This year 3,270 adults and approximately 14,715 children signed up in Springfield to receive toys from the fund.

View full sizeTo get a printable version of this coupon to mail in with your Toy for Joy donation, click on "view full size," above. 

SPRINGFIELD - The days are dwindling down to meet this year’s Toy for Joy fund-raising goal.

With three days left until Christmas Eve, the fund has more than half way to go - $90,930 of its $150,000 goal.

On Saturday the fund recorded $3,265 in donations.

The Toy for Joy fund, which is in its 91st year, is sponsored by The Republican and The Salvation Army, with the help of campaign partner Hasbro of East Longmeadow, which donates a portion of the toys for the campaign.

“We’ve been distributing toys to about 600 families per day,” said Danielle LaTaille, director of social services for the Greater Springfield Salvation Army citadel on Pearl St.

This year 3,270 adults and approximately 14,715 children signed up in Springfield to receive toys from the fund — more than last year, LaTaille said.

Holyoke so far has registered and distributed toys to 1,240 families.

Tasha Alston said she has been volunteering at the Salvation Army to help distribute toys from the Toy for Joy fund for the past three years.

Alston, who is recovering from breast cancer, said, “God has blessed me. I’m still here. Why not give back?”

Alston said that she and the other volunteers see each other every year when they come to volunteer to help with the Toy for Joy fund.

“We like to be around people that we love,” she said.

For more information, call 733-1518. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, P.O. Box 3007, Springfield 01102. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Dec. 24.

Here’s a list of the latest contributors:

• In loving memory of my sweetheart Dennis Gaudreau, love Liz, $25


• In honor of children and grandchildren, $100


• In memory of Ninnie and Frank, Noni and Gramma and Grampa and Bailey from the Mastrangelo family, $25


• In memory of our dads Morris and Irving, $100


• Sincerest thanks to the 2 angels in the red pick up, $10


• In memory of Papa Jack, love Billy, Caroline, Allie, MaryKate, Brenna, Regan, Jack, Ryan, Katelyn, Lauren and Gavin, $50


• The AnFang family, $25


• In celebration of Grace, Christopher, Lucas and baby, $30


• For all the kids from anonymous, $25


• In memory of my husband Jesse Wood by his wife Jennie, $25


• In memory of Michael Girard, Dad, $25


• Remembering my father Peter and honoring my mother Helen, $25


• In memory of Richard, Stanley, Helen, John and Eddie from Jane, $25


• In memory of my mom from Beth, $10


• In lieu of toys for family from Rita, $20


• Phil and Felicia, $15


• Thank you Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Jude for prayers answered, PG, $20


• In memory of my brother Alan from Todd Cheika, $200


• In memory of William Herchuck Sr., love the Herchuck family, $100


• In memory of our moms, Claire and Dolores who loved children, Roger and Fran, $100


• In memory of Norma, Don, Lisa and Sarah, $100


• Anonymous, $25


• Anonymous, $30


• Ken and Laura Fellows, $100


• Remembering passed loved ones in my family, Mom, Dad, Linda and Peter, $50


• In honor of Phil Louraine, a gift for a child rather than for him, $20


• In memory of J.R., $50


• In memory of my husband Michael O Miller and grandson Kenny Chapin, Genia, $10


• In loving memory of Phyllis and Ted Dymon, $25


• In memory of the Hudyka and Paquette family, $25


• Merry Christmas in heaven Eddie, love Stella, $20


• In loving memory of Billy Bond from his family, $25


• In loving memory of Kasmier Kusek, $50


• Anonymous, $15


• In memory of Lucien Grondin and Rena Grondin, $25


• In memory of Minnie, $25


• Merry Christmas 2013, $25


• In loving memory of my husband Delt, Betty Learned, $25


• In memory of our wonderful parents Vincent and Rita Bongiorni, $50


• In memory of our wonderful parents Henry and Joyce Baush, $50


• In memory of our father and Popou Socrates Babacas, love Pam. Bobby, Krysten, Jen and Katie, $25


• In memory of James and Elizabeth Clune, $100


• In memory of Teresa Dooley, $100


• In memory of Blakesley and McDonough family members, $50


• In honor of two wonderful grandchildren, Harry and Penny, $25


• In memory of Dory McKenna, love Mare, $25


• In loving memory of my sister and brother in law Jenny and Steve McKenna, sadly missed by Emily Berrena, $20


• In memory of Harold J Odiorne Sr., $25


• In memory of Mildred and Bud Carey, $25


• In memory of sister Gwendolyn Carey Marshall, $25


• Happy Holidays from the employees at Heatbath, $320


• Thank you St. Jude, St. Anthony, ECZ, $10


• Anonymous, $20


• Thanks to God and Jesus and St. Jude, $20


• In memory of John F Ryan who passed 1/15/13, $20


• Anonymous, $20


• Happy Holidays from AFSCME Local 17, $25


• In loving memory of my granddaughter Kimberly Anne Cannata, $10


• In memory of Wanda Powers, $50


• In loving memory of our dad Alphonse (Santa Claus) Lussier from Paul and Lorraine, $100


• Mill Valley Snowmobile Club, $50


• From the staff at the Registry of Probate in Springfield, $500

A man was pistol whipped and robbed while several others were stabbed in unrelated incidents.

 

Springfield Police Lt. Thomas Maccini said a 22-year-old man was pistol whipped and robbed by a group of people shortly after 2 a.m.

Maccini said the man made his way to the Mercy Hospital emergency room for treatment. The victim told police he was walking near the intersection of Carew Street and Merrimac Avenue just after 2 a.m. when he was confronted by a large group of males, all wearing masks, dark hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans. The victim was struck in the face by a hard object, and said a dark handgun was pointed at his face. After his cell phone and money was taken the victim was able to run away from his assailants and later went to the ER for treatment.

Several people were stabbed in unrelated incidents. Police responded to a report of a stabbing on Stapleton Street at approximately 12:30 a.m. However, the victim of the assault refused to cooperate with investigators and refused medical treatment. Instead he left that scene. Several hours later, an ambulance was called to a Central Street address to transport the same victim to the Baystate Medical Center for treatment of a stab wound to the torso.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. a male with a stab wound was brought to the Baystate Medical Center emergency room by private car. That victim also refused to cooperate with police, as did a third stabbing victim. He was brought to the emergency room shortly after 5:00 a.m. police said.

The pre-enrollment survey will let officials now how many parents in Longmeadow are interested in full-day kindergarten.

LONGMEADOW — A pre-enrollment survey is now available to parents of students entering kindergarten in the fall of 2014.

 

The School Department is asking parents of students who will enter kindergarten next year to fill out the pre-registration by Jan. 3.

School Committee and kindergarten subcommittee member Janet Robinson said there are 57 students enrolled in full-day kindergarten out of the 173 students who are eligible.

Parents who want their children in a full-time kindergarten classroom have to pay about $4,100 a year to do so.

The School Committee asked the kindergarten subcommittee, which was created in October and is made up of school officials, teachers and parents, to create a survey that would help gauge interest in a full day kindergarten setting.

While the committee voted not to fully fund a full-day kindergarten for all students, it would like to offer the service, perhaps at a lesser fee, if enough parents are interested, said School Committee Chairman Michael Clark.

Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle is asking parents to submit the survey through the school website at http://sites.longmeadow.k12.ma.us/www/news/pre-enrollmentforkindergarten2014-2015 . Forms are also available at the district main office for those that prefer to fill out a paper form.

A final parent forum will be held on January 8 at 7 p.m. in the business and technology center at Longmeadow High School, to discuss the results of the survey.

Doyle said the final plans for the 2014-2015 school year will be announced by Feb. 1 so that families can plan accordingly.

The raffle will be drawn on Monday for the tickets for the sold-out final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 29.

AGAWAM – A 27-year-old Agawam resident, Courtney Barberi, is raffling two tickets Monday to a sold-out New England Patriots game to raise money for the 2014 Agawam Relay For Life.

According to a release from the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Agawam, Barberi, co-captain of Team Rossi, wants to raise at least $500 for the raffle. All proceeds will go towards the team’s fundraising effort for the 2014 relay slated to take place overnight at Agawam High School from May 16 until the morning of May 17.

Barberi formed the team three years ago to honor and pay tribute to her aunt who died from breast cancer in 2005 and her mother, who died from leukemia in 2012, the release said.

The New England Patriots tickets raffle will be drawn on Monday and are for a sold-out final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Dec. 29.

The Patriots tickets being raffled are for seats four rows up from the back side of the end zone, (section 317, row 11, seats 12 and 13), and raffle tickets can purchased for $20 each by contacting Barberi at courtney6690@hotmail.com.

Tickets to the game were donated by Anthony Spirito, 49, a Ludlow resident and close family friend of Barberi.

Spirito said he feels good knowing that his tickets are helping Barberi’s team.

“It’s the last game of the season, so it has very important playoff implications,” he said in the release. “I’m sure any Pats fan would love the opportunity to go. I know I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.”

For the 2013 Relay, Team Rossi raised just over $14,000, making it the top fund-raising team. Members want to raise $15,000 for 2014.

Gunfire hit a U.S. military aircraft trying to evacuate American citizens in a remote region of South Sudan that on Saturday became a battle ground between the country's military and renegade troops, officials said. Four U.S. service members were wounded in the attack in the same region that gunfire downed a U.N. helicopter the day before.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Gunfire hit a U.S. military aircraft trying to evacuate American citizens in a remote region of South Sudan that on Saturday became a battle ground between the country's military and renegade troops, officials said. Four U.S. service members were wounded in the attack in the same region that gunfire downed a U.N. helicopter the day before.

The U.S. military aircraft was about to land in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and scene of some of the nation's worst violence over the last week, when it was hit. One American service member was reported to be in critical condition.

The U.S. military's Africa Command said the aircraft was "participating in a mission to evacuate American citizens in Bor." A South Sudan official said violence against civilians there has resulted in bodies "sprinkled all over town."

"After receiving fire from the ground while approaching the site, the aircraft diverted to an airfield outside the country and aborted the mission," the statement said. "The injured troops are being treated for their wounds." It was not known how many U.S. civilians are in Bor.

Two officials told The Associated Press that after the aircraft took incoming fire, they turned around and flew to Kampala, Uganda. From there the service members were flown to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment. The two officials are in East Africa and demanded anonymity to share information not made public.

The military statement did not identify the aircraft taking part in the mission. One official told AP it appeared the aircraft were Ospreys, the type of aircraft that can fly like a helicopter and a plane. A second official said the Americans did not tell the top commander in Bor — Gen. Peter Gadet, who defected from the South Sudan military this week — that they were coming in, which may have led to the attack.

South Sudan's military spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer, said that government troops are not in control of Bor, so the attack on the U.S. aircraft has to be blamed on renegade soldiers.

"Bor is under the control of the forces of Riek Machar," Aguer said.

The U.S. aircraft was hit one day after small arms fire downed a U.N. helicopter in the same state.

Rob McKee, operations manager for Warrior Security, a South Sudan security company, said the U.N. helicopter made an emergency landing while trying to evacuate personnel from a base in Yuai, Jonglei state. A second official who insisted on anonymity because the information hasn't been released said the helicopter was abandoned and remains unable to fly. No injuries were reported.

The U.N. planned to try to evacuate the personnel left behind by ground. A U.N. spokesman didn't answer a phone call or email seeking comment.

South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, said that South Sudanese ground troops, backed by the country's air force, are fighting rebels in Bor, an effort to retake the state capital they lost earlier this week.

"There is fighting going on in Bor town, yes, because since morning they have continued to attack the civilian population," he said, talking about renegade troops. "They have gone as far as not respecting the U.N. compound."

He said fighting started early Saturday after reports came in that rebels there were shooting indiscriminately at civilians.

"The bodies are sprinkled all over the town," he said. No death toll could be estimated, he said.

South Sudan President Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, said this week that an attempted coup triggered the violence now pulsing through South Sudan. He blamed the former vice president, Machar, an ethnic Nuer. But officials have since said a fight between Dinka and Nuer members of the presidential guard triggered the initial violence late Sunday night. Machar's ouster from the country's No. 2 political position earlier this year had stoked ethnic tensions.

The violence has killed hundreds and has world leaders worried that a full-blown civil war could ignite in South Sudan. The south fought a decades-long war with Sudan before a 2005 peace deal resulted in a 2011 referendum that saw South Sudan break away from the north, taking most of the region's oil wealth with it.

Lueth described Machar as "the rebel leader," saying the forces that control Bor believe they are fighting on his behalf. Machar's whereabouts remain unknown, but he has said in recent interviews that he is in hiding somewhere in South Sudan.

An International Crisis Group expert on South Sudan told The Associated Press on Friday that rebels have taken control of at least some of South Sudan's oil fields, an issue that could bring Sudan into the conflict. South Sudan's oil flows north through Sudan's pipelines, providing Khartoum with much needed income.

The U.N. Security Council on Friday said the weeklong violence could affect neighboring countries and the entire region.

Kenya announced it was sending in Kenyan troops to evacuate 1,600 Kenyans stranded in South Sudan, many of them in Bor.

U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this week dispatched U.S. troops to help protect the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Juba. The U.S. Embassy organized at least five emergency evacuation flights to help U.S. citizens leave the country. Other countries like Britain, Germany and Italy also helped citizens evacuate.

Mediators from East Africa continued to try to help negotiate a peace. Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that they have held "productive" talks with Kiir and that consultations were continuing. Kiir has agreed to "unconditional dialogue" to try to stop the violence.

The 2013 winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in Earth's Northern Hemisphere in terms of the time from sunrise to sunset.

The 2013 winter solstice arrives at 12:11 p.m. EST time today, Dec. 21, marking the shortest day of the year in Earth's Northern Hemisphere in terms of the time from sunrise to sunset.

The event that annually brings solstice celebrators to Stonehenge, the ancient site in southwestern England, has to do with astronomy and our planet's annual trip around the sun. Because Earth tilts on an axis, as it travels around the sun the Northern and Southern hemispheres take turns every six months getting more, or less, sunlight. EarthSky.org has a good explanation of the solstice here.

According to timeanddate.com:

The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun.

Today in Springfield, Massachusetts, for example, the sun rose at 7:15 a.m. and will set at 4:22 p.m. for a paltry 9 hours, 6 minutes and 16 seconds of daylight. On Sunday, residents of the Bay State's third-largest city will get an additional 3 seconds of daylight – nothing to write a blog post about, but a trend in the right direction for those who like light.

For folks in the United States' most eastern part, downeast Maine, winter solstice 2013 brings an ever shorter day. In Lubec, Maine, the easternmost incorporated place in the U.S., the sun will shine today for only 8 hours, 47 minutes – if it wasn't expected to be overcast all day.

While the winter solstice is something you can expect around Dec. 21 every year, it can occur anywhere from Dec. 20 to Dec. 23, though solstices on the dates on either side of that range are rare. According to timeanddate.com:

December 20 and December 23 solstices occur less frequently than December 21 or December 22 solstices in the Gregorian calendar. The last December 23 solstice occurred in 1903 and will not occur again until the year 2303. A December 20 solstice has occurred very rarely, with the next one occurring in the year 2080.

All of this increasing daylight leads up to the 2014 summer solstice, marking the longest day – sunrise to sunset, that is – of next year and the beginning of summer. That will occur at 6:51 a.m. EDT on June 21. In between will be the spring equinox at 12:57 EDT on March 20, when there will be about the same amount of daylight and nighttime.

 

Has the fifth year of his presidency been its worst? President Barack Obama laughs off such questions even as he acknowledges many months of frustrating ups and down.

WASHINGTON — Has the fifth year of his presidency been its worst? President Barack Obama laughs off such questions even as he acknowledges many months of frustrating ups and down.

"That's not how I think about it," Obama told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news conference.

Instead of brooding about tumbling approval ratings, the disastrous rollout of his signature health care law or the pile of unfinished domestic priorities, Obama looked ahead to the promise of 2014 and predicted "a breakthrough year for America."

Before he joined his family on Air Force One for a Christmas vacation in his home state of Hawaii, Obama suggested that, given widespread criticism, he may alter the power of the National Security Agency to collect information on Americans.

And when it came to the start of his health care law, Obama conceded that "we screwed it up," and said, "I'm going to be making appropriate adjustments once we get through this year." It was unclear if he meant to signal high-level personnel changes.

Obama does have some reason to be optimistic. He spoke hours after the government announced the economy grew at a solid 4.1 percent annual rate from July through September, the fastest pace since late 2011 and significantly higher than previously believed. And he heralded a modest bipartisan budget deal that cleared Congress this week, saying that while it's too soon to declare a new era of bipartisanship, Washington is "not condemned to endless gridlock."

A presidential task force has suggested dozens of ways to limit the NSA programs. The recommendations were released just days after a federal judge declared the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records unconstitutional, ratcheting up pressure on him to make changes.

The president insisted that the NSA has not inappropriately used the massive amounts of data in its possession, though he added, "We may have to refine this further to give people more confidence."

After lying dormant for years, the government surveillance issues shot into the spotlight after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked a trove of secret documents. Snowden is a fugitive from the U.S. and living in Russia, where he received temporary asylum. Some of his supporters have pressed Obama to grant him amnesty, though the president declined to comment on those calls.

"I will leave it up to the courts and the attorney general to weigh in in public on Mr. Snowden's case," he said.

The president opened his hourlong news conference with upbeat news on his health care law, announcing that 1 million people have enrolled in federal and state insurance exchanges since Oct. 1. That's more than two-and-a-half times the number on Nov. 30, when major fixes to the deeply flawed sign-up website were completed.

"The demand is there," he said. "The product is good."

Still, it was too soon to say whether the widely panned health care rollout had turned a corner for good. The HealthCare.gov website was down for part of the day Friday as technicians attempted to fix an error that occurred Thursday night when the site was undergoing routine maintenance. And the administration has had to enact a series of delays and exemptions for businesses and individuals, including one just Thursday for some people whose health insurance policies were canceled because of the law's new standards.

No one in the administration is known to have been fired over the health care failures. Obama said he would make "appropriate adjustments once we get through this year." There have been repeated calls for the ouster of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, but Obama gave no indication that was what he had in mind.

Other disputes lie ahead. Obama renewed his long-standing statement that he will not negotiate concessions with Republicans in exchange for legislation that will be needed in late winter or early spring to raise the nation's debt limit. "It is not something that is a negotiating tool. It's not leverage. It's a responsibility of Congress," he said, although he added he was willing to discuss other issues separately.

On a key foreign policy concern, Obama said it would be wrong to impose new sanctions on Iran at a time when the United States and other nations are testing an interim accord designed to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. If necessary, "we can pass new sanctions in a day," he said, referring to lawmakers.

The president also addressed his decision to include openly gay athletes in the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Russia, which has a national law banning "gay propaganda." Obama said the delegation, which includes athletes Brian Boitano, Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow, shows the U.S. doesn't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Sochi Games are the first since 2000 to which the U.S. is not sending a president, former president, first lady or vice president. That decision has been seen as an indication of Obama's increasingly tense relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following the news conference, Obama and his family were to depart for Hawaii. It's the first year that last-minute legislative wrangling has not prevented the president from departing on schedule.

Obama did leave behind a New Year's resolution before boarding Air Force One.

"My New Year's resolution is to be nicer to the White House press corps," he said.

His health care plan facing a dicey transition, President Barack Obama said Friday that insurance sign-ups are surging now that the government's website is working better for consumers. But it was too soon to say the rollout has turned the corner.

WASHINGTON — His health care plan facing a dicey transition, President Barack Obama said Friday that insurance sign-ups are surging now that the government's website is working better for consumers. But it was too soon to say the rollout has turned the corner.

More than 1 million people have enrolled since Oct. 1, Obama said at his end-of-the-year press conference. That's more than two-and-a-half times the number on Nov. 30, when major fixes to the website were completed. At that point, only 365,000 had signed up through new federal and state markets offering subsidized private insurance.

"That is a big deal," Obama said of getting coverage for uninsured people. "That's why I ran for this office."

Separately, officials said 3.9 million people have qualified for government health care through the law's Medicaid expansion. Even so, things aren't exactly humming along.

HealthCare.gov was down for part of the day Friday, as technicians attempted to fix an error that occurred Thursday night when the site was undergoing routine maintenance, officials explained.

The administration cannot afford for the balky website to crash this weekend. Because of Monday's deadline to sign up so coverage can take effect Jan. 1, unusually heavy traffic is expected on the federal site and those run by states.

Largely hidden from consumers, another set of technical problems is frustrating insurers, who say the government continues to send them inaccurate data on some enrolled individuals. Insurers call some of those jumbled enrollment files "orphans" and others "ghosts."

They could turn into gremlins after Jan. 1 for some patients trying to use their new coverage. Consumers might show up at the pharmacy counter or doctor's office only to be told they're not in the system.

That's not the only potential issue. Administration officials are scrambling to prevent breaks in coverage among more than 4 million people whose individual policies were cancelled this fall because they did not meet the law's requirements. An estimated 500,000 have yet to secure new coverage. On Thursday, the administration said those individuals would not be penalized for remaining uninsured, and that they could also have access to special bare-bones catastrophic insurance plans.

The president minimized the significance of that accommodation Friday, calling it a net to catch a small number of people who may slip through the cracks.

Still tinkering with the website, the administration now faces crucial deadlines within a two-week stretch.

The last day to sign up for coverage to take effect with the new year is Monday. And Jan. 1 is the day the people can start using their new policies. Starting then, the law forbids insurers from turning away people with pre-existing medical conditions. The law's mandate that virtually all Americans carry coverage also goes into place, although uninsured people can avoid a tax penalty if they pick a plan by Mar. 31.

The stakes are much higher now than Oct. 1, when HealthCare.gov went live. It's not just that the president's political reputation has been tarnished by website woes and insurance cancellations.

The risk now is that ordinary people with pressing medical needs will suffer harm if the transition to coverage is fumbled. If that happens, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will face a new round of demands for her resignation.

"Implementing the website is the relatively easy part," said Mark McClellan, who oversaw the problematic rollout of the Medicare prescription drug benefit for President George W. Bush. "Implementing the coverage itself involves a lot more things that could go wrong, and there's a lot more at stake.

"It was possible for people to wait a month or two to use the website," McClellan added. "People who need care on Jan. 1 are not going to be able to wait a month or two to get it." McClellan is now a health policy expert with the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank.

Obama was feeling optimistic Friday. In first three weeks of December, more than 500,000 people signed up through the federal website, he noted. On Oct. 1, only a handful managed to enroll successfully.

Crossing the 1 million mark was a milestone, but the administration's own estimates called for 3.3 million to enroll by Dec. 31. The target now is 7 million by the end of open enrollment on Mar. 31.

In Florida on Friday, Lisa Hulsey wasn't feeling very confident. She had waited nearly an hour to sign up for health insurance with a counselor because the website was down. The couple before Hulsey zipped through in less than an hour and chose a midrange silver plan.

Hulsey, a paralegal, had employer insurance at no cost to her. But her company is no longer offering coverage, instead pushing employees into the federal marketplace where they may qualify for subsidies.

"I'm hungry. I'm frustrated. It should work," said Hulsey. She was leaving this weekend to visit her family in Alabama and did not know when she would have time to try again before Monday's deadline.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Joseph Balboni Jr. 

Joseph L. Balboni, Jr., 83, of Springfield, passed away on Monday. He was born in Springfield, raised and schooled in Springfield and was a lifelong resident of the city. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War. Following his military service, he returned to Springfield and was employed for over 30 years and retired in 1991 as a foreman for the Springfield Water Department. He previously worked at the former Union Carbide Company on Pasco Road in Indian Orchard.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Airne, Robert
  



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  Allely, Pearl Cunningham (In Memoriam)
  



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  Balboni Jr., Joseph L.
  



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  Barbato, Joseph and Rose (In Memoriam)
  



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  Barbato, Joseph P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bombardier, Marian (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bonavita, Albert J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Brennan, Benjamin (In Memoriam)
  



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  Buckingham, Charles (In Memoriam)
  



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  Burek, Theodore (In Memoriam)
  



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  Burek, Walter R.
  



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  Carroll Jr., Theodore W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Cecchi, Anthony A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Chacona, John
  



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  Champagne Jr., Lou (In Memoriam)
  



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  Ciocci, Dino G. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Clark, Gary B. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Cobb, Connie (In Memoriam)
  



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  Cochrane, Annamarie (In Memoriam)
  



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  Collins, Thomas F. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Corrow, Leo H.
  



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  Cuffy, Marian (In Memoriam)
  



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  Curto, Damien (In Memoriam)
  



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  Dalessio, Roger A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  DalMolin, Dino J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Dalmolin, Egidio (In Memoriam)
  



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  Dandurand, Ellen (In Memoriam)
  



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  Dandurand, Ellen (In Memoriam)
  



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  Donoghue, Michael P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Doty, John L. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Enko, William (In Memoriam)
  



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  Ennaco, Ralph (In Memoriam)
  



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  Fei, Horst (In Memoriam)
  



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  Fessenden, Sheryl B. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Field, Larry (In Memoriam)
  



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  Fitzgerald Sr., Robert E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Flavin, Chester E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Forgue, Laura McQuade (In Memoriam)
  



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  Franceschelli, Victor A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Fratamico, Thomson (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gamelli, Augustino D.
  



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  Garneau, Rose N. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Garneau, Rose N. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gibson, Kristine (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gilhooly, James F. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gilmore, John A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Girard, Leo (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gokey, Ruth, George and Earl (In Memoriam)
  



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  Griffin, William B. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Grimaldi, Frances (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hajec, Star (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hebert, Phillip J.
  



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  Henderson, Agnes "Nan" (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hicks, Marion
  



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  Hinds, Mark
  



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  Hocking, William T. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Holly, Lewis (In Memoriam)
  



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  Houle, Donna M.
  



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  Iellamo, Nellie (In Memoriam)
  



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  Jarrett, Elsie D.
  



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  McDonough Sr., Edward J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  McQuade, Jim and Elaine (In Memoriam)
  



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  Molta, Anna J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Murphy Jr., Edward J.
  



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  Small, Fred E. (In Memoriam)
  



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The accident occurred at Alden Street and Island Pond Road just after 6:30 a.m., according to Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.

SPRINGFIELD – City firefighters responded to a car wreck Saturday morning that left two men injured and a car crushed under a utility pole with live wires dangling over the vehicle.

The accident occurred at Alden Street and Island Pond Road just after 6:30 a.m., according to Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.

Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said the men were ordered to stay in the vehicle given the risk of the live wires but did not heed the firefighters warnings. They were nonetheless uninjured even though they both stepped directly in a puddle, he said.

One man suffered a head wound and both were taken to the hospital by ambulance. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

No charges are expected to be filed, according to a news release from the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

 

This updates a story posted at 4:48 p.m. Friday.

CUMMINGTON - The driver who was killed in the collision with a fuel tanker on Friday has been identified as Frank H. Stillman, of Pittsfield, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

Stillman, 67, was driving a sport utility vehicle when it collided with a fuel tanker sometime before 3 p.m. on Route 9, near the Windsor line.

The accident remains under investigation by Cummington police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office and the state police collision analysis and reconstruction section.

No charges are expected to be filed, according to a news release from the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, said Stillman was heading west on Route 9 when he crossed over the center line and crashed head-on into a fuel tanker truck.

Selectmen Chairwoman Marie Angelides said the board looks forward to discussing the “merits of our counter offer” with MGM representatives

 

LONGMEADOW - The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to deliver a counter offer to MGM Resorts International, requesting an up-front payment of $950,000 and annual mitigation payments of $500,000.

In addition, the board is seeking up to $100,000 to offset legal and consulting costs incurred by the town, and 2.5 percent increases in the yearly payments, as well as periodic reviews to assess impacts that are currently unknown and an option to reopen the agreement if MGM Springfield expands.

The board met Friday night in a lengthy session to discuss and propose a counter offer to MGM, which wants to build a casino in Springfield’s South End. Longmeadow is next to Springfield. The $950,000 would be used for infrastructure improvements, and the $500,000 for public safety and quality of life impacts.

The counter offer comes in response to MGM’s latest proposal on Dec. 13 for Longmeadow, which called for an up-front payment of $125,000 to reimburse legal and consulting costs, a $100,000 annual mitigation payment, and funds for yearly studies of the casino impacts that average out to $50,000 per year over the agreement’s term. This was MGM’s third proposal to the town.

A press release issued by Longmeadow Town Manager Stephen Crane and the Board of Selectmen on Saturday also stated that the latest MGM proposal included a “look back” approach that did not adequately protect the town’s interests.

“The town remains committed to the process established by the expanded gaming act for reaching a surrounding community agreement. Our studies clearly demonstrate that Longmeadow will have unique impacts from this project and we are, therefore, seeking an agreement that will mitigate those impacts,” Crane said in the press release.

Selectmen Chairwoman Marie Angelides said the board looks forward to discussing the “merits of our counter offer” with MGM representatives. She said the counter offer was developed with the help of a legal and consultant team.

Crane, Angelides and an MGM spokesperson could not be reached for comment on Saturday. The town argues that it will be adversely affected, particularly by any traffic directed off Interstate 91.

MGM Resorts International Vice President Michael C. Mathis sent a letter to Crane on Dec. 13 expressing his disappointment in the lack of progress in negotiations with Longmeadow.

Longmeadow has been in negotiations with MGM to become a surrounding community, a designation which means it would be owed funds to mitigate adverse effects of the Springfield casino. Other communities, including Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Agawam and Chicopee, already have inked deals with MGM.

Chicopee, for example, would receive $125,000 up front and then a minimum of $150,000 a year after the casino opens in Springfield.

While Longmeadow voters rejected support for a casino in Springfield, the Select Board has not taken an official casino position.

MGM is the only casino operator seeking the lone Western Massachusetts casino license, after voters defeated casino proposals in Palmer and West Springfield.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission chairman has said that the commission is likely to release a written decision on Monday regarding whether MGM has passed a background check on finances and ethics. If it passes the check, it can apply for a casino license.

Claire Davis appeared to be a random target, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has said.

LITTLETON, Colo. — A suburban Denver high school student who was shot in the head by a classmate died Saturday afternoon, hospital officials said in a statement.

Claire Davis, 17, was in critical condition after being shot at point-blank range at Arapahoe High School on Dec. 13. Friends and well-wishers had posted prayers online and raised money to help pay for her medical care.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that at 4:29 p.m. this afternoon, Claire Davis passed away, with her family at her side," the statement from Littleton Adventist Hospital.

"Despite the best efforts of our physicians and nursing staff, and Claire's fighting spirit, her injuries were too severe and the most advanced medical treatments could not prevent this tragic loss of life. Claire's death is immensely heartbreaking for our entire community, our staff and our families."

Karl Pierson, 18, shot Davis, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as Pierson, armed with a shotgun, ammunition strapped to his body, Molotov cocktails and a machete, entered the school and headed toward the library. Davis appeared to be a random target, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has said.

Pierson likely intended to track down a librarian who had disciplined him, but Robinson said Pierson's arsenal suggested Pierson intended to hurt many others at the school just 8 miles from Columbine High School.

Pierson set off one of the incendiary devices and fired five shots before killing himself just one minute and 20 seconds after entering the building. He knew a sheriff's deputy assigned to the school was closing in, Robinson said at a news conference.

Senior Chris Davis, who is not related to Claire Davis, said she loved horses, had a lot of friends and always seemed happy. Chris Davis, whose locker is next to Claire's, helped organize a fundraising effort for her family.

Students held vigils for Davis after the shooting. Typical was a story told by classmate Maggie Hurlbut.

"One time I remember I was upset in the hallway, and she came up to me and she just — it was like, 'Hey Maggie, I know we don't know each other well but are you doing OK?' And I told her yeah, and she was like, 'Anything you need, I'm here for you,'" Hurlbut said. "Again, that's who she is, and she just wants to take care of others, and that was really just a good representation of her character and who she was."

Gov. John Hickenlooper visited Davis and her family at the hospital and had asked for prayers.

Sheriff Robinson called Davis "a young woman of principle" and "an innocent young lady."

Pierson's original target was believed to be a librarian who coached the school's speech and debate team. Pierson was a skilled speaker and debater on the team. The librarian, whose name was not released, had disciplined the teen in September for reasons that haven't been disclosed. Robinson said Pierson had made some sort of threat against the librarian in September.

"We are looking into that, to the degree that it was understood, and then what interactions or interventions took place," the sheriff said.

The librarian was able to escape the school unharmed, Robinson said.

Pierson legally purchased his shotgun at a local store a week before the shooting and bought the ammunition the day of the shooting. Anyone 18 and older is allowed to buy a shotgun in Colorado; only those over 21 can legally buy a handgun.

Pierson, whose parents were divorced, lived at least part of the time with his mother in a higher-end neighborhood in suburban Highlands Ranch.

The Arapahoe shooting came a day before the one-year anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., attack in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The man was crossing the street when he was struck by a Toyota.

 

AMHERST - Police are investigating an accident in which a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle Saturday night on North Pleasant Street.

Police said the accident happened just before 7 p.m., and that the man was walking in the roadway, not in the crosswalk, when he was hit by a female driver.

The man was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The accident closed a portion of the road, but it was reopened by 10 p.m.

State police also responded to the accident.

Two masked men forced their way into a Turners Falls home, held a woman at gunpoint, and stole a safe.

 

Montague Police Sgt. Lee Laster said the approximately 7 p.m. incident began when two men came to the woman's door at 15 5th St. in the village of Turners Falls, asking for a mutual friend. When the woman opened the door the two black men, wearing ski masks, forced their way into the home. One of the suspects struck the woman in the face then held a handgun to her head as the second suspect went directly to a safe hidden in the house.

Laster said there was no doubt that the men had visited the home before and knew exactly where the safe was kept. The victim did not tell police what was inside.

The safe weighed an estimated 200 pounds, Laster said, so a vehicle was probably parked nearby. A neighbor remembered seeing a white older model SUV parked near the home.

Police do not know in what direction the suspects fled the scene.

Anyone with information about the assault and robbery is asked to call Montague Police at 413-863-8911, ext. 210.

Department heads have not seen a raise since 2006 and salary studies show they are underpaid.

CHICOPEE – The City Council declined to vote on a negotiated contract that would give 15 department heads and other city administrators the first raise they have seen since 2006.

The Council voted 11-0 to send the proposal to subcommittee, which essentially kills the order because everything left in subcommittee at the start of the year is erased from the agenda.

“We believe the department heads deserve a raise,” said Councilor James K. Tillotson.

But he also said he wanted to honor a request from Mayor-elect Richard J. Kos who wrote a letter to the City Council after the elections and asked the 13-member board to refrain from making major financial decisions, including approving contracts, until he takes office and can review them.

Tillotson said he proposed sending it to subcommittee, even though the order dies, because he did not want to have the City Council outright reject it. The mayor can bring the order back if he wants.

“I don’t want to give a message to the department heads that we are anti-department heads,” he said.

The contract for the department heads was first submitted to the City Council in September after more than a year of negotiations.

The council was especially concerned about approving the $133,396 needed to fund the raises because four positions included on the list were not in the union and instead have individual contracts with the mayor. It then sent the issue to finance subcommittee and it was never returned to the full board for a vote.

Tuesday the issue was returned to the full board with a request of appropriations of $92,296 and the four non-union positions were removed.

The contract agreement was made after a thorough salary study that determined most department heads in Chicopee were underpaid. It call for raises that range from $10,000 for the library director and city planner to $4,000 for the veterans services director and the emergency management director, said Steven J. Buoniconti, a lawyer who is representing the union.

While department heads will see raises, they also give back a lot. If contract passes, their work week expands from 35 to 40 hours and their sick time is reduced which will mean a reduced liability to the city when they retire. Currently, the city pays unused sick time to employees when they resign or retire.

“There are several positions in this contract who will make less hourly,” Buoniconti said.

Mayor Michael Tautznik said leaving the post after 17 years is bittersweet. Watch video

EASTHAMPTON – Michael A. Tautznik’s first foray into public life began in 1977 when he was appointed to the Conservation Commission. That led him to run for a Town Meeting seat before becoming a selectmen.

“I didn’t have a lot of interest or knowledge (before that,)” he said.

Other than a brief hiatus when he was off the board, he has been involved in what is now a city ever since - becoming Easthampton’s first ever mayor elected in 1996. On Jan. 2, at noon, when Karen Cadieux is sworn in, he will leave that life.

He said leaving is bittersweet. “There’s a lot about it, it’s exciting. We’ve got some great employees. I’ll miss of all of it.” He announced two years ago he would not seek reelection and is delighted that his longtime assistant will take his place.

“I’m proud of Karen, she’ll certainly do a good job.” Cadieux beat three challengers for the position in November.

The mayor lost a bid to become a state senator in an October primary and is looking for new work but he will take a vacation when he leaves.

In these final weeks, he’s been packing and working with Cadieux on the transition.

Tautznik has been involved in all aspects of the city. When a moose was on the loose and then drugged so he could be moved to the woods, the mayor was in the pickup helping to lift it. “In a small city, you do what needs to be done,” he said.

When the city was looking at changing the charter from selectmen to mayor, Tautznik said he was agnostic about the change. He liked the town meeting form of government. When he didn’t see a strong candidate stepping up to run that first year, he decided to run and won from a field of seven in 1996.

“I wasn’t really interested in staying here that long. I wanted to get a good foundation (in place.)”

He said he learned that as mayor “you have to do things (or) you won’t get anything done if you aspire to let nature take its course.”

During his years, the city became a vibrant arts community and Cottage Street became a state-designated Cultural District.

“You can’t have a vibrant downtown without bringing people in. We needed ways to attract people downtown.”

That started with the arts. J.P. Stevens donated One Cottage Street to Riverside Industries in 1976 and slowly more and more artists moved to that building and then to others in the city, such as Eastworks.

He said the city looked at zoning “to make it easy to redevelop here. It’s an organic movement forward,” he said.

The city funded an arts coordinator – Burns Maxey - through the Planning Department office. Projects such as Bearfest and the monthly arts walk lure people to the downtown.

He said he “kind of compares artists to farmers.” Both groups tend to work in isolation. Having a coordinator helps artists talk to each other.

He sees the arts as economic development. “We have this organic cluster of arts. They employ people....They bring in new money.”

He said one of things he’s most proud of is the installation of the solar array on the Oliver Street landfill, the first such project in the state. It has saved the city about $90,000 in electricity the first full year of operation. “It was the right thing to do for the environment,” he said. The city also put in energy saving streetlights and built a new high school.

But he’s also pleased with the development around the pond.

The city recently received a $400,000 Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities Program grant from the state to help pay for a boardwalk around the 31-acre Nashawannuck Pond. The mayor loves the pond and had been a member of the Nashawannuck Pond Committee among other environmental groups before taking office. He was mayor when the city bought it in 1985 from the J.P. Stevens Company. He sees it as an economic boost for the downtown.

“I’m pretty pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.

The mayor admits he has ignored some in the city who complain. “They don’t add value to the equation. You can’t please everyone. Some people you don’t please.”

At the mayor’s last City Council meeting Wednesday night, Councilor Daniel D. Rist said he has not always agreed with the mayor but he respects “the work you have done for the community. You served the city well. No one can argue with that.”

The 15-member City Council will vote for its president on inauguration day Jan. 6.

HOLYOKE -- City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said he has vote commitments from nine incumbent and newly elected councilors for a second term as president.

"I think my steady hand as one of the two hands on the wheel (with the mayor) is going to be very important to steer us through these turbulent times," Jourdain said Wednesday.

The council will hold a reorganization vote at City Hall after elected officials are sworn into office on inauguration day, Jan. 6, at 10 a.m.

Jourdain became the first new president of the 15-member board in nearly three decades. He edged Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin to take the gavel by an 8-7 vote when the current term began Jan. 3, 2012.

Jourdain declined to provide the names of councilors and councilors-elect who have pledged him votes because he said many wanted to keep their support under wraps until balloting is done in public session.

But Jourdain's support isn't unanimous and McGiverin, who had been elected president 26 straight years, said Thursday he was open to another term as leader.

"Yes, definitely," McGiverin said.

Councilors are paid $10,000 a year each and the president receives an additional $1,000.

The president runs meetings in City Council Chambers standing at an elevated podium that faces the 14 other councilors seated in a circle. The president reads orders on meeting agendas for actions by the council, whose role is to approve or reject spending requests, decide whether to grant special permits and zone changes and establish ordinances and parking and traffic rules.

Councilors must wait to speak on an issue until acknowledged by the president in the order in which councilors raised hands.

The president also is the council's media spokesman and representative in meetings with the mayor and other officials.

Jourdain said his accomplishments in the past two years merit another term. He brought a fresh approach to how meetings are run and committee assignments are made, he said.

He worked to make government more open than it had been, he said. He ensured that all committee meetings, not just full City Council meetings, were televised on the local cable TV channel, that meeting minutes include not just voting details but narratives of debates and that all meetings of city boards are held at 5 p.m. or later so residents who work days can attend, he said.

He also pushed to establish an ordinance that bans the city solicitor, who is appointed by the mayor but confirmed by the City Council, from doing non-city work in court and he has led the fight against Mayor Alex B. Morse over a needle exchange program, he said.

An Amherst man was struck by a car as he walked in North Pleasant Street.

 

Amherst Police Sgt. Gabriel Ting said the man suffered non-life threatening injuries when he was struck by a car traveling northbound on the town's main commercial street at approximately 6:45 p.m. Saturday..

The north lane of the street near the intersection with Kellogg Street was closed off for several hours as Amherst Police and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section investigated the incident. The vehicle which struck the victim was operated by a female driver who was interviewed by police. Ting said preliminary information indicated the car was operated "reasonably."

The victim was transported to the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield by town ambulance.

Panzieri hopes to return to volunteer in Jordan in March to assist with assistance to those affected by the conflict in Syria.

Omar Salem & Gina Panzieri, taken March 2013photo courtesy of Gina Panzieri 

BELCHERTOWN – With the United Nations announcing on Monday a goal of raising $6.5 billion to assist destitute Syrians in their war-torn country, a town resident who has traveled three times to refugee camps in Jordan to volunteer says the need is great.

Small business-owner Gina Panzieri first visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq, Jordan in November 2012. The refugee center is home to more than 100,000. There she volunteered with the non-profit, Washington, D.C.-based, medical-aid group, Syrian American Medical Society.

“The Syrian situation has been beyond tragic. I find it very upsetting. Rather than just be upset," Panzieri said, "I decided I had to do something. I have met a lot of Syrian American physicians. It is very moving; they are awesome people who are doing incredible volunteer work.”

In February, Panzieri was awarded the “SAMS appreciation award.”

But prior to receiving that honor, she had returned to Jordan last January to volunteer with the Washington state-based Saalam Cultural Medical Museum.

The medical mission brought Panzieri north of Amman to Ar Ramtha, Irbid and Jerash. She returned from the Saalam Cultural Medical Museum work in November.

“I am neither a physician nor of Syrian descent (but) I wanted to work with Syrian refugees,” Panzieri said.

To date, she has organized shipments of medical supplies totaling $20,000 to the two relief organizations.

The founder and owner of Small Business Solutions, an accounting and financial management firm, Panzieri is continuing her Syria-focused volunteer work.

She plans a fourth trip to Jordan in March, and asks that anyone wishing to contribute medical supplies contact her at (413) 323-0333.

According to the United Nations, 8 million people are now in need of assistance due to the conflict in Syria.

“As we look towards the fourth year of this appalling crisis, its brutal impact on millions of Syrians is testing the capacity of the international community to respond,” U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Valerie Amos said on Monday from Switzerland during the launch of the appeal for money to help with the humanitarian dimension.

The U.N. said the $6.5 billion they are seeking to assist millions of Syrians both inside the country and across the region is the largest aid request in the agency’s 68 year history.

The U.N. was founded at Lake Success, N.Y. on Oct. 24, 1945, following World War II.