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been shed over men’s lack of manners than their lack of morals.” — HELEN HATHAWAY
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 059
“More tears have
75 cents
Westfield Noble could become part of Baystate State hosts Spring Career Fair By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Nearly 100 students and community memebers attended yesterday’s 8th Spring Career Fair at Westfield State University’s Scanlon Banquet Hall. Almost 75 employers manned booths, armed with business cards, clipboards and smiles, ready to meet and greet the jobseeking public, who were dressed to impress with resumes in hand. “The Career Center does a great job,” said Sara Pailis, a junior psychology/criminal justice double major from Lancaster who was working as a student ambassador for the event. “Career Services reached out to us to help, but I’ve had some of my friends go over to the Massachusetts School of Law’s booth and pick up a brochure for me.” As a school with a reputation for producing top-notch law enforcement officers, many New England police agencies were present, along with insurance companies, marketing and staffing agencies, non-profits and recruiters from all of the branches of the United States military. “It’s a good, generalized fair,” said Trooper Adam Schmidt of the Maine State Police who originally hails from Sterling and who was also present at WSU’s Criminal Justice Career Fair in the fall. “We get a lot of responses and a lot of Maine law enforcement agencies get candidates from Westfield State.” Drew Farmington, a sophomore political science major from Belchertown, said he was very interested in checking out the Peace Corps booth. “I’m interested in the volunteer-based organizations,” said Farmington, who hopes to go on to law school. “They allow you to see the different ways that people live, so you can take that knowledge to better society.” Robin Laskey, senior associate director of graduate admissions for Lesley University in Cambridge, said that this spring’s event was See WSU, Page 8
WESTFIELD — The boards of trustees of Noble Hospital and Baystate Health have authorized the organizations to sign a letter of intent to explore Noble becoming a member of Baystate Health. Noble’s potential affiliation with Baystate Health now enters a period of review and due diligence within the organizations and in partnership with the relevant regulatory and oversight bodies. This work is expected to occur over the next several months. In the meantime it will be operations as usual for both organizations. “I believe the brightest future for Noble, our employees, our patients and our community lies in partnership with a high-quality and well-integrated academic health network such as Baystate Health,” said Ronald P. Bryant, president and CEO of Noble Health Network, which includes Noble Hospital, Noble Medical Group and Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice. “We look forward to advancing our discussions to determine the best course forward for Noble and for our community.” “We have worked closely with Noble and its team of caregivers for a long time, and we recognize the excellent quality of care and
Ronald Bryant, president and chief executive officer at Noble Hospital, presented a PowerPoint presentation at the Transforming the Heathcare System in Western Massachusetts symposium at Westfield State University in 2014. (File photo by Frederick Gore) compassion they provide to their patients,” said Dr. Mark A. Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “Given our common commitments to highquality and high-value care, I share with our board members a strong belief that this potential partnership would serve the missions of both organizations and the needs of our communities.” “We at Noble also recognize that independent community hos-
pitals like ours face major challenges in our current healthcare environment,” added Bryant. “This potential new relationship would secure the viability of Westfield’s acute-care hospital and at the same time support our efforts to increase the coordination and value of the healthcare provided in our communities.” Baystate and Noble have a history of working together and this new partnership would be build-
See Boy Scouts, Page 8
See Noble, Baystate, Page 8
Baker unveils $38B state budget plan By STEVE LeBLANC and BOB SALSBERG Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker took the wraps off his first state budget yesterday, a $38 billion plan that calls for a 3 percent increase in overall spending but includes no new taxes. The budget being submitted to the Democratic-controlled Legislature seeks to close what the Republican administration said was a $1.8 billion gap between projected spending and revenues for the fiscal year starting July 1. While the budget proposal includes more than $1 billion in new spending, the administration
said the 3 percent hike contrasted with a nearly 8 percent increase in spending in the current year. That and other measures is enough to close the budget gap, Baker said. Baker said the plan includes a number of steps to curtail what otherwise would have been greater spending growth, particularly in the state’s Medicaid program, where expenses were projected to rise 16 percent but would rise less than 6 percent if all of his proposals are approved. “Some people will see some belt-tightening, but won’t see wholesale changes in existing services,” Baker said. “In the context of the situation we face
and the circumstances we’re dealing with, these are reasonable appropriations.” Baker said many state programs will be level-funded, meaning they would receive the same amount of money as in the current fiscal year. Baker’s plan would also require some state employees to contribute a greater share to their health insurance. Baker isn’t proposing any changes in Medicaid eligibility requirements and only one benefits change — eliminating coverage for chiropractic services. The predicted savings would be achieved, in part, by making sure current Medicaid recipients qualify for coverage.
Card, Kasper highlight Scouts dinner House passes Amtrak bill that could boost Northeast service SPRINGFIELD — Al Kasper, president and CEO of Savage Arms will receive the 2015 Distinguished Citizen Award at an April 28 gala, sponsored by the Western Mass. Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Andrew Card, a former Scout, past member of the Massachusetts State Legislature, and the longest serving White House Chief of Staff during the past 50 years, will be the guest speaker. The banquet starts at 6 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam. Eugene Cassidy, who is president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition and last year’s honoree, will present the award to Kasper at the event. Serving as chairman and master of ceremonies is John Maybury, president of Maybury Material Handling. Kasper joined Savage Arms in 1996 as its vice president and chief financial officer and has quickly grown to be a strategic leader for the company. He has been the leader of the company’s manufacturing initiatives including process improvements, LEAN initiatives, and technology which have significantly improved revenues, operating margins and cash flow. Kasper has been instrumental and the driving force behind the company’s monumental leap forward in technology and operational systems development, which not only moved Savage into the 21st century as a first class manufacturer but also propelled it ahead of the competition as the indisputable leader in its segment of the industry. Prior to joining the company, he worked as a group controller and operations manager for The Conair Group, Inc. in Pittsburgh and an operations manager for divisions of Danaher and United Technologies Corporation. He received an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Accounting from Western New England College.
ing on existing relationships, including referral relationships in which Noble’s providers already refer a significant number of patients to Baystate. Baystate Reference Laboratories provides clinical diagnostic services in partnership with Noble, which also maintains its own on-site lab services and Blood Donor Center. Baystate and Noble also work together (with other providers) in a regional heart-attack program that expedites life-saving emergency angioplasty cases to Baystate Medical Center, the region’s designated angioplasty center, with support from community partners such as Noble and EMS. In addition, Baystate and Noble collaborate on telemedicine for stroke patients and women’s services. “Delivering high-quality, costeffective services in the communities where our patients live is a fundamental part of Baystate Health’s strategy,” said Dennis W. Chalke, senior vice president of Community Hospitals for Baystate Health. “We look forward to getting to know the Noble organization better, and exploring ways we could work together to allow our patients to
By JOAN LOWY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare burst of bipartisanship, the House moved yesterday to boost Amtrak’s popular service between Boston and Washington while giving states a greater say in the local routes they help subsidize. The bill, approved by a vote of 316 to 101, authorizes $7.2 billion in federal subsidies for passenger rail, including about $1.4 billion a year over four years in subsidies for Amtrak. That’s nearly the same as current spending levels, disappointing Amtrak supporters who had urged a significant increase to help the railroad address its deteriorating infrastructure and aging equipment. In a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, the bill separates Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service between Boston and Washington from its long-distance routes. That would allow Amtrak to use profits from the money-making cor-
Baker’s plan also calls for a 20 percent hike in transportation funding, including a nearly $65 million hike in state subsidies for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Boston-area transit system that has been beset by breakdowns during a recent stretch of severe winter weather. State aid to public school districts would rise by $105 million, or 2.4 percent, and unrestricted aid to cities and towns would see a $34 million, or 3.6 percent, hike. The budget includes a 3 percent net increase for the state’s See Baker Budget, Page 8
ridor for improvements that could speed up trains and enhance service on the route. Amtrak officials have long complained that they’ve had to use Northeast Corridor profits to subsidize 15 unprofitable long-distance routes around the country. The bill would also give officials in 19 states “a seat at the table” with Amtrak when deciding changes and budgets for service in their states, said Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It directs Amtrak to make changes in the financial information it provides state and local governments and the public so that the information is more “transparent,” he said. The bill also includes a provision by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., that would permit Amtrak passengers to bring pets with them. The White House said in a statement earlier in See Amtrak, Page 3
Jurors hear graphic accounts of Boston Marathon bombing
Boston Marathon bombing survivors Heather Abbott, left, and Karen Rand, center, are escorted from federal court yesterday in Boston, after the first day of the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer BOSTON (AP) — It didn’t take long for prosecutors in the Boston Marathon bombing trial to convey the sense of fear, pain and grief caused by the 2013 attack. They let victims do it for them. On the first day of testimony yesterday in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose lawyer admitted he committed the crime, three women who suffered severe injuries described their memories of the blasts, their wounds and the terror they felt. Two of them had to have their left legs amputated and all of them spoke in graphic detail. It gave the jury a glimpse of the kind of agonizing testimony they can expect to hear in the coming months. See Jurors, Page 3