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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth.”
— VOLTAIRE
www.thewestfieldnews.com TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 063
75 cents
Police seek towing ordinance change
Voc-Tech aviation program readies for fall takeoff By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Westfield Vocational-Technical High School Aviation Advisory Committee met yesterday morning to discuss the progress of the school’s Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Program, which is expected to begin educating students this fall. During the meeting, the program’s finances and facilities were discussed, as well as aircrafts, library development and a determination for program development. WVTHS Principal Stefan Czaporowski said that the meeting served the purpose of outlining what the group needs going forward. “We have significant needs, like funding for instructors,” he said. “We have lots of grant applications out there, as well as business and industry people on our board.”
Two classrooms would be constructed where these small aircraft are parked as part of a new aircraft program for Westfield Vocational-Technical High School. The students would be provided hands-on and classroom training at the Hangar 2 building at Barnes Regional Airport. Above the two aircraft, in photo, would be an upper level for storage or other usage. (Photo by Frederick Gore) Czaporowski said that the advisory board selected FAA Part 147 or Part 65 as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program the shop will be instructing, which will give students their A&P certification. “Part 65 is a more work experiencebased program, but when board members bring up ideas, we take them into consideration,” he explained, adding that WVTHS has engaged in talks with Gateway Regional High School to pick up pieces of an RV4 aircraft for students to work on.
“There is another plane that will be used for the weights and measures piece of the airframe and powerplant instruction,” said Czaporowski. “Probably over April vacation we’ll go pick it up (from Gateway).” Course materials are also being compiled. “We’ve obtained some books and we requested textbooks from the school department,” said Czaporowski. “The grant money from GulfStream hasn’t See Aviation, Page 3
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance change which will increase towing fees, but eliminate storage fees, as the Police Department negotiates with several new towing contractors. The department is seeking to MARY L. change the existing ordinance to O’CONNELL increase the towing fee for commercial vehicles from $50 to $100 and for passenger vehicles from $25 to $50. The issue was discussed in both the Legislative & Ordinance Committee, which gave it a positive recommendation and on the City Council floor during discussion prior to the first reading vote. Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell argued that a 100 percent increase in the fee was too steep. “I’ve had two constituents call complaining about the fee,” O’Connell said. “Doubling it seems to be a lot. I just have a problem with that.” O’Connell said that the current towing contractor, See Towing, Page 3
Milder weather brings relief to snow-covered region By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — New England is going from the Big Snow to the Big Melt. After winter storms dumped nearly 9 feet of snow over the course of a month, many parts of the region will see milder weather this week and some much-needed snow melting. Temperatures in Boston yesterday returned to seasonal averages in the low to mid 40s and are expected to stay that way over the next two weeks, although temperatures will drop most nights. Some days may even approach 50 degrees. For Boston area residents, it’s a welcome change after February’s frigid temperatures, relentless snows and nightmare commutes. “Goodbye snow! That was just the worst year, ever,” said Wenflore Dubuisson, of Malden. “It was so bad. My God, I don’t even want to think about it anymore.” Jean Borgard said yesterday was the first day in a long time that he commuted from his home in Randolph to Boston without the usual extra layer of winter clothes. “It’s taken a long time to get to this point,” he said, wearing just a black fleece and without his normal thermals, hooded sweatshirt, hat and gloves. “I think we were all hoping it would happen sooner than later.” Forecasters are cautioning winter weary New Englanders that they’re not out of the woods yet: the St. Patrick’s Day weekend may bring a wintry mix that could put Boston over the all-time winter snowfall record. The city is about 2 inches shy of the 107.6 record set during the 1995-96 season.
Pedestrians and dogs walk along a sidewalk wet with melting snow in Boston yesterday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) “We’ve come this far, we might as well go for the gold,” joked Jamie Coleman, of Scituate. “As long as it doesn’t become disruptive. It’s been a long slog.” Forecasters also say this week’s warming temperatures likely won’t make a big dent on towering snowbanks. Bill Simpson, at the National Weather Service office in Taunton, says snowbanks may appear to have shrunk since the snows slowed at the end of February, but they’ve actually become denser and more compact with time. That means
they’ll take more time to melt. “It’s not going to be as significant as people think,” he said. “It’ll melt, but not a good chunk. We’ll lose maybe 10 percent of it. We’ve got a long way to go.” Across New England, government officials say they’re encouraged by what appears to be a steady melt, but they’re still preparing for the possibility of serious flooding. “Things are going along as expected,” says Jeanne Richardson, a deputy director at the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. “Catch basins have been cleared and snow on top of them is melting. The system is working.” Boston kept on top of the snow in part by using four industrial-strength ice melters. Lowell, Lawrence and other Massachusetts communities dumped snow into rivers and harbors. Bonnie McGilpin, a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, says the melters — two of which were on loan from New York City — helped Boston get rid of some 50,000 tons of snow before being powered down last week. Elsewhere, officials are warning about falling icicles and other hazards as temperatures warm. They’re also reminding residents that they have important roles to play as the region enters an especially messy mud season. Among the top priorities are making sure neighborhood storm drains are cleared and residents have proper insurance if they live in flood-prone areas. See Relief, Page 3
Home surveillance shows Hernandez night of killing By MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press FALL RIVER (AP) — Home surveillance video played for jurors yesterday in the murder trial of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez shows him holding what prosecutors say is a gun and leaving his house with two co-defendants hours before the killing. Hernandez is accused of the June 17, 2013, killing of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee. Lloyd was found shot to death in an industrial park not far from Hernandez’s home. The video, taken by an extensive surveillance system in and around
Hernandez’s home, shows him returning home from a night out celebrating Father’s Day with his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins. They are greeted by two Hernandez friends, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, who are also charged in the murder. Both men have pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately. Prosecutors played the video yesterday during testimony by Jennifer Fortier, 28, who baby-sat for Hernandez and Jenkins’ infant daughter that night. On one clip, Hernandez can be seen walking through the living room carrying a black object at about 12:45 a.m. Fortier, who was there at the time, testified that she didn’t see the object. The object is difficult to make out in
the video, which is taken from across the room and isn’t sharp. Hernandez’s legal team has suggested it was a remote control or other device. The video also shows Hernandez getting into the front passenger seat of a Nissan Altima rental car and leaving at 1:09 a.m. Wallace is driving and Ortiz sits in the rear driver’s-side seat. Surveillance video taken at a gas station south of Boston about an hour later and played earlier for the jury showed Hernandez driving the Nissan. Prosecutors have previously said they went to pick up Lloyd, then took him to the industrial park, where he was shot to See Hernandez, Page 3
Babysitter Jennifer Fortier testifies during the murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez yesterday at Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River. Hernandez is accused of the June 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, Aram Boghosian, Pool)
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