PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR OF SOUTHBRIDGE AREA RELAY FOR LIFE! SERVING OUR READERS SINCE 1923 WEDNESDAY , A PRIL 14, 2010 (508) 764-4325/VISIT US AT: www.theheartofmassachusetts.com Newsstand: 60 cents TODAY’S ‘It’s in the hands of the bishop’ QUOTE NOTRE DAME PARISHIONERS FEAR THEIR CHURCH WILL BE CLOSED "The future is purchased BY GUS STEEVES by the present.” NEWS STAFF WRITER — Samuel Johnson SOUTHBRIDGE — Is Notre Dame Church clos- ing? That seems to be the direction in which the three committees coordinating the merger of Sacred TOMORROW’’S Heart and Notre Dame parishes are leaning. Two of them have already voted 6-5 and 7-3 to recommend WEATHER doing so, and the third meets tonight to vote on the issue. “I think it’d be an awful blow to Southbridge if that church were closed,” said Raymond Desrosiers, who has been a parishioner at both during his life. “… People should open their eyes because the unexpected is about to happen.” Desrosiers was one of around 80 Notre Dame parishioners who met this weekend at the request of some members of the joint Pastoral Council. Gus Steeves photo, above/file photo, right (That body has four elected by each church’s mem- Above, wondering how long he’ll be able to do so, Raymond Desrosiers bers and four appointed by the priest, Rev. Leo- uses the Marcy Street doors to exit Notre Dame Church Monday. At Paul LeBlanc.) The other two panels investigating right, Bishop Robert McManus performs service at the 100th anniver- Mostly Sunny sary Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in November 2008. Please Read NOTRE DAME, page A8 High 63 Low 40 WINNING Alicea is LOTTERY Dowling wins in Sturbridge NUMBERS upset by MURAWSKI MASS. DAILY NUMBERS drawn Monday BESTS complaint afternoon were: 9-9-6-6 MURPHY BY CHRISTOPHER TANGUAY MASS DAILY NUMBERS NEWS STAFF WRITER to Ethics drawn Monday night were: STURBRIDGE — The 8-4-4-8 Board of Selectmen has a BY RYAN GRANNAN-DOLL new member — Mary NEWS STAFF WRITER Cash Winfall: Dowling. SOUTHBRIDGE — State Rep. 4-10-13-14-25-36 A member of the Geraldo Alicea, D-Charlton, is Finance Committee for sounding off against the two terms, Dowling was Southbridge Evening News for fil- defeated by only five votes ing a complaint against him with LOCAL in a bid for a seat on the the state Ethics Commission. board two years ago. “It is unfortunate that the local Monday night, she com- newspaper seems to be more con- fortably defeated her cerned with creating controversy opponent James Ehrhard where there is none for the sake of — who narrowly lost a a front page run for selectman last story, rather year by 14 votes — by a Shawn Kelley photos than promoting margin of 275 votes. and supporting The final count was Members of Selectman-elect Mary Dowling’s family wave to voters coming in and out of the what is in the Dowling with 1,039 votes polls Monday. Dowling bested opponent James Ehrhard by 275 votes. Below, Town Clerk best interests of Lorraine Murawski smiles as she holds her campaign sign outside of the polls at Burgess and Ehrhard, 764. the communi- The Hot Spot Elementary School. Murawski easily won re-election over challenger Susan G. Murphy. “I’m extremely happy ty,” Alicea said Page A3 and excited,” Dowling in a statement said following the released announcement of the GARIERI FACES Monday after- SPORTS results by Assistant Town noon. Clerk Heather Hall short- RECALL EFFORT Alicea also Geraldo Alicea ly after 8 p.m. claimed the “I’m humbled by the complaint, as well as another this amount of support that I BY TARA JOHNSON STONEBRIDGE PRESS CORRESPONDENT newspaper filed alleging the received from the commu- Town Council violated the state’s STURBRIDGE — A Sturbridge res- nity,”Dowling continued. Open Meeting Law, was slowing ident has launched a recall effort She commended her down negotiations to relocate the against Selectman Scott Garieri, col- opponent on a well-run Registry of Motor Vehicles lecting signatures during Monday’s campaign. branch. annual town election. “It was hard,” Dowling The Southbridge Evening News Easy win for The Hill One year ago said. “It was a very close filed a complaint last week with Patrick Babcock race throughout the the Ethics Commission after Page A10 said he supported entire campaign.” Alicea participated in an executive Garieri. When Going into Monday’s session meeting of the reports surfaced election, Dowling said, “It Southbridge Town Council that Garieri had was anybody’s guess as to Monday, April 5 to discuss moving GLOBAL AFFAIRS made expletive- who was going to win.” the RMV back to town. laden statements Looking at taking up While no one said what solution WHAT’S HAPPENING during an execu- her post on the Board of was discussed, officials have been tive session of a ‘BEYOND OUR BORDERS’ Selectmen as “starting a discussing, in public forums, Town PAGE A2 new adventure,” Dowling moving the RMV into the Administrator said there is no one specif- Scott Garieri Casaubon Senior Center on Search Committee ic topic she wants to tack- LaRochelle Way.The senior facili- meeting on Jan. 6, Babcock said he e- OPINION le in her freshman year, ty would move into the mailed Garieri for an explanation. but would rather partici- Community Center/Armory on GET YOUR According to Babcock, the select- pate and contribute in Chestnut Street. man’s response indicated “he stood POINT ACROSS what is already in front of Last year, the RMV,citing budg- PAGE A4 et cuts, closed its former Please Read DOWLING, page A11 Please Read RECALL, page A11 WHAT TO DO Please Read ALICEA, page A9 A CALENDAR OF AREA EVENTS PAGE A5 Local Democrats strike stance on RMV BY WALTER BIRD JR. of a loan to the owners of ices be returned to the Big April 10 meeting, it says in the Commonwealth’s behalf to NEWS STAFF WRITER Big Bunny Plaza on Main Bunny Plaza,” the letter letter, voted to urge local and provide Registry Services in SOUTHBRIDGE — The Street and the return of a reads. “The committee state elected officials to both Southbridge” and “work Southbridge Democratic branch RMV office to that understands that, with resti- “advocate for its citizens, toward the reestablishment of Town Committee is weigh- property. tution, the principals agree namely, the principals of the Registry services in the town ing in on the controversy “The Committee unani- to host the Commonwealth Big Bunny Plaza, for repay- of Southbridge without com- surrounding the Registry of mously expressed its desire in its provision of Registry ment and/or forgiveness of promising the restitution Motor Vehicles, sending a that the Commonwealth of services, rent free, with monies/loans obtained and mentioned above.” letter to town councilors that Massachusetts honor its con- exception of utilities.” expended by them to remodel 6 56525 10441 1 calls both for the forgiveness tract and that Registry serv- Committee members at an their facilities on the Please Read RMV, page A12 2 • Wednesday, April 14, 2010 FROM THE OUTSIDE IN ACCURACY WATCH Muzzle Awards flag First AT THE THE SOUTHBRIDGE EVENING NEWS IS COMMITTED TO ACCU- RACY IN ALL ITS NEWS REPORTS. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS SAFE- GUARDS ARE IN PLACE TO ENSURE ACCURATE REPORTING, MIS- Amendment violations MOVIES TAKES CAN OCCUR. CONFIRMED FACT ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED AT THE TOP LEFT RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Banning the sale ized license plate, citing a rule barring HAND CORNER OF PAGE A2 IN A TIMELY MANNER. of wine because of a nude, bike-riding nymph plates that might be "offensive to the gener- ‘Titans’ clashes with IF YOU FIND A MISTAKE, CALL (508)764-4325, EXT. 107 on the label of the bottle. Confining campus al public." Keith Kimmel challenged the DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. AFTER 5 P.M., PRESS EXT. protests to a "free-speech patio." Keeping decision in court, but O'Neil said the lawsuit ‘Date Night’ at movies street performers off the Las Vegas Strip. won't proceed because Kimmel died in 152 FOR THE NEWSROOM HOTLINE. Those were some of the actions that the March. O'Neil noted the government DAVID GERMAIN AP MOVIE WRITER Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection improperly curbs free speech when it cre- of Free Expression cited Tuesday in award- ates a forum for public expression, then LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Carell ing its dubious "Muzzle" awards. The only allows some messages to be expressed. and Tina Fey are in a box-office clash Charlottesville center awards the Muzzles The Virginia Department of Corrections with the gods of Mount Olympus. annually to mark the April 13 birthday of won a Muzzle for denying inmate Kyle Mabe No. 1 bragging rights for the weekend The Southbridge Evening News (USPS 504-380) is pub- Jefferson — its namesake, the third presi- a compact disc containing audio of a were too close to call Sunday, with 20th dent and free-speech advocate. Christian sermon, which the center said Century Fox estimating a $27.1 million lished daily Monday through Friday, except holidays Center director Bob O'Neil said that while the violated his constitutional rights of free debut for Carell and Fey's comedy "Date (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, 10 winners of the 2010 awards were geographi- speech and religious freedom. The correc- Night" and Warner Bros. reporting the Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas), by cally diverse, they didn't include any corpora- tions department has since decided to action tale "Clash of the Titans" at $26.9 Stonebridge Press Inc., 25 Elm St., tions or other private entities as in past years — revise its policy to allow inmates to order million.