The club is considering shutting down the ailing outfielder.

Associated PressBoston Red Sox's Carl Crawford may be shut down to have Tommy John elbow surgery.

NEW YORK - Decision time for Carl Crawford will likely come Monday.

The Red Sox medical staff, front office and Crawford will review whether the outfielder should undergo Tommy John elbow surgery immediately, ending his 2012 season.

"We have to make a focussed decision (Monday) on what's best for Carl,'' Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.

Crawford has been convinced he will need the operation at some point. He wanted to delay the procedure while helping his team chase a playoff spot.

But Boston's playoff hopes are bleak, and the risk of worsening his injury by delay is also being weighed.

"The (medical staff) will make a recommendation. Rarely is a decision like this made unilaterally by a team,'' Cherington said.

He stopped short of saying surgery is inevitable. He said the club had hoped to avoid that step.

More and more, though, the question of surgery has become more "when'' than "if.''

"This is a real injury. He's been playing through it for the team,'' Cherington said.

The Red Sox are off Monday. Crawford was in Sunday's lineup for what may have been the last time in 2012.

Even with David Ortiz sidelined, Cherington said using Crawford as a DH would not utilize the player's full set, nor would it allow him to move forward confidently. Crawford is signed with Boston through 2017.

A candlelight vigil was held Sunday in Michael DeMarsico's memory.

The Associated Press / Department of DefenseThis photo provided by the Dept. of Defense shows Pfc. Michael R. Demarsico,II, 20, of North Adams, Mass., who was killed in Afghanistan..

NORTH ADAMS – An explosion from an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan killed a local resident who has served in the military since February 2011.

Pfc. Michael DeMarsico II, 20, was killed Thursday in Panjwa’l. He was an infantry soldier assigned to the 1st Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, according to a statement released by the base public relations office, Sunday.

“He died of wounds sustained when he encountered an improvised explosive devices, according to the statement.

He was the only one to sustain serious injuries in the incident, said Don Kramer, a spokesman for the base.

DeMarsico graduated from Drury High School in North Adams in 2010 and joined the Army in February 2011. After basic training in Fort Benning, Ga., and advanced infantry and combat training he was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in July 2011.

In December, he was deployed with the brigade to Afghanistan, according to the statement.

DeMarsico received a number of awards and medals, including National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, NATO Medal and Combat Infantry Badge, the statement said.

Dozens of friends and family members commended on a Facebook page in memory to DeMarsico, some calling him a hero and others commenting in disbelief and sorrow that he was killed.

According to the North Adams Transcript, DeMarsico was one of five children and had talked about joining the Army for most of his high school years.

“Ever since Michael was a little boy, he wanted to be in the Army,” said Laurie Douglas, DeMarsico’s aunt. “He was always playing with little toy soldiers and trucks. He wanted to be in the infantry.”

She told the newspaper that DeMarsico had written to his father and told him he recently accepted a position at the front of his unit to protect them from any bombs.

Mayor Richard J. Alcombright ordered flags on city property to be flown at half-staff until memorial services are completed.

A candlelight vigil was also held Sunday night to honor DeMarsico.

After the memorial services, a second service will also be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Kramer said.

Akin quickly backed off comments that aired earlier Sunday, in which he told an interviewer that a woman's body "has ways" to prevent pregnancy during rape and that such pregnancies are "really rare."

This Aug. 10, 2012 photo shows Todd Akin, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator from Missouri, in Jefferson City, Mo. Akin, Missouri'€™s GOP Senate candidate, has questioned whether women can become pregnant when they'€™re raped. (AP Photo/St. Louis Pos-Dispatch, Christian Gooden)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, the conservative Republican U.S. Senate candidate, quickly backed off comments that aired earlier Sunday, in which he told an interviewer that a woman's body "has ways" to prevent pregnancy during rape and that such pregnancies are "really rare."

Akin, a six-term congressman running against incumbent Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill, was asked in an interview that aired Sunday on St. Louis television station KTVI if he would support abortions for women who have been raped.

"It seems to me first of all from what I understand from doctors that's really rare," Akin said. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin said of a rape victim's chances of becoming pregnant.

He also said he would prefer that punishment for rape be focused on the rapist and not "attacking the child."

Akin said in an emailed statement later Sunday that he "misspoke" during the interview, though the statement did not say specifically which points.

"In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year," Akin's statement said. "Those who perpetrate these crimes are the lowest of the low in our society and their victims will have no stronger advocate in the Senate to help ensure they have the justice they deserve."

Akin also said in the statement he believes "deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action."

Akin was interviewed on KTVI's "The Jaco Report," and also talked about numerous campaign issues, such as voter ID laws, the economy and Medicare. KTVI said the interview was conducted earlier in the week.

McCaskill, who is seeking a second term, said in an emailed statement Sunday that she found the comments "offensive."

"It is beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape," McCaskill said. "The ideas that Todd Akin has expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims are offensive."

This month, Akin won the state's Republican U.S. Senate primary by a comfortable margin of victory. During the primary, Akin enhanced his standing with TV ads in which former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee praised him as "a courageous conservative" and "a Bible-based Christian" who "supports traditional marriage" and "defends the unborn."

Akin, a former state lawmaker who first won election to the U.S. House in 2000, also has a long-established base among evangelical Christians, and was endorsed in the primary by more than 100 pastors.

Within hours of Akin's win, McCaskill had cast him as a conservative extremist who would jeopardize seniors' health care and retirement savings while putting college out of reach for all but the rich.

Akin countered by portraying McCaskill — one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the nation — as a budget-busting, tax-hiking, big-spending liberal.

Warm-climate adapted butterfly species have grown by an estimated 1,000 percent in the state.

The Republican file photo / John SuchockiA western tiger swallowtail butterfly on an azalea blossom on Southampton Road in Holyoke.

SHANNON YOUNG,Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Historic butterfly communities in Massachusetts are dwindling and being rapidly replaced by their southern relatives, according to a Harvard study released Sunday.

The study outlines the growth and decline of butterfly species in Massachusetts during the past two decades. During this time, the study found that warm-climate-adapted butterfly species have grown by an estimated 1,000 percent, while cold-climate-adapted species, which have long been native to the Bay State, have declined — some by up to 90 percent.

The study was conducted by Harvard Forest, an environmental research department of Harvard University, to examine the effect of climate change on butterfly communities in the state. It relies on data collected during the past two decades by the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, an amateur naturalist group that tracks butterfly populations.

Seventeen of the 21 northern butterfly species in Massachusetts, including the Atlantis Fritillary and the Acadian Hairstreak, were found to be in population decline, according to the study. These cold-climate species also were more prevalent in high-altitude regions of the state, like the Berkshire mountains and the Worcester Plateau, where scientists believe cooler microclimates exist.

Meanwhile, the study found that 12 southern butterfly species, which were rare or unseen in the state during the 1980s and 1990s, have increased tremendously, specifically in the warmest areas of the state: the Pioneer Valley and southeastern Massachusetts. The species include the Zaboulan Skipper and Giant Swallowtail.

The study does not track butterfly populations outside the state, so it does not account for whether cold-climate species have moved north.

Researchers say the butterflies most impacted by the decline are those that wait out the winter as eggs or small larvae and are more sensitive to a lack of snow cover or drought. Another reason for the growth and decline of these populations, they say, can be attributed to the fact that some of the southern species are protected by Massachusetts — because of their rare, threatened or endangered status in the state — while northern species do not.

But, Greg Breed, the study's lead author, said that the habitat protection may not be enough to combat the perceived impact climate change is having on the species.

"For most butterfly species, climate change seems to be a stronger change-agent than habitat loss," he said in a statement.

Elizabeth Crone, a Harvard Forest senior ecologist who worked on the report, said while she was not surprised by the results of the study, she didn't expect data collected by a group of citizen scientists to have such clear-cut results.

Crone said she decided to lead the study based both on professional and personal curiosity. The ecologist, who moved to Massachusetts in December 2010, said she ran across the Massachusetts Butterfly Club's data while trying to learn more about the state's butterfly community.

She said long-term monitoring data, like that the club kept on butterfly populations in the state, is not common in the scientific community because of budget and time constraints.

"There's been a lot of awareness about climate change effects qualitatively, but not quantitatively," Crone said. "It's amazing what this group of citizen scientists had done."

Quiet overnight, but a few scattered rain showers are possible Monday.

A weak ridge of high pressure kept us dry today, but another system bothering the Atlantic coast has kept some clouds over us this evening. We will stay dry, and once again it will be cool overnight with low temperatures falling to about 50 degrees across the Springfield area.

On Monday, a weak system will be moving into the region, which may trigger a late-day scattered shower. Other than that, most of the week will be dry and offer plenty of sunshine under a very quiet weather pattern. Temperatures will stay very steady and very seasonal ... the expected highs in Springfield only ranging from 79 degrees to 82 degrees throughout the entire workweek.

Tonight: Partly cloudy skies, cool, low 50.

Monday: Partly cloudy, a scattered shower late in the day, high 78.

Tuesday: Mix of clouds and sun, a touch of humidity, high 82.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, comfortable, high 79.

In the days since Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore.

FILE - In this April 13, 2011, file photo House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., takes questions in reaction to President Obama's speech on a federal spending plan, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. Ryan initially established his reputation in Congress mostly behind-the-scene, impressing GOP colleagues with his willingness to delve into complex number-crunching and budgetary minutia. But he has become in the past couple of years one of the highest-profile and influential members of the House, to the point that he engaged in verbal showdowns with President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

Since his youth, Paul Ryan has shown a knack for eliciting mixed feelings.

Classmates at Joseph A. Craig High School in Janesville, Wis., bestowed on him the dubious title of "Biggest Brown-Noser." They also elected him class president and anointed him prom king.

During his rapid political ascent, to become chief architect of love-it or hate-it Republican budget policy, many of his Democratic adversaries have coupled criticism of his ideology with praise for his cordiality, diligence and thoughtfulness.

"I've known Paul Ryan for a long time. He's a serious guy," said Wisconsin state Sen. Tim Cullen, a moderate Democrat who shares constituents with Ryan. "I think the American people need more serious people in Washington and fewer bomb-throwers."

In the days since Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore. Lifelong resident of a little city in the heartland. Embracing new responsibilities as a teenager after the sudden death of his father. Devoted husband and father, devout Roman Catholic, avid deer hunter/fisherman/fitness buff.

This undated photo provided by the Ryan family shows Paul Ryan after a hunt. In the days since Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the now 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore. Lifelong resident of a little city in the heartland, embracing new responsibilities as a teen after the sudden death of his father. Devoted husband and father, devout Roman Catholic, avid deer hunter, fisherman and fitness buff. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Ryan Family)

Scott Angus, longtime editor of the Janesville Gazette, said Ryan's political views are divisive even in his home town. But Angus has been disabusing out-of-town reporters of the notion that they might uncover some skeletons in Ryan's personal life.

"The whole image of an all-American boy from an all-American city — it's all true," Angus said. "He really is as genuine as you're going to find."

Yet Janesville, where Ryan still lives in the upscale neighborhood where he was born, is only part of his story.

Washington, D.C., lured him starting back in college, when he served as a lowly congressional intern, sorting mail and asking precocious policy questions.

The nation's capital has never eased its hold on him since then. There were further congressional staff jobs, a stint with a conservative think tank and, since his first election in 1998, seven terms as a congressman representing southern Wisconsin's 1st District.

Now, he's embraced the chance to be near the pinnacle of inside-the-Beltway power.

In June, when he was rumored to be high on Romney's list of possible running mates, he told The Associated Press he never intended to become a "permanent fixture" in Washington. But he also said he'd become "enthralled with public service" and the competitive rush of Capitol Hill policy battles.

"I really don't have tremendous political ambition. I have policy ambition," he said.

As House Budget Committee chairman, Ryan is the mastermind of divisive GOP budget plans that would curb the growth of Medicare, slash safety-net programs for the poor and extend all Bush-era tax cuts, including those for the rich. The aim, Ryan says, is to get the nation's fiscal house in order before the deficit spins out of control.

This undated photo provided by the Ryan family shows a young Paul Ryan. In the days since Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the now 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore. Lifelong resident of a little city in the heartland, embracing new responsibilities as a teen after the sudden death of his father. Devoted husband and father, devout Roman Catholic, avid deer hunter, fisherman and fitness buff. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Ryan Family)

Ryan is also one of the most successful fundraisers in Congress and a favorite of several big-spending political action committees. Within days of his selection by Romney, he made time for a private meeting in Las Vegas with casino mogul and GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.

"Paul talks about being from Janesville, but he's an absolute product of Capitol Hill," said state Sen. Joe Erpenbach.

___

Ryan's story begins in Janesville. The son of a well-to-do attorney, Ryan is the youngest of four children. He was an altar boy and attended Catholic school before moving on to Craig for high school.

He faced tragedy head-on at 16 when, after arising one morning at home, he discovered his father dead of a heart attack.

His older brother, Tobin, said the event became a "catalyst" for Paul. "It could have been a period where he stuck his head under a pillow and didn't want to come out," he said. "Instead he developed and matured in ways you couldn't imagine."

With his older siblings no longer at home, and his mother commuting to out-of-town college courses, Ryan became a principal caregiver for his grandmother, who had Alzheimer's disease.

"Paul also takes a job at McDonald's, excels at school, becomes class president," Tobin recalled. "He really took responsibility."

Ryan himself has not spoken much in public about his father's death. In a New Yorker interview, he said, "I was like, 'What is the meaning?' I just did lots of reading, lots of introspection."

This undated photo provided by the Ryan family shows Paul Ryan and Janna Ryan on the day of their wedding. During his first term in Congress, Ryan met and married Janna Little, a lawyer and lobbyist from an affluent Oklahoma family, who was working in the Washington area. In the days since Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the now 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore. Lifelong resident of a little city in the heartland, embracing new responsibilities as a teen after the sudden death of his father. Devoted husband and father, devout Roman Catholic, avid deer hunter, fisherman and fitness buff. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Ryan Family)

At high school, Ryan won the race for class president on a ticket together with his cousin, Adam Ryan, when both were juniors. When they graduated the following year, Adam was named in the yearbook as "Most Likely to Succeed," while Paul was "Biggest Brown-Noser."

Where that came from, Ryan's cousin isn't sure. But Adam, now president of Ryan Inc. Central, the Janesville construction company founded by his and Paul's grandfathers, could see back in high school that his cousin might be headed for the fast track.

In their senior year, Paul asked to come along when Adam went to a regional meeting of the Model United Nations. The future congressman had never before been active in the group, which offers students a chance to play the roles of U.N. delegates.

After watching the proceedings for a while, Paul vanished from his cousin's side and reappeared at the podium to address the entire group of perhaps 1,000 attendees, Adam said.

"He had basically figured out what was going on and had taken over the group. He was voted best delegate," Adam said. "When he gets interested in something, he's a very quick study."

Through the years, that fast-learner trait would be noticed again and again and would serve him well.

As newcomer in Congress, he immersed himself in complex number-crunching and budgetary minutia. He'd brag about reading the entire federal budget — "Not many people do that. It's fairly laborious," he said — and also told the Weekly Standard last year that meetings with budget actuaries were "the highlight of my day."

Those interests had surfaced in college, when Ryan pursued an economics/political science double major at Miami University in Ohio. He had no problems with a macroeconomics class loaded with analytics and math.

Ryan also read the works of free-market thinkers such as Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand, and fine-tuned his views in lengthy chats with a libertarian economics professor, Rich Hart.

This 1998 photo provided by the Ryan family shows Paul Ryan, right, and his older brother Tobin Ryan, left, with Republican politician and former collegiate and professional football player Jack Kemp. In the days since Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney selected Ryan for the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket, the now 42-year-old congressman's biography has become instant folklore. Lifelong resident of a little city in the heartland, embracing new responsibilities as a teen after the sudden death of his father. Devoted husband and father, devout Roman Catholic, avid deer hunter, fisherman and fitness buff. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Ryan Family)

"The core beliefs were already there," Hart said. "I think he was just honing them with his studies, strengthening his belief in empowering individuals."

Rand, the Russian-born writer who championed individualism and assailed big government, had particular sway.

"The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand," Ryan said in a speech in 2005, though he later noted that he rejected some of Rand's views, including her atheism.

Ryan lived in a dormitory his freshman year at Miami, then moved to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. But no "Animal House" stories follow.

"He was a pretty conservative guy," said a former frat brother, Michael Loisel, while also noting that Ryan had a sense of humor. "He liked to engage in conversation."

And the conversation, as usual with Ryan, was relatively substantive — or as Loisel recalled, "more depth than the 'Where did you go last night?' and 'How much did you drink?'"

It was in college, while studying economic theories and principles, when Ryan got his first chance to test them in the real world of the nation's capital. He obtained an internship in the Washington office of Sen. Bob Kasten, a Wisconsin Republican.

Cesar Conda, now chief of staff for Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, was at that point the staff director of a committee headed by Kasten and took note of the diligent newcomer.

"Delivering mail, he would always pop his head in and ask me questions about economics," Conda said — questions that were "a cut above" those expected from an intern.

Conda recommended some not-so-light reading — George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty," and Jude Wanniski's "The Way the World Works." Both had influenced the supply-side economic theories of the Reagan era. He said Ryan devoured them.

Conda also takes credit for introducing Romney to Ryan years later, during a Capitol Hill visit in 2007 when Romney was running for president.

"It was supposed to be a short courtesy meeting, but it turned out to be an hour, talking about tax reform, entitlements — a very wonkish discussion," Conda recalled. "Afterward, Romney said, 'I really like this guy. He's very sharp.'"

Ryan, after graduating from college in 1992, returned to Washington for a paid stint with Kasten's office. Connections with Conda and others soon led to a job with Empower America, a think tank featuring conservative luminaries such as Jack Kemp, the former congressman and vice presidential candidate, and Bill Bennett, the former drug czar and education secretary.

RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATE CROP - Republican vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., center left, and his mother Betty Ryan Douglas wave to supporters at a campaign rally in The Villages, Fla., Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

"I gave him a book list I'd been carrying around ... Shakespeare, the founding documents, the Federalist Papers, a book of quotations," Bennett said. "Everything I gave to him to read, he read."

Ryan later was a speechwriter for Kemp, then legislative director for Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

A turning point came in 1997 when Ryan, after getting a taste of how Washington works, returned to Janesville. He went to work for the family construction firm, but the change of address had other benefits.

Ryan knew that the 1st District congressional seat would be opening up because the incumbent Republican was running for the Senate. Ryan used his time at home to rebuild local ties and line up support. He figured that if he was to return to Washington, being a congressman would at least give him the chance to commute regularly back to Janesville.

At 28, Ryan had never run for any sort of public office, but he campaigned aggressively. One of his endorsements came from the Wisconsin State Journal, which called him "The Rich Kid With The Common Touch."

"Ryan might sound like a policy wonk (and, in some ways, he is) but he's also a likable candidate who appears at home in many different settings," the paper said.

Ryan won the GOP primary over a musician with 80 percent of the vote, then trounced his Democratic opponent in the general election with 57 percent of the vote.

Jim Johnson, owner of four Janesville convenience stores and a lifelong friend of the Ryan clan, remembers a social gathering at which Ryan announced he'd run for Congress.

"We were all skeptical and asked a lot of questions — and he was ready," Johnson said. "That was the toughest race he's had. Since then, he's been able to focus on policy rather than getting re-elected."

___

Life was about to change in other ways, too, for Ryan. During his first term in Congress, he met and married Janna Little, a lawyer and lobbyist from an affluent Oklahoma family who was working in the Washington area. She's a first cousin of retiring Rep. Dan Boren, an Oklahoma Democrat.

Their courtship included a deer-hunting sortie in Wisconsin in which Ryan shot an eight-point buck — and later credited Janna with spotting it. The article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announcing their engagement reported that Ryan "does his own skinning and butchering, and makes his own Polish sausage."

The Ryans now have three children — Liza, 10, Charles, 8, and Sam, 7 — who live in Janesville with their mother. Ryan has gone back frequently for weekend visits, attending Mass at St. John Vianney Church, doing yard work. While in Washington, he has slept on a cot in his office rather than rent a place.

Yet during his political ascension, Ryan resisted pleas to run for governor of Wisconsin, citing his commitment to the budget debate in Congress.

"I didn't want to walk away from the conversation I started and the fight I'm in," he told the AP.

In his early years in Congress, Ryan built his reputation mostly behind the scenes. More recently, he's become one of the highest-profile members of the House, to the point where he has engaged in verbal showdowns with President Barack Obama.

In April 2011, the president unleashed a blistering attack on Ryan-drafted GOP plans, saying they would extend tax cuts for the wealthy while demanding that older people pay more for health care. Among those in the audience was Ryan, who believed his invitation to the speech was an olive branch from the White House.

"Instead, what we got was a speech that was excessively partisan, dramatically inaccurate and hopelessly inadequate to addressing our country's pressing fiscal challenges," Ryan said afterward.

After news broke of Ryan's selection by Romney, Obama spoke out again.

"He is a decent man, he is a family man, he is an articulate spokesman for Gov. Romney's vision, but it is a vision that I fundamentally disagree with," Obama said.

___

If there's any bipartisan consensus about Ryan on Capitol Hill, it pertains to his physique. Lean and buff, he leads other Capitol Hill denizens in grueling morning sessions of the popular P90X workout program.

Healthy living is one thing. But when it comes to health policy, and specifically Medicare, Ryan's policies have been polarizing, hailed by tea party advocates and Republican leaders and denounced by Democrats.

Former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, a fellow Janesville native and Craig High School alumnus, but also a liberal Democrat, congratulated Ryan on making the GOP ticket, but branded that ticket "fundamentally wrong for our nation."

From the other side of the spectrum, Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, a driving force behind tea party candidates for Congress, offered this view.

"I've worked closely with Paul for years and this isn't a political game to him," said DeMint. "This is truly about saving our country and making the future better for our children."

Ryan's record runs deeper than his signature budget and Medicare ideas. He opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and has a top rating from gun-rights groups. But in conflict with some Republicans, he supported the auto industry and bank bailouts that many in the GOP's right flank criticized.

The auto bailout helped General Motors survive, but it didn't spare a GM assembly plant in Janesville that shut down in 2009 as the economy sputtered. That cost an estimated 6,000 jobs, at the plant and its suppliers. It was a painful blow for a city of 60,000.

Ryan teamed with Democrats in Wisconsin's congressional delegation to prod GM executives to reopen the plant, but the effort failed.

Still, the native son remembers where he came from, supporters say. Tobin Ryan insists that the close contact with Washington lobbyists and well-heeled donors hasn't fundamentally changed his younger brother.

"It is absolutely amazing that he is the same guy today as he was before he ran for Congress," Tobin said. "You will never take the Janesville and Wisconsin out of him."

Ryan himself stressed his Wisconsin roots, and his affection for Wisconsin beers, in a speech a day after his selection by Romney.

"My veins run with cheese, bratwurst, a little Spotted Cow, Leinies and some Miller," he said. "I like to hunt here, I like to fish here, I like to snowmobile here. I even think ice fishing is interesting."

In 2010, Ryan and his wife bought a stately six-bedroom brick house in Janesville's Courthouse Hill historic district, where he'd grown up. The 1928 home, valued at $459,000, formerly belonged to the president of the Parker Pen Co.

It was evidence that Ryan has done well financially, with a net worth of about $4.5 million. Most of his money comes from his marriage and inheritances.

His neighbors say Ryan does small things to show he cares about them even after his rise to power in Washington.

Bill Westphal, 72, who lives across the street from the Ryan family, was good friends with Jeffrey Thomas, a Democrat who challenged Ryan for his congressional seat four times and who died in 2009.

"Guess who showed up at his funeral, all the way from Washington?" Westphal said. "Everybody in the audience was surprised. Paul Ryan did not consider him an enemy because he was a member of the opposite party."

Val Crofts teaches government at the high school in Milton, a small town near Janesville, and each year takes advanced placement students on a trip to Washington to meet with political figures.

Ryan has been a big supporter of the program, Crofts said, but last year was able to spend only a few minutes with the visitors because of a budget presentation in the House.

"After we got home, he told us he wanted more time with us, and he came to our high school and gave us an hour of Q-and-A," Crofts said.

Crofts said Ryan has good chemistry with the students, regardless of their political views.

"He jokes around with them and explains things about the budget and Washington so well," Crofts said. "Government doesn't seem so stuffy and old and faraway anymore."

___

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Todd Richmond in Janesville, Wis.; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Dan Sewell in Oxford, Ohio; and Adam Geller in New York contributed to this report.

The club received a $92,000 federal grant to do the renovations.

The Republican file photo / Dave RobackMembers play basketball in the new gymnasium at the Chicopee Boys and Girls Club. Directors now how to convert the former gymnasium into several rooms.

CHICOPEE — The former gymnasium at the Boys and Girls Club will get a make-over this fall thanks to federal Community Development Block Grant money.

The club will receive $92,000 from the federal grants program given to communities to improve low-income neighborhoods and help fund anti-poverty programs.

The money is being used to turn the club’s former gymnasium into more user-friendly space, Jason M. Reed, the resource development director for the club, said.

In 2007 the club on 580 Meadow St. built an 11,000-square-foot addition that included a full-size gymnasium, a fitness room, locker rooms, additional rest rooms and a new kitchen at the cost of about $2 million. Nearly all the costs were covered through a fund-raising campaign.

Now the former gymnasium is being used as a game room, but the space is not ideal and there is plenty of wasted room, Reed said.

“It is going to make a big space more user-friendly. The ceilings are high and it is kind of dark,” he said.

The renovations will lower the ceilings, replace the lighting, drop down the sprinklers and heating and air conditioning system and the large room will be divided into different spaces, Reed said.

A large room will stay for the game room, two activity rooms will be added and two smaller meeting rooms will be created, he said.

Nationally the Boys and Girls Clubs offer a number of student-run clubs which do a lot of community service and promote leadership. The Chicopee club has the programs, but often the groups have a hard time finding a quiet space to meet, Reed said.

“The Boys and Girls Clubs of America are gearing toward academic success, character and leadership and promoting healthy lifestyles,” Reed said. “We will be able to start more of these things if we can get out of the hustle and bustle of the main club.”

The renovations will also make the area more energy efficient because the area above the drop ceiling will be insulated and better lighting will be added, he said.

The club officials have been working with the city’s Community Development office for a number of years and submitted the grant request as part of the annual application process, said Carl Dietz, director of community development.

“It is a great organization and we have done a number of projects with them,” he said.

Renovations are expected to begin in late September or October, Reed said.

The new addition will include an office area, new living quarters and more area for apparatus.

The Republican | John SuchockiConstruction continues on the Wilbraham fire station at 2770 Boston Road.

WILBRAHAM — Work is proceeding on the renovation of the Boston Road fire station, project manager Lance Trevallion told the Board of Selectmen.

“The walls are up on the garage side,” Trevallion said.

The total cost of the addition and renovation project is $2.4 million. The architect for the project is Jeff McElravy of Tecton Architects in Hartford, Conn.

Trevallion said construction is proceeding on schedule.

Garages should be ready by November so equipment can be moved back into the building, he said.

With the new addition, the 3,600-square-foot fire station that was built in the 1950s will grow to 11,500 square-feet. The addition will allow the Fire Department to get rid of trailers around the building which now house the ambulance and dormitories for the firefighters.

No override of Proposition 2½ was needed to fund the project. The project will be paid for on the Fire Department’s capital improvements bonding schedule.

The new addition will encircle the bay area of the station and will include an office area, new living quarters and more area for apparatus. The renovation will include a new office area and public entrance.

Included in the $2.4 million allocated for the project is $100,000 for contingency costs. The $100,000 is still available for unexpected costs, Trevallion said.

Westfield police would not comment at this time, but say an investigation is ongoing.

An updated story has been posted

WESTFIELD — A Westfield firefighter says two people are in the hospital after a boating incident at Hampton Ponds this evening.

One victim was taken to Holyoke Medical Center, while the other was taken to Noble Hospital in Westfield, according to the firefighter.

Further details are not being released at this time, including the victims' conditions or identities.

Westfield police would not comment at this time, but say an investigation is ongoing.

The Republican's and MassLive.com's media partner, CBS 3 Springfield, reports that a witness said a couple boating fell into the water. The witness says he saw a jet skier pull a female from the water and gave her CPR.

Back in June, West Springfield resident Nicolae Ulinici drowned at Hampton Ponds. It's believed he entered the water from a boat and never resurfaced.

This is a developing story; MassLive.com will publish more details when they become available

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Both projects are seen as contributing to the ongoing revitalization of the downtown.

The Republican | Michael BeswickEasthampton Mayor Michael Tautznik hopes to secure $600,000 in state funding to build a boardwalk at Nashawannuck Pond.

EASTHAMPTON — Mayor Michael A. Tautznik is hoping the city can persuade the state to fund the proposed boardwalk project and will again apply for a state grant.

The city will be applying to the MassWorks Infrastructure Program for two projects both seen as keys to revitalizing the downtown. The Planning Department is holding a meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building to explain the boardwalk project and a plan for the Pleasant Street Mills to link with Lower Mill Pond Park.

“Both projects will contribute to the ongoing revitalization of our downtown area and mills, and provide a stimulus for continued economic development in the city,” according to City Planner Jessica Allan, who is submitting the grants.

The city is seeking about $600,000 for the Nashawannuck Pond Promenade that has been in the planning stages for more than 10 years. The city applied for funding last year but failed to garner the grant.

The project at the mills is a public-private partnership, Allan said and she will be applying for about $3.6 million. Final costs are still being calculated for both projects, she said. The state is looking for “public-private partnerships.”

This is an artist's rendering of a concept plan for the redesigned perimeter of Nashawannuck Pond Promenade

Officials want to see “the spinoff effects for job creation, how (a project) is going to impact future economic growth.”

The mill project would provide a better link to the park and pond, as well as more parking and would make front doors face the park, adhering to the vision set forth in the Urban River Visioning study done in 2002. She said that link would enable “a more visual connection” between those biking or walking on the Manhan Rail Trail, which runs along the pond, and might prompt riders “to get off their bikes and enter the mills.”

The proposed improvements include upgrading water lines, burying electric lines, building a new parking lot as well as installing new lighting. She said the mill owners have been unable to bring in some tenants because of a dearth of parking.

The boardwalk, the mayor said, “makes sense for the downtown.” He said it would improve the investment of Arch Street Development, which is in the process of buying the Dye Works building for affordable housing, and for Riverside Industries, which is investing more than $1 million in new windows in its 1 Cottage Street building.

The pond was created by Samuel Williston in 1846 to provide water power to an expanding base of manufacturing facilities. The city bought it in 1985 from the J.P. Stevens Company but left the iron fencing that was in place to keep people from trespassing.

“We want them to get near the pond,” Tautznik said. The plan includes a dock for boating and space for people to gather for concerts for example or for public art. He envisions offering wireless access there as well and sees the boardwalk as a way to bring people downtown and to the local businesses.

“The possibilities are really limitless. The pond has been a focus for a lot of years for us. It’s time to capitalize on it. It’s a very strong economic project.”

Allan said the meeting is a chance to explain the projects and answer questions and to enlist community support. Letters of support from business owners and residents would be submitted with the grant applications due Sept. 10.

Tautznik said the city is looking for letters of support from downtown businesses in particular for the boardwalk project.

His new comedy series, loosely based on his life, has a 22-episode commitment from NBC and is set to premiere in fall 2013.

APMichael J. Fox

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC is making it official: Michael J. Fox is coming back to series TV more than a decade after he left to concentrate on fighting Parkinson's disease.

His new comedy series, loosely based on his life, has a 22-episode commitment from NBC and is set to premiere in fall 2013, the network announced Monday.

Reports of Fox's plans to return with a new show emerged last week.

The 51-year-old actor was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991. He left his ABC comedy "Spin City" in 2000 saying he intended to focus on helping find a cure for the disease.

Since then, he has made guest appearances on series including "Rescue Me" and "The Good Wife." He first gained fame in the 1980s sitcom "Family Ties."

The School Committee tentatively scheduled a meeting for Sept. 11 to interview interim superintendent candidates.

MONSON — A posting will be advertised internally at the School Department for an interim superintendent position, as current superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne is retiring at the end of the year.

Patrice Dardenne

The School Committee discussed the superintendent search at its Aug. 15 meeting, and opted to see which employees might be interested in the temporary position before launching an outside search.

School Committee member Joshua Farber said he was interested in seeing who would apply before the committee takes the step of looking for outside candidates.

The deadline for applications would be Sept. 1.

The committee tentatively scheduled a meeting for Sept. 11 to interview interim superintendent candidates. Dardenne told the committee that final interviews must be public.

Once the committee selects the interim, it then will discuss what steps to take for hiring a full-time replacement, and whether or not it wants to hire a superintendent search firm to assist in the process.

School Committee members said a full-time superintendent would be hired in time for the 2013-2014 school year.

Dardenne, 60, has been Monson’s superintendent since 2009. Dardenne was the district’s fifth superintendent since January 2008.

Dardenne has previously said that has enjoyed his time in Monson, but that he wants to pursue new opportunities – not in public schools – while he still can.

Patrice Dardenne

Officials at the School Committee meeting assured parents they will be involved in the search.

The Republican | John SuchockiHazel Rosario, the parent of triplets at Dean Technical High School, says Holyoke parents want to help with the search for a new superintendent.

HOLYOKE — The School Committee will begin discussing consultants and other details related to a search for a new superintendent Sept. 10, officials said Monday.

The search will be swift and include parents and others in the community, they said.

The committee also voted to accept a letter from Superintendent David L. Dupont that said he will retire when his three-year contract expires June 30, 2013. The Republican and MassLive.com reported Dupont’s retirement last week.

The discussion at the end of the committee meeting at Dean Technical High School was a mixture of assertions about the need to do the search fast and inclusively, and praise for Dupont, who will work the coming school year.

“I know the committee thanks you for all the hard work you’ve done in your 40 years,” said Devin M. Sheehan, School Committee vice chairman.

“You’ll certainly be missed ...,” said Mayor Alex B. Morse, chairman of the School Committee.

Dupont, in his fourth decade with the system, said he is retiring because he felt it was time. He will be as committed as ever in the coming year, he said.

“Forty years is a good haul and I mean I appreciate everything, including all the kids I taught. ... I got so much support from everyone,” Dupont said.

Dupont’s yearly salary is $144,000. He was previously Holyoke High School principal and a teacher, among other duties in the system.

Parents Hazel Rosario and Mildred Lefebvre said during the meeting’s public comment period that parents want to help with the superintendent search.

“We would like to be part of that,” said Rosario, mother of triplets at Dean.

“We know what are the needs of the district, and the children and the families,” Lefebvre said.

“I can almost guarantee” parents will be involved, Sheehan said.

“No doubt we’ll involve parents every step of the way,” Morse said.

Sheehan will bring information about possible search consultants to the next committee meeting, he said.

Member at Large Michael J. Moriarty said the committee should hire the Massachusetts Association of School Committees for the search, as it did for the process that led to the hiring of Dupont.

Committee member at large Howard B. Greaney Jr. said he agreed with Moriarty about wanting the search to begin immediately, concerned any delay could keep the city from getting the best individual or some other problem.

“I assure you there will be movement at the next meeting on that,” Sheehan said.

A tomato from a Pepperell farm that tipped the scales at more than 2.8 pounds was among the big winners at the annual Massachusetts tomato contest.

File photo | The Republican

BOSTON — A tomato from a Pepperell farm that tipped the scales at more than 2.8 pounds was among the big winners at the annual Massachusetts tomato contest.

The Aussie variety tomato from Kimball Fruit Farm took first place in the heaviest tomato category during the competition at Boston's City Hall Plaza on Monday.

Runners-up included a nearly 2.7 pound tomato from Concord's Macone Farm and one that came off the vine at about 2.4 pounds from Red Fire Farm in Montague.

In other categories, top prize for cherry tomatoes went to E. Cecchi Farms in Agawam.

State agriculture officials say Massachusetts farms produce more than 5.4 million pounds of tomatoes each year with a crop value of $10.8 million.

Twiggs, a Springfield city councilor, will receive the Ubora Award, and Lawes, a recent graduate of Central High School, will receive the Ahadi Youth Award.

E. Henry Twiggs and Dana Adrianna Lawes will be honored by the African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museums with the Ubora and Ahadi Youth awards, respectively.

SPRINGFIELD — The African Hall Subcommittee of the Springfield Museums will present the 21st annual Ubora Award and the fourth annual Ahadi Youth Award Sept. 15 at 6 p.m., at the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle.

City Councilor E. Henry Twiggs will receive the Ubora Award, and Dana Adrianna Lawes will receive the Ahadi Youth Award.

The Ubora Award, which means excellence in Swahili, is presented to an African-American who has made a significant contribution to the Greater Springfield area.

Twiggs, Springfield’s Ward 4 city councilor, has been active in Democratic Party politics at every level for more than 50 years.

As a civil rights organizer, Twiggs was one of the people who crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge during the Selma to Montgomery, Ala., March. He participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and strove to keep Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream alive through his work on the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign march on Washington.

A proud Shriner, Twiggs has held many significant posts within Masonic lodges, and was recognized as Master Mason of the Year in 1999 and 2003. He has also served as chairman of the McKnight Neighborhood Council, president of Harambee Holiday, Inc., and was a founding member of 5A, the youth mentoring organization that uses sports to provide academic assistance and leadership development to young people.

The Ahadi Youth Award, which means promise, is presented to an African-American young person who demonstrates strong character, leadership, academic achievement, and future potential.

Dana Lawes, the Ahadi Youth Award winner, is a 2012 graduate of Springfield Central High School and is attending Newbury College in Brookline this fall.

In high school, she challenged herself by taking honors and advanced placement courses and earned a 4.2 grade point average. Her success was recognized when she was selected for the MassMutual Academic Achievers and the National Honor Society.

Dana’s values are deeply grounded in her family and faith. She and her two siblings are the children of Jamaican immigrant parents. Her mother instilled in Dana a strong work ethic and the commitment to focus on her goals. Dana completed a Teen Mini Medical School program at Baystate Hospital and participated after school for three years in the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership, where she interned in the nutrition, injury prevention, environmental services and distribution services departments. Through this experience, she determined that she would like to investigate a business career in either the medical or hospitality fields.

Dana is an active participant in her church and is a volunteer for the Springfield Rescue Mission which serves homeless people in the city. As part of a 2010 church youth group initiative, “Youth Against Suffering,” she worked on a campaign to raise money and awareness for a group called Ending Now Violence Against Women.

The Ubora and Ahadi Award presentations will be followed by a reception at the Springfield Science Museum across the Quadrangle.

Admission to the event is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For information or advance reservations, call (413) 263-6800, ext. 325.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers say 29-year-old driver Donald Cornelius of Orlando, Fla., and 55-year-old co-driver, Anthony Swift, of Chicopee, Mass., are being held on suspicion of drug charges.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Highway Patrol says a tractor-trailer that was pulled over during a traffic stop over the weekend was carrying 231 pounds of marijuana worth almost $1.4 million.

Troopers say 29-year-old driver Donald G. Cornelius of Orlando, Fla., and 55-year-old co-driver, Anthony M. Swift, of Chicopee, Mass., are being held on suspicion of drug charges. It wasn't immediately clear Monday whether they had lawyers who could comment on their behalf.

Their vehicle was pulled over Sunday morning on eastbound Interstate 80, about 21 miles east of Elk Mountain in Carbon County.

Troopers say they found marijuana mixed in with a legitimate load of commercial lighting fixtures and electrical wire.

Authorities also seized more than $3,000 in cash.

With Tom Brady on the sidelines, Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer battled it out Monday night.

APNew England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15)hands off to running back Shane Vereen (34) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game in Foxborough, Mass., Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.

FOXBOROUGH – The New England Patriots used their second preseason game to find out how deep their cupboards are.

With 26 players not dressed during pregame warm ups, the Patriots turned to their jayvee squad in Monday’s 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. What they learned is that they are well stocked in some areas and merely adequate in others.

But, at its core, with quarterback Tom Brady, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, and wide receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd on the shelf, the game should have provided an intriguing backdrop for Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer to battle it out for the backup quarterback position.

Unfortunately, shaky offensive line play continued to rule the day, leaving the evening in a split decision.

Mallett came out first and, throwing to a cast of receivers that included Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and Donte’ Stallworth, completed 8 of 15 passes for 87 yards over his first three series.

At times he looked poised and showed the growth he’s made since last season -- like when he stood in against the rush and was able to find Branch for a 20-yard strike in the first quarter -- but he also displayed the poor decision-making that plagued him as a rookie.

In the second quarter he locked in on Branch too long, allowing Dominique Rogers-Cromartie to jump in for an easy interception that was later negated by a penalty. Mallett was also indecisive at times, struggled to make quick decisions, and his accuracy evaporated after re-entering the game in the second half.

He was, however, able to lead New England to an early 11-0 lead after finding tight Alex Silvestro, a converted defensive end, in the end zone on a 7-yard strike. But things quickly fell apart for the Patriots from there.

A fumbled punt by undrafted rookie running back Brandon Bolden, who has struggled with ball security throughout camp, and a strip sack by Philly defensive end Phillip Hunt on Brian Hoyer allowed the Eagles to quickly go up, 14-11.

Part of the unraveling had to do with Hoyer’s accuracy, but most of it was the result constantly dodging the bodies coming off the edges that tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon were protecting. By halftime he was 5 of 12 for 55 yards. He finished 5 of 17.

Mallett re-entered the game in third quarter, down 21-14. He led a three-and-out on his first series and pushed the Patriots close enough for kicker Stephen Gostkowski to hit a 55-yard field goal on the next drive. Mallett finished 10 of 20 for 105 yards.

The theme of the game spilled over to the Eagles side when defensive end Jermaine Cunningham came off the edge and delivered a devastating hit to quarterback Michael Vick on the first play of the Philadelphia’s second series. He was replaced by backup Nick Foles and did not return after being taken to the locker room for X-rays, which ultimately revealed no damage.

Patriots safety Patrick Chung was also hurt during the first half and was taken to the locker room with a shoulder injury. Chung, who battled various injuries last season, did not return to action but it was reported that his injury is not considered to be serious.

The Patriots head to Tampa Bay and will hold joint practices with the Buccanneers on Wednesday and Thursday before playing a game on Friday. New England then wraps up its preseason schedule Aug. 29 in New York against the Giants.

The scheduled meeting between Ameristar and Sasrno came as a surprise to councilors, who expressed concerns that they were being shut out of the casino approval process.

The Republican | Greg SaulmonA photo illustration, based on a 2010 aerial view of the site, shows the area purchased by Ameristar. Page Boulevard is at the left of the photo. The buildings at the site have since been razed.

SPRINGFIELD — Ameristar Casino Inc. officials plan to hold their first meeting next week with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to discuss the company’s East Springfield casino plan.

Speaking at a City Council public hearing, Ameristar’s vice president Troy Stremming said the Las Vegas-based company will meet with the mayor on Aug. 27. Other casino developers are also scheduled to sit down with Sarno that day, according to Stremming, who did not identify the other companies.

“It’s a little hard for us to give you more details because we are learning more (about the city’s review process) as we go,” Stremming said.

Sarno surprised Ameristar officials last week by announcing that he planned to select one casino proposal and bring it to city voters in a referendum.

The scheduled meeting between Ameristar and Sarno came as a surprise to councilors, who expressed concerns that they were being shut out of the casino approval process.

City Councilor Timothy J. Rooke said the casino will be the largest private development in city history, and the council has as much, if not more, legal authority than the mayor over its approval.

“This isn’t about who’s driving the bus. We need to let everyone know we’re going to work cooperatively,” Rooke said.

Ameristar – which paid $16 million for 41 acres off Interstate 291 and Page Boulevard – has made the only formal casino proposal for Springfield. But as many as three other companies – Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, MGM Resorts and Penn National Gaming – may be planning casinos for the city’s downtown.

City Council President James J. Ferrera III said he learned of the meeting late Monday afternoon, and said city councilors will be invited to meet with the casino developers.

At Monday’s public hearing, Ameristar repeated the broad outlines of a proposal initially unveiled at a public hearing in December.

The project itself will represent an investment of at least $500 million, with 4,000 slot machines,100 table games and 650 hotel rooms, according to Stremming.

The economic benefits will include 2,800 permanent jobs, 2,000 construction jobs and as many as 3,000 jobs in related, spin-off work involving suppliers, cleaners and subcontractors, Stremming said.

Responding to a question from City Councilor Timothy Allen, Stremming said the company’s strongest selling points include sound finances and an unblemished reputation with no history of regulatory trouble with the nine casinos it operates.

“We can fly through the background investigation by the commonwealth,” he said.

Rooke asked the company for more details on annual revenue and number of employees at its other casinos, many of which are located in the mid-west.

Rooke said the council must ratify any agreement between the casino and the city, and will have authority over zone changes, permits and land transfers.

Hightower led the defensive huddle Monday night.

APNew England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower watches from the bench during a preseason NFL football game between the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles in Foxborough, Mass. Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.

FOXBOROUGH – The first time Dont’a Hightower heard the voice talking into his head, he spun around and looked over his shoulder.

It was a familiar sound, but he couldn’t place it and wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Finally, once he got his wits about him, he relayed the information that was being fed through the speaker in his helmet and got to work.

“It’s something that I’m not used to. The couple of times that we did it at practice, I was kind of lost,” Hightower said. “I didn’t know who was talking to me. I still didn’t know for a while that it was (defensive coordinator Matt Patricia).”

Things aren’t as awkward now. Hightower still doesn’t feel at home wearing the green dot and leading the defensive huddle, but he’s getting there. The rookie was asked to do the job during Monday’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles and got through the task without a visible hitch.

He likely won’t be asked to do the same during the regular season when Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo are on the field with him, but he’s confident that he could handle the task and is flattered that the team is willing to trust him with such a large responsibility this early in his tenure.

“I’m comfortable enough to do it. I don’t think they would ask me to do it if they didn’t think I was ready for it or if it was too big of a responsibility,” Hightower said. “It just shows how much confidence they have in me and the respect I have from my teammates to look at a younger guy calling the huddle and making all the checks.”

With two preseason games under his belt, Hightower said that he feels he could have played better in certain moments, but, overall, he’s pleased with where he is at this point.

In other words, he still feels like a rookie.

“Always room for improvement. Still learning, still being a young guy,” Hightower said. “I’m just glad to get the feeling with the rest of the linebackers and just get to learn.”

Ebner recorded an interception Monday night.

APNew England Patriots defensive back Nate Ebner (43) catches a ball during warmups prior to a preseason NFL football game between the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles in Foxborough, Mass. Monday, Aug. 20, 2012

FOXBOROUGH – Instincts are finally beginning to take over for rookie safety Nate Ebner.

When he first arrived in camp, the rookie spent his moments deep in through, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do on a certain player or where he was supposed to line up.

But, over the last week, the ball has regularly found its way into his hands, and it happened again during Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles when he recorded a second-quarter interception on a Nick Foles pass that was intended for Jeremy Maclin.

“I would say I’m starting to get a feel for things, but you know it (starts) with practice and just getting better,” Ebner said.

Ebner is still likely a longshot to make the roster with Patrick Chung, Steve Gregory, Tavon Wilson and, most likely, James Ihedigbo above him on the depth chart.

But, with his special teams value, he could make the decision interesting if he continues to improve at safety over the next two weeks.