Agawam The Hilltowns West Westfield Southwick Springfield LOCAL The Republican FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008 SECTION Father arraigned A judge in Springfield District "Court on Thursday ordered one of the state's top child-support delinquents held in lieu of $70,000 cash bail at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow. Brandon W. Swegan; 35, formerly of Westfield, pleaded innocent in Springfield District Court to failing to comply with a child-support order and leaving the state without making provisions to support his two sons. A pretrial conference was set for Dec. 29.
Swegan, who owes about $74,000 in child support, interest and penalties, was arrested on Nov. 8 for domestic assault and battery in Iowa. Police there discovered an outstanding warrant in Massachusetts. CHICOPEE: Bank robbery F. Chicopee police are seeking the public's help in identifying the man suspected of robbing the Sovereign Bank branch at 35 Center St.
late Wednesday afternoon. Detective Timothy M. Foley said the suspect walked into the bank shortly after 3:30 p.m. and implied he had a weapon. None was shown.
The suspect was described as a black male in his 20s with brown eyes, black hair, 6 feet tall, wearing a red printed baseball cap, black hooded sweatshirt and rubber-coated gloves like those used by electricians. He was last seen fleeing on foot on Springfield Street. An undisclosed amount of money was taken. Anyone with information is asked to call the Detective Bureau at (413) 594-1733. SOUTH HADLEY I Explosives case Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D.
Josephson has denied a motion by the at-. torney for a South Hadley teenager to dismiss explosive charges against him. John E. Robison 18, of 23 Dartmouth South Hadley, has been charged with three counts of malicious explosion and one count of detonating explosives. The charges stem from a raid of his basem*nt home laboratory in February by local, state and federal law enforcement officials.
Robison's attorney, David P. Hoose, had argued in a written motion that the defendant had not intended any harm in using explosives. Josephson rejected that argument in a ruling dated Nov. 27. Robison remains free on personal recognizance on the conditions that he live with his father in Amherst, he not possess any chemicals and he contact his probation officer weekly by telephone.
No trial date has been set. EASTHAMPTON Interstate clogged Construction on Interstate 91, southbound near yoke city line, backed up traffic for about a mile Thursday morning, state police said. State police attached to the Northampton barracks said construction there is ongoing and that traffic issues vary with the work being done that given day. 4, AMHERST I Free parking Parking at meters and town pay as you go parking lots will free Saturday during the annual greeting card day downtown. The Select Board approved Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Tony A.
Maroulis' request for free parking. Many businesses provide discounts on that day. A 3 Staff photo by DAVE ROBACK Roy W. Eggleston, of the West Springfield Parks Department, puts the finishing touches around the nativity scene Thursday on Elm Street in West Springfield. 7 Auto insurance agents cry foul By MICHAEL MCAULIFFE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS companies.
In recent years, the losses have totaled about $100 million. Insurance companies divide that loss based on their market share in Massachusetts. "It's not chump change," said Francis A. Mancini, president and chief executive officer of the association. "We're not talking about a couple of dollars.
We're talking about millions and millions of dollars." Burnes, however, has taken a position contrary to a Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers rule, according to the the group which provides access to insurance to highrisk drivers, including young and poor drivers. met with The deaths shocked the city. Smith's -boyfriend at the time, Paul L. Fickling, was convicted of murdering Smith and their daughter. Smith had a restraining order against Fickling at the time.
Fickling is Gaynor's nephew. Bennett said Fickling gave a statement at the time of the crime in which he admitted he choked Smith and "stuffed her in a closet" where she was found a number of days after her death. "There was no mention of Gaynor," Bennett said of Fickling's statement. He said the statement is "at odds with the statement we have now been provided" by Gaynor. "However, we are prepared to review everything and see what a complete review of the evidence and any new information available will produce," Bennett said.
Restaurant gets food, liquor license The Olive Garden several conditions. The conditions included traffic improveowners have a 10-year ments on Riverdale Street, a state highway, as well as imlease with Raymour provements at the Morgan. 4 Road and Craig Drive interFlanigan, with section. An on-site water sysadditional 5-year renewal tem before also the must be restaurant completed may options. open.
None of those three conditions has been met. The liquor and food licenses By ANGELA CARBONE were granted to GMRI, a corporation owned by Darden WEST SPRINGFIELD Restaurants, which owns Plans to open an Olive Garden and restaurants operates in 12 Olive Massachusetts. Garden off Riverdale Street cleared another hurdle this week The West Springfield License Commission included the concials when West to issue Springfield the offi- res- ditions taurant agreed food and Board in its approval. set by the Planning licenses. liquor Benjamin M.
Coyle, representing GMRI, said the restauThe owners of the restau- rant will own the building, but rant chain purchased the all Raymour Flanigan will conalcoholic beverages license tinue to own the land. GMRI held by the now-closed Ivan- has a 10-year lease with Rayhoe restaurant for $250,000. mour Flanigan, with four The most significant hold- additional five-year renewal up to the restaurant moving options. forward with its plans to open The restaurant on Riverdale in August is in the hands of its Street will have 246 seats, 206 landlord, the Raymour Fla- of which will be in the dining nigan furniture store. The fur- room, 29 in the lounge and 11 niture chain owns the at the bar.
The restaurant was property at 919 Riverdale St. given permission to be open where the restaurant is to be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., except built. for Friday and Saturday, when When Raymour Flanigan the hours will be from 11 a.m. received a special permit to lo- to 11 p.m., Coyle said.
cate two restaurants on its 5.7 acre site, the permit included Please see Permits, Page B2 A state insurance agents association, which is already involved in a lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes, is alleging Burnes is again giving preferential treatment to companies new to the state's auto insurance market. The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents contends that companies who this year became part of the state's new insurance system, most notably Progressive Direct Insurance must assume some of the pooled losses caused by high-risk drivers that is shared by established Confession Alfred J. Gaynor, who confessed to killing Amy L. Smith, is the uncle of the man convicted in the case.
By BUFFY SPENCER SPRINGFIELD Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said Thursday that he is "skeptical" of a convicted serial killer's confession to an additional slaying, but said evidence in the case will be reviewed. Alfred J. Gaynor, 41, of Springfield, has confessed to killing Amy L. Smith, 20, in July 1996 in her Dwight Street Extension apartment.
By the time Smith's body was discovered, her 22-month-old daughter Destiny, had died of starvation and dehydration. 44 It's not chump change. We're not talking about a couple of dollars. We're talking about millions and millions of dollars. 19 Francis A.
Mancini "It's outrageous," Mancini said. "That's what it is." On Tuesday, Daniel R. Judson, a Boston lawyer representing the reinsurers governing committee, wrote to Burnes that despite the state rule he understood the Division of Insurance to take the position that new companies are exposed only to an assessment for the reinsurers' administrative costs and not an assessment for any pool losses Please see Auto, Page B2 skepticism Gaynor is already serving consecutive life sentences for the rapes and murders of four Springfield women in 1997 and 1998. Gaynor's confession was included in a motion for a new trial for Fickling filed on Tuesday in Hampden Superior Court. The confession was dated Sept.
26. The motion included a statement from a former lawyer for Gaynor who said the serial killer confessed the Smith killing to her 10 years ago. The motion, filed by attorney Greg T. Schubert on Fickling's behalf, outlines how Gaynor claims to have killed Smith on July 3, 1996. In the confession, Gaynor said he killed Smith after she refused to lend him food stamps.
Schubert had been trying to get a new trial for the 31-year-old Fickling for years. Culvert repair estimates due By ALEX PESHKOV State Rep. Rosemary lin, D-Agawam, who met with the Board of Selectmen MonSOUTHWICK Town offi- day night, was told the fix cials expect to get estimates could be quite expensive and of early a next closed week section for the of South repair time consuming. "I've made calls to different istrative Longyard Officer Road, Karl Chief J. Admin- Stine- organizations, including the hart said Thursday.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "Tighe Bond (the consult- (for possible and I use am of just the waiting Bailey ing engineers) and our DPW for bridge), the reports back at this are will working include on cost the estimates and point," she said. report that possible solutions, but we at Sandlin suggested looking haven't seen it yet," Stinehart the state Chapter 90 highsaid. way funds as a way of paying DPW closed a section of the for the repairs. road Monday after the head- Stinehart said that after rewall of an old stone culvert viewing the engineering reover Great Brook collapsed, port, officials will decide forcing motorists to detour either the fallen section of the three miles.
60- to 80-year-old culvert can The road is shut from Pow- be repaired, or if the structure dermill Road and Depot Street has to be replaced. to Woodland Ridge Road. The The closing of the road detour follows Powdermill could significantly delay Road, Feeding Hills Road and emergency service to the area, Foster Road. officials said. This week's ENERGY PRICES Current Dec.
5, 2008 1 year ago Cost for Gasoline 20 million Heating oil $443 Propane $684 Natural Gas $159.98 $146.53 $368 Bay State Gas 100 THERMS 100 THERMS Electricity 500 KWH National grid $93.31 $82.94 $1,094 WMECO $94.26 $85.68 $1,105 wood $225-250 $175-200 $315 of heat used by typical home in January. The costs assume efficiency of oil, propane and gas furnaces, efficiency of wood stoves, and efficiency of electric space heaters. are statewide averages. Local averages may vary. Currently the average heating oil price in the Connecticut River Valley i is about 25 cents lower than the statewide average price..
