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WEATHER TONIGHT Mainly clear. Chilly. Low of 34
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO. 252
MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2014
Chief economist forecasts rosier housing market
Knapik said, “and go back to the fiveyear offer because a whole bunch of networks will be selling their own programming through broadband on the Internet which is upending cable companies. “That’s been our position all along,” Knapik said, referring to changes in technology now available to consumers. The City’s position on the term of the contract has been that telecommunication technology is evolving so rapidly that a shorter duration, five years, is in the city’s best interest, while Comcast has countered that it needs a longer term, closer to the 10-year duration of
By Peter Francis Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts may see rising home sales soon. Western New England University’s Rivers Memorial Hall Thursday played host to the Real Estate and Economic Forecast event, put on by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley and the Home Builders Association of Western Mass. The event featured presentations from leading economists, including Dr. Lawrence Yun, Ph.D, chief economist and senior vice president of research for the National Association of Realtors. “Boston has been hot, but when one looks at the weaker spots, the broad New England area outside Boston… has seen sluggish recovery,” said Yun, who added that greater Springfield has been up and down as the region recovers from the Great Recession. “One month, very positive and the next month, what happened?” he asked. “September data that came out very recently was very good. Sales were up 10 percent from the year before, so Springfield is doing better than the national trend.” “It looks like September was good, but what’s going to happen in October?”
See Comcast, Page 8
See Housing, Page 8
Domestic violence awareness Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik reads a proclamation (held for him by Donna Suckau, the domestic violence advocate at the Westfield Police Department) declaring October to be domestic violence awareness month in Westfield at a wine tasting and silent auction staged Friday to benefit domestic violence victims. The event at Pilgrim Candle was organized by Dawn Medeiros, foreground, second from right. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
City’s Comcast negotiation stalled By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The city’s negotiation with Comcast has hit a snag over two issues and that the negotiation process is being further complicated by major changes in the telecommunication landscape as programming providers move toward directly providing services to consumers. The City is waiting for a response to its last offer to Comcast for a new cable service contract but recent movement in the telecommunication industry as programming entities, such as HBO, are planning to establish their own networks to directly serve consumers, may undermine the city’s last offer.
The negotiation initiated with the city offered Comcast a five-year contract, while Comcast wanted, at a minimum, an eight-year pact. The city then offered a seven-year deal, with the provision that Comcast maintain its service center on East Mountain Road, a condition which Comcast is reluctant to embrace. Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Friday that he plans to call a meeting with the city’s Cable Television Commission. Knapik is the designated license issuing authority, but relies on the commission, composed of residents with expertise in the telecommunication field, to provide advice, especially in the rapidly evolving telecommunication technology field. “We may have to retool our offer,”
Restitution ordered in burglary case
See Video 101, Page 8
City Hall goes pink Westfield City Hall is washed in pink as part of October Breast Cancer Awareness month. Westfield resident Jay Pagluica applied a set of pink gels over the new light emitting diode outdoor fixtures. Mary Jo Cranmore
— Dylan Thomas
75 cents
Businesses learn Video 101 By Peter Francis Staff Writer H O LY O K E – Businessowners and other professionals were given a crash course Friday on how utilizing video can generate more business and potential customers. An afternoon seminar entitled “Video Marketing 101: Video As Part Of Your Marketing/PR Plan” was part of a series of presentations held at the Western Massachusetts Film and Media Exchange, hosted at Holyoke’s Baystate Health Conference Center and presented by the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative and sponsored by The Westfield News Group. During Video 101, a group consisting of everyone from graphic designers and furniture upholsters to realtors and legal aides, were shown ways to increase the traffic on their websites and YouTube channels. “Consumers are 72 percent more likely to purchase or pick up the phone if your product is connected to a video demonstration online,” said Mary Jo Cranmore, a partner at Client Cycle Marketing who held the lecture. “Video is the new black.” According to Cranmore, a business of any size can utilize video, thanks to the visual world we live in. “It is not about big budgets or big, long, involved pieces. It’s about understanding who you’re talking to,” she said. “If you have a budget, a good producer or videographer can work with you to determine what kinds of videos are going to make the biggest bang for your buck.” Storytelling is a crucial aspect of the video medium, especially in industries where services can be physically demonstrated, such as in service or manufacturing industries. Search engines also help drive video’s importance among businesses trying to increase their appeal. “Google loves (video),” said Cranmore. “It is the most ubiquitous, powerful thing in our world right now, especially when it comes to business.” “If you want to attract people to your website or business, the first thing they do is Google you,” she said. “Google wants you to use their services. YouTube is Google, it’s the second most
“He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest.”
(Photo by Frederick Gore)
By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – One of two brothers, the elder, arrested for stealing thousands of dollars in cash from a neighbor has had his day in court and was ordered to pay more than $12,000 in restitution, within a year. He was also ordered to write a “sincere letter of apology to the victim.” Paul A. Grant, 20, 141 Bates Road, was arrested with his younger brother in December, 2013, and accused of breaking into a neighbor’s house repeatedly in 2011 (when they were 15 and 17 years-old) and stealing about $12,000 in hundred dollar bills found in their neighbor’s desk. The crime was originally reported in the summer of 2011 but the investigation stalled until it was assigned to Det. Sgt. Steven Dickinson in November, 2012, after he took command of the evening detective squad at the Westfield Police Department. His investigation found that Grant’s sister had been employed by their neighbors to care for their pets when they went away and had access to a house key. When interviewed by Dickinson, the young See Burglary, Page 3