Gousse was in his backyard with his 10-month old son just steps away from him, when he was ambushed by a fox. “It bit the back of my leg. I tried to beat it off, I turned around and my girlfriend’s brother took a screwdriver and stabbed it. It started walking away and my landlord came out with a shovel and hit it like seven times and killed it. It was terrible” Gousse recalled.

He was rushed to the ER with bite marks in his left leg. “I went to the hospital yesterday, got all the shots, and I have to go back every 3 days, 3 times to get the rest of the shots. I hope it didn’t have rabies, but, if it did” Gousse trailed off.

The DEP picked up the fox, and it too will be tested for the disease. Gousse says it’s not uncommon to see the animals in the area.

“Once in a while we see them in the backyard but every time we approach them, they take off running. This one just up and attacked” he stated.

Now Gousse is considering building a fence to prevent something like this from happening to his son. “We’re definitely going to have to be out here with him at all times and something to get rid of them if we get attacked again. It’s pretty awful” he said. Gousse’s landlord will also spray around the perimeter to keep these kinds of pests out.

This is the fourth fox attack within a week in Western MA.

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WGGB) – Students from ninth to twelfth graders in Holyoke, West Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield, South Hadley, and Northampton will soon have a new choice for their education.

Come September, an old dress factory will be buzzing with students as 532 main street becomes the Paulo Friere Social Justice Charter School.

Founder Bob Brick feels the school will add to Holyoke’s revitalization. “Holyoke has had a long history of challenges especially around graduation rates and dropout rates, and teen pregnancy and those kinds of things,” he says.

Brick has over 35 years of experience in education. Most recently, he served as executive director of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley.

The curriculum of the Friere charter school is based on social justice – the idea that all students, regardless of race, income, culture, ability, or sexual orientation have an equal opportunity to a quality education.

An education that will extend far beyond their 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. schedule. Brick notes the school is offering a variety of resources not typically available to public school students. “We’re looking at afterschool and early evening mentoring programs. We’ve made partnerships with Hampshire College, Amherst College, University of Massachusetts in both Amherst and Boston, Springfield College to send in tutors, work one on one with our students.”

The school will enroll a maximum of 500 students.

Applications are due by March 12th. You can find them in both English and Spanish, on the school’s website.

No worries, Bob is not nervous for his first day of school. “I think I’ve done this too long to be nervous. I’ve taken a little break and I miss the kids.”

In case you’re wondering, the school is named for Paulo Friere, a Brazilian educator.

The New England Patriots will try and avenge their Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants.

The Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl this year with a 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens, and the Giants advanced with a 20-17 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers.

(HOLYOKE, Mass.) (WGGB)– Next Year’s Massachusetts Primary Election is a long way off but already it’s stirring up political controversy.

The Massachusetts Primary Election for next year is slated for Thursday September 6, 2012.

Originally the primary was going to be held on Tuesday September 18th.

But that date conflicted with the Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah.

Everyone seemed to be fine with the new date but then they found another conflict on the calendar, not for religious purposes but for a political event.

It turns out that Thursday September 6th, the new date for the Massachusetts Primary, is the last day of the Democratic National Convention when Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech .

As a result, hundreds of Baystate delegates would potentially be forced to choose between the convention and elections back home.

As of now nothing’s been done to change the date of the previously changed primary according to Holyoke State Representative Michael Kane,” There’s always the possibility the legislature could reconvene in January in making a new date, at this time my understanding is that the date is set in stone,” says Kane.

But some Democrats like Governor Patrick would like to see the date changed again so the primary election doesn’t conflict with the Democratic National Convention ,” We don’t want to step on the Democratic national Convention which is a pretty important day for Democrats, so I think accommodation  can be made,” says Patrick.

But others like Westfield State Senator Michael Knapik do not favor changing the primary date again,” I can’t see why we would support that…I think we’d set a horrible precedent, for religious purposes you can make a good case to change it which is what we did but from the point of pure political reasons I don’t think it’s the right thing to do in Massachusetts,” says senator Knapik.

The primary date change was recommended by Secretary of State William Galvin and approved by the legislature.

Individuals wishing to apply can find the application at the guidance office’s of local high schools and colleges.   The application can also be found at the John Boyle O’Reilly Club and by visiting http://springfieldstpatricksparade.org/Springfield_St_Patricks_Parade/Committee.html

The deadline to apply is December 16, 2011.

In an Wednesday afternoon press conference, F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge Rick DesLauriers asked the public to be on the lookout for 33-year-old Daniel Andreas San Diego.

The computer specialist from Berkeley, Calif., is accused in bombings at biotechnology firm Chiron Corp. in Emeryville, and nutrition and cosmetics company Shaklee Corp. in Pleasanton. No one was injured.

Two pipe bomb explosions struck an hour apart at Chiron on Aug. 28, 2003. A bomb strapped with nails exploded at Shaklee on Sept. 26, 2003. The blasts caused only minor damage, including some shattered windows.

A group calling itself “Revolutionary Cells” took responsibility, saying the companies were targeted for their ties to a research company that experimented on animals.

DesLauriers says that a recent “substantial and promising” tip received by their San Francisco field office has led them to the Pioneer Valley.  He said that the tip indicated that he may have been spotted in the Northampton area.

San Diego, who is considered armed and dangerous, is about 6′ tall, weighs about 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.  The Berkeley, California native has several tattoos on his body, including a round image of burning hillsides in the center of this his chest, with the words “It Only Takes A Spark” written under it, and images of burning and collapsing buildings on his sides.

DesLauriers also points out that San Diego is known to not eat anything that is meat related or contains animal products.  Because of his tattoos, San Diego may also reluctant to take off his shirt, DesLauriers adds, and that answers to questions may be “vague and contradictory.”

Wednesday night people in Northampton were reacting to an alleged terrorist in their community.

“If he came here he came to be hidden,” said E.J. Welch, Northampton.

“As long as we all keep our eyes open.  Here you know its not to busy,” said Joe Sherry, Northampton.

Many weren’t surprised San Diego would choose Northampton as a possible hiding location because of it’s many vegan friendly food venues.

“It would seem a little obvious.  If that’s how you are known maybe you would hide out someplace not known for that,” said Briana Tonboulin, Northampton.

“Northampton being very liberal it doesn’t surprise me that there would be an extreme of an animal rights person,” said Judy Rys, Northampton.

The F.B.I. has offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of San Diego.  Anyone with information is asked to contact either the F.B.I. office in Boston at (617) 742-5533 or the San Francisco field office at (415) 553-7400.

View The Wanted Posted for Daniel Andreas San Diego

FROM THE ARCHIVES: 2003 F.B.I. Press Conference

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

http://www.wggb.com/?p=31783 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) -- Ray Guillemette Junior has been entertaining people around the world as a Ray of Elvis for 23 years. From the early days in the fifties to the concert days in the seventies. Each year for the last six year around... Read more

Chicopee, Greenfield, and Northampton will have a delayed Halloween celebration with trick or treating at dusk on Saturday.

The Bondsville Fire Department will be hosting a ‘Trunk or Treat’ event from 4PM until 6PM on Saturday. Everyone is invited!  The event will be held at the Fire Department Headquarters on Main St. in Bondsville.  In the tradition of ‘trunk or treat’, if you are interested in distributing Halloween candy from the trunk of your car to local costumed participants, please arrive at the fire station no later than 3:30PM.  If you would like more information about the event, or if you would like to support the event by making a cash donation, please call the Bondsville Fire Department at 413-283-9036.

Westfield will have trick-or-treating on Monday night, November 7th.

Other cities and towns we contacted today that have definitely decided not to reschedule this year are:  East Longmeadow, Springfield, Ware and West Springfield.

Decisions are still being made in other towns as to whether any events will be held in the upcoming weeks.

Since 1993, nearly six million walkers across the United States have raised more than $400 million to help fight breast cancer through Making Strides events. The money raised helps the Society to save lives and create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures and by fighting back against breast cancer.

Join LA Fitness International Inc. in the fight against breast cancer by donating to their Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team by following these simple steps:

1. Visit http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/orangecounty or http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/sandiego
2. ‘Donate’ → search team LA Fitness
3. Click on ‘Donate to our Team’
4. Enter Donation Level or enter other donation amount
5. Enter Donation Information
6. Enter your Payment and Billing Information
7. Review Information
8. Donate!

Once again, abc40 has teamed up with WMAS, Berkshire Bank, and Belmont Laundry to collect Coats for Kids until October 31st.

One drop-off location is at our own abc40 studio at 1300 Liberty Street in Springfield during normal business hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm by October 31st.

If you would like to a complete up-to-date list of Coats for Kids collection locations and learn more about the Salvation Army Coats for Kids Campaign at  http://www.salvationarmycoatsforkids.com.

Join us this year. Stop by our studio or one of the many collection locations with your new or gently used winter coats.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Abc40 and fox6 are teaming up with “Rebuilding Together Springfield” to help build 25 homes in 5 days. Everything kicks off Saturday morning.

Friday night dozens of volunteers attended a rally in advance of this weeks big build. It was once last chance for them to get some final information, meet with organizers and the families who will be helped by the project.

Delores Culp is one of the home owners getting help this week. Her house received roof and chimney damage, broken windows and doors plus she has a lot of downed trees. She is thankful for the kindness and generosity of others helping her return to a normal life.

“This is a blessing for me. I would never think something like this would happen, but I’ve been a hard worker all these years, all my life now I usually help people now people are helping me,” said Culp.

One thousand volunteers from all over New England will work thru Wednesday to restores more than 25 homes. One hundred of those volunteers are part of the Springfield area TD Bank team.

“We take a look at the tragedy of the tornado and we look at the efforts of everybody from big business to small business government. The end result is a strong community it’s a good thing,” Simon Hong, TD Bank.

For the recipients like Delores Culp the outpouring of support is encouraging her to continue paying it forward to others.

“Sometimes you have to give back and volunteer and that’s been a part of my life volunteering,” said Culp.

Rebuild Together Springfield is still looking for donations. To find out how you can help check out: www.rebuildtogetherspringfield.org.

But four months after the tornado, her home is in no better shape. Margarita says she’s living a nightmare, “Still living it. I wake up and look and hope it was just a dream. But the effects are still here and it’s, I’m just not living it on a daily basis. I’m fighting with FEMA, filing appeals like everyday. It’s being revictimized and living it over and over again.”

All that will soon change, thanks to Rebuilding Together. From October 1st through the 5th, 1000 volunteers will rebuild 25 tornado damaged homes in 5 days. Colleen Loveless is the Executive Director of Rebuilding Together. She says, “Miss Mulero went around the neighborhood after the tornado picking up pieces of her home literally. The siding, trying to bring it back, trying to fix it and it’s obviously too much damage for her to do it on her own, so we’re here to help her out.”

Volunteers from Home Depot are going to be to replace all the siding, install a new roof, help clean up Margarita’s yard. Her home was selected from hundreds of applications for help.

And just in time, with really cold weather just around the corner, Colleen says there’s a sense of urgency right now with winter approaching. Homeowners are getting nervous because many of them are already dealing with roofs that are leaking,damaging insulation and sheet rock. She says Rebuilding Together is trying to get this rectified before it gets worse.

Rebuilding Together is the nation’s leading non-profit, preserving affordable home ownership and revitalizing communities. Colleen tells me they have so many volunteers, they may work on 30 homes in need. Margarita is just happy and relieved her home is one of those being repaired.

abc40 and Fox6 will keep you updated on all the home rebuilds starting Saturday, October 1st through the 5th. Making a difference, rebuilding 25 homes in 5 days.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (WGGB) — “GLEE Give A Note” begins today and will award a total of $1 million to school music programs around the country.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and the National Association of Music Education announced today “GLEE Give A Note”, a campaign to donate $1 million to school arts programs across the country. Eligible schools are invited to submit videos about why their school deserves a grant.  In December 2011, after two rounds of voting, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will name the 73 schools that will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Here’s a chance to enter your video. Click below to learn all the details!

The day kicked off in the heart of downtown with the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast.

“I’ve been cooking every year and I do a lot of it at home too,” said Doug Prive. Priven cooked over 500 pancakes Saturday.

Thousands of people lined main street waiting to pick up one of those perfect pancakes.

Maria Carter of Springfield made the wait for her flapjacks with her three grandsons.

“Very good hot fluffy and taste. I like moderate amounts of syrup and good amount of butter make it taste really good,” said Maria Carter.

Once the syrup was tapped out people check out the celebration’s parade.

Marching down State Street were Springfield Police Officers, Fire Fighters, City leaders and even the ABC40/FOX6 Team.

“It’s great to see all the wonderful things in the city of Springfield displayed today,” said Corey Durham.

“Everyone feels apart of moments in time a piece of history today,” said Judy Matt, President Spirit of Springfield.

“We are the city of first and its important to look back on heritage our history traditional diversity and celebrating that but more impact use that to move the City of Springfield forward,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.

And Everett Barney was quite a man.

His revolutionary invention, mass produced right here in Springfield, brought enjoyment to peoples’ lives in the late 1800′s, and his legacy still does to this day.

“He entered his skates in international contests, and he won them,” said Francis Gagnon, a local Springfield historian.   ”Paris, Vienna, he was big stuff.”

“He’s known to be the man who put America on ice skates.”

Everett Barney was a man ahead of his time.  Born in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1835, he first made his money building locomotives and weaponry.

But it wasn’t until he teamed with his business partner to form the Barney and Berry Company that Everett Barney became rich and famous.

Barney and Berry clip-on ice skates were all the rage, here in Springfield, and all over the world.

“When Everett Barney came up with his invention and it became very popular, people started buying these skates by the thousands,” said Guy McLain, Director of the Wood Museum of Springfield History.

“He set up a factory in the South End of Springfield very close to the current railroad line that we have today.  And that factory was a booming factory for several decades. And it was one of the main providers of jobs for Springfield during that period.”

And Barney’s timing was impeccable.  You see in the late 1800′s the Victorian Era was flourishing.

People had more free time to enjoy themselves, and ice skating was widely popular.

Barney was a popular figure on the local ice, and even more so when the weather got warmer.

He would open his lavish Forest Park estate for the people to enjoy boat races, watching from the grass high above the Connecticut River.

“He also saw to it that the land got improved’,  said local historian Francis Gagnon.  “He had gardens. He encouraged concerts. He let people come to concerts.”

“There were races on the Connecticut River. People were allowed to sit and view races from his gardens and lawn.  So he was the kind of man that Springfield needed at that time.”

Everett Barney’s legacy continues to flourish every time anyone visits Forest Park.

Much of the land that makes up Forest Park was donated by Everett Barney, and of course the Barney Mansion is still used today for weddings and civic functions.

And perhaps the most significant place in our cities long and colorful history is the Springfield Armory.

For nearly 200 years this facility, located on what is now Springfield Technical Community College, was the heartbeat of the Industrial Revolution.

The many innovations developed here are still felt from coast to coast.

“With the American War of Independence the United States government was established and within 9 months of that establishment Springfield becomes a hot bed of activity in support of the Army,” said Richard Colton, a Park Ranger and Armory historian.

“The design and production, particularly its supply of weapons. This is a role Springfield proudly maintains until 1968.”

Two hundred years, from the American Revolution to the Vietnam conflict.  From George Washington to LBJ, the Springfield Armory was the nerve center for the nations war effort.  It was also in many ways the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

The Armory was chosen for its location, its accessability to the Connecticut River, and its defenseability.

The Springfield Armory’s contribution to the history of our country is immeasurable.

“Most national sites you’ll come to, national historic sites, will be important for maybe one particular reason, maybe two,” said Colton.

“Maybe something happened there for one or two days. Maybe one person lived there.”

“This was two centuries, and hundreds of thousands of people.”

And the Springfield Armory’s success and know how expanded exponentially.

From the world renowned Ames Sword Company, to the inventiveness that led to companies that still dot the Connecticut River corridor, they can all trace their beginnings to the Springfield Armory.

“Essentially the core of what becomes the Silicon Valley of the 19th century,” said Colton.

“This is why you still have Hamilton Standard, Pratt & Whitney, up and down the valley. You still have these manufacturing centers, precision manufacturing centers, but they started here.”

And in many ways the areas industrial decline can be traced back to the demise of the Armory.

After 200 years as a mainstay of the U-S Military, production ceased in April 1968.

Heavy manufacturing came to an end up on the hill just like it did for the rest of the country.  Never to fully return again.

“When the Army closed the Armory in 1968 the United States was the largest producer and exporter of machine tools.”

“Twenty years later the United States was the largest importer of machine tools.”

“We’ve gone from being a manufacturing nation that made things to a nation that in fact had to purchase things from overseas.”

The Springfield Armory will come alive this weekend with tours and  battle reenactments on the Armory Green.

That would be Symphony Hall, Springfield City Hall, and the Campanile Clock Tower.

The buildings, first dedicated in December of 1913, are approaching their 100th anniversary, and the middle child, the Campanile Clock Tower, is in desperate need of repair.

We were granted exclusive entry into the Campanile Tower  to help bring attention to one of Springfield’s most visible and popular landmarks.

The Campanile Tower towers 300 feet above the city’s skyline.  The black canvas that rides up the side of the building is there because pieces of limestone are actually falling to the ground.

Parts of the steel frame of the tower are rusting, and forcing the limestone to bulge out and fall to the ground.

It’s been estimated that it will cost $12 million to bring the Campanile Tower back to its original splendor.

Take time to click on the video that supports this story.

The Campanile Clock Tower is indeed one of the great treasures in the City of Homes.

“All you have to do is show a proof of residency and you can get in without paying anything,” said Holly Smith-Boves, President of the Springfield Museums.

And we find that about 25 to 30 percent of the people who come here are from Springfield.”  “So the system obviously means a lot to the people in the community.”

You can hear the pride in Holly Smith-Boves’ voice.  She’s been the President of the Springfield Museums for just over a year, but has been a part of the system for nearly a decade.

If it’s planes, cars, guns, and motorcycles you’re interested in there’s the Lyman and Merri Wood Museum of Springfield History.

Large animals, natural history, and wildlife, the Springfield Museum of Natural History should be on your to do list.

The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum holds one of the most prolific displays of Japanese and Chinese in the world.

And the D’Amour Fine Art Museum has some of the great Impressionist Masters on display.

Quite remarkable, and it sits right here in our own backyard.

“We’re really unique in the country to have five different museum buildings on the same quadrangle grounds, and you buy one ticket and get into all of them.”

“We have a central administration so it’s really amazing that we have art history and science, and that we can collaborate and do exhibitions together.  So we have something for everybody.”

“It’s a treasure and actually we contribute to exhibitions all over the world,” said Julia Courtney, Curator of the D’ Amour Fine Art Museum.

“I’m constantly hearing from curators in Japan and Paris that our collection is outstanding.”

“It’s very well known to people around the globe, and less well known to some people in this area which is very interesting.”

While all of the Springfield Museums hold a certain appeal for everyone’s taste, from a pure art standpoint the Fine Art Museum is undoubtedly the most impressive.

The works of Degas, Monet, and Chardin can be seen hanging on the walls.

There is also a contemporary art section.  Once again something for everyone’s taste.

“I think it’s so wonderful to discover things right in your own backyard,” said Courtney.

“There’s lots of teachers who come in with their students who maybe haven’t had the opportunity or time to come into the museums before.”

“I hear that from a lot, as well as people who are visiting the area.”  If you look in the summer at our parking lot on any given day of the week you’ll see a lot of states represented.”
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“So people come here looking for something to do, a way to spend their leisure time, and they’re really astounded at what we have to offer.”

We start with the place that has literally put Springfield on the modern day map.

We’re talking about the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

John Doleva is the President and CEO of the Hall, and said the Hall of Fame is stop number one for many of the tourists that visit our area annually.

“We’re the only Hall of Fame that’s definitively located in the place where the game was invented,” said John Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. We can go right now up to Mason Square and point to the exact spot where Dr. Naismith invented the game.  So that’s a real sense of pride.”

From its humble beginnings as a small museum on the campus of Springfield College, to the multi-million dollar shrine that sits on the banks of the Connecticut River, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is 303 members strong.

The names in the ring of honor read like a litany in tribute to the game of basketball. Names like Jim Calhoun, Michael Jordan, and even Karl Malone from the most recent Hall of Fame class, the Basketball Hall of Fame offers something for everyone.  And the Hall is visited by people from literally all over the globe.

“When I think back to 2002 when we first opened the new building, in just 17 days we had visitors from all 50 states,” said John Dloeva. “It’s not untypical to go through here and see a touring group from Japan, from Germany, from Italy.  All over the world. The game is such a popular sport.  It translates so well from Springfield, Massachusetts, to around the globe.
It’s definitely not unusual to see visitors from around the world here on any given day.  Especially in the summer time.”

“We also have contests every day to help keep people engaged in the Hall of Fame,” said Mike Desrosiers who handles media and marketing for the Hall of Fame. “You might even walk away with a prize at the end of the day too.”

Once inside the Basketball Hall of Fame it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about.

You’ll find a statue of Larry Bird standing next to Paul Pierce’s locker.

There’s Shaquille O’Neil’s size 22 shoes.  And there’s the jersey Wilt Chamberlin wore when he scored 100 points in Hershey, Pennsylvania back in 1962.

If the Hall is lacking for anything, it’s local patrons.

“What we try to do is entice people that live locally, said Doleva.  “People that assume that the Hall of fame is always going to be there, That someday I’ll get there. We want to give them that special impetus to get over the hump and come to the Basketball Hall of Fame. And if it has to be a special event so be it.”

“It’s a great place to visit, but clearly we want to add value, especially to those that live right around here.”

Gene Eggleston, the longtime Cathedral basketball coach is now a tour guide at the Hall of Fame.  He says the place never seems to get old. “I don’t think people realize how interesting this place is. I’ve been involved with basketball since I was a kid, and I still, if I get 10 minutes to go up and read, there is just so much information, so much neat stuff about basketball here.”

This weekend the City of Springfield will celebrate its 375th anniversary.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is one of the true jewels here in western Massachusetts.