The winners will be announced in New York this week.

Mira Bartok's "The Memory Palace" has been nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

AMHERST – Two area writers are among the 30 finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award that will be awarded this week in New York.

Mira Bartók, , of New Salem, is one of five nominated in the autobiography category with her best-selling “The Memory Palace,” which tells the story of her mother, a talented pianist, who had schizophrenia.

Aracelis Girmay, an assistant professor of poetry at Hampshire College, is nominated for poetry with her collection “Kingdom Animalia.”

Both writers explore memory and loss in their work.

Bartók, a musician, artist and writer, has authored dozens of children’s books.

She suffered a brain injury when her car was hit by a truck on the New York Thruway. That injury helped her better understand her mother. She has spoken and read at myriad local events.

On her website, she wrote of the award nomination, “It is an immense honor to be listed among such great writers as Diane Ackerman, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Jonathan Lethem, among others. Wow. Who would have believed it?”

Those writers have been nominated this year as well. Ackerman is among the nominees for autobiography.

In writing on the book critic circle’s blog, Susan Shapiro called “The Memory Palace” “a beautiful, poetic, emotionally harrowing memoir of love, loss and forgiveness.”

Girmay is the author of and “Teeth” and Winner of the 2011 Isabella Gardner Award, awarded biennially to a poet in midcareer with a new book of exceptional merit – in Girmay’s case, “Kingdom Animalia.”

She also has won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and is on the faculty of Drew University’s low-residency M.F.A. program.

She told New England Public Radio an interview, “Any time that anyone reads even a single poem, I feel so lucky and honored. They are giving minutes of their life. This (being nominated) was the farthest thing from anything I would have imagined. It was beyond my wildest hope or thought for the book.”

At Hampshire, she teaches two classes, one called “Poetry and Political Imagination” that looks at the “aspects of the relationship between poetry and the political landscapes of the 20th and 21st centuries” and “The Axe and the Sewing Machine: Methods of RE-membering (as Activism) in the Face of Dismemberment.”

That class, according to her description, looks at the “ways in which the practice of reading and writing poems engages with memory, research and loss.”

The winners will be announced Thursday evening in New York. Besides poetry and autobiography, awards are given in fiction, nonfiction, biography and criticism.

There are conflicting legal opinions on whether former City Councilor Patricia Devine can be appointed.

File photo | The RepublicanHolyoke Geriatric Authority

HOLYOKE – The Holyoke Geriatric Authority’s board of directors will meet Tuesday amid conflicting legal opinions on whether a former city councilor could become the board’s seventh member.

The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the authority at 45 Lower Westfield Road.

An opinion from a lawyer for the state Ethics Commission said former councilor Patricia C. Devine could be appointed, but the board’s lawyer said the appointment would violate state conflict of interest laws.

The numbers were welcome news to state budget writers, who were eyeing revenues heading into February that were nearly $100 million short of benchmarks.

BOSTON – State tax collections in February rose 8.5 percent over the same month a year ago and surpassed budget benchmarks by $38 million, the state Department of Revenue reported Monday.

The numbers were welcome news to state budget writers, who were eyeing revenues heading into February that were nearly $100 million short of benchmarks.

With four months left in the fiscal year, tax collections are up 2.5 percent from the same eight-month period in fiscal 2011 and are running $58 million below benchmark.

Withholding collections in February totaled $776 million, a 7.2 percent increase; income tax refunds of $408 million were up $30 million or 7.8 percent from a year ago; sales tax collections were up 8.6 percent for the month.

The income tax refunds were greater than state officials anticipated. Year-to-date sales tax collections, which include earmarks that support the MBTA and school construction efforts, are up 2.5 percent, or $84 million.

A private company is running the vocational school under state order.

Staff photo by Mark M.MurrayStudents examine a solar voltaic panel in a shop class at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke recently.

HOLYOKE – Leadership is among the areas of dispute between the school superintendent and the head of the company managing the city’s vocational school.

Superintendent David L. Dupont filed a report to the School Committee Feb. 27 that listed 23 areas of concern about the job that the Collaborative for Educational Services, of Northampton, has done in running Dean Technical High School since July.

Collaborative Executive Director Joan E. Schuman answered Dupont’s points during a school committee meeting last week.

The Collaborative is running Dean, at 1045 Main St., under state order because of the school’s chronically low scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests.

Here are details:

• Dupont: Identifying who was in charge of the school was a long-time problem for staff.
Schuman: Appointment of Jonathan Carter, a former Springfield schools employee, as principal on Jan. 23 has addressed that.

• Dupont: School leaders were focusing on operational, rather than instructional, matters.
Schuman: This was an issue early in the school year. By November, the Collaborative told school leaders to focus on instruction, with some operational issues turned over to a discipline subcommittee. Since early December, leaders have focused on things like literacy, use of data, having a supportive school culture and career-technical education.

• Dupont:Policies such as who is responsible for doing certain reports and monitoring certain areas are unclear to staff.
Schuman: This was probably the “most severe and unanticipated issue” the Collaborative faced. Plans are being enforced now for special education, English education and vocational-technical areas.

• Dupont: A lot of time had to be devoted to scheduling of the building in areas such as special education, course names and student placements.
Schuman: Scheduling is an ongoing job in a school, but the Collaborative had only four weeks to do student and teacher assignments before the school year began in September. Dean staff helped craft a schedule for the current year and scheduling has begun for the next school year, she said.

• Dupont: Concerns arose about teacher and paraprofessional assignments.
Schuman: The Collaborative had to reassign staff to ensure the school complied with legal requirements. For example, regulations regarding student-teacher ratios for special-needs students had to be followed.

• Dupont: “Several educators” showed lack of rigor and high expectations, and there was little evidence this has been monitored and addressed.
Schuman: Previous years’ reviews have identified this as a problem before the Collaborative began. Nineteen new teachers and staff have been hired so far. It is expected that teachers who fail to provide challenging education will not be at Dean next year, she said.

• Dupont: Data entry into computers has been done incorrectly, resulting in problems.
Schuman: Nothing has changed in terms of data entry. The Collaborative needs to know specifics to address problems.

• Dupont: Enforcement of school rules and policies has been inconsistent.
Schuman: The Collaborative determined the school suffered from a lack of willingness to hold staff accountable. A new principal with firmer policies should address that.

Federal and other grants will pay the company $1,012,000 a year for three years, officials said.

The latest Western New England University poll reveals which traits voters associate with Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren.

A new Western New England University poll revealed that In terms of perceived ideology of the candidates, 41 percent see Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown as somewhat or very conservative, while 41 percent see Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren as somewhat or very liberal. (AP file photos)

SPRINGFIELD -A new Western New England University poll revealed that in terms of perceived ideology of the candidates, 41 percent see Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown as somewhat or very conservative, while 41 percent see Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren as somewhat or very liberal.

In the battle for the middle of the voter spectrum, the poll placed Brown over Warren, 26 percent to 9 percent.

The poll, conducted by the university's polling institute through a partnership with The Republican and MassLive.com, surveyed 527registered voters across the state and has a 4.3 percent margin of error.

Data from the same poll which was released on Sunday revealed that Brown is holding an 8 point lead over Warren, with 49 percent of those surveyed saying they would vote for him if the election was held today.

And although some people have their mind made up about who is the liberal or conservative in the race, many have not. For Brown, 26 percent of those surveyed said they don't know how to classify him while 41 percent said the same thing about Warren.

Complete coverage of the Western New England University poll

A look at the traits framing the U.S. Senate Race in Massachusetts

Has The Best Ideas For Creating Jobs in Massachusetts

Has The Best Ideas To Improve Health Care


Will Be Tougher On Wall Street


Can Work With Senators From Both Parties To Solve Problems


Cares More About People Like You


Is Honest and Trustworthy


Has the Experience to Effectively Represent Massachusetts In Washington






Follow Robert Rizzuto on Twitter

"We know from political science research that ideology is a hard concept for some people, which is why we offered the explicit don't know response on this question," said Tim Vercellotti, associate professor of political science and director of the Polling Institute at Western New England University. "That helps to explain the high percentage of don't know, but it also speaks to how undefined the candidates, especially Warren are to many voters."

Roughly similar percentages of those surveyed said they view Brown and Warren as honest and trustworthy, with men viewing Brown more favorably and women viewing Warren more favorably. There is also a more even split between affirmative responses for the candidates as education increases. Responding highest for Brown were 42 percent of those with a high school diploma or less education compared to college graduates who responded highest for Warren with 34 percent.

In terms of experience, Brown led Warren 47 percent to 29 percent with 8 percent of those surveyed saying they both are aptly prepared to represent Massachusetts in Washington D.C. Outside of their respective parties, 24 percent of Democrats said Brown has the necessary experience and only 2 percent of Republicans said Warren does.

When those surveyed were asked which candidate "cares more about people like you," Warren ruled with 41 percent compared to Brown's 35 percent, a conclusion which Vercellotti said was not surprising.

"The Democratic Party generally seems to have an edge when it comes to perceptions of empathy," Vercellotti said. "Independent voters, however, side with Brown on this issue, and that is a warning sign for Warren. Brown has success in projecting an "everyman" image, and his strong standing with independents on this question may reflect that."

Brown's ranking as the second-most bipartisan senator in a Congressional Quarterly study may have resonated with voters as a plurality of 45 percent said he was better suited to work with senators from both parties to solve problems compared to Warren with 26 percent.

On economic issues in Massachusetts, 36 percent said Brown has the best ideas to create jobs while 27 percent said Warren does. But with 28 percent of those surveyed saying they don't know who has the best ideas for job creation, it shows that as the candidates publicize their proposals further over the coming months, the issue could go to either of them.

This bar graph shows in percent whether more Republicans, Democrats and Independents think Scott Brown or Elizabeth Warren has the best ideas for creating jobs in Massachusetts. (Mandy Hofmockel/MassLive.com)

And perhaps to no surprise considering her rise to national prominence helping create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Warren is perceived to be tougher than Brown on Wall Street by a margin of almost two to one.

"This is one area where Warren bests Brown when it comes to independents, and she also erases the gender gap on this issue," Vercellotti said. "With the exception of Republicans, Warren is perceived a likely to be tougher by every other demographic group. The question remains whether this will be a salient issue in the fall campaign."

Warren has a strong advantage on health care as well, and runs roughly even with Brown on this issue among independent voters.

"She's got an 18-point edge among women, which may or may not reflect some fallout from the debate over the Blunt amendment, but it's hard to tell without a direct question measuring perceptions on that specific issue," Vercellotti said. "The high percentage of don't knows, however, suggests this is another issue where each candidate can make some gains if they decide to focus in this area."

This bar graph shows in percent whether more Republicans, Democrats and Independents think Scott Brown or Elizabeth Warren has the best ideas to improve health care. (Mandy Hofmockel/MassLive.com)

Western New England University Press Release: Results of Scott Brown / Elizabeth Warren Poll

The conference will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.on March 12 at the college at 303 Homestead Ave.

HOLYOKE – Employers can get tips about retaining and recruiting good workers at a Holyoke Community College conference March 12.

The Western Massachusetts Employer Summit will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development at the college, 303 Homestead Ave.

The conference is being presented by Training and Workforce Options (TWO), a workforce program operated by HCC and Springfield Technical Community College, a press release said.

The main speaker will be Margaret McMullen, a professional trainer and specialist in management of employees of different generations.

The conference also will have a panel discussion consisting of employers and employees, a workshop on attracting and retaining talent and another focusing on services the region has to offer employers, the press release said.

Such a conference with details about maintaining and changing staffs is what employers need to keep their work force’s strong, said Doris N. Ransford, president of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s far easier to keep good people than it is to go out and recruit new ones. Keeping employees happy – that’s important,” Ransford said in a phone interview Monday.

The conference cost is $99.

Registrations are accepted by visitinghcc.edu/conference. For information call (413) 552-2500.

Southwick Police Officer Michael Westcott was hospitalized after Geschwind, who allegedly was drunk and speeding, slammed into the officer's cruiser in a pickup truck. Geschwind has a previous OUI charge on his driving record, according to a published report.

SOUTHWICK – Despite a history of operating under the influence of alcohol, a Westfield District Court judge released Michael D. Geschwind, 22, of 132 Granby Road, Granville, without bail in connection with a Monday morning crash involving Geschwind's pickup truck and a Southwick police cruiser.

The 12:35 a.m. collision injured Officer Michael A. Westcott, who was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and later released, according to Southwick Police Lt. David A. Ricardi.

Geschwind was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to charges of OUI, negligent operation, speeding and failure to obey a stop sign. A judge ordered him to submit to random alcohol screening and to return for an April 13 pretrial hearing, according to abc40, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.

Ricardi said Westcott had to be pulled from his cruiser after Geschwind slammed into the vehicle while driving a Ford F350 pickup truck. Geschwind was driving northbound on Sheep Pasture Road "well above the posted speed limit of 35 mph," Ricardi said.

Ricardi said Geschwind blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Sheep Pasture Road and Depot Street and collided with Westcott's cruiser, which was eastbound on Depot Street.

According to abc40, Geschwind was previously charged with OUI in 2007. The disposition of that case was not immediately known.

It was unclear if prosecutors requested bail in Geschwind's latest OUI case. The primary reason for bail is to ensure that a defendant returns to court, although judges do have discretion to set bail even if no request is made by prosecutors.

Other possible reasons for ordering bail include a defendant's criminal record, including past convictions, and whether a defendant poses a flight risk or has a history of skipping court dates.

Jose L. Zengotita, a 58-year-old homeless man, and Wilson Roche-Robles, a 41-year-old resident of Rosary Towers, will each face single counts of assault with a dangerous weapon at their arraignments in Holyoke District Court.

File photo | The Republican

HOLYOKE – Two men were charged with assault with dangerous weapons in connection with separate incidents Monday, according to Holyoke Police Department records.

Details of the cases were not immediately available, but Jose L. Zengotita, a 58-year-old homeless man, and Wilson Roche-Robles, a 41-year-old Bowers Street resident, were each charged with single counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Zengotita was arrested at 5:13 p.m. at Amicol Grocery, 518 High St., and Roche-Robles was arrested at Rosary Towers, 21 Bowers St., at 6:01 p.m., according to police records.

Zengotita and Roche-Robles, who lives in Apt. 607 at Rosary Towers, were expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Holyoke District Court. Further information was not immediately available.

Republicans are hoping that a big Super Tuesday win in the state for former Gov. Mitt Romney could put Massachusetts, normally a lock for Democrats, up for grabs in November.

The Associated PressAnn Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, laughs with him as he speaks at a town hall meeting at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown, Ohio, Monday, March 5, 2012.

BOSTON — Massachusetts voters are nominating candidates in three presidential primary contests Tuesday, but the most closely watched race is on the Republican ballot.

Republicans are hoping that a big Super Tuesday win in the state for former Gov. Mitt Romney could put Massachusetts, normally a lock for Democrats, up for grabs in November.

Polls show Romney with a commanding lead among GOP primary voters here. His Republican challengers — Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich — have put little money or effort into the state.

But those same polls show Romney trailing President Barack Obama by double digits in a state that has traditionally shunned Republican presidential candidates.

Massachusetts Republicans are hoping that Romney will be able to buck that trend by reeling in voters in the state he governed for four years.

"He'll put Massachusetts in play," said state Republican Party Chairman Bob Maginn.

Regardless of what happens in November, Massachusetts and the bulk of its 41 delegates should be an easy victory for Romney in the primary.

Massachusetts is not a winner-take-all state. Party rules require that a candidate receive at least 15 percent of the vote in any of the state's nine new congressional districts to receive any delegates.

Romney has spent little time in Massachusetts but is returning Tuesday to cast his ballot.

Romney will be voting at a senior center in Belmont. Romney and his wife Ann own a condominium in the Boston suburb, where the couple raised their family. They sold the family's house in 2009.

Romney is then planning to address supporters Tuesday night at the Westin Copley Place hotel in Boston as the Super Tuesday results pour in.

One recent poll showed Romney drawing support from about 64 percent of the GOP primary voters in Massachusetts compared to Santorum with 16 percent, Paul with 7 percent, Gingrich with 6 percent and 6 percent undecided.

Even though Obama is uncontested on the primary ballot, Massachusetts Democrats are hoping to use Tuesday's contest to build support for the general election.

Obama campaign officials say volunteers have been holding phone banks, canvassing neighborhoods and hosting house parties to reach out to voters as they work to build their campaign infrastructure for November.

Massachusetts Democrats are also using the primary as a chance to take a whack or two at Romney.

"When he ran for governor 10 years ago he made the same hollow promises that his business background would translate into job growth," Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh said Monday. "Mitt Romney wasn't very good at generating jobs and he didn't work very hard at it."

Republicans see Romney's record as governor as a core strength for the candidate.

"I think most people who take a look at his record would say he came into a state with a $3 billion deficit, turned it around to the tune of $5 billion and left us with a $2 billion rainy day fund," said Maginn.

Despite his deep ties to his adopted state, Romney has a tough climb to victory in November. The last Republican presidential candidate to win Massachusetts was Ronald Reagan.

Another recent poll found Romney trailing Obama in a head-to-head matchup with Obama receiving the support of 60 percent of voters compared to 36 percent for Romney.

Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is predicting a turnout of between 300,000 and 400,000 on the Republican side and less than 200,000 for the uncontested Democratic ballot.

In Massachusetts only enrolled and independent voters can cast votes in each party's ballot. Registered Democrats cannot cross lines and vote in the Republican primary.

Polls close at 8 p.m.

Ken Soto and Edwin Rojas, the father of homicide victim Jessica Rojas, were charged after attempting to assault Jose Santiago, the man accused in the stabbing the death of the 25-year-old Springfield woman.

Jose C. Santiago, 30, is accused of killing Jessica Rojas, 25, on Saturday in Springfield's North End.

SPRINGFIELD – City police said two men, including the father of homicide victim Jessica Rojas, have been charged in connection with a courtroom outburst at the arraignment of José Santiago, the estranged boyfriend and accused killer of the 25-year-old woman.

Videos, including this one shot by abc40, media partner of The Republican and MassLive, captured the drama as the men attempted to assault the defendant after he was led into Springfield District Court on Monday to be arraigned in connection with Saturday's killing. One of the men delivered a few punches to Santiago before court officers pounced on him.

Santiago is accused of stabbing Rojas, his on-and-off girlfriend, multiple times at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday at Rojas' Washburn Street home in the Brightwood section of the city's North End. Just a few hours earlier, Rojas had celebrated her 25th birthday with family and friends at a Springfield nightclub, according to her family.

Edwin Rojas, 46, the homicide victim's father, and Kenneth Soto, 42, whose relationship to Jessica Rojas was not immediately known, were arraigned late Monday afternoon, Springfield Police Lt. James Rosso said. Edwin Rojas was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, while Soto was charged with assault and battery on a public employee and disturbing court while in session.

VIDEO by abc40 of Monday's disturbance during the murder arraignment of Jose Santiago:

It was unclear which one of the men was captured on video punching Santiago, who was quickly ushered out of the room by Massachusetts Trial Court officers. Several court officers had to subdue Rojas and Soto, who were wrestled to the floor, handcuffed and removed from the courtroom. The disturbance delayed the arraignment of Santiago, who was held without bail after denying a murder charge.

Law enforcement officials said Santiago was wanted for a parole violation in Connecticut at the time of his arrest Monday in Springfield, but local police were unable to specify the underlying charges in the Connecticut case. Springfield Police Capt. Peter Dillon said he believed the charges stemmed from a Bridgeport case. That could not immediately be confirmed.

Jessica Rojas, a mother of four who worked at Springfield City Hall, was Springfield's third murder victim this year. Her death stunned her friends and family, who erected a makeshift memorial with balloons, candles and messages outside her home at 132 Washburn St. in the Brightwood section of the city.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who said he knew the woman even though she had only worked at City Hall for a short time, offered his condolences and predicted homicide detectives would hunt down and catch Rojas' killer. That prediction turned out to be accurate when detectives spotted Santiago attempting to enter Baystate Medical Center around 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney told abc40 that Santiago may have gone to the hospital for psychiatric treatment. "It was told to me that he may have been trying to go into the psych unit there to check himself in," Delaney said.

Abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist said weather should not prove to be a factor here in Super Tuesday turnout.

The Republican | John Suchocki03.06.2012 | HOLYOKE - James Ryan casts his vote in ward 4B at the St. Paul's Church..

SPRINGFIELD - Weather should not prove to be a factor in Western Massachusetts as voters head to the polls to participate in Super Tuesday.

“It should be fine for the polls today,” abc40 / Fox 6 meteorologist Dan Brown said. “Weather will not be an excuse not to go.”

Polling places in most Western Massachusetts cities and town are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Massachusetts is one of ten states voting in Super Tuesday contests. Polls, according to the Associate Press, indicate that former Gov. Mitt Romney has a significant lead here over his Republican challengers Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

Brown said this morning’s chilly temperatures will climb into the upper 30s this afternoon.

That warm-up continues Wednesday with temperatures expected to hit the mid-50s and on Thursday with highs expected in the low- to mid-60s, Brown said.

Another primary day is upon us — this one with significant contests across the country that could narrow the GOP presidential field — and MassLive.com wants to hear from you.

The latest Western New England University poll showed that in Massachusetts, President Barack Obama holds a sizable lead over former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. (Republican file photos by Brian Canova)

Another primary day is upon us — this one with significant contests across the country that could narrow the GOP presidential field — and MassLive.com wants to hear from you.

Will you be turning out to vote today? If so, why and which candidates will you choose?

If not, why not?

Let us know in the comment section below whether you think Massachusetts' primary will be a significant factor when it comes to narrowing the GOP presidential field.

Are there any heated local races you think deserve attention? Let us know about those too.

We'll check in later this afternoon to work on a reaction post about the best responses from commenters.

a href="http://topics.masslive.com/tag/rick-santorum/index.html">Rick Santorum is facing a crucial test in Ohio, where he's drawing upon his working-class background and underdog image to try to stop Mitt Romney from scoring a pivotal victory in Super Tuesday's premier contest.

The Associated Press

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Rick Santorum is facing a crucial test in Ohio, where he's drawing upon his working-class background and underdog image to try to stop Mitt Romney from scoring a pivotal victory in Super Tuesday's premier contest.

An unapologetic social conservative, Santorum has cast the race in Biblical terms: He's David vs. Romney's Goliath. Even that "is probably a little bit of an understatement," Santorum said Monday.

The former senator from neighboring Pennsylvania has a shell of a campaign in Ohio, with no state headquarters and a barebones staff. In Romney he faces a challenger who enjoys a massive cash advantage and a political machine that's produced high-stakes victories in other states when his front-runner status was in doubt.

Santorum expects to be competitive in several states Tuesday — Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgia among them. But Ohio voters, perhaps more than any others among the 10 states voting on this Super Tuesday, may shape the fate of his campaign.

A Santorum victory could reshuffle the Republican contest, sending a powerful message that Romney's grasp on his party's nomination is by no means assured. A loss in Ohio, where Santorum has devoted much of his time and resources, may have lasting consequences.

Santorum will spend Tuesday night watching returns in Steubenville, an eastern Ohio town just a 90-minute drive from his own Pennsylvania hometown.

On Monday, Santorum largely set his aggressive social agenda aside and focused on his plans to revitalize the nation's manufacturing sector, while reminding voters across Ohio about his family's blue-collar roots. But as public polls showed a tightening race, Santorum's team also sought to lower expectations.

"This fight will continue and it's going to go on for a long time after this," a Santorum supporter, state Attorney General Mike DeWine, said on the eve of the election. "We're going to fight state to state. I think Rick is going to win ... but it's going to be a close race."

Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo is offering a preview of a proposed health care bill that lawmakers will debate later this year.

File photo The RepublicanRobert A. DeLeo

BOSTON — Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo is offering a preview of a proposed health care bill that lawmakers will debate later this year.

In a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, DeLeo said the goal of the House bill would be to reduce annual growth in health care costs to 3.7 percent, matching the state's current economic growth rate.

DeLeo said health care costs have been growing at an annual rate of between 6.7 and 8 percent annually.

The speaker told the gathering of business leaders the House proposal will make "aggressive" changes to make the state's $70 billion health care industry more transparent and give consumers and businesses more ability to make informed choices. He did not say when the plan would come up for a vote.

A 48-year-old Massachusetts man and his daughter are being held in an upstate New York jail after state police say the pair was found with marijuana-laced hard candy after they were pulled over.

Associated PressA marijuana plant is grown under lights at the Boulder County Caregivers in Boulder, Colo. on Friday, July 24, 2009.

COXSACKIE, N.Y. — A 48-year-old Massachusetts man and his daughter are being held in an upstate New York jail after state police say the pair was found with marijuana-laced hard candy after they were pulled over.

Officials say troopers stopped Gary Fox of Reading, Mass., on Monday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 87 in the town of Coxsackie (kuk-SAHK'-ee), 20 miles south of Albany.

Troopers say they found more than a pound of marijuana and about 40 pounds of hard candy laced with concentrated cannabis inside the vehicle. Police say the candy was packaged in bags separated by flavor, which included butter rum, cherry, coffee, orange, root beer and sour apple.

Both were charged with drug possession and are being held in the county jail. Information on their lawyers wasn't available.

Pittsfield's Kevin O'Hara, arguably the "greenest" guy in the Berkshires, is tapped for a national Irish award, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum roll up their sleeves when wooing blue-collar voters, and more morning headlines.

AP Photo/The Daily News-Record, Justin FallsIn this recent AP photo, Mary Bono uses a handmade wooden mallet and wooden shims to split a log as she competes against two other women during the 41st annual Virginia State Championship Rail Splitting and Wood Arts Competition, which was held last month at The Country Place in Luray, Va.

• Super Tuesday: Votes in key states could reshape GOP race for presidential nomination [Boston.com]


• Conservative columnist George Will claims Republicans are chicken when it comes to reeling in Rush Limbaugh [LATimes.com]


• Pittsfield author Kevin O'Hara fetches national Irish award [BerkshireEagle.com]


• Republican Scott Brown's surging poll numbers rattle some Democrats' confidence in Mass. Senate race [Boston.com]


• Investigation into Enfield factory fire reveals that hot metal ignited sawdust [Courant.com]


• Fitchburg family charged with killing man last summer [Boston.com]


• GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum woo blue-collar workers [NYTimes.com]


• Demand for 'iPad 3' soars ahead of launch event [WashingtonPost.com]


• Republicans, weary of long primary season, eager for presidential candidate [LATimes.com]




A BUZZER-BEATER SHOT in a high school basketball game unleashes a spirited celebration by a play-by-play broadcaster, who shrieks and squeals with delight:




• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Gingrich's victory was his first since he captured the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Tuesday, March 6, 2012, in Huntsville, Ala. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich has won the Republican presidential primary in his home state of Georgia. Mitt Romney moved ahead in Virginia and Vermont as Republican presidential rivals battled coast to coast in a 10-state Super Tuesday showdown.

More than 400 delegates were at stake on the busiest day by far of the race to pick an opponent to President Barack Obama in the fall.

Gingrich's victory was his first since he captured the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21, and he said it would propel him on yet another comeback in a race where he has faded badly over the past six weeks.

Rick Santorum sought to sustain his recent resurgence, and Ron Paul campaigned for his first victory of the year on a day hosting seven primaries and three caucuses.

Brown has actually not endorsed any legislative candidates at this stage in the 2012 election.

State Rep. Paul Adams agreed to remove an old endorsement from republican U.S. Sen Scott Brown from his campaign website. (Photo courtesy of Adams' campaign website)

By Matt Murphy, State House News Service

BOSTON - The campaign website for Rep. Paul Adams lists only one endorsement of his young bid for the state Senate - that of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

The only problem is that Brown’s campaign said the junior senator, embroiled in his own re-election contest, has not endorsed the freshman Republican for state Senate.

When asked whether Brown had endorsed Adams this cycle, a spokesman for Brown’s campaign responded in an email to say, “No, he has not.”

Brown has actually not endorsed any legislative candidates at this stage in the 2012 election, and Adams is facing a possible primary challenge from Andover Selectman Alexander Vispoli.

Reached by phone, Adams told the News Service that his website was in the process of being “overhauled” and that the listed Brown endorsement was a remnant from his 2010 campaign for state representative.

“I’m glad you brought it to my attention,” Adams said. “That was an endorsement from my state rep campaign in 2010 and my website is in the process of being overhauled. We will be taking it down.”

Visitors to the website www.votepauladams.com could actually click through the endorsement page to find a press release from September 2010 announcing Brown’s endorsement for Adams during that election. Adams called it an oversight that Brown’s name was still on the site.

Adams, an Andover Republican, has decided to challenge state Sen. Barry Finegold in 2012 rather than run against fellow Republican Rep. Jim Lyons or run in a reconfigured open House district centered in Lawrence, a Democratic stronghold.

Adams has also been dogged in past months over allegations of campaign finance violations, agreeing with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to pay fines over questions about whether he exceeded contribution limits by accepting nearly $40,000 from his parents and brother as a gift, and then loaning much of that money to his campaign.

Adams also told the Eagle Tribune on Monday that he had no idea his family had given $30,000 to the Marlborough Republican Town Committee in 2010, which in turn used the money to purchase six anonymous campaign fliers for Adams. Adams’ father, with whom Adams was living during the race, served as his campaign treasurer.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party asked OCPF to investigate the donations to the Marlborough Republican Town Committee to see if any laws were violated in an attempt to disguise campaign contributions.

State campaign finance law permits individuals to ask the committees to spend their donations on specified candidates, but does not require committees to oblige.

Adams told the Eagle Tribune he would not oppose a similar exchange between his family and the Marlborough Republican committee this cycle. He declined to elaborate on the interview with the News Service.

In all, more than 400 delegates were at stake on the night.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signs a poster after voting in the Massachusetts primary in Belmont, Mass., Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney rolled to primary victories in Virginia, Vermont and home-state Massachusetts on Super Tuesday, reaching for a decisive advantage over his persistent rivals in the most turbulent race for the Republican presidential nomination in a generation.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich countered with a home-field win in Georgia as the GOP contenders vied for the chance to take on Democratic President Barack Obama in November.

Romney also dueled Rick Santorum in Ohio, their second industrial-state showdown in as many weeks and the marquee matchup of the busiest night of the race.

Santorum and the fourth contender, Rep. Ron Paul, sought success elsewhere, with contests stretching across the country and more than 400 Republican National Convention delegates at stake.

Win or lose there, Romney said "I think we'll pick up a lot of delegates, and this is a process of gathering enough delegates to become the nominee and I think we're on track to have that happen."

There were primaries in Tennessee and Oklahoma as well as Virginia, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts and Georgia. Caucuses in North Dakota, Idaho and Alaska rounded out the calendar.

The candidate many voters are looking for has Mitt Romney's economic cred, Rick Santorum's heartfelt conservatism and Newt Gingrich's intellect.

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Voters at Super Tuesday precincts drew a composite sketch, of sorts, of the Republican candidate they'd most like to have to challenge President Barack Obama in the fall. He'd possess Mitt Romney's economic cred, Rick Santorum's heartfelt conservatism and Newt Gingrich's intellect.

Or, he would just be Ronald Reagan instead.

Not everyone who came out to churches, schools and rec centers was brimming with confidence about Republican chances once the party has its nominee. In a bruising campaign pocked with attack ads, the flaws of the hopefuls were in stark relief.

Robert G. Reed, 76, of Anderson Township in suburban Cincinnati, summed up the minuses as he sees them, practically in one breath: "Romney is too rich, Santorum is too religious, Ron Paul is too old, and I just don't like Gingrich." Reed, an independent who is retired from working on gas lines, voted for Santorum anyway.

Robert Buckner, 37, a property manager from Marietta, Ga., was torn between Gingrich, because he refuses to conform, and Romney, for "his silver tongue," and wished he could have picked some of both. He settled for Gingrich, the Georgian.

"If we could take Newt and Mitt Romney and put them together," he said, "we'd be great."

But at a church precinct in Fayetteville, Ga., not-so-glum businessman Glenn Valencia spoke as if reading from Romney's playbook in characterizing what the former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist has to offer the party and the country.

"You compare Obama with Romney — Obama big spender, community organizer," he said. "Romney — business organizer, wealth builder, a guy who knows how to make money and has done well, and that's what he's done for a profession, is turn around companies. And that's what we need to do, is turn around the economy."

Still, in suburbs across Ohio, the most fiercely contested state Tuesday, voters spoke of the "painful" campaign and the toll it could take on the eventual nominee.

"I haven't liked the way they've dismembered each other," said Barry Hunter, 65, a retired pharmaceutical-company manager in Dublin, outside Columbus. "They've all been pretty cutthroat." He backed Gingrich.

In suburban Cleveland, Matt Howells, 52, a contractor and Santorum voter, worried that the rivals have merely managed to harm Republican prospects in November with all that negativity. "They really have an uphill battle," he said. "I really don't see a Republican winning the White House. I see it going down as Obama again."

Similar worries were heard in some of the nine other states where people voted or caucused Tuesday.

In Edmond, Okla., Tricia Tetreault, 49, voted for Gingrich, whom she considered the best in a humdrum field. It was enough to make her pine for the Grand Old Party's good old days.

"Ronald Reagan isn't available anymore," she lamented. "What can I say?"

But Romney appealed to Heather Froelich, 40, of Westerville just outside of Columbus. She's a registered Republican and textbook editor who survived layoffs in December but saw some of her friends lose their jobs. "I know that he understands the economy," she said. "He has the right experience and values."

She likes him, too, which she can't say about others in the race.

"Santorum just bores me to tears," she said. And "I don't like Gingrich's whole approach, the way he comes across, his personal life."

At an elementary school in suburban North Royalton near Cleveland, aircraft mechanic Mike Reardon went with his gut — Santorum — even though his head might have told him Romney's got the best shot for Republicans in the fall. "I think he's a good conservative," he said of Santorum. "I don't know if he would be the best to go up against Obama, but he's my personal favorite."

In Savannah, Ga., bed-and-breakfast operator Bill Saxman, 69, went into the precinct undecided between Gingrich and Santorum, and chose the latter.

"I just went in there and said, 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe,'" Saxman said. "And Santorum came up as moe."

Richard Lugo, 39, who runs a business management company in Savannah and once supported Obama, settled on Romney for his business savvy. It wasn't the most satisfying exercise.

"When you've got a sack full of apples and all of them are kind of tarnished, somehow you've got to find the one you can eat," he said.

Cathy McDevitt, 52, a Westerville doctor who describes herself as a moderate Republican, voted for Paul because he's the only "peace candidate." But she imagines she'll back Romney in the presidential election if he becomes the candidate — despite voting for Obama in 2008.

"I feel that he has just been ineffective as a leader, in terms of runaway spending," she said of Obama. "I think that the U.S. economy doesn't have a chance as long as stuff like that continues. And I think that Mitt Romney is somebody who might be able to start turning that around."

Not all who voted in GOP primaries had the party's interests at heart. Wayne Renardson, 69, a retired jazz musician in Nashville and "political animal," voted for Santorum "because he's the easiest to beat" for Obama. "The Republicans are absolute clowns — all of 'em," he said before hopping on a motorcycle and riding away.

At various precincts around the country, people had nice things to say about Gingrich's intelligence and his taste for big ideas. But there was plenty of talk, too, about baggage, which prominently includes his acknowledgments of past marital infidelity.

At an Atlanta precinct where she voted for Romney, Lena Sisselman, 96, summed up those concerns about Gingrich more pointedly than most.

"I think Gingrich is a smart man, but he's out of place," she said. "And I think he hadn't known how to zip up his pants."