Referred to as the “Father of New England Ballooning,” according to the biography prepared by the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame, Thomas has flown all over the United States, and in addition to France, also flown in Switzerland and Germany. He received awards in 2003, 2012 and 2013 for his ballooning activities.

BRIMFIELD — Dr. Clayton L. Thomas, known as the “Daredevil Doctor of Dingley Dell,” has earned another accolade – he has been inducted into the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame.

Thomas, 92, has had a long and interesting life.

Besides flying hot air balloons all over the world, he was on a flight to Paris in 1983 when the plane he and his wife were on was hijacked by terrorists. They were on their way to a balloon meet in the south of France, but never got there, he recalled. They spent five harrowing days at gunpoint.

Sitting in his home, the area is named “Dingley Dell” after a fictional inn visited by the central characters in Dickens’ “The Pickwick Papers,” Thomas these days has a little trouble hearing, but can fondly recall some of the high points in his ballooning career. Asked what he liked about ballooning, he responded, “People and travel.”

Regarding the summertime induction into the Ballooning Hall of Fame, Thomas said, “If you stay around long enough and do your job, someone will notice it.”

His wife, Margaret “Peggy” Thomas, said her husband made the transition to hot air balloons from parachuting out of airplanes at her suggestion. They had three children, with a fourth on the way, and she thought the hobby was too dangerous. They were spending weekends watching “father” jump out of airplanes.

“We sort of compromised. He quit parachuting and began hot air ballooning,” Peggy Thomas said.

Peggy Thomas said their property is an official Federal Aviation Administration-designated launch pad for hot air balloons, and all four of their children followed in their father’s footsteps. She described hot air ballooning as fun, and “not scary.” Her job was “mission control.” She said one of the reasons that her husband became so famous is because he was careful, and safe. Weather-permitting, the flight would go as scheduled. He also taught countless aspiring balloonists the sport.

Taking off from Dingley Dell, Brimfield, in Dr. Clayton Thomas' Olympics logo balloon in the 1980s. The balloon had landed at the Lake Placid games previously. file photo 

“It was a great way of life for any years,” she said, adding health problems forced her husband to give up ballooning about two years ago.

The farthest he ever traveled by balloon from his house was to Rhode Island, and that was by accident. Unexpected high winds blew them there, where they landed on a beach, his wife said. She said usually the balloons only travel in a three to five mile radius.

A “chase crew” follows on the ground, and wherever they land, they give a bottle of champagne to the landowner, a longtime tradition, she explained.

Against a backdrop of photographs of the doctor ballooning, and hot air balloon decorations, Peggy Thomas explained that because of her husband’s health, the induction ceremony was not held at the Hall of Fame in Indianola, Iowa, but instead in New York because it would be closer for the Clayton family. She said all of their children attended. Though daughter Wendy Thomas lives across the street, the others are in California, Virginia and Colorado.

His interest in aviation began in 1943 while he was in the Navy and in medical school. He later became part of the medical administrative committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee. His first flight in a hot air balloon was in 1969, and a year later, became a certified balloon pilot. He has taken more than 7,000 people for a hot air balloon ride, and licensed 102 students through his Balloon School of Massachusetts, now operated by Wendy Thomas.

In 1983, Thomas won the Montgolfier Trophy for piloting a balloon over the unfamiliar French countryside. Referred to as the “Father of New England Ballooning,” according to the biography prepared by the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame, Thomas has flown all over the United States, and in addition to France, also has flown in Switzerland and Germany. He received awards in 2003, 2012 and 2013 for his ballooning activities.

Thomas is long retired from his job as vice president of medical affairs at the former Tambrands plant in the Three Rivers section of Palmer. This past year, he retired from the Brimfield Board of Health, where he spent 40 years.

Wendy Thomas said about her father’s place in the Hall of Fame, “It’s wonderful. He really deserves to be in there. He was a pioneer in ballooning.”

Said Peggy Thomas, “We are very proud, and very, very pleased. It was a delight to have him recognized in such a nice way.”

Arnold Street remains flooded and closed, town officials said.

 

The drainage system in that area has not been able to keep up with the constant heavy rain that fell Saturday and melting snow officials said. A town Department of Public Works crew has remained on scene overnight.

The roadway may be reopened later Sunday, as weather forecasters are calling for warm and sunny weather for a bulk of the day.

Social media has exploded among street gangs who exploit it — often brazenly — to brag, conspire and incite violence. They're turning to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to flaunt guns and wads of cash, threaten rivals, intimidate informants and in a small number of cases, sell weapons, drugs — even plot murder.

By SHARON COHEN

CHICAGO — The video is riddled with menace and swagger: Reputed gang members in Chicago point their guns directly at the camera. A bare-chested young man brandishes an assault weapon. They flash hand signals, dance and, led by a rapper, taunt their rivals as he chants:

"Toe tag DOA. That's for being in my way ... Killing til my heart swell ... Guaranteed there's going to be all hell."

Thousands watch on YouTube. Among them: the Chicago police, who quickly identify two of those in the video as felons who are prohibited from being around guns. Both are later taken into custody.

Eddie Bocanegra, co-executive director of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago's Youth Safety and Violence Prevention program, stands in a "peace circle" at the organization's center in the Pilson neighborhood of Chicago. 

Social media has exploded among street gangs who exploit it — often brazenly — to brag, conspire and incite violence. They're turning to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to flaunt guns and wads of cash, threaten rivals, intimidate informants and in a small number of cases, sell weapons, drugs — even plot murder.

"What's taking place online is what's taking place in the streets," says David Pyrooz, an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University who has studied gangs and social media in five big cities. "The Internet does more for a gang's brand or a gang member's identity than word-of-mouth could ever do. It really gives the gang a wide platform to promote their reputations. They can brag about women, drugs, fighting ... and instead of boasting to five gang members on a street corner, they can go online and it essentially goes viral. It's like this electronic graffiti wall that never gets deleted."

On the crime-fighting side, "cyberbanging" or "Internet banging" — a phrase used by Desmond Patton, a University of Michigan researcher, to describe this activity — is transforming how police and prosecutors pursue gangs. Along with traditional investigative techniques, police monitor gangs online — sometimes communicating with them using aliases — and track their activities and rivalries, looking for ways to short-circuit potential flare-ups.

It's a formidable task: There are millions of images and words, idle boasts mixed in with real threats and an ever-changing social media landscape. Myspace has given way to Facebook and Twitter, but gangs also are using Instagram, Snapchat, Kik and Chirp — different ways of sharing photos, video, audio and words, sometimes through smartphones or pagers.

View full sizeThis image made from the YouTube website shows a still frame of the music video "Die L'z" by Bang Da Hitta posted on Aug. 8, 2013 with a man pointing a weapon at the camera. From the video, police in Chicago police identified two of those in the video as felons who are prohibited from being around guns. Both were later taken into custody. AP Photo 

It's not just changing styles, but the language itself that can pose obstacles. Police often have to decipher street talk, which varies according to gang and city. In Chicago, for instance, a gun may be a thumper or a cannon. In Houston, a burner, chopper, pump or gat. In New York, a flamingo, drum set, clickety, biscuit, shotty, rachet or ratty.

That slang played a significant role last year for New York police and prosecutors. They pursued a digital trail of messages on Facebook and Twitter, along with jailhouse phone calls, to crack down on three notorious East Harlem gangs tied to gun trafficking, more than 30 shootings and at least three murders.

After 63 reputed gang members were indicted, authorities revealed they'd collected hundreds of social media postings to help build their case. Some messages, according to the indictment, were vengeful: "God forgives, I don't ... somebodie gotta die," one posted on his Facebook page. "I don't wanna talk. I want action n real guns," another said on Twitter. Others were boastful: "My team not top 2 most wanted youth gangs in Manhatten for nothin we got guns for dayss," a third posted on Facebook.

View full sizeIn this Friday, April 12, 2013 file photo, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, at podium left, and District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., second from right, answer questions during a new conference at New York City's Police Department headquarters. Authorities say 41 members of two drug trafficking rings have been indicted in Manhattan. They include 33 members of the "Blocc Boyz" street gang and eight members of the "Money Boyz" street gang. The accused cocaine dealers posted photos of themselves on social media posing with stacks of cash, guns and diamond-crusted watches. AP Photo/Richard Drew 

And yet, Vance also says social media should be viewed skeptically — some kids brag about things that aren't true or just want to look tough — and a Facebook post would not be reason alone to file charges.

Online messages, though, were critical in the East Harlem investigation. By the start of 2014, 53 of the 63 charged had pleaded guilty. And in November, then New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly offered an endorsement: Hailing a 50 percent drop in homicides among those 13 to 21 since 2012, Kelly said a new strategy "including attention to the new battleground of social media has resulted in lives being saved in New York City, mostly minority young men."

New York isn't unique. In Houston, police say gang members have used social media to sell meth, marijuana and heroin and provoke shootings as initiation rites. In Daytona Beach, Fla., five kids who claimed to be in a gang brutally assaulted a teen and within hours, cellphone video of the attack was on Facebook. And in Chicago, gang warfare has migrated from the streets to cyberspace and back again — with deadly results.

Probably the most high-profile case unfolded in 2012 on the city's South Side. It began with an online feud involving insults, gangs and two rappers, Keith Cozart, better known as Chief Keef, and Joseph 'Lil JoJo' Coleman. Hours after Coleman tweeted his location, he was fatally shot while riding on a bicycle. Soon after, Chief Keef's Twitter account carried mocking comments about the death. He claimed his account had been hacked.

"We see a lot of taunting," says Nick Roti, chief of the Chicago police organized crime bureau. "There are guys standing on a street corner, they take a picture of themselves holding a gun (the message being), 'I always stand up for my 'hood.' They're basically daring someone to shoot them."

They do the reverse as well, posting videos of themselves on enemy territory, scrawling profanity on walls, then egging their rivals to come out and defend their turf.

In many cases, gangs do little to hide their identities, even though they know they're leaving an electronic fingerprint for police.

"I guess the need for recognition and street cred must outweigh the potential for being arrested and charged," Roti says. "They don't seem to be that worried. They may feel they can hide in numbers. There are millions of pictures and posts. (Their attitude is) 'I'll take my chances.'"

It doesn't always work. Last summer, when a North Side gang in Chicago rapped about the death of a reported rival on YouTube, spewing profanities and pointing guns, police responded. Two felons in the video were taken into custody for violating parole and probation, police say, and 38 grams of crack cocaine were seized along with one of the weapons featured.

Del Toro, the YMCA program director who works in Logan Square and Humboldt Park — neighborhoods struggling with gang problems — says the swaggering is a dramatic departure from the past.

"You can now gangbang from your living room," says Del Toro, now an ordained minister. "Who would have thought that 20 years ago? ... Back in the '80s or '90s, gang members didn't want to take their pictures. Now they're all over YouTube."

And that can attract kids, says Eddie Bocanegra, co-executive director of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago's Youth Safety and Violence Prevention program. "In the past you would have gangs approach you and say, 'Listen we're from the 'hood. Maybe you should get involved.' Now the kids are going to the gangs saying, 'I saw this. How can I be a part of it?'"

Sometimes, the motive is purely social — a kid with 10 Facebook friends can expand his network by hundreds. "It's a sense of belonging." he says.

Bocanegra's understanding of kids and violence stems from his own history. He spent 14 years in prison for a gang-related murder, turned his life around and is now a graduate student at the University of Chicago. Through the Y, he mentors kids in communities where gangs are a constant presence.

He warns them of the consequences of their online activities. "I'll say, 'Don't you know you're creating a profile of yourself so police can see it?' ... How do you think this will impact you tomorrow, a month from now, five years from now?'... A lot of times, it's 'Who cares?'"

Some do.

Anderson Chaves, 17, changed his ways, removing a photo on his Facebook page of a man he once admired — Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord killed in a gun battle with authorities. Chaves says he now avoids the back-and-forth online posturing.

"It's part of a macho display, 'Look at me. Look at who I am,'" he says. "They're not thinking that one day they might be standing in front of a judge and someone will pull all this stuff out. They don't think it will happen."

But it does.

Dawn Keating, a Cincinnati police officer who trains other law enforcement about social media, says by the time gang members appear in court, authorities have a dossier of their words and videos online that challenge how they want to portray themselves. "If a guy goes in and says, 'I'm a good person. I've never held a gun,' we can say, 'Look at what he puts out about himself on social media. Here he is with a gun.' It helps debunk a lot of things."

Despite those successes, police say monitoring social media is time-consuming and frustrating.

Eric Vento, a Houston police officer and gang specialist, says he sometimes creates aliases to befriend gang members online.

"You have to build your persona," he says. "That comes through countless, tedious hours of posting comments. You have to get to be friends with these people. You have to let them into your fake world. You have to build their trust. Only then, will they let you in. Until that time, you're there twiddling your thumbs."

Older gang members tend to restrict public access to their Facebook pages, but they can sometimes be found online through their wives and friends, he says. "They bite all the time," Vento says. "It's a question of keeping the bite. ... Depending on how high they are in the (gang) hierarchy, they're pretty suspicious. They know law enforcement is on Facebook. Maybe they're not thinking about it 24/7. They see there are enough news stories. They know there are fake profiles."

Younger gang members seem less cautious and more accustomed to sharing their lives online. And that can be a boon to police.

In Daytona Beach, Fla., in October, after a group of teens claiming to be in a gang pummeled and kicked a 14 year old, the victim's mother found the beating video posted on Facebook that night, says detective Scott Barnes.

After she contacted police, they quickly tracked down the suspects in their schools, Barnes says. The five, 13 to 18, were charged with aggravated criminal battery, he adds, and all pleaded guilty.

"Everybody wants to be cool and get the street cred they feel they deserve," he says. "It's not very smart, that's for sure. ... It's sad it's come to this. Some of these kids will be OK, but there's a group out there who are going to ruin their lives and end up in prison a long time or be dead. It's hard to get ahead of this, but we're trying."

Pope Francis named his first batch of cardinals on Sunday, choosing 19 men from Asia, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere, including the developing nations of Haiti and Burkina Faso, in line with his belief that the church must pay more attention to the poor.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis named his first batch of cardinals on Sunday, choosing 19 men from Asia, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere, including the developing nations of Haiti and Burkina Faso, in line with his belief that the church must pay more attention to the poor.

Francis made the announcement as he spoke from his studio window to a crowd in St. Peter's Square.

Sixteen of the appointees are younger than 80, meaning they are currently eligible to elect the next pope, which is a cardinal's most important task. The ceremony to formally install them as cardinals will be held Feb. 22 at the Vatican.

A U.S.-based advocacy group for people who have been sexually abused by clergy criticized one of the pope's appointments and also said he should have promoted an archbishop in Ireland to cardinal's rank.

Since his election in March as the first pontiff from Latin America, the pope has broken tradition after tradition in terms of protocol and style at the Vatican. But in Sunday's list Francis stuck to the church's rule of having no more than 120 cardinals eligible to elect the next pontiff.

The College of Cardinals is currently 13 shy of that 120-mark among eligible-to-vote members. In addition, three cardinals will turn 80 by May. That means Francis chose the exact number of new cardinals needed to bring the voting ranks up to 120 during the next few months.

Some appointments were expected, including that of his new secretary of state, the Italian archbishop Pietro Parolin, and the German head of the Vatican's watchdog office for doctrinal orthodoxy, Gerhard Ludwig Mueller. Two others named Sunday also come from the curia, as the Holy See's Rome-based bureaucracy is known.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope's selection of churchmen from Haiti and Burkina Faso reflects Francis' attention to the destitute as a core part of the church's mission.

Once again, the cardinal's red hat eluded Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The prelate in that traditionally Catholic country has angered some in the Vatican by strongly criticizing how the hierarchy handled the worldwide clerical sex abuse scandal.

The U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, expressed disappointment that Francis didn't promote Martin. "While far from perfect, he's better" than some other prelates on abuse, said David Clohessy, director of the group's chapter in St. Louis.

SNAP also criticized the choice of Mueller, saying he had a "dreadful" record on children's safety.

Under the tenure of Mueller, who was appointed by fellow German Pope Benedict XVI, critics have accused of Vatican's handling of the sex abuse scandal, including letting pedophile priests transfer from parish to parish when complaints were made.

Groups such as SNAP also have criticized the Vatican's recent refusal under Francis to allow the extradition to Poland of a Polish archbishop being investigated in his homeland for alleged sex abuse.

SNAP welcomed the fact that three high-ranking archbishops in the United States, where the sex scandal has enraged faithful for decades now, were not promoted to cardinal.

Among those chosen on Sunday to become a "prince of the church," as the cardinals are known, was Mario Aurelio Poli, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, a post Francis left when he was elected as the first Latin American pope in March. Poli had impressed Francis by earning a degree in social work from the public university of Buenos Aires.

The selection of Orani Joao Tempesta, the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, as a new cardinal was widely hoped for back home to thank him for organizing Francis' wildly popular visit to that city in July.

Whether one continent or country has a large contingent of cardinals is heavily watched when it comes time to pick the next pope because churchmen could vote as a geographic bloc in hope of furthering the interests of their flock back home.

Not counting the four picks from the curia, who no longer represent the church in their homelands, the other new voting cardinals include two from Europe, three from North and Central America, three from South America, and two apiece from Africa and Asia.

Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, in Britain, called his appointment a "humbling moment" of service to the church.

The youngest new cardinal chosen by Francis is the 55-year-old Monsignor Chibly Langlois from Haiti.

In reading out the names, Francis said the new cardinals, coming from "every part of the world represent the deep church ecclesial relationship between the church of Rome and the other churches scattered throughout the world."

Francis has stressed that the church hierarchy must not view itself as an elite aloof from its flock but instead serve its flock, especially for the poor, others on the edges of society and disillusioned faithful.

In a sentimental touch in Sunday's selections, the three men chosen as cardinals who are too old to vote for the next pope include 98-year-old Monsignor Loris Francesco Capovilla, who had served as personal secretary to Pope John XXIII. That late pontiff will be made a saint along with John Paul II in a ceremony at the Vatican in April.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert Swords 

Robert "Skip" B. Swords, 73, of Springfield, passed away on Thursday. He was born in Springfield, and was a graduate of Springfield Technical High School. He worked for Big Y on Allen and Cooley for many years.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Antaya, Margaret (In Memoriam)
  



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  Ayers, William R. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Ayers, William R. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Barbato, Joseph P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bonneville, Richard B.
  



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  Bourcier, Jeannette T. "Jan" (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bruso, Richard W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Busa, Andrew M.
  



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  Carpenter, Robert W.
  



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  Colby, Janice A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Colby, Janice A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Collins, John "Jack" (In Memoriam)
  



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  Cortes, Carmen
  



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  Crapps Sr., Bobby L. (In Memoriam)
  



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  DalMolin, Dino J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Daze, Blanche Terrein (In Memoriam)
  



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  Deluca, Daphne
  



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  Demers, Paul
  



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  DeNardo, Franco (In Memoriam)
  



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  Dowd, Elizabeth W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Economidy, Janet
  



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  Elie, Leonard O.
  



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  Faniel, Raymond L. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gigliotti, John (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gigliotti, Triestina (In Memoriam)
  



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  Granfield Jr., Maurice J.
  



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  Harkless, Dallas C. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Harvey, Fredrick H. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Heatwole, Robert W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hollum Sr., Harold P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hoyt, Rose A.
  



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  Jodoin, Kim Hersom (In Memoriam)
  



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  Johnson, Jacqueline Y. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Keating, Erin E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Kraus, David M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Labucki, Glenn
  



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  Landry, Jennifer D. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Lisowski, Teddy W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Moriarty, Kathryn R. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Morin, Claude (In Memoriam)
  



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  Murty, Jammie (In Memoriam)
  



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  Nevue, Martha W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  O'Neil Sr., John D. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Pecor, Kevin J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Provost, Camille E.
  



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  Rackliffe, Joyce L.
  



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  Rae, Chuck (In Memoriam)
  



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  Randall, Lorainne
  



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  Robinson, Barbara A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Russo, Francesco
  



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  Sawyer, Marie-Anne
  



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  Scartz, Ellen M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Sims, Edward J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Slasinski, John F. (In Memoriam)
  



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  St. Jacques, Delcia M.
  



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  Swords, Robert B.
  



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  Tady-Connolly, Ann (In Memoriam)
  



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  Twining, Shirley (In Memoriam)
  



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  Vacirca, Amy Arlene (In Memoriam)
  



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  Vargas, Marina (In Memoriam)
  



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  Vargas, Marina (In Memoriam)
  



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  Weiss, David
  



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  Wilson, Michael S. (In Memoriam)
  

Iran and six world powers have agreed on how to implement a nuclear deal struck in November, with its terms starting from Jan. 20, officials announced Sunday.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran and six world powers have agreed on how to implement a nuclear deal struck in November, with its terms starting from Jan. 20, officials announced Sunday.

The announcement, made first by Iranian officials and later confirmed elsewhere, starts a six-month clock for a final deal to be struck over the Islamic Republic's contested nuclear program. It also signals an easing of the financial sanctions crippling Iran's economy, though some U.S. lawmakers have called for tough measures against the country.

Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirming the news. The agency said Iran will allow the United Nations' atomic agency access to its nuclear facilities and its centrifuge production lines to confirm it is complying with terms of the deal.

European Union negotiator Catherine Ashton praised the deal in a statement, saying "the foundations for a coherent, robust and smooth implementation ... have been laid." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the deal "a decisive step forward which we can build on."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the deal in a statement as well, saying further negotiations "represent the best chance we have to resolve this critical national security issue peacefully, and durably."

Under the November agreement, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment to 5 percent — the grade commonly used to power reactors. The deal also commits Iran to stop producing 20 percent enriched uranium — which is only a technical step away from weapons-grade material — and to neutralize its 20 percent stockpile.

In exchange, economic sanctions Iran faces would be eased for a period of six months. During that time, the world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — would continue negotiations with Iran on a permanent deal.

The West fears Iran's nuclear program could allow it to build a nuclear bomb. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, such as medical research and power generation. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Sunday that under the terms of the deal, Iran will guarantee that it won't try to attain nuclear arms "under any circumstance."

In a statement, U.S. President Barack Obama said the deal "will advance our goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

"I have no illusions about how hard it will be to achieve this objective, but for the sake of our national security and the peace and security of the world, now is the time to give diplomacy a chance to succeed," Obama said.

However, U.S. lawmakers are proposing to blacklist several Iranian industrial sectors and ban banks and companies around the world from the U.S. market if they help Iran export any more oil. The provisions would only take effect if Tehran violates the interim nuclear deal or lets it expire without a follow-up accord. However, that has caused anxiety in Iran, where hard-liners have already called the deal a "poison chalice" and are threatening legislation to increase uranium enrichment.

In his statement, Obama said "unprecedented sanctions and tough diplomacy helped to bring Iran to the negotiating table," but caution against implementing any more.

"Imposing additional sanctions now will only risk derailing our efforts to resolve this issue peacefully, and I will veto any legislation enacting new sanctions during the negotiation," he said.

Bulger's possessions will be sold to the highest bidders during a criminal forfeiture auction expected to be held over the next few months.

BOSTON — When authorities searched the apartment of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, they found $822,000 in cash and a large collection of guns hidden in holes cut into the walls.

Other than the cash, there were few valuables. Books, hats, sweatshirts and household items bought at discount stores filled the rent-controlled Santa Monica, Calif., apartment the notorious crime boss shared with his longtime girlfriend while he was on the run.

But authorities are hoping they can attract buyers for Bulger's belongings so they can compensate his victims.

Bulger's possessions will be sold to the highest bidders during a criminal forfeiture auction expected to be held over the next few months.

Prosecutors in U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office are now trying to decide which of Bulger's belongings should be auctioned. They are trying to balance their desire to compensate relatives of Bulger's murder victims with avoiding glamorizing Bulger or his crimes and staying within the boundaries of good taste.

"We want to certainly be able to obtain funds to go back to the victims who were harmed by Bulger, but we don't want to do that in a way that glorifies Bulger or potentially causes some offense to the victims or others who have been impacted by Bulger," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Murrane.

Bulger was convicted in August of orchestrating or participating in 11 killings during his reign as leader of the Winter Hill Gang. He was sentenced to two life terms plus five years in prison. The cash and proceeds from the auction will be split among the estates of murder victims who choose to participate and several extortion victims.

There are a few things likely to bring in a substantial amount of money, including a gold and diamond claddagh ring with an estimated appraised value of $48,000, a replica of a 1986 Stanley Cup championship ring and a 40-inch flat-screen TV.

But most of the items found in the apartment Bulger shared with Catherine Greig are ordinary things that have no intrinsic value. Authorities are hoping they could appeal to crime memorabilia collectors or other buyers.

There's a rat-shaped cup used to hold pens and scissors, a collection of books about the mob and Bulger's gang, an assortment of cat figurines and "Soldier of Fortune" magazines. There are also Valentine's Day and Christmas cards Greig sent to Bulger.

Authorities haven't yet decided whether personal items should be auctioned, Murrane said.

"It's looking at those items that on their own don't have value and which of those would be appropriate to auction, knowing that they would sell only because of who owned them," she said. "It's definitely a question of balance."

Families of Bulger's victims have mixed feelings about the upcoming auction.

Bulger was convicted of gunning down Patricia Donahue's husband, Michael, in 1982 while targeting a different man who offered him a ride home that night. She said she isn't opposed to the auction.

"I can't imagine anybody wanting his things, but if they can sell them and make money and give the money to the victims, I think that's great. I'm sure a lot of the victims can use the money," she said.

But Steve Davis said he doesn't like the idea of an auction. The jury was unable to reach a decision on whether Bulger was responsible for his sister Debra Davis' death.

"I wish they would burn everything right in front of all of us," Davis said. "They should just destroy everything. That would kill the memories we have of him."

Thomas J. Abernathy, assistant chief inspector of the asset forfeiture division of the U.S. Marshals Service, said the program has two goals: to compensate victims and to deter future criminal activity.

"It's a very important piece of the law enforcement process. Compensating victims is paramount in our program," he said.

Auctions in other high-profile cases have brought in millions.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for selling seized and forfeited properties, raised $232,000 through a 2011 online auction of Ted Kaczynski's belongings, including 20 personal journals and the hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses depicted in his famous FBI sketch.

A two-day auction in Miami in 2011 brought in $3.2 million in the case of convicted financier Bernard Madoff to compensate victims of his $65 billion Ponzi scheme. The sales included fine jewelry, coins and even 14 pairs of Madoff's underwear.

Rich Kroll, an online retailer who bought some of Madoff's clothing at the auction, said he thought Madoff's status would attract buyers, but he doesn't expect Bulger's possessions to draw much interest.

"Madoff was more of a celebrity. Bulger was a downright killer," he said. "I don't even want anything of his."

Bulger, now 84, fled Boston in 1994 after being tipped by a former FBI agent that he was about to be indicted. He was finally captured with Greig in 2011.

Police in Chicopee are not releasing the name of a 78-year-old man killed in Chicopee Saturday.

CHICOPEE — Police are investigating the death of a 78-year-old man Saturday after he was struck by a car on the corner of Grattan and Providence streets.

Officials said the accident occurred around 6:24 p.m., and the man was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Grattan Street was reportedly closed to traffic for nearly four hours as police investigated the incident. The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene and was interviewed by police. No charges have been filed against the driver of the vehicle, according to police.

The name of the victim is not being released at this time pending notification of his family, police said.

As the grand marshal, Roger P. Donoghue, of Holyoke, will lead numerous local and regional contingents along the 2.6-mile route before thousands of spectators through the Paper City on March 23.

HOLYOKE- In accepting the honor as grand marshal for this year’s Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade, Roger P. Donoghue said his dedication to the city is simply part of being a resident of Holyoke.

“I’m just living my life as a citizen of Holyoke,” he said during a reception in his honor held Friday evening at The Delaney House.

A member of the parade committee since 1965, Donoghue joins a distinguished list of grand marshals that have led the parade for 63 years and includes local luminaries David K. Bartley, Patrick Bresnahan, Russell McNiff Sr., Christine Zajak, the Rev. Joseph Maguire, Gerald Healy, last year’s Brian Corridan and the Rev. Francis Sullivan.

Parade committee President Jane C. Chevalier said the grand marshal of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade is the highest local honor given to a person of Irish ancestry.

“He or she is someone who has distinguished themselves as a loyal person to the parade committee, their career, their family, and to their Irish ancestry,” she said.

Donoghue, 81, reacted to the news in the unassuming manner for which he is known, Chevalier noted and said he was “in shock.”

“It's a complete surprise. I never expected it,”

It is a fitting honor, Corridan said, of someone who leads by example and is devoted to his family and city.

“He is not just the grand marshal, he is a grand man,” Corridan said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, an honor that reaches down inside you and touches you where you really live. We will be proud to walk behind you.”

After walking to the stage amid a standing ovation, Donoghue made reference to the saying that everyone comes from Holyoke in one way or another.

“Adam and Eve procreated on High Street and spread their seed all over the world,” he said.

On a more serious note, Donoghue added that the motivation that continues to propel him forward is the support of his family and pride in his city.

“Whatever I’ve done for the committee has been done in the spirit of love,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have a great family, and the committee itself is a big family.”

As the grand marshal, Donoghue will lead numerous local and regional contingents along the 2.6-mile route before thousands of spectators through the Paper City on March 23.

The Supreme Court, in McCullen v. Coakley, will decide whether or not Massachusetts' 2007 law blocking protests within 35 feet of an abortion clinic unconstitutionally restricts free speech.

BOSTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday regarding the constitutionality of Massachusetts' buffer zone law, in a case that has national implications for the ability of cities and states to restrict protests around abortion clinics.

The court, in McCullen vs. Coakley, will decide whether or not Massachusetts' 2007 law blocking protests within 35 feet of an abortion clinic unconstitutionally restricts free speech.

"We believe that in striking the appropriate balance, given the history in Massachusetts of violence and harassment, and understanding the important First Amendment constitutional issue, the (law) deals with the public safety issue and allows for First Amendment rights," said state attorney general Martha Coakley, the respondent in the case.

However, Dana Cody, an attorney and executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, which submitted a friend of the court brief opposing the law, said the law specifically targets anti-abortion speech and limits the free speech rights of innocent people. "It's content-based discrimination," Cody said. "This is about limiting opposition to abortion in a public forum."

Cody, whose California-based foundation provides pro bono legal services for anti-abortion activists, said the state should address public safety concerns by arresting people who do something wrong.

"There's an ordinance that applies across the board that limits people's free speech rights without proof that there was any sort of wrongdoing on their parts," Cody said. "It's an ordinance that assumes people are guilty until proven innocent."

Massachusetts passed its first buffer zone law in 2000, creating an 18-foot "floating" buffer zone around an individual entering a clinic. The law was a response to protests and violence at abortion clinics, including a fatal shooting of two clinic employees in 1994. However, Coakley's office wrote in a court brief, that law failed to prevent protestors from blocking entrances and intimidating patients. Coakley said the law was confusing and difficult to enforce. According to Planned Parenthood, there were instances of protesters throwing literature into cars, filming and touching patients and blocking cars from accessing parking garages.

Massachusetts then passed a law in 2007 to create a 35-foot buffer zone around the entrances and driveways of abortion clinics. The law states that no one who does not have business with the clinic can enter and remain in that zone without moving from one point to another.

Five Massachusetts residents who regularly engage in anti-abortion counseling outside clinics challenged the law, arguing that it violated their rights to free speech.

A U.S. District Court and the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law [pdf]. The courts found that the law addressed a legitimate public safety interest and was narrowly tailored, content-neutral and left open other means of communications – the legal standards required for a restriction on the time, place or manner of speech.

The plaintiffs returned to court in 2012, arguing that the buffer zone law was unconstitutional as applied to Planned Parenthood facilities in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, the three locations where Planned Parenthood has abortion clinics. Federal judges again rejected their claims.

The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which accepted the case this summer.

View full sizeA sign on the outside wall of Planned Parenthood's Boston health center informs people about the buffer zone law.Shira Schoenberg for The Republican/MassLive.com 

The law has been in effect during the litigation.

Supporters say the law is no different from other "time, place and manner" restrictions, such as buffer zones around polling places, that are legal as long as they appropriately balance First Amendment rights with other public policy interests.

"For protests, funerals, political events, indeed for voting, the courts have upheld appropriate buffer zones in instances where the states have made a careful effort to do this balance, as we have here," Coakley said.

Supporters argue that the buffer zone is content neutral, since it applies equally to everyone. They say the state tried unsuccessfully to use a less restrictive law.

Marty Walz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and one of the lead sponsors of the 2007 law in the state legislature, said the 2007 law is the only method that has worked in Massachusetts to maintain public safety outside abortion clinics. "It strikes the right balance between allowing free speech out on the sidewalks by everyone, no matter what their point of view is and what they're saying, and it allows public safety to be maintained," Walz said.

"You have ample opportunity to speak and be heard on the public sidewalk, whether you agree with what Planned Parenthood does or don’t agree with what Planned Parenthood does," Walz said. "But the law also, by creating a small area around driveways and entrances (where people cannot stand), allows public safety to be maintained."

Lead plaintiff Eleanor McCullen, reached by telephone, declined to speak about the case until after oral arguments. Two of the plaintiffs' attorneys did not return calls.

But opponents argue in court briefs that the law does not leave open alternative means of communication and favors pro-abortion speech over anti-abortion speech.

Eugene Volokh, a professor of first amendment law at UCLA School of Law who filed a brief against the Massachusetts law, said the law is too broad. Volokh said similar restrictions could be used against animal rights or anti-war protestors, or against labor protests outside factories or supermarkets.

"There's really a huge range of categories of speech, a huge range of political movements, that use this kind of attempt at face-to-face education, expression of opinion and the like," Volokh said. "If this kind of restriction is upheld for anti-abortion speech, similar restrictions could be upheld for other kinds of speech."

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an 8-foot floating buffer zone in Colorado in 2000 by a 6-3 decision. The court has also twice upheld injunctions against groups violating buffer zone laws.

But the makeup of the court has changed since 2000. All three justices who dissented in the Colorado case – Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy, who is now often a swing vote – remain on the bench. Four of the justices who agreed with the majority have been replaced, and two of their replacements, Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito, are likely to be more conservative on abortion-related issues.

"The court's become more conservative since then," said Richard Fallon, professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School. "There probably are five justices who think Hill was wrongly decided."

Fallon said he will be "very surprised if Massachusetts wins." "It's actually quite likely there are five votes on the Supreme Court that are deeply, deeply skeptical of the permissibility of buffer zones outside abortion clinics and health care facilities for reasons involving their view that what the government is trying to do is stop abortion protests," Fallon said.

Montana and Colorado are the only other states with buffer zone laws. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Burlington, Vt., Harrisburg, Pa. and West Palm Beach, Fla. have buffer zones established by local ordinances.

The court could limit or overrule Hill vs. Colorado, or it could decide that this case is different, and rule solely on the Massachusetts law. The ruling will impact whether other states can implement buffer zones and which model is permissible.

More than 30 organizations have submitted "friend of the court" briefs, including national pro-choice and pro-life groups. The United States, represented by solicitor general Donald Verrilli, submitted a brief supporting the Massachusetts law. Attorneys general in New York led 13 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands in supporting the law, while attorneys general in Michigan and 11 other states oppose the law.

Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and a pro-life activist, is among a group of women who have gotten abortions who submitted briefs against the law.

The city of Springfield joined 18 municipalities, including Boston, San Francisco and New York, supporting the law. Attorneys for the municipalities wrote, "(we) wish to ensure that any decision of this Court does not impede the flexibility that they historically have been afforded – in the context of anti-abortion protests and otherwise – to determine how best to respond to local conditions and concerns as they develop, including through the imposition of appropriately-tailored buffer zones."

City solicitor Edward Pikula said Springfield signed onto the brief because it is directly affected by the law, as the home of a Planned Parenthood clinic.

"Our Police Department has had to deal with issues of trying to deal appropriately with the balance as to the rights of access to health care and the rights to freely speak or express beliefs," Pikula said. "So we have had experience in dealing with this law, and it has been effective."

Assistant attorney general Jennifer Miller, chief of the attorney general's government bureau, will argue the case for Massachusetts.

Pizza Hut plans to start offering pizza by the slice for the first time in two test locations this week, as the chain looks to keep pace with trendy competitors offering quick, made-to-order pies.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pizza Hut plans to start offering pizza by the slice for the first time in two test locations this week, as the chain looks to keep pace with trendy competitors offering quick, made-to-order pies.

The chain says the two locations — one in York, Neb. and Pawtucket, R.I. — will open Tuesday.

A slice will cost between $2 and $3 and take 3 to 4 minutes to heat up. They'll be made with new recipes more in line with the thinner pies sold in the Northeast.

The tests reflect how established restaurant chains are scrambling to reinvent themselves to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry. The challenge: figuring out how to serve food quickly, while also improving perceptions about their food.

The Mercedes was fully involved in flames when firefighters arrived on scene.

 

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad is seeking the public’s help as it probes a set fire that destroyed a Mercedes and damaged the exterior of a home in the Six Corners neighborhood Sunday night.

The fire at 90 Cherry St. was reported shortly after 10:20 p.m., and the 1998 Mercedes ML 320 was fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene a short time later, Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant, said.

The blaze caused some $5,000 damage to the home at 90 Cherry St.

Leger said the vehicle, which was being stored under a tarp, was unregistered and uninsured. Those with information are asked to call the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad at (413) 787-6370.

Amherst budget will be released Thursday afternoon.

AMHERST — Town officials are expecting to release a fiscal 2015 budget up by about 2.7 percent over last year’s $20.2 million, in keeping with Finance Committee guidelines.

Officials are still working out final numbers, said Town Manager John P. Musante.
The budget will be presented at 4 p.m. Thursday in Town Hall. The Town Government Act requires that the manager present a budget by Jan. 16.

The municipal budget includes police and fire, public works, community services, conservation and development. The school and library budgets are not included.

“We’re looking at level services and a few strategic investments,” Musante said. “We’re in a more stable place.”

There are no layoffs, and the budget includes money for the staffing changes in the fire department.

Minimum staffing will increase to eight instead of seven, except during winter and spring breaks at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Hampshire colleges and from June through Aug. 15 when levels return to seven. While there won’t be additional hires, there will be some overtime required.

He said the town will be looking at raising ambulance rates. The last fee adjustment was in 2009.

Musante also said they are hoping to create a three-town regional dispatch center this year. That, he said, would likely save money and that could mean hiring police. “Public safety is a priority,” he said.

The town first began investigating regional dispatch in 2008 with various potential partners. The three-town model would include Amherst, Pelham and Hadley, he said. There is further analysis looking at that model before finalizing the plan. He thinks that instead of building a new building, “there could be modest retrofitting” in the current space.

The budget is factoring in new growth of about $600,000, up from about $450,000, said Finance Director Sandy Pooler. That figure is a reflection of some economic revitalization, he said.

The new growth is seen with the groundbreaking of the Cowls Trolley Barn that calls for three luxury condominiums and 2,000 square feet of retail commercial space and anticipated spring groundbreaking by Archipelago Investments of its 75-unit student housing complex on Olympia Drive and 36-unit project called Kendrick Place downtown.

Economic Development remains a priority but funding for a director is not included in the budget, he said.

They are looking at different ways to fund a position. He said economic development is a component of the work a consultant to be hired by the town and the University of Massachusetts will be looking into.

The budget includes spending 7 percent of the levy limit, or about $3.3 million, on capital projects. The Joint Capital Planning Committee will meet to begin looking at priorities, Pooler said.

The budget presentation is at 4 p.m. in Town Hall.

Arena-DeRosa's platforms will include breakfast in every elementary school classroom and updated regulations to help local farmers.

From Oxfam to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, much of James Arena-DeRosa's career has centered on hunger and poverty.

Now, Arena-DeRosa, a Democratic candidate for Massachusetts lieutenant governor, said issues surrounding hunger, the food economy, local nutrition and health would be at the forefront of what he hopes to accomplish, if he is elected. "There are billions of dollars of long-term savings if we can get people to have a healthier lifestyle," Arena-DeRosa said.

Arena-DeRosa is running against Steve Kerrigan, Mike Lake and Jonathan Edwards in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Five Democrats are running for governor and none has endorsed a running mate. On the Republican side, lieutenant governor candidate Karyn Polito is running with Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker.

Arena-DeRosa, a first-time candidate, plans to launch his campaign at the end of January, but he is already traveling around the state introducing himself to Democrats. In an interview with The Republican/MassLive.com, Arena-DeRosa said he plans to focus on issues surrounding social and human services.

For example, he said as lieutenant governor, he would fight to serve breakfast in every elementary school classroom. "The studies show that kids who have breakfast do better in school, have less problems with attendance and discipline and do better on those standardized tests the administrators worry about," he said.

Arena-DeRosa also wants to help local farmers. "There's tremendous interest in fresh, local healthy foods," he said. But, he said, "The rules are set up unfortunately to sometimes help the bigger corporate entities. We need someone who's fighting for our small farmers."

He pointed to a program at the USDA encouraging local farmers to provide products to schools. He said labor regulations, written to prevent the abuse of farm workers in the 1930s, prevent farmers from aggregating products. He said those rules should be changed to reflect modern times.

Asked about campaigns such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial proposal to ban large sodas in restaurants, Arena-DeRosa said government must balance different values. He believes government can put restrictions on the use of food stamps. "I think when we're talking about government tax dollars, government locales and government programs, I think that's well within the possibilities of discussion of what's on the table," he said. He would like to put in place incentives for buying healthy foods – for example, giving people extra SNAP benefits for making healthy purchases.

Arena-DeRosa also said he would like to see government subsidies line up with nutritional values. For example, government could subsidize fruit and vegetable crops rather than corn syrup that goes into soda. "Why don't we subsidize the things that we say are good to eat?" he asked.

He supports the proposal passed by the Massachusetts Senate to increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour. He criticized McDonalds' practice of helping employees apply for food stamps to supplement low wages as turning food stamps into "another corporate subsidy in disguise."

Arena-DeRosa, 57, grew up in Walpole and lives in Holliston. His father was a truck driver and printer; his mother was a nurse. He graduated from the Catholic Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood then from Harvard University.

He worked for the anti-poverty organization Oxfam America for over a decade, doing public affairs and creating a legislative advocacy program. He spent nine years as Northeast regional director for the Peace Corps. He worked for the USDA from 2010 to 2013 as Northeast regional administrator overseeing food and nutrition services. Arena-DeRosa was barred from politics while at the Peace Corps and USDA.

He and his wife Lina have two sons.

Monchi Castillo-Cosme and a 16-year-old juvenile also emerged as suspects in a string of 15 armed robberies at convenience stores along I-91 in Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD – A 23-year-old Springfield man and a 16-year-old teen are being charged with the armed robbery of two Rhode Island convenience stores and may face additional charges in Massachusetts in connection with a string of 15 similar robberies of convenience stores along Interstate 91, officials said.

Monchi Castillo-Cosme, seen here in a 2011 Springfield police mugshot.File photo / The Republican 

Castillo-Cosme was arrested Jan. 4 by Rhode Island State Police near Uxbridge after he crashed his car in Warwick during a police pursuit. A second suspect who was in the car escaped on foot. They were being pursued in connection with a pair of robberies that day in Cranston and Coventry, Rhode Island, State Police said.

Castillo-Cosme has been held without the right to bail in Rhode Island since his arrest.

An investigation by Rhode Island police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the office of Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni led to identifying the 16-year old as a suspect. He was arrested Friday morning at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology and charged with being a fugitive from justice.

The boy’s name was not disclosed to the press because he is a juvenile.

He was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail at his arraignment in Hampden Juvenile Court and is awaiting an extradition hearing to determine if he can be sent to Rhode Island to face trial.

According to Massachusetts State Police officials, Castillo-Cosme and the juvenile emerged as suspects in a string of Pioneer Valley convenience store robberies while Massachusetts troopers aided Rhode Island officials in their investigation.

According to Massachusetts State Police, Castillo-Cosme and and the juvenile match the description of two suspects involved in as many as 15 armed robberies at convenience stores along Interstate 91 as far north as Greenfield.

Also a search of Castillo-Cosme’s apartment yielded what police say is evidence linking them to the robberies.

Charges in the Massachusetts robberies have not yet been filed but are expected, police said.

Castillo-Cosme was arrested in Springfield and charged with trafficking cocaine on Sept. 11, 2011.

Noble Hospital, in cooperation with the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, will host a symposium titled "Transforming the Healthcare System in Western Massachusetts," on Jan. 15 from 5:30 until 8 p.m. at Westfield State University.

 

WESTFIELD — Health care in general and in Western Massachusetts specifically is a hot topic mired in new laws and the subject of a symposium that will help participants navigate the system.

Noble Hospital, in cooperation with the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, will host a symposium entitled “Transforming the Healthcare System in Western Massachusetts,” on Jan. 15 from 5:30 until 8 p.m. at Westfield State University on the Dever Stage of Parenzo Hall at 577 Western Ave.

Meg Morrill, community development coordinator for Noble Hospital, said registration was brisk for the event designed to shed light on the ramifications of the new healthcare laws not only for individuals, but for small business.

“The symposium will focus on the way changes in insurance laws effect small business,” she said, adding that the real goal for co-sponsor Chamber of Commerce is to help small business owners effectively deal with those changes.

Ronald Bryant, president and chief executive officer of Noble Hospital. 

The event will be lead by panelists Ronald Bryant, president and chief executive officer of Noble Hospital, Maura C. McCaffrey, chief operation officer and incoming chief executive officer of Health New England insurance, and Lynn Nicholas, president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association.

In addition to holding various professional licenses and his membership in associations, Bryant is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, chairman of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, vice chairman of the Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice Association, a member of the American College of Health Care Executives, a member of the ACHE national membership committee, and president of the Westfield Medical Corporation.

Maura McCaffrey, chief operating officer and incoming chief executive officer of Health New England insurance. 

As chief operating officer at Health New England, McCaffrey is responsible for the oversight of sales, business development and operations. Since being promoted to this position in April 2012, she has used her extensive experience in these areas to help Health New England achieve present goals as well as plan for future growth. McCaffrey joined Health New England in 2002 and was named vice president of marketing, business development, and Medicare, in 2006. She developed government programs, marketing, and product development.

Lynn Nicholas, president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association. 

Nicholas, president of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, has more than 35 years of hospital and association experience. Her commitment to health and wellness as a leadership priority earned the MHA in 2011 Boston Business Journal's inaugural Healthiest Employer Award for the small business category. The association also received the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Make Smoking History Award for launching a successful statewide voluntary public health initiative to ban all tobacco products from hospital campuses.

Jean Yang, executive director for the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority. 

Yang, executive director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority oversees programs, policies, operations and staff of the Commonwealth’s Public Health Insurance Exchange, the linchpin of the state's historic healthcare reform law of 2006 and the model for health insurance exchanges nationwide under the landmark federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Prior to being appointed executive director, Yang served as the Health Connector’s chief financial officer and was in charge of all aspects of financial management and control of the organization. In particular, Yang led the successful procurement of the subsidized Commonwealth Care Program in fiscal year 2012 and 2013 that led to a premium rate decrease of 12 percent over two years.

For more information, contact the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce office at (413) 568-1618 or by email at info@westfieldbiz.org.

Richmond explained that rigor mortis is a chemical reaction in which the muscles of the body stiffen after death.

NORTHAMPTON – In a key bit of testimony, a doctor formerly with the Massachusetts Medical Examiner’s Office told the jury at the Cara Rintala murder trial Monday that Annamarie Cochrane Rintala had been murdered six to eight hours before police found her wife sitting in their basement with her corpse on her lap.

Dr. Joann Richmond’s time-of-death estimate, if believed by the jury, would make it unlikely that Cochrane Rintala was killed by someone other than defendant Cara Rintala. Rintala, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her wife, Cochrane Rintala, who was 37 at the time. Police summoned by a 911 call arrived at the 18 Barton St. home the two women shared with their adopted daughter to find the defendant wailing in the basement, cradling Cochrane Rintala’s blood- and paint-spattered body in her lap.

Rintala, who has pleaded innocent, told police her wife was alive when she went out on a series of errands earlier that afternoon. In a case that turns largely on circumstantial evidence, the time of death is critical in determining who had an opportunity to kill Cochrane Rintala.

The case was originally tried last March but ended in a hung jury. In the first trial, the defense vigorously disputed Richmond’s estimate, arguing that there is little scientific evidence to back it up. As she did at the first trial, Richmond, who performed the autopsy on Cochrane Rintala’s body, gave the cause of death as strangulation.

Under questioning by prosecutor Steven Gagne, Richmond, who is now retired, said Cochrane Rintala’s body also had extensive bruising, abrasions and lacerations consistent with falling down a flight of stairs. Her body was found at the bottom of the basement stairs. Richmond said it takes about four minutes to strangle a person to death.

Her testimony was illustrated with gruesome photographs from the crime scene of Cochrane Rintala’s body. Earlier in the day, paramedics and police who responded earlier to the scene testified that they arrived to find Cochrane Rintala’s body stiff, indicating that rigor mortis had set in.

Richmond explained that rigor mortis is a chemical reaction, in which the muscles of the body stiffen after death. Although she did not go to the crime scene, Richmond based her estimate on the observations of the first responders and her own observations at the autopsy.

As he did at the first trial, defense lawyer David P. Hoose grilled Richmond about her time-of-death estimate. She acknowledged that such estimates are an inexact science. Under questioning by Hoose, Richmond said she could not tell if the victim had been in a “fight for her life” when she was strangled.

In a new defense tack from the first trial, Hoose introduced the concept of “cadaveric spasm,” a circumstance in which extreme physical trauma can cause the rigor mortis process to speed up. Richmond said she has heard of the concept but said cadaveric spasm is rare and she has not seen it.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday.

Nest Labs was founded in 2010 by Tony Fadell, a gadget guru who helped design the iPod and original iPhone.

NEW YORK (AP) — Google will pay $3.2 billion to buy Nest Labs, which develops high-tech versions of devices like thermostats and smoke detectors.

The search engine operator was an early investor in Nest Labs. It says the company's Nest Learning Thermostat has been a "consistent best-seller."

The thermostat, which retails for $249, is designed to learn how inhabitants like their homes to be heated and cooled. Once it learns the consumers' preferences, it automatically adjusts the temperature on its own.

The Nest Protect alarm is intended to be less annoying than traditional alarms: when it detects rising smoke or carbon monoxide levels, it lights up yellow and speaks with human voice, giving consumers an option to turn the device off if there is no emergency. They can stop the alert by waving an arm. The Nest Protect costs $129 while an older smoke and carbon monoxide detector could cost $50 to $80.

Nest Labs is based in Palo Alto, Calif. It was founded in 2010 by Tony Fadell, a gadget guru who helped design the iPod and original iPhone while working at Apple.

Google Inc. is based in Mountain View, Calif. Its shares fell $7.20 to $1,122.98 on Monday and rose $6.02 to $1,129 in aftermarket trading.

Wilbraham officials are researching the plan for a regional dispatch center with officials from Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Hampden and Ludlow.

 

WILBRAHAM — Public safety officials in Wilbraham are working with officials from Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Hampden and Ludlow to implement a regional emergency dispatch unit.

The town has looked into forming a regional dispatch unit with other communities in the past, but the effort never got off the ground either because the communities were too far away or not enough like Wilbraham, Town Administrator Robert Weitz said.

“We are getting more buy-in from all communities,” Weitz said. He said the most recent effort of joining with Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Hampden and Ludlow to provide regional public safety emergency dispatch services appears to have “a better chance of success.”

Police Chief Roger Tucker said he is interested in applying for a study grant for the project from the state by a mid-April deadline for a regional dispatch center.

A regional dispatch center would help bring the town to the next generation of dispatching. Tucker and Fire Chief Francis Nothe said the dispatching job is expanding to include accepting text messages and video input.

Dispatchers in the future will be expected to stay on the line and relay medical advice, the chiefs said.

A new center could contain next generation dispatching equipment, the chiefs said. Now there is a problem with cell phone calls going first to the state police, Nothe said.

Nothe said he supports the town moving forward to apply for funds. He said he would want to make sure through a study that the dispatching center did not become overloaded with calls and would have the capacity to dispatch responders to the right community.

“We would want a regional dispatcher to be able to handle the call the whole way,” Nothe said. “We are continuing to meet with Ludlow and the other towns.”

Nothe and Tucker said they would be interested in locating an emergency dispatch unit in a new Wilbraham police station. The town is interested in building a new police station, and some state funds might be available to locate a regional dispatch center in a new Wilbraham facility, the chiefs said.

Nothe also said the Wilbraham Fire Department Ambulance Gift Fund is grateful for a $10,000 donation from the estate of Robert Langevin. The donation will be applied to a $15,000 cardiac compressor which will be used to administer CPR to a heart attack victim in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Nothe said.

“This will help with better outcomes as we move emergency medical services forward,” Nothe said.

Selectmen Chairman James Thompson said the Fire Department has many professional employees who do a good job every day responding to emergencies.

Police are looking for three men who allegedly robbed a Worcester man at gunpoint in his own apartment.

WORCESTER — Police are looking for three men who allegedly robbed a Worcester man at gunpoint in his own apartment.

A 24-year-old man woke up Monday, at 2:48 p.m., to gunmen that invaded his home and robbed him, according to a Worcester Police Department press release. Three hispanic men, two allegedly with gun, reportedly stole jewelry, a camera and other personal items before fleeing the apartment.

When police arrived, they searched the area but could not locate the suspects. The officers discovers a side door into the apartment had been kicked in.

According to police no injuries were reported from the incident and no information on the suspects is available.

If anyone has information about this incident, they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.