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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 83 NO. 20
By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – City residents who may wonder about the legitimacy of callers seeking contributions to the Westfield Police Association may rest assured that, although the solicitors are not cops, the money they contribute will stay in the city and benefit charities which look to the police group for support. Officer Mark Carboneau, the president of the association, said that police officers are enjoined by law from asking for donations directly so the association contracts with professional solicitors to raise funds to support the association’s efforts in the community. The support provided by the group which includes officers of all ranks is perhaps most obvious on the jerseys of players in the city’s many athletic leagues but the association also provides support for organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club, the Westfield YMCA, Noble Hospital, the Westfield service units of the Salvation Army and American Red Cross and See Police Support, Page 8
75 cents
Dobelle assistant Salvidio out at WSU Cara Rintala in court. (File photo – WWLP)
Pathologist raises questions By BOB DUNN @BDGazette NORTHAMPTON — A pathologist called in as an expert witness by Cara Lee Rintala’s defense team was grilled yesterday by the prosecution regarding Annamarie Cochrane Rintala’s time of death. Jurors also heard the defense’s criticism of the thoroughness of the investigation into the killing during cross-examination of the lead investigator in the case. Cara Rintala, 47, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in connection with the strangulation death of her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, 37, in the basement of the couple’s Granby home on March 29, 2010. Her first trial on the charge ended with a deadlocked jury and mistrial last March. Testimony in her retrial began Jan. 9. Though the prosecution hasn’t rested its case yet, Dr. Jonathan Arden, a former medical examiner in Washington, D.C., and New York City, was allowed to testify for the defense yesterday to accommodate his sched-
ule. Questioned by Cara Rintala’s attorney, David Hoose, Arden said that, after reviewing the same information provided to now-retired state medical examiner Dr. Joann Richmond, there wasn’t enough information to reliably estimate the time of death. Richmond testified earlier in the trial that Annamarie Rintala was dead six to eight hours or more when her body was found about 7:15 p.m. Arden said the inclusion of “or more” in Richmond’s estimate left it too open-ended to be of much value. He noted that the condition of Annamarie Rintala’s body was relayed to Richmond over the phone, with information provided by paramedics and police who were called to the scene of her death. Arden said first responders’ assertions that her body was stiff and her skin was cold weren’t of much value because those are subjective observations made by people who can See Pathologist, Page 8
YouthWorks Westfield hopes for level funding By Peter Francis Staff Writer BOSTON – This week Governor Deval Patrick announced a $12 million investment in the successful YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program as part of his budget proposal for the fiscal year 2015, a $3 million increase over 2014. YouthWorks gives opportunities to young people from across the Commonwealth seeksing to gain work experience, while simultaneously building stronger and safer communities. “These jobs are essential to providing our Commonwealth’s at-risk youth with a better opportunity for a brighter future, while
reducing youth violence across the Commonwealth,” said Patrick. “I look forward to working with our partners to ensure that YouthWorks remains fully funded this summer.” YouthWorks provides subsidized employment to low-income and at-risk youths between the ages of 14-21 in 31 communities across the Commonwealth. These employment opportunities provide them with job experience, beneficial career skills and a chance to give back to their communities. Since the start of Patrick’s tenure on Beacon Hill, the YouthWorks program has grown from a $4.7 million project in 2007
to a $10 million endeavor last summer. Funding for the program is managed by the Commonwealth Corporation through the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. This year’s proposed funding is set to be the largest investment in the program’s history. In the summer of 2013, 5,175 young people in 31 cities in across the Commonwealth completed summer employment opportunities at a number of sites in western Mass. The fiscal year 2015 investment is projected to serve nearly 6,000 at-risk youths statewide. See YouthWorks, Page 3
Board approves Domus project By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the site plan submitted by Domus Inc., to convert the former American Red Cross Chapter house into efficiency apartments for homeless high school students. The building will be revamped and will have 11 residential units, as well as common areas. Ten of the units will house students and one will be used to house a proctor on the first floor for supervision and security. Domus Executive Director Ann Lentini said that, like all Domus housing, the house will be a structured environment with rules and regulations. Domus offers affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families, the homeless, and the mentally and physically disabled in nine housing buildings around the city, and sought Planning Board approval of a site plan See Domus, Page 3
we can choose our friends.” — Addison Mizner
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014
Police support local charities
“God gives us relatives; thank God,
The former American Red Cross Westfield Chapter building could be a youth lodging house under a plan approved by the Westfield Planning Board Tuesday night. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Nanci Salvidio, an assistant to former Westfield State University President Dr. Evan Dobelle, is no longer in her position at the university. Additionally, Director of Multicultural Affairs & Executive Assistant to the President, Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, is also no longer with the university. Both were reported to have been walked off campus this week by campus personnel. Dobelle resigned Nov. 8, ending a three-month legal battle with trustees and the state Higher Education NANCI Commissioner over what SALVIDIO some considered extravagant spending on travel and other perks. Dobelle defended the spending, saying he was simply promoting the university. Dobelle accumulated charges on Salvidio’s university credit card, incurring thousands in expenses in her name, including personal items such as $875 for a 2011 stay at a five-star London hotel that wasn’t repaid for more than a year, according to an expense report. Westfield State University’s ongoing legal battle against its own president is expected to cost at least $1.2 million. See Dobelle Assistant, Page 3
Medical Marijuana laws sent to Council By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted earlier this week to submit two proposed medical marijuana ordinances to the City Council for its review and action as the June 1, 2014 moratorium deadline approaches. The City Council will adopt some form of the two proposed ordinances the city will eventually use to control medical marijuana facilities in the city and ensure that those facilities comply with state law and standards. The Planning Board began its review earlier this month with the zoning ordinance, which will replace the existing ordinance, Section 4-90 which now prohibits the sale of drug paraphernalia. The revised ordinance has definitions, regulated zoning for dispensaries and marijuana processing facilities, as well as other requirements and provisions. The proposed zoning ordinance would limit dispensaries to the Industrial Zone through site approval processes and in Business B districts by special permit. The board members made several changes Tuesday night to the draft legislation, putting both the site plan approval and special permit review under the Planning Board. The original draft has the site plan approval under the Planning Board and Special Permit review under the City Council. The site plan process would require applicants to “provide adequate and appropriate security measures” and that projects be “designed to minimize any adverse or inconsistent visual or olfactory impacts on the immediate neighborhood” and that applicants are “reasonable capable of meeting all applicable regulations and permitting requirements of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” The special permit process requires applicants to show that a “project is compatible with, and will not have adverse economic effect on surrounding areas, as well as meeting the standards of the site plan
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