Tag Archives: Obituaries

Funeral scheduled for detective who fought for Sept. 11 fund

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A funeral will be held Wednesday for a former New York City police detective who was a leader in the fight for the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

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Detective Luis Alvarez appeared with former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart last month to plead with Congress to extend the compensation fund.

Alvarez, who died Saturday of colorectal cancer, was admitted to a hospice within days of his testimony.

His funeral will be held at the Immaculate Conception Church in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens.

Alvarez spent three months in the World Trade Center rubble after the 2001 attacks.

Researchers continue to study potential links between responders’ illnesses and toxins from the cleanup.

The bill to replenish the fund that provides compensation to those responders passed a congressional committee unanimously.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that “Victim” in the proper name “Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund” is singular, not plural.

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Steuben driver captures Speedway 95 Late Model opener — Auto Racing — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

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HERMON, Maine — Steuben’s JR Robinson won one of the two Dysart’s Late Model qualifiers to gain a front-row spot for the 40-lap feature then led from start to finish in Speedway 95’s Advance Auto Parts season opener on Saturday.

Dana Wilbur of Frankfort chased Robinson for the entire distance, but was unable to unseat him from the top spot, despite a last chance effort on a lap 38 restart.

Defending division champ Kris Matchett of Skowhegan battled side by side with Milford’s Dean Smart for the third spot for over half the event, taking the third spot at the finish, with Smart finishing fourth. Steve Kimball of Holden rounded the top five.

Other Speedway 95 results

(Top 5; place, car number, driver, hometown)

Casella Recycling Street Stocks: 1. 07 Cody Brassbridge, Monroe; 2. 6 Shane Tatro, Levant; 3. 24 Jeff Alley, Machias; 4. 14C Anthony Constantino, Sumner; 5. 94 Steve Rackliff, Starks

Casella Waste Systems Sport Four: 1. 38 Joey Doyon, Winterport; 2. 23 Lewis Batchelder, Dixmont; 3. 3x Caleb Bernatchez, Vasselboro; 4. 07 Roy Hathorn, Brownville

Coca-Cola Caged Runners: 1. 25 Brad Bellows China; 2. 70 Dylan Dewitt, Carmel; 3. 04 Durbon Davis, Hermon; 4. 76 Andrew Crosby, Hermon; 5. Casey Bellows, Fairfield

Cap’s Tavern Modified Enduro: 1. 74 Keith Drost, Stetson; 2. 20 Ben Merrill, Corinth; 3. 62 Andrew Crosby, Hermon; 4. 9 Gil Cote, Newport; 5. 78 Dustyn Carrow, Carmel

Kenny U-Pull Road Runners: 1. 34 Jason Trundy, Newburgh; 2. 71 Troy Gould, Winterport; 3. 79 Alvin McNevin, Clifton; 4. 18 Craig Holm, Bangor; 5. 80 Kevin Hathaway, St. Alba

Oxford Plains Speedway

At Oxford, Jeff Taylor of Farmington drove to a convincing victory Saturday night, winning the Budweiser Championship Series Super Late Model race at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Taylor, the most prolific track champion in modern day Oxford Plains Speedway history, last won at the track driving a Late Model in 2011. His last Super Late Model victory came in 2006, the year he earned his ninth, and most recent, track title.

Taylor wired the field in the 50-lapper, following up an impressive heat race victory that set the stage for the night’s main event. Curtis Gerry, the championship points leader entering the race, drove from deep in the starting lineup to finish in second position, remaining atop the early-season rankings.

Ryan Robbins of Dixfield finished third, Ryan Deane of Winterport was fourth and Ivan Kaffel of Raymond was fifth.

Other Oxford results

Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock (30 laps): 1. 61 Matt Dufault, Turner; 2. 1 Billy Childs Jr., Leeds; 3. 36 Richard Spaulding, Lisbon; 4. Skip Stanley, Oxford; 5. 4 Jordan Russell, Norway

Figure 8 (20 laps): 1. 4 Kyle Kilgore, South Paris; 2. 12 Charlie Hall, Oxford; 3 00 Larry Lizotte, Poland; 4 2 Dale Lawrence, Minot; 5 07 Kyle Glover, Oxford

Classic Lites (25 laps): 1. 04 Stew McCormack, Plaistow, New Hampshire; 2. 30 Duane Skofield, Plaistow, New Hampshire; 3. 40 Derrick Marsan, Methuen, Massachusetts; 4. 45 Paul Marsan, Methuen, Massachusetts; 5. 18 Eric Skofield, Plaistow, New Hampshire

NH driver wins PASS race

At Epping, New Hampshire, reigning Pro All Stars Series North Super Late Model Champion DJ Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire, drove to his second win of the season Saturday night in a wild Little Webb’s Tire & Fuel 150 at Star Speedway.

Longtime Star Speedway competitor Joe Squeglia of Derry, New Hampshire, who led a healthy chunk of the 150-lap race, rebounded from a couple of mid-race skirmishes to earn runner-up honors. Nick Sweet of Barre, Vermont, posted an impressive third-place finish after lining up for the race in 20th position.

Six-time PASS North Super Late Model champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale made a late charge into fourth spot after setting the race pace for several laps before misfortune struck. Reid Lanpher of Manchester started dead last in the 23-car field, got caught up in the wreck that took out two drivers, made what seemed like a dozen pit stops and then drove back into the top five as the checkered flag waved.

Other Maine finishers

6. 94 Garrett Hall, Scarborough; 11. 7 Travis Benjamin, Belfast; 13. 39 Scott Chubbuck, Wiscasset; 14. 4 Ben Rowe, Turner; 19. 9 Alan Tardiff, Lyman; 21. 01 Mike Hopkins, Hermon

 

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John Havlicek, Boston Celtics great, dies at 79

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John Havlicek’s legacy was built over 16 years with the Boston Celtics, eight of them as NBA champions, making him among the best to ever play the game.

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One play immortalized him forever.

“Havlicek stole the ball! “Havlicek stole the ball!” Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most screamed, a moment that remains among the famous plays in NBA history.

The Celtics said Havlicek died Thursday in Jupiter, Florida. He was 79. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available. The Boston Globe said he had Parkinson’s disease.

Voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, Havlicek’s steal of Hal Greer’s inbounds pass helped the Celtics hold off Philadelphia in the 1965 Eastern Conference final.

“John Havlicek is one of the most accomplished players in Boston Celtics history, and the face of many of the franchise’s signature moments,” the Celtics said in a statement. “He was a champion in every sense, and as we join his family, friends, and fans in mourning his loss, we are thankful for all the joy and inspiration he brought to us.”

Nicknamed “Hondo” for his resemblance to John Wayne, Havlicek was drafted ninth in the first round in 1962 out of Ohio State by a Celtics team stocked with stars Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders, Tom Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey. Boston won championships in six of his first seven years.

“It is getting difficult each time I hear about another contemporary that passes!” Russell tweeted. “What is harder is when we lose guys like John Havlicek, he was not just a teammate & a great guy, but he was family. That is how our Celtics teams were.”

As Russell and others gradually moved on, Havlicek became the elder statesman and moved up to become a starter. The team won championships in 1973-74 and 1975-76 with Havlicek leading squads that included Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White.

“John Havlicek was a wonderful friend who represented the best of the NBA,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He described himself as a man of routine and discipline — a humble approach that produced extraordinary results.”

Havlicek was the MVP of the 1974 Finals, and set Celtics career records for points and games. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. At Ohio State, he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 1960 national championship.

As much as his deadly jump shot or his play in Boston’s triple-overtime NBA Finals victory over Phoenix in 1976, Havlicek was known for his durability.

In his NBA career he scored 26,395 points in 1,270 games and played in 13 All-Star Games.

“The Boston Celtics are not a team, they are a way of life,” Hall of Fame coach and executive Red Auerbach once said. And no one personified the Celtic way more than Havlicek.

His No.17 was raised to the rafters in old Boston Garden and now resides in TD Garden, retired soon after he retired in 1978. He averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the regular season, and 22.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 172 playoff games.

Born April 8, 1940, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, Havlicek became a standout athlete at Bridgeport High School in the small coal-mining town of 2,500 near Wheeling, West Virginia.

The 6-foot-5 Havlicek was also an outstanding football and baseball player in high school and was given a tryout by the Cleveland Browns after graduating from college.

As a sophomore at Ohio State, he scored 12.2 points a game as the Buckeyes won the national championship, beating California 75-55 in the final. His junior and senior years, Ohio State again won the Big Ten titles and made it to the NCAA title game but lost to Cincinnati each time. During Havlicek’s three years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes went 78-6, dominating most games unlike any team up to that time.

All five starters from Ohio State’s title team in 1960 — which included Jerry Lucas and future Celtics teammate Larry Siegfried — played in the NBA. Backup Bob Knight went on to a Hall of Fame coaching career.

Havlicek remained in Boston after his retirement, managing investments. He later split time between New England and Florida. He occasionally returned to Ohio State for reunions of the championship team and Celtics events. His Ohio State number was retired during ceremonies in the 2004-2005 season.

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Former AP Sports Writer Rusty Miller in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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