Deborah Goldberg is the only candidate running so far running for Massachusetts state treasurer, but State Sen. Barry Finegold and State Rep. Tom Conroy are likely to get into the race in January.

BOSTON — State treasurer Steve Grossman's decision to run for governor opens up a race for another one of the state's constitutional offices.

Deborah Goldberg, a former Brookline selectwoman and one-time candidate for lieutenant governor, has had the treasurer's race to herself since October.But, political observers say state Sen. Barry Finegold, of Andover, and state Rep. Tom Conroy, of Wayland, are likely to get into the race early in the new year, opening up a possible three-way Democratic primary.

No Republicans have announced their intentions to run for treasurer, although state Republican Party spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said the party has a likely candidate, who will announce in January or early February.

Former U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez, a Republican, has been named as a possible contender but has not given any indication publicly that he is considering the treasurer's race.

Along with chairing the state Lottery Commission, the treasurer oversees a $9.3 million budget and has just over 100 employees. Among other duties, the state treasurer oversees the Unclaimed Property Division, the state Retirement Board, and the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The treasurer also serves as chair of the state School Building Authority and the $57 billion Pension Reserves Investment Management Board.

Deborah Goldberg

State treasurer candidate Deborah GoldbergCourtesy Deborah Goldberg 

For now, Goldberg has the field to herself.

She had $72,000 in her campaign bank account as of Dec. 15, and plans to hire staff in January.

Goldberg, 59, is a Brookline native who dates her political involvement back to being a 7-year-old mascot for Michael Dukakis' 1961 state representative run. She has volunteered for the campaigns of former U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and others.

Goldberg became a Brookline selectman in 1998 and served for six years, the last two as chair. In 2006, she ran for lieutenant governor, but lost in the Democratic primary to Tim Murray. She was elected Democratic state committeewoman in 2012.

She serves on the board of directors of the treasurer's Commonwealth Covenant Fund, which provides tuition reimbursements to low-income students who study and work in science and math-related fields.

Professionally, Goldberg's family founded Stop & Shop supermarkets, and she worked for the company until it was sold in 1988. She attended Boston College Law School and Harvard Business School.

She has been active in various non-profits working on strategy, audits and management. She is president of an adoption agency, executive committee member of the education reform group Center for Collaborative Education, and has worked with Planned Parenthood, Combined Jewish Philanthropies and other groups.

"Every single thing I have done is a perfect fit in this very diverse, complicated and important area of state government," Goldberg said. As a selectwoman, she said, she was involved with issues surrounding school buildings, pensions and lottery distributions. She has negotiated with unions, and, at Stop & Shop, worked with those selling lottery tickets.

"I have a marketing background and can work on the lottery and how we work in that competitive environment, should outside things such as casino gambling impact us," Goldberg said.

Goldberg says she would focus on creating a more robust financial literacy program for children, seniors and adults.

She also wants to increase the number of women, minorities and immigrants who are on boards and involved with public policy.

One major issue facing Massachusetts is its unfunded liabilities for pensions and retiree health benefits. Goldberg said she wants to work with the governor and administration and finance officials to identify untapped revenue sources that can go toward unfunded liabilities. She also wants to create a "think tank of financial experts" to look at possible funding instruments. "These are the kind of things we need to be creative about without taking any risks with what presently exists," Goldberg said.

Asked about attempts to have the state divest its pension funds from fossil fuels, Goldberg said she thinks the treasurer has a role in speaking about moral issues. At the same time, any decision to divest must be taken thoughtfully and done over time to avoid harming investments.

Tom Conroy

Wayland State Rep. Tom ConroyAP Photo/Elise Amendola, File 

Conroy, 51, holds a master's degree in business administration from Boston University and spent most of his career in business consulting, working for several consulting companies between 1995 and 2011. He has been a legislator since 2007, where he is now chairman of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. He considered running for treasurer in 2009 but decided against it. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2011 but dropped out before the Democratic primary, citing difficulties fundraising after Elizabeth Warren entered the race. He said he is "seriously considering" the 2014 treasurer's race and will make an announcement in January.

Conroy's first experiences in politics came after he graduated from Yale College and worked for U.S. Sens. Gary Hart, D-Colo., and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., In the early 1990s, he traveled to Thailand, Cambodia and Haiti, working with refugees.

As a state legislator, Conroy has been involved with issues relating to the state's unfunded liabilities for pensions and retiree health care benefits. "The work I've done as a state representative has been very focused on issues and responsibilities that the treasurer's office faces," Conroy said.

One bill he wrote directed funds from a settlement with tobacco companies to a trust fund for OPEB (other post employment benefits). Another bill directs the money the state gets from civil settlements to the OPEB trust fund or the state's rainy day fund, officially called the stabilization fund. Previously, the money from both settlements went into the state's general fund. Conroy said his bills allowed the state to use additional, non-taxpayer revenue to make the health care trust fund more solvent and add to the rainy day fund, which helps the state maintain a high bond rating and low interest rates.

"We're not spending it willy-nilly. We're actually saving it and parking it into the stabilization fund. That’s something credit agencies like," Conroy said.

In other areas, Conroy said he wants to increase spending on water and sewer infrastructure. He wants to expand a program that Grossman put in place investing state money in local banks. He wants to expand the portfolio of student loans administered by the treasurer's office.

Conroy had $15,000 in his state campaign account as of his last report in June.

Barry Finegold

State Sen. Barry FinegoldWebsite of Barry Finegold 

Finegold spokesman Dan Cence said Finegold is not doing interviews about the treasurer's race until after he makes a final decision.

"He's taking a hard look at it," Cence said.

Finegold has raised a significant sum of money this year and had $271,000 in his state campaign account as of June.

Finegold, 42, an attorney, served as a representative from 1997 to 2011, then was elected to the state Senate. He chairs the Joint Committee on Election Laws and is vice chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

Finegold has held elected office since age 24, when he was elected Andover selectman, a year before he ran for the Legislature.

He is the son of teachers and grew up in low-income housing in Boston. He has a law degree from Massachusetts School of Law and a master's in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Finegold worked with Grossman on a bill creating a curriculum to promote financial literacy among middle and high school students. He ran a first time homebuyer program in Lawrence.

In other areas, he helped pass a 2007 bill to designate emergency rooms and police stations as places where parents could legally leave their newborn child if they could not care for the child. He has worked to expand charter schools. He has pushed for election reforms, such as online voter registration and early voting.

The Amherst Select Board would vote on any increases at a meeting later in the month.

AMHERST – Water and sewer rates are expected to rise slightly for the next fiscal year and the Select Board will be discussing those hikes Monday night.

A vote will come later in the month.

Town Manager John P. Musante in a memo to the board is recommending a 1.5 percent hike in the water rate and a 2.8 percent hike in the sewer rate for the fiscal year that would begin July 1.

Musante stated that the average water bill is projected to increase $6 from $408 to $414 per year with the average sewer bill projected to rise by $12 from $426 to $438.

Rates would rise from $3.40 to $3.45 for water and $3.55 to $3.65 per 100 cubic feet.
He wrote that the town’s rates are substantially below the state average water bill of $498 and sewer bill of $646. Sewer rates went up last year by 10 cents but water rates remained the same.

Musante pointed out that based on the 2012 Water and Sewer Rate Survey compiled by Tighe & Bond, Hadley had bills of $455 for water and $648 for sewer, with the average Northampton resident paying $552 and $696 respectively.

The water budget is expected to decrease by 0.2 percent because of lower capital costs but fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 capital costs are expected to continue to increase.
“The increase in water rates is proposed to keep fund balance reasonable, and to provide a more gradual increase in future water rates as future capital costs increase.”

In fiscal 2015, the town will begin paying on the debt for the Pine Street water main improvements, he wrote. The department will also see more than $200,000 in water capital costs for fiscal 2015 including $50,000 for water treatment system improvements and $100,000 for water distribution system improvements, among others.

He is also anticipating $240,000 in sewer capital costs including $200,000 for an upgrade to the electrical system at the wastewater treatment plant for fiscal 2015. The Select Board meets at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall.

Seasonably warm temperatures to extreme cold in store for the region.

 

New England shivered this weekend under some of the coldest temperatures it has suffered in decades. Friday night into Saturday morning saw temperatures as low as 17 below zero at Westover Municipal Airport in Chicopee, 13 below in Greenfield and minus 8 degrees in Springfield.

On the other extreme, CBS3 meteorologist Mike Skurko is forecasting temperatures in the 40's later Sunday into Monday. He said we may see periods of freezing rain before it changes over to all rain by Sunday afternoon. The rain will continue into Monday morning.

But then, the Polar Vortex, a huge counter clockwise flow of air, will pull a frigid Arctic air mass down from northern Canada into the Midwest, as far south as the Gulf Coast and on into New England.

Meteorologists are forecasting lows in the range of 25 to 30 degrees below zero in the Midwest and wind chill factors as low as 70 below zero. Minnesota has called off school for the entire state Monday, the first time that has happened in 17 years.

New England may not see temperatures that low when the Vortex hits here Tuesday, Skurko said. But, low temperatures below zero may be likely Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The extreme cold may disrupt air travel as aircraft may be grounded by the cold. And if a 250-pound defensive tackle is not enough to make professional football a challenge, meteorologists are predicting that the Packers-49ers NFL game in Green Bay will start with a temperature of about 2-below zero. It may get colder as the game progresses.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

A one-car crash closed East Longmeadow Road for hours.

 

Wilbraham Police Officer Jesse Nason said the early Sunday morning crash in the vicinity of 84 East Longmeadow Road remains under investigation, but did say the sole occupant of the car at the time of the crash was taken to the Baystate Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Nason said the vehicle, a Chrysler SUV, was traveling northbound on East Longmeadow Road at the time of the crash. Police are still trying to determine what precipitated the accident, but Nason said charges will be filed in the incident.

National Grid is on the scene and replacing the utility pole, but Nason said the road will remain closed until noon or 1 p.m. Sunday.

Wales native Mike Valanzola will officially announce his candidacy in a district-wide tour on Tuesday, where he will tour local businesses and begin introducing himself to the voters of the 1st Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Middlesex District.

In the quest to represent a district stretching from Hampshire County in the west to Middlesex County in the east, another Republican challenger has emerged to take on longtime state Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre.

View full sizeWales native Mike Valanzola, a Republican, is running for the state Senate seat currently held by Democrat Stephen Brewer of Barre. (Submitted photo) 

Wales native Mike Valanzola will officially announce his candidacy in a district-wide tour on Tuesday, where he will tour local businesses and begin introducing himself to the voters of the 1st Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Middlesex District.

"We're spending our announcement day in every corner of the district," Valanzola said in a press release. "And we'll continue to do the same thing throughout the rest of the campaign, to make sure everyone has a chance to get to know what I can do for them and this district"

During his district-wide campaign kickoff, Valanzola will visit Paxton, Rutland, Hubbardston, Templeton, Baldwinville, Winchendon, Athol, Ware and Palmer. The day of campaigning concludes with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff rally in Sturbridge at the American Legion Post 109, which is open to the public.

Brewer has been in the state legislature since the 1990s. Republican James Ehrhard of Sturbridge also recently announced his campaign for the seat.

Valanzola is the current Chairman of the Tantasqua Regional School District and previously served as a Wales selectman for two terms. He is employed by the multinational technology firm EMC Corporation, headquartered in Hopkinton.

Valanzola's campaign said they will be announcing his location throughout the day Tuesday through the candidate's Facebook page and Twitter feed.

No injuries were reported.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A plane from Toronto slid into snow as it turned onto a taxiway after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday, leading the airport to temporarily suspend flights from taking off and landing because of icy runways.

No injuries were reported after Delta Connection 4100 landed at 8 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. The CRJ2 aircraft was turning off the runway onto a taxiway when it slid into the snow, she said.

The plane was then towed to a gate with passengers on board, she said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said 35 people were aboard the plane.

The airport temporarily suspended operations for domestic and international flights because of slick runways, though it remained open. Flights are still operating at other New York City-area airports, including at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty, the Port Authority said.

The landing came two days after a major snowstorm dumped a half foot of snow in New York City, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and stranding passengers both in the city and throughout the country who were heading to New York.

The Delta Connection flight by Endeavor Air originated in Toronto. Endeavor Air was formerly Pinnacle Airlines.

Update, 10:53 a.m. EST: Flights have now resumed.

Fire officials believe freezing temperatures caused the pipe to burst at a boarding house for homeless people in Boston, displacing 50 residents.

BOSTON (AP) — A burst sprinkler system pipe at a boarding house for homeless people in Boston displaced 50 residents and caused major damage to the building.

The pipe burst Saturday evening on the top floor of the three-story building in the Jamaica Plain section and sent water gushing down to the basement. Officials had to turn off utilities to the building because of the water.

Building residents had to leave the home in cold temperatures, but were able to stay on two buses provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Officials say many of the residents were taken to hotels and others stayed with family or friends.

Fire officials believe freezing temperatures caused the pipe to burst.

It's not clear if there are long-term housing plans for residents of the building.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States will support Iraq's fight against al-Qaida-linked militants who have overrun two cities, but won't send in American troops.

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the United States will support Iraq's fight against al-Qaida-linked militants who have overrun two cities, but won't send in American troops.

Kerry said the militants are trying to destabilize the region and undermine a democratic process in Iraq, and that the U.S. is in contact with tribal leaders in Anbar province who are standing up to the terrorists.

But, he said, "this is a fight that belongs to the Iraqis. That is exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we left Iraq, so we are not obviously contemplating returning. We are not contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight. ... We will help them in their fight, but this fight, in the end, they will have to win and I am confident they can."

Al-Qaida linked gunmen have largely taken over the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in an uprising that has been a blow to the Shiite-led government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Bombings in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killed at least 20 people Sunday.

Anbar, a vast desert area on the borders with Syria and Jordan, was the heartland of the Sunni insurgency that rose up against American troops and the Iraqi government after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The Prophet Muhammad Mosque looks over a burned police vehicle left in the main street of Fallujah after clashes between Iraqi security forces and al-Qaeda fighters in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. Lt. Gen. Rasheed Fleih, who leads the Anbar Military Command, told the state television Sunday that "two to three days" are needed to push the militants out of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. (AP Photo) 

In 2004, insurgents in Fallujah killed four American security contractors, hanging their burned bodies from a bridge. Ramadi and other cities have remained battlegrounds as sectarian bloodshed has mounted, with Shiite militias killing Sunnis.

"We are very, very concerned about the efforts of al-Qaida and the Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant, which is affiliated with al-Qaida, who are trying to assert their authority not just in Iraq, but in Syria," Kerry said.

"These are the most dangerous players in that region. Their barbarism against the civilians in Ramadi and Fallujah and against Iraqi security forces is on display for everyone in the world to see."

Kerry made the comments as he left Jerusalem for talks with leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia about his Mideast peace-making efforts after three days of lengthy meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kerry said some progress was made in what he described as "very serious, very intensive conversations," but key hurdles are yet to be overcome.

His talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh covered the peace process, Syria and Iraq.

After his short stay in Amman, Kerry flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then took a 30-minute helicopter ride to King Abdullah's desert palace.

The Saudi leader developed an initiative in 2002 in which the Arab world offered comprehensive peace with Israel in exchange for a full pullout from all territories it captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

The initiative, revolutionary when it was introduced, has been endorsed by the Arab League and, technically, remains in effect.

"Saudi Arabia's initiative holds out the prospect that if the parties could arrive at a peaceful resolution, you could instantaneously have peace between the 22 Arab nations and 35 Muslim nations, all of whom have said they will recognize Israel if peace is achieved," Kerry said.

"Imagine how that changes the dynamics of travel, of business, of education, of opportunity in this region, of stability. Imagine what peace could mean for trade and tourism, what it could mean for developing technology and talent, for job opportunities for the younger generation, for generations in all of these countries," Kerry said.

Kerry, who arrived in the region Thursday, is trying to nudge Abbas and Netanyahu closer to a peace pact that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The talks have entered an intense phase aimed at getting the two sides to agree on a framework and provide guidance toward a final settlement. Reaching a deal on that framework is not expected on this trip, Kerry's 10th to the region for peace talks.

On another issue roiling the Middle East, Kerry did not dismiss the idea that Iran could play a constructive role in finding a resolution to the civil war in Syria, even if Tehran is not a full participant in a conference on Syria this month in Switzerland.

The U.S. has objected to Iran's participation because it hasn't publicly endorsed the principles from an earlier peace conference that called for a transitional government in Syria, and is backing militias, including the Iranian-allied Lebanese Hezbollah group that has aided the troops of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"If Iran doesn't support that, it's difficult to see how they are going to be a ministerial partner in the process," Kerry said.

"Now could they contribute from the sidelines? Are there ways for them, conceivably, to weigh in? ... It may be that there are ways that that could happen," Kerry said.

Friends of 20-year-old East Providence, R.I. resident Daniel Larue told authorities that they haven't seen him since around 10 p.m. Thursday when he was reportedly distraught and emotional.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Police in Rhode Island are asking the public for help locating a young man who hasn't been seen or heard from for several days.

View full sizeDaniel Larue 

Friends of 20-year-old East Providence, R.I. resident Daniel Larue told authorities that they haven't seen him since around 10 p.m. Thursday when he was reportedly distraught and emotional.

Larue is described as a white male, standing around 6-feet tall with a thin build, short blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, brown dress shoes and a black and gray plaid jacket with a turquoise beanie, according to police.

Larue's loved ones told police that he is a musician and poet, and may be somewhere known for catering to the arts.

Anyone with information about Larue's disappearance or whereabouts is asked to call the East Providence Police Department at 401-435-7600.

Syrian opposition fighters seized a compound garrisoned by an al-Qaida-linked rebel faction Sunday, in some of the most serious infighting to date within the vast array of rebel groups trying to topple President Bashar Assad, activists said.

By DIAA HADID, Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition fighters seized a compound garrisoned by an al-Qaida-linked rebel faction Sunday, in some of the most serious infighting to date within the vast array of rebel groups trying to topple President Bashar Assad, activists said.

The clashes between a loose alliance of opposition brigades and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have spread across northern Syria since they began late last week. The rebel-on-rebel violence marks the strongest pushback yet by moderate and ultra-conservative anti-Assad fighters against radical extremist insurgents linked to al-Qaida who have sought to impose their strict interpretation of Islam on opposition-held areas of the country.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has many foreign fighters in its ranks, has clashed repeatedly with more moderate rebel groups since it aggressively pushed into Syria from neighboring Iraq in last spring. The infighting has left scores dead on both sides, and has undermined the overall rebel movement's efforts to oust Assad.

The latest clashes broke out on Friday after residents accused ISIL members of killing a doctor in Syria's northern province of Aleppo. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the doctor was found dead after being shot several times.

The newly created Islamic Front, an umbrella group of powerful, mostly ultra-conservative Islamic fighters, issued a statement ordering the ISIL to hand over the doctor's killers so they can stand trial. Clashes later erupted between the groups.

Fighting quickly spread to rebel-held areas of the northeastern province of Idlib and the central province of Hama. On Sunday, the violence widened again, with at least one clash outside of Aleppo pitting ISIL against another al-Qaida-linked group, the Nusra Front, said Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Clashes also erupted in the town of Tabqa in the northern province of Raqqa, where the ISIL is most dominant, said Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman. Other activists reported ISIL was pushed out of the town of Atmeh.

Some of the heaviest fighting Sunday took place in the town of Manbij in Aleppo province, where rebels seized an ISIL compound, activists said. The Observatory said ISIL fighters used car bombs, a tactic usually reserved for attacking government forces, for the first time to defend its territory.

Popular resentment of the ISIL has been brewing in northern Syria for months. The group is seen as particularly brutal, even by the measures of Syria's bloody conflict, for its abductions and killings of anti-Assad activists, journalists and civilians seen as critical of its rule.

But other residents welcome the group for chasing out thugs who terrorized people in opposition-held areas, and for distributing food and aid to the poor.

ISIL is the rebranded version of al-Qaida's Iraqi affiliate, which emerged in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province following the 2003-U.S. led invasion of Iraq.

Last week, the group's fighters seized control of the key Anbar town of Fallujah, scattering Iraqi government forces. It also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a Shiite-dominated Beirut neighborhood.

Some activists hailed the fight against the Islamic State as a second "revolution," but it wasn't clear whether the fighting against the al-Qaida-affiliated group could unite the constellation of rebel groups who have failed to forge a unified command over the 2 ½ year conflict against Assad.

The groups battling ISIL come from a series of different rebel coalitions. Some are rivals to each other, and at least one group, the Army of the Holy Fighters, said in a video uploaded to the Internet that they were battling the Islamic State because it did not properly accept Islamic law.

The Western-backed Syrian opposition in exile has welcomed the fighting against the Islamic State, as it sees the group as hijacking its efforts to overthrow Assad.

But the potential loss of rebel-held territory as infighting persists also threatens to weaken Syria's already bruised opposition ahead of an international peace conference scheduled for this month to try to broker a political solution to the civil war.

Syria's pro-government al-Watan newspaper appeared to welcome the infighting, offering this as a headline to an editorial Sunday: "Terrorism eats its sons."

The fire broke out on a first floor apartment in Orange Sunday morning.

 

ORANGE — An apartment complex for disabled elderly residents caught fire Sunday morning displacing 11 people, officials said.

Firefighters from nine communities responded to the fire at 200 East River Street at 8:47 a.m., said Terry Dun, the public information officer for the Northwest Massachusetts Incident Management Team.

"The fire started on a first floor apartment and moved to the second floor," Dun said "Those two apartments are completely uninhabitable and will need major repairs."

The six other apartments in the complex suffered various degrees of smoke damage, he said.

There were no injuries, although one man was treated and released for minor smoke inhalation, Dun said.

He said the American Red Cross assisted the residents placing them in temporary housing or connecting them with relatives.

He said the Orange Fire Department was short staffed because they were assisting the New Salem Fire Department with a major fire that occurred at 4 a.m.

The fire is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Everett Sexton Jr. 

Everett J. Sexton, Jr., 33, passed away on Wednesday. He was born in Holyoke, educated in the Holyoke and Springfield school systems, and worked as a roofer with his father at Sexton Roofing Company. He enjoyed writing and mixing music and dancing and singing. He loved BMX racing and motorcycles.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Barbato, Joseph P. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Barry, Elizabeth B.
  



• 
  Batista, Celeste D. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Briggs, Rosalie A. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Bruso, Shirley
  



• 
  Cahalane, Christine
  



• 
  Calabrese, Anthony J.
  



• 
  Collins, John "Jack" (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Conley, Mary L.
  



• 
  DalMolin, Dino J. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  DeBonis, Guido (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Falcetti, Daniel J. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Fanion, Andrew M.
  



• 
  Fett Sr., Harry
  



• 
  Galas, Marian
  



• 
  Gigliotti, John (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Gigliotti, Triestina (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Gilhooly, James F. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Healy, Joseph A.
  



• 
  Hollum Sr., Harold P. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Iellamo, Nellie (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Jurkowski, Chester P.
  



• 
  LaBelle Jr., Leo P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Landauer, Janice
  



• 
  Langone, Frank J.
  



• 
  LaPalme, Eugene F. and Rita A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Malec, Jeanette
  



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  Michaud, Dennis M.
  



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  Mooney, James P.
  



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  Morton, Donna D.
  



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  Peterson, Russell W.
  



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  Pigeon, Andrew
  



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  Saalfrank, Harold A.
  



• 
  Sexton Jr., Everett J.
  



• 
  Shattuck, George W. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Thomas, Joseph L. (In Memoriam)
  



• 
  Williams, Eugene (In Memoriam)
  

One person died and two people were injured when a plane crashed at the Aspen airport Sunday afternoon, Colorado authorities said.

ASPEN, Colo. — One person died and two people were injured when a plane crashed at the Aspen airport Sunday afternoon, Colorado authorities said.

Three people were aboard the plane Sunday, said Thomas Wright, a dispatcher with the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office. One person was injured severely and another suffered non-serious injuries, he said.

Ginny Dyche, a spokeswoman for Aspen Valley Hospital, said the facility admitted two patients who were involved in the crash. She said they were still being evaluated, but she declined to release any other information.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the aircraft appeared to be a Bombardier Challenger 600, a midsized private jet.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the plane was headed from Tucson, Ariz., and crashed upon landing. Other details of the fiery crash weren't immediately available.

Aspen is located in the Rocky Mountains about 100 miles southwest of Denver.

Firefighters responded to a small fire in Holyoke Sunday morning.

Holyoke Fire Department personnel head up the Mount Tom access road in July to help with the rescue of stranded hikers.File photo by Dave Roback / The Republican 

Capt. Anthony Cerruti, the Public Information Officer for the Holyoke Fire Department, said the call came in at 11:55 a.m. Sunday.

"Someone did not dispose of a cigarette properly and lit some trash on fire," he said.

Cerruti said there were no injuries and no major damage was done to the apartment at 565 South Canal Street.

A woman was arrested for OUI after her car slammed into a house at 97 Pine Street.

SPRINGFIELD— A woman was arrested shortly after midnight as she allegedly tried to run away from her car, after it crashed into a multi-family house on Pine Street.

The woman was apparently traveling south-bound on Pine Street when she lost control of the four-door Nissan. It went into a spin and went off east side of the street, crushed a fence and slid backward across the front lawn of the home and crashed into the house at 97 Pine St.

Capt. Harry Kastrinakis said the woman was arrested by Springfield police near Central Street as she tried to flee the crash site. She is being charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Just hours after being sworn in as mayor, Walsh's team announced the appointment of Chief John Hasson as Interim Fire Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department.

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is slowly but surely building up the ranks of his administration on his first day in office.

Just hours after being sworn in as mayor, Walsh's team announced the appointment of Chief John Hasson as Interim Fire Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department.

Hasson will stay on until a permanent commissioner is appointed after a search that is expected to begin later this week.

"The Boston Fire Department will be in great hands under the leadership of John Hasson," said Walsh in a statement.

Hasson is a 41-year veteran of the BFD and has served as acting chief for the last six months since the resignation of Steve Abraira in June. Abraira resigned after public criticism of his response to the Boston Marathon bombings.

Former commissioner Roderick Fraser left his position today when former Mayor Thomas Menino left office.

Hasson served as the Department's Chief of Operations under both Fraser and Abraira.

"I'm grateful for his service and his commitment to fulfilling the vision of the Boston Fire Department as we work together to improve the services we provide the City of Boston," said Walsh.

Hasson joined the department in 1973.

State Representative Eugene O'Flaherty of Chelsea is leaving his position on the judiciary committee and joining the Walsh administration as chief legal counsel, according to multiple reports. O'Flaherty's legislative district includes Charlestown.

With the falling temperatures, rain changed to snow showers as temperatures are dropping. No accumulations, but with colder air moving in, Watch out for freezing surfaces this evening with overnight lows dropping into the single-digits. Wind chills will range 0 to 10 below for the a.m. bus stop. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for the Berkshires through the...

With the falling temperatures, rain changed to snow showers as temperatures are dropping. No accumulations, but with colder air moving in, Watch out for freezing surfaces this evening with overnight lows dropping into the single-digits. Wind chills will range 0 to 10 below for the a.m. bus stop.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for the Berkshires through the day Tuesday.
Arctic cold settles in as highs stay in the teens for most towns on Tuesday and Wednesday. The worst of the cold will be tomorrow, as 15 to 25 mph winds will keep the wind chills below zero for much of the day. Tuesday night's lows may also dip below zero.

Tonight: Decreasing clouds, freezing surfaces, low 10.

Tuesday: Sun and clouds. Early wind chill near 10 below. High 15.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny lighter wind. High near 20.

Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup also also ordered Farak to serve five years of probation and 500 hours of community service to be completed following jail.

NORTHAMPTON - Former chemist Sonja Farak was given an 18-month jail term Monday after pleading guilty in an evidence-tampering scandal at a University of Massachusetts laboratory.

Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup also ordered Farak to serve five years of probation and 500 hours of community service to be completed following jail. Rup also ordered Farak to do either Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous while in custody.

Rup said that Farak's theft of cocaine samples undermined public faith in the criminal justice system and resulted in the dismissal of cocaine cases in four western counties.

"I don't have to tell you the number of cases - dozens, hundreds," Rup said while summarizing the damage done by Farak.

Farak pleaded guilt to tampering with evidence, theft of a controlled substance, cocaine and possession of a controlled substance. She worked at a UMass lab that analyzed the substances seized by police as possible drug evidence.

She was arrested Jan. 9, 2013 after other lab employees contacted state police to report a discrepancy in their drug inventory .

Defense lawyer Elaine Pourinski asked the judge to place her client on probation.

The inauguration ceremony was held at South Middle School where 23 newly elected and incumbent members of the City Council, School Committee, Westfield Gas and Electric Commission and a Westfield Athenaeum trustee took their oath of office. Watch video

WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik was sworn into his third consecutive term in office and all elected city officials took their oaths as well Monday morning in a ceremony heralded as a model of democracy.

“There are no career politicians here,” Knapik told the audience. “Just average citizens who want to work together to keep moving Westfield forward.”

The inauguration ceremony was held at South Middle School where 23 newly elected and incumbent members of the City Council, School Committee, Westfield Gas and Electric Commission and a Westfield Athenaeum trustee all raised their right hands and swore to serve the city and those who voted for them.

While swearing in Knapik, City Clerk Karen Fanion mistakenly called him by his brother’s name, former state Sen. Michael R. Knapik, who was in the audience. Standing on the South Middle School auditorium stage, the mayor noted that he and his brother attended the school where he was often called by his brother’s name.

“It take it as a great compliment,” he said.

On a more serious noted, Knapik said being given a third opportunity to lead the city “is a high honor and privilege.”

“I’m humbled by and grateful for the trust that has been placed in use,” he said of himself and the other officials.

Just as he did on the campaign trail, Knapik touted as his accomplishments downtown revitalization, improvements to Barnes Regional Airport, the renovation of City Hall and successfully emerging from one of the greatest economic downturns in history.

“We weathered the great recession and came out stronger,” Knapik noted.

He also mentioned the ongoing efforts to revitalize the Elm Street corridor with the planned Gaslight District and the continuation of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail.

“We’re looking forward to the historic downtown restoration, the we’re planning on having the Columbia Greenway trail done by fall 2014. The end if finally within sight.”

The mayor acknowledged that there are times when elected officials disagree, but vowed to continue providing effective leadership.

“I will enlist every resource I can to make sure your voices are heard,” he said.

Morse said the city's progress lies in capitalizing on assets like its hydroelectric power and its residents' record of innovation.

HOLYOKE — Mayor Alex B. Morse struck a realistic but hopeful tone in remarks after being sworn into his second term at the city's inauguration ceremony on Monday.

The ceremony at City Hall included the City Council, which has three new members and which later re-elected Kevin A. Jourdain as president, the School Committee, which has four new members, new City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee and City Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra.

Morse, who turns 25 on Jan. 29, defeated accountant Jeffrey A. Stanek in the Nov. 5 election to keep the seat.

"Now I don't need to tell you that recent decades were not always kind to Holyoke, or other cities like it, that the American economy's turn away from industrialism left our city struggling where it had once thrived," Morse said. "Too many of our citizens are left with too little."

But, he said, hope lies in the past initiative forged by city founders smart enough to plan Holyoke as an industrial city with a canal system to produce paper, a plan that people today can seize for a future that must rely on technology, creativity and innovation. The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center is on Bigelow Street downtown, in the heart of what officials call the city's Arts and Innovation District.

"For Holyoke to compete in a global economy, we must maintain and expand our focus in these areas. We must nurture our own local entrepreneurs, support the new ideas being generated by our own people and welcome those who want to be a part of what's happening here," Morse said.

Of course, he said, "none of us is so naive as to suggest that Holyoke's economy can be revitalized by the creative economy alone." But also, he said, Holyokers should rid themselves of the idea that an "outside savior" in the form of a single industry will economically rescue the city. The latter was perhaps a reference to casino gambling, which Morse opposed pursuing despite some support for gaming here.

Progress lies in capitalizing on the city's assets, he said. One is the plentiful and low-cost energy generated by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department's hydroelectric dam, he said.

Another asset is an urban renewal plan with step-by-step ideas to help the Flats, South Holyoke, Churchill and Prospect Heights-Downtown neighborhoods by stimulating private investment, he said.

"And we have you, the people of Holyoke, who invest so much of your own time, effort and creativity in our city," Morse said.

Kevin JourdainThe Republican [file] 

Morse and Jourdain were several feet away from each other on the stage in the City Hall auditorium as Morse said that despite the day of ceremony, disagreements will arise. Jourdain and Morse have clashed over finances, needle exchange and other issues.

"If you're from Holyoke, you know how passionate our politics tend to be. But when disagreements arise, let us remember that these shared hopes lie beneath even our fiercest debates," Morse said.

Also, he said, regardless of whether residents voted for him, "I am committed to being your mayor."

"Holyoke we are up to this task. So let's get to work," he said.

The mayor's yearly salary is $85,000.

Minutes later, City Council Chambers downstairs was filled with onlookers. Supporters of Councilor at Large Jourdain and Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin both had claimed in recent days and moments before the vote that they had the votes for president.

But Jourdain won on the first ballot done by voice vote of the 15-member council. He was president in the previous, two-year term, the first new council president in decades after McGiverin had been president 26 straight years.

Voting for Jourdain were councilors Gordon P. Alexander, Ward 7, David K. Bartley, Ward 3, Daniel B. Bresnahan, at large, Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, at large, Rebecca Lisi, at large, Todd A. McGee, Ward 6, Peter R. Tallman, at large, Linda L. Vacon, Ward 5 and Jourdain.

Voting for McGiverin were Howard B. Greaney Jr., at large, James M. Leahy, at large, Gladys Lebron-Martinez, Ward 1, Anthony Soto, Ward 2, Jossie M. Valentin, Ward 4 and McGiverin.

Leahy moved to make the election of Jourdain unanimous but Soto refused.

"It's not unanimous," Soto said.

Reading from prepared remarks, Jourdain said it was an honor to be president. Councilors, he said, "have the privilege of being a member of the greatest institution ever created by the founders of our city."

Now more than ever the council must guard against government spending more money than it brings in, he said.

Previous generations of Holyokers faced challenges and succeeded, he said.

"It is now our turn to be makers of law and makers of history. We are faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. ... Let it be said by our children and grandchildren that we served faithfully and that we seized the opportunity and left the city much better than we received it," Jourdain said.

The three new councilors are Greaney, Chateauneuf and Valentin.

Councilors are paid $10,000 a year each, and the president receives an additional $1,000.

Murphy McGee, a former city councilor at large, was sworn into a four-year term as city clerk by a judge and then she gave the oath of office to the other elected officials.

She takes over as city clerk from Suzanne Mead, whom the City Council appointed to the position after the March 1 retirement of Susan M. Egan, who had been clerk for more than 20 years. Mead will return to her previous position of assistant registrar of voters.

Lumbra, lauded by Morse as having done "more to improve the city's finances than anyone else," was sworn into a second four-year term.

The 10-member School Committee, which includes the mayor as chairman, has four new members: Ward 1 member Mildred I. Lefebvre, Ward 2 member Rosalie Tensley Williams, Ward 5 member John P. Brunelle and Ward 7 member Erin B. Brunelle.

A joint vote of the City Council and School Committee will be needed soon to choose someone to fill the term of Greaney, who has two years left on a four-year at-large School Committee term.

Returning members of the school board are Devin M. Sheehan, who previously was Ward 5 member but ran and won on Nov. 5 as a committee member at large; Dennis W. Birks Jr., Ward 3; Cesar A. Lopez, Ward 4; William R. Collamore, Ward 6; and Morse as chairman.

School Committee members are paid $5,000 a year each.

Below is the text of Mayor Alex Morse's inaugural address:

Alex Morse Second Inaugural by masslive

Below, the text of remarks offered by City Council president Kevin Jourdain:

Kevin Jourdain remarks Jan. 6, 2014 by Greg Saulmon