Search for The Westfield News Westfield350.comTheThe Westfield WestfieldNews News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents $1.00 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 VOL. 89 NO. 232 INVESTIGATION: Soldiers’ Home leaders indicted for neglect By HOPE E. TREMBLAY sentence of up to three years while “The beds were a few feet apart them how sorry she was that this Editor each count of serious bodily harm from each other and residents were happened and that while the indict- BOSTON – Criminal charges could come with a 10-year sentence. mingling together,” she said. “It ment would not bring back their against former Soldiers’ Home at Healey’s office began an investi- never should have happened.” loved ones or make what happened Holyoke Superintendent Bennett gation when the outbreak came to The charges announced Friday are right, she hoped they would find Walsh and Medical Director David light in late March. Healey said a related to five specific residents. “solace” that the decision makers Clinton could come with hefty jail decision made by Walsh and Clinton Healey said of the five, all were were being held accountable. time. The men are charged in con- March 27 to combine units of asymptomatic before being merged State Sen. John C. Velis, Massachusetts Attorney General nection to the COVID-19 related COVID positive patients with with positive patients. Two of those D-Westfield, a veteran and U.S. Maura Healey Sept. 25, 2020 deaths of 76 residents and illness of asymptomatic patients contributed residents remained COVID negative Army Reserve major, has long been announces charges against former dozens more at the Home this past to the tragedy that followed. while three contracted the virus and a supporter of the Soldiers’ Home at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home superin- spring. “They combined 42 veterans, one died. Holyoke. Velis serves as the vice tendent and medical director relat- Massachusetts Attorney General some COVID-positive and some not Before the press conference, chair of the Joint Committee on ed to COVID-19 response at the Maura Healey Sept. 25 announced showing symptoms, in a room that Healey spoke with the families via Veterans and Federal Affairs and Home. (SCREENSHOT) the charges — five counts of crimi- usually holds 25 beds,” she said. zoom to tell them a grand jury called for a legislative investigation nal neglect of an elderly or disabled The investigation found that nine indicted Walsh and Bennett Sept. 24. into the situation in April. practices in the early days of the person and five counts of serious veterans, a mix of positive and They will be arraigned in Hampden Gov. Charlie Baker commissioned pandemic at the Home. Velis called bodily harm of an elderly or disabled asymptomatic, were placed together Superior Court. an investigation following the out- the report “gut wrenching.” person, for a total of 10 charges each in a dining hall and other rooms Healey said it was “heartbreak- break at the Home. A report by Atty. ” I was the first lawmaker in the – during a televised press confer- meant for four beds were crammed ing” to hear their stories during the Mark Pearlstein revealed what he ence. Each count of neglect carries a with six or seven residents. investigation and she wanted to tell called “catastrophic” decisions and See Indicted, Page 5 Local COVID rate back to all-time lows By PETER CURRIER Staff Writer WESTFIELD — The local rate of COVID-19 transmission fell back to all-time lows this Two Westfield Seek-No-Further apple trees can be found at Stanley Park, a gift more than week in both Westfield and 40 years ago from lifelong resident Henry Warchol. (ROBERT MCKEAN PHOTO) Southwick. In Westfield there were just four new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total to 544 since Westfield Seek-No-Further The Camilleri family of Westfield has a Westfield the beginning of the pandemic. Seek-No-Further apple tree in their backyard. Those four people were in isola- (JOE CAMILLERI PHOTO) tion as of Wednesday when the apple history comes to light new numbers were announced. A recent social media post on the Historic In Southwick there was just By LORI SZEPELAK and knew the trees “would flourish” in that set- Westfield Massachusetts Facebook page brought one new COVID-19 infection, Correspondent ting. the apple to light and for many, a flurry of interest remaining in line with the rate WESTFIELD — For more than 40 years, two “I also have at least six of those apple trees soon ensued. the small town has experienced Westfield Seek-No-Further apple trees have still on my property,” said Warchol, who is an Joe Camilleri and his wife, Myra, and children throughout much of the pan- stood the test of time on the grounds of Stanley avid gardener and spent his career as a tool- Milana and Chloe, are among the city residents demic. Park. maker. “The apples were always delicious.” who have nurtured one of these trees for years. Southwick Health Director The dwarf trees – then just saplings – were a Warchol chuckled over the phone adding, “When we moved to Westfield 10 years ago I Tammy Spencer said that despite gift by lifelong resident Henry Warchol, now 94, “There was no reason to seek any other apple to did some research on the town and discovered the the single new case, there are no during the nation’s bicentennial celebration – plant than the Westfield Seek-No-Further, espe- Westfield Seek-No-Further,” said Joe Camilleri, longer any active cases in since he wanted to make a small contribution cially since it was tied to the city’s history.” who is a professor in the Psychology Department Southwick. She said most of the at Westfield State University. “I was fascinated about the history of Westfield and the Westfield recent cases in the town had Seek-No-Further popped up.” come from residents traveling From that initial internet search, Camilleri out of state and returning with found the Walden Heights Nursery and Orchard in the virus. Walden, Vt., that sold the tree and ordered one The low local numbers come online. Since that time, Camilleri said the tree has as the state as a whole has had done well even though he was a bit concerned dramatic swings in the percent about the sandy soil it was planted in. positive rate over the last week. “It’s a great tree,” said Camilleri, adding, “and There have been several days it’s still maturing.” recently where the number of While the tree hasn’t produced an abundance of new cases in Massachusetts apples over the years, Camilleri is convinced that topped 500 for the first time in will change in the future. months. The percent of positive “The tree should start producing apples in a few tests to total tests also topped more years,” he said. “The apples we have had two percent multiple times this have been delicious and some of the best apples week. I’ve ever had.” On Friday, Massachusetts Kelsey Socha, head of adult services at the removed the state of Oregon Westfield Athenaeum, checked the archives and from its list of states considered found that the Westfield Seek-No-Further “seems to be low risk. This means that to have originated in or near Westfield in 1796 or people traveling from Oregon to sooner.” Massachusetts must now quaran- One green apple can be seen on the Westfield Seek-No-Further tree at Stanley Park. (ROBERT tine for 14 days upon arrival or MCKEAN PHOTO) See Apple History, Page 5 produce a negative COVID-19 test. There is still time to fill out census form as deadline looms By AMY PORTER If anyone hasn’t been counted, either by bers for another year or two. In 2022, we’ll be Staff Writer self-reporting or answering the door to a cen- using 2020 figures,” she said. WESTFIELD – The deadline to fill out the sus worker, there is still time till fill out the “It’s really important, when so much of our census form and be counted is Wednesday, Census 2020 form online at www.my2020cen- funding whether for kids or for seniors and Sept. 30. sus.gov or by telephone at 1-844-330-2020, everyone in between is based on a per person Census data, which is collected every 10 the Census 2020 liaison, said there is a real which takes 10 minutes. amount,” Gorman said. years, informs where over $675 billion in fed- concern that western Massachusetts would be Council on Aging Director Tina Gorman As of Sept. 25, 97.6% of Massachusetts eral funding is spent each year in states and shortchanged by the federal government if said from a grant standpoint, programs like households had been counted, according to communities, impacting programs that serve everyone isn’t counted. At the time, census the Senior Center have to follow the national the U.S. Census Bureau website. However, if all ages from preschool children to seniors, as takers began a door to door count in Berkshire, census numbers, which she said they are that percentage is lower here in western well as political representation. Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden, Worcester, “stuck with” for more than 10 years. “For Massachusetts, residents risk being short- In July, Secretary of State Francis Galvin, Norfolk and Middlesex Counties. grant purposes, we have to use the 2010 num- changed once again. PAGE 2 - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS An update from the Westfield Gas & Electric manager By TONY CONTRINO pays off with fewer interruptions to these cult year.