Veteran Steven Gazzillo, a Marine who served in Iraq, struggled to control his emotions as he talked about three comrades who died while still in their 20s while battling for control of Fallujah. Watch video

The 10th Massachusetts Volunteers giving a rifle salute at the Florence Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.

NORTHAMPTON – While many of those who gathered for the annual Florence Memorial Day ceremonies Monday harked back to friends and loved ones they have lost in the service of America, Steven Gazzillo’s memories were painfully fresh.

In his keynote address at the event, the Easthampton resident, who did two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq, recalled three of his 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,” he said.

Gazzillo’s speech marked the highlight of the program sponsored by the city’s Veterans Council. As in past years, the parade down Main Street in the village of Florence featured scout troops, elected officials and the Northampton High School marching band. Crowds cheered from both sides of the street and fighter jets roared overhead.

Over the decades, the parade has taken place in times of war and peace, the common thread always being the soldiers who have died defending their country. James Svoboda, an Army veteran who served in Korea, has come out for the event every year since he got back from that conflict.

“We come every year, and it means ‘thank you’ for those who went and the ones who are lucky enough to still be here,” said the 77-year-old Florence native.

The Lepore family of Northampton took in the parade for the first time Monday.

“We’re new to the area,” said Timothy Lepore, who watched from the sidewalk with his wife Kate, their son Homer, 2, and their seven-month-old daughter Greta.

Lepore said they have friends in the military they have not seen in a while because they were deployed abroad.

“This kind of thing keeps them in mind,” he said.

Gazzillo struggled to control his emotions as he talked about three comrades who died while still in their 20s. One was a sergeant who lost his life leading a rescue mission for a patrol that had been ambushed. Another was a lance corporal who gave up a career in finance to enlist after the Sept. 11, 2001, bombing of the World Trade Center. He died in 2004 when his squad came under mortar fire.

The most painful remembrance was of a friend nicknamed Iggy, who survived his tour in Iraq only to succumb to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shooing himself in the head back home.

“This is why we are here today,” Gazzillo said, “to remember all those giving their lives for us.”

As always, the ceremony was punctuated with a rifle salute by the 10th Massachusetts Volunteers, a Civil War reenactment group. Steven Connor, Northampton’s Veterans Agent, also read the names of the city veterans who have died since last Memorial Day.

A proposed budget amendment would lift the minimum reimbursement for shelter beds at Friends of the Homeless to $20 per night

William J. Miller

SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for the homeless, including area legislators, are once again pushing for an increase in state funds for the lowest paid shelters in the state including the Friends of the Homeless Resource Center on Worthington Street.

The rate increase is critically needed by Friends of the Homeless, which receives far less than most shelters in the state, according to William J. Miller, executive director. The Pine Street Inn in Boston, for example, receives reimbursements ranging from $42.86 to $63.32 for its shelter beds, according to statewide figures provided by Miller.

“For Friends of the Homeless, however, this issue is not simply a question of fairness,” Miller said. “This is about keeping our doors open.”

Under a legislative amendment sponsored by state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, programs providing beds for the homeless would receive a minimum state reimbursement of $20 per bed, per night. The amendment passed the Senate, and is now being considered by a joint conference committee.

The amendment would benefit Friends of the Homeless which is paid at a rate of $12.97 per night for 85 beds, and at a rate of $17.02 per night for 48 beds, according to a list of rates provided by Miller.

Friends of the Homeless “appreciates that our legislators are taking this issue very seriously,” Miller said.

“We applaud Sen. Candaras, in particular, for creating some movement toward parity,” Miller said. “We understand that this is a very difficult year to make any gains at all.”

Gale Candaras

Police began chasing Evans on Wilbraham Road when he failed to pull over for a traffic stop.

The Republican file photo

Springfield police photo Leslie Evans

SPRINGFIELD – A 20-year-old city man is awaiting arraignment following his arrest Saturday for multiple motor vehicle violations after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase from Wilbraham Road in Sixteen Acres into Indian Orchard, police said.

Leslie Evans of 643 Sumner Ave. is facing nine counts of failure to stop at an intersection, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon: an automobile, two counts of failure to keep right for an oncoming vehicle, two counts of threatening to commit murder, and single counts of reckless driving, failure to stop for police, speeding and possession of an open container in a motor vehicle.

Police began chasing Evans on Wilbraham Road when he failed to pull over for a traffic stop. The chase continued into Indian Orchard with Evans aggressively weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds, police said. At one point he drove head on toward three police cars, forcing them off the road, police said.
Police lost the car on Oak Street in Indian Orchard but found it parked a few blocks away on Hampshire Street. Police then spotted Evans on Oak Street walking way at a fast pace, police said.

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

Among the other Group of Eight countries, only Italy has abandoned nuclear power.

AP photoFILE -- A March 15, 2011 file photo shows the nuclear plant of Neckarwestheim, southern Germany. Germany's environment minister said Monday May 30, 2011 that Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government has agreed to shut down all of the country's nuclear power plants by 2022.

JUERGEN BAETZ, Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany, announced plans Monday to abandon nuclear energy over the next 11 years, outlining an ambitious strategy in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster to replace atomic power with renewable energy sources.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said she hopes the transformation to more solar, wind and hydroelectric power serves as a roadmap for other countries.

"We believe that we can show those countries who decide to abandon nuclear power — or not to start using it — how it is possible to achieve growth, creating jobs and economic prosperity while shifting the energy supply toward renewable energies," Merkel said.

Merkel's government said it will shut down all 17 nuclear power plants in Germany — the world's fourth-largest economy and Europe's biggest — by 2022. The government had no immediate estimate of the transition's overall cost.

The plan sets Germany apart from most of the other major industrialized nations. Among the other Group of Eight countries, only Italy has abandoned nuclear power, which was voted down in a referendum after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The decision represents a remarkable about-face for Merkel's center-right government, which only late last year pushed through a plan to extend the life span of the country's reactors, with the last scheduled to go offline around 2036. But Merkel, who holds a Ph.D. in physics, said industrialized, technologically advanced Japan's "helplessness" in the face of the Fukushima disaster made her rethink the technology's risks.

Phasing out nuclear power within a decade will be a challenge, but it will be feasible and ultimately give Germany a competitive advantage in the renewable energy era, Merkel said.

"As the first big industrialized nation, we can achieve such a transformation toward efficient and renewable energies, with all the opportunities that brings for exports, developing new technologies and jobs," Merkel told reporters.

The government said the renewable energy sector already employs about 370,000 people.

Germany's seven oldest reactors, already taken off the grid pending safety inspections following the March catastrophe at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, will remain offline permanently, Merkel said. The plants accounted for about 40 percent of the country's nuclear power capacity.

At the time of the Japanese disaster, Germany got just under a quarter of its electricity from nuclear power, about the same share as in the U.S.

While Germany already was set to abandon nuclear energy eventually, the decision — which still requires parliamentary approval — dramatically speeds up that process. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said there are no provisions that would allow a later policy reverse.

"We don't only want to renounce nuclear energy by 2022, we also want to reduce our CO2 emissions by 40 percent and double our share of renewable energies, from about 17 percent today to then 35 percent," the chancellor said.

Merkel said the cornerstones of Germany's energy policy will also include a safe and steady power supply that doesn't rely on imports, and affordable prices for industry and consumers. The plan calls for more investment in natural gas plants as a backup to prevent blackouts, the chancellor said.

Germany's initiative received a skeptical reception abroad.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, whose country relies on nuclear power to produce 80 percent of its electricity supply, insisted "there's no way" for the European Union to meet its emission-cutting targets without at least some nuclear power.

"We respect this decision, but it doesn't cause us to change our policy," Fillon said. France operates more than one-third of the nuclear reactors in the EU.

Sweden's Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren also criticized the German decision, telling The Associated Press that the focus on an end date was unfortunate and could drive up electricity prices across Europe.

Germany, usually a net energy exporter, has at times had to import energy since March, with the seven old reactors shut and others temporarily off the grid for regular maintenance. Still, the agency overseeing its electricity grid, DENA, said Friday that the country remains self-sufficient and that its renewable energy production capacity this spring peaked at 28 gigawatts — or about the equivalent of 28 nuclear reactors.

Many Germans have vehemently opposed nuclear power since Chernobyl sent radioactivity over the country. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets after Fukushima to urge the government to shut all reactors quickly.

A decade ago, a center-left government drew up a plan to abandon the technology for good by 2021 because of its risks. But Merkel's government last year amended it to extend the plants' lifetime by an average 12 years — a political liability after Fukushima was hit by Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Environmental groups welcomed Berlin's decision.

"The country is throwing its weight behind clean renewable energy to power its manufacturing base and other countries like Britain should take note," said Robin Oakley, Greenpeace UK's campaigns director.

German industry said the government must not allow the policy changes to lead to an unstable power supply or rising electricity prices.

Hans-Peter Keitel, the president of the Federation of German Industries, urged the government not to set the exit date of 2022 in stone but to be flexible if problems arise.

Switzerland, where nuclear power produces 40 percent of electricity, also announced last week that it plans to shut down its reactors gradually once they reach their average life span of 50 years — which would mean taking the last plant off the grid in 2034.

Germany's decision broadly follows the conclusions of a government-mandated commission on the ethics of nuclear power, which on Saturday delivered recommendations on how to abolish the technology.

"Fukushima was a dramatic experience, seeing there that a high-technology nation can't cope with such a catastrophe," Matthias Kleiner, the commission's co-chairman, said Monday. "Nuclear power is a technology with too many inherent risks to inflict it on us or our children."

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Malin Rising in Stockholm, Colleen Barry in Milan, Jamey Keaten in Paris and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed reporting.

Springfield Mayor Fordis C. Parker received the memento when city telephone service was established.

Cori UrbanRobert Avery of the Turners Falls section of Montague holds a souvenir/plaque presented to Springfield Mayor Fordis C. Parker in 1927 in commemoration of the change to the telephone dial system. He hopes to find a home for it with someone who will treasure it.

MONTAGUE – The year 1927 was one of connections: Charles Lindbergh made the first solo, non-stop trans-Atlantic flight; The Holland Tunnel opened between New York City and New Jersey; and the first transatlantic telephone call was made between New York City and London.

It was also the year people in Springfield were connected by dial telephone service.

Robert Avery of the Turners Falls section of Montague, himself one who appreciates connections among families and their historical treasures, has a small souvenir / plaque given to Springfield Mayor Fordis C. Parker in 1927, and he hopes to find a home for it where it will be valued.

“When I came across this, I thought it could be meaningful to someone,” Avery said, displaying the item that features a black dial from an old-fashioned telephone.

The dial is mounted on a chunk of wood, and on the front an engraved plate reads, “Presented to Hon. Fordis C. Parker Mayor of Springfield by The New England Telephone and Telegraph Co. at the time of the cut over to the dial system July 9, 1927.”

According to Guy McLain, director of the Merrie and Lyman Wood Museum of Springfield History, Parker was an important politician in the city, which makes the artifact interesting.

“The museum maintains a number of such artifacts commemorating important historical events,” he said. “This also documents changes in technology which have become increasingly important in history. Many times the only vestige of an event like this is a commemorative plaque or letter or similar item.”

Avery found the souvenir several years ago when he was cleaning out his uncle’s “cottage,” a home that was once Colton Hollow School in Monson. “Uncle Frank,” Eugene Francis Avery, a longtime tire salesman who lived at 850 Chestnut St. in Springfield, had gone to the place nearly every day to cut wood, put up bird houses, care for the grounds, relax and “get away from it all,” but never slept there, his nephew said.

Avery has no idea how the telephone artifact came into his uncle’s possession.

It was among a box of things Avery brought home from his uncle’s place. Avery kept it on the desk in his den, meaning to find a way to give it to a member of the Fordis family or someone else connected to it.

“I want to see if there is someone who can benefit from having it,” he said. “I could keep it as a conversation piece, but somebody would like to have it, especially the family of the mayor. It would be appropriate for them to have it.”

Avery, who was born 12 years after the 1927 “cut over,” knows if someone found something that had a connection to his father, Neil R. Avery, he would like to have it.

The elder Avery, now deceased, used to make lanterns, and his son treasures them, along with a large section of quilt his late mother, Leona A. Ladoucer Avery, made that now hangs in his home. He has a special case to display a cane Abraham Lincoln gave to his great-grandfather, Stephen Avery, for service in the Battle of Cedar Creek in the Civil War.

“Much of what I treasure will go down to our kids,” he said. “We have treasures; they come down through our family, and we send them down through the generations.”

Avery and his wife, Virginia, have three grown children and four grandchildren.

A retired guidance counselor and track and cross-country coach at Turners Falls High School, Avery has a special interest in Polish history and culture, an appreciation cultivated by marrying into the Potosek family. “I’m a Polish wannabe,” he said. He has traveled to Poland and even taught English there to Polish students in a summer camp.

Among his treasures are Russian military medals purchased in Poland.

Avery has an appreciation for history, and he hopes to share that by connecting the telephone souvenir with someone who will treasure it as he treasures his family heirlooms.

He may be reached at ravery@hotmail.com.

South Hadley resident William Gardner spurred a police pursuit spanning several jurisdictions after allegedly stealing several cases of Red Bull from a Northampton supermarket Monday.

Republican file photoWestfield police charged a South Hadley man with multiple offenses on Monday, following a multijurisdiction car chase that started in Easthampton and ended in Westfield.

WESTFIELD – A South Hadley man accused of boosting several cases of a popular energy drink from a Northampton supermarket led police on a multijurisdiction car chase that began in Hampshire County and ended in Westfield around 3:10 p.m. Monday.

That’s when William C. Gardner, 30, of 3 Tampa St., was charged with failing to stop for police, reckless driving and resisting arrest, according to Westfield Police Lt. Michael Ugolik.

Gardner led police on a not-so-fast chase through several towns, including Easthampton and Southampton, before he was eventually stopped by Easthampton and Westfield police near Little River Plaza in Westfield.

Southampton police were not involved in the chase, according to a department spokeswoman, who said that, for the most part, Gardner maintained moderate speeds during the pursuit.

“He was pretty much going the speed limit,” she said.

Westfield police successfully punctured Gardner’s tires using spike strips laid along a section of Route 10 just over the town line from Southampton. But Gardner kept going, making his way to around Little River Plaza, 437 East Main St. (Route 20), in Westfield, where he finally was taken into custody.

Wired.com

All told, the pursuit lasted just under an hour.

It began shortly after Gardner allegedly swiped five cases of Red Bull, a caffeine-packed energy drink, from the Big Y supermarket on North King Street in Northampton around 2:20 p.m. Monday, according to Northampton Police Lt. Jody Kasper.

Police did not say if Gardner sampled the beverage he is accused of stealing while running from the law.

“We were never involved in any sort of pursuit with him,” she said Tuesday.

Kasper said a Big Y loss-prevention officer confronted Gardner, who bolted from the store. The officer managed to jot down a description of the vehicle and its plate number, and a BOLO alert (be on the lookout) was issued to area departments, Kasper said.

Witness accounts indicated Gardner reached speeds of around 100 mph as he fled south on Pomeroy Meadow Road and Route 10 in Southampton.

The Southampton police spokeswoman disputed those accounts, saying the issue wasn’t primarily about speed – Gardner only ever reached speeds of around 60 mph, she said – but rather about his apparent reluctance to pull over for the officers pursuing him.

“The chase was controlled,” she said, “but he just wouldn’t stop.”

Kasper said Northampton police will charge Gardner with larceny for the alleged theft of $102.95 worth of Red Bull.

It was not immediately clear if Gardner is facing charges from other jurisdictions, or at which courthouse house the South Hadley man will be arraigned Tuesday.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where a multijurisdiction car chase ended Monday in Westfield:

View Larger Map

Police said they arrested three teenagers, including a juvenile, who were seen breaking into cars parked along Morgan Street around 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Republican file photoHolyoke police arrested three teenagers early Tuesday morning for allegedly breaking into cars along Morgan Street.

HOLYOKE -- Police arrested three teenagers, including a juvenile, around 1 a.m. Tuesday for allegedly breaking into cars along Morgan Street in Holyoke.

Police received information that people were seen breaking into vehicles parked along the street, which runs between Northampton and Nonotuck streets.

When officers rolled up to the scene, they spotted the suspects inside a car with assorted burglary tools, according to Holyoke Police Lt. Matthew Moriarty.

"We had a resident call it in," Moriarty said, adding that the trio targeted at least four vehicles.

Alexander Aponte Jr., 18, of 45 Gates St., Holyoke, Angel Acevedo, 18, of 528 Chicopee St., Chicopee, and a 16-year-old juvenile each will be charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle, larceny in excess of $250 and possession of a burglary tools, police said.

The teens are expected to be arraigned later Tuesday in Holyoke District Court.

No further information was available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where three teenagers were arrested early Tuesday morning for allegedly breaking into cars in Holyoke:

View Larger Map

A section of Plumtree Road remained closed Tuesday morning following a single-car crash around 3 a.m. that downed a utility pole and knocked out power to sections of East Forest Park, according to Springfield police.

Republican file photo

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD -- A section of Plumtree Road remained closed Tuesday morning after a single-car crash downed a utility pole and knocked out power to sections of East Forest Park, according to Springfield Police.

The crash occurred around 2 a.m., according to Western Massachusetts Electric Co. (WMECO) spokeswoman Katie Blint.

"We're working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible," Blint said around 7 a.m., adding that it could still take a "couple of hours" to restore power to about 260 customers in the East Forest Park neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the unidentified driver was not seriously injured in the crash, which badly damaged a utility pole.

"The driver had minor injuries and was taken to the Baystate Medical Center," Springfield Police Sgt. Dennis Prior said.

Officials said Plumtree Road, between Plumtree Circle and Newton Road, would remain closed to traffic while WMECO crews worked to restore electricity to affected customers.

"It can take up to six hours to replace a pole," Blint said.

With WMECO crews on scene since shortly after 2 a.m., things should soon be back to normal, she said.

As of 6:30 a.m., the power outage map on WMECO's website reported 261 customers still without power. WMECO serves more than 64,000 customers in Springfield.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where a car hit a utility pole early on Plumtreee Road early Tuesday morning, knocking out power to a section of East Forest Park:

View Larger Map

Bulger is the son of former Massachusetts Senate President William Bulger.

AP photoMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick Ireland and Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo during a press conference at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday, April 21, 2011 where they discussed and unveiled legislation designed to overhaul the state Probation Department.

BOSTON (AP) — The top lawyer at the state Probation Department has been fired by the agency's acting commissioner for allegedly leaking information to the department's disgraced former head.

Acting Commissioner Ronald Corbett Jr. said in a confidential order dated May 9 and obtained by The Boston Globe that Christopher Bulger "violated his professional duty" by repeatedly briefing Corbett's predecessor, John J. O'Brien Jr. about the investigation into his conduct.

Corbett called for Bulger's dismissal for reasons including "inefficiency, incompetence" and "negligence in the performance of duties."

Bulger is the son of former Massachusetts Senate President William Bulger.

O'Brien resigned during an investigation into a hiring scandal.

Bulger's lawyer called his client's dismissal "absolutely outrageous."

Paul Ware Jr., who conducted an independent investigation into the department, said Monday that Bulger's firing was well justified.

Romney tells NBC in an interview that while Obama wasn't responsible for the recession he inherited, "he made things worse. He's failed."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is calling Barack Obama "one of the most ineffective presidents" he's ever seen, and says he can beat him next year.

Romney tells NBC in an interview that while Obama wasn't responsible for the recession he inherited, "he made things worse. He's failed."

Romney also says he thinks Obama lacks "a cogent assessment" of world affairs. The Republican charges, in his words, "The Arab spring came, one of the greatest opportunities we've seen in decades, and we've been flatfooted."

Romney, who plans to formally get into the GOP race later this week, says he doesn't think his Mormon faith will be an obstacle to winning the GOP presidential nod, saying "we're not electing a pastor in chief, we're electing a commander in chief."

View full sizeAP PhotoW. Mitt Romney

Today's poll: Will the economy be better or worse six months from now?

Dave Roback | The Republican05.30.2011 | AGAWAM - Memorial Day ceremonies mark the 10th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Veteran's Cemetery in Agawam on Monday. Here Mary Pellerin of Springfield places flowers on her husband Robery Pellerin's gravesite. Find more Memorial Day stories, photos and videos here.

The Forecast

ABC 40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Dan Brown says it'll be hot again today, but not quite as humid. He writes that Tuesday will be "...slightly drier with dew points falling into the 50s however it will be just as warm with temperatures back close to 90. There should be plenty of sunshine and it looks as though the showers and storms will stay away."

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for tomorrow, noting a low probability of severe thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. The storms may bring strong winds and large hail.

Find the full forecast here.

Today's Poll

A recent poll by Boston-based consulting firm Mass Insight found that respondents in the 413 area code were less optimistic about the economy than respondents in other parts of the state.

Asked if the economy would be better or worse six months from now, Western Massachusetts respondents had the highest percentage saying “Worse” of any region in the state.

The Republican's Jim Kinney writes:

And how people feel about the economy can, in turn, impact the economy, said William H. Guenther, president of Mass Insight.

“It’s a feedback loop. Bad news makes people think twice about spending money. Poor sales result in poor economic news,” Guenther said in a phone interview.

What do you think -- will the economy be better or worse six months from now? Vote in our poll and check back tomorrow for the results.

Thursday's results: On Thursday we asked, "Should the Massachusetts sales tax holiday happen every year?" 16 people voted. 93.75% said "Yes"; 6.25% said "No".

Monday's Top 5

The top 5 headlines on MassLive.com on May 30 were:

1. 2011 Longmeadow High School prom [photo gallery]


2. WFCR's Bob Paquette, host of Morning Edition, dies from suspected heart attack


3. 2011 Suffield High Prom [photo gallery]


4. Westfield High School Students Tom Costello and Ryan Angco barred from graduation over fake 'Star Wars' battle in lunchroom


5. Leslie Evans of Springfield facing multiple motor vehicle charges after high-speed police chase through Indian Orchard

Quote of the Day

"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."
&mdash Robert C. Holub, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on the death of WFCR Senior News Producer Bob Paquette. Read George Lenker's story here.

Video footage of a dolphin frolicking near a Cape Cod jetty; a peek at Richie Neal's campaign finances; and more of this morning's news.

• Afghan leader warns NATO not to become 'occupying force' [Reuters.com]


• More sick, dead, in outbreak of E. coli in Europe [FoxNews.com]


Steve Haines for The Boston Globe Residents of Western Massachusetts have long flocked to Cape Cod for get-away summer weekends. Pictured here are Springfield residents Evelyn and Enrique Chavez and their children, Gabriela, 12, and Marcel, 9, who were among the many tourists who enjoyed bright skies and balmy breezes in Hyannis over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the unofficial start to summer.
• Stock market prepared for gains after long holiday weekend [CNN.com]


• Massachusetts' acting probation chief fires agency’s top lawyer [Boston.com]


• A peek at U.S. Rep. Richie Neal’s campaign war chest [ValleyAdvocate.com]


• Authorities in New Hampshire search for girl swept away in riptide off Hampton Beach [Boston.com]


• The bilingual advantage [NYTimes.com]


• Man shot dead outside Hartford convenience store [Courant.com]




WATCH A VIDEO of a dolphin swimming near a jetty at a Cape Cod beach:

• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


• Read more News Links »


• Do you have News Links? Send them our way or tweet them to @masslivenews

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

West Springfield police charged the suspects with larceny over $250.

(Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen)03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – A West Springfield Police Department cruiser.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – A report of shoplifters at Kohl’s on Saturday night yielded the arrest of four women from North Adams and some $2,000 in stolen merchandise - some of it from the Holyoke Mall, police said.

“It was a pretty good pinch,” Sgt. Michael J. Banas said.

The incident, Banas said, began shortly after 7:30 p.m. when security personnel at the Riverdale Street store called police to report a shoplifting in progress.

Police arrested the women, who were allegedly in possession of some $750 worth of merchandise from Kohl’s.

Police, searching the suspects’ vehicle, allegedly found over $1,000 in merchandise stolen from stores in the Holyoke Mall, including Victoria’s Secret, Old Navy, Charlotte Russe, Christmas Tree Shops, Target, Banas said.

Charges are pending against the four in Holyoke as well, Banas said.

Those arrested were: Mary Siblia, 21; Taylor Miller, 19; Kristen Lynn Levesque; 22; and Meghan Gleason, 21; all live at 21 Blackington St., North Adams, according to police documents.

All four were charged with larceny over $250, documents state.

Efforts are underway to remove the vehicle.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – State police on Interstate 91 are dealing with a disabled vehicle in a dangerous place - the northbound high speed lane at the Chicopee Curve.

The disabled vehicle was reported shortly after 9 a.m., Sgt. Alan Joubert said. “It’s pretty chaotic,” he said of the disrupted traffic.

Efforts are underway to remove the vehicle, Joubert said.

The Recreation Department hopes to start the final phase of work on the field in the fall and have a 90-foot diamond ready for baseball next spring.

File photo | The Republican11.19.2006 | NORTHAMPTON - One of the last major renovations at Veterans Field included the construction of a skateboard park.

NORTHAMPTON – Baseball will not be coming to Veterans Fields this year, but the Recreation Department is hoping they can yell “Play ball!” there in 2012.

The once-soggy field, which was heavily used by various leagues, has lain fallow sport-wise for several years, awaiting a face-lift that has included a new surface and better drainage. In 2004, the City Council appropriated $455,280 towards the project, but it dragged on past its anticipated completion thanks to a series of unexpected delays.

In the meantime, a group of local skateboarders and their supporters managed to raise money for a $344,000 a state-of-the-art skate park at the edge of the field. It opened in 2007 and has been a draw ever since, but the playing fields were never built.

Recreation Department Director Ann Marie Moggio expects that to change soon, however. Moggio said her request for $25,000 to buy a backstop and build a dugout area is in Mayor Mary Clare Higgins’ capital plan for 2012. If the item is approved by the City Council, the ball field will have the green light at last.

“We’re very excited,” Moggio said.

Once the appropriation is secure, the Recreation Department will go out to bid on the project. It hopes to start the final phase of work on the field in the fall and have the 90-foot diamond ready for baseball next spring. With the new drainage system in place, the field promises to be a drier sports venue. Moggio said plans call for home plate to be moved back closer to the southeast edge of the field, decreasing the probability of home runs into the skateboard park in right.

“When you stand back in the corner where home plate will be, you’ll say, ‘This is definitely enough,’” Moggio said.

Moggio expects the Junior League to use the field, along with the Northampton High School and Smith Vocational High School baseball teams. Other leagues might use the facility as well, she said.

The prom will be held Friday, but the prom banquet and senior trip have been canceled.

Republican file photoNearly $9,000 was stolen.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Officials at Pittsfield High School promise to do everything they can to make sure the prom is held as scheduled despite the theft of nearly $9,000 raised by students to fund the event.

Principal Tracey Benson and Superintendent Howard Eberwein III say they are "95 percent sure" the prom will be held Friday, but the prom banquet and senior trip have been canceled because of the missing money.

Parents tell The Berkshire Eagle the money was apparently stolen from a teacher's desk early Thursday — senior prank day

School officials and police did not release further details because the investigation is ongoing.

Students and parents are hoping the theft was a simply a prank. In the meantime, students are trying to pack in fundraisers this week before prom night.

___

Information from: The Berkshire Eagle, http://www.berkshireeagle.com

On Wall Street, Apple shares rose $5.49 to $342.90 almost immediately on the news.

File photo / Associated PressApple Inc. Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, March 2.

NEW YORK – Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs will take a break from medical leave to deliver the keynote speech at next week’s Apple conference, the company said Tuesday.

On Wall Street, Apple shares rose $5.49, or 1.6 percent, to $342.90 after rising as high as $344.09 earlier in the session on the news.

Jobs went on medical leave in January for unspecified reasons, handing over day-to-day control to chief operating officer Tim Cook. Jobs has remained involved in larger decisions at the company, and demonstrated the new iPad model at a news conference in March.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday in San Francisco. The keynote speech will feature Apple’s new Mac software, Lion, and the next version of Apple’s iPhone and iPad software, the company said.

Apple said the keynote will also feature an “iCloud” service, but didn’t explain what the service will do. Apple has been in talks with all four major recording companies on a music service that will allow users to stream songs stored on remote computer servers, presumably to an array of portable Apple-made devices, a person familiar with the matter said recently. The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the deals and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Such a service would give users a wide array of music on-the-go, without having to worry about limited storage space and the need to physically connect different devices to transfer songs.

The June developers’ conference has in years past been the opportunity for Apple to reveal the year’s new iPhone model, ahead of a retail launch a few weeks later. But this year, analysts are speculating that the new iPhone won’t arrive until the fall. Apple launched a version of the iPhone 4 for Verizon’s network in February, and a June-July release of a new model could disappoint new owners of that phone.

The brief statement Tuesday did not mention any new hardware.

Former deputy chief of staff David Morales testified about several conversations he had with Richard McDonough, a close friend of DiMasi, about performance management software.

Gov. Deval Patrick, left, is seen here with former Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Richard McDonough, a lobbyist and codefendant in former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s corruption trial, told a senior aide to Gov. Deval L. Patrick in 2007 that the adoption of a software contract – directed to “the right vendor” – would help improve a rocky relationship between the rookie governor and the veteran speaker.

“He wanted to make sure it went to the right vendor who could actually have experience performing similar work,” said David Morales, Patrick’s former deputy chief of staff who was brought on by the administration as a special adviser in March 2007 after Patrick’s first term got off to a rough start.

The outcome of the contract, Morales said McDonough told him, “would be important from his perspective to improve relationships between the speaker and the governor.”

Morales added that he knew McDonough to be a “close personal friend” of DiMasi’s and believed McDonough was communicating DiMasi’s wishes. Morales also indicated McDonough was lobbying on behalf of Montvale Solutions, a reseller of software from Cognos Corp., the company at the center of allegations that DiMasi, McDonough and accountant Richard Vitale conspired to implement a kickback scheme and defrauded taxpayers of DiMasi’s “honest services.”

DiMasi, McDonough and Vitale are charged wither steering two state contracts – a $4.5 million education software deal in 2006 and a $13 million statewide deal awarded by the Patrick administration in 2007 – to Cognos in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. The speaker is accused of using his authority to insert those contract authorizations in legislation.

The defendants have denied any wrongdoing, calling all financial transactions in question legal and suggesting DiMasi’s interest in the software offered by Cognos was part of his effort to improve state government.

Montvale Solutions, the company Morales said McDonough had been representing, was run at the time by Cognos salesman Joseph Lally. Lally pled guilty in March to conspiring with DiMasi, McDonough and Vitale in the alleged kickback scheme. Morales said he met Lally in the State House briefly during a hallway encounter when Lally was walking around with McDonough.

Morales, who is now a vice president with Steward Health Care, said McDonough would call him occasionally to check up on the status of the pending performance management contract, “just like other lobbyists would.”

Morales joined Gov. Patrick’s staff in early 2007, leaving the office of Senate President Robert Travaglini, who himself was preparing to depart and become a lobbyist. Morales was appointed Patrick’s deputy chief of staff and oversaw policy, legislative strategy and, according to Morales, the political ramifications of policy decisions.

During cross-examination, McDonough’s attorney Thomas Drechsler emphasized that McDonough had also reached out to Morales about another lobbying client, Cambridge Health Alliance, a hospital that cares for a large share of indigent patients.

Drechsler also pointed out that lobbyists frequently point to support from ranking lawmakers when they lobby the Executive Branch.

“It’s not unusual for a lobbyist to come to someone in your various positions in the State House and cite the support of a committee chairman or the majority leader or the speaker,” Drechsler posited.

Morales agreed. Under questioning from Drechsler, Morales also recalled a discussion with McDonough about setting up a golf game between DiMasi and Patrick’s chief of staff at the time, Doug Rubin.

Morales, who would later go on to become Patrick’s commissioner of health care finance and policy, departed in March to join Steward Health Care, a subsidiary of Cerberus Capital Management that recently purchased Massachusetts's Caritas Christi hospital chain.

Under questioning from DiMasi’s lawyer, William Cintolo, Morales said he was long aware of DiMasi’s interest in performance management but had never heard DiMasi specifically mention Cognos.

Also under questioning from Cintolo, Morales noted the Legislature has no role in procuring state contracts, once they are authorized in legislation, and the Patrick administration had the final say on any proposed contracts.

Morales also noted that McDonough, despite a close relationship with the speaker, was not always successful in his lobbying requests.

“There were times when he advocated things that just didn’t happen?” Cintolo said. Morales answered in the affirmative.

More details coming on MassLive and in The Republican.

The hearing is one of several being held around the state.

S.P. Sullivan, MassLive.comL-R, Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, Rep. Michael Moran and Sen. Stanley Rosenberg hear testimony at the Joint Committee on Redistricting's public hearing in Springfield.

The Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, tasked with redrawing Massachusetts' Congressional and Legislative districts, will hold a hearing in Greenfield Tuesday evening.

The Commonwealth lost one of its 10 Congressional seats after the results of the 2010 census showed its population growth did not keep pace with other states, which means the committee, chaired by Sen. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, will have to redraw Congressional boundaries based on a shrunken delegation.

Western Mass., which currently holds two Congressional seats headquartered in the region and stretching out into Worcester county, has been seen as a potential target to lose representation, because population growth in the 1st Congressional district was among the slowest in the state.

In an interview at the onset of the statewide hearings, Rosenberg said that most of those who testify at the hearings — which are being held around the state — come out to call for preservation of their district.

"Every region of the state has an argument for why their district shouldn't be destroyed, why their member of Congress should be protected in some way," Rosenberg said. "And then, of course, the general public says 'Don't protect incumbents.' But of course when it comes time to vote, they re-elect them by very wide margins."

The initial hearing, held in Springfield, drew support for Congressmen Richard Neal, D-Springfield, and John Olver, D-Amherst, who would potentially become rivals in 2012 were the committee to eliminate one of the Western Massachusetts-based districts. Listen to testimony from the hearing »

Tuesday's hearing will be held at Greenfield Community College's Sloan Theater at 6 p.m. Members of the public can also submit written testimony and recommendations through the committee's website.

Another hearing is scheduled in Pittsfield on June 11.

Some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor.

MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

AP Photo/Nati HarnikOmaha resident Julie Pelton talks to a friend on her cellular phone in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, April 20, 2011. Pelton and her husband both use cell phones and have given up their land line.

LONDON (AP) — An international panel of experts says cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of published studies.

The statement was issued in Lyon, France, on Tuesday by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a weeklong meeting of experts. They reviewed possible links between cancer and the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar.

The agency is the cancer arm of the World Health Organization and the assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.

The group classified cellphones in category 2B, meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Other substances in that category include the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.

Last year, results of a large study found no clear link between cellphones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren't sufficient to make the case.

The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago.

In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people.

Because cellphones are so popular, it may be impossible for experts to compare cellphone users who develop brain tumors with people who don't use the devices. According to a survey last year, the number of cellphone subscribers worldwide has hit 5 billion, or nearly three-quarters of the global population.

People's cellphone habits have also changed dramatically since the first studies began years ago and it's unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.

Since many cancerous tumors take decades to develop, experts say it's impossible to conclude cellphones have no long-term health risks. The studies conducted so far haven't tracked people for longer than about a decade.

Cellphones send signals to nearby towers via radio frequency waves, a form of energy similar to FM radio waves and microwaves. But the radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light. At very high levels, radio frequency waves from cellphones can heat up body tissue, but that is not believed to damage human cells.

According to Cancer Research U.K., the only health danger firmly connected to cellphones is a higher risk of car accidents. The group recommends children under 16 only use cellphones for essential calls because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.

Also, a recent U.S. National Institutes of Health study found that cellphone use can speed up brain activity, but it is unknown whether that has any dangerous health effects.

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Online:

http://www.iarc.fr

http://www.cancer.org

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org