January 17, 2013 PDF Edition - Wilbraham-Hampden Times

Page The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMES
January 17, 013
QUOTATIONS
of the Week
“
Keep all vehicles and houses locked. Leave
outside lights on whenever possible.
”
Wilbraham Police Capt. Timothy Kane after a recent
breaking and entering case solved.
“
We’ll see what happens.
”
Wilbraham’s state Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield)
talking about how tax revenue will affect how the
state budget is configured.
“
The problem is where gun owners cross
with mental illness.
”
Rep. Angelo Puppolo commenting on gun control
issues that will come up in proposed changes to legislation
at the Statehouse.
“
They are always doing for others; I think
it’s lovely that their friends can help them
too. That’s what a small community is all
about.
” Brenda Willard of Wilbraham talking about a
fundraiser Feb. 2 at St. Cecilia’s for Celia LaBarbera,
daughter of Anita and Larry LaBarbera, who has a rare,
incurable disease that grows tumors.
Volunteer of the week
This week’s volunteer of the week is
Kevin Burnham who has served on
the Recreation Commission since 2004
as vice chairman but now is stepping
down. Kevin was a key part in seeing the Parks
& Recreation Department and the parks grow
through his nine years of volunteer service.
The Wilbraham-Hampden
The Wilbraham-Hampden
Times is published every
Thursday by Turley
Publications, Inc., 24 Water
St., Palmer, Mass. 01069.
Telephone (413) 283-8393,
Fax (413) 289-1977.
PATRICK H. TURLEY
Publisher
KEITH TURLEY
Executive Vice President
DOUGLAS L. TURLEY
Vice President of Publications
EDITOR
Charles F. Bennett
ADVERTISING SALES
Jocelyn Walker
SPORTS EDITOR
Dave Forbes
SOCIAL MEDIA
@ Wilbraham-Hampden Times
WEB
www.wilbrahamtimes.com
www.turley.com
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and Hampden
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Editorial
Policy
Letters to the editor
should be 350 words or less
in length. No unsigned or
anonymous opinions will be
published. We require letter
writers to include his or her
town of residence and home
telephone number. We must
authenticate authorship prior
to publication. We reserve the
right to edit or withhold any
submissions deemed to be
libelous or contain unsubstantiated
allegations, personal
attacks, defamation of character
and offensive language.
All unknown or alleged facts
and quotations offered by the
author need to cite credible,
unbiased sources. Send letters
to: Editor, Wilbraham-Hampden
Times, 2341 Boston Rd.,
Wilbraham, MA 01095, faxed
to 413-682-0013 or via e-mail
to cbennett@turley.com. The
deadline for submissions is Friday
at noon.
Correction Policy
The TIMES will gladly
correct factual errors that appear
in this paper and can be
substantiated. Corrections or
clarifications will always appear
on the editorial pages.
To request a correction, send
information in an e-mail or
mailed communication to the
editor at the above address
listed above.
The Wilbraham-Hampden
TIMES is published every
Thursday by Turley Publications,
Inc. One year out of town
subscriptions are available at
$45, out of state $50 by calling
800-824-6458 Ext. 201.
The deadline for submission
of news material, letters to
the editor and photos is Monday
at 12 p.m. The TIMES is
not responsible for submitted
photos.
The New Year is here and with it comes our thanks
to all the residents, businesses and organizations
for submitting their news and announcements to
the Times, so we could share it with our readers.
As we look ahead to 2013, we take this opportunity
to once again remind our readers that the single most
important feature of this community newspaper is you
– your stories, your events, your achievements, your
struggles, your ideas and opinions.
The staff at your paper of record works each day
to bring you the news relevant to our readers and the
community as a whole, including general news stories,
municipal meetings, community news and personality
profiles. What did we miss? We are more than open to
suggestions on our coverage of events of local importance
to our communities, and we take this opportunity
now to remind our readers that it our loyal advertisers
provide funding for this paid staff coverage.
Staff coverage is only half the equation – we rely on
and welcome your submissions, and there are many ways
we bring your submissions into our pages.
To announce and promote an event, consider “News
About Town.” This section is intended to promote the
activities of local clubs, churches and volunteer-driven
organizations, free events and fundraisers that benefit
the communities in Wilbraham and Hampden. Include a
brief explanation of the event, the date, time, location and
contact information.
As a free service for our readers, we print birth, engagement
and wedding announcements. This space is
also reserved for announcements about a milestone anniversary,
major birthday, military achievement and educational
honors and awards. Photos to accompany these
announcements are always welcome but no cell phone
photos please.
To continue a strong presence in our schools, both in
terms of classroom, student and faculty features and sports,
please give our staff a head’s up with advance notice. Con-
Editorial
Be part of your community newspaper
TALK of the TOWNS
I
read this quote by one of my favorite crime fiction
writers Elmore Leonard and I hope I live up
to it: “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”
The buzz at the Wilbraham Selectmen’s
meeting last week was about Notre Dame playing
in the college football Bowl Championship Game
in Ft. Lauderdale the night of their meeting, Jan. 7.
The Hampden Selectmen, John D. Flynn, Vinnie
Villamaino and Norm Charest got together with
Wilbraham’s Bob Boilard, Jim Thompson and Bob
Russell in Wilbraham Town Hall for a joint meeting.
But before the conversation began about establishing
a joint Medical Reserve Corps in both
towns (which was approved) the topic
was the big game between Notre Dame
and Alabama. John. D. reminded them his
father, the well-respected John M. Flynn
who recently passed away, was a big Notre
Dame fan. But Vinnie said he thought
Alabama would be the victor, to which
John D. said, “I didn’t know Alabama was
in Italy?”
Ed Zemba of the Robert Charles
Studio in East Longmeadow said he was
thrilled to announce that they were able
to meet their goal of raising $10,000 for
Baystate Children’s Hospital. He thanked
all those who donated through an insert in a December
issue of the Times. “If it were not for you, we wouldn’t
be here to hold fundraisers like this one in the first
place,” said Ed.
Minnechaug business teacher and Key Club
adviser, Katie L. Hastings, helped organize mock
interviews given by Wilbraham volunteers from the
East of the River Chamber of Commerce Dec. 7 at the
new high school. Students practiced being interview
by chamber members. Hastings made sure every student
had an opportunity to experience the interview.
Elissa Langevin, vice president and branch manager
of Florence Savings Bank, said the chamber’s Career
Readiness program is designed to teach high school
students the skills they need in order to go out in
search of their first jobs. The mock interviews were
the culmination of a week of work in which students
learned how to complete a job application, write a
resume, and compile a list of personal references.
The Hampden Farmers Market is staying open,
indoors at 2 Somers Road on the first and third
Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Looking ahead to February, volunteers are needed
for the 17th Annual Father/Daughter Dance to be held
Feb. 8 at St. Cecilia’s at 7 p.m. Every level of participation
is welcome. They include ticket sales, set
T A L K
c o l u m n i s t
CHARLES F.
BENNETT
tact Editor Charlie Bennett with coverage requests at least
three days in advance by calling 413-682-0007 or via email
at cbennett@turley.com. If we can’t be there, we welcome
your submitted stories, briefs and photos.
Local businesses and merchants are the financial
lifeblood of our towns. We will feature coverage for businesses
that are new, have a major expansion, are moving,
under new management or ownership, celebrating a milestone
anniversary or have been thrust into the news realm.
Merchants can request that coverage through the editor, or
for our existing advertising clients, through our advertising
representative Jocelyn Walker at 413-682-0007.
We love letters to the editor and guest columns and
consider them the soul of the Times; however, we don’t
print what we can’t prove – if you allege something we
cannot verify, we will consider it a news tip and look into
it. We always encourage readers to celebrate our towns
in letters to the editor. We only print signed letters that
include contact information for verification purposes.
Our Sports Editor Dave Forbes and his reporters and
photographers cover select varsity school games weekly
as well as youth and adult sports leagues. To help us expand
our sports coverage, we rely on coaches and players
to send in their photos and write-ups. You can email Dave
Forbes at dforbes@turley.com for more information.
There are multiple ways to send us your stories, announcements,
photos and letters: via email – send your
submissions in Word format and raw digital photos in
jpeg format to cbennett@turley.com; via regular mail –
send hard copy submissions and photo prints to our office
located at 2341 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. If
you would like your photos returned, please include a
self-addressed envelope.
To request coverage or to obtain more information
about how to submit stories, briefs and photos, contact
Editor Charlie Bennett at 413-682-0007 via email at
cbennett@turley.com.
We hope to see you in these pages in 2013.
up and break down. Bakers are also needed. To help,
contact Jamie Mastrio at 413-388-2972.
The Republican recently named their Coaches of
the Year, with three of them from Minnechaug. Nundi
Goncalves coaches Div. 1 Girls Soccer. Mark Taylor
coaches Div. II Girls Volleyball. Ben Ellis coaches
Div. 1 Golf.
Congratulations to the Hampden Bears who
competed in the 5/6 Div. 2 Tournament at Western
New England University’s Golden Bears Classic.
The girls worked well as a team winning all five
games of the tourney. Team members are Kelsey
Sheehan, Autumn Strange, Sarah
Walker, Bella DeMattia, Katie
Duncan, Jessie Smith, Jenna Joseph,
Lexi Roda, Jackie Jolicoeur, Belle
Ferrara, and Gabriella Ofcarcik. Proud
coaches are Katie Illig, Mike Ofcarcik
and Art Ferrara.
Don’t forget to get your tickets for
the Friends of Wilbraham Senior Center’s
Winter Raffle. The grand prize is a 32inch
flat screen TV donated by Byron
Keenan Funeral Home. There are golf
prizes, restaurant gift certificates, wine,
Yankee Candles and much more. Tickets
are one for $5, three for $10 by calling
596-8379 or pick them up at the Senior Center. The
drawings are March 1.
The following Wilbraham residents have been
named to the Dean’s List at Providence College for
the Fall semester: Heloise Dubois and Emily Pin,
members of the class of 2016; and Amanda Nelen, a
member of the class of 2013.
The following Wilbraham students were recently
named to the winter honor roll at the Loomis Chaffee
School. Somil Sanghvi and Julia Catuogno.
Save the date: The Friends of WPA will be holding
their annual free Chili Tasting competition on
Saturday, Feb. 2 at Wilbraham United Church from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m.
We read this in a recent issue of The Week magazine:
A Russian man spent a month starving in a forest
after fighting with his wife about a bowl of soup. Yuri
Ticuic, 69, stormed out of his home in a remote region
after his wife served him soup he felt was not hot
enough. Ticuic became lost in the woods, and survived
for a month on berries and leaves until he was finally
found, suffering from malnutrition and frostbite. “No
matter what happens he said, “that’s the last time I
criticize my wife’s cooking.”