Police have blocked Cady and Fuller streets to traffic.

LUDLOW – More than 1,200 residents are without power after several electrical transformers exploded and caught fire Sunday evening.

The problems started at about 6:30 p.m. when police received a report of an utility pole on fire near the intersection of Cady and Fuller streets. When an officer arrived there was an explosion and he found power lines on the ground. That was followed by a second explosion on a pole near Cady and Wilno Avenue, Police Sgt. Daniel Valadas said.

Police have blocked off portions of Cady and Fuller streets until the wires can be repaired. Western Massachusetts Electric Company is currently trying to fix the lines, he said.

The company’s website said 1,273 people are without electricity. There is no estimation of how long it will take to restore power but Valadas said people should expect to be without electricity for several hours.

DaCruz said he turned in signatures six weeks early.

John DaCruz

SPRINGFIELD – Ludlow lawyer John DaCruz, a Democratic candidate for Hampden Superior Court Clerk, on Monday delivered just over 1,200 certified signatures to the Secretary of State’s Springfield office.

DaCruz said the signatures have already been certified by individual towns and he is turning them in for final state certification six weeks before the deadline.

For the full press release click here.

A 75-year-old Ludlow woman was cited for motor vehicular homicide and failure to yield to an approaching vehicle.

Republican file photo

WILBRAHAM - A motorcyclist, fatally injured Saturday afternoon when a car turned into his path of travel on Boston Road, has been identified by police as 36-year-old Bradford R. Storozuk of Stafford Springs, Conn.

Investigating police officer John Siniscalchi said he cited the driver of the car, 75-year-old Josephine T. Zucco of Ludlow, with vehicular homicide and failure to yield to an approaching vehicle.

The crash occurred shortly before 1 p.m. as Storozuk rode his 2011 Harley Davidson east on Boston Road, Siniscalchi said.

Zucco, driving a 2008 Buick Lucerne west on Boston Road, pulled into Storozuk’s path of travel when she made a left turn into the Boston Road Plaza, Siniscalchi said.

“He struck the passenger side of the vehicle,” Siniscalchi said, adding that Storozuk was thrown from his seat and landed in the westbound lane approximately 40 feet away.

Siniscalchi said that Storozuk’s helmet does not appear to be certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation and that it came off before he hit the pavement.

“Either it was unstrapped or became unstrapped,” Siniscalchi said.

Storozuk suffered serious head injuries, Siniscalchi said. He was treated by Wilbraham Fire Department personnel and taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Siniscalchi said his preliminary investigation is complete and that his final accident reconstruction should take several weeks to complete.

He said, however, that speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash; initial calculations indicate that Storozuk was riding at less than 30 mph.at the moment of impact.

The plaza is located at 2701 Boston Road.

The proposed budget calls for the reduction of 10 teaching positions, a guidance counselor, 3 teacher aids and 2 tutors.

LUDLOW — Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan on Monday night presented a proposed fiscal 2013 School Department budget which shows a decrease of 2 percent, or $579,013, less than the fiscal 2012 budget.

Hogan’s proposed fiscal 2013 school budget is $28,715,818.

The School Committee will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at Baird Middle School to discuss the budget request. Final approval of the proposed budget will be by the voters at the May 14 annual Town Meeting.

“I present this budget with reluctance,” Hogan told the School Committee. She said the budget respects the parameters set by town leaders and the concern of taxpayers regarding rising property taxes.

Contracts for next year for administrators and teachers are still being negotiated, Hogan said. She said the budget includes no staff raises.

There are also no fee increases in the proposed budget, she said. Fees for sports, student parking and transportation all will remain the same, she said.

The proposed budget calls for the reduction of 10 teaching positions, a guidance counselor, three teacher aids and two tutors.

Positions that would be reduced at the high school include a family and consumer science teacher, a Portuguese teacher, a guidance counselor and assistant coaches and assistant advisers for clubs, Hogan said.

“I did not cut sports or clubs,” she said, adding, “Activities are part of education.”

Middle school positions that would be cut include a grade six teacher, a reading teacher and a technology teacher. “I left art, physical education and Spanish at the middle school,” Hogan said.

Additional teaching reductions include a grade 2 teacher at Chapin Street School, a kindergarten and grade 1 teacher at East Street School and two tutors at Veterans Park School.

Class size in grades 1 and 2 would go up to 23 or 24 students, Hogan said.

Hogan said two of the town’s elementary schools are projected to have 30 fewer students next year.

School Committee member Michael Kelliher said he wished to thank Hogan for serving as interim superintendent and developing the proposed budget.

Hogan is the retired principal of Baird Middle School.

“You were the right person to have for this,” Kelliher said. “Thank you for your perspective.”

Detective Thomas Foye said the drug problem in Ludlow is the worst he has seen in the 25 years he has been with the police department.

Associated Press

LUDLOW — Parents, grandparents, students and educators jammed the Ludlow High School auditorium Tuesday night to hear what they could do to combat a growing problem with illegal use of prescription pain killers.

Detective Sgt. Thomas Foye said that the abuse of prescription pain killers is becoming a suburban epidemic.

In 2010 there were 23 drug arrests by the police department, Foye said. He said that in 2011 the number had risen to 39, a 70 percent increase. The police department is on target to exceed that number in 2012, he said.

Drug addiction leads to an increasing number of house breaks, Foye said. He said that during the month of February there were 15 house breaks in town.

“Ninety-nine percent of house breaks are drug related,” Foye said.

He said the drug problem in Ludlow is the worst he has seen in the 25 years he has been working for the police department.

A lot of parents are in denial that their children use drugs, Foye said. Family members who think a child has a drug problem should beware of a change in a student’s behavior and friends and a neglected appearance.

Parents need to be vigilant around their children to protect them, he said.

District Attorney Mark Mastroianni, who participated in the forum said there is only one way for a drug addict to end up if he does not deal with his addiction — either in jail or dead.

Drug addicts become the world’s best liars, he said, and will rob from family members to get their next fix.

Interim Superintendent Donna Hogan said that parents should not buy alcohol for teen parties and justify it by saying they will take the teens’ keys.

Parents can be jailed and sued for providing alcohol to teens, Mastroianni said.

Hogan suggested that parents in town do what parents in some other communities have done — take a pledge and sign a contract which is published in a book for other families — to have only parties at their homes that are supervised and at which no alcohol is served.

Selectman William Rooney, who helped coordinate the forum, said the drug problem will get worse if parents remain in denial about it.

Rooney said he was very proud that so many community members came out to the forum to take a first step in increasing awareness about the town’s drug and alcohol problem.

School Committee member James Harrington bested colleague Jacob Oliveira in the competition.

Joshua Desforges

LUDLOW - Two School Committee members recently participated in the second annual Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges Fitness Challenge.

School Committee member James P. “Chip” Harrington, 44, said he bested School Committee member Jacob Oliveira, 25, in the physical fitness challenge.

“I beat him last year, but this year he beat me,” Oliveira said.

“Score one for the old guys,” Harrington said.

The physical fitness challenge is organized by Ludlow High School Attendance Officer Thomas Cote to raise money for a scholarship in memory of Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in May 2010.

This year there were 43 participants in the challenge which was held in the Ludlow High School gymnasium.

The challenge, which lasts an hour, consists of military push-ups, pull-ups, squats and abdominal workouts, Oliveira said.

After two half hour rounds of competition, those who are left standing, which this year was 19 participants, compete in a final round of pull-ups.

“I did not make it,” Oliveira, who described himself as a sporadic athlete, said.

Harrington said he trains full-time ever since he had neck surgery in 2010.

The winner of this year’s contest was Ryan Wytas, a junior at Ludlow High School, and Jennifer Maurer, a second grade elementary teacher at East Street School.

“The contest was worthy of our Marine,” said Cote, a Marine veteran who was a mentor to Desforges at Ludlow High School.

At this year’s fitness challenge nearly $10,000 was raised for the Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges Memorial Fund which will award $500 to $1,000 scholarships to Ludlow High School graduates.

Harrington said the scholarships are not only available to those going on to college.

“You could be passionate about being a plumber, a member of the military, or an actor,” Harrington said, and apply for the scholarship.

He said the Desforges family will award the scholarships to Ludlow High School graduates..

Scholarship applications are due by April 30. The applications are available through the Guidance Department at Ludlow High School.

Mugs honoring Desforges also are being sold to benefit the scholarship fund. They cost $20 and are for sale at Our Town Variety, Ludlow High School and by calling Cote at 413-427-9079.

Hogan said she presented the budget reluctantly.

LUDLOW - The school district has many needs which the proposed fiscal 2013 School Department budget will not be able to address, Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan told the School Committee.

Hogan’s proposed fiscal 2013 school budget is $28,715,818, which is $579,013 less than the fiscal 2012 budget.

Hogan said the budget respects the parameters set by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee and the concern of taxpayers regarding rising property taxes.

Nevertheless, Hogan said she presented the budget “with reluctance.”

“I would rather be talking about the school district’s needs,” Hogan said.

She said the budget does not address the needs to update textbooks or to provide additional professional development support for teachers.

The budget does not address the condition of school buildings or the lack of computer technology in the district’s schools.

“Only Veterans Park School has wireless,” Hogan said. She added, “All of our schools should have wireless.”

Hogan said she proposed cutting a Portuguese teacher at Ludlow High School for students in grades 9 and 10 because of budget constraints.

She added that the school district should be adding language teachers so the high school could offer Chinese, Arabic and Latin like some other school districts are doing.

Hogan said students have expressed interest in adding field hockey and indoor track teams, and she added, “These are difficult economic times.”

“We understand that these are difficult economic times for taxpayers,” Hogan said.

She said that ten years ago one in 10 students in the school district were on free or reduced lunch.

Now, 30 percent of students in the school district qualify for free or reduced lunch, Hogan said.

“We respect the parameters set by the town’s leaders,” Hogan said, and the concerns of the taxpayers.

She said that 50 percent of the School Department personnel live in Ludlow and are paying taxes.

John DaCruz and Linda Stec DiSanti are also running for the post.

Thomas M. Ashe

SPRINGFIELD – City Councilor Thomas M. Ashe is running for Hampden Superior Court Clerk.

Ashe, a Democratic candidate, said Thursday he has submitted over 1,250 signatures to the Springfield office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Ashe said he is grateful to his supporters “for their diligence in completing the signature portion of the campaign.”

“I am fortunate to be surrounded by a great group of family and friends that worked very hard in collecting the necessary signatures,” he said.

Ashe is a lifelong resident of Springfield, currently in his second term on the City Council after serving 10 years on the School Committee.

Ashe said his 18 years in the correctional field is the “motivator” for his run for clerk.

“Having spent 10 years at the Hampden County House of Correction, many as a supervisor in the classification department specifically in the area of sentence computation, and currently as the director of a community corrections program for the Worcester County sheriff, I have a wealth of experience in working with judges, attorneys, probation officials and district attorneys,” he said.

“Hitting the ground running and evaluating the operation of the clerk’s office is critical in determining the effectiveness of the office going forward,” Ashe said.

He said the steady flow of cases through Hampden Superior Court, one of the busiest in the state, is what the people of the county expect.

Ashe said strong relationships with the local legislative delegation is a key component in advocating for the needs of the office.

“Having worked in public life for 15 years, I have forged strong relationships with members of the general court that will be important as I analyze the funding requirements of the clerk’s office,” Ashe said.

He said the public demands open and efficient government and he will ensure that is the practice of the clerk’s office.

Ashe said annually overseeing and approving municipal budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars, this year over $500 million, has prepared him to look at all areas of operating budgets to determine cost effectiveness.

Ashe is a graduate of Cathedral High School and Assumption College in Worcester.

He is a former board member of the Carew Street Boys Club and the Zoo at Forest Park.

Two other Democrats have announced they are running for the clerk post, which will be left vacant as current clerk Brian P. Lees is not seeking reelection.

Ashe become the third person to announce a run for the position.

One is lawyer and former Ludlow selectman John DaCruz; the other is Linda A. Stec DiSanti of Chicopee, legal administrator/office manager at DiSanti Law Offices in West Springfield.

Nomination papers must be turned in to the Secretary of State’s Office by May 29. But May 1 is the last day for candidates to submit signatures to city and town election offices for certification of signatures.

Students want to save a Portuguese language program and a technology program.

LUDLOW — Parents, students and teachers Thursday complained about the cuts which have been proposed under the fiscal 2013 School Department budget.

Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan’s proposed school budget is $28,715,818, which is $579,013 less than this year’s school budget. Hogan said the budget respects the parameters set by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee and the concerns of taxpayers that property taxes have risen too fast.

At a Thursday's School Committee meeting, community members said that some of the staffing cuts that have been proposed would be a mistake.

Heather Goncalves, a science and technology coordinator at Baird Middle School, called the cut of a technology teacher at the middle school “a step in the wrong direction for Ludlow.”

“This means that some students will have no technology education,” she said.

She said middle school students own smart phones and they need education about computers, the Internet and social media.

Steven Talbot, a senior at Ludlow High School, said his technology courses at Baird Middle School are his best memories of middle school. Cutting the technology course for sixth- or seventh-graders would be “a huge loss to the school system,” Talbot said.

The School Committee on Thursday also received a 156-signature petition from high school students opposing the proposed cut of a Portuguese language teacher at the high school. Many students in Ludlow are of Portuguese descent, and one parent said the students should have the chance to learn about their culture.

School Committee member Jacob Oliveira said it would be a mistake to cut a guidance counselor position at Ludlow High School.

The clerk who makes copies for teachers also does an important service for the high school, he said.

Hogan’s proposed budget calls for the reduction of 10 teaching positions, a guidance counselor, three teacher aids and two tutors.

“The real issue is the lack of revenue,” Oliveira said.

School Committee member James Harrington praised parents for paying attention to the proposed budget cuts and for taking the time to come to the School Committee meeting.

School Committee members say they will not vote on a final budget until after the state finalizes its state aid figures to the town.

The fire apparently started in the dryer, Ludlow Fire Chief Mark Babineau said.

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonA firefighter works on a fire at 46 Haviland St. in Ludlow on Tuesday night.

LUDLOW — Firefighters responded to a basement fire Tuesday at 46 Haviland St. around 8:30 p.m.

All of the home occupants escaped unharmed, Ludlow Fire Chief Mark Babineau said.

The fire apparently started in the dryer, Babineau said. He said when firefighters arrived, the fire was confined to the basement and firefighters were able to put it out before it spread.

He said the rest of the house suffered heat and smoke damage. The extent of structural damage won't be known until fire officials can go back in after the smoke clears, and the occupants would not be able to stay in the house tonight, Babineau said.

The street was blocked off as fire and utility crews worked.

The School Department is on target to cut 13 teachers next year, Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan said.

LUDLOW — School Committee members appeared before the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night and said they would not have sufficient funds to pay their share of a school resource officer in next year’s school budget.

Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan said she has had to cut nearly $600,000 from the School Department budget to stay within the parameters given by the Board of Selectmen. She said the School Department would be cutting 13 teachers next year and would not be able pay for half the school resource officer position.

Selectman William Rooney said he was flabbergasted to hear the news after both the School Committee and the police chief agreed to share the cost of the resource officer position.

“I went before 900 people last week and said we would be funding the position,” Rooney said. “It boggles my mind that this is no longer a top priority. I am extremely disappointed.”

Selectmen Chairman Jason Barroso said he cannot believe that out of a $25 million budget, the School Department cannot find $23,000. He said the Police Department is willing to come up with the funds out of a $3 million budget.

Parents, grandparents, students and educators jammed the Ludlow High School auditorium last week to hear what could be done to combat a growing problem with illegal use of prescription pain killers. Detective Sgt. Thomas Foye said the abuse of prescription pain killers is becoming a suburban epidemic.

Drug addiction leads to an increasing number of house breaks, Foye said. He said that during the month of February there were 15 house breaks in town.

“Ninety nine percent of house breaks are drug related,” Foye said.

Hogan said parents need to take responsibility and not buy alcohol for teens and justify it by saying they will take the teens’ keys.

Rooney said one start to solving the problem would be to restore a school resource officer position at the high school

Selectmen said residents cannot afford another large tax increase.

Aaron L. Saunders

LUDLOW - The annual Town Meeting is set for May 14, but at the request of the School Committee, the Board of Selectmen has agreed to delay action on the budget until a later date in June.

Selectman Aaron Saunders made a motion at the Tuesday selectmen’s meeting to delay action on the town budget until a later date in June when state aid figures are more firmly set.

Saunders said there is a chance that unrestricted local aid from the state to the town may increase by $180,000 and that there may be a slight increase in Chapter 70 state aid to the schools as well.

In line with the parameters set by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan has proposed a fiscal 2013 school budget of $25.4 million which is $579,000 less than the fiscal 2012 school budget.

She said the budget will require the reduction of 10 teaching positions and a guidance counselor which she called “a big number.”

Selectman William Rooney said the school budget is losing grant money, and federal stimulus funds to the schools are no longer there.

Residents faced a 7 to 8 percent increase to their tax bill this year, Rooney said. He said the taxpayers cannot afford another large tax increase.

Due to a projected enrollment decrease of about 60 students, school officials said four teaching positions would be reduced next year.

But they said the other proposed cuts in teaching positions which include a Portuguese language teacher at the high school and a science and technology teacher at the middle school will be missed.

“What about the taxpayers?” Rooney asked.

He added, “The taxpayers need relief.”

Selectman Manuel Silva said he hopes it is not true that the Portuguese language program is being cut at the high school.

Hogan said she knows taxpayers are getting by with less money, and for that reason she did not propose increasing student fees for busing, student parking and participation in sports programs.

Rooney said school officials should take their request for increased funds to voters at the Town Meeting.

“Town Meeting approves the budget,” Rooney said. “That’s the process.”

The 24-foot-wide road with a sidewalk would be completed when the planned assisted living facility at the former state school site is done.

By JIM RUSSELL

BELCHERTOWN – Town Meeting approval of a $1.25 million roadway bond is the key to finally unlocking the full economic potential of the remaining 60 acres of land and buildings that for years have stubbornly resisted development efforts at the former Belchertown State School, local officials said at a public hearing Wednesday.

The town’s willingness to build a new road attracted a private company that has agreed to clean up the environmental mess at a portion of the land on its own dime.

To date, the Patrick administration has refused to release any money from a $10 million bond approved by the legislature to clean up the remainder of the former state property. The pollution occurred when the state owned the property.

Concerns about cleanup costs and the attendant liability have thwarted efforts to attract private development, and frustrated town officials who want the land sold so it can be placed on the tax rolls.

According to an arrangement with the town and Weston Solutions Inc., the company will spend $2 million of its own money to remove the four buildings contaminated with lead paint and asbestos at an 11-acre parcel known as Pad 1.

Members of the town-appointed Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corporation said Weston would create at least fifty construction jobs for three years to remediate Pad 1 then build a 150,000-square-foot, 170-unit, assisted living facility that would permanently employ more than 100 in a wide range of positions.

“We have a good strong partner, we have a good development plan,” the development corporation’s chairman William Terry said at the May 2 public hearing sponsored by the board.

The board said Weston has identified a business associate to build the assisted living facility. The company, which would run the housing project, would pay Weston to oversee the construction.

The development board said Weston has asked that the name of their business associate remain confidential until the deal becomes a sure thing. The board did not disclose its name at the hearing

Before the housing is built, a plan calls for the town to spend up to $1.25 million to build a new road leading to the site from Route 202.

The 24-foot-wide road with a sidewalk currently planned on one side would be completed when Weston finishes construction of the assisted living facility, town officials said.

The roadway project also includes drainage work, piping for water and sewer access, and electrical and cable work.

Selectman Ronald Aponte and Town Administrator Gary L. Brougham said the $1.25 million bond voters will be asked to approve at the May 14 annual town meeting includes some initial outlays but would eventually be paid from property tax money, and ultimately cost taxpayers nothing.

They estimate the 15-year payout will cost the town $125,000 the first year, reducing to $75,000 by year 15.

Town officials say that if Weston reneges on its remediation and development promises, no road would get built by the town.

“We are not going to build this highway to heaven and have nothing on the other end,” Brougham said at the hearing.

Aponte said that if Town Meeting approves the roadway bond, Weston is expected to take title of the 11 acres “within weeks.” Because of the pollution on the property, and the $2 million cost estimate to clean it, the development board said the land currently has a “negative value.”

Although few attended the May 2 public hearing, residents Max Bock and Fred Fabbo peppered the board with questions at the 90-minute meeting.

They wanted to know what happened to the $10 million promised by the state to remediate the property. The men also reminded the corporation about previous ideas for the site that went nowhere. The corporation is legal owner of the state school land.

Aponte said that success building the assisted living quarters should convince the governor to release the $10 million bond.

The $10 million would be used to clean up the remainder of the property so it can be developed, Aponte said. He said Weston hopes to remediate the remainder of the property using money from the state bond.

Brougham said revenue estimates from the proposed assisted living facility show the town would not lose money building the road. He also pointed to Keystone Commons in nearby Ludlow.

Keystone Commons opened in 2008 on West Street with 90 units. Saying there was a waiting list, the company asked the town for permission to add ten apartments in November, which the Ludlow Planning Board approved the next month.

The Ludlow collector’s office said the town received $170,280.53 in the past year from the property taxes owed and the five-acre parcel is assessed at $10,028,300.

Selectmen suggested that cuts should be considered to the administrative portion of the school budget.

LUDLOW - When the School Committee meets Tuesday it is scheduled to begin prioritizing the cuts it will make if no additional funds become available to the proposed fiscal 2013 School Department budget.

Interim School Superintendent Donna Hogan has proposed a fiscal 2013 school budget of $25.4 million, which she says is $579,000 under the fiscal 2012 spending level due to cuts in grants and federal stimulus money.

School officials are hoping that some additional funds will become available in the form of additional state aid to the town and the schools.

Selectmen told the School Committee the town has to live within its means and taxpayers cannot afford another large tax increase.

Selectmen said School Committee members may have to make their case before Town Meeting if they hope to get additional funds for the School Department budget.

The School Committee has heard from students and parents who object to losing a science and technology teacher at Baird Middle School and a Portuguese language teacher at Ludlow High School.

“We’ll take the issue up Tuesday,” School Committee Chairman Charles D. Mullin said.

Hogan has proposed cutting 10 teachers, a guidance counselor at the high school, three teacher aids and two tutors.

Enrollment in the elementary schools will be down next year by about 60 students, Hogan said. She said many of the cuts will be made through retirements and resignations.

Selectmen Chairman Jason Barroso suggested that administrative costs in the School Department may be too high.

He suggested that school officials consider cutting one of two assistant principal positions at the high school.

Selectman Carmina Fernandes said, “The public is our boss, and they have told us that budgets are out of control.”

Fernandes also suggested that the administrative part of the School Department budget may be too high.

“If you have too many chiefs and not enough Indians, you will lose,” Fernandes said.

She said the School Department budget may need to be streamlined at the administrative level.

One man is believed to have stuffed 31 cans of Red Bull into his coat.

Republican file photo

LUDLOW – Police are reporting two shoplifting incidents of large amount of Red Bull energy drinks over the weekend.

The first happened at about 4:30 p.m. from the Big Y on Center Street. A store manager approached a man who left with a grocery cart with multiple cases of the drink later totaled at $229. When he demanded a receipt, the man fled, leaving the cart behind, Sgt. Daniel Valadas said.

Police are continuing to investigate the theft.

On Sunday police arrested John Sousa, 58, of Ludlow, and charged him with shoplifting 31 cans of Red Bull valued at $70.

A clerk at the Cumberland Farms at 463 Center St. phoned police with a report of a suspected shoplifter putting items into his coat. Police spotted the man walking down the street at about 6 p.m. and asked him to open his coat. When he did one can rolled onto the sidewalk, Valadas said.

Sousa was being held on $140 cash bail and is to be arraigned Monday.

Cynthia Brace's husband claims her death was unnecessary, the result of poor care by jail staffers who placed her in an isolation unit and forced her to withdraw from alcohol and drugs.

SPRINGFIELD — Former prisoners, medical personnel and top administrators at the Hampden County Correctional Center are expected to testify this week during a trial in a lawsuit filed by the husband of a Holyoke woman who died while withdrawing from alcohol and drugs in 2005.

Holyoke Police Dept.Cynthia Brace

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, asserts that negligence by jail staffers caused the death of Cynthia Brace, 41, on Aug. 20, 2005, one day after she was sent to the Ludlow facility after her arrest on drug charges.

Brace’s husband, Cecil, claims his wife’s death was unnecessary, the result of poor care by jail staffers who placed her in an isolation unit and forced her to withdraw from alcohol and drugs.

Defense lawyers maintain that Brace died of natural causes and deny that jail employees contributed to it.

Judge Michael A. Ponsor is presiding over the trial; following opening arguments, jurors were taken by bus to view the Ludlow jail Monday afternoon.

Testimony resumes Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Brace was arrested on Aug. 18, 2005, by Holyoke police and held overnight for arraignment the next day in Holyoke District Court. She arrived at the jail around 5:30 p.m. that afternoon, and was pronounced dead at 12:32 p.m. the next day.

Brace, her husband and two sons had been living with an elderly man in his Memorial Avenue home, but left after the man filed a trespass complaint. Police seized syringes, tourniquets and crack pipes, along with stolen evidence, after searching the home.

They said the Brace family had effectively taken over the elderly man’s home, borrowing large amounts of money and convincing him to move into the basement.

The allegations attracted media coverage, as did Cynthia Brace’s arrest on Aug. 18. Two days later, Brace was pronounced dead after being taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance.

Ponsor told jurors the trial is expected to last less than two weeks.

The incident remains under investigation.

SPRINGFIELD – Police continue to probe an incident Saturday night in Indian Orchard that sent a 26-year-old Ludlow man to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries after he reportedly jumped out of moving vehicle.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said the incident occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m. as Springfield resident Michelle Dugre drove a 2002 Dodge Caravan north on Oak Street. Dugre was involved in a verbal argument with her passenger, Robert Walter. He then pulled the door handle and jumped out.

Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said Monday that Walter was in serious condition at Baystate. His condition Tuesday was not immediately available.

Traffic Officer Vincent Spagnolo is investigating the incident. No citations have been issued.

Authorities spoke to a friend of Stearns', who told him that she sometimes goes to an area off Barker Street known as "The Wall" near the Chicopee River. Watch video

This is an updated version of a a story posted at 1:12 this afternoon.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanRescue personnel respond to steep area off Barker Road in Three Rivers Tuesday morning section to rescue a woman who suffered a possible broken arm and leg after a fall.

PALMER - A 20-year-old Three Rivers woman had a close call after she fell off a cliff and plunged 40 to 50 feet below, possibly breaking several bones.

Danielle Stearns, of High Street, was found by Sgt. Erin Sullivan and Lt. John J. Janulewicz on Tuesday morning, after Stearns's mother called police to report that her daughter had been missing for several days and that she was concerned about her whereabouts.

Police said Stearns also took prescription narcotics with her.

Sullivan spoke to a friend of Stearns', who told him that she sometimes goes to an area off Barker Street in the Three Rivers section known as "The Wall" near the Chicopee River, Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said.

The officers went to check the area, and found the woman's backpack and purse on a large rock overlooking a steep drop.

"We looked over the edge and there she was," Sullivan said.

Frydryk said the woman was 40 to 50 feet below the rock, and described the area as a vertical drop.

"She may have fallen off the rock," Sullivan said, adding the woman may have a broken left arm and broken right leg.

Police said she had been stuck there since 11 p.m. on Monday night. The officers had to be careful as they made their way down to the woman because they did not want to dislodge any rocks and injure her further.

Three Rivers Fire Department was called, in addition to Palmer Ambulance and Ludlow Fire Department. Frydryk said Three Rivers fire used ropes and pulleys to rescue Stearns.

"They did a good job," Sullivan said.

The chief praised his officers for their follow-up and thoroughness in investigating the mother's report about her missing daughter. If not for their actions, Frydryk said the outcome could have been far worse.

Stearns was brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. She was rescued just before noon.

Three Rivers Fire Chief Patrick J. O'Connor said it took about an hour to rescue Stearns because they had to secure cables and pulleys first. He said she could have been sleeping, and rolled off the cliff, or dropped something and fell as she tried to make her way down.

"Just trying to walk down there was treacherous," said O'Connor, adding that the wet leaves made it very slippery.

"She was on the verge of shock," O'Connor said about Stearns. "She told the police she tried to get up and couldn't."

The affordable housing is for low and moderate income families including elderly and veterans.

State officials on Wednesday announced $105 million in state and federal subsidies and tax credits for the construction and renovation of affordable housing projects statewide including nine projects in the region.

Statewide, the funds will target 36 housing developments in 28 communities. Of the 2,196 units, 2,062 will provide affordable housing to low and moderate income working families and individuals including 279 for extremely low income.

In Western Massachusetts, the projects will range from rehabilitating several tornado-damaged buildings in the Six Corners neighborhood that were made uninhabitable by the disaster, to a project in Agawam that will increase affordable housing for formerly homeless veterans.

Aaron Gorstein

In addition, there are affordable housing projects for the elderly.

“Meaningful investments in affordable housing are critical to the Commonwealth’s economic recovery,” said Aaron Gornstein, undersecretary of the state Department of Housing and Community Development. “The Patrick-Murray administration’s continued commitment to providing quality housing opportunities for low-to-moderate income households is creating jobs and supporting hard-working families as they put down roots here in Massachusetts.”

Gov. Deval L. Patrick, in a prepared statement, said that creation of affordable housing “helps to generate jobs, grow local businesses and strengthen our communities.”

State officials estimate the projects will lead to the creation of 3,000 construction jobs across Massachusetts.

The seven projects in the region will receive a total of $13.7 million in state subsidies from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, and $3.7 million in state and federal low-income housing tax credits. The local projects are as follows:

• Agawam: Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Village, involves $2,715,000 in subsidies, and $544,657 in tax credits to renovate the former Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy into 54 units of housing for formerly homeless veterans.

• Amherst: Olympia Oaks, HAP Inc., involves $2,715,000 in subsidies and $1.1 million in tax credits to create 42 units of affordable family housing including eight for extremely low income households.

• Easthampton: Cottage Square. Arch Street Development will use $2.5 million in subsidies and $981,271 in tax credits to create 50 units of affordable family units, including five for extremely low income.

• Ludlow: Stevens Memorial Senior Housing. HAP Inc. will use $2.7 million in subsidies to create 28 units of affordable elderly housing including seven for extremely low income.

• Orange: Dial Self Orange Teen Housing. Franklin County Dial Self, Inc. will use $1.3 million in subsidies to preserve nine units of affordable housing for Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care program.

• Springfield: Six Corners-Center City Housing. Better Homes Inc. will use $1 million in subsidies and $1.1 million in tax credits to preserve 43 units of affordable housing and five units for extremely low income residents.

• Westhampton: Woods Senior Housing Phase II: Hilltown Community Development Corp. will use $800,000 in subsidies to create eight units of affordable housing for seniors, including two units reserved for extremely low income households.

School officials said they will have to cut 15 positions next year including 10 teachers, a guidance counselor, two teacher aids and two tutors to stay within the guidelines set by selectmen.

LUDLOW - School Committee members have decided to seek a special meeting with the Finance Committee after selectmen said they will not support additional funds for the fiscal 2013 School Department budget.

School officials said their proposed $25.4 million is $579,000 less than the fiscal 2012 school budget.

Selectmen said residents faced a 7 to 8 percent increase in their tax bill this year, and they have heard from residents that they cannot afford another large tax increase.

Jacob R. Oliveira

School officials said they will have to cut 15 positions next year including 10 teachers, a guidance counselor, two teacher aids and two tutors to stay within the guidelines set by selectmen.

At Tuesday’s School Committee meeting, School Committee member Jacob Oliveira said that now that all federal stimulus funds have been used up, the School Department budget is no longer sustainable without additional help from the town.

Oliveira said the School Department lost 11 positions in 2009, five positions in 2010-11 and eight positions in 2011-2012 for a total of 25 positions.

“The School Department has made cuts,” he said.

Oliveira said the School Department has state mandates it has to fund such as special education mandates and providing bus transportation for students who live more than two miles from school.

“Even if there are only a few students on the bus, we still have to provide the bus,” Oliveira said.

School Committee member James P. Harrington said he understands that all sectors, including residents, “are feeling the pinch,” partly because of increased fuel charges.

He said, however, that the School Committee should seek a meeting with the Finance Committee to seek support for additional School Department funds.

Some additional state aid is expected to become available to the town, he said.

There could be an additional $100,000 in state aid to the schools and $300,000 additional aid to the community, school officials said.

Harrington said that as well as meeting with the Finance Committee, school officials should some additional public hearings to explain the proposed School Department budget to taxpayers and seek their support for additional funds at Town Meeting.

The annual Town Meeting is Monday, but selectmen have said they will delay voting on all budget articles until sometime in June.