About 72 percent of the graduates are planning on going to college.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanAnnalydia Bermudez, left, and Maritza Baez Reyes participate in the 96th commencement exercises of William J. Deam Technical High School in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE – Dean Technical High School graduated 85 students in its Class of 2012 Friday with a special message from Principal Jonathan Carter.

Graduating means the students got the job done, he said before the ceremony.

“For these kids in particular, these kids have shown diligence and perseverance and a dedication to take care of business,” Carter said.

“They met the requirements of the Holyoke public schools and Dean Technical High School to receive a diploma that says to the world, not only have they met the vocational requirements, but they’ve also met the academic requirements that all students across the commonwealth have had to meet,” he said.

Dean, at 1045 Main St., has high standards, he said.

“The students who will walk across the stage have met those standards,” Carter said.

Christina N. Connon is the school valedictorian. As she and classmates signed each other’s yearbooks at class day Friday, in between eating lunch prepared by the vocational school’s culinary arts students, Connon said she was the first in her family to be the highest academically in a class.

“There’s no feeling to describe it. It’s a big accomplishment,” said Connon, 18.

Connon’s shop class at Dean was cosmetology and she plans to take business courses at Holyoke Community College, she said.

“I’m planning on opening up my own salon,” Connon said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse, chairman of the School Committee, said the Dean graduation was inspiring.

"It was a wonderful event, a lot of energy from the students and their families," Morse said.

Gary Charlton is the Dean Class of 2012 salutatorian.

Of Dean’s graduates, 72 percent are going on to college, officials said.

The awards recognize extra work students employ to succeed.

photo by Conor Brennan Andrew L. Melendez

HOLYOKE – Andrew L. Melendez is taking his “H Awards” annual.

For nearly two years, Melendez, director of the Greater Holyoke office of the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce, has been issuing monthly awards consisting of a framed certificate signed by officials to public school students who put in an extra effort to succeed.

He now will give year-end awards to a student from each public school that a principal has determined has shown the most improvement between the opening and closing of a school year, he said Thursday.

The “H” in the awards stands for “Hardworking Holyoke Heroes,” Melendez said.

The awards are a way to recognize students who work hard but are unable always to get A’s, he said.

“I was the one who just got by with B’s and C’s,” Melendez said.

As with the monthly awards, of which he has issued more than 900 since he began the program, Melendez said the year-end awards will be based on names forwarded by school principals.

He is asking principals to provide names of deserving students by June 9 and he will give the awards around June 15, he said.

“I truly believe that affirmation is the way to encourage our kids,” said Melendez, who pays for the award certificates and frames himself.

The certificates bear signatures of the mayor, school superintendent and Melendez.

McGovern has been with the state police since 1979.

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonCol. Marian J. McGovern, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, looks out over trainees during a recent visit to the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree. McGovern announced Friday she intends to retire in July after 33 years on the job.

FRAMINGHAM - The Massachusetts State Police announced Friday night that Superintendent Col. Marian McGovern intends to retire after a 33-year-career in law enforcement .

“It has been an honor to have spent more than 30 years working for the greatest law enforcement agency in the world,” McGovern said in a prepared statement. “I appreciate the opportunity Governor Patrick gave me and the trust he had in me and my ability to lead the Massachusetts State Police forward.”

McGovern’s career began in 1979 when she graduated from the State Police Academy. She spent years assigned to a barracks performing road patrols, and was later named a detective with the agency. She was promoted to second in command in January, 2010, and was appointed to the top job by Patrick that December when then-Superintendent Col. Mark Delaney retired.

Governor Deval L. Patrick called her plans to retire "a huge loss."

He said her service "has been marked by strong leadership, openness and vision, producing the first new class of recruits in many years."

He said that as the first woman appointed to command the state police, McGovern made history while "the quality and professionalism of her command has made us all proud."

Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan said of McGovern, "She has served at every level of her career with distinction and her leadership will be sorely missed.”

McGovern's last day will be July 13.

A successor has not been named. The selection process will begin over the next several weeks, officials said.

Townspeople paused to remember Virginia “Ginny” Darlow who perished during the tornado.

Photo by Jim RussellBrimfield Fire Chief Fred Piechota, right, presents an award to Gina Lynch as townspeople paused to mark the anniversary of the tornado that devastated part of the town last year. Selectmen Chairman Diane Panaccione is seen behind Lynch. Lynch directs Brimfield'€™s disaster relief center housed at First Congregational Church.

BRIMFIELD – An eclectic first anniversary memorial of the tornado that devastated sections of town and killed one person was celebrated by the release of homing pigeons and butterflies, biblical references to Noah’s Ark, poetry recitation, singing, speeches about resilient Brimfield, and a solid performance of the Star Spangled Banner performed by the tiny elementary school band.

A year later, there is hope for the future and sober awareness of work that remains.

The memory of Virginia “Ginny” Darlow who perished during the June 1, 2011 tornado, was honored.

She was a seasonal resident at Village Green Campground. Officials chose the campground to honor her along with the police and fire and highway departments and emergency workers and highway departments and volunteers that helped get the town back on its feet.

Richard Reim, 53, who was Darlow’s partner for eleven years, spoke. He thanked the town and the campground.

Campground owner Lester Twarowski told more than a hundred gathered on the village green that being able to open up this year means a lot.

“You can’t imagine how great it was when we opened the doors on May 1-st; we kicked the tornadoes butt,” he said.

Resident Marie St. George came to the ceremony with her 8-month old Golden Retriever to express thanks to “all those policemen, firemen and every volunteer. The spirit of this town, this town didn’t miss a beat. Everyone said: How can I help? That just astounded me.”

Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre said “Casinos, wind turbines, tornadoes, forest fires, nothing gets you down: Brimfield is tough!”

Selectmen honored the town’s fire, police, highway, ambulance and emergency management agencies and Gina Lynch, who oversaw a massive volunteer food and meals program at the First Congregational Church after the tornado hit.

The town got some good news for the state forest.

Included in the $4 million extra in tornado-related assistance the Patrick administration announced on the first anniversary of the tornado is $154,000 for cleanup efforts at Brimfield State Forest.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s will use the money to remove broken trees strewn throughout the forest, to install fire gates and improve existing fire roads in coordination with the Monson and Brimfield Fire Chiefs,

In an interview Brimfield Fire Chief Fred Piechota stressed the importance of using the money to gain access to the state forest in an emergeny.

“It improves access to fires before they get out of control,” he said.

Police Chief Charles Kuss told a reporter: “I want to rethink all the agencies that came out, the police, fire, ambulance, highway from other towns that came down to help out.”

Monson High School Principal Andrew Linkenhoker said the class of 2012 epitomizes what the entire town has gone through over the past 12 months.

MONSON — Monson High School's class of 2012 jubilantly threw their graduation caps in the air during Friday night's commencement ceremony, celebrating the end of their high school days.

Held on the first anniversary of the tornado that decimated parts of the town, the twister was mentioned in several speeches, but did not overshadow the purpose of the evening.

A crowd gathered on the Granite Valley Middle School lawn to watch the 74 graduates receive their diplomas.

Monson High School Principal Andrew Linkenhoker said the class of 2012 epitomizes what the entire town has gone through over the past 12 months.

"As time progressed, so did this class. When we all we had was doubt, these students pulled through stronger than before. Leaders took root and positive memories blossomed," Linkenhoker said.

"I am confident this class will make the world a better place," Linkenhoker said.

Linkenhoker was followed by salutatorian Joseph A. Willis, who delivered a humorous speech, discussing his tendencies to procrastinate, and telling the crowd they were in store for "the greatest speech in the history of Earth."

"While I am in no way advocating for the practice of procrastination, I am simply saying that it's not the worst thing in the world. I mean look at me ... The most important thing to take from this is that when it comes to your work ... just get it done," Willis said. "By the powers invested in me, I challenge this graduating class always to have a strong work ethic."

Willis said he felt pity for his classmates who never waited until the last minute to finish assignments.

"Where's the thrill of the chase?" Willis said.

He closed with a quote from Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell in "Taladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby") – "If you ain't first, you're last."

"Or in my case, you're second," Willis said.

Valedictorian Michael A. Rickson thanked his mother, Martha, then held up a pair of sneakers he used while on the cross country team.

He explained that he and a friend, KC Fussell, each got the same pair of shoes, but in different colors, so they could each wear one. The shoes are a symbol of friendship and how two people worked together as a team, he said.

"Throughout the town you can still see signs that say 'We are Monson strong.' So as we go forth as a class and individuals with our very unique shoes, I would like to remind you that you will always have these relationships and you will develop new relationships that will help you succeed. Most of all you will never walk alone, because we are Monson strong," he said.

The "Monson strong" term came about in the days after the tornado.

In the fall, Rickson is heading to the University of Rhode Island to study pharmacy. Willis said he is going to the University of Massachusets-Amherst for sports medicine.

Linkenhoker said 87 percent of the graduates were going on to college, 9 percent were entering the workforce and 4 percent, the military.

Lindsey M. Garman delivered the honors address, and Class President Melissa L. Harris gave the closing remarks.

Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne told the graduates that there is very little in life they will have control over, but they do have control over themselves.

"The true measure of your success will be measured by how you think of yourself," Dardenne said. "Work at becoming a more perfect you. That is something you can control."

The graduates were told not to forget their roots.

SPRINGFIELD - Symphony Hall was filled to capacity Friday night as 316 students graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School surrounded by family and friends.

Class speaker Harrison Giza, a member of the graduating class of 2012, said that “through hurricanes, an earthquake, severe storms and crowded hallways, we all made it. You’re done.”

Giza said that life, like high school, “is only temporary.”

“High school was the beginning spark of our adult lives,” Giza said.

He called attending Minnechaug Regional High School and forming fantastic friendships “a gift.”

“Take every moment you get, and enjoy it for what it is,” Giza said.

He concluded, “Stay classy, 2012. A lot will change for you. Be alive and have a ball.”

Class valedictorian was Hannah Sweeney and class salutatorian was Lauren Gerberich.

Wilbraham resident Charles Bennett, a member of the class of 1961, the first class to graduate from Minnechaug Regional High School, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Bennett said his class was the first class to graduate from the current high school and this year’s graduating class is the last. Before 1961 Wilbraham residents attended high school in Springfield.

A newly constructed Minnechaug Regional High School will open in the fall.

Bennett said his class cultivated the traditions that would be followed by generations.

“A high school is more than bricks and mortar and tiles,” Bennett said.

He told the graduating class, “Don’t forget your roots.”

Minnechaug Regional High School Principal Stephen Hale told the graduates that what their parents want for them is that they “someday begin a family of their own and that they always will be loved by others.”

“Always remember us as loving you,” Hale said. He told the graduates that he hopes his own young children someday grow up to be like them.

“High school was a great experience because we became family,” said Valedictorian Marguerite Butler.

Photo by Manon MirabelliMembers of St. Mary High School's Class of 2012 emerge from Mass following the school's 109th graduation ceremony held Friday in St. Mary's Church.

WESTFIELD – Family was the important theme at St. Mary High School Friday where 35 seniors received diplomas following baccalaureate Mass at St. Mary’s Church.

The mass was celebrated by the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. Diplomas were presented to graduates by McDonnell with assistance from the Rev. Brian McGrath and principal Nichole Nietsche.

“High school was a great experience because we became family,” said Valedictorian Marguerite A. Butler. “Today may seem like we are now all alone but we must remember that those who love us will always be there to support us in what ever we do. Think of today as the first day of the rest of your life,” was her message to fellow graduates.

Salutatorian Nicole F. Parentela agreed classmates have become a family during their high school tenure.

Guidance director Michael f. Hourihan characterized the class as “extremely bright.”

Hourihan said at least 98 percent of the graduates will further their education.

Parentela, a Southwick resident, will attend the College of Holy Cross this fall where she will major in biology and pre-medicine. Her goal is to become a pediatrician.

Butler, of Westfield, will major in bio-chemistry at Northeastern University beginning in September. “I want to focus on medical research for life saving purposes,” she said.

Nearly all Smith Academy graduates are going on to college.

HATFIELD – The retired physical education teacher and former Smith Academy principal hoped to motivate the class of 2012 with a little humor and words of inspiration.

Sherry Webb who taught at the school for 38 years and Scott Goldman, current head of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in South Hadley, staged a performance of sorts for the 31 graduating seniors, their family and friends at Friday night’s graduation. All but two are heading to college.

The title of the Goldman-Webb presentation was “People, Passion and Pastry: A User’s Guide to a Well-Lived Life.”

“The message is about achieving good things by being surrounded by good people, about doing things with passion and earning a pastry,” Webb said.
Being around good people leads to making good choices, she said. Pursuing life with passion “will bring you happiness.”

Webb said she has never spoken at a graduation before.

Sierra McDonald earned the highest rank as class valedictorian and the salutatorian honor went to Alexander
 Do. Both live in Greenfield.

Stefan Czaporowski, who finished his first year as school principal, described the class “as independent, outspoken, enthusiastic, and
 fun. Although this is my first year, they are different than others in the fact that they are truly a cohesive group.”

Members of the Class of 2012 tossed balloons, beech balls and streaming party favors during graduation exercises.

SOUTHWICK – Threatening skies Friday night did not damped the spirit and enthusiasm of the 140 graduates who represent the 50th graduating class at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School.

Rousing cheers followed the release of green and white balloons, tossing beech balls and streaming party favors as graduates closed in on the their final formal event of high school on the school’s athletic fields.

Principal Pamela C. Hunter said “these are great kids. There are a lot of athletes, a lot of artists, they cover all the bases.”

Valedictorian Amanda M. Roy told classmates “success is not knowing everything, but how you use what you know.

“In the last four years, we’ve been gauged, measured and examined. Today we are excited, nervous and a little naive.”

Ashlyn K. Stromgren, class salutatorian, called graduation “a celebration of achievement and moving on. We can succeed in the future because we are a class of dreamers of dreams.”

In her welcoming address to parents and alumni, Erica C. LeFebvre said “the Class of 2012 welcomes new challenges, we welcome the rest of our lives.”

School officials said more than 79 percent of the graduates will continue their education at either two- or four-year colleges and universities this fall.

Roy plans to major in bio-chemistry at Northeastern University. Stromgren and LeFebvre are undecided about their studies beginning in September. Stromgren will attend University of Massachusetts at Amherst while LeFebvre will attend Gettysburg College in Penn.

The mayor announced plans to create a memorial type garden in the school's traffic circle.

Photo by Manon MirabelliCity and state officials gather at Munger Hill Elementary School Friday for the ceremonial planting of a tree to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the tornado that ripped the roof off part of the school and destroyed the grounds.

WESTFIELD – The Munger Hill Elementary School community came together Friday not to clear debris but to commemorate rebirth.

A tree was planted marking the anniversary of last June’s tornado, and Mayor Daniel M. Knapik announced plans for a memorial garden for the school’s traffic circle area.

“Today we mark the miracle there was no loss of life and we recognize the quick response to the damage that has brought our community closer together,” said Knapik.

Munger School Principal Carla Lussier characterized the event as providing a sense of closure and celebration of everything done in the past year.

Ward 5 City Councilor Richard E. Onofrey Jr. said, it “is great to see the neighborhood bounce back both from the tornado and the October snowstorm.

A sugar maple was donated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and delivered by state Secretary of Environmental Affairs and former Mayor Richard K. Sullivan Jr.

The tornado struck Munger Hill School shortly after 4 p.m. and proceeded on a 39-mile path of fury through communities including West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson and Brimfield. Students had already left for the day, and a handful of staff and parents remained in the building.

A 20-foot section of steel roof, above two kindergarten classrooms was ripped from the building and dumped several hundred feet away on Cardinal Drive. A clock from room 102, which its hands stuck at 4:16 p.m., has been framed and hangs in the central office.

The tornado focused primarily on the Ward 5 southeast section of the city. No injuries or deaths occurred, and, except for Munger Hill School, only three homes suffered extensive damage. One home on Shaker Road, condemned because of extensive structural damage, has been razed and rebuilt. Widespread tree damage occurred in the Shaker Heights, Glenwood Heights, Birch Bluff and Knollwood neighborhoods.

The damaged school roof was repaired and classes resumed on June 6.

Replanting of trees on and around the school grounds was launched in the fall and financed through donations that included $5,000 from Peoples Bank and a matching grant from Westfield Gas & Electric Department.

Nearly 90 percent of the graduates are heading to college.

HADLEY – Principal Diana Bonneville has high praise for the class of 2012 that graduated Friday night at Hopkins Academy.

“While all of the classes are special and unique, this class really stands out in terms of scholars, athletes, musicians and leaders.” She said 14 of the 49 graduates have a grade point average of 4.0 or higher. That she said, “is a testament to their academic strengths.”

“US News and World Report and Newsweek named Hopkins Academy one of the top schools in the nation, in large part because of the scores of these students. Their positive attitudes, hard work ethic and willingness to always go the extra mile are their legacy, and qualities that will lead them to success.”

Nearly 90 percent or 44 are attending college.

Michael Leveille took the valedictorian honor this year and Emma Binkowski was class salutatorian.

Speaker Max (Nick) Wojtowicz, who received The Distinguished Alumnus Award, said the town is fortunate to have such a great high school.

The school might be small but “we still provide the students with all the courses, all the support and the leadership they need.” He is a 1965 graduate and his wife and three children all graduated from the school. He has two grandsons who he said will be future Hopkins graduates.

“So many kids have been so successful, we really love the school,” said Wojtowicz who retired five years ago as the vice president for administration and finance from what is now Westfield State University.

Friday’s graduation was the last for Superintendent Nicholas D. Young who is leaving the district after 11 years to take over as superintendent in South Hadley beginning July 1.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly discovered around 4:30 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene.

NORTHAMPTON - A 28-year-old man was found dead near the railroad tracks behind Northampton Lumber on Pleasant Street Friday afternoon after hanging himself from a tree, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly discovered around 4:30 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said it's believed he was from Northampton.

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In the latest survey conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute, Warren is holding a small lead over Brown in this region of the state, 44 to 41 percent.

File photos | The Republican (Brown) and The Associated Press (Warren)U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., left, and Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law professor who is running for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Complete Coverage of the Western New England University Poll

Candidate Support by region

• Western Massachusetts
  • 44 percent-Warren
  • 41 percent-Brown
  • 14 percent-Undecided
  Central Massachusetts
  • 40 percent-Warren
  • 54 percent-Brown
  • 6 percent-Undecided
  North & South Shores
  • 40 percent-Warren
  • 44 percent-Brown
  • 16 percent-Undecided
  Boston & Suburbs
  • 51 percent-Warren
  • 42 percent-Brown
  • 7 percent-Undecided

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While Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his chief Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren are in a statewide dead heat according to a new poll, the Harvard Law School professor has edged the incumbent among Western Massachusetts voters.

In the latest survey conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute in a partnership with The Republican newspaper and MassLive.com, Warren is holding a small lead over Brown in this region of the state, 44 to 41 percent. The poll has a 4.4 percent margin of error.

In the telephone survey of 504 registered voters conducted between May 29-31, the results among Western Massachusetts residents were a flip from the previous poll where the junior senator edged the consumer advocate by two percentage points in this part of the commonwealth.

Over the past few weeks, a publisher of a local African American newspaper criticized Warren for not making enough appearances in Western Massachusetts, but a look her and Brown's respective campaign schedules revealed that the Democrat has appeared in the area nearly as much in nine months as the senator has since November 2010.

Both candidates have also recently launched TV ads in Western Massachusetts, and other areas of the state, boosting their name recognition with voters who may not follow politics closely.

In step with results from the late February poll, Boston and its suburbs hold the highest concentration of support for Warren with 51 percent of those surveyed saying they are leaning toward voting for her the amount of people people pledging their support for Brown in the area dropped four points to 42 percent.

Brown's greatest concentration of support comes from the traditionally conservative central region of the commonwealth where 54 percent of those surveyed said he is their choice for U.S. Senate. Warren was the candidate of choice for 40 percent of Central Massachusetts voters polled, according to the data.

In the North and South Shores, which were grouped into one section for the poll, Brown leads over Warren 44 percent to 40 percent, compared to the 23 percentage point lead Brown held in the previous university poll.

Overall, 10 percent of those surveyed said they were still undecided, signifying that there is enough time for either candidate to rise or fall based on what happens over the coming months on the campaign trail.

The poll's data tables and methodology can be found on MassLive.com here.

The survey of 504 registered voters across the Bay State revealed that Warren's overall support is slightly stronger with 45 percent saying they would vote for the Harvard Law School professor compared to 43 percent for the Republican incumbent.

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren and Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown are running a close race according to nearly every poll that has been released in the past month. (Associated Press File Photos)

Despite a month-long controversy surrounding her Native American ancestry, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren is basically tied with Republican Sen. Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race.

This, according to the latest Western New England University poll conducted in a partnership with The Republican newspaper and MassLive.com. The survey of 504 registered voters from across the Bay State concluded that Warren's overall support is slightly stronger with 45 percent saying they would vote for the Harvard Law School professor compared to 43 percent for the Republican incumbent.

The margin of error in the new poll is 4.4 percentage points, according to Tim Vercellotti, associate professor of political science and director of the Polling Institute at Western New England University.

This is a significant change from the previous university poll conducted between Feb. 23 and March 1 where Brown led Warren 49 percent to 41 percent.

Looking at the match-up question with and without leaning voters shows how close the race is, Vercellotti notes.

If you look only at responses to the initial question, “If the election for Senate were held today, and the candidates were Scott Brown, the Republican and Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat, would you vote for Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren, or some other candidate for Senate?”, Brown leads Warren 42 percent to 40 percent, with 4 percent saying some other candidate, 2 percent saying they wouldn’t vote, 1 percent refusing to answer and 10 percent undecided.

"It is only after we ask those who didn't say Warren or Brown whom they lean toward that Warren gets the two-point edge," Vercellotti said. "It really is anyone's game right now."

Kathy Curry, 65, a retiree from Ashburnham and independent voter, said she started leaning toward Warren during the last couple of weeks after seeing the candidate's TV ads and reading news stories about her.

Curry, who says the economy is an important issue to her, can't define exactly what she likes about Warren, but she said she is intrigued by the consumer advocate.

"I haven't gone 100 percent, but I've been interested," Curry said.

Western New England University Polling Institute results: Scott Brown vs. Elizabeth Warren, March 2011 – June 2012

With all recent polls, the question Democrats and Republicans alike have been asking is if the controversy surrounding Warren's Native American ancestry claims have hurt her in any way. And as recent Suffolk and Rasmussen polls have also concluded, it does not seem to be an issue that has consumed voters to the same degree it has both senate campaigns and the political reporters covering them.

When respondents were asked an open-ended question as to what is the most important issue to them is in deciding which candidate to vote for, 39 percent said economic issues, indicating that the sluggish recovery is still a major issue in the Bay State.

The second-most frequent category of responses was morals, ethics, or the personal integrity of the candidate, which 10 percent of respondents offered as their answer. Among those who cited morals, ethics or personal integrity, about 46 percent were Warren supporters and 51 percent were Brown supporters, according to Vercellotti.

Only one of the registered voters in the survey specifically cited the controversy surrounding Warren’s ancestry as the most important issue, Vercellotti said.

Overall, Brown saw his favorability increase one percentage point to 48 percent while his ranking among independents and Democrats dipped slightly compared to the late February survey. The percentage of people who held an unfavorable view of the senator increased from 28 to 33 percent over the same time period.

Warren also saw her favorable ranking increase three percentage points to 40 percent among registered voters while her unfavorable ranking also increased nine percentage points to 29 percent, including an eight-point jump with independent voters.

According to the new survey, Warren has consolidated her base as she leads Brown 84 percent to 10 percent among voters who identify themselves as Democrats, compared to a margin of 70 percent to 22 percent in the last survey.

The consumer advocate has also cut significantly into Brown's lead among independents, trailing Brown 50 percent to 37 percent, a margin of 13 percent compared to 29 percent in the previous poll.

The gender gap also has grown significantly in the latest survey, according to Vercellotti.

Warren leads Brown 52 percent to 37 percent among women, compared to a four-point lead in the Feb. 23 – March 1 poll. Brown leads Warren by a margin of 50 percent to 38 percent among men, compared to a 56 percent to 35 percent advantage in the last survey.

At the same time, a majority of all voters surveyed said that candidate gender will not affect voter preference.

When asked whether Warren's gender would make voters more likely to vote for her, less likely, or would make no difference, 73 percent said gender wouldn't matter, 15 percent said her gender would make voters less likely to support her, and seven percent said her gender would help her with voters.

Interestingly enough, the responses were reversed relating to Brown. While 78 percent said Brown's gender wouldn't matter, 16 percent said the fact that he is a man would make voters more likely to support him, and only one percent said gender would hurt Brown.

Vercellotti noted that Democrats were more likely than independents and Republicans to say gender would help Brown and hurt Warren, and men also were generally more likely than women to say gender would hurt Warren.

Susan Weber, a Tyngsborough artist in her 50s, is a Democratic Warren supporter who doesn't consider the candidate's gender an issue.

"I don't think gender makes a person a better person to represent us," Weber said. "I think it's more what's inside of them, their experience, their beliefs, their willingness to do the right thing."

But Weber said she worries that others will have a prejudice against Warren.

"People might have doubts a woman can do a 'man's job,’” she said.

And although many voters seem to have their mind made up, 11 percent of those surveyed said they are undecided at this point in the race, signaling the possibility of additional support for Democratic underdog Marisa DeFranco. Additionally, 26 percent of respondents who expressed a preference said they might change their minds before Election Day, which is down from 31 percent in the last poll.

Vercellotti said that Warren’s supporters are slightly more likely than Brown supporters to say they might change their minds, while the opposite was true in the last survey.

Kathyjo Tesini, a 47-year-old Westfield resident who studies human services at Holyoke Community College, told a pollster that she was favoring Warren but less than two days later, she was leaning toward Brown.

“Another couple months, I may change my mind back,” Tesini said.

In different regions of the state, support for each candidate varies.

When voters in Western Massachusetts were asked which candidate they were leaning toward at this point, 44 percent said Warren while 41 percent said Brown, a flip from the previous poll where the junior senator edged the consumer advocate by two percentage points.

In step with results from the late February poll, Boston and its suburbs hold the highest concentration of support for Warren with 51 percent of those surveyed saying they are leaning toward voting for her although both candidates saw a boost in support from the greater Boston area.

Brown's greatest concentration of support comes from the traditionally conservative central region of the commonwealth where 54 percent of those surveyed said he is their choice for U.S. Senate.

"Given the month that Elizabeth Warren has had it's remarkable that the race has tightened up so much," Vercellotti said. "There is just nothing in the data to indicate that the controversy over her ethnicity has rooted itself as an issue in the minds of voters. But with the last poll, there didn't seem to be any fallout among women voters for Brown voting for the Blunt Amendment. And since then Warren's popularity has increased among women, so maybe there is a delayed effect. It is hard to say."

The poll's data tables and methodology can be found on MassLive.com here.

A new poll conducted by Western New England University for The Republican and MassLive.com finds that Warren has cut Brown's lead among independents in half in the past three months.

The Associated PressThis composite image made from Associated Press photos shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown continues to hold a strong lead among the vital constituency of independent voters – but Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren is gaining on him, according to a poll released Saturday by The Republican and MassLive.com.

The poll, conducted May 29-31 by The Western New England University Polling Institute, found that Warren trails Brown among independents, 50 percent to 37 percent. But she has cut his lead among that group by more than half in the past three months. In a survey done Feb. 23-March 1, Brown led Warren among independents by 29 points.

Warren has rolled out several TV ads this spring, focusing on her personal story and her campaign themes of helping the middle class and regulating the financial industry. Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England University Polling Institute and an associate professor of political science, said Warren appears to have made inroads with independent voters through her advertising. “She still trails Brown, but she has narrowed the gap quite a bit,” Vercellotti said.

Kathy Curry, 65, a retiree from Ashburnham and independent voter, is one of those voters who has started leaning toward Warren during the last couple of weeks. Curry saw Warren’s television advertisements and has been reading news coverage about her. Curry, who says the economy is an important issue to her, can’t define exactly what she likes about Warren. But, she said as she has learned more about the candidate, “She’s just intriguing me….I haven’t gone 100 percent, but I’ve been interested.”

Independent, or unenrolled, voters make just over half of the Massachusetts electorate, which makes them a vital constituency for any Senate candidate. That is especially true for Brown, who has less of a party-affiliated base to rely on, since registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by around three to one in Massachusetts.

Since the February poll, Brown’s favorability ratings have dropped among independents, from 58 percent to 55 percent, while his unfavorability ratings have risen, from 20 percent to 26 percent. Warren has seen both her favorable and unfavorable ratings increase among independents, from 28 percent to 36 percent and from 24 percent to 34 percent, respectively.

Warren has been the subject of a large amount of negative press coverage recently due to the controversy over whether she listed her alleged Native American ancestry in law directories to boost her career as a law professor – which may have fueled the growth in her unfavorable numbers.

“Her campaign really has had to focus in on that issue almost to the exclusion of anything else for the last month or so,” Vercellotti said.

Both candidates still have a chance to court independent voters. The poll found that 13 percent of independent voters remain undecided, compared to just 5 to 6 percent of voters from each party. Only 68 percent of independent voters said they are “very sure” of their choice, compared to 72 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans.

Kathyjo Tesini, 47, who lives in Westfield and studies human services at Holyoke Community College, told a pollster that she was favoring Warren. Less than two days later, she said she was leaning toward Brown, but wasn’t sure about either candidate. “Another couple month I may change my mind back,” Tesini said.

The poll of 504 registered voters has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

The poll's data tables and methodology can be found on MassLive.com here.

A poll conducted by The Western New England University Polling Institute for The Republican and MassLive.com finds the gender gap is widening in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race.

The Associated PressThis composite image of Associated Press photos shows U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and chief Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren handing in signatures to get their names on the fall ballot.

Democrat Elizabeth Warren is fighting to become Massachusetts’ first female U.S. senator – and if she wins, it is women voters who will likely giver her that distinction.

According to a poll released Saturday by the Republican and MassLive.com and conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute, women are supporting Warren by large margins, while men are favoring her Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. The poll, conducted May 29-31, found Warren leading Brown 52 percent to 37 percent among women. That is a major jump from a poll done Feb. 23-March 1, when Warren led Brown by just four percent among women.

The numbers were nearly flipped among men, with Brown leading Warren 50 percent to 38 percent. In the previous poll, Brown led among men, 56 to 35 percent.

Tim Vercellotti, director of the Western New England University Polling Institute and an associate professor of political science, said women in Massachusetts tend to favor Democrats by about 10 points.

In addition, gender issues have been at the forefront of the national political debate. Brown in March voted for the Blunt Amendment, an amendment supported by Republicans that would have allowed employers or health insurers to deny insurance coverage for a service they found religiously or morally objectionable, such as birth control.

“That ongoing narrative, that so-called ‘war on women’ that the Republican Party gets tagged with by Democrats, it may be that’s filtering down into this race,” Vercellotti said.

That said, most voters believe the candidates’ genders will make little difference in the election. Seventy three percent said gender would not matter to voters’ decisions on whether to support Warren and 78 percent said gender would not matter to voters’ decisions about Brown.

If gender has an impact, voters believe it will help Brown. Among those who said gender matters, 15 percent said voters would be less likely to support Warren because she is a woman, while only 7 percent said Warren’s gender would help her. For Brown, the responses were reversed. Sixteen percent said voters would be more likely to vote for him because he is a man, while 1 percent said voters would be less likely.

Susan Weber, a Tyngsborough artist in her 50s, is a Democratic Warren supporter. Weber said the fact that Warren is a woman is irrelevant to her. “I don’t think gender makes a person a better person to represent us,” Weber said. “I think it’s more what’s inside of them, their experience, their beliefs, their willingness to do the right thing.”

But Weber said she worries that others will have a prejudice against Warren. “People might have doubts a woman can do a ‘man’s job,’” she said.

Democrats were the most likely to believe that gender would help Brown and hurt Warren. Men were more likely than women to believe gender would hurt Warren.

The poll of 504 registered voters has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

The poll's data tables and methodology can be found on MassLive.com here.

Brown's job approval ranking in Massachusetts still ranks higher than many senators, although the numbers are down slightly from late February, according to a new poll.

Complete Coverage of the Western New England University Poll

Sen. Scott Brown's job approval by region

• Western Massachusetts
  • 50 percent approve
  • 31 percent disapprove
  Central Massachusetts
  • 60 percent approve
  • 33 percent disapprove
  North & South Shores
  • 50 percent approve
  • 30 percent disapprove
  Boston & Suburbs
  • 49 percent approve
  • 34 percent disapprove

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Massachusetts Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's job approval ranking in his home state still ranks higher than many senators, although the numbers are down slightly from late February, according to a new poll.

The latest statewide survey conducted by Western New England University's Polling Institute in a partnership with The Republican newspaper and MassLive.com concluded that overall, 51 percent of registered voters said they think Brown is doing a good job in the U.S. Senate.

Thirty-two percent said they disapprove of the job he is doing and 17 percent either didn't have an opinion or refused to answer the question, according to the poll data.

When the university polled Massachusetts voters in late February, Brown's approval-disapproval ranking was 54 and 28 percent, respectively.

Among his own party members, 85 percent of Republicans polled said they approve of the job he is doing while 12 percent said they do not.

Democrats support of the senator's work by a margin of 29 to 51 percent, while more than half of independents polled say they approve.

Unaffiliated voters approve of Brown's performance by a margin of 56 to 27 percent, compared to a 58 to 21 percent margin in the previous poll.

When broken down according to gender, Brown still has strong support for his job performance among both sexes with 59 percent of men and 44 percent of women giving him the thumbs-up.

Brown and Elizabeth Warren, the chief Democratic rival in his re-election bid, both saw their overall favorability and unfavorability ratings each climb in the latest poll compared to the late February survey.

Since the last survey, both candidates have begun airing TV and radio ads, and media coverage of the Senate race has increased both locally and nationally, all likely contributing to people having an opinion on each of the candidates.

Of the registered voters polled, 49 percent said they hold a favorable view of Brown compared to 32 percent who said they see him in a negative light. For Warren, 41 percent said they see her favorably while 30 percent hold an unfavorable opinion of her.

Within their own political parties, both Brown and Warren have shored up positive opinions from 84 and 71 percent, respectively. Among independents, 55 percent of people said they hold a favorable view of Brown while only 36 percent said the same thing about Warren.

Only six percent of those surveyed said they have never heard of Warren while a mere one percent said they never heard of Brown, both numbers that are significantly lower than the respective 17 percent and five percent in the previous poll.

Complete poll results and methodology can be found online here.

Voters will makes selections in races for selectman, town clerk, planning board members and tree warden.

BRIMFIELD – There are five contests in the town’s annual town election that takes place on Monday. Voting is at the town hall, 21 Main St. Polling hours are from noon to 8 p.m.

There is a selectmen’s race, a contest for town clerk, two planning board races and a contest for tree warden.

Incumbent selectman and current chairman Diane Panaccione is being challenged by Cosmo Casamassa for a three-year seat on the board.

Robert Sullivan, who now sits on the board of assessors, is running against long-serving town clerk Pam Beal. The two are vying for a three-year term.

Richard Costa, a board of health member, is challenging incumbent David Killian for a five-year term on the Brimfield planning board.

There is also a race to fill a one-year term on the planning board.

Appointee Uriah Smith, who assumed the planning board seat vacated in selectman Steve Fleshman’s resignation from the planning board, is being challenged by John Field.

First Congregational Church pastor Ian Lynch is running against Highway Surveyor Zachary Lemieux for a one-year term as tree warden.

Also, the town will hold a special picnic on the common for tornado survivors Saturday.

The picnic will be from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. on the town common.

Members of the the Brimfield Fire Department are scheduled to cook.

The event celebrates the first anniversary of rebuilding following last year's tornado.

Attendees are urged to come with a dessert and lawn chairs.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will allow the city to tour the work site and make recommendations.

Photo by Sandra E. Constantine / The RepublicanThe state has set up orange cones in this section of Route 20 in West Springfield at Charles Avenue, where it plans to build a new railroad bridge.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials have agreed to let the city’s Conservation Commission tour the state’s Route 20 work site and make recommendations, but still will not file official paperwork with the local board.

That is something the department continues to insist it does not have to do.

“We’d welcome you filing,” conservation officer Mark A. Noonan said during a Conservation Commission meeting Thursday.

The session was attended by state officials and contractors on the controversial $6.5 million bridge replacement project near Charles Avenue. About 25 people also showed up for the public meeting in the municipal building.

“I understand that, Mark, but it’s just not going to happen,” Albert R. Stegemann, director of the DOT’s District 2 office in Northampton.

Noonan said if the officials filed paperwork the commission could review it and set conditions for the work. The state Wetlands Protection Act gives local conservation commissions jurisdiction over work within 100 feet of a wetland, which in the case of this project is Squassick Brook. The brook flows along Charles Avenue and crosses under Route 20.

However, state Department of Transportation officials have maintained that the project is not subject to permitting by local officials under an exemption for work on state bridges and their approaches.

Stegemann said the state has done more than 700 bridge projections without seeking local approvals under the exemption.

“We haven’t had a problem,” the state highway engineer said of those jobs.

Noonan and Conservation Commission Chairwoman Maryellen Hammond expressed concern whether or not the state had taken such measures to protect the brook from siltation as laying down hay bails and inspecting it for turbidity. State officials replied that they have taken those measures.

Hammond thanked the state officials for coming to the meeting despite their “technical disagreement.”

Stegemann outlined the project, telling the board the state has seemed to lag in sending its designs for the project to the city because construction has started on this project before all designs were finished.

Stegemann also said state officials look forward to board members making a site visit. That has been set for Wednesday at 5:45 p.m.

The governor has entered into an agreement with CSX to raise the levels of the state’s bridges over railroad tracks to allow for double stacking of freight trains. The state has agreed to do enough work on Route 20 near Charles Avenue so double stacking may begin on Aug. 1. Plans call for opening a new bridge on Route 20 near its intersection with Charles Avenue by Dec. 1 of 2013.

The Conservation Commission last week issued a stop work enforcement order on the project because the state sought its permission to do the project and local officials have threatened to take the matter to court.

During the whole of the battle on Sunday morning, Prof. Lowe's balloon was overlooking the terrific scene from an altitude of about 2,000 feet.

The bloody hand-to-hand fighting at the Battle of Fair Oaks is depicted in this Currier & Ives print from June of 1862.

Springfield & The Civil War

We at The Republican are launching a four-year project to tell the story of how our community coped with 48 months of war, from April of 1861 to April of 1865.

On the first Sunday of each month we will run a report of what was happening here 150 years ago during that month.

by Wayne Phaneuf, Executive Editor

• Parts 1 - 9 -- April 1861 - December 1861

• Part 10 -- January 1862: Storm-ravaged Springfield troops live to fight another day

• Part 11 -- February 1862: 1st battle of the 27th Massachusetts a 'glorious victory'

• Part 12 -- March 1862: Lincoln inches toward Emancipation, Monitor battles Merrimac, Springfield regiments fight on as Civil War ends first year

• Part 13 -- April 1862: Springfield native unsung hero of Shiloh, slavery ends in Washington D.C.

• Part 14 -- May 1862: Land mines, Merrimac destroyed, Lincoln deals with slavery questions, Battle of Fair Oaks

• Introducing the project

The citizens of Western Massachusetts enjoyed a warm and gentle rain on Sunday, June 1, 1862, that raised hopes the new month wouldn’t be like the previous, the driest May since 1855. A great battle was raging outside Richmond and the first hint of it appeared in The Republican on Monday.

A short and sketchy item appeared on June 2 referring to “a hard-fought battle near Richmond on Saturday. It will be recollected that the 10th Massachusetts regiment is in Gen. Keyes army corps – one of those prominently engaged in this fight.”

Nearly a year before, on July 16, 1861, the 10th was the first regiment to leave Springfield as thousands gathered at The Depot for a send-off. The men had suffered from disease at various encampments but had yet to see combat. The Republican guessed right that they had been “prominently engaged” in the bloodiest battle of the war thus far in the Eastern Theater. A two-day battle, from May 31-June 1, that the rebels would call Seven Pines and the union troops the Battle of Fair Oaks.

Although the newspaper on June 2 couldn’t report what happened to the local troops, they did have a short item on another new tool of warfare developed in the Civil War. The headline read, “The Battled Watched From A Balloon.”

“During the whole of the battle on Sunday morning, Prof. Lowe’s balloon was overlooking the terrific scene from an altitude of about 2,000 feet. Telegraph communication from the balloon to Gen. McClellan was successfully maintained ... This is believed to be the first time a balloon reconnaissance has been successfully made during a battle. The advantage to Gen. McClellan must have been immense.”

The aeronaut Prof. Thadeus Lowe directed the balloon corps which consisted of men from various units, including volunteers from the 10th Massachusetts. Lowe is also credited with introducing the first aircraft carrier when he used a barge with a converted flight deck to ferry his balloon 13 miles. The corps was disbanded in 1863 due to bickering among the army brass and changes in command. Among the soldiers of Europe who observed the balloon corps was Prussian Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.

On June 3rd The Republican reported that a storm had knocked out telegraph communication from the battlefront further delaying details of the big battle and the role of the local soldiers. On that day the ladies of the First Church received a thank you letter written the previous week from Surgeon Cyrus Chamberlain of the 10th Massachusetts regiment acknowledging the arrival of a box of hospital supplies. He wrote:

“The men have suffered but little from the casualties of war, save sickness, and they are now generally in good health. Their position is only 11 miles from Richmond with the rebels near in strong force and a battle momentarily expected.”

The next day, June 4, the newspaper had its first meager and gruesome details of the battle:

“Many an anxious heart has waited to hear what part the Tenth Massachusetts – our own brave boys – took in the battle before Richmond. That they would fight, we knew. We knew that from the colonel down to the humblest private there would be no flinching ... We tremble at the poor hearts that must bleed over the losses which a few days will spread before us. But there is – there must be – consolation and strength in the thought that, whether living or dead, every man in the regiment did his duty.”

That first article reported that the regiment’s commander, Col. Henry S. Briggs, was wounded in both legs. No names of the dead were given, but the paper stated “we must be prepared for a long list of casualties.” Over the next several days those “anxious hearts” would find out what happened to their loved ones. The magnitude of the battle and the chaos following meant that the information came daily in bits and pieces.

Library of CongressBalloon is inflated to provide reconnaissance for Union troop during Battle of Fair Oaks.

The following paragraphs are excerpts from the official regimental history of the 10th Massachusetts:

“Colonel Briggs was struck three times; once in the breast by a ball which was stopped by a steel vest, then by a spent ball in the foot, and lastly by a Minie ball which passed completely through the left thigh and into the right one, where it remained.

After Colonel Briggs was wounded, the command devolved upon Captain Miller. He instantly rallied the men on the colors, and formed a line of battle.

Capt. Joseph B. Parsons was wounded early in the engagement, one ball hitting him on the head, and another passing through the right leg above the knee, between the bone and the artery. The heavy firing from the rebels made it impossible to carry off the wounded, and they remained where they fell during the fighting.

Capt. Edwin E. Day, of Greenfield, was wounded early in the fight, and was being carried from the field by two men, when a shot killed Captain Day and wounded both the men. The enemy had possession of this part of the field, for a time, and took from Captain Day’s person $150 in money, his gold watch, and his shoulder straps.

Captain Smart met a most brutal death. He had been firing a carbine, which he carried from Brightwood, and had no shoulder straps, or other mark, to distinguish him from a private soldier. He fell severely wounded in the leg, and when the rebels came up, had some words with one of them, who, picking up his carbine, shot him through the neck, saying, “There, take that, you damned Yankee.” His pocket was rifled of a gold watch. He had $150 in a breast pocket which they did not find.

Sergeant Braman, of Company C, was wounded in one leg, and while being taken from the field, a cannon ball took off one shoulder. He lived until eight and was buried on Sunday.

The flag of the regiment was carried through the engagement by Serg. James Knox, of Company I, a gallant soldier, who was promoted to a second-lieutenancy immediately after the battle. The flag was shot through and through repeatedly, and the clothing of the bearer was torn in several places by shot, yet he escaped without a scratch on his person.

About half-past four in the afternoon reenforcement’s began to arrive... Before dark the regiment was relieved and took position in the rifle-pits thrown up some days before the attack.

The toll for the 10th was 27 killed, and 95 wounded, six of them mortally. Casualties on both sides for the battle amounted to 11,000.

On June 5 The Republican reported that the steamer Daniel Webster left White House, Va., on June 3rd bound for Boston with 240 wounded soldiers from the battlefield including Col. Briggs and many men from the 10th Massachusetts.

Col. Henry S. Briggs of the Massachusetts 10th was wounded at Fair Oaks.

After Fair Oaks Confederate President Jefferson Davis named General Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Back on the homefront the slavery issue continued to take up many column inches of The Republican, whether it was an editorial on the emancipation issue or an article on Virginia state Senator Robert R. Collier who submitted a resolution proclaiming slavery “a divine institution” that is not subject to the will of the majority.

Recruiting officers were setting up shop in downtown Springfield trying to fill the depleted ranks of their regiments and the various ladies’ aid societies of the region were busily filling an urgent request from Washington for more hospital supplies and bandages. By the end of the month several tons had been sent by rail to hospitals near the battlefront.

On June 11, The Republican mentioned that the U.S. Treasury had sent $100,000 to pay the workers for labor for the month of April at the Springfield Armory.

To pay for the war Congress on June 26, approved a new income tax law and sent it on to the president.

Not all the news was grim or warlike, among the “city items” was a nod to the “inventive genius” of confectioner Edwin C. Barr who was credited with concocting frozen pudding ice cream at his South End shop, or the series of article on Dr. Gardner Quincy Colton who spent most of the month in and around Springfield giving demonstrations of his laughing gas.

The dry weather of May was a distant memory as several storms hit the area, the most severe on June 22. The Republican reported “the great force of the tornado” crossed over the Connecticut River and headed up a section from State Street south, tearing up trees, blowing down chimneys and knocking down some buildings. The path, although fairly short, was almost identical to a portion of the June 1, 2011 storm.

As the month drew to a close, news of more battles around Richmond appeared. These would become known as The Seven Days Battles, six major battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1. Lee would drive the Army of the Potomac from outside Richmond and down the Virginia Peninsula, ending any hope for the predicted quick end to the Civil War and once again putting the local boys in harms way.