January 17, 2013 PDF Edition - Wilbraham-Hampden Times

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Page The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMES January 17, 013 SpOTLIgHT on Minnechaug Interns (Editor’s note: The TIMES spotlights the intern program at Minnechaug Regional High School. This is the next in a series on interns in the Career Education Program at Minnechaug advised by coordinator Paula Talmadge.) Working hand in hand Senior Eilish Garvey has always been interested in human anatomy and how the body works. She has also known she wanted to pursue a career in which she helps people. Occupational Therapy includes both of Eilish’s passions. Nova Care’s Karen Pettengill offered Eilish an internship experience that has been most rewarding. Eilish has especially enjoyed building relationships with the patients as she watches them progress through therapy and finally return to everyday activities and to work. Eilish is Karen’s first high school intern. Karen is most impressed with TIMES photo submitted Mentor Karen Pettengill and Eilish Garvey at Nova Care Rehabilitation in Springfield. her intern’s initiative, promptness and reliability. Karen says Eilish has been a good observer of occupational therapy treatments and an able assistant for many office tasks she has learned. Eilish appreciates the valuable knowledge, skills and experiences that Karen and other professionals shared with her that she will take with her as she pursues her career. For more information about the Minnechaug Regional High School Career Internship Program, and how your work site can host an intern, contact Paula Talmadge, School-to- Career Coordinator at 413-9011 ext. 3832 or ptalmadge@hwrsd.org. ‘Letterboxing’ leaves no negative impact on the environment By Marty Damon Wilbraham Hiking Club Walking in his garden in Oklahoma, my grandfather loved to spin me tales of pixies who were just waiting to pop out from behind a leaf. I’ve rekindled a little of that sense of hidden treasures with my discovery of the pastime of “letterboxing”. If you are a biker, a hiker, or someone who is just looking for an excuse to be outdoors, letterboxing is for you. Begun in the 1800s, the first letterboxes were notes left for hikers on the moors in England. The practice spread across the world, landing eventually in the United States, and now encompassing all 50 states. Basically, someone will plant a box and then post clues to it, for example on web sites such as atlasquest.com. The letterboxer’s task is to follow the clues, and, out of the sight of onlookers, find the box. The weather-proof, and often camouflaged, box will contain a notebook and rubber stamp. Making sure there are no “muggles” (the term for non-letterboxers) to see, the finder will print in his own notebook with the box’s stamp as proof of having found the site in addition to using his personal stamp in the box’s notebook. It’s fun to take a moment and read the notes and admire the stamps of other finders. Then, again making sure you are keeping the location secret, back the box goes into its hiding place, one of the goals of letterboxing being to leave no negative impact on the environment in which it was found. Did you know that there are well over 150 letterboxing sites within a 15mile radius of Wilbraham? This can be a challenging hobby, depending upon the difficulty of clues and terrain. It can also be a fun way to get the family out for a walk in the fresh air. Happy hunting! Springfield Forum to present lecture on children SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Public Forum continues its 77th season on Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Springfield Symphony Hall with author Paul Tough. The author of “Whatever It Takes, Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America”, Tough now tackles our culture’s belief that intelligence, endlessly measured by test scores, is the sole indicator of value in our education system. In his new book, “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character”, he ushers in a tidal change in thinking and argues that non-cognitive skills - character, curiosity, optimism, and selfcontrol - are better indicators of success. All Public Forum events are held at Springfield Symphony Hall are free to the public with no tickets required. For more information about the Forums or additional educational programs, visit www. springfieldpublicforum.org. Novelist Kyle Darcy to speak at Hampden Library HAMPDEN - The Hampden Public Library will host the second program for their winter “Meet the Author Series” on Saturday, Jan. 26 at noon at the Hampden Public Library, 625 Main St. Kyle Darcy, author of “Under Current Conditions” will discuss his novel and the actual events that were the basis for his debut book. The program is free and open to the public. Based entirely on actual events, Kyle Darcy shakes up and serves a cocktail of subterfuge, kidnapping, FBI stings, and murder. Main character, Martin Quinn grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland amidst one of the bloodiest sectarian conflicts in modern history. He credited this violent environment for the development of a sound instinctive intuition. Living in the United States for 10 years, subsequently lulled him into a false sense of security. Boston plays host to the beginning of this story in 1999. Events spread throughout New England, culminating in 2009 with a precedent-setting international murder trial. For the reader, the impact on characters’ lives is staggering and unbelievable. Unfortunately for those involved, the events were real. Readers who love Dennis Lehane, Pete Hamill or Elmore Leonard this program is for you, says Librarian Taking in the bottles… TIMES photo submitted Diane Regnier. The “meet the Author Series” is sponsored by the Hampden Cultural Council. “The Hampden Public Library continues to encourage lifelong learning by welcoming all people to the library and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and technology,” said Regnier. TIMES photo submitted Did you lose this hat? No doubt a father lost this Irish tweed cap next to Santa Claus at the Wilbraham Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony Dec. 2 in Crane Park. If this is your hat call Don Flannery at 596-9982 to retrieve it. TIMES staff photo by Charles F. Bennett Scouts from Troop 359 collected bottles and cans left over from the holidays at their Bottle Drive at St. Cecilia’s parking lot Jan 5. (Front row from left) Cameron Mawaka, Matt Wietsma, Tim Scully. (Top row) Scout leaders Jack Mawaka, Scoutmaster Ken Lynch, Steve Mc- Govern and Mike Scully.
January 17, 013 The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMES Page 3 Unemployment rates reported for November BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported last week that the November 2012 seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were down in 11 areas; unchanged in four areas; and up in seven areas over the month. Over the year, the rates are down in 18 areas; two areas went up; and two areas were unchanged. Statewide, the November seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, down 0.1 of a percentage point. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was down 0.3 of a percentage point from the November 2011 unadjusted rate of 6.4 percent. In November 2012, over the month job gains occurred in six of the 12 areas for which estimates are published. The largest job gains occurred in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Framingham, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Worcester, Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner and Pitts- Newspaper Rates Provide the Most Bang for your Bucks! Business field areas. Jobs remained unchanged in the New Bedford area. The five remaining areas each recorded a job loss. The seasonally adjusted statewide November unemployment rate released Dec. 20 was 6.6 percent, unchanged over the month and down 0.4 of a percentage point from the 7.0 percent rate recorded in November 2011. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 1,100 job loss over the month. The labor force, unemployment rates and jobs estimates, for Massachusetts and for every other state, are based on statistical methodologies specified by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates. Women’s Professional Chamber seeks nominations SPRINGFIELD - The Professional Women’s Chamber, a division of The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, Inc., is seeking nominations for the 2013 Woman of the Year Award. The award has been presented annually since 1954 to a woman in the Western Massachusetts area who exemplifies outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment, and service to the community. The nominee’s achievements can be representative of a lifetime’s work or for more recent successes. Any woman in the Pioneer Valley is eligible for nomination and a chamber affiliation is not required. You may obtain a Woman of the Year nomination form by going to professionalwomenschamber.com or by emailing committee chair Nancy Mirkin at nancy. mirkin@florencebank.com. Nomination documents are due Feb. 15. Real Estate Licensing Course starts Jan. 28 SPRINGFIELD - Beginning Monday, Jan. 28 the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley will sponsor a 40 hour, 14-class, sales licensing course to help individuals prepare for the Massachusetts real estate salesperson license exam. The course will be completed on March 4. Tuition is $359 and includes the book and materials. For an application call 785-1328. Garden Club to hold trip to Boston Flower Show WILBRAHAM - The Springfield Garden Club will hold a trip to the 2013 Boston Flower & Garden Show on Thursday, March 14. The $60 non-refundable fee includes the bus, admission to the show, refreshments on the return trip, and the driver’s tip. Lunch is on your own. The bus will leave from the Wilbraham United Church, 500 Main St., Wilbraham at 8:15 a.m. The return will leave Boston at 2:45 p.m. and be back in Wilbraham by 5 p.m. To reserve a seat, send a check made out to the Springfield Garden Club and your full contact information to Pat Jorczak, 361 Frank Smith Rd., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Paid reservations must be received by Feb. 14. For more information call 413-335-9286 or email patjorczak@comcast.net for more information. The trip is a fundraiser for the club’s scholarship and other outreach activities. We’re apples to oranges Unlike many daily newspapers, community newspapers are thriving for one reason alone, we’re local all the time. We bring home local news, reach a dedicated local audience and enrich our pages with local advertisers. Support your community and shop with our advertisers who make this publication possible. TIMES photo by Cheri Milles Voted ‘Best Barber on Boston Road’… Maria Gomes of Mall Barber in the Eastfield Mall was voted the “Best Barber on Boston Road” recently. She was surprised by the Prize Patrol when she won the award in the Best of Boston Road voting this fall, presented by the Boston Road Business Association. International photo show at Tower Square SPRINGFIELD - The Valley Photo Center (VPC) is showing an exhibition of the photographic work of Ron Rosenstock now through Feb. 15.The VPC is located on the second floor mezzanine across from the City Walk food court at Tower Square, 1500 Main St., Springfield. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to a reception for the photographer on Wednesday Jan. 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Valley Photo Center. Rosenstock is an internationally known photographer living in the Worcester area who has exhibited extensively throughout the country and internationally. Rosenstock specializes in Ireland and Italy, but also leads photo tours to Morocco, Iceland, New Zealand, Peru, Bhutan, Prague and the Czech Republic, and domestic tours to Vinalhaven, Maine and Death Valley. For more information contact gene LaFord at 413-733-6001. TIMES staff photo by Charles F. Bennett Describes ‘right to choose’ on your electric bill… Life-long Wilbraham resident Donna French, of the green energy supplier Viridian – Power with a Purpose, shows an electric bill at the Wilbraham-Hampden Rotary Club Jan. 9 at McLadden’s Pub in Hampden. She explained that consumers have the right to choose their energy supplier. For more information call her at 386-4580. How to submit photos and news to the Wilbraham-Hampden TImES Readers are encouraged to send the TIMES hometown news and photos. • News items and press releases should be sent in an e-mail to the editor at cbennett@turley.com. Be sure to include who, what, when, where and why. • Digital photos at high or medium resolution are welcome, whether it’s a sports team, publicity for an upcoming event or just a photo of your grandchild. They may be e-mailed to cbennett@turley. com. • Coaches are encouraged to send us team photos. • Publicity chairpersons are encouraged to send in news about upcoming fundraising or other events at least three weeks before it takes place. Having difficulty with a press release or need help? Call editor Charlie Bennett at 682-0007 for help and suggestions. If you don’t have e-mail, you can mail materials to: Charles F. Bennett, Editor The Wilbraham-Hampden Times 2341 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095
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