City water department crews are on the scene working to fix the break, which is located at the intersection with East Mountain Road.
WESTFIELD - A large sinkhole on Eastview Drive has caused a water main break, WWLP-22News reports.
City water department crews are on the scene working to fix the break, which is located at the intersection with East Mountain Road.
The FBI released more than 750 pages from its files — many of them with words, sentences or entire paragraphs redacted — in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press. The records date to the mid-1950s, when Byrd served in the U.S. House. He was elected to the first of his record nine terms in the U.S. Senate in 1958.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd obtained secret FBI documents about the civil rights movement that were leaked by the CIA and triggered an angry confrontation between the two agencies in the 1960s, according to newly released FBI records.
Byrd, who died in June 2010 at age 92, had sought the FBI intelligence while suspecting that communists and subversives were guiding the civil rights cause, the records show. Decades before he became history's longest-serving member of Congress, or gained the title "King of Pork" for sending federal funds to West Virginia, the Democrat had stalled and voted against major civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s. He also belonged to the Ku Klux Klan while a young man in the 1940s, and the FBI cited that membership while weighing his requests for classified information, the records show.
"He eventually had a change of heart about a lot of that stuff," said Ray Smock, a former historian for Congress who now oversees Byrd's archives. Smock said Byrd's hardline belief in law and order played a role in his view of the civil rights movement. Byrd also repeatedly called his time with the hate group a serious mistake, Smock noted.
The FBI released more than 750 pages from its files — many of them with words, sentences or entire paragraphs redacted — in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press. The records date to the mid-1950s, when Byrd served in the U.S. House. He was elected to the first of his record nine terms in the U.S. Senate in 1958.
The documents that reveal the September 1966 leak also describe how it sparked outrage among top FBI officials and prompted an internal CIA probe that singled out two agency employees as the culprits The episode damaged Byrd's standing with the bureau, though only briefly, the records show. Numerous documents depict him as an outspoken supporter of the FBI and particularly of J. Edgar Hoover, its longtime director, even toward the end of Hoover's tenure as criticism of him mounted.
"Byrd said that the Director's record of public service was unparalleled anywhere and he knew that it would never be possible for any successor to adequately 'fill his shoes,'" one June 1966 memo between top FBI brass said.
The files repeatedly refer to Byrd's "cordial relations" with the bureau, and include numerous thank-you notes and other friendly exchanges between Byrd and Hoover from the early 1960s until Hoover's death in 1972.
"He certainly was a law and order conservative," said Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University in West Virginia. "He had great respect for the Justice Department and for Hoover, as far as I know."
The FBI had provided Byrd only with publicly available information about three unidentified individuals involved in civil rights matters when he revealed the leaked documents to an FBI agent during a September 1966 meeting, a memo to FBI Deputy Director C.D. DeLoach said.
"Why can't a United State Senator, the best friend the FBI has in the Senate, get information directly from the FBI which he has already received from a third party," Byrd was quoted as saying. The memo said Byrd then showed the agent Xerox copies of two secret FBI investigative reports and one internal memo.
Byrd refused to reveal his source, but markings on the documents led the FBI to conclude they were copies of papers provided to the CIA earlier that year.
"(I)t is believed that the Director of CIA should be fully aware of this situation and if the CIA is guilty, as it appears to be, (Director Richard) Helms should be emphatically impressed with our displeasure for such uncalled-for activity," the memo said.
Several of these typed memos feature handwritten notes underscoring the bureau's anger and concern, some signed with Hoover's initial. "This is outrageous breach of security by CIA," one such note read. Helms, meanwhile, was "decidedly disturbed" when told of the leak, another memo said.
"Helms replied that it was difficult for him to believe that anyone would be so stupid to become involved in such activity, but he has learned through bitter experience that 'anything is possible,'" that document said.
The records show that Helms' security chief, Howard Osborne, ran down the leak: Two CIA employees provided the documents to an unidentified Maryland county law enforcement official, who then handed them off to the senator.
Osborne told the FBI that both "he and Mr. Helms are distressed over the incident and that they intend to make an example of the guilty CIA employees to insure that such an incident never occurs again," a follow-up memo to DeLoach said.
The employees' final fate is unclear, though the memo said Osborne was confident Helms would support firing one or both of the culprits.
Cameron Clark of Bend wrote to his Facebook friends Friday that he saw a disabled man miss a flight because numerous airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease.
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A longtime Oregon concert promoter sparked an online backlash against Alaska Airlines with a Facebook post describing what he called "the worst of humanity."
Cameron Clark of Bend wrote to his Facebook friends Friday that he saw a disabled man miss a flight because numerous airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease.
KTVZ reports Clark's story spread quickly and sparked a series of angry Facebook posts directed at the airline.
The airline sees the incident differently and says employees did their best to accommodate the passenger. Officials posted on Facebook that the man's ticket was refunded, and he boarded a new flight Saturday morning. A spokesman said the man never said he was disabled and airline employees, smelling alcohol, believed he was intoxicated.
In his Facebook post, Clark said the man appeared to be in his 70s and told him that he missed a limited window of time he had to meet his daughter in Bellingham, Wash.
Clark wrote: "what happened to our collective sense of decency, of compassion, of our disposition to help those in need of extra help. alaska airlines. you broke a man's heart today. you maintained your policy, and ignored an opportunity to do the right thing. you broke my heart too."
Clark told KTVZ in a written statement that he never intended for his post to become viral, but the many people who responded to the story and put pressure on Alaska Airlines to "show that the best of humanity is alive and well. that light exists. that accountability is possible."
The man never told airline employees that he had Parkinson's disease or any other disability, spokesman Paul McElroy told The Associated Press on Saturday. Officials believed he was intoxicated because they smelled alcohol.
"We are prohibited from asking customers if they have a disability, and the customer never told us that he had Parkinson's, or any disability for that matter," McElroy said. "He did appear disoriented to us, and later, when we smelled alcohol, we were led to the conclusion he was intoxicated."
"We don't know whether this customer has Parkinson's or not," McElroy added.
McElroy said the passenger has not complained to the airline.
Police say John Wise, of Massillon, entered the hospital shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday and went to see his wife, Barbara, in the intensive care unit, where she had been admitted a few days earlier.
AKRON, Ohio — Ohio police say a 66-year-old man entered the intensive care unit of Akron General Medical Center and shot his 65-year-old wife while standing at her bedside.
Akron police told The Associated Press early Sunday that the woman is in critical condition.
Police say John Wise, of Massillon, entered the hospital shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday and went to see his wife, Barbara, in the intensive care unit, where she had been admitted a few days earlier. Authorities say Wise pulled out a handgun and shot his wife of 45 years.
Hospital spokesman Jim Gosky says one shot was fired.
Hospital security apprehended Wise, and police say no one else was injured. There was no immediate word on a motive.
Police say Wise was being held for attempted murder, and is expected to be arraigned Monday.
The recent push in Lowell, Mass. to allow those aged 17 to vote in local elections has leaders - and grown-ups - thinking.
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Scattered strong thunderstorms develop mainly after 2 p.m.
Sunday will start off very similar to yesterday...areas of fog in the morning, with partly sunny skies and temperatures quickly warming up. However, after noontime there will be showers and thunderstorms moving towards the region. The first batch of thunderstorms are expected to develop in the Springfield area shortly after 2 p.m., with the chance of rain continuing throughout the evening and overnight.
Some of these storms may be severe as a sharp cold front will be cutting into the hot and humid airmass we've had in place for the last few days. This front will not be clearing western Massachusetts until Monday morning, so the target area for wider-spread severe weather outbreaks on Sunday night will be focused further off to our west in the Mid-Atlantic.
Some leftover rain carries through into the Monday morning commute, but the front will push through and help clear out the skies for the afternoon. We should see plenty of sunshine by time the day is done with highs on Monday comfortably in the mid-80s. Sunny and seasonal weather dominates the next couple of days, with the next chance of rain developing Thursday evening.
Today: Partly sunny, scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m., severe storms possible, high 86.
Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms, a few storms may be severe, low 69.
Monday: Rain ends early, mostly sunny afternoon, high 85.
Tuesday: Sunny and seasonal, high 84.
Obituaries from The Republican.
Patrick H. Goeckner, 69, of Chicopee died Tuesday morning, Aug. 2, 2012, surrounded by his family at his home. Goeckner was born in Twin Falls, Idaho on Feb. 2, 1943. Raised in Hawthorne, Calif., he graduated from Hawthorne High School. Patrick was the 18-year proprietor of Com-Tel-Alarm Engineering and retired in 2011. He resided in Chicopee for the past 20 years and served his country with the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1966. He and his wife Cherrie loved to travel to Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Caribbean. Goeckner was an avid prospector, a HAM radio operator, SETI research participant, and enjoyed making handmade jewelry.
Obituaries from The Republican:
A few strong thunderstorms possible this afternoon/evening.
Showers and thunderstorms are continuing to move towards the region out of the Great Lakes. The first batch of thunderstorms are expected to develop in the Springfield area shortly after 2 p.m., with the chance of rain continuing throughout the evening and overnight.
Some of these storms may be severe as a sharp cold front will be cutting into the hot and humid airmass we've had in place for the last few days. This front will not be clearing western Massachusetts until Monday morning, so the target area for wider-spread severe weather outbreaks on Sunday night will be focused further off to our west in the Mid-Atlantic.
Some leftover rain carries through into the Monday morning commute, but the front will push through and help clear out the skies for the afternoon. We should see plenty of sunshine by time the day is done with highs on Monday comfortably in the mid-80s. Sunny and seasonal weather dominates the next couple of days, with the next chance of rain developing Thursday evening.
Today: Partly sunny, scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m., severe storms possible, high 86.
Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms, a few storms may be severe, low 69.
Monday: Rain ends early, mostly sunny afternoon, high 85.
Tuesday: Sunny and seasonal, high 84.
hayer said Ashley Arms is also earning money with its solar installation by selling credits through the state’s Solar Carve Out program. Under state law, utilities have to buy solar credits at auction. Those solar credits are created by photovoltaic setups like he the one at Ashley Arms. The only requirement is that the power is used on site or sold back to the grid.
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The solar power installation at Ashley Arms Apartments can generate 25 percent of the power the community needs and can remove the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere as 179 trees.
But it doesn’t make economic sense without state and federal government programs, including a state renewable energy credit program and a federal rebate that covers 30 percent of the $700,000 cost, said Mary E. Thayer, owner of the complex and others in Ware, Southwick and Agawam.
Thayer estimates that it will take eight years for 80-unit Ashley Arms to break even on the project. But the panels and other equipment, all American made by the way, will last 25 to 30 years.
“Economically it makes sense,” Thayer said. “Everything was built in this country. We hired contractors from across the Pioneer Valley to put them in. It’s better than spending money to buy oil overseas.”
Ashley Arms will host an open house from 3 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 16 at 131 Ashley Ave., West Springfield, which is located near Riverdale Street. There will be a brief ceremony around 3:20 p.m.
The apartments are arranged in a horseshoe. The 520 panels are on the roof, facing south mostly. It is a 125,000 watt system and is projected to produce 144,600 kilowatt hours per year.
Power is fed down from the roof to an inverter housed in a closet-sized gray metal box near the parking lot. The inverter changes the direct current from the panels into alternating current used on the grid and in homes and businesses. Ashley Arms’ inverter was purchased from a Massachusetts company. Some hardware for the system was built in Vermont.
The panels themselves were built by Sharp Electronics Corp. in Tennessee.
Thayer said she believes that Ashley Arms is the first apartment community in Western Massachusetts to install a large photovoltaic system.
The state Department of Energy Resources didn’t know last week if Thayer was right about being the first apartment complex. The agency doesn’t keep track of projects in that manner.
Thayer said Ashley Arms is also earning money with its solar installation by selling credits through the state’s Solar Carve Out program. Under state law, utilities have to buy solar credits at auction. Those solar credits are created by photovoltaic setups like he the one at Ashley Arms. The only requirement is that the power is used on site or sold back to the grid.
Thayer said it’s unlikely that much of the power generated at Ashley Arms will find its way out onto the grid. Demand on-site is just too high. The apartments, which rent with utilities included, have electric heat and air conditioning. Only laundry dryers and the hot-water system run on gas.
Thayer’s company bought Ashley Arms in 1980. In recent years, she’s done a lot to make it more energy-efficient with better light fixtures and insulating windows.
“Electric heat is safe and clean and it was easy for them to install. The only downside is expenses,” Thayer said. “This solar project helps us control that expense which helps us control what he have to charge our residents.”
The solar array just won’t leave a lot of power left over after it meets the resident’s needs, Thayer said.
“The panels get more efficient in cooler weather. So maybe there will be a day in the spring or fall when you have a lot of sunshine and no heating or cooling,” she said.
Thayer also is associated with Northeast Treaters in Belchertown, a wood preservation company that spent $1.25 million on a solar system in 2011.
Thayer said she is considering installing photovoltaic systems at her other apartment complexes: Lakewood Village in Southwick, Colonial Village in Ware and Sutton Place in Agawam.
Although reports about elder abuse and theft are lodged with both the Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, no single agency in state government is tracking either the total number of complaints involving private-pay home care workers or the type of complaints.
By ERICA MOURA, PAMELA CYRAN, SHUYI WANG and JAN BROGRAN
New England Center for Investigative Reporting
BOSTON -- When Chris Sergio hired someone to take care of his elderly mother on the three days a week his father was undergoing dialysis treatment, he thought he was taking the necessary precautions.
He turned to Old Colony Elder Services, a non-profit organization that provides elder-care services to 23 cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts, which gave him a list of three agencies. He chose Home Instead Senior Care, of East Bridgewater, a well-established company with a good reputation both locally and nationally, according to Diana L. DiGiorgi, executive director of Old Colony.
Home Instead sent Debra Blair Belcher, a home-care aide, to provide non-medical assistance to Sergio’s mother, who suffers from dementia. Belcher seemed to be a perfect fit until Sergio’s parents noticed that their wedding rings and pieces of silverware were missing from their Middleboro home.
“I was furious with her for taking advantage of a person with dementia, and she did it on a weekly basis,” said Sergio, who said thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and flatware was stolen.
Belcher, who was prosecuted under her maiden name Debra Blair, was convicted of larceny from a person older than 60 in Wareham District Court last year. Later, in Brockton District Court she was convicted of similar charges after other clients in Abington, East Bridgewater and Brockton brought similar complaints. She was to serve one year behind bars and is now out on probation until June 2013.
The Belcher case illustrates the risks the elderly face in an era when an increasingly aging population would rather live at home with an infirmity than move into a nursing home.
Massachusetts is among a handful of states that do not license or regulate the burgeoning private-pay, home-care industry. These are agencies that do not work under either a federal or state contract, but provide assistance such as companionship, housekeeping and cooking to families that shoulder the costs alone.
When reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid, home-health agencies, which provide both medical and non-medical assistance, fall under federal regulation and state oversight. But these account for roughly only a third of the estimated 400 home-care agencies doing business in Massachusetts, the New England Center for Investigative Reporting has found.
Although reports about elder abuse and theft are lodged with both the Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, no single agency in state government is tracking either the total number of complaints involving private-pay home care workers or the type of complaints, the center’s investigation also found.
“In a state that licenses hairdressers, you would think that they would want more oversight of the people who take care of the elderly in their homes,” said Timothy Burgers, associate director for the Home Care Alliance, a statewide home care trade association that’s currently drafting a bill it plans to introduce during the 2013 legislative session.
The alliance, which represents both Medicare-certified home health care and unregulated direct-pay agencies, would like to see one state agency dedicated to the oversight of the industry, along with minimum standards for employee qualifications, training, and supervision. A similar bill that the Home Care Alliance supported in 2007 died in committee.
The state currently treats private-pay agencies in Massachusetts as businesses akin to employment agencies, and requires them to do a criminal background checks on people they hire, inquiries limited to Massachusetts’ records. Unlike other states, Massachusetts does not require a federal records check, or checks in states where the employee may have previously lived.
Agencies such as Old Colony Elder Care, designated as one of the state’s 27 aging services access points (ASAPs), only provide oversight of home care agencies that are under state contract to provide services to families meeting low-income eligibility requirements. When the ASAPs offer referral information to families such as the Sergios, seeking private-pay elder care, they have no regulatory authority or supervision over those agencies.
Assessing how much of a problem this unregulated industry poses is difficult to quantify.
In Barnstable County, which has the oldest population in New England, Sharon Thibeault, assistant district attorney in charge of the elderly abuse unit, says she is seeing the crime grow as the aging population increases.
“It’s not an epidemic, but this is a crime we definitely see. We usually have at least one crime pending,” Thibeault said.
In Chicopee, where police arrested home-health aide Rose Sorrell in February and charged her with stealing $90,000 from a 93-year-old client, Police Capt. Thomas Charette says he sees a growing problem.
“When I was working patrol, we booked an awful lot of people who worked for one of these agencies. I can think of 10 cases off the top of my head where a health-care worker ripped off either medication or a credit card,” Charette said.
Sorrell, who was charged under the name Rose-Marie Amaker, was indicted in Hampden Superior Court on April 20 on a charge of larceny over $250 from a person over the age of 60. The indictment involves allegations which occurred between about Oct. 1 and Jan. 19 of this year, according to court records.
Amaker, 27, of 100 West St., Chicopee, denied the charges at her arraignment on May 2, and attorney Kathleen Cavanaugh Whitley was appointed to represent her. Bail was initially set at $10,000 cash by Judge Richard J. Carey. Her lawyer argued on July 17 for a reduction in bail, and Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder reduced it to $5,000. A pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 9 in the case, according to court documents.
Both Charette and Thibeault say crimes committed by home-care workers are generally “underreported,” in part because elderly victims are embarrassed to admit they were victimized.
The state Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality said the total number of complaints of elder abuse and theft by both home health agencies which are regulated by Medicare and Medicaid and private-pay home care agencies declined last year.
The department received about 50 complaints in the most recently reported period, 2010-2011. Only about half of these were validated and led to some sort of citation, according to the state. This compares to about 100 complaints in the 2008-2009 reporting period, of which half led to citations.
Madeleine Biondolillo, the bureau’s director, said she could not provide the number of complaints filed against unregulated private-pay agencies only.
The state would not disclose the nature of the 50 complaints or the citations. Those details are confidential under the Patient Abuse Law, said spokesperson Anne Roach.
In an email response to questions, Roach wrote that the department may, in response to complaints, issue citations for the findings of “abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of patients and misappropriation of patient property,” but the penalty is not a fine or sanction. Instead the department asks for a “plan of correction.” The department does not regulate agencies or have the authority to shut them down, Roach said.
The only fine that can be ordered against a private-pay agency is a $1,000 fine which can be imposed if an agency’s executive director fails to report known instances of abuse or mistreatment of an elderly patient within 48 hours.
In Barnstable County, Thibeault says she has seen a slightly higher rate of abuse, neglect or theft among private-pay caregivers than those from regulated home-health agencies, but she adds that often the abuser is the elder victim’s own family member.
This observation is borne out by national statistics. MetLife Insurance, in partnership with researchers at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the University of Kentucky, monitored the U.S. Administration’s National Center on Elder Abuse’s newsfeed for a three-month period in 2010. During that period, family, friends, neighbors and caregivers committed 34 percent of reported financial crimes against the elderly. Slightly more than 20 percent of them were paid caregivers, according to statistics provided by Shalana N. Morris, MetLife spokesperson.
James Fuccione, director of legislative and public affairs for the Home Care Alliance, insists that cases involving thieves such as Blair may grab headlines, but are still rare.
He said it is the “changing landscape,” of home health care, which includes huge growth in the aging population and a greater demand from people who want to stay at home, which requires his organization to be proactive.
Lisa Gurgone, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Home Care Aides, another industry trade association, insists that most agency caregivers are hardworking, dedicated and underpaid and that many live near the poverty line. She says the bigger problem facing home care in the state is a growing underground of “mom-and-pop” operations that spring up overnight and pay their help under the table as well as some independent services that advertise on Craig’s List.
These small and independent operators, Gurgone said, may not be bonded or insured, allowing them to charge less, but leaving an unhappy consumer without protection. “You are not going to build a quality workforce by undercutting,” she said.
As for the Sergio case, the national Home Instead parent company terminated its agreement with its East Bridgewater franchise, which is now closed, due to “multiple lapses in judgment,” said Dan Wieberg, company spokesman.
Those lapses included sending Debra Blair Belcher to the Sergio family after having received complaints from a Brockton family about her services. Wieberg said the agency was bonded and that all victims were compensated for their losses.
Chris Sergio still feels that his family was violated. “My mother will ask where something is, and we have to tell her again it was stolen. She has to relive it again and again,” he said.
Sergio believes it’s time for the state Legislature to enact more regulation of the private-pay home care industry in Massachusetts to provide families greater peace of mind.
The elderly “are people who can easily be taken advantage of,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this in your golden years.”
The New England Center for Investigative Reporting is a non-profit investigative reporting newsroom based at Boston University. Staff writer Buffy Spencer, of The Republican, contributed to this story.
Police were called to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the suburb of Oak Creek, where witnesses said several dozen people were gathering for a service. Authorities found four people dead inside the temple and two outside, Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt said.
OAK CREEK, Wis. — At least six people were killed Sunday when a gunman opened fire at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, and the suspected shooter later died in an exchange of gunfire with police, authorities said.
Police were called to the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the suburb of Oak Creek, where witnesses said several dozen people were gathering for a service. Authorities found four people dead inside the temple and two outside, Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt said.
Sunny Singh, 21, of Milwaukee, said a friend pulled into the temple's parking lot, heard shots and saw two people fall down. The friend then saw the shooter reload his weapons and head to the temple's entrance, Singh said.
The first police officer to arrive at the temple engaged in gunfire outside the building with a man police believe was the shooter, Wentlandt said. The suspect was killed, he said.
Tactical units went through the temple, and authorities do not believe a second shooter was involved, Wentlandt said.
It's unclear how many others were wounded. Wentlandt said he had been told the officer who exchanged gunfire with the suspect and another person had been taken to hospitals. He said the officer was shot multiple times and is in surgery and is expected to survive.
The spokeswoman for the area trauma center said three victims were being treated there, including one who was in surgery.
Jatin Der Mangat, 38, of Racine, the nephew of the temple's president, Satwant Singh Kaleka, said his uncle was one of those shot, but he didn't know how serious his injuries were. He was among those waiting for news when police announced the deaths.
"It was like the heart just sat down," he said. "This shouldn't happen anywhere."
Sukhwindar Nagr, also of Racine, said he called his brother-in-law's phone and a priest at the temple answered and told him that his brother-in-law had been shot, along with three priests. The priest also said women and children were hiding in closets in the temple, Nagr said.
Wentlandt did not identify the suspect or say what might have motivated the shootings.
Sikhism is a monotheistic faith that was founded in South Asia more than 500 years ago. It has roughly 27 million followers worldwide. Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair; male followers often cover their heads with turbans — which are considered sacred — and refrain from shaving their beards. There are roughly 500,000 Sikhs in the U.S., according to estimates. The majority worldwide live in India.
Sikh rights groups have reported a rise in bias attacks since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Washington-based Sikh Coalition has reported more than 700 incidents in the U.S. since 9/11, which advocates blame on anti-Islamic sentiment. Sikhs don't practice the same religion as Muslims, but their long beards and turbans often cause them to be mistaken for Muslims, advocates say.
___
Associated Press writers Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee, Pat Condon in Minneapolis and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
Adrian Gonzalez homered as Boston avoided getting swept.
BOSTON - If results matter, Franklin Morales deserves a place in the Red Sox starting rotation.
His experience in the bullpen makes it tempting to keep him there, but almost every time the left-hander gets a chance to start, he makes the most of it.
Boston's 6-4 win over Minnesota Sunday was just the latest example. On a sweltering day at Fenway Park, Morales allowed one run on three hits in six innings.
Only an atrocious ninth-inning cameo appearance by Vicente Padilla made this one close. Padilla faced three batters and all three scored, two on Ryan Doumit's monster home run.
Shrugging off his own game-losing performance of Saturday night, Alfredo Aceves came to the rescue and earned his 23rd save.
As for Morales, his performance begged a question his manager was not ready to answer: What's next?
"We'll get him some rest (Monday and Tuesday). That's my immediate plan,'' Bobby Valentine said.
And then? Is Morales a starter, a reliever or both?
"I like him as a starter. He wants to start, and I want him to start - we know that,'' Valentine said.
"Right now, we don't have to determine anything. We've got a tough Texas team coming in, our bullpen is a little wobbly and we're a guy short down there - all that good stuff.''
Translation: Don't be surprised if Morales is used out of the pen, but not until Wednesday. He may start again soon, and he may not.
With Josh Beckett's scheduled return Wednesday, the Red Sox have six starters if Morales is counted.
Valentine does not want a permanent six-man rotation. Morales is the only pitcher in the group who has also pitched in relief, and he has done it well.
"We can't always count on another guy getting injured and missing a start, and plugging Franklin in. But he's been lights out,'' Valentine said.
Morales is staying out of the debate.
"That's not my decision. I have to be here for the team for every situation,'' the pitcher said.
"This was still a four-game series to forget, but at least Red Sox avoided getting swept.
Pitching for a team that desperately needed some good news, Morales fired 106 pitches. Now comes a decision.
Beckett suffered back spasms last week, and Morales took his scheduled turn Sunday.
Beckett is ready to return. He joins Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz as locks in the rotation if they're healthy.
Felix Doubront and Aaron Cook have been up and down. Cook pitches Monday.
Doubront's turn was to come up Wednesday, but he's being bumped by Beckett. That does not mean Doubront is out of the rotation.
Valentine praised him to the skies Saturday. He wants to build on the rookie's progress, not pull the plug on it.
That leaves Morales, whose start on Sunday was his sixth of the season but first since July 13.
He is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in those starts. Five were excellent, with only a rough outing against the Yankees as the exception.
"He had six great innings (Sunday). He threw his changeups for strikes, his curve was just missing but still effective, and his fastball was there for all six,'' Valentine said.
As hard as Morales is making it for the Red Sox to keep him out of the rotation, the left-hander said he'll be ready for whatever comes his way.
"I don't think much about it. I think inning by inning, hitter by hitter and try to take the batters out,'' he said.
"I go day by day, work out every day and try to be ready for my opportunities. I felt pretty good today, and I know the team needed to win.''
Rounds of thunderstorms will move through the region tonight/overnight, a few storms may be severe with heavy downpours.
Showers and thunderstorms are continuing to move into the region ahead of a cold front. These storms have already shown the capability of heavy downpours, and all of western Massachusetts has been placed under a Flash Flood Watch. This will be the pattern heading into the evening: scattered rounds of thunderstorms, some of which may become severe throughout the night.
A sharp cold front is cutting into the hot and humid airmass we've had in place for the last few days (temperature today crept into the lower-90s under mostly sunny skies before the rain arrived). This front will not be clearing western Massachusetts until Monday morning, so the target area for wider-spread severe weather outbreaks on Sunday night will be focused farther off to our west in the Mid-Atlantic, but nonetheless we will be on alert here. We've already seen one storm becoming severe in the Amherst area around 3:15 p.m.
Some leftover rain carries through into the Monday morning commute, but the front will push through and help clear out the skies for the afternoon. We should see plenty of sunshine by time the day is done with highs on Monday comfortably in the mid-80s. Sunny and seasonal weather dominates the next couple of days, with the next chance of rain developing Thursday evening.
Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms, a few storms may be severe, low 69.
Monday: Rain ends early, mostly sunny afternoon, high 85.
Tuesday: Sunny and seasonal, high 84.
Wednesday: Sunny and seasonal, high 85.
Dennis Leger, aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said the woman was transported to Baystate Medical Center. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find her trapped in an overturned car.
Update at 7:32 p.m.: State Police are saying now that this was a fatal crash. The road is now open.
SPRINGFIELD -- Firefighters extracted a woman from her car at about 3:30 Sunday afternoon following a two-car crash on Interstate 291 near Exit 2-A in the westbound lanes.
The state police expected the highway to be closed for more than two hours.
Dennis Leger, aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said the woman was transported to Baystate Medical Center. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find her trapped in an overturned car.
Leger said three other people from the overturned car had gotten themselves out and had already gone for medical treatment.
State police said their investigation is continuing.
New England has a way to go as it continues its endless pursuit of perfection.
FOXBOROUGH – The New England Patriots are ready to stop beating up on each other and start beating up on else.
With the New Orleans Saints set to arrive in Foxborough to begin joint practices Tuesday, the Patriots have finished installing all of their offensive and defensive sets and are now focused on the long process of tuning things to the key of perfection.
“We need to start getting ready for them and that will be part of the week’s process as well as trying to evaluate how we’re doing now that we’ve had an opportunity to pretty much get everything installed and get multiple reps on it,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Hopefully we go out there and execute it to a decent level.”
As New England enters its second week of training camp, it’s clear that the team has a ways go before being deemed game ready. The defense has several hiccups to overcome and the offense has struggled to move the ball at the machine-like level of efficiency its accustom to.
Quarterback Tom Brady had an uncharacteristically sloppy practice Thursday as he struggled to hit his marks in all levels of the field, and the offense was so out of sync running its two-minute offense Sunday that Brady loudly proclaimed “what are we doing?” after a series of unsatisfactory plays.
Then, after a missed connection in the end zone with tight end Aaron Hernandez, Brady could be seen across the field gesturing toward Hernandez as he laid into him.
“We’re just trying to get things right. We have a game here in three days,” Brady said. “We all gotta be on the same page. A lot of communication, and it’s not always right out here. We’re trying to get it right.”
It’s odd to witness an offense that posted 5,084 passing yards last season struggle to move the ball through the air, but Brady explained that it’s impossible for a team to pick up where it left off following a long layoff.
“You take six months off. There’s quite a bit of time between February and when we start,” Brady said. “There’s a new group, we’re doing new things. The communication is different.”
Still, the Patriots are confident that they will get to where they need to be in time for New Orleans arrival, and their guests couldn’t be coming at a better time as the doldrums of training camp have started to wear thin on this group.
Three separate fights broke out last week between the offense and the defense, and players have started to complain that members on the other side of the ball have started to become familiar with their tendencies, making it impossible to get a true representation of what areas of their game need to be worked on.
Once the Saints depart, the Patriots are hoping that they will have a good idea of where those improvements need to be made as they continue to prepare for the upcoming season.
“They’re obviously an outstanding football team all the way around – 13-3 last year,” Belichick said. “They set several historical records in the National Football League. I think their proficiency is pretty well documented. Definitely a big challenge.”
But even after their houseguests fly south, a new laundry list of inefficiencies will be slapped on the Patriots players’ plates as the pursuit of perfection turns in a new direction.
“As Bill says,” wide receiver Donte Stallworth said, “there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. earned the bronze in 9.79.
LONDON — Pulling away from the pack with every long stride, Usain Bolt crossed the finish line and thrust his right index finger in the air.
Yes, he's still No. 1 in the 100-meter dash. Maybe not better than ever, but Bolt is definitely back.
Only about fifth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark Sunday night, Bolt erased that deficit and overtook a star-studded field to win the final in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that let him join Carl Lewis as the only men to claim consecutive gold medals in the marquee track and field event at the Summer Games.
Ever the showman, the Jamaican kept right on running for a victory lap that included high-fives for front-row fans, a pause to crouch down and kiss the track and even a somersault.
Bolt's training partner and Jamaican teammate, world champion Yohan Blake, won the silver in 9.75, and 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the U.S. earned the bronze in 9.79.
Other observations from Day 9 of Patriots training camp.
FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots’ offensive line took some more hits Sunday as they continue to lose players at an alarming rate.
Two more fell Sunday, as Darrion Weems and Kyle Hix were both forced to leave the field early due to injury, potentially leaving New England with only eight healthy offensive linemen.
Weems, who was signed on July 27, had his leg worked on by the training staff before slowly making his way off the field. Hix came off the field late in the session and held his left arm as he watched the rest of the practice from the sidelines.
If the injuries persist, the situation could quickly become problematic for New England. The team is already dealing with injuries to Logan Mankins (knee) and Sebastian Vollmer (back), and is still waiting to find out if Brian Waters intends to come back for another year.
The Patriots also lost Robert Gallery to retirement on Saturday. It was a decision that coach Bill Belichick understood but deemed unfortunate.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out this year but I understand it and both of us have moved on,” Belichick said. “He worked hard while he was here; did everything we asked him to do.”
Defensive lineman Kyle Love was poked in the eye and forced to leave the field, while defensive lineman and Springfield native Ron Brace did not participate. Wide receiver Deion Branch remains limited and did not participate in team activities.
Safety James Ihedigbo shed his red non-contact jersey for the first time on Sunday.
BEST CAMP MOMENT: The best moment of the day came during the one-on-ones between skill position players. Aaron Hernandez came up against rookie linebacker Dont'a Hightower, and the tight end did a quick double move to leave Hightower in the dust. With nothing else to do, the rookie fell to the turf and watched Hernandez dance by. It was almost like watching vintage Allen Iverson cross someone up back in the day.
BIG DAY: Running back Stevan Ridley continues to impress on a daily basis as he clamps tighter to the top spot on the depth chart. He showed good burst throughout the day and earned several stars for good plays in this reporter's notebook.
PASS RUSH: Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham continues to be a surprise performer in camp. Considered to be on the bubble, he showed up big again today and would have had an opportunity to record a sack on three different plays if given the opportunity to hit the quarterback.
WHERE'S SCOTT: Defensive end Trevor Scott forced people to take notice of him during the first few days of camp, but he's since disappeared. It's been several days since he's warranted a mention.
NICE PICK: Cornerback Ras-I Dowling put his length to use by recording an interception on a ball thrown to Hernandez in the end zone. He continues to show why he will be asset this season.
Between 80 and 100 firefighters from 17 communities assisted in extinguishing the blaze.
ROWE – With the remains of Rowe Elementary School still smoldering, town officials gathered together Sunday morning to discuss where the 69 students will attend school in September.
“Everything will be sorted out within the next few days. I will say everyone’s clear intention is to keep all the children together,” said Noel Abbott, chairman of the Rowe Board of Selectmen.
The exact location of where the children, who are in pre-school through sixth-grade, has not been figured out yet. Different options will be given to the School Committee soon so they can made a decision, said Bill Knittle, principal of Rowe elementary.
He said the children will likely attend one of the other elementary schools in the Mohawk District. Rowe Elementary is independent of the district but they share some services including those from the superintendent and business manager.
He said he has been talking to parents and saw many as they gathered at the fire Saturday night.
“There is an outpouring of sadness and support. It has been really inspiring,” Knittle said.
On Saturday, lightning struck the school at about 3:30 p.m., setting roof on fire. The blaze quickly spread damaging much of the school.
“When we arrived two-thirds of the roof was on fire and flames were shooting 10 to 15 feet in the air,” Rowe Deputy Fire Chief Dennis May said.
The brick and wood structure has a slopped roof that was built on top of the original flat roof. Firefighters first hoped it was just the sloped roof that was on fire, May said.
“We were hoping the flat roof would hold back the fire but it didn’t. In about a half-hour the front foyer and the principal’s office was a big orange glow,” May said.
The fire was so large a total of five alarms were called. Between 80 and 100 firefighters from 17 different departments, some as far away as Vermont, South Deerfield, Greenfield and Erving, assisted in extinguishing the flames, he said.
By about midnight most of the fire was out but it kept flaring up again. Three departments from Florida, Erving and Ashfield agreed to watch the building overnight and between midnight and 8 a.m. and they used 3,000 to 4,000 gallons putting out flames that started again, May said.
The roof, principal’s office and foyer are destroyed but classrooms mostly sustained water and smoke damage, he said.
By Sunday evening, Abbott said the blaze had completely extinguished and officials have already started talking to insurance agents. There will be security at the building at all times until it can be secured.
It is not known if the building can be repaired or if it must be torn down. Engineers for the insurance company are scheduled to inspect the building Monday or Tuesday, Abbott said.
“We are aware of all the technical and logistical issues but at the same time we are concerned about the current students and parents...and that includes the entire town and alumni,” he said.
The town will hold a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee at 6 p.m. at Rowe Town Hall to discuss the fire more. The requirements that the meeting is posted in advance have been waived because of the emergency, Abbott said.
In the near future a complete town meeting will be held to inform residents, he said.
Brady discusses the advantage of his age.
FOXBOROUGH --Tom Brady recently turned 35, but the line of questioning he received Sunday may make you think that the only thing his future holds is a rocking chair and a handful of hard candies.
Coming off a season where he passed for 5,235 yards and completed 65 percent of his passes for the third consecutive season, any talk of his imminent demise seems premature, but that didn’t stop an endless stream of inquiries about his age.
Brady was good-natured about it but had enough of the ribbing when two former teammates, Vinny Testaverde and Doug Flutie, both of whom were 42 when they landed in New England, were introduced to the conversation.
“I’m a long ways from 42,” he said after stating how much he learned from both players. “Hopefully, I’m still talking to you guys when I’m 42.”
While Brady would like to stay forever young, one advantage to his age is that he no longer has to spend endless hours in his playbook or worry about what he’s supposed to be doing on the field. He has those things down cold, which allows him to worry more about his upcoming opponent and executing plays.
That experience and familiarity is likely the reason that he seems to keep improving with age.
“I know what we're doing, I know why we're doing it. I know the calls,” Brady said. “It's more mentally making sure you're bringing emotion and energy and making sure you have the enthusiasm and the execution is good . … Trying to be a good leader and trying to set a good example as a quarterback. I think that's my challenge to come out here every day and bring everything I have to try to make us a better team.”
The lightning struck a tree at about 5:30 p.m. as a line of thunderstorms passed through the region. jumping to the home. The fire was in the soffit under the eaves.
AGAWAM — Fire caused by a lightning strike did $15,000 worth of damage to a home at 94 Raymond Circle Sunday evening, said Agawam Fire Lt. B. J. Calvi.
The lightning struck a tree at about 5:30 p.m. as a line of thunderstorms passed through the region. jumping to the home. The fire was in the soffit under the eaves.
No one was injured although firefighters had to help two elderly residents from the home. The fire as reported by the couple’s adult children.
Calvi said the home can’t be occupied until an electrician checks out the wiring. There is also roof damage.
On Saturday, lightning sparked a fire that destroyed the Rowe Elementary School.
In Agawam, Calvi said firefighters were able to put the house fire out in about 10 minutes and were on the scene for a total of about 45 minutes.
