The crash, which also involved a car, was reported about 10:40 a.m.
BUCKLAND – A head-on crash between two tractor trailer trucks Wednesday morning prompted police to close a section of Route 112.
State police Sgt. Richard Cadran said no injuries have been reported in the crash. It occurred about 10:40 a.m. near Hawley Road. The roadway has since reopened.
State police said a car was sideswiped after the initial collision.
Without the passage of the STOCK Act, members of Congress are exempt from insider trading laws.
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs took action on Wednesday moving forward a piece of legislation that would legally force members of Congress to abide by the same rules as ordinary citizens when it comes to investing based on non-public knowledge.
A revised version of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2011, was finalized by the committee and now it is in the hands of the full Senate to decide whether it will go forward or not.
“Members of Congress need to live by the same rules as everyone else, and it must be clear that public service can never be abused for private gain,” said Republican Sen. Scott Brown, a co-author of the bill. “With the approval of Congress at an all-time low, the full Senate now has the opportunity to pass this bill and begin rebuilding its reputation with the American people. To that point, I call on Senate leadership to bring this bill to the floor as soon as possible."
Earlier this month, the CBS news broadcast 60 Minutes broke the news that members of Congress seemed to be using political knowledge gained through their position to invest in certain industries, giving them an edge on the typical American investor. Without the passage of the STOCK Act, members of Congress are exempt from insider trading laws.
The report pointed out that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and her husband purchased 5,000 shares of Visa stock as the House considered and voted against further regulating the credit card industry. He stock value doubled, according to the 60 Minutes report.
The report also questioned House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and his purchase of health insurance stock days before he led a charge to kill the part of the federal healthcare overhaul that would have allowed government-funded insurance to compete with private insurance providers.
The report stated that his stock's value grew as well during that time.
Both Pelosi and Boehner declined to be interviewed by CBS in relation to the story, but later denied any wrong doing when journalist Steve Kroft questioned them at their respective weekly press conferences.
When the initial Stock Act was introduced as far back as 2006, it only had six co-sponsors and a CBS survey of U.S. Senators revealed many had never heard of it. Since the report and public outcry, several politicians, including Brown and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., whose revisions were merged as a compromise by the committee, have taken interest in the issue and the bill, which now has 232 co-sponsors.
The STOCK Act which will be considered by the Senate forbids by law members and employees of Congress from using nonpublic information obtained through their employment for their personal benefit.
“Perceptions are very important in public service,” said Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn. “So, while Congress has not exempted itself from insider trading rules, there should be a law that explicitly deters such unethical, illegal behavior by members of Congress and punishes it when it happens. We have drafted compromise legislation that should pass both the Committee and Congress.”
The vote to seek the sharp spending hike comes the day after the budget chief in the Massachusetts Senate said he is concerned that the former president of the University of Massachusetts is continuing to collect his full salary during this academic year even though he is on a one-year sabbatical after stepping down in June.
WORCESTER – Facing criticism over sabbatical pay for the university's former president, trustees for the University of Massachusetts Wednesday voted to seek a 20 percent increase budget request from the state for the next fiscal year.
The vote to seek the sharp budget hike comes the day after the budget chief in the Massachusetts Senate said he is concerned that the former president of the University of Massachusetts is continuing to collect his full salary during this academic year even though he is on a one-year sabbatical after stepping down in June.
Wednesday's vote also follows a disputed vote by trustees in June to increase fees on students to help cover a state budget gap.
In an interview on Tuesday, state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, questioned the logic of paying salaries to the current president and former President Jack M. Wilson at the same time.
"How many presidents do we have at one time?" asked Brewer, a Barre Democrat whose district includes Palmer. "It is concerning."
Wilson is receiving his old base salary of $425,000 this academic year on top of the $150,000 in deferred compensation owed to him from the last four years, according to a report on Tuesday in The Boston Globe.
Wilson told the Globe that even though he is on sabbatical, he is not idle. He says he is advising new University of Massachusetts President Robert L. Caret, developing new courses, and representing the university system on civic boards. Wilson left the president's job in June after being in the position for eight years.
Wilson spends about half his time running the new Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate for free. Instead of paying Wilson directly, the institute is temporarily reimbursing the school 41 percent of his sabbatical salary through this month, because he is technically on loan to the organization, the Globe reported.
The state Legislature and Gov. Deval L. Patrick would need to approve the budget request by trustees.
According to a press release from the university, Caret told trustees that the university and its students need to return to a point where the state is subsidizing at least 50 percent of the university’s general educational expenses
Trustees approved a $502 million budget request for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, up $84 million from $418 million this fiscal year.
According to a university analysis, it would require a state funding increase of $87 million to reach a 50-50 state-student funding split for the new fiscal year.
Caret said that the state this year is financing 45 percent of the university’s general education budget, with students and their families picking up 55 percent, the release said. As recently as a decade ago, the state funded 63 percent of the university system's general education budget, the release said.
The timing for the budget request could be awkward on Beacon Hill. Critics said Wilson's sabbatical pay is too much.
Barbara C. Anderson , executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, said Wilson's sabbatical pay is "a giant rip off" with no defense.
"A year off at full pay?" Anderson said. "It's outrageous at every step of the way."
"The one thing I was always sure of was that Jack Wilson would always take care of Jack Wilson," added Max Page, a professor at the Amherst campus. "I'll just leave it at that."
Facing bitter student protests, university trustees in June approved 7.5 percent increase in mandatory student fees and another increase for optional room and board on Amherst and two other campuses.
Under the increases, recommended by Wilson, the total cost for an instate undergraduate student on the Amherst campus, including fees , tuition, room and board, was set to rise to $22,124 for this academic year, up $1,578 from $20,546, up about 7.6 percent from last year, according to the university.
The increase in mandatory fees would raise $26 million to help eliminate the budget gap. Budget reductions, including 370 job cuts, will also save $28 million, Wilson said at the time.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Councilor Thomas Merrigan, of Greenfield, said he intends to put Ferrara’s nomination up for a vote next week,
By KYLE CHENEY
BOSTON - Springfield attorney John Ferrara, Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s choice to fill a vacancy on the Superior Court, described Wednesday a severe staffing shortage in Western Massachusetts courts, wrought in part by budget cuts that he said had practical effects on the administration of justice.
“They’re understaffed in terms of clerical help. They’re understaffed in terms of court officers,” Ferrara said during a confirmation hearing held by the Governor’s Council. “I had a murder case in August that had to be continued because they didn’t have enough court officers to staff the courtroom.”
Despite spasms of squabbling among councilors, Ferrara faced little criticism and appeared poised to win confirmation from the often-fractious body, an eight-member group of elected officials tasked with final votes on governors’ judicial nominees.
“It’s almost like you have honesty stamped on your forehead,” said Council Marilyn Devaney, a Watertown Democrat. “This nominee should be the goal of every nomination the governor makes.”
Councilor Thomas Merrigan, a Greenfield Democrat, said he intends to put Ferrara’s nomination up for a vote next week, and Councilor Thomas Kennedy, a Lynnfield Democrat, described him as “deserving of this position.” Councilor Charles Cipollini, a Fall River Republican, said he appreciated that Ferrara had made few political donations and had a long career as a private practice attorney.
“You have a very compelling personal history,” said Councilor Jennie Caissie, an Oxford Republican. “I certainly look forward to voting for you next week.”
Most of the bickering among councilors centered on a dispute over whether to administer a truth-telling oath to Ferrara and his supporters, and whether a father’s rights advocate should limit his testimony.
Ferrara, a longtime criminal defense lawyer, grew up in Springfield and earned an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College before earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a law degree from Western New England College of Law. After a stint as a social worker and several years in car sales for Ford and Dodge, Ferrara began a Springfield-based private practice in 1984. He applied to become a judge in April and was selected in November by the governor.
In a questionnaire submitted to the Governor’s Council, Ferrara described his practice as evenly divided between civil and criminal cases. His cases, he said, have included 15 murder defenses – seven of which went to trial – as well as narcotics cases, fraud, rape, arson, firearms, drug trafficking, larceny and vehicular homicide cases. He said he has tried “five or six” negligence cases, including matters of surgical failure, anesthesiology error and a brake manufacturing defect case.
He acknowledged having limited experience with restraining order law. “If you confirm me as a judge, I will be impartial. I will be fair. I will follow the law,” he said. “If I am not familiar with an aspect of the law, I will familiarize myself with it.”
Supporters who Ferrara assembled on his behalf described him as a fair-minded legal scholar with a versatile understanding of the law and someone who is generous to his friends and family.
“He can go from a complex medical malpractice to case to a murder case with grace and skill,” said Mark Albano, Ferrara’s law associate of 17 years.
“He is not a person who’s rigid. He has a flexible mind and a flexible spirit. He is a person who will be able to hear both sides,” added Linda Thompson, a lawyer who has been practicing in Hampden County since 1978.
Peter Velis, a Superior Court judge, recalled positive reviews he received from a family about Ferrara’s performance in the courtroom.
“He’s appeared in front of me, and needless to say, I’d be wasting my time if I didn’t tell you that the scholarship is there. The industry is there,” he said, adding, “He’s more concerned about justice than he is a fee. He’s more concerned about advocacy than he is a fee.”
Ferrara’s law associate Lauren Follett said Ferrara has a “mental encyclopedia” of legal information and said he becomes “a ghost” when he prepares for trials, working all hours of the night and waking up “before sunrise” to fine-tune his arguments.
Other supporters included Ferrara’s former paralegal Noemi Fernandes, his longtime friend Robert Russell and Linda Thompson.
Patrick McCabe of the Fatherhood Coalition spoke against Ferrara’s nomination but emphasized his opposition was not personal but because of his concerns about the way the legal system addresses custody decisions and restraining orders.
“This judge will have the opportunity to issue restraining orders, and we feel it’s very important that any nominee that’s coming up here that has the ability to issue a restraining order, we feel very strongly that it should be made known that they understand the basis of that law,” he said, adding, “We know nothing about this candidate. You know as well as I do that Massachusetts has the most secretive process.”
During the hearing, Ferrara grew noticeably flustered when Council Mary-Ellen Manning asked him whether he had ever had a criminal conviction. Ferrara, whose wife, sons and colleagues were on hand for the hearing, at first wondered whether Manning wanted to narrow her question to a particular timeframe or to a specific severity of criminal offense. Manning declined to do so, and Ferrara – emphasizing that he had never informed his children of this – then acknowledged that he had been convicted of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Ferrara, 59, said he was 21 at the time.
Manning later told Ferrara she was “rattled” by his reaction to her question. He apologized to Manning if he had appeared to come across as “rude” and then acknowledged he had once been charged with operating without a license when he was 40 because he had failed to renew his driver’s license at the Registry of Motor Vehicles after it had expired.
“I do apologize to your family for having made people uncomfortable here,” Manning said later. “It’s been my feeling that close family members shouldn’t be at these hearings. I’ve made that remark publicly in the past. These are important positions. They’re lifetime positions. This is a full-disclosure process … I have to do my job even when it hurts people’s feelings.”
“I’m sure my family still loves me,” Ferrara replied. “I’ve never been in your position and I don’t have your experience in terms of vetting candidates,” he said. “I don’t know what your frustrations are.”
Councilor Kennedy said society’s view on driving under the influence had changed in the nearly 40 years since Ferrara was convicted.
“It just wasn’t considered a serious offense back then, and people weren’t educated about the dangers associated with that behavior as they are now,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we had to bring that up in front of your two sons … but when I look at your resume and I listen to witnesses and I see how you handled yourself, with some tough questions, your family should feel nothing but pride. You’re clearly someone deserving of this position.”
The Longmeadow Parks and Recreation Department has some items on sale including coffee mugs, aprons, magnets and other items that have the town seal on them,
LONGMEADOW– People looking for stocking stuffers or gifts that can’t be found in a big box store can pick up plenty of unique items right in town.
Town Manager Robin Crosbie said there are shopping opportunities in the Parks and Recreation Department, the Adult Center and even the Department of Public Works.
While most people wouldn’t immediately think of the Department of Public Works as a great place to shop there is a gift idea which is cheap and unique.
Michael G. Wrabel Department of Public Works Director said the department has old street signs available in storage. In 2009 the department began changing the town street signs for new ones that included an image of the town seal. The old signs were taken down and stored.
Wrabel said the signs, which sell for $12 each, have street names that could have some sentimental value for people.
Signs can be purchased at the Department of Public Works offices at 31 Pondside Road. Call (413) 567-3400 or e-mail rharaty@longmeadow.org for information on available street signs.
The Parks and Recreation Department also has some items on sale including coffee mugs, aprons, magnets, flashing reflectors and other items that have the town seal on them, said Tracy Berns, who works for the department.
“They are cute stocking stuffers that are affordable,” she said.
Items can be purchased at the Parks and Recreation office at the Community House, 735 Longmeadow St. which is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Another possibility is the Book Nook at the Storrs Library. A project started by the Friends of the Longmeadow Library, the nook includes books, movies and music in excellent condition, said Barbara Fitzgerald, the adult services librarian at Storrs.
“Most of the books are recently published and are in great condition,” she said. “Money from the sales go towards the enrichment of our library.”
Fitzgerald said there are over 500 books in the nook. Hard back books are $2 and paperbacks are $.50 cents. For more information call the library at (413) 565-4181.
The Greenwood Adult Center also has a thrift shop that will have sales throughout the holiday and offers vintage and newer clothes, house wares and more. The Maple Tree Shoppe is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday – Friday. The shop also accepts donations of items and qualifies as charitable giving for tax purposes. Call (413) 565-4150 for information.
The plan is an update of the 1993-2007 plan and is intended to advance Chancellor Robert C. Holub's Framework of Excellence.
AMHERST – Sometime within the next 50 years, the University of Massachusetts campus will likely have buildings congregated in a cluster near the campus pond, consolidated parking in five garages and safer, streamlined roads abutting the campus.
That vision is all part of the new draft Campus Master Plan being presented to the community Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the new UMass police station.
Dennis J. Swinford, director of campus planning, previewed the plan at a press briefing Wednesday.
The plan is an update of the 1993-2007 plan and is intended to advance Chancellor Robert C. Holub’s "Framework of Excellence".
That framework includes seeing that the university becomes one of the top research schools in the country, Swinford said.
It is a “key capital planning policy document,” he said, one that campus officials will be able to draw on over the next 50 years.
The plan, however, does not call for closing North Pleasant Street, as some have speculated, but making alterations there that would reduce vehicular traffic by eliminating access to parking lots and improving bus stops.
He said the town needs to repair the water line there and is looking to see if money is available. The town and university could collaborate, he said.
Currently the campus comprises 10.8 million square feet and is home to 24,300 students, 12,500 beds and 8,000 faculty and staff. In 2020, while deemed an aspiration, the chancellor would like to see the campus grow to 12.5 million square feet able to accommodate 27,700 students with 14,000 beds and 8,800 faculty and staff.
Campus planning has changed over the years, Swinford said, and rather than build student housing on the outer lip of the campus the move now is to bring campus living and life to the campus’ heart.
The new Commonwealth College dorm-classroom building set to open between the Recreation Center and the Boyden Gymnasium in the fall of 2013 is an example of that change.
The goal in the master plan is to see the campus used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year. He said the idea is to see the campus become a social core, one in which students would stay on campus instead of heading to town.
The plan calls for replacing a number of buildings; about a third of the buildings “are in poor condition,” he said. “They need major renovation. Some can be categorized beyond deferred (maintenance.)”
Top on that list is the razing of Bartlett and renovating and adding to South College.
The plan also calls for building where some surface parking lots exist. He said currently the campus uses 96 acres for parking.
While retaining some surface parking, the plan calls for the building of five garages around the campus core -- all of which would be within a five-minute walk to the driver’s destination. This would make the campus safer and friendlier for pedestrians.
As part of that planning is transforming Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenue from four to two lane traffic, making travel safer for bicycles and pedestrians.
“It creates nice conditions for the town of Amherst,” Swinford said.
Swinford said the report still is a draft and the campus will continue accepting comments. The Web site offers the chance for people to like or dislike proposals and to comment.
A final plan should be presented to the chancellor, who needs to approve it.
The Three Rivers man was arrested recently by Warren police for an alleged theft of a casting from Warren Pumps.
PALMER - A Three Rivers man will be summoned to Palmer District Court on charges of larceny over $250 and receiving stolen property over $250 for allegedly taking his neighbor's chainsaw and compressor.
Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said John W. Carosello, of 6 Barker St., Three Rivers, was identified by police after the neighbor found his items at the Hock Shop at 1235 Park St. Frydryk said Carosello received $100 for the items, which he said he used on food and fuel because he recently lost his job.
According to the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Carosello was arraigned in late November in East Brookfield District Court on larceny charges for stealing an expensive casting from his employer, Warren Pumps. He was released on $500 bail and will return to court next month for a pretrial hearing.
The newspaper reported that Carosello heaved the 60- to 80-pound piece into his car trunk during his morning break. As Carosello left Warren Pumps later, the trunk opened, revealing the casting, worth $2,189, the newspaper reported.
Frydryk said Palmer police stopped Carosello's car at the request of Warren police, who later arrested Carosello on the larceny charges.
The Telegram & Gazette quoted court documents that said Carosello told police that he was “going to use (the casting) to jack up" his vehicle to do work on it.
Prosecutors say people would buy something cheap, such as a soda, and hand over a $100 card in exchange for drugs or cash.
LYNN, Mass. (AP) — Police have arrested eight Lynn residents and charged them with using taxpayer money to buy cocaine at city convenience stores.
Authorities say the suspects used government-issued Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT cards, in exchange for drugs and cash. The cards are meant to be used by low-income residents to buy food.
Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett says the scheme was "an affront and an insult to all taxpayers."
The arrests came after a year-long investigation in which undercover officers allegedly purchased drugs using the cards.
Prosecutors say people would buy something cheap, such as a soda, and hand over a $100 card in exchange for drugs or cash. The store would keep half the money.
Authorities are alleging that the fraudulent purchases totaled several hundred thousand dollars.
All suspects pleaded not guilty.
Some lawmakers demanded reform in the way cards are distributed.
Christ Lutheran Church operates two Open Arms Childhood Centers, one here and one in Springfield.
SOUTHWICK – An anonymous $1.5 million Christmas gift will improve current financial conditions and help shape the future of Christ Lutheran Church here.
Pastor Jeffrey King reported Wednesday the church has received a gift of $500,000 with a pledge to match up to $1 million in funding raised by the congregation over the next three years.
“The donor wishes to remain anonymous and I have never personally met this individual,” King said. But, the Pastor did explain that he has had “several” telephone conversations with the donor over the past seven or eight years. The donor resides in “another region of the country.”
“He called and told me he was impressed with the mission of our church and especially our two child care centers,” said King.
“This person has never been to our church, has never sent money in the past and has not visited our Open Arms Childhood Centers,” he added. “He believes in our vision and wants us to be successful,” King said of the gift.
“This will take a big burden off our backs,” said King, noting the church carries a $4 million mortgage.
“The church has not suffered because of the economy but our childhood centers have. If we succeed in meeting the $1 million challenge it will cut our debt in half,” King, pastor since 1986, said.
Income from tuition at the two childhood centers is used to pay the mortgage and other building expenses, King said, adding that the economy and unemployment has reduced revenue income in recent years.
The Southwick Open Arms Childhood Center, located adjacent to Christ Lutheran Church on College Highway currently enrolls 115 children. The Open Arms center in Springfield has an enrollment of 47 children.
The church has been located at 568 College Highway here since 1963. The current church building opened in 2000 with the first Open Arms Childhood Center. Since then a diner, the Daily Grind has opened on the church campus.
The church has more than 1,200 members who reside in Southwick and surrounding communities.
Anyone with information about the scam is asked to call Palmer police.
PALMER - Police are warning residents about a scam in which a young woman may be using children to steal items.
Officer Kenneth White said two incidents were reported this week involving a woman in her 20s, described as white and thin, with long, brown hair, who smokes cigarettes.
White said the first incident happened at Second Congregational Church on Pleasant Street on Monday; someone from the church called police to report that the woman went to the church seeking assistance for Christmas, and that she was with her children at the time. After they left, a wallet that had been in a briefcase inside the church was missing, White said.
The second incident happened Tuesday at Complete Healthcare Solutions Inc. at 1497 North Main St. White said a woman - probably the same one who was at the church - entered the business and asked if her children could use the restroom. This time, she was with several children, some on bicycles, White said.
When they left, an employee noticed that keys and gloves were missing from a coat, White said. He added that later, the woman was seen in the parking lot.
One of the bicycles was described as BMX-style, yellow, with no seat. The woman was wearing a black, long jacket and jeans during the incidents, he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Palmer police at (413) 283-8792.
Obama welcomed home troops returning from Iraq at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday.
Loggers ask state to lift three-year moratorium on harvesting wood on state-owned land [Berkshire Eagle]
Meters for Amherst cabs in 2013 [Daily Hampshire Gazette]
Connecticut man claims he is Jesus, damages bus [Hartford Courant]
Deerfield school put into precautionary lockdown Wednesday [WWLP]
MBTA honors conductor who helped uncover multi-million dollar fare evasion scheme [Boston.com]
Genzyme and Raytheon named 2011 Wastewise awards by EPA [Metrowest Daily News]
Obama welcomes home soldiers returning from Iraq at Fort Bragg, N.C. [New York Times]
Berkeley launches aid program for middle-income families, program among first in nation [Los Angeles Times]
Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]
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UVM is investigating how widely the alleged Sigma Phi Epsilon survey was circulated.
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A University of Vermont fraternity has been suspended while school officials, national organization leaders and police investigate allegations that a survey was circulated among members asking them who they would like to rape.
Members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter would not discuss the allegations Wednesday.
A student reported the questionnaire to school officials over the weekend, school officials said, leading both the university and the national Sigma Phi Epsilon organization to suspend the chapter temporarily. The school is investigating how widely the survey was circulated, and the campus police department is trying to determine if any crimes have been committed.
The survey question was "incredibly offensive and inappropriate," said Annie Stevens, the university's associate vice president for student and campus life.
University officials contacted the national fraternity, which said Wednesday that it has instructed the chapter to cease all operation, pending further investigation.
"Sigma Phi Epsilon and its leadership programs are built on the concept of respect for both self and others. Any behavior that demeans women is not tolerated," it said. A national representative arrived in Burlington on Tuesday and was interviewing chapter members as part of an internal investigation, said Brian Warren, executive director.
Sigma Phi Epsilon has over 15,000 undergraduates in 240 chapters, making it one of the largest fraternities in the country. Its mission is "building balanced men" by having members embrace the principles of virtue, diligence, brotherly love and committing to the practice of sound mind and sound body, according to the fraternity's website.
A Burlington feminist organization named FED UP Vermont and other groups posted an online petition seeking to shut down the fraternity chapter. By Wednesday afternoon, it had more than 1,500 signatures. Organizers planned a news conference to speak out against "rape culture and sexism" Thursday afternoon on the steps of the university library.
"An institution that discusses who it wants to rape has no place at UVM or in the Burlington community," the group said.
The new survey asks parents on students for feedback on particular schools.
GRANBY – Do parents feel their child’s school is safe? Do they worry about drugs, bullying, gangs? Do they feel the teacher’s feedback on homework helps? Do they think the cafeteria food is healthy?
Schools Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez sent out her second survey last week to find out what Granby parents and students are thinking about their schools.
The first survey, issued in March, asked the school community for feedback on school policy. The new survey asks them to comment on particular schools. Granby is home to West Street and East Meadow Schools and the Junior-Senior High School.
Both surveys were designed in collaboration with the research company K12 Insight.
Rodriguez got the results of her first survey in September. Among other things, it told her that the community wanted more advanced placement courses and more special education options.
Respondents told her that the school budget was presented in a way they found hard to understand. Rodriguez also learned that not many parents knew that West Street School is going to close and merge with East Meadow.
The new survey asks parents to pick a particular school and answer more than 40 multiple-choice questions about that school’s performance in such areas as academic preparation, student support and parent engagement.
Students also have a chance to respond to multiple-choice questions: Do they find their studies challenging? Are their teachers are encouraging? Do their guidance counselors give them information on job-hunting and college applications?
The surveys are due December 15. They are available at www.granbyschoolsma.org or by calling (413) 467-7193 to request a paper version of the survey.
The driver suffered a minor stab wound to his back. He was able to identify English as the one who stabbed him, police said.
SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory English of Springfield and will pursue charges against four juvenile girls in connection with the Tuesday afternoon stabbing of a delivery driver during the theft of $78 in pizza, wings and bread sticks.
The driver suffered a minor stab injury to his back. He was able to identify English as the person who stabbed and punched him during the robbery, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet.
English of 52 Orlando St. was charged with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Police intend to pursue charges against the four girls through juvenile court. None of their names were released due to their ages, Delaney said.
The driver told police he was making a delivery when he was attacked by English in the rear of 51 Sylvan St. in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. English grabbed all the food, and he and the four girls ran into a nearby apartment building, Delaney said.
Police surrounded the building and were granted access by the landlord. Police followed the sound of laughter to an apartment on the third floor where they found English and the four girls with all the food from the robbery.
English was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Springfield District Court, but information from the arraignment was not available.
John and Geraldine Magees were developers who built large homes, including the subdivision where their 6,000-square-foot home is located.
ANDOVER – Police say an Andover husband and wife found shot to death inside their home in an affluent neighborhood were victims of a double homicide.
Police Chief Brian Patullo said the bodies of 69-year-old John Magee and 67-year-old Geraldine Magee were discovered after a relative called police at about 9:18 a.m. Wednesday to report a shooting at the house on Orchard Lane.
Patullo said a Lexus SUV taken from the house was located in Boston. It had been found burning Tuesday night in the city’s North End.
Patullo said there are no suspects or persons of interest in the killings, which he called an isolated act that isn’t believed to be a threat to the community.
The Eagle-Tribune reports the Magees were developers who built large homes, including the subdivision where their 6,000-square-foot home is located.
Lunch prices in Agawam public schools will increase by 25 cents in January and by another 25 cents in September of 2013.
AGAWAM – The School Committee Tuesday increased the prices of school lunches to meet a federal mandate that it eventually bring them up to the same amount the federal government reimburses it for providing free lunches to needy students.
The board voted 5-0 to increase prices by 25 cents in January and by another 25 cents in September of 2013.
“It’s something we have to do,” School Committee Vice Chairman Anthony C. Bonavita said after the vote. “I don’t think anybody wanted to do it. We had to do it to meet federal guidelines.”
The increase in January will bring the price of lunches for elementary and middle school students to $2.25. Lunches for students in junior and senior high school will go up to $2.50.
The federal government currently gives the school district $2.46 for each free lunch it provides to needy students. It has given school districts five years to bring its prices up to the level at which it reimburses them for free lunches.
Agawam joins other school districts in the area in raising its lunch prices. This fall, East Longmeadow increased its prices by 25 cents effective in January. That will boost the price of lunch for elementary school students to $1.75 and for middle school and high school students to $2.25. West Springfield also increased its prices starting this past September to $2 for elementary school students and $2.25 for junior and senior high school students.
Agawam last increased its school lunch prices in the 2006-2007 academic year, when all prices were raised by 25 cents.
School Committee member Shelley Reed said she would support the increase only if the lunch program is improved. She wants to see the program publicize that unused lunch tickets may be turned in at the end of the academic year for money or used the following year as well as keep its Web site more up to date. Reed said she wants to be able to read a month’s worth of menus on the Web site and see no more milk shortages in the system.
Patricia A. Cavanaugh, the district’s financial director, told Reed those changes will be made.
Voting in favor of the price hike were Bonavita, Reed, Roberta G. Doering, Linda M. Galarneau and Kathleen Mouneimneh. The other two members of the board, Mayor Richard A. Cohen, who chairs the committee, and School Committee member Diane M. Juzba, were absent.
Officials looked for Ronald Robbins in the building wreckage for days after the fire before determining the rubble wasn’t hiding a body.
WORCESTER – Police have found and questioned the man two Worcester firefighters were looking for inside a burning building last week when part of it collapsed, killing one of the firefighters.
Firefighter Jon Davies died during the Dec. 8 fire after he and his partner went back into the building when another tenant said Ronald Robbins might be inside. Officials looked for Robbins in the building wreckage for days after the fire before determining the rubble wasn’t hiding a body.
The Worcester District Attorney’s office said Robbins was arrested Tuesday night in Worcester on warrants unrelated to the fire, including violating a restraining order and assault and battery.
Authorities said they questioned Robbins, and their investigation is continuing. Robbins appeared Wednesday in court, where a judge set $5,000 bail.
A wake was being held Wednesday evening in Worcester for Davies. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
By the end of the day the Dow had lost 131 points and European stock indexes had fallen by as much as 3 percent.
NEW YORK – A growing sense that Europe’s leaders have failed to contain that region’s debt crisis swept through financial markets Wednesday.
It started with the euro dropping below $1.30 for the first time since January and a jump in borrowing costs for Italian government debt. By the end of the trading day the Dow had lost 131 points, European stock indexes fell as much as 3 percent and gold dropped $76, ending below $1,600 an ounce for the first time in more than two months.
Investors dumped assets that might be seen as risky and piled into the most conservative ones around: the dollar and U.S. government debt.
The market appears to be in “sell now and ask questions later mode,” said John Canally, investment strategist at LPL Financial.
Since European leaders reached an agreement to rein in future government budget deficits last week, investors and credit rating agencies have criticized the deal for failing to address current problems. “Markets are impatient,” Canally said. “They still can’t see how all these efforts will get this situation stabilized.”
Italy had to pay higher borrowing rates in its last bond auction of the year Wednesday. The euro zone’s third-largest economy paid 6.47 percent interest to borrow (euro) 3 billion ($3.95 billion) for five years, up from 6.30 percent just a month ago. The higher rates make it more expensive for Italy to borrow money and reflect rising doubts that the country will be able to repay its debts.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 131.46 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 11,823.48. Caterpillar Inc. fell 4.4 percent, the worst drop among the 30 stocks in the Dow.
Canally said the fear that another bank failure will lead to a financial crisis like Lehman Brothers did in 2008 overshadows everything else, he said. Markets are so jittery now that traders see a slight drop in the euro or a small rise in Italian government bond yields as a step toward a wider collapse.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 13.91 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,211.82. The Nasdaq fell 39.96, or 1.6 percent to 2,539.31.
Gold dropped 4.6 percent to settle at $1,586, the lowest closing price since July. Commodity prices tend to fall when the dollar gains strength, since a stronger dollar makes it more expensive for investors using other currencies to buy commodities, which are priced in dollars.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dropped to 1.91 percent from 1.96 percent late Tuesday as demand increased for ultrasafe assets. High demand for U.S. government debt helped the government sell $13 billion in 30-year bonds at a record low rate of 2.92 percent. In a note to clients, strategists at Nomura said “the insatiable appetite” for Treasurys at such low yields implies that bond buyers are readying themselves for “the end-of-the-euro-trade.”
The dollar also rose against other currencies. The euro shed about a penny against the dollar to $1.29 and has now lost 3 percent in three days.
European markets fell broadly. Germany’s DAX dropped 1.7 percent; France’s main stock index lost 3.3 percent.
Energy stocks led the U.S. stock market lower after the price of crude oil lost $5 to $94.95 a barrel. Apache Corp. shed 5 percent and Chevron Corp 2.9 percent.
First Solar Inc. plunged 21 percent, the biggest drop in the S&P 500, after the country’s largest solar company slashed its earnings estimate for the year. The solar industry has been hit hard by slower economic growth around the world and as government funding for alternative energy projects has dried up.
Avon jumped 5 percent, the largest gain in the S&P 500. The company announced late Tuesday that its CEO, Andrea Jung, will step down. The cosmetics company has been struggling with erratic financial results and is under scrutiny by regulators.
The Dow is now down 3 percent for the week, while S&P has lost 3.5 percent. The Nasdaq is down 4 percent.
The teacher, who was found in another part of the building, was given a chance to gather his belongings and then escorted out of the building, Delaney said.
This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:45 this afternoon.
SPRINGFIELD – A male teacher at the High School of Commerce teacher may face assault and battery and kidnapping charges following a violent argument Tuesday with a female vice principal, police said.
The 44-year-old teacher confronted the vice principal in her office about 12:35 p.m., striking her and blocking the door to prevent her escape, said Sgt. John M. Delaney. The argument was prompted by a disagreement over the teacher’s evaluation, he said.
The vice principal was able to call for help on her radio, and a police officer on duty at the school responded quickly. The teacher – who was found in another part of the building – was given a chance to gather his belongings and then escorted out of the building, Delaney said.
Police are seeking a warrant against the teacher for assault and battery on a public employee and kidnapping, he said.
School Department spokeswoman Azell Cavaan said the teacher has been placed on administrative leave. The vice principal was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries, but was not admitted and was not in school Wednesday, Cavaan said.
Cavaan said teacher-on-administrator violence is unusual in the city school system.
“This is very rare, and it is intolerable,” said Cavaan, who refused to identify the teacher or administrator, citing confidentiality rules.
“We are cooperating with the police investigation,” she added.
The assault was not witnessed by students, according to Cavaan. Principal Charles Grandson IV addressed teachers and staff later in the day.
While an article on Gingrich’s website refers to the wives of three current candidates, it could remind someone that the Republican candidate has had three wives.
WASHINGTON – Rick Perry isn’t the only one to have an “oops” moment in the Republican presidential contest.
An article on Newt Gingrich’s official website is headlined “A Tale of Three Wives: Life on the Campaign Trail.”
It’s a short, feel-good piece about Gingrich’s wife, Callista, and the wives of Perry and Jon Huntsman. It might, however, remind viewers that Callista is Gingrich’s third wife. His divorces from the first two – he has acknowledged marital infidelity in both marriages – are a subject of campaign conversation and perhaps some difficulty with religiously conservative voters.
The religious network CBN News wrote the article. Gingrich’s campaign posted it, headline and all, on his website, Newt.org, last week. It’s commonplace for campaigns to reprint such articles on their sites, said Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond. He declined further comment.
In last Saturday’s televised GOP debate, moderator George Stephanopoulous asked whether “a candidate who breaks his marital vows is more likely to break faith with voters?”
Perry, the Texas governor, said, “If you cheat on your wife, you’ll cheat on your business partner.”
Gingrich gave a dispassionate response. Voters “have the right to ask every single question,” he said. “I said up-front, openly, I’ve made mistakes at times. I’ve had to go to God for forgiveness.”
“But I’m also a 68-year-old grandfather,” Gingrich said. “And I think people have to measure who I am now, and whether I’m a person they can trust. “
The debate moved to other topics.
