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Arson fire damages 2nd house on Commonwealth Ave.
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 4 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - Springfield Fire Department photo\ DENNIS LEGER Firefighters battle flames at 75 Commonwealth Ave. this morning. The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad determined that arson started the fire.
By DAVID BERGENGREN
dbergengren@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - A second suspicious early-morning house fire on Commonwealth Avenue within the past eight days - this one at number 75 about 4:30 a.m. today - appears to be the work of an arsonist, a Fire Department spokesman said.
"Arson is saying it's a set fire," said Dennis G. Leger, referring to the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad, a joint police and fire unit that is investigating both fires.
Today's fire has been determined to have been set on the vacant single-family home's first floor, he said.
"It's right next door to the one that last week burned to the ground," said Leger, referring to a Sept. 20 fire that destroyed an abandoned home at 77 Commonwealth Ave. That blaze caused an additional estimated $15,000 in damage to a nearby home at 83 Commonwealth Ave.
When asked whether the two fires might be connected, Leger said, "That possibility is very real, and the Arson and Bomb Squad is looking into it."
Several months ago, firefighters doused a fire in the garage at 77 Commonwealth Ave., said Leger, who said Sunday's fire next door at number 75, which was also empty, was the third at that location this year.
An arrest was made for a January fire at 75 Commonwealth Ave. and the arsonist did some time in jail for the crime, he said. The person's name was not available today.
Flames were shooting from both floors of the 2½ story wood clapboard house at 75 Commonwealth Ave. when firefighters arrived to battle yesterday's blaze, Leger said.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, Leger said.
The house, located near Forest Park, dates from the early 1900s, he said.
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High-tech lights installed in Chicopee
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 5 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - The city's first new video detection camera aimed at better traffic control is now installed.CHICOPEE - The city's first new video detection camera at an intersection aimed at better traffic control is now installed at East and Carew streets.
But it won't be the only one, said City Engineer Stephen J. Frederick, with the second slated soon at the new Chicopee Comprehensive High School intersection on Montgomery Street.
Dave RobackJohn Hyland of Marlin Controls Inc of Uxbridge works on the new video traffic signal lights aat the corner of East and Carew Streets in Chicopee.
On Wednesday, the hardware for the video detection system was installed as part of the $218,000 Carew and East streets project. Both hardware systems are custom-made for each intersection. "It's up and running. This intersection had more of a geometry problem to it," said Frederick, noting the upgrade will allow safer turning movements and increase traffic flow efficiency.
An earlier attempt to install the hardware at the intersection was postponed due to a lightning storm, he said. "We wanted to see how this was working before the Chicopee Comprehensive High School video is installed."
Frederick said crews will install the video detection system as part of the $120,000 Chicopee Comprehensive High School upgrade Monday morning, and it should be working by afternoon.
"This is the first self-signalization traffic camera," Mayor Michael D. Bissonnete said. "The second will be at Comp, where we will be getting a better traffic flow on Montgomery," which is heavily traveled.
The upgrade at the entrance to the new Chicopee Comprehensive High School calls for the video monitoring of traffic while minimizing the green time for each movement. A left-turn lane will allow for vehicle movement safety.
Frederick said many area communities already have these camera video detection systems installed in newer intersection.
There is also a pre-emptive device for emergency vehicles.
The old method was a magnetic loop placed in the ground to detect traffic flow.
Frederick said the East and Carew streets intersection had a history of problems and issues with vehicles turning and a lack of sufficient width. The old signal light was struck by cars and trucks which were unable to safely turn.
A. Pereira Construction was the contractor for both intersection upgrades.
Frederick said similar video camera systems will be installed as part of the $8.4 million Front Street and the $7.7 million Center Street projects.
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Indicted ex-CEO now negotiating
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 8 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - Former energy mogul and nightlife fixture Michael J. Armitage is in plea negotiations over federal tax and fraud charges.By STEPHANIE BARRY
sbarry@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - Former energy mogul and city nightlife fixture Michael J. Armitage is in plea negotiations over federal tax and fraud charges, according to newly filed court documents.
Armitage, 55, who lives in Florida but once owned an Agawam power plant in Agawam and a string of city buildings that housed popular bars, was charged in a seven-count indictment in late June.
The charges accuse the businessman of concealing $1 million in debt to the Internal Revenue Service and his former business partners in Berkshire Power, while seeking $1.5 million in commercial and personal loans. Armitage pleaded innocent to the indictment in U.S. District Court and was released on bail with travel restrictions, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow said Armitage could face further charges within two months if plea negotiations break down.
"We are getting ready for a superseding indictment if plea discussions collapse," Breslow told U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth P. Neiman.
Charles E. Dolan, a lawyer for Armitage, appeared undaunted by the threat of additional charges on tax evasion.
"That's the item we'll ramp up to light speed, so to speak," Dolan said, responding to Neiman's speedy trial concerns. "But, at this point we have no plans to stray from our course."
Armitage was once a familiar face in the downtown club landscape when he co-owned a block of real estate with club owner Victor C. Bruno. He appeared on the local scene, flashed wads of cash and bought rounds of drinks with abandon for years, then disappeared just as quickly when his business interests shifted to Pittsfield and beyond.
He indicated during his indictment that he still travels the country exploring energy-related business ventures.
The indictment states Armitage failed to file tax returns for almost a decade. He has not been charged with that.
Neither Dolan nor Breslow would comment on the plea talks.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Armitage faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million if convicted.
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Bids submitted for Holyoke canal walk project
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 8 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - The bids will hopefully pave the way for construction to begin soon.By KEN ROSS
kross@repub.com
HOLYOKE - Bids have been submitted for the first part of the first phase of the city's canal walk project, hopefully paving the way for construction to begin soon.
"It's getting more real," Mayor Michael J. Sullivan said. "We're excited about it."
Gomes Construction Co. of Ludlow submitted the low bid of $449,000 for phase 1A of the project, Sullivan said. The bids were submitted to the Massachusetts Highway Department, which is handling the project. Sullivan said he did not know how many bids were submitted. Calls placed to the local Massachusetts Highway Department office were not returned.
The state is overseeing the project, which calls for spending $5 million worth of federal funds to build a 15-foot-wide brick walkway along the city's canal.
Phase 1A of the project is the first half of Phase 1, which runs along the canal from Appleton Street to Dwight Street.
The second half of Phase 1 runs along the canal from Dwight Street to Lyman Street.
The second and third phases will involve building a similar walkway along the lower-level canal, according to City Planning Director Kathleen G. Anderson.
Exactly when bids will be solicited for the second half of Phase 1 has not been determined.
In January, Sullivan said that construction was slated to start on the canal walk this year. Then in June, Sullivan said that state officials were forced to postpone the project because of "a perfect storm of problems."
Specifically, the design firm initially chosen for the project went bankrupt, Sullivan said. As a result, bids need to be solicited again for the design portion of the project. In addition, the project was delayed before that due to difficulty in obtaining permission from adjacent property owners to build the walkway.
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Springfield councilor urges overhaul in billing
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 11 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - By PETER GOONAN
pgoonan@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - City and school officials agreed last week that there must be an improvement in billing and collections relating to the renting of school buildings to outside agencies for tutoring and recreation programs.
In addition, City Councilor Timothy J. Rooke has questioned why a formal lease has not been finalized with the South End Community Center, as sought by him more than two years ago. The community center pays no rent for its city-owned site on Howard Street, but Rooke believes the city should receive rents from other tenants in the building that have customarily gone to the center.
Both issues were raised during a meeting of the City Council's Audit Committee last week.
Regarding the use of schools, city and school officials said that the billing of vendors needs to occur monthly or quarterly, rather than yearly, and that discrepancies in bills need to be corrected.
Robert A. Peters, the School Department's chief financial officer, said some tutoring agencies were billed on estimated use of the building, when actual use was far lower.
While the total balance owed to the city was listed as about $372,000 from the last school year, the actual amount is probably much lower, he said. Invoices from the Facilities Division appear inaccurate, he said.
"The bottom line, we will address whatever the issues are and get them corrected," Peters said.
One tutoring agency, the Boston Learning Center, was billed for the use of 20 classrooms for after-school tutoring, but actually used about five rooms, according to city and learning center officials.
A learning center official said the agency was awaiting the corrected bill.
Meanwhile, a lease with the South End Community Center was discussed in November 2005, and was to be drafted by the Law Department, governing uses of the center building at 29 Howard St.
The community center has been collecting rents totaling about $45,000 a year, Rooke said.
By not having a lease in the past two years, "it's $90,000 the city has lost" in rents, he said.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who served as executive director of the community center before taking the job as mayor last January, said the $1 lease arrangement at the center has been in effect for many years.
"I stand by this continued positive partnership," he said. "It dates back to 1975. You can't put a price tag on the services this partnership has provided."
One of the tenants is the Hampden County Sheriff's Department community restitution program, which provides inmate labor for many local projects and maintenance at the community center. The department pays $100 a month in rent to the center.
There is also an aerobics and karate class, paying about $400 a month.
Patrice C. Swan, current executive director of the center, said he was advised by his board not to comment or release the names of tenants until the lease agreement issue is resolved.
City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula said he is reviewing the lease matter, and will have a report ready soon.
Sarno said money collected in rents is "pumped right back" into youth programs.
Rooke said that continuing the current practice because it has been done that way for years is "a pretty weak excuse."
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Local charter schools rejected
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 13 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - The state Department of Education has rejected all three proposals for new charter schools.By PETER GOONAN
pgoonan@repub.com
The state Department of Education has rejected all three proposals for new charter schools in Western Massachusetts, halting their bids at the pre-application stage.
The state announced last week that it has invited two proposed charter schools in central and eastern Massachusetts and one statewide charter school to submit final applications.
The three local charter schools were not invited, and will not be considered for approval this year, a spokeswoman said. The local applicants had proposed charter schools in Springfield, Chicopee and Franklin County. Currently, there are 63 charter schools statewide.
Heidi P. Guarino, chief of staff for the state education department, said there is a "very specific process" in evaluating proposals. The department invites initial applications, and meets with some of the founders before narrowing the list to those asked to submit final applications, she said.
"We make decision based on the quality of the application, the need within those communities, and to see if those applications meet what we need relating to curriculum, leadership," Guarino said.
The founders are welcome to try again next year, she said. Specific reasons were not disclosed for the declined local applicants.
The three local applicants were:
Hue's House College Preparatory and Leadership School for Young Men and Women, planned in Springfield for grades 9-12, with maximum enrollment of 260. The founder, Da'Shone Hughey of Hartford, said his group was proposing an all-male school in one building and an all-female school in another building at a site that was not yet chosen.
New Challenge Academy Charter School, in Chicopee and also serving Holyoke and Springfield, for Grades 5-8, with maximum enrollment of 320. The pre-application described the proposed school as offering "competency-based curriculum that inspires critical and creative thinking, independent learning and active citizenship."
Discovery Charter School, planned in Montague, but serving many communities in Franklin County, for grades K-6, with maximum enrollment of 260. The pre-application stated the school was committed to providing "rigorous education," stating that Franklin County schools were "continuing to struggle to provide education to meet the needs of area families."
Proposals for charter schools invited to submit final applications included one proposed in Gloucester and one proposed to serve students in Leicester, Oxford and Worcester. ...
Westfield State events converge
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 13 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - Family Day and Senior Convocation, combined with the investiture its 19th president drew thousands to the Westfield State campus.David MolnarEvan S. Dobelle addresses the audience at his Conovocation and Investiture as the 19th President at Westfield State College.
By ALEX PESHKOV
apeshkov@repub.com
WESTFIELD - Two traditional college events, Family Day and Senior Convocation, combined with the presidential investiture of Evan S. Dobelle as the 19th president of Westfield State College, drew thousands of guests Saturday to the campus.
Ceremonies in the Woodward Center included a performance by songwriter and musician Arlo Guthrie as well as remarks from guest speakers John Brademas, president emeritus of New York University and a congressman from Indiana for 22 years; Peter Gomes, Baptist minister at The Memorial Church at Harvard and a member of Harvard University faculty; and state Sen. Joan M. Menard, D-Fall River, chairwoman of the New England Board of Higher Education. "I think that Dr. Dobelle is a man far ahead of his time," said Westfield Superintendent Shirley Alvira. "He is a very competent, visionary educator and individual who is thinking a few steps ahead."
Menard told the audience that she was "delighted" to learn that Dobelle would stay in Massachusetts after his departure from the post of the president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education.
"Massachusetts has a reputation throughout the world as a place for students to come, and I am glad that we can continue to work (with Dobelle) to make sure that we provide our students with the best opportunities possible," she said.
Austin D. Hall, freshman from Westwood, who is studying English at Westfield State, said that he was very impressed with the campus and the recent additions of a bistro, sports pub, comfortable meeting areas, a faculty lounge and a Dunkin' Donuts.
"I haven't talked to (the president) personally yet, but I can tell that he's very respected and that students have a strong appreciation for his efforts here. It really seems like he cares a lot about the students," Hall said.
Family Day events included brunch in the Dining Commons, and several student-run games, activities and entertainment in the Ely Campus Center. ...
Home is school for many kids
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 13 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - When Anna R. Brayton of Westfield goes to college one day, she probably will be walking into her first classroom in years.John SuchockiElizabeth H. and Anna R. Brayton and their mother Terry E. Brayton work on the day's lessons at the kitchen table.
By ALEX PESHKOV
apeshkov@repub.com
When Anna R. Brayton of Westfield goes to college one day, she probably will be walking into her first classroom in years.
"I haven't been to school, and I don't think I would like going there," said the 12-year-old, who wants to become a computer animator. "That's pretty fun to have your own mom as a teacher."
Robert A. and Terry E. Brayton are among the parents who opted to teach their children at home to better meet their needs. "It's not for everybody, of course. This requires a certain sacrifice. It's much easier to send your children to school and have a free day," said Terry Brayton, who has been homeschooling her two daughters, Anna, 12, and Elizabeth H., 10, for seven years.
Parents say they choose homeschooling for a variety of reasons, from religious beliefs to disillusionment with the public school system. The individual education plans must be approved by local school officials.
"This keeps our family close and it keeps (Anna and Elizabeth) away from the bad influences. We want them to look at the world from the biblical point of view," said Brayton, a respiratory therapist who taught her profession for a year at a community college in Florida.
The family moved to Western Massachusetts in 2000.
Brayton also likes that she can spend time with her daughters, who can learn at their own pace.
"She is way ahead in history," Brayton said of Anna.
Finding a balance between her role as a teacher and that of a housekeeper has been the most challenging part of the process, Brayton said.
"Homeschooling is mostly mom's job, so you have to figure out how to keep a balance between this and all the housekeeping chores," she said.
Brayton also works at Noble Hospital on Saturdays.
There are 65 homeschooling families in Westfield alone, she said.
Western Mass Homeschoolers, an organization that exists primarily to encourage and support homeschool families, serves more than 250 in the Pioneer Valley.
"We get together regularly to discuss different issues, to share curriculum ideas," Brayton said.
In neighboring Southwick, there are two dozen homeschooled children.
Southwick-Tolland Regional School District Superintendent John D. Barry said that 26 students submitted their home education proposals to the School Committee this year.
"We don't have an increase in the number of such students," he said. "There were 25 of them last year and 29 the year before."
Barry said he's comfortable with the homeschooling enrollment figures and supported parents' right to homeschool.
"It's a choice in education, and sometimes people are looking for different options," he said.
Brayton said that every homeschooling family has to meet general guidelines set by the state. Both Anna and Elizabeth rank "fairly average" on test scores.
"They're just about the same, academically, as public schoolchildren," Brayton said.
Her husband, Robert, helps with the curriculum in the evenings.
"He loves American history, so he's helping with history studies. He's also doing woodworking in our basement and teaches them computer skills. But first of all, we want them to be well-behaved and kind to people," Brayton said. "We want to concentrate on their character development, which is very important for us. They might not be math whiz kids, but if they're kind and caring, I would consider myself successful."
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$700 billion bailout plan headed to House
Found: 1 Week 1 Day 3 Hours 13 Minutes ago
Union News & Republican - President Bush called the vote a difficult one for lawmakers but said he is confident Congress will pass it. By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Congressional leaders and the White House agreed today to a $700 billion rescue of the ailing financial industry after lawmakers insisted on sharing spending controls with the Bush administration. The biggest U.S. bailout in history won the tentative support of both presidential candidates and goes to the House for a vote Monday.
The plan, bollixed up for days by election-year politics, would give the administration broad power to use billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars to purchase devalued mortgage-related assets held by cash-starved financial firms.
President Bush called the vote a difficult one for lawmakers but said he is confident Congress will pass it. "Without this rescue plan, the costs to the American economy could be disastrous," Bush said in a written statement released by the White House. He was to speak publicly about the plan early this morning, before U.S. markets open.
Flexing its political muscle, Congress insisted on a stronger hand in controlling the money than the White House had wanted. Lawmakers had to navigate between angry voters with little regard for Wall Street and administration officials who warned that inaction would cause the economy to seize up and spiral into recession.
A deal in hand, Capitol Hill leaders scrambled to sell it to colleagues in both parties and acknowledged they were not certain it would pass. "Now we have to get the votes," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the majority leader.
Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, the House minority leader, said he was urging "every member whose conscience will allow them to support this" to back it, but officials in both parties expected the vote to be a nail-biter.
The final legislation was released Sunday evening, and Republicans and Democrats huddled for hours in private meetings to learn its details and voice their concerns.
Many said they left undecided, and leaders were scrambling to put the most positive face on a deeply unpopular plan.
"This isn't about a bailout of Wall Street, it's a buy-in, so that we can turn our economy around," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The largest government intervention in financial markets since the Great Depression casts Washington's long shadow over Wall Street. The government would take over huge amounts of devalued assets from beleaguered financial companies in hopes of unlocking frozen credit.
"I don't know of anyone here who wants the center of the economic universe to be Washington," said a top negotiator, Sen. Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. But, he added, "The center of gravity is here temporarily. ... God forbid it's here any longer than it takes to get credit moving again."
The plan would let Congress block half the money and force the president to jump through some hoops before using it all. The government could get at $250 billion immediately, $100 billion more if the president certified it was necessary, and the last $350 billion with a separate certification - and subject to a congressional resolution of disapproval.
Still, the resolution could be vetoed by the president, meaning it would take extra-large congressional majorities to stop it.
As Bush's team stepped up its efforts to corral reluctant Republicans, the White House released a letter from his budget chief, Jim Nussle, to Boehner saying the measure would cost taxpayers "considerably less" than its eye-popping $700 billion total.
Lawmakers in both parties were poring over the 110-page bill. Democratic leaders have made it clear they will not support the rescue unless a substantial number of Republicans join them.
"It will take two to make this work," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.
But it was a tough sell for lawmakers in both parties.
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, an opponent, estimated that half of the House's 199 Republicans are "truly undecided."
Lawmakers who struck a post-midnight deal on the plan with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson predicted final congressional action might not come until Wednesday.
The proposal is designed to end a vicious downward spiral that has battered all levels of the economy. Hundreds of billions of dollars in investments based on mortgages have soured and cramped banks' willingness to lend.
"If we do not do this, the trauma, the chaos and the disruption to everyday Americans' lives will be overwhelming, and that's a price we can't afford to risk paying," Sen. Judd Gregg, the chief Senate Republican in the talks, told The Associated Press.
Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the House Financial Services Committee chairman, predicted the measure would pass, though not by a large majority.
"It's not a bill that any one of us would have written. It's a much better bill than we got. It's not as good as it should be," he said.
A breakthrough came Saturday night, with the addition of a requirement sought by centrist Democrats and Republicans to ensure that the government be paid back by companies that got help. The president would have to tell Congress after five years how he planned to recoup the losses.
Another key bargain - this time to draw Republican support - allows, but doesn't require, government to insure some bad home loans rather than buy them. That's designed to limit the amount of federal money used in the rescue.
"This is something that all of us will swallow hard and go forward with," said Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
His Democratic rival Barack Obama sought credit for taxpayer safeguards added to the initial proposal from the Bush administration. Later, at a rally in Detroit, Obama said, "it looks like we will pass that plan very soon."
The rescue would only be open to companies who deny their executives "golden parachutes" and limit their pay packages. Firms that got the most help through the program - $300 million or more - would face steep taxes on any compensation for their top people over $500,000.
The government would receive stock warrants in return for the bailout relief, giving taxpayers a chance to share in recipients' future profits.
To help struggling homeowners, the plan would require the government to try renegotiating the bad mortgages it acquires with the aim of lowering borrowers' monthly payments so they can keep their homes.
But Democrats surrendered other cherished goals: letting judges rewrite bankrupt homeowners' mortgages and steering any profits gained toward an affordable housing fund.
It was Obama who first signaled Democrats were willing to give up some of their favorite proposals. He told reporters Wednesday that the bankruptcy measure was a priority, but that it's "probably something that we shouldn't try to do in this piece of legislation."
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Poor Use Of Energy Found At Town Hall
Found: 1 Week 3 Days 11 Hours 56 Minutes ago
The Enterprise - Poor Use Of Energy Found At Town Hall...
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