringing more women into the Navy," said Lt. Cmdr. Jean Marie Sullivan, chief of the naval personnel's office of women's policy.

With the addition of those women to the subs, the only Navy jobs still closed to female officers are with the SEALs.

By announcing the subs and putting a senior female officer on board with the two ensigns, the Navy says it is working to ensure a smooth transition that will gradually put women on attack subs, and eventually on nuclear submarines. And, as more female officers merge into the ranks, they will pave the way for the eventual inclusion of enlisted women.

Currently, however, the cramped quarters on subs don't provide adequate berthing for enlisted women, and it would be costly to make the necessary modifications.

Overall, the Air Force has the highest percentage of women in its ranks, with a bit more than 19 percent. The Navy is close behind, with nearly 17 percent women, followed by the Army with 13 percent and the Marines with less than 7 percent.

On Friday, women made up almost 21 percent of the 2011 graduation class of sailors at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., and more than 17 percent of the Marines.

Across the services, just a handful of jobs are closed to women, and those are mainly combat, infantry, artillery, pararescue, tank and special operations forces.

The growth in the number of women in the military, and their increasing roles in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, may be tearing down slowly the remaining walls that bar them from serving in front line combat.

Already more than 255,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and nearly 150 have been killed in those wars.

And while women may not be SEALs, or members of the Army's prestigious Delta Force, they are increasingly serving with special operations teams in supporting jobs such as intelligence analysts, legal specialists, builders and administrative assistants.

So, while the SEALs who stormed Osama bin Laden's compound early this month were all men, women have been deploying to the warfront with Naval Special Warfare Command squadrons for several years. Since 2007, 10 to 15 women have deployed with each NSW squadron, and more than 400 female sailors serve with the Navy's special operations forces in supporting jobs.

That program temporarily assigns women to units that are close to the warfront, but it precludes them from doing combat missions. So far, said Sullivan, it has been very successful.

"One of the things we are seeing is that as women move up and get more and more responsibilities, our retention rates for junior officers and junior enlisted are going up as well," Mabus said.

.

An estimated 250 residents and veterans gathered in the rain Monday at St. Michael's Cemetery, paying a Memorial Day tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in war.

05/26/11 -Springfield- Chicopee resident Jerry Rodgers, a member of the Civil Air Patrol Unit at Westover Air Reserve Base, clears a grave in St. Michael's Cemetery as he places a flag on it. Republican Photo by Mark M.Murray

SPRINGFIELD – Residents and veterans gathered in the rain Monday at St. Michael's Cemetery, paying a Memorial Day tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in war.

The morning ceremony began with a Mass officiated by the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, conducted inside the mausoleum because of the rain. McDonnell then joined veterans in laying a wreath at the Veterans Monument.

Richard J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee which annually organizes the ceremony, said he was “very pleased and surprised” that an estimated 250 people attended.

“It shows their faith and their respect for the men and women who sacrificed so much for our country brought them out enthusiastically in this terrible weather,” Tyrell said.

The ceremony included a rifle salute by American Legion Post 420, and the playing of taps by bugler Robert Parsons.

“The rain reminds us of the battles fought in all weather in all seasons,” said Bernard McClusky, who was named “Veteran of the Year” in November by the Veterans Activities Committee.

Nelson Letendre of Springfield, a Vietnam Era veteran, said he attends the ceremony every year “to remember my fellow veterans who died for the cause of peace.”

“You can’t let the rain stop us from remembering our veterans who died for our country,” he said.

For Florence veteran Thomas J. Coogan Memorial Day brings back bad memories of combat in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Photo by Diane Lederman/RepublicanThomas J. Coogan, left, of Florence and Terry M. Fenstad of Amherst salute during Memorial Day ceremonies in Amherst Monday morning.

AMHERST - State Rep. Ellen Story said she has spoken at Memorial Day ceremonies on sunny and on gray dreary ones but believes “having it be raining and gray is more appropriate.”

The Amherst democrat had a little of both Monday, the early morning showers cleared in time for the annual Memorial Day Parade to leave the Town Common and the skies were giving way to sun as the ceremonies ended about an hour later at the War Memorial Pool.

Clusters of parade watchers dotted South and North Pleasant streets for the parade with several hundred gathering for the playing of taps, the calling of the departed at ceremonies at the pool. Fire and police, boy and girl scout troops were among the marchers with the Hopkins Academy Marching Band performing. Town Manager John P. Musante was the emcee.

Photo by Diane Lederman/RepublicanFire Capt. Brian Sterling plays the bagpipes in the Amherst Memorial Day parade while Fire Chief Tim Nelson walks behind. Sterling has been playing the pipes for about 15 years and has been on the Amherst force for 22.

Steven J. Connor, director of veterans services for central Hampshire County, said there are many stories being told about veterans who have killed themselves on the return to civilian life. He told a man of man in New Mexico who was killed earlier this month by A SWAT team. The man’s wife said there was a man outside their house with a gun.

“If you know someone... a neighbor or a friend (who’s in trouble) you should contact my office or the VA for assistance...We have to help the veterans coming home.”

Thomas J. Coogan who lives in Florence but is a member of the American Legion Post 148 helped raise the flag during the ceremonies.

Photo by Diane Lederman/RepublicanBenjamin Remensnyder, 3 1/2, gets a shoulder eye view of the Amherst Memorial Day parade on the shoulders of his father Stuart Remensnyder.

Coogan saw combat in the Pacific Theater during World War II, including Iwo Jima, a battle waged from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, in which nearly 7,000 Marines were killed and another 25,000 wounded. For Coogan, who was a staff sergeant with the Fourth marine division, Memorial Day evokes “a lot of bad memories.” He said he’d rather not speak about them.

He was in the Marines for four years during the war and recalled for a year during the Korean conflict. He lost many friends in the battle and many more have passed since then, he said.

But he said he was glad to see so many remembering.

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Terry M. Fenstad and American Legion Post 148 commander said Memorial Days is a day “when all Americans should (take) a moment in whatever they’re doing” to remember the veterans. No matter what their stand is on the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, people should “at least support the troops.” He said post traumatic stress disorder “affects everyone who’s ever been at war.”

The morning rain cancelled the Memorial Day parade in Holyoke, but the ceremony to honor the nation's fallen proceeded in the War Memorial building.

Staff photo by Mark M. MurrayGeorge E. Hogan, a World War II veteran, sits with a group from the Holyoke Soldiers' Home during the city's Memorial Day ceremony at the War Memorial building on Monday. Hogan was recognized for his service during the event.

HOLYOKE – In a Memorial Day ceremony Monday, Holyoke honored a native son Marine whose name was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. last year and rededicated its restored Civil War monument.

Outdoor parts of the ceremony like the scheduled parade downtown and placing of wreaths at monuments were cancelled because of the morning rain.

The event with honor guard, the Holyoke Caledonian Bagpipe Band and officials’ remarks was held in the War Memorial building at Appleton and Maple streets.

The main speaker was Paul Barabani, of Chicopee, who began as superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home March 7. He is a retired Army National Guard colonel.

Barabani said he was humbled to stand before the war veterans, which included Soldiers’ Home residents.

“Thank you for your service,” Barabani said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Clayton K. Hough Jr. died in 2004 at 55, having returned from the Vietnam War in 1969 without his legs after a landmine exploded.

“To his country, he was a hero. To all, he was an inspiration,” said Deborah A. Malek, city veterans services director.

Hough lived five years longer than doctors predicted. His name was chiseled into the black granite stone in Washington after suffering a fatal heart attack. The Department of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery determined the heart attack was the result of wounds sustained in combat during the Vietnam War.

Eileen (Hough) Boudreau, 55, of Holyoke, carried a wreath to the floor in front of the podium in honor of her brother. She said later the city’s commemoration left her speechless.

“I don’t know, I am so honored,” Boudreau said.

It might be hard for many people to grasp, but she said losing his legs failed to kill her brother’s spirit.

“My brother was great. He’d give you the shirt of his back. There wasn’t too much that kept him down. Just because he lost his legs didn’t keep him down. He owned his own house, he drove,” she said.

Clayton Hough’s name will be added to the state Vietnam Veterans Memorial, at Green Hill Park in Worcester, at 1 p.m. June 19, said Michael Franco, city veterans services officer.

The cleaning and repair of the Civil War monument and statue of Miss Liberty at Veterans Park at Maple and Dwight streets took four years and $11,000 in donations.

The rededication consisted of remarks by Jacqueline M. Sears, a historian, preservationist and city native; Cesar A. Lopez, a retired Marine and member of the School Committee who is the War Memorial’s sergeant-at-arms (official maintainer of the building’s internal order); and local students.

The memorial is 135 years old. Its patina needed to be scrubbed after which Lopez and others applied a layer of protective wax. The memorial’s four bas-relief panels also were coming unattached, Sears said.

The monument lists the names of 55 Holyokers who died in the war between the states, which ended in 1865. Sculptor Henry Jackson Ellicott created the monument dedicated on July 4, 1876.

Lopez said the work took time and effort, and in remarks from the podium, he thanked Manuel Colon for helping him.

Colon, 44, of Holyoke, an auto mechanic, isn’t a veteran and said he had a simple reason for climbing the memorial to clean it with Lopez.

“He’s my friend,” Colon said.

Closing his remarks, Lopez said to the filled the auditorium, “Just remember what Memorial Day is all about.”

Contrary to some criticism, Korean War veteran Kieth Dallmann, 79, said he believes people do remember veterans on days other than just Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Dallmann, a Navy veteran, was among those at the War Memorial ceremony.

“They give recognition a lot of times. I have a baseball cap and I’ve got ‘Korea Forgotten War’ on it and a lot of times people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you,’ so they understand,” Dallmann said.

Dallmann also is a veteran of six hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific Ocean. The experience has never left him, he said.

“It scares the bejesus out of you,” Dallmann said.

Dallmann, who was city Veteran of the Year last year, said “Kieth” is the way he prefers to spell his name.

Barabani asked the audience to remember the men and women “standing lonely watches in distant lands.”

Among those Barabani identified in the audience were George E. Hogan, a Soldiers’ Home resident. Hogan landed on Guadalcanal on Aug. 7, 1942, a 17-year-old Marine who joined up on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Hogan, wearing a red jacket, received a standing ovation.

James B.J. Hoar was the event’s master of ceremonies.

Easthampton honored the nation's veterans, including its 100 residents who have been killed in action since the Civil War, with a parade Monday followed by a solemn ceremony on the lawn of the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

View full sizeBrian Steele / The RepublicanRobert W. Hill III, center, head of Williston Northampton School, delivers an address to the assembled residents, veterans and active service personnel at a ceremony following Monday's Memorial Day parade in Easthampton. Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan is at left and Mayor Michael A. Tautznik is at right.

EASTHAMPTON – The city honored the nation’s veterans, including its 100 residents who have been killed in action since the Civil War, with a parade Monday followed by a solemn ceremony on the lawn of the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

The parade stepped off at 10:30 a.m. from the parking lot of Maple Street School. Contingents from local schools, Cub Scout troops, veterans groups and other community organizations marched through the streets, some playing patriotic music or displaying memorials to fallen soldiers.

Robert W. Hill III, head of Williston Northampton School, delivered an address to the assembled residents, veterans and active service personnel at the parade’s terminus.

“Both towns and schools tend not to forget the sacrifices of those who have made our lives today possible,” said Hill. “We think of those in our presence whose loved ones are in harm’s way.”

Hill said the school last summer awarded a diploma in memoriam to a South Hadley man whose education was interrupted when he joined the Air Force in 1956. He was killed flying a supply mission to American troops during the Vietnam War.

“I’ve read, recently, a lament that some areas of the country lose sight of the purpose of Memorial Day, where commercials for holiday sales seem to trump the essence of the holiday itself,” he said. “But the parade today, the dedication of the participants and the appreciation of the spectators tells me that Easthampton knows how to throw a Memorial Day parade.”

View full sizeBrian Steele / The RepublicanTwo men serving in the Army stand to receive an ovation from the crowd at the ceremony following Monday's Memorial Day parade in Easthampton.

Walter Sliz, chaplain of the American Legion Post #224, read a tribute to “our heroic dead.”

“They fought a thousand battles on land, sea and air,” said Sliz. “Under the quiet sod and beneath the murmuring waves, their bodies sleep in peace, but in the destinies of veterans, their souls go marching on.”

The Easthampton High School band played the fight songs of all five military branches. Veterans and active service personnel stood when their branches’ songs were played.

The crowd was also invited to call out the names of any loved ones in the military, past or present.

“Let us pledge ... an oath of patriotic service,” said Sliz. “Let us make ourselves the friends, the brother, son and father of those who will not see their own in mortal flesh.”

The war memorials on the library lawn are surrounded by 100 American flags acquired over the years, representing each Easthampton resident killed in the service. Last year, the American Legion took flags from the city’s cemeteries, but they found one they couldn’t match with a grave.

It will be brought to the memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field on September 11, 2001.

Obituaries from The Republican.

David A. Cambo

David A. "Tex" Cambo, 74, of Ludlow, died on Friday. Born in Palmer, he grew up in Three Rivers and was a graduate of Palmer High School. He lived in Ludlow since 1981. Cambo worked in the maintenance department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for 26 years prior to his retirement. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a member of the AMVETS Post in Three Rivers. He was also a member of the John Boyle O'Reilly Club.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Boyer, Henry H.




• 
  Cambo, David A. "Tex"
  



• 
  Carney, Shirley A. (Jerold)
  




• D'Arcy, Patrick J.
  




• 
  Gaul, Marguerite M. "Peggy"
  



• 
  Gove, Harry L.




• 
  Matthews, Doris J. (Howell)
  



• 
  Miller, Dorothy K. "Dottie" (Olejarz)
  




• O'Donnell lll, Terence
  




• 
  Opalinski, Henry S.
  



• 
  Rosario, Manuel DeJesus




• 
  Santiago, Jonathan
  



• 
  Savage, Elizabeth G. "Betty"
  




• Schulz, Gloria M.
  




• 
  Smith, Alice
  



• 
  Sulda Sr., Paul




• 
  Thomas, James F.
  



• 
  Whitney, June Marie
  




• Witkop, Eileen L.
  

Tony Maroulis, the executive director of the Amherst area Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter in support of Holub to UMass president Jack Wilson.

Republican file photoUMass chancellor Robert C. Holub

AMHERST - While the future of University of Massachusetts Chancellor Robert C. Holub is still being discussed, Amherst officials and business owners are hoping that the chancellor will be able to stay.

Holub met with top university officials last week to discuss his three-year performance evaluation, but nothing has been resolved.

According to reports, the committee evaluating Holub has recommended that he not be reappointed.

While some have been critical of Holub’s leadership style as well as his ability to communicate, those in town whom Holub has worked with praised him.

In a letter to UMass President Jack M. Wilson, Amherst Area Chamber Executive Director Tony Maroulis wrote: “On behalf of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors representing the Chamber’s 600 businesses in Amherst, Hadley, and 8 surrounding towns, I am writing to urge you to retain Dr. Robert Holub as Chancellor.

He wrote that Holub “has been a great friend to the town and the business community,” noting that Holub received the chamber’s “2011 A+ Award, recognizing exceptional community achievements.

“More than any other Chancellor in recent memory he has tried to develop win-win partnerships with adjacent towns and the University,” Maroulis wrote.

“Over the past three years, considerable work has been done under the Chancellor’s direction to repair and revitalize Town/Gown relations,” according to the letter. “From economic development projects like the UMass-Gateway project and support for the downtown Business Improvement District to social efforts like making strides toward correcting off-campus student rowdiness, the Chancellor’s work has been an incredible step toward making the town and the area whole.”

“Continuity is important,” said Town Manager John P. Musante, who also would like Holub to stay. “We have a certain sense of momentum. We think our town-gown relationship is getting stronger.”

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno earlier this month reported that he was asked to participate in Holub’s evaluation.

In a letter dated April 21, the mayor wrote “it is indeed a pleasure to provide an exceedingly favorable response and evaluation.” He wrote that he has appreciated “a great working relationship” with Holub.

Some have been critical that Holub wanted to investigate the possibility of establishing a medical school with Baystate Health in Springfield without talking to trustees and othe officials at the UMass campus.

The evaluation committee held forums and took comments from students, faculty, staff, community and political officials among others. The committee is slated to be present at the June 8 Board of Trustees meeting unless something is resolved in the meantime, officials have said.

As of Friday there had been no resolution.

Wilson is leaving the post at the end of June and will be replaced by President Robert L. Caret who has also been involved with meetings with the chancellor.

Holub, one of four finalists for the position just three years ago, replaced John V. Lombardi who left amid controversy Sept. 1, 2007 to become the Louisiana State University System. Thomas W. Cole Jr. served as interim for one year.

The victim told police Hurley lifted her car with a forklift and then dropped it to the ground - with her inside it.

The Republican file photo

Springfield Police photoBrian Hurley

SPRINGFIELD - A 41-year-old city man who got into an argument with his girlfriend at his job on Saturday was charged with lifting her car up with a forklift and then dropping it to the ground with her in it, police said.

Brian Hurley of 188 Dayton St., was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a forklift, assault and battery, and malicious damage to a motor vehicle, police said.

The incident took place at New England Warehousing Inc., 125 Paridon St., in East Forest Park. Police were called to the scene at 9:40 a.m.

The victim, whose name was not released, told police she was dropping Hurley off at work when the two got into an argument over money. She told police Hurley slapped her, got out of the car and started kicking the sides of the vehicle, causing several dents.

She said he then got into a forklift and then drove it into her car while she was still in it. He then hoisted the car up, carried it several feet and then dropped it to the ground, police said.

Hurley ran off before police arrived. He was later located sitting on the back steps of his residence on Dayton Street.

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

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Rain canceled the parade but some programs were held indoors.

Republican file photoThe World War One monument at the Veteran's Memorial Plaza next to the former Chicopee High School.

Find more Memorial Day stories and photos.

CHICOPEE – City residents recognized veterans who were killed as early as in the Civil War, but were also reminded to thank those who are serving in the military today.

Thunderstorms canceled parades planned in Chicopee’s downtown and Fairview sections, but city residents still honored fallen soldiers during indoor ceremonies Monday. Veterans groups also placed wreaths on monuments in the Willimansett and Aldenville sections of the city.

At the former Chicopee High School, the combined Chicopee Comprehensive High School and Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School bands performed patriotic songs and Chicopee High School Junior ROTC members served as escorts and carried the American flag for the event.

A variety of different veterans organizations including several American Legion posts also participated and Gold Star parents and spouses, who have lost a family member in war, were recognized.

Col. Samuel C. Mahaney, the operations squadron commander for the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base, talked about the sacrifices Western Massachusetts residents are making now, as well as those who were killed in past wars.

Since 2001, more than 1,500 troops from Westover have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Just last week a crew of reservists flew a C5 Galaxy jet into Afghanistan, he said.

“There is never a day when the men and women are not in harm’s way,” Mahaney said. “As we pause to reflect, let us not forget the families who live right in our midst.”

He also told the crowd that members of the 439th Airlift Wing have been involved in war for 20 years. Ever since the first Persian Gulf War in 1991, the United States Air Force has stayed behind to enforce the no fly zone over Iraq.

During the ceremony, Joseph O. Roberts, of Chicopee, was honored. Days earlier he was awarded with the Charles H. Tracy Award given to a city resident who has committed himself to helping veterans.

Roberts said he served in the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1984. Although he was serving during peace time, he developed breathing and hearing problems because of the work he was doing.

He registered with the Disabled American Veterans and has been assisting veterans to get military benefits they are entitled to receive ever since.

“I like what they did at the DAV,” Roberts said.

Recently Roberts said he has been very busy, working with 135 people just in Chicopee who needed to file for benefits over the past three months. While there have been a few veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan the majority are Vietnam War veterans who are applying.

During the ceremony, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette warned veterans that federal lawmakers are considering cutting funding to help homeless veterans and for other veterans programs.

After years of plummeting revenues and soaring jobless numbers, the fiscal dark clouds appear to be lifting in Massachusetts.

File photo / Associated PressAlthough the economic outlook across the state is getting better each day, the state government is still wrestling with what is being called the toughest budget year of the entire recession cycle.

By STEVE LEBLANC, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — After years of plummeting revenues and soaring jobless numbers, the fiscal dark clouds appear to be lifting in Massachusetts. The state's unemployment rate it at its lowest mark in two years, tax revenues are pouring in faster than anticipated and business confidence is up.

Just don't go listening for the sound of champagne corks popping on Beacon Hill.

Despite the encouraging signs, gloom persists over the Statehouse, where lawmakers say they're grappling with the toughest budget year of the entire recession cycle — forcing them to make deep spending cuts on top of existing cuts.

Lawmakers and experts cite various factors for the persistent glumness, including the end of federal stimulus dollars, the draining of the state's rainy day fund and a reluctance to hike taxes after raising the state sales tax in 2009.

Michael Widmer, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said the downturn began in Massachusetts in the 2009 fiscal year and is continuing through the 2012 fiscal year that starts July 1. It's an unprecedented four-year cycle of fiscal hits, Widmer said.

"I don't ever recall four years of budget cuts for most state programs," he said.

Tough as things were for Beacon Hill budget cutters, Widmer said it could have been much worse if not for two factors — the federal stimulus program pumped about $6 billion in one-time funds into Massachusetts, and the state's own rainy day fund provided another $2 billion in one-time funds during the recession years.

"Without that money, it would have been an utter catastrophe," Widmer said.

The state's economic tough times can be traced back to the so-called dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, and the subsequent lowering of the state's income tax rate from 5.95 to 5.3 percent, according to Noah Berger, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a Boston-based research group.

"We've had an ongoing fiscal crisis for more than a decade," he said. "The state cut taxes ... with no plan to pay for them."

Even though Massachusetts is showing signs of a recovery, it's unlikely the economy will grow fast enough to fully restore all the cuts of the past four years, he added.

The loss of federal stimulus dollars has been central to much of the angst in the current budget debate.

During last week's Massachusetts Senate budget debate, Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, likened the lure of federal stimulus dollars to a roller coaster ride — a steady, reassuring climb followed by a stomach-churning plunge.

"The federal stimulus money pulled that car up on the roller coaster and we got near the top, but we knew that at some point we'd be facing a downturn as that money was removed and we'd be accelerating at a very rapid level to a new valley," Tarr said.

Not everyone on Beacon Hill is feeling blue about the state's economy.

Gov. Deval Patrick won his re-election campaign last year in part by arguing that his leadership was helping the state pull out of the recession, and he's seized on any bit of good news to bolster his case.

The day they were released, Patrick highlighted numbers showing that Massachusetts' unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent in April, down from a high of 8.8 percent in October 2009.

The numbers "serve as hopeful news once again that the Commonwealth is continuing its robust recovery," Patrick said in a statement. "We have added jobs across nearly all sectors, and our unemployment rate has fallen more than a full point below the national average."

There are other signs of an improving economy.

Massachusetts revenue officials reported that a surprisingly large increase in tax collections from investment income helped fuel a 43 percent increase in April tax collections compared to a year ago.

The Department of Revenue said the state collected $2.5 billion in taxes last month, $758 million more than in April 2010. Last month's total was also nearly $600 million above revised monthly benchmarks.

Massachusetts employers also appear to be gaining confidence in the economic recovery, and more than half say they're ready to start hiring, even though a surprising number are also reporting trouble finding qualified candidates.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts reported earlier this month that its Business Confidence Index rose 2.8 points in March to stand at 54.0. The index works on a 100-point scale with any reading above 50 indicating more optimism than pessimism about business conditions.

The economic news hasn't been all good. The Massachusetts housing market continued to struggle in April with sales and median prices both down from the same month last year. The Warren Group, a Boston-based publisher of real estate data, reported a 28 percent drop in sales of single family homes compared to April 2010, with a 4 percent drop in median sales price.

Toress’ name has also long been inscribed on one of ten Courts of the Missing at the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Mary A. Melloni remembers trying to talk her nephew, Robert J. Toress, into staying in high school

Don’t join the Army, the Agawam resident recalls telling him. Everyone tried to stop Robert, she said. But it was 1950, young men were being drafted for Korea and Toress wanted to serve his country.

“You know teenagers,” Melloni recalled Monday following a ceremony honoring Toress on the Town Green. “They want adventure.”

Pvt. Robert J. Toress was killed in action on July 31, 1950 in Ko Chang, South Korea. He was 18 and had been in the country a month. He’d grown up on Elm Street in West Springfield, part of a large Italian family that originally spelled the surname Torressi. Family members said Robert Toress loved radio and electronics.

But in those chaotic early months of the Korean Conflict Toress’ was initially listed only as missing in action. That’s what his family was told -- and as near as anyone can tell, that’s all they were ever told, said James G. Berrelli Jr., West Springfield’s veterans services officer.

The Toress family didn’t learn more even after the Korean War ended in 1953 with an uneasy truce that is still in place today.

“His mother never stopped looking for answers,” Melloni said. “She never gave up.”

Berrelli said Toress’ family came to him some months ago looking to have a marker installed in his honor at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. But they didn’t have any paperwork.

Berrelli did some checking and learned that the Army declared Toress killed in action back in the early 1950s. The family had just never been notified.

So he made Toress and his story part of the town’s annual Memorial Day observance. Veterans decided Monday morning to cancel the parade due to rain.

The Korean War is often called the “Forgotten War” because it occurred just after World War II and was later overshadowed in the public mind by Vietnam.

“Robert Toress was a forgotten soldier in a forgotten war,” Berrelli said. “But West Springfield never forgets its veterans.”

Toress’ name is now inscribed on West Springfield’s war memorial, one of 126 veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country: 6 from the Revolution, 21 from the Civil War, 3 from World War I, 86 from World War II, three from Korea, six from Vietnam and one from Iraq.

Toress’ name has also long been inscribed on one of ten Courts of the Missing at the National Military Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, Berrelli said. Toress’ remains were never found.

PBS was hacked over a Wikileaks report, Lockheed Martin reported an unrelated cyber attack and more headlines.

John Garfield visits the grave of his mother, U.S. Air Force Sgt. Nancy Garfield, a Vietnam War veteran, on Memorial Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Monday, May 30, 2011, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, David Kadlubowski)

• A look at the Memorial Day ceremony in Washington DC through pictures [WashingtonPost.com]


• 14 dead in Germany killer cucumber crisis [SydneyMorningHerald.com]


• Fukushima workers may have passed radiation limit while working to contain nuclear disaster in Japan [Reuters.com]


• Tupca lives? Not quite; hackers claim credit for posting fake story on PBS website [PBS.org]


• Lockheed Martin hit by online security breach [WallStreetJournal.com]


• Sony's PSP replacement revealed, called 'Vita' [CVG.com]


• Central Massachusetts braces for heavy Memorial Day weekend travel[WorcesterTelegram.com]


• Google pulls old video game console emulators from Android marketplace [PCMag.com]



The trailer for the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was "leaked" online this week.


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Some parades were canceled because of the rain, but remarks honoring veterans and ceremonies such as wreath placements and taps were held.

Republican Photo by Mark M. Murray Kenneth Tenney, left and Nello Rota both of Holyoke, and members of the Holyoke VFW Post 801, carry the World War II wreath during the annual Memorial Day ceremony which was held inside the Holyoke War Memorial.

See more Memorial Day stories and photos on MassLive.com.

Cities and towns in Western Massachusetts honored veterans with Memorial Day ceremonies Monday that included reminders for people at home to remember the sacrifices of service men and women and their families.

Holyoke paid tribute to Marine Lance Cpl. Clayton K. Hough Jr., who returned from the Vietnam War in 1969 having lost his legs in a landmine explosion.

Hough died in 2004 at 55 of a heart attack and his name was added last year to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Eileen (Hough) Boudreau, 55, of Holyoke, said that losing his legs failed to kill her brother’s spirit.

“My brother was great. He’d give you the shirt of his back. There wasn’t too much that kept him down. Just because he lost his legs didn’t keep him down. He owned his own house, he drove,” Boudreau said.

The rain forced the cancellation of parades in Holyoke, Chicopee and other areas but wreath-placements and officials’ remarks proceeded indoors.

In Amherst, a veterans official urged anyone who knows of veterans who are experiencing problems to contact service offices for help.

“We have to help the veterans coming home,” said Steven J. Connor, Hampshire County veterans services director.

In Agawam, Coleman F. Nee, state secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Services, said the best way to honor the fallen is to attend to the needs of their families and surviving comrades.

Nee, who also attended an observance in West Springfield, spoke at the 10th anniversary of the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery on Main Street in Agawam.

“This is the cost of freedom, right here,” Air Force Veteran Marvin B. Howard, of Agawam, said at the cemetery.

“Everyone here gave of their time to serve their country. Some of them gave their lives. People should come to places like this and reflect,” Howard said.

In Springfield, residents and veterans gathered in the rain at St. Michael’s Cemetery to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in war.

The Springfield ceremony began with a Mass celebrated in the mausoleum by the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

An estimated 250 people attended in Springfield, which pleased Richard J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee.

“It shows their faith and their respect for the men and women who sacrificed so much for our country brought them out enthusiastically in this terrible weather,” Tyrell said.

“You can’t let the rain stop us from remembering our veterans who died for our country,” said Nelson Letendre of Springfield, a Vietnam War-era veteran.

At Chicopee High School, Col. Samuel C. Mahaney, operations squadron commander for the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base, spoke of sacrifices being made now by ocal residents in the armed forces and prices paid by those killed in past wars.

Since 2001, more than 1,500 troops from Westover have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. A crew of reservists flew a C5 Galaxy jet into Afghanistan last week , he said.

“As we pause to reflect, let us not forget the families who live right in our midst,” Mahaney said.

Chicopee officials also recognized Gold Star parents and wives who have had a family member killed in war.

In his keynote address in the Florence section of Northampton, Easthampton resident Steven Gazzillo recalled three comrades who died during and after the taking of the Iraqi city Fallujah.

“In a different and better world, none of us would ever have heard of the place,” said Gazzillo, who did two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq.

All three comrades died in their 20s, two of them in combat, Gazzillo said. The third, who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, took his life after he returned home.

At the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton, the singing group Eventide performed at the chapel as part of the Memorial Day service.

Easthampton honored veterans, including its 100 residents who have been killed in action, with a parade and ceremony on the lawn of the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

“Both towns and schools tend not to forget the sacrifices of those who have made our lives today possible. We think of those in our presence whose loved ones are in harm’s way,” said Robert W. Hill III, head of Williston Northampton School.

Holyoke also rededicated its restored Civil War monument and statue of Miss Liberty, which stands 16 feet tall in Veterans Park on Maple Street. It bears names of 55 Holyokers who died in the Civil War, officials said.

The restoration took four years and $11,000 in donations. The 135-year-old monument needed to be cleaned and its four bas-relief panels were coming unattached, officials said.

Reporters Diane Lederman, Peter Goonan, Jeanette Deforge, Jim Kinney, Fred Contrada and Brian Steele contributed to this story.

Federal nuclear regulators have scheduled a public meeting in Plymouth this week to discuss the safety performance of that town's Pilgrim nuclear plant.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sent an inspection team to the Pilgrim nuclear power plant on May 16 to determine what led to an automatic shutdown that was blamed on human error.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Federal nuclear regulators have scheduled a public meeting in Plymouth this week to discuss the safety performance of that town's Pilgrim nuclear plant.

The meeting Wednesday at the Hilton Garden Inn is a chance for the public to ask questions to Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff about specific performance issues at the plant last year.

The Entergy Corp.-owned plant is seeking a 20-year renewal of its operating license.

Pilgrim has come under increased scrutiny because of the similarity of its design with the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan, which was severely damaged by an earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

For more information about the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant, click here.