The arts festival continues Sunday and Monday.

The Republican/Michael BeswickThe Paradise City Arts Festival began today at the 3-County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Mary Coover of Coover Porcelain from Ashfield, PA creates unique Fantasy Animals such as dragons, lizards, sea forms and dragon mugs which are all hand-built.

NORTHAMPTON – It was Judy A. Gutlerner’s first time at the Paradise City Arts Festival and she was impressed with the quality of work.

Gutlerner, of Amherst, bought herself a flowery tunic.

“It’s a real artistic experience to buy something from the person who made it,” she said.

The festival, which kicked off Saturday at the Three County Fairgrounds, features 260 juried artists and craftspeople from 30 states. It continues Sunday and Monday.

The festival boasts all kinds of art – large glass spiders made by New Hampshire’s Nathan Macomber, steel and glass garden sculptures by Providence., R.I. artist Whitmore Boogaerts, delicately spun gold and silver jewelry from Tiverton, R.I.’s Susan Freda Studios, enamel jewelry from Holyoke’s Angela Gerhard.

There also was pottery, purses that resembled typewriters, nature photography, fabric art, belts, paintings, furniture and wooden toys.

Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen uses bits of Western Massachusetts – and New England – history to make his pieces. He pointed to a bird made of recycled scrap metal. Its beak came from a 150-year-old barn hinge. He also took apart an old pitchfork to create another birdlike creature. Kitchen said he spends a lot of time looking for old materials that he can incorporate into his designs.

The Republican/Michael BeswickThe Paradise City Arts Festival began today at the 3-County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Wendy Costa Studio, from Fort Plain, N.Y. offers fashion accessories ranging from dresses and cutting boards to custom prints and unique handbags.

A 35-foot bird sculpture – on display outside at the festival – will soon make its home at the corner of State and Main streets in downtown Springfield, he said. Kitchen said he appreciates the ways items used to be made, and the craftsmanship that went into simple objects, such as wheels.

“One hundred years ago, they made things so much better . . . now it’s a commercialized world,” Kitchen said.

Pauline L. Wojtowicz, of the Three Rivers section of Palmer, was with her daughter, Jean P. Masztal, of Ware. It was their first time at the festival, and Wojtowicz gushed about two artists that particularly impressed her, Peter Muller of Vermont, and Chicopee’s Joe Peters. The glass artists, who met at art shows, collaborate to make glass vessels filled with nature scenes.

“As a customer, I walked into this booth and I was blown away,” said Bruce Singal, who purchased a blue vessel filled with an intricate undersea scene for his home on Cape Cod.

That piece was Wojtowicz’s favorite. The vase is blue, and open in the front, revealing the underwater scene featuring coral and an octopus. Peters’ and Muller’s work ranges in price from $200 to $5,000; they have a studio in Gilford, Vt. Peters said he became interested in glass after enrolling in a program at the non-profit Snow Farm in Williamsburg. He started glass blowing in his parents’ garage in Chicopee. It’s his full-time job.

The show runs Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for students. It is free for children 12 and under. Visit www.paradisecityarts.com for information.

The woman was thrown to the rear of her vehicle when it rolled over.

HARDWICK – Hardwick police are investigating a one-car crash that happened Saturday morning on Lower Road (Route 32).

Police Cpl. Kevin Landine said the call came in just before 10 a.m., and upon arrival police found a 1998 Ford Explorer operated by Amber Bertrand, 20, of 1524 Barre Road, Wheelwright, with serious injuries.

He said she was unrestrained and thrown to the rear of the vehicle when it rolled over. She had to be extricated from the vehicle by the Hardwick Fire Department. A helicopter was requested to transport her to the hospital, but it was unavailable, Landine said.

Bertrand was taken by Hardwick Ambulance to University of Massachusetts Memorial Campus in Worcester. Her condition was unavailable.

Residents will be asked to give their opinions about downtown improvement options developed from input from previous workshops.

File photo

MONSON – Residents of Monson are invited to attend the final public workshop for the first phase of tornado recovery planning on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the selectmen’s meeting room in the Hillside Building, 29 Thompson St.

Residents will be asked to give their opinions about downtown improvement options developed from input from previous workshops.

These include better sidewalks, crosswalks and recreation paths and connections; improvements to parking and driveways; streetscape changes; and improved public gathering spaces.

The workshop will be an “open house” format. Participants are invited to come when they can and stay as long as they like. Refreshments will be provided.

The results from these workshops will be used to develop an updated Master Plan and Recreation Plan for the downtown residential neighborhoods and central business district, including recommendations for zoning amendments and right-of-way and other public improvements.

Presentations and notes from the earlier workshops are available at www.monson-ma.gov

Duggan said he has a pre-existing respiratory illness and that the smoke worsened the condition.

File photoFire Chief Brian Duggan, seen here after his swearing-in in 1998.

This updates a previous story from May 24.

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton Fire Chief Brian Duggan is out of the hospital after being treated for smoke inhalation he suffered at the scene of a basement fire in the Florence section of the city last Wednesday.

(It was reported on Thursday that a firefighter suffered some kind of injury and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, but further information was not available.)

Duggan was injured after he went into the home's basement to investigate the fire's point of origin, The Daily Hampshire Gazette has reported.

Assistant Fire Chief Duane Nichols told the paper that he and Deputy Fire Chief Timothy McQueston could see when Duggan walked to the front of the house that he was having difficulty breathing.

Duggan was wearing protective clothing, but did not have on respiratory gear, according to the paper.

Duggan said he's receiving care for a pre-existing respiratory illness, and that the smoke worsened the condition.

He returned to work Friday, but it's undetermined when he will resume his normal work schedule.

He will see a pulmonary specialist in the coming days.

A malfunctioning dehumidifier was the cause of the afternoon blaze, which resulted in about $100,000 in damage to the home.

Police say the boy was riding his bike on Brickyard Road when he collided with a westbound vehicle driven by 39-year-old Joann Duggan of Southampton.

File photo

SOUTHAMPTON - A 12-year-old boy was struck by a car while riding his bicycle Friday night and was transported to Baystate Hospital with critical injuries, according to the Southampton Police Department.

Police say the boy was riding his bike on Brickyard Road when he collided with a westbound vehicle driven by 39-year-old Joann Duggan of Southampton.

Duggan was uninjured, police said.

The boy was not wearing a helmet, police said.

Police, fire and EMS responded to the scene around 6:50 p.m.

The crash is under investigation by Southampton police, the Massachusetts State Police Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the state police detective unit assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

A police dispatcher said Saturday it doesn't appear any tickets will be issued in the incident.

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Homes in the area are without water and it could be some time before service is restored.

WESTFIELD - The Republican and MassLive.com's media partner, CBS 3 Springfield, is reporting that a water main break has occurred on Notre Dame Street.

WWLP reports that the road will remain closed for most of Sunday as the city's water department obtains parts to fix the break.

It says five homes are without water.

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The coalition said it was aware of the allegation and was investigating the incident late Saturday in Paktia province.

AP Photo/Rahmatullah NikzadMore than 1,500 Afghans block the highway between Kabul and Kandahar in Seed Abad, Wardak province, Afghanistan, Saturday, May 26, 2012. The protesters demanded a stop to military night operations.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan authorities said on Sunday that an airstrike by the U.S.-led NATO coalition killed eight members of a family in eastern Afghanistan.

The coalition said it was aware of the allegation and was investigating the incident late Saturday in Paktia province.

"Coalition officials are currently looking into the claims and gathering information," the coalition said in a statement.

Actions of the Taliban kill more civilians than foreign forces, but the deaths of citizens caught in the crossfire of the decade-long war continue to be an irritant in President Hamid Karzai's relationship with his international partners.

Earlier this month, the Afghan president warned that civilian casualties caused by NATO airstrikes could undermine the strategic partnership agreement he just signed with the U.S.

Rohullah Samon, a spokesman for the governor of Paktia province, said Mohammad Shafi, his wife and their six children died in an airstrike around 8 p.m. in Suri Khail village of Gurda Saria district.

"Shafi was not a Taliban. He was not in any opposition group against the government. He was a villager," Samon said. "Right now, we are working on this case to find out the ages of their children and how many of them are boys and girls."

Any NATO airstrike that leads to civilian deaths erodes the Afghan people's trust in foreign forces.

"If the lives of Afghan people are not safe, the signing of the strategic partnership has no meaning," Karzai's office said earlier this month.

Karzai's warning came after Afghan officials reported that 18 civilians had died recently in four airstrikes in Logar, Kapisa, Badghis and Helmand provinces.

Last year was the deadliest on record for civilians in the Afghan war, with 3,021 killed as insurgents ratcheted up violence with suicide attacks and roadside bombs, the United Nations said in its latest report on civilian deaths. The U.N. attributed 77 percent of the deaths to insurgent attacks and 14 percent to actions by international and Afghan troops. Nine percent of cases were classified as having an unknown cause.

Separately, NATO reported Sunday that four coalition service members had died in roadside bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan.

NATO said in a statement that all four deaths occurred Saturday. It provided no other details on the attacks, including the nationalities of the service members.

One is thought to be a British soldier killed Saturday in an explosion in the Nahr-e Saraj region of southern Helmand province. The British Ministry of Defense announced late Saturday that the soldier died while traveling in a vehicle.

Another NATO service member died Friday in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Their deaths bring to 34 the number of NATO service members killed so far this month in Afghanistan, for a total of 166 this year. A total of 414 members of British forces have died since operations in Afghanistan began more than 10 years ago.

The Afghan Ministry of Interior also announced Sunday that six insurgents were killed Saturday in joint operations in four eastern provinces. Another three were killed when the roadside bombs they were trying to plant detonated in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Here are some of the most noteworthy user videos posted online following the disaster.

As the June 1, 2011 tornadoes tore through Western and Central Massachusetts, stunned residents pulled out cameras and smartphones and recorded the scenes unfolding before them. Here are some of the most noteworthy user videos posted following the disaster.

(Warning: Some videos contain offensive language.)

Raw video from CBS 3 Springfield: Tornado forming over the Connecticut River

Tornado tears through downtown Springfield; view from Bridge Street office building

Tornado sighting, shot from Central Chevrolet in West Springfield

Security camera at Union Car Wash in Springfield captures eye-of-the-storm video (MassLive story >>)

Brimfield used car lot employees survive tornado; emerge to see widespread destruction

Two guys drive into the storm; instantly regret it

Motorists stopped on I-91 north watch the tornado cross the highway and head for downtown Springfield

Tornado spied from Springfield backyard

Monson residents film tornado cloud from their home

Tornado cloud filmed from City View Ave in West Springfield

One year after the devastating tornado, photographers re-captured scenes they'd witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.

Note: Each click will toggle the view for all the photos in the post -- so, changing the view from "then" to "now" for the first photo will do the same for the second and third photos.

The First Church of Monson:

The First Church of Monson:

Monson:

One year after the devastating tornado, photographers re-captured scenes they'd witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.

Note: Each click will toggle the view for all the photos in the post -- so, changing the view from "then" to "now" for the first photo will do the same for the second and third photos.

Quinebaug Cove, Brimfield:

65 Haynes Hill Road, Brimfield:

68 Haynes Hill Rd., Brimfield:

One year after the devastating tornado, photographers re-captured scenes they'd witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.



Note: Each click will toggle the view for all the photos in the post -- so, changing the view from "then" to "now" for the first photo will do the same for the second and third photos.

3 Echo Hill Rd, Wilbraham:

Evangeline Dr., Wilbraham:

5 Echo Hill Rd., Wilbraham:

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.



Note: Each click will toggle the view for all the photos in the post -- so, changing the view from "then" to "now" for the first photo will do the same for the second and third photos.

Central St. Springfield:

Main St., Springfield:

Main St., Springfield:

South End, Springfield:

Roosevelt Ave., Springfield:

Central St., Springfield:

Macduffie School, Springfield:

Pine St., Springfield:

South End Community Center, Springfield:

Hancock St., Springfield:

Pennsylvania Ave., Springfield:

All photos by The Republican.

One year after the devastating tornado, photographers re-captured scenes they'd witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Click each photo to toggle between a view of the scene in the immediate aftermath of the June 2011 tornado and a view of the scene nearly one year later.

Note: Each click will toggle the view for all the photos in the post -- so, changing the view from "then" to "now" for the first photo will do the same for the second and third photos.

Union St., West Springfield, Mass:

West Springfield, Mass.:

West Springfield, Mass:

The Republican photographers return to the locations of some of the most memorable images from the 2011 Western Mass. tornado.

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What happened to that flattened house, that devastated hillside, that church that found itself in the path of the storm?

The Republican photographers returned to the locations of some of the most memorable images of the June 1, 2011 Western Massachusetts tornado. We've collected their new photos with the 2011 originals to provide readers the chance to compare and contrast the two, and to see what has changed in the past 12 months.

Springfield: Then & now photos

Wilbraham: Then & now photos

Brimfield: Then & now photos

Monson: Then & now photos

West Springfield: Then & now photos

• Complete Tornado coverage

• VIDEO: Richard Reim of Brimfield talks about the deadly tornado that took the life of his girlfriend, Virginia Darlow

• VIDEO: At home with her two sisters and their dogs, Miranda Phipps of Monson survived the tornado that leveled her house.

The victim, who police have not identified, is said to be in stable condition after being stabbed in the stomach.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police detectives are looking for two men who fled the scene of a stabbing around 2 am. Sunday at 659 State Street.

Police say two black men ran across State Street toward Bay Street after one of them stabbed a Hispanic man once in the stomach with a large folding knife.

The victim was transported to Baystate Medical Center and treated for the wound. He is in stable condition this morning, police said.

The victim was walking on State Street with another man at the time of the attack, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Detective Bureau at 413-787-6325.

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"Children need access to their parents and parents need access to their children," Schumer said in a statement. "Unnecessary airline fees shouldn't serve as a literal barrier between mother and child."

In this June 17, 2011, file photo, passengers crowd the kiosks to check in and print boarding passes at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. Airlines are setting aside more rows for passengers willing to pay extra for a better seat. That means families are going to struggle to sit next to each other unless they booked early or are willing to shell out anywhere from $5 to $180 extra, each way. (AP Photo/George Nikitin, File)

NEW YORK — Sen. Charles Schumer is urging airlines to allow families with young children to sit together without paying extra.

The New York Democrat is reacting to an Associated Press story last week detailing how families this summer are going to find it harder to sit together without paying fees that can add up to hundreds of dollars over the original ticket price.

"Children need access to their parents and parents need access to their children," Schumer said in a statement. "Unnecessary airline fees shouldn't serve as a literal barrier between mother and child."

Since last year, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines have increased the percent of seats they set aside for elite frequent fliers or customers willing to pay extra. Fees for the seats — on the aisle, next to windows, or with more legroom —vary, but typically cost $25 extra, each way.

Airlines are searching for more ways to raise revenue to offset rising fuel prices. Airfare alone typically doesn't cover the cost of operating a flight. In the past five years, airlines have added fees for checked baggage, watching TV, skipping security lines and boarding early. Fees for better seats have existed for a few years but have proliferated in the last 12 months.

Schumer is asking Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to issue rules preventing airlines from charging parents more to sit next to kids. He is also asking the industry's trade group, Airlines for America, to persuade carriers to voluntarily waive the fee for families.

"A parent should not have to pay a premium to supervise and protect their child on an airplane," Schumer wrote in a letter expected to be sent Sunday to Nicholas E. Calio, the trade group's president.

The airlines say they try to keep parents and young children together. Gate agents will often ask passengers to voluntarily swap seats but airlines say they can't guarantee adjacent seats unless families book early or pay extra for the preferred seats.

Airlines have resisted past efforts by the government to further regulate them. Their argument: The cost associated with new rules would cripple an industry already struggling with thin profit margins.

Two years ago, Schumer got five big airlines to pledge that they wouldn't charge passengers to stow carry-on bags in overhead bins. The promise came after Spirit Airlines became the first U.S. carrier to levy such a fee.

The impact of sudden, traumatic events, such as tornadoes, can linger for both victims and the broader population, according to Dr. Barry Sarvet, chief of child psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center. Watch video

Three hours of bad weather, 365 days of recovery.

Along the 39-mile trail carved by the June 1 tornadoes, life is inching back toward normal – a new normal that seems louder, brighter and more unsettling than a year ago.

In Springfield, harsh sunlight invades Helen L. Edgar’s South Branch Parkway home most mornings, no longer softened by the shade trees sawed off as 150-plus mph winds roared across Bass Pond.

“I certainly know when the sun rises,” said Edgar, who spent six months in tornado exile at the Springfield Sheraton before returning home.

“There are no more trees. It was like King Kong took a walk during the tornado,” she said.

Six miles away, traffic thunders along Interstate 91, a few hundred yards from Robbie’s Repair on East Columbus Avenue. With fewer trees muffling the traffic noise, the downtown Springfield neighborhood is louder than ever.

“You should hear the 18-wheelers,” said owner Robbie Ober, of Hampden.

In Brimfield, roofer Richard R. Reim still returns to the trailer park where the tornado ripped his girlfriend from his arms as they huddled in their camper.

“Mentally, I’m crazy now,” says Reim, 53. “I’ve already accepted that I’m going to be messed up for the rest of my life.”

No single event inflicted so much damage, so quickly across Western Massachusetts as the June 1 tornadoes.

While the freak October blizzard disrupted more lives last fall, the tornadoes struck with more savagery, killing three, injuring dozens and damaging or destroying more than 2,000 homes and business.

Within hours, Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and called up 1,000 National Guard troops; within a week, President Barack Obama had approved federal disaster assistance to storm-scarred communities.

In Springfield alone, rebuilding costs are estimated at $106 million. The city has hired a New Orleans-based consulting firm to pursue state and federal disaster aid to help with the rebuilding from the June tornadoes and October snowstorm.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonRobbie Ober, owner of Robbie's Repair on East Columbus Avenue in Springfield.

The contract is for three years.

Reflecting on the one-year tornado anniversary, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno expressed pride in the city’s rebuilding effort, but noted that much remains to be done.

“It is not the disaster that we celebrate,” said Sarno, who will participate in a ceremony at Old First Church at Court Square at 4 p.m. on June 1.

“It’s the spirit of the city and how (everyone) came together in support of their neighbors,” he said.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayMost of the trees that were in the backyard of Helen Edgars' home in Springfield, which still has work to be done on it, were knocked down in the June 1 tornado.

To mark the anniversary, church bells will ring in Court Square at 4:37 p.m., the time the storm touched down in Springfield.

In a region that experiences so few tornadoes, nobody was prepared for four – the first, an EF3-rated twister, touching down at 4:17 p.m. in Westfield and spreading death and destruction during a 70-minute rampage through Hampden and Worcester counties; three lesser tornadoes followed, inflicting mostly tree and property damage before ending around 7:13 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

The impact of sudden, traumatic events, such as tornadoes, can linger for both victims and the broader population, according to Dr. Barry D. Sarvet, chief of child psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center.

“It shatters your sense of reality; these are extraordinary events that almost by definition are not something you would expect or prepare for,” said Sarvet.

Anniversaries can exacerbate the trauma suffered by storm victims, Sarvet added.

“(Anniversaries) can be triggers that remind them of their traumatic experience, causing a relapse of anxiety or emotional distress,” he added.

In the past 12 months, hundreds of homes have been repaired, dozens of businesses reopened and tons of debris hauled away in the past months. But, given the widespread devastation, the prospect of a full recovery remains years away.

In Monson, the town government and police force are still operating in makeshift quarters.

In Springfield, Cathedral High School and the South End Community Center remain orphaned institutions.

And, along the tornado trail, property owners expecting to get storm damage repaired by last fall are now hoping for help sometime this year.

Even churches have struggled to get help.

In Springfield, the Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ endured an extended dispute with its insurance company, which estimated damage at $77,000 – nearly $200,000 less than the church’s estimate.

After months of haggling, the company finally paid out $265,000 and then canceled its coverage, said Rev. Talbert Swan II, the pastor.

“I was shocked they didn’t negotiate in good faith,” said Swan, adding that the Alden Street church’s computer lab and library after-school programs have been shut down since the storm.

In Monson, the Phipps family has settled into their new home on 20 Stewart Ave. – a replacement for the three-story Victorian swept away by the tornado. Now, they have a more modern home, with two floors and a wraparound porch. They moved in at the end of April.

The Republican | Don TreegerMiranda Phipps, right, and her mother, Michelle, walk down the driveway of their home at 20 Stewart Ave. in Monson. This new house has replaced the old one destroyed in a tornado a year ago.

On June 1, Miranda Phipps, 20, had been home only a short while from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams. She was enjoying a “lazy day” with her younger sisters, Montana, 15, and Merissia, 18.

Then Montana got a text message warning them about a tornado on the way. They grabbed their two dogs and sought refuge in the basement.

“Everything erupted around us,” Miranda Phipps recalled.

The house was pushed on its side.

Some of it was lifted away.

For days on end afterwards, she would dream about tornadoes. She still has the dreams, though not as often, Phipps said.

Her mother, Michelle A. Phipps, said the family – the three girls and her husband Marcus – had a meeting and voted to rebuild.

“We’re trying to make it feel like home. It’s nice to be back in the neighborhood. I want to make it homey like we had it. We still have a lot of work to do. We need a lot of landscaping.,” Michelle Phipps said.

With the loss of so many trees, she said they can hear everything now – from the cars driving along Main Street to the kids playing baseball on Veterans Field.

“It’s definitely different,” Michelle Phipps said. “I still expect to walk in the old house.”

For its part, Robbie’s Repair took a direct hit from the storm, but manged to stay open for weeks with plywood slab substituting for the front window.

Then, by late summer, the front office received a dramatic makeover.

Gone are the oversized deer antlers that gave the office its hunting lodge atmosphere. Mauled by the storm, the antlers were retired to the storage room on the advice of Robbie’s wife and daughter, who oversaw the renovations.

Trophies, hunting magazines and a Hank Williams Jr. puppet remain from the pre-tornado days.

Customers like the new look, but it took Ober months to feel at home.

“We’re still here, but it’s different. Everything seems different now,” said Ober.

Even during the most dismal moments last summer, Ober knew things could be worse.

“We were lucky; we didn’t lose anyone. There was a garage down the street that had only a concrete slab and a toilet bolted to the floor” after the tornado hit, he added.

Richard Reim was not as fortunate.

He was huddling in his trailer with his girlfriend Virginia “Ginger” Darlow when their camper at Village Green Campground in Brimfield was flung into the air, and smashed back to the ground.

His back was broken. His girlfriend of 10 years was killed.

Despite more than two months in the hospital and nursing home, Reim’s injuries have prevented him from returning to his job as a roofer.

He is, however, grateful for the help he has received and what he’s observed given to other victims of the tornado.

“I saw some great things. I saw people pull together and work hard to save people,” he said. 

Staff writers Lori Stabile, Peter Goonan and Sandy Constantine also contributed to this story.

Mayor Sarno: The work the community has done in helping each other and in planning for our future has been truly inspiring.

By DOMENIC J. SARNO | Mayor of Springfield

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield Mayor Domenic Sarno during a tour of damage in the South End following the June 1, 2011 tornado.

We all will remember where we were on June 1, 2011.

Without a great deal of warning, an EF-3 tornado with winds of over 160 mph descended from the sky and tore a 6.2 mile path through Springfield, leaving behind a trail of damage unprecedented in the city's history.

This devastation immediately impacted 40 percent of city residents and resulted in over 350 city residents left having to live in temporary shelter at the MassMutual Center, over 600 structures damaged, and 150,000 cubic yards in tree debris to be cleared from public ways.

While that was a truly historic event, what happened following the tornado was equally as significant: Neighbors helping neighbors, businesses helping businesses, our first responders and those assisting us from throughout the state, city employees and our federal and state partners responding in a swift and compassionate fashion demonstrated the true character of our city.

As we approach the one-year anniversary, we look back at what has been accomplished since that day.

Beyond the crucial 24/7 emergency response that happened in the days and weeks after the tornado – homeless families being re-housed, streets being cleared and reopened, power being restored in 72 hours – it was clear that the community was going to need to work together on a plan to rebuild Springfield, and not just rebuild what was lost, but rebuild a stronger Springfield.

It was important to me that our entire community be represented in this process, and with that the partnership of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and DevelopSpringfield was established to help lead the process, truly making this a public-private partnership.

To further ensure participation, the Rebuild Springfield Advisory Committee was formed – comprised of representatives from a wide spectrum of impacted residents, businesses and organizations interested in the rebuild phase.

What followed was a phased planning process in each of the neighborhoods affected by the tornado, a process that when completed involved the participation of over 3,000 city residents – the largest community planning process in the city's history. It was inspiring to see the numbers of people taking time out of their days to come and bring their concerns, their ideas, and their input on how to make Springfield a better place.

And this didn't mean the rebuilding was on hold.

We saw people in their own lives rebuilding and rebuilding bigger and better. Since June 1, 2011, we've seen more than $22.5 million in rebuilding dollars in the tornado-impacted areas.

People are reinvesting in their community and see the opportunity we have in Springfield. We saw over 80 businesses that had either short-term closures due to power or long term due to damage, rebuild, reopen, and our community has comeback to support them. The city rebuilt and reopened still while planning for its future.

So we now have the completion of a grassroots plan, available online at www.developspringfield.com, that does not sit on a shelf; rather it becomes a living document, one that is led by our domain and district leaders through DevelopSpringfield for implementation, including the hundreds of volunteers who indicated they wanted to be part of the implementation on a whole host of topics.

I couldn't be more thankful for our business community through the recovery and planning process. Knowing the quality of our companies in Springfield, I know we can fully expect a similar wave of support as we enter into the important phase of implementation and rebuilding.

Institutions like MassMutual Financial Group – not only donating significant staff time to the process and emergency response resources, but also a generous $1.6 million contribution made toward rebuilding our city – have been nothing short of heroic.

Experiencing a tornado here at home is something we in Springfield never expected would have happened, but the silver lining in what has happened since that day, the work the community has done in helping each other and in planning for our future has been truly inspiring.

The city will continue the rebuilding process in an effective, constructive and compassionate manner and will fight tooth and nail to ensure we receive every reimbursable dime to which we are entitled.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Loren Cox

Loren D. Cox, M.D., 82, of Springfield, died May 20. Born in Oklahoma, he was a combat veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Navy. From 1967 to 1972, he was the head of immunohematology laboratory at Hahnemann Hospital and Medical School in Philadelphia. In 1972 he enrolled in medical school, and upon graduation, he was a resident of anesthesiology at Baystate Medical Center. After completing his residency he opened a private practice in Springfield.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Artiano, Aldo
  



• 
  Beaudry, Judith (Tutty)
  



• 
  Campfield II, Donald G.
  



• 
  Ciscon, Barbara G.
  



• 
  Cox, Dr. Loren D.
  



• 
  Dagradi, Martin S.
  



• 
  Goodkowsky, Evelyn "Lynn"
  



• 
  Hunter, Patricia (Browne)
  



• 
  Knudsen Jr., John
  



• 
  Parrish, Barry J.
  



• 
  Shearer, Richard E.
  



• 
  Wesley Sr., Robert H.
  



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  Wiencek Sr., Richard F.
  

According to the state Division of Insurance, 11,500 tornado-related claims had been submitted through April.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayWisam Yacteen, left and Alfredo Improta, are owners of the building behind them at the corner of Main and Union Street in Springfield that they are rebuilding after it was destroyed following the June 1st tornado.

SPRINGFIELD — All business partners Wisam Yacteen and Alfredo Improta needed to know was that the insurance money they would get for 1020 Main St. would get them close to the cost of replacing their tornado-destroyed building.

Then, they knew they were going to rebuild.

“All it had to do was make sense,” said Yacteen. “Even if we had to put some of our own money to make it work, we felt we had to do it. We couldn’t just walk away. It is too important to Springfield.”

The 5,000-square-foot, one-floor commercial and retail building will be done in the next three months, according to Yacteen, who lives in Enfield and grew up in Agawam.

Of their former tenants, Samuel’s Sports Bar and Tavern, is interested in returning. A jewelry store and a shop that sold religious icons are not planning to return, Yacteen said. He declined to say how much the new building will cost.

A year after a series of tornadoes cut a swath of destruction through Western Massachusetts, including Springfield’s hard-hit South End neighborhood, some businesses have returned and others are gone forever.

According to the state Division of Insurance, 11,500 tornado-related claims had been submitted through April. Of these, more than 10,764 were personal property claims for damages to automobiles, homes and associated personal property. An additional 757 or more were commercial property claims for damage to commercial vehicles and commercial property. The total value of claims paid as of April was $200.3 million.

In a way, the business community of Western Massachusetts was lucky, says Jeffrey S. Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield. None of the region’s major employers, like MassMutual Financial Group or Lenox American Saw, had property damaged by the storm. While he understands that it is small comfort to the businesses that were damaged, Ciuffreda says not having to re-boot major employers has allowed the region to focus on small business in the wake of the storm.

After last June’s tornadoes, Hampden Bank very quickly donated $100,000 to relief efforts, Welch said. Of that amount, $75,000 went to the American Red Cross and $25,000 went to the Salvation Army.

Fathers & Sons auto dealer group in West Springfield donated a combined $12,900 from the proceeds of their “Scratch, Dent, & Ding” sale to the Angelica Guerrero Fund and the United Way of Pioneer Valley’s Tornado Relief Fund. The sale featured cars damaged by the storm.

Angelica Guerrero lost her life in an effort to save her daughter, Ibone, from the tornado that devastated eight communities and affected 21 others in parts of western and central Massachusetts. Angelica bravely shielded Ibone with her own body as all three floors of her West Springfield home collapsed.

Yankee Candle in South Deerfield donated $40,000 to the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter.

United Bank, headquartered in West Springfield, donated $100,000 to tornado relief. Hampden Bank very quickly donated $100,000 to relief efforts. The Hampden Bank Charitable Foundation donated $150,000 to DevelopSpringfield in hopes of supporting long-term rebuilding efforts.

MassMutual Financial Group contributed $100,000 just a day after the tornado, provided to the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter, to its tornado relief funds for Western Massachusetts, and has since donated $1.6 million to DevelopSpringfield for long-term recovery. MassMutual even lent assistant vice president Nicholas A. Fyntrilakis to help lead the recovery, and Westfield State University lent Gerald W. Hayes to also serve as co-chairman of the effort. Hayes has since retired and Fyntrilakis has since returned to MassMutual full-time and been promoted to a vice presidency.

“We have a plan, we have a strategy that is completed and has had unprecedented buy-in from the community,” Fyntrilakis said. “More importantly we have an approach to implementation.”

Rico Daniele, owner of Mom & Rico’s Italian specialty store, in the South End, says the slow pace of recovery is frustrating. He was closed for 36 days while his building was repaired.

“They say master plans. We have to stay positive,” Daniele said. “But what are we actually doing?”

He wants to see more action.

Daniele said business is good. But he’s noticed a lack of foot traffic. It’s because many of the apartments in the South End were never rebuilt. No apartments means no people, no people except at lunch.

Across the street, Dave’s Furniture used to do a brisk business in apartment-sized furniture. But no more, said Linda A. Guidetti, manager at the family-owned shop. She said business has been slow overall since the store re-opened at the end of March.

Ana Cortes had to relocate Meche’s Hair Salon less than a mile from 894 Main St. in the city’s South End to 196 Chestnut St., after the storm. She figures 70 percent of her clientele haven’t been able to follow her. The building closed on the day of the storm.

The Republican | Lucilla J. SantanaAna Cortes, owner of Meche'€™s Hair Salon, stands inside her business'€™s temporary location on 196 Chestnut St., Springfield. The salon's prior location on 894 Main St. is being rebuilt after it was affected by the tornado.

“It has been very tough,” said Cortes.

Her insurance reimbursed only 30 percent of the losses, and she did not qualify for any assistance, being forced to operate her business using the family savings she had in the Dominican Republic, her home country. She has downsized from eight employees to three, and is now offering fewer services than before.

Her temporary location is much smaller, is less aesthetically appealing and has less parking, but she is hopeful that once the Main Street building is renovated, Meche’s Hair Salon will return and be what it once was or even better.

Javier Mulero, owner of Divalicious Salon originally located at 991 Main St., in Springfield, has been working to relocate his business since the day after the storm. His new salon located at 1601-1603 Main St. is set to open mid-June, but he figures he lost about $80,000 and he had to travel for other hair-cutting jobs.

“I think I am going to do much better than before because I am stronger. This is just an example for us to know that anything can happen in a second,” says Mulero, a Springfield native.

Joe Stevens, owner of the Hofbrauhaus in West Springfield, is still trying to convince his insurance company that his restaurant was hit by a tornado, even though his old beer garden is now in the Connecticut River a quarter mile away .

“They say it didn’t hit this location,” Stevens said while declining to name his insurer. “It’s probably headed to court, honestly. They were here a day after the tornado and said, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be taken care of.’”

Stevens said he’s spent $200,000 on repairs out of his own pocket and he still owes another $100,000 to his contractors.

“They have been very patient,” Stevens said. “It keeps me up at night.”

He said it would have been easier to shut down and do the repairs after the insurance claim was completed rather than do enough work to reopen quickly.

But that would have meant laying off his 40-person staff, Stevens said. He wanted to keep those people employed.

William L. Feinberg, owner of Bel-Mar Insurance, kept his business but lost his office at the corner of Main and William streets in Springfield’s South End. The building’s tornado damage won’t be repaired, he said. The landlord said it just isn’t worth spending the $2.5 to $3 million it would cost to upgrade the building to current building codes.

So he’s on Century Way in West Springfield now, in a new building that overlooks West Springfield’s tornado damage.

“I looked in Springfield,” he said. “But all the storefronts were either too expensive or just not appropriate. I’m in West Springfield now, for better or worse.”