Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder was first nominated for the post in 2011, but withdrew in March after waiting 19 months for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

WASHINGTON — In a key step toward securing a federal judgeship, Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni on Tuesday fielded questions on gun, drug and victims’ rights cases during an appearance before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mastroianni and two other candidates were interviewed by the 18-member panel, which reviews candidates and makes recommendations to the full Senate.

In his opening remarks, the Westfield resident expressed gratitude for the support of his family, President Barack Obama, members of the state and New England congressional delegation, U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and, in particular, Elizabeth Warren, who has championed his nomination.

He also thanked the five Massachusetts district attorneys who attended the session in a show of support.

“It’s quite an honor ... out of the 11 elected district attorneys in the state of Massachusetts, we are well represented in this room today and I appreciate their support," Mastroianni said.

Responding to questions from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mastroianni said one of his most difficult challenges as a district attorney has been bringing prosecutions involving children or elderly victims.

They are “people who can’t necessarily speak for themselves and that was a source of their vulnerability,” hei said, adding that the victim-witness unit within his office takes particular care in handling trials involving children and elderly.

“Part of the circle of victimization, if you will, is when a victim comes into a courthouse that they’re not familiar with and they’ve never been involved in a proceeding ... it’s very intimidating for them.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also quizzed Mastroianni about his views on the state's marijuana and firearms laws, including the 2008 case of a Springfield man whose girlfriend took his loaded handgun from an unlocked bedroom drawer and threw it out a window into the neighbor’s yard.

Charged and convicted of violating a state gun storage law, the man appealed to the state Supreme Judicial Court, arguing the storage law was so strict it violated his Second Amendment right to own a firearm. The court upheld the law.

“You said the court made the right decision at the time,” Grassley said. “In my view, the right to self defense doesn’t mean a whole lot if you can’t access your firearm in a real big hurry.”

In response, Mastroianni said the storage law does not keep people from owning guns, but does keep unsecured firearms out of the hands of children.

“There is rarely a good outcome when a youngster, a teenager, gets a hold of a gun, doesn’t know how to use it, and takes it out of a home,” he said.

On the decriminalization of less than an ounce of marijuana, now a law in Massachusetts, Mastroianni said it makes sense from a law enforcement perspective, given the need “for law enforcement to spend their time investigating other, perhaps arguably more serious offenses.”

In September, Mastroianni was nominated by Obama to fill the judgeship in U.S. District Court that has been vacant since Judge Michael A. Ponsor announced in 2010 he was taking senior, part-time status.

Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder was first nominated for the post in 2011, but withdrew in March after waiting 19 months for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Two other nominees for the federal bench, Robin Rosenbaum and Bruce Hendricks, and a candidate for assistant attorney general, Leslie Caldwell, were also interviewed at Tuesday's hearing. Hendricks has been nominated for a South Carolina district judge's post, while Rosenbaum is a candidate for the U.S. Court of Appeal for the 11th Circuit, which oversees Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

At the conclusion of the session, Blumenthal said he was impressed by the candidates and would support them all.

“In my personal opinion, we have the good fortune and honor of having some very, very exceptionally qualified individuals who I will support,” Blumenthal said.

Harlem Globetrotter Anthony "Buckets" Blake brought the ABC's of Bullying Prevention program to the McMahon Elementary school in Holyoke Tuesday.

Harlem Globetrotter Anthony "Buckets" Blakes brought the "ABC's of Bullying Prevention" program to the McMahon Elementary School. The Globetrotters will be performing Feb. 19 and 20 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican)  

HOLYOKE — Harlem Globetrotter Anthony "Buckets" Blakes brought the ABC's of Bullying Prevention program to the McMahon Elementary school in Holyoke Tuesday.

Designed by the Globetrotters in coordination with the National Campaign to Stop Violence (NCSV), the program focuses on Action, Bravery, and Compassion, comprising the ABCs.

The program targets 6-12 year-old children and involves Globetrotter players discussing the three key words in the ABC's and tools that kids can use on a daily basis to reduce instances of bullying.

Here, kids listen to the message. (Don Treeger / The Republican)  

The Globetrotters equate what it means to be part of a team to how kids can offer support to one another to help stop bullying.

Students at the McMahon school joined in on the fun by cheering for classmates and teachers chosen to do some basketball tricks and were awed by Blakes' basketball handling skills. The Globetrotters will be performing Feb. 19 and 20 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly said the stolen weapons ended up in the hands of criminals as far away as North Carolina.

HARTFORD - A Bridgeport, Conn. man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in the 2012 theft of 111 guns from the Smith and Wesson plant in Springfield.

Elliot Perez in a 2012 arrest photo 

Elliot Perez, 28, pleaded guilty to to charges of conspiracy to possess and sell stolen firearms, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and making a false statement to a federal law enforcement official. Sentencing is scheduled for May 7, and Perez could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

“This defendant is responsible for stealing over 100 illegal firearms and putting them directly into the hands of criminals,” said Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. “These guns are turning up as far away as North Carolina.”

On Nov. 8, 2012, Perez was employed as a truck driver for Pace Motor Lines in Connecticut, and he was scheduled to pick up a shipment of guns from the Smith & Wesson plant on Roosevelt Avenue.

Instead of loading five boxes of guns onto his truck, he loaded eight without anyone noticing. After delivering the five original boxes to the intended destination, Perez and an associate, Michael Murphy, began selling the contents of the other three boxes, 111 guns in all, on the street.

On December 12, 2013, Murphy, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess and sell stolen firearms and one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21 and faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Many of the guns have not been not recovered.

As recently as 10 days ago, one of the guns turned up in the possession of Alexander Bradley, a one-time associate of former New England Patriot player and murder suspect Aaron Hernandez, following a shooting outside a Hartford nightclub. A gun was found in the car of Bradley, who was shot three times, and Hartford police were able to trace it through its serial number to the stolen Smith & Wesson batch, according to the Hartford Courant.

Perez Murphy Affidavit

Officials from Patriot Care Corporation recently met with Greenfield Mayor William Martin to discuss their interest in the city. Patriot Care was invited by the Department of Public Health to reapply for a medical marijuana dispensary license in one of four counties that was not given a license in the first round.

The medical marijuana company Patriot Care Corporation is considering applying for licenses to open dispensaries in Greenfield and Pittsfield.

Officials from Patriot Care Corporation recently met with Greenfield Mayor William Martin to discuss their interest in the city. Martin described the group as “very professional,” and noted that they had been successful operating in other states.

“They seem to be well poised,” Martin said. “If they can come up with a site, make the determination that they want Greenfield, then it looks good.”

Patriot Care Corporation CEO Robert Mayerson said the company also met with officials in Pittsfield.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recently issued 20 licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries, but none were in Franklin, Berkshire, Dukes or Nantucket counties. The department invited eight additional applicants to reapply in those regions.

Patriot Care Corporation originally applied for licenses in Lowell, Worcester and Northampton. It received a license for a Lowell dispensary and was rejected for the other two but invited to reapply in a new location.

Patriot Care is run by Mayerson and Michael Abbott. Mayerson, who lives in Harvard and is a graduate of Hampshire College and UMass Amherst, is the former president and chief operating officer of Eastern Mountain Sports and serves on a number of Massachusetts boards. Abbott is a former managing director at the Raptor Group, a Boston-based financial services company. Abbott and treasurer Nicholas Vita are executives and board members at three medical marijuana facilities in Washington, D.C., and Arizona.

Patriot Care plans to build a cultivation site in South Hadley to grow the marijuana that would support all of its dispensaries.

Mayerson said the company has not ruled out any of the four open counties, but with a cultivation site in South Hadley, looking at the two western counties makes the most sense. The company is still looking at potential sites throughout the counties.

“We have two applications, so we will use both of those,” Mayerson said.

Mayerson added, “We’re eager to really help patients in need, and we bring a lot to the table in experience and expertise in highly regulated and controlled medical markets.”

The three applicants who made it to the second round of applications in Franklin County but were rejected for licenses had proposed dispensaries in Greenfield, South Deerfield and Montague. Martin called Greenfield “the obvious location” for a Franklin County dispensary because of its position as a transportation and population hub for the county.

Of five second-stage applications in Berkshire County, two were for dispensaries in Pittsfield and the others were for Lee, Great Barrington and North Adams.

Karen van Unen, executive director of Massachusetts’ medical marijuana program for the Department of Public Health, held a conference call on Friday with the eight applicants who have been asked to reapply. Van Unen said she encouraged the applicants to look at the open counties, and particularly at cities that already had dispensary applicants, since much of the preliminary work has already been done there. She is not aware of which companies are looking at which counties.

Van Unen said the department expects to release its requirements for new applications within two weeks. The applications will be due in early May and licenses are expected to be awarded in early June. The new applications will have to update sections relating to location, such as local support and patient populations.

State law requires that each county have at least one dispensary. Van Unen said it is important to the department to follow the law and also to ensure “that every patient, irrespective of where they’re living, they get the same high quality level of service and access.”

John Greene, president and CEO of the Greeneway Wellness Foundation, was granted a license in Cambridge and invited to reapply with applications that had been targeting Taunton and Brockton. “We’re considering all options at the moment,” Greene said. Greene said he is looking at sites in all four counties but has not yet made a decision or started talking to local officials.

Officials at Coastal Compassion, Good Chemistry of Massachusetts, The Haven Center and Mass Medicum Corporation, which have all been invited to reapply, could not immediately be reached Tuesday afternoon.

Overall, the news on toxic emission in New England was positive, according to the EPA. During 2012, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 19.2 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states. That is a reduction of about 501,393 pounds, or 2.55 percent, from 2011. In Massachusetts, 433 facilities reported in 2012 approximately 3.56 million pounds a decrease of 297,590 pounds or 7.7, percent, the EPA said in the release.

SPRINGFIELD - Eastman Chemical Co., the former Solutia plant in Indian Orchard was the No. 1 source of toxic waste among Massachusetts industries in both 2011 and 2012, according to a report issued this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The majority of the waste is generated by the plant's coal-fired boiler, a boiler that will be replaced with cleaner burning natural gas by the end of January 2016 in order to comply with a separate set of federal regulations, said Eastman Chemical spokeswoman Maranda Demuth.

With 500 employees, Eastman's Indian Orchard plant is the largest chemical plant in New England.

The sprawling plant on Worcester Street, which makes chemicals including the plastic interlayers used in windshields and other impact-resistant glass, produced a total of 905,855 pounds of waste in 2012, according to the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data. That's up from 885,346 pounds of toxic substances in 2011.

The EPA's Toxic Release Inventory tracks 10 categories of chemicals, but in 2011 and 2012 the largest amount of waste coming from the former solution plant was zinc compounds. In 2012, there were 709,000 pounds of zinc compounds.

Those compounds are a solid waste discarded in the Chicopee Sanitary Landfill, said Dwight Peavey, a senior scientist at EPA and coordinator of the Toxic Release Inventory for all of Massachusetts.

Peavey said the vast majority of pollutants produced at Eastman, including the zinc compounds, are disposed of elsewhere in approved landfills. The company has permits for the waste, he said.

A smaller amount of the company's waste is disposed of on site, only about 172,000 pounds a year. Once again, the company has permits for the waste, he said.

Eastman's Demuth said by phone Tuesday that zinc compounds are a naturally occurring element in coal. Beginning in 2013, the plant introduced a new method of determining certain emission factors, including zinc compounds, she said. That change accounted for the rapid increase in what was reported. The compounds were always there in the coal ash.

Data for emissions in 2011 and 2012 were provided in the documents Eastman gave to the EPA in July and the EPA used to prepare this week's news release.

"With the site's conversion of its coal fired boiler to natural gas combustion, zinc emissions will be virtually eliminated," Demuth said. "Once the site conversion to natural gas is complete, we expect a nearly 80 percent reduction in Toxic Release Inventory emissions.

Claire Miller, Massachusetts state director for Toxics Action Center, said natural gas power plants are lower in emissions, particularly those linked to health problems

"However when it comes to climate change pollution, the jury is still out," Miller said. "There is a lot of research that shows it is a wash."

Eastman bought Solutia Corp. in 2012. Solutia was spun off from Monsanto in 1997.

The No. 2 source of toxic waste in Massachusetts was Brayton Point, a coal-fired power plant in Somerset, according to the EPA release. Brayton Point's owners have said they plan to shut down the aging plant by 2017.

Overall, the news on toxic emissions in New England was positive, according to the EPA. During 2012, the latest year for which data are available, approximately 19.2 million pounds of chemicals were released in the six New England states. That is a reduction of about 501,393 pounds, or 2.55 percent, from 2011. In Massachusetts, 433 facilities reported in 2012 approximately 3.56 million pounds, a decrease of 297,590 pounds or 7.7 percent, the EPA said in the release.

Major property owner and Iron Horse Entertainment Group mogul Eric Suher appeared once again before the Northampton License Commission on Thursday to give an update on his two inactive liquor licenses.

NORTHAMPTON -- Major property owner and Iron Horse Entertainment Group mogul Eric Suher appeared once again before the Northampton License Commission on Thursday to give an update on his two inactive liquor licenses.

At the meeting, License Commission Chairman William Rosen brought up a letter from the Building Commissioner detailing electrical problems at The Green Room, Suher's planned lounge for Iron Horse patrons at 26-28 Center St. in downtown Northampton. The electrical problems reportedly have caused the space not to receive final approval from the department.

"I believe we're going to be set with the final (inspection) tomorrow ... The issues they found were related not to the bar work we did, but to some building stuff that was prior to my ownership," Suher told the commission. Suher said the lounge will be fully open "within the next few weeks."

"The only thing we're waiting on is a piece of refrigeration equipment, and they can't do anything with the signage outside because of this weather at the moment," Suher said, referring to the venue's sign that still bears the name "Blue Note Guitars."

In November, after years of inactivity at the spot, the License Commission imposed a deadline of Jan. 6 for the lounge to be in operation for Suher to avoid having the license revoked. After the Jan. 6 deadline came and went, officials then predicted the space would be open by the end of January.

Iron Horse Entertainment Group owner Eric Suher appears before the Northampton License Commission on Nov. 6, 2013. Kate Royals, MassLive.com 

Suher also told the commission on Thursday that the space opened for two nights in January to accommodate Iron Horse patrons who were waiting in line, despite the fact the venue cannot yet serve alcohol or food. The license attached to the property is a seasonal alcohol license, meaning it may only serve alcohol nine months out of the year.

Suher originally acquired the Center St. liquor license in 2009.

The second license, which Suher purchased in 2008, is attached to the First Baptist Church building on Main St. That space is slated to open in late June. In October of last year, Suher told the commission he plans for the space to be a multipurpose venue that will host weddings, lectures and occasional movie showings.

As for that property, Suher is still optimistic. "Things are moving forward -- the weather's been difficult," he said. "We're keeping our fingers crossed for a soft opening in late June."

Commissioner Rosen questioned Suher about the status of the plans for the Main St. space, which Suher told Rosen remain the same. Commissioner Brian Campedelli had no additional questions regarding the two licenses, and Commissioner Stephanie Levin was absent from the meeting.

Aside from two liquor licenses that are idle because of restaurant closings, Suher's licenses are currently the only two inactive licenses in Northampton, which is currently over quota on its number of approved licenses. License Commission Secretary Mary Midura said she currently has no applications pending for the two available liquor licenses.

Before moving to the next agenda item, the commission voted to approve a common victualler license, or the license required for an establishment to serve food, for the Center St. lounge.

No damage was reported, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

NEW BEDFORD - An earthquake registering with a magnitude of 2.4 on the Richter scale was reported one mile southwest of New Bedford at 5:46 p.m., according to the United State Geologic Service.

No damage was reported, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

On the Richter scale, an earthquake measuring 2 to 2.9 are considered weak. They are generally felt by people in the immediate vicinity but are not strong enough to damage buildings.

The USGS webpage that invites people to report where they felt an earthquake shows the impact was limited to the South East Coast but no further inland.

Speaking about her run for governor, Coakley pointed to her prosecution of some of the state's biggest criminals, her successful challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act and the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay State taxpayers as the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer.

BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley said her life’s devotion to public service and preserving “fairness” and “equality” on behalf of Massachusetts residents makes her worthy to assume the governorship later this year.

Speaking during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School, Coakley pointed to her prosecution of some of the state’s biggest criminals, her successful challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act and the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay State taxpayers as the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer.

“That is what you need in a governor, someone who will take on those fights - for fairness, for equality, for the kind of opportunity to take part in what I hope will be Massachusetts’ future,” Coakley, a Democratic candidate, said during the Rappaport Roundtable discussion.

“I got in this race because I think I can be a good governor. I know that I have to prove that to everybody and I’m out every day working - in schools, in dining rooms, in diners - and I’m talking to folks about it,” added Coakley, who unsuccessfully ran for the Massachusetts Senate in 2010. “The thing that has energized me in this race is that people across this Commonwealth feel that there’s a good future here in Massachusetts.”

Coakley, the fifth speaker in the Rappaport Roundtable series, said the next governor of Massachusetts needs to lead a state that is both “prosperous and fair” by revitalizing a slowly-rebounding economy, transforming school systems into places where every child can be safe and have opportunities to compete in the global economy, and fighting to keep health care costs down by providing for more primary care and prevention and moving away from a fee-for-service model.

Coakley added the state now has the “opportunity” to reduce the stigma around mental and behavioral health by providing greater access to care. To solidify her point, an emotional Coakley referenced her younger brother Edward’s suicide as a result of suffering from depression and not taking medication out of fear of being stigmatized.

“I believe in Massachusetts with our science, with our health care, with our understanding that behavioral disorders should be treated no differently than diabetes or asthma that we can reduce that stigma, whether it’s third grade or high school students or our returning veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,” Coakley said. “That is one of our great challenges in health care, and Massachusetts can once more lead the way in that battle.”

Coakley also stressed the state needed to raise the minimum wage and provide earned sick time “for folks who deserve it” as ways to boost the economy. Coakley added a “more structured” and longer school day could allow for greater financial literacy, computer science, and civics learning in the classroom, while providing every child with a quality education that ultimately leads to their being successful in a global economy.

“We can and should be investing in the curriculum. I believe we need the help of the private sector to do that,” Coakley said. “Everybody in Massachusetts thinks that our people are our greatest resource. Our workforce is our greatest resource.”

Coakley also called for the creation of a separate Child Protection Division within the embattled Department of Children and Families. Along with protecting the rights of women and transgendered individuals throughout her career, Coakley said her primary focus has always been to keep children safe.

“I think, and I’ve said this, that DCF - and DSS when I first started - has terrific folks who work hard every day,” Coakley said. “I believe that agency has a mission that makes it, in many instances, impossible to succeed.”

In terms of addressing the state’s crowded criminal justice and prison system, Coakley said Massachusetts needs to focus on an educational system that addresses issues kids may be facing, including learning disabilities, earlier than usual to prevent potential criminal behavior later in life.

“As governor, I would make every effort in the schools to provide intervention earlier for children and … more prevention services for people before they’re arrested,” she said. “It’s time to realign that system completely.”

Coakley currently leads the packed gubernatorial race, with 56 percent of the vote in the Democratic field, according to a poll of 600 likely Massachusetts voters released last week by Suffolk University and the Boston Herald. The poll indicates Coakley leads her closest competitor, Massachusetts Treasurer Steve Grossman, by 45 points. In a matchup against Republican candidate Charlie Baker, Coakley is ahead by a 44-31 percent margin, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of +/- 4percentage points.

Asked to identify a Republican with promising ideas on the local and national levels, Coakley said she was “hard-pressed” to think of one.

Coakley added the state’s clean energy sector would also help spur job creation. She said she was committed to meeting the 2020 goals outlined by Gov. Deval Patrick’s Green Communities Act.

Coakley added she would not look at changing the state’s tax structure as “the first place I would go” to generate greater revenues in Massachusetts. However, if that decision was ultimately approved by the Legislature, Coakley stressed the tax burden would have to apply to people “who can afford it.”

As governor, Coakley added she would work with and learn from advocacy groups to address homelessness in the state.

Coakley, a Medford resident, has been the state’s Attorney General since 2007. From 1999 to 2007, she served as the District Attorney for Middlesex County.

“When I graduated from law school, my dad gave me a plaque that said, ‘Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman,’ and I would like to be that, your next governor,” Coakley said.

Upcoming Rappaport Roundtable: 2014 Massachusetts Governor’s Race Speakers:

• February 19- Jeff McCormick
• February 24- Evan Falchuk
• March 3- Mark Fisher
• March 19- Juliette Kayyem

Previous Speakers

• February 4- Charlie Baker Says Bipartisanship is Fundamental to His Nature and Essential to Addressing Massachusetts Issues
• January 30- Steve Grossman Says that Jobs Creation Sets Him Apart in Gubernatorial Race
• January 21- Joe Avellone Touts Health Care & Business Experience in Bid for Governor
• January 15
Don Berwick Pledges to “Invest” in Services if Elected Governor

This year's Women's Leadership Conference is Own Your Story.

LONGMEADOW — Barbara Walters will be this year's keynote speaker for the 2014 Women's Leadership Conference, "Own Your Story."

"We are so excited to have Barbara Walters for this year's conference since she has made a career out of sharing people's stories," said Kathleen Wroblewski, the director of marketing and communications for Bay Path College.

The annual conference draws thousands of women from across the Pioneer Valley. Last year's key note speaker was Queen Latifah with several other popular speakers throughout the day including author Susan Cain and King Peggy.

"We are still getting wonderful feedback about last year's conference and we are hoping this year will be just as well attended and remembered," she said.

The conference has been a Bay Path tradition for 19 years. It will be held on April 25, from 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

The New York Times best-selling author of "The Secrets of Happy Families," Bruce Feiler, will also be a speaker, one of the few men to speak at the conference.

"He has spent a lot of time writing about contemporary life in America and his work fits this year's theme of the art of storytelling which has become such an important part of our society," she said.

Lara Setrakian has also been announced as a speaker. Setrakian is an Armenian-American journalist with a focus on the Middle East political economy. She is the founder of Syria Deeply, a single issue news website covering the civil war in Syria.

"She creates news by telling stories through social media. Setrakian is not as well known, but she is fascinating," Wroblewski said.

Bay Path will continue to announce speakers and details about the conference on its website www.baypathconference.com

Long-scrutinized Tully O'Reilly's Pub discussed during the Northampton License Commission meeting held Tuesday, as well as a violation hearing for Packard's, and status updates for the closed Eclipse Restaurant

NORTHAMPTON—The long-scrutinized Tully O’Reilly’s Pub and the Elevens, Packard’s, and the now-closed Eclipse Restaurant were all topics of conversation during Tuesday’s License Commission meeting.

Tully O’Reilly’s and the Elevens, two Northampton nightspots that share ownership as well as liquor and entertainment licenses, were approved for karaoke during the meeting despite a slew of incidents at the establishment over the past year. The License Commission banned DJ’s on the premises last summer after Northampton Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz reported several disturbances in and outside of the joint Pleasant Street establishment, which is now for sale.

According to commissioners, Packard’s will be appearing before the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission in Boston on Feb. 25. It stands charged of one count of “sale or delivery of an alcoholic beverage to an intoxicated person.” The alleged violation took place Dec. 20, 2013, at around 1:15 a.m., according to the notice of hearing.

Commissioners decided during the meeting to call owner of Eclipse Restaurant, Jean Weller, to the March meeting to report the status of the seasonal wine and malt liquor license still attached to the premises.

The restaurant closed January 2013 after itcouldn’t make ends meet. The commission allowed Weller to renew the license last November after she told them she had several “potential buyers,” according to commissioners, but now the license is a ‘pocket license’ as it has been more than a year since it was used. If Weller does not appear to report her intentions to the commission, she will be forced to surrender her license to the city.

On a lighter note, Easthampton’s Tandem Bagel received its common victualler license during the meeting and will soon be expanding to their Northampton location on 306 King St. Slated to open by the end of the month, Tandem will occupy the café inside the Northampton Athletic Club. Co-owner Brian Greenwood said they are leasing the space and have constructed a separate entrance on the Carlon Street side of the building so that the shop will be accessible to the public in addition to club members. Greenwood also said he and co-owners Shannon Greenwood, Chris Zawacki and Andrea Zawacki (a physical trainer and instructor at the club) hope to set up outdoor seating this spring.

Saunders served as chief of staff for Candaras for six years.

Aaron Saunders 

LUDLOW - Aaron Saunders, a six-year Ludlow selectman and a former chief of staff for six years for state Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, announced that he is running for her state Senate seat in the Nov. 4 election.

“Having the honor of serving as Gale’s chief of staff for six of her eight years in the Senate, I was able to amass a tremendous amount of experience in the district and in the State House,” Saunders said. Candaras has announced she will not be seeking reelection to the state Senate.

He added, “I believe this, combined with my six years of service on the Ludlow Board of Selectmen, allows me to provide the most effective representation for our communities.”

Saunders said that if he is elected to the state Senate, he will fight for Western Massachusetts “for regional equity in job creation, economic development and transportation.”

Saunders said he has experience working with individuals, businesses and communities at home in Western Massachusetts, as well as the ability to hit the ground running on Beacon Hill.

With an increase in the gasoline tax and tolls on the highway going to fund transportation projects in Boston, more of that investment should go to make needed improvements to Interstate 91 in Springfield, Saunders said.

Western Massachusetts needs transportation improvements to leverage more job development, he said.

Saunders, 33, is presently communications, investment and government relations manager for Comcast in Springfield.

He said he is ready to take on the challenge of working to bring jobs to the region, of ensuring access to quality public education, of supporting public safety personnel, of keeping commitments to veterans and of ensuring seniors are able to live their lives in a way that is indicative of the great state and country they worked to build.

The First Hampden-Hampshire District includes parts of Chicopee, parts of Springfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Belchertown and Granby.

Other Democratic candidates running for the seat include Ludlow School Committee member James Harrington and Tom Lachiusa, of Longmeadow, a member of the Democratic Town Committee. Eric Lesser, of Longmeadow, a former White House staffer who is in his final semester at Harvard Law School, also said he is considering running for the seat.

Republican Debra Boronski, an East Longmeadow selectman and the founder and president of Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, also is running for the seat.

The final cleanup of the former Chestnut Junior High School was cited as necessary to remove a major eyesore and public safety hazard in the North End.

SPRINGFIELD — The city advertised for bids this week for the final demolition and cleanup of the former Chestnut Junior High School in the North End, destroyed and left in rubble by an arson fire more than five months ago.

The bids are due by Feb. 26, by 2 p.m., at the Office of Procurement at City Hall, for a project that bears an estimated cost of $2.7 million.

The cleanup plans are needed to remove a large eyesore in the Memorial Square neighborhood in the city's North End, and to protect public safety, said Tina Quagliato, the deputy director of neighborhood stabilization. The site is at 495 Chestnut St.

“It’s incredibly important for the neighborhood right now,” Quagliato said. “The building, as is, is a complete eyesore.”

A very large pile of rubble, charred debris and some partially standing walls are all that is left of the main building. The project calls for full demolition, removal of all rubble and asbestos materials, removal of an underground tank and site restoration.

Under one option, the city is seeking prices for removing all underground foundations, Quagliato said. There are also options that, if deemed affordable, would include demolition of a school annex still standing, and demolition of a house across the street as approved by the Housing Court, she said.

The original deadline for bids was Feb. 19, but was extended.

The vacant, boarded school building was destroyed in a blaze on Sept. 3, after multiple failed efforts by the city to redevelop the site, including proposed conversions to housing. The school has been vacant since it closed in December 2004, after being cited for 691 code violations.

The city has been evaluating various options for funding the demolition-cleanup project.

The city has not yet decided on a preferred new use for the property once demolition and cleanup has been completed, Quagliato said.

Hoose said Rintala has a place to live in Western Massachusetts once she makes bail, but did not specify where it is.

Updates a story posted Tuesday at 3:37 p.m.

NORTHAMPTON – The commonwealth is hoping the third time will be the charm in getting a murder conviction against Cara Lee Rintala, telling the court Tuesday it intends to bring her to court again after two mistrials. In the meantime, a Hampshire County judge paved the way for the defendant to be released, setting bail for the first time.

Rintala, 47, is charged with first degree murder in the 2010 strangling of her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala. According to prosecutors, Rintala went on a series of errands after killing her wife to establish an alibi. Police summoned by a 911 call arrived at the couple’s Granby home to find the defendant cradling Cochrane Rintala’s stiff, paint-spattered body in her lap. Rintala is the first woman in Massachusetts history to be charged with murdering her lawfully wedded wife.

The original trial in March 2013 ended in a hung jury, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial. The second trial concluded this month with the same result. The case hinges largely on circumstantial evidence, notably the condition of the victim’s body. State Medical Examiner Joann Richmond, testifying for the prosecution, estimated that Cochrane Rintala was killed six to eight hours before police arrived at 7:15 p.m., based on the degree of rigor mortis. Rintala told police her wife was alive when she left on her errands at 3 p.m. The defense called its own expert to rebut Richmond’s estimate.

02/11/14- Northampton - Republican Staff Photo by Dave Roback - Defense lawyer David Hoose, left, and Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne, right, talk before the Carla Rintala hearing on Tuesday afternoon in Hampshire Superior Court. 

After consulting with Cochrane Rintala’s family, Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne told Judge Mary-Lou Rup he will seek a third trial, preferably this year. He added that he would not oppose a defense request to set bail for the defendant, who has been held without the right to bail since October of 2011.

“It’s a matter of fairness,” Gagne said.

Defense counsel David Hoose agreed to the $150,000 amount recommended by Gagne. The defense has tried several times previously to get the court to set bail for Rintala, without success. Hoose said he doubted Rintala’s family could get the money together in time for her to be released Tuesday.

Rup imposed a number of conditions requested by the commonwealth should Rintala make bail. Among these are that she not leave the state, which would prevent her from living with her parents in Rhode Island. Rup also ordered that Rintala honor the custody and visitation arrangements set by a probate court in Rhode Island regarding her adopted daughter. Hoose said the probate matter between Cochrane Rintala’s family and the defendant’s has been ongoing, but he declined to characterize it as a custody battle.

At a brief press conference following the hearing, Hoose said he is still hopeful the commonwealth will drop the case against his client after reviewing the evidence. According to Hoose, the first trial bankrupted Rintala’s family. He was appointed to represent her at taxpayers’ expense in the second trial after the court declared Rintala indigent.

Asked by Rup if she understood the conditions of her bail, Rintala responded in a barely audible voice. Hoose said she has been worn down by the two trials and her years in jail.

“I’m worn down, so I can’t imagine what she feels like,” he said.

Hoose said Rintala has a place to live in Western Massachusetts once she makes bail, but did not specify where it is. He also refuted a suggestion by a member of the victim’s family that Rintala rushed to cash in Cochrane Rintala’s $5 million life insurance policy. Hoose said his client was notified by the insurance company that she was the beneficiary and was in the process of putting the money in trust for the couple’s daughter when a federal court put the matter on hold pending the resolution of the charges against her.

 

A storm over the southeastern U.S. is moving north. It will strengthen off the mid-Atlantic coast Thursday afternoon and spread heavy wet snow in here Thursday and Thursday night. We will likely see a mix with sleet for a time. Heavy wet snow is more difficult to remove, but more than that, we already have some on rooftops. Flat roofs...

A storm over the southeastern U.S. is moving north. It will strengthen off the mid-Atlantic coast Thursday afternoon and spread heavy wet snow in here Thursday and Thursday night. We will likely see a mix with sleet for a time.

Heavy wet snow is more difficult to remove, but more than that, we already have some on rooftops. Flat roofs are especially susceptible to damage from heavy snow. With 10 inches from the last major storm a week ago and now another 8 inches will fall tomorrow.

That's a lot of weight on the roof. Make plans to remove some today if you need to. Another issue is heavy wet snow on tree limbs especially evergreens. Broken limbs can take out a power line. Scattered outages are possible. Another round of light snow moves in late Friday night and we may have yet another early next week. Take it slow.

Tonight: Clouding up, snowy finish. Low of 14 near midnight.

Thursday: A.M. Snow, moderate at times; 6 - 8 inches likely. Wind gusts to 35 mph. High temperature near 32.

Thursday Night: Sleet and snow early evening, then snow continues. An additional 2-4 inches. Temps near 20.

Friday: Clouds and some sun. Windy with a high of 30.

Radar | 5 Day Forecast

Timothy Miodowski was arrested in West Springfield Nov. 6, for operating under the influence of alcohol.

The Republican / File photo 

SPRINGFIELD - A 38-year-old Ludlow man who was found guilty of motor vehicle homicide in 1997 was back in court Wednesday on a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol - third offense.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey allowed the prosecution request that Timothy Miodowski be held without right to bail for 90 days because he is too dangerous to be released.

Miodowski was arrested in West Springfield Nov. 6 for operating under the influence of alcohol.

Assistant District Attorney Maida Wassermann told Carey he was going 80 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. His blood alcohol was .143, well over the legal limit of .08, she said.

Miodowski was 22 years old when he was sentenced in October 1997 to 2½ years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow after a jury found him guilty of motor vehicle homicide.

The jury found the homicide occurred when Miodowski was drunk and driving to endanger.

Judge C. Brian McDonald ordered that 1½ years be served before the rest of the sentence would be suspended. Miodowski was to serve the final 90 days at the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center on Howard Street.

Timothy Friberg, 19, of Monson, died on Sept. 1, 1996, after the pickup Miodowski was driving slammed into a tree off Poole Street in Ludlow. At issue during the trial was which of the two young men was driving Miodowski's pickup truck at the time of the accident. The two were among a group of young men who had been drinking at a Ludlow home on Aug. 31, 1996.

As part of sentencing, McDonald ordered Miodowski to serve three years probation following his term. Terms of probation include that he receive substance abuse counseling and psychiatric or psychological counseling.

In the 1996 crash, the vehicle was traveling in excess of 60 miles per hour. Miodowski’s blood-alcohol level was .17.

On Wednesday Wassermann said Miodowski has a default and violations of probation on his record.

Defense lawyer Daniel Bergin asked Carey to set a cash bail for his client.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced on Wednesday that Government Center Station, a key transit hub in the MBTA system, will close March 22 for a complete overhaul for two years.

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced on Wednesday that Government Center Station, a key transit hub in the MBTA system, will close March 22 for a complete overhaul for two years.

The Blue Line and Green Line station will be mostly demolished and rebuilt over the course of two years so it will be more modern and accessible.

The station is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Boston Center for Independent Living Agreement, as it is only accessible by escalators and stairs.

Blue and Green Line trains will continue to pass through the station, but they will not stop there. Alternative options for accessing the Government Center/Scollay Square area are: Haymarket Station, State Street Station, Park Street Station and Bowdoin Station.

A shuttle bus service will run between State Street Station, Government Center Station, Bowdoin Station and Haymarket.

That last day to obtain papers is March 27; and all nominations must be submitted by March 31.

 

GRANBY – Nomination papers for 14 local boards are now available at the town clerk’s office. The annual Granby election is May 19.

That last day to obtain papers is March 27; and all nominations must be submitted by March 31.

Offices to appear on the May ballot include one planning board seat for a five years and one for four years to fill an unexpired term due to a resignation.

Three year terms are for the following offices: one select board, one assessors, board of health, burial grounds commissioner, trust funds commissioner, recreation commissioner; two school committee seats; and three library trustees.

There is also a school board seat for one year to fill an unexpired term.

The ballot will include a one year term for town moderator and one year for tree warden.

The last day to register to vote is April 22.

The town clerk’s office open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and until noon Fridays, located at 215 B West State St.

For information, contact town clerk Kathy Kelly-Regan at (413) 467-7178.

A list of school cancellations in Western Massachusetts for Thursday, Feb. 13.

With a nor'easter expected to impact Western Massachusetts starting early Thursday morning and continuing throughout the day, communities have announced cancellation of school on Thursday, Feb. 13.

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

Agawam Public Schools
Amherst-Pelham School District
Baystate Academy Charter Public School
Belchertown Schools
Chicopee Schools
Easthampton Schools
East Longmeadow Schools
Frontier Regional and Union 38 School Districts
Hadley Public Schools
Hampden Charter School School of Science
Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District
Hampshire Regional School District
Hartsbrook School, Hadley
Holyoke Schools
Ludlow Schools
Martin Luther King Charter School, Springfield
Mohawk Trail Regional School District
Northampton Schools
Orange Schools
Palmer Schools
Pathfinder Voc Tech HS-Palmer
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
Pioneer Valley Christian School, closing at 1 p.m. Thursday
Somers Public Schools
South Hadley Public Schools
Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District
Springfield Public Schools
Ware Public Schools / St Mary's
Westfield Schools
West Springfield Schools

Colleges

Asnuntuck Community College

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.

12.10.2013 | TOWSON, Md. -- Baltimore County Public School buses sit in a parking lot in Towson, Md., as a light snow falls. Photo by Patrick Semansky / Associated Press [file] 

Michael Speight also plans to plant a tree to replace one destroyed in the wreck. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - For the past year, American Medical Response paramedic Jason Budlong wondered and worried about Michael Speight.

Budlong remembered the crash Feb. 17, 2013 near the town police station on Somers Road in East Longmeadow where Speight's car hit a tree so hard it broke the trunk into three pieces. Budlong remembered how the contents of Speight's crumpled car were so jumbled no one could tell how many people were inside. Firefighters had to cut a way in.

He recalled Speight's breathing sounding like a labored groan. Such breathing is a sure sign of traumatic brain injury.

Budlong remembered thinking in that moment that Speight would spend the rest of his life in a persistent vegetative state, breathing only with the help of a machine.

"That poor kid," Speight said. "Only 19 years old."

Wednesday, Michael Speight, now 20, walked into the garage area of American Medical Response's offices on Cottage Street in Springfield and shook Budlong's hand to thank him.

 
"You saved my life," Speight said. "That's the greatest gift you can give anyone. 'Here, here is your life back.' It doesn't get any greater than that. I just want to say thanks."

Budlong beamed and mentioned his prediction that Speight would live in a vegetative state.

"Thank you for proving my prediction wrong," he said. "Thank you for making a recovery."

Budlong said that when his boss told him a grateful accident victim wanted to meet him, his mind flashed to Speight even before hearing the name.

Speight also plans to meet with an East Longmeadow police officer who was first on the scene and he has permission from the town to plant a new tree to replace the one destroyed in the crash.

He's thankful that he was alone in the car and no one else was hurt. He blamed speeding for the wreck.

He was in a coma for two and a half weeks and woke up insisting that it was 2011, not 2012. He was in Baystate Medical Center, then Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston, followed by Wingate Health Care in Worcester.

Speight got out of Wingate in December, having spent more than nine months in medical facilities. He's back in East Longmeadow now, living with family and going to Holyoke Community College.

He isn't yet able to drive. But his therapists tell him he should pass a test of his reaction time next month. That test might lead to him getting his license again.

"Most of the other people in Wingate were in wheelchairs," Speight said. "I'm just so grateful."

Budlong has been a paramedic for 20 years, and this is the first time a former patient has sought him out to thank him. It's the first time anyone at American Medical Response can remember it happening, either.

"It's episodic care," said David L. Pelletier, AMR's general manager for Western Massachusetts. "You see someone, you help them and you never see them again. We rarely know how things turn out."

Speight also suffered a broken shoulder, ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver in the wreck.

He pointed to a scar on his neck where the belt dug in.

"I guess seat belts save lives," he said

He remembers none of the crash. His most recent memory leading up to the wreck was of a trip to the Cape weeks earlier. His memories from after the crash are spotty.

"As the neurons heal, the pathways are forming and things come back," he said.

He played electric guitar for the crew at AMR. He credits the guitar as a big part of his recovery. Not only did it raise his spirits but it got his brain and body working together.

"It requires me to use both sides of my body," he said. "They say music is the only thing that stimulates all parts of the brain."

Budlong looked on as Speight played a few bars of Paul McCartney's "Blackbird."

"Keep guitar playing, man," Budlong said.

Suhl also told Rup she has not yet decided whether or not to join some or all of the cases. That decision, she said, could be affected by the results of the DNA tests.

NORTHAMPTON - The trial of four Pittsfield men charged with raping a University of Massachusetts student has been postponed until August.

Adam T. Liccardi, Emmanuel Toffee Bile, Caleb Womack, and Justin A. King had been scheduled to go on trial in December for the alleged rape of a University of Massachusetts student in her dormitory room on Oct. 13, 2012. Prosecutors say the four men, who were not UMass students, traveled to the school against the victim’s wishes, drank with her in her room and took turns raping her as she phased in and out of consciousness. The defendants maintain the sex was consensual.

The case was put on the March trial list, but prosecutor Jennifer Suhl told Judge Mary-Lou Rup that testing has not been completed on DNA samples taken from the four defendants. Suhl also told Rup she is going on maternity leave in April and asked the judge to continue the matter until three months from then. Rup put the case on the August trial list and scheduled a status conference for April 10.

Suhl also told Rup she has not yet decided whether to join some or all of the cases. That decision, she said, could be affected by the results of the DNA tests.

Jonah Goldsmith, who represents Womack, filed a motion to dismiss the charges against his client based on a recent state law that recognizes 17-year-olds as juveniles. Prior to the law, defendants 17 and over were considered adults for legal purposes. All the defendant are now 18-20. Rup took no action on the motion. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is currently deciding how to apply the new law.