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WEATHER TONIGHT Partly cloudy. Low of 66.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 208
“Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity.”
— ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN
75 cents
Juveniles caught shooting BBs at vehicles, houses
POCHASSIC ST HILL
City modifies traffic patterns By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Department of Public Works is modifying the painted lines on two city streets to “tweak” traffic patterns on Court and Pochassic Streets. City Engineer Mark Cressotti said the line indicating turning and traffic flow patterns on Court Street, at the intersection of Washington Street, are being adjusted and that that process will continue as the traffic pattern is further refined. “Right now, we’re just trying to get the basic traffic pattern, but it’s not done,” Cressotti said. “The intent is that traffic patterns in both directions, east and west, on Court Street should reflect similar motions.” Initially the westbound pattern at Washington Street had two lanes, one dedicated for right turns onto Washington Street and the other for through traffic. The newly painted lines indicate that both are through lanes, with the right lane also available for right turns onto Washington Street. The eastbound patterns will also be modified. Originally there was a dedicated left turn onto See Traffic Patterns, Page 3 COURT ST. MERGE
Man arrested for peddling pot in park COURT AT WASHINGTON
Westfield State students travel to Ireland WESTFIELD – Twelve Westfield State University students, supervised by Holly Noun, chair of the movement science department, traveled to Galway, Killarney, and Dublin, Ireland as part of the course Irish Sports Science and Culture. The course explored the various aspects of sports and physical activity in Ireland including health promotion, epidemiology (incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases in communities), and exercise physiology. Students met for one hour per
week on campus during the spring semester and completed two weeks of additional work in Ireland in June. According to Noun, the course focused on Irish sport science because she felt her students could benefit from the country’s attitude towards recreation. “The Irish government is supporting sports at all levels as a pathway to health and wellness for its citizens,” Noun said. “This is an important model for the students to experience, as we face many of the same health issues in
Students jump in excitement after finishing a bike ride through Killarney National Park. (Photo submitted) the United States.” For student Megan Patterson ’15 of Deltona, FL, the length of the travel offered a solution
to a study abroad dilemma. “The movement science
New fix for an old problem: Potholes WESTFIELD – The city of Westfield is experimenting with new infrared technology for fixing potholes. The new technology uses a 6′ by 8′ platform that is lowered from the back of a truck that then sits on the pavement and within a few minutes the asphalt is heated to a temperature that makes it pliable. Once pliable, the area is worked with a rake and a small amount of new hot asphalt is added to the repair area, which helps create a bond between the new material and the older material that surrounds the new patch. Work crews would then smooth and level the entire area. While it is more time-consuming per repair area than traditional hot or cold asphalt patching, this technology may offer more of a long-term repair in some of the more chronically impacted pothole areas. This method of heating a wider area than what the
pothole creates offers a much better patch and a smoother travelling surface for drivers. The equipment would cost the city between $60-80,000 but could eventually reduce pothole repair costs, as well as claims against the city for vehicle repairs. The city has been experimenting with this equipment at various points but has not made any determinations whether to pur-
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Several vehicles and two houses were struck with BBs Tuesday afternoon. Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, police received a call from a driver who was reporting vandalism to a motor vehicle in the vicinity of 175 Pontoosic Road. Police received a second call about an hour later, just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, of motor vehicle vandalism. The caller reported that his vehicle had been struck with a BB around 2 p.m. while he was traveling on Pontoosic Road towards Southwick. The driver told police that paint was taken off the vehicle and there is a dent below one of the windows, according to police logs. Just past 4 p.m., police received a call reporting suspicious activity at 182 Pontoosic Road. A resident told police his house had been struck with BBs. The resident reported that a garage light was shot out and a window was shot out, according to police logs. Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said one window was shot at least six times. After studying the trajectory of the shots, police officers went to a neighboring house where a 14-year-old teen answered the door, according to McCabe. Officers spoke to the 14-year-old and another juvenile in the presence of one of the teen’s mothers, and the boys admitted they own and were operating a BB gun, but “just shooting indiscriminately and playing a game,” McCabe said. The parents of both juveniles agreed to pay restitution to the two homeowners, so McCabe said the department will not be pressing charges, which would be felonies, at this time. “If restitution is satisfied, then no criminal charges will be filed,” said McCabe. Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at christinec@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com
chase it. The DPW is also working to get their hot patch machine back in working order before the upcoming winter season. In order to properly use the hot patch machine they would need to buy the asphalt now, lay it all out, let it cure, cut it into brick sized pieces and store them so that they can be melted quickly once the winter pothole repair season is upon us.
See Ireland, Page 3
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A Springfield man was arrested for selling marijuana before the Fireworks for Freedom show in Stanley Park Sunday night. Shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday night, 20-year-old Tristen D. Pearson was arrested on charges of distributing a Class D drug, and police also found that Pearson had an outstanding warrant out of Springfield District Court from June 23. The warrant was for charges of resisting arrest and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle from a May 16 arrest, according to information obtained from Westfield District Court staff. Westfield Police Officer Christopher Coach, who was assigned to patrol Stanley Park during the fireworks, was alerted by Westfield Police Cadet Alvarado of a drug transaction, according to court records. Alvarado told Coach that he, “observed him (Pearson) make a hand-to-hand transaction with another male. He stated that he was so close that he could even smell the odor of marijuana,” Coach wrote in his statement of facts. When Coach approached Pearson, he “could smell the odor of fresh marijuana,” he wrote. Coach checked Pearson and found a bag of marijuana (a sandwich bag full of marijuana buds) in the defendant’s left front pocket and found nine $20 bills and one See Pot Arrest, Page 3