Through the efforts of the Monson Lacrosse Association, the high school has had a varsity program for the past two years.

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanMembers of the girls lacrosse team at Monson High School battle with their counterparts from East Longmeadow during a game last month. Going for this loose ball are Monson's Rachel Smith, (4), Jessie Egan, and East Longmeadow's Becca Moses.

MONSON - Supporters of the lacrosse program pleaded with the School Committee earlier this week to keep the sport, which was supposed to be funded by the School Department for the first time next year.

For the past two years, the sport has been funded by the Monson Lacrosse Association.

But this year, due to budget problems, lacrosse has been on the chopping block. Cutting it would save approximately $15,000.

School Committee Chairman Jeffrey D. Lord said in a follow-up interview that most likely, the sport that would be affected by the cut to the athletic budget would be lacrosse.

"Unfortunately for us, our financial situation is no better than it was two years ago," Lord said. "Extracurricular is just that. We can't even fund our curriculum appropriately."

"You can't expect above average schools with below average funding," Lord added.

Lord said cuts include $50,000 to the technology budget, and the loss of a gifted and talented teacher at Quarry Hill Community School, which would eliminate the program that approximately 45 pupils participated in this past year.

Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said approximately 40 students play on the varsity boys and girls teams for the high school.

"Officially, no athletic program has been cut," Dardenne said.

Still, because lacrosse was mentioned as a possibility, that caused numerous parents and students to go to the committee's meeting and make their case for keeping the sport.

Lord noted that the lacrosse association "shouldered a big burden for two years," raising nearly $30,000 to keep the program going. Without its help, the high school never would have had a program because the district would not have been able to fund it, Lord said.

Meredith A. Magill, whose seventh grade son plays lacrosse, said all the students are upset about the potential loss of lacrosse. Cutting the program is not fair to them, she said. There are a total of 150 players, with some as young as kindergarten. The younger students are on club teams, all of which are funded by the association.

"In this day and age, where so few parents are involved with their children's sports and academics, your decision too arbitrarily axe the lacrosse program was a severe blow to those parents who have nurtured the lacrosse program since its infancy," Magill wrote in a letter to the School Committee.

At the meeting, Lauren Smith, the varsity girls lacrosse coach, asked why the Monson Lacrosse Association was not informed that lacrosse would not be funded. She said cutting the sport would be a "big mistake."

"What will it take to keep lacrosse at Monson High School?" she asked.

David Kinsley, of Gates Street, said the committee could find the money to make the sport happen.

"This is for our children," Kinsley said.

Lord implored all those in attendance to go to the annual Town Meeting on Monday at Granite Valley Middle School, and fight for more money for the schools. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

The school budget for fiscal 2013 is $10.268 million, up from last year's budget of $9.916 million; that does not include an additional $450,000 that was added later through extra funding, such as the jobs bill, Dardenne said.

Also on the warrant is a request to borrow $3.4 million to build a new Town Building/Police Station to replace the one at 110 Main St. that was damaged by the tornado.

If that passes, the next step would be a special election in late June, where voters would have the opportunity to vote for or against a 15-year debt exclusion for the project. The tax impact is expected to be $100 for the average home valued at $220,000 in Monson.

Jorge Maldonado pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to one count of receiving firearms and ammunition by a person under felony indictment.

File photo

BOSTON – A Springfield man was convicted on Friday in federal court of receiving firearms and ammunition while under felony indictment.

Jorge Maldonado, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to one count of receiving firearms and ammunition by a person under felony indictment.

Had the case proceeded to trial, the government’s evidence would have proven that on May 26, 2011, at a shooting range in Springfield, Maldonado received and then fired a Smith & Wesson M&P9C, 9mm pistol and 9mm caliber ammunition, all of which traveled in interstate commerce.

At the time, Maldonado was under felony indictment in Hampden Superior Court for the following offenses: trafficking in a controlled substance (cocaine), possession of a class D controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition without identification card, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and receiving stolen property.

Saris scheduled sentencing for June 21. Maldonado faces up to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

A 19-year-old driver was taken to the hospital after the crash.

Mandy Hofmockel, masslive.comState police are investigating this rollover crash that happened in Holyoke on Interstate 91 southbound.

HOLYOKE - State police are investigating a rollover crash on Interstate 91 south that was reported just before 4 p.m. on Saturday.

State police said the crash, which happened near the 12.2 mile marker, involved two cars, and the driver of the Toyota Camry that rolled over, a 19-year-old woman, was taken to Baystate Medical Center.

No details were available about the second car, or how the accident happened. The accident closed the left lane for approximately 30 minutes, state police said.

There was no immediate information on the identities of the pilot and passenger, the origin of their flight and their destination.

CHATHAM — Rescue workers say the pilot and a passenger were not hurt when their small plane that was flying over Cape Cod suffered mechanical failure and made an emergency landing into a small lake.

Chatham Fire Capt. Kate Hansen said the plane sunk into Lover's Lake after landing there Saturday afternoon.

Emergency responders checked the pilot and a passenger at the scene and released them.

There was no immediate information on the identities of the pilot and passenger, the origin of their flight and their destination.

Authorities are investigating the incident.

The incident was first reported by the Cape Cod Times.

Instead of a red-meat conservative policy speech, Romney discussed his own family and offered a defense of Christianity.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivers the commencement address at the Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va, Saturday, May 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By KASIE HUNT and RACHEL ZOLL

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Mitt Romney's Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical university Saturday.

And he hardly touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of values like family and hard work.

"Culture — what you believe, what you value, how you live — matters," Romney told graduates gathered in the football stadium on Liberty University's campus in the Virginia mountains. "The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the preeminence of the family."

Instead of a red-meat conservative policy speech, Romney discussed his own family and offered a defense of Christianity, saying that "there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action." Still, he was inclusive: "Men and women of every faith, and good people with none at all, sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life," Romney said.

He had one sustained applause line in a 20-minute speech delivered days after President Barack Obama historically embraced gay marriage. "Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman," Romney said to a cheering crowd of students who have to follow a strict code of conduct that considers sex out of wedlock and homosexuality to be sins.

On Saturday, Obama was not seeking to revisit the issue of gay marriage. In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president didn't mention his history-making endorsement. Instead, he repeated his call for congressional lawmakers to take up a "to-do list" of tax breaks, mortgage relief and other initiatives that he insists will create jobs and help middle-class families struggling in the sluggish economy.

Having spent part of the week on the West Coast raising money for his re-election effort, Obama appeared in the Rose Garden of the White House to honor award-winning law enforcement officers.

It was Obama's first joint appearance with Vice President Joe Biden after Biden, according to aides, apologized to the president for pushing gay marriage to the forefront of the presidential campaign and inadvertently pressuring Obama to declare his support for same-sex unions.

Obama and Biden were all smiles as they walked to the sun-splashed ceremony together. Introducing Obama, Biden credited the president's commitment to law enforcement and the two quickly embraced before Obama spoke.

The late Rev. Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University in 1971 to be for evangelical Christians "what Notre Dame is to young Catholics and Brigham Young is to young Mormons," as his son, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., said on commencement day. It's become a destination for Republican politicians looking to speak to the religious right, and Romney's campaign team — planning the speech long before gay marriage became a central issue — viewed it as an opportunity to address the kind of socially conservative audience that had been wary of him during the prolonged GOP primary fight.

For Romney, the challenge is twofold. His past policy positions, including support for abortion rights, don't sit well. But his personal faith is also an issue because many evangelicals don't consider Mormons to be fellow Christians. Evangelicals are a critical segment of the GOP base; many of those voters backed his GOP rivals in the prolonged primary.

When he locks in the Republican presidential nomination, Romney will make history as the first Mormon nominee from a major party. His faith is central to him and to his family — he spent two years in France as a missionary, a time when he lived in occasionally primitive conditions. When he returned home, he attended Brigham Young University, a Mormon school, and married his wife, Ann, who had converted to Mormonism. As they built a life in Boston, Romney took on a significant leadership role in the church, serving as a lay pastor, fighting to build a temple in town and counseling families in need.

But he's mostly avoided talking about it on the campaign trail, largely avoiding religious forums and events throughout the primary season.

And at arguably the most religious venue he's addressed during the campaign — since announcing his bid, Romney hasn't made a public appearance in a church of any kind — he continued to keep his own faith in the background.

"This isn't a speech about Mormonism," senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters Friday on a conference call. Fehrnstrom pointed to the speech Romney gave in Texas in 2007 outlining his faith and defending religious freedom — the last time the former Massachusetts governor has addressed his faith in any detail.

Still, it was clear the campaign was keenly aware of the overtones. Romney was introduced by Mark DeMoss, an evangelical who has repeatedly defended Romney's faith on the campaign trail. "I suspect I won't agree with Mitt Romney on everything, but I will tell you this: I trust him. I trust him to do the right thing," said DeMoss, who went on with a lengthy testament to Romney's values.

Despite the concern, surveys have shown for months now that whatever reservations Republican evangelicals have about Romney's faith, they are likely to back him in a general election.

A spokesman for Liberty said that Romney is not the first Mormon to speak at a university commencement. "This is our 39th commencement speaker, and 21 of those 39 speakers would not necessarily meet Liberty's doctrinal theological statement," said the spokesman, Johnnie Moore, explaining that anyone who teaches at the university is held to that doctrinal standard.

Romney's selection as commencement speaker was an issue for some students who graduated from Liberty this weekend. When the school announced Romney as commencement speaker, hundreds of angry comments were posted on Liberty's Facebook page by people who said they were students or alumni, objecting to giving a Mormon a platform. The school responded by affirming its welcome to Romney.

"There was some concern in my family, yes," because of Romney's Mormonism, said Robert Maginnis, a retired Army colonel whose nephew is a member of the 2012 class.

Ahead of Romney's remarks, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the school's invitation to him should not be considered an endorsement. He noted that his father, the school's founder, said that Christians should vote for the candidate who shares their political positions "not the candidate that shares his or her faith or theology."

Zoll reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.

The crash happened in the area of 1472 Riverdale St.

03.09.11 | A West Springfield Fire Department patch.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - A Saturday morning accident involving a motorcycle and motor vehicle on Riverdale Street sent the motorcyclist to the hospital.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert A. Manchino Jr. said the accident was reported at 10:47 a.m. in the area of 1472 Riverdale St., near the Exxon station. It happened in the southbound lane, he said.

The motorcyclist was taken by Fire Department ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Information was not available from the police regarding additional accident details.

The accident was in evidence as Springfield Symphony Orchestra concert-goers heading south were trying to leave the city.

Concert-goers leaving Symphony Hall in Springfield heading south could see that no traffic was being allowed through from Springfield to Longmeadow. Cars could exit onto West Columbus Avenue, and then back onto the highway, to continue through to Connecticut.

According to cbs3 televison station in Springfield, the highway was closed after multiple cars hit a pedestrian who was crossing the highway near Exit 3 around 9:45 p.m.

The pedestrian was killed, the television station reported.

The identity of the pedestrian was not immediately released pending notification of next of kin.

The accident is under investigation, state police said.

File photo

SPRINGFIELD - A woman was struck and killed on Interstate 91 southbound Saturday night, in the area of exit 3, according to state police attached to the Springfield barracks.

The accident was reported at approximately 9:40 p.m. It shut down the roadway around exit 3 for nearly two hours, state police said. One lane is now open.

The accident is still under investigation. The woman's name is not being released at this time.

Channel 22 reported that the woman was trying to cross the highway, and was struck by multiple cars. However, a trooper at the Springfield barracks could not confirm that report.

Warren's former students and colleagues at Harvard Law School praise Warren as a well-prepared professor who focuses on practical law.

Shira SchoenbergDemocratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren talks to college students about student loans at the Danish Pastry House in Medford on May 9, 2012.

Teaching her class at Harvard Law School one day, professor Elizabeth Warren called on a student who was unprepared.

The student said, “I’ll pass.” Warren’s response was, “Not likely.”

That story, passed from one class to the next about Warren, exemplifies the way colleagues and former students view the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. Warren is known as a tough and demanding professor. She is also dynamic, well-prepared and treats each student as an individual, past students and colleagues say.

“She expects a lot,” said Adam Levitin, a professor at Georgetown Law School who was a student of Warren’s at Harvard between 2002 and 2005. But, he said, Warren also gives a lot.

“She prepares assiduously and takes the teaching very seriously as part of her job. No one doesn’t think they’ve gotten their money’s worth out of the class,” Levitin said.

Warren came to Harvard in 1992 as a visiting professor and was hired as the Leo Gottlieb professor of law in 1995. Warren earned a total of $430,000 from Harvard between January 2010 and December 2011, according to financial disclosure forms. She is currently on leave.

Warren’s time at Harvard has played a major role in her campaign. According to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Harvard employees contributed more than $100,000 to Warren’s campaign. Harvard employees gave less than $15,000 to her opponent, Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, according to an analysis by The Republican and MassLive.com.

A pro-Warren group of Harvard law students has around 370 members and has been holding fund-raisers and events, collecting signatures, and making telephone calls on her behalf, according to co-founder Dan Cluchey. 

A Republican group at Harvard Law School has around 30 active members, most of them supporting Brown, but the group has not made a concerted effort to run pro-Brown activities on campus, said incoming president Matthew Martin.

Brown has accused Warren of taking an “elitist attitude” toward the country’s problems, and the state Republican Party put out a web video calling Warren “elitist.”

Over the last two weeks, Warren has faced repeated questions about her listing of her Native American heritage in law school directories. A genealogist said Warren is 1/32nd Cherokee. Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Robert Maginn asked Harvard’s president to investigate whether Warren committed “academic ethnic fraud” by misrepresenting her status, and whether her minority status afforded her any advantages.

The minority issue is one which several colleagues describe as absurd. Harvard Law professor Charles Fried, who was on the committee that recommended Warren for a tenured position, said Warren’s Native American ancestry was never mentioned at the time. “This stuff I hear that she was an affirmative action hire, got some kind of a boost, it is so ludicrous and so desperately stupid and ignorant, it just boggles the mind,” Fried said.

Interviews with Warren’s colleagues and past students paint a picture of her as a widely respected professor who cares deeply about her work and her students.

“She’s much more engaged and energized and passionate than the median legal academic,” said John Pottow, a former student who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1997 and is now a professor at Michigan Law School.

By all accounts, Warren is tough in the classroom. Pottow said Warren held class early in the morning and had a compulsory attendance policy. She used the Socratic method, calling on students at random.

Cluchey, a third-year Harvard law student, recalled how Warren, on his first day of school, walked into a contracts class and asked a student, “What is the assumpsit?” referring to an obscure legal term. It is a question that Warren recounted having heard on her own first day of law school from her professor.

“It brought us into the law school world quite abruptly,” Cluchey said. “She’s really good at asking difficult questions of students.”

Adam Benforado, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 2005 and is now an assistant professor at Drexel University’s Earle Mack School of Law, said in an 80-person class, Warren would learn every student’s name almost immediately and remember what students said from one class to the next. Warren took students to lunch to get to know them outside the classroom.

Pottow recalled Warren showing students how she made pie from her own recipes. “She was tough in a ‘We’re in this together’ way,” Pottow said, “an Oklahoma grandmother as drill sergeant.”

Fried, a Republican who served as solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan, said he has seen the confidential evaluations that students fill out anonymously, and Warren consistently gets top marks. “She’s among the most successful and respected and admired teachers by her students of anyone on the faculty,” Fried said.

Academically, Warren has published more than a dozen books and numerous articles, mostly in the fields of bankruptcy and commercial law. Colleagues and students say Warren focuses on practical law, more than theory, in her classes and scholarship.

“She is a master at explaining how a particular phrasing of a statute actually can have major impacts on people’s lives,” Levitin said. (Levitin worked for Warren when she chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel, a committee overseeing the spending of economic stimulus and bailout funds.)

Some of Warren’s most notable work has been her analysis of the records of people who file for bankruptcy. Warren has examined the causes of personal bankruptcy, such as medical bankruptcies. She has looked into the impact of bankruptcy laws on individuals and tried to determine what can be done to prevent bankruptcies. Her work has also focused on the difficulties facing the middle class.

Warren has written briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court. She fought, unsuccessfully, against revisions to the U.S. bankruptcy code that passed in 2005 and made it more difficult for individuals to file for bankruptcy. Most notably, she helped develop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a bureau created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill to protect consumer interests in the financial industry.

“She’s always been someone who had an eye on wanting to change the world outside of academia,” Benforado said.

Warren was also active in institutional life at Harvard, for example, chairing the law school’s admissions committee.

At the time Warren was hired, faculty diversity was an issue, and there was discussion about the significance of hiring a female professor, according to a 1993 story in The Harvard Crimson student newspaper. However, there is no indication that her Native American ancestry was mentioned.

Harvard Law professor Jody Freeman, who has donated to Warren’s campaign, said she never heard Warren or anyone at Harvard talk about Warren’s Native American ancestry. Like many of Warren’s colleagues, she bristles at any suggestion that Warren used a minority status to boost her career.

“She’s a nationally-known, leading scholar and teacher,” Freeman said. “To the extent that anyone is suggesting or implying otherwise, it’s just really not credible.”

The program will run from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.



File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanElizabeth A. O’Neil, upper right, director of public and community service for the Massachusetts Bar Association, oversees last year’s Dial-a-Lawyer event at Western New England University in Springfield. Lawyers Kevin V. Maltby, foreground, Diana Sorrentini-Velez and Thomas D. O'€™Connor Jr. answer calls from people seeking legal assistance.

Residents of Western Massachusetts can receive free legal advice on Wednesday through the Massachusetts Bar Association’s semiannual Dial-A-Lawyer call-in program.

Residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties who have legal concerns or problems should call (413) 782-1659 between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. to talk to a volunteer lawyer. If a caller gets a busy signal, they are asked to hang up and try again. Normal telephone charges will apply.

The Massachusetts Bar Association’s Dial-A-Lawyer program is co-sponsored by Western New England College School of Law, The Republican, El Pueblo Latino, the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys and the Hispanic National Bar Association. 

Northampton show looks at the expectations, challenges of raising a kid.

Submitted photo Dara Herman-Zierlein's "My Old Dancing Shoes"€ is part of the exhibit "Supermom Unveiled" that opens June 8 at Whoo Space in Northampton.

It may all be super for Mom on Mother’s Day with all the pampering, but not necessarily so on other days.

“Supermom Unveiled,” a concept of curator Dara Herman-Zierlein, founder of Art Studio Hadley, looks at the reality behind the “veil” of the stereotypes of idealized motherhood.

It features the work of women artists and opens June 8 at for Northampton’s “Arts Night Out” at Whoo Space, 11 Market St., Northampton.

The exhibition, which Herman-Zierlein describes as honest, raw and humorous, is designed to stimulate the viewers to reflect upon their own personal experience.

Herman-Zierlein said she learned after having a baby in her 30s that there were many preconceived notions about what it means to be a mother and what was expected of her.

“Having a baby was wonderful,” she said. “But how come nobody told me this is the hardest job I’m ever going to have? I’m going to feel alone and isolated and I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing.”

Herman-Zierlein said she noticed that the media portrays lots of perfect mothers who can handle motherhood, a career and a happy marriage. She didn’t feel like a “supermom,” and she realized she was not alone.

Republican photo by JOHN SUCHOCKI Dara Herman-Zierlein is curator of the show "Supermom Unveiled" that opens June 8 at Whoo Space in Northampton. She is shown here in her South Hadley studio.

“I started to investigate the world of motherhood around me,” she said. “I realized I need to do an exhibit where artists show what it feels like to be a mother. I realized I share a common thread of motherhood and the realities of motherhood; there are a lot of women having a hard time doing it on their own.”

Herman-Zierlein said she reached out to several artists, including a documentary creator, a comic artist and a photographer.

“I found all their work was based on the truth about what it’s like to be a mother,” she said. “People are going to see bronze sculptures, a documentary film, a slew of photography, short videos, watercolor paintings and comic art by a well-known comic book artist.”

Participating artists include Clarity Haynes, Breast Portrait Project book and video; Cynthia L. Newsome, photography; Ellen Wetmore, short videos and sculptures; Rebecca Medal, cover of World War 3, comic book artist; Margaret Lazarus, Birth Markings documentary film and Herman-Zierlein, watercolor paintings.

Herman-Zierlein’s watercolors in the show include one called “My Old Dancing Shoes” that portray a close up of a pair of lower legs, crossed at the ankles with feet in a pair of open toed shoes. Only one leg is well groomed with polished toes.

“One leg represent the old me, all shaved and ready to go to party and the other unshaven leg represents the lack of time I have to myself — even to shave my legs while bathing — due to my time taking care of others, namely Child and household,” Herman-Zierlein said of the piece.

Herman-Zierlein said the show’s theme has resonated with other artists.

“I’m limiting it to six women,” Herman-Zierlein said. “I have seven others waiting on the next show.”

The exhibit, while focusing on women and motherhood, is for everyone.

“You don’t need to be a mother to relate to the show,” Herman Zierlein said. “The art work is stimulating in itself. It should give comfort to anyone raising children.”

“Supermom Unveiled” has been in the works for two years. The project received a grant last year from the Northampton Arts Council, which helped Herman-Zierlein to move forward with it.

There will be books from the feminist group Mother Art, DVDs, T-shirts and art work for sale at the exhibition. Ten percent of sales will be donated to Planned Parenthood in Springfield.

“We’re trying to make a full circle here,” Herman-Zierlein said. “We want to expose the truth and realities of motherhood, and we also want to give back to the community and give to a cause that is supporting women.”

“Supermom Unveiled” will be on view through June 17 by appointment by calling (413) 813-5394. An opening reception with refreshments is scheduled for June 15 from 5 to 9 p.m., and guests can meet and greet the artists on June 16 at 3 p.m.

The fire did little damage, less than $5,000 total and no one was displaced, he said. But the fact that both means of escaping the home were targeted in the arson is worrisome for firefighters.

SPRINGFIELD – The city Arson & Bomb Squad is investigating an apparent attempt to burn down a fully occupied three-family home at 281 Allen St., said Dennis G. Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

Firefighters were called to the wood-frame home at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. They found that someone had piled trash on both the front and back entrances to the home and set that trash on fire. The front steps caught on fire. The trash on the back steps didn’t catch on fire, Leger said.

The fire did little damage, less than $5,000 total and no one was displaced from the home, he said. But the fact that both means of escaping the home were targeted in the arson is worrisome for firefighters.

“Someone had a plan,” Leger said.

A smoke detector inside the home went off, alerting residents.

The woman died in the south-bound lanes near Exit 3 at about 9:40 p.m.

File photo

SPRINGFIELD - It will take some time before authorities will release the identity of a woman struck and killed by traffic on Interstate 91 Saturday night, Trooper Thomas Murphy, a state police spokesman, said Sunday morning.

Murphy said an autopsy has yet to be performed.

The woman died in the south-bound lanes near Exit 3 at about 9:40 p.m.

Murphy said the exact nature of the incident is still under investigation.

Police shut the interstate down for more than two hours.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Christopher Scholtz

Christopher William Scholtz, 28, of East Longmeadow, passed away on Thursday. As a child, he loved sports, music (from Elvis to Eminem), mystery books, comic books and his friends, and those passions never changed over the years. He attended East Longmeadow schools and was a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College. He was a passionate fan of the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Penguins and Miami Dolphins.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Anderson Sr., David
  



• 
  Asimakopoulos, Athanasios
  



• 
  Ball, Gary W.
  



• 
  Bennett, Samuel Wayne "Sam"
  



• 
  Blake Sr., Robert E.
  



• 
  Brouillette, Yvonne M. (Morneau)
  



• 
  Brow, Elizabeth (McDuffee)
  



• 
  Bryant, Margaret M. (Schwartz)
  



• 
  Burbee, Grace Alice (Beal)
  



• 
  Cullen, James B. "Jimmy Jive"
  



• 
  Emerson, Lloyd Stacy
  



• 
  Forkey, John F. "Jake"
  



• 
  Levenson, David
  



• 
  Lynch, D. Michael
  



• 
  Piergiovanni, Lucia E.
  



• 
  Prifti, Pando
  



• 
  Ratkowski, Raymond James
  



• 
  Schafer, Roger E.
  



• 
  Scholtz, Christopher W.
  



• 
  Waltein, Dorothy J. (Norton)
  

Springfield College awarded 976 diplomas during its undergraduate commencement Sunday morning at the MassMutual Center. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD – Plans are important, Harvard football coach Timothy L. Murphy told Springfield College’s class of 2012 Sunday.

As a coach, he wouldn’t think of heading into a game without a meticulously prepared and highly detailed game plan customized to that week’s opponent.

“If you are going to do that for one game, you had better do that for your life, “ said Murphy, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Springfield College in 1978 and 1979.

Murphy told graduates that just having a plan isn’t enough. Write it down. Then put that plan somewhere where you will see it each and every day.

Today, Murphy is the winningest coach in Harvard football history. But he took graduates back to his days as an underpaid graduate assistant coach at Brown University.

Back then, he had to work a second job, the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift at a Pawtucket, R. I., extrusion mill, just to put a roof over his head and food in his belly. After working at the mill, he would grab some sleep then head to the football offices at Brown.

“That was a grind,” Murphy said. “But you will find that if you want something in life, you are going to have to grind it out.”

Springfield College awarded 976 diplomas during its undergraduate commencement Sunday morning at the MassMutual Center.

It was Springfield College’s 126th commencement

At a graduate-school commencement Saturday, Springfield College awarded 650 master’s degrees, six certificates of advanced graduate study, 13 doctor of philosophy degrees, and 27 doctor of physical therapy degrees. Charles H. Rucks of Springfield, executive director of Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., was the featured speaker Saturday and received an honorary doctorate.

Springfield College also awarded an honorary degree Sunday to educator Sally M. Griggs of Northampton, a member of Springfield College’s board of trustees since 1999.

Class of 2012 member Christine L. Blanchard of Agawam has already been accepted to one graduate school and has an interview scheduled for another program. Blanchard received her bachelor’s degree Sunday in art therapy.

“I wasn’t that great a student in high school,” Blanchard said. “But here I am, about to graduate with honors. It’s amazing.”

Art therapy, she said, looks at art as a tool to help people improve their lives. That’s why she chose it as a course of study.

Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn took note during his remarks that Sunday was Mother’s Day.

“What better gift to a mother than to be witness to a child or grandchild receiving his or her degree,” Flynn said.

Funding for the South Hadley Schools was approved at $19,636,976, as amended by the Appropriations Committee.

SOUTH HADLEY — Town Meeting kept its collective eye on the bottom line on Saturday, for the most part voting down amendments that sought to increase proposed funding and approving those that decreased it.

The surprise exception was the Gaylord Memorial Library, which appeared on the warrant for $12,230 from the town and got more than double that amount after eloquent support from some of the most distinguished people in town, including Rep. John W. Scibak.

The unscheduled Gaylord amendment, read at the microphone by Gaylord Trustees president Charles Viens, was approved for $31,753 for fiscal year 2013. The Gaylord, which is two years older than the South Hadley Public Library, is a public library with a private endowment that is fast diminishing in this economy.

Funding for the South Hadley Schools was approved at $19,636,976, as amended by the Appropriations Committee. That was $21,346 less than the sum that had appeared on the warrant.

The Health Department put up a valiant fight to raise its proposed funding to $155,421 so it could add another health inspector, but the Appropriations Committee objected, in part because the arguments, though impressive, had not been put in writing.

Town Meeting agreed, and decided to fund the Health Department for $115,321.

Another proposal that drew a great deal of commentary was the “general government” request for $1,707,469 put forward by the Selectboard. The discussion mainly revolved around the creation of a new position of Assistant Town Administrator.

While some were strongly in favor of the measure, citing the void that was left when the most recent Town Administrator resigned, others wanted to wait until a new town administrator was appointed. In the end, Town Meeting opted for the amendment to the proposal, which cut the request to $1,653,045.

The Appropriations Committee also amended the request of the municipal golf course, The Ledges, from $909,720 to $895,853, and Town Meeting accepted the latter number.

Town Meeting approved $316,961 for the Council on Aging, $215,300 for Veterans Affairs, $515,020 for the South Hadley Public Library and the sum of $900 to the Canal Park Committee.

The baby boy, who is about 6 months old, appeared to be uninjured.

WORCESTER — A baby who was found in a car seat in a Worcester street has led police to an apartment where they discovered a dead man and two injured women.

The Telegram & Gazette reports that police say the unidentified man found on the floor of the apartment late Saturday night was a homicide victim. An injured woman was nearby and the second woman was found elsewhere in the apartment.

Police also found a pit bull.

Police say the unidentified women are hospitalized with critical injuries. No details were immediately available Sunday.

The baby boy, who is about 6 months old, appears to be uninjured. He is in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.

Authorities learned of the baby's parents while canvassing the neighborhood.

Bruce Stebbins of Springfield, a member of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said he can be impartial when voting on a license for a casino in Western Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A member of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission from Springfield says he plans to vote on a casino license for Western Massachusetts despite concerns that he could have a conflict and might lean toward a casino for his home community if choosing among multiple proposals for the region.

Bruce Stebbins

Bruce W. Stebbins, 46, a member of the commission, is a former two-term member of the Springfield City Council and was business development manager for the city before accepting appointment to the commission.

The commission has developed a standard that says members can recuse themselves from a vote if they see enough of an appearance of a conflict of interest even though they might believe they can be objective despite the appearance. Commission member Gayle Cameron, a retired lieutenant colonel in the New Jersey State Police, invoked the standard when she excused herself from a decision on hiring consultants because she knew some of the consultants from New Jersey.

Stebbins said he can be impartial when voting on a license for a casino in Western Massachusetts and he sees no reason to step aside for the decision on the region's license.

"I don't think there is anything that would be a counter argument to that," Stebbins said in an interview. "I certainly feel I can be effective in my deliberations, diligent about the deliberations and unbiased and thoughtful about the applications we will be reviewing."

Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said he believes that Stebbins was a good choice for the commission and that he has a lot of confidence in Stebbins's integrity.

But Bissonnette said it is difficult to understand how Stebbins would not give Springfield an edge in getting a casino, considering Stebbins' two former positions for the city and his knowledge of the city's economic and infrastructure needs.

Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette

"If you're a Springfield elected official, it's hard not to be Springfield-centric," Bissonnette said.

Stebbins declined to say whether he supports a casino for Springfield, saying he would need to first see details of a casino's agreement with a potential host community. The agreement would need to be approved by voters in a community or by voters in a host ward in Boston, Springfield and Worcester, unless the mayor and the City Council opt for a city-wide vote.

Stebbins said he would expect to vote if a casino agreement goes before voters in Springfield, but he has not decided if he would vote.

The state's expanded gambling law gives the commission the authority to permit up to three casino resorts, one each in Greater Boston, the southeastern part of the state and Western Massachusetts. The law also allows a single slot facility that could be anywhere.

Gayle Cameron

The commission will need to pick from among at least two proposals for casinos in Western Massachusetts.

So far, the Mohegan Sun of Uncasville, Connecticut is planning a casino resort for Palmer and Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas is proposing one for Page Boulevard in Springfield.

The mayors of Chicopee and Westfield said their cities might receive casino proposals. The mayor of Springfield said he also expects possibly a couple of more casino proposals for the city.

Jennifer Baruffaldi, a spokeswoman for Citizens for Jobs & Growth in Palmer, which supports a casino for Palmer, said she is concerned that Stebbins might have a conflict but she believes he will vote on the casino proposal that is the best fit for Western Massachusetts.

"I'm a little nervous," she said of Stebbins. "Anyone would be if they are not from Springfield."

Paul E. Burns, president of the Palmer Town Council, said he is somewhat concerned about a possible conflict for Stebbins and other commission members who might vote on a casino applicant for their home community, but he believes they have enough integrity to be objective.

"I'm not going to say I have no concerns," said Burns, a casino proponent for Palmer. "I'm hopeful they can remain impartial and judge this on the merits."

When asked if Stebbins's appointment to the commission gives the city an advantage for a casino, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the commission's five members will approve the best possible proposal for Western Massachusetts. "Bruce understands what Springfield is going through," Sarno said. "They are going to base it on the proposal."

Stephen P. Crosby, the chairman of the commission, said it is important that a resident of Western Massachusetts be appointed to the commission. Crosby said he didn't believe that Stebbins would be disqualified from voting on the casino license for Western Massachusetts.

"We'll look at it when the time comes, but I don't think so," Crosby said.

Under a tentative timetable, the commission might not vote on casino resort licenses until late next year or in early 2014.

During a press conference in March, Crosby said he doubted that commission members would excuse themselves from a vote on a casino just because a proposal is for their home town or city.

"I live in Jamaica Plain," said Crosby of his home in a part of Boston. "Does that mean I have some kind of bias either pro or con? It's worth thinking about."

The Suffolk Downs horse track in East Boston is planning to bid for a casino license.

Stebbins said that when he was interviewed for his position on the commission, no one flagged his Springfield ties as a possible conflict.

Stebbins was among the final two members of the commission who were selected jointly by Gov. Deval L. Patrick, Attorney General Martha M. Coakley and Treasurer Steven Grossman.

"I'm going to review each license application as it comes in and be diligent and thoughtful about it," Stebbins said. "I personally don't feel there is anything that detracts me from giving even consideration to all applications. "

Preliminary investigations show the driver failed to negotiate a curve and struck a rock slope.

Republican file photo

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire State Police say a 23-year-old Massachusetts man has died in a single-car accident in Nashua.

Police say Stewart Triehy of Pepperell, Mass., died Saturday night in the crash on the Exit 2 off ramp from the Everett Turnpike .

A preliminary investigation indicates Triehy was traveling south on the turnpike. After taking the ramp he failed to negotiate a left curve and left the road, striking the rock side slope. He suffered severe trauma and died at the scene.

The off ramp was closed for about an hour while the investigation continued.

The college awarded 231 graduate degrees and 392 undergraduate degrees.

SPRINGFIELD – NASA Astronaut Catherine Coleman told graduates of Bay Path College they are prepared for the next step in their lives – even if they are not sure what that will be.

Coleman, who recently returned from spending six months on the International Space Station and also flew into space twice on the Space Shuttle Columbia in her 20 years with NASA, was awarded an honorary doctorate during Bay Path’s graduation Sunday. Springfield Symphony Orchestra music director Kevin Rhodes was also awarded an honorary degree.

Sunday’s ceremony was moved from the school’s Longmeadow campus to the MassMutual Center. A total of 231 graduates were awarded master’s degrees, 392 received bachelor’s degrees, 68 received associates degrees and four received degrees in specialist in education.

“Today, Bay Path women, you are launching. It is a launching of the rest of your life,” Coleman told the graduates.

During her speech, she presented a short slide show and talked about her experiences on the International Space Station, important experiments done on osteoporosis, being the second person to ever dock a supply ship using a robotic arm and the importance and difficulty of finding time for family as well as a career.

Coleman, who earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and doctoral degree in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, said she had no instant answer for those who want to follow her footsteps into space. Being in the right place is important, she said, as is making good career decisions at the right time.

“How did I get to be in this group of three (on the Space Station). It is hard work. It is perseverance,” she said. “We just try to do the best we can.”

She said she always studied hard for any mission, practiced anything she needed and otherwise prepared, but still worried she would make a mistake.

“You have skills and you are going to test them, and you don’t know what will happen,” she said.

Rhodes, who just passed his 10th anniversary at Springfield Symphony Orchestra, told students he was the first person in his family to go to college and he did it because he wanted to make music.

He had a little advice of his own for graduates, telling them that the smartest and sometimes the most talented are not always the best.

“The most successful people are the ones who work the hardest and never stop,” he said.

Three students also gave brief speeches and two were given special commencement awards during the graduation.

Meghan K. Golden, of Wilbraham, who earned a bachelor of science degree in business, reminded her classmates that this year’s campus theme was “the power of choice,” and told them that will be even more important in the future.

“The choices we make from this day on will define us,” she said.