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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 - PAGE 3
Government Meetings NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGs
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
TOLLAND Valentine’s Dinner COA at 6 pm
41 Franklin
3.37
436 N Elm Street *À viÃÃ >
Pride
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17
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Mobil
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259 North Elm St.
600 College Highway
President’s Day All Municipal Offices Closed
iÀÌ v i` *ÕL V 3.45 VV Õ Ì> Ìà Õà iÃà > ` />Ý `Û Ã Àà Shell 326 College Hwy Sunoco TUESDAY, 3.35 ` Û `Õ> E Õà iÃà />Ý ,iÌÕÀ à *À viÃà > Þ *Ài«>Ài` >Ì «iÌ Ì Ûi ,>Ìið FEBRUARY 18 310 East Main St.
88-90 South Maple Street
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Board Public Hearing { ÀÌ -ÌÀiiÌ] -Õ Ìi Óä U 7iÃÌv i `] ä£änx Planning for Baltazar 7 p.m. /i \ {£Î xÈÓ xÇä >Ý\ {£Î xÈÓ x nÎ U >ÀÞ"J+Õ> ÌÞ * °V Planning Board Public Hearing for O’Leary/VHB
TOLLAND School Committee 7 p.m.
BLANDFORD
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3 x 2Dr., Chicopee 333 Memorial
*À viÃÃ >
Granville Fire Continued from Page 1 His boss, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, said later in a news release prompted by the fire, “People often just don’t realize how long a single ember can stay live hidden in what appear to be stone cold ashes. One ember can stay live for as long as a week.” Coan offers safety tips to users of wood burning stoves. He urges that ashes be stored safely away from a structure for at least a week in a metal container with a tightly-fitting lid. He also suggests that the ashes be doused and stirred to ensure no live embers remain before they are dumped into a metal container for disposal. Loomis reports that the house had been occupied by a family of three, a woman living with her daughter and granddaughter. He said that they all exited the house safely and without injuries. Volunteers from the American Red Cross of Massachusetts responded and provided the displaced family with “comfort packs” to provide them with immediate personal care items but Loomis reports that the women found shelter with a neighbor and did not need the housing assistance offered by the Red Cross workers. He said that the volunteers also provided coffee and snacks for the firefighters. Loomis reports that the family’s two cats were also rescued and Mazza attributes their rescue to Granville Firefighter Nat Ripley. Mazza said “He did a terrific job in finding and safely returning to the family their two cats they thought had perished.”
Gun Report Continued from Page 1 based on the task force report, but he hopes it also takes into consideration the public hearings held throughout the state last year on the topic. “I’m hoping they will draft a reasonable bill and focus more on keeping guns out of the hands of the criminally inclined,” he said, adding that there hasn’t been much talk about the report or forthcoming bill in the Senate. Humason said members of GOAL have a better understanding of gun laws than most legislators and adding more restrictions doesn’t keep the average resident more safe. “Fewer people in Massachusetts own guns legally right now than any other time in the past,” he said. “More gun laws isn’t making the world a better, safer place for us, it’s making a better, safer world for criminals who know that it’s not likely that the next home they break into will have a gun owner protecting it.” Humason said there must be a new approach. “I don’t want people hurting other people with firearms,” Humason said. “I don’t want people hurting other people with crowbars or baseball bats or knives, either. Rather than the tool used, I want to look at the behavior and what leads to that. Making more laws for lawabiding citizens isn’t the answer.”
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Assessor’s Meeting 5:30 p.m. Fire Department Meeting 6:30 p.m.
OML Violation Continued from Page 1
vote in the open and not by secret ballot.” The Elks decision, or the Benevolent & Protective Order of
iÀÌ v i` *ÕL V VV Õ Ì> Ìà Õà iÃà > ` />Ý `Û Ã Àà Elks, Lodge 65 versus the Planning Board of Lawrence, was a 1988 case in Essex County in which Elks Lodge 65 alleged that ` Û `Õ> E Õà iÃà />Ý ,iÌÕÀ à *À viÃà > Þ *Ài«>Ài` >Ì «iÌ Ì Ûi ,>Ìið “certain private, individual consultations between a city council’s president and other members of the council had violated
> À Àii ÃÌ >Ìi° U 6 Ã Ì "ÕÀ 7iLà Ìi ÜÜÜ°+Õ> ÌÞ * °V the Open Meeting Law,” and “were not entitled to an order { ÀÌ -ÌÀiiÌ] -Õ Ìi Óä U 7iÃÌv i `] ä£änx requiring the council to comply in the future with the Open Meeting Law’s provisions, where any violations had been cured /i \ {£Î xÈÓ xÇä >Ý\ {£Î xÈÓ x nÎ U >ÀÞ"J+Õ> ÌÞ * °V by subsequent council meetings, held in compliance with statutory requirements, before the action was commenced.” The Lawrence City Council argued that, because the public Continued from Page 1 meetings were in compliance with the open meeting law, the past decade, with the number scoring a 3 or AP courses,” said Hunter, who is in her sev- judge could not invalidate actions taken at those meetings, and enth year as principal at the school. “We’ve argued that because the Elks filed their complaint more than 21 higher growing from 380 to 1,054. For low-income graduates, the number tak- made a real push to get more kids taking these days after the actions they sought to invalidate, their complaint 2 x 1.5 ing an AP exam increased from 957 to 4,675 courses. We kind of recruit kids to take AP was barred by Chapter 39, Section 23B, thus the Superior Court over the past decade, with the number scoring classes, and not just the ones who are in the judge allowed the city council’s motion to dismiss on the ground that the complaint was untimely. top 10 in their class.” 3 or higher growing from 485 to 2,367. “The first step (I woud recommend) is difficult now because Hunter said the AP courses that have become Westfield Superintendent Dr. Suzanne *À viÃà > Scallion said that efforts are being put forth at the most popular at the school include U.S. one member has passed away, and you have new members on Westfield High School to challenge students history, and science courses like biology and the committee since then,” Dupere said. “If this was a timely complaint, I think the Attorney General’s office would make chemistry, through iÀÌ v i` increased*ÕL V emphasis on AP course VV Õ Ì> Ìà Õà iÃà > ` />Ý `Û Ã ÀÃwhich alternate year by year so that you redo that portion of the meeting.” students can take one and then another. work. ` Û `Õ> Õà iÃà />Ý ,iÌÕÀ à *À viÃà > Þ *Ài«>Ài` >Ì «iÌ Ì Ûi ,>Ìiðalso seen an increase in the number Committee member Ruth Kennedy of Russell had exhaus“We’ve “We’veE partnered with the Mass. Math and À Àii ÃÌ >Ìi° U 6 Ã Ì 7iLà Ìi Science > Initiative through the"ÕÀ help of aÜÜÜ°+Õ> ÌÞ * °V grant,” of students taking more than one AP course,” tively researched the situation and shared her findings with the she said, comparing the district’s work with { ÀÌ -ÌÀiiÌ] -Õ Ìi Óä U 7iÃÌv i `] ä£änxshe said. The school’s next challenge will be assemblage. /i \ {£Î xÈÓ xÇä {£Î xÈÓ x nÎ U >ÀÞ"J+Õ> ÌÞ * °V “Not only is the complaint not timely, but the open meeting the MMSI to the Bay >Ý\State Reading Institute to get more students enrolled in pre-AP classes law complaint form online, which he (VanWerkhoven) used, which is being employed throughout the dis- in math and English. “We’re trying to prep kids for this type of says it must first be filed with the public body that is alleged to trict’s younger grades. “I’ve seen great successes in other districts (working with work and to improve their critical thinking have committed the violation prior to filing a complaint with skills, not just for students who’re in acceler- the Attorney General,” she said. “This was filed with the MMSI).” Attorney General, cc’d to us.” “We’re looking to increase the academic ated programs,” she said. Kennedy added that an additional 30-day timeframe with In the Gateway Regional School District, rigor at the high school,” she said. “This partstudents are also getting ready to take the which to file a complaint kicks in after “they’re reasonably nership will be important in that.” aware of it going on.” Scallion credited the high school’s adminis- exam. “It also says that the complaint must set forth the circum“We do have a number of students taking tration, specifically Principal Jonathan Carter, for leading the push to engage more students the exam,” Superintendent Dr. David Hopson stances which constitute the alleged violation, giving the public said. “But the biggest problem we have right body time to remedy the alleged violation,” Kennedy said. “On in AP courses. “We’ve had a number of students take these now is that we don’t enough options for AP his complaint, it clearly states that he has to file with the body first.” courses but not take the test in the past,” she scheduling.” She said the complaint should be thrown out as it was “not Hopson said that the district’s regional high said. “But we’re looking to increase the number of students who are taking the courses and school in Huntington hasn’t had a national AP filed on time” and “it was not filed properly with us first to give the exams. Research shows that students who scholar, a student who scores a 3 or higher on us the time to address this.” “In reserving the right to do it in some kind of ballot vote, take AP classes go on to have greater ability to at least three AP exams, since the district whether we write our names on them or have a teller, we want changed it’s class scheduling. perservere in college.” Hopson is confident the district’s high to leave those options open,” said Eliason. “There is a reason to Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional High School Principal Pamela Hunter said schoolers will continue to perform admirably do it by ballot vote, and that is so that you vote your conscience, and not necessarily how your neighbor is voting.” scores on the exams at her school earned on it’s exams. The committee ended the evening by voting to send letters as “Our AP teachers do a great job prepping STGRHS a spot on the AP Honor Roll last year, a cumulative three-year average of scores our kids for these tests,” Hopson said. “They drafted by Attorney Dupere to the Attorney General and Mr. earned by students at high schools across the work hard over breaks and after school with VanWerkhoven to remedy the violation. “The law is important, but also it’s the right thing to do,” our students.” country. Dupere said to the committee and the crowd. “The bottom line “We’ve increased the number of kids taking is, the public should have the right to know how people are voting. If everything else is public, I don’t see why that wouldn’t be public.” Continued from Page 1
AP Scores
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Black History
shows us how relationships are built… and broken,” she said to those in attendance, after showing a youtube video of young black men being sprayed with firehoses in the Jim Crow south, of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat, but also of Americans of all races and genders uniting to participate in the freedom rides of the 1960s to protest the treatment of African- Americans in the land of the free “where all men are created equal.” “Millenials are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort in history… almost 40 percent of millenials come from a multicultural family,” she said. She discussed what certain cultural events mean, such as rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ recent performance of their marriage equlity anthem Same Love at the Grammy Awards, where 33 couples, gay and straight, were married during the performance. LaJuana Hood, founder of the Pan African Historical Museum USA in Springfield, spoke of the great education and sophistication of African society, with new schools and universities that sit among the oldest in the world. She also tought students how to say hello in Ghanaian and Senegalese and spoke of the significant role western Mass. institutions have played in the education of AfricanAmericans. “Wilbraham and Monson Academy has been educating black people since 1838,” she said. “It is your job — your obligation — to communicate to the world, to tell the story right.” Following a song performed by Westfield
resident TC Eckstine, granddaughter of jazz great Billy Eckstine, Fondon and Hood spoke of what the event meant to them and what they felt the impact was. “I think we had a wonderful turnout and I think it was a great idea for Janine Fondon to do this with these young people,” Hood said. “When they become reporters themselves, they’ll have a better idea of how to report the news.” “The students here, they’re from my classes, they’re from your classes,” Fondon said acknowledging Dr. Susan Leggett, chair of the Communication Department. “And what we try to impart on the students is that we need to learn, and we need to connect.” “The (Communication) Department is really seeking to help students think about global issues, big concepts, big notions of change, and how those concepts move into their real world applications in media,” said Leggett. “Suzanne (Boniface, adjunct professor of advance public relations) and Janine are part of helping our students move that forward.” “I’m really trying to have the students believe in their big visions and be able to create them, write them, and really feel them,” Fondon said. Since 1974, Westfield State has held special events during the month of February dedicated to informing students, faculty, and staff as well as the community about the importance of black history, culture, and traditions. For a full list of Black History Month events, visit www.westfield.ma.edu/bhm.
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