The scholarships were made possible by an anonymous donation of $30,000 to Holyoke Community College to assist students who suffered financial hardship because of the Massachusetts tornado.

HOLYOKE — The deadline to apply for a special scholarship to assist victims of last year’s tornado has been extended until May 4.

The scholarships were made possible by an anonymous donation of $30,000 to Holyoke Community College to assist students who have suffered financial hardship as a result of the June 1, 2011, tornado. To be eligible, students must be either accepted or currently enrolled at HCC and a resident of one of the following communities: Agawam, Brimfield, Charlton, Monson, Oxford, Springfield, Sturbridge, Westfield, Wilbraham, or West Springfield. Scholarship awards will range from $500 to $3,000 per student.

Applications are available at hccscholarships.org.

Applicants will be required to write a short essay describing how the tornado affected their lives and how the scholarship would be used to achieve their educational goals. They must also submit a claim letter from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) or the Red Cross or a copy of the First Report of Claim from their insurance company.

For more information, contact Erica Broman, vice president of institutional development, at (413) 552-2747 or Keith McKittrick, director of development, at (413) 552-2746.

The trial is playing out in the same courtroom where three defendants were convicted on parallel charges last year. The jury in that case came back in four hours after three weeks of testimony.

May 3, 1993: Adolfo "Al" Bruno (center) talks with attorneys during a recess in his trial in the hallway of the Hampden County Superior Court. [Photo Credit: Republican file photo]

Republican file photoEmilio Fusco

NEW YORK - Jurors in the murder trial of Longmeadow gangster Emilio Fusco began deliberations Tuesday morning after eight days of testimony and arguments.

Fusco, 43, is accused of five criminal counts including a racketeering conspiracy prosecutors say lasted 10 years and included the 2003 murders of Springfield, Mass., Mafia boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno and low-level associate and police informant Gary D. Westerman.

Fusco has denied involvement in the murders and has rebutted arguments by the government that he fled to his native Italy in 2010 to avoid prosecution in this case. He was arrested by Italian authorities in a small village on the Amalfi Coast four months after he boarded a flight from the United States. However, his lawyer told jurors Fusco was delayed by his ailing mother's health and an Icelandic volcanic eruption that interrupted European air travel.

Fusco is said to have been a rising star in the Springfield faction of the New York-based Genovese crime family, and a made member since the 1990s. Prosecutors and witnesses have told jurors that Fusco pushed an initiative to get permission to kill Bruno and provided the shooter with a gun. There also was testimony that Fusco was among four men who shot and bludgeoned Westerman to death, then buried his body in a yard in Agawam, Mass.

Fusco's lawyer, Richard B. Lind, said in his closing statement on Monday that the prosecution's case rested almost solely on liars and "government rats," and that the evidence against his client was flimsy, beyond that.

The trial is playing out in the same courtroom where three defendants were convicted on parallel charges last year. The jury in that case came back in four hours after three weeks of testimony.

Fusco faces up to life in prison if convicted of the murders.

The funding includes $65,000 to the town of Monson to hire a disaster recovery manager.

The Republican file photo | Michael S. Gordon06.02.2011 | SPRINGFIELD — Badly damaged houses on Pine Street Court following the tornado that ripped through Springfield.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick announced Tuesday that an additional $520,000 in state funds is being provided to communities that were in the path of last June’s tornadoes, with the bulk of the funds targeting house repairs for uninsured and under-insured homeowners.

The funds are being awarded through $15 million in emergency response funds included in a supplemental budget approved by the state Legislature and signed by Patrick.

Of the $520,000, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission was chosen to oversee $425,000 in home repair funds, with a maximum benefit of $15,000 per household, according to the governor’s office and the state Department of Housing and Urban Development. Homeowners in the nine tornado-impacted communities can receive the funds to make repairs to damage not covered by insurance or other resources.

In addition, $65,000 will support the hiring of a disaster recovery manager in Monson. Monson will hire the manager to aid the town’s rebuilding effort including coordinating state, federal and nonprofit resources, aiding with plans and working with residents and businesses to identify local needs and opportunities, officials said.

The state funding also included $30,000 for Springfield Partners for Community Action for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. The program provides tax preparers to assist low and moderate income people with their income tax returns, as many lost crucial paperwork in the tornado needed to complete their taxes. The funds should help about 400 households.

“We are committed to helping our communities rebuild better and stronger than before,” Patrick said. “We won’t stop working on our long-term recovery efforts until every family and business receives the assistance they need to get back on track.”

The funding targets Agawam, Brimfield, Monson, Springfield, Westfield, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Southbridge and Sturbridge.

“We are very grateful for these funds as we continue to move forward in the rebuilding process to assist those who were affected by the June 1 tornado,” said state Rep. Michael J. Finn, D-West Springfield.

State Rep. Brian Ashe, D-Longmeadow, said the funding is “a perfect example of our tax dollars working for our constituents.”

James Mazik, deputy director of operations for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said the agency can adapt its existing housing rehabilitation operations to ensure that homeowners in need can obtain the aid “in a timely, efficient and effective manner.”

The state has previously provided millions of dollars to communities affected by the tornadoes, including funds for initial public safety, housing and debris removal assistance, and support to homeowners and businesses, the governor’s office stated. The prior assistance included $4.4 million for individual assistance and $16.5 million in Small Business Administration funds.

The city will soon have two public access television channels.

The Republican | Sandra E. ConstantineAgawam High School Principal Steven P. Lemanski (left) and Ann E. Flynn, school system information technology specialist, in front of equipment that will help broadcast channel 12, a new local access television channel.

AGAWAM — Channel 12, a new public access television channel specializing in the school district, will debut Thursday.

The channel is a project of the city, the Agawam Public Schools, Comcast and the Agawam Cable Television Commission. Agawam will continue to have channel 15 as the city’s main community access channel and plans are also in the works to increase its scope.

The new channel will provide programming that will highlight the school district’s activities and education in general, according to Ann E. Flynn, school system information technology specialist. She said the new channel will include a scrolling bulletin board that will keep people informed about various activities and events in the school district.

It will feature such programming as "Cooperative Kids," a series put together by nationally recognized producer Bill Corbett. The program specializes in helping parents improve their relationships with their children, according to Flynn.

The new channel will also provide parents with such information as to how to open an Edline account, a communications portal that lets them learn about their children’s grades, assignments and academic progress.

“We’re really excited about this. It just gives us more cable time to showcase educational resources. It is just wonderful we have this opportunity,” Flynn said. “We hope to expand it to include different things like student artwork.”

The channel can also offer information about such things as before- and after-school programs as well as the district’s early childhood program, according to Flynn.

Programs for both channels will be broadcast from a new video production studio at the high school.

Agawam High School Principal Steven P. Lemanski said the new channel will give students more opportunities to get hands-on experience in broadcasting.

Flynn said the school district is eager to get feedback about the new channel from residents. Comments may be emailed to channel12@agawampublicschools.org or phoned in to 726-1640. People wanting to comment on channel 15 may email feedback to channel15@agawam.ma.us or call 726-2833.

The occasion was the annual Community Based Juvenile Justice Project Task Force meeting at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

Photo by Mark Murray / The RepublicanGinger Pisani speaks Friday about her husband being killed in a violent crash six years ago

SPRINGFIELD – Ginger Pisani told a crowded conference hall Friday she was first filled with anger, even hatred, for the person whose driving killed her husband six years ago.

But speaking to groups of young people about what driving distracted, drunk, or otherwise impaired can do has given her “a sense of peace,” she said.

The occasion was the annual Community Based Juvenile Justice Project Task Force meeting at the MassMutual Center.

Pisani spoke about her work with Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s Safe Driver Education Program.

A little later in the program students on Youth Advisory Board – created by Mastroianni in November – reported back, though graphics and their own words, on their findings on such topics as school climate and youth violence.

Ginger Pisani’s husband Joseph Pisani, a counselor for Longmeadow schools, was killed Oct. 18, 2006, on Route 20 in Westfield when a car driven by 25-year-old Jason B. Cook of Southwick crashed head-on into his car.

Cook was sentenced to 3½ to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter from the crash.

“What’s hard for me is seeing the pain this has caused my children,” Pisani said.

Speaking to area high schools as part of the safe driver program “has given me a voice,” she said. “I know that’s what Bob would have wanted.”

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanDorothea Polk speaks at youth conference Friday.

Kathleen O’Connor, a victim witness advocate in the Hampden District Attorney’s office for 23 years, said she has seen a steady stream of families coming in seeking justice for their loved ones.

She said under the safe driving program, presentations have been made at 18 schools.

The Youth Advisory Board is made up of three regional components and each took the stage in turn.

The Central region took on the issue of “school climate,” what makes it good and what makes it bad.

Chicopee High School student Dorothea Polk said most students feel most comfortable talking with teachers rather than administrators.

“The higher the figure, the more trust issues there are,” she said.

Danielle Lessard of Sabis International Charter School gave a listing of students who struggle the most.

It included students who: don’t have much family support; have disabilities; come from households in poverty; have a language or culture outside the majority; or are not involved in extra-curricular activities.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanDanielle Lessard talks about struggling students during the task force meeting.

The Western region took on the issue of youth violence.

Agawam High School student Tim Provost said elementary school can bring exclusion or mean jokes, and is a place where often bullies and victims are identified early and “they understand it as their role.”

It is in Middle School when physical fights usually start, when the Internet is a bigger issue, when the jokes get meaner.

Sheena Tritscher of Westfield Vocational High School said gossip and rumors are a big factor in school life and are especially difficult to handle in small schools.

“You’ll read stuff on Facebook,” she said, and then people will be talking about it in school.

Retired Agawam High School Band Director Darcy B. Davis Jr. has had a long, distinguished career directing musical groups as well as playing the bugle.

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanAgawam resident Darcy B. Davis Jr., who is being honored by the Buglers Hall of Fame, poses with his bugles.

AGAWAM - Former high school band leader Darcy B. Davis Jr. is about to add another honor to his long list of achievements with his being named to the Buglers Hall of Fame.

The 85-year-old Davis is due to be inducted into the Buglers Hall of Fame during a ceremony April 21 at the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport, Conn.

“It doesn’t come to many,” Davis said of the honor during a recent interview at the Senior Center, where he runs a music room chock full of recordings, sheet music and other memorabilia.

Davis said the hall takes in only seven new members a year. According to information on its Web site, the Buglers Hall of Fame’s mission is to “preserve, promote and perpetuate the art of bugling by recognizing and honoring those who have displayed superior performance skills, and have demonstrated valuable and significant long term influence on the art of bugle performance by their example to or mentoring of others.”

A bugle is a valveless brass instrument that resembles a trumpet and is frequently used for military calls.

The honoree, who was the Agawam High School band director from 1955 to 1990, started getting drum corps experience at the age of 12 with the Royal Blue Pioneer Boy Scout Drum Corps in North Adams. Davis also played in that community’s VFW Junior Corps. During high school, he became a bugler as needed.

Davis joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 and became his battalion’s bugler while in pre-cadet training at the Massachusetts State College. He was later asked to start a band with the cadets and became its director.

After graduating from Williams College in 1948, Davis went on to teach at Tabor Academy in Marion as well as at Bennington (Vt.) High School and Junior High School before coming to work in Agawam.

While teaching at Tabor Academy, Davis became part of Norman Prince’s band and Scotty Chappell became a mentor and close friend. Norman Prince would win five VFW titles and be named Corps of the Decade (1950s) by the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Representing the corps in Chicago in 1950, Davis was named national soprano champion and again in 1953 in Milwaukee.

Over the years he directed many groups and won many more honors. Among his accolades were being elected to the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1962, the Agawam High School Band represented Massachusetts at the world premier of the movie “The Music Man.” Warner Brothers chose one band from every state to take part in the event.

Davis also judged numerous drum corps competitions on the national level, including the CYO Nationals, the VFW Nationals and the U.S. Open. He judged the New York City Israel Day and the Atlantic City Miss America Parades.

After retiring from Agawam High School, Davis had the honor of having the band room at the high school dedicated to him.

Davis headed up a special concert and parade for Agawam’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2005.

The woman was shot once; she was brought to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. Her condition was not available.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – An Agawam Police cruiser.

An update to this story was posted at 10:05 p.m. Saturday

AGAWAM – A 21-year-old woman was shot accidentally by a police officer who was responding to her 911 call at her apartment at 238 Maple St. for what was believed to be a breaking and entering and possible domestic dispute.

Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said the incident happened at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. The apartment complex is Elizabeth Manor.

When police arrived at the address, they heard breaking glass and loud voices and became concerned as they were trying to gain entry into the apartment, he said.

As the officers were readying themselves to get enter the apartment, one officer’s gun went off, and the woman was shot, Mastroianni said.

He is not releasing the name of the woman or where she got shot. He said she was shot once and treated at the scene by the officers then brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He described the shot as “non-fatal.” Her condition was not available.

Mastroianni is not releasing the name of the officer who shot the woman. Agawam police said the incident remains under investigation.

Mastroianni said a male suspect fled out the back door after the shooting, but was apprehended after. Police are still investigating whether or not he will be charged. His name also has not been released.

State police also were called to the scene. The incident is now under investigation by Agawam police, Massachusetts State Police and District Attorney’s Office.

According to an Agawam police statement, "As police entry was made, the weapon of one of the responding officers was discharged. The bullet struck a female party within the apartment."

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonThe scene at Elizabeth Manor Apartments at 238 Maple St. Agawam police accidentally shot a woman there will responding to a domestic call.

This is an update of a story originally posted at 4:17 p.m.

AGAWAM – Agawam police accidentally shot a 21-year-old woman in her apartment early Saturday in a complex off Maple Street as they responded to a 911 call for a break-in and possible domestic assault, officials said.

The incident happened at about 4:30 a.m. in an apartment at Elizabeth Manor Apartments, 238 Maple St. The woman, whose name was not disclosed, suffered what police described as a non-fatal wound, but officials would not specify that injury.

She was being treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Her condition was not able to be determined Saturday evening.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said that according to the briefing given to him by Agawam police, officers arrived on scene and could hear breaking glass and shouting from inside the apartment.

He said as the officers were readying themselves to enter the apartment, one officer’s gun went off, and the woman was shot.

She was struck once and treated at the scene by the officers before being taken to Baystate.

Mastroianni is not releasing the name of the officer who shot the woman.

The district attorney said a male suspect who fled out the back door after the shooting was apprehended. Police are investigating whether or not he will be charged. His name also has not been released.

According to a two-paragraph press statement issued by the Agawam police, officers arrived and could hear yelling and noise inside. “As police entry was made, the weapon of one of the responding officers was discharged. The bullet struck a female party within the apartment causing a non-fatal injury,” the statement reads.

The names of the officers responding to the call were not released, nor was the identity of the officer discharging the weapon.

The Massachusetts State Police assigned to Mastroianni’s office responded to the scene, as did the state police ballistic unit. The investigation is being conducted by the Agawam police, the state police and Mastroianni’s office.

A caller who contacted The Republican and identified himself as Robert Connell, a spokesman for the family of the wounded woman, said she is the single mother of two children and is expecting a third. He said the shot shattered her jaw.

Officials could not be reached to confirm Connell’s statements.

Elizabeth Manor Apartments off Maple Street is an L-shaped apartment complex.

Residents at the complex declined to comment. One woman who said she was the wife of the assistant manager told a reporter he was on private property and had to leave.

The shooting is the third in the area in less than a month involving law enforcement officers. Each involved officers responding to reported domestic disturbances.

On April 7 at 2 a.m., Westfield police responding to domestic disturbance at 128 Elm St. shot and killed 28-year-old Douglas Gusto, of Southampton, after Gusto stabbed an officer in the leg. Officials said the shooting appeared justified, although the district attorney’s office is investigating.

One week later on April 13 at 7:45 a.m., state and Chicopee police were involved in a shoot-out with a heavily armed man barricaded in the 102 West St. apartment of his estranged girlfriend while firing upon passing pedestrians and vehicles. One state trooper and a civilian passer-by were wounded.

The gunman, Carlos A. Gonzalez-Laguer, 41, of Springfield, was later found dead in the apartment. An autopsy revealed he took his own life after having been wounded by police. The district attorney is investigating the case.

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Springfield firefighters search for North End Bridge jumper.

Springfield Fire DepartmentSPRINGFIELD Springfield firefighters search for man who jumped off the North End Bridge Sunday morning.

This is an update of a story posted at 9:20 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD- A variety of agencies will continue to monitor the Connecticut River after firefighters failed to locate a man who jumped off the North End Bridge around 4 a.m. Sunday.

The man was running from police when he jumped. It is not known exactly why he was running, Lt. John Slepchuk said.

Firefighters from Springfield, West Springfield, Longmeadow and Agawam searched in boats for at least three hours, Dennis G. Leger, aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant, said.

It is unclear whether the man escaped or drowned. A body has not been found, officials said.

The investigation, conducted by police ahd the Hampden District Attorney's office, is ongoing,

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonThe scene at Elizabeth Manor Apartments at 238 Maple St. Agawam police accidentally shot a woman there will responding to a domestic call.

AGAWAM - The officer who accidentally shot a 21-year-old woman while responding to a domestic disturbance at Elizabeth Manor Apartments early Saturday has been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Lt. Richard Light said it’s standard procedure to place any officer involved in such a shooting on paid administrative leave.

Light declined to comment any further on the case save to say that the investigation is ongoing. It is being conducted by Agawam police and Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s office.

Investigators have yet to identify the officer or the woman.

A 911 caller summoned police for a breaking and entering and possible domestic dispute at an apartment in the 238 Maple St. complex at about 4:38 a.m.

According to a press statement issued by the Agawam police, officers arrived and could hear yelling and noise inside. “As police entry was made, the weapon of one of the responding officers was discharged. The bullet struck a female party within the apartment causing a non-fatal injury,” the statement reads.

Mastroianni said Saturday that a male suspect fled out the back door after the shooting, but was apprehended. Additional information on that suspect was not available.

Robert Connell, reportedly the woman’s uncle, said she made it through emergency surgery, but will have a long road to recovery.

Connell said the young mother of two is pregnant and recovering at Baystate Medical Center after suffering a gunshot wound to her jaw.

“We expect a thorough and transparent investigation of what happened and we hope no other family has to endure something like this,“ he said.

Officials have been closed-mouth when asked to identify the victim and the police officer involved in an accidental shooting after police responded to a 911 domestic dispute call.

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonThe scene at Elizabeth Manor Apartments at 238 Maple St. Agawam police accidentally shot a woman there will responding to a domestic call.

Updates a story posted Monday at 10:37 a.m.

AGAWAM — The officer who accidentally shot a 21-year-old woman while responding to a domestic disturbance at Elizabeth Manor Apartments early Saturday has been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Meanwhile, neither Agawam police, state police nor Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni Monday would identify either the victim or the police officer who shot her.

Police Lt. Richard Light said it’s standard procedure to place any officer involved in such a shooting on paid administrative leave.

Light declined to comment any further on the case save to say that the investigation is continuing. It is being conducted by Agawam police, Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s office and state police attached to Mastroianni’s office.

Agawam Police Chief Robert D. Campbell referred a reporter to the district attorney and state police for more information.

“They are the primary investigators right now and if they want to release it that is up to them,” Campbell said.

However, Mastroianni said it is up to the Agawam Police Department if it wants to identify the officer.

The district attorney declined to make any identifications, citing privacy concerns. He said he did not know if the victim wants her name released and said it is not customary to give out the names of officers involved in such incidents so early in the investigation.

“When we have collected more information we will release it,” he said, declining to speculate how soon that will be.

In addition, a spokesman at the state police information line also referred a reporter to Mastroianni’s office.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen could not be reached for comment.

The incident happened about 4:38 a.m. at an apartment in the 238 Maple St. complex, according to a press statement issued by the Agawam police. It stated officers arrived and could hear yelling and noise inside. “As police entry was made, the weapon of one of the responding officers was discharged. The bullet struck a female party within the apartment causing a non-fatal injury,” the statement reads.

Robert Connell, who identified himself as the woman’s uncle, said she made it through emergency surgery, but will have a long road to recovery.

Connell said the young mother of two is pregnant and recovering at Baystate Medical Center after suffering a gunshot wound to her jaw.

“We expect a thorough and transparent investigation of what happened and we hope no other family has to endure something like this,” he said.

An examination of the police log shows a “911-domestic dispute” listed at 4:29 a.m. Saturday with the words “services rendered” under action taken. The item also states five units responded to the call.

Staff reporter Sandra E. Constantine contributed to this report

Developers have been hesitant to buy the contaminated former Games and Lanes bowling alley site because of the extent to which it is polluted is not known.

The RepublicanThe site that housed the former Games and Lanes bowling alley, which the city would like to rid of contamination and see redeveloped.

AGAWAM — The city is seeking proposals from brownfields site assessment consultants in its efforts to clean up the polluted property that used to house the former Games and Lanes bowling alley.

“Hopefully, in the near future we can get it clean up and revitalized,” Mayor Richard A. Cohen said Monday of the dilapidated property at 346-350 Walnut Street Extension.

The mayor also said he wants to get the property back on the tax rolls. A total of $31,086 in back real estate taxes dating back to fiscal 2008 are outstanding on the property, according to city records.

Cohen and Debra S. Dachos, city planning and community development director, said there is a developer interested in the property, but declined to release a name.

Dachos said potential developers have been scared away from buying the property because the full extent of contamination from the dry cleaning chemical, trichloralethylene, a hazardous cleaning solvent, is not known.

The mayor said Manfred Tidor, the building’s owner, has spent more than $1 million in recent years to remove contamination. The state Department of Environmental Protection has certified that Tidor no longer has the financial standing to do any more cleanup, Dachos said.

The building was occupied by the uniform rental business Standard Uniform Corp. from 1969 through about the late 1980s, when the uniform company built new quarters on Silver Street. About that time, it leased out the building to Games and Lanes and several other indoor entertainment businesses.

The contamination was discovered in 1989 with the removal of an underground gasoline tank. Tidor worked to clean up the site from 1989 to 2007, according to Dachos.

The building has been vacant since at least 2001, when a small fire and malfunctioning sprinkler system caused between $50,000 and $80,000 in damage to the property.

Dachos said once she gets estimates on the cost of hiring a consultant, she will be able to seek permission from the City Council to apply to MassDevelopment, a state agency, for a grant to do a study of the contamination.

The city has sent out requests for proposals for a study that are due back May 25.

Dachos said the property is not eligible to be cleaned up by the state because there is no evidence the chemical plume, which has contaminated groundwater, is an imminent threat to public health.

The property, which consists of a building on 2.3 acres, has an assessed value of $147,500, according to Assessors Department records.

Young was convicted earlier of charges of operating under the influence in Springfield and Holyoke.

SPRINGFIELD – A 48-year-old Agawam man pleaded innocent Tuesday in Hampden Superior Court to driving under the influence of alcohol, after having had two previous convictions for that same crime.

Brian Young of 89 Harvey Johnson Drive also pleaded innocent to five other charges, all stemming from two crashes in Agawam on May 9, 2011.

Young, who is held on $5,000 cash bail, had previously been arraigned in Westfield District Court and the case has now moved to superior court.

Assistant District Attorney Richard B. Morse said the prosecution alleges on May 9, 2011, Young struck the back of a car at the Agawam South End Bridge rotary and did not stop.

Young is alleged to have gone onto Route 57 and when he tried to exit he rolled his car over.

Police said they observed a large collection of vodka bottles strewn about the crash scene along with an empty and a full beer can.

According to the police report, a bystander stopped to assist Young, who tried to walk away, but the bystander successfully detained him until police arrived.

The two previous convictions listed in the charge of operating under the influence of alcohol as a third offender are one in Springfield in 2006 and one in Holyoke in 1990.

The other charges Young now faces are leaving the scene of a property damage accident, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

Beane's vehicle went off the road and struck a tree and then a wall, officials said.

STURBRIDGE — Carl Beane, the Agawam native who served as the public address announcer at Fenway Park in Boston, died Wednesday in a car accident in Sturbridge.

Beane suffered a heart attacked while driving, according to a press release on the Boston Red Sox website.

Beane, 59, a Holland resident, was pronounced dead at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge a short time after the crash, according to a statement issued by Timothy Connelly of the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

Beane was apparently driving on Holland Road when his vehicle went off the road and struck a tree and then a wall in the area of 233 Holland Road.

There was no one else in the vehicle.

Connelly said golfers from the nearby Hemlock Ridge Golf Course apparently heard the crash and called police at about 12:40 P.M.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has accepted the case. The crash remains under investigation by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, The Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council and Sturbridge Police.

View full sizePhoto courtesy Worcester Telegram & GazetteAuburn and Sturbridge Police investigate the car crash along Holland Road in Sturbridge with a car which seems to be owned by Carl Beane "The Voice of Fenway Park." The car ran into a stonewall near Hemlock Ridge Golf Club. A tow truck driver determines how to extract the suv from the woods. (T&G staff photo | TOM RETTIG)

The Red Sox said they will pay tribute to Beane in pre-game ceremonies on Thursday night before their game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway.

A 1971 Agawam High School graduate Beane, became the Red Sox public address announcer in 2003. He had already been well known to the Red Sox as a radio reporter, known in Western Massachusetts for his work at the eponymously named WARE.

Upon becoming public address announcer, Beane's signature introduction at each game was unchanging. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway Park,'' he greeted each and every crowd.

In Beane, the Red Sox solved what had become a nagging problem of how to balance an entertaining approach with respect for Fenway tradition. Beane was hired on the basis of his resonant voice, but his candidacy was helped by the knowledge of baseball that meant lineup changes or other information rarely caught him by surprise.

Beane's ability to blend those sometimes competing objectives was an outgrowth of a lifetime immersed in the Red Sox.

Beane broadcast Red Sox home games at the 2004 and 2007 World Series. His voice was heard during the movie "Fever Pitch,'' whose themes included the passion of a fictitious Red Sox fan.

Staff Red Sox reporter Ron Chimelis contributed to this report

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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.

Officials have not released the name of the woman, who was described by a family spokesman as a 21-year-old pregnant mother of two shot in the jaw.

Photo by Patrick Johnson / The RepublicanThis was the scene Saturday at Elizabeth Manor Apartments at 238 Maple St., Agawam, after police accidentally shot a woman there while responding to a domestic call.

AGAWAM - Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and the Agawam Police Department are expected to issue a joint statement Thursday regarding the shooting of an Elizabeth Manor woman early Saturday by an Agawam police officer.

Two officers who responded to a 911 call at the complex were placed on administrative leave immediately following the shooting, which Mastroianni characterized as accidental.

Officials have not released the names of the officers or the woman, who was described by a family spokesman as a 21-year-old pregnant mother of two shot in the jaw.

Petrangelo and Officer Thomas L. Forgues, who also responded, are on administrative leave.

The Republican | Patrick JohnsonThe scene at Elizabeth Manor Apartments at 238 Maple St. Agawam police accidentally shot a woman there will responding to a domestic call.

AGAWAM – Investigators have identified the police officer who accidentally shot a 21-year-old woman while responding to a domestic disturbance at Elizabeth Manor Apartments early Saturday as Officer Danielle Petrangelo.

Petrangelo is an 11-year-veteran of the force, according to a release issued Thursday morning by Agawam police.

Petrangelo and Officer Thomas L. Forgues, who also responded to the apartment at 238 Maple St., are both on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, according to the release.

Petrangelo herself was once a victim of domestic abuse. A former boyfriend, Barry P. Syniec, at the time a fellow Agawam police officer, was ordered to serve six months in jail after he was convicted in 2006 of committing aggressive acts against her, according to news reports published by The Republican newspaper.

The police department release states that Petrangelo and Forgues responded to a call, made shortly before 4:30 a.m., regarding a breaking and entry and possible domestic disturbance. While they were outside the apartment, yelling and glass breaking could be heard from inside the apartment, the release states.

“As police entry was being made, the weapon of Officer Danielle Petrangelo was discharged. The bullet struck a female party within the apartment causing a non-fatal injury,” police said.

The suspect who apparently prompted the call for police assistance fled out the back door and has since been located by police, according to the release. That person has not been arrested, Lt. Richard Light said Thursday.

Robert Connell, who identified himself as the woman’s uncle, said she made it through emergency surgery, but will have a long road to recovery.

Connell said the young mother of two is pregnant and recovering at Baystate Medical Center after suffering a gunshot wound to her jaw.

Light said police have no immediate plan to release the name of the victim. “Not for some time,” he said.

Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni has also declined to identify the victim, citing privacy concerns.

State police assigned to Mastroianni responded to the scene along with the Massachusetts State Police Ballistic Unit. It remains under investigation by the Agawam Police Department, state police and Mastroianni’s office.

Syniec was found guilty on Oct. 4, 2006, after a jury-waived trail in Hampden Superior Court, of assault and battery, threatening, and malicious destruction of property involving Petrangelo.

Judge Bertha D. Josephson sentenced Syniec, then 35, to 2 1/2 years at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, but she ordered six months to be served directly, and suspended the balance.

During Syniec’s trial, Petrangelo testified that he drove up to her house uninvited on June 19, 2006 at about 8:30 p.m., and threw eggs, golf balls and beer bottles, and then came onto the porch, where he twisted and broke her cell phone, grabbed and threw her, and threatened to kill them both.

Syniec, who was granted credit for about five months of jail time already served, was also ordered to serve five years on probation, during which he was barred from working in law enforcement or possessing a firearm, and to undergo substance abuse counseling and treatment, and enroll in a batterer’s program.

The crash occurred on April 22 at Mountain Road and South Grand Street.

SUFFIELD – Police have arrested a 22-year-old Feeding Hills woman who allegedly assaulted a volunteer ambulance attendant last month after she lost control of her vehicle and hit a utility pole at Mountain Road and South Grand Street.

Police arrested Samantha Strycharz on Thursday and charged her with assault of public safety/emergency medical personnel and reckless driving, according to a release issued by the department.

The accident occurred on April 22, The release states that Strycharz attacked and injured a Suffield volunteer ambulance attendant.

Her male passenger was also injured and required medical attention.

Strycharz was released on a $6,000 surety bond and will appear in Enfield Superior Court on May 22.

Springfield College awarded 976 diplomas during its undergraduate commencement Sunday morning at the MassMutual Center. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD – Plans are important, Harvard football coach Timothy L. Murphy told Springfield College’s class of 2012 Sunday.

As a coach, he wouldn’t think of heading into a game without a meticulously prepared and highly detailed game plan customized to that week’s opponent.

“If you are going to do that for one game, you had better do that for your life, “ said Murphy, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Springfield College in 1978 and 1979.

Murphy told graduates that just having a plan isn’t enough. Write it down. Then put that plan somewhere where you will see it each and every day.

Today, Murphy is the winningest coach in Harvard football history. But he took graduates back to his days as an underpaid graduate assistant coach at Brown University.

Back then, he had to work a second job, the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift at a Pawtucket, R. I., extrusion mill, just to put a roof over his head and food in his belly. After working at the mill, he would grab some sleep then head to the football offices at Brown.

“That was a grind,” Murphy said. “But you will find that if you want something in life, you are going to have to grind it out.”

Springfield College awarded 976 diplomas during its undergraduate commencement Sunday morning at the MassMutual Center.

It was Springfield College’s 126th commencement

At a graduate-school commencement Saturday, Springfield College awarded 650 master’s degrees, six certificates of advanced graduate study, 13 doctor of philosophy degrees, and 27 doctor of physical therapy degrees. Charles H. Rucks of Springfield, executive director of Springfield Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., was the featured speaker Saturday and received an honorary doctorate.

Springfield College also awarded an honorary degree Sunday to educator Sally M. Griggs of Northampton, a member of Springfield College’s board of trustees since 1999.

Class of 2012 member Christine L. Blanchard of Agawam has already been accepted to one graduate school and has an interview scheduled for another program. Blanchard received her bachelor’s degree Sunday in art therapy.

“I wasn’t that great a student in high school,” Blanchard said. “But here I am, about to graduate with honors. It’s amazing.”

Art therapy, she said, looks at art as a tool to help people improve their lives. That’s why she chose it as a course of study.

Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn took note during his remarks that Sunday was Mother’s Day.

“What better gift to a mother than to be witness to a child or grandchild receiving his or her degree,” Flynn said.

The fox attack, the fourth in a week, injured Gousse as he was outside his Cooley Street home with his baby boy.

FacebookLarry Gousse of Agawam was attacked by a fox as he stood in the driveway of his Agawam home. The fox was killed by Gousse's landlord, who used a shovel to beat the animal.

AGAWAM – An Agawam man was injured after a fox clamped down on his leg and wouldn't let go, prompting people to come his aid and kill the animal.

Larry Gousse is recovering after being bitten on his lower left leg Friday at his Cooley Street home. The fox was killed and its carcass is being tested for rabies, according to officials.

The attack was the region's fourth case involving a fox within a week. A fox was killed after attacking two people and a dog in separate incidents in Pittsfield on May 4. The fox bit a 14-year-old girl, an 84-year-old woman and a dog before it was captured and put down by wildlife officials.

In the Agawam case, Gousse was attacked in broad daylight as he stood in his driveway with his infant son nearby. "It was a really horrific scene. It was terrible," he told abc40 news.

Gousse told 22News that his girlfriend's brother was present at the time of the attack and used a screwdriver to stab the fox. Gousses's landlord also assisted, using a shovel to hit the animal several times before eventually killing it.

Healthy foxes will generally stay away from people. But a fox that behaves erratically or approaches humans may be sick and should be avoided, according to state officials, who are testing the Agawam carcass for rabies.

In the Berkshire County case, animal control officials said they believed the same fox was responsible for all three Pittsfield attacks. The animal was located and shot on May 5, and its carcass was sent to a state lab to determine if it had rabies.

Gousse and the other two victims are undergoing rabies treatment as a precaution. Gousse is "really sore from all the shots," according to a post by his girlfriend on the couple's Facebook page.

Material from 22News, abc40, the Associated Press and The Republican was used in this report.