Gants cited a "constitutional crisis" in a lack of attorneys available to represent children and parents after the Department of Children and Families takes custody of a child.

BOSTON -- On the same day as the Massachusetts Senate debated a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants laid out his own suggestions for reform.

Gants used his annual State of the Judiciary address Thursday to stress the importance of taking steps to reduce the rate at which people return to prison.

"If we continue to allow many defendants to leave our prisons and houses of correction with untreated drug and mental health problems, with no job training or job experience, and then continue to place obstacles in their way when they try to find lawful employment, we can be sure that they will find work; it might just not be the work we want them to find," Gants said.

He quoted a formerly incarcerated inmate who said, "The streets are always hiring."

Among Gants' suggestions, many of which were included in an independent review of the Massachusetts justice system by the Council of State Governments:

• Provide drug treatment, mental health treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy to prison inmates.
• Give defendants reasonable incentives to seek treatment, such as earned time off their sentences and parole.
• Reduce the degree to which a criminal conviction makes it harder to keep a driver's license, get a job, obtain education or find housing.
• Diminish the financial burden of fees and fines.
• Enroll 18- to 24-year-olds in post-release programs.

"If we take these steps, then we can finally make a dent in that persistent recidivism rate and reduce the overall crime rate," Gants said.

Gants did not weigh in on many of the controversial provisions of the state Senate's bill, such as revising statutory rape statutes or changing the age at which a juvenile can be tried as an adult.

But as he has in the past, Gants reiterated his support for eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes, such as selling drugs near a school zone. The state Senate is considering eliminating several mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes.

Gants called attention to two other problems currently plaguing the criminal justice system. One, which is particularly pronounced in Western Massachusetts, is the inability to find attorneys to represent parents and children in cases when the Department of Children and Families has removed a child from parental custody.

State law grants the parents a hearing within 72 hours of a child's removal to determine whether the parents or the state will have custody until the matter is resolved. But in Hampden County, since March, approximately half of these hearings have been delayed because it was not possible to find an attorney to represent indigent parents and children.

"The problem so far has eluded resolution and may even be getting worse," Gants said, calling it "a constitutional emergency."

Gants said there needs to be more training for attorneys to take these cases. He said he will ask the Legislature to raise the rate for public defenders who take these cases from $55 to $80 an hour.

Another serious problem is the "overwhelming" workload for judges in Probate and Family Court, which Gants said is "simply not sustainable." Gants said he has asked retired Justice Margot Botsford to consult on the issue and figure out how to make the Probate and Family Court less burdensome for judges and more effective for litigants.

Other judicial priorities that Gants stressed include expanding the use of specialty courts, like drug courts; saying up to date in the use of information technology like electronic filing; and making better use of videoconferencing.

Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey, in her own address, said she supports changes to the bail system, which is another issue included in the Senate criminal justice bill. Carey said the trial court wants to see the state move toward a system that decreases reliance on cash bail and standardizes the factors judges consider when deciding to release defendants on bail.

Carey said the court also supports part of a separate bill, which was based on the Council of State Governments review, that focuses on expanding community corrections centers, which supervise offenders on probation with both sanctions and services.

Carey said the trial court plans to focus on providing services to high-risk, high-need young adults ages 18 to 24 through a pilot probation program.

She acknowledged the debate, but did not take a stance on what age someone should be considered a juvenile. "A justice system that appropriately responds to criminal behavior and helps young adults rebuild their lives has potential to reduce further criminal activity and consequently the number of future victims," Carey said.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Springfield Fire Department is 4 times the size of Agawam's, but Calvi said that with proper leadership, size does not matter. Watch video

This is an update of a story posted at 3:29 p.m. Thursday

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno on Thursday announced the selection of Bernard "B.J. Calvi, a deputy chief with the Agawam Fire Department, as the new head of the Springfield Fire Department.

Calvi is scheduled to be start as the Springfield Fire Commissioner on Jan. 24.

Sarno said Calvi was selected from among 33 total candidates and six semifinalists. Sarno said that following a rigorous interview process, Calvi rose to "the top of the heap" among the candidates.

"He's a go-getter, hands-on, and very well versed in firefighting and community engagement," Sarno said of Calvi.

"He showed a strong command, and a vision for our fire department to take it to the next level," Sarno said.

Calvi's appointment is for a 5-year term at a starting salary of $145,000. His salary as a deputy fire chief in Agawam last year was $92,000 according to the Agawam town budget.

He is to succeed Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, who was named fire commissioner in 2013.  Sarno announced last year he would not seek to renew Conant's contract.

The mayor never explained why he made that decision but it followed a public disagreement between him and Conant over the residency requirements for some of his deputy chiefs.

Sarno announced he would not renew Conant's contract right after Conant declined to discipline Deputy Glenn Guyer for not moving back to Springfield within the timeframe required by the city following his appointment to the deputy position.

In Calvi's case, the residency issue is moot. Although he is employed with the Agawam Fire Department, he and his wife, Carrie, have resided in Springfield for the last 6 1/2 years.

Sarno made the announcement in a brief ceremony in City Hall. Several city department heads were present, including Parks Superintendent Patrick Sullivan, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer T.J. Plante and Police Commissioner John Barbieri. Several city councilors were present as well.

Conant was not present.

Sarno thanked Conant for his service to the city as commissioner, and promised there would be a "smooth transition of power, and our fire department will remain very well respected on that."

Sarno said Salvi was selected at the end of an extensive search and selection process.

The nationwide search attracted 33 applicants, Sarno said. This was whittled down to six semifinalists, and Sarno said four were external candidates, or from outside the city, and two were internal.

Each of the semifinalists was invited in for an extensive interview with the selection committee.

The selection committee consisted of Sarno,  Plante, Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations Attorney William Mahoney, and Sarno's chief of staff, Denise Jordan.

Sarno said each semifinalist was grilled in the areas of general issues, community relations, administration, operations and squad analysis. It also included running through hypothetical scenarios.

Sarno said Calvi stood out for his ability to speak succinctly and directly to answer questions.

Sarno in his introduction spent several moments listing Calvi's qualifications, starting with his having completed his training in the former Springfield Fire Academy in the mid-90s.

He noted how Calvi is a certified EMT, that he worked his way up the ranks as a firefighter, first as a volunteer in Clarksburg, and then with Agawam beginning in 1995. Calvi was promoted to lieutenant in 2002 and deputy chief in 2012.

He also cited Calvi's numerous certifications with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Agency, the Center for Domestic Preparedness, and the International Association of Arson Investigators. 

He also noted Calvi has professional memberships with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, and the International Association of Arson Investigators, Massachusetts Division.

In his brief statement after Sarno's introduction, he said he thanked Sarno for his selection and his confidence. "I look forward to taking over the department and leading the department of the future," he said. "I believe I have a very strong leadership and management style that will bring the department forward."

He said he looked forward to working with everyone in the department, and with everyone in the city.

The first question asked when the floor was opened up to the press was about the differences in size between the Agawam and Springfield fire departments, and how Calvi would be able to manage a larger department.

The Agawam Fire Department has 57 fulltime firefighters and 13 reserves, while Springfield, with 237 fulltime firefighters, is more than 4 times that size.

He replied that with proper management and delegation of responsibilities, size doesn't matter.

"Leadership is leadership," he said.  "If you keep it manageable and delegate appropriately, leading one department is the same as the other."

Sarno said the selection committee looked at the issue of the size difference but had full confidence that Calvi was capable of managing the larger department.

Calvi was appointed Deputy Chief in 2012, one year after Alan C. Sirois was named Agawam's Fire Chief. Calvi said that it has been his longtime career goal to become chief of a department.
Because he and Sirois are around the same age, Calvi said it was almost a certainty that he would have needed to look for a post in a new department in order to become a fire chief.

 An opening as Springfield fire commissioner was an incredible opportunity that could not be passed up, he said.

Sirois he is pleased for Calvi that he was selected for the Springfield post, but will be sad to see him leave. Agawam's loss will be Springfield's gain, he said.

"I'm sorry to lose a talented member of the Agawam Fire Department team," Sirois said.

Calvi has been his second in command for 5 years and performed quite well in that role.

"He has had a long and distinguished career with our department," Sirois said.

He said he had no doubts that Calvi would also do well as Springfield Fire Commissioner.

He said he will be meeting with the mayor and Agawam personnel director about what to do with filling Calvi's position. Most likely, he said, the deputy chief job will be filled provisionally while the city prepares to fill it permanently through the state's Civil Service process.

The Noble winner spoke to a crowd of more than 800 at the University of Massachusetts Mullins Center.

AMHERST -- Economists today like rational mathematical models.

But people, as Noble winner and New York Times columnist Paul Krugaman told an audience of more than 800 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Thursday, are not as rational, and economists could do their job better if they followed economic models that were discarded generations ago in favor of mathematical certainty.

"If you learned your economics in the 1960s and 1970s, as I did, you would be better off," he said.

He urged his profession to tear a page from other social scientists like sociologists.

"Talk to people," said Krugman, whose column also runs in The Republican. "Find out what they are really doing."

Think about why wages don't fall in a recession when unemployment spikes, he said. A mathematical model would say wages would fall as the supply of workers rises. But they don't. They stay the same, a pattern we have seen over the last 10 years.

"There are these notions of fairness and of not being seen as taking advantage," Krugman said. "And it is bad for morale."

This stability is one reason we have not seen wages go up with the recovery. Employers don't want to do anything they can't take back if times go bad.

Believing the math alone led policy makers to fear inflation too much as interest rates fell and central banks added more money to the economy. But, Krugman said, if there is no demand for goods and services the money just sits there. It's something he wrote about in the 1990s because it happened in Japan.

"I was never sure I wasn't a phony until the Great Recession and its aftermath," he said.

Krugman was at UMass to deliver the annual Philip Gamble Memorial lecture. In a pre-speech news interview, Krugman scoffed at the question, "Will there be another recession?"

"There is always going to be something," he said, before adding that he doesn't see a single clear indicator like last decade's housing bubble.

"My fear is not that there is going to be another recession. It's that that we won't have a good response to it."

A critic of the Trump administration, Krugman cautioned that his skepticism applies really to all the industrialized governments except maybe Japan. None would be able to come up with the coordinated response we saw in 2008 and 2009, he said.

"If it happens again, God help us," he said.

For one thing, interest rates are already near zero, so governments can't cut the cost of borrowing to spur growth. And the national debt is higher now, so another round of borrowing and spending might not work.

"That has to matter at some point," he said.

Krugman told the crowd Thursday night he was "taking a vacation" from criticizing the current administration.

As for the wide-ranging changes to the tax system now the topic in Washington, Krugman had little faith in Republican leadership.

"Conceptually, they seem as clueless now as they were on health care," he said.

Krugman is author or editor of 27 books and more than 200 papers in professional journals and edited volumes. He received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2008 for his work on international trade theory. He's been an op-ed columnist at the New York Times since 1999, and his column also appears in The Republican.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati, D-Ludlow, joined WinnDevelopment officials Thursday to celebrate the property development company's completion of the Residences at Mill 10, an almost $20 million transformation of a former mill building into 75 units of mixed-income, age-restricted housing at the sprawling Ludlow Mills complex.

LUDLOW -- Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati, D-Ludlow, joined WinnDevelopment officials Thursday to celebrate the property development company's completion of the Residences at Mill 10, an almost $20 million transformation of a former mill building into 75 units of mixed-income, age-restricted housing at the sprawling Ludlow Mills complex. 

"Kudos to everybody who was involved in the design and delivery," Baker said to the large crowd that squeezed into the community room of the former Mill 10 building, now officially known as the Residences at Mill 10.

The state's over-60 population is now bigger than its under-20 population, said Baker, pointing out the timeliness of a project that compliments the commonwealth's demographic trends.

The overhaul of Ludlow Mills, a multiyear redevelopment project led by Westmass Area Development Corp., has involved tapping public grants and other funding sources "to leverage private investment," Baker said, praising Petrolati for his steadfast support of the project.

"Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings," said Petrolati, opening with a quote from Jane Jacobs, the journalist and urban theorist best known for her 1961 book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities."

Petrolati praised Baker, a Republican, and his administration for supporting economic development and job creation in Ludlow and Western Massachusetts.

"We both share the common values of what governing is all about: helping people," Petrolati said, adding that Thursday's event was a testament to the importance of "earning the public trust." The current lack of discourse in national politics "does not exist here in Massachusetts," Petrolati said.

Baker and Petrolati were joined at the ribbon-cutting ceremony by state Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Chrystal Kornegay, Ludlow Selectmen Chairman William E. Rooney, WinnDevelopment president and managing partner Larry Curtis, and Westmass president and CEO Eric Nelson, among numerous other local, state and business leaders.

"Congratulations to WinnDevelopment for a job well done," said Nelson, the point man for overall redevelopment Ludlow Mills, a complex of commercial, residential and light-industrial space spread over 170 acres of prime riverfront property between State Street and the Chicopee River.

WinnCompanies, a Boston-based property development and management company, specializes in developing affordable and market-rate housing, urban and suburban apartment communities, and mixed-income and mixed-use projects.

"People began asking to be put on the waiting list for apartments in Mill 10 almost as soon as we began construction," Curtis said, "so there is no doubt that the desire for quality housing for seniors in this region is strong."

Ninety percent of the tenants who now live in the fully renovated 110-year-old Mill 10 building are from Ludlow or neighboring communities, according to WinnCompanies, which is exploring the possibility building more housing at the Mill 8 building -- better known as Ludlow's Clock Tower Building.

"It's in the funding process," Curtis said of that initiative.

Rooney, an attorney and former prosecutor who previously served on Ludlow's finance and school boards before being elected to the Board of Selectmen, said the iconic Clock Tower is such a well-known Ludlow symbol that it appears on the town seal. 

We're living in cynical times, when a lot of people fail to follow through on plans and promises, Rooney said. But not Westmass, WinnDevelopment or the Baker-Polito administration. "These promises were kept," he said.

The apartments are "absolutely gorgeous," said Rooney, who then dropped a 31-year-old pop culture reference by citing "The Future's So Bright, I gotta Wear Shades," a 1986 hit song by the band Timbuk 3. "That should be the theme song for this project," he said.

"This redevelopment project has become his passion," Rooney said of Petrolati, directing his remarks to the state representative, whom he has known since they were kids. "From Day One, you have been the strongest possible advocate for this project."

Mill 10 is a four-story, 108,163-square-foot brick building that was built in 1907 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Here in Ludlow and throughout Massachusetts, affordable housing provides access to economic opportunity and stability for our most vulnerable populations. We congratulate all the state, local and private partners involved in reaching this milestone."

It took about 14 months to transform the former mill building into 63 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom apartments for people ages 55 and older. The Residences at Mill 10 is fully leased. Nine of the apartments are market-rate units and the remainder are affordable with various income-eligibility requirements. 

The units feature large insulated windows, some of which occupy almost floor-to-ceiling spaces, exposed beams, high ceilings, track lighting and more. On-site amenities include parking, laundry facilities, a fitness center and resident lounge, and community spaces and common areas on each floor.

The project was funded by a mix of loans, state and federal historic tax credits, state and federal low-income housing tax credits, and a variety of other sources.  

"Our administration is proud to support critical projects like these that provide mixed-income, affordable housing opportunities for our growing population of older adults," Baker said. 

All told, the redevelopment of Ludlow Mills is expected to create and retain over 2,000 jobs, stimulate around $300 million in future private investment, and increase municipal property tax revenues by $2 million. The site is expected to be built out in 15 to 20 years.

Trump allowed the release of 2,800 other records. Some say the documents could help resolve conspiracy theories surrounding the Massachusetts politician's death.

President Donald Trump on Thursday night blocked the release of hundreds of long-withheld records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, placing them under a six-month review.

Trump allowed the release of 2,800 other records. Some say the documents could help resolve conspiracy theories surrounding the Massachusetts politician's death.

The files that were released were expected to be posted on the National Archives website Thursday night. (National Archives JFK Assassination Records)

White House officials said the FBI and CIA made the most requests within the government to withhold some information, the Associated Press reported.

The 1992 Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act required that all the documents regarding the president's death be housed in a single collection in the National Archives.

The collection includes more than 5 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and other artifacts -- most of which were already open for research, according to the National Archives. 

Government to release JFK files Thursday: Here's what they might contain

The 1992 law further required that each record be publicly disclosed in full and available in the collection no later than 25 years after the act's enactment -- Oct. 26, 2017 -- unless the president certifies that continued delay is needed due to a harm posed to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations.

Trump announced Saturday that he had no intention to stop the records from being made public.

President Donald Trump says he will open 'long blocked and classified JFK files'

He further touted the long-secret documents' release on Twitter Wednesday. 

The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow. So interesting!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2017

The National Archives released nearly 4,000 documents from its John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection in July, including 441 previously withheld documents.

Material from the Associated Press included

Two Springfield police officers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after their car was rammed by a fleeing car. The car tried to flee a traffic stop and led police on a through city streets before crashing into a cruiser blocking its way.

SPRINGFIELD - A city man was arrested late this afternoon after he rammed his car into a Springfield police cruiser, slightly injuring two officers. 

Springfield police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the incident began when police tried to pull a Lexus SUV over for a traffic stop at about 5:45 p.m. The driver is known to have outstanding arrest warrants. The vehicle driver refused to stop for police and led a string of cruisers police on a low-speed chase through the Old Hill and McKnight neighborhoods for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Several cruisers attempted to keep the Lexus in view until finally, it crashed head-on into a cruiser near 71 Colton St.  Two ambulances were dispatched for the officers.

Walsh said the officers were transported as a precaution, and that their injuries were minor. 

The Lexus driver was arrested on charges of failure to stop for a police officer and outstanding warrants.

Party lines were blurred and the margins narrowed significantly as the Senate worked through more than 160 amendments to a controversial omnibus criminal justice bill Thursday.

By Katie Lannan and Colin A. Young
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 26, 2017.....There are not typically many close votes in the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts Senate. But party lines were blurred and the margins narrowed significantly as the Senate worked through more than 160 amendments to a controversial omnibus criminal justice bill Thursday.

In one case an amendment offered by the Republican leader dealing with parental testimony drew the support of a dozen Democrats, causing bill proponents to seek out those who had not yet voted to make one final pitch for the amendment to be rejected. It was ultimately rejected 18-20, with the Senate president casting a vote to give the "nos" a bit of cushion.

Through more than seven hours of debate Thursday, the Senate had worked through 66 of the 162 amendments filed. Senators had adopted 12 amendments and rejected 20 as of 7 p.m. Thirty-four amendments were withdrawn and there were still 96 amendments pending.

The bill (S 2185), which got a push from the Senate Ways and Means Committee with a 15-0 vote of approval, addresses the criminal justice system "from front to back," said Sen. William Brownsberger, who introduced the bill by saying the incarceration rate in Massachusetts is "four or five times" what it was 40 years ago.

Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Jamaica Plain Democrat who has been pushing the Legislature to take up broad criminal justice reform, said passing the bill Thursday would "give hope to people who have almost given up on us" as they try to hold together families and communities plagued by both crime and incarceration. The criminal justice system, she said, has "become as much a perpetrator as protector" in communities like the one she represents.

The bill would allow juvenile offenders to expunge misdemeanors from their records after completing their sentences, which Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka said would give youths a second chance after a mistake and help them lead productive lives. It also brings 18-year-olds into the juvenile court system, following up on a 2013 law that moved 17-year-olds into juvenile court.

The first amendment the Senate voted on Thursday illustrated how close some votes could be and how the amendments will not all be determined along party lines.

As proposed, the bill would raise the threshold for felony larceny from the current $250 to $1,500. Tarr proposed an amendment to limit the increase in the threshold to $1,000, arguing that too much of an increase could give cover to thieves.

"We generally agree that there ought to be an increase in that amount, but the current proposal represents a 500 percent increase," he said.

Chang-Diaz said that the original threshold for felony larceny was set at $100 in the 1800s and increased to the present $250 in 1987. Had the original amount been adjusted for inflation, it would stand at over $2,000 today, she said.

Tarr's amendment failed, but nine Democrats joined the Senate's six Republicans voting for the amendment. The Democrats who voted in favor of it were Sens. John Keenan, Anne Gobi, Barbara L'Italien, Michael Moore, Kathleen O'Connor Ives, Marc Pacheco, Michael Rodrigues, Michael Rush and Walter Timilty.

Late Thursday afternoon, the Senate narrowly rejected an amendment that sought to remove from the bill a prohibition against parents and children testifying against one another.

Tarr offered the amendment and said that the bill language in question had "a number of defects," vague language and subjective terms that would make the section unworkable. The bill, as it emerged from Ways and Means, would prohibit parents and children from testifying against each other, except when the victim is a family or household member.

Sen. Cynthia Creem said that parental involvement is crucial in the juvenile justice system, but some parents refuse to be in the room when their child is giving a statement or being questioned out of fear that they could be called as a witness against their child.

The amendment failed on an 18-20 roll call vote, with the Senate president casting a vote to ensure the amendment failed. Democratic Sens. Michael Brady, Eileen Donoghue, Anne Gobi, Eric Lesser, Barbara L'Italien, Michael Moore, Kathleen O'Connor Ives, Marc Pacheco, Michael Rodrigues, Michael Rush, Walter Timilty and James Welch voted in favor of Tarr's amendment.

The Senate reached unanimous agreement on Majority Leader Harriette Chandler's amendment creating a task force to study the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing, including changes made under the bill. But they were divided nearly evenly on repealing mandatory minimums for lower-level cocaine trafficking. A Tarr amendment to restore those mandatory sentences failed 18-19.

Another Tarr amendment creating a new mandatory minimum sentence -- one year for assault and battery on a police officer that causes serious injury -- originally passed with 22 senators in favor and 15, all Democrats, voting against.

About 40 minutes later, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said some members had been unable to hear and did not understand what they were voting on. They reconsidered the amendment, which passed a second time on a 31-6 vote. Sens. Brownsberger, Chang-Diaz, Joe Boncore, Cynthia Creem, Jamie Eldridge and Patricia Jehlen voted in opposition.

Brownsberger said he opposed the amendment because he believes there should be a uniform standard of justice that applies equally to all people, but said he understood if his colleagues wanted to vote yes to show their support for police officers and the stress they face. Gov. Charlie Baker filed a similar bill both this session and last.

Keenan of Quincy has offered an amendment that would require prisons and jails to make medically assisted opioid addiction treatment available to inmates for who it has been deemed appropriate. Keenan recounted a four-hour walk he recently took around the Boston area known as "Methadone mile," where he said he saw several drug deals take place as people struggling with addiction tried to get through the day.

"Look at those people, talk to those people, understand those people," he urged his colleagues. "Is locking them up going to change anything? No. It will not. Getting them help will change things."

An inaugural ceremony will be held Friday, November 3 to formally install Christine Royal as Holyoke Community College's fourth president and the first woman to lead the school.

HOLYOKE - Holyoke Community College will inaugurate its first woman president on Friday, November 3 at 10 a.m. in a ceremony in the school's Leslie Philips Theater. 

Dr. Christina Royal will be formally installed as the school's fourth president in its 71-year history when Robert Gilbert, the chairman of the HCC Board of Trustees, presents her with the presidential medallion.

The public is invited to attend the inaugural event. Distinguished guests expected to attend are the Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, State Representative Aaron Vega of Holyoke and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Gillian McKnight-Tutein. 

The ceremony begins in the lobby of the building with a procession of school faculty and guests into the theater.

The inaugural weekend continues Saturday, November 4 with "A Proud Past and a Bright Future," a celebration of the school's programs and its people. 

The public is also invited to the 5 p.m. ceremony in the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation.  Tickets for the Saturday event are $75 per person, with sponsorships available.

Proceeds from the event will be used to establish an emergency fund for the Holyoke Community College Foundation to support students facing unforeseen financial challenges. 

Anyone wishing to attend either event is asked to R.S.V.P. through the Presidential Inauguration page on the HCC website:  www.hcc.edu/inauguration

Royal began her work at HCC in January and now lives in Northampton.

She received her Ph.D. in Education from Capella University, and a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Math from Marist College. 

Royal succeeds former President William F. Messner who retired in August 2016 after serving for 12 years.   

A Northampton basketball court will get lights, making it available for recreational use after dark.

NORTHAMPTON - A new basketball court in Northampton will be furnished with lights, making it the only public recreation area in the city to be available for use after dark, the city's Planning Board decided Thursday night. 

The Board voted unanimously to add lights to Memorial Court, located at 498 Ryan Road, which sits adjacent to the Ryan Road Elementary school. 

The court is the product of League Legends--a volunteer-based organization made up of alumni from Northampton High School (NHS) that has worked for years to bring the site into existence.

The court, which was approved for development by the City Council and School Committee in May, was built in August. 

The group's plan now calls for the installation of six 20 foot light poles around the rim of the court. The lights will be automated to come on at dusk.  

The Board approved the court's site plan with several conditions, including that the new lights be equipped with motion sensors so that they only fully illuminate when local residents are at play, and that they turn off fully by 9 p.m. during the months when it's in use. 

The court will be used for adult basketball leagues and youth clinics and will also be available for general use by city residents, the group has stated. It will also serve as a memorial to two of the group's founders--Miles Adams and David Holman--both of whom died in unrelated accidents in 2007, shortly after graduating from NHS. 

Since their deaths, the League has spent years fundraising to erect the community basketball court in their honor.  

The League's head member Michael O'Brien made a presentation before the Board Thursday night, describing his vision for the community recreation site. O'Brien said that he felt the court would be a "really, really valuable resource for the community," explaining that a long term goal of the project was to "increase outdoor recreation opportunities in the area." 

For O'Brien, Thursday night's decision represented the "finish line" of a long period of development for League Legends, he said. The group has been raising money through fundraisers for the completion of the project for the better part of a decade. 

This year saw breakthroughs for the project. After construction of the project was completed, the court held its first ever clinic was held on Sept. 12--with a large crowd of local children participating, according to the group's website. 

The lights are expected to be installed in early spring, according to O'Brien. 

A 26-year-old Lawrence man was killed Monday night when he was shot in the chest, the Essex District Attorney's Office said Thursday. Jose Arias-Lara was shot once in the chest as he drove his car on Union Street.

LAWRENCE - The Essex District Attorney's Office identified the man killed Monday night - shot to death as he drove his car, the Boston Globe reported.

In a statement released Thursday, authorities said Jose Arias-Lara, 26, was apparently shot once in the chest, after which his car crashed into a utility pole in the 400 block of South Union Street. 

He was taken to Lawrence General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Lawrence police and State Police detectives attached to District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office are investigating the shooting.  No arrests have been made. 

Minutes before Arias-Lara's shooting, three men were shot and wounded in the municipal Howard's Playstead. Police do not believe the two incidents are related.

In response to the park shooting, police have instituted a city-wide curfew which prohibits anyone being on city property at night unless they are attending an organized event.   

A Hotel Northampton restaurant worker won "Food Server of the Year Award" at a gala on Tuesday.

NORTHAMPTON - A server at the Hotel Northampton restaurant has won the Massachusetts Restaurant Association 2017 Food Server of the Year Award.

Fhad Khazraj, who has worked with the restaurant for over four years, was honored with the award at the "Stars of the Industry" awards gala in Randolph on Tuesday. 

Khazraj had been a finalist for the prize among other exceptional hospitality employees throughout the state.

"We recognize the efforts of our Hotel team as they provide top-notch service year-round," said Hotel Northampton owner Mansour Ghalibaf in a statement. "It was exciting and well-deserved to have Fhad recognized on a state-wide level with this great MRA distinction," he said. 

Also in the running at the gala was Randy Krutzler, who has worked for the Hotel Northampton for over 20 years and was a finalist for the Bartender of the Year award. Krutzler made it to the top three. 

Excess and expired prescription medications make up a significant percentage of drugs that make their way into the nation's drug black market. Springfield police and the federal DEA will hold a drug take-back event to keep at least some drugs out of the hands of addicts.

SPRINGFIELD - President Donald Trump declared opioid addiction a national public health emergency in a Washington D.C. ceremony Thursday afternoon.  At the same time, Springfield police and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency are working together to take excess and expired prescription drugs out of the drug pipeline.  

Saturday, October 28, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, and Springfield officers will be at Central High School, 1840 Roosevelt Ave.  from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take any medications for disposal. 

The drugs accepted at the Take Back need not be addictive.  Any drug, both prescription and over the counter, no longer of use to the holder will be accepted for disposal. 

Once legally prescribed medications make up a significant percentage of drugs that make their way into the illegal drug trade.  Proper disposal is the only way to make sure medications once used to heal, don't become someone's destruction. 

Councilor Jennifer Hayes says she filed a state ethics complaint after Councilor Joy Winnie, a mayoral candidate, wore a campaign button to a City Council meeting.

EASTHAMPTON -- Is it ethical for a city councilor who is also running for mayor to wear her own campaign button as she participates in a televised meeting of the City Council?

That question sparked extended debate on social media recently when Precinct 1 City Councilor Jennifer Hayes accused Precinct 3 City Councilor Joy Winnie of illegal "electioneering" after Winnie wore a campaign button "the size of a dinner plate" to an Oct. 18 City Council meeting. 

Last Thursday, Hayes said on Facebook she had filed a state ethics complaint against Winnie.

"Is it a crazy, huge infraction? Perhaps not. Is it indicative of the 'rules don't apply to us' culture that permeates aspects of our municipal government? I think yes," Hayes wrote.

Hayes told The Republican her complaint took the form of a 10-minute telephone conversation with the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission on Oct. 19.

"I'm not sure about the exact law, but I felt it was important to speak to the ethics commission and ask if it was a violation," Hayes wrote in an email. "The allegation is under review and they'll look into it."

Hayes claimed that candidates "are not allowed to do any electioneering, bringing in any campaign materials, in public buildings, or near the building."

Winnie campaign volunteer Michelle Lucier told The Republican on Monday that she and Winnie had spoken with ethics commission staffers. The staffers said the commission has no record of any complaint filed by Hayes against Winnie, Lucier claimed.

The staffers said Winnie "would not be in violation of the state's conflict of interest law if she were to wear a political button to her next City Council meeting because such activity would be of 'minimal significance,'" Lucier wrote in an email to The Republican.

Neither Hayes nor Lucier were able to provide any written documentation to back up their statements.

A spokesman for the state Ethics Commission declined to reveal any information about the matter, or to comment specifically on the practice of candidate button-wearing at public meetings and in public buildings.

This photo, submitted by the Joy Winnie mayoral campaign, shows the size of the candidate's button compared to a dinner plate. Submitted photo  

"Due to strict confidentiality statutes, we can neither confirm nor deny whether the commission has received a complaint, is conducting an investigation, or reviewing any matter," said commission spokesman David Giannotti.

"Generally, the conflict of interest law prohibits public employees from using public resources in connection with any campaign or political purpose," Giannotti added, while referencing a posted advisory from the commission concerning public employees and political activity.

Lucier and City Council President Joseph McCoy maintain that a sentence in the advisory exonerates Winnie. The sentence says "wearing a political campaign button to work in a political office" or other acts of "truly minimal duration or significance" would not violate the law.

"Clearly, the wearing of a political button is considered insignificant, and considering the very short meeting was of minimal duration, this would not be an ethics violation," McCoy wrote in an email to The Republican. "I wish Councilor Hayes would check with the laws before filing such complaints."

Nicole LaChapelle, Winnie's opponent in the mayoral race, issued a statement Wednesday through her campaign manager, Kate Norton, of the Boston-based CK Strategies.

The incident "has generated some very sharp reactions and ugly dialogue from campaign supporters on both sides," the campaign said, adding that it's "wholly unacceptable" to equate a complaint with a violation, or for a person to be "blamed or shamed" for reaching out to a government agency.

"Individuals have the right to file these complaints if they believe there is a violation. That's what the State Ethics Commission is for, to make that determination. That's the process," the campaign stated.

"Residents here should have an expectation of fairness, and this incident places doubt in their minds about the way we conduct business here," the statement reads. "Rushing to judgment does not help this city, our government, or the voters here."

Norton said LaChapelle "has been an advocate for greater accessibility and transparency in government," and added that the LaChapelle campaign was not involved in filing any ethics complaint.

Pamela Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, said elected officials are allowed to publicly endorse candidates, including themselves, and that when a candidate wears a campaign button at a public meeting, no public resources are being used.

"It's speech, not a good," she said.

Easthampton voters will choose a new mayor on Nov. 7 to replace Karen Cadieux, who is not running for re-election.

Winnie, school transportation manager for the city of Northampton, is a lifelong resident first elected to the City Council in 1996. LaChapelle, who moved to Easthampton two decades ago, is a local lawyer and former private school administrator.

Both mayoral candidates are registered Democrats. Hayes supports LaChapelle, whereas Cadieux supports Winnie.

EASTHAMPTON -- Two candidates for mayor shared their views about land conservation, accountability, campaign finance, new school construction and "old and new Easthampton" in a final televised debate before the Nov. 7 election. Within the "town hall forum" held at Easthampton Media's new production studio at Eastworks, Joy Winnie and Nicole LaChapelle had equal opportunity to respond to audience...

EASTHAMPTON -- Two candidates for mayor shared their views about land conservation, accountability, campaign finance, new school construction and "old and new Easthampton" in a final televised debate before the Nov. 7 election.

Within the "town hall forum" held at Easthampton Media's new production studio at Eastworks, Joy Winnie and Nicole LaChapelle had equal opportunity to respond to audience questions. Kathy Lynch, executive director of the city's public cable station, moderated.

Winnie and LaChapelle agreed in principal on many issues, including the need to protect open space, to build a new consolidated school, and to eradicate bias and build respectful community relations as the city evolves and grows.

Friction appeared late in the debate when LaChapelle asked Winnie, a longtime city councilor, why she hadn't pushed for new middle school construction years ago, and Winnie responded with a civics lesson on the respective roles of the City Council and School Committee.

Winnie, a lifelong resident and Precinct 3 city councilor since 1996, said her campaign is based upon "experience, vision, and community" and pointed to endorsements from Mayor Karen Cadieux and former mayor Michael Tautznik.

LaChapelle, a 20-year resident, lawyer, and longtime Democratic party activist, touted her "partnership skills" and noted that U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) and Richard Neal (D-Springfield) had endorsed her campaign.

Winnie said she would protect the Barnes Aquifer "at all costs," and praised recent collaborations with neighboring Southampton to purchase key water protection land and hire a shared conservation agent. She mentioned that her family owns many acres of land on Mount Tom, and said that land would be put into a trust for her children.

LaChapelle said she would work to prevent development on Mount Tom, and that conservation land helps preserve the city's value. She said protecting the aquifer "demands a regional approach" and promised that the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission "would be a key partner, and I keep talking to them."

Neither mentioned the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee, an existing board staffed by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission that meets on a monthly basis to protect the aquifer.

Resident Aimee Ross asked the two to define "accountability." LaChapelle said accountability means being "held to your words and actions" in a way that's "eye-to-eye" and "unflinching." She said she would use data and benchmarks to measure progress, and consider online tools to increase government transparency.

Winnie said she would be accountable "to those who cast their votes for me, and those who didn't." She said a mayor must also be accountable for the actions of department heads. "A leader leads, but she must also turn around and make sure people are following," she said.

Mayor Karen Cadieux asked about campaign finance, wanting to know what percentage of their respective fundraising came from local sources, what percentage of their spending was done locally.

Easthampton Mayoral Forum Live Stream

LaChapelle said she has been publicly posting her campaign finance numbers since June, a level of reporting not required by the state. She said her ratio is probably around "sixty-forty" of funds raised within Easthampton compared to those raised from outside the community. She defended buying her campaign signs out-of-state, saying she did it to support a union shop.

LaChapelle also defended receiving contributions from outside the area. "Every dollar they're investing in me, they see as an investment in Easthampton," she said. "Easthampton has to stay competitive, and it has to have influence." She said Easthampton "is not a bubble." She has raised more than $21,000.

Winnie, who has not publicly posted her campaign finance numbers, said nearly all  her campaign money -- which she estimated at around $12,000 -- came from inside Easthampton, and that nearly all was spent locally to support local businesses.

The state's Office of Campaign Finance requires that the mayoral candidates file their public reports eight days before the election.

Each candidate said they would advocate for a new, consolidated school for kindergarten through eighth-grade students to replace three 100-year-old elementary schools and the 1970s-era White Brook Middle School, which suffers from severe mechanical problems. Each also acknowledged the potential tax impact and said they would work to mitigate it.

Winnie said the project has been on the back burner for years, as other capital projects took precedence.

"It's time," she said, saying it's like having a "twenty-year-old car that needs three-thousand dollars worth of repairs." She said conditions at White Brook Middle School are "unhealthy."

LaChapelle drew a rumble from the audience when she asked Winnie why she hadn't pushed for the school project years ago, if conditions at the middle school are indeed hazardous to children's health.

"Why now? You've been on the City Council for 20 years," said LaChapelle.

Winnie replied that the School Committee, Superintendent, and School Building Committee initiate such projects, and not the City Council. "It's like church and state," she said. When school leaders advanced the idea of building a new high school, which was completed in 2013, "we got it done," Winnie said.

Each said they don't really buy the concept of "old and new Easthampton."

Winnie said if elected, she would initiate a visioning process to include all sectors of the community. LaChapelle said newcomers recognize that "the place they stand on that first day" was built by preceding generations, and that the city's core values must be preserved while moving forward.

As for whether Easthampton should declare itself a "sanctuary city," LaChapelle said previous discussions about the issue were "polarized and political." She said she looks forward to a new "forward conversation" on the topic, prompted by a recent citizen petition.

Winnie said she would not issue an executive order to declare "sanctuary city" status, and said education is key. "Bias is wrong, and it's against the law," she said. "Our common core right as human beings on this earth is to be respected." She said Easthampton has always been a welcoming community.

LaChapelle responded, saying there's a difference between civil rights and bias. "I think we're all biased, and we have to own it," she said. Winnie agreed, saying people need to recognize their bias and "grow out of it," but that it takes education. She said if mayor she would she would like to have community discussions and guest speakers.

Asked about their regrets, LaChapelle said she regretted not paying enough attention to racial bias in her own community, and Winnie said she regretted not paying enough attention previously to the opioid crisis.

Earlier in the evening, Precinct 2 City Council candidates Homar Gomez and Paul St. Pierre Jr. fielded questions. The two are engaged in the only contested ward race in the city.

The full debate was broadcast by Easthampton Media, the city's public access television station, and streamed on Facebook. The event was moderated by Kathy Lynch, Easthampton Media's executive director, and held in the station's brand-new production facility in the Eastworks building.

Western Massachusetts historians will join a panel discussion Oct. 30, 2017, called "Monuments, Memory and White Supremacy."

AMHERST -- This summer, a white nationalist rally that led to the death of a counterprotester focused attention on Confederate monuments and the call to remove them.

On Monday, Western Massachusetts historians will join a panel called "Monuments, Memory and White Supremacy," to put this and other events in greater context, said Brian Ogilvie, professor and chairman of the University of Massachusetts history department, who will moderate the panel.

Thousands went to Charlottesville, North Carolina, Aug. 12 to protest the City Council's vote to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The gathering sparked clashes during which a suspect said to have white supremacist sympathies drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others.

Ogilvie said the UMass panel follows a similar gathering held last year after the election of Donald Trump. He said students "had a number of questions about what happened, what is the Electoral College anyway and how could pollsters be wrong?" He and other historians organized a panel and had students pose questions online. He said about 50 people turned out on short notice.

They decided they'd offer a similar format at least once a year to "take one issue in the news (and have historians) give some depth to them," Ogilvie said.

He said they look at the panel as "a kind of teach-in, hopefully students learn to be curious about what exactly happened in Charlottesville" or why there is a movement to remove Confederate monuments. He said more than a dozen questions have been posed, giving panelists time to research answers.  

One person asked questions about two monuments on campus -- the Metawampe Statue near the Integrated Learning Center and the Minuteman near Memorial Hall. Both were gifts from the class of 1950.

In the 1990s, concerns were raised that the Minuteman was a symbol of oppression, sexism and racism, according to a UMass webpage on mascots. But that abated. UMass sports teams had once been called the Redmen, but following controversy in 1972, the name was changed to the Minutemen.

Panelists participating include Alon Confino, UMass professor of history and Jewish studies and director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies; David Glassberg, UMass history professor and interim co-director of the Public History Program; Jon Olsen, UMass associate history professor and interim co-director of the Public History Program; Christopher Tinson, associate professor of Africana studies and history at Hampshire College; and Alice Nash, UMass associate history professor.

The panel begins at 6 p.m. in the Old Chapel an is free and open to the public.

The Holyoke, Massachusetts Boys and Girls Club is celebrating 125 years of giving kids a place to go. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- The Holyoke Boys and Girls Club is celebrating 125 years of giving kids a place to go.

"The mission really has not changed that much,  it has always been serving the youth," President and CEO Eileen D. Cavanaugh said.

Cavanaugh spoke in an interview in her office on Oct. 12 at 70 Nick Cosmos Way where the club has been located since 1969. It was on Race Street from 1902 to 1969 and on Main Street for 10 years after it was founded in 1892, she said.

"We've moved within a two-block radius in 125 years, so downtown is a priority," she said.

To mark the milestone, the club is holding a "125th Anniversary Celebration: 1892-2017" from 6 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 2 at The Wherehouse?, 109 Lyman St. Tickets are $50 a person or tables of 10 for $500, she said.

The goal of the Boys and Girls Club, here and nationwide, is to support young people academically and physically and to help them be good citizens, she said.

Specifically, that has meant a place where boys and girls can come to play basketball and other sports. They can practice computer skills, get help with school homework, play foosball, pool and other table games, make crafts and go on field trips to the woods or fishing. They also can talk with mentors about getting job skills or going to college or into military service.

The Girls Club, which began here in 1971, merged to form the Boys and Girls Club in 1992, she said.

Other adjustments have been made along the way. When the club opened on Main Street in an old Methodist church, it saw that its role in the 1890's included provision of hot baths. Many of the poor boys who ventured in to play sports and games and learn a trade came from homes that lacked such plumbing, she said.

Thus states the "Seventh Annual Report of  the Holyoke Boys Club," issued in 1899:

"The shower baths have been used over 1,200 times, and this number would be increased ten fold, had we proper facilities."

The update about the baths in the 118-year-old report was preceded by a note about another life-skill taught at the club: "The Penny Savings Bank has been remarkable, when it is considered that more than 13,000 deposits have been made, and a total of over $1,700 deposited by our little bankers."

In addition to the main facility, the Boys and Girls Club has satellite units at four Holyoke Housing Authority locations: Toepfert Apartments, Lyman Terrace, Beaudoin Village and the Churchill Homes.

"These units enable the club to serve children where they live -- in their own neighborhoods," the club's website said. "In addition, members of the satellite units receive all the programs offered to members of the main club facility: education and career development; the arts; sports & recreation; health and life skills, and leadership development. They also have access to the club's gym, pool  and climbing wall."

Cavanaugh estimates the club here has had over 62,000 members since 1892.

The club has a close relationship with the Holyoke Police Department, which is around the corner at 138 Appleton St., along with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department and juvenile court and state probation staff, she said.

The club has seven full- and 49 part-time employees, many of whom speak Spanish, given that 96 percent of the population of young members are Latino, she said.

A key part of the experience for the young  members is interacting with adults who are trained to be mentors, she said.

"The role is a very serious role," Cavanaugh said.

That the club stands on Nick Cosmos Way is a tribute to Nick Cosmos, who died in 2003 at 84. He was responsible for bringing the Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament to Holyoke in 1957 where it spent nearly 50 years. That's why the Boys and Girls Club is known by some as "The House that Nick Built."

The Springfield Redevelopment Authority, owner of Union Station, and the backers of the Whistle Stop Cafe were unable to come to terms, SRA executive director Christopher J. Moskal said. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Plans for the Whistle Stop Cafe restaurant at Union Station have fallen apart, but a pair of restaurateurs who have a history of saving a downtown dining spot are interested in filling the void.

The Springfield Redevelopment Authority, owner of Union Station, and the backers of the Whistle Stop Cafe were unable to come to terms, SRA Executive Director Christopher J. Moskal said.

The Whistle Stop was planned as a 1,107-square-foot Italian-themed restaurant with craft beer and wine. The owner would have been Carlo Bonavita, whose son Sergio owns Westfield River Brewing in Southwick. Bonavita's cousin, John, owned The Tavern in Westfield.

The Whistle Stop name derived from a restaurant in the former Hotel Charles, which stood where the Union Station parking deck on Main Street was built.

Moskal said the SRA is in talks with an entity to run a restaurant, but he couldn't identify the party until the deal is further along its way toward completion.

But restaurateurs Andy Yee and Peter Picknelly on Thursday said they want to expand their Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room into Union Station with an eatery similar to the Wurst Haus stand The Student Prince has run at The Big E fair the past two seasons.

The Union Station restaurant would sell grab-and-go lunches and a light-fare breakfast with a German flare, Picknelly said. He and Yee said they are in talks now with the SRA.

"We want Union Station to be a success," Picknelly said. "You would have a Springfield icon in the Student Prince in an iconic building."

The Union Station location would be an expansion, not a replacement, of the existing Student Prince and The Fort Dining Room three blocks away on Fort Street.

Picknelly said he and Yee have a proposal for Union Station on the table, but there is no deal done.

Yee said the deal would include making part of Union Station's first floor into an event space for celebrations and business meetings. He foresees a space that would be outfitted with audio-visual equipment and offer full food and beverage service.

"I think there is a need in Springfield for mid-size event space," he said.

Leases for space at Union Station are made public, including the rent paid, after the Springfield Redevelopment Authority votes.

In separate interviews, Picknelly was more certain than Yee of the menu and concept at the Union Station location.

Yee, head of a family enterprise with eight restaurants including the Student Prince, where he is managing partner, said he hasn't done a quick-service, grab-and-go concept before.

"I've got to sit down and watch their traffic flow," Yee said. "We want to do something that is the highest and best use for that facility."

An investor group headed by Picknelly and Yee bought and revived the Student Prince in 2014 after it nearly closed despite 79 years in business as a downtown institution.

Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines, moved bus operations into Union Station this summer and said Thursday that he is close to renting office space in the upstairs and moving Peter Pan's administrative operations there as well.

The administrative move would be temporary, he said, until 31 Elm St. is renovated and turned into the company's permanent headquarters. The SRA also owns that historic yet abandoned building which faces Court Square. 

Picknelly's Opal Real Estate Group is currently working with Winn Development and MGM Springfield to negotiatote with the SRA to redevelop that building into housing, among other uses. 

Picknelly has said he has plans to redevelop the current headquarters and former bus station at 1776 Main St., across from the Union Station complex. 

Union Station opened in June following a $95-million renovation 40 years in the making. Moskal said he and the Redevelopment Authority board are very happy thus far.

Dietz & Company Architects rents 8,000 square feet, which is about a third of the  available office space. Moskal said a number of potential occupants have looked at other available office space.

Amtrak will have contractors at the station soon to redo a first-floor ticket counter.

William Welch was sentenced to five to six years in state prison after admitting three armed robberies in Chicopee on Jan. 15 and 16.

SPRINGFIELD -- William R. Welch was sentenced Thursday to five to six years in state prison after admitting to three Chicopee armed robberies.

Welch admitted to the armed robberies of Quick Pick on Chicopee Street on Jan. 15, and both the Honeyland Farms store at 1296 Montgomery St. and the Stop and Go at 643 Prospect St. on Jan. 16.

Assistant District Attorney Nina A. Vivenzio said in each robbery Welch asked for three cartons of cigarettes, showing a black and silver gun and threatening the clerks.

The gun was later found to be a Colt Defender air pistol, but the clerks did not know it was an air gun, Vivenzio said.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Michael K. Callan sentenced Welch, 37, of Westfield, to the state prison sentence followed by three years probation, during which Welch must stay drug- and alcohol-free.

Defense lawyer Ellie S. Rosenbaum said Welch's criminal history reflects his heroin addiction. Welch would sell the cigarettes he got in the robberies on the street and use the money to buy drugs, she said.

Vivenzio said police released a still photograph from surveillance video at the Stop and Go robbery and received an anonymous tip leading them to Welch.

Rosenbaum said Welch, who pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery, was drug sick and robbed the stores to get drugs.

After the robberies, she said, Welch was "sick about it (his actions)."

She asked for a sentence of three years followed by three years probation and Vivenzio asked for a sentence of seven to nine years followed by three years probation.

Rosenbaum said Welch has twins that were one month old at the time of the robberies, and under the prosecution's requested sentence the children could have been as old as 9 years when he got out of prison.

Fernando said he has innovative ideas to cuts costs and said his business experience and education will make him a good School Committee member.

CHICOPEE - W. Kaween Fernando is announcing his candidacy for the Ward 8 School Committee seat.

"I believe the School Committee needs someone with a business background and the financial experience to understand long-term effects of the decisions we make today. Things like School Choice, pay rates of teachers and paraprofessionals, and the size and structure of administration all contribute to the financial picture in the current year, but can have reverberating effects in future years," he said.

Fernando is the owner and chief executive officer of Vapor Technologies and Age Growers LLC., of Chicopee. His career has spanned various industries and disciplines from razor and blade product development at Gillette and biotechnology manufacturing at Genzyme, Novartis, and Sanofi to supply chain and vendor management at Yankee Candle.

He is running against David Schryver, a technology consultant. Incumbent Sharon Nawrocki decided against running for re-election.

If elected, Fernando said he will put an emphasis on ensuring teachers and staff receive fair compensation and an adequate and timely contract re-negotiation process, while looking at ways to re-structure administration to function more efficiently for the school district and the city.

Currently the teachers are working on an expired contract and have staged two protests calling for a more timely negotiation process.

Fernando said he will push to enact a binding resolution that prevents administration from using faculty layoffs for the sole purpose of balancing a budget, adding teachers' livelihoods and student services should never be options when trying to make financial cuts.

It is vital to prevent cuts to student services and Fernando said he will support the continued School Committee effort to ensure athletic programs remain free for students.

"In August, I was an outspoken supporter of maintaining the REACH (gifted) program in our elementary schools. I will continue to support and speak out for all of our students -- gifted, special education, vocational, academic. They all matter, and as a district we should be working hard to prepare them for what comes after school whether that be more school, a career, the military, and whatever else they may encounter in life," he said.

Fernando said he will offer new and creative ideas for balancing budgets including instituting innovative cost-cutting measures such as instituting a grey water recovery program or renewable energy projects to reduce or eliminate water, sewer, and electricity costs in the school system.

Fernando holds a bachelor's degree in engineering with minor concentrations in biochemical engineering and technological entrepreneurship from Northeastern University. His family moved to Chicopee in 1997 and he attended Edward J. Bellamy Middle School, Comprehensive High School and graduated from Chicopee High School in 2004.

In November voters will have a choice between two candidates with very different backgrounds and outlooks on priorities, he said.

"What I offer is a deep respect for education and educators, a track record of business experience, and an outlook for a brighter future through innovation and new ideas," Fernando said.

For more information about Fernando click on his Facebook Page W. Kaween Fernando for Chicopee School Committee, Ward 8.