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NO. 151 19 TUESDAY, JANUARY JUNE 27, 23, 2017 2018 7575 cents Cents Murder-suicide in Montgomery By DAN DESROCHERS that occurred on Main Road in committed a crime,” though police members of the Hampden County Correspondent Montgomery starting yesterday did not specify what the potential District Attorney’s office, members MONTGOMERY— Two people morning. The DA’s office has not crime was. Additional information of State Police Tactical Operations were dead after an apparent mur- released additional information, provided to police suggested to them Team, a K-9 unit and a State Police der-suicide in Montgomery yester- including who the victims are, though that the man may be armed. hostage negotiator. day, according to the Hampden Leydon said that more would be Police responded to the address on The area was also blocked off for County District Attorney’s office. released later in the day Tuesday. Main Road in Montgomery, where several hours. Hampden County District Previously, Massachusetts State the unnamed man reportedly lives. As of 8:20 p.m. Monday night, Attorney (DA) spokesman Jim Police reported in a press release According to State Police, several Massachusetts State Police’s media Leydon reported that there were that they responded to a home on different personnel have responded to relations referred media to the two victims from a murder-suicide Main Road after they received a the scene, in addition to state troop- Hampden County DA’s office, who following a heavy police presence call from a man “who said he had ers. Among the additional units are had taken over the incident. Pedestrian School Committee holds joint meeting struck with Technical Academy Advisory Board by vehicle By AMY PORTER By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent Correspondent WESTFIELD – The School Committee held its annual joint WESTFIELD–According to Westfield Police, meeting with the Westfield Technical Academy Advisory one person was transported to an area hospital Committee at Tiger’s Pride Monday. The meeting started with a Sunday early evening after they were struck by a presentation to a local company that helped the city out during a vehicle on Springfield Road. storm last month. According to the log from Westfield Police, the Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said the city had planned to pick up pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in the area of Graphic Arts Advisory Board member Andrea York, senior leaves curbside the day a snow storm hit, and the DPW crew were Walmart on Springfield Road. Payton Mactavish and Instructor Lyndsay Ruelle. diverted to take care of the roads. He said they got a call offering The Westfield Fire Department responded to help to pick up the leaves, and donate any money earned to the the scene, and the person struck was transported Tech Academy. to Baystate Medical Center by Westfield Fire “We’re honoring someone who stepped up from the commu- personnel and ambulance. City and school nity where there was a problem, and offer financial help to the According to Westfield Police Capt. Michael city and to the students in general.” McCabe, the incident reportedly happened as the Horticulture instructor Nathan Sperry said that early in operator of the vehicle was allegedly making a officials tour WTA December, Advisory Board member David Prouty of Proudly left turn on the main thoroughfare but did not see Landscaping, noticing the bagged leaves in the city, offered to the victim. help pick them up for donations to the Horticulture department. Matthew Wilcox, a former student, offered to help him. Sperry technical shops said that by the end of the project, the Horticulture shop made $6,000 from their work. Ward 3 Councilor Ralph J. Figy also By AMY PORTER thanked Prouty on behalf of the City Council. Saturday crash Correspondent Westfield Tech principal Joseph Langone then gave a status WESTFIELD – The annual Westfield School Committee and report on the school. He said there are 541 students at the school Westfield Technical Advisory Board joint meeting on Monday this year of whom 202 are female, up from 193 last year. He said on Southampton began in Tiger’s Pride, and then transitioned as members and he hopes to fill 160 slots in the freshman class next year. guests were split into groups to visit the technical shops. Each Among the highlights he noted is “Westfield Promise,” a new Road sends one group visited four shops, where instructors and advisory board program with Westfield State in which a college-level English members highlighted their programs as well as their needs to the composition course is co-taught at the school by WSU and WTA visitors. faculty, offering students college credit for successful comple- to hospital In Collision Technology, lead instructor Roger Cardin and tion. More courses are expected to be offered next year. Langone By DAN DESROCHERS Advisory Board chair Gary Cloutier met Group 2 in their class- said they are also working on new articulation agreements with Correspondent room, pointing out the noise of the overhead fan and the poor Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical WESTFIELD—An accident on Southampton Community College in medical terminology, and also in graphic Road Saturday morning resulted in the Westfield See WTA Tour, Page 3 design and digital photography at STCC. Fire Department helping to extricate a person Other programs the school is sponsoring are a summer Bridges from their vehicle, who was also transported to program for freshman, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering an area hospital. Westfield Police received a report, first com- See School Committee, Page 3 ing at 10:09 a.m., of a two-vehicle accident in DPW Director addresses the area of 918 Southampton Road Saturday morning. The report indicated that there was possible entrapment, as well as injury. proposed FY19 budget Two people were involved in the accident, each a driver in the vehicles involved. By GREG FITZPATRICK Multiple units from the Westfield Fire Correspondent Department, in addition to police, were request- SOUTHWICK – Town DPW Director Randy Brown met with ed to the scene of the accident. the Select Board to discuss his proposed FY19 budget which he According to the Westfield Fire Department, broke up into different sections including highway, road machin- there was a driver from one of the vehicles ery, engineering, water, and sewer. “slightly entrapped” at the scene and required Under highway, Brown noted the culvert and drainage project on extrication from the vehicle. Personnel report- Granville Road was a big-ticket item and he is proposing $465,000 edly used hand tools to perform this. be put towards it. Following the extrication, one person was According to Brown, the existing culvert on Granville Road is transported to Baystate Medical Center via aging and failing. Over the last few years, the DPW has received Westfield Fire ambulance and personnel. The several reports of residents in that area seeing sinkholes forming other party involved in the accident signed a on that culvert. The design work for this project was completed in patient refusal, according to the police. 2013 but the entirety of the project has never been accepted into a According to Westfield Police Capt. Michael fiscal year budget and Brown would like to see that change. McCabe, the accident reportedly occurred after The School Committee met in Tiger’s Pride on Monday. one vehicle had turned left into oncoming traffic. See DPW, Page 8 Behavioral Health Network receives Outstanding Service Award SPRINGFIELD—Behavioral Massachusetts, including the new grams in Greenfield and Springfield wide.” To accept the award on Health Network (BHN) was chosen programs in Greenfield.” as well as the Clinical Stabilization BHN’s behalf were Tracy Mineo, by the Massachusetts Association of MAADAC continues, “When Services of Northern Hope and The Senior Program Manager, and Rose Alcoholism and Drug Addiction addiction treatment in Western Hope Center in both those cities. Evans, Vice President of Operations. Counselors (MAADAC) to receive Massachusetts was at a low point BHN has also opened The Living BHN has been providing behav- its Outstanding Service Award at from budget cuts and program clo- Room, a 24/7 respite program in ioral health services to children and MAADAC’s Annual Meeting on sures, Behavioral Health Network Springfield which is also the base families in Western Mass since January 12. stepped up and into the breach. In for BHN’s Recovery Coaching pro- 1938. The agency provides commu- The Outstanding Service Award is the past, this corporation assumed gram.” nity-based services that include presented to an individual or organi- ownership of several existing pro- According to Katherine Wilson, innovative, integrated whole-health zation that has supported and grams such as the local recovery BHN President and CEO, “We at models as well as traditional clini- advanced the professionalism of homes, My Sister’s House and BHN are absolutely thrilled to be cal and outpatient and therapeutic addiction treatment in the commu- was selected based on its “outstand- Opportunity House and opened the recipient of this award. It is services, day treatment, addiction nity and in the Commonwealth of ing outreach and development of Cole’s Place in Springfield.