21 FLEE SPRINGFIELD Infinity nightclub closed temporarily The Infinity bar at 1391 Liberty St. has temporarily closed it doors. Owner Andrew Lake of Wilbraham said he expects to reopen the bar following a change in management. Opened in 1972 as the Viking Lounge, the bar is one of the longest running to offer live music in Western Massachusetts. WILBRAHAM I PVTA sets hearing 1 on town bus service The Pioneer Valley Transit.
Authority will hold a public hearing May 8 to discuss proposed changes in bus service to Wilbraham. The 7 p.m. hearing, to be held in 1 the Brooks Room at the Wilbraham Public Library, will allow residents to comment on the proposed route change, which includes scaling back the Wilbraham bus to a minibus that will transport passengers to I. points in Springfield. The company is considering these changes in part because of low ridership.
The PVTA will also accept comments in writing. These can be mailed to the PVTA 2808 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01107. For more information, call 732-6248. E. LONGMEADOW 'Ethnic Man' to star at Taste of Diversity Birchland Park Middle School will host the second annual Taste of Diversity on May 3 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., with special guest star, "Ethnic Man," performer Teja Arboleda from Belmont, who is part Filipino-Chinese, part black, part American Indian, part Danish and part German.
He grew up in Japan. The evening will also include French-Canadian folk singing by local artist Jeanne Douillard, Cambodian music and Irish step dancing. Admission is free. Taxes due tomorrow before penalties start EAST LONGMEADOW Tomorrow is the last day to pay town property taxes before one-month retroactive penalties begin. Payments made after May 1 will be subject to 14 percent interest calculated from April 1, said Town Clerk and Tax Collector James Connor.
14 HOLYOKE Contaminated rice could cause sickness Health officials warned yesterday that dozens of 20-pound bags of rice contaminated by mouse urine were taken from a dumpster on Friday and could cause sickness if eaten. Up to 50 bags of rice, most bearing the Goya brand name, were taken after health inspectors ordered about 1,000 bags discarded by the Cuba Supermarket at 439 High St. on Friday. City Sanitarian Tony Lopez, said "anyone eating the rice would probably become sick." Lopez and Ernest J. Mathieu, health director, said the contamination was revealed under ultraviolet light during a routine inspection.
Some of the rice was taken from a trash receptacle. The store has received a new supply of untainted rice, officials said. CORRECTION SPRINGFIELD A teacher-training conference sponsored by local public television station WGBY-Channel 57 will be held May 10 and 11. The dates were reported incorrectly last week. The National Teacher Training Institute for Science, Math, Television and Technology will be held at the Marriot Hotel from 9 a.m.
to 5 5 p.m. 9 LOCAL EAST LONGMEADQW LONGMEADOW SPRINGFIELD WILBRAHAM HAMPDEN 3 Union-News 1 1 TUESDAY, APRIL 30,1996 SECTION I Drug treatment plan gets $50,000 The state hopes to select an agency by June 10 to operate funds in place to Mayor help Michael implement J. funds Springfield, for drug said the treatment increased are a virus caused by sharing of addition; needles the the program," among drug users. In the needle exchange program in Springfield. 1 Albano said.
"This is money for crucial part of the needle ex- program is intended to serve as a 1 more counseling services and change program. The state had in- bridge to treatment for addicts deBy PETER GOONAN scheduled to begin July 1, officials treatment." dicated there would be increased siring help, officials said. 8 said yesterday. The $50,000 in new The state has set aside $35,000 funds but a specific figure was not Needle exchange programs Staff writer funds was confirmed yesterday by for the needle exchange program known. we were able to ist in Northampton, Boston -CamJohn Dunphy, regional manager costs itself, such strictly as the for cost of operational needles "I'm this delighted funding," Caulton said.
bridge and Provincetown. SPRINGFIELD The state for the DPH's Bureau of Sub- and part-time staffing. The pro- "That is a win for the city." The state currently allocates Department of Public Health will stance Abuse Services, and Andy gram would be open for a very Under the state-funded needle approximately $4 million annualprovide an additional $50,000 to Epstein, who heads the DPH's limited number of hours each exchange program, drug users are ly for substance abuse services i in the city for drug treatment serv- AIDS Bureau and Health Services week, officials said. able to exchange used needles for Greater Springfield, ranging from ices in connection with a local nee- Unit. Helen Caulton, director of new needles, with the stated goal die exchange pilot program "We're pleased to have these Health and Human Services in of reducing the spread of the AIDS Please see Drug, Page, 83 Fashion statement Hampden voters OK: 9 3 1 1 I.
14 '97 budget 1 00050 1 1 her. i- Staff photo by DON TREEGER Umbrellas were in fashion along Main Street in Springfield yesterday as pedestrians tried to shelter themselves from the rain. Officials monitoring river levels, forecast Western Massachusetts river watchers say they are concerned, but not unduly worried about flood levels. By DAVID REID Staff writer NORTHAMPTON A daylong soaking yesterday left officials keeping one eye on the levels of area rivers and streams, and the other on weather forecasts predicting intermittent rain through Thursday. Tom Econopouly, a senior hydrologist for the Northeast River Forecast Center in Taunton, said the one inch of rain predicted to soak western New England through this morning would swell the Connecticut and Westfield Rivers.
But it will stop well short of levels reached last week, they said. Forecasts for additional rain through Thursday could, however, heighten the problems, said Econopouly. "People living. next to the river should take notice," he cautioned yesterday. "All the rivers are going to remain high, so it is a concern for us." Almost an inch of rain had fallF en by late last night.
The UnionNews weather station in downtown Springfield recorded .98 inch at 9 p.m. So far, 5.06 inches of rain has fallen this month. That is 1.26 inches more than usual for In Northampton, where Connecticut River levels reached 114.6 feet above sea level late last week, readings yesterday remained at about 111.5 feet. Staffers at the Hockanum Road pump station stayed on duty, utilizing diesel pumps to draw runoff from the downtown area over the flood-control dike and into the old Mill River bed. Throughout the region: In Easthampton, River Road has been closed since April 16, and Fort Hill Road since April 22.
As of 6 p.m. yesterday, no other roads had been closed, and no significant new flooding reported, said officials. Westfield officials said they were closely monitoring the Westfield River, but did not believe it was in imminent danger of flooding. In Deerfield, County Road was reportedly having problems from a small washout from rain Please see Rain, Page 82 Commerce High class teaches kids to care SPRINGFIELD Its official name is the Community Service Learning class. It is a half-year course in which High School of Commerce students get to, as teacher Adriana Gallo says, apply their book knowledge to the real world.
The course introduces the students to the community beyond their neighborhood and its needs especially its need for volunteers to help where help is needed. "I always stress there is no shortage of things to do," Gallo says. "I tell them to look around, pitch in, help out." Yvette Phillips heard that call a year ago when she was a student in Gallo's class. She volunteered as a walker for the first Pantry. Walk now an annual Open Pantry Communily Services event that raises moncy to feed the hungry of Greater Springfield.
Then a freshman, Phillips walked the 10K from Old First Church in Court Square to Forest Park and back and raised $235.51 a sum that's even more impressive when you consider the goal was for each walker to raise $50 in contributions. Phillips, who had Tom arrived in Springfield only eight new country. "I would tell everyone that everyone should have food to eat and a roof over their head," she says in her Carribean lilt. "It's all so basic. All I have to do is walk.
All someone Shea has to do is sponsor me for a dollar, two dollars, maybe Tom Shea carlier from the small five dollars. And someone gets to island of St. Vincent eat." managed to tap 87 That's why Phillips will be at sponsors, mostly friends, Court Square Sunday at 1 p.m. for and faculty from Com- the second PantryWalk, taking It was work that was more her year- -old lesson from the Comthan it would have been munity Learning Service class to of us Phillips is a stut- the streets again to raise money one who's not afraid to talk for the hungry and homeless. dealing with a speech diffi- "It's nice to sce that Yvette has Nor is she afraid to say decided to do this again," Gallo she thinks about life in her says.
"The goal of the course is to .0 (: The regional school district recieved the lion' share and a $200,000 1 increase over this year's assessment. By WILLIAM SWEET: Staff writer HAMPDEN Residents last night approved a $5.3 million town budget and passed a zoning change allowing a local developer to construct an office building at Wilbraham and Somers Voters also OK'd putting a question on the ballot to raise $110,822 for road paving through a Proposition override. The roads article will now go to a ballot vote on May 6 for final approval. If approved, it would fund the first year of a six-year roads project. The vote doesn't commit residents to the full six years, selectmen said last night; it will come up for a new vote each year.
Under the first year, Stony Hill Road and portions of East Longmeadow Road and Mill Road would be repaved. 1 Many of the more than 300 voters left following discussion of a proposed project by developer Michael Cimino, who converted the former Fleet Bank on Allen Street into the Hampden House restaurant. Cimino asked for a zoning change to allow for parking on the front four acres of property at Wilbraham and Somers The change added more of, the property to a zone that would allow for offices, restaurants and retail. Cimino's representatives said, however, that he only intends to build a Georgian-style office building on the space, and possibly a second if he can find a tenant? 1. Please see Budget, Page 83 make better citizens, to create doers, and leaders.
Yvette is very dedicated. She is someone who follows through on her promises. She's a very dependable, responsible young lady." And, yes, Phillips did ask Gallo to sponsor her. The 10th grader already has collected 115 sponsors, and has $357 in donations with five days to go. She got a big boost Sunday when the congregants at the Church of the Ephiphany in Wilbraham managed to fill her entire sponsor sheet.
Iler old goal was $300. Her new goal is $400. An even larger goal is to get her driver's license this year and to volunteer on a regular basis at the Loaves Fishes Soup Kitchen on Worthington Street. Phillips is tall with brown eyes and a fresh new short spring haircut. She rarely goes anywhere without one of her romance or mystery novels.
She can rattle off a long list of her favorite things, including television programs and musicians. But most important, she is organized, focused, and a clear and thoughtful thinker with a generous heart. "It bothers me that I have sonething to eat and others don't." she says. "It always has. I don't, see why I am so lucky and others are not." 63 Phillips plans to attend college and major in drama.
Her ultimate goal is to act, like her hero, Jardes Earl Jones: a wonderful factor with a great big voice, and another stutterer. "He is not only a great actor," she says. "But a great person, a person who tries to help other poople. He's a real role model." An older version of someone like Yvette Phillips. Someone who not only talks the talk, but who, on Sunday, will walk the walk.
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