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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Happiness quite
unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” — Charlotte Bronte
www.thewestfieldnews.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 3
75 cents
Legendary matchup renewed
City preps for frigid forecast
By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Westfield firefighters will again tangle with legends of the Boston Bruins and the public will be invited to support them as they raise funds for their charitable efforts. Ray Neilsen, the event coordinator for the Local No. 1111 of the International Brotherhood of Firefighters event, said recently that the annual hockey game between a team chosen to represent the city’s firefighters and the Black and Gold Legends, a team comprised of former members of the Boston Bruins, will be a fundraising event for the ‘Save-a-life” account of the union. That account is used by the local firefighters to fulfill many of the requests for assistance the union gets from community groups including both youth sports leagues and other civic groups. Neilsen said that the firefighters have been asked for help by numerous groups in the city for many years and have provided it. “We’ve been giving money away for years” he said. “It started way before I did and I’ve been a firefighter for 27 years.” Neilsen said that, starting on Sunday, professional solicitors will be calling local residents and businesses seeking donations for the fundraiser. He said that every year some residents who are contacted express concerns that See Legendary, Page 7
Dmitriy Stepanchuk, of Westfield, performs a backflip on his snowboard at Westfield VocationalTechnical High School yesterday. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD - As the New Year Nor’Easter passed us by, many city residents stoked their fires, turned up the thermostat, and nestled in for a long winter’s nap last night. A wind chill warning was in effect until early this morning, and the temperature was set to dip well below zero during the evening hours for the rest of the weekend, putting all who are exposed to elements at risk. “As we enter the time of year when we can expect extremely low temperatures and wind chills, we all must take precautions to minimize the dangers presented by such severe weather,” said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Director Kurt Schwartz. According to MEMA, excessive exposure to extreme temperatures can lead to frostbite, a condition which damages body tissue that is frozen. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, earlobes or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, seek medical help immediately. In extreme cases, hypothermia can also occur. Warning signs for this condition are uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. MEMA also advises that if a person’s temperature drops below 95 degrees, they must seek immediate medical care. The organization is also informing residents to monitor local weather reports, keep outdoor activities to minimum, to keep a well-stocked Winter Home Emergency Supply Kit See Frigid Forecast, Page 7
Board of Selectmen OK pole placement A member of the Westfield Fire Department team, foreground, lines up for the pass as a host of former Boston Bruins players, background, move in during last year’s game. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen approved a new utility pole on Coes Hill Road with the blessing of property owner Richard Battistoni. Jerry Molongoski of Western Massachusetts Electric Company and Battistoni both attended a pole hearing this week after working together on placement. The pole will be located westerly of College Highway on the south side of Coes Hill Road. The pole was originally proposed for the northern side of Coes Hill Road, which was not favorable to Battistoni, who owns property on both sides of the street. At the October pole hearing, Battistoni said placing it on the north
side of Coes Hill Road would be a problem at his business, Interstate Building Supply. “I don’t want a pole right in front of my building,” he said. “It’s right where I plow snow and right where the town plows snow. “ Battistoni called the pole positioning the “cheap way” to upgrade service. Selectmen favored Battistoni’s concerns and asked WMECO to go back to the drawing board. Battistoni gave an easement so the pole could be positioned on the south side of the street. Molongoski said this week that both Battistoni and town engineer Richard Grannells reviewed the new plans. “It’s been staked out and it’s fine with me,” said Battistoni. The board unanimously approved the pole placement.
New high school equivalency exam coming By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD — State education officials are phasing out the old GED test in favor a new high school equivalency exam. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Malden says it has selected the Educational Testing Service to administer the new exam in Massachusetts. The new series of exams will replace the General Education Development assessment, which is no longer being offered by the GED Testing Service. State Education Commissioner
Mitchell Chester said the ETS is “an experienced testing company that will deliver a high quality exam.” The new exam, which will simply be called HiSET, will continue to measure whether adult learners and out-of-school youth qualify for the Massachusetts High School Equivalency Certificate. According to guidelines, adults who are 18 years old and older may only take the high school equivalency test if they have not previously received a high school diploma, 16 and 17-year-olds may take the test only if they are no longer
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enrolled in school. The Westfield Community Education program has been in operation for five years, and graduated 24 GED students in June. The WCE program has helped over over 100 students earn their GED diplomas over the past five years, and pupils have a successful rate of completion, around 80 percent. Those who have been involved with the WCE since it’s infancy worry about where the state’s new testing will take the program. “It’s just going to be a difficult scenario and a difficult process,”
said Ann Lentini, director of Domus Inc., an organization which offers affordable housing to low and moderate income families, the homeless, and the mentally and physically disabled in nine housing buildings around the city. “There’s no indication of the cost or form, but we do know it’s going to be more expensive.” Lentini said that the next round of the organization’s former-GED, now HiSET, prep courses have a registration date of January 14, but even though classes are set to begin the next week on January 21, she believes the materials for the new
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course are going to be hard to come by. “It’s going to take more time to learn,” Lentini said. “There are still so many unanswered questions. I don’t know why they switched (tests). Everyone is just waiting to see what they’re supposed to be doing.” Regarding what her program will be doing later this month, the Domus Inc. Director borrowed an apt metaphor for the frigid temperatures outside Friday. “We’re just going to plow ahead,” she said. “We have no choice.”
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