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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016
VOL. 85 NO. 63
“Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” — ALBERT EINSTEIN
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Former WSU student security officer killed
Jordan, 7 and Aimee Bell try out the weights and measures in one of the new STEM kits at the Westfield Athenaeum.
Emily, 5 and Alicia Booth play with foam figures in the civil engineering kit.
New STEM kits available for children, parents and teachers at the Athenaeum By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Saturday afternoon, children and their parents were invited to play with the new STEM kits (science, technology, engineering and math) that recently arrived in the Boys and Girls Library at the Westfield Athenaeum, thanks to a grant from the Shurtleff Children’s Services Fund. The three kits, for ages 3 & up, come packed with hands-on activities and a curriculum with research-based lessons aligned with national standards. One kit focuses on 2-D and 3-D shapes, weight, volume and construction. Another has pre-school lessons on civil engineering, and the third introduces the concept of gravity, allowing children to predict, test and observe to develop evidence-based conclusions using the scientific method. Jessica Blasko, head of youth services at the Athenaeum, said the kits are especially useful for pre-school teachers, kindergarten teachers and homeschoolers. They are among 30 early childhood kits now available for the public to check out from the library. Gianna, 6, was building a magnetic maze on a ramp before rolling a marble down it. “We home school,” said her mother, Amy Beluzo. “I think it See Atheneaum, Page 3
Photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Anne Rock of Shurtleff Children’s Services Fund watches as Jordan blows bubbles from the new gravity STEM kit at the Athenaeum.
YMCA holds their 6th annual ‘cook-off’ WESTFIELD (WWLP) – Hundreds attended Saturday’s 6th annual “cook-off” at the Greater Westfield YMCA. They came to assist the YMCA’s range of programs for families. They had also come to help KEVS foundation, named in honor of Kevin Major, the
BRANDON, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida sheriff’s deputy who worked as a traffic crash investigator was killed after his car was hit head-on by a wrongway driver, who also died in the accident. Authorities say Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy John Robert Kotfila Jr. had just left a hospital Saturday where he had been working on an investigation when the crash occurred on the Selmon Expressway. Authorities say the other driver, 31-yearold Erik Thomas McBeth, died at the scene; the 30-year-old deputy died at a hospital. He had worked for the sheriff’s office for six years. The ramp was closed to westbound traffic. Kotfila was being mourned among Massachusetts law enforcement. His father is a longtime member of the Massachusetts State Police and has another child who is a Falmouth police officer.
young athlete who died from a heart problem at the age of 19 almost five years ago while he was swimming. Many who came Saturday were there to raise money for research into heart problems that claim young lives. “I was actually very close to Kevin,”
Monica Hannoush said. “It’s in his memory. He passed away. It was very hard on us, and I know he’s looking down on us today.” Several Westfield restaurants got together to help benefit KEVS foundation, along with helping provide money for various YMCA programs.
Hundreds attended Saturday’s 6th annual “cook-off” at the Greater Westfield YMCA. See additional photos Page 7. (Photos by Lynn F. Boscher)
Russell woman gears up for antique tractor pull By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD – It’s not the speed – it’s the distance – that drives individuals to compete in antique tractor pulling. Elizabeth Massa, a plumber by trade, has been pulling for three years, thanks to an invitation by her neighbor Paul Pappas. Massa will be among the competitors May 15 when the Western Mass. Tractor Pullers Association hosts an event at the Westfield Fairgrounds. “Paul Pappas invited me to a tractor pull three years ago,” she said. “I tried one pull on his 1951 Farmall H and was hooked.” Massa said she was “pretty good” at the start. “I joined the club and have been pulling with the association and at other events like Granby Charter Days and tractor shows ever since,” she said. Massa said she has become known as the “tractor girl from Russell.” “My nickname is Hottie,” she said. “It gets me away from my long stressful working days as a bookkeeper and a licensed plumber.” Massa said she currently is the second place point’s holder in western Massachusetts. The May 15 event starts at 9 a.m. and typically runs until 4 or 5 p.m. “We start with the lowest weight class of tractor, 2,500 pounds, and move heavier See Massa, Page 3