The Westfield NewsSearch for The Westfield News Westfield350.com The WestfieldNews 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 TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020 VOL. 89 NO. 058 All 17 Westfield YMCA Science Projects at Regionals program advance to States aims to By AMY PORTER Staff Writer WESTFIELD – All of the 17 projects from the Westfield HIgh School Science and Engineering get you off Fair that competed at the March 7 Regional Science Fair at Smith College will advance to the state contest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on May 1 and 2. your couch “All of our kids did really well. It was a really good fair,” said Science, Technology and By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Engineering Supervisor Lauren Figy. Editor First place went to WHS junior Suvin Jeanne Pescitelli works on the eagle’s nest with her granddaughter, WIS WESTFIELD — If you’ve ever considered Sundararajan for Functionalized Polylactide sixth grader Colleen Pescitelli. (AMY PORTER/THE WESTFIELD NEWS) becoming a runner, the Greater Westfield YMCA Filament for Additive Manufacturing. has a program that will help you meet your Sundararajan will also be competing for a spot at goals. the International Science Fair in Anaheim, CA, The Couch to 5k program aims to get people May 10 to 15. “Suvin is super excited,” Figy said. Sons of Erin float off their couch and running a 5k (3.1 miles) in Sundararajan also received a Naval Science 11 weeks. Award, one of two bestowed. The other Naval YMCA Health and Wellness Director Cindy Science Award went to WHS freshman Samantha Agan said the program is open to 20 participants Adamtsev for The Accessible Tuba. Adamtsev who will meet Saturdays at 7 a.m. starting April also received the Smith College Community is green in more 4 and who must be able to walk 30 minutes and Outreach Award. be able to perform additional workouts through- The Smith College Creativity Award went to out the week. Westfield Technical Academy sophomores Alec The end goal will be to run 3.1 miles at the Smith and Dacota Durkee for Making Cell Phones ways than one end of 11 weeks with an optional walk/run race Safe on Airplanes. to finish the program on June 20. Second place awards went to Antoinette Reid By AMY PORTER a compost pot is filled to the brim for Plastic Particles; Elizabeth Regnier and Staff Writer with precious soil essential for his See YMCA, Page 5 Catherine Morrisey for Comparing ImageJ to WESTFIELD – Volunteers from healthy garden to thrive. Invasive Tissue Extraction; Erika Kovaski for the Westfield Sons of Erin met this “Our 39th float is unique in that it Calling All Bacteria with a 3D Printer; Imma past weekend to continue work on was primarily built with repurposed the 39th Holyoke St. Patrick’s and recycled materials including See Science Projects, Page 2 Parade float, which will carry 2020 plastic bottles, cardboard, cork, Colleen Brigid Mary Moriarty and newspapers, scrap wood and old Alleged bank her court. clothes to name a few. This colorful “This year our float was inspired float should have great appeal to by the environment, being kind to parade-goers of all ages,” McMahon robber nabbed the environment, showing the youth said in a kid friendly way that being Sixth grader Colleen Pescitelli, By CARL E. HARTDEGEN responsible to our environment is who was working on the eagle’s nest Correspondent cool….so we are in the true sense of with her grandmother Jeanne WESTFIELD – A Connecticut man believed the word building a ‘green’ float,” Pescitelli, said the theme makes to have robbed the TD North Bank branch office said Mary Jane McMahon, who cre- sense. at 60 Main St. on Feb. 11 has been arrested after ated this year’s theme, “Take “With trash not being sent to allegedly robbing a Webster Bank location in Nothing but Memories, Leave China, this is a perfect example of Glastonbury, Conn. Nothing but Footprints.” what can be done with trash. `One Det. Lt. Stephen K. In describing the story of the float, man’s trash is another man’s trea- Dickinson, who trav- McMahon said the highlight is the sure’,” she said. eled to Glastonbury whimsical “Celtic Tree of Life” “It’s been fun with the recycling earlier in the week, said which symbolizes strength, wisdom, theme; fun to think of ways to create in a recent interview longevity and rebirth. without using plastics,” said Gail that Geoffrey A. “Pat the Leprechaun is fishing Britton, who was working on the Shapiro, 39, of 431 near his homestead, where he wel- “tree stumps” the Colleens will sit Denslow St., Windsor comes The Sons of Erin Colleen and on. She said the stools are made out Locks, had been arrest- WHS Junior Suvin Sundararajan took first her Court to help him Reduce, Reuse of paint buckets, and the fabric cov- ed after an investigation place with his project, Functionalized Polylactide and Recycle. Pat’s homestead is ering them dipped in wallpaper into a bank robbery Filament for Additive Manufacturing. (AMY energized by Celtic solar panels; a there. PORTER/THE WESTFIELD NEWS) rain barrel collecting raindrops, and See Float, Page 3 Dickinson explained that the suspect had unwittingly parked his GEOFFREY get-away car very near A. SHAPIRO a security camera before he walked into New nail salon open on Southwick Road the bank and presented a note claiming to have a gun and demanding cash. By HOPE E. TREMBLAY The robber in Westfield did the same thing Editor inside the bank and, Dickinson said, wore the WESTFIELD – VIP Nail Salon opened last week at same jacket before he fled with about $500. 47 Southwick Road with a full menu of services. Dickinson said that Shapiro is believed to VIP, which is in the Yankee Village Plaza, is one of have also robbed a bank in Simsbury, Conn., on the only nail salons in that area of the city. Feb. 9, wearing the same jacket and the same hat Owner Tommy Nguyen said his shop is clean and that he wore in Westfield. In Simsbury, the rob- pays close attention to each customer’s needs. ber showed a gun, placing it on the counter dur- “We have single-use kits,” he said, noting that the ing the robbery. files used are opened for every customer, then thrown In Glastonbury, police viewed video which away. showed Shapiro walk away from the car he “We sanitize tools,” he added, showing the sanitiz- parked before the Feb. 21 robbery and were able ing process used for metal tools, such as cuticle nip- to read a registration plate on it. The car was pers, clippers and more. found to be registered to a Windsor Locks Tommy Nguyen, owner of the new VIP Nails on Southwick Road in the See Nail Salon, Page 3 Yankee Village Plaza. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS) See Nabbed, Page 3 PAGE 2 - TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS All of the Westfield Science Fair students that showed at Regionals will advance to the Finals in Boston. (WESTFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS PHOTO) Science Projects Continued from Page 1 Kayzakian for The Ability of ZnW and TiO2 to mitigate the Third place awards went to Aaron Muldrew, Smith and and Max Loper and Ethan Narkiewicz negative effects of UV radiation on planarian regeneration; Durkee, Anthony Suhocki and Reid Hannan, Charles “I’m so proud of the students. They really represented Kaitlin Price for Natural ant repellant; Adamtsev, and Zachariah Przechocki, Mackenzie Rae, Yana Chumakova and Ziyad Westfield well, and Smith College was a great partner,” Figy Gravel-Blaney and Emma Mazeika for The Effects of Ghalayini. said. Germicidal Radiation on E. Coli K-12. Honorable mention awards went to James Coach of WTA, Police Logs WESTFIELD account, an investigation was she responded to a report of a.m. en route to Worcester Whalley Way, an unknown due found in one of the pack- Major crime initiated; an injured bird and transport- and she may have taken med- substance was found in a ages but due to safety rea- and incident report 1:07 p.m.: animal com- ed it to the municipal animal ication and threatened to package and turned in to sons, they were destroyed plaint, Shaker Road, a caller shelter; harm herself, a report was police, there was white resi- unopened. Tuesday, March 3, 2020 reports two dogs, possibly 4:49 p.m.: motor vehicle taken and a Be On the Look WESTFIELD chocolate Labrador retriev- violation, Root Road, a patrol Out issued. 9:18 a.m.: vandalism, ers, are rerunning free, the officer reports he observed an 10:38 a.m.: animal com- Union Street, a caller reports responding animal control ATV operating on a public plaint, Powder Mill Road, the her car was damaged over- officer reports she was able to road and the operator initially animal control officer night, the responding office find one of the dogs which fled, the vehicle was stopped responded to a report of a reports the victim said that a was transported to the munic- near the city boundary and deceased cat found under the quarter panel of her car had ipal animal shelter; the ATV was transported to porch. Court Logs been kicked and dented, no 1:55 p.m.: animal com- the police impound yard, a 12:29 p.m.: assist motorist, suspects sere identified; plaint, Graylock Street, an criminal complaint was filed College Highway, police 10:33 a.m.: fraud, West Westfield District Court animal control officer reports and the operator was provid- assisted a person locked out Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Silver Street, a caller from a she responded to a report of a ed a courtesy transport to a of a vehicle in a parking lot.