TONIGHT Mostly Cloudy. Low of 22. The WestfieldNews Search for The Westfield News Search for The Westfield News Westfield350.com The Westfield “IT’S EASY TO BE INDEPENDENT News WHEN YOU VE GOT MONEY ’ . “TIME IS THE ONLY Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns BUT TO BE INDEPENDENT WHEN WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT YOU HAVEN’ T GOT A TH ING — TONIGHT THAT’S AMBITIONTHE LORD.”’ S TEST.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK —Search MaH AforLI TheA JA WestfieldCKSON News Westfield350.comWestfield350.orgLow of 55. Thewww.thewestfieldnews.com WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHERVOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 centsCRITIC WITHOUT VOL.88TONIGHT NO. 64 MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019 75AMBITION Cents .” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com L&OVOL. 86 NO. 151 acts on road TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents and sidewalk repair stabilization fund By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The Legislative & Ordinance Committee took up several motions that have been before the City Council since March of last year. The first was to accept the fourth paragraph of Mass. General Law (MGL) Chapter 40 Section 5B, which William Onysk Andrew K. Surprise allows cities and towns to create one or Ward 6 City Ward 3 Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast more special purpose stabilization Councilor Councilor Above, new Chamber members, Laurie DeBruin, John Richards, Phyl Phillips, Chris Thompson, funds. the new paragraph in the MGL, brought and Harlene Simmons attend the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce’s annual St. Patrick’s The second motion before the com- Day Breakfast. See additional photos Page 8. (Photos by Don Wielgus) mittee was to establish a special pur- by the Municipal Modernization Act in pose stabilization fund, entitled “road 2017, to allow cities and towns to set up and sidewalk repair and maintenance the stabilization funds and dedicate stabilization fund.” resources to them. He said the commit- The third and fourth motion in the tee would then consider the motion to series dedicated local option meals tax create the road and sidewalk repair and and local option occupancy tax funds to maintenance stabilization fund. the stabilization fund. “We can create the funds if we vote L&O committee chair William MGL, but the rub is putting the money Onyski said that the goal of all of the into the funds,” Onyski said. He then motions was to set up a special fund for asked Assistant City Solicitor Shanna hotel and meals tax revenue to go to Reed to give the Law Department’s sidewalks and roads. opinion on the allocation of the funds. Onyski said the committee would first start by voting whether to accept See Repairs, Page 3 Go Westfield to hold a second focus group for manufacturers By AMY PORTER end of the month at SENATOR DONALD HUMASON, JR. MAYOR BRIAN SULLIVAN Correspondent Barnes Airport,” WESTFIELD – A sec- Mitchell said. ond focus group has He said this next focus been scheduled for Go group is the second in a Westfield, the marketing four-part series to get partnership launched last feedback from different summer by the City of stakeholders in the city. Westfield, Westfield Gas The next two focus & Electric/Whip City groups will be for non- Fiber, the Greater JOE MITCHELL profits, and for realtors Westfield Chamber of City Advancement and developers. Commerce and Westfield Officer Mitchell said 20% of Bank. The purpose of Go the campaign is market- Westfield is to communi- Officer Joe Mitchell. ed internally to the city, cate to people outside the “In our continuing out- 80% to site selectors, to region that Westfield “is reach campaign, the next attract new business to an attractive location to group to get feedback Westfield. “We want grow a business and an from is Westfield manu- them to know we’re exceptional place to live, facturers. We have invit- here, and what we have Colleen and her Court Fionnuala Matthews, Kaitlin Sicard, work, and play,” accord- ed several dozen compa- Coleen Hannah Jury, Maura Wurster and Shaunessey STATE REPRESENTATIVE, ing to City Advancement nies to a meeting at the See Westfield, Page 3 Lambert. JOHN VELIS. Bid awarded for WSU set to new pumper truck By GREG FITZpaTRICK host annual Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson announced last week that Alexis Cross-Cultural Fire Equipment of Alexis, Illinois was awarded the bid for a new fire pumper truck. Alexis Fire Apparatus submitted the lowest bid to build the Symposium fire pumper truck for $302,065. According to Anderson, a pumper truck typi- By PETER CURRIER cally lasts 20 to 25 years and the department’s Correspondent current truck is showing it’s age with signs of WESTFIELD- Westfield State University will wear and rust along with having major work host the 5th annual Cross-Cultural Symposium done on it the past five years. Friday at 9 a.m. at the Scanlon Banquet Hall on The new pumper truck is mid-sized and a little campus. ArtWalk Westfield smaller than the current vehicle. Despite that, The symposium, titled ‘Beyond Our Borders’, Marla Shelasky, right, looks over the work of artist Joli Hamilton, center, Anderson believes it will have the versatility to will feature a number of speakers with a variety of at Rosewood Home and Gifts. ArtWalk Westfield returned Saturday with go down long and remote driveways and other subjects. The opening keynote speech will be local and regional artists exhibiting at several businesses in the Gaslight harder to reach locations. The truck also features given by Cathy Schlund-Vlals, a Professor of District. See additional photos Page 7. (Photo by Marc St.Onge) See Pumper Truck, Page 5 See Symposium, Page 5 WESTFIELD TECHNICAL AUDITORIUM FRIDAY APRIL 12 7:30 PM The National Touring Production of Chicago Total Access Live In Concert. Chicago Total Access is made of 10 talented musicians that captures the LOOK, the SOUND of Chicago in one great show with his like 25 Or 6 To 4, Saturday In The Park & more. This is a must see concert! Benefit for Westfield Police Auxiliary. Tickets at Purplepass.com, Rocky’s Ace Hardware Sponsored By: PAGE 2 - MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day parade Members of the Westfield 350 committee marched in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Westfield 350 Committee) ODDS & ENDS LOCAL LOTTERY LAST NIGHT’s numBERS Be Kind, Please Rewind: MASSACHUSETTS TUESDAY WEDNESDAY MassCash TONIGHT Oregon Blockbuster 04-06-15-22-33 Mega Millions is last on Earth Estimated jackpot: $45 million BEND, Ore. (AP) — There are chal- Numbers Evening lenges that come with running the last 3-9-9-0 Blockbuster Video on the planet. Numbers Midday The computer system must be rebooted 1-7-1-1 Sunny. Mostly Sunny. using floppy disks that only the general Powerball manager — a solid member of Gen X — Estimated jackpot: $550 million knows how to use. 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When a Lucky Links Day Blockbuster in Australia shuts its doors for 01-03-05-13-17-18-19-20 WWLP.COM • Working For You the last time on March 31, the Bend store Lucky Links Night will be the only one left on Earth. 02-03-06-08-10-11-12-20 TODAY “It’s pure stubbornness, for one. We Play3 Day 8-8-6 didn’t want to give in,” said general man- Play3 Night 6-2-5 7-8-8-8 6:59 AM 7:01 PM ager Sandi Harding, who has worked at Play4 Day 12 hours 01 Minutes Play4 Night 5-4-6-1 SUNRISE SUNSET LENGTH OF DAY Powerball See Last Blockbuster, Page 6 Estimated jackpot: $550 million TODAY IN HISTORY TODAY IS MONDAY, MARCH 18, THE 77TH DAY OF 2019. THERE ARE 288 DAYS LEFT IN THE YEAR. n March 18, 1965, the first spacewalk took place lowing July, Favara vanished, the apparent victim of a gang suburban Phoenix in the first death involving a fully autono- as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov went outside hit.) mous test vehicle; Uber suspended its autonomous vehicle Ohis Voskhod 2 capsule, secured by a tether. testing program in Arizona, California, Pittsburgh and To- In 2002, Brittanie Cecil died two days short of her 14th birth- ronto after the crash. Vladimir Putin rolled to a crushing re- ON THIS DATE: day after being hit in the head by a puck at a game between election victory for six more years as Russia’s president. In 1766, Britain repealed the Stamp Act of 1765.