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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, JULY 20, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 181
“We may well go to the moon, but that’s not very far. The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within us.” — CHARLES DE GAULLE
75 cents
Planning Board slates temporary sign hearing
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Accused Huntington burglar charged with attempted jailbreak By REBECCA EVERETT @GazetteRebecca Daily Hampshire Gazette NORTHAMPTON — A Hampshire County Jail inmate accused of killing a poodle during an Easthampton burglary allegedly made his bid for freedom last month, using parts of a pair of nail clippers to dig through the concrete ceiling of his cell and create a 6-by9-inch hole that opened into a crawl space. Angel Villanueva, 38, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty in Northampton District Court Friday to charges of vandalism and attempting to escape a penal institution. Judge W. Michael Goggins ordered him held on $10,000 bail on the new charges, though Villanueva is already being held in the jail on a total of $40,000 bail on charges related to three break-ins. Villanueva has been in the jail since October awaiting trial. He faces charges related to an Oct. 11, 2014, Huntington housebreak and subsequent police chase, and two September 2014 break-ins in Easthampton — including one in which he allegedly killed the homeowners’ toy poodle. For now, Villanueva is being held in an isolation cell — a 30-day sanction imposed by the disciplinary board at the Hampshire County
“People become desperate, and sometimes that brings about flawed thinking” PATRICK CAHILLANE Hampshire County Jail assistant superintendent
Jail and House of Correction. The board found him responsible for violating numerous jail rules in his attempted break, according to Patrick Cahillane, the jail’s assistant superintendent. Cahillane said he does not know how long Villanueva was allegedly scraping away at the ceiling of his cell — but, he said, “it had to have taken awhile.” Cahillane said no one has ever successfully broken out of one of the cells Villanueva was in, used primarily for pretrial inmates. “It is relatively rare in that most people realize that the cells in that part of the building are pretty well-constructed,” Cahillane said Friday. “But it does happen.” The most common attempted
escape method is to unscrew plates around windows in the cell. But even if they succeed at that, Cahillane said, the inmates then face steel bars on the window. “People become desperate, and sometimes that brings about flawed thinking,” he said. According to court documents prepared by officers at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, Villanueva may have tried to get out through the window, as well as through the ceiling. Officer Mark Butler inspected cell 35 on June 15 and found “several pieces of nail clippers that had been secreted between the window screen and frame.” The clippers had apparently been altered so they could be used to unscrew the “tamper resistant” screws in the screen frame, Butler wrote, and some appeared to be “worn down from scraping.” One of the screws was very loose, the caulking along one side of the window appeared to have been sliced and a 4-inch piece had been removed and then disguised with a white substance, Butler wrote. In the trash, Butler found a cup containing a wet, paste-like substance. “I scanned the ceiling of the cell
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing tomorrow night to hear details of a change to the zoning codes regulating the erection of temporary signs. The zoning change is being proposed by At-large City Councilor Dan Allie. The City Council conducted its hearing on the proposed zoning amendment at its July 2 session. Allie, at the council’s hearing, said the current temporary sign ordinance “discriminates against new candidates and favors incumbents. “The temporary sign ordinance does not define events and it prevents the exercise of free speech,” Allie said. “Candidates who submit nomination papers, with the correct 50 signatures certified (by the City Clerk) should be allowed to erect signs.” The current ordinance limits the erection of temporary signs to “no more than two (2) months prior to the event” and that temporary signs “shall not be displayed more than four (4) months in any calenDAN ALLIE dar year.” Allie said that “yard signs have only one purpose, name recognition. A new candidate needs to achieve 70 percent name recognition by the end of June (prior to a preliminary or general election). Westfield’s sign ordinance prohibits this from happening, without ever explicitly putting it into writing.” See Sign Hearing, Page 3
Rotary ready for Southwick Days SOUTHWICK — Bob Fox, Rotary Fundraising Chair, announced that plans are in place for a weekend of great food and fun. Southwick Days is a three-day event starting on Friday July 24 through Sunday July 26 with all activities being held at the Southwick Recreation Center on Powder Mill Road, Southwick. Fox said the kickoff is Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm with carnival for all age groups, games, vendors, food and beverage. Live music is scheduled for 7:00 pm featuring “Hot Pursuit,” a local classic rock, country, and Southern band. The evening will conclude with a beautiful fireworks display at 9:00 p.m. Saturday kicks off at 3:00 pm with the carnival. Special attraction this year is the return of the Southwick Firemen’s Parade at 6:00 pm departing from the Southwick Town Hall on College Highway proceeding to the Southwick Recreation Center. Live music starts at 7:00 pm featuring the “Charlie Galvin Band,” a local group sharing selections of folk rock, country, country rock, Southern rock, and good ole time rock and roll. With a continuation of the carnival, Sunday will be an eventful day starting at 10:00 am with the Jamie S. Rivera Benefit Car Show. Trophies will be presented for the top 10 cars, best of show, kid’s choice, people’s choice, and staff award. Music will be provided by DJ Art. A Chinese raffle will be available as well as Shriner clowns.
See Jailbreak, Page 3 See Southwick Days, Page 3
Former Vermont transit chief to push train route MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A former Vermont transportation secretary is coming out of retirement to help plan resumption of passenger train service between the northeastern United States and Montreal. Brian Searles, who retired as transportation secretary in December, is returning to state service parttime to deal with the U.S. and Canadian governments on plans to restore Amtrak service on the northern end of a route that last operated in 1994. U.S. federal budget cuts last year halted service north of St. Albans, Vermont, and a train that had See Train Route, Page 3
Walk in the park Visitors enjoy a walk in Stanley Park on Sunday despite heavy humidity and temperatures in the 80's. (Photo by Marc St.Onge)