Officials: Smoke filled the cabin of Dreamliner in Logan fire — minutes after passengers had disembarked
A fire that began in a battery in the underbelly of a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner at Logan International Airport this morning filled the plane’s cabin with heavy smoke just minutes after passengers had disembarked, Massport officials said today. Flight 8 arrived from Tokyo at about 10:15 a.m. carrying 173 passengers and 11 crew members, Massport aviation director Edward Freni said. After passengers left the plane through the jetbridge, at about 10:30 a.m., airline mechanics reported smoke.
FULL ENTRYAmtrak, MBTA commuter rail riders may face delays again getting home tonight
A downed wire from an Amtrak train, which slowed much of Boston’s commuter rail and Amtrak transit this morning, could also affect the evening commute, officials said. This morning, passengers on 39 inbound and 22 outbound trains on six commuter rail lines, as well as six Amtrak trains, experienced delays ranging from 20 minutes to over an hour during peak service hours.
FULL ENTRYStephen Murphy wins 3d term as Boston City Council president
The Boston City Council voted overwhelmingly Monday to give Stephen J. Murphy his third consecutive term as the body’s president. Murphy captured 12 votes from his colleagues on the 13-member City Council. Councilor Charles Yancey voted for himself.
FULL ENTRYBody found in East Boston; investigation underway
A body was found today in East Boston and police are now investigating the circumstances of the person’s death.
FULL ENTRYPossible arson of 8 cars at West Roxbury auto repair shop investigated
Members of the arson squad are investigating the cause of eight cars apparently set on fire early this morning in West Roxbury, the Boston Police Department said.
FULL ENTRYMild start to pleasant weather week
The week is off to a mild start, with today’s highs in the upper 30s, and tomorrow looking even better, the National Weather Service said.
FULL ENTRYFatal fires in Chelmsford, Holyoke, and Winchendon leave four dead
Weekend fires in Chelmsford, Holyoke, and Winchendon claimed the lives of four people, authorities said. “It’s a very tragic weekend for us,” said State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. The Chelmsford blaze started shortly after 11 p.m. on the fourth-floor of a condominium building at 181 Littleton Road. It tore through the building and left a disabled man and a woman dead and four others injured, including a 7-year-old boy. In Holyhoke, a teenage girl was killed Saturday and in Winchendon, a 70-year-old man died Friday.
FULL ENTRYMan is found dead after house fire
A 70-year-old man was found dead after a two-alarm house fire Friday night in Winchendon, officials said. Winchendon firefighters arrived at a 2½-story wood-frame house at 95 Beachview Drive at about 7 p.m. to find the home engulfed in flames, Winchendon Fire Chief Thomas Smith said.
FULL ENTRYOne woman dead, one rescued in blaze
One woman was rescued and another was found dead after a two-alarm fire in Holyoke early Saturday, authorities said. The fire that destroyed a two-story, bungalow-style home at 28 Glen St. was reported at 6:29 a.m., Lieutenant Thomas Paquin of the Holyoke Fire Department said. The victim’s name was not released.
FULL ENTRYAfter a chilly week, warmer temperatures are ahead for next week
Flurries are possible tonight and Sunday night, and a warming trend is on tap for southern New England, with temperatures rising into the 40s on Tuesday and beyond, according to the National Weather Service. In the near term, Saturday and Sunday will be mostly dry with highs slightly above the seasonal average, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kim Buttrick today. The forecast calls for highs in the upper 30s in the Boston area, with temperatures a few degrees lower to the west.
FULL ENTRYNorton meets with four superintendent finalists
The Norton School Committee interviewed four finalists for superintendent on Saturday and decided to wait until Monday to determine its next move
FULL ENTRYBrockton man arrested in Avon for eighth drunk-driving offense, police say
A Brockton man was arrested for his eighth drunk driving offense on Thursday night, according to the Avon Police Department. William Doten, 65, was arrested in Avon around 10 p.m. Thursday when police responded to his to a red Chevy pick up truck stopped in the middle of road at 359 West Main Street, said Avon police Chief Warren Phillips.
FULL ENTRYUpcoming closures for Chelsea Street Bridge
The Chelsea Street Bridge will be closed every night next week and all next weekend for mechanical and electrical systems calibration and adjustments, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The bridge, which crosses the Chelsea Creek on the Chelsea/Boston line, will be closed to cars and pedestrians every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Sunday and will be closed all next weekend—from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
FULL ENTRYSenator Warren holds ceremonial swearing-in for local supporters
Hundreds of Elizabeth Warren supporters turned out this afternoon for a ceremonial swearing-in of the state’s newest senator at Roxbury Community College. Warren officially joined the 113th Congress Thursday at a ceremony in Washington, but decided to re-enact the event locally for supporters. Warren, who garnered a reputation on the campaign trail as a firebrand, didn’t disappoint the crowd, giving an emotional speech in which she thanked supporters and vowed to be a force for the state.
FULL ENTRYPoliticians, family, and residents pack Lynn church to honor former House speaker Thomas McGee
LYNN -- Politicians, relatives, and residents of Lynn, where Thomas W. McGee lived most of his 88 years, filled St. Mary’s Church this morning to remember the state’s longest-serving speaker of the House. “He watched his mother labor in the shoe factories of this city and emerge as a union organizer, understanding that we all strive for the same thing: a good job and a living wage, a decent roof over our heads, and the chance for a little bit better life for our children,” said his daughter, Colleen McGee Kavanaugh.
FULL ENTRYUpcoming closures for Chelsea Street Bridge
The Chelsea Street Bridge will be closed every night next week and all next weekend for mechanical and electrical systems calibration and adjustments, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The bridge, which crosses the Chelsea Creek on the Chelsea/Boston line, will be closed to cars and pedestrians every night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Sunday and will be closed all next weekend—from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
FULL ENTRYWaltham firefighters rescue deer stranded on ice
Firefighters rescued a deer stranded on the ice at the Cambridge Reservoir in Waltham on Friday afternoon, but the animal was in such poor condition that it later had to be euthanized. Helicopter video footage shot by local TV stations showed two rescuers struggling to grab the stranded deer, an adult female that they had reached in an ice rescue sled. The crew worked for more than 15 minutes to secure the animal, and the crew managed to pull it to shore by 12:50 p.m.
FULL ENTRYFormer North Andover prep school headmaster responds to charges of inappropriate tie to student
The former headmaster of an elite North Andover prep school said Friday that reports that he had an inappropriate relationship with a student and had hired escorts had caused him and his wife “great pain, sadness and embarrassment.” Lawrence Becker, the headmaster at the Brooks School from 1986 to 2008, said in a statement released by his lawyer that the school’s disclosure “encourages serious questions and speculation about my relationships with students over the years.”
FULL ENTRYPeabody police investigate shooting on Washington Street
Peabody police are investigating a nonfatal shooting on Washington Street Thursday night. At 8:55 p.m. police responded to reports of possible gunshots at 197 Washington St. and found a male victim with a gunshot wound to his thigh, Peabody police said in a statement. The victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
FULL ENTRYN.H. brothers race to help teammate who collapsed during pickup hockey game
Two New Hampshire brothers jumped into action Thursday night after a man on their pickup men’s hockey league team collapsed on the ice. With five minutes left in the game, Jake MacGlashing, 32, of Rye and his brother Jesse, 37, of Pittsfield saw a teammate fall to the ice of a rink in Rochester, N.H., having what first appeared to be a seizure.
FULL ENTRYState removes lien against Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue said today it had removed the $5,475 tax lien against embattled Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua for unpaid 2011 state income taxes. The department had issued the lien after Lantigua did not respond to several notices over the past six months. The amount includes $710 in penalties and interest. The revenue department removes liens when the overdue amount is paid in full or the department determines the money was not owed.
FULL ENTRYGov. Deval Patrick says Public Safety Secretary Mary Elizabeth Heffernan has ‘right touch’ to be judge
Governor Deval Patrick announced today he was nominating outgoing Public Safety Secretary Mary Elizabeth Heffernan as a district court judge. Heffernan, who has helmed the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security since 2010, had recently been in the news. She acknowledged serious flaws in the hiring of the state’s highway safety director despite the fact that Sheila Burgess’s driving record included crashes, speeding violations, and other infractions.
FULL ENTRYEx-official sentenced to six months in jail for stealing from MBTA worker union
The former president of a union representing more than 300 MBTA workers was sentenced today to six months in jail for stealing $105,812 from the organization’s bank account during his tenure. He was the second top official convicted of stealing from the union. A Suffolk Superior Court jury on Dec. 19 found John Horan guilty of two counts of larceny for overpaying himself between 2005 and 2010, using the bank account of the MBTA Inspectors Union Local 600.
FULL ENTRYPeabody police investigate shooting on Washington Street
Peabody police are investigating a nonfatal shooting on Washington Street last night. At 8:55 p.m. police responded to reports of possible gunshots at 197 Washington St. and found a male victim with a gunshot wound to his thigh, Peabody police said in a statement. The victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
FULL ENTRYWith temps rising, morning commute in Boston area is smoother
Today’s commute largely went off without a hitch, in sharp contrast to Thursday, which was filled with transit delays thanks to the season’s coldest weather yet, officials said. Out of 129 trains, only one, on the Green Line, experienced a mechanical problem this morning, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo, compared with 10 trains affected Thursday.
FULL ENTRYRising temps to hit 50 next week as region basks in a January thaw
The cold weather that chilled commuters and hampered the region’s public transit system this week will largely disappear this weekend, and temperatures are projected to reach 50 degrees by the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the Boston area will top out at 36 degrees, although sustained winds of 15 miles per hour will add a slight wind chill.
FULL ENTRYPatrick administration slows transportation finance plan
Governor Deval Patrick’s administration will delay its long-awaited transportation finance plan to the Legislature by a week, submitting it Jan. 14 instead of this coming Monday, the deadline written into the law that provided emergency funding for the MBTA last year, according to multiple people briefed on the delay.
FULL ENTRYMilford father, son face weapons charges after gun is allegedly found in home near children
A Milford father and son are facing charges after police responded to a domestic dispute call at the father’s house and allegedly found an unsecured handgun in a room next door to two small children. Charles F. Nadeau, 58, and his son Jason M. Nadeau, 28, will be summonsed to court on charges that include improper storage of guns and possession of high-capacity clips, police said.
FULL ENTRYMalden man, 18, struck and killed by two cars on Route 128 in Newton
An 18-year-old man killed after he was struck in both the north and southbound lanes of Route 128 in Newton today has been identified as a Malden resident who worked at a nearby rest stop. Reishaun Michael Hopkins was employed by the Honey Dew Donuts located in the Newton rest area and was normally scheduled to work day shift, State Police said this afternoon.
FULL ENTRYBoston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says he still has the energy — and things he wants to accomplish
A remarkably stronger Mayor Thomas M. Menino held court today in his office at City Hall, speaking with new vigor about his plans for Boston, reflecting on his eight-week hospitalization, and suggesting that he may indeed seek a sixth term this fall. “I still have the energy,” Menino told a half-dozen reporters when asked if he would seek reelection. “If I believe I can make a difference and move the city forward, that’s my future.”
FULL ENTRYNew law allows domestic violence, sex assault victims to vacate leases without penalties
Governor Deval Patrick today signed a bill into law that will allow domestic violence and sexual assault victims to vacate their lease or rental agreements without financial penalties. The bill, “An Act Relative to Housing Rights for Victims of Domestic Violence, rape, sexual assault, and Stalking,” also allows victims to bring up their situation as a defense in eviction proceedings, the governor’s office said.
FULL ENTRYLucky ducks get rescued from Lowell canal
Two ducks are in luck today after being rescued from a Lowell canal, officials said. The Lowell Fire Department was called at 1:42 p.m. and spent 45 minutes working to approach the ice-bound ducks, said Bob Flynn, deputy fire chief. Three fire companies responded to the canal near 130 Central St., though nobody needed to physically pull the ducks from the water. “We just had to get close and shoo them away,” Flynn said.
FULL ENTRYState files $5,475 tax lien against embattled Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua
Just a few days after announcing his reelection bid, Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua has been served with a $5,475 tax lien for failing to pay state income tax in 2011. The state revenue department last week filed the lien against Lantigua, whose three-year tenure has been dogged by controversy and a corruption investigation. A spokeswoman said the department took the step after Lantigua did not respond to several notices over at least six months. “When we file a lien, it means we have not heard from a taxpayer,” said spokeswoman Ann Dufresne.
FULL ENTRYEuropean birds catch a ride to Mass. on Hurricane Sandy, but can they survive the cold?
Three Northern lapwings, European shore birds that seldom stray into the Western hemisphere, were apparently blown across the Atlantic into Massachusetts by the chaotic winds of Hurricane Sandy and are now in danger of succumbing to the cold New England winter, a bird expert said. The rare birds, with their colorful plumage and odd-looking head feathers, have drawn bird enthusiasts from across the country.
FULL ENTRYMass. lawmakers, constitutional officers face 1.8 percent pay cut
Massachusetts lawmakers and constitutional officers will start the new legislative session with a pay cut -- an automatic reduction triggered by a dip in median household income over the past two years, according to the state Executive Office of Administration and Finance. The members of the House and Senate will see a 1.8 percent drop in pay, as will the governor and lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor and secretary of state.
FULL ENTRYParents appeal for release of correspondent kidnapped in Syria
The parents of a Boston-based foreign correspondent who has gone missing in Syria appealed publicly today to his presumed captors to release him. James Foley, 39, has been missing since Thanksgiving Day. Foley’s father, John, urged “the people who have him” to let his family know his condition and his whereabouts -- and to help the family get him freed.
FULL ENTRYSouth Boston man charged with possessing semi-automatic rifle
A 25-year-old South Boston man is facing charges of illegal possession of a gun and ammunition after being arrested with a Calico M-100 rifle and 48 rounds of ammunition Tuesday evening, Suffolk County prosecutors said. Alexis A. Laboy was arrested in Dorchester after police responded to a 911 call of a man with a gun at the intersection of Kemp Street and Father Songin Way.
FULL ENTRYBone-chilling temperatures delay 20 trains, subway service, and Boston school buses
This morning’s bitter cold is being blamed for mechanical failures that caused delays on subways, commuter trains, and on some Boston school buses. Temperatures were in the single digits across Eastern Massachusetts during the morning commute with Boston dropping down to 8 degrees. Beverly fell to 5 degrees, and in Bedford, it was the smallest single digit, 1 degree.
FULL ENTRYW. Mass. temps plunge; single digits seen in Boston
Hear that sound? It may be your teeth chattering. Massachusetts is dropping into the deep freeze. The coldest night of the season so far is expected with temperatures dropping below zero in parts of the interior, the National Weather Service says. The cold will be particularly intense north of the Massachusetts Turnpike and west of I-495 with the mercury potentially dropping to 10 below zero in colder valleys of northwestern Massachusetts and southwestern New Hampshire, the forecasters said.
FULL ENTRYDiMasi claims he never received bribe
Lawyers for former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi said in court papers filed this week that the former Beacon Hill powerbroker was wrongly convicted of corruption in 2011, arguing that he did not accept bribes as federal prosecutors contend. In a brief filed with the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, DiMasi’s lawyers wrote that prosecutors failed to prove that money funneled to him from a software company salesman through his former law partner, Steven Topazio, amounted to bribery.
FULL ENTRYWoman struck and killed by Amtrak train in Attleboro
A woman was struck and killed by a Boston-bound Acela train passing through Attleboro around 1:20 p.m. today, officials say. The incident happened near Newport Avenue and the South Attleboro train station. “It’s unclear why she was on the Acela tracks,” said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. MBTA Transit Police are now investigating the matter.
FULL ENTRYLabrador retriever recovers after brush with icy death
Acton veterinarians brought a young Labrador retriever named Grit back from the brink of freezing to death, after she was trapped in icy water for what could have been several hours. Dr. Janice Bernhart, one of the Acton Animal Emergency Care Center veterinarians who saved the two-year-old dog, said Grit was near death and having seizures when she was brought to the center around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
FULL ENTRYBusiness booster credits Patti Page song with building image of ‘Old Cape Cod’
Singer Patti Page, who died New Year’s Day, had a connection to Cape Cod — celebrating it in a song that described it as a land of sand dunes, salty air, and quaint little villages. Page, who was 85, rose to stardom in the 1950s with songs like “Tennessee Waltz.” But it was her song “Old Cape Cod” that first advertised the Cape as a vacation gem, said Wendy Northcross, head of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
FULL ENTRYHarwich man, 21, is Boston’s first murder victim; suspect claims he acted in self-defense
The Brighton man accused of committing the first murder in Boston this year was defending himself after he was attacked by one of the hosts of a New Year’s party in Allston, the man’s defense attorney said today. Brian MacDonald, 24, pleaded not guilty to a murder charge today in Brighton Municipal Court. Judge David T. Donnelly set bail at $500,000 cash, a much higher amount than the $10,000 bail requested by MacDonald’s attorney, Thomas Hoopes.
FULL ENTRYNorwell fire chief says rescue of three 14-year-olds trapped in swamp took time to pull off
Norwell Fire Chief T. Andrew Reardon says he is proud of his department’s rescue of three 14-year-old boys who were trapped for hours in a swamp in chest-high water Tuesday night. The combination of high water and low-hanging tree branches made it impossible for the rescuers to deploy an airboat, Reardon said today. And an airborne rescue by the Coast Guard wasn’t an option, because the boys were near high-tension power lines, so the Coast Guard could not safely deploy a helicopter with a rescue basket, he said.
FULL ENTRYWoman struck and killed by Amtrak train in Attleboro
A woman was struck and killed by a Boston-bound Acela train passing through Attleboro around 1:20 p.m. today, officials say. The incident happened near Newport Avenue and the South Attleboro train station. “It’s unclear why she was on the Acela tracks,” said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. MBTA Transit Police are now investigating the matter.
FULL ENTRYBoston-based freelance reporter was kidnapped and remains missing in Syria, family says
The New Hampshire family of James Foley, a Boston-based foreign correspondent, announced today that Foley was kidnapped on Thanksgiving Day while on assignment in Syria, and remains missing. Foley, 39, reportedly was taken by unidentified gunmen in the northwest of the country, the family said in a statement. The family said they hoped to build support for his release.
FULL ENTRYMethuen hill closed after three are injured in sledding crashes
Methuen police have closed a city hill to sledding after three sled crashes there, including one so serious that a woman had to be transported by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital. Over the weekend, a 22-year-old, 17-year-old, and 11-year-old were all injured while sledding on the popular hill at Greycourt Park.
FULL ENTRYMass. House Speaker DeLeo calls for study of ‘intersection of guns and mental illness’ in wake of Conn. school massacre
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo says that in the wake of the Connecticut school massacre, he wants to bring together the members of the state House with outside experts to study the “dangerous intersection of guns and mental illness in schools and throughout society.” He said solutions would be attempted on the federal level but “I believe we must do what we can on the state level as well.”
FULL ENTRYJames ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s lawyer gets brief extension to file paperwork on informant defense
US District Judge Richard Stearns has given the attorneys for notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger extra time to file paperwork defending Bulger’s claim that he was authorized by federal law enforcement officials to commit crimes in return for working as an informant. Bulger’s attorneys, in court papers filed New Year’s Eve, said they need until Jan. 11 to lay out their arguments because they are also dealing with a writ of mandamus before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
FULL ENTRYOn the beat

Columnist Adrian Walker writes about more political shame in Lawrence. Read more |
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Recent posts
- Officials: Smoke filled the cabin of Dreamliner in Logan fire — minutes after passengers had disembarked
- Amtrak, MBTA commuter rail riders may face delays again getting home tonight
- Stephen Murphy wins 3d term as Boston City Council president
- Body found in East Boston; investigation underway
- Possible arson of 8 cars at West Roxbury auto repair shop investigated


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