Asher could face more than 2 years in jail at his sentencing in March before Judge Maureen Walsh. Watch video

The Republican | John SuchockiJeffrey Asher hears the verdict of guilty on both counts of assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in his trial in Chicopee District Court on Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD – A representative of the Springfield patrolmen’s union said Wednesday police were largely dejected by the conviction of former coworker Jeffrey M. Asher on assault charges in connection with an arrest of a drug suspect in 2009.

“I’m disappointed with the verdict. I think the evidence supported acquittal. There was a good case of self-defense,” police officer Joseph Gentile, president of the Springfield Patrolman’s Union, said a day after Asher was convicted in Chicopee District Court of assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a flashlight).

“And being colleagues for as long as we were, it’s difficult to see anyone I worked with for that long go through that,” Gentile said.

Asher’s lawyer said Tuesday he would file an appeal.

The week-long trial occurred more than two years after four white officers arrested Melvin Jones III, a black city resident.

The car he was a passenger in was stopped after midnight for a broken taillight by an overtime detail that included Asher, who had a bumpy disciplinary history on the force. Jones, who had history with police, tried to take off during the stop – prompting Asher to hit him repeatedly with a police flashlight while Jones was prone on the hood of the police car.

An officer holding Jones down testified he could feel Jones trying to take his gun. Asher testified he only struck to defend himself and fellow officers.

Asher’s blows were caught on amateur video by a woman on Rifle Street, which Jones’ criminal lawyer said propelled what could otherwise be an obscure late-night occurrence into the spotlight.

“If there wasn’t a video of this, I highly doubt we’d even be talking about it,” said public defender Jared Olanoff, who also represented Jones when he filed the criminal complaint against Asher over the arrest.

Instead, the 17-year veteran of the police force could face more than two years in jail at his sentencing before Judge Maureen E. Walsh on March 28. Meanwhile, Jones will face trial for alleged drug trafficking this year. He was charged with drug possession and resisting arrest in connection with the Nov. 27, 2009, traffic stop; those charges were dropped in favor of the prosecution of Asher.

Jones was later arrested on charges of shoplifting pants from a department store and domestic assault, before being charged with drug trafficking last year.

“(We feared) personal background may overtake the evidence, but the great thing about a jury trial is the focus is mainly about conduct ... and after seven hours of deliberations over two days, this was a thoughtful verdict,” Olanoff said, referring to the all-white, six-member jury that convicted Asher.

Like the trial, Asher’s sentencing will be closely watched. The Springfield branch of the NAACP sent a letter to the judge, urging her to consider Asher’s adverse influence on police relations in the city.

“Jeffrey Asher has been a scourge on our community and has terrorized our neighborhoods for too long,” Springfield NAACP President Rev. Talbert W. Swan wrote to Walsh.

It was the second time Asher’s actions were recorded. In 1996 he was filmed kicking a suspect in the head who had been handcuffed and was on the ground. Asher was suspended for that incident.

He was also among a group of officers accused by a school principal of beating him while he was having a diabetic attack. While a split vote of the Police Commission in 2005 found no fault with the officers, the city made a financial settlement with the educator.

Asher took a disability retirement one day before he was formally fired by Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet in 2010.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said he was puzzled by the strong police turnout in court on Asher’s behalf.

During closing arguments, dozens of police packed the rows behind the defense table while Jones’ supporters and civil rights activists filled up some seats behind the prosecution.

“I can’t imagine the vast majority of police – 99.9 percent of whom do their jobs professionally – would want to be associated with excessive force. I wouldn’t want this to be a reflection on all the good and positive roles that police play in the community,” Mastroianni said.

Officer Charles Youmans, community relations director who worked the streets for 26 years, said policing can be a thankless, grinding but critical profession.

“I don’t think really people understand the role of police. We’re trained professionals, but we’re still human beings. When you’re dealing with people who want to spit on you and fight you and challenge your authority all the time, it can be very difficult,” said Youmans. “We can all be Monday morning quarterbacks ... but then again, we’re held accountable for our actions .¤.¤. and a verdict is a verdict.”

NAACP Letter to Judge Maureen Walsh

Kervick, who lost all her personal possessions in the fire, has been credited by firefighters with helping to save the life of an elderly woman.

Submitted PhotoSister Maureen Kervick

Sister Maureen Kervick, formerly Elms College campus minister, escaped unharmed in a major fire on Saturday which destroyed a school where she worked in Jamaica.

Kervick, who lost all her personal possessions in the fire at the Mount St. Joseph Preparatory School in Andeville, Manchester, has been credited by firefighters with helping to save the life of an elderly woman, according to representatives of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, where she is a member.

A dozen students from Elms are due to travel next week to Jamaica, a trip that was scheduled months ago and will continue despite the fire.

Sister Carol Allan, current campus minister at Elms College, said she spoke with Kervick on Wednesday. "She's got a great sense of humor. She's got a great perspective. They are looking forward to our students coming," Allan said.

Wendy Hammerle, public relations director for the Sisters of St. Joseph, said Kervick escaped from her apartment on an upper floor of the school building with only the clothes on her back. "All her belongings, clothes, books, family photos, etc., are gone," Hammerle said.

Attempts to reach Kervick by The Republican and MassLive.com were unsuccessful on Wednesday.

Kervick is the Jamaica site supervisor for the Passionist Volunteers International and an administrator for a retreat center there. She has been ministering in Jamaica since July 2010. As campus minister at Elms from 2002 to 2009 she led many student service trips to Jamaica.

Submitted photoFire at Mount St. Joseph Preparatory School

The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported that a large section of the school was destroyed by the fire on Saturday night. The school serves about 500 students.

The Observer reported that Rohan Powell, assistant superintendent at the Mandeville Fire Station, estimated the loss to be in the region of $50 million.

Powell said the Fire Department was called at 5:10 p.m. and five units from four fire stations responded, along with seven private water trucks. It took more than five hours to extinguish the fire, and the cause is being investigated, according to the Observer.

Allan said the fire will not change plans for the student trip to Jamaica. Kervick arranges housing for the students with the Passionist Volunteers, according to Allan.

The students do home visits and education at a variety of sites. This year they are doing community gardens with schools, Allan said.

Kervick, formerly known as Sister James Marie, was born in Springfield. Along with her work at Elms where she also served as dean of students, she was a teacher at Sacred Heart School in Holyoke, and also in Pawtucket, R.I.

A registered nurse, she also served as administrator of Mont Marie Infirmary and worked for Health Care for the Homeless in Springfield.

She was also associate retreat director of the Mother of Sorrows Retreat House in West Springfield, director of St. Gabriel Spiritual Center of Youth in Shelter Island, N.Y., and director of Seton Manor in Brighton.

At least a dozen high schools in Western Massachusetts have been accepted into the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative program and at least 4 others are on a waiting list.

Republican file photo

Jasmin Whitley said previously she would not have considered taking the hardest courses at Springfield Central High School, but half-way through her senior year she is earning a strong B in English and a C in biology in college-level classes.

Whitley, who wants to be a dentist, said she will be entering college or the Air Force with a better feeling about studying, writing and research papers. If she passes at test, she also could leave high school with six college credits.

“If the school didn’t focus on pushing yourself, I would have definitely taken the easier way out,” she said.

Whitley is one of nearly 8,000 students in 50 high schools across the state who are pushed to take Advanced Placement courses through the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative.

Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses offered in high schools. At the end of the class, students pay $87 to take an exam and if they score a 3, 4 or 5 they can receive college credit.

“Typically AP has been the solution for the top 5 percent of kids. We think it is good for the next tier of students who might not have been identified as the top students,” said Melanie Winkolsky, vice president of development and operations for Mass Insight Education.

The program, run through the non-profit Mass Insight, provides assistance so schools can expand Advanced Placement offerings in math, science, technology and English. They pay for teacher training, textbooks and stipends for educators who run Saturday study sessions and reduce the cost of the test.

A dozen Western Massachusetts schools including Central and the High School of Science and Technology in Springfield, Easthampton High, Palmer High, and West Springfield High are all members of the initiative.

At least four others are on waiting lists to get involved when more money is available.

The program is funded through a national non-profit foundation that received money mainly from private corporations. Mass Insights is raising money from private sources as well as lobbying for public grants, Winkolsky said.

A study released Friday showed schools which received assistance through the initiative had about 400 exams taken for every 1,000 students while those without the program had 160 exams for every 1,000 students.

The Math and Science Initiative has its participating schools give all students the PSAT and uses scores to identify students who are capable of doing the work. Guidance counselors encourage the students to take at least one college-level course, she said.

One program goal is to reduce the achievement gap so poor urban students are learning at the same level as their suburban middle-class peers, Winkolsky said.

“More minority and low-students are taking the classes,” she said.

The study also showed the initiative increased the number of minority students scoring 3 or higher on the exam.

Central High School Principal Tad Tokarz said in the four years since his school has been involved with the initiative, the atmosphere of the school has changed.

“We push them to take the most rigorous courses they are capable of taking and that is why we see the growth,” he said.

This year the graduation rate has increased to nearly 80 percent of all students. The school now offers 21 classes for its 2,074 students. Along with the math, science and English courses supported through Mass Insight, they also offer art courses, foreign language classes and social studies classes, he said.

In 2008, before the program started, 166 students took Advanced Placement courses in math, science or English. This year 380 are enrolled in the classes, the study said.

“It gives our students the experience of taking college courses so when they get there it is not a shock,” Tokarz said.

Whitley said she likes the study sessions, where students from different schools get extra help and share tips on work such as writing papers.

“In college you will be challenged. There will be things you won’t get and you train yourself how to find things out for the course work,” she said.

This is the second year Agawam has been involved in the initiative and the number of students taking AP courses has jumped, high school Principal Steven P. Lemanski said.

In 2007, 56 exams were taken at Agawam High School and last year 405 classes were taken among the 1,350 students, Lemanski said.

“It made us look at AP differently. It changed the mind set to let’s provide all the kids with the opportunity to take AP,” he said.

Teachers realize, even if students do not receive college credits, they still get the experience and tend to do better when they start college, he said.

“We have kids taking the courses like they never did before. Some kids are taking five and even seven courses,” he said.

The program has allowed the school to train teachers in the courses so it can increase the number of AP classes.

Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative Evaluation

No injuries were reported in the Friday morning accident.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – An icy onramp is to blame for an accident that sent a pickup truck careening into a state Department of Transportation message board Friday morning.

No injuries were reported in the accident, It occurred shortly before 7 a.m. as the driver took the onramp from Interstate 391 to Interstate 91 north.

State trooper Eric D. Fairchild, speaking shortly after 7:30 a.m., said a tow truck is on scene and the pickup should be removed within a few minutes.The message board was damaged and needs to be replaced, he said,

After 2 years of seeing the firefighting staff reduced one by 1, the Chicopee Fire Department will soon be up to a full complement.

File photo | The Republican

CHICOPEE – After two years of seeing the firefighting staff reduced one by one, the Chicopee Fire Department will soon be up to a full complement.

On Monday, 11 people will officially be hired as firefighters. They will spend about 13 weeks in intensive training, which includes one week learning protocols to be an emergency dispatcher, before being placed on regular duty, Chief Stephen S. Burkott said.

Firefighters who retired or resigned had not been replaced for about 21/2 years. The department is budgeted for 143 firefighters, but is now down to a staff of 132, Burkott said.

"It has been difficult. It caused us to expend more overtime than we liked, but it is difficult for us to run a class for two or three people," he said.

One of the main reasons for the delays in hiring is Chicopee runs its own firefighter academy courses for new hires so it makes sense to wait and hire a group of firefighters at the same time. The city does not send recruits to the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow because it is expensive, Burkott said.

The city's curriculum mirrors the state firefighting academy courses and at the end of their training, the recruits take a state certification exam given at the academy so they do not lose anything by taking classes in Chicopee, Burkott said.

The new firefighters were selected from the list of people who passed the Civil Service exam. Each was interviewed by Burkott and others. The mayor makes the final appointments with the recommendations of the interviewers, he said.
The new firefighters will earn $42,839, Scott Szczebak said.

"We are very happy with the class. I think we have 11 good candidates and they are all certified as EMTs (emergency medical technicians)," he said.

Since the Chicopee Fire Department also runs ambulances, it is recommended people who are interested in becoming firefighters earn the medical certification because it allows them to work on the ambulance immediately, he said.

"The more knowledgeable a recruit is regarding emergency medical training, the better it is for the local fire department," he said.

Some of the new firefighters come to the department with associate's and bachelor's degrees, although most are not in fire science. Some are also veterans and have prior firefighter training.

Meetings for coming week.

THE WEEK’S AGENDA
Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Amherst

Mon.- Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, 3 p.m., Town Hall.
Select Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.
School Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Tues.- Disability Access Committee, 11:15 a.m., 210 Old Farms Road.
Historical Commission, 7:15 p.m., Town Hall.
Wed.- Personnel Board, 9 a.m., Town Hall.
Amherst Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., Amherst Regional High School.
Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Chicopee

Tues.- City Council, 7:15 p.m., Chambers.
Wed.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Chambers.
Housing Authority, 6 p.m., 7 Valley View Court

Easthampton

Wed.- City Council Finance Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.
Thu.- City Council Rules Subcommittee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Granby

Mon.- Selectboard, 6:30 p.m., Senior Center.
Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., 215-B West State St.
Tues.- Library Trustees, 6 p.m., Public Library.
Wed.- Library Building Committee, 5 p.m., Public Safety Complex.
Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., Public Safety Complex.

Hadley

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Senior Center.
Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Holyoke

Mon.- Board of Public Works, Sewer Commission, Stormwater Authority, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St.
School Committee, superintendent evaluation committee, 5:54 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.
School Committee, 6:15 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.
Water Commission, 6:30 p.m., Holyoke Water Works, 20 Commercial St.
City Council Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.
Tues.- School Committee, Finance-Budget Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.
Planning Board, 6 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.
City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.
Soldiers’ Memorial Commission, 7 p.m., War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.
Wed.- Charter School, board of trustees, finance-facilities committee, 5 p.m., 2200 Northampton St.
Thu.- City Council Public Service Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Monson

Mon.- Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.
Tues.- School Committee, 6 p.m., Quarry Hill Community School.
Community Preservation Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.
Historical Commission, 3 p.m., Hillside School.
Wed.- Board of Selectmen, 6:15 p.m., Hillside School.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Hillside School.
Thu.- Housing Authority, 4 p.m., 31 State St., Col. Village, suite 50.

Palmer

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Building.

South Hadley

Mon.- Library Building Committee, 6 p.m., Public Library.
Trustees of Public Library, 7 p.m., Public Library.
Appropriations Committee, 7 p.m., Police Station Conference Room.
Selectboard, 7 p.m., Police Station Conference Room
Tues.- Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Wed.- Falls Design Charette Forum, 7 p.m., Town Hall.
Thu.- Fire District 2 Prudential Committee, 9 a.m., 20 Woodbridge St.

Springfield

Mon.- Springfield Housing Authority, 3 p.m., 18 Saab Court.
Springfield Redevelopment Authority, 5:30 p.m., 70 Tapley St.
City Council Finance Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall
City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall.
Tues.- Board of Assessors, 3 p.m., assessors room, City Hall.
Wed.- Library Commission, 5:30 p.m., Central Library community room, 220 State St.
Planning Board, 6 p.m., Room 220, City Hall.
Thu.- City Council Committee on Elder Affairs, 2 p.m., Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 Park St.


Warren

Mon.- Parks Department, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.
Tues.- Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.
Wed.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.
Thu.- Capital Planning, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.
Board of Health, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

All 11 firefighters are emergency medical technicians.

View full sizeThe Republican | Mark M. MurrayEleven new Chicopee firefighters take part in their swearing-in ceremony Monday at Fire Headquarters.

CHICOPEE – Eleven new firefighters were sworn in at a ceremony at Fire Department headquarters on Monday, bringing the department to a full complement of 143 for the first time in years.

Family members pinned badges on the graduates, who signed the official log of the city. Next, they will be tested at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy at Stowe, after which they can start immediately.

Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette said the men were trained in-house, which saved the city $6,000 per trainee.

Their training mirrors that of the academy at Stowe, said Bissonnette, “but we orient it toward service in this particular community.”

It lasts 12 weeks, after which trainees go through a two-week 9-1-1 training and a two-week program in emergency medical dispatching. All 11 firefighters are emergency medical technicians.

This year the state cut $6 million in municipal aid to Chicopee. Fire Chief Stephen Burkott said he is “extraordinarily grateful to the mayor” for making it possible to hire new firefighters.

“We’ve been short for about two years,” said Burkott.

Bissonnette said that, at this time last year, Chicopee firefighters were faced with the Wickles block fire, a tire factory fire and a blaze at a home that claimed a life. That all happened in March 2011.

Also, firefighters handle about 8,000 of the 10,000 ambulance calls a year that come in, said Bissonnette.

All the new firefighters live in Chicopee, and the in-house training had the advantage of familiarizing them with the local system. “It’s a little different in every community,” said Burkott. For example, where equipment is stored in vehicles or what kind of fire hydrants a city uses may differ.

New firefighter Anthony Resnick, 26, said he “realized a few years ago I wanted to make a positive impact on the community.

"I wanted a profession I could be proud of," said Resnick, whose parents and sister attended the ceremony and pinned the badge on his uniform.

Also among the new firefighters is James Stefanik, 33, a former school counselor who survived the plane crash known as the “miracle on the Hudson” in 2009.

“It puts things in perspective,” said Stefanik. “(Being a firefighter) was something I always thought about doing, and after the events three years ago, I decided to go ahead.”

Also sworn in at the ceremony were Ross Domingos, Andrew Durand, Brendan Moran, Zachary Vozella, Scott Hammon, Timothy Carriveau, Cullan Gardner, Nicholas Brown and Joshua Provost.

At least four structures, two of which were vacant, were affected by the fire, which displaced several tenants and shut down Pine Street between Dwight and Suffolk streets, according to Holyoke Fire Lt. Thomas Paquin

Holyoke Police DepartmentThe fire began in a Pine Street home early Wednesday morning and spread to neighboring structures. No one was injured in the blaze, which was one of the most destructive in recent memory, according to Holyoke fire officials.

HOLYOKE – City firefighters battled a multi-building fire that destroyed a portion of a city block on Pine Street early Wednesday morning.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was reported at 2:15 a.m. and affected at least four buildings, Holyoke Fire Lt. Tomas G. Paquin said.

"It's been a while since we've had one like this," he said of the fire.

Paquin said the flames were mostly knocked down by 4:30 a.m., but firefighters were expected to remain on scene to chase hot spots and ensure the fire didn't reignite. "It's going to be going for several hours," Paquin said of the fire.

The affected buildings — 133 to 141 Pine St. — included a multi-unit apartment building with tenants, two empty buildings and a local landscaping business, Paquin said. Information about how many tenants were displaced by the fire was not immediately available.

Fire officials identified the owner of the first building to burn as Mike Ostapovicz, who couldn't immediately be reached for comment. The ownership status of the other buildings was unavailable.

The Chicopee Fire Deparment provided station coverage while Holyoke firefighters battled the blaze, which tore through the block and sent large, orange flames and smoke billowing into the dark sky.

The Republican | Greg Saulmon03.07.2012 | HOLYOKE - Firefighters at the scene of a major fire on Pine Street Wednesday morning. The headquarters of CMS Landscaping, at left, was one of several buildings damaged or destroyed in the blaze.

A large crowd gathered to watch as flames engulfed several buildings on Pine Street between Dwight and Suffolk streets. Barricades were erected to prevent people from getting too close to the scene, and the city's power company had to shut off electricity to the entire block.

The affected section of Pine Street includes several bus stops. Officials said city buses would have to be rerouted until the street reopens later today.

Holyoke Deputy Fire Chief David O'Connor was incident commander for the fire, which remains under investigation by city and state fire officials. A team of investigators from the office of state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan were dispatched to the scene.

"We don't know what caused it at this point. It's under investigation," Paquin said.

More details will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the affected portion of Pine Street in Holyoke, where a fire tore through several buildings early Wednesday morning:

View Larger Map

Morin's son, Jack, outlined some of his father’s volunteer work, including collecting cans and bottles to raise money for the Agawam Senior Center.

SPRINGFIELD – A 21-year-old Agawam man was sent to state prison for a term of 3½ to 4½ years Wednesday for a car crash that killed 86-year-old J. Paul Morin in August 2010.

Mikhail Adzhigirey pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the crash where he was speeding north on Suffield Street in Agawam and hit the car driven by Morin, an Agawam resident who was very active in volunteer activities in that town.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa G. Doran said a reconstruction expert said Adzhigirey was going 84 miles per hour, or 2½ times the speed limit on the road.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis said, “You turned this vehicle into a dangerous weapon.” He later said Adzhigirey did what “sounds to me like a joy ride of sorts.”

After hearing about Morin’s many hours of community service, particularly to the Agawam Senior Center, Velis said, “All that unselfishness ended in him being snuffed out by a senseless disrespect for our law.”

Doran had asked for a 3-5-year state prison sentence. Defense lawyer George F. Kelly asked for a sentence of 2½ years to the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, with nine months to be served and the rest suspended with probation.

Velis said although he sentenced Adzhigirey to state prison, he will recommend to the state Corrections Department he be allowed to serve it in the Ludlow jail.

Kelly said the actions of Adzhigirey – who had three passengers in his car – were “clearly inexcusable, reckless” but said his client, who doesn’t have a criminal record, is not a bad person.

He said Adzhigirey is not a drinker, and there were no allegations of alcohol or drug use in the crash.

Morin was co-owner of Morin’s Market in Chicopee for more than 39 years.

After selling the store, he worked at Randall’s Farm in Ludlow for several years until he fully retired. A Chicopee native, he moved to Agawam in 1950.

John P. “Jack” Morin Jr., Paul Morin’s son, told Velis, “My father was still young at heart.”

Paul Morin was on his way to see his sick brother, with a box of candy later found on the seat of the wrecked car, when he was hit as he turned onto Suffield Street.

Jack Morin outlined some of his father’s volunteer work, including collecting cans and bottles to raise money for the Agawam Senior Center.

Paul Morin was honored posthumously in November 2010 with the Agawam Council on Aging’s Friends’ Friendship Award.

“It’s heartbreaking the thought of my dad not being with us any more,” his son said.

Paul Morin had also been honored by his state senator and the Agawam Rotary Club for his personal campaign, picking up trash on his daily walk along Main Street.

Jack Morin said he got the call about the crash about 3:50 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. The first person on the scene was “dad’s grand-nephew” from the Agawam Police Department.

Morin described the following five days between the crash and his father’s death, as a respirator breathed for his father and doctors lessened his pain medication to see if they could get any response from him.

Nancy J. Morin, Paul Morin’s daughter, said of her dad: “He loved life. He was healthy, he was active.”

She said although she misses her father terribly what hurts her the most is that her dad is missing out on the life he enjoyed so much.

Irene Remillard, Paul Morin’s sister, said, “Paul for me represented love. I just felt so good with him.”

Doran said Adzhigirey made his choices that day “with a very clear head. He chose to drive 2½ times the speed limit of that road.”

The state Supreme Judicial Court ruled municipalities are not responsible for 100 percent of Quinn Bill expenses, which provide police with additional salary based on college degree.

Westfield and Chicopee will continue to pay its police officers their full Quinn Bill educational benefits despite a ruling by the state’s highest court on Tuesday that they do not have to.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and Michael D. Bissonnette took the position that it is unfair to penalize police officers who pursued higher education under a promise of additional compensation.

Springfield officials will review the SJC decision before deciding on its response to the Quinn Bill issue.

West Springfield opted out of the Quinn Bill benefit in 2010 when the state stopped funding its share. The town, at that time, instituted a local educational benefit package for its officers, said Chief Financial Officer Sharon Wilcox.

Knapik plans to continue to pay the full educational allotment the city’s police officers, about $500,000 annually as he has done since taking office in 2010.

“I think it was a raw deal on the state’s park to withdraw this funding. Police officers, before they opted for this career, were told this benefit would be there for them. To withdraw on that commitment is a wrong move at the state level,” Knapik said.

The state’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday that municipalities are not obliged to pay the state’s 50-percent share of the educational incentive.

Justice Francis X. Spina, writing the decision, said law does not require municipalities to pay more than their 50-percent share of the benefit. The court ruled that state law caps local funding at 50 percent and also requires the state to pay its share providing it has funding. The ruling was in response to Boston police unions claiming that the city had to pay 100 percent of the benefit cost.

The Quinn Bill has been in existence since the 1970s but not all municipalities adopted its provisions. Those that did agreed to provide police with additional salary based on college degree. Benefits ranged from 10 percent annually for officers with an associate degree to 25 percent annually for a master’s degree.

Bissonnette said the Quinn Bill has been replaced with a new education incentive for all newly hired Chicopee police officers.

“Chicopee will continue to pay our veteran officers under the Quinn Bill, a current cost of $900,000 annually, but that amount will decrease as officers retire,” Bissonnette said. “We are replacing that benefit with the hiring of new officers who will now receive an addition $1,000 annually for an associate; $2,000 for bachelor and $5,000 annually for a master degree.”

“The state, and communities who opted for the Quinn Bill made a commitment,” Bissonnette said. “They (police) cannot give back their education. You cannot change terms of a contract once it is approved. The state should live up to its agreement,” he said.

Springfield now pays the entire cost of the benefit to its police officers, about $3.9 million annually, according to Lee C. Erdmann, chief administrative and financial officer.

“We will have to review the decision and consider the implications as part of the fiscal year 2013 budget process,” said Erdmann.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno plans to consult with the city’s Law and Finance departments regarding the ruling and its implications.

Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik will continue that city’s 25 police officers the benefit through the end of the fiscal year when their current contract expires.

“It will have an effect on the city when it moves forward,” Tautznik said. The city paid out $254,901 in Quinn benefits in fiscal 2011.

Granby Selectboard chairman Mark Bail said he is not sure how the ruling will affect the town. He also expressed disappointment that the state has stopped funding the benefit.

“We have to balance the interests of employees and the town,” said Bail. “If we cut the Quinn bill, we could lose our police to better-paying jobs.”

Granby used to be known as “training ground for police because there was so much turnover. The Quinn Bill provided a greater incentive to stay and it made a difference in professionalizing our police force,” Bail said.

The Quinn Bill was late fully funded by the state in fiscal years that began July 2007 and July 2008. The state share then was $50 million, said Robert R. Bliss, spokesman for the state Department of revenue.

The state’s share of the incentive dropped to $5 million for each of the past two fiscal years and there is no funding in the state budget this year for Quinn Bill payments, Bliss said.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick did not recommend state funding of the incentive for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Staff writers Patricia Cahill, Peter Goonan, Diane Lederman and Daniel Ring contributed to this report.

Defense lawyers tell jurors there is no credible evidence their clients are guilty.

Anthony Eugene Jessup, left, and Jason Jamal Stoval are seen at time of their arrest two years ago.

SPRINGFIELD – A Hampden Superior Court is scheduled to resume deliberations Friday in the murder trial of Eugene Anthony Jessup and Jason Jamal Stovall.

Stovall and Jessup, both 22-year-old city men, are charged with murder in the May 30, 2010, shooting of Jonathan Santiago as he sat in his car at State and Austin Streets.

They are also charged with armed assault with intent to rob and three illegal firearms charges.

In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Neil Desroches said Jessup fired the shot into Santiago’s back as Santiago, 21, of 88 Lawton St., sat in his car.

He said Stovall was on the passenger side of Santiago’s car, acting in a joint venture with Jessup in a robbery of Santiago at gunpoint. That makes Stovall also guilty of the murder, Desroches said.

Desroches said Stovall and Jessup devised the plan together and Stovall knew Jessup was going to use a gun in a robbery. Stovall’s fingerprint was on the passenger side of the car, he said.

He told the jury to consider a letter written by Jessup from jail to his girlfriend saying, “I got good news. I’m not going to do life.”

In the letter, Jessup went on to say it was the car crash that killed Santiago, not the gunshot.

Santiago had crashed his car into a fire hydrant after being shot. Testimony at the trial showed Santiago died from the gun shot.

Jeffrey S. Brown, Stovall’s lawyer, said there is no evidence Stovall was in a joint venture with anyone to harm Santiago or that he harmed Santiago himself.

Brown said police testimony showed there is no evidence that shows when Stovall’s fingerprint was put on the car.

Both Brown and Mary Anne Stamm, Jessup’s lawyer, pointed to inconsistencies in the testimony of many of the civilian witnesses, most of whom were Santiago’s good friends who were with him outside a party in a club at State and Austin Streets.

Stamm and Brown said the witnesses contradicted each other, and some gave differing statements at different times.

“They want someone to pay for this,” Brown said, saying Santiago’s friends changed their stories when they testified so the stories fit together.

Stamm said the letter written by Jessup to his girlfriend does not prove he shot Santiago.

She told jurors it’s not enough if they think Jessup could have been, or probably was, the person who shot Santiago. They have to believe beyond a reasonable doubt he was the person, and they have to believe the witnesses who said he was the shooter actually saw what they said they saw.

There is no physical evidence to tie Jessup to the killing, Stamm said.

Stamm said the fact that Jessup was arrested in Virginia June 2, 2010, does not mean he was fleeing because he shot Santiago.

She said he was beaten up by a group of Santiago’s friends who saw him at Chicopee State Park, so had reason to fear harm from them.

An 11-year-old Colorado student was handcuffed and taken to a juvenile holding facility when she became 'argumentative and extremely rude' with her school's assistant principal.

Photos by Wendy Maeda / Boston Globe / PoolEdward Washington, left, and Dwayne Moore sit in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston earlier this week during the Mattapan quadruple murder trial. Click on the link, below, for a report from the Boston Herald about the status of the case in which the two are charged in the killings of Simba Martin, his girlfriend, Eyanna Flonory; her 2-year-old son, Amanihotep Smith; and Levaughn Washum-Garrison.

• Friendly’s restaurant in Chicopee wins approval to sell beer, wine [CBS Boston.com]


• Springfield gas station to make donation to Jessica Rojas funeral fund [WSHM-TV, cbs3, Springfield]


• Green Mountain Coffee stock falls as Starbucks announces plans to sell single-serve brewer [Barrons]


• Colorado student, 11, handcuffed for 'giving attitude and being rude to principal' [Daily Mail.online]


• Eyewitness describes scene night 4 were killed in Mattapan massacre [Boston Herald]


• Mexico withers under worst drought in 71 years [Christian Science Monitor.com]


• Owners of 4 Scituate beach houses return to site of blaze [WCVB-TV, Channel 5, Boston]


• South Carolina Lt. Gov. Kenneth Ard resigns, indicted on ethics charges [USA Today]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Westover may lose four reserve and 13 civilian jobs by Oct. 1.

WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE– Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray will bring his newly appointed Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force to Westover Air Reserve Base Thursday for a strategy session in an on-going effort to defend Baystate military installations and jobs against potential federal budget cuts.

It will be the third visit to Baystate military installations by the lieutenant governor in recent weeks who, along with business, labor and Chamber of Commerce officials statewide are gathering data and developing strategy in the attempt to preserve Massachusetts military installations, personnel and civilian support jobs from Department of Defense budget cuts.

The Air Force earlier this week announced plans to cut 153 civilian and 180 military jobs in Massachusetts as early as Oct. 1. The reduction is part of the Defense Department’s plan to trim $500 billion in defense spending over the next 10 years.

Murray, following a task force meeting this week, said “We all need to be clear-eyed there’s going to be belt tightening at the federal level, including the Department of Defense. However, the Patrick-Murray Administration, Task Force and our congressional delegation are all working together because there are opportunities to demonstrate efficiencies and highlight the strategic importance of the missions across the bases and facilities in Massachusetts.”

The Air Force announced in February plans to transfer eight of the 16 C-5 jumbo jet transports assigned to Westover’s 439th Airlift Wing to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in 2016.

Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said Friday said “Massachusetts is in a good position to build strong support in preserving our military assets.

“Westover Air Reserve Base, because of its location, is more than just a key to national security on the East Coast. Unquestionably, it is a strategic location for defense but also for deployment to Europe.

“Westover is unquestionably the perfect location. We are in a much better location for protection and European deployment than Lackland is,” said Bissonnette.

“This is the best location for deployment overseas for both troops and equipment and humanitarian services,” the mayor said.

In addition to Thursday’s meeting, Bissonnette said he is scheduled to meet with U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown, R-Mass. on March 19 when the senator has scheduled a tour of Westover.

Brown, along with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. and U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass. are working with Murray and the Task Force to prevent military reductions here.

Murray’s first military tour and strategy session on Feb. 3 at the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield was followed by a similar visit to Hanscom Air Force Base March 5.

He and the Task Force has also met with Massachusetts National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter and Air Guard commander Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice this week to their perspective on proposed military cutbacks.

Westover has a total of 2,333 reserve members with 79 full-time reserves and 838 civilian workers. The planned cut is four reserve members and 13 civilians effective with the FY13 budget.

There has been no indication of any realignment or reassignment of the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes but the manpower cuts schedule for Fiscal 2013 will reduce that unit by two military and one civilian position.

Rice has said the majority of Air National Guard manpower cuts will target the Air Operational Group assigned to Otis Air National Guard Base.

Otis currently has 895 part-time guard members serving with 146 full-time guard and 265 civilian personnel. The Air Force cut will eliminate 135 part-time and 8 full-time unit members along with 31 civilians.

The church at 603 New Ludlow Road received a $1 million renovation after the storm, including a new roof, worship space and lobby.

CHICOPEE – A Baptist church whose roof was hobbled by one of the less headline-making weather events last year will host its first services in its rightful home on Sunday.

LifePoint church congregants will give praise to the Lord and likely a good architect more than a year after an engineer said the roof was inches away from caving in after a major snow storm in early 2011.

Pastor Bryan Olden said city and School Department officials have been “incredibly gracious” in letting the church use the Edward J. Bellamy School for Sunday services in the interim. It has been a relatively labor-intensive chapter in the church’s 40-year history.

“We’ve had to set up and tear down our praise band every week, store everything, store it and do it all over again. Plus, clean-up and coordinating parking. It put more people to work serving in different capacities and it’s been a great experience for us,” Olden said.

The church at 603 New Ludlow Road received a $1 million renovation after the storm, including a new roof, worship space and lobby. About $65,000 of that was raised privately through a capital campaign, Olden said.

Engineers dubbed 53 of 55 wooden trusses in the roof fragile and workers were required to tear out much of the infrastructure of the church and replace it.

“They had to pretty much gut it .¤.¤. all the ceilings, drywall, duct work, electrical work. We never expected to not be able to come back for 13 months,” Olden said.

The church will revert to its old schedule of two services on Sunday and will host dedication services on March 25 at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Springfield, the region's largest city, has for years also been the leader in homicides, and 2011 was no exception. But 2011 was a perplexing year for Springfield in some regards.

View full sizeRepublican file photoA Springfield Detective stands by the doorway of a house where 18-year-old James Rosario was shot to death on July 9. His death, one of 19 homicides in Springfield in 2011, came following a disagreement at a house party.

SPRINGFIELD – The Feb. 1 discovery of the body of Judy I. Ramirez, the city’s first homicide victim in 2012, brought to end a span of more than three months – 100 days to be exact – during which this city did not record a single homicide.

Ramirez was found dead in a stairwell outside a church on State Street. An autopsy determined she died of blunt trauma.

Prior to Ramirez’s death, the last official homicide in Springfield was recorded on Oct. 24 when Victor Martinez, the 19th homicide of 2011, was found dead outside his car on Garfield Street.

What would have been the 20th homicide, the death of Ramon Lopez, 23, who was found outside 564 Chestnut St., was removed from the statistics when a state medical examiner could not determine conclusive proof of foul play.

In addition, police are investigating the homicide of Louis L. White, 30, who died on Dec. 2 of injuries suffered eight years earlier in 2002. Police are counting White’s death in the 2002 homicide totals.

Despite its reputation for violence that plays out in the media and the public like dispatches from the Wild West, there have been periods over the past year in which Springfield was remarkably quiet.

Overall, Springfield averaged one homicide every 18 days, but there were six periods during 2011 when the interval between homicides was at least 40 days. There were four months, June, September, November and December, in which no one killed anyone else.

Of course, there were also times during the year when the Wild West reputation was on the mark. There were six separate periods when homicides occurred just days apart, including a period from July 3 to 13 during which five people were killed in 10 days and another from Oct. 4 to 24 when four people were killed in a 20-day span.

The high number of homicides has always hurt the perception of the City of Homes, both from outsiders looking in and from those who live and work here. And, perception is not always reality, stressed Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni, himself a Springfield native.

“There are some areas that are high-crime areas; that is not deniable,” said Mastroianni. “But some of the perceptions are very overblown. And, those perceptions are certainly an inaccurate view of the Springfield as a whole.”

In 2011, there were 24 homicides in the Pioneer Valley, down five from 2010.

In addition to the 19 in Springfield, there were four in Holyoke, the same number as was recorded there in 2010, and one in Chicopee.

Springfield, the region’s largest city, has for years also been the leader in homicides, and 2011 was no exception. But 2011 was a perplexing year for Springfield in some regards.

For example:

• The 19 homicides is a four-year high, but it comes at a time when nearly every other major crime category is trending down.


• While Springfield wrestled with a reputation for youth violence for years, the average age of homicide victims in 2011 was 30.9 years, which is two years above the 10-year average of 28.8 years from 2000-2009 and six years above the 2010 average of 24 years.


• While the number of homicides increased, police have made arrests in 11 of 19 cases, or 57 percent. In 2010 cases, there were arrests in 12 of 16 incidents, or 75 percent.

Republican file photoHampden DA Mark Mastroianni is briefed by detectives at the scene of a fatal shooting on June 20 at 341 Appleton St. in Holyoke. Reynaldo Fuentes, one of four homicide victims in Holyoke, was gunned down. Police charged three brothers with his murder.

In some ways, Fitchet said, the annual homicide rate is a no-win situation for police. On one hand, it is impossible to take credit for, or even tally, the number of homicides prevented. On the other hand, every time someone is killed, the police catch heat for not doing enough to prevent it.

“If we had the old crystal ball, we’d put three cops out there (where a murder is to occur) and prevent it,” he said.

Fitchet said while police cannot prevent random homicides from occurring, they can, particularly in gang-related cases, work the streets to help prevent any retaliation.

“We take a log of our (intelligence work) and try to deploy and diffuse the potential for violence,” he said. “If we think there is going to be retaliation, we use police tactics to mitigate that from happening.”

The 19 homicides recorded in 2011 were the most since 1997 when there were 20. Fitchet said there could well have been more homicides were it not for the combined efforts of the department’s anti-gang and street-crime units and the detective bureau to prevent violence.

The increase in homicides comes at a time when by every other measure, crime is going down in the city. Of the seven categories for violent and property crimes used in the annual FBI Uniformed Crime Report, Springfield in 2011 saw declines in five of them.

Some of the declines are quite dramatic: 72 percent in reported rapes, 11 percent in both burglaries and robberies, 13 percent in car thefts, and 24 percent in felony assaults.

The only increases were 3 percent jump in larcenies and the 11 percent uptick recorded in homicides.

Despite numbers showing crime overall is going down, people still focus on the number of homicides going up, Fitchet said. “The other crimes are not – I don’t want to say glamorous, but the other crimes are not headline grabbers,” he said.

Statistically speaking, the average person in Springfield is more likely to be a victim of robbery than a victim of homicide – and the number of robberies is going down, the commissioner said.

“It isn’t reported that there was a shooting in one part of the city and for the next month there wasn’t another shooting there,” he said. “You can’t measure it because it’s not reportable, even if we feel it has an impact.”

In comparison to Springfield, Hartford had 27 homicides in 2011, an increase from 24 the year before, and Boston had 62 homicides, a decrease from 74 in 2010.

Since 2000, Springfield has averaged more than 14 homicides per year, but higher-than-average numbers in recent years has pushed the average during the past five years to about 17 per year.

A high percentage of homicides in Greater Springfield during the past 20 years or more have always involved young people, both as victims and as assailants. This matches FBI data for the entire country over the same period which show roughly half of all homicide victims were younger than age 30

For the years 2000-09, there were 145 homicides in Springfield. Sixty-three percent of victims were under the age of 30. The average age for the decade was 28.9 years.

In 2010, there was a noticeable spike in homicides involving young people. Twelve of the 16 victims, or 75 percent, were under 30, and 10 were under 25. The average age of victims was 24 years old.

In 2011, 10 of 19 victims were under age 30, or 52 percent. Nine were between 16 and 24. The average age was 29.8 years old.

In Holyoke, the average age also increased, albeit from 20.5 years in 2010 to 23.5 in 2011.

Granted, when dealing with fewer than two dozen data points, any shift in one direction or another will result in major swings in percentages. The numbers for 2011 may just be a statistical fluke, or it could be an early indication that the investment in many anti-youth violence programs are showing returns.

Mastroianni said the numbers are interesting, but he does not quite know what to make of it. He said that perhaps the change in average age of Springfield victims is a reflection of community-based programs and law-enforcement efforts to target youth and gang violence.

“I’d like to believe it has something to do with the effectiveness of youth initiatives,” he said. “Maybe young people are starting to get the message.

Of the 19 homicide cases in Springfield last year, eight remain active investigations with no arrests.

The arrest of Kimani Anderson on Jan. 30 in the July 7 shooting of 16-year-old Tyrell Wheeler, was the 11th case in which an arrest was made, bringing the 2011 clearance rate to 58 percent.

Arrests have been made in three of Holyoke’s four homicides; only the June 19 death of Oscar Castro remains open.

In Chicopee, police have yet to make an arrest in that city’s lone homicide, the Aug. 26 death of 20-year-old Amanda Plasse.

Submitted photoAn undated photo Amanda Plasse, supplied by her family. Plasse was found stabbed to death in her apartment on School Street in Chicopee on Aug. 26. Her case remains unsolved.

In 2010, police made arrests in 12 of 16 homicide cases, or 75 percent; for the previous decade the clearance rate was about 80 percent.

Boston in 2011 made arrests in just 40 percent of its 62 homicides, and just before the close of the year, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis announced a top-to-bottom revamping of the homicide unit.

Data from the FBI shows clearance rates have fallen dramatically nationwide over the last 50 years, from 91 percent in 1963 to about 65 percent in 2010.

Fitchet said he has confidence in his detectives, saying they continue to do very good work and investigations are ongoing.

“We’re still working on them. There’s not a statute of limitations, and the cases ongoing,” he said. “It’s not a good answer, but it doesn’t mean that in a couple of weeks, or a month, or six months, there won’t be (arrests).”

A few weeks after his interview, police arrested Anderson.

Declining clearance rates are a national problem, not just a Springfield one, said Mastroianni, who ordered that state police investigators assigned to his office would take the lead role for a month in April in any new murder investigations in Springfield after the city recorded six homicides during the first three months of the year.

The district attorney emphasized he retains full confidence in the Springfield police to investigate homicides. Long-time investigators tell him it’s become increasingly difficult to find witnesses willing to testify even when there were plenty of witnesses to the crime, Mastroianni said. And, with people more reluctant to cooperate, it takes more time to close cases, he said.

“It’s not like it was 10 to 15 years ago. Clearly that has an effect, especially with drug cases,” Mastroianni said. “People may not want to cooperate at the time, but they may cooperate later if police stay on the investigation.”

The suspect is incarcerated in Maryland now and will be brought back to face the Holyoke charges once he finishes his sentence.

SPRINGFIELD – Vincent R. Deleonardis, a 43-year-old former Holyoke resident, has been charged in a previously unsolved 1993 Holyoke case involving sexual assault against a person with a disability.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said Wednesday DNA evidence from the case run through the national DNA database led to Deleonardis being charged with rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years old.

Deleonardis was the victim’s personal care assistant in 1993.

Holyoke Police Detective Jennifer Sattler was issued an arrest warrant for Deleonardis on Tuesday from Holyoke District Court.

Deleonardis is incarcerated, serving a sentence at the Maryland Correctional Institute in Hagerstown, Md., for unrelated theft offenses.

The Holyoke arrest warrant will mean he will be brought back to face the Holyoke charges once he finishes his sentence in Maryland.

In July 1993, a then-37-year-old man with physical disabilities who uses a wheelchair reported being the victim of a sexual assault. He was provided immediate medical attention and placed in a designated care facility for his safety, Mastroianni said.

Subsequent forensic analysis of the victim’s sexual assault kit in 2007 produced biological substances suitable for testing, Mastroianni said. A DNA profile was developed from the samples and submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Deleonardis was linked to the DNA profile last year.

Mastroianni praised the work done by Holyoke Police officers; investigators from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and the Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DPPC); and personnel from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory for their “effective multidisciplinary cooperation” that yielded a suspect.

Court documents say the victim is a quadriplegic and is non-verbal, although able to communicate with investigators.

Two men still face charges of accessory after the fact of murder.

Angel Gonzalez

SPRINGFIELD – A Holyoke man who had faced a murder charge pleaded guilty Wednesday to initially lying to police about the fatal shooting of Shaun M. Tiago in January 2010.

The prosecution dropped the murder charge and a charge of accessory after the fact of murder against Angel Gonzalez, 29.

Miguel Roman, 45, of Holyoke, was convicted of shooting Tiago in December in Holyoke and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Tiago was shot as he rode in a car with Angel Gonzalez, Felipe Gonzalez, Luis Soto and Roman.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez told Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara the Gonzalez brothers and Soto all eventually told police Roman shot Tiago and said they had no idea he was going to do so.

Velazquez said the charge to which Gonzalez pleaded guilty, willful interference with a criminal investigation, represents the falsehoods he told police in several statements before he identified Roman.

Velazquez asked for a sentence of three to five years in state prison for Gonzalez, who has already served about 26 months awaiting trial on the murder charge.

Defense lawyer Donald W. Frank said Gonzalez said he was threatened by Roman after the shooting. He asked for a sentence of three years, saying Gonzalez and Tiago were friends so his client lost a friend with the shooting by Roman.

“My client was under a significant amount of stress,” Frank said, saying it was Gonzalez’ information that resulted in Roman’s arrest.

Ferrara sentenced Gonzalez to three to four years in state prison.

Felipe Gonzalez of Chicopee and Soto, of Springfield, still face a charge of accessory after the fact of murder. They both testified for the prosecution in Roman’s trial.

Patricia LeClair, Tiago’s mother, said Shaun Tiago was a loving son and generous person, even though he had addiction issues.

Sid Tiago, Shaun Tiago’s father, said, “My son’s death was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

He said now he will never know if his son would have stopped using drugs and been able to better his life.

The proposal would call for students to pass five classes and earn an overall grade point average of 65 percent to play sports.

Republican file photoStudents from Comprehensive High and Chicopee High face off in a past traditional sword game. A small number of students in the two high schools will no longer be eligible to play sports if eligibility requirements are increased.

CHICOPEE – Students may have to pass more classes and earn a higher overall grade-point average to play sports for next year.

A task force of teachers, coaches and students released a proposal to the School Committee this week that would raise eligibility requirements for students who play sports.

The proposal would require students to pass five classes and earn a minimum overall 65 percent grade point average to play sports. Currently, they have to pass four of their seven courses, said James P. Blain, athletic director for Chicopee schools.

“On a regular basis, our students are asked to jump higher and commit to the team,” Blain said. “If we are going to ask them to do that on the field, we should ask them to do that in the classroom.”

The School Committee started considering upgrading athletic standards two years ago, after members of the Student Advisory Committee said the standards were too weak.

After bringing up a number of issues about the proposal, the School Committee voted to table the proposal for more study. It will vote in April.

Committee members questioned if students could still play if they failed English, math or another subject required for graduation.

The task force rejected naming which courses a student passed. One reason is it would be complicated to track, especially because students often take extra science, math or English classes that are not graduation requirements, but are still considered core courses, said Taylor L. McAndrew, a Chicopee High senior who served on the task force.

“It made it seem like some classes are more important than others,” she said.

The task force decided on requiring the 65 grade-point average in part because some students are passing with grades below 20 percent.

“Anything below a 50, there was very little effort going into it,” Blain said.

If the requirements were put in place, it would exclude about 15 athletes from the city's three high schools from playing sports, Blain said.

School Committee member Chester J. Szetela asked if the task force considered conduct in the requirements.

Task force members said they discussed conduct grades, but said they are too arbitrary.

“There is a process of discipline to hold students out of sports for behavior,” Blain said, adding a suspended student play or practice that day.

While some said they would prefer a no-fail policy for athletes, the majority said they want to give students enough leeway to make mistakes.

“I don’t want our student athletes ducking harder courses because they might (fail) and be denied a chance to play,” Committee member Donald J. Lamothe said.

Committee member David G. Barsalou, a recently retired Springfield teacher, said the committee has to remember they are dealing with children, and some students are motivated because they know they can play sports.

“I think this is a nice balance. This will work,” he said. “I don’t want it to be punitive.”

Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said he had no concerns about increasing the number of classes students have to pass but questioned the idea of calling for an overall 65 percent grade point average.

Currently passing grades are 60, which means student athletes would be held to a higher standard than their classmates who do not play sports.

Police have charged Theresa Justice of Holyoke with drunken driven in connection with the accident.

Republican file photo

HOLYOKE - An 18-year-old Chicopee man who suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a car is improving.

Officials at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield upgraded the condition of Hector L. Rivera to fair Thursday afternoon.

Rivera, of Elcon Dr., was hit by a car at about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday while walking on Route 5 near the Barry Farrell Funeral Home at 2049 Northampton St.

Holyoke police have charged 46-year-old Theresa I. Justice, of 15 Peltiah St., with a marked lanes violation and operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in a serious injury. She is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court.

State and congressional leaders said they plan to complete their on-going fact-finding mission, that identifies strengths and weaknesses of the state’s six military facilities, by June.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanCol. Kerry L. Kohler, left, commander of the 439th Maintenance Group, Air Force Reserve Command, Westover Air Reserve Base, leads a tour of a maintenance facility on the base for a group including Lt. Gov. Timothy Murphy, center, Richard K. Sullivan Jr. secretary of the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, behind Murray, and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, riight, D-Worcester.

WESTOVER – State and congressional leaders will focus on the state’s strategic location, its base sharing by different military units and community support in their effort to protect the Baystate’s military installations and jobs from federal Defense Department budget cuts.

Officials said Thursday they plan to complete their on-going fact-finding mission, that identifies strengths and weaknesses of the state’s six military facilities, by June.

“There are opportunities as well as challenges,” Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said following a tour of Westover Air Reserve Base. “We must make sure we advocate for all our military installations,” he said.

Completion of the fact-finding will result in presentation of the state’s lobby effort to defense officials. “During this process we are working with our Congressional delegation to also identify the key decision makers. The delegation will then help up deliver the information to those who will make the final decisions,” he said.

The Defense Department plans to cut $500 billion in spending over the next 10 years.

The Air Force announced last week plans to cut 153 civilian and 180 military positions in Massachusetts beginning Oct. 1. Last month, the Defense Department announced plans to cut eight of the 16 C-5 giant jet transports assisted to Westover’s 439th Airlift Wing and transfer them to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in 2016.

Personnel cuts planned at Westover include four reserve and 13 civilians. the base currently employs 2,333 reserve members with 79 full-time reserves and 838 civilians.

At Barnes, the Air Force plans to cut two military and one civilian position at the 104th Fighter Wing. The wing has more than 1,100 employees, both military and civilian.

Murray said the state’s lobby will be comprehensive and include cost saving alternatives that can be utilized in Massachusetts as well as other locations.

Pointing to bases such at Barnes Air National Guard Base and Westover Air Reserve Base that are shared by both full-time military and different reserve and National Guard units, Murray said “this concept will also be presented to defense officials as a possible savings” in other areas of the country.

Another suggestion will be utilities. Westover and Barnes utility needs are provided by Chicopee Electric Light and Westfield Gas and Electric departments. Former Westfield Mayor Richard K. Sullivan Jr., now state secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said “we are looking for new ways to maintain and enhance these (military) facilities with investments in areas such as energy efficiency or clean energy, which create local jobs and upgrade existing infrastructure.”

As for strategic location, officials quickly point out that Massachusetts is the closest deployment location for both military and humanitarian missions to Europe.

Murray and members of the state’s Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force were at Westover Air Reserve Base Thursday for discussions with local government and business leaders such as Allen Blair, executive director of Westover Metropolitan Development Corp. and Chicopee Mayor Michael R. Bissonnette. Murray was joined by Anne Marie Dowd of Mass Development; Christopher Willenborg, director of the states Aeronautics Department; Michael Vedovelli and Arthur Robert, state Office of Business Development and Timothy McMahon of the state Office of Labor.

At Westover Metropolitan Airport, Murray reiterated the position that the strong military presence and related defense industry is critical to Massachusetts economy.

Westover and Barnes, home to the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing and Army Guard’s Aviation Flight Facility, represent the fifth largest employer in the state with more than 6,500 jobs both military and civilian.

The two bases combine to contribute about $400 million in economic benefit to the state.

Defense contracts statewide with Massachusetts companies total more than $14 billion. There are more than 120,000 jobs generated throughout the state by defense and aerospace industries, officials said.

Blair said Westover military pumps more than $230 million into the local economy while operations at Westover Metropolitan Airport provide another $16 million.

Bissonnette said “Chicopee cannot afford another reduction like in the 1970s (when Westover was deactivated as a strategic Air Force Base) and we will fight like hell not to lose Westover.”

State Rep. John W. Scibak, D-South Hadley, said the pending defense cutbacks present “serious national security and economic concerns.”

He was support by state Rep. Donald F. Humason, R-Westfield, saying he and other state legislators are “concerned about what might happen, especially in the area of jobs.”

Thursday’s Westover tour was the third of six Murray and the Task Force plan over the next several weeks.

They have already been to Barnes and Hanscom Air Force Base. Next month the entourage will tour the Massachusetts Military Reservation and Otis Air National Guard Base in Flamouth, Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick and Fort Devens.

At Otis, the Air Force plans to eliminate 135 part-time and eight full-time guard position and 31 civilian jobs in the Air Operational Group stationed there.