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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“You cannot
find peace by avoiding life.”
— VIRGINIA WOOLF
www.thewestfieldnews.com 75 cents
MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016
VOL. 85 NO. 74
DPW readies for spring By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Department of Public Works is getting the town ready for spring. Street sweeping activities of town roads is set to begin this week and will continue for approximately two to three weeks, weather permitting. DPW Director Randy Brown said this year the town has a new contractor JR Sweeping out of Agawam. “In the past, our contractor has started from the east side of town and worked west, but we have no way of knowing when they will be on specific streets,” Brown said. Brown said he hopes there will be at least two sweepers out at a time. The DPW has also been staying on top of roads this winter.
“We have been diligent about getting out and patching pot holes,” said Brown. “This week the asphalt plants should open so we can get hot mix and do ht patches throughout town.” The Southwick Water Department also started water meter readings on March 23. The meter readings are expected to continue for the next six weeks. Brown said all water department personnel are driving town-marked vehicles and are carrying town-issued ID badges. This could be the last time employees have to drive around town to read meters. “We’re did a joint project to purchase a fixed meter network system with Westfield,” said Brown. Town Meeting voters approved the purchase last spring, and Brown is hopeful it will be in place before the
Members of the Southwick Department of Public Works use a hot asphalt filling material to patch potholes along South Loomis Street in Southwick in this file photo. (WNG file photo) fall billing cycle. “We will be able to read the meters right at the office,”
said Brown. “The meter reading data will be brought into the billing data and a vendor
employees can spend on other tasks.
SPRINGFIELD
INSIDE TODAY
Police: Ludlow man, 20, shot to death
THE GREATER WESTFIELD
Business & Industry Journal Community partnerships bolster local workforce SPRINGFIELD – As the region begins to face labor shortage issues, local businesses, non-profits, colleges, and universities have teamed up to work together to address the region’s workforce development and training needs. Where businesses once worked in silos, business owners are recognizing the need to join forces for the overall welfare of the local economy. According to President and Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc. David M. Cruise, building relationships with other businesses and local colleges and universities is key to moving the region in the right direction. “Going at it alone just doesn’t work
will prepare the bills.” The system will save money and time that DPW
anymore,” said Cruise. “None of us have the resources to be able to do this alone. We’re all doing good work and always looking for ways to be innovative and creative, but sometimes finding the resources and funding to do it is difficult.” Cruise said business and industry partnerships have become important in helping to align the Regional Employment Board with the region’s industry needs. “We need to address our current needs, but also project the needs for the next five years,” said Cruise. “For educational institutions it’s hard to be as agile—implementing new courses involves lots of protocols and processes
From left are STCC President Dr. Ira H. Rubenzahl and Westfield State Interim President Dr. Elizabeth H. Preston sign the Presidents’ MassTransfer agreement on Nov. 20, 2014. The agreement provides students with the opportunity to obtain their degrees from both institutions for a total not to exceed $30,000. (Photo submitted)
and it’s sometimes difficult to get things moving.” Colleges depend on students to train for future careers; employers are actively seeking those skilled graduates. According to Cruise, the partnership between colleges and employers fulfills both their needs and is considered a win-win for everyone involved. “These are the richest, most intentional partnerships and we’re getting things done,” said Cruise. “You have to have these kinds of partnerships today, but they’re not always easy to create and sustain.” Cruise said they also look to community-based organizations to serve niche populations since they are often the organizations fulfilling the needs of their communities, but with incredibly limited resources. Together, STCC and the Regional Employment Board have created mmanufacturing production technician training programs; advanced manufacturing worker training; an American apprentice program; established an advanced call center and customer service representative certificate; and an adult basic education career pathways program. Additionally, the partnership between STCC and Holyoke Community College—called Training & Workforce Options, or TWO—was created several years ago to provide businesses affordable, custom-contract training. Trainings are scheduled at the company’s location and on their schedule, making it easy for business owners to get their employees the training they need, when they need it. “Working collaboratively allows each institution to play a key role in workforce development, while taking a proactive and visible role in industry See Local Workforce, Page 3
SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Police say a man was killed in a weekend shooting in Springfield. Police responded to the city's North End neighborhood at around 11:15 p.m. Saturday. Police say the 20-year-old Ludlow man was dead when authorities arrived. Sgt. John Delany says the shooting was not a random act. Detectives are working to determine a motive. The victim wasn't immediately identified. No arrests have been made as of Sunday.
Supreme Court nominee formed lasting bonds at Harvard
By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer BOSTON (AP) — From his first days at Harvard, Merrick Garland's classmates pegged him as a star. Smartest guy in the room, self-confident, easygoing and thoughtful are some of the compliments they still pay him 40 years later. For Garland, President Barack Obama's choice to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, the bonds formed at Harvard College and Harvard Law School have stayed with him and come into play during a career in private practice, as a prosecutor and on the bench. Classmates said Garland followed a straight and narrow path, even as a young man during a tumultuous time marked by Watergate and protests over the Vietnam War. Every move he made, even back then, seems to have been designed for an unblemished track to success. "This is something he has modestly prepared himself for his whole career," said Elliot Gerson, a friend from his Harvard undergraduate days who now oversees the U.S. Rhodes Scholarships. Garland graduated with honors from Harvard College in 1974 and Harvard Law School in 1977, helping to pay for his education by working summers as a shoe-store clerk and selling his comic book collection. Since then he's kept strong ties, teaching antitrust See Harvard, Page 3