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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO.125
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014
— Jean de La Fontaine
75 cents
Macbeth’s curse visits Westfield? By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A book burned on Broad Street Friday may have been simply an accident, it may have been a protest against literary education at the vocational school or it might have been a paranormal expression of The Bard’s outrage at the diminution of his work. Or, it might just be the latest manifestation of the centuries-old curse on the play. Both police and firefighters responded Friday evening to a report of a book burning at the intersection of East Silver and Broad streets but found that rain had already extinguished a book which had been burning while leaning against a signpost. Officer Sean Smith reports that the book was found to be a copy of ‘Macbeth Made Easy’ which had been borrowed from the Steven Pippin Memorial Library at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School. For centuries, the play has been considered to be unlucky in theatrical circles and theatre professionals often decline to say the play’s name lest they invoke the bad luck associated with the ‘Scottish Play’, as it is usually called. Historically, the bad luck which follows the play was often fires, a problem which plagued theatres in Shakespearean times no matter what play was being produced. Although Smith has not reported that he has determined why the book was burned at least three possibilities come to mind. William Shakespeare, at a heavenly celebration of his recent 450th birthday, may have been affronted by the suggestion that his classic work needed to be “made easy” and may have expressed his umbrage by calling down a celestial spark to incinerate the offending analysis of his work. Maybe a vocational school pupil was unhappy that The Scottish Play is included in the 12th grade curriculum at the school and burned the book in protest. Or maybe, just maybe, the curse which has kept actors from saying the name of ‘The Scottish Play’ for centuries is real and spontaneous combustion destroyed the book. But, in the end it was Mother Nature who had the last word, sending rain to extinguish the fire and leaving the mystery to remain a mystery.
“A pessimist and an optimist, so much the worse; so much the better.”
Small fish caught
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) within 60 days of the bill going into law, which the committee last night confirmed will be early next month. “One of the questions we asked Russell (Dupere, district legal counsel) that he didn’t have an answer for last time was when does the legislation take effect?” said Gateway School Committee Chair Gretchen Eliason of Worthington. “His answer was, because it was a special bill, it takes effect in 30 days, starting the day after the Governor signed it.” Eliason stated that Gateway Regional Superintendent Dr. David Hopson had spoken with DESE earlier yesterday via conference call, and that by their count, the legislation becomes effective on June 6. Barring one abstention, the committee’s vote to model the district’s new plan after the current one passed unanimously, placing the ball firmly in Worthington’s court. The town will have until August 6 to come up with a plan of their own from scratch, which the DESE may or may not approve. “Steph (Fisk, district business and finance officer) has pointed out, in the past and to the DESE, that we’ve lost 40 students in any given year and haven’t changed the basic plan for what we’re doing,” said Hopson, urging committee members to proceed forward with a similar plan. “With 40 students, you’re only talking about a couple of students per grade level.” Hopson added that, following the submission of the education plans, a reorganization needs conference will be held with the DESE which will address the needs of both Worthington and the district, and which may result in there being a need for changes in the current education plan. “If you in fact want to absorb $630,000 in lost funding, that would mean structural changes, and we don’t know what those are going to be,” he said, referencing the $630,000 the district will lose should Worthington withdraw. “If you vote for this motion, we’re not changing the educational plan of the district, we’re moving forward with the same plan. It’s really Worthington’s plan
By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – While city police doubtless prefer to snag the “big fish” in their never-ending war on the heroin scourge, small time dealers are nonetheless on their radar and sent before the judge whenever opportunity presents itself. Such an opportunity presented itself to Det. Timothy Grady Tuesday when he spotted a familiar face, Savuth Vith, 25, a homeless man who is well known to Grady and many other city officers as a long-time heroin user and part-time dealer, riding as a passenger in car traveling on Mechanic Street. Grady reports in a court document that he had recently heard that Vith has been again selling heroin in the city so he followed the car to a Cleveland Street address where officers believe residents sometimes sell heroin. Vith was seen to leave the car and enter the house. After a short time, a period consistent with a typical narcotics transfer, Vith returned to the car together with another man well-known to the officers. Grady reports “Savuth Vith and Jusue Rios (25, also homeless) are well-known to me as I have investigated both in the past for narcotic-related violations. I have also arrested both and have worked investigations where an undercover officer was able to purchase narcotics from both individuals.” Grady and Det. Brian Freeman, during their surveillance, established that the car the three men were in had not been inspected and arranged for an officer in a marked police cruiser to stop the car. The operator, Chad Sullivan, 33, of 47.5 Shepard St., acknowledged that his license had been suspended because he owed child support and he was arrested. Grady asked Sullivan what he had been doing on Cleveland Street and he said that someone had “picked up” there but he did not know who. When asked what was “picked up”, Sullivan said that someone had picked up heroin which he referred to as “H”. When Grady turned his attention to the passengers still in Sullivan’s car, he found “Both Vith and Rios were very nervous and acting evasively” but a frisk revealed that Vith had hidden four bags of heroin in a sock. Rios then, Grady reports, “kicked off his right shoe and heroin (19 bags) was found inside the sock.” When Grady returned to Sullivan and told him of the heroin he had taken from the man’s passengers, “Sullivan lifted his
See Gateway, Page 3
See Heroin, Page 3
Members of the Gateway Regional School District listen as Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson, seated center, provided an update on the school’s technology. Hopson reported that the district is in an experimentation stage which could phase out the Apple computers that are presently in use. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Gateway carries on with education plan By Peter Francis Staff Writer HUNTINGTON – “Keep calm and carry on.” Gateway Regional School Committee member Mary Ann Laurie uttered that famous British motivational slogan last night to sum up the committee’s decision to create a new education plan based upon the current one next month. Legislation was signed by Governor Deval L. Patrick earlier this month allowing the town of Worthington to withdraw from the Gateway Regional School District. Whether or not the town will be allowed to actually leave the district hinges on the approval of the seperate education plans that both the town and the district must submit to the Department of
Gateway Regional School District Food and Nutrition Director Wendy McCaul provides an update on the National School Lunch Program to members of the school committee during last night’s meeting in the school library. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Family to travel to help villagers By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The ripples created by city residents can be far-reaching and those started by a city family, and their churches, have reached the remote village of El Pilon in Honduras. There have been Fanions living in the northwestern part of the city for generations and although some of them moved from the city their ties to Westfield remain strong. So strong that, when David Fanion decided to expand the help his See Family, Page 3
Juvenile lifers getting first parole hearings By PAIGE SUTHERLAND Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Two Massachusetts inmates sentenced to life without parole as juveniles will be the first to have parole hearings since the state’s highest court struck down mandatory life sentencing for young offenders in December. Joseph Donovan, 38, and Frederick Christian, 37, will have hearings today. They’re among 63 inmates serving juvenile life without parole sentences in the state. Both were convicted See Juvenile Lifers, Page 3
Columbia Greenway Project Contractors use a crane to place large steel beams on a new support structure that will be part of the Columbia Greenway Project. The new bridge is located off Ponders Hollow Road in Westfield. (Photo by Frederick Gore)