When Steve Wynn appeared before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in a bid for the lone eastern Massachusetts casino license, he acknowledged legalized gambling is a "unique" business. Watch video

When Steve Wynn appeared before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in a bid for the lone eastern Massachusetts casino license, he acknowledged legalized gambling is a "unique" business.

"I mentioned earlier in a conversation with this commission, and I've done so publicly that we in this industry need to prove that we know the difference between right and wrong, and we know how to conduct our business ethically," he told the five-member commission.

Four years after that personal appearance, as his company builds a $2.4 billion casino just outside of Boston, commissioners are grappling with what to do after a Wall Street Journal report on various people alleging a "decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Wynn."

The commission's investigators are now conducting a review of whether Wynn is suitable to run a Massachusetts casino. A $7.5 million settlement reported in the Wall Street Journal report was actively kept from the Gaming Commission, its head investigator said, during the original suitability review in 2013.

Gambling regulators in Nevada, where Wynn has casinos, are conducting their own review, according to the Associated Press.

Steve Wynn settlement was actively concealed from Massachusetts Gaming Commission, investigators say

Under the 2011 Massachusetts casino law, the Gaming Commission has the right to revoke or suspend the casino license, as well as level fines against the company.

The Wynn Boston Harbor casino so far remains on track to open in June 2019.

Wynn, who in the aftermath of the report stepped down as finance chair of the Republican National Committee, has criticized the misconduct allegations and told the Wall Street Journal, in part, "We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of truth."

Karen Wells, the Gaming Commission's chief investigator, told commissioners it was "impossible" to come up with a timeline for the review, since it will depend on what they find as they look.

The commission's original suitability review, conducted in 2013, did not uncover the alleged sexual misconduct. Those types of reviews in the gambling world typically focus on ties to criminal associates, organized crime or corruption.

Wells told the commission that her bureau plans to be "mindful that our role is not to conduct a criminal investigation into sexual assault."

Her bureau's regulatory review will focus on the suitability of Steve Wynn and a look at any corporate action or lack thereof. "The questions - who knew what, when, and what if anything did he or she do about it?" Wells said in her statement to the commission.

Wells said she'll also be looking at how Wynn Resorts handles the allegations and how the allegations impact the financial stability of the company.

MGC's Director of IEB notes that the Wynn regulatory review will consist of the following 4 components: pic.twitter.com/9k1w7ikUUE

-- MA Gaming Commission (@MassGamingComm) January 31, 2018

Gaming Commission chairman Stephen Crosby told Wells she'll likely face some pressure from some of the people she speaks with in the course of the investigation to keep things private.

Crosby said the commission won't be happy with attempts to keep things "off the record."

"The people of Massachusetts have the right to know what the hell happened here," he said.

Will Wynn Boston Harbor drop the Wynn name as casino mogul faces sexual misconduct allegations?

Material from Associated Press was used in this report.

A reporter for The Republican was not allowed into a meeting of the Latino Advisory Commission Tuesday night that was open to other members of the public.

By Elizabeth Roman and Shira Schoenberg

Local leaders and First Amendment advocates took aim Wednesday at a decision to bar reporters from a listening session of Gov. Charlie Baker's Latino Advisory Commission that was open to other members of the public.  

"This is an outrage that needs a real explanation from Gov. Charlie Baker as to how the press can be barred from a public meeting that was promoted in a press release. Freedom of the press is at stake here and we will not let this behavior go unchallenged," said Wayne Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican. 

Baker formed the Latino Advisory Commission in July to address the concerns of the state's Latino community and promote their economic well-being. The commission is holding listening session around the state. The first was in Springfield on Jan. 25 and the second was Tuesday in Holyoke.

But when a reporter from The Republican tried to walk into the Holyoke listening session, she was greeted with a sign: "To promote authentic sharing all of the Governor's Latino Advisory Commission statewide listening sessions are CLOSED TO THE PRESS."

The governor's office is basing its press ban on an exemption to the state's open meeting law. The law includes an exemption for commissions created by a constitutional officer solely to advise the officer. In this case, the Latino Advisory Commission was created by the governor solely to advise the governor on Latino issues.

According to the governor's office, the meeting was supposed to be by invitation only.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office, which enforces the open meeting law, said the Latino Advisory Commission is not subject to the law. While Healey said she could not speak to this particular meeting, she said: "As a general matter, it's very important we have transparency and openness and certainly that the press be able to cover public meetings."

Both the Springfield and Holyoke events were included in press releases listing that week's public events for the Department of Housing and Economic Development. Ahead of the Springfield event, the city sent its own press release, touting Mayor Domenic J. Sarno delivering opening remarks.

Samantha Kaufman, a spokeswoman for the Department of Housing and Economic Development, said the press releases from her agency were a "mix-up." Kaufman said the meetings should not have been included in the public list since they were always intended to be closed.

But Peter Caruso, an attorney who specializes in media law and a board member of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said a meeting cannot distinguish between the press and the public. If members of the public are allowed to attend, members of the press must be allowed to attend, too, Caruso said, adding: "If the public is allowed into an open meeting, the press is the public."

Caruso said barring the press from a meeting that is open to the public "is antithetical to the open meeting law in Massachusetts."

"The whole spirit of the open meeting law is to avoid secrecy surrounding decisions and public policy debate," Caruso said.

Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said the press should not have been excluded.

"This was a public meeting on public property about an issue of public interest," Silverman said. "Journalists should have been allowed to cover the discussion and share with others what this commission is doing on behalf of Latino communities. Instead, we lost an opportunity to better understand how this commission works and to hear the ideas, suggestions and concerns shared by fellow residents."

Caruso, meanwhile, also said there is a difference between a meeting with invited guests and one that is open to the public.

Springfield Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez attended the first listening session held in Springfield last week and said he saw a "closed to the press" sign at that meeting. He thought the meeting was only for invited guests.

"It was my understanding that the Springfield meeting was with the commission and invited guests, not the general public," Gomez said. "There were political leaders, community activists, representatives of social service agencies and non-profit organizations present."

Gomez said he understands why the state would keep the meeting private.

"Quite frankly I think the decision was made so that people in the room would feel comfortable speaking freely without being documented," he said. "I think people were able to share without feeling like there would be backlash if they were open and honest about certain issues."

But Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said he thought the meeting was open. "It was my understanding that the Springfield meeting was open to the public, we were not told anything to the contrary," he said.

"The press has played an important role in providing information to the general public and has been especially helpful as we work with Puerto Rican evacuees families," Sarno said. "I find people in general are very comfortable expressing themselves at meetings whether the press is present or not."

The Holyoke meeting was advertised on the city's website, and was held in a public building, at the Holyoke Community Charter School.

State Rep. Jose Tosado, D-Springfield, said the advisory commission is a positive thing for the state and should be shared with as many people as possible.

"I think the advisory commission is a great thing for the state. To have a statewide group of Latinos go out into the community and take firsthand testimony of the issues that affect us as a community, that's a good thing," he said. "The outcome of that will be that the issues we were facing for decades are the same issues we are facing today to varying degrees. We will have to see how the commission moves forward with the information they receive."

Tosado said he does not understand the state's decision to bar the press, even if they have the legal right to do so.

"I think it was a missed opportunity for this commission to reach a much larger audience and to actually have transparency in the process," he said. "Frankly, I don't understand why they would bar the media from this, it's actually a good thing. Maybe some people would be critical of the state, but that's something that should be embraced and addressed, not hidden away."

State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, said the commission's objective is to reach as many community members as possible.

"The press is a very important and simple way to extend the message to a larger audience," he said. "The problem with the government is that often times they don't listen to the residents. I commend Governor Baker for his initiative in starting this commission, but it makes no sense to me that the press, which are representatives of the public, were excluded."

Gonzalez said if the state made a conscious decision to exclude the press, and if it is within their right based on the open meeting law, then they should have made that clear before the listening sessions began.

"They should have been prepared for this and briefed the press as to why they made the decision," he said.

Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos said allowing the press to participate would make it possible for more people to know what the commission is working on.

"Not everyone has the ability to attend the meetings in person. The media plays an essential role in the commission's overall goal of reaching out to the Latino community," he said.

After a fierce wave of backlash to its move to limit the health plan offerings for state employees, the Group Insurance Commission's executive director told lawmakers Wednesday she accepts accountability.

By KATIE LANNAN

After a fierce wave of backlash to its move to limit the health plan offerings for state employees, the Group Insurance Commission's executive director told lawmakers Wednesday she accepts accountability.

"Though unintended, I now understand full well the concern, confusion and havoc that have ensued," GIC executive director Roberta Herman said at a Senate oversight hearing called after the commission voted two weeks ago to consolidate its state employee health plan offerings by dropping three of its six carriers.

A vote to reconsider that decision is set for Thursday, and Herman said the GIC plans to "put forward an option that involves the inclusion of a larger set of carriers, including all qualified incumbents." She did not go into detail on what that option would look like.

Senators participating in the hearing said they were encouraged the GIC would reconsider, but still had questions about how the decision was made.

Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka said the move left thousands of municipal and state workers "feeling alienated and, frankly, unappreciated, and understandably so."

"It's a decision that to be frank has generated more outrage and consternation from constituents than any issue that I can remember over the last, literally, many, many years," Spilka said.

Sen. Cindy Friedman told Herman she was "really looking for how we put trust back into the system." Friedman has filed legislation that would require the GIC to give the Legislature 90 days notice before making any major health insurance changes.

In a series of public hearings the GIC has held since its Jan. 18 vote, Herman said she has learned that the proposed changes caused "overwhelming anxiety." She said she looks forward to expanding outreach efforts to unions, lawmakers and other stakeholders.

GIC officials have previously said their goal in restructuring was to limit new out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.

After furious outcry, Massachusetts commission abandons plan to change state workers' health insurance choices

Michael Heffernan, Gov. Charlie Baker's budget chief, said the consolidation would have led to over $20 million in savings for fiscal 2019 and either saved GIC members money or reduced increases in premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. It would have provided members with comparable coverage and allowed them to keep their doctors and networks, he said.

"I acknowledge today that the GIC, despite its best efforts, was not able to effectively communicate the likely benefits of this consolidation to its subscribers and their families in advance of that vote," he said. "We know that health care coverage is very important, and a sensitive topic for all of our employees and our retirees, and as the past two weeks underscore, any proposed changes need to have a stronger and clearer communication and provide the opportunity for public and stakeholder feedback."

As secretary of administration and finance, Heffernan holds one of the 17 seats on the commission. He said he voted for the consolidation, and the Tufts Navigator plan that covers his family was among those that would be dropped.

Heffernan said yes when Sen. Donald Humason -- who gets Unicare insurance through the GIC -- asked if he knew when making the decision he would be voting to change his own plan.

Herman, who said her family is enrolled in a Unicare Plus plan, testified before the group of senators for about an hour, walking them through the process that led to the Jan. 18 vote and fielding questions about next steps.

The agenda for the commission's Thursday morning meeting includes reconsideration of the Jan. 18 vote "to reduce the number of insurance carriers," "discussion of options" if the reconsideration passes, and a vote on a "Decision on insurance carriers for contracting."

Herman said she could not predict or determine the meeting's outcome, and said she still believes the commission will be able to meet necessary deadlines before its open enrollment period begins in April.

"We wouldn't put forward an option that we did not think we can execute," she said.

The GIC went through a "highly competitive, rigorous and data-driven procurement process" to select its carriers, Herman said.

She said the commission was regularly updated in open meetings, but the Operational Services Division's procurement policies forbade GIC officials "from communicating specific details of any designated changes until the commission voted on January 18."

The 8-5 vote eliminated the Massachusetts-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Fallon Community Health as carriers, leaving GIC members with the choice of UniCare, Neighborhood Health and Health New England.

A subsidiary of Anthem, Unicare is headquartered in Indiana.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey opens investigation into change to state workers' health plans

"Speaking for our 200 Massachusetts-based UniCare employees as well, I have grown concerned by some of what is being said about our company," Unicare regional vice president Robert Sorrenti said in a letter to Spilka. "Some of the public comments would lead one to believe we have no existing relationship with the GIC. This could not be further from the truth."

Sorrenti said UniCare has served GIC members for 30 years, and the UniCare state indemnity plan has the largest share of GIC members enrolled, with 173,000. He said the Unicare plan "has been the fastest growing health plan offered by the GIC, driven by consumer satisfaction," and offers access to all providers in Massachusetts.

Jim Durkin of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the January vote was "a symptom or manifestation of much larger problems that have existed for far too long" at the GIC, including "steady and relentless cost shifting to workers in the form of higher rates, and more and larger co-payments and deductibles."

According to SEIU Local 509, the consolidation meant 47 percent of active members and 62 percent of dependents "would have been thrown off" their health plans. In prepared testimony, the union's president Peter MacKinnon told of two members "thrown into chaos" because of how the change would affect their children.

One, a Department of Children and Families social worker, has two children with autism who need weekly therapy and go to a clinic in Wakefield that accepts her Harvard Pilgrim insurance, but not the three GIC plans that would remain, MacKinnon said.

He said a case manager at the Department of Transitional Assistance has a teenage son with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, whose care is covered by her Fallon insurance, but has been told by the other plans that they don't cover her son's specific issues.

"She told us she was worried about the 'harsh family decisions' she would have to make if her health plan was taken away," MacKinnon said.

Change to Massachusetts state workers' insurance plans was 'flawed,' caused 'tremendous' confusion, Gov. Charlie Baker says

Nashawannuck Gallery was launched in 1995 by Mai Stoddard, and daughter Marlies took over the Cottage Street operation in 2008.

EASTHAMPTON -- The Nash Gallery on Cottage Street will close Feb. 17 after 23 years in business, and proprietor Marlies Stoddard, a lifelong equestrian, is headed to Missouri to become a farrier and blacksmith.

"The gallery had a great fourth quarter, and I cherish the support of this incredible community," said Stoddard. "I'm just ready to do my next thing."

Stoddard, who has lived an interesting life, said she is excited about taking the six-month intensive course. Before moving to Massachusetts, Stoddard worked as a commercial fisherman in Florida.

The Nashawannuck Gallery was started by Stoddard's mother Mai Stoddard in 1995. Marlies Stoddard in 2008 rebranded the shop as the Nash Gallery. She ran the enterprise for a decade and featured the work of many local, regional, and national artists and craftspeople.

In 2012, Stoddard was named businesswoman of the year by the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, and honored in 2014 as a "Top Woman in Business" in the Pioneer Valley.

Stoddard has been a driving force in Easthampton's arts-based revitalization. She chaired the Cottage Street Cultural District, which launched the popular annual Cultural Chaos Street Festival. She volunteered with Easthampton City Arts and the Easthampton Cultural Council, devoting many hours to organizing events and fundraisers.

The Nash Gallery will hold a sale from Feb. 2 to Feb. 17, where apparel, jewelry, and gift merchandise, excluding consignment items, will be marked down. The gallery will be closed on Feb. 1 to organize for the sale. Information about artist pick-up and gift certificate refunds may be found on the gallery's website.

Businessman and community volunteer Patrick Brough said Wednesday that Stoddard always brought dedication and positive energy to her work.

"Marlies and Mai have been a staple on Cottage Street and the city," he said. "Marlies is always the first to volunteer for everything from chairing large events to making sure the street is cleaned. Her dedication to the city, the artists, and her section of the street will be missed."

Kenneth Finch Jr., 31, of Springfield, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegal gun possession.

This is an update to a story posted at 5:49 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - Within a day of being arrested for selling a loaded gun to an undercover state trooper, Kenneth Finch Jr. was on a recorded jailhouse phone line brokering his next sale.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Wagner, Finch was arrested in 2016 by federal agents for the sale he made a year earlier in a Friendly's parking lot. He then made a call coercing "one of his girlfriends" to sell another gun on the street for $50.

"After he was arraigned and detained in Franklin County jail, he called his girlfriend -- or one of his girlfriends -- to find a gun he had secreted in her apartment," Wagner said of Finch, who was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for illegal gun possession. 

Wagner told U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni that Finch had stashed the gun in the 19-year-old's kitchen closet without telling her.

"For $50 he was willing to put a firearm out on the streets of Springfield, to do whatever with it," Wagner said, "and be so audacious as to do so from jail."

Wagner asked that Finch be sentenced to 71 months in prison, while defense lawyer Thomas J. O'Connor argued for a lesser sentence.

O'Connor conceded that "a string of bad decisions" led Finch to federal court, but said his client has been a model prisoner and has enrolled in many self-improvement programs while behind bars.

Finch pleaded guilty in September to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He previously was convicted of the same crime in North Carolina and served a short jail term, Wagner said.

At an earlier court hearing in the 2016 Massachusetts case, prosecutors played an excerpt of Finch's conversation with the undercover trooper.

FINCH: What up my g (the informant) told me to hit you up.
UC: Chillen ... this Junior?
FINCH: Yeah.
UC: What up papi I hit up (the informant) he said yuh got a hammer (gun) for me?
FINCH: Yeah I told him I need 12 ($1,200) for it
UC: U got a pic ... 12 is heavy money, man. U got 1 or 2?
FINCH: I got 2 but I need one for myself.
UC: Aii i respect that. I need to look at it first papi.

During a meeting Wednesday, several councilors said they believe the shorter moratorium sends a message to the voters that the council is not dragging its feet on the issue.

SPRINGFIELD -- A City Council committee is recommending that a moratorium on retail recreational marijuana stay in effect until Sept. 30, rather than a full year, believing that will give sufficient time to draft and pass local regulations without unnecessary delay.

During a meeting Wednesday, several councilors said they believe the shorter moratorium sends a message to the voters that the council is not dragging its feet on the issue. Rather, the council and representatives of the Planning and Law departments must address complex issues relating to marijuana sales and draft suitable regulations including public input, councilors said.

The council's Economic Development Committee voted 3-0 to recommend that the moratorium last until Sept. 30, or sooner if regulations are finalized ahead of that date.

"I believe it gives time for planning to come together, and us to create the laws and ordinances that need to be in place to make sure that business starts moving," Committee Chairman Adam Gomez said. "And that we have the right criteria."

Gomez described himself as "super pro-cannabis."

Councilors Jesse Lederman and Marcus Williams joined in supporting the Sept. 30 time frame.

Local regulations are not yet in place, and Springfield is among Massachusetts communities waiting for regulations from the state's Cannabis Control Commission to provide some guidance, officials said.

Voters in Massachusetts approved the sale of recreational marijuana by statewide ballot in November 2016, and it was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in July of 2017.

There has been some public criticism regarding how long it is taking for the state and communities to allow retail marijuana establishments to open. The voters spoke, Gomez said.

"We just want to make sure that we are respecting the will of the vote," Gomez said.

The city can draft regulations that control such issues as time, place and manner regulations, limiting the number of establishments, restricting cultivation, processing and manufacturing that is a public nuisance, restrictions on signage and establishing civil penalties.

City Solicitor Edward Pikula again warned councilors that the state in June will begin licensing businesses that would be allowed to locate in Springfield to sell recreational marijuana unless there are regulations in effect or a moratorium in effect.

The city has approved a medical marijuana facility that is slated to open this year on Cottage Street in East Springfield under separate legislation controlled by local and state regulations.

State regulations that are being finalized do give priority to medical marijuana facilities in getting the first round of recreational marijuana licenses, according to city Law Department officials.

Hampden Care Facility, now named Insa Inc., is planning to open Springfield's first medical marijuana facility and has not made a formal decision yet if it will apply for a recreational dispensary license, said Mark Zatyrka, CEO of the company.

If it does apply, it will be at the same location on Cottage Street, he said.

"We are waiting to see what the zoning regulations and final regulations look like before making a decision," Zatyrka said.

There are various categories of marijuana licenses being offered including: marijuana cultivator, craft cultivator cooperative, product manufacturer, marijuana retailer, research facility, testing laboratory and transporter.

Councilor Kateri Walsh said it is important in the regulations to keep the council as the permitting authority, rather than some other board, as the elected legislative body in Springfield.

Council President Orlando Ramos and Councilors Tim Ryan and Michael Fenton also took part in the discussion with Law Department officials and Deputy Planner Philip Dromey.

The organization 22 Until None was formed to raise awareness about suicide among military veterans. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- Over $5,000 was donated Wednesday to an organization that raises awareness about suicide among military veterans thanks to a facial-hair-growing fundraiser held by police.

"Our brothers and sisters need as much help as possible," said Holyoke Police Matthew F. Moriarty, sporting a beard.

"It's a great cause. And a lot of times we forgot our brothers and sisters have given Uncle Sam and our country a blank check and said, 'Call me any time and I will be there.' "

The fundraiser consisted of Holyoke and Easthampton officers getting sponsored and businesses and community groups donating as police grew mustaches, goatees and beards in their annual January "Manuary" fundraiser. It ended Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The group police are helping is 22 Until None. 22 Until None was formed around the statistic that with an estimated 7,400 suicides by veterans a year, that works out to 20 a day. The organization helps veterans with money for utilities, food cards and gas cards, advocating for veterans, a help hotline and a resource guide.

Holyoke officers raised $2,100 and PeoplesBank here donated a matching $2,100. Easthampton police raised over $1,000, Moriarty said.

Thirty Holyoke officers and 20 in Easthampton participated by growing facial hair that otherwise under regulations is limited to mustaches, organizers said.

Among donations was $445 collected at a high school wrestling event held Jan. 12. The matches at Dean Technical High School featured the Holyoke Knighthawks Wrestling Team and wrestlers from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham and Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls, Moriarty said.

Northampton is facing a shortfall of over $800,000, said Mayor David Narkewicz at a recent city meeting.

NORTHAMPTON - The Northampton city budget is projected to see an $834,225  shortfall during the 2019 fiscal year, according to Mayor David Narkewicz. 

Narkewicz gave a presentation on projections for the budget before a special joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee at JFK Middle School on Tuesday night. 

The cause of the shortfall is the difference between the estimated revenues and expenses for the city. Narkewicz places the expected revenues at $2,542,109, while the expenses will be $3,376,334. 

The shortfall can be covered by funds from a fiscal stability fund that was set up several years ago, Narkewicz said by phone Wednesday. The fund was set up for the precise purpose of dealing with a situation like this, he said.

The fund was created in 2013 after voters passed a $2.5 million override to fund a four year fiscal stability plan for the city. Money was put into the fund for three years with the intent of drawing on it to cover a projected shortfall in 2017, but this proved unnecessary last year, Narkewicz said.  

Narkewicz noted that these are still projections, though they are the best guess for what the next year will look like. "We're hoping, obviously, that the numbers will break more positively," he said. 

Some of the shortages in revenue can be traced back to low growth in state aid to the city, as well as to the local expense of charter schools to the community, Narkewicz said.

Narkewicz presentation shows how Northampton receives comparatively little state aid relative to surrounding communities like Holyoke, Chicopee, Amherst, and Westfield. 

Narkewicz notes several potential sources of new revenue in his presentation, including the potential that taxation of retail marijuana may have. However, he stressed Wednesday that this was purely hypothetical, as it remains to be seen what the industry looks like locally.  

The presentation also showed that, when compared with neighboring communities, Northampton had some of the lowest unemployment, highest single family home value, and was basically in the middle when it came to new growth. 

The Mayor is required to submit his 2019 fiscal budget to the City Council by May 17. 

To read Narkewicz's presentation in full, you can visit the city's website.  

Nearly a dozen people testified in favor of starting a needle exchange program, now called "syringe services," in Springfield at a Public Health Council hearing Wednesday night, with no one arguing in opposition. A formal vote is scheduled for February 21. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - A public hearing Wednesday night seeking comment on starting a needle exchange program in the Springfield drew no opposition at all.

Now referred to as "syringe services programs," nearly a dozen people testified before the Public Health Council at the Central Library in favor of the exchange, including a wide cross-section of Springfield's population, from health professionals to former drug users.

The Commissioner of the city's Department of Health and Human Services, Helen Caulton-Harris, closed the hearing after the last speaker but left it open for written communications until February 12.

A formal vote by the council is scheduled for February 21.

Dr. Mark Keroack, President and CEO of Baystate Health, threw his support behind the proposal, saying while it is not a cure-all to the drug crisis, "SSPs are "a key component in a comprehensive approach to these problems, and they will save lives on day one."

Keroack was a long-time physician working with HIV position patients and those with full-blown AIDS. He said the companies he represented at the hearing see scores of drug users.

"As the largest provider of healthcare services to the underserved in the city, our providers see each day the impact of injection drug use in the health and well being of our citizens," he said. "This impact includes not only suffering and death from HIV and Hepatitis C infection but also the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths, all of which have afflicted the poor and people of color of our city in a disproportionate way."

Springfield has a maintained a dubious record throughout the years it did not have syringe services programs. It has the third highest HIV infection rate in the state, and at one time was the 11th highest per capita in the country.

The programs are now referred to as syringe services programs because they include much more than simple needle exchanges. Proponents say the programs offer opportunities to bring users into treatment programs, supply naloxone for overdose treatment, and are cost-effective. Syringes cost approximately 14-cents each, whereas treatment for AIDS can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The exchanges were first proposed in the 1990s as a way to cut the transmission of HIV and AIDS among injectable drug users. Drug users were able, in some areas, to turn in used syringes for fresh, clean syringes and hypodermic needles. Having a ready source of clean syringes and needles meant drug users were far less likely to share, reducing the transmission of blood-borne diseases.

Local hearings in 1998 and 2005 drew vicious opposition to the proposal splitting the city council. In 1998 the vote was 6 to 3 against and in 2005, 5 to 4.

Among those opposing the program was then City Councilor Dominic Sarno, who then said drug users would continue to share apparatus whether or not they had access to clean "works." He also objected to the state Senate proposal to establish needle exchanges without city approval.

Now, Sarno said he is keeping an "open mind" on the programs. But, either way he wants Governor Charlie Baker to put more money into treatment and related services.

Northampton City Council President Ryan O'Donnell met with city residents to discuss their concerns and hopes for the new year.

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton City Council President Ryan O'Donnell met with city residents Wednesday night, fielding questions, concerns, and ideas for how to move the legislature in the right direction over the next two years. 

O'Donnell was elected to the head of the Council earlier this month after longtime President Bill Dwight announced he would be stepping down from the position.

O'Donnell described Wednesday's meeting as a chance for "members of the public to share their thoughts on issues that are important to them." 

Controversies at Bridge Street 

Residents came with a variety of concerns, but a dominating topic Wednesday were the problems at Bridge Street elementary school.

Allegations of problems at the school emerged earlier this year after the school rolled out a new "full inclusion" model in which students with disabilities were fully integrated into classrooms with the rest of the students. 

Parents and teachers from the school have claimed that the rocky rollout of the program--allegedly involving slim staffing and inadequate resources--led to violent episodes with students who are struggling with behavioral or developmental issues, sometimes resulting in serious injury to teachers.   

"This will trickle out and affect the whole community," said one parent. 

Several mothers of children at the school were at the meeting and told O'Donnell that the problems were so bad that that they were considering pulling their children out of the public school system and were looking into other options, including private schools. 

One parent said that the problems at the school clearly demanded budget allocations, perhaps for additional staffing. 

O'Donnell said he was sympathetic to the problems that parents were having, but also acknowledged potential fiscal obstacles to achieving what they were asking for. "Despite the fact that we are starting with an almost $1 million budget deficit I have an ironclad commitment to the Northampton public schools," he said. 

O'Donnell said that he would work to continue facilitating conversations between city officials, administrators, and parents, about the best way to approach the problem. 

Other concerns: marijuana retail and local sustainability 

Two other big topics at Wednesday's meeting were the imminent local marijuana retail market and how Northampton plans to stay ahead of the curve on sustainability and renewable energy. 

Seeing as recreational marijuana stores will be able to apply for licenses starting April 1, some community members were curious as to how the city planned to handle the new industry.  

The state Cannabis Control Commission issued a draft resolution in December detailing guidelines for future marijuana businesses throughout the state. Local communities have the option of creating additional regulations, but don't necessarily have to. 

The city has so far not decided whether it will implement any further regulations on the product, but some community members suggested that a cap be placed on the amount of pot stores--much like how a cap is placed on liquor licenses for local venues. 

O'Donnell said that right now officials were primarily interested in taxing the industry and in putting forth zoning considerations for where the businesses can operate relative to schools. A number of changes to the city's code will be discussed at Thursday's City Council meeting regarding both of these considerations.  

Residents expressed curiosity as to how Northampton planned to continue to implement progressive policy when it came to renewable energy and sustainability.  

Here, O'Donnell suggested that community members focus on the city's Sustainable Northampton Plan, which is currently being reviewed. He called the plan a good opportunity to implement green goals by turning them into capital projects.   

He also pointed out that city officials had recently made changes to zoning law that makes sure buildings of a certain size are built "solar ready." 

Generally, O'Donnell said that many current renewable energy initiatives that the city has in place could be expanded and built upon. "There's a whole bunch of issues and ideas that can be explored," O'Donnell said. 

Adams Police Chief Richard Tarsa posted a lengthy statement arguing that his officers did not racially profile a man stopped just after a shooting in town on Jan. 24. Watch video

Adams police are pushing back against a claim of racial profiling following a vehicle stop just after a shooting in town on Jan. 24 in which officers questioned a black man and pointed a service weapon at him.

Adams Police Chief Richard Tarsa read a lengthy statement to the town's Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night that was later posted on the department's Facebook page. In the statement, Tarsa denied racial profiling and said his officers stopped Aaron Chappell because he fit a description given by the shooting victim.

The police department in the northern Berkshire County town also released dashcam videos of the stop.

After questioning Chappell not far from the shooting scene, police released him.

Chappell later told the Berkshire Eagle and posted on Facebook that he believed the stop was the result of racial profiling.

Just before 4 p.m. on Jan. 24, police responded to a shooting on North Summer Street. The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Police said Wednesday he remains in critical but stable condition in a Pittsfield hospital.

Before he was transported to the hospital, the victim told officers three people were present when he was shot -- a white male and two black males. All three of the suspects were initially believed to have fled on foot. One of the black males was described as light-skinned with facial hair and wearing a red hat and a red hoodie, police said.

"They had a different car description and the (suspect) was white," Chappell posted on his Facebook page.

According to a Tarsa's statement, an officer canvassing the immediate area of the shooting about 15 minutes after the initial call saw a black man in a tan vehicle who loosely fit the description given by the victim. That cruiser and a second cruiser stopped the vehicle on Columbia Street and detained the driver, who turned out to be Chappell.

Like the suspect, Chappell is a light-skinned black male with facial hair and wearing a red cap, police said. The hoodie Chappell wore was gray.

Tarsa described the stop as a "high-risk" situation. Chappell was treated as a possibly armed suspect and was ordered to the ground while one officer pointed his weapon at him, Tarsa said. He was checked for weapons, placed in the back of a cruiser and detained in handcuffs.

Once officers determined Chappell was not the suspect they sought, he was released from the back seat of the cruiser and allowed to drive away from the stop. According to dashboard video footage released by Tarsa, the entire stop took less than five minutes.

Tarsa told selectmen that Chappell was informed as to why he was stopped and officers apologized once they determined he was not their suspect.

Tarsa said published reports indicating that Chappell had been held for more than 20 minutes before he was released were wrong. The "Cruiser 42" dashcam video shows Chappell's car being stopped at approximately 3 minutes into the video, and he was sent on his way about 4 minutes and 45 seconds later.

Chappell contended in a Facebook post that police should have been sure that he was the shooter before making a stop. "So let's start by saying there are some stand up cops but my stop was without a doubt racial profiling doesn't matter if the cop is doing there(sic) job you cannot illegally stop and search someone at gunpoint unless you are absolutely sure you have the right guy I did not match any of the descriptions nor vehicle I was minding my own when my life was threatened for no reason," he wrote.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Data the state provided to MassLive reveals the Office of the State Medical Examiner morgue, between January 2014 and January 2016, came into possession of 186 abandoned bodies, each of which it held in its morgue coolers an average of 44 days.

T-Mobile has already contracted for 320 megawatts of wind power, enough to meet 60 percent of its US corporate energy demand.

When T-Mobile recently committed to 100-percent renewable energy use by 2021, it became the first of the big four U.S. telecom companies to make such a pledge.

Now the company is pressuring its rivals to do the same.

In a Youtube video, T-Mobile CEO and president John Legere chides AT&T and Verizon, saying that combined, they use enough electricity to power 2.6 million homes.

"Only one percent of that energy comes from renewable sources," Legere says. "So, we're going to drag the other guys kicking and screaming into the clean power future."

Since August, the advocacy group Green America has been calling upon AT&T and Verizon to "hang up on fossil fuels" and adopt 100 percent clean energy by 2025. They plan a report called "Clean Energy is Calling" that tracks the progress of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint in reducing corporate carbon emissions.

Legere urges people to go to the Green America website, contact AT&T and Verizon CEOs Randall Stephenson and Lowell McAdam, and "share it on social" with the hashtag #CleanUpWireless.

T-Mobile has committed $500,000 to support clean additional energy initiatives. If AT&T and Verizon make the pledge by June 1, T-Mobile will up that number to $1.5 million, Legere said.

T-Mobile recently finalized a contract for 160 megawatts from the Solomon Forks Wind Project in Kansas, with generation slated to begin in early 2019, according to the trade publication Energy Manager Today. The company already contracts for 160 megawatts from Red Dirt Wind in Oklahoma. Combined, the two wind contracts will meet 60 percent of the company's U.S. energy needs. To reach 100 percent, T-Mobile plans to support new wind and solar projects with its power contracts.

T-Mobile US pledged to disclose its annual electricity data to RE100, joining Nike, Google, Walmart, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. A project of The Climate Group, RE100 works to transform global energy markets through the private sector and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Springfield native and United Air Force Captain, Matthew Cignoli may be serving in Timbuktu, Mali, but that doesn't mean he's missing the Super Bowl.

Kit Maher 

Xuan Lee, holography specialist, is Hazen's Tom Brady, said company president John H. Hazen said. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- There is a team from New England that shines in the Super Bowl every year: Hazen Paper Co. of Holyoke.

The 93-year-old family business once again produced holographic images for the official in-stadium Super Bowl program. It will be sold at Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Xuan Lee, holography specialist, is Hazen's Tom Brady, said company president John H. Hazen said.

In Hazen's basement holography lab, it's Lee who supervises the painstaking process of taking artwork and transforming it into a light-catching 3-D holographic image that can be reproduced repeatedly on Hazen's Envirofoil custom holographic recyclable cover stock paper. The artwork for the Patriots-Eagles program includes a graphic of the Lombardi Trophy, which is presented to the winner each year, the Roman numeral LII and the words "Super Bowl."

The Envirofoil paper is coated with a layer of shiny, silver-colored aluminum less than 1/20th as thick as a human hair. The metal layer is so thin, the amount of aluminum in one beverage container would cover a piece of paper the size of a football field.

The paper has so little aluminum on it, it can be recycled as paper by conventional means.

That's where the prisms are, Hazen said. Those prisms bend the light and make the image the eye sees as a 3-D image. 

This is the 14th straight year Hazen has worked on the cover for the Super Bowl game program. The company's first program was Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004, which also featured the Patriots and the Eagles.

"The hologram gets brighter and more bold every year," Hazen said.

That's partially because Hazen's technology gets better every year, said Robert E. Hazen, executive vice president for sales and marketing. The graphics also get bolder and brighter because Hazen's client -- in this case the NFL -- is getting more comfortable with the technology.

The two Hazens are cousins.

John Hazen said the company moved heavily into holography starting in about 2004 as other paper and printing companies started downsizing.

"The technology is very involved, and that's where we saw the biggest barrier to entry for competitors. It's where we saw our niche," he said. 

In just the last 10 years, Hazen has invested $25 million in its holography processes and created 100 jobs in Holyoke. The company has 200 employees here now. Hazen also has a warehouse operation with a few employees in the Housatonic village of Great Barrington. 

Hazen makes holographic packaging -- movie studios with boxed sets of DVDs are big customers -- posters and lottery tickets in additon to book covers.

For the Super Bowl, Hazen's customers are the NFL and H.O. Zimman Inc., of Lynn, publishers of the program.

Final designs for the program are approved each year by about Christmas.

Hazen prepares the paper and adds the holographic images in time to ship the paper to a printer in Minnesota just after the Martin Luther King holiday.

Hazen ships the holographic paper in heated trucks so its pliable and ready for the presses as soon as it arrives. 

Robert Hazen said no one else can complete the process in two weeks and do it all in house, utilizing the resources of just one company.

The printer completes the cover by adding a background image of the stadium, the team logos and some other text as well as the ads on the back cover and on the front and back inside covers. From there, the covers go to a separate company that prints the inside pages, and the whole book gets stitched together.

It costs $20 a copy, but this program is the in-stadium edition and available only at the game.

Jeff Smith, who has been the executive vice president and chief operating officer of UMass Memorial Medical Center since 2015, is taking on the role of interim president as of Thursday.

As UMass Memorial Heath Care kicks off a nationwide search to find the next president of its medical center, an insider is taking on the role of interim president.

Jeff Smith, who has been the executive vice president and chief operating officer of UMass Memorial Medical Center since 2015, is taking on the role of interim president as of Thursday, UMass Memorial announced.

Smith steps up now that former president Patrick Muldoon has retired.

Muldoon announced in November that he planned to retire on Jan. 31, a date that aligned with the timeframe he gave when he accepted the position in August 2013. His work within the UMass Memorial organization began nearly 15 years ago as president of UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Hospital, which is now UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.

"This is a critical time for hospital leaders across the country as we wrestle with a changing healthcare landscape, rising costs with shrinking payments and reimbursement rates," said Dr. Eric Dickson, the president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care. "We are fortunate to have a leader with Jeff's ability to step in and guide our academic medical center until we find a successor to Patrick Muldoon."

In his previous role, Smith worked with senior leaders at UMass Memorial to implement strategic goals, like advancing cost management, service excellence, clinical quality and improvement initiatives.

Before joining UMass Memorial, Smith held multiple positions at Aurora Health Care, Inc., in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Aurora Health Care is a $4.2 billion integrated, not-for-profit system of 15 hospitals, 200 clinic sites, 70 retail pharmacies, more than 1,600 employed physicians, UMass Memorial said.

Smith's last position at Aurora was as the executive vice president and interim chief clinical officer for the health care system. He was responsible for quality, patient safety, risk management, clinical informatics, academics, research, accreditation, clinical documentation improvement, case management and the hospital's medical staff offices.

He also oversaw the Aurora Research Institute, which has conducted numerous clinical trials. 

"Jeff's extraordinary rise at Aurora was a clear indication of his operational expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and understanding of the power of teamwork - traits that have served him well here at UMass Memorial," Dickson said.

It will likely take several months for the health care system to complete its nationwide search for the next president of UMass Memorial Medical Center, Dickson said.

Milford Police Department spent the majority of Wednesday running on generator power after a Republic Services garbage truck crashed into a nearby utility pole and became tangled in the wires. Watch video

Milford Police Department spent the majority of Wednesday running on generator power after a Republic Services garbage truck crashed into a nearby utility pole and became tangled in the wires.

"Garbage truck may sit all day in middle of police station parking lot trapped by downed wires," the department wrote on Facebook on Wednesday morning following the crash. "Crews expected to work all day and into the night."

The crash caused a blackout at the Main Street station and the Milford Federal Savings Bank, both of which switched to generators while dozens of responders worked to untangle the truck. The bank closed for a period to deal with the issue.

Milford police uploaded numerous videos of the events to Facebook on Wednesday, calling the response a "major operation" and the whole affair would cost roughly $100,000.

They were expected to complete the work by early Thursday morning. 

Brightwood and Lincoln elementary schools will be on opposite sides of the same building on Plainfield Street. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Parents expressed major concerns about their children walking across Birnie Avenue in order to access two proposed elementary schools on Plainfield Street.

Parents and local leaders attended a meeting at Lincoln Elementary School Wednesday night to hear updates on the effort to build a new Lincoln and a new Brightwood School on the same property  between Birnie Avenue and Plainfield Street.

Brightwood Elementary School on Plainfield Street, built in 1898, and Lincoln Elementary School, on Chestnut Street, built in 1910, will move into a new multi-wing building at the 10.2-acre site, according to the preliminary plans.

The plans call for each school to have its own entrance and identity, while sharing a large gymnasium, cafeteria and library.

Newly elected Ward 1 School Committee Maria Perez said while parents are excited about the new schools they also have major concerns about safety. "Their concern is the high traffic that already exists and now having these two new schools how the traffic will be more intensified," she said. " They welcome this new development, but safety needs to play a major role.

Janet Pagan is the vice president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Lincoln. Her son does not live in the neighborhood, but attends the school.

"I drive him in from the State Street area every day because I love this school and I want him to be able to continue coming here even when the school's location changes," she said. Her son is currently in kindergarten and will be in third grade by the time the school is completed in 2021.

Warwick said there may be some changes for students based on neighborhood zoning.

"We will be looking closely at that,  but there will be priority for students who already attend the school," he said.

The state has generally provided 80 percent to 90 percent funding for new schools. The combined schools would have a total of 795 students.

DiNisco said the next step is to present the proposed joint school design to the MSBA for approval.

"We would like to start the site work in 2019 and hopefully have the school completed by  September of 2021," she said.

We want to hear from people who's pets died after visiting a grooming service.

Dear readers:

Earlier this month, reports surfaced of two dogs dying after a visit to a New Jersey PetSmart -- a nationwide pet store -- for grooming. Since the reporting on the deaths, people across the U.S. have shared similar stories on Facebook.

NJ.com and The Star-Ledger -- in partnership with NOLA.com, MassLive.com, OregonLive.com, Cleveland.com, LehighValleyLive.com,
SILive.com, AL.com, PennLive.com, Syracuse.com and MLive.com -- want to hear from anyone in the U.S. who has experienced a pet dying or being seriously injured after visiting a groomer.

Your responses and images will help inform future reporting on the topic and might be published as part of those efforts.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz
Breaking News Reporter
NJ Advance Media (NJ.com & The Star-Ledger)