New England Public Radio

Kari Njiiri

Connecticut Governor Backs Enhanced Rail Plan For Western Massachusetts

Proponents of a plan to bring expanded intercity passenger rail service to western Massachusetts are getting support from Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy.

In a letter first reported on MassLive, Malloy called for his Bay State counterpart, Charlie Baker, to OK the planning and engineering of rail service linking the region’s cities, like Hartford and Springfield, and east to Worcester and Boston.

Tim Brennan of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission said that means getting the project to what he calls a shovel-ready position, so it can compete for federal and state funds.

“Providing passenger rail service is all important in terms of the fate, economically, of regions going forward. So we want to be connected. That’s the only way we can really think about being competitive,” said Brennan.

Brennan estimated that getting the project shovel-ready will cost about $20 million.

The Baker Administration is not committing to the project yet, saying only that the rail plan process is ongoing.

 

Dunbar Emerges From The Shadow Of Foreclosure With New Owner And Mission

The Dunbar Community Center has been a hub of culture, sports and social activities for Springfield’s African-American community for over 100 years. But it was almost shut down last year due to a mortgage dispute. The center appears to be getting a new lease on life.

The Dunbar, as it’s more commonly known, has been located at its current site in Springfield’s Mason Square neighborhood since the 1930s. The building’s original wing was a church, before it was converted into a community center, hosting basketball and boxing tournaments, dance and exercise classes.

It was also home to a studio that legendary dancer and choreographer Frank Hatchett operated from the late 1960s to the early ’80s before moving to New York City to teach Broadway performers and celebrities like Madonna, Savion Glover and Vanessa Williams. I was among the many students who attended his classes on the second floor of the Dunbar. I hadn’t seen the studio in more than when I paid a visit there recently.

“So, welcome back home,” said Reverend Atu White, senior pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, which now owns the Dunbar. “A lot of youth spent days here. And the more I stay in the city of Springfield, the more I learn of the people who…grew on this green dance floor. So it’s a, as I call it, a sacred space. Because whenever you’re able to capture the imagination of youth and inspire them in ways, and challenge them in ways, it becomes a sacred space in their life.”

The church is hoping to recapture Dunbar’s reputation as a hub for the African-American community, although it’s been open to and served all.

That legacy appeared doomed when a Colorado-based lender announced last year it would foreclose after the center, still suffering from the great recession, had trouble paying off a mortgage for an expansion project. The city offered to buy the 44,000 square-foot property, but the lender ultimately agreed to Mount Zion’s bid to take over the mortgage for $705,000.

White said the church was looking for a space to grow its congregation and its impact

“Our community needs more spaces where they can grow and have a positive self-image, a positive self-worth,” he said. “Where you’re going into a building that’s owned by the same poor residents of the community. And there’s pride in that.”

A renovation plan would convert the original wing that includes the gym, three-story rotunda and Frank Hatchett’s old studio into a multi-use space with both a church sanctuary and performing arts space.

That brings some comfort to Estelle Early. She is a retired nurse who attends a chair exercise class for older adults who’ve dubbed themselves the Dunbar Divas. She grew up around the corner from the center but moved away to another part of the city. But when her church sponsored members to attend the class there a few years ago, she came back.

“I found myself retired but I wasn’t really active. Plus the camaraderie, the fellowship. We have a good time other than just exercising. All of us women have bonded,” Early said.

I asked Early what it would have meant had the Dunbar shut down.

“Oh, goodness,” she said. “If it had closed, I think we would have all been pretty much devastated, because it means so much to so many people who grew up here in Springfield and knew about the Dunbar and all that it offered to the young people, all the way up to our seniors.”

Since 2011, those programs, from teen pregnancy prevention, sport and academic support to adult exercise classes, have been operated by the Springfield YMCA under a lease agreement that runs through June. As to whether the Y’s presence at the Dunbar will continue beyond that date, president and CEO Scott Berg is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re going to see how the relationship is going,” Berg said. “So far, the church has been really good to work with. We applaud them for all their efforts. But the Y is a mission, and we made it very clear that we’re always going to be looking for space to expand our programs or to offer different programs. So just because we’re at one location doesn’t mean we’re going to be there forever.”

For his part, Mt. Zion’s Atu White said the Y is welcome to stay on if they choose, adding the church wants to expand arts, wellness and education programs for the area’s residents.

“We’re not a wealthy congregation. We don’t have endless money, but we have endless imagination,” White said. “And with that endless imagination we’re willing to work hard to provide a place for the next generation and generations to come to really grow and develop. And that’s the story of the Dunbar. The Dunbar was a place where a few generations really grew and developed.”

But first they’ve had to address more immediate maintenance problems typical of distressed properties. Part of it needed a new roof. And on my visit, crews were repairing a heating unit that had gone on the fritz.

White said church services at the Dunbar could begin as early as March, but that will depend on what other maintenance issues come up.

 

Massachusetts Legislature To Revisit The Question: When Should A Suspect Be Charged As An Adult?

When is a person considered an adult? That’s at the heart of one proposal Massachusetts lawmakers are considering to reform the state’s criminal justice system. It would raise the age of most offenders are sent to juvenile court from 18 to 21. Massachusetts would be the first state in the country to do so.

New England Public Radio’s Kari Njiiri talked about this proposal with Springfield Republican political reporter Shira Schoenberg. She told Kari that this bill comes four years after lamakers raised the juvenile court age from 17 to 18, but advocates claim that didn’t go far enough.

MASSLIVE: Massachusetts lawmakers to consider raising juvenile court age from 18 to 21

Hampden Sheriff Says Defendants Awaiting Trial Should Be Moved Into Recovery Programs

As Massachusetts lawmakers await a final report on reforming the state’s criminal justice system, one newly installed sheriff wants pre-trial defendants to enter recovery programs.

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi said there are twice as many defendants in the jails awaiting trial as there are serving time. Rather than being idle, Cocchi said his facility is putting those defendants into programs, such as anger management and substance abuse treatment. But he said sheriffs could do much more with some legislative changes.

“Like stepping down a very low-bail offender to a minimum security, and getting them ready to re-enter into a community, whether they got sentenced or not. We know that they would be a very low risk,” said Cocchi.

And he said offenders would already start gaining skills that could help prevent them from returning to prison.

The Council of State Governments has said recidivism drives much of the criminal justice system, but there’s no state funding designated for programs to address the problem.

Massachusetts Police Undergo Training In How To Deal With People Suffering From Dementia

For the first time, police officers across Massachusetts are undergoing training in how to approach and talk to people with dementia.

The coursework is included as part of the mandatory 40-hour training that the state’s municipal, environmental and UMass police have to complete every year.

Dan Zivcovich, executive  director of the Municipal Police Training Committee, said the specialized classes were prompted by an increasing number of calls officers were responding to involving people with dementia, particularly the elderly.

“That group is growing and we want to make sure that officers are able to understand the issues that are related, and then deal with not only the persons who suffer from age-related issues, but their families. Because how you engage the family can also affect the outcome,” Zivcovich said.

To date, about 2,000 of the 17,000 officers have been through the training, which must be completed by the end of June.

Amherst College Sanctions X-Country Team Members Who Exchanged Offensive Messages

A member of Amherst College’s Sexual Respect Task Force said Tuesday that she’s not sure if sanctions short of suspension from school are strong enough for members of the men’s cross country team. Some of them were caught exchanging racist, sexist and homophobic online messages.

In a statement, the school said several individuals will be suspended from varsity sports for periods ranging from three contests to the remainder of their enrollment at Amherst.

Michele Barale, a professor of sexuality, women’s and gender studies, said she was horrified by the messages. But she said the school had a difficult line to walk.

“You know, ‘Off with their heads’ is the easiest response. The harder one is to figure out what’s just for as many people as possible, and still hurts,” Barale said.

Offenders will be also required to discuss ways to redress the harm to those targeted in the messages. And the full team will have to undergo what the school calls “an educational process,” though a spokesperson said what that means specifically is still being worked out.