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WEATHER TONIGHT Clear and cold. Low of - 16.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 2
Madeline McGregor, 7, of Feeding Hills, enjoys her day off from school while sliding at the SouthwickTolland-Granville High School with her dad Thursday. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
“No one asked you to be happy. Get to work.” — Colette, French author (1873-1954)
75 cents
Diane Litourneau, of Westfield, fills a five-gallon pail with sand at the Westfield Department of Public Works yard on Thursday afternoon. The sand is free to Westfield residents. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Sullivan Webster, of Westfield, is hit by a friend’s sled while sliding at the Southwick-Tolland-Granville High School Thursday. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
New year’s first snow blankets region By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD — The new year began with a flurry, and then some yesterday, as the first winter storm of the year touched down in the Northeastern United States. The snow, which began as light fluffy powder early Thursday, was expected to increase in volume and intensity during the overnight hours into Friday morning, possibly depositing a foot of snow or more in many regions of the state. Blizzard conditions, high winds and coastal flooding impacted parts of eastern Massachusetts. Boston’s south shore, along with Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, are expected to experience gale force winds in addition to snow accumulation and dangerously
low wind chills, conditions generally associated with blizzards. Public school students throughout the state were rejoicing, and many parents were grumbling, as local school districts gave students an extra two days of vacation. Governor Deval Patrick ordered all state employees to leave work at 3:00 p.m. Thursday in anticipation of the impending nor’easter. Colonel Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, tweeted “Spinouts and crashes are increasing across the state. If you don’t have to be out, please don’t risk your safety” at around 1 p.m., at the same time eastern Hampden County was issued a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service.
Typically issued when an average of six or more inches of snow is expected in a 12-hour period, or for eight or more inches in a 24-hour period, the winter storm warning extended from the town of Brimfield on the Worcester County line west to Southwick and Westfield, excluding the Hilltowns to the immediate west of the Whip City. The Massachusetts Turnpike was also impacted yesterday, when a tractor trailer truck jacknifed at around mile 40 in the westbound lane near Westfield’s Exit 3 at around 11:40 a.m. according to State Police. While the scene quickly cleared and traffic began moving westbound, a speed limit reduction of 40 m.p.h was put into effect later in the day.
Within Westfield city limits, several minor accidents occurred, but according to Captain Michael McCabe yesterday afternoon, there was nothing major to report, aside from the frigid temperatures. Charles Dunlap, the director of the Town of Southwick’s Emergency Management Agency, said that while eastern Mass. is getting pummelled, the conditions in Southwick have been par for the course. “The snow is drifting, we’re on the edge of it right now,” he said around midday Thursday. “But this is a fairly typical winter storm. We get about two or three of these a year, so we’re just waiting it out right now.” Following a 4:30 p.m. conference with several state agencies
and the National Weather Service, Dunlap said wind chill and another weekend storm are his most pressing concerns. “A rain storm is predicted Sunday into Monday, and the temperature is expected to be 40 degrees, but if storm drains are covered, there could be local flooding.” Chris Willenborg, the executive director for the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, who spent over nine years as airport manager at Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, said the weather would be affecting flights into and out of the Commonwealth until possibly the weekend. “Most airports are open, and their snow removal operations are See First Snow, Page 3
Familiar faces appointed at Westfield State By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Westfield State University saw great change in 2013, a trend that continues into the new year. The school announced two appointments Thursday which had been effective since midDecember, as Dr. Marsha Marotta and Dr. Kimberly Tobin have been appointed to the offices of Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance, respectively. Marotta, a former chair of the Department of Political Science, has spent the past five years in the capacity of Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and brings “a wealth of administrative leadership to the position” according to a release from the university
yesterday. Marotta’s responsibilities included overseeing the university’s international programs, student success programming through the Academic Achievement Department’s student support services and the Honors Program, as well as the Registrar’s Office. She also secured multi-year grants to establish a civic engagement initiative, boosted student retention efforts, and led the creation of firstyear student success program. She joined the university in 1998 in the Department of Political Science after a career as a journalist and city editor. Tobin began her career at Westfield State in 1998 as a faculty member, eventually serving as the chair of the Criminal Justice Department.
Since 2008, Tobin has served as Dean of the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education (DGCE), a unit that is home to the university’s non-state supported programming, including graduate programs, academic programming for non-traditional students, youth summer programs, and professional development programming. Under her leadership the DGCE has increased student enrollment by 42 percent and net revenue by approximately 400 percent. “Both Marsha and Kim have played leadership roles, collaborated on a number of important university projects in recent years and bring broad, deep experience to the administration,” said Dr. Elizabeth H. Preston, interim president of Westfield State
University. “Our students remain positive, our faculty is strong and our administration is stable. There is work to be done and I look forward to working side by side with Marsha, Kim and others to advance the mission of Westfield State.” Other interim appointments which have been made on Western Avenue include those of Dr. Andrew Bonacci and Dr. Cheryl Stanley. A tenured faculty member and former chair in the Department of Music, Bonacci has agreed to take over for Marotta and serve as Interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies through the end of the 20132014 academic year. He previously served as Interim Dean of Faculty from January 2011 to August of 2012.
Stanley, the University’s Dean of Education, will assume the seat being vacated by Tobin as Acting Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education. She will continue to serve as Dean of Education while the university makes arrangements to fill the position on an interim basis. Following it’s December meeting, the Westfield State Board of Trustees announced that the process for filling the university’s presidency on a permanent basis will begin during the upcoming spring semester through a series of campus focus groups intended to “set priorities in the selection of a new president and establish the process for conducting the search.” “Dr. Preston has put out focus groups to figure out
DR. KIMBERLY TOBIN what skill set we should search for for the next president.” said board Chairman John Flynn III following that December meeting. “We’ll start by identifying a core group of folks internally.”