The EVENING NEWS is published Monday - Friday as well as Saturday mornings.
The News covers Westfield, Southwick and the Hilltowns.
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer WESTFIELD — Contractors have completed cutting trees from approximately 1,000 feet along the shore line of the Westfield River near the Great River Bridge construction, and a second 1,000-foot-long section will be removed this year near the flood control pumping station on Williams Riding Way, Flood Control Commission Chairman Alvin See said. The cutting is being done to protect the city from flooding, he said. A third 1,000 foot section near Whitney Playground will be completed next year. See said the most recent effort to clear the accumulated trees and brush from the riverway dates back to when then-City Councilor Barbara Russell complained about the blockage along the river. City Engineer Mark Cressotti agreed with See, saying that the clearing was a routine part of city maintenance until approximately 20 years ago. However, city fiscal problems meant that such work was neglected in favor of other expenditures. The J.M.Cook, Co., of Upton, Mass. is clearing the riverway, after city officials added it to Cook’s original contract to clear trees and brush from the slopes of the city’s levees. Cressotti said the riverway cutting was not part of the contract until Mayor Daniel Knapik asked the [...]
WESTFIELD — The Park Square Green may be under construction, but the downtown will still serve as host to the two free Summer Sounds Concerts 2010 sponsored by The Westfield Business Improvement District (WBID) and Westfield on Weekends (WOW). This year, there will be an “urban feel” as concert-goers set their lawn chairs up in the municipal parking lot at the end of Church Street (behind Park Square Realty). Concert-goers will be entertained tonight beginning at 7:30 by The Roger Salloom Band along with special guest Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers. And look for the delightful Barbara Ween along with the gifted studio quality players, JD, Tom Filiault and Dave Lincoln. The spot-on wonderful Pete Grimaldi, a Westfield resident, will be on trumpet. Beer and wine will be sold at the concert by The Tavern Restaurant. Parking will be available throughout the downtown — just look for the “Event Parking” signs. The (Elm Street) end of Church Street will be closed to thru-traffic into the Reader Lot #1 municipal parking lot from 5:30-10:00 p.m. due to allow for set-up. The concert is sponsored by the Westfield Business Improvement District, Westfield on Weekends, Mina’s Wine & Spirits, The Tavern Restaurant, [...]
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Staff Writer WESTFIELD — The Police Commission voted Thursday evening to appoint a second captain to the force, then filled vacancies created by that promotion. Earlier this spring, the City Council voted to amend the city ordinance establishing the administrative structure of the Police Department. The amendment created a second captain’s position, however the funding for that post was not available until the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2010. Police Chief John Camerota had said that when a second captain was promoted, the new captain would take over the duties of the administrative lieutenant, a post that Nunez had held before being assigned to supervise the detective bureau. Felix Otero, the newest member of the commission, said “For my first meeting, I definitely had my work cut out for me.” Otero, a court officer assigned to the Westfield District Court and a former Westfield police officer, said the promotion decisions were very difficult because all the candidates were well-qualified. All the candidates were interviewed by the commission, and Otero said all performed well in their interviews. “The interviews showed me how well the department’s doing,” he said. The three finalists on the [...]
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD — School officials are evaluating eight bids submitted by roofing contractors on Wednesday. The city is replacing roofs at three elementary schools — Southampton Road, Franklin Avenue and Highland Avenue — with funding provided through a federal grant program. The federal grant is providing $302 million to 11 Massachusetts communities for repairs of school buildings, specifically for roofs, boilers and window replacement projects. The grant is being administered through the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Those three elementary schools are also candidates for boiler replacement projects. “This is huge for the city because it relieves us of the need to bond to finance those projects,” Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said. The fact that federal funds are available means that the city can use its limited resources for other municipal building roof projects, Knapik said. School Business Manager John Kane said the bids are being evaluated because of the structure of the contract and the amount of funding that will be awarded to the city. “There is the base bid for replacing the three school roofs,” Kane said, “but there are also eight alternate projects.” Kane said that the School Department ranked each alternate project by [...]
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Staff Writer WESTFIELD — Supporters of a playground for dogs in Westfield gathered for an organizational meeting Thursday evening to discuss the requirements for a dog park in the city and to start forming an organization to turn the idea into a reality. Sparked by Westfield resident Ed Phillips, who has named his proposed dog park the “Westfield Dog Bark,” about 15 residents gathered in a meeting room at Westfield State College to discuss the idea. Phillips has already approached the Westfield Parks and Recreation Commission with his proposal, and members of the commission have offered some support for the idea but have agreed that the practical challenges for the proposed dog park are the location and the funding. Although Phillips reported at the meeting that he has been offered two acres of land off Lockhouse Road for the project, most of the discussion focused on a more central location at Whitney Playground. Phillips has said that his suggestion was to build the dog park on a part of the lawn adjacent to the westernmost softball diamond. Ken Magarian, the chair of the commission, attended the meeting and had a similar but differing idea about the [...]
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Staff Writer WESTFIELD — A city woman, who suffered severe head trauma in a June 29, 2010, bicycling accident, died at Baystate Medical Center earlier this week. Kristine Elaine Amer, 24, of 97 Elm St., was riding a bicycle on Main Street and was struck by a pickup truck operated by a Westfield man at the intersection of Noble Street. Amer was transported by Westfield Fire Department ambulance to the Springfield hospital immediately after the 6:27 p.m. accident. Amer was riding her bicycle west on the sidewalk next to the eastbound lane and was approaching the intersection of Noble Street, where there was a line of vehicles waiting for the traffic light to change to turn onto Main Street. Police investigators report that the light changed as Amer reached the intersection and that the first vehicle in line made a right turn. Amer attempted to cross through the green light controlling the intersection and entered the path of the second vehicle, the pickup truck, which struck the bicycle, knocking Amer to the pavement. Officer Michael Gamache, the lead investigator, said this morning that the final results of his investigation supported the initial conclusions he made early [...]
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD — School Superintendent Shirley Alvira formally notified the School Committee Wednesday that she plans to retire after the end of the upcoming school year. Alvira submitted her letter of resignation just after the committee’s discussion of further cuts made to the school budget by the City Council and actions that will have to be taken to bring school spending into line with the reduced appropriation. “It has nothing to do with that,” Alvira said of her decision to retire on July 10, 2011, during a short recess following the budget discussion, adding that her retirement is driven by family obligations. Alvira said she will assist the School Committee in the process of naming her replacement this coming year. In her notification to the School Committee, Alvira said that “words cannot express my gratitude for the wonderful opportunity I was given to work with the children and families of Westfield” during the past three years. “Thank you for your unending support during my tenure,” she said. Alvira was appointed superintendent in 2007 to deal with a budget shortfall of $825,000, as the world economy crashed headlong into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Her [...]
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD — A city resident who opposes construction of the 430-megawatt Pioneer Valley Energy Center chided the School Committee Wednesday night. Mary Babinski, of 114 Rogers Ave., is opposing construction of the $400 million gas-fired power plant on Servistar Industrial Road, a short distance from her home. Babinski said that several private and public schools are within two miles of the proposed plant location and that the North Middle School and Southampton Elementary School are about a half-mile from the site. Babinski, a retired school teacher, said her concern, and one that the School Committee should investigate, is that particulates, formed by burning fossil fuels, will be emitted from the plant and could pose a health hazard to those school children. “Has the School Committee taken a stance on emissions from the (proposed) power plant?” Babinski asked the board. “I don’t know if the committee has discussed it. It bothers me that it has not happened.” Babinski said the American Lung Association, which provides health advisories based upon analysis of air quality, has deemed that air in the Connecticut Valley and Westfield “is compromised.” Babinski said that the city’s air quality has been denigrated by [...]
By BERNADETTE JOHNSON Staff Writer WESTFIELD — There were skeptics — those who thought the choice of the South Middle School lawn as a new location for the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce 33rd Annual Pancake Breakfast would be a fiasco. “A week ago, people were saying ‘You shouldn’t have it there because of all the (construction) dust,” said Lynn Boscher, executive director of the chamber. As it turned out, “It’s a great location, a fantastic place to have it at,” said Boscher. In past years, the event has been staged on the Westfield Green. This year, the breakfast had to be moved due to reconstruction of the Green. “It’s great down here,” said Mary Lou Hatton, who was just finishing up breakfast with Edie Sullivan and her granddaughters Leighanne, 12, and Shannon Sullivan, 11. “The parking is easy. It’s open, there’s room,” she said. Having flipped hundreds of pancakes, Shana Witalisz was still busy helping with cleanup as the event drew to a close. Witalisz had “volunteered” at the request of her mother, Kathleen Witalisz, who just happens to be president of the Chamber of Commerce. “Everyone worked so well together. Everyone knew what to do,” said Witalisz, adding [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer WESTFIELD — Anti-biomass forces are claiming victory today in their fight to stop the use of woody biomass as a fuel source for large- scale electric generation, after Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles late yesterday issued a directive that would effectively prohibit biomass power plants such as the Russell Biomass LLC proposal in Russell from receiving Renewable Energy Credits as part of the financing for the plant. “This is unprecedented what the Patrick Administration is doing,” said Jana Chicoine, spokeswoman for Concerned Citizens of Russell, the first grassroots anti-Russell Biomass group to form. “This is an amazing reversal. Just three years ago, (Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Philip) Giudice was bragging in Washington that Massachusetts was aggressively promoting biomass. Now it has all been reversed.” “Under the secretary’s conditions, there is no way that Russell or Greenfield plants can receive Renewable Energy Credits,” said environmental attorney and Chairwoman of the Stop Spewing Carbon Campaign, Meg Sheehan said. “I think the governor knew about the strong grassroots opposition, and he saw the ballot question we were preparing and how strongly people felt about it. He knew he had to move fast.” Bowles’s action [...]
WESTFIELD — Westfield teachers agreed to more than $500,000 in concessions during a two-and-a-half hour mediated negotiations session yesterday, but school officials are still worried that draconian cuts will still be necessary if the City Council renegs on its agreement to return an $860,000 cut it took from the department’s budget last month.
“They made over $537,400 in concessions,” School Committee Vice Chairman Kevin Sullivan said yesterday afternoon, shortly after all parties came to agreement.
“That allows us to keep nine teaching positions and to save more than $200,000 in unemployment insurance payments over an above the actual savings, bring librarians back into the elementary, middle and high schools. We also avoid any of that scenario presented to us last night,” he said referring to Tuesday’s three-hour School Committee Finance Subcommitete public meeting.
Westfield Education Association President Lori Hovey called the deal hammered out yesterday, “fair and equitable.”
“We reached the agreement we said we were going to,” she said. “This is what my team wanted to bring forward. Now that we have given over $500,000 in cuts we hope,” she said, emphasizing the word “hope,” “we hope the City Council will do the right thing and restore all the money they cut. This should bring back everything.”
Sullivan said teachers agreed to a one-year contract, with a one day furlough accounting for $175,600 in savings to the department, as well as cut $265,000 in professional development funding and $98,000 in long-term substitute retroactive payments.
Rank and file teachers will be asked to ratify the package at a special union meeting at South Middle School Tuesday. The City Council is scheduled to vote to reinstate an $860,000 budget cut it took from the school department last month during a special meeting July 29.
But, school officials are still worried that draconian cuts to programs and student services are still a distinct possibility.’ …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — A small brush fire near Exit 3 on the Mass Turnpike is serving as a warning about forest and brush fire threats.
Westfield Fire Chief William Phelon said a lack of soaking rains for the past several weeks have left vegetation tinder dry. He said the danger of an accidental brush or forest fire is high.
“It is ready to go up,” he said.
Phelon said a car being towed on the Mass Pike started yesterday’s fire when a part heated by friction was thrown off the vehicle and landed in grass alongside the exit ramp. The hot part started the brush ablaze. …
BLANDFORD — An 18-year-old West Springfield woman was transported to the Baystate Medical Center early Thursday morning, after bystanders were able to extract her from her wrecked car.
Brittany Cotter, of 43 Kelso Ave. in West Springfield, was traveling apparently traveling east of Route 23 some time that morning when she lost control of the vehicle, and the car rolled over several times.
A witness who came upon the accident sometime after the crash, said he could not recognize the make or model of the vehicle. Ryan Furches, 21, originally from Westfield, had been visiting his fiance in Otis, and was traveling back to school in the Boston area at approximately 4:20 that morning, when he came upon the wreckage of Cotter’s car. Furches who is deaf, had to awaken a nearby resident to call authorities. …
WESTFIELD — A homeless Westfield man learned the truth Thursday of the adage about no good deed going unpunished — and has the bruises to prove it.
Westfield police report that the man walked into the police station at 10:13 a.m. Thursday to report an altercation with a friend which resulted in him falling from a second floor porch.
The complainant said that he had been talking with a friend on his friend’s second floor porch at his Mechanic Street residence and gave the man unwelcome news about his girlfriend. …
SOUTHWICK — The weatherman says it’s going to be a hot weekend, with temperatures up near 100 degrees and high humidity. The Southwick Rotary Club says it’s going to be an even hotter weekend with nearly 18 barbecue and chili competitors from around New England facing off for prizes and bragging rights, some good solid Blues, and a Westfield Wheelmen Vintage Base Ball Game all for the Fourth Annual Southwick Rotary Club Grillin’Daze BBQ and Chili Cook-Off competition , Sunday July 25 starting at 12 noon on the playing field behind Powder Mill Middle School.
The Rotary’s Grillin’ Daze joins the Southwick Firemen’s Association Carnival, the Southwick Parks and Recreation and, new to the mix, Southwick on Stage, for a three-day celebration of Southwick, capped off by a fireworks display provided by the Southwick Parks and Recreation Commission. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — A Westfield man is facing charges following a drunken assault and robbery Tuesday evening.
Westfield police said that a woman called at 8:49 p.m. and reported that she had returned home to find her grandfather, who has been living with her since his recent release from a nursing home, had been assaulted and was bleeding,
Upon his arrival at the scene, Police Officer William Ullrich said he was informed that the 66-year-old victim had been assaulted by a known person, William A. Pepe III, 39, of 22 Mechanic St., who had been staying with neighbors of the victim.
Det. Sgt. Ray Manos, who supervised the police response to the incident, said that the suspect had been visiting at the apartment earlier in the afternoon and was aware that the victim had been prescribed powerful pain medication. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
SOUTHWICK — Townspeople got their first detailed look at a project to widen and pave Nicholson Hill Road last night, during the town’s Department of Public Works meeting on the project.
Some 16 people with property along the narrow, dirt road attended the informational meeting.
DPW Director Jeffrey Neece said last night’s meeting is the first of a series of hearings on the work, but the last chance for residents to study the plans. On August 3, a joint public hearing with the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen will be held to satisfy the requirements of the town’s Scenic Road and Shade Tree ordinances. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD —More than 500 parents, teachers and students turned out at South Middle School last night to argue for the survival of various programs in danger of being cut, or to tell city government leaders that they want the school budget crisis, what Mayor Daniel Knapik called a “self-induced hardship,” ended, and some $860,000 in cuts to the School Department budget voted by the City Council reinstated.
For nearly two hours, speakers lined up in the school’s auditorium to tell the School Committee what the city’s educational system has meant to them or to their children., or what they may miss forever because of political wrangling in City Hall.
Looking at the hundreds of citizens who tuned out last night and listening to their statements, School Committee member Mary Beth Sacco said in her seven years on the committee, she had never seen such a forceful reaction from the people of Westfield.
“It is important that these people understand that the people of Westfield care about education. If we had this kind of support at the City Council meeting there would be no need for tonight,” she said. “I think the people in power have failed us. They had the opportunity to rise above political rancor.”
Theodore Mason said the City Council did not do that. ….
DAVE CANTON
SOUTHWICK — The Board of Health has approved “in theory” the trapping of beavers who built a lodge in Congamond Lake, but the lodge itself may not be so easy to remove.
Health Agent Thomas FitzGerald said yesterday that the board has agreed that when land owner Anastasios Karathanasopoulus applies formally, a trapping permit will be issued, but not for health reasons, FitzGerald said.
The Massachusetts regulations governing the trapping of beavers specifically, allows removal if their presence in a body of water is causing health issues, specifically coliform or e. coli in the water due to fecal matter, or the lodge is causing destruction of property. Usually the property destruction comes from beaver ponds inundating septic systems or property. ….
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — A Westfield young man and two juvenile boys were arrested Tuesday following an investigation into a rash of break-ins to motor vehicles in the Steiger Drive area.
Westfield police report that a Steiger Drive resident called at 2 a.m. Tuesday to report that her daughter’s vehicle had been entered and property had been stolen.
Officer James Renaudette was the first officer to arrive in the area and reports that, while en route to the caller’s residence, he observed an open garage with at least two male parties moving in it.
Renaudette reports that the occupants of the garage fled through a rear door when the announced himself and he gave chase to find that two youths had scaled a backyard fence before he could catch up with them but he was able to detain a third person who had not been as quick to get over the fence. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
WESTFIELD — Westfield police are investigating what appears to be several gun shots fired Monday afternoon in the area of the Kennedy Apartments senior housing complex and adjacent Cleveland Avenue.
Police report that a call was received a 2:27 p.m. from a resident of the Kennedy Apartments senior citizen housing complex who said that four bullets had been shot through her window.
Officer Michael Curran was the first to arrive and reports that one shot apparently passed through the resident’s window.
Curran said that the resident told him that she had heard two bangs about 12:30 p.m. but had gone out and had not realized a bullet had struck her window until after she returned home approximately two hours later. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
SOUTHWICK — It was Christmas of 2000 when former Southwick resident and 1959 Westfield High School graduate Al “Buzzy” Quist, of Schuyler, Virginia, was presented a Guide to Hiking the Appalachian Trail. But it wasn’t until April 1, 2010 when he would begin his five-month 2,179-mile thru-hike journey along the Appalachian Trail which started on Springer Mountain, Georgia near the Chattahoochee National Forest. Quist had completed this adventure once before – but in multiple intervals – never on a thru-hike.
For the 69-year old hiker, he would once again see his hometown of Southwick. Longtime friend Don Desmond offered his home as a rest area for Quist as he passed through New England on his way to Mount Katahdin, Maine where the trail would end. That event happened Sunday when Desmond picked up Quist as he rested at the Jacobs Ladder Trail Scenic Bypass on Route 20 near Lee. Desmond will return to that very spot today, Monday, where Quist will resume his quest to conquer the trail.
“Don was a great inspiration to me when he was a seventh-grade teacher in Southwick,” said the lanky hiker as he sat in the sunroom of the Desmond home restocking his backpack of needed supplies. “It feels great to be back here.” …
FREDERICK GORE
SOUTHWICK — Engineers have come up with a final remediation plan for a huge washout that ripped apart a hillside off Lexington Circle earlier this year, and dumped thousands of cubic years of sediment alongside Great Brook.
Environmental engineer Peter Levesque, of Pioneer Environmental, told the Conservation Commission last night that engineers have come up with a plan to excavate some 9,000 square feet of sediment, up to 40 inches deep, left after an outfall from a retention pond failed allowing hundreds of thousands of gallons of storm water runoff to cascade unabated down a hillside, cutting a huge chasm, large enough to swallow whole trees.
Levesque said he and William Caperelli, engineer for developer Douglas Williams, discovered that the water flow structures built in a large detention pond for the housing development, had been built too low to have an effect on water collected within the pond.
Levesque said the structures were not maintained properly, causing one water inlet to plug up, forcing water to two others. But the entire structure was built one foot too low, while the emergency outfall was built four feet lower than shown on plans. …
DAVE CANTON
SOUTHWICK — Southwick has no water problem. With a large lake, numerous streams, wetlands, and wells, Southwick has so much water that many homes are spending more to water their lawns than they do for personal hygiene.
But, there are places in the world where water is a valuable commodity, places where people have to walk miles with buckets on their heads just to gather enough muddy water to make a meal.
Courtney Carr and Ellen Contois, president and vice president of the Interact Club, the student arm of Rotary International, admit that the average Southwick-Tolland Regional High School student probably has no idea that there is a water crisis anywhere.
“But, they will when we get back to school,” smiled Contois. “We will tell everyone what we learned.” …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — Police called upon to assist an injured man whom they initially thought was a victim of an assault later determined the man to be a suspect in a vehicle break-in.
Police report a call was received at 9:47 p.m. Friday from an Orange Street resident who said that a man who was bleeding from the back of his head had arrived at his doorstep.
Officer Daniel Gustafson and a Westfield Fire Department ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Gustafson reports that the injured man stated he had been assaulted by a group of men as he was getting into his car on Morris Street. …
CARL HARTDEGEN
WESTFIELD — Contractors have completed cutting trees from approximately 1,000 feet along the shore line of the Westfield River near the Great River Bridge construction, and a second 1,000-foot-long section will be removed this year near the flood control pumping station on Williams Riding Way, Flood Control Commission Chairman Alvin See said. The cutting is being done to protect the city from flooding, he said. A third 1,000 foot section near Whitney Playground will be completed next year.
See said the most recent effort to clear the accumulated trees and brush from the riverway dates back to when then-City Councilor Barbara Russell complained about the blockage along the river.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti agreed with See, saying that the clearing was a routine part of city maintenance until approximately 20 years ago. However, city fiscal problems meant that such work was neglected in favor of other expenditures. …
DAVE CANTON
SOUTHWICK — The town’s Department of Public Works will hold a public meeting on the planned reconstruction of Nicholson Hill Road Wednesday evening, DPW Director Jeffrey Neece said, two weeks before a town tree warden’s hearing on the same topic.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Land Use Room on the second floor of Town Hall.
Neece said this morning that the DPW has met with residents once on the project, but now that a final design has been established, a new hearing is needed.
Town officials are planning to widen the narrow dirt road to meet state Department of Highway standards, and to improve drainage before paving the road to town specifications. The road intersects with College Highway not far from the state’s border with Connecticut. …
DAVE CANTON
RUSSELL — The Gateway Regional School Committee unanimously gave its approval to a new private school in Worthington in the same school building the district closed as of July 1 as a cost- cutting measure. And the committee has agreed to consider a possible unionization agreement with the same school.
The driving force behind the new private school in the Russell H. Conwell Elementary School building, Vanessa Lewis said she estimates between 30 and 35 students have been enrolled so far, and a cap of 50 students for grades pre-K to sixth grade has been set.
Funding will come from tuitions, fundraising and donations from townspeople, Lewis said. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — The railroad bridge over Main Street is slated for demolition this month, but when that effort will begin and how long it will take have yet to be determined.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Friday that the Lynch Construction demolition subcontractor “is ready to go” but that the state has not given the green light for the bridge demolition.
“We don’t have a defined start date yet because the (state) DOT (Department of Transportation) has not signed off on a rerouting plan,” Knapik said.
That detour plan is a key component to the bridge demolition because Main Street will be closed while the bridge is taken down. …
DAN MORIARTY
CHESTER — In the 21-year history of Chester Theatre Company, this summer season’s lineup may be its most ambitious and challenging to date.
Artistic director Byam Stevens has selected The Nibroc Trilogy, an award-winning three-play cycle by Arlene Hutton that not only will stretch the artistic talents of the actors, but will challenge everyone from the production crew to the press office and offer audiences an unparalleled glance at the social mores and cultural landscape of the mid-20th century.
Only two companies in the United States — in Dallas and in California — have produced the entire trilogy, Stevens said.
“It’s quite a logistical, complex undertaking.
“I wanted to think that today we are in a process of change as big as anything in the last 40-50 years,” said Stevens, “going through a recession that is the biggest since the Depression; we’ve elected our first African American president; we’re going through a huge technological revolution that’s changing the way we relate to each other in the world. …
BERNADETTE JOHNSON
WESTFIELD — The Massachusetts Senate last night voted 31 to 2 to allow the seven state colleges to change their status from college to university. The House approved similar legislation earlier this week. The measure now goes to Gov. Deval Patrick for his signature.
Westfield State College Vice President for Advancement and College Relations Kenneth Lemanski said this morning that the change only recognizes the actuality that Westfield State College has been operating as a university for a number of years.
“It will not change a lot on campus. Westfield State College has been a university since it diversified its mission,” he said. “Some still think of us as just a teachers college, but it hasn’t been that in years.” …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — Westfield firefighters extinguished a burning vehicle — twice — when they responded to a suspicious car fire behind the Westfield Vocational-Technical High School early Thursday morning.
Both police and fire units were dispatched to the school when a 12:49 a.m. caller reported a car was burning behind the older part of the vocational school campus facing Greylock Street.
Fire Capt. Patrick Kane said the vehicle was fully involved in flames when engine 4 arrived. The fire was promptly extinguished.
Firefighters returned to the station while police officers stayed at the scene until the burnt Blazer was removed to the police impound yard.
The tow operator later told Kane that while he was hauling the charred vehicle up the tilted bed of his flatbed tow truck “a liquid could be seen rolling from the rear of the vehicle, which quickly ignited, spreading to the rest of the car.”…
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
WESTFIELD — A New York man is facing charges today after he is alleged to have intentionally rammed his full-size Dodge pickup truck repeatedly into a Honda Civic during a road rage incident on Springfield Road Wednesday afternoon.
A caller reported the incident at 1:49 p.m., stating that there was a disturbance in a parking lot off Route 20.
Officer Kevin Swords was dispatched to investigate the incident. Swords reports that he arrived to find a confrontation, involving two motorists, which had begun on Springfield Road. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
WESTFIELD — Organizers of the Summer Sound Concert Series were apprehensive that a change in venue would dampen attendance.
Officials of the Business Improvement District (BID) and Westfield On Weekends (WOW) were pleasantly surprised when nearly 300 people showed up at the Church Street Commons for the performance by the Roger Salloom Band with special guest saxophonist Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers.
The past five concerts in the series have been held at the Park Square Green over the past two years. Organizers had to find a new venue for the concerts this year.
“I needed to keep it downtown,” BID Executive Director Lisa McMahon said. “It’s about bringing people here (to the city’s core district).” …
DAN MORIARTY
WESTFIELD — As a high-spirited chorus of “Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!” rang out, kids in bright yellow SpongeBob SquarePants costumes milled about a picnic table and others climbed, jumped and swung on a playscape structure waiting for the 34th Opening Day Celebration of Kamp for Kids at Camp Togowauk to get under way Thursday morning.
“Each group basically came up with skits of their own,” for the opening, said Kamp director Marianelle Amaya. “It’s all been pretty top secret, hush-hush,” she said.
In its second week of the first summer session, the Kamp has welcomed 30 “Kampers.”
The Kamp accepts children and young adults from 3 to 22 years old, a mix of disabled and able-bodied of varied socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, allowing them to experience growth, inclusion and fun in a summer camp setting.
The Kamp, which operated for more than 30 years at the Western Mass Hospital on East Mountain Road and is in its third year at its new Camp Togowauk location on Russell Road. Kamp for Kids merged with Camp Togowauk, which has had similar programs, in a struggle to remain viable amid worsening budget cuts over the past few years. …
BERNADETTE JOHNSON
WESTFIELD — The School Committee will conduct a public hearing next week to identify budget cuts required to bring the department’s budget into line with the appropriation approved by the City Council.
That hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 20, at 7 p.m. in the South Middle School auditorium.
Finance Subcommittee Chairwoman Laura Maloney said Wednesday that the purpose of the hearing will be to identify areas where cuts can be made and the broader “implications of those cuts” to the education of children of the city.
“We’re looking for things we could reduce or cut to bridge the gap of what was cut by the council,” Maloney said. “It’s unpleasant.” …
DAN MORIARTY
By
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD — A state committee is recommending closing at least six district courts as a cost-cutting measure, and Westfield District Court Clerk Magistrate Carol Casartello said while the local court is not included in the first round, there may be more closures later.
“We are being advised that this is the first round of closings,” she said yesterday. “The Court Relocation Committee will be meeting in the future to consider more.”
If the Westfield Court were closed, all court- related business would be moved to either Springfield or Holyoke, whichever has the space, Casartello said.
“The Natick and Framingham courts were folded together,” she said. “They share the same space, but they are maintained as separate courts. When you go there, they will ask you which court you are visiting. There is no savings in operations, just in building expenses.” …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — In less than three weeks, over 40,000 Boy Scouts will descend on Fort AP Hill, making it, at least for10 days, one of the largest cities in the state of Virginia.
Among them will be 10 young men from St. Mary’s Parish Troop 109, who will temporarily set aside their troop number and allegiance to form part of Troop 148, one of two contingents of Scouts from Western Mass headed to the 2010 National Jamboree.
“One day, there’s nothing there, and within a week, it’s a tent city that will house 40,000 plus. Within a week after it’s over, it’s all gone,” said Bob Gunnells, senior district executive of the Western Mass Council and professional advisor to the jamboree.
Two jamboree troops, 147 and 148, each comprised of 36 boys and four adult volunteer leaders, will represent the Western Mass Council, which includes Berkshire, Hampshire/Franklin and Hampden counties, geographically the largest council in Massachusetts. …
BERNADETTE JOHNSON
RUSSELL — The Gateway Regional School District School Committee postponed creating a Finance Subcommittee last night, by sending it to an ad hoc group for study.
Newly elected Huntington representative Gerard D’Amour used his first meeting to move the committee to create a subcommittee he said would work with the superintendent “in private” to create the district’s FY 2012 budget starting in the fall.
Rather than what he said was a lack of transparency in budget setting — “We seem to have the Wizard of Oz man behind the curtain,” setting the budget and presenting it to the school committee, “for its rubber stamp” — D’Amour proposed a small committee, which would take an active role in helping create the budget. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — While most of the 100,000 people expected each day at the August 21 and 22 Westfield International Air show will be craning their necks to see the Thunderbirds or some other flying demonstration, a relatively small group of people will be closeted in two inconspicuous trailers on the 104th Air National Guard Base.
They will be far from the bright sun and excitement. The group has no formal name, and with any luck, they will sit in those trailers and do virtually nothing all weekend long. They are an ad hoc joint emergency response team that will coordinate the response of various military and civilian agencies in the event of a major incident. If they are working, then all hell’s broken loose somewhere at the air show.
Tuesday, representatives from all of the dozen or more agencies involved in the working group met at the Air National Guard Base at Barnes Municipal Airport to hone the skills they will need in the event of a catastrophe. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — Friends of the Columbia Greenway are kicking up efforts to obtain future state and federal funding for construction of a bicycle trail.
Ward 2 City Councilor James E. Brown Jr., Ward 3 Councilor Peter J. Miller Jr., and City Engineer Mark Cressotti spoke at a meeting of the Friends Tuesday night.
“PJ (Miller) and I presented details of the City Council vote to approve a bond to let the group know that money to complete the design work is moving forward,” Brown said.
Cressotti said Tuesday prior to the Friends meeting that the bond funding will advance the project to the construction phase and will provide cost estimates for the construction phase.
DAN MORIARTY
Editor’s Note: This is the first of two stories marking the Boy Scouts of America 2010 National Jamboree to be held July 26-Aug. 4 in Fort AP Hill, Va., on the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouting. The second story will appear in the July 15 edition of the Westfield Evening News.
WESTFIELD — In July of 1937, more than 27,000 young boys invaded the city of Washington, D.C., as Boy Scouts from all over the United States and their troop leaders converged on Washington’s Union Station on the way to the very first National Boy Scout Jamboree.
According to a July 12, 1937, Time Magazine article, “Their tent cities soon spread beneath the Washington Monument, over Potomac Park both north and south of the Tidal Basin, across the river on Columbia Island and into the fields below Arlington National Cemetery on the Virginia shore.”
Among the thousands of young Scouts on Columbia Island were two young men from Westfield’s Troop 101, Donald Hatch and Jack Burke, who recently spoke of their first trip to the nation’s capital.
“It was my first time away from home,” said Hatch, who served as principal of the Westfield Middle School from 1950-1984.
“I was just so excited to be going on a trip somewhere other than Westfield or Springfield. It was an exciting place to be.”
“I was 15 at the time,” said the 88-year-old Burke. “We met over by the municipal building in Springfield and boarded a train at Union Station. It made stops picking up Scouts all along the way. It was my first time any distance away from home.”
BERNADETTE JOHNSON
SOUTHWICK — A lakeside bar will be closed down for three days after its owners did not dispute a police report that two officers found a 3:30 a.m. party in progress last month.
Selectmen, acting as the town’s License Commission, voted unanimously to suspend the bar’s two licenses for three consecutive days, starting on July 28.
Rather than attend the disciplinary hearing scheduled for last night’s meeting, the owners of Louis B’s, at 101 Point Grove Road, submitted a signed affidavit pleading no contest to the police charges. Co-owner William Rivera signed the affidavit, submitted by the company’s attorney. Neither Rivera and co-owner Jennifer Nolasco nor the firm’s attorney, Frank Caruso, attended last night’s meeting. …
DAVE CANTON
WESTFIELD — Mayor Daniel M. Knapik will request the City Council to modify the city’s request for proposals for reuse of the Moseley Elementary School building.
Knapik said Monday that he will request the City Council to expand the request for proposals to include other financial options beyond the straight purchase/sale option included in the proposal opened last week, which the city has 90 days to act on.l.
Knapik said that he is evaluating his options, to accept the one bid submitted or ask the council “to change the proposal to include a lease option as well.”
The city received one purchase offer last Thursday, from a housing advocacy group. …
DAN MORIARTY
WESTFIELD — A 72-year-old West Springfield woman is in “fair” condition at Baystate Medical Center today after she was struck by a pickup truck while walking through a strip mall parking lot Monday afternoon.
The operator of the truck did not stop after the collision.
Westfield police said multiple callers reported at 12:45 p.m. Monday that a pedestrian had been struck by a hit-and-run driver in an East Main Street parking lot.
Officer William Ullrich was the first officer to respond, and Officer Michael Gamache of the Traffic Bureau arrived minutes later to take charge of the investigation. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
WESTFIELD — Daniel Reardon, who retired from his post as health director after a career of nearly 40 years, will continue to oversee operations of the Health Department until the end of the year.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Monday that he requested Reardon to remain as the department’s interim director until December.
“I asked Dan to stay, working one day a week, because he is involved in a number of projects that are in the conduit,” Knapik said.
Reardon has been involved not only in operations of the Health Department, which operates the city’s solid waste transfer station at the Twiss Street facility, but with several city projects as well.
Knapik said that Reardon is overseeing an alternative energy project at the former Twiss Street landfill.
“We’re considering a solar energy station at the former landfill,” Knapik said. “That project will be released as a request for qualifications next week.” …
DAN MORIARTY
SOUTHWICK — The Board of Selectmen voted last night to move forward with Phase One of renovations necessary to remake the former Suburban Chevrolet at 661 College Highway into the town’s central DPW facility.
DPW Director Jeffrey Neece said the first phase would address building code issues with the older building including fire walls, fire suppression, such as sprinklers, and employee rest rooms and shower areas. He said the town has approximately $600,000 for the initial round of work.
Also considered in the base bid would be preparing repair bays and vehicle doors for large trucks and heavy equipment.
Last night, the board was asked to prioritize its choices for what are called “add alternates” for the document to be sent out for bid. …
DAVE CANTON
WARE — A Westfield man is facing a variety of charges at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown following an armed robbery Friday evening of a Ware liquor store.
Ware Police Officer Alan Kusek said that police were notified at 9:08 p.m. Friday evening that a man had produced a hand gun and robbed the Ware Package Store at 51 Main St. in that community
The crime was investigated by Ware’s Sgt. Kenneth Kovitch, and a warrant was issued by the district court for Dana P. Osowski, of 4 Beckwith St., Westfield. …
CARL E. HARTDEGEN
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — The weatherman says it’s going to be a hot weekend, with temperatures up near 100 degrees and high humidity. The Southwick Rotary Club says it’s going to be an even hotter weekend with nearly 18 barbecue and chili competitors from around New England facing off for prizes and bragging rights, some good solid Blues, and a Westfield Wheelmen Vintage Base Ball Game all for the Fourth Annual Southwick Rotary Club Grillin’Daze BBQ and Chili Cook-Off competition , Sunday July 25 starting at 12 noon on the playing field behind Powder Mill Middle School. The Rotary’s Grillin’ Daze joins the Southwick Firemen’s Association Carnival, the Southwick Parks and Recreation and, new to the mix, Southwick on Stage, for a three-day celebration of Southwick, capped off by a fireworks display provided by the Southwick Parks and Recreation Commission. John Westcott, now serving his 16th year as the coordinator for the Fireman’s Carnival said Bowden Amusements is now setting up its complement of rides to thrill the hearts of kids of all ages as well as the famous midway games of skill, and a chance to win that huge teddy bear for someone special. Now, if [...]
By FREDERICK GORE Correspondent SOUTHWICK — It was Christmas of 2000 when former Southwick resident and 1959 Westfield High School graduate Al “Buzzy” Quist, of Schuyler, Virginia, was presented a Guide to Hiking the Appalachian Trail. But it wasn’t until April 1, 2010 when he would begin his five-month 2,179-mile thru-hike journey along the Appalachian Trail which started on Springer Mountain, Georgia near the Chattahoochee National Forest. Quist had completed this adventure once before – but in multiple intervals – never on a thru-hike. For the 69-year old hiker, he would once again see his hometown of Southwick. Longtime friend Don Desmond offered his home as a rest area for Quist as he passed through New England on his way to Mount Katahdin, Maine where the trail would end. That event happened Sunday when Desmond picked up Quist as he rested at the Jacobs Ladder Trail Scenic Bypass on Route 20 near Lee. Desmond will return to that very spot today, Monday, where Quist will resume his quest to conquer the trail. “Don was a great inspiration to me when he was a seventh-grade teacher in Southwick,” said the lanky hiker as he sat in the sunroom of the Desmond [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, the Southwlck Family Coalition has evaded its demise one more time, Executive Director Debbie Opperman said yesterday. “The Department of Children and Families has renewed our contract for six more months, through December 31,” Opperman said. The agency had been expecting to close as of June 30, the end of the fiscal year. “Things change so much at the state level what with the budget situation,” she said. “The reprocurement process did not go as planned. This is not the first time Opperman and the Coalition have gotten last- minute reprieves. A year ago, Opperman and the Coalition staff were nearly finished shutting down the agency when the DCF notified them they would be funded for another six months, allowing the agency to remain open until December 31 of 2009. Then just before that date, a new six-month extension was announced, giving the Coalition until now. “Everything remains up and running,” Opperman said yesterday. “The Food Pantry is operating and we are moving forward to establish it as an independent nonprofit. We will be able to help it run until December 31, then it will continue [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — Mort Vining Road was closed temporarily Wednesday, and will be closed again next week, after officials discovered the pavement over a defunct culvert was undermined and was no longer safe for vehicular travel. DPW Engineer Richard Grannells said police reported the problem Wednesday, and DPW crews closed off one lane of the road, while they pulled up a large asphalt patch and filled the chasm underneath with crushed stone. Both lanes of the narrow road were reopened at that time. Grannells said the engineers had earlier inspected the culvert and found it needed replacing. The job has been on the DPW’s “to do” list for this construction year. He said the culvert, which is actually comprised of three corrugated metal pipes, had rusted out at the bottom where the water flowed over. The materials to make that repair have been ordered, and he estimates work could begin on the problem by next week. But, the chasm that opened up under the pavement, just feet above the flowing water, surprised everyone. Grannells said he believes that the vibrations set up by passing traffic and the gradual sinking of the rusted out pipes caused the [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — Lighting will be reinstalled on the fishing pier at the North Boat Ramp, Lake Management Committee Chairman Richard Grannells said this week, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the state Fishing and Boating Access Board. Grannells said bollard lights along the length of the pier to light the walkway are a frequent target for vandals. But, he said, the lights are necessary for safety purposes. He said rebuilding bases for the post-like lights has taken, “countless hours,” and the newly refurbished lights will be installed perhaps as soon as next week. Also in the works are new benches surrounding the gazebo at the ramp park. The cast iron and wood benches wear rapidly, Grannells said, and new wooden parts are being made thicker and wider than the original to hopefully last longer. The new wood will be painted with beige paint to better withstand the elements. Grannells said students at the Westfield Vocational-Technical High School have been shaping the new wooden parts, while a Suffield man has volunteered his time to paint each one. Lastly, a new irrigation pump will be replaced allowing the lawn areas to be watered. The irrigation system used [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — Only two companies qualified to do the very specialized construction of a one-million-gallon water storage tank for the Southwick Water Commission submitted bids for the work, and yesterday those bids were opened in a Town Hall public session. Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart presided over the opening. Natgun Corporation, of Wakefield, submitted the low bid of $985,800 for the one-million-gallon, “wire-wound, prestressed concrete water storage tank,” according to the wording of the actual bid document. The second bidder, Preload, Inc., of Hauppauge, New York, submitted a bid of $1,166,100. In May of 2009, Town Meeting approved an expenditure of $1.1 million for the tank, which will double the town’s storage capability and allow for rehabilitation of the town’s primary tank on Bonnie View Road. The new tank will sit next to the original. DPW Director Jeffrey Neece said earlier that the plan is to have the new tank constructed and put into operation then drain the old tank, and once it is sufficiently dried, resurface the interior and repaint it. The new tank will work hand-in-hand with the town’s latest well, approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection in October of 2009. [...]
By FREDERICK GORE Correspondent SOUTHWICK — A brief but powerful thunderstorm reared up directly above the largest city in Connecticut last week, creating a wild weather situation ultimately resulting in millions of dollars in damage and knocking out communications across the area after a tornado touched down on the City of Bridgeport. Nevertheless, one group of dedicated volunteers ensured that messages would be delivered and emergency calls would be answered. That group was the local amateur radio community. Although Southwick was spared from last week’s destructive weather pattern, a handful of local residents is prepared for the worst — the Southwick Emergency Management Agency and members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) under the direction of Charles Dunlap. “People who have achieved their amateur radio license are a viable asset to the United States when emergencies happen,” Dunlap said as he prepared for a nationwide Emergency Communications Field Day event on Saturday. The annual event was started in 1933 by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) based in Newington, Connecticut, to assist radio operators in establishing a reliable communications network in less than ideal conditions. Nowadays, much has changed in the electronic field. The old tube radios that required [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTH HADLEY — South Hadley police say a 32-year-old Southwick man died sometime Monday night or Tuesday morning, when he apparently failed to negotiate a sharp bend in a road, drove his motorcycle off the road and into a wooded area. Lt. Steven Parentela said Matthew R. Erwin of 14 Vining Hill Road in Southwick, was found dead a distance from his motorcycle near the intersection of Canal and Main streets in that town. Parentela said police were initially notified of apparent debris in an area known for illegal dumping. A police officer responded and upon investigation found Erwin’s motorcycle a distance from a bend in the road, but in a wooded area not visible from the roadway. The office investigated further, searching the area and eventually found Erwin’s body. Parentela said police have no idea when the accident occurred nor how long Erwin had lain dead before he was discovered. The Medical Examiners’ Office was called in to conduct a postmortem examination to try to determine the time of death. Parentela said Erwin appeared to be wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The South Hadley detectives, along with State Police investigators [...]
By DAVE CANTON Staff Writer SOUTHWICK — A tearful Freda Brown withdrew her application for a special permit before the Planning Board last night, telling some 50 or more residents in attendance that she was not angry about what her neighbors said about her and her plans for a vineyard on her John Mason Road farm. “When I heard what was said about me, I was not angry, mostly hurt,” she said. “I never had a hidden agenda. I only wanted to keep the farm a farm.” At the May 25 public hearing, more than 65 residents from the area crowded the Land Use Room in Town Hall to demand that the Planning Board reject the application. Many said the roads in that area of town were too narrow for the large trucks that would carry sand and gravel, endangering residents. Others complained that they purchased homes in the area for the rural character of northwest Southwick, and the sand and gravel operation would destroy that character. Some were concerned about the noise and dust created by the passing trucks. Brown had applied for a special permit to extract some 15,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel from the 60-acre [...]
SOUTHWICK — Southwick police are warning area residents about a scam aimed at elderly residents. Lt. David Ricardi of the Southwick Police Department said they have received numerous reports from elderly residents of people calling and identifying themselves as the grandson or granddaughter of the elderly person. The perpetrators try to convince the resident that they are, in fact, family members and ask them to send large amounts of money via Western Union or other services for an emergency situation such as an arrest. Ricardi said in a statement that the scam is national in scope and has been used to successfully take in large amounts of money. Ricardi suggests that no matter how convincing the caller is, an older recipient of such a call should ask for proof of identity and proof of the emergency situation. Published Monday, June 21, 2010
Westfield Babe Ruth 13s headed to regionals By GREG CAMERON Correspondent LEOMINSTER — Westfield’s 13-year-old Babe Ruth Squad returned to the Whip City last night with some pretty hefty hardware. After a razor-thin advantage for most of the game, Westfield came away with a 3-2 victory over Leominster at McLaughlin Park in Leominster. With the win Westfield moves on to the New England Regional tournament in Winooski, Vt., next month. “It was a tight game and a well-played tournament the whole way through,” Westfield manager Brian Sullivan said. “Our guys played good fundamental baseball.” Westfield got the scoring going in their first trips to the plate. Leadoff man Craig Lacey drew a walk and then stole second shortly thereafter to get the ball rolling in the first inning. Cody Neidig then grounded into a fielder’s choice which tagged Lacey. Chris Sullivan then drew a walk before Houle was given an intentional pass to load the bases for Westfield. Colin Dunn then drew a walk of his own to score Neidig for the game’s first run. However, Dunn would get picked off trying to lean off of first base. However, Leominster would not be denied on their home turf. In the [...]
By GREG CAMERON Correspondent WESTFIELD — Even with an exciting tooth and nail comeback, Westfield did everything they could to muster up a victory over visiting Jesse Burkett in the Little League softball tournament. In the end, the comeback victory wasn’t meant to be as the visitors from Worcester took to the Massachusetts Turnpike to bring home a 5-4 eight-inning victory over Westfield at Sadie Knox Playground. The defeat knocked the Whip City squad out of the Massachusetts Little League Softball tournament. “It was a heck of a comeback,” Westfield skipper Mike Minicucci said of his team’s efforts. “We convinced them that they’re never really out of it until the game was over and they responded.” In the home half of the seventh inning, Westfield was down 4-1 as leadoff hitter Olivia Florek strode up to the plate. Florek reached on an infield error to give Westfield a spark in what would have been the final frame had the initial results held. Two hitters later, Victoria Camp hit a single to give Westfield multiple base runners and a hope that a comeback could be more reality than theory. Ellen Ferst then drew a walk to load the bases for Annalise [...]
By GREG CAMERON Correspondent WESTFIELD — On a night where Major League Baseball’s brightest All-Stars convened in Anaheim, Westfield’s 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Star squad found themselves in an unfamiliar position taking on Franklin County in a loser’s bracket tilt at Billy Bullens Field. The Whip City squad bowed out of the tournament after dropping an ugly 10-0 mercy rule loss to Franklin County in the Massachusetts Babe Ruth tournament. From start until the abrupt finish, Westfield’s bats were suspiciously quiet. Franklin county pitcher TJ Meyer struck out four, surrendered just a quartet of hits, and kept the Westfield hitters off-balance. “He did a good job,” Westfield manager Paul Chapdelaine said of his opposition’s hurler. “He threw a lot of curveballs, and that kind of took our heart out,” he added. Meyer had yet to surrender through 2 2-3 innings of play until Kyle Murphy rapped a single in the third. In an effort to ignite some kind of rally for his team, Murphy was caught stealing shortly thereafter. Westfield’s second and third hits came in back-to-back fashion from Connor Sas and Aubrey Partyka in the fourth inning. Luc Zayac registered a base hit of his own in the fifth. In [...]
BY CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Something has to give. On Friday, two undefeated area teams will battle for the chance to advance in the Little League Baseball tournament. While a spot on ESPN may be a long ways off, Westfield South and Agawam are set for a prime-time game Friday evening at 6 at Memorial Field in Agawam. John Murray pitched a one-hitter and delivered the game-winning hit, a third-inning liner, to lift Westfield South into the 11-12 District 2 championship with a 1-0 win over Belchertown at Cross Street Field on Monday. Agawam knocked off Westfield North 3-0. “Agawam is always a solid club,” Westfield South coach Steve Brochetti said. “They shut out Westfield North so they must have good pitching.” “It’s going to be another struggle.” After averaging close to 10 runs a game through the first four games of the tournament, Westfield South struggled to put runs on the board for the first time. The lone run came in the third inning when Murray ripped a first-pitch strike off stout, hard-throwing Belchertown pitcher Jim Kusnierz to center field. The hit scored Mike Diamond, who reached on a one-out single. Murray dominated on the mound. The [...]
By GREG CAMERON Correspondent WESTFIELD – There will not be a cross-town Little League championship in the Whip City this summer. Westfield North’s title game hopes were dashed after dropping their District II semifinal 3-0 against Agawam Monday evening at Memorial Field. Agawam’s Griffin Gadreault was stellar on the mound for the hosts, tossing four strikeouts and inducing numerous ground balls. The Agawam hurler surrendered just a pair of singles and a pair of walks against the Westfield North bats. However, the Whip City bats made contact last night on numerous pitches. However, where the ball went after contact with Westfield’s aluminum, it seemed to find a player clad in an orange jersey. “We hit the heck out of the ball, we just hit it right to them,” Westfield North manager Tom Flaherty said. Westfield North’s two hits came from Matt Hannoush in the second inning, and Colin Blake in the fifth. Agawam first got on the board during the second inning, a frame which was most stressful for Westfield North hurler Jared Iglesias. Agawam’s Dominic Grasetti was first aboard in the inning by drawing a walk after Gadreault flied out to shortstop. Iglesias then got Chris Gage looking at [...]
LOCAL SPORTS:WEEKEND ROUNDUP WESTFIELD — The 15 year old Westfield Babe Ruth All-Stars played their first game in the state tournament on Sunday evening, defeating Holden 16-9 at Bullens Field. Holden opened the scoring against Westfield starting pitcher Lee Papadimitriou. Lee, despite striking out the side, gave up 2 runs in the top of the first on a walk, a hit and some good base running. Westfield came roaring back, scoring 3 in the bottom half of the inning. The big hit was a 2-run single from Ian Wolski. In the 2nd, Lee struck the first batter out looking, but the Holden bats came alive and scored 2 more. Lee then hurt his arm while throwing a pitch and had to come out of the game. Luke Zayac was called upon to pitch and he successfully stopped the bleeding. Luke ended up pitching 4 strong innings and was the winning pitcher for the game. Westfield tied the score in the bottom of the 2nd on a hit by Robby Sullivan, a wild pitch, a stolen base and then a passed ball. In the top of the third, Holden scored a single run to take the lead for the 3rd time, [...]
St. Mary players uphold family tradition By CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer WESTFIELD — If the casual high school tennis fan is feeling a bit of deja vu, there is good reason for it. For the seventh straight year, a Dobek is causing a stir among the local tennis circuits, and he’s not the only one causing fans to say “oh brother.” St. Mary sophomore Mark Dobek won his third consecutive match to begin the year on Monday, defeating Mike McCool, 6-0, 6-0, as the Saints remained unbeaten with a 5-0 rout of Pioneer Valley Christian School at Municipal Playground. Mark Dobek is the brother of 2009 Western Massachusetts champion Mitch Dobek, a graduate of St. Mary High. Mark moved up from third singles to the top spot this season, a spot his brother held down last year. St. Mary’s coach Rick McKenzie said it is Mark’s hockey roots which distinguish this sophomore tennis player from the rest. Dobek plays forward for the Saints’ varsity hockey team in the winter. “Mark doesn’t want to lose,” McKenzie said. “He’s not big, but he’s tough. He gets absolutely the most out of his game.” The fourth-year head coach said Dobek’s strength lies with [...]
Westfield High junior track star Stocker on the right path By CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer WESTFIELD — Westfield High School junior track star Carolyn Stocker felt ill the entire week leading up to last weekend’s All-State Championships, a full season of indoor track having taken its toll on her 17-year-old body. Just imagine what she could have done had she been feeling up-to-par. The region’s fast-rising track athlete only limbered up minutes before the championship meet to beat out all but one of the northeast’s best distance runners in the two-mile event. Stocker finished second overall, capturing the silver with her best time ever — 10:52.22. Only Glastonbury’s Lindsay Crevoiserat performed better. She ran a 10:30.55. Not too shabby for a runner who never truly considered herself a threat until this year. “I liked being down low, people not knowing who I was,” Stocker said, reflecting on the season’s accomplishments Wednesday at Westfield High. “Now everybody expects things for me.” The second-place finish ensured Stocker of a spot in the Nike Indoor Nationals which will be held Friday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. She will compete in a 3.1 mile run, comparable to one of her cross country [...]
By CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Yes, Whip City — the Longmeadow High School hockey team is that good. Freshman forward Tyler Kelleher scored two first-period goals off rebounds and the top-seeded Longmeadow Lancers powered their way to a second straight western sectional championship, defeating the No. 2 Westfield Bombers, 4-1 Sunday at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield before a crowd of 2,313. Longtime Westfield coach C.B. “Moose” Matthews has reiterated all season long just how good this season’s Lancers’ team is, even going as far as saying that they are the best to ever take the ice for Longmeadow. It was apparent why. Longmeadow came out peppering Westfield freshman goalie Nick Liberto (23 saves) with shot after shot. Any other goalie, any other team and the game easily could have gotten out of hand much sooner. Liberto held up, stopping the initial shots from Longmeadow. But Kelleher picked up rebounds for a pair of goals late in the first period. “I just got a lucky bounce out in front of the net on that first one, but on the second one Nick Gilman made a great play to get me the puck,” said Kelleher, who scooped up [...]
By CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer AMHERST – It was a memorable night for the East Longmeadow basketball program – the Lady Spartans toppled the unbeaten Amherst Hurricanes just moments before the boys’ team played suffocating defense to snuff out the Westfield Bombers – to sweep the Western Massachusetts Divison I championships Saturday evening at the Curry Hicks Cage on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. No. 2 East Longmeadow put fourth-seeded Westfield in a hole hurry and clamped down on defense en route to a 79-65 victory. Westfield hung on early as both teams traded baskets for much of the first quarter, but the senior-laden Spartans went on a 14-2 run over the last 1:50 of the first quarter. East Longmeadow tacked on six points in the opening minutes of the second quarter to build a 26-14 lead. The Spartans increased their lead to 25 early in the fourth. It was an insurmountable lead that the Bombers could not overcome. “I did not expect the press to bother us the way it did – they tweaked it a bit,” said Westfield coach Bill Daley, whose Bombers managed to defeat the Spartans late in the regular season. “One turnover led [...]
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A 36 inch sand shark was recently found on Dowses Beach, a Cape Cod beach Sunday, July 18, 2010. (Photo by Romani/Westlund)
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Jul 19, 2010Shark discovery
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Apr 08, 2010Saint Mary High School Short Stories, Friday, April 9, 2010, at 7pm.
SOUTHWICK β€” The Southwick Cultural Council will stage its 11th annual juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, at the Southwick Town Hall.
Approximately 40 talented artists from Northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts will display their art in the form of oils, photography, watercolors, pastels, acrylic, wood, pottery, soapstone carving and more.
The show also will include live demonstrations, non-juried student art, a book signing and
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Apr 08, 2010Cultural Council art show this weekend
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Mar 19, 2010Wax Museum
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Mar 19, 2010Hang time!
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Mar 19, 2010Is this your dog?
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Mar 19, 2010Westfield North Band
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Mar 18, 2010News Archive
Ohio State University police guard the scene at a campus maintenance building, left, after an employee opened fire at the building, killing a co-worker and wounding another Tuesday, March 9, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio. The suspect also was wounded and is in custody, according to authorities. (AP Photo/The Columbus Dispatch, Tom Dodge)
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Mar 09, 2010tate University
The sandwich board at the Panera store shows the calorie count for each item in Brookline, Mass., Monday, March 8, 2010. Panera bread company is announcing that they will become the first chain to post calories on menus nationally. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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Mar 09, 2010Posting Calories
I recently worked for a local post office for quite a few years. The comments made in these past posts is certainly nothing new. Especially in this economy the pressures put on the work place can make just about all work situations difficult. Whether i...
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Southwick Rotary Grill'n Daze BBQ and Chili Cook-off readying for competition
SOUTHWICK - Bob Fox, President, Southwick Rotary Club and Event Chair for the annual BBQ and Chili cook-off competition, announced today that the Club is ready to host its third annual competition. The event is scheduled for July 25th at the Southwick...
Tag Sale and Auction Help Wanted
WESTFIELD - Animal Shelter Renovation, Inc. and Positive Options are looking for volunteers to help with collecting and soliciting items for our upcoming tag sale and auction. We are an all volunteer corporation raising funds to build a regional anima...
1st Annual Hoffman Holes for Hope Charity Scramble
WESTFIELD - Hoffman Auto Group is the proud sponsor of our first ever Holes for Hope Charity Scramble to be held at East Mountain Country Club on August 14, 2010. This event benefits the rescue and food bank portion of our non-profit organization. We...
Incoming BP CEO: Time for 'scaleback' in cleanup
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