Callahan told a judge "at the end I just cannot let go. I don't know why I do it."

SPRINGFIELD – Richard E. Callahan, at his sentencing for a series of crimes related to an incident in his estranged wife's Ludlow home, told a judge Wednesday “at the end I just cannot let go. I don’t know why I do it.”

Ludlow Police Dept.Richard Callahan

Hampden Superior Court Judge Cornelius Moriarty sentenced Callahan, 39, to a 4-year state prison term, saying Callahan’s actions left his estranged wife and children “terrorized.”

“They have a right to feel secure,” Moriarty said.

Callahan admitted to a series of crimes against the Ludlow woman, including beginning to strangle her, taking her and her son’s cell phones so they couldn’t call police, and threatening to cut her in front of her children if her older son called police.

He told Moriarty he did everything to which he admitted because he loved their then 3-year-old son and he was afraid “someone was going to try to take him away from me.”

Assistant District Attorney Anne Yereniuk had asked for a 5-7-year sentence, saying Callahan, who was living in Agawam at the time of his arrest in July 2010, had a conviction for a similar situation with another woman in 2001.

She said a series of events beginning in June 2010 culminated in the violent confrontation on July 19, 2010, at the woman’s Ludlow home in which Callahan was hiding in a closet prior to attacking her. The woman had a restraining order against him at the time.

The crimes to which he pleaded guilty were three counts of assault and battery; two counts of violation of a restraining order; two of breaking and entering; and one count each of criminal harassment (subsequent offense), intimidation of a witness, threat to commit a crime, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

Moriarty gave Callahan two different probation terms, one to run while he is incarcerated which says he cannot contact the woman and the two children.

The other, a 5-year probation term, starts when he gets out of prison. He cannot contact the woman or children and must attend batterers counseling and have a psychiatric evaluation and any treatment or medication ordered.

Yereniuk said the woman “had moved on and tried to live her life.”

The woman, talking to Moriarty about the impact of Callahan’s crimes on her and her children, said the fear instilled in them will be with them the rest of their lives.

She said she has the right not to look over her shoulder and not to worry that she will be killed.

“I don’t want these memories but I am stuck with them,” she said.

Moriarty told Callahan if Probate Court awards him child visitation he can come back to him and ask for a modification in the probation conditions.

The cost of the debris removal from the storm was $3.5 million.

LUDLOW – The Board of Selectmen has approved short-term borrowing of $3.5 million to pay for debris removal costs from the Oct. 29 snowstorm.

Selectmen approved the short-term borrowing in the event it is needed to pay for the debris removal costs. Selectmen Chairman Aaron Saunders said federal disaster reimbursement has now been approved which will reimburse the town for 75 percent of the $3.5 million.

“The federal disaster declaration from President Obama has happened,” Saunders said. The declaration assures the town the 75 percent reimbursement, he said.

Saunders added that an additional 25 percent reimbursement of the costs is possible from the state, but he said he “would not count on it” at the present time.

Saunders said that since Ludlow has some federal roads, its federal disaster reimbursement could be more than 75 percent.

Snow removal from the Oct. 29 snowstorm was about $100,000, Saunders said. He said snow removal costs are not reimbursable. The $3.5 million in debris removal costs will be reimbursable, he said.

The short-term borrowing is to cover a possible time lag in the receipt of the federal funds, Saunders said.

Some surrounding communities had higher cleanup costs. Springfield had costs of more than $20 million for debris removal alone. Wilbraham had a cleanup cost of $5 million.

The cost of the cleanup in Monson is $3 million, a figure that prompted selectmen to caution a worst-case scenario of a government shutdown for two years if no federal or state assistance came through.

The storm dumped a wet, heavy snow on the region, leaving a foot or more in some places. Leaf-laden branches and trees fell, downing power lines and blocking roads.

Across Western Massachusetts roughly 200,000 customers were left without power, some for as many as eight days.

The suspect entered the store shortly after 2 a.m. and threatened the clerk with a hatchet.

LUDLOW – Police continue to search for a hatchet-wielding man in a snowmobile-style suit who robbed the East Street Cumberland Farms early Friday.

No injuries were reported in the armed robbery of the 320 East St. store. It was reported shortly after 2 a.m.

Sgt.Thomas Foy said the suspect walked into the store and threatened the clerk with a hatchet some 12 to 18 inches long.

The suspect emptied money from the cash drawer and ran back towards a neighborhood bar known as The Matador.

Police, aided by K-9 officer Michael Whitney and his dog, Rocky, found tracks in the snow indicating that the suspect may have gotten into a vehicle.

Police, after viewing the store’s security tape, believe the suspect is a white male. He was wearing a black or dark-colored one-piece Carhartt- or snowmobile-type suit with a tan hood, a striped winter hat and a dark-colored scarf that obscured the lower part of his face.

Foy declined to state how much money was taken but said it was not a very significant amount. Certainly not enough, he said, to justify the potential life sentence in prison that the suspect faces if convicted of armed robbery while masked.

The prosecutor said Rogers could have walked away from the fight.

SPRINGFIELD – The defense lawyer argued Kenneth Rogers bit another inmate’s ear off in self defense during a February 2010 incident at the Hampden County Correctional Center at Stony Brook in Ludlow.

Anthony C. Bonavita

“This isn’t Mike Tyson. This isn’t someone biting an ear off on purpose,” said defense lawyer Anthony C. Bonavita.

Assistant District Attorney Howard I. Safford told Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis Rogers could have just got off of the victim, who he had pinned down in the fight, and walked away.

“You don’t have to bite an ear off, your honor,” Safford said.

The two sides were arguing at the jury waived trial as to whether Rogers, 45, should be convicted of mayhem.

Velis on Tuesday acquitted Rogers of the mayhem charge. But he found Rogers guilty of assault and battery on the inmate and sentenced him to 2½ years in the Ludlow jail.

Rogers had about five months left on the sentence he was serving at the jail on some District Court cases when the incident happened. He has been held awaiting trial on these charges.

Bonavita’s Mike Tyson reference called up the 1997 Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight in Las Vegas where Tyson bit a part of Holyfield’s ear off during the fight.

As a result of biting Holyfield on both ears and other behavior, Tyson’s boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was fined $3 million plus legal costs.

Bonavita argued Rogers’ ear-biting didn’t meet the legal mayhem description of willfully maiming a person, saying “there was no specific intent to disfigure.”

He said the victim was trying to choke Rogers, and Rogers was biting the man’s face when the victim turned his head and got his ear bitten.

Safford said Rogers was the aggressor in the incident and at the time Rogers bit the victim’s ear off, Rogers was also punching the victim and twisting his genitals.

Safford said the victim was yelling “let me go” and was on his back in a cell getting beaten by “a very powerful individual.”

Safford said of Rogers, “He persists in the behavior and uses the excuse, I was trying to save myself so I bit off his ear.”

The victim has had surgeries to try to reconstruct an ear, according to testimony.

Each member will create a checklist, which they will discuss at the next meeting in February.

Edward Harrison

MONSON - Only a handful of Western Massachusetts Casino Task Force Committee members showed up at Wednesday's meeting, the first since casino gaming became legal, but the chairman was pleased with the outcome, as the group decided to create a list of ways member communities could protect themselves in the event a resort casino project opened in their community, or next door.

"This was good. I really wasn't sure where we were going to go from here," Task Force Chairman Edward S. Harrison said.

Harrison, along with Warren Selectman Robert Souza, Brimfield Selectmen Chairwoman Diane M. Panaccione, Brimfield selectmen's assistant Carol M. DelNegro and James M. Mazik, deputy director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, attended the meeting.

Each member will create a checklist, which they will discuss at the next meeting in February.

"It could be a wealth of knowledge for some towns," Souza said.

The list will address how a community will be impacted by a resort casino, Harrison said, adding that roads, infrastructure, zoning bylaws, schools and public safety come to mind.

Harrison said it will be up to each individual town if they want to hire a consultant to perform an in-depth study of impacts. Panaccione said selectmen will discuss hiring a consultant at their Monday meeting, and noted that they want MGM Resorts International to pay for it. MGM wants to build a resort casino in the northwest corner of town on 150 acres, on a wooded site near Washington and Old Millbrook roads.

Brimfield resident Judy Sessler expressed concern about hiring a consultant too early, and said towns could be left with an "enormous debt" if the casino operators fail to fund these studies. She said there is "resentment" in Brimfield that the selectmen are moving too fast.

In addition to Brimfield and Monson, the task force includes Palmer (where Mohegan Sun wants to build a casino), Belchertown, Brookfield, Hampden, Holland, Ludlow, Stubridge, Wales, Ware, West Brookfield and Wilbraham.

"It's important members start meeting again, now that it's a law," Souza said.

Harrison attended the Monson selectmen's meeting on Tuesday night to discuss how the casino legislation will affect Monson as an abutting community, and how communities also will have the opportunity to create a memorandum of understanding with casino operators. Harrison explained that the Gaming Commission will decide what communities are considered "surrounding" and as a result would be eligible to create a memorandum of understanding with the casino operator to mitigate impacts.

He said there will be an appeal process if communities are not considered "surrounding" by the Gaming Commission. He added that if communities cannot come to an agreement with a casino license applicant, the Gaming Commission will step in and determine the memorandum of understanding itself. Harrison said the commission is not going to let a disagreement over the memorandum get in the way of a casino opening.

"Ultimately the entire power of this thing falls into the hands of the Gaming Commission," Harrison said.

Delude said he is hoping a public hearing on the proposed redevelopment will be scheduled for late February by the Planning Board.

Republican file photoLudlow Planning Board members are to hear plans Thursday night for a redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills.

LUDLOW - Westmass Area Development Corp. made an informal presentation to the Planning Board Thursday night of its master plan for a 20-year redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills.

Kenneth Delude, president of Westmass Area Development Corp., told the Planning Board that Westmass will be filing its comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of the 170-acre site with the Planning Board within the next few weeks.

Delude said he is hoping a public hearing on the proposed redevelopment will be scheduled for late February by the Planning Board.

Delude said the renovation will include a $50 million independent living facility for seniors by WinnDevelopment which will include 83 units and 96,000-square-feet.

Also included will be a 70,000-square-foot rehabilitation hospital by HealthSouth valued at $27 million.

Delude said Westmass has retained HealthSouth in Ludlow which means that the facility’s jobs and taxes will be retained in Ludlow.

The redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills project will take place over 20 years, Delude said.

He said the project will include a mix of industrial, business, retail, residential and recreational development.

“This is the largest brownfield redevelopment project in New England,” Delude said.

Delude said he hopes the Planning Board approves a comprehensive permit for the project by late spring.

A town administrative review committee at the same time will be asked to approve site plans for both HealthSouth and WinnDevelopment, he said.

The project also will include development of a 4,000-foot riverwalk along the Chicopee River for recreational use, Delude said.

Delude said some of the mill buildings on the site will be kept and some will be demolished.

It is difficult to re-use fourth floor industrial space, he said.

He said all parking for the development will be on the site.

Planning Board members said they would like to see fewer than the nine curb cuts currently being proposed by Westmass for access to the site.

Delude said the number of curb cuts will change as individual projects are proposed.

Planning Board member Carlos Chaves said he would like to see some of the traffic generated by the development kept to the back of the site.

Incumbents John Da Cruz and Antonio Dos Santos have decided not to seek re-election.

Walter E. Craven

LUDLOW - Walter E. Craven of 292 West Street has announced his candidacy for the Board of Selectmen in the March 26 annual town election.

There also are two other candidates who have nomination papers out for two, three-year terms on the Board of Selectmen.

The deadline to return nomination papers is Monday at 5 p.m.

The other candidates with nomination papers out are Joseph Queiroga, a member of the Planning Board, and Timothy S. Donnelly of 39 Arnold Street.

The two incumbents, Selectman John Da Cruz and Selectman Antonio Dos Santos, have announced they will not be seeking reelection.

Craven ran unsuccessfully as a write-in candidate for School Committee last year.

He also ran unsuccessfully for School Committee in 2003.

Craven served for four years on the Westover Golf Commission, was a member of the Stevens Memorial Building Study Commission and has been an elected Town Meeting member for the past 15 years.

Craven also has volunteered with the Ludlow Boys & Girls Club, the Ludlow PTO and the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce.

Craven said he has identified three key areas that need continued effort for the long-term financial health and quality of life for the residents of the town.

He said the first area is the stabilization and reduction of the residential tax rate, the second area is the reduction of non-employee related expenses in the town, and third is the continuation of the business development plans along East Street and Center Street with a focus on long-term planning and attraction of upscale larger businesses.

Craven said his short-term goals will include securing of reimbursement for the costs of cleanup of the October storm, working with the School Committee and Finance Committee on budgets and working with the current municipal structure to “maximize services while keeping in line financial costs.”

Craven said he is employed as a compliance officer with global compliance performing governmental regulatory audits in numerous fields.

Many races are shaping up for the election.

LUDLOW - With two incumbents having announced they do not plan to seek re-election to the Board of Selectmen, there are six candidates with nomination papers out for the two seats.

The deadline to return nomination papers to run in the March 26 town election is Monday at 5 p.m.

Residents with nomination papers out for the two selectmen seats are Walter Craven, Timothy S. Donnelly, Carmina D. Fernandes, Christine D. Peacey, Joseph Queiroga and Manuel D. Silva.

The two incumbents, Selectmen John Da Cruz and Antonio Dos Santos, have announced they will not be seeking reelection.

There also two candidates with nomination papers out for a seat on the School Committee. The candidates are incumbent Jacob R. Oliveira and Deborah A. Stephenson.

For assessor, three candidates have nomination papers out - incumbent Donald J. Lake, Antonio Rosa and Manuel D. Silva.

For a two-year position on the Board of Health, Victor J. Field and Timothy J. Fontaine have returned nomination papers. Selectmen appointed Field to fill the position until the election.

There also are two candidates running for a three-year position on the Board of Public Works. They are incumbent Barry J. Linton and Richard A. Zucco.

For a five-year term on the Planning Board Queiroga has nomination papers out.

All other positions are unopposed.

The candidates who have nomination papers out for more than one position will only be able to return them to run for one position, Town Clerk Laurie Gibbons said.

The fire was reported shortly after 10:10 a.m. No injuries have been reported.

File photo

LUDLOW - Ludlow firefighters remained at the scene of a house fire on Prospect Gardens mid-morning Friday.

The blaze at 72 Prospect Gardens was reported about 10:10 a.m. No injuries have been reported, officials said.

Prospect Gardens, which is a one-way street, has been blocked off, officials said.

Additional information was not immediately available.

The cause of the blaze, reported mid-morning Friday, remains under investigation.

Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanLudlow - 2-3-12 - Investigators continue to probe cause of fire that heavily damaged a home at 72 Prospect Gardens Friday morning. A father and son safely escaped the blaze and called 911.

This updates a story originally filed at 10:52 a.m.

LUDLOW - Investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that caused extensive damage to a Prospect Gardens home Friday morning.

The owner of the home at 72 Prospect Gardens and his son safely escaped the burning raised-ranch-style home and called 911 shortly after 10:15 a.m., Fire Capt. John Moll said.

The fire started in the basement area and was spreading up the stairwell to the upper level when firefighters arrived, Moll said.

Firefighters remained at the scene Friday afternoon. State Trooper David Percy is assisting the Ludlow Fire Department with the investigation.

The fire department called all off-duty personnel back in to fight the blaze and an engine from Wilbraham provided coverage to the town.

Moll said it’s not immediately clear where the fire started in the lower level. That area consists of a garage, utility room and living area.

Prospect Gardens, a one-way street, was closed for a time while firefighters fought the blaze. Prospect Gardens is off West Street and the property abuts the Massachusetts Turnpike

Selectmen said the average taxpayer received a $250 properlty tax increase last year.

LUDLOW - Selectmen met with town department heads and Finance Committee members last week and said they need to come up with at least $800,000 in savings in next year’s budget so taxpayers are not hit with a big tax increase.

The average taxpayer received a $250 property tax increase last year and has received property tax increases in prior years as well, Selectman William Rooney said.

Rooney said he received many calls of complaint about the tax increase.

The taxpayers cannot tolerate a similar increase this year, he said.

The town’s health insurance costs are projected to rise more than $400,000, he said.

Officials in Wilbraham have already voted to inform employees in collective bargaining units that they will negotiate increased co-pays this year.

Wilbraham selectmen said there is a proposal to increase health insurance co-pays from $50 to $100 for emergency room visits, $10 to $20 for doctor’s visits, to $35 for visits to specialists, to $100 for use of an MRI machine and $500 for admission to a hospital.

“We will be looking for savings in health insurance co-pays,” Ludlow Selectman Antonio Dos Santos said.

Rooney said, “We cannot afford health insurance increases.”

He added, “Otherwise, we will have layoffs and service reductions.

Selectmen Chairman Aaron Saunders said selectmen at the annual Town Meeting also will be proposing to increase the restaurant meals tax by .75 percent to offset the property tax rate.

If residents approve the increase, it could generate an additional $200,000 in property tax revenue, Saunders said.

State aid to the town is expected to be level funded next year, Saunders said.

Jacob Oliveira and Deborah Stephenson returned nomination papers to run for 1 seat on the School Committee.

LUDLOW – With the deadline having passed to return nomination papers to run in the March 26 town election, there are five candidates running for two selectman seats.

The candidates are Walter Craven, Timothy S. Donnelly, Carmina D. Fernandes, Christine D. Peacey and Manuel D. Silva. The two incumbents, Selectmen John Da Cruz and Antonio Dos Santos, announced they would not seek re-election.

There also will be a race for School Committee with two candidates running for one seat. The two School Committee candidates are incumbent Jacob R. Oliveira and Deborah A. Stephenson.

The deadline to return nomination papers was Monday at 5 p.m.

There will also be a race for assessor. Incumbent Donald J. Lake is being challenged by Antonio Rosa.

Victor J. Field and Timothy J. Fontaine returned papers to run for a two-year unexpired term on the Board of Health. The Board of Selectmen recently appointed Field to fill the seat until the town election.

There also will be a race for a seat on the Board of Public Works. Incumbent Barry J. Linton is being challenged by Richard A. Zucco.

All other positions on the ballot will be unopposed.

People can donate phones in various court locations.

The Republican / File photo

SPRINGFIELD – The Hampden District Attorney’s Office is collecting cell phones so it can earn money to benefit local victims of domestic violence.

The office has partnered with Shelter Alliance, the largest grassroots cell phone recycler in the country.

Under the district attorney’s program, people are asked to donate their cell phones to various court locations from now until Feb. 28. No money will paid to phone donors.

The district attorney’s office, through Shelter Alliance, earns up to $30 per cell phone and up to $100 per smartphone, regardless of age or condition.

Some of the money earned from the collection will be used to purchase phones for victims of domestic violence who are still at risk, allowing them to contact authorities in an emergency.

The rest of the money earned will go to local domestic violence shelters to use for food and other necessities.

“Donating a used, unwanted cell phone allows community members to give to an important cause without reaching into their wallets,” Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said. “With the hundreds of used cell phones sitting idly in our community, the fundraising potential is almost limitless.”

In addition to public and district attorney employee donations, local law enforcement officials have been invited to donate any abandoned cell phones which had been seized in closed cases.

People are asked to bring their used, deactivated, unwanted cell phones and batteries to these locations during business hours.

In Springfield, the District Attorney’s Office, Hall of Justice, 50 State Street, 3rd floor; or Springfield Juvenile Court, 80 State Street.

Phones can also be dropped off at: Chicopee District Court, 30 Church Street, Chicopee; Holyoke District Court, 20 Court Plaza, Holyoke; Westfield District Court, 224 Elm Street, Westfield; or Palmer District Court, 34 Sykes Street, Palmer.

Shelter Alliance performs the data erasing. Phones which can be re-used have all data erased during the recycling procedure.

Phones that can’t be reused because of condition are shredded for use of the phones materials. Phone memory components are destroyed in this process.

Also, before donation each donor can manually reset or erase memory by following their specific manufacturer’s instructions.

Gazda is principal at Gateway Regional Middle School in Huntington Roy is curriculum director for the Ludlow public schools.

File photosTodd Gazda, left, and Diana Roy are the finalists to become superintendent of schools in Ludlow.

LUDLOW – The School Committee has announced two finalists for school superintendent.

They are Todd Gazda, principal at Gateway Regional Middle School in Huntington, and Diana Roy, curriculum director for the Ludlow public schools.

Roy has been with the school system for 34 years and has served as an English teacher and curriculum instructional leader at Baird Middle School. She also served as acting school superintendent after Kenneth J. Grew stepped down from the job.

The two finalists will be interviewed by the School Committee Feb. 28 and 29 at 6 p.m. Both interviews are scheduled to be 75-minute sessions.

“These are both very good applicants,” School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher said.

He said they were unanimously recommended by a Superintendent Search Committee appointed by the School Committee.

Serving on the Superintendent Search Committee were Selectman William Rooney, Brian Bylicki, James Cokkinias, Grace Dolan, Toni-Marie Mancuso, Karen Mowry and Brandon Nowakowski, a student at Ludlow High School. Also, Susan Pease, Irene Pereira, Pedro Pereira, Sheryl Stanton, Deborah Stephenson and Claire Thompson served on the committee.

Kelliher said there is a chance the School Committee will vote on Feb. 29 to appoint a new superintendent. He said he would like to fill the position as soon as possible.

Donna Hogan, retired principal of Baird Middle School, currently is serving as interim superintendent.

Grew, a retired school superintendent, served as interim school superintendent for four months after Theresa Kane resigned, but resigned suddenly on the advice of his doctor.

A Superintendent Search Committee was appointed last November by the School Committee with the goal of bringing a permanent superintendent on board by July. The superintendent position has been advertised to pay between $130,000 and $150,000, with negotiable benefits and a three-year contract.

Superintendent Alan Ingram said the declining graduation rate was tied to the state’s boosting of standards for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, a requirement for graduation.

Alan Ingram

SPRINGFIELD – High school graduation rates rose in 2011 for the fifth year statewide, but Springfield was excluded from the trend.

A report by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed that 83.4 percent of four-year high school students graduated last year, an increase of 1.3 percent from 2010.

The statewide dropout also improved last year, with 2.7 percent of students quitting school – the lowest figure in 20 years, according to the study.

In terms of race, 43 percent of dropouts were white, 36 percent Hispanic, 15.5 percent African American, and 3.3 percent Asian, according to the report, which found 56.4 percent of dropouts were from low income families.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick said the trends are encouraging, but more needs to be done.

“I’m proud of the progress we have made, but we won’t be satisfied until we have a system that closes the achievement gap and prepares all of our students for success,” Patrick said.

In Springfield, the graduation rate was 52.1 percent, down from 53 percent last year. The dropout rate was 11.7, higher than the 10.5 figure from 2010.

Superintendent Alan J. Ingram said the declining graduation rate was tied to the state’s boosting of standards for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, a requirement for graduation.

“We expected that would likely have a short-term effect on the graduation rate,” said Ingram, adding that reversing the trend is a top priority.

“We cannot and will not make excuses,” the superintendent said, adding: “It is important for all of us to understand the strength of the tide we are swimming against.

In Holyoke, the high school dropout rate increased slightly in 2011 from the previous year, to 9.8 percent from 9.5 percent. The graduation rate has hovered near 50 percent in recent years, and was 49.5 percent in 2011.

Mayor Alex B. Morse, who is chairman of the School Committee, said changes obviously are needed at the city’s two high schools because the low rates show the status quo isn’t working.

“The numbers aren’t improving because we keep doing things the same way over and over,” Morse said.

West Springfield High School Principal Michael J. Richard said the 5.1 percent dropout rate his school had last year is something educators want to work on.

“That is not the direction we want to move in. We are looking to lower than number, not increase it,” Richard said.

In Agawam, where the dropout rate was 1.9 percent for the last two years, high school principal Steven P. Lemanski said the school monitors students at risk.

“We set up a net to help kids so they don’t fall,” Lemanski said.

Ludlow School Committee member James P. Harrington said Ludlow traditionally has a low student drop-out rate.

“Even if there is one student, you wonder what went wrong,” he said.

Harrington said Ludlow officials are more concerned with tracking who goes to two-year versus four-year colleges and whether they complete their degree programs.

“It’s difficult to find out what happens to our students after they leave here,” he said. “We have been trying to work with HCC and STCC.”

“We find that a lot of our students choose two-year schools because of the cost,” he said.

In Monson, Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said he was pleased to see the dropout rate drop, from 2.7 to 1.4.

“This is the lowest they’ve been in the last three years,” Dardenne said. “It’s a good sign.”

Staff writers Mike Plaisance, Sandra Constantine, Lori Stabile and Suzanne McLaughlin contributed to this story.

Sullivan is the daughter of Patrick Sullivan, the city's director of parks, buildings and recreation. She and her court will march in next month's Holyoke St. Patrick's parade.

Colleen Meghan Sullivan is seen surrounded by her court. Standing, form left, are Martha Crowley, Eileen Barrett, Mariah McNamara and Nora Garrity.

SPRINGFIELD – The second time was the charm for Springfield Colleen 2012 Meghan Sullivan.

The Elms College freshman was crowned Colleen on Feb. 11 at The Cedars Banquet Hall on Island Pond Road.

“I’m just so excited. It’s a wonderful way to show my pride in my Irish ancestry,” said Sullivan, daughter of Patrick and Nancy Sullivan.

Sullivan entered the Colleen contest last year, but did not win. She decided to try again this year and beat out 19 other contestants.

“I was really surprised, but so honored,” she said.

There were 20 contestants in the initial round before five finalists were chosen.

“The girls answered a questionnaire and then had a one-on-one interview with the panel of judges, and then they were brought before the audience for a question-and-answer session,” said Mollie Bresnahan, an organizer of the event, sponsored by the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee.

Bresnahan said the five finalists went through another round of interviews and questions in front of an audience of 250 guests. The judges are community members who are not members of the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee.

“It was a very successful event,” Bresnahan said.

Sullivan's court includes Springfield residents Martha Crowley, 17, and Nora Garrity, 18, both Cathedral High School students; Mariah McNamara, 18, a student at Central High School; and Eileen Barrett, 21, of Ludlow, a student at Lasell College in Newton.

Sullivan and her court will march in Springfield’s St. Patrick’s Parade on March 16 and the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade on March 18.

“It’s going to be a blast. I have gone to the parade every year and I’m a proud resident of Springfield. I’m excited to march through downtown and excited to be in the Holyoke parade as well,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan was also the winner of the $500 Mossie and Kathleen Murphy Scholarship.

Her father, Patrick Sullivan, is the city’s director of parks, buildings and recreation management.

The contract was awarded by a unanimous vote of the School Committee.

LUDLOW - The School Committee Tuesday night voted 5 to 0 to award a contract to repair the ceilings in the school business office at School Department headquarters at 63 Chestnut Street to Central Ceilings Inc. for $59,800.

Central Ceilings Inc. of South Easton was the low bidder, Darlene Cincone, assistant school business manager, said.

Cincone said the work will begin Feb. 24 and will be completed by April 16.

The second floor drop ceiling collapsed in March of last year. In May there was a second ceiling collapse and the second floor was declared unsafe, School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher said.

The drop ceiling was removed and it was discovered that the original plaster ceiling needs to be replaced. Lighting also had to be removed to make the repairs.

Voters at a special Town Meeting in October approved the appropriation of up to $75,000 from the town’s stabilization fund to make the ceiling repairs.

After the repairs are complete, “the School Committee can stop wandering around town to hold its meetings,” Kelliher said. The School Committee has been meeting at the Baird Middle School auditorium and Tuesday met in the selectmen’s meeting room in the Town Hall.

“We want this work done,” Cincone said.

The work can be done within the $75,000 appropriation, Kelliher said.

“It’s possible we will have some money to give back to the town,” he added.

The Board of Selectmen recently met with town department heads and the Finance Committee and said the town needs to come up with at least $800,000 in savings in next year’s budget so taxpayers are not hit with a big tax increase.

The average taxpayer received a $250 property tax increase last year and has received property tax increases in prior years as well, Selectman William Rooney said.

Rooney said he received many calls of complaint about the tax increase.

The deal includes freezing rates for 4 years, including rates for 200,000 customers of Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

BOSTON – State leaders on Wednesday unveiled a landmark agreement with NStar and Northeast Utilities that would permit the two electric utilities to merge in return for purchasing a certain amount of power from the Cape Wind project and for freezing rates for four years including for 200,000 customers in Western Massachusetts.

Under the agreement, which still needs approval of the state Department of Public Utilities, the combined company would keep its electric distribution base rates the same through 2015.

In addition, the merged utility would also have to award customers with a one-time rebate of $21 million, or about $12 to $15 for the average ratepayer.

The Republican photo by Dave RobackMassachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick talks to Belchertown residents during a meeting last November about the Oct. 29 snow storm. At right is Richard K. Sullivan Jr. Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Patrick and Sullivan on Wednesday announced that a merger of two electric utilities would be conditioned on a freeze of rates for four years for ratepayers including about 200,000 in Western Massachusetts.

At a press conference, Gov. Deval L. Patrick said the merger will be good for ratepayers, the environment and the economy.

"What we have today is a landmark agreement for customers," Patrick said. "It will protect ratepayers from rate increases now and into the future and it passes the savings from the merger directly back to the customer."

According to Richard K. Sullivan Jr. of Westfield, the state's secretary of energy and environmental affairs, state officials made sure that customers in Western Massachusetts would benefit from the merger.

Sullivan said the merged utility will also need to improve reliability and response to power outages in Western Massachusetts.

"This is a fair agreement, a good agreement," Sullivan said.

Under the settlement, the merged entity will enter into a 15-year contract to purchase 27.5 percent of the electricity from the 133-turbine Cape Wind, the fully permitted offshore wind energy project planned for Nantucket Sound off the south shore of Cape Cod, the Patrick administration said. If that project does not break ground by 2016, the utility will buy an equal amount of clean energy from another source, likely land-based wind or solar, the Patrick administration said.

In 2010, another key utility, National Grid, agreed to buy about 50 percent of the power output of Cape Wind.

Northeast Utilities, based in Hartford, owns the Western Massachusetts Electric Co., which serves 200,000 residential and other customers in Western Massachusetts including Amherst, Agawam, Greenfield, Ludlow, Springfield and West Springfield.

NSTAR, based in Boston, has electric customers in 81 communities and gas customers in 51 communities.

Connecticut regulators also still need to approve the merger of the two utilities.

With its provisions to boost clean energy and help ratepayers, state officials hailed the agreement as a major victory for the state and customers.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said the agreement is a condition for her approval of the merger. Coakley said her office negotiated the agreement with the two utilities.

"The merger of these public utility companies has the potential to lower costs for customers through increased operating efficiency, but we believed ratepayers needed to see the results of those savings in their bills," Coakley said in a statement. "Through this agreement, customers across the commonwealth are ensured much needed savings through the distribution rate freeze and customer credits."

The agreement also calls for restructuring existing rates that currently result in commercial and industrial customers for Western Massachusetts Electric paying significantly more than the actual cost to serve them, Coakley said.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., a North Reading Republican, criticized the agreement. Cape Wind has a higher cost for power when compared to some other sources of energy.

"Strong-arming NSTAR to purchase Cape Wind as a condition of the company’s merger with Northeast Utilities will ultimately increase electricity costs and hurt Massachusetts’ ratepayers, businesses and municipalities," Jones said.

The merger, which would create a company valued at $17.5 billion, was announced in October 2010. The new company would be called Northeast Utilities and would result in one of the country's largest utilities.

Sullivan said the state utilities department still needs to rule on a separate investigation into the response of electric companies to the freak Oct. 29 snowstorm, which knocked out power for a week for some customers. The state investigations, announced on Nov. 8, focus on the companies' efforts to restore electric power, including their communications with cities and towns.

Rooney issued a challenge to get 200 residents to attend a forum that will be scheduled in April to get the community to begin to combat the problem of teen drinking and drug use.

LUDLOW – Selectman William Rooney issued a challenge to get 200 residents to attend a forum that will be scheduled for April 24 to get the community to begin to combat the problem of teen drinking and drug use.

“We have a drug problem in this community,” Rooney said.

Rooney made the comments at a forum held Wednesday night at Baird Middle School to update residents on attempts to educate parents and students about efforts to combat bullying by students.

Claire Thompson, legal compliance officer for the school system, said that a lot of bullying of students takes place on the Internet via social media such as Facebook, or emails. She said the school district is doing a good job of early intervention when it receives bullying complaints.

Students can be registered as sex offenders as a result of their Internet activity, she said. She said parents should monitor their children on Facebook.

Smart phones are really pocket computers, Thompson said. She said that children are responsible for emails they forward as well as initiate.

The school district is planning the April 24 forum on teenage drinking and the effect of alcohol use on students’ growing and developing brains.

Parents at Wednesday's forum said there is a problem with abuse of the prescription drug OxyContin in the community. They said there are homes in town where Oxycontin is being sold to teens.

Oxycontin use can lead to addiction and increased house and car breaks, Rooney said.

“We need to start talking about this as a community,” Rooney said. “These are our kids.”

Rooney said he will contact sports associations so no practices are held on April 24. Religious leaders, civic organizations and the media all will be asked to promote attendance at the meeting, Rooney said.

He said many parents think that drug use will not affect their families and are surprised to find out that it is prevalent in their neighborhoods.

“We need to bring drug and alcohol use down,” he said.

Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan said she will begin developing a format for the April 24 forum.

The products subject to recall are five-gallon containers and 1-gallon bags of “The Chili Station” Beef Chili with Beans and 5-gallon containers and 1-gallon bags of “The Chili Station” Beef Chili with Beans and/or Turkey Chili.

LUDLOW – The Chili Station of Ludlow is recalling approximately 3,800 pounds of chili products because they may have been produced without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Thursday.

The products subject to recall are five-gallon containers and 1-gallon bags of “The Chili Station” Beef Chili with Beans and 5-gallon containers and 1-gallon bags of “The Chili Station” Beef Chili with Beans and/or Turkey Chili.

Case labels or packaging may bear the establishment numbers “EST. 6380” or “P-6380.”

No illness has been reported in connection with these products.

For information call Jeffrey Belkin, a company representative, at (413) 883-5096.