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Massachusetts Legislature's gun violence committee recommends more uniform standards for gun purchases, background checks for private sales

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The committee, appointed by the Massachusetts House Speaker, made 44 recommendations for changes to Massachusetts' gun laws, as well as its school safety and mental health systems.

BOSTON - A committee of experts tasked with reducing gun violence in Massachusetts has recommended numerous changes to the state's gun laws, as well as to its schools and mental health system.

The committee wants to set uniform standards regarding who is deemed "suitable" to buy a gun. It wants to forbid all convicted felons from possessing firearms and require background checks for all private gun sales. It recommends putting more of the burden on the state to renew gun licenses in a timely manner.

However, the committee declined to recommend some of the biggest changes to gun laws that had been proposed by legislators and by Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, including further restrictions on magazine capacity and limiting buyers to one firearm purchase per month.

Committee Chairman Jack McDevitt, associate dean for research for the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Northeastern University, said every one of the 44 recommendations was made unanimously by committee members.

"What we realized is that we wanted to see change, we wanted to see progress, but we also wanted to be realistic in proposing changes that would have a chance of passing," said committee member Robert Cerasoli, a former Massachusetts inspector general.

The committee was appointed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat, in March and charged with making policy recommendations to the state to reduce gun violence. Nearly 60 bills relating to gun laws had been filed in the Massachusetts Legislature after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The committee's recommendations will be used to develop comprehensive legislation.

The committee was chaired by McDevitt and included experts in mental health, law enforcement, gun violence and related fields. It met 15 times and heard from legislators, police, mental health advocates, school superintendents, gun owners and gun control advocates.

Massachusetts already has some of the nation's strongest gun laws – for example, it maintained a ban on assault weapons even after the federal ban expired. The report found that Massachusetts has among the lowest rates of household firearm ownership in the country and the lowest rates of gun deaths and gun injuries, particularly from suicides and accidents. Between 2001 and 2010, there were 2,179 gun deaths in Massachusetts.

Many of the problems identified by the report were with a lack of standardization in the gun licensing process. For example, local law enforcement officials have discretion to determine whether a person is "suitable" to receive a gun license, making the application process inconsistent throughout the state. There are no suitability standards regarding who can get a firearm identification card, which lets a person carry rifles, shotguns and ammunition. The content and quality of firearms training courses vary widely.

As a result, the report recommended that the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, with a gun control advisory board, develop standards for determining the suitability of applicants for a gun license and a firearms identification card. It recommended that those groups develop standards for a firearms safety course, including a live fire component, that would be required for license applicants.

"You shouldn’t be able to get a gun in one town, then go to next town and not be able to get a gun," McDevitt said. "There should be much more uniformity in terms of who gets those licenses."

The committee also targets gun trafficking by recommending that the state tighten restrictions on private gun sales. The committee wants to require background checks for private sales and require that checks and sales be done through a licensed gun dealer. It would increase penalties for failing to report lost or stolen guns.

Recently, gun owners have complained that administrative bottlenecks kept them waiting for months for their licenses to be renewed. The Executive Office of Public Safety says it is working to reduce delays, but the committee recommended allowing a person's license to remain valid for as long as the person is waiting for their renewal to be processed, rather than the current 90-day grace period. "By eliminating the 90 day period the onus is put back on the government to perform its bureaucratic duty," the report wrote.

Other recommendations include:

• Bringing Massachusetts in line with federal law by prohibiting a convicted felon from owning a firearm identification card. Currently, a card can be restored five years after a conviction.

• Eliminating the "Class B" license, which allows a person to carry a non-large capacity firearm, but not conceal it. Only a small number of these licenses are granted annually.

Committee members wrote in the report that the current restriction of large capacity magazines to 10 rounds "strikes a reasonable balance between public safety and personal liberty," so they were not proposing a change.

Asked about Patrick's proposal to restrict gun purchases to one a month, David Hemenway, a committee member and professor at Harvard School of Public Health, said that kind of law would help states that export guns used in crimes. Massachusetts, however, imports guns from other states with laxer laws, such as New Hampshire. "There's no evidence it would have a huge effect," he said.

The report also deals with school safety, mental health and urban gun violence. It recommends that each school be required to have a school safety plan, which includes communication between school and emergency personnel; robust mental health services; staff education; and the use of School Resource Officers, police officers placed in schools.

It recommends additional funding for school-based mental health services. It also recommends additional funding for mental health and substance abuse resources in urban areas; neighborhood outreach workers for at-risk youth; job programs for urban teens; diversion programs for juvenile offenders and other intervention programs that prevent youth violence.

Additionally, Massachusetts is currently not complying with federal laws requiring the state to report to a national database names of people who have been adjudicated mentally ill or have been convicted for illegal use of a controlled substance. There have been questions about what standard of mental illness should be used when it comes to screening for gun licenses, and how to balance patient privacy with public safety.

The committee recommended that, "only individuals who are drug dependent, substance abusers or have mental illness based upon a judicial finding of either substance abuse or mental illness and a likelihood of serious harm should be reported to (the National Instant Background Check System). Individuals who seek voluntary treatment or are involuntarily hospitalized for assessment and evaluation should not be reported."

It remains to be seen which recommendations the Legislature will adopt. DeLeo said only that the report is "an important step" and he looks forward to reviewing the recommendations as the House crafts legislation.

State Rep. Harold Naughton, a Clinton Democrat and chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said the expert committee has "given us a lot to work with," although it is too early to know which provisions will be included in the legislation.

Naughton said he likes provisions making the gun licensing process more uniform, bringing mental health records into the mix in determining suitability, requiring live fire training, and extending gun licenses while renewals are being processed. He said his legislative committee has also been working with others to create school safety protocols and proposals for new criminal penalties relating to gun violations. His committee hopes to develop a bill by the end of February.

"I look forward to continuing to work with all sides on issue to come to common ground on protecting the people of the Commonwealth," Naughton said.

The report drew criticism from gun rights advocates.

Jim Wallace, executive director of Gun Owners Action League, said he was "disappointed" in the report and the lack of influence GOAL had in shaping it.

Wallace said he objected to provisions giving the Massachusetts chiefs of police power to develop standards for suitability, when some of the chiefs have "abused the standards" by putting roadblocks in front of potential gun licensees. He opposed provisions requiring a "suitability" determination for a firearm identification card, arguing that those are not the guns used in crimes. He said the report did not mention the "abject failure" of Massachusetts gun laws to decrease crime.

"It's very disappointing to see an attempt from an independent source that had the opportunity to actually take a good look, an outside look, at our gun laws and restructure them. That didn't happen," Wallace said.

Assistant House Minority Leader George Peterson, a Grafton Republican, echoed some of Wallace's points. Peterson praised the provisions related to firearm safety training, school safety, and the reduction in the number of types of firearm licenses.

But he criticized the report for failing to note the increase in gun violence since Massachusetts adopted stricter laws, and for giving too much discretion to police chiefs and the gun control advisory board in determining suitability.

"It is my belief that a better way to handle factors relative to firearm ownership should be the explicit definition of those persons who would be prohibited from owning a firearm," Peterson said.

John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, praised the report for its recommendations requiring private gun sales to happen through a licensed dealer; giving the police more discretion in issuing rifle and shotgun licenses; and requiring that mental health records be transmitted to the national database. "I think the 44 unanimous recommendations of the committee are thoughtful and balanced," Rosenthal said. "These recommendations, if enacted by the legislature, will improve our gun laws and save lives."

Strategies for Reducing Gun Violence in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by Garrett Quinn


Amherst school officials investigating bullying complaint, possible civil rights violation following incident that closed high school last week

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Amherst officials looking at charge of bullying and possible civil rights violation following Facebook posting that let to closing of the high school.

AMHERST – The student who posted a message on a Facebook page Jan. 26 that resulted in the closing of the Amherst Regional High School the following day has filed a bullying complaint with the district while school officials are looking at whether his use of the “N” word is a civil rights violation.

School Principal Mark Jackson sent a letter home to parents Friday recapping the events of the week and next steps.

In the message, Jackson wrote, “all identities must remain confidential, despite what everyone knows or thinks they know.”

The student who wrote the posting that he brings guns to school every day will “will remain out of school until all investigations are completed,”
Jackson wrote.

Guns that police found at the boy’s home, which were under lock and key, have been removed.

The district is investigating the bullying complaint filed by the boy and his family, he wrote.
Jackson reported that the student “who is white, was involved in a conflict with a group of ARHS students who are black.

"The conflict centered on the white student’s use of the N word. The school district will investigate this as a civil rights violation.”

Jackson reported that he and “other school personnel have met with all the students involved and their families.”

In addition, high school faculty met three times during the week to talk about the issues. .

According to the posting on a the Amherst Regional High School Confessions page, the student wrote, "im packin modtly everyday at school, but since im calm and am able to keep my composure noone dies. i have it for protection yet ppl still think they can bully me."

School Superintendent Maria Geryk saw the posting and alerted police and town officials. The school was searched but no weapons were found.

Worcester driver charged with OUI after serious accident on Route 20

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Police have placed a Worcester man recovering in a hospital under arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol after a serious accident on Route 20 early Monday morning.

worcester police 95 X 95.jpg 
WORCESTER — Police have placed a Worcester man recovering in a hospital under arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol after a serious accident on Route 20 early Monday morning.

"When officers arrived at the scene they observed a Toyota Corolla wedged underneath the rear lift gate of a box truck. Debris from collision was scattered across both lanes of the roadway," said the Worcester Police Department in a release Monday. "An officer immediately began to perform CPR on the 25-year-old male passenger from Douglas. He was rushed to hospital and is currently listed in critical condition."

The driver, later identified as Diego Sanchez, 27, was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries and is currently in stable condition, according to police. The accident occurred at approximately 2 a.m. at 177 Southwest Cutoff. Two men in the box truck, which was reportedly rear-ended by the Corolla, were not injured in the accident.

Sanchez was charged at the hospital with operating under the influence of liquor causing serious bodily injury, operating a motor vehicle negligently so as to endanger the lives and safety of the public and speed greater than reasonable.

The Accident Reconstruction Team was called to the scene for the investigation, which is ongoing.

Reports of gunshots lead to firearms charges against Worcester man

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Reports of gun shots lead police to evacuate a building Sunday and arrest a Worcester man on gun charges.

 
WORCESTER — Reports of gun shots lead police to evacuate a building Sunday and arrest a Worcester man on gun charges.

Calls came in around 6 a.m. on Sunday of gun shots in the area of 23 Mott St., according to a release from the Worcester Police Department. Officers responding to the scene escorted the tenants out of the first and third floors of a three-decker building before forcing their way into the second floor apartment.

Officers observed a loaded firearm in the kitchen, according to police, and secured a man identified as Jason Ramos, 30, of 3 Mott St. Apt. 3 with improperly storing a firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm/ammunition without an FID card and a firearm violation with three prior violent/drug crimes.

The investigation is ongoing.

State Rep. Angelo Puppolo will not run for Massachusetts Senate seat being vacated by Gale Candaras

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Puppolo, of Springfield, said he will run for re-election to the 12th Hampden District House seat.

BOSTON - State Rep. Angelo Puppolo, Jr., D-Springfield, will not run for the state Senate.

Puppolo had been considering running to replace Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, who is running for Hampden register of probate. Puppolo said on Monday that he will run for reelection to his House seat. Puppolo said he wants to spend more time with his 8- and 12-year-old daughters.

“A major factor in my decision is my two young daughters, and in the past two weeks, I have missed too many of their basketball games and other family functions contemplating a campaign for Senate,” Puppolo said.

Puppolo said he believes his district still needs strong leadership in the House. "We've done a lot of great things, but there is more work that needs to be done," he said.

The 12th Hampden District, which Puppolo represents, covers Wilbraham and parts of Springfield and East Longmeadow.

puppolo mug.JPGRep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield 

Puppolo, who has been a state representative since 2006, serves as vice-chairman of the House Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

Puppolo's decision leaves Republican Debra Boronski, a longtime chamber of commerce activist, and Democratic chairman of the Ludlow School Committee James "Chip" Harrington as the two candidates currently in the race for Candaras' Senate seat.

Puppolo is not yet supporting either of them. Other candidates could still get into the race.

Western Massachusetts communities announce parking bans, closings ahead of predicted snowstorm

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Eight to 12 inches of snow is in the forecast for most of the Pioneer Valley.

Heavy snow is expected to begin overnight and last much of the day Wednesday; a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service is in effect from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eight to 12 inches of snow is in the forecast for most of the Pioneer Valley.

Below, information about local parking bans and other weather-related postponements and closings. As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, no local school systems have released information about delays, closings or early dismissals Wednesday.

We'll add information below as we receive it. Please email online@repub.com with information about schools, public meetings and parking bans; due to the sheer volume, we are unable to list closings for small businesses and day care sites.

Parking bans
Easthampton: No parking on any city streets from 12 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

Greenfield: No parking on either side of any residential street from 4:00 a.m. Wednesday through 6:00 a.m. Thursday.

Holyoke: No parking on the even side of any street from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

Springfield: A city-wide parking ban will go into effect on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 9:00 AM until further notice. Parking will not be permitted on the Odd side of the street from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM and No Parking on the Even side from 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM. The ban will be enforced through ticketing and towing.

Road closings
Route 141 between Easthampton and Holyoke will be closed from 12 a.m. Wednesday until further notice. The Log Cabin and Tavern on the Hill will be open during their regular business hours, accessible from the Holyoke side of the mountain.

Meetings
Springfield:

  • Old Hill Neighborhood Council Monthly Board Meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday February 5, 2014, is postponed until next Wednesday February 12, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. Meeting will be held at the Council Office at 99 Eastern Ave. Springfield, MA. For more information call the office at 413-736-4575.

Colleges


Transportation
Peter Ban Bus Lines has announced a number of service cancellations. View a full list here »

New Massachusetts database puts voter registration information online

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The new database tells voters whether they are registered to vote, with which party, and where their polling place is.

Massachusetts voters can now look up their voter registration status online.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Bill Galvin launched a new website that allows voters to input their name, birthday and zip code and find out whether they are registered to vote and with which party. The website also tells voters where their polling place is, where their city or town clerk is located, and who their elected officials are.

"Having this information online and up to date will not only be a convenience to voters, but will reduce the volume of questions city and town clerks and elections departments face on Election Day,” Galvin said in a statement.

The creation of an online voter database is included in an election reform bill that is currently pending in the Massachusetts State House and Senate.

Galvin said his office would also like voters to be able to register to vote online – a provision also included in the legislative bills. However, Galvin told a panel of lawmakers on Tuesday that he is not sure whether that will happen before the November 2014 election. That database will have to be constructed in conjunction with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, which is currently in the process of updating its computer system, Galvin said.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals opens new global headquarters in Boston's Innovation District

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals opened its new 1.1 million square-foot headquarters in Boston's Innovation District Tuesday morning, with Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Marty Walsh present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals opened its new 1.1 million square-foot headquarters in Boston's Innovation District Tuesday morning, with Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Martin Walsh present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Boston Business Journal describes the Cambridge-based biotechnology company's new location at 11 Fan Pier in Fort Point:

"The $850 million campus, encompassing two connected buildings, includes more than 75 small informal collaboration spaces and a 500-seat cafeteria. It also includes 3,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space for use by the Boston Public Schools, including Vertex's partner schools Excel High School and Boston Green Academy, as well as other community groups."

“The opening of Vertex’s corporate headquarters in our Innovation District is an exciting day for Boston, for the Commonwealth, and for the millions of people around the world who stand to benefit from Vertex’s amazing work,” Gov. Deval Patrick said at the ceremony. “This is an example of how playing to our strengths in the life sciences creates good jobs and better health now and for the next generation.”

The company made headlines in October when it announced it will cut 15 percent of its total workforce, citing a decline in sales of its hepatitis C drug Incivek. The company subsequently had to repay $4.4 million in state tax incentives it was given in exchange for promising job creation.

Former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino led the charge for the creation of an Innovation District on the South Boston Waterfront, and encouraged Vertex's relocation to the area with about $12 million in real estate tax breaks over seven years, according to a 2012 Boston Business Journal article that called the deal "one of the biggest real estate deals in the city's history."

Vertex is a Cambridge-based biotechnology company whose mission is to create and develop new medicines for people with serious diseases such as cystic fibrosis and hepatitis C.


Arraignment of Springfield man involved in crash that took 2 lives, including his 3-year-old daughter, postponed

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Mauricio Velasquez is charged with motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of an intoxicant. The charge comes in connection with a crash on Hendrick Street in Easthampton on Dec. 7.

NORTHAMPTON — The arraignment of a Springfield man involved in a car crash that took the lives of his 3-year-old daughter and 71-year-old Easthampton man has been postponed until Thursday for lack of a certified court translator.

Mauricio Velasquez, 32, is charged with motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of an intoxicant. The charge comes in connection with a crash on Hendrick Street in Easthampton on Dec. 7.

The arraignment had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Hampshire Superior Court. The proceedings would have included an argument for bail. Velasquez is currently being held in custody.

Velasquez' vehicle hit a guardrail and crossed into a lane of oncoming traffic, where it struck a pickup truck driven by Charles Hoffman head-on, police said at the time. Hoffman died as a result of the crash. Also killed was Velasquez' daughter, Diana Velasques-Diaz.

The child either was not in her child's car-seat in the van or was improperly secured, police said at the time.

Velasquez was indicted last week on two counts each of motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of an intoxicant, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle and manslaughter. He reportedly told police he drank six or seven beers in 90 minutes at the home of a nephew prior to the accident, then hit the accelerator instead of the brake when he lost control of his van. He did not have a valid driver's license, according to police.


2.4.14 I Northampton - Republican Staff Photo by Don Treeger-Mauricio Valasquez stands during arraignment in Hampshire Superior Court on Vehicular Homicide charges. The arraignment was postponed due to the lack of a certified court translator. 

Amherst town officials will post weather updates early Wednesday morning on town website

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Town Manager John Musante said officials are "playing it be ear" regarding closings or delays.

AMHERST -- Town officials will post weather-related information on the town's website by 6 a.m., Town Manager John P. Musante said Tuesday.

He said the town is "playing it be ear" regarding closings or delays.

School closing and other weather information will be posted to MassLive.com as we receive it.

Adam Thurber's fatal New Year's Day, hit-and-run case in Springfield to be presented to Hampden Superior Court grand jury

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Friends and family of the victim will hold a fund-raiser Thursday night to defray the cost of his burial.

SPRINGFIELD – The case against Adam Thurber, suspect in the hit-and-run crash that killed bicyclist Derek Russell on Boston Road early New Year’s Day, will likely be presented to a grand jury in Hampden Superior Court within the next 30 days, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

thurber, adamcrop.jpgAdam Thurber 

Friends and family of Russell, meanwhile, will hold a fund-raiser Thursday night at Club Lux on Worthington Street to defray the cost of his funeral services and burial.

Assistant Hampden District Attorney Ingrid Frau told Judge William Boyle about the pending grand jury Tuesday morning during two jointly-held hearings pertaining to Thurber, 38, of 85 Tavistock St.

One was a probation violation hearing stemming from Thurber’s alleged drunken driving crash on Interstate 291 in April and the second was a probable cause hearing pertaining to New Year’s day accident.

011414 Derek Russell.jpgDerek Russell 

Boyle continued both hearings until March 6.

The judge declined a motion made by Thurber’s lawyer, Jared Olanoff, to dismiss the case or reduce the bail. Olanoff cited the 60-day period in which his client will be held on high bail that he has no ability to pay.

Thurber, in handcuffs and shackles, appeared in court for the brief hearings as members of his family and Russell’s family looked on from opposite sides of the spectator seating area. He continues to be held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

Court documents state that Thurber violated the conditions of his probation in September when he twice tested positive for cocaine and was found to be in possession of a fake penis that produces synthetic urine for one of his court-mandated drug screens. He also failed to show for program sessions ordered by the court in wake of probation violations.

A warrant was issued for the Thurber’s arrest on Dec. 19 after he failed to show for a probation violation hearing.

Thurber was arrested on that warrant on Jan. 3 in Ludlow, two days after he allegedly struck and killed the 25-year-old Russell.

During his arraignment in District Court on Jan. 6, Thurber denied charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury and death, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and speeding.

Police, using surveillance video from two cameras at a Boston Road area residence, determined that Thurber was going 70 mph when hit Russell at about 3 a.m., according to court documents. One of the cameras showed Thurber’s Ford F-150 pickup truck, eastbound on Boston Road, strike Russell as he pedaled out from Barber Street.

A second camera on the other side of the house showed the pickup, now dragging the frame of the bicycle, continue without stopping.

Russell was pronounced dead at the scene, and parts of his bicycle were found on the ground near the Walmart lot, close to a mile from the accident scene, police and court documents state.

photo.JPG2-4-14 -- Springfield -- Derek Russell Sr. and Joanne Russell-Fisher were among about a dozen family members to a attend a District Court session pertaining to Adam Thurber, suspected of fatally injuring their son in a New Year's Day crash. 

About a dozen of Russell’s family members attended the Tuesday session. Afterwards, his parents, and Joanne Russell-Fisher and Derek Russell Sr., expressed relief at Boyle’s refusal to dismiss the case or reduce the bail.

Both spoke of their desire to see justice for their son. “The system is going to work, I hope,” said Russell-Fisher, wearing a T-shirts with her son’s picture. along with the dates of his birth and death. “I am praying that it does.”

Both spoke the anguish that the family has been going through in wake of their son’s death.

“Your days are long but the nights are even longer,” Russell-Fisher said.

“The nights are the worst,” Russell said.

The fund-raiser, to be held at 81 Worthington St., will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $10 and there will be a raffle, music and food.

Glen Shor, Gov. Deval Patrick's top budget official, quizzed by legislative budget writers

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Shor was asked about the governor's decisions to level fund local aid and to continue taking money from the state's rainy day fund in his proposed budget.

Gov. Deval Patrick's top budget official on Wednesday explained the governor's decisions to level fund local aid and to continue taking money from the state's rainy day fund in Patrick's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015.

Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor was questioned for 1.5 hours, sometimes sharply, by the Senate and House committees on Ways and Means. The legislative committees will take Patrick's proposed $36.4 billion budget and develop their own proposals.

House and Senate officials have indicated that one area they are likely to change is Patrick's proposal to level fund local aid, the unrestricted money given to city and town governments.

Rep. Matthew Beaton, a Shrewsbury Republican, said Patrick committed during his campaigns to reduce local property taxes. "The most easy, direct way to do that is through local aid and (education aid) funding year after year," Beaton said. "Unfortunately, this year, in a year when the budget has a 6 percent increase in spending and 4.9 percent increase in revenues, we find ourselves again level funding our local aid account…. all the while the cost of things on a municipal level has skyrocketed."

Rep. Michael Brady, a Brockton Democrat, also said he is concerned about level funding local aid. "Our communities depend on local aid," Brady said.

Shor stressed that Patrick wants to maintain a $21 million increase in local aid made in fiscal year 2014. He also added $100 million in local education aid. Shor said cities and towns should look at Patrick's accomplishments in previous years, saving them money through municipal health insurance reform and pension reform and giving them a local option to implement meals and rooms taxes. He said spending on capital projects nearly doubled under Patrick's administration.

"We believe the full breadth of measures we provided to municipalities gives them important tools to manage their finances and provide property tax relief," Shor said. "The record has to encompass all the tools, not one year's investment in unrestricted municipal aid."

Another area of the budget to come under criticism, particularly from Republicans, is its reliance on $175 million from the state's rainy day fund – although that is about half the amount the state took from reserves last year. Shor said most of that money will be replenished by the end of 2015.

Angelo D'Emilia, a Bridgewater Republican, said in a year when the state is predicting additional revenue, "I'd think it makes more sense to keep that rainy day fund and rebuild it."

Rep. David Vieira, an East Falmouth Republican, suggested lawmakers put a hold on $175 million in expenditures until it is clear the state raised enough revenue to replenish the fund.

Shor responded that the state had a major drop in tax revenues in 2009 during the recession, and is still experiencing only modest revenue growth of 4 or 5 percent a year. "The choices of using the rainy day fund are challenging ones," Shor said.

According to Shor, if the rainy day fund was not used at all, significant cuts would have to be made in education and other areas. "It would be challenging to do what we did for local aid. You'd have to cut health care eligibility, cut public safety and make other cuts in public investment that would challenge our prospects of continuing recovering and frustrate our ability to make public investments needed for opportunity and prosperity."

Shor described the budget as "fiscally responsible" and said ratings agencies will still maintain the state's high bond rating.

D'Emilia also quizzed Shor about the additional taxes included in the governor's budget – something Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said they are unlikely to pass.

The biggest single tax increase Patrick is proposing is ending the sales tax exemption on candy and soda. "We believe it's an important public health measure designed to reduce obesity and diabetes and also raise close to $60 million in new revenues," Shor said. Shor added that personal income tax rates were reduced Jan. 1, 2014 from 5.25 percent to 5.2 percent.

Last year, Patrick proposed a large package of tax increases, which the legislature ultimately pared down. State Rep. Vinny deMacedo, a Plymouth Republican, asked Shor why Patrick did not propose another major tax package. "Is it because revenues are doing better or was it a change in philosophy?" deMacedo asked.

Shor responded that, as Patrick has previously said, "It didn’t make sense every year to go back to the legislature with a big tax package. He filed a budget with the resources available."

There will be eight budget hearings around the state, the remainder of which will be open to public testimony.

Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Stephen Brewer, a Barre Democrat, said he and House Chairman Brian Dempsey, a Haverhill Democrat, share the same understanding: "The impact of what we do in one fiscal year must be considered in the framework of years to come." Brewer's goals, he said, include providing "quality educational opportunity for all, improved public infrastructure and a strong safety net for the neediest and most vulnerable populations."

Dempsey added that he and Brewer share a commitment to keeping the state's rainy day fund strong and making investments in the state while considering the long term and "recognizing the challenges we continue to face in our economy."

Also at the hearing, Attorney General Martha Coakley asked lawmakers to level fund most of the line items for her office. Coakley said her office is unique in that it is a "revenue generator," due to the money it recovers in settlements and recoveries. For example, it has recovered significant amounts of money from prosecuting Medicaid fraud and from stopping energy rate increases that officials consider unjustified.

Auditor Suzanne Bump requested an additional $1.35 million to increase her field audit staff by 25 people. Bump said in two years, department audits have identified over $300 million in questionable and unallowable spending, fraud, and ineffective operations. She said audits conducted by her office have saved the Commonwealth money and improved government services.

Springfield's Sci-Tech high school locked down for what turns out to be 'fake gun'

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The suspect was identified and detained by Springfield police Quebec officers inside High School of Science and Technology about 30 seconds after the report was made.

SPRINGFIELD — The High School of Science and Technology was locked down briefly Tuesday afternoon for a report of someone entering the building with a gun, but the lockdown was lifted a short time later when the gun turned out to be a toy, police said.

Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet, said the suspect was identified and detained by Springfield police Quebec officers inside the school about 30 seconds after the report was made.

The person stopped is a 17-year-old juvenile. His name was not released due to his age. He was found with a toy gun in his backpack. Police also found a small knife, Delaney said.

Delaney said it is not clear at this point if he will face charges.

Azell Cavaan, spokeswoman for the Springfield School Department, said the report was made just after dismissal. “Police investigated and found the person to be in possession of a fake gun. The lockdown was lifted shortly after,” she said.


Jury to resume deliberations Thursday in Adam Lee Hall triple murder case

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Hall, 36, of Peru, faces 19 charges, including multiple counts of murder and kidnapping from three separate incidents from 2009 through 2011.

SPRINGFIELD - The jury will resume deliberations Thursday in the Berkshire triple murder trial of Adam Lee Hall.

Jurors deliberated all day Tuesday. They had deliberated for a few hours Monday.

Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder polled jurors and they asked if they could skip Wednesday because of the predicted storm and resume Thursday. The judge said he would do that.

The jury had two questions Tuesday. They requested a definition of the word "damage" as it applied to the law for the intimidation of a witness charges.

The last question was a request for a map of the Lee, Lenox, Becket, Pittsfield area. Kinder told them since such a map has not been introduced as evidence they cannot be given one.

Hall, 36, of Peru, faces 19 charges, including multiple counts of murder and kidnapping from three separate incidents from 2009 through 2011.

In August 2011, weeks before he was to testify against Hall, David Glasser and his roommate, Edward Frampton, and their friend Robert Chadwell, all of Pittsfield, disappeared.

Their dismembered bodies were found in Becket nearly two weeks later.

Hall was a ranking member of the local Hells Angels when he, David Chalue, 46, of North Adams, and Caius Veiovis, 32, of Pittsfield, kidnapped the three victims from Frampton's Pittsfield home sometime in the early hours of Aug. 28, 2011, and fatally shot them, according to prosecutors.

Hall is being tried first. The next trial is of Chalue in mid-April.

The trials were moved to Hampden Superior Court after defense lawyers said publicity in Berkshire County would make is impossible for a fair trial.

Worcester Police officer Rajat Sharda was in uniform and on patrol during alleged rape and intimidation

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The Worcester Police Department confirmed Tuesday afternoon that officer Rajat Sharda was on duty during an alleged incident that resulted in him being charged with aggravated rape and intimidation among other charges.

WORCESTER — The Worcester Police Department confirmed Tuesday afternoon that officer Rajat Sharda was on duty during an alleged incident that resulted in him being charged with aggravated rape and intimidation among other charges.

"I can say that the officer was working that evening. He was in uniform in a marked cruiser," said Worcester Police Communications Officer Kerry Hazelhurst at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The Worcester Police Investigative Unit arrested Sharda Monday night on charges of aggravated rape, armed robbery, intimidation of a witness, threats with the intent to extort by police, and open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior.

Bancroft_TowerFile photo courtesy of city of Worcester.  
The charges stem from an alleged Aug. 6 incident at Bancroft Tower where Sharda asked a woman "what she would be willing to do to avoid being arrested," according to a statement of facts filed in Worcester Superior Court. Sharda is accused of then intentionally exposing himself to the woman and then raping her by means of "digital penetration,", according to court documents. The armed robbery charge stems from him taking the woman's blanket while armed with his service weapon.

The victim reportedly came forward in November with an investigation yielding enough evidence for an arrest warrant to be issued for Sharda, said Hazelhurst.

"These investigations usually take some time," he said.

Sharda was released on $7,540 cash bail roughly two hours after he was arrested at 5 p.m. Monday night. The 32-year-old officer from Hudson was arraigned Tuesday in Worcester District Court.

Sharda is currently on paid administrative leave, per Massachusetts law, with both criminal and internal investigations still ongoing, said Hazelhurst.


Malden City Councilor Dave D'Arcangelo will challenge Secretary of State Bill Galvin

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D'Arcangelo, who is legally blind, worked in the administrations of Republican Govs. William Weld and Paul Cellucci.

Malden City Councilor Dave D’Arcangelo, a Republican, said Tuesday that he plans to challenge Secretary of State Bill Galvin for his job in 2014.

Dave D'Arcangelo.jpgDave D'Arcangelo 

"After more than 20 years it’s time for a change,” D’Arcangelo said. “We need to modernize the secretary of state’s office and expand its role in bringing transparency to state and local government."

Galvin, a Democrat, was first elected secretary of state in 1994, and has been re-elected every four years. Galvin said he is proud of his record in office. "I've had many opponents," Galvin said. "I don’t know the gentleman. I expect an opponent."

D’Arcangelo, 43, said he wants to move toward electronic voting and registration. He also wants to make records and public documents more easily accessible. A bill currently pending before the state legislature would establish online voter registration, but not electronic voting.

D’Arcangelo is the founder and managing director of Arc Angel Communications, a public relations and social media firm. He previously worked in communications for M & L Transit Systems, Inc. and as regional development manager for CSI Support & Development Services.

D’Arcangelo has an eye disease called retinoschisis and has been legally blind since birth. He served on the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Rehabilitation Council under Govs. Mitt Romney, a Republican, and Deval Patrick, a Democrat.

D'Arcangelo said he has some limited sight, with the help of glasses and aids, but has also been close to zero vision at points in his life. "A lot of people are dealing with a lot worse, and I want to try to represent them," D'Arcangelo told The Republican / MassLive.com. "How many people in elected office now are disabled? I don't think there's many. I want to bring that perspective."

On the political front, D'Arcangelo worked for Republican Gov. William Weld in the then-Office of International Trade and Investment and Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci in the governor's office. He also worked for Republican former State Sen. Richard Tisei. He recently founded NewMassPlaybook, a political action committee aimed at increasing Republican participation in races for municipal office, particularly in urban areas. He has volunteered for a number of local organizations in Malden. He has also been an election officer in Boston.

Dave lives in Malden with wife Lisa and his daughter. He graduated Suffolk University in 1996, and recently worked as an adjunct faculty member in the university's Communications and Journalism Department.


Amherst could have 4 town-wide races to settle in the March 25 annual town election

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AMHERST – Voters will likely have four town-wide races to consider in the March 25 annual town election, a year after there were no contested races. Nomination papers were due Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s office. For Select Board, Helen Louise Berg, John A. Boothroyd, Connie E. Kruger and Andrew Steinberg will run for two seats. Matthew...

AMHERST – Voters will likely have four town-wide races to consider in the March 25 annual town election, a year after there were no contested races.

Nomination papers were due Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s office.

For Select Board, Helen Louise Berg, John A. Boothroyd, Connie E. Kruger and Andrew Steinberg will run for two seats. Matthew E. Cunninghamn-Cook, Yeshaq A. Warren and Stanley Maron took out papers but did not file them.

Two-term Select Board incumbents Stephanie J. O'Keeffe and Diana B. Stein are not seeking re-election.

School Committee incumbent Katherine Appy and newcomer Viraphanh Douangmany will vie for the lone seat on that committee.

For Amherst Housing Authority, Tracylee Saraia Grace Boutilier and incumbent Peter Jessup filed papers. Boutillier's papers, however, have not yet been certified. Town Clerk Sandra Burgess said she would be certifying them Wednesday.

L. Paige Wilder and Pamela Rooney both filed papers for the lone position on the Amherst Redevelopment Authority. Incumbent John Coull is not seeking re-election.

Jones Library Board of Trustee incumbents Christopher J. Hoffmann and Michael Wolff also filed papers for the two seats on that board.

Incumbent moderator James W. Pistrang and John W. Coull, the elector to the Oliver Smith Will are the lone candidates for their seats.

There will also be races for three-year terms in Town Meeting in eight of the town’s 10 precincts with eight or fewer filing papers in precincts 3 and 5. Just three have registered in three and 8 for precinct five. Eight three-year seats are available in all 10 precincts.

Roca to prepare 300 local young men for work, avoidance of crime, through unique state funding program

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To front money and get the program started, Roca has raised $18 million from private sources through Third Sector Capital Partners of Boston. That number includes $9 million in loan financing from the Goldman Sachs Social Impact Fund, a $1.5 million loan from the Kresge Foundation, $1.5 million in a loan from Living Cities, along with $6 million in grants from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, New Profit and The Boston Foundation.

SPRINGFIELD - Jarne T. Jones came to Roca's violence and incarceration prevention program in July fresh from a stint in the Hampden County Correctional Center on charges related to guns and theft .

Today, through Roca's programs, he's got a $15-an-hour packaging saw blades at Lenox American Saw in East Longmeadow that he's had for two months and the prospect of a brighter future despite the challenges he's overcome.

"That's what a lot of street dudes are afraid of," Jones, 22, of Springfield, said. "They are afraid of accepting a challenge because they might fail. I had a choice to make. I could live free and do the right thing or I could live the gang life and go to jail. I chose to be free."

Now, thanks to a unique funding plan that sees the state pay Roca for keeping young, high-risk men like Jones out of jail, more than 300 Western Massachusetts men will have the opportunity Jones received to get job training and referrals through Roca.

Nationally, 64 percent of young male offenders re-offend within five years and only 35 percent gain employment within a year of release, Roca said.

"I started out on a work crew just like everyone else at Roca," Jones said. "I work with people at Lenox who have been there 10 years or more. I have never had a job that could be that long-term before. The faster you learn, the faster they advance you. I love that now."

He spoke Tuesday at a luncheon announcing up to $27 million in state funding for Roca through a unique pay-for-performance model that will provide vocational training and job placement for 929 at risk young men statewide, about 300 of them from this area.

The phrase "up to" is important, because the state will only pay if Roca meets goals of keeping young men out of jail. Reduce incarceration days by less than 5.2 percent, Roca gets nothing, by 10 percent and Roca gets $2 million.

If after six and a half years, Roca can cut incarceration days by 70 percent, it will receive the full $27 million. That reduction in days of incarceration will save Massachusetts taxpayers $45 million, according to materials provided Tuesday by Roca.

To front money and get the program started, Roca has raised $18 million from private sources through Third Sector Capital Partners of Boston. That number includes $9 million in loan financing from the Goldman Sachs Social Impact Fund, a $1.5 million loan from the Kresge Foundation, $1.5 million in a loan from Living Cities, along with $6 million in grants from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, New Profit and The Boston Foundation.

The funding is enough for 929 young men, said Molly Baldwin, Roca's founder and CEO. Of that, 43 percent, or about 300, will be from Western Massachusetts, drawn from the communities of Chicopee, Holyoke, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield.

Roca, which has been in Springfield for about three years after beginning in Chelsea in 1988, already has more than 80 workers enrolled in classes, training and jobs, Baldwin said.

They get classes preparing them for a GED test or job interviews as well as an education in nonviolent conflict resolution and good workplace habits. They also get vocational training in lead-paint abatement, material-handling and forklift operations.

"Every gun off the street is a victory," Baldwin said. "Every day sober is a victory. Every day arriving to work on time is a victory. We have to string a lot of those together to achieve this goal."

After training, participants go to property-maintenance crews run by Roca or on to work at Lenox, or for F.L. Roberts, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation or other employers.

Roca -- the Spanish word for rock as in something solid to be built upon -- is already bringing new participants into the program, Baldwin said. They won't recruit. Instead offenders will be randomly assigned so Roca's programs can be judged against a randomly selected control group.

Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe said Baldwin's programs are characterized by a relentless pursuit of these young men and tenacious advocacy for them to get trained and get jobs. Ashe, a longtime supporter, said these offenders are the people no one wants to work with.

"They are the worst of the worst," Ashe said. "They are involved in the gang activity, in the drive-by shootings. The cleats and the helmets are on. This will be tough."

Some Central Mass. schools, events cancelled in advance of snowstorm

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A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for Tuesday night through mid-day Wednesday, as the region prepares to receive up to one foot of snow, with some sleet mixed in for good measure.

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for Tuesday night through mid-day Wednesday, as the region prepares to receive up to a foot of snow with some sleet mixed in for good measure.

In response to the impending storm, several area schools and colleges have already announced that school will be closed tomorrow and events canceled. The city of Worcester has also declared a winter parking ban starting Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

The National Weather Service is forecasting that the snow, which will begin falling Tuesday night, will be heavy at times and then morph into a wintery mix of snow and sleet after noon before returning to snow after 3 p.m.

In response to the impending storm, several area schools and colleges have already canceled classes for Wednesday and postponed scheduled events.

Clark University, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy have canceled classes for Wednesday.

TheWorcester Public School System has also canceled classes for Wednesday, including those held part of the Worcester Head Start program and all before and after school programs.

WPI's civil, architectural and environmental engineering department has postponed the "Design of Tall Buildings" with Leslie Robertson, a structural engineer for the New York City World Trade Center. The school is hoping to reschedule the program to sometime in March.

MassLive will continue to post cancellations for Central Massachusetts on its Worcester page as they are received throughout the evening.

Western Massachusetts school cancellations for Wednesday, Feb. 5

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A list of school cancellations in Western Massachusetts for Wednesday, Feb. 5.

With a winter storm expected to impact Western Massachusetts early Wednesday and into the evening commute, communities have announced cancellation of school on Wednesday.

Below is a list of school cancellations compiled from The Republican, MassLive and our media partner, CBS 3 Springfield:


  • Chicopee

  • Springfield

This list will be updated throughout the evening and morning. Please email online@repub.com with information about schools, public meetings and parking bans; due to the sheer volume, we are unable to list closings for small businesses and day care sites.

See a separate list of parking bans, closings and other cancellations »

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