TONIGHT Mostly Cloudy. Low of 25. Search for The Westfield News The Westfield “BOREDOMSearch for ISThe WestfieldTHE News TODAY IN WESTFIELD News Westfield350.com The Westfield News ROOT OF ALL EVIL HISTORY: Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER 1660: Samulel Chapin - THE DESPAIRING CRITIC WITHOUT bought land below Spring- REFUSAL TO TONIGHT dale area from Indians. AMBITION.” BE ONESELF.” Partly Cloudy. Search for The WestfieldJOHN STEINBECK News Westfield350.comLow of 55. The www.thewestfieldnews.comWestfieldNews - SOREN KIERKEGAARD Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHERVOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 CRITIC WITHOUT 75 cents VOL.TONIGHT 87 NO. 54 MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018 75AMBITION Cents .” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.Attention 86 NO. 151 Westfield: Let’s ‘RetireTUESDAY, JUNE the 27, Fire!’2017 75 cents By TINA GORMAN, in distress has hearing, visual, mobility, or cognitive limita- Executive Director tions as well as information about gate or key access, lock box Westfield Council On Aging location, or potential on site hazards. Disability Indicator and With support from the Westfield Fire Department, the Emergency Information Forms are available at the Senior Westfield Public Safety Communication Center, the Westfield Center, 45 Noble Street. For those who would like assistance News, the Westfield Rotary Club, and Mayor Brian Sullivan, completing the forms, COA staff members are available to the Westfield Council On Aging is once again launching its help. annual Retire the Fire! fire prevention and safety campaign for An important question that Retire the Fire! coordinators are the City’s older adults. During the week of March 5 to 9, resi- asking the City’s older adults is, “Can you be found in an emer- dents of Westfield will see Retire the Fire! flyers hung through- gency?” It is not unusual for older adults to require the ser- out the City and buttons with the slogan worn by Council On vices of firefighters, paramedics, or police officers. The faster Aging staff, seniors, and community leaders. Both are gentle that emergency personnel can get to the scene, the more likely Smoke alarms need to be replaced at least every 10 years. reminders that fire safety for Westfield’s older adults is a per- that a life can be saved or a disaster averted. But what if emer- (WNG File Photo) sonal, family, and community effort. gency personnel can’t find the victim’s house? Massachusetts The focus of this year’s Retire the Fire! effort is distribution law requires that homes have, on the dwelling, a number rep- all of the City’s older adults. Sixty percent of the fire deaths and completion of the Disability Indicator and Emergency resenting the address. House numbers are available through that occur each year take place in homes without smoke Information Forms. Information from these forms will be the Council On Aging and can be installed by members of the alarms or working smoke alarms. Massachusetts law requires entered into the Westfield 9-1-1 dispatch system. Then if a Westfield Rotary Club for those sixty and older who need vis- certain types of smoke detectors based on the year that the 9-1-1 call is made, first responders will have vital information ible numbers on their house. home was built. Courtesy of the Westfield Fire Department, about the person in need, prior to arriving on the scene. It is An additional goal of the Retire the Fire! program is working helpful for first responders to know ahead of time if the person smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in the homes of See Retire The Fire, Page 3 Unexpected consequences By CARL E. HARTDEGEN Correspondent WESTFIELD – “If you’re going to do something stupid, don’t post a video of it” said Det. Lt. David Ragazzini, offer- ing a life lesson while reporting a violation of a city ordi- nance. The video in question showed a young man – who did not appear to be of legal drinking age – drinking a beer while standing next to a city patrol car in the Westfield Police Department parking lot. Community policing officer Chris Coach reports he was Westfield High School student readers for Dr. Seuss night WHS Culinary Arts students baked sheet cakes for the party. able to identify the 17-year-old college student who admitted at Franklin Avenue Elementary School. (Photos submitted) that he was the person in the video and that he had been drinking beer. The young man told Coach that he was embar- rassed and apologized to him. Coach issued two $100 city ordinance violation citations; Franklin Avenue celebrates one for being a person younger than the legal age in posses- sion of alcohol and another for possession of a open con- Dr. Seuss with a Pajama Party tainer of alcohol in public. By AMY PORTER dents volunteered their time to read to K-5 Correspondent Franklin students. The WHS culinary WESTFIELD – Nearly 200 students, department baked two Dr. Seuss sheet cakes Southwick already preparing family members, and teachers visited that fed guests. The Westfield Education Franklin Avenue in their pajamas to listen to Association donated three dozen stove-pipe for summer fireworks stories, sing Happy Birthday, eat cake, and hats for the readers, while the PTO supplied By GREG FITZPATRICK take home books on Thursday evening. water, plates, and forks. Correspondent The reading party culminated a week of “The highlight of the evening occurred SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Civic Fund is getting an activities celebrating Read Across America when elementary students were able to early start on fundraising for the 2018 fireworks. This year’s and Dr. Seuss’ birthday. This event, orga- choose their own books to take home. Over fireworks will take place on Saturday, July 21 at 6 p.m. at the nized by Chris Tolpa, Interim Principal of 1,000 gently used books were donated by American Legion near the motocross track. Franklin Avenue, and Patricia LeClair, WHS students and teachers and will now “I don’t think we’ve ever come out this early with a date,” WHS English Department Chair, was a col- become part of Franklin Avenue students’ said Southwick Civic Fund President Joe Deedy. “We’ll have laborative effort by many, Tolpa said. home libraries. What a celebration!“ Tolpa Both readers and listeners wore a longer time to raise it.” Over thirty Westfield High School stu- said. pajamas to the event. Deedy, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Select Board, added that Southwick Town Hall will start getting phone calls every couple of weeks from people asking when the fireworks are so they can plan their parties around the fire- works. 104th Fighter Wing family receives national award This year, Deedy is looking to get a couple of bands to By RANDY BURLINGAME room. play music prior to the fireworks being set off. Adding some Correspondent “I feel like we are being given an small carnival games for kids may be a possibility as well. WESTFIELD – The National Guard award as a family, but I honestly think The Southwick Civic Fund is looking to raise $12,000 as Family of the Year Award is presented to we are representing so many Guard the fireworks will cost around $9,000 and the extra $3,000 one Army and one Air National Guard families that make the Guard what it is,” could be used for hiring police and fire personnel, and any Family each year to recognize them for said Cathleen Haldopoulos. “It’s such an other added expenses that may come along. their exceptional service to the Family honor. There are so many families that In the weeks prior to the fireworks, volunteers from Team Program. help. That comes from service before Justice will be at the town transfer station with their buckets Col. Alexander ‘Snip’ Haldopoulos, self.” asking for donations. A non-profit organization in the com- retired commander of the 104th The former operations group com- munity, Team Justice will be assisting the Southwick Civic Operations Group, and the Haldopoulos mander believes the time and effort his Fund with anything that they may need. family, Cathleen, Logan, Brody and family has put in over the years stems For anyone that is looking to donate to this year’s fire- Jack, received the Air National Guard from the supportive culture they were works, you can do so by making a check out to the Southwick award for their volunteer service during introduced to when they arrived ten Civic Fund and writing “fireworks” in the memo. People can 2017 on Feb. 23 at the 104th Fighter years ago and that they have seen it grow also follow the Southwick Civic Fund Facebook page for Wing, Westfield Massachusetts. since then. any updates leading up to the fireworks. The work done by the Haldopoulos “We’ve seen this base evolve from A tradition in town for more than 50 years, Deedy is family, from Longmeadow 2007 when we got here to now,” said encouraging the community to help make the town fireworks Massachusetts, is a reflection of Air The Haldopoulos family receives nation- Col. Haldopoulos. “The Guard has stronger than ever. National Guard culture that has a direct al award for Air National Guard Family changed around us. We have become “I think it’s more of a grassroots effort,” said Deedy. impact on mission readiness and morale of the Year at the 104th Fighter Wing in much more operational. The playtime on “There’s not too many traditions left if you look around, so at the 104th FW. Westfield, Massachusetts.