Gun Shown in Robbery
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TONIGHT Partly Cloudy. Low of 64. Search for The Westfield News The Westfield Search for The Westfield News News “REVOLT AND TErrOR Westfield350.com The Westfield News PAY A PRICE RDER IME IS THE ONLY. O Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns AND“T LAW HAVE A COST WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT .” TONIGHT AMBITION.” — CarL SANDBURG Partly Cloudy. SearchJOHN STEINBECKfor The Westfield News LowWestfield350.comWestfield350.org of 55. Thewww.thewestfieldnews.com WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY VOL.WEATHER 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75CRITIC cents WITHOUT VOL.87TONIGHT NO. 212 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 75AMBITION Cents .” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.Fire 86 NO. 151department TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 Western Ave. area 75 cents announces residents voice grant for construction concerns at air compressor By GREG FITZPATRICK WILLIAM CHRISTINA Correspondent T. HENNING M. ALLEN L&O meeting SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Fire Department By AMY PORTER announced that they’ve been awarded a $58,564 grant from Correspondent the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to WESTFIELD – Residents from Western Avenue and Firefighter’s Program. adjoining streets attended the Legislative & Ordinance The federal program 93-year-old city Committee meeting on Wednesday to ask questions about strives to meet the emer- proposed traffic regulations during the construction of Phase gency response needs for I, which is slated to begin next year. both fire departments and L&O Chair Ralph J. Figy, Jr. said the six different ordi- non-affiliated emergency woman helps nances that needed to be amended were part of an agreement medical service organiza- with the City of Westfield and the MassDOT for the project. tions. The Assistance to “We took the federal funds, but they tell us what we have to Firefighter Grant has police solve crime do. All of those things that we’re required to enforce, to put helped first responders up the signs; the Traffic Commission will enforce them,” Figy receive equipment like By CARL E. HARTDEGEN said. protective gear, emergen- Correspondent A lot of questions were directed at the “no left turn” sign cy vehicles, training, and WESTFIELD – A city woman’s jewelry was stolen Monday that will be going up at Broadway for west bound traffic. RUSS ANDERSON other aspects since 2001. when her home was broken into but many of her heirloom Resident Amy Turner-Cooper said that most of the changes Southwick Fire Chief The $58,564 grant is pieces were recovered in less than 12 hours, thanks to another had been discussed at previous meetings, but some had been going towards replacing woman who was apparently targeted by the thieves. changed, including the signs at Broadway, which she believed the department’s 30-year-old breathing air compressor with a City police report that a 93-year-old Whitaker Road resi- turned Broadway into a one-way street. “I am opposed to brand new one. According to Southwick Fire Chief Russ dent called at 4:12 p.m. to report an attempt to break into her that,” said Turner-Cooper. Anderson, the department purchased the previous air com- home. Det. Brian Freeman reports in a court document that City Engineer Mark Cressotti said the project has been vet- pressor in 2000 and noted that it is well beyond its life cycle. the woman told police that she had ignored two men who ted, a safety audit performed, and has been turned over to the came to her front door, assuming them to be salesmen who MassDOT. He said the intersection at Broadway is the same See Grant, Page 3 would go away. However, when she did not answer the front as at the last public meeting. “The constraints don’t make it a door, the men went to her back door and she soon heard a one-way. In my opinion, this is the lesser of the restrictions on loud noise from that direction. When she went into her kitch- Broadway. The only restriction is left turns into Broadway en she found her door was off her hinges and the two men had west-bound from Western Ave.,” Cressotti said. entered her kitchen,. “It will force people to take a left onto Kensington or The woman told police that the men fled when she started Fairview. Look at the size of the streets. Fairview is a very to yell at them and she provided police with the registration Gun shown number of the Jeep they drove away in. See Western Ave., Page 3 Later in the evening, a Sunset Drive resident called police, at 6:19 p.m., to report that she came home to find her front door broken open and her property had been disturbed. in robbery After she had a chance to investigate, the victim told police By CARL E. HARTDEGEN that her antique jewelry, her jewelry box, a laptop computer Correspondent and antique tools had been stolen. She valued her stolen prop- WESTFIELD – An unidentified thief walked into a erty at “well over $2,000″. Southwick Road convenience store with gun Monday A 10:25 p.m., in Chicopee, a witness saw two men moving evening and fled moments later with an undefined a safe into a house at 14 Abbey Street and found it unusual amount of cash. enough to call the Chicopee police. City police report that the owner of Quick Food, a con- Freeman reports that the Chicopee officer who responded, venience store at the intersection of Tannery and Zachary Smola, saw a Jeep parked at the house and noticed Southwick roads, dialed 911 at 9:32 p.m. Monday to the registration plate. “Smola remembered the license plate report that he had been robbed. from the BOLO (Be On the Lookout) we put out” and kept The victim told police that the robber may have been a the vehicle under observation while he called Westfield detec- black man but was wearing a mask. The owner said that tives. the man had a “small gun” and made off with a large Freeman said later that knowing the registration number of amount of cash as well as keys to the store before he fled. the suspect vehicle was the key to solving the case and lauded Security video shows a man enter the store while car- the 93-year-old resident who thought quickly and had the rying a handgun at his side. The man is seen approaching presence-of-mind to spot the registration number. He said that Residents from the area of Western Avenue in attendance the cash register and where he reportedly put the gun it is very unusual for a witness to provide an accurate plate at the L&O Committee meeting on Wednesday. (Photo by down briefly while taking the money. number and without that number the crime would not have Amy Porter) The victim said that the man left the store with the been resolved as promptly as it was. stolen money and fled in what may have been a black Smola told Freeman that the Jeep was registered to a male Jeep. party “who has been charged twice for breaking and entering There were no customers in the store at the time of the and six times for drug offenses.” Public informational robbery. Smola also told Freeman “that 14 Abbey Street is occupied The case is under investigation by the Detective by known thieves and drug addicts” and identified one of the Bureau. session to be held about See Crime, Page 3 renaming of streets By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Town of Southwick will hold a pub- Prospective business lic informational session on September 26 at 6 p.m. in the Southwick Town Hall to discuss the renaming of streets in town. owners vent frustration There are six streets in Southwick that that are scheduled to be changed: Evergreen Street, Evergreen Terrace, Hillcrest at local process Avenue, Two States Avenue, Island Pond Way, and Southwick Hill. Besides Evergreen Terrace and Evergreen Street, there By AMY PORTER Solicitor Shanna Reed said as is also an Evergreen Avenue. Southwick Hill and Hill Crest Correspondent long as the resolution is are very similar as well. Island Pond Way will need to be WESTFIELD – During a accepted by the local action changed due to some of the numbers of the homes coinciding discussion on a marijuana deadline set by the Department with Island Pond Road. As a result, the six homes on Island ordinance at the Legislative & of Revenue, and before the Pond Way will become a part of Island Pond Road. Ordinance committee meet- tax rate is set, it would go into The reason for the changing of these street names is ing on Wednesday, prospec- effect tive retail investors Marc “There’s nothing that says See Streets, Page 3 Lichwon and Curt Gezotis we can’t earmark the funds expressed their frustration later on,” said At-large with the local process. Councilor Dave Flaherty, who Prospective marijuana retail investors Marc Lichwon and Before the L&O were two was in attendance at the meet- Curt Gezotis. (Photo by Amy Porter) local marijuana items. The ing. Reed said it can be ear- first was a resolution to accept marked with a stabilization which deals with hours of L&O on how to select ven- a local option excise tax on fund. Figy acknowledged that operation and numbers of dors. the retail sale of marijuana at Flaherty will be meeting with permits, already passed a first Flaherty brought an the maximum allowed by the Mayor Brian P.