Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

West Springfield police investigating armed robbery at Elm Market

0
0

The suspect took off with an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

030911 West Springfield Police Car Police Cruiser 2 

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Police are searching for a man who robbed the Elm Market and Package Store at 246 Elm St. on Saturday night.

Sgt. Michael J. Banas said that at approximately 6 p.m., a white or light-skinned Hispanic man walked into the market and threatened the female clerk with a handgun, demanding money.

Banas said the man was described as being in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall and wearing jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue Red Sox cap.

He said he made off with an undetermined amount of cash. The suspect was last seen heading north on Elm Street, and running down Warren Street.

No one was hurt. The store does have a surveillance video system, Banas said. There were no customers in the store when the suspect was inside, but some were entering as he was leaving, Banas said.

The responding officer was Eric Johnson, Banas said. Anyone with information is asked to call West Springfield police at (413) 732-7423.


View Larger Map

Woman who allegedly sent ricin to President Obama, Bloomberg cuts plea deal

0
0

A Texas woman accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, a newspaper reported Saturday.

TEXARKANA, Texas — A Texas woman accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Coan added into the case docket for Shannon Guess Richardson a one-line entry that states "notice of plea agreement," the Texarkana Gazette reported.

Authorities say the New Boston, Texas, actress mailed ricin-laced letters to Obama, Bloomberg and a leader of the mayor's gun-control group. Court documents state the then-pregnant Richardson tried to frame her husband for the crime.

The terms of the deal have not yet been made public, and a Dec. 2 pretrial hearing has been canceled. However, it is possible that the terms of the agreement will be discussed at another hearing, the newspaper reported. Typically, as part of a plea deal, a hearing is held so a defendant can change their plea to guilty.

Richardson's court-appointed attorney, Tonda Curry, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Richardson, 35, has been charged with two counts of threat by mail and one of threatening the president. She remains jailed after giving birth in July.

Richardson has been in federal custody since June 7. Later that month, a federal grand jury handed down a three-count indictment.

Authorities allege that Richardson created a ricin-type concoction using castor beans, bulk lye and syringes she ordered over the Internet. Three letters she mailed, one to Obama, one to Bloomberg and a third to Michael Glaze, head of the gun-control group, tested positive for ricin, according to an FBI criminal complaint.

If convicted, Richardson could face up to five years in federal prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000.

State police investigating fatal crash in Gill

0
0

Icy roads are causing accidents in Franklin County.

police lights.jpg 

GILL - State police are investigating a fatal car accident that happened Saturday night in Gill on Route 2.

No other details were immediately available. Icy roads are causing accidents in Franklin County.

Iran nuclear talks said down to fine print stage

0
0

Diplomats refused to spell out details of the talks, which dragged on past midnight into a fifth day. But both sides suggested negotiations focused on detailed wording that could be key in shaping an agreement that both sides could live with.

iran.jpgSwitzerland's Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, left, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif during a meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel prior to talks about Iran's nuclear program in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. 

DEB RIECHMANN
and GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press

GENEVA — Talks between Iran and six world powers seeking to curb Tehran's nuclear program bogged down early Sunday despite the personal intervention by Secretary of State John Kerry and other foreign ministers whose presence had raised hopes for a breakthrough.

Diplomats refused to spell out details of the talks, which dragged on past midnight into a fifth day. But both sides suggested negotiations focused on detailed wording that could be key in shaping an agreement that both sides could live with.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as being in "their 11th hour," with most issues resolved but an agreement still elusive.

"We have agreed to 98 percent of the draft ... but the remaining 2 percent is very important to us," he told reporters.

While he did not specify what was missing, Araghchi said Iran would never accept an agreement that did not in some way acknowledge his country's right to enrich uranium — a key international concern because enrichment can create both reactor fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

The goal is to hammer out an agreement to freeze Iran's nuclear program for six months, while offering the Iranians limited relief from crippling economic sanctions. If the interim deal holds, the parties would negotiate final-stage agreements to ensure Iran does not build nuclear weapons.

Only then would the most crippling sanctions on Iranian oil sales and financial transactions be rolled back.

"There are narrow gaps, but they are important gaps," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said about the drafting process, without offering specifics.

An agreement would cap nearly a decade of inconclusive international efforts to halt Iran's expanding nuclear program. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes and not aimed at building nuclear weapons.

A deal would build on the momentum of the historic dialogue opened during September's annual U.N. gathering, which included a 15-minute phone conversation between President Barack Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, after three decades of U.S.-Iranian estrangement.

For the U.S. and its five partners, the chief concern is uranium enrichment.

Since it was revealed in 2003, Iran's enrichment program has grown from a few dozen enriching centrifuges to more than 18,000 installed and over 10,000 operating. From uranium ore obtained from South Africa in the 1980s and some locally mined ore, the machines have produced tons of low-enriched uranium, which can be turned into weapons grade material.

Iran also has stockpiled almost 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium in a form that can be converted in six to nine weeks to fissile warhead material — almost twice as fast as the low-enriched uranium. Its supply is nearly enough for one bomb.

While saying they are ready for compromise, the Iranians are mindful of criticism from hard-liners back home who oppose dealings with the United States.

Statements on Saturday by senior Iranian negotiators appeared to be an attempt to defuse domestic opposition to a deal that skeptics see as surrendering their country's nuclear sovereignty.

"I assure Iranians enrichment will never stop," Iran's state TV quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying. "Iran opposes any demands restricting its rights.'"

The Iranians also are holding out for maximum relief from economic sanctions. The United States and its partners want to relax sanctions in small, incremental steps during the six months of an interim agreement but not remove them entirely pending a final-stage deal.

Issues were believed to include the level of sanctions relief and the future of a plutonium reactor under construction at Arak that the six powers want closed. Plutonium can also be used to make nuclear weapons.

With the talks already running two days over schedule, it was unclear whether the negotiations would continue Sunday. Kerry's spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said he still planned to travel to London on Sunday for meetings on other Middle East issues.

Kerry and his counterparts from Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany joined the Geneva talks after Zarif and top European Union diplomat Catherine Ashton reported progress on enrichment and other issues Friday.

Their participation raised speculation that an agreement was close — an interpretation that the foreign ministers themselves sought to discourage.

"We're not here because things are necessarily finished," Britain's Hague told reporters. "We're here because they're difficult, and they remain difficult."

The U.S. administration has not confirmed details of what concessions on economic sanctions it might offer. But a member of Congress and legislative aides have said the White House was considering releasing about $3 billion to $5 billion in Iranian funds frozen in foreign banks.

Another $3 billion to $5 billion in revenues could come from sales of petrochemicals and from the revival of the auto industry through supplies of car parts. The aides and the member of Congress demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to divulge the estimate publicly.

A senior U.S. official told reporters last week that Iran is losing $5 billion a month in lost oil sales alone and $120 billion in total from all sanctions since their imposition, although he did not give a time frame. The official demanded anonymity in keeping with rules established by the U.S. administration.

The U.S. administration is keen to keep rollbacks limited to placate influential members of U.S. Congress who argue that pressure has brought Iran to the negotiating table and cannot be relaxed until Tehran offers significant concessions.

Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten and John Heilprin in Geneva, Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Robert H. Reid in Berlin contributed to this report.

Obama declares Iran nuclear agreement an 'important first step'

0
0

Interim agreement between Iran and international negotiators lessens the likelihood of Iran developing a nuclear weapon capability..

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared an interim nuclear deal with Iran an "important first step" that cuts off the Islamic republic's most likely path toward a bomb.

"These are substantial limitations which will help prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon," Obama said during remarks from the White House late Saturday night.

The president spoke shortly after the U.S. and five international partners agreed to a short-term deal with Iran that is aimed at paving the way for a broader agreement to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear program. Under the terms of the deal, Iran agreed to halt progress on key elements of its nuclear program in exchange for modest relief from U.S. economic sanctions.

Obama pledged to hold off from imposing new sanctions during the terms of the six-month agreement, a position likely to anger some in Congress who have been pushing for even tougher penalties against Iran.

"If Iran does not fully meet its commitments during this six-month phase, we will turn off the relief and ratchet up the pressure," he said.

Obama came into office promising to talk to Iran without preconditions. The U.S. and Iran had broken off diplomatic ties in 1979 after the Islamic revolution and the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where dozens of Americans were held hostage for more than a year.

The June election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a more moderate-sounding cleric, helped pave the way for a thaw in diplomatic relations with the U.S. and this latest round of nuclear negotiations.

Obama's outreach to Iran has worried Israel and Persian Gulf nations, which fear Iran is using the negotiations as a delay tactic while it continues to pursue a nuclear weapon. The president on Saturday said those nations "have good reason to be skeptical of Iran's intentions." But he said "only diplomacy can bring about a durable solution to the challenge posed by Iran's nuclear program."

Route 2 multi-car crash in Gill kills one, injures six

0
0

One woman died and six others were injured in a Route 2 crash in Gill.

GILL— A 28-year-old woman died and six other people were injured in a three-car collision that shut down Route 2 for several hours Saturday evening. Investigators are looking at weather conditions as a major factor in the crash.

Gill Police Department Sgt. Christopher Redmond said the woman was fatally injured when the 2010 Honda Fit she was driving was struck broadside by another vehicle at approximately 7:45 p.m. . That vehicle then careened off the Honda and struck a third car. Police are withholding the woman's name pending notification of next of kin.

Ambulances from the Turners Falls Fire Department, the Deerfield Fire Department and the Baystate Health Services responded to the scene near the intersection with Setback Lane in Gill. In all, seven people were transported to the Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield.

Redmond would not say specifically that weather was the cause of the accident, but indicated that icing on the roadways in Franklin County was a problem.

"I can tell you that it was very slow going as we tried to respond to the accident scene," he said. "It was very icy on the roadways."

CBS3 Meteorologist Mike Sturko said that the season's first snow fall itself was not a major problem for most of Western Mass. But, in Franklin County the combination of the snow on roadways and temperatures in the low 20's did create the potential for dangerous conditions.

"The snow on the pavement froze due to the low temperatures, and you had basically a flash freezing situation," he said.

Snow squalls with high winds created white-out conditions in some areas along with the icing conditions.

"I think it caught a lot of people off guard," Sturko said.

Redmond said Route 2 in both travel directions was closed from the time of the accident until approximately 10 p.m., as Gill Police and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services team conducted their investigation.

Units from the Montague Police Department, the Northfield Police Department and the State Police assisted at the scene.


View Larger Map

Goshen woman hired as new treasurer-collector in Palmer

0
0

Bissell has worked for the city of Northampton as assistant treasurer since 2009.

PALMER - A new treasurer-collector has been hired, Kristine A. Bissell, and she will officially start on Dec. 4.

Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said Bissell, the current assistant treasurer in Northampton, was chosen from a field of four finalists; 15 people applied.

She will be paid $60,000 a year, he said.

Blanchard said Bissell also was the part-time treasurer in Goshen, where she lives, for nine years. He said he is eager to have her in the position.

"I'm pleased to have her join us in Palmer," Blanchard said.

As treasurer-collector, she will report to Finance Director John Kuzmiski, Blanchard said.

While Dec. 4 is her first official day, she was at the Town Building on Friday, learning the job.

Former treasurer-collector Melissa L. Zawadzki, who left in 2010 to take a finance director job in Easthampton, has been helping in the office and is assisting Bissell with the transition, Blanchard said.

Bissell received her treasurer's certification in 2010 from the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association. She has worked as assistant treasurer in Northampton since 2009.

Bissell said she was interested in the Palmer position because she thought it would be a "great job opportunity" for her.

The last treasurer-collector, Paul Nowicki, left the job in September after he had been placed on paid administrative leave over a personnel matter. Nowicki took over for Zawadzki in 2010.

Hallmark issues Springfield-inspired Gee Bee airplane Christmas Tree Ornament

0
0

The Gee Bee Model Z ornament is 3 and 3/8 inches wide, 1 inch high and 2 inches long and is detailed down to the wires stretched from the wings to the fuselage. it retaisl for $14.95, according to the Hallmark website.

SPRINGFIELD - Hallmark's latest tiny addition to its line of Christmas tree ornaments inspired by classic aircraft has an even tinier depiction of the Springfield Municipal Group and the words "City of Springfield Massachusetts" on its wee little engine cowling.

Just like the real Springfield-born Gee Bee Super1931 Sportster Model Z that inspired it, the Hallmark Keepsake ornament is part of the Sky's the Limit series of ornaments honoring touchstones in early aviation history starting with the Wright Flyer 1997. Hallmark did an even tinier ornament based on a Gee Bee R-1 Sportster in 2005.

This recent Gee Bee Model Z ornament is 3 and 3/8 inches wide, 1 inch high and 2 inches long and is detailed down to the wires stretched from the wings to the fuselage. it retails for $14.95, according to the Hallmark website.

The Granville brothers, Zantford, Thomas, Robert, Mark and Edward, came to Springfield in 1929 and used a now-vanished airport near Liberty Street and St. James Avenue to build, design and test aircraft that were state of the art at the time.

11/21/13 Springfield- Republican Photo by Mark M.Murray- Display on the Gee Bee airplane at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.  

"The Granville Brothers and the Bee Gee were extraordinarily important aircraft in the 1930s," said Guy A. McLain, director of the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. "You have to remember, at the time aviation was only about 30 years old. This was all very new."

The 1931 plane depicted in the ornament raced at a top speed of 236.2 mph and helped pilot Lowell Bayles win the Thompson Trophy Race.

Jimmy Doolittle, who went on to fame in World War II with a daring bombing raid on Tokyo, piloted a 1932 Gee Bee model to a world record speed of 296 mph and another Thompson Trophy.

"You have the connection to World War II with Doolittle," McLain said. "And you can also see the influence these planes had on the fighter planes of World War II. Those 1940s fighters were built with late 1930s technology. This was it."

The museum has a life-size model of a 1932 Gee Bee along with a surviving 1937 Zeta aircraft. The museum has a few small-scale Model Z replicas on display, including one in a window over an entrance.


Surviving examples of early Gee Bees are hard to come by, McLain said. The planes were so high powered and fast they were unstable in the air and often crashed.

"The Granville Brothers were trying to wrap a wing around an engine," he said.

After World War II, aircraft got more complex and the industry became big business. The Granville Brothers faded from the scene.

But not for Hallmark sculptor and designer Lynn Norton who turned their aircraft and even the Starship Enterprise into ornaments for the company. Norton, based at hallmark headquarters in Kansas City, has no known connections to Springfield, said company spokeswoman Kristi Ernsting.

Instead he chose the Gee Bee because of its fun color scheme and design evocative of its era.



Massachusetts School Building Authority approves $4.9 million in grants for four school roof projects in Springfield

0
0

State Treasurer Steven Grossman said the state wants to aid school roof projects to extend the life of those buildings and the comfort of the students.

SPRINGFIELD – The Massachusetts School Building Authority recently approved grant funds totaling an estimated $4.9 million for the replacement of roofs at four local schools under the authority’s “accelerated repair” program.

The funds will target roof projects at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, Margaret C. Ells School, South End Middle School, and Springfield Public Day High School. The replacement of the four roofs has an estimated cost of $6.8 million, with the city needing to cover any cost not reimbursed by the state.

The most expensive roofs are at the High School of Science and Technology, estimated at $3.5 million, and the Ells School, at $1.6 million.

“The Accelerated Repair program “allows us to partner with school districts, like Springfield, on much-needed repairs that can greatly extend a school’s lifespan,” said State Treasurer and authority Chairman Steven Grossman, in a prepared statement last week. “Besides making the learning environment more comfortable for our schoolchildren, these repairs also make our schools more energy efficient and generate substantial cost savings.”

The program provides up to 80 percent state reimbursement for eligible costs for design and construction. The grant amount allocated for Springfield for the roofs could rise under further review and audit, according to the guidelines.

The city will need to appropriate the funds upfront for construction, and then be reimbursed as the projects proceed, under the guidelines.

Projects under the authority’s accelerated program include the repair or replacement of roofs, windows and boilers in schools “that are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound,” Grossman said.

The city has a proposed four-year program for replacing roofs, windows and boilers, with the four school roofs listed as current priorities.

A roof replacement proposed at Chestnut Accelerated Middle School is also under consideration for inclusion in the accelerated repair program, according to the authority. 

United Personnel named one of the top 100 women-led businesses

0
0

Founded by Mary Ellen Scott in 1984 with her late husband Jay Canavan, the agency continues to be led by a female president. In 2012, Scott, the company’s current CEO, handed day-to-day operations over to her daughter, making current president Tricia Canavan the company’s second-generation woman leader.

SPRINGFIELD — United Personnel, a Springfield-based
staffing service, has been listed among the highest earning women-led
businesses in Massachusetts. In a list compiled by the nonprofit Commonwealth
Institute and published by the Boston Globe, United Personnel ranked 42 out of
100 for-profit companies. The agency represented just three Western
Massachusetts businesses recognized for their high revenues under women
leadership.


Founded by Mary Ellen Scott in 1984 with her late husband Jay Canavan, the
agency continues to be led by a female president. In 2012, Scott, the company’s
current CEO, handed day-to-day operations over to her daughter, making current
president Tricia Canavan the company’s second-generation woman leader.


According to Canavan, the recognition by the Boston nonprofit reflects United
Personnel’s commitment to growing a successful company and delivering service
to the region. “Since the company’s founding, we have continued to expand our business throughout Western Massachusetts, including the opening of a new
office in Pittsfield last December. Our continued growth has allowed us to
connect more people with much-needed employment and assist many companies
with their HR needs, leading to our highest-earning year in 2012.” Canavan
added, “I’m proud of our status as a woman-founded and woman-led
organization. At present, our entire staffing team is female, and the great earning
results they’ve produced are a real testimony to the role that women play in
today’s workforce.”

Toy for Joy launches 91st season to bring gifts to children in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties

0
0

Donors have contributed to the campaign for more than three generations.

2013 Toy for Joy coupon.jpgView full sizeTo get a printable version of this coupon that you can mail in with your donation, click on "view full size" above. 

SPRINGFIELD - The 91st annual Toy for Joy campaign, sponsored by The Republican and the Salvation Army, kicks off today with the help of campaign partner Hasbro.

The program, which aims to provide toys and gifts to needy families in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties, has a fund-raising goal of $150,000 by Christmas Eve.

“For more than three generations, donors from our region have contributed to Toy for Joy in good times and bad,” said Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican. “Many of them know first hand what a difference these donations can make to children during the holiday season. We thank those in advance for their generosity in the upcoming drive to help make a difference.”

This year’s Toy for Joy campaign is beginning with more than $500 received in donations over the course of the summer and fall from friends and family of the late Lisa Sawicki, 48, of Chicopee, who died in August after fighting cancer.

The head medical clerk at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, Sawicki was a volunteer for Toys for Tots. Near the end of her life, she asked friends and family to make a toy donation to Toys for Tots or a monetary donation to the Toy for Joy campaign.

Hasbro's association with Toy for Joy began two years ago when it united its Giving Tree effort with the campaign.

Jeff Lombard of Longmeadow, senior vice president of domestic manufacturing for toy company Hasbro, said, “Hasbro has a long history in this region of providing toys and games to families in need at the holidays. This program means so much to our employees, who volunteer every year to help with the registration, as well as unloading and handing out the toys and games.”

Added Lombard, “As in previous years our team has worked closely with the Salvation Army on the need to carefully tailor the donation in terms of gender and age breakdowns.”

“The holiday donation programs we have in place in the communities where our employees live and work - such as the Toy for Joy - are focused on giving children in need a present to unwrap on their holiday by providing a toy or game for the parents to give. We want to make sure parents don’t lose out on that chance to provide some holiday magic and memories to their children. It’s that simple.”

Capt. Ronda Ferreira, of the Greater Springfield Citadel of the Salvation Army, said she is thrilled for the partnership with The Republican and Hasbro.

Last year Toy for Joy served more than 3,000 families and provided gifts for more than 14,000 children in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. “We are expecting to serve a similar number this year,” Ferreira said.

Registration officially starts on Dec. 2, although some units are already accepting sign-ups. Dates and hours vary with each unit. For more information about Toy for Joy, call (413) 733-1518.

For more information, call 733-7581. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon at The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. until Dec. 24.

Here’s a list of the latest contributors:

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Mark, $25

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki, $15

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Kathleen and Charles, $25

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Kirk and Betsy, $25

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki, $20

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki, $25

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Mark, $50

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Susan, $25

  • In memory of Lisa Sawicki from Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. and staff, $100
RECEIVED, $576
STILL NEEDED, $149,424

To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield, MA 01102. Contributions also may be dropped off with the coupon at The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Dec. 24.

Toy registration
Here are the times for families to register at Salvation Army sites for the 91st annual Toy for Joy campaign:
Springfield
Greater Springfield Citadel: 170 Pearl St., Springfield; Dec. 2-6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; for info, call (413) 733-1518; serves Agawam, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Ludlow, Palmer, Mon´son, Springfield, Ware, West Springfield, Wilbraham 
Greenfield
Greenfield Service Center: 72 Chapman St., Greenfield; Dec. 2-3, 9 a.m.-noon; for info, call 773-3154; serves Hampshire and Franklin counties 
Holyoke
Holyoke Citadel: 271 Appleton St., Holyoke; Dec. 9-20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; for info, call (413) 532-6312; serves Holyoke, South Hadley, Granby
Westfield
Westfield Service Center: 12 Arnold St., Westfield; through Dec. 6, weekdays 9 a.m.-noon; for info, call (413) 568-1256; serves Westfield, Southwick, Russell, Chester, Granville and hilltowns
Required documentation
Participants must bring the following documents: Photo ID for head of household; proof of address (within the last 30 days); MassHealth cards or other identifying information for any child age 16 or younger; and birth certificates (or passports) for any child age 16 and younger.

 

Holyoke City Council forms Biking & Pedestrian Committee as forum for public

0
0

The bicycling issues committee will have nine officials and five community members.

HOLYOKE -- A new committee will provide a public forum for issues related to bicycling.

The City Council Nov. 19 voted to establish the 14-member Biking & Pedestrian Committee whose job will incorporate bicycling and pedestrian facilities into infrastructure improvement and development projects.

The committee will have: two city councilors, the city engineer, the city Mass in Motion Coordinator, and representatives from the offices of the mayor, Planning and Economic Development, Fire Department Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council and office of state Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke; plus five people from the community appointed by the nine members through an application process, according to City Council minutes.

Holyoke public hearing set on proposal to change zone of Whiting Farms Road land once eyed by Walmart, Lowe's

0
0

Residents want the zone change to block big-bow stores and the heavy traffic they draw.

HOLYOKE -- A public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on a proposal to change the zone of property on Whiting Farms Road considered in recent years by Walmart and Lowe's Home Improvement.

The hearing by the City Council Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board is at City Hall.

The Holyoke Gas and Electric Department owns the vacant 18.7 acres and opposes the proposal from residents to change the zone to industrial park from the current general business. The department considers the proposal restrictive while residents want to ban big-box stores and their ensuing traffic.

Western Mass. weather forecast: Wintry mix followed by rain tonight

0
0

The Berkshires will also start and end wintry with a light accumulation Tuesday night and some snow showers Wednesday night.

Our potential Wednesday nor'easter we spoke about last week has formed and will track along the Appalachians and move over us Tuesday night and Wednesday and not offshore. This will help put the brakes on more cold air moving at us from the west Tuesday. This air was needed to produce more of a wintry scenario here in the Pioneer Valley. With that out of the equation, it's windy and mild with rain for us.

There will not be damaging with this storm here in the Pioneer Valley, however, central and eastern MA as well as RI and coastal CT may see wind speeds over 50 mph. The National Weather Service already has high wind watches posted starting at midnight Wednesday and lasting through noon Wednesday. The other factor is rainfall. 1-3 inches of rain is likely across southern and central New England. We've been dry, so no concern for rivers and streams, but street flooding and woes for travelers with hydroplaning conditions will be the greatest impact.

Some areas will receive quite a winter storm from western PA and NY and even into northern New England. The Berkshires will also start and end wintry with a light accumulation Tuesday night and some snow showers Wednesday night.

We return to sunshine and a winter chill for Thanksgiving Day through Saturday.

Tonight: Clouding up. Some flurries late, low 25.

Tuesday: Cloudy, light wintry mix of snow and rain by evening. High 40.

Wednesday: Early morning wind, moderate to heavy steady rain, 2-3 inches likely. High of 55 with high wind watch through noon.


Thanksgiving Day:
Sunshine and wind with high of 32. NW 20-30 mph. Wind chill near 10s.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

UMass chooses Tower Square as location for Springfield satellite center

0
0

Tower Square was picked for the UMass satellite center over three other bidders including The Peter Pan Bus terminal, the 10-floor Harrison Place at 1391 Main St. and the 17-story One Financial Plaza at 1350 Main St.

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Deval Patrick and University of Massachusetts President Robert L. Caret are scheduled to be in Springfield on Tuesday to unveil the selection of Tower Square in downtown Springfield as the university's satellite center.

The university will lease 27,321 square feet on the second floor of the 30-floor building, which is owned by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. and located at 1500 Main St. UMass plans to establish academic programs at the center starting in the fall 2014.

The university will also have the right to use 1,600 square feet on the ground level of the retail area of Tower Square, which was built in 1969. As part of the bid, Massachusetts Mutual offered the university a branded entrance to Tower Square from Bridge Street.

caret.JPGRobert Caret is shown speaking in Springfield in 2012. 

The university in September received bids from the owners of four buildings.
Tower Square was picked over The Peter Pan Bus terminal, the 10-floor Harrison Place at 1391 Main St. and the 17-story One Financial Plaza at 1350 Main St.

The center will include academic programs to be offered by the UMass campuses in conjunction with UMassOnline and UMass Amherst's Springfield programs.

“Today is a great day for Springfield and the entire UMass system,” Patrick plans to say at the event, according to a press release. “This satellite center will bring vitality to downtown Springfield, and open up new educational and job opportunities for the residents of Springfield and beyond.”

“The satellite center represents a new chapter in the longstanding relationship between the University of Massachusetts and the city of Springfield,’’ Caret said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased to find suitable space that will allow the university to expand its presence and provide residents of the city and region with the type of high quality, affordable public higher education option that has come to define a UMass degree.’’

Caret said the center will significantly expand the university’s presence in Western Massachusetts and will unlock a range of degree opportunities for students that will be tailored to the meet the region’s workforce needs.

The satellite center will be a first of its kind for the University of Massachusetts system. UMass Amherst, located about 25 miles away from Springfield, will be the lead campus for the satellite center, with other UMass campuses providing academic programs.

The satellite center will complement UMass Amherst’s involvement in the Springfield area, where faculty and staff are engaged in more than 120 programs in health, fine arts and the creative economy, natural sciences, engineering, green industries, management, sports and education, the press release said.

The University of Massachusetts Building Authority received the four proposals after issuing a request last summer. The university was seeking 25,000 square feet of space suitable for classrooms, faculty offices, and other uses, with the option of doubling the amount of space at a later date.

The agreement with Tower Square includes a five-year lease, with two, five-year renewal options that could extend the lease for another 10 years.

Caret and other UMass officials cited several reasons for selecting Tower Square.

Caret said that it offers prominent branding opportunities including the first-floor retail space. Signs for the university will also be allowed on the exterior of the building.

In addition, the complex offers plenty of room for expansion and structured parking that will allows student and employees to enter the building from elevators in the parking garage. The property’s existing condition also requires fewer alterations than some of the alternatives, making Tower Square the more economical choice, the university said in the release.

In its bid, Massachusetts Mutual proposed a base rental rate of $11.50 per square foot including heating, cooling and electricity.

State Rep. Sean F. Curran, a Springfield Democrat who for several years has been working for a UMass Springfield center, said it was "terrific" that the university chose Tower Square.

Curran said he would work to specify funding for the center in the state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.

The selection of Tower Square for the Springfield satellite center capped more than a year of research, planning, discussions, and focus groups involving UMass, Springfield residents, and leaders from education, business, politics, civic and community-based organization, the release said.

Tower Square has three full-service restaurants and a food court and is also is close to public transportation. It's only four blocks from the Peter Pan Bus Terminal and Amtrak train station and just a block from a boarding station for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.

Other UMass campuses are working on developing an assortment of academic programs that would be responsive to the educational, economic and social needs of Springfield area residents, the release said. Those academic programs would be offered in a blended manner that allows students to attend courses on-site and through UMassOnline.

UMassOnline will open an onsite office at the satellite center and make available the full array of UMassOnline courses and degrees offered by the five campuses, the release said. UMass campuses and other participating institutions, which are expected to include area community colleges, may offer their ``home’’ programs such as two-year associate degrees leading to bachelor’s degrees, as well as undergraduate and graduate degree programs in areas such as public health, advanced manufacturing, cyber security, teacher education and business administration, the release said.

The 11:30 a.m. announcement in the lobby of Tower Square on Tuesday was also scheduled to be attended by Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat, state Secretary of Education Matthew H. Malone, UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Henry M. Thomas III, UMass at Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy and MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO Roger Crandall.

Caret's model for the planned Springfield center is "Universities at Shady Grove," a satellite center in Rockville, Md., for Maryland's state university system. Caret was instrumental in founding and developing the center in Maryland when he was president of Towson University before being hired as new UMass president in 2011.

``This is a momentous day as a great city and a great university formalize a relationship that has been a long time in the making,’’ said Thomas, who is a Springfield native, according to the release. ``To have a strong and vivid UMass presence in the heart of downtown Springfield represents a major step forward for our city."


Massachusetts State Police: Odor of marijuana leads to drug charges for 2 Springfield men following I-91 traffic stop in Northampton

0
0

Luis Santos, 19, and Juan Morales, 28, both of Springfield, are facing charges of drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute, among others.

NORTHAMPTON — The odor of marijuana led to drug charges for two Springfield men after a Sunday afternoon traffic stop on Interstate 91 in Northampton, according to police and press reports.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper noticed a vehicle stop briefly in the left lane of I-91 after the car apparently missed its highway exit, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports, citing court records in the case.

The investigating trooper said he could smell fresh marijuana inside the vehicle, leading to a subsequent search and the alleged discovery of about four ounces of the drug.

Luis N. Santos, 19, and Juan Morales, 28, both of Springfield, denied charges of drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute in Northampton District Court on Monday.

Santos, who has a criminal record, also was charged with a host of motor vehicle violations, according to the Gazette.

Police said Santos was found carrying the drugs, while Morales was found carrying more than $500 cash.

Both are due back in court on for Dec. 30 pretrial hearings.

Suffolk DA Dan Conley: Boston man crashes truck in Hyde Park neighborhood, leaves woman to die

0
0

Gregory Colandris, 22, of Dell Terrace, Boston, was drunk when he crashed a pickup truck in the Hyde Park section of Boston, leaving Mercedes Leary, 25, his passenger, behind to die, according to police and prosecutors.

BOSTON — A Boston man was driving drunk when he crashed a pickup truck into a tree in Hyde Park early Saturday morning, killing his female passenger and fleeing the scene, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Gregory Colandris, 22, who lives on Dell Terrace in Hyde Park, pleaded not guilty in West Roxbury Municipal Court on Monday to charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

A judge set bail at $50,000 and revoked Colandris' bail in connection with two pending criminal matters, including assault and drunken-driving cases. Colandris' license to drive had already been suspended prior to Saturday's fatal crash, Conley said.

Colandris could face additional charges as a State Police investigation continues, officials said.

Colandris was driving a 2005 Toyota Tundra owned by the father of Mercedes Leary, the woman who died in the crash. The 2:30 a.m. crash happened on Dedham Parkway in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood, but the location was so close to Dedham that police and firefighters from that jurisdiction were first to respond.

Leary, 25, of Hingham, was found unresponsive in the front passenger seat, but the driver was nowhere to be found, according to authorities. That triggered a State Police K-9 hunt for the driver, who wasn't located until several hours later.

Police spoke with members of Leary's family, who told investigators the woman had been out with "Greg from Hyde Park" the previous evening. Troopers checked Leary's cell phone records and found several entries with the name "Greg." Using that information, they quickly homed in on Colandris, who was arrested at his Dell Terrace home around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

When Colandris came to the door, he smelled of alcohol and had blood on his head and clothing, according to police, who took him into custody without incident.

At the time of his arrest, Colandris was free on personal recognizance in connection with a Sept. 5 drunken-driving case, Conley said. Colandris is due back in court for a Dec. 23 pretrial hearing.

"She was a wonderful and loving person. ... We’re just going to miss her terribly," Richard Kearney, Leary's father, told the Boston Herald.


Material from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the Boston Herald, Boston.com, and Hingham Patch was used in this report.

Multiple-vehicle crash slows traffic on I-91 south in Holyoke; ice, snow lead to other wrecks around region

0
0

Several crashes have been reported around the region this morning.

HOLYOKE -- A crash involving several vehicles led to heavy, slow traffic this morning in the southbound lanes of Interstate 91.

The site of the crash was just north of the Soldier's Home in the area of exit 16. Cars were being removed from the scene around 7:30 a.m.

State police attributed the crash -- and others on the highway that caused vehicles to leave the roadway and left at least one person injured -- to black ice.

Several crashes have been reported around the region this morning as residents in northern Hampden County and the upper reaches of the Pioneer Valley awoke to a light coating of snow.

Holyoke Police Sgt. David O’Connell reported slippery roads and minor accidents, especially in the area of west Holyoke, including Southampton Road. A school bus got stuck for a time on Bemis Road.

“They are slick,” O’Connell said of the roads, adding that sanders are now out.

Trooper Sean McNamara, who is attached to the Shelburne Falls barracks, said the roadways were fine. “There have been zero incidents,” he said, adding that temperatures are above freezing.

Troopers from the Northampton barracks, however, have been dealing with multiple accidents due to road conditions, including the multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 91 south in Holyoke, McNamara said.

“It’s been non-stop down there,” he said.

Trooper Mark Rogers, who is attached to the Russell barracks, said snow-covered roads were the cause of several accidents this morning.

“It’s the first snowstorm of the season and you know what comes with that,” Rogers said, adding that no injuries were reported.

Rogers said most roads are now clear. “They are pretty much just wet now on most of the main roads and people are driving carefully,” he said.

State police in Westfield reported no issues on the Massachusetts Turnpike, and said crews are currently spreading sand on the highway.


This is a developing story. Details will be added as our reporting continues.

MIT establishes award named after slain officer Sean Collier

0
0

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has established an award named after slain campus police officer Sean Collier.


CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has established an award named after slain campus police officer Sean Collier.

The award announced Monday by MIT Executive Vice President Israel Ruiz will be given annually "to an individual or group that embodies the character and qualities that Officer Collier exhibited as a member of the MIT community."

Authorities allege the Boston Marathon bombing suspects killed Collier on April 18 to get his gun as they fled police.

Ruiz says recipients "will include those whose contributions exceed the boundaries of their profession, those who have contributed to building bridges across the community, and those who consistently and selflessly perform acts of kindness."

Nominations for the first Collier Medal will be accepted through Jan. 10. The school is also working on a permanent memorial to Collier.

Dennis man dies after police pursuit in Yarmouth

0
0

Police say a Dennis man has died following a high-speed pursuit by officers investigating a reported break-in in Yarmouth.


YARMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Police say a Dennis man has died following a high-speed pursuit by officers investigating a reported break-in in Yarmouth.

Officers responding to the unoccupied home Monday morning saw a suspect fleeing on foot. Police say the suspect then jumped in an SUV and took off driving in a "dangerous and erratic" manner, almost hitting one officer, who had to jump out of the way.

Police pursued the SUV onto Union Street, where it struck another vehicle and rolled onto its roof.

The occupant, identified as 24-year-old Michael Florio, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was unhurt.

The crash remains under investigation.

Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images