Police do not know what prompted the dogs to attack their owner.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – A 51-year-old Forest Park neighborhood woman, attacked by her own pit bulls as she walked them down the street Thursday morning, was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of bites to her arms, legs and stomach.

The woman’s condition was not immediately available.

Police Sgt. John M. Delaney said the incident began shortly before 7 a.m. as the woman walked her two dogs in the area of Porter Lake Drive.

For some unknown reason, the two dogs suddenly turned against their owner and attacked her, said Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet. Responding police found the woman, bleeding profusely from her wounds, running down the street towards them.

By then, the larger of the two dogs was mauling the other.

While police provided first aid to the victim, officers Christopher Goodrow and Kim Brantley were able to separate the aggressive dogs after the smaller one appeared to have died, Delaney said.

Police, determined, however, that that the mauled dog was still breathing and took it to Boston Road Animal Hospital in a cruiser. Animal control officers managed to get the other dog under control and it took it there as well, Delaney said.

Neither Romney nor his campaign provided details, such as how much he has invested there, why he invested there or if he has invested any of his money elsewhere outside the United States.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns in Irmo, S.C., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Under duress two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney acknowledged he has invested part of his millions in the Cayman Islands, although his aides say he never used the location as a tax haven.

Neither Romney nor his campaign provided details, such as how much he has invested there, why he invested there or if he has invested any of his money elsewhere outside the United States.

Responding to a question shouted at him Thursday morning, Romney reiterated that he does intend to release the returns — but not until April, long after the party may have chosen a nominee. "You'll hear more about that. April," he said.

In a blow to Romney's campaign, Texas Gov. Rick Perry suspended his presidential campaign and threw his support behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, winnowing the conservative opposition and adding to Gingrich's strength heading into Saturday's voting.

And in another blow, Republican officials in Iowa said Rick Santorum had actually edged Romney by 34 votes in the final tally of the state's leadoff caucuses. No winner has been declared because some votes are still missing.

Romney, speaking to supporters on a conference call Thursday morning, made no mention of Perry's decision or of his tax returns, instead attacking Gingrich's claims that he helped President Ronald Reagan create jobs. Romney said Gingrich is living in "fantasyland."

Romney was set to address supporters outside his Charleston headquarters Thursday morning, though it wasn't clear if he would answer questions about his tax returns, the Cayman Islands or Perry's decision.

"Gov. and Mrs. Romney's assets are managed on a blind basis. They do not control the investment of these assets," campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an emailed response to questions Wednesday night. Romney has not personally addressed the issue, although it's likely to come up at a candidates' debate Thursday night.

Scrutiny of Romney's private-sector background couldn't come at a worse time — just as he is riding high on a victory last week in New Hampshire's primary. He came into South Carolina with anti-Romney conservatives unwilling or unable to coalesce behind a single challenger.

Details about the personal fortune of the multimillionaire former businessman have been a nagging issue for his campaign for more than a week. On Tuesday, Romney disclosed that he pays an effective tax rate of about 15 percent, lower than what he would pay if he earned a regular paycheck like many Americans. He also called "not very much" the amount he earned in speechmaking fees, though it turned out to be $373,327.62 for 12 months in 2010 and early 2011.

Those details followed verbal miscues related to his views of work. Last week in New Hampshire, Romney told an audience he knew what it was like to worry about being "pink-slipped" and losing a job. A day later, he said, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me" — a comment about health insurance companies that his rivals used to paint a picture of Romney as a wealthy businessman who is out of touch with ordinary Americans.

Romney hasn't been willing to elaborate on his pledge Tuesday to release his federal tax return in April. His rivals are prodding him to do it immediately, before South Carolina's primary, a potentially decisive turn in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

At an event in Rock Hill, S.C., Romney kept away from the issue of his taxes, but he criticized Newt Gingrich and other Republicans who "jumped on that bandwagon" of criticizing free enterprise. "My goodness, I listened to Speaker Gingrich the other night talk about the enterprises I've been associated with," he said. "I'm proud of the fact that I worked in the private sector, that I've achieved success."

Romney disclosed for the first time Tuesday that, despite his wealth of hundreds of millions of dollars, he has been paying taxes in the neighborhood of 15 percent, far below the top maximum income tax rate of 35 percent, because his income "comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past." During 2010 and the first nine months of 2011, the Romney family had at least $9.6 million in income, according to a financial disclosure form submitted in August.

Romney had been consolidating GOP support before Saturday's South Carolina primary, in which a victory could all but seal his nomination. The focus on his wealth is an unwanted distraction for him as he seeks to win votes in a state where the unemployment rate, at 9.9 percent, is among the highest in the nation, and amid rising public concern over income inequality.

President Barack Obama's campaign advisers contend voters are unlikely to back a wealthy Republican with financial-industry ties at a time of lingering economic distress.

The maximum marginal U.S. income tax rate of 35 percent applies — in theory more than practice — to households with taxable income of over about $388,500.

Like many wealthy people, the Romneys have been helped by changes in federal tax policy that have placed much lower tax rates on investment income — from dividends, interest and capital gains from the sale of stocks and other assets — than on wages and salaries, the source of income for most Americans.

Under the Bush-era tax cuts strongly supported by most Republicans, such investment income, including gains on securities held for a year or longer, is subject to a tax rate of 15 percent.

According to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, an average federal tax rate of 15 percent — including both income and payroll taxes — would apply to households with taxable incomes of from $75,000 to $100,000.

Obama and his wife paid federal taxes of just over 25 percent of their 2010 income of $1.7 million, mostly from the books he's written.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his wife paid roughly 24 percent of their 2010 income of $217,447.

The first grant of $4 million from the Federal Highway Administration will pay for tornado damage. The second grant of $41 million will go toward damage caused by the tropical storm.

AP Photo/Jessica HillHomes were damaged in Springfield and throughout the region after tornadoes ripped through Hampden County and parts of central Massachusetts last year.

BOSTON — Massachusetts is receiving a total of $45 million in two federal grants to pay for repairs to roadways in western and central Massachusetts after the June 1 tornadoes and the remnants of Hurricane Irene in August.

State transportation officials announced Thursday that a large chunk of the funds will help cover repairs to Route 2 after Irene.

The first grant of $4 million from the Federal Highway Administration will pay for tornado damage. The second grant of $41 million will go toward damage caused by the tropical storm.

In addition to money going to the state, the western Massachusetts communities of Adams, Ashfield, Charlemont, Goshen and Hawley will also receive funds.

Officials announced separately that Falmouth on Cape Cod will receive $300,000 in federal funding for damage caused by Irene.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsed Newt Gingrich, adding a fresh layer of unpredictability to the campaign two days before the South Carolina primary.

The Associated PressAnita Perry, wife of Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry listens at left, during a news conference in North Charleston, S.C., Thursday,Jan. 19, 2012, where Perry announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsed Newt Gingrich, adding a fresh layer of unpredictability to the campaign two days before the South Carolina primary.

"Newt's not perfect, but who among us is?" Perry said. He called the former House speaker a "conservative visionary" best suited to replace Barack Obama in the White House.

While the ultimate impact of Perry's decision was unclear, it reduced the number of conservative challengers to Mitt Romney. The decision also reinforced the perception that Gingrich is the candidate on the move in the final hours of the South Carolina campaign, and that front-runner Romney is struggling to hold onto his lead there.

Perry had scarcely finished speaking when Gingrich issued a statement welcoming the endorsement. "I ask the supporters of Governor Perry to look at my record of balancing the budget, cutting spending, reforming welfare, and enacting pro-growth policies to create millions of new jobs and humbly ask for their vote," Gingrich said.

Romney reacted by praising Perry for running "a campaign based upon love of country and conservative principles" and saying he "has earned a place of prominence as a leader in our party."

Perry said he decided to suspend his campaign after concluding "there is no viable path forward for me."

Spokesman Ray Sullivan said money was also a factor: "We have spent the bulk of our funds." Perry chose to drop out before Saturday's primary because he wanted to "respect" the state's voters by giving them a choice among other candidates, Sullivan said.

Perry made his decision Wednesday night and began telling staff and supporters, spokesman Ray Sullivan said. The Texas governor called Gingrich with the news Thursday morning to inform the former House speaker of his endorsement.

Sullivan wouldn't say whether Perry intended to hurt Romney but noted that Perry and Gingrich have a long-standing relationship and said Perry is enthusiastic about the possibility of a Gingrich presidency. But Perry will support the candidate who wins the Republican nomination, Sullivan said.

Perry's exit marked the end of a campaign that began with soaring expectations but quickly faded. He shot to the head of the public opinion polls when he announced his candidacy last summer, but a string of poor debate performances and campaign flubs soon led to a decline in support.

His defining moment came during one debate when he inexplicably could not recall one of three federal agencies he had pledged to abolish. He joked about it afterward, telling reporters, "I stepped in it," but never recovered from the fumble.

Also problematic for conservative supporters: Perry's support of a Texas policy to allow children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates and his 2007 order to require schoolgirls in Texas to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, an order later overturned by state lawmakers.

Perry also risked backlash from elderly voters after calling Social Security a fraud and a "Ponzi scheme." He said the popular federal retirement program for seniors was financially unsustainable and pledged to retool it if elected president.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor considered the more moderate candidate in the race, has benefited thus far from having Perry and several other conservative challengers competing for the same segment of voters. New polls show Romney leading in South Carolina but Gingrich gaining steam heading into Saturday's contest in a state where conservatives hold great sway in choosing the GOP nominee.

Perry's decision to endorse Gingrich does not necessarily mean conservatives will rally behind the former House speaker. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, an anti-abortion champion, is still in the race and last weekend was endorsed by a group of evangelical Christian leaders.

And there is no guarantee the Texas donors who fueled Perry's bid will shift to Gingrich, even if the governor asks them to.

Romney has been working to court them in recent weeks and has also won the backing of former President George H.W. Bush. Several Perry supporters, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly discussing their next steps before Perry's announcement, said they have been approached by Romney's campaign and will support him as the candidate most likely candidate to face President Barack Obama in November.

Also in play are at least three influential "super" political action committees supporting Perry. One so-called super PAC, called Make Us Great Again, aired more than $3.3 million worth of ads in Iowa and South Carolina supporting Perry. A spokesman for the group did not immediately return calls from the AP seeking comment about whom the PAC will support with Perry out of the GOP race.

Perry, 61, was relatively unknown outside Texas until he succeeded George W. Bush as governor after Bush was elected president in 2000. A former Democrat, Perry had already spent about 15 years in state government when he became governor. He went on to become the state's longest-serving chief executive, winning the office three times, most recently in 2010.

Part of Perry's appeal came from his humble beginnings in tiny Paint Creek, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University and was a pilot in the Air Force before winning election in 1984 to the Texas House of Representatives. He switched to the GOP in 1989 and served as the state's agriculture commissioner before his election as lieutenant governor in 1998.

Perry's success as a politician suggested he would be a strong competitor to Obama. He had never lost a race in Texas, and his fight against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010 showed how tough he could be on a rival.

In 2010 single-family homes sold for a median price of $187,500. In 2011, that median price had fallen to $180,000.

SPRINGFIELD – Single family homes prices fell 4 percent in 2011, according to information released Thursday by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley.

In 2010 single-family homes sold for a median price of $187,500. In 2011, that median price had fallen to $180,000.

The volume of homes sold fell by 3.8 percent from 4,020 in 2010 to 3,868 in 2011.

“It was a continuation of the slow economy,” said Kevin M. Sears, a partner with Sears Real Estate in Springfield and a past president of the Massachusetts Realtor Association. “The tax credit is long gone at this point. Those federal tax credits stimulated a lot of sales. Job creation and retention has been a problem. Our industry is like politics, it’s all tied to jobs.”

The state’s unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points in December to 6.8 percent, according to statistics also released Thursday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. But preliminary estimates show that the state lost 6,200 jobs in December. Over the year, the statewas up by 40,700 jobs, mostly in the private sector.

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Unemployment statistics and jobs estimates are based on two separate surveys, though.

Local unemployment numbers won’t be available until next week. Springfield’s unemployment rate fell from 10.9 percent in October to 10.4 percent in November.

Corinne A. Fitzgerald, 2012 president of the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley and an owner at Fitzgerald Real Estate in Greenfield, said the market improved late in 2011, possibly because of a mild, relatively snowless winter thus far.

“I think people are also really starting to understand that real estate is local,” she said. “Within a county we have towns that are doing better than others and within towns we have neighborhoods that are doing better than others.”

In Hampden County, sales fell 5.1 percent from 2,678 to 2,541. The median price fell 5.7 percent from $174,900 in 2010 to $ 165,000 in 2011.

In Hampshire County, sales were up 3.1 percent from 882 in 2010 to 909 in 2011. The median sales price went from $244,000 to $245,000.

In Franklin County, sales fell 9.1 percent from 460 in 2010 to 418 in 2011.

Median sales prices in the Pioneer Valley have fallen 13 percent from $206,950 in 2006 to $180,000 in 2011.

But Sears pointed out that interest rates are historically low, 3.95 percent for a fixed-rate 30-year mortgage. And with sales so low buyers are eager to make deals.

“Now is the time to buy. Of course it’s a sales pitch, but it’s definitely true,” he said.

Police raided the family's home at 100 Wait St. at about 8:15 p.m.

From left, Jimmy Pantoja, Kelvin Lope, Maria Pantoja and Juan Ortiz in photos provided by Springfield Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD – A Liberty Heights neighborhood crack cocaine dealing operation, described by police as a family affair, was shut down by narcotics detectives Wednesday night.

During the raid, conducted at 8:15 p.m. at 100 Wait St., police seized 114 grams of crack. That’s enough to send each of the four suspects, if convicted, to prison for ten years, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

Arrested were: brothers Jimmy Pantoja, 26, and Kelvin Lopez, 18; their mother, Maria Pantoja, 49; and her boyfriend, Juan Ortiz, 52, of 500 Hancock St., Delaney said.

The first three suspects live at 100 Wait St., Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

During the course of their investigation, detectives, led by Sgt. Martin Germain, determined that the two brothers were dealing large amounts of crack from their home with the help of their mother and Ortiz, Delaney said.

Detectives saw the brothers riding around in a Honda making deliveries to customers in the neighborhood. They interrupted one of those deals Wednesday night and arrested the pair at Moorland and Carew streets, Delaney said.

Detectives, armed with a search warrant, then raided 100 Wait St. and found the suspect’s mother and Ortiz in bed. They also found a large amount of crack cocaine and marijuana packaged for sale, packaging material and cash, Delaney said.

All four were charged with trafficking in cocaine over 100 grams, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and violation of a drug-free school zone (Van Horn Park). The latter charge carries the potential for another two years in prison on top of the ten, Delaney said.

Palmer School Committee members described it as a "win-win" for both schools.

PALMER – Next year's Palmer High School football team may have a little extra help from students at Monson High School if a proposal to create a co-op team moves forward.

The School Committee, at its Wednesday night meeting, voted 4-0 to submit an application to the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference to create a co-op football team. Member David M. Lynch was absent.

"It's an opportunity for both schools to do something that probably should have been done a while back," School Committee Vice-Chairman James L. St. Amand said.

Both St. Amand and School Committee Chairwoman Maureen R. Gallagher called it a "win-win" for the schools.

Athletic Director Peter Farr said the football numbers are lower than usual – there were only 22 players last season. In past years, he said they had 32 players.

Gallagher said that if for some reason the PVIAC does not approve the application, the decision should be appealed immediately to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Gallagher bemoaned the $200 athletic fee, and questioned if that was the reason for the low participation numbers "in every single sport." She said creating the co-op team helps Palmer boost its numbers for the football team, and helps Monson as the school presently doesn't have a football program.

Farr said Monson and Palmer students already play together on the Palmer Cowboys, which is like a little league football team. This won't be Palmer's first foray into co-op sports – Palmer High has a co-op swim team with Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School and Ware High School.

Monson Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne, contacted before the meeting, said playing football is something the Monson High School students are interested in.

"One of the things we're trying to do is expand opportunities for kids," Dardenne said.

In other business, the School Committee approved changing the meeting day from Wednesdays to Thursdays to better accommodate the administrative team, which meets the day after the School Committee meeting.

Superintendent Thomas A. Charko said Thursdays often are a training day, so moving the administrative team meetings to Fridays would make more sense. Charko said years ago, the School Committee meetings were held on Thursday nights.

The former House speaker also prepared to release his 2010 income tax returns, certain to bring fresh scrutiny to his campaign.

File photo by Mark Wilson / The RepublicanFormer House Speaker Newt Gingrich, of Georgia, and then wife Marianne leave their home for Capitol Hill in 1997. Dredging up a past that Newt Gingrich has worked hard to bury, the GOP presidential candidate's ex-wife says Gingrich asked for an "open marriage" in which he could have both a wife and a mistress. In an interview with ABC News' "Nightline" scheduled to air Thursday Marianne Gingrich said she refused to go along with the proposal that she share her husband with Callista Bisek, who would later become his third wife.

By SHANNON MCCAFFREY

BEAUFORT, S.C. – In an up-and-down kind of campaign day, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich picked up an endorsement Thursday from former rival Rick Perry but also faced new accusations from one of his former wives that he had asked her permission to have an “open marriage” after she learned he was having an affair.

The former House speaker also prepared to release his 2010 income tax returns, certain to bring fresh scrutiny to his campaign.

Two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary, Gingrich’s political and private life were clashing just as new polls showed him rising as he looks to overtake GOP front-runner W. Mitt Romney in the third state to weigh in on the presidential race. Gingrich has seen his crowds grow in recent days after a strong performance in a debate Monday.

With the second debate of the week looming Thursday night, it was unclear how the new revelations from Marianne Gingrich would play in a state where religious and socially conservative voters hold sway.

Equally uncertain was whether Gingrich would get a boost from Perry’s endorsement, given that the Texas governor had little support in the state, and get conservative voters to coalesce behind his candidacy. Complicating Gingrich’s effort is another conservative, Rick Santorum, who threatens to siphon his support.

“Newt is not perfect but who among us is,” Perry said as he bowed out of the race and called Gingrich a “conservative visionary.”

It was all but certainly intended to counter the interview with Marianne Gingrich, her first on television since the divorce from Gingrich in 2000, that ABC News was set to broadcast Thursday night.

In excerpts the network released before the broadcast, Marianne Gingrich said that when she learned of Gingrich’s affair with Callista Bisek, a congressional staff member, he asked his wife to share him.

“And I just stared at him and he said, ‘Callista doesn’t care what I do,’” Gingrich’ second wife said. “He wanted an open marriage and I refused.”

Gingrich brushed aside reporters’ questions after a campaign event along the waterfront in Beaufort, S.C. on Thursday.

“Look, I’m not going to say anything about Marianne. My two daughters have already written to ABC complaining about this as tawdry and inappropriate,” he said.

Gingrich has said in the past that tough questions are fair game for a candidate running for president. But on Thursday he referred all queries about his second marriage to his two daughters from his first marriage.

“I’m not getting involved,” he said.

The television interview with Marianne Gingrich threw a wild card into the race in its final hours.

Its mere existence shines a spotlight on a part of Gingrich’s past that could turn off Republican voters in a state filled with religious and cultural conservatives who may cringe at his two divorces and acknowledged marital infidelities.

Marianne Gingrich has said Gingrich proposed to her before the divorce from his first wife was final in 1981; they were married six months later. Her marriage to Gingrich ended in divorce in 2000, and Gingrich has admitted he’d already taken up with Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide who would become his third wife. The speaker who pilloried President Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky was himself having an affair at the time.

Underscoring the potential threat to his rise, Gingrich’s campaign released a statement from his two daughters from his first marriage – Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman – suggesting that Marianne Gingrich’s comments may be suspect given the emotional toll divorce takes on everyone involved.

“Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets and sometimes differing memories of events,” their statement said.

A CNN/Time South Carolina poll released Wednesday showed Gingrich in second place with support from 23 percent of likely primary voters, having gained 5 percentage points in the past two weeks. Romney led in the poll with 33 percent, but he had slipped some since the last survey. Santorum was third, narrowly ahead of Texas Rep. Ron Paul and well ahead of Perry.

Regardless of the South Carolina outcome, Gingrich was making plans to compete in Florida’s primary on Jan. 31.

Confidence exuded from Gingrich, who rose in Iowa only to be knocked off course after sustaining $3 million in attack ads in Iowa from an outside group that supports Romney. Gingrich posted dismal showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

By the time the race turned to South Carolina, he was sharply criticizing Romney as a social moderate who is timid about attacking the nation’s economic troubles. He also raised questions about Romney’s experience as a venture capitalist, while a super PAC that supports Gingrich aggressively attacked Romney as a vicious corporate raider. Gingrich also ripped Romney for standing by as a super PAC run by former top Romney political aides continued to attack him in South Carolina.

Romney ended up on the defensive and by Monday night’s debate, Gingrich was back in command. He earned a standing ovation when he labeled Democratic President Barack H. Obama “the best food stamp president in American history.” The clip became the centerpiece of a television ad that began airing Wednesday as Gingrich worked to cast himself as the Republican with the best chance of beating Obama in the fall, stealing a page from Romney’s playbook.

Said Gingrich senior adviser David Winston: “His taking on Barack Obama showed a toughness and an electability that the electorate is looking for.”

Since then, Romney’s campaign, sensing Gingrich’s rise and working to deflect from its own troubles, has been trying to undercut Gingrich’s claim that he helped President Ronald Reagan create millions of jobs in the 1980s, likening it to “Al Gore taking credit for the Internet.”

Romney also dispatched supporters to make the case that Gingrich is erratic and unreliable. A new Romney Web video features former Republican Rep. Susan Molinari of New York saying Gingrich lacked discipline and labeling his time as speaker “leadership by chaos.”

Gingrich, for his part, has been helped by the fact that Santorum has seemed unable to capitalize on the endorsement of a group of influential Christian conservatives. Those who aren’t backing the former Pennsylvania senator seem to be coming Gingrich’s way.

Gov. Deval Patrick told a crowded Statehouse ceremony on Thursday that he was happy to approve the bill as a "matter of conscience" and to protect the rights and dignity of an estimated 33,000 transgender citizens in Massachusetts.

BOSTON — Transgender people are celebrating a new state law that prohibits discrimination against them in employment, housing, insurance and credit.

Gov. Deval Patrick told a crowded Statehouse ceremony on Thursday that he was happy to approve the bill as a "matter of conscience" and to protect the rights and dignity of an estimated 33,000 transgender citizens in Massachusetts.

The measure, approved by lawmakers in November, also extends the state's hate crime laws to cover transgender people.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said her office was ready to enforce the new law, adding that she hopes it won't often be necessary.

While hailing the law, supporters said they would also continue pushing for equal access in public accomodations. Critics have suggested that might lead to a breakdown in privacy in single-gender facilities such as rest rooms and locker rooms.

Instructors use a “Hazard House” provided by the state fire marshal, complete with remote control-operated smoke.

GRANBY – The Granby Fire Department has received a grant to continue its work teaching schoolchildren about fire safety.

Called Student Awareness of Fire Education, the statewide program allows the department to make its presentations every year to public school students through sixth grade. The grant for fiscal year 2012 is $4,665.

Lisa Anderson, who coordinates the programs, said different methods are used to ingrain the safety message, depending on the ages of the children.

Firefighters give their presentations at West Street School, which this year had 301 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten to third grade, and East Meadow School, which serves 240 students in grades four through six.

Sixth-graders also get a final lesson in fire safety just before they graduate to Granby Junior-Senior High School, which is not yet part of the program. At that point the youngsters get certificates.

Among the messages the Fire Department tries to get across to children in case of a fire, said Anderson:

• Crawl low to the floor when escaping through smoke.

• Have an agreed-upon spot to meet with the family away from the burning house, such as a tree or a mailbox.

• Don’t stop to pick up any possessions along the way.

• Dial 911 or go to a neighbor’s house to dial 911.

For the younger grades, the firefighters set up a “pretend” room with a window in a frame, a door and a mattress on the floor. They then set off a real fire alarm and each child escapes from an imaginary blaze as fast as possible.

“The younger kids can’t retain too much detail,” said Anderson, who is married to Granby Police Chief Russell Anderson and coordinates the program on a volunteer basis for the town, “so we give them hands-on activities.”

Older children are better able to pick out fire hazards, said Anderson. For them, instructors use a “Hazard House” provided by the state fire marshal, complete with remote control-operated smoke.

Among the Granby firefighters who make presentations in the schools are Gary Glenn, David Inglebrook, Ed Chapdelaine and Tina Massey.

Fourth and fifth graders in Granby will get visits from the Fire Department at the end of January, said Anderson, with first, second and third graders scheduled for February and visits to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes coming up in April.

Kirkland's previous lawyer, John Ferrara, was recently nominated for a Superior Court judgeship and had to withdraw from his cases.

The Republican/Mark MurrayTamik J. Kirkland at June 2011 arraignment on murder and other charges. He was in a wheelchair then but is not now.

SPRINGFIELD – A change in lawyers for murder suspect Tamik J. Kirkland has caused a sizable delay in the high profile case.

Kirkland was in Hampden Superior Court Thursday to get assigned a new lawyer, as his previous lawyer, John S. Ferrara, was recently nominated for a Superior Court judgeship and had to withdraw from his cases.

Kirkland, 25, of Springfield, faces 16 charges from events on April 30, when he is accused of ambushing a barber and his customer at Bill Brown’s House of Beauty on State Street, wounding the barber and killing 24-year-old Sheldon R. Innocent, of Wilbraham.

Police said both victims were blameless.

Kirkland had escaped from the state prison at Shirley, a minimum security prison, after hearing his mother had been wounded in a shooting in Springfield.

Andrew M. Klyman, head of the Springfield office of the state Committee for Public Counsel Services, will now be Kirkland’s lawyer. He is assisted by Nikolas Andreopoulos, also of the public counsel services office.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni is prosecuting the case.

Klyman told Judge Constance M. Sweeney Thursday “as you can imagine there is voluminous discovery for me to go through.” A pre-trial hearing date was set for May 1.

Discovery is evidence, police reports and other material provided to the defense by the prosecution prior to trial. The defense has a responsibility to provide material too.

The case had been scheduled for a pre-trial hearing last month but that was postponed.

After the barber shop killing, Kirkland was involved in a shootout with police.

He was hiding in a car trunk, police told the driver to pop the trunk, and Kirkland emerged shooting at officers who returned fire, police have said.

Two officers were hit in the chest but spared serious injury by their bulletproof vests.

Kirkland was shot several times but survived.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Samuel Rady

Samuel T. Rady, 23, of Springfield, died Saturday. He was born in Rockville, Conn., and lived in Springfield most of his life. Rady graduated from Springfield Central High School and attended Springfield Technical Community College. He is survived by his parents Mark Rady and Barbara Alexander of Springfield, his brother Joshua and sisters, Erin and Cassandra, all of Springfield.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Briggs, Thomas M.
  



• 
  Burke, Joseph F.
  




• 
  Corley, Judith A. (Larivee)
  



• 
  Dion, Charles P.
  



• 
  Gagnon, Rita A.




• 
  Gardner, Carol A.
  



• 
  Griffin Jr., Patrick J.
  




• Guertin, Albert A. "Al"
  




• 
  Hebert, Shirley-Anne M.
  



• 
  Kingsley, Francine D. (Turner)




• 
  Lynch, Lydia T. (Maule)
  



• 
  Matta, Santos
  




• Perron, Leonora M. "Nora" (Mitchell)
  




• 
  Rady, Samuel T.
  



• 
  Richards, Claire L. (Croteau)




• 
  Riley, Anna M.
  



• 
  Simard, Theodore C.
  




• Smith, Raymond J.
  




• 
  Sokolowski Jr., Michael
  



• 
  Walton, Arlene L. (O'Neill)




• 
  Wright, Richard H.
  

Dominica Cermotan, of Moldova, said she was called up to the bridge of the ship after it struck the reef to translate evacuation instructions to Russian passengers.

By NICOLE WINFIELD
and ALISON MUTLER

ROME – A young Moldovan crew member who translated evacuation instructions from the bridge after the Costa Concordia ran into a reef emerged as a potential new witness Thursday in the investigation into the captain’s actions that fateful night.

Italian media have said prosecutors want to interview 25-year-old Dominica Cermotan, who had worked for Costa as a hostess but was not on duty when she boarded the ship Jan. 13 in the Roman port of Civitavecchia.

The $450 million Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew when it slammed into well-marked rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio after the captain made an unauthorized diversion Jan. 13 from his programmed route. The ship then keeled over on its side and is still half-submerged nearly a week later.

In interviews with Moldovan media and her own Facebook page, Cermotan said she was called up to the bridge of the Concordia after it struck the reef to translate evacuation instructions to Russian passengers. She defended Capt. Francesco Schettino, who has been vilified in the Italian media for leaving his ship before everyone was evacuated safely.

“He did a great thing, he saved over 3,000 lives,” she told Moldova’s Jurnal TV.

Schettino, who was jailed after he left the ship, is under house arrest, facing possible charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship.

Eleven people have been confirmed dead in the disaster and 21 others are still missing.

Divers resumed searching for the missing Thursday as a new audiotape emerged of the Concordia’s first communication with port officials who inquired about what was wrong. In the tape, an officer insists the ship had only experienced an electrical blackout – comments that came a full 30 minutes after the ship rammed violently into the reef.

Cermotan said on her Facebook page that she wasn’t on duty the night of the grounding but was with Schettino, other officers and the cruise director on the bridge. She said she was called up from dinner to help with translations of instructions for how the small number of Russian passengers should evacuate.

“We were looking for them, searching for them (the Russians),” she told Jurnal. “We heard them all crying, shouting in all languages.”

She said Schettino had stayed on deck until 11:50 p.m., when he ordered her into a lifeboat; the ship hit the reef at 9:45 p.m.

Prosecutor Francesco Verusio declined to comment on whether he was seeking Cermotan as a witness, citing the ongoing investigation.

Without providing her name, Costa said the woman was registered with the ship and that the company was prepared to provide to authorities both her identity and paperwork for the ticket.

Divers, meanwhile, were focusing on an evacuation route on ship’s fourth level, now about 60 feet below the water’s surface, where five bodies were found earlier this week, Navy spokesman Alessandro Busonero told Sky TG 24. Crews set off small explosions Thursday to blow holes into hard-to-reach areas for easier access by divers.

Also Thursday, seven of the dead were identified by authorities – four French passengers, one Spanish and one Italian passenger and one Peruvian crew member. Italian passenger Giovanni Masia, who news reports said would have turned 86 next week, was buried in Sardinia.

Italian authorities have identified 32 people who have either died or are missing: 12 Germans, seven Italians, six French, two Peruvians, two Americans and one person each from Hungary, India and Spain.

The ship’s sudden movement on the reef Wednesday had postponed the start of a weekslong operation to extract the half-million gallons of fuel on board the vessel. Italy’s environment minister issued a fresh warning Thursday about the implications if the ship shifts and breaks any of its now-intact oil tanks.

“We are very concerned” about the weather, minister Corrado Clini told Mediaset television. “If the tanks were to break, the fuel would block the sunlight from getting to the bottom of the sea, making a kind of film, and that would cause the death of the marine system.”

The area is very close to a marine sanctuary for dolphins, porposies and whales.

Crew members returning home have begun speaking out about the chaotic evacuation, saying the captain sounded the alarm too late and didn’t give orders or instructions about how to evacuate passengers. Eventually, crew members started lowering lifeboats on their own.

“They asked us to make announcements to say that it was electrical problems and that our technicians were working on it and to not panic,” French steward Thibault Francois told France-2 television Thursday. “I told myself this doesn’t sound good.”

He said the captain took too long to react and that eventually his boss told him to start escorting passengers to lifeboats. “No, there were no orders from the management,” he said.

Indian ship waiter Mukesh Kumar said “the emergency alarm was sounded very late,” only after the ship “started tilting and water started seeping” in.

He was one of four Indians flown to New Delhi on Thursday, the first to return out of 203 Indians aboard the Concordia.

“The ship shook for a while, and then the crockery stated falling all over,” said Indian Kandari Surjan Singh, who worked in the ship’s galley. “People started panicking. Then the captain ordered that everything is under control and said it was a normal electric fault ... so people calmed down after that.”

The ship’s operator, Crociere Costa SpA, has accused Schettino of causing the wreck by making the unapproved detour, and the captain has acknowledged carrying out what he called a “tourist navigation” that brought the ship closer to Giglio. The company had approved such a maneuver in August.

However, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a leading maritime publication, says its tracking showed that the ship’s August route actually took the Concordia slightly closer to Giglio than the course that caused Friday’s disaster.

Costa is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.

“I’m sure the report is not going to please everyone and I know there are those who oppose any form of wind energy notwithstanding the fact that it’s been a growing source of alternative energy around the world,” the governor said.

In this photo taken Nov. 12, 2011, wind turbines stand behind houses of the village of Feldheim near Berlin, Germany. This tiny village of 37 gray homes and farm buildings clustered along the main road in a windswept corner of rural eastern Germany seems an unlikely place for a revolution. Yet environmentalists, experts and politicians from El Salvador to Japan to South Africa have flocked here in the past year to learn how Feldheim, a village of just 145 people, is already putting into practice Germany's vision of a future powered entirely by renewable energy. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government passed legislation in June setting the country on course to generate a third of its power through renewable sources _ such as wind, solar, geothermal and bioenergy _ within a decade, reaching 80 percent by 2050, while creating jobs, increasing energy security and reducing harmful emissions.The goals are among the world's most ambitious, and expensive, and other industrialized nations from the U.S. to Japan are watching to see whether transforming into a nation powered by renewable energy sources can really work. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BOSTON - Facing criticism for a report from the Department of Public Health and Department of Environmental Protection on the health effects of wind turbines, Gov. Deval L. Patrick on Thursday defended his agencies for inviting expert and public opinions and said he respected the study’s findings.

“I’m sure the report is not going to please everyone and I know there are those who oppose any form of wind energy notwithstanding the fact that it’s been a growing source of alternative energy around the world,” Patrick told reporters after a ceremonial bill-signing for transgender rights legislation.

The Wind Turbine Impact Study found no scientific evidence or medical studies to prove that living near a wind turbine has adverse impacts on people’s health, though it acknowledged further study is needed to look at health impacts stemming from “annoyance” for residents who live near turbines.

Several coalitions, including Windwise ~ Massachusetts, called the findings “politically motivated” and called for an immediate epidemiological study.

“Our solution to our energy future is not going to depend on any one alternative,” Patrick said. “It’s going to depend on a mix of alternatives. I think what this report shows is that wind, in the right circumstances, can be an element in that mix.”

Fire officials said the chemical spill was contained inside a concrete basin and of little danger to the public.

SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Fire Department's hazardous materials team is on the scene of a chemical spill at the Solutia plant in Indian Orchard where roughly 60 gallons of a potentially flammable mixture leaked out of a holding tank, official said.

The spill was reported at 2:44 p.m.

Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said the spill was contained inside a concrete holding basin and there was little danger to the public.

Workers at the plant were not evacuated, he said.

The chemical mixture was made of ethanol, butanol and formaldehyde, and constituted what Leger called a flammable hazard.

The mixture was diluted with water until it was no longer flammable and then pumped into another tank, he said.

The leak was discovered by Solutia workers while conducting maintenance on a 25,000-gallon tank, Leger said. As the were transferring contents of the tank, they notices a gasket had on one of the tank's valves had failed and the chemical was spilling out.

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Appearing at a campaign event in South Carolina, Gingrich called the interview by his ex-wife Marianne Gingrich "tawdry and inappropriate," and refused to answer any questions about it.

By JAMES V. GRIMALDI | The Washington Post

File photo | Associated Press01.04.1995 | Incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia sits with his wife Marianne and mother Kathleen, left, during a church service in Washington. The GOP presidential candidate's ex-wife says Gingrich asked for an "open marriage" in which he could have both a wife and a mistress. (AP Photo/Denis Paquin)

WASHINGTON — Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich in 1999 asked his second wife for an “open marriage” or a divorce at the same time he was giving speeches around the country on family and religious values, his former wife, Marianne, told The Washington Post on Thursday.

Marianne Gingrich said she first heard from the former speaker about the divorce request while she was in her mother’s home on May 11, 1999, her mother’s 84th birthday.

Over the phone, as she was having dinner with her mother, Newt Gingrich said to her, “I want a divorce.”

Shocked, Marianne Gingrich replied: “Is there anybody else?” she recalled. “He was quiet. Within two seconds, when he didn’t immediately answer, I knew.”

The next day, Newt Gingrich gave a speech titled “The Demise of American Culture” to the Republican Women Leaders Forum in Erie, Pa., extolling the virtues of the founding fathers and criticizing liberal politicians for supporting tax increases, saying they hurt families and children.

“When a liberal talks about values, will he or she actually like us to teach American history?” Newt Gingrich told the women’s group. “Will they actually like young people to learn that George Washington was an ethical man? A man of standards, a man who earned the right to be father of this country?”

Appearing at a campaign event in South Carolina on Thursday, the former speaker called the interview by his ex-wife “tawdry and inappropriate,” and refused to answer any questions about it.

“I’m not going to say anything about Marianne,” he said, as his third wife Callista stood a few paces behind him.

Marianne Gingrich said she was speaking out for the first time this year because she wanted her story told from her point of view, rather than be depicted as the victim or suffer a whisper campaign by supporters of Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid.

“How could he ask me for a divorce on Monday and within 48 hours give a speech on family values and talk about how people treat people?” she said.

Asked about the timing of the revelations, she said she had had so many requests for interviews that “it was unavoidable.” She said that during a campaign season, “I knew I wouldn’t get through this year without” doing the interview.

The Gingrich campaign spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

In the four weeks after that 1999 phone call, Marianne and Newt Gingrich saw a counselor. During that time, he seemed to vacillate about what he wanted to do. Marianne Gingrich had learned the name of his then-paramour, Callista — now his wife — though Newt Gingrich never talked about her by name.

Newt Gingrich asked Marianne for an “open marriage” so that he could continue to see whoever he wanted. Marianne Gingrich, who had attended services in a Baptist church with Newt Gingrich, refused.

She said she decided to go public when she heard someone make derogatory comments about her on a radio program.

“Truthfully, my whole purpose was to get out there about who I was, so Newt couldn’t create me as an evil, awful person, which was starting to happen,” she said.

She talked on video for two hours to ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross, an edited version of which will be broadcast on Thursday night’s “Nightline,” and a transcript of which was released today. She laughed when told that some were reporting that she had a “bombshell,” and emphasized that many of her views of Newt Gingrich and his political positions are positive.

In anticipation of the interview, Newt Gingrich told NBC’s “Today” show that his divorce was a private matter. He said his daughters from his first marriage had written a letter to ABC News asking the network to spike the broadcast.

“Intruding into family things that are more than a decade old is simply wrong,” he told NBC.

Newt Gingrich has said that he has asked God for forgiveness, but Marianne Gingrich said he has not spoken to her since the divorce.

Washington Post staff writer Nia-Malika Henderson and researcher Alice Crites contributed to this report.

Troy Stremming, an executive at a company planning a casino for Springfield, said his company plans to close next week on a deal to buy land for a resort off Page Boulevard in the city.

File photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye / Associated PressStephen Crosby speaks as Gov. Deval L. Patrick looks on during a press conference at the Statehouse in Boston last month.

BOSTON - The leader of the state’s fledgling gaming commission Thursday said that there will be a lot of temptations in the casino licensing process and that corruption will be difficult to pinpoint and prevent.

"If we can do this without problems ... if we can do this without corruption ... if we can avoid terrible negatives, I will feel good," Stephen P. Crosby, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said while speaking to a gathering of an association of commercial real estate developers in Massachusetts, at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel.

Crosby said that is a modest aspiration but a lot of states haven't done that.

Crosby, 66, currently a dean at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, said the commission will be looking for employees with integrity and wisdom.

"How will our commission be able to know that every single step in the process is done in a pure and pristine fashion?" Crosby told reporters after his formal speech. "How will we ever know whether a selectman somewhere talks to somebody in a way they shouldn't?"

"It will be incredibly hard to assure the process is a really, really straight one," Crosby added. "But that's what we have to try to do. We have to try to figure out rules and regulations that make it clean."

Crosby spoke first at the event. After that, Troy Stremming, a senior vice president for Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas, which is proposing a casino for Springfield, was among several speakers.

Crosby said it will be nine to 18 months before the commission seeks bids for casino resorts. Crosby has said he doubted any applications will be sought during this year for casino resorts.

"This is going to be much more complicated than we ... I mean If you've got to read Casino Gambling For Dummies, it's going to take a while before you can put out an RFP, (a request for proposals)" Crosby joked.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanCrews work to clear the former Westinghouse Electric Co. property on Page Boulevard in Springfield.The site has been proposed for a possible casino and hotel by Ameristar Casinos Inc.

Crosby said that his step-son gave him the book for Christmas.

“I skimmed the whole thing,” Crosby told several reporters afterward. “It’s mostly about how to win at card games.”

Stremming, a leader of the company planning a casino for Springfield, told the group that his company expects to close on a deal next week to buy 41 acres off Page Boulevard for a casino. The company has said it will pay $16 million to buy the land from the O'Connell Development Group, which had anticipated a large retail project on the site of an old Westinghouse plant.

"We're committed to putting our flag in Springfield and moving forward in the process," Stremming said.

Ameristar is competing with several casino companies in Western Massachusetts. The authority that owns the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is proposing a casino for Palmer and MGM Resorts International of Las Vegas wants to build one in Brimfield.

Hard Rock International of Florida may select a site in a different community in Western Massachusetts, after its initial location in Holyoke ran into opposition from Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse. Penn National Gaming of Pennsylvania has also said it will propose a casino for Western Massachusetts.

"The more operators and the more proposals that are on the table, it's great for the commonwealth," Stremming said. "Competition is a good thing and we welcome it. We still believe we have the premier site in Western Massachusetts."

Two supporters of the proposed Palmer casino -- Jennifer Baruffaldi, a spokeswoman for Citizens for Jobs & Growth in Palmer and Robert A. Young , spokesman for Palmer Businesses for a Palmer Casino -- also attended the event.

"The competition shows how important it is for us to remain in the forefront," Baruffaldi said.

Stremming said a community that hosts a casino would benefit more than a surrounding community. Casino developers need to reach agreements with both host and surrounding communities as part of the application process for a license.

"There is a lot of opportunity for Springfield," he said. "I think that as the citizens of Springfield better understand the jobs and the impact it will have from a tax perspective and on the growth of additional business, I think they are going to want it in Springfield."

Police were called to the house by a home health-care aide who had stopped to check up on the elderly couple.

WESTFIELD - One woman is dead and a man being treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield after they were apparently overcome by carbon monoxide fumes in their home at 118 Elizabeth Ave., Westfield police said.

Police Lt. Paul Kousch said the two were found unresponsive inside their home shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday.

Police were called to the house by a home health-care aide who had stopped to check up on the couple, he said. Both were elderly, he said.

Their names were not being released until police could notify their family, he said.

The carbon monoxide fumes were likely due to a malfunction with the furnace, although Kousch said he did not know for sure.

The Westfield Police Detective Bureau and Westfield Fire Department were on scene Thursday evening trying to determine what happened.

Elizabeth Avenue is located off East Mountain Road in the north side of the city.

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Two other men still face murder charge.

SPRINGFIELD – One of three men charged with murder in the shooting of 24-year-old David Acevedo III has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Police photoJerel Brunson

Jerel L. Brunson, 19, of Springfield, was sentenced last week to a 13-16 year state prison sentence by Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder.

Cases of two other men charged with murder in the Jan. 26, 2011, killing are still pending. They are Daniel Rosa, 20, and Marcus Dixon, 21, both city men.

When Brunson pleaded guilty Jan. 12, both sides agreed to a written “stipulation of facts.”

The document said the state is proceeding on a joint venture theory, saying Brunson was armed with an illegal firearm and went with Daniel Rosa and another man for the purpose of shooting Acevedo.

“David Acevedo was in fact shot and killed,” it said.

The following is contained in the document:

Rosa was at the home of Eric Carraballo at 38 Riverton Road on the day of the shooting. Acevedo arrived and there was an argument between him and Rosa, and Rosa left.

Carraballo got a call from Rosa, who told him to come outside with Acevedo, and Carraballo said they were already outside.

Rosa called out to Acevedo, and Acevedo walked toward Rosa. Carraballo heard two gunshots coming from Denver Street near the top of the hill. He saw Brunson and Dixon there and they fired toward Carraballo and Acevedo.

Acevedo was frightened by the shots and told Carraballo to duck and started to run away.

Carraballo “heard another much louder, closer gun shot ... He looked and saw Daniel Rosa holding a gun pointed at David Acevedo. A blue bandanna was wrapped around part of the gun. He heard more shots. He then heard David Acevedo screaming, calling him.”

After the men left, Acevedo was dead from a gunshot wound in the back. Police have said since the shooting that the motive was money owed.

Submitted photo01.27.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - A family photo of murder victim David Acevedo III, shown here with his fiance Latisha Krassler.

Aletta Santos, Acevedo’s grandmother, said she raised him since he was 3 years old.

“The way David died being shot in the back, has given me so much pain. It is hard for me to get through this,” she said.

“He was on the right road for success,” she said, saying he cared about everyone, his family and all his friends.

Santos said when Acevedo’s son comes to her house, “Little David says to me, ‘I miss my daddy,”

“What can you say about the way his dad was killed that would make sense to him at his age,” she said of the 6-year-old.

Michael Acevedo, the victim’s brother, said David was also a best friend and a father figure, since their father died 14 years ago and his mother is dead.

“My dad is in an urn in a curio cabinet. My mom is also in the same curio cabinet. Now my brother is there. I come down the stairs and the first thing I see in my whole family in a curio cabinet. I have such and empty place in my heart,” he said.

Clear Channel was reportedly angry with comments the couple made to The Republican and MassLive. Watch video

The Republican/ Brian CanovaRadio personalities Kim Zachary and Dan Williams

Dan Williams and Kim Zachary will not be allowed to bid farewell to listeners of "The Dan and Kim Morning Show" after all.

WHYN-FM, Mix 93.1, had told the couple it would be ending "The Dan and Kim Morning Show" on Friday morning, something Williams and Zachary revealed on-air Tuesday after leaks appeared on a MassLive.com forum and were repeated on Facebook.

Williams and Zachary spoke with The Republican on Tuesday about their uncertain career plans and cost-cutting measures by the station's parent company, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. The news report was repeated on numerous websites including insideradio.com, allaccess.com, and the Dallas Morning News. Clear Channel is based in Texas.

According to local radio sources, a decision was made at corporate headquarters on Thursday afternoon to end "The Dan and Kim Morning Show" immediately, even though Friday's farewell program had been touted on Mix 93.1's Facebook page on Tuesday night.

All references to the couple have been deleted from Mix 93.1's official website.

Repeated calls to Clear Channel went unanswered.

Williams and Zachary, who remain on Clear Channel's payroll through March 31, refused to comment Thursday night,

"The Dan and Kim Morning Show" originally began on WHYN-AM, 560, in 1995 before switching over to the FM band in 1997. The couple married 10 years ago and have a 3-year-old daughter, Jillian.

Hundreds of messages have been posted via Facebook and a Keep Dan & Kim on the Mix Morning Show page has been set up.