TONIGHT Rain Showers. Low of 68. Search for The Westfield News The Westfield Search for The Westfield News News “THE TROUBLE WITH Westfield350.com The Westfield News THE PUBLIC IS Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER CRITICTHAT WITHOUT THERE IS TONIGHT TOO MUCHAMBITION OF.” I T.” — DON MARQUIS Partly Cloudy. SearchJOHN for STEINBECK The Westfield News LowWestfield350.com Westfield350.orgof 55. Thewww.thewestfieldnews.com WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY VOL.WEATHER 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 CRITIC75 cents WITHOUT VOL.TONIGHT 87 NO. 175 TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 75AMBITION Cents .” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com New Medicare VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY,Infant JUNE 27, 2017hospitalized, father 75 cents cards arriving for seniors arrested held on $1M bail By LORI SZEPELAK By CARL E. HARTDEGEN care of her father, Torres, from Correspondent Correspondent about 9 a.m. until the 911 call was WESTFIELD-Since April, Medicare WESTFIELD – An eight- made about 2:30 p.m. has been mailing out new Medicare cards month-old infant is brain-dead in Mazza wrote that at the hospital across the country and for Massachusetts hospital and bail has been set for the baby’s father “initially stated residents, those cards are starting to arrive her father at $1,000,000. that he was not aware the victim now, according to Karen Noblit, senior Daniel A. Torres, 28, of 14 was even injured” and thereafter benefits coordinator, Westfield Council Karen Noblit, senior benefits Parker Ave., Apt 3, Westfield, was said repeatedly that he did not on Aging. coordinator for the Westfield arraigned on charges which know how his daughter had been Noblit, whose office is located within Council on Aging, can answer include assault and battery on a injured. At the police department the Westfield Senior Center on Noble questions on the new Medicare child with substantial injury in later, Torres reportedly changed Street, said on Monday that her parents cards arriving in the mail. Westfield District Court Monday. his account of the incident and have already received their cards and In a criminal complaint filed at told police “he accidentally struck some Westfield seniors are already stop- Services/Centers for Medicare the court, Westfield Det. Richard the victim while playing with her ping in to verify the legitimacy of the & Medicaid Services informa- Mazza reports on his investiga- on the floor”. He next said “that card. Medicare uses the name and address tion on the upper left corner,” tion into a 911 call reporting a he slapped the victim in a fit of you have on file with Social Security for said Noblit. baby who was “unresponsive and frustration.” mailing documents. Noblit noted that for decades not breathing”. The baby was initially taken to “Watch for the envelope with the Mazza reports that on Saturday Department of Health and Human See Cards, Page 3 the infant had been in the sole See Father Arrested, Page 5 DANIEL A. TORRES Blandford police force at the June 23 meeting Blandford police force with Chester. (Photo by Amy Porter) resigns en masse By AMY PORTER ently dangerous, however, it has been made Correspondent much (more) so by our town’s administration. BLANDFORD – One week after a discus- We currently have an interim Chief who was sion between the Blandford and Chester Select doing a great job at addressing these concerns. Boards on the possibility of sharing police However, at Monday’s (June 23) selectboard forces, Blandford Interim Police Chief Roberta meeting, they failed to extend her appoint- Sarnicki and the town’s three part-time police ment, even after our entire force spoke on her officers walked out Monday evening, resign- behalf. Instead, as they continue to pursue a ing their posts effective immediately. merger with the Chester P.D., they will now In a statement released to the media and open up the position, presumably to hire the signed by Sarnicki and Officers Chris Anciello, Chester chief, whether town residents are Gage Kerlik, and Krysten Scapin, they stated: comfortable with a merger or not.” “For some time, we have been dealing with unsafe working conditions. Policing is inher- See Blandford Police, Page 5 Reconstruction has begun on Authorities Moseley School Apartments looking for By AMY PORTER missing horse Correspondent WESTFIELD – Reconstruction has begun on the Moseley in Granville School Apartments on Dartmouth Street, after closing on the By GREG FITZpaTRICK building in July, according to Ann D. Lentini, Executive Correspondent Director of Domus, Inc. which is renovating the former GRANVILLE – A horse Moseley School for affordable apartments. escaped from a stable on Main “We’ve already started reconstruction,” Lentini said, adding Road Saturday night and has that they are expanding the elevator and adding an entire sec- been missing since. tion for all three floors, along with a laundry room and According to Sgt. Patrick mechanical rooms. Winslow of the Granville Police Lentini said the building will hold 23 rental units of 1, 2 and Department, officers observed a 3 bedroom apartments for low to moderate income households. horse in the middle of Main The project, which Domus introduced to the neighborhood in Road at around 9:30 pm 2016, took longer to close than originally anticipated, and con- Saturday evening. Tayler struction on the addition started slowly due to the rain. She said Domus Inc. Exec. Dir. Ann D. Lentini, Studio One Rayner, the owner of the horse, the construction is now “full steam ahead,” and expects the architect Brian Fitzgerald, Attorney Ellen Freyman, said that the horse named Storm Storm was last seen at around project to be “realistically” completed by August, 2019. and development consultant JooRi Johnson were on got spooked by something and 5 p.m. on Sunday on Water hand to explain the Moseley School Apartments project Street in Granville. (Photo from See Apartments, Page 8 to neighbors at a meeting in 2016. (WNG File Photo) See Storm, Page 3 Tayler Rayner) City announces First Time Homebuyers Initiative By AMY PORTER Community Development Department’s web- ownership in Westfield. $77,625 in CPA funds Correspondent site at www.cityofwestfield.org. was granted by the Committee, and approved WESTFIELD – The City of Westfield, The program is being funded with by the City Council for the program on June 7. through its Office of Community Development, Community Preservation Act funds through Vinskey said this is the first program project announced on Friday that it will begin accept- the Community Preservation Committee. City that the CPC has funded. Previously, the com- ing applications for a First Time Homebuyers’ Planner Jay Vinskey said that a certain per- munity housing funds have been used for cre- Assistance Program. The down payment assis- centage of CPA funds must be used for com- ation of affordable housing units and rehabili- tance program will provide 3% of the pur- munity housing, and a balance was building in tation, with Domus, Inc. as the only applicant chase price, not to exceed $5,000. The pro- the account. Community Development for the funds. Projects funded through Domus Peter J. Miller, Director of Community gram is limited to families earning less than Director Peter J. Miller approached the com- have included the Dansereau House, Reed Development for the City of Westfield. (WNG 80% of the Area Median Income. The program mittee about using the funds for first-time File Photo) application and guidelines are posted on the homebuyers to attract new families into home- See Homebuyers, Page 8 PAGE 2 - TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2018 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS TONIGHT WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Becoming Cloudy. T-storms likely. 80-84 81-85 WEATHER DISCUSSION Today, some sun in the morning with increasing clouds dur- Rain Showers. ing the afternoon. High 83F. Tonight, rain showers in the eve- ning with scattered thunderstorms arriving overnight. Low 68F. Wednesday, thunderstorms likely. High 84F. Chance of rain 100%. Wednesday Night, thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then the chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. Low 71F. The Second Congregational Church in Westfield presented Rev. Elva Merry Pawle, Chance of rain 80%. Thursday, variable clouds with showers Minister of First Congregational Church, with a formal proclamation, thanking her for and scattered thunderstorms. High around 85F. her work, and making her an Honorary Member of UCC Second Congregational Church. 68-69 (From left to right: Richard Foley, Moderator, Peter Martin, Rev. Elva Pawle, Scott Clark, Rev Barbara Hesse, Jay Ducharme, Kathy Martin). (Photo submitted by Rev Barbara Hesse) TODAY UCC Second Church Presents Certificate of 5:44 a.m. 8:12 p.m. 14 hours 28 Minutes Appreciation to the Minister of First Church SUNRISE SUNSET LENGTH OF DAY WESTFIELD – On Monday, members of serve as sole pastor of Second Church.” the United Church of Christ, Second The proclamation also states, “the United Congregational, in Westfield (Second Church of Christ, Second Congregational ODDS & ENDS LOCAL LOTTERY Congregational Church) traveled downtown Church in Westfield has benefitted greatly LAST NIGHT’S NUMBERS to First Congregational Church to present through the many and varied interactions MASSACHUSETTS Rev. Elva Merry Pawle with a special proc- between First and Second Church nurtured Airport uses Lucky For Life lamation, thanking her for her work and and inspired by Rev. Pawle.” 08-15-34-36-37, Lucky Ball: 2 making her an honorary member of Second The Proclamation was signed by Richard massive maple MassCash Congregational Church. Foley, Moderator, and Rev. Barbara Hesse, 01-06-10-11-29 Mega Millions The proclamation thanked Rev. Pawle for Minister of UCC Second Congregational Estimated jackpot: $45 million the support she has provided to Second Church.