Local News Updates

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December 31, 2006

Cops no more

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Sergeant Karen Ahern had turned in her gun, her baton, and her riot gear. She saw no reason Sunday to don the navy uniform she had worn for 10 years as a Boston municipal police officer.

It no longer had any meaning.

Her last shift was to end at midnight Sunday, the same time the armed division of the Boston Municipal Police Department, a 25-year-old institution headquartered in Dorchester, would close. Ahern and about 30 other officers would be out of a job, while 33 of their colleagues would head to the Boston Police Department, which accepted them last month after they passed background checks and physical and psychological exams.

Sunday, Ahern, dressed in jeans and sneakers, spent her shift turning in other officers’ equipment to her managers and hugging colleagues as they left. Her time on the obstacle course in a physical agility test had been 13 seconds too slow.

"It’s just a really gloomy day," she said.

The city’s police department was forced to absorb the officers after Mayor Thomas M. Menino ordered a merger with the municipal police as an economical way to supply the city with patrol officers. The human resources division of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance approved the transfer of the 33 officers, according to a Dec. 28 letter to the city’s department of human resources.

The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, which also opposes the merger on the basis that municipal officers were hired without taking the civil service test every Boston police officer has had to pass, plans to appeal that decision, a lawyer for the union said Sunday.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

New year brings wage hike

By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff

Zorely Allende’s finances just got a little less tight.

On Monday, the state’s minimum wage increases, and the pay of this single mother of two small children rises from $6.75 an hour to $7.50.

"Maybe I will be able to save now, so I can take a vacation," said Allende, 20, who is a cashier and cook at a McDonald’s in Springfield. "I worked [every] week for as long as I can remember."

Allende is one of about 107,000 Massachusetts workers who will get a raise Monday, when the first phase of a minimum wage increase passed last summer begins. The hourly wages of the state’s lowest-paid workers will jump again on Jan. 1, 2008, to $8 an hour, making Massachusetts’ minimum wage among the nation’s highest.

On the basis of a 40-hour workweek, the workers will get a $1,560 bump this year, and $1,040 more next year.

"More and more working people are falling behind," said Noah Berger, executive director of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank that recommended the wage increase. "They can be working full time, without escaping poverty. By raising the minimum wage, we’ll help to make sure everybody who is willing to work full time to try to support their family can at least earn a wage that allows them to escape poverty, and that sends an important message about the value of work."

But while workers such as Allende and their advocates hail the increase, some business owners worry that the wage increase will put Massachusetts businesses at a disadvantage.

"This is a particular problem for small businesses," said Jon Hurst , president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. "I’m not going to tell you there aren’t people who deserve a wage increase. But we’ve got to get smart and look at the effect it’s having on our small businesses, and on consumers and families who [will be] paying higher prices."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2006

Flu pandemic preparation plan stuck on Beacon Hill

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff

Governor Mitt Romney's proposal to spend $36.5 million preparing the state for a long-feared global flu epidemic appears certain to fail in the state Legislature this session, despite widespread agreement that Massachusetts needs thousands of additional hospital beds, breathing machines, and bottles of medication.

The House in November approved a considerably scaled-down version of Romney's plan, but the state Senate adjourned Thursday without taking action on the measure. The last day of the session is Tuesday, but Beacon Hill observers said it is unlikely that the Senate will consider the flu legislation then, especially since the state Constitutional Convention is the same day.

"It's serious that we have waited this long," said State Senator Richard T. Moore, chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.

Moore, an Uxbridge Democrat, said he expected the Legislature to reconsider epidemic preparedness during its next session, but he acknowledged that the delay could prove costly. "If we started seeing people around the world dying of bird flu, then it's a crisis (that) we didn't act sooner."

Romney's public health commissioner, Paul J. Cote, said yesterday that the legislature's failure to act could also cost the state money since Massachusetts now seems likely to miss out on a discount the federal government had offered on flu medication. If the legislature had acted by Friday, Cote said, the state could have bought Tamiflu treatments for $14 apiece instead of the usual $19 rate for state agencies. Tamiflu sells for $65 per treatment to the general public.

But Romney's effort to prepare for a health crisis that specialists predict could kill millions of people globally was doomed by a clash of priorities between the Republican governor and Democratic lawmakers. The governor's blueprint emphasized stockpiling hardware and medicine, while influential legislators, especially in the Senate, wanted more money devoted to strengthening local public health agencies and their ability to plan for a global epidemic, known as a pandemic.

Posted by srhee at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

Twist of timing ties Patrick and LaGuer again

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Benjamin LaGuer, the convicted rapist who became an incendiary issue in the gubernatorial race after news reports that Deval L. Patrick had advocated for his release from prison, will take the spotlight again next week on a day the new governor would probably prefer to have to himself.

On Thursday, around the same time Patrick takes the oath of office outside the gold-domed State House, the Supreme Judicial Court is scheduled to hear arguments that LaGuer was wrongly convicted in 1984 of raping a woman in a Leominster apartment complex.

It will be LaGuer's second appeal to the state's highest court and the latest in a series of efforts to reverse a conviction that several prominent people, including former Boston University President John Silber and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, have called an injustice.

Patrick's Republican opponent, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, pilloried him for twice writing the state Parole Board on LaGuer's behalf over the past decade and for donating $5,000 for DNA testing.

Now for Patrick, the appeal is a matter for the courts and not on his radar now, said his spokeswoman Cyndi Roy. "To be honest with you, this is an issue that we dealt with during the campaign," said Roy, who said she was unaware of the timing of the two events. "It's an issue that the governor-elect has moved on from quite some time ago."

LaGuer, however, has plenty to say.

In a telephone interview from prison this week, he said an 18-year-old State Police fingerprint report that surfaced in November 2001 revealed investigators recovered four fingerprints from a telephone whose cord was used to bind the victim and that none of the prints matched his. If a jury had heard that evidence, he said, he might have been acquitted.

He also said the 2002 DNA tests -- which instead of clearing him, linked him to the rape of the 59-year-old woman -- relied on contaminated evidence. LaGuer has obtained analyses from forensic experts who agree the test may have been botched, although his appeal focuses on the fingerprint evidence.

"I am innocent, and I want to be vindicated," said LaGuer, 43, who is serving a life sentence. "The fact that the Supreme Judicial Court is undertaking this case ... proves that regardless of what you think, there are meritorious issues, legally."

Posted by srhee at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)

Plaintiffs in Station nightclub fire suits hire conflict specialist

By Stephen Kurkjian
GLOBE STAFF
Lawyers representing more than 300 people who lost loved ones or who were injured in the devastating fire that swept a Rhode Island nightclub nearly four years ago have agreed to hire a nationally recognized specialist in conflict resolution as a first step toward trying to settle dozens of civil lawsuits.

The suits have been filed against the owners of the nightclub and nearly 100 others whom the lawyers allege played a role in the tragedy.

A team of nine lawyers who represent most of the plaintiffs sent a letter Thursday to the federal judge in Providence who is hearing the case requesting approval of their motion to hire Francis E. McGovern, a professor at Duke University Law School as a special master.

According to a 2003 profile on the law school’s website, McGovern helped organize the distribution of $2.4 billion compensating 100,000 women who had sued the maker of the Dalkon Shield contraceptive intrauterine device and helped forge solutions in cases involving DDT toxic exposure in Alabama. McGovern did not return phone calls yesterday.

McGovern would not be involved in negotiating with defendants to settle, according to the letter, which said that task would be taken up by others, who were not identified.

Max Wistow of Providence, one of the nine lawyers, said last night they had started negotiating a settlement with one defendant, whom he declined to name.

‘‘We’re just beginning this process, but we’ve already had some serious discussions [with the defendant] about a negotiated settlement,’’ Wistow said. ‘‘Some clients are in serious economic conditions, and if we can, we would like to be ready to distribute money under some equitable plan.’’ He declined to speculate how long a settlement might take.

If US District Judge Ronald R. Lagueux, who is presiding over the civil suits, approves the appointment, McGovern would develop ‘‘an objective system whereby settlement funds could be distributed to our clients,’’ said the lawyers’ letter obtained by the Globe.

If a settlement were reached, the amount of money each plaintiff would receive would depend on the degree of harm suffered. In exchange, the plaintiffs would drop lawsuits against defendants who agreed to contribute to a settlement fund.

While none of the lawsuits filed in federal court in Providence have put a dollar amount on the harm caused by the fire, some lawyers have privately estimated the amount to be between $350 million and $500 million.

Lawsuits against defendants who do not agree to settle will continue, however, a process that Lagueux estimated in 2004 could take five or six years.

One hundred people, including 33 from Massachusetts, died in what was the most deadly fire in Rhode Island’s history and the fourth deadliest in the country.

In addition, more than 200 people were injured in the blaze, which was touched off by a pyrotechnics display accompanying the concert by rock group Great White that ignited flammable soundproofing on the nightclub’s ceiling and walls.

In July, the Rhode Island Legislature enacted a change in the state’s civil court procedures geared toward making settlements of the suits filed in the nightclub fire more attractive for plaintiffs. It allows plaintiffs to settle claims with defendants they’ve sued without losing the right to press suits against other defendants whose negligence may have contributed to the fire.

At the time, lawyers said it would benefit some victims, especially those who need money to pay hospital bills or for living expenses magnified by losses from the fire.

The law’s effect on the nearly 100 defendants who have been sued depends on their degree of culpability and their ability to pay damages.

The two defendants with the biggest bank accounts, Anheuser-Busch and Clear Channel Communications, which owns a Providence radio station that ran ads for the show, have argued that they should not have been included in the lawsuits.

Other defendants include Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, the brothers who owned the nightclub; the Great White band, American Foam Corp., which provided the flammable foam, and the Town of West Warwick whose former fire marshal, Dennis LaRocque, failed to detect the foam.

Jonathan Saltzman of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Stephen Kurkjian can be reached at kurkjian@globe.com.

Posted by jwalsh at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)

Marblehead man charged with smoking in airplane lavatory

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

A warrant was issued today for a Marblehead man who failed to show up for his arraignment after being arrested by State Police Thursday night when a Delta Air Lines flight crew said they caught him smoking in an airplane bathroom.

Police said Barron K. Morgan, 40, was charged with interfering with aircraft operations on a flight from Salt Lake City to Boston.

Morgan was later released on bail and was scheduled to be arraigned in East Boston District Court today, where he failed to appear, court officials said.

Posted by aryan at 5:02 PM | Comments (0)

Gov. designates 'Day of Remembrance' for Ford

By Globe Staff

Governor Mitt Romney today issued a proclamation that designated Monday as a state "Day of Remembrance" to mark the death of President Gerald R. Ford.

Monday is New Year's Day and was already a state and federal holiday, so all state and federal offices were already closed. On Tuesday, the national day of mourning designated by President Bush, state offices in Massachusetts will remain open.

The proclamation, signed by Romney, noted that Ford, "never forgot where he came from or the values he learned in the heartland" and "brought credit and honor to the highest office of the land, and restored American's faith in itself."

Posted by aryan at 4:19 PM | Comments (0)

Man pleads not guilty to murder of former Cambridge police officer

By Globe Staff

A man pleaded not guilty to a murder charge today in connection with the shooting of a former Cambridge police officer in his Dorchester home in December.

Michael Collins, 27, was arrested near Washington, D.C. on Dec. 21 and was brought back to Boston on Thursday. He is accused of fatally shooting Myles J. Lawton, 62, on Dec. 5. Investigators believe that the shooting involved a dispute over money.

Collins, who appeared today in the Dorchester division of Boston Municipal Court, is also charged with armed assault with intent to murder and armed robbery. He was ordered held without bail and is scheduled to appear again in court on Feb. 8.

Posted by aryan at 3:01 PM | Comments (0)

DA: No criminal charges in Fall River social club fire that killed 4

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh announced today that there would be no criminal charges filed in connection with a deadly fire at a Portuguese social club in Fall River last June that killed four women.

The blaze at the St. John Holy Ghost Association on June 14 was ignited when a woman used a match to light a floating candle and inadvertently dropped the match onto a massive paper shrine. The 350-square foot room was crowded with people preparing for the feast of Espirito Santo, and the paper shine caught fire like "gasoline" and trapped the four women in the kitchen.

The report concluded that if the woman would have used a lighter instead of a match to light the candle, there would have been no fire. The woman who sparked the blaze was tentatively identified as Geraldine Andrade, 63, one of the four women who died in the flames.

"The investigation has been lengthy and thorough," Walsh said in a statement. "Now it is time for two things. Some sense of closure for those involved. Some sense of looking to the future so that a tragedy like this will never happen again."

Questions arose after the blaze about the association not having the proper occupancy licenses for the social club. There was also speculation that the doors out of the club were too narrow and opened inward and may have trapped people inside the building.

The report concluded, however, that the code violations did not contribute to the women's deaths and that there, "was no evidence to support that the association was reckless or wanton in not obtaining the appropriate licenses."

The report also noted: "There is no evidence that the doors, the location of the doors, the width of the doorways contributed to the death of these women."

Posted by aryan at 1:32 PM | Comments (0)

Music for Patrick's inaugural to range from Yo Yo Ma to the Platters

By Globe Staff

Organizers of Governor-elect Deval Patrick's inauguration announced today that more than 40 musical performers will play at festivities next week, including vocalist Patti Austin; Puerto Rican percussionist Eguie Castrillo and his 18-piece "Mambo King" Orchestra; Jazz saxophonist Walter Beasley; renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma; and Herb Reed & the Platters

Austin, the "Mambo King" Orchestra, and the Platters are just a few of the 20 acts scheduled to perform at the inaugural gala at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Local performers at other events include the Berkshire Children's Chorus, the Milton Academy Jazz Ensemble, and the Young Opera Company of New England.

"This inauguration is about celebrating Massachusetts' historic traditions and creating new ones," said Beverly Morgan-Welch, an inaugural organizer, in a statement. "I would like to thank all the artists and performers who have agreed to perform at inaugural events-Massachusetts has a broad arts and culture community and we are pleased to be able to celebrate the talents of a diverse collection of individuals and groups."

Tickets cost $50 for the Boston gala and $25 for the regional celebrations. For more details, go to the website www.jan4th.org

To read the full list of acts and biographies of some of the performers, click here.

Posted by aryan at 1:04 PM | Comments (0)

Performers scheduled for Governor-elect Deval Patrick's inauguration

PATTI AUSTIN. Performer, songwriter and vocalist Patti Austin will perform at the inaugural gala. Austin, the goddaughter of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, has recorded 16 solo albums and is respected as an extraordinarily talented artist in many genres including jazz, R&B and pop circles. Nominated for numerous Grammys, she continues to entertain audiences around the world and is often asked to perform her tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, "For Ella," or Beboperella, a musical extravaganza tribute to Bebop that she co-created.

EGUIE CASTRILLO'S "MAMBO KING" ORCHESTRA. Castrillo and his orchestra will also perform at the Convention Center. Grammy award winning artist and Berklee College of Music associate professor , Eguie Castrillo, has toured and recorded with Tito Puente, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Winwood, Paquito D' Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Ruben Blades, Arturo Sandoval, Joaquín Cortez, Dave Valentín, KC & The Sunshine Band, United Nations Orchestra, Michele Camilo, Israel "Cachao" López, Giovanni Hidalgo, Michael Brecker and Celia Cruz.

YO YO MA. Internationally-renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma has known Deval Patrick since they were students at Harvard University. Ma’s many-faceted career includes a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras throughout the world, his recital and chamber music activities and his creative work including the Silk Road Project. Contemporary music has for many years been an important part of Ma's repertoire and Ma also devotes time to work with young musicians in educational programs such as the Interlochen and Tanglewood festivals in the United States. Ma will perform at the inaugural gala.

HERB REED & THE PLATTERS. In 1953, bass singer Herb Reed put together a group of four men and called them "The Platters." They recorded just under 400 songs, sold well over 89 million records, performed in over 91 countries, and received over two hundred and thirty awards from all over the world. "The Platters" have appeared in twenty-seven movies, some you may remember: "Rock Around The Clock," "The Girl Can't Help It" (Jane Mansfield,) "Europe By Night," "Girls Town" (Paul Anka,) "Carnival Rock," and twenty-two more in Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, and Israel. "The Platters" were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

WALTER BEASLEY. Contemporary jazz artist, saxophonist, and vocalist Walter Beasley has sold hundreds of thousands of albums and has been mentoring music students as a Berklee College of Music professor for more than 20 years. Since 1998, Beasley has been one of the top five best-selling African-American saxophonists in the world. As a result, his works as a saxophonist and singer, a unique combination by any measure, are unmatched in sales and airplay. Beasley is also a visiting artist for the Berklee City Music Saturday School students.

Andre Ward
Berklee City Music All-Stars
Berkshire Children's Chorus
Boston Arts Academy
Boston Children's Chorus
Branches Pan Groove Orchestra
Brockton High School Marching Band
Bruce Bartlett & Friends
Cahill Brothers
Chops Turner
Donnell Patterson
Ernest Triplett
Evan Goodrow and The EGB Band
Fernsgate Chamber Players
First Class
Flip Side
Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra
Gregory Gettel Brass Enemble
Katani Sumner & Andrew Braxton
Kwong Kow Chinese Drummers
Larry Woo
Lori Starr
Lynn Chang
Mark Greel Band
McGregor McGehee and The Nowhere Band
Milton Academy Jazz Ensemble
New England Conservatory Preparatory School including Project STEP
OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center
Perkins School for the Blind
Plainville Choral Society
Project Step
Stanley Swan Jazz Quintet
Star Dust
Thaddeus Hogarth
Tony Gallo Band
Tony Vaughn & Friends
Usual Suspecks
Vivien Cooley-Collier
Voices and Children of Black Persuasion
Young Opera Company of New England

Posted by aryan at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

Early fires in Revere, Brighton injure 11, leave almost 40 homeless

(Lisa Poole for The Boston Globe )

Fire and building officials in Revere inspected at a triple decker on Campbell Street this morning that was devastated by a three-alarm fire.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Two fires left almost 40 people homeless in Revere and Brighton this morning and sent 11 people to hospitals with minor injuries, fire officials said.

The first blaze tore through a six-family triple decker on Campbell Street in Revere. Firefighters got the call at about 2:30 a.m. and the blaze quickly escalated to a third alarm. The second fire, on Rugg Road in Brighton, broke out just before 3 a.m. in a three story brick building.

In Revere, Deputy Fire Chief Ron Cook said 16 people were evacuated from the building, including nine who were taken to hospitals and treated for smoke inhalation.

Leo Marchese, 39, who lived on the third floor with his wife and two children, woke up just after 2 a.m. He saw smoke rising up through the bathroom floor and spotted flames outside his 10-year-old son's bedroom window.

Marchese woke up his family and escaped out a back stairwell.

"Everything I had was up there," said Marchese, who talked about family photos, baseball and hockey cards, and wedding pictures. "It was all gone in a heartbeat."

Residents said the fire started toward the rear of the building on the second floor.

It took 35 firefighters almost two hours to bring the blaze under control, Cook said. Crews were still at the scene at 9 a.m.

"The building is a total loss, and there is some damage to the house next door," Cook said, adding that the cause remained under investigation.

In Brighton, at least 20 people were left homeless by the fire on Rugg Road, said Boston Fire Department Spokesman Steve MacDonald. Two people were treated for minor burns and a firefighter hurt his knee, he said.

Damage was estimated at $200,000. The cause of the blaze is undetermined, MacDonald said.

Posted by aryan at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

Gary LaPierre gives his final broadcast on WBZ

(AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

Gary LaPierre, WBZ-AM morning anchor, retired today after more than 40 years with the station.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Gary LaPierre can finally sleep in.

After more than 40 years of waking up at 3 a.m. to anchor the WBZ-AM morning radio broadcast, LaPierre got behind the microphone for the final time this morning.

"It's been a joy," said LaPierre, 64, wiping away tears as he signed off, feeling what he described as a "virtual tsunami of emotions."

To mark LaPierre's retirement, the WBZ studio was crowed today with red, white, and blue balloons, people in black and white tuxedoes, and the flashes of cameras. Video of LaPierre's last broadcast was streamed live on WBZ's website.

His final morning, LaPierre barely had time to read the news. He took calls Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Governor Mitt Romney, and other notable figures.

"Gary, I can't believe it," said former Governor Michael Dukakis, who also called in live on the air this morning. "When did we start in this business?"

LaPierre was hired by WBZ in 1964, when he was 22 years and a few years out of the now-defunct Grahm Junior College. He made news anchor two years later, and today his audience is about half a million.

Fighting back tears, LaPierre said good-bye just before 9:30 a.m.

"There is absolutely no way that I could sum up the job and what it's meant to me over the course of four decades," LaPierre said. "You have taken good care of this kid from Shelburne Falls who asked to be part of your life for the last 40 years, and I am going to miss it."

Details about LaPierre and his replacement can be found here and here. Listen to LaPierre’s final broadcast here.

Posted by aryan at 9:35 AM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2006

Free rides to end

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

For decades, T riders in the western suburbs have taken advantage of free outbound trips on the Green Line, if they boarded at an above-ground station.

But those free rides home, especially for thousands of fans after Red Sox games, end Monday with a fare increase that also gets rid of a bevy of historical MBTA fare anomalies, which also include exit fares at some Red Line stations.

T officials say the overhaul will make the fares fairer equitable for all riders. "If you get on the train, you should know that it’s $1.70, and it’s the same as if you’re on the Red, Green, Orange, Blue, or Silver Line," Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said Thursday. "It’s a simplification of the system."

For longtime commuters, however, the free ride home is a perk they have enjoyed for as long as they can remember, and one they will give up grudgingly.

Some are worried less about the price increase and more about longer boarding times.

"I think I’ll be more concerned with how much it slows down the outbound trains in the afternoon and evening," said Catherine Berkey, a researcher at Harvard Medical School who has taken the Riverside branch for years. "At times, it’s a terribly slow ride getting home."

The success of the new boarding system will depend largely on how quickly riders adapt to the system at above-ground stations, inbound and outbound.

In fliers being distributed on the Green Line this morning, the T offers a primer: Riders paying with cash should board at the front door and will be issued a receipt as proof of payment. Pass holders can enter at any door, but are encouraged to use the middle door, where passes will be scanned by a conductor holding a handheld validator. The T has 30 of the machines thus far, and expects to have a total of 50 by next month.

On the D Line, riders are encouraged to tap their automated-fare CharlieCard or to insert their CharlieTicket into "validator" machines at station platforms, and to get a receipt to show while boarding at the middle doors.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)

Population loss could cost congressional seat

By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff

Mounting population losses are all but certain to cost Massachusetts one of its 10 congressional seats after the 2010 Census, two new studies project.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin has already begun a campaign to keep all the US House seats, focusing on making sure all students and immigrants are counted to boost Massachusetts’ sagging population.

The new demographic studies indicate that Galvin, who helped head off a similar fate after the 2000 Census, is fighting an uphill battle.

"Unless a tidal wave wipes out Providence and all those people move to Massachusetts, it’s going to happen," said Clark Bensen, a consultant at PoliData, a Virginia-based political analysis firm that projected in a new study that Massachusetts will lose one seat.

"It’s only a question of where is the seat going to come from and who’s going to have to give it up," Bensen said Thursday.

If the state loses a seat after the 2010 Census, the state Legislature would have to divide the Commonwealth into nine congressional districts rather than the current 10. That could set up a clash between two members of the state’s all-Democratic House delegation.

But Galvin, who oversees the state’s voter registration rolls and is its federal census liaison, said Thursday that he hopes such a day never comes.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

More than game on line at hockey tourney

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

Dartmouth College’s men’s ice hockey team is scheduled to face off Friday night against the University of North Dakota’s powerhouse Fighting Sioux, but the main drama is unfolding far from the ice.

Debate about whether the Fighting Sioux name is offensive has sparked angst and recriminations from Hanover to Grand Forks, with even North Dakota’s governor, a Dartmouth alumnus, weighing in.

Josie Harper, Dartmouth’s athletic director, wrote a letter to the student newspaper, The Dartmouth, last month about the game, saying: "I must offer a sincere apology to the Native American community and the Dartmouth community as a whole for an event that will understandably offend and hurt people within our community."

Dartmouth, in Hanover, N.H., has decided to set up a committee that will consider whether the school should refuse to compete against teams that use Native American nicknames and mascots.

The university jettisoned its Indian mascot in the 1970s, while the University of North Dakota staunchly defends its Sioux name. After the National Collegiate Athletic Association last year banned schools that use "hostile or abusive" Native American imagery from hosting postseason championship games, the state of North Dakota sued the NCAA on behalf of the university. The case is still in the courts.

North Dakota’s elaborate hockey rink, decked in thousands of Native American images, was built with a $100 million donation from an alumnus who threatened to halt his gift if the school abandoned the Fighting Sioux name.

Harper called the University of North Dakota’s use of a Native American symbol "offensive and wrong." Her letter came as the campus was gripped by controversy over several incidents that were deemed racist toward Native Americans.

It provoked a stern response from the University of North Dakota’s president, Charles E. Kupchella.

"I must ... express my great displeasure and dismay at what has appeared to many here to have been an attempt ... to deflect your problems onto the University of North Dakota," he wrote to Dartmouth President James Wright on Nov. 30.

"To call what we do here as wrong, in some blanket way, is outrageous. [For Harper] to have placed herself above the majority of Indian people and above the Spirit Lake Nation is nothing short of patronizing."

Kupchella wrote that the Fighting Sioux image is a respectful one designed by an American Indian artist and cited a poll that found that support for the university among American Indians would not change if the school altered its nickname.

North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, who graduated from Dartmouth in 1979, also criticized Harper’s remarks to local press.

Wright responded to Kupchella in a letter dated Dec. 4, assuring him that the hockey team ‘‘will be most welcome here for the holiday tournament ... We respect the current team and its historic excellence.’’

No protests are planned for tonight’s game, according to Michael Hanitchak, director of Dartmouth’s Native American Program, although he said some students wanted Dartmouth to cancel the game.

In 2001, 33 schools used Native American mascots or images, but there were 18 in 2005, according to NCAA spokesman Bob Williams, and fewer still last year.

Several universities, including the University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin, decline to compete against teams with Native American symbols, Williams said.

Marcella Bombardieri is at bombardieri@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

Inspector general sends up red flag on toll removal

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

State Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan today said his office has "serious legal and financial concerns" about the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's plans to remove tolls west of Route 128 and transfer the western turnpike to the state Highway Department.

In a letter sent to Authority Chairman John Cogliano and MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky, Sullivan said the move could be illegal because the Authority plans to use $86 million from the lease of service plazas to pay a portion of the western turnpike's $199 million bond debt.

Sullivan said state law does not allow this and that money from the lease of the service plazas can only be used for the operation and maintenance of the turnpike.

If a court ruled that the money from the service plazas could not be used to pay off the bond debt, Sullivan said the Turnpike Authority or the state would have to come up with the $86 million. If the tolls are removed, "the Commonwealth with lose significant revenues for years to come," Sullivan wrote, adding that revenue from the service plazas is expected to rise significantly in the future.

Sullivan also recommended that the state and Turnpike Authority begin a detailed inspection of the western turnpike, which can't be transferred to the state until the roadway is deemed in good condition and repair by the highway department.

Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Turnpike Authority, declined yesterday to directly address the concerns raised by Sullivan, but noted that the board plans a series of public hearings on the proposal. "We are moving forward in a very deliberative process that can and will address these issues," he said.

Though he says he is neutral on the policy questions of removing the tolls, Sullivan's letter is the latest potential roadblock to ending the tolls. Governor-elect Deval Patrick said last week he opposes the plan. The state's environmental secretary also ordered that the plan not be enacted before he determines whether it needs an environmental review.

Posted by srhee at 6:54 PM | Comments (0)

Mom killed, three children hurt in Raynham accident

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A car accident in Raynham this afternoon killed a woman and sent an adult and three small children to the hospital, according to police and witnesses.

A dark-colored two-door Chevrolet Cavalier and FedEx delivery van collided on Paramount Drive a few hundred yards from Route 44. Paramount Drive is a loop road that leads into the Center at Raynham Woods, a shopping center and industrial complex that includes a Super Wal-Mart and a FedEx facility.

Jennifer Desrosiers, 28, of Taunton, the driver of the car, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

In the back seat of her car were her children, Giselle Veiga, 5, who was flown to Boston Medical Center, Dylan Desrosiers, 8, and 2-month-old Graceland Veiga, 2, both of whom were transported to Morton Hospital in Taunton. Giselle Veiga suffered a fractured skull, but is expected to survive, hospital officials said.

The other children were treated for minor lacerations and bruises and released, hospital officials said.

Charles B. Desmarais, 47, the driver of the FedEx truck, was treated for minor chest injuries at Morton Hospital and released, hospital officials said.

Police said preliminary evidence suggested that alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

It appears the FedEx truck was traveling north on Paramount Drive when it crossed the grass median and struck Desrosiers’s car, which was traveling south, on the driver’s side. The truck then struck a tree.

A witness, Patrick C. Gomes, 22, was working at Wal-Mart gathering shopping carts in the parking lot when he said he saw the FedEx van jump the median, cross the on-coming lane of traffic, and hit a tree.

"I just heard like a crunching sound, and then I heard a big bang," Gomes said.

It wasn't until Gomes came closer to the scene that he realized the van had collided with the sedan.

Sally Davenport, a spokeswoman for FedEx in Memphis, Tenn., said she did not know the extent of the driver's injuries or have any details about the accident.

"We certainly are seriously concerned about the welfare of those involved and, we will be cooperating fully in the investigation," Davenport said.

Posted by aryan at 5:01 PM | Comments (0)

Boston on the brink of setting record for warmest December

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

It has gone beyond having a green Christmas.

This will likely be the warmest December in Boston on record, if forecasters' predictions hold over the next few days. The average temperature through Wednesday in Boston was 42.2 degrees -- 1.5 degrees above the previous high average of 40.7 degrees set in 1990.

"We are teetering on the record," said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

In the last four days of the year, the average daily temperature would have to drop to 30.6 degrees for Boston to miss breaking the record, which dates back to at least 1872 when officials began keeping statistics.

That's unlikely, according to the latest forecasts, even with a high pressure system building over New England that is expected to bring cooler air.

Temperatures through Monday should be closer to normal for this time of year, with highs in the upper 30s, Buttrick said. Today's high has already hit 45 degrees at Logan International Airport at 1:54 p.m.

Through Wednesday,the average temperature this year in Boston was 53.5 degrees -- just shy of the record of 53.6 degrees, which was set in 1949 and repeated in 1953.

Posted by aryan at 3:44 PM | Comments (0)

Tight security promised on New Year's Eve

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Boston officials today detailed plans for the city's New Year's Eve celebration, promising zero tolerance for public drinking, heavy police patrols, and a team of fire inspectors to prevent overcrowding in the city’s nightclubs.

Emergency medical staff will be spread throughout the city on Sunday night, and police will be on increased patrol in the neighborhoods, arresting all drunk drivers, and responding to noise complaints.

"Officials in all of our districts will be on the lookout for loud party complaints and disorderly behavior in our neighborhoods," said Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who added that there are no known terrorism threats to the city.

Most of the heightened security is centered around First Night Boston, a $1.4 million downtown celebration that includes five ice sculptures, two fireworks displays, and 200 artistic performances and exhibits. Event organizers are expecting 1 million people to attend the celebration, which has been held every year since 1976.

"There's no better place to ring in the New Year than right here in Boston," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "This is really a special time."

Parking will be restricted around Copley Square, Boston Common, and City Hall Plaza, and city officials are urging people to leave their cars at home and use public transportation. The MBTA will be running additional trains until 2 a.m., and all rides after 8 p.m. are free.

Posted by aryan at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

Webster couple tied up, tortured, and robbed in home

By Globe Staff

Four men broke into a home in Webster overnight and tied up and blindfolded a couple, tortured the husband by burning him, and stole cash and jewelry, police said.

The four men, who fled in a white four-door car that may have been a Ford or a Hyundai, remain at large. It was not clear if it was a random attack or if the suspects knew the victims, police said.

Webster police responded to a 911 call at 12:31 a.m. on Upland Avenue about a neighbor screaming and someone trying to break into a house. Officers responded to the home but the suspects had already left.

The victims, who were attacked while their two children under age 10 slept upstairs, are in their 20s or 30s, police said.

They told police that after the men broke into the house, they took the husband down to the basement and tortured him. He was taken to Hubbard Hospital, treated for burns, and released.

The incident remains under investigation.

Posted by aryan at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)

Another inmate takes own life

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A 44-year-old inmate at MCI-Cedar Junction was found hanging from a bed sheet early yesterday -- the seventh state prison inmate to commit suicide this year and the third in the past eight days, officials at the state Department of Correction said.

The death of Glenn Bourgeois of Boston marked the largest number of suicides in a state Department of Correction facility since 1997, when eight inmates killed themselves while in state custody. Last year, four state inmates committed suicide, more than in the previous seven years. This year alone, there have been more suicides in state prisons than in the past four years combined, state records show.

"Each incident is as specific as the individual," said Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction. "There isn’t evidence of a larger pattern. There are a unique set of circumstances for each case."

Prison advocates, however, said suicides in state prisons have spiked because correction officials increasingly segregate inmates in cells where they are confined for 23 hours a day.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 1:12 AM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2006

Mom: slain son had asked to come home

By Maria Cramer, GLOBE STAFF

On Christmas Day, Mark Anthony Parrilla called his grandmother in upstate New York and told her he missed his family and wanted to come home.

His grandmother promised to send him a bus ticket. He never got on the bus. The next day, the 20-year-old was shot to death in front of an apartment building in Charlestown.

Now his mother, Rose Parrilla, believes her adopted son sensed he was about to die. She said he was involved with the Bloods street gang in New York and Boston.

"In my heart, I knew this day was going to come," Parrilla, 44, said in a telephone interview. "He told me he believed he was not going to see age 21. I said 'don’t say that son, don’t say that ...,'"

Mark Parrilla, who was gunned down shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday on Monument Street, was the 73rd person killed in Boston in 2006. Police have made no arrests in his death, and his mother fears the tradition of silence in Charlestown will keep her son’s killing shrouded in mystery.

Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department, said an argument between the victim and the shooter preceded the assault. She said she had no details about the shooter or the argument.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

Gerald R. Ford was here

By Michael Naughton, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

As the nation mourned the death of Gerald R. Ford, some local residents Wednesday recalled the 38th president’s "inspiring" 1975 visit to the Old North Church in the North End to open the nation’s bicentennial celebration.

"It was a moving event. It wasn’t about partisan politics; it was about togetherness and where we are going as a country," said Robert W. Golledge, Jr., who attended the ceremony with his father, who was then vicar of the church.

The April 18, 1975, event was held 200 years to the night after Robert Newman lighted two lanterns to signal to Paul Revere that the British were heading toward Lexington and Concord by sea and not land. During the ceremony, Ford lighted a third lantern as a symbol of "hope and opportunity for the next American century," said Ed Pignone, executive director of the Old North Foundation.

Ford met in the Old North Church Museum with Golledge and his father before the ceremony. Ford was upbeat and optimistic, Golledge recalled Wednesday.

"I remember he said, 'Glad to have you here on such an important anniversary' or something along those lines. It was a brief moment, but it was pretty awe inspiring," Golledge said.

The third lantern, which has been lighted and on display in the Newman window of the church for as long as Pignone can remember, was the brainchild of the now-deceased Rev. Robert W. Golledge.

"Probably six or seven months in advance of it, we were around the dinner table, and he said: 'I have to do something special for the bicentennial. I might as well try to go for the top and write the president.'

"And I said, 'Yeah right, dad.' And sure enough, it happened," said Golledge.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)

McKenna moved Lesley forward

By Tracy Jan, GLOBE STAFF

CAMBRIDGE -- Lesley College was in trouble when Margaret A. McKenna arrived in 1985 as its first female president. Its aging buildings had long been neglected. Its undergraduate population had dwindled to 400, and its overall enrollment was stagnant at 2,000.

The school, founded in 1909 to train young women to become kindergarten teachers, no longer knew what it wanted to be.

McKenna’s mission: put Lesley on the map.

During her 21-year-tenure, McKenna elevated the school's reputation from a tiny teachers' college to a liberal arts university with multiple career tracks, two doctorate programs, and an arts school.

Lesley has grown to 12,000 students and runs the nation’s largest teacher-training graduate program. Its endowment rose from under $1 million in 1985 to more than $85 million today, and the campus has tripled in size.

"From the beginning, Margaret had a vision for this place," said John O. Parker, a long-time member of the university’s board of trustees. "To make this a college that was going to be recognized as a college of great merit, she knew there had to be growth."

McKenna will step down in June, and Lesley’s presidential search committee expects to identify finalists in the spring and have a new president in place by July.

The next president’s challenge, McKenna said, will be to further boost Lesley’s image and increase its visibility on a national level.
McKenna, cochairwoman of Governor-elect Deval Patrick’s education transition team, hopes to spend some time writing and being an activist after her presidency. She wants to encourage more young people to vote and enter politics.

Her message to Lesley graduates each spring: "Be a trouble maker. Shake up the world. Get in people’s way."

Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)

Roxbury man shot outside his grandmother’s home in Dorchester

By David Abel, Globe Staff and Elisabeth Ratto, Globe Correspondent

A 24-year-old Roxbury father was shot multiple times in an apparent drive-by shooting this evening on Harvard Street in Dorchester, police and relatives said.

Glenn Murchison, father of a young son, was hit while walking into his grandmother's apartment building, relatives said.

The shots apparently struck him in the chest and the abdomen, police said. He was in critical condition at Boston Medical Center, police said.

"He was a very good guy, a good man trying to raise his son," said Anthony Murchison, 51, of Mattapan, who was at the Dorchester apartment building this evening and identified himself as the victim's uncle. "I don't know why this happened. He wasn't affiliated with any gang."

The shooting occurred shortly after 6 p.m. when a dark vehicle, possibly a late-model Suburban, rolled up to the apartment complex, and someone inside unleashed a hail of bullets, police and relatives said. Shell casings and other evidence littered the street, which was blocked off this evening by yellow police tape.

Murchison said he heard six rapid gunshots that sounded like they came from two different guns. A neighbor told Murchison that when they saw a black truck pull up and fire at Murchison, they yelled to him to run into the hallway, where he collapsed from his injuries.

"I just went outside to see what was going on, and when I got to the elevator, he was lying there," said Murchison.

Deputy Superintendent Bruce A. Holloway said homicide detectives were at the scene, but that police had not arrested any suspects. He would not comment on a possible motive for the shooting. But he said that it appeared Murchison had been targeted.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)

Eastbound Williams Tunnel to close Thursday night for repairs

The eastbound Ted Williams Tunnel will close Thursday night for inspection and repair work from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Friday, according to a release from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

The work will also close Ramp A in South Boston, which connects D Street to the eastbound Ted Williams Tunnel.

Motorists heading to Logan International Airport or Route 1A will be detoured to northbound Interstate 93. Drivers should then take Exit 23, Government Center, and follow the posted detour signs via Cross Street to the Callahan Tunnel.

The Interstate 90 East Connector tunnel will also be closed on Thursday night from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Friday for repair work.

Posted by aryan at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)

Treasurer names new state lottery director

By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff

Mark J. Cavanagh today was named the new director of the Massachusetts State Lottery, which sold $4.4 billion in tickets last fiscal year and generated $951 million in revenue for cities and towns.

Cavanagh will officially replace current director Joseph C. Sullivan on Jan. 15, announced State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who oversees the lottery.

Sullivan is leaving to explore other professional options in the public and private sector, and has not yet announced his future plans, according to a treasurer's office spokeswoman.

As director, Cavanagh will run the day-to-day operations of the lottery, while Cahill and a five-member panel of appointed commissioners make overall policy decisions. Lottery revenues are distributed to the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns based on population and with no strings attached.

"It's an exciting and challenging opportunity and I look forward to building on the successes of Treasurer Cahill and Joe Sullivan," said Cavanagh.

He has served as Cahill's deputy since 2003, running the state's Abandoned Property Division, which collected $883 million over the past four years and paid out claims totaling about $158 million.

Cavanagh, who studied at Bentley College and Boston College, served in the same job during part of Robert Crane's tenure as treasurer. Before joining Cahill's office, Cavanagh held executive positions at Affiliated Computer Services and State Street Bank.

Cahill yesterday said he was "grateful" for Sullivan's work, saying of Cavanagh: "I have worked with Mark for four years and am pleased to promote him to this position."

Posted by aryan at 5:15 PM | Comments (0)

Partygoer flips canoe, prompting soggy police rescue

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again -- even if the first time a tipsy canoe dumped you into an icy pond. Just ask Harwich police officer Robert Hadfield, who has been nominated for a commendation for one such soggy rescue early Christmas morning.

Hadfield was the first officer to respond to Seymour Pond at about 5:30 a.m. on Monday to a report of a man screaming for help. With a flash light, the officer was able to locate Wesley Cartier, who was bobbing in the darkness several hundred feet from shore. The 25-year-old from Harwich had been kicked out of a nearby party earlier in the night, and a neighbor’s canoe had caught his eye, police said.

"He was on his way home when he found a boat and decided to go for a midnight paddle," said Lieutenant Thomas Gagnon, adding that it was suspected that Cartier had been drinking alcohol although he was not tested and will not be charged with a crime.

The canoe flipped in the middle of the 181-acre pond, and when police arrived Cartier had been in the frigid water for almost an hour, Gagnon said. While other officers arrived to help, Hadfield spotted his own canoe and took the rescue into his own hands.

He paddled furiously away from the shore, but the canoe flipped and the officer found himself standing in chest-deep water with a sinking boat. Hadfield walked back through the water, lugging the canoe to shore. He dumped out the boat on land, and paddled back on to the pond, police said.

This time, Hadfield was able to reach Cartier, who police said had developed hypothermia from the cold. The officer ferried Cartier back to land, and he was taken to Cape Cod Hospital, treated and released.

Hadfield was also taken to the hospital and treated for a strained back and shoulder. He will remain on light duty for several days, Gagnon said, and his commendation is pending.

Posted by aryan at 4:11 PM | Comments (0)

Patrick says he will restore budget cuts

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Governor-elect Deval Patrick announced today he will restore $383 million in budget cuts made by Governor Mitt Romney, saying that the state can afford the spending and that the cuts would hurt education, social services, and other needed programs.

"Overwhelmingly, these broad-based cuts, especially coming mid-year, have a serious negative impact on thousands of Massachusetts residents who have planned for the relief and relied upon the services these programs provide," Patrick said in a statement.

The money that Patrick plans to restore after taking office next month includes funding for preschool and kindergarten programs, domestic violence hotlines, and elder outreach.

Patrick said that slightly higher-than-expected state revenues in November and December paved the way for his decision. His administration will look for savings in the second half of the state's fiscal year.

Romney originally slashed $425 million on Nov. 10, saying that the cuts were needed to avert a spending crisis caused by the Legislature dipping too deeply into reserve funds.

He restored $41 million of that total on Dec. 1, after November tax collection figures came in. Also, the state's psychiatric hospital executives and mental health advocates had warned that the cuts would have required the hospitals to stop admitting new patients and the state Department of Mental Health to eliminate about 170 staff positions.

Posted by srhee at 1:29 PM | Comments (0)

Governor-elect Patrick's statement about restoring budget cuts

Governor-elect Deval Patrick today announced that he will restore $383 million in cuts made recently by Governor Romney, including significant cuts to public higher education, social service programs, public safety, and early education and care.

"After a comprehensive review of the current budget and recent revenue performance, I have decided to restore the '9C cuts' in their entirety when I take office next month," Governor-elect Patrick said. "Overwhelmingly, these broad-based cuts, especially coming mid-year, have a serious negative impact on thousands of Massachusetts residents who have planned for the relief and relied upon the services these programs provide."

The 9C cuts have a serious impact on residents and services, including pre-school and kindergarten programs, human service providers, domestic violence hotlines, and elder outreach. The mid-year cuts were implemented after the enactment of the budget and have strained government agencies and non-profit entities that provide services to Massachusetts residents. Historically, governors have used 9C cuts as a tool of last resort, reserved only for times of great fiscal crisis.

Some of Governor Romney's cuts involve entities outside of the Governor's direct 9C jurisdiction. Those cuts include the MWRA rate reduction, the Rose Kennedy Greenway project, and the 2002 collective bargaining agreement with officials at the University of Massachusetts.

"Slightly higher-than-expected revenue in November and December is sufficient to sustain my decision to restore those November 9C reductions not already restored by Governor Romney," Governor-elect Patrick added.

Secretary of Administration and Finance-designate Leslie Kirwan emphasized that the administration will use a "variety of administrative levers to control spending and achieve savings over the second half of the year."

These may include looking for additional reversions, tight allotment control, limits on transfers among accounts, and possibly hiring controls.

"As we near the end of this fiscal year, if revenues and reversions prove inadequate to fund the items restored, I will recommend, as a last resort, that the Legislature transfer funds from the stabilization fund to cover any deficiency. Should that occur, I do not believe the Legislature will be required to transfer as much as anticipated when the budget was enacted," Governor-elect Patrick said.

Tax revenues for the year are currently up $306 million to $326 million over the original estimate for FY 2007, when the Legislature and the Governor approved a budget that relied on a $550 million withdrawal from the Stabilization Fund. If growth continues on pace, revenues may be sufficient to cover the cost of the original FY 07 budget without drawing down on reserves. If not, Governor-elect Patrick will ask the Legislature to draw from the Stabilization Fund for the balance. That withdrawal, however, is expected to be dramatically less than the $550 million the budget was originally balanced on.

"I do not take this action lightly," Governor-elect Patrick said. "While we support the initiatives agreed to for the current fiscal year, it is critically important for Massachusetts residents to understand that next year’s budget will be tight and will require that we make tough choices. I look forward to working with the Legislature to develop solutions that serve us well in both the short and the long term."

Posted by aryan at 1:25 PM | Comments (0)

Mayor announces new plan to help Boston's homeless

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced plans this morning for a new program aimed at providing more beds and services for the homeless.

The Homeless Protection Program, which will be run by several city agencies, will place as many as 30 elderly homeless in permanent housing. It will also expand substance abuse treatment services by adding 10 beds within city-run facilities and hiring new staff to offer counseling.

"At this time of year we are particularly concerned with the health and well-being of those who are without a home in Boston," Menino said in a statement. "I am calling upon city agencies and our community partners to increase the available services for these individuals."

In addition, Menino is creating a re-entry program that will house 10 homeless men who were recently released from prison. The 60-day program will offer drug treatment, job counseling, and housing placement services. He plans to add 10 additional slots to the program within six months.

Menino also confirmed Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis's plans to assign a deputy superintendent to investigate the problem of criminals and ex-offenders who are blending in with the homeless population in shelters and then committing crimes on city streets.

Posted by srhee at 1:13 PM | Comments (0)

Police: Father had heroin in car with infant

By Globe Staff

A 31-year-old father is scheduled to be arraigned in New Bedford District Court today after police say they found over 15 grams of heroin in a car with his infant son.

Police arrested Brent Bramwell on Tuesday night on charges that included trafficking heroin and distributing a Class A controlled substance. The 13-month-old boy, who lives with Bramwell in Acushnet, was released to his mother after a consultation with the state Department of Social Services.

Fairhaven Police said Bramwell was the target of a month long probe by detectives from the Southcoast Anti-Crime Task Force. According to a press release, investigators believe Bramwell is a "mid-level" player in the drug trade from Swansea to Fairhaven.

Police said during the investigation Bramwell drove his car off the highway several times in Fall River and Dartmouth, making u-turns and driving erratically with the child in the car in an effort to shake off any surveillance.

Posted by aryan at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

SJC refuses to force lawmakers to vote on gay marriage ban

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today that it had no authority to order the Legislature to vote on a ballot initiative to ban gay marriage, but the justices gave Governor Mitt Romney a symbolic victory by scolding lawmakers for shirking "their lawful obligations."

The SJC, the same court which legalized gay marriage in 2004, issued the unanimous 11-page ruling this morning in response to a lawsuit spearheaded by Romney, who is expected to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination as a social conservative.

The justices wrote that all the legislators took an oath to uphold the Constitution and will "ultimately will have to answer to the people who elected them."

Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Governor Mitt Romney, hailed the ruling as vindication for the plaintiffs even though the court dismissed the suit.

"We are very pleased that the court has confirmed once and for all that the Legislature has a constitutional duty to vote on the marriage amendment and that any failure to do so would be a violation of their oaths of office," Fehrnstrom said.

However, Lee Swislow, executive director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, praised the SJC for ruling it had no authority to intervene even though the court agreed with Romney that lawmakers were dodging their constitutional duty. Swislow said she hoped the Legislature would continue to refuse to vote on the ballot initiative despite the rebuke from the SJC.

"This is my right to marry the person I love, and putting that on the ballot feels like the most cynical thing that could happen on a very personal level," said Swislow, who married her partner of 10 years in June 2004.

Romney, who leaves office on Jan. 4, and 10 other plaintiffs filed the lawsuit last month charging that legislators subverted the state constitution Nov. 9 when they met as a constitutional convention and took no action on the voter-initiative petition. The Legislature voted, 109 to 87, to recess before deciding whether to put the amendment on the 2008 ballot.

Backers of the proposed constitutional amendment collected 170,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot in 2008. To qualify for a statewide referendum, a measure needs the support of at least 50 legislators in two consecutive sessions. Instead of acting on the measure, the Legislature moved to recess the joint session until Jan. 2.

While the seven-member SJC rebuked lawmakers in today's decision for using a procedural maneuver to avoid a vote, the court acknowledged that it could not legally intervene.

"There is no presently articulated judicial remedy for the Legislature's indifference to, or defiance of, its constitutional duties," the opinion says. "We have no statutory authority to issue a declaratory judgment concerning the constitutionality of the legislative action, or inaction, in this matter."

Fehrnstrom said that Romney and the other plaintiffs knew the lawsuit would be difficult because there was no legal mechanism to force the legislators to vote despite the Constitution.

"Legislators have been trying to cloud the issue by saying there was no obligation to vote," Fehrnstrom said. "Now that we have a very clear and unambiguous statement from the court that there is a constitutional duty to vote, it's going to be very difficult for individual legislators to sidestep the issue on January 2nd."

In a statement released by his office, Romney said: "I applaud the court’s unanimous decision that the Legislature has a constitutional duty to vote on the merits of the marriage amendment. As the court has made very clear, a procedural maneuver to avoid this responsibility would violate a legislator’s oath of office. The issue is now whether the Legislature will follow the law."

Posted by aryan at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

Fire evacuates Worcester high rise

By Michael Naughton, Globe Correspondent

Scores of emergency workers rescued between 40 and 50 people from a high-rise apartment building in Worcester this morning after an electrical fire broke out on the upper floors.

No one was seriously hurt in the three-alarm blaze, which ignited just after 4:30 a.m. at 16 Laurel Street when water trickled into the building's electrical system, said District Fire Chief Frank Diliddo.

The fire was contained mostly to the 13th, 14th, and 15th floors. The fire knocked out power to the building, forcing emergency workers to climb hundreds of stairs to rescue 40 to 50 people.

One person and a police officer were taken to a local hospital where they were treated and released for smoke inhalation, Diliddo said.

"It was a good test of all our past practices and our training, and it all paid off. It went very smoothly," said Diliddo.

More than 55 emergency workers responded to the blaze, which crews knocked down in about 90 minutes.

Posted by aryan at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2006

Lobstermen, divers clash

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

A maritime battle has erupted off Cape Ann, pitting old salts who set down lobster pots against scuba divers who glide silently beneath the surface, bobbing and weaving between their rope lines.

Lobstermen say divers have been slipping deep underwater, using the cover of the sea to unlock their traps and steal their lobsters. Divers say lobstermen have been gunning their motorboats and yanking on the divers’ flags to scare them out of the water.

City officials in Gloucester have vowed to intervene, but the allegations have stirred up a roiling debate over who really rules the sea, lobstermen or their underwater counterparts. Both sides say they want to share the waters off Cape Ann, but with hundreds of divers and lobstermen competing for the most bountiful spots, many doubt they can coexist in peace.

"It’s the Hatfields and the McCoys," grumbled Fred Calhoun, 72, who has been diving off Gloucester since he was a teenager. "It’s a feud."

Fueling the latest skirmish in the undersea conflict is a local ordinance in Gloucester that requires divers to signal their presence with a flag attached to a buoy. Lobstermen strongly support the rule, saying the telltale red and white markers help them navigate safely around divers.

But divers say that with so many of them sharing coastal waters, they have been getting tangled in the lines that anchor the flags. They have petitioned the City Council to repeal the rule and allow them to fly only one flag for every group of divers who take to the sea. The Council has held two hearings on the issue, and has a third planned for next month. But so far, the city has refused to amend the rule.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

Deputy to investigate criminals using the shelters for cover

By Maria Cramer, GLOBE STAFF

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis is assigning a deputy superintendent to investigate the problem of criminals and ex-offenders who are blending in with the homeless population in shelters and then committing crimes on city streets.

"The shelters might need our help in dealing with people who are violent," Davis said Tuesday in a telephone interview. "It’s out of concern for people who work in the shelters and live in the shelters to make sure that those individuals who are committing violent acts are dealt with."

Shelter employees have said some homeless people, after cashing Social Security or unemployment checks, were robbed by others staying in the shelter, Davis said. Reported drug deals on Tremont and Stuart streets in the Back Bay and recent break-ins along Newbury Street, including at posh stores Valentino and Louis Boston, were connected to people who listed shelters as their main addresses, Davis said.

The deputy superintendent, who has not been assigned yet, is expected to communicate weekly with shelter directors and several community police officers who already work with the homeless. Davis said he hopes that by working more closely with advocates for the homeless, police will be able to drive down the crime rate in some neighborhoods, safeguard shelters, and distinguish between those people who may pose a threat and homeless people who are simply looking for a place to stay.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

Gastrointestinal illness sweeps through ward of Belmont hospital

By Stephen Smith, GLOBE STAFF

A wave of gastrointestinal illness swept a ward at McLean Hospital in Belmont last weekend, sickening 16 elderly psychiatric patients, hospital and state health authorities said Tuesday.

Disease trackers believe the McLean patients were stricken with norovirus, the same highly infectious germ that spawned nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting in hundreds of elementary school and college students during the past three weeks, said Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

All but two of the McLean patients had recovered fully from the ailment by Tuesday afternoon. Those two patients were receiving fluids to combat dehydration and are expected to recover as well, hospital spokeswoman Cindy Lepore said.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)

Boston Police probe city's 73rd homicide of 2006

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Boston Police are investigating a fatal shooting this afternoon in Charlestown, the city's 73rd homicide of the year.

Police said that at about 5 p.m., officers responded to 77 Monument Street and found a Hispanic male shot multiple times, including at least once in the head. He was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police released no other information and asked for the public's help.

With five days left in the year, the homicide brings Boston's total for the year to within two of the 75 last year, the highest toll in a decade.

Posted by srhee at 7:55 PM | Comments (0)

The people have some suggestions for Patrick

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff

Deval Patrick, take heed. The people of Massachusetts have some ideas for you. Lots of them.

They want wireless Internet available in every community within 12 to 18 months. They want a state "gun project coordinator'' appointed to lead a new crackdown on illegal gun sales. And they want to see an annual "Commonwealth CEO confidence index" created to measure state government's progress on building the economy and adding jobs.

These are among dozens of recommendations included in final reports from 15 policy "working groups" that have spent the past month helping Patrick and the incoming lieutenant governor, Timothy P. Murray, learn what Massachusetts wants to see from their administration. The recommendations, released today, are based largely on 76 community meetings the groups held around the state and 5,000 public comments collected through the Web.

"The ideas range from the quick and simple to the strategic and complex, and they cover an amazing range of subjects,'' John Walsh, Patrick's transition director, and Sydney Asbury, a top policy adviser, wrote in a letter accompanying the release of the reports. "The feedback shows that there's idealism and hope and joy, and there's frustration and impatience and even despair."

But Patrick's transition team, in the letter as well as the press release, emphasizes that the recommendations are only input for Patrick and Murray, and not a policy blueprint. That means many of the suggestions are unlikely to get off the page.

Still, Patrick and Murray, who were briefed on the working groups' reports last week, have pledged to consider the suggestions seriously once they take office Jan. 4.

"The tremendous success of these working group community meetings, and the reports on ideas straight from the people of Massachusetts show that citizens of all ages and backgrounds want to check back in and are ready to take the next step in building an inclusive, grassroots government," Walsh said in a statement.

The working groups covered areas from health care and housing to civic engagement and arts and culture. The groups' final reports can be read online at www.patrickmurraytransition.org.

Posted by aryan at 5:42 PM | Comments (0)

Authorities: building owner may face charges in fatal fire

By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

LYNN -- Authorities investigating a fatal fire said today that the victim's brother, who owns the building, could face criminal negligence charges because the death occurred in what may have been an illegal basement apartment.

Michael Donovan, the city's inspectional services chief and building commissioner, said Jose Torres Mayorquin, 57, failed to obtain permits to create the basement apartment in the building on Chatham Street. The fire broke out after noon on Monday and killed Jose Abencio Mayorquin, 56.

"Based on our review of the records, it appears that that apartment is an illegal apartment and further that whoever constructed it did not pull any permits," said Donovan. "We're trying to figure out when the work was done and who may have done it."

A determination that the apartment is illegal could lead to charges against Torres Mayorquin, said Lynn Fire Chief Edward Higgins. "It could mean anything up to criminal charges of negligence," Higgins said.

Alma Mayorquin, 38, the building owner's wife, said today that city inspectors had examined the house after the couple refinished the basement about a year ago. She said the inspection took place when they refinanced their mortgage, and found nothing wrong with the basement apartment, which the victim had helped build.

"They didn't tell us nothing about it," Alma Mayorquin said in halting English.

But Donovan said the city does not perform inspections for home finance companies, and has no record of inspections at the address.

Donovan said his office is preparing a report to deliver to the city solicitor for possible further action. Donovan would not comment on what the city might do.

The cause of the blaze was "improper and unsafe disposal of smoking materials," said Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fire Services, which helped investigate the fire's origin.

The fire erupted after Abencio Mayorquin and his nephew tried to haul a smoldering mattress outside, said Lieutenant David Legere, head of the Lynn Fire Department Arson Squad. The mattress got jammed in the hallway and "got extra oxygen and it flared up," Legere said. Mayorquin was trapped inside. The nephew escaped.

The victim had several children by different marriages, Alma Mayorquin said. She said she did not know the total number of his children or their ages. None lived with him in Lynn.

The fire occurred the day after a family Christmas Eve celebration, for which two of Alma Mayorquin's children had traveled last week from Honduras, where they live.

Her third child, Alma Cecilia Mayorquin, 12, who lived at the home on Chatham Street, said she fled the fire in pajamas. "I was frightened," said the girl, who ran back into the house to retrieve a coat and shoes.

The 12-year-old also said it was especially difficult to accept her uncle's death because of his cheerfulness at the party the night before. "He was happy and dancing, and everybody was hugging everybody," she said.

The house was boarded up today, the yard strewn with broken glass.

Alma Mayorquin, who works for a Boston-based cleaning service, said the Red Cross had put her family up in the Hampton Inn in Revere for three nights. She said she did not know where the family would live after that.

Connie Paige can be reached at cpaige@globe.com

Posted by aryan at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)

Every holiday season, Galvin gets to be governor

By Andrew Ryan, Glob Staff

Staffing can be difficult for any workplace during the holidays, and the governor's office is no exception. The state's chief executive, Republican Governor Mitt Romney, escapes to a vacation home in Utah each December, while Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey heads south to Florida to her own family hideaway.

In state government, that means the holiday shifts in the executive office usually fall to the same person every year: Secretary of State William F. Galvin. From before Christmas to after the New Year, the Democrat takes the title of "acting governor," keeping himself busy enacting time-sensitive legislation, signing documents, and administering the oath of office to new public officials.

"That's me," Galvin said today in a dry tone, adding that he does not make his staff address him as "acting governor," even if he is filling in as the state's highest office holder. "I'm quite content to be called Bill."

The informal transfer of power is usually done with a phone call. The tasks are largely mundane and administrative. When a governor leaves the state, their duties are passed down the line of succession as outlined in the state Constitution, going first to the lieutenant governor, then to the secretary of state and in rare cases to the attorney general, treasurer, and finally state auditor.

"It's a pretty common thing, even under previous administrations," said Galvin, who pulled out of this year's governor's race well before the Democratic primary. "I don't perceive it as carte blanche to go out and achieve my own agenda."

This afternoon Galvin planned to sign an extradition warrant, and on Wednesday he was scheduled to swear in Edward B. Teague III and Mitchell J. Sikora, two of Romney's late-term judicial nominees. In past years, he has signed laws extending the deadline for cities and towns to issue tax bills, re-authorized group discounts for automobile insurance, and helped oversee security planning for New Year's Eve.

Most bills that are passed by the Legislature during the last week of the year will be left for Romney to consider and sign, Galvin said. Romney, who has spent much of the year out of state gearing up for a likely presidential run, has until 11:59 a.m. on Jan. 4 to act on any pending legislation. The governor is expected to return to Massachusetts by Jan. 2 and leave office the next day.

While Galvin's office does not track how many times he has served as acting governor, it is likely that he has held the post for more time than any of the 28 secretaries of state in Massachusetts history.

During his 12-year tenure, Galvin has been in office during two prolonged periods in which there was no governor, after Governor William F. Weld resigned in 1997 and again when Governor Paul Cellucci stepped down in April 2001. In both cases, the lieutenant governor took over the executive duties for an extended period of time, and Galvin became acting governor whenever they left the state.

He has filled in as chief executive in other instances when the governor and lieutenant governor have both been out of town, including August 2004, when Romney and Healey were both in New York City for the four-day Republican National Convention.

"It's not unusual," Galvin said of the temporary title. "It's just making sure that business gets done."

Posted by aryan at 4:34 PM | Comments (0)

Mattapan resident shot in club in Providence

By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe Correspondent

A Boston man was one of two victims injured in an early morning shooting on Christmas at a club in Providence that left a third man dead, according to a statement released today by the Providence Police Department.

James Rue, 31, of Mattapan, and Darius Armardor, 26, of Groton, Conn., were wounded at Club Pulse at 1:33 a.m. on Monday, said Chief Dean M. Esserman. Both men were in stable condition Monday night, police said.

The third man, Kendall Marshall, 29, of Providence, was pronounced dead Monday at Rhode Island Hospital.

The shooting remains under investigation, police said.

Posted by aryan at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

Legislators reach deal on teen driving crackdown

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

State legislators announced today they have reached a deal on tougher teen driving laws.

The legislation stiffens penalties for young drivers who speed and increases both classroom time and the period that teenagers would have to spend behind the wheel under the supervision of a parent or other licensed adult.

The bill does not include a controversial provision designed to crack down on illegal immigration by requiring anyone registering a car in Massachusetts to present a valid driver's license, but legislators are expected to take up that proposal early in the next session starting in January.

The bill is expected to be approved by Thursday in the last days of this session, legislators said. A conference committee has been haggling over the final version for more than a month. The House and Senate approved separate bills before the formal legislative session ended in July. Toughening teen driving laws has been one of the legislature's priorities since a rash of fatal wrecks involving teen drivers.

Posted by srhee at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2006

No winter wonderland this Christmas in Boston

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Jeanine Browne knew something was amiss the moment she strolled into the Public Garden Monday morning with her 5-month-old whippet, Cocoa. Birds were chirping, the grass was green, and families were playing football in sweatshirts, no hats or gloves needed.

The historic Boston park utterly lacked a key ingredient for classic yuletide cheer -- snow.

"I want icicles dripping from the trees. I want 32 degrees. I want a white Christmas," Browne protested. "I might as well be in San Francisco if I wanted a Christmas like this."

For many who like to awake to a mantle of white on Christmas morning, it was hard to feel jolly. Joggers were running around in shorts, children sped merrily on scooters, and there was nary a snowflake.

"It's hard to get in the mood," sighed Ashley Coplik, who was walking in the garden with her husband, Josh. "I feel like it should be snowing."

Monday, temperatures in Boston hit 45 degrees, six degrees above the average high. This year could be Boston's warmest on record, surpassing 1953 and 1949, when the average annual temperature was 53.6 degrees, said Charles Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Posted by srhee at 9:40 PM | Comments (0)

Some at Brandeis call for Carter visit

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Nearly 100 students, faculty, and alumni of Brandeis University have signed a petition calling for campus officials to bring President Jimmy Carter to Waltham to discuss his controversial new book about Israel without requiring him to debate.

The former president this month told the Globe he declined an invitation from a university trustee to speak at Brandeis, because it came with the suggestion he debate Alan Dershowitz, a professor at Harvard Law School, who criticized Carter's book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

A student who started the online petition said the group has already received about $1,000 in pledges from faculty to help sponsor the visit. They plan to invite Carter in a letter by the end of the week.

"I think there’s a basic lack of debate here about Israel and Palestine," said Kevin Montgomery, 22, a senior majoring in politics who started the petition. "My belief is debate doesn’t have to happen face to face. It can happen over time. Most speakers brought to Brandeis are pro-Israel, and I think it feeds a lack of understanding of the other side."

In response, Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz sent an e-mail to Montgomery, saying he never made Carter’s visit conditional on debating Dershowitz. He added that the former president made an unrealistic request, saying he would come to Brandeis only if the university would send a plane to pick him up at his home in Georgia.

Reinharz could not be reached for comment Monday. Lorna Miles, a university spokeswoman, said the president would not object to additional efforts to bring Carter to Brandeis.

Posted by srhee at 9:37 PM | Comments (0)

Godfather of soul played peacemaker in Hub

By Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff

James Brown will be mourned by millions around the world this week as the one of the great musical innovators on the 20th century. But in Boston, he will be remembered by many as the man who helped prevent the city from burning down the night after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

On April 4, the day before Brown was scheduled to play a concert at the Boston Garden, King was shot to death in Memphis. In Boston, Mayor Kevin White, then just four months into his first term, gathered his aides around him at city hall and prepared for the worst.

Fearful of more violence, the managers at the Garden decided to cancel Brown's concert, and White was faced with a dilemma, according to an account in the book "Common Ground" by J. Anthony Lukas. If Brown didn't go on, there wouldn't be enough time to get the word out and thousands of angry black teenage fans would be left at the Garden with nothing to do.

White made a decision. He would reinstate the concert, but he would try to suppress attendance, get a television station to carry it live and then appeal to kids to stay home and watch it.

But there was a catch. That Friday, Brown taped a television show in New York and was under contract not to appear on TV before it aired. If the concert at the Garden was broadcast live, it would cost him a bundle. Finally Brown relented -- at a cost. He demanded $60,000 to cover his expenses. White, now out of options, agreed, Lukas wrote.

Only 2,000 people showed up for the concert -- the Garden held 14,000. When White got on stage, the crowd was subdued. The concert aired live on Channel 2 and was then immediately rebroadcast. Across Boston, people stayed home and watched.

Brown brought calm to a simmering city. "It really prevented the city from blowing up," recalled John Henning, a longtime television broadcaster.

Posted by srhee at 9:35 PM | Comments (0)

Lynn man killed in house fire

By Michael Naughton, Globe correspondent

A Lynn man was killed in a house fire this afternoon when he became trapped in the basement after a mattress was ignited.

The fire broke out just after noon in a basement bedroom at 75 Chatham St., said District Chief Thomas Swirka. When the mattress caught fire, Josa Abencio Mayorquin, 56, and other men in the home at the time first tried to douse it with water, then tried to carry the burning bedding through a door leading outside.

But when the mattress became stuck in the doorway, Mayorquin became trapped in the basement, Swirka said. The 11 other people in the house at the time made it out safely and informed emergency workers that Mayorquin was still inside, but by the time firefighters found him, he was dead.

"When we arrived flames were already overlapping the cellar windows," he said. "There was a lot of fire and heavy, heavy smoke.... He could have become overcome right away."

Despite the extensive smoke damage throughout the three-story house, fire crews were able to contain the fire to the basement. Red Cross volunteers were on scene to assist the family and find it shelter until the home could be inspected, Swirka said.

Officials are still investigating the exact cause of the fire.

Posted by srhee at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

Providence police probe fatal nightclub shooting

By Christine McConville, Globe Staff

Shots were fired inside a crowded dance club in Providence early today, killing one person and injuring two others, police said.

The gunfire erupted at about 1:30 a.m. inside Pulse, a nightclub on Crary Street in an industrial section of the city, according to a statement from the Providence Police Department.

One victim was pronounced dead at nearby Rhode Island Hospital, becoming the city's 11th homicide victim this year. The two other victims were listed in stable condition last night, police said.

Police are withholding the victims' identities until their relatives are notified, and released very few details about the shooting.

Providence detectives spent the day at the club, trying to figure out what led to the shooting, the motive for the attack, and who may be involved. Last night, no arrests have been made.

Club management could not be reached for comment last night. A gay activist in Providence said the club is popular in the gay community.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Posted by srhee at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2006

Students passing up SAT, college

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

In a fourth of the state’s high schools, less than 60 percent of seniors took the SAT last year, with the rest cutting themselves off from the chance to gain admission to most US colleges.

The findings, based on a Globe review of state records, come as other states are putting a greater emphasis on the SAT or ACT college entrance exams, with some making one of them mandatory. Education officials in states such as Maine worry that a fixation on other standardized exams has obscured the need to push students to take the college entrance test and pursue higher education.

Massachusetts takes pride in its high SAT participation -- 79 percent of graduating seniors took the test last year, one of the highest rates in the country. But, according to the Globe analysis of nearly 330 high schools with SAT scores in the state, more affluent cities and towns are responsible for much of that accomplishment. Schools such as Weston, Winchester, and Wayland tested 100 percent of seniors.

Many of the 82 high schools that had less than 60 percent of seniors take the SAT serve some of the state’s poorest students, the Globe found. Many have a high enrollment of black or Hispanic students. About half of the schools with low rates are regular nonvocational high schools: In Lawrence, Holyoke, and Chelsea high schools, barely half of the students took the SAT.

"These are kids that are going to be low-wage workers unless they take the SAT," said Miren Uriarte , director of the Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, at Boston. "The kids that are not aware of all the options are sort of left behind."

Researchers say low test-taking rates are a symptom of a bigger problem: High schools vary widely in how much attention they put on college preparation. Some work to send virtually all students to four-year colleges, while others guide a small percentage in that direction.

Nationwide, almost 81 percent of colleges and universities use the SAT for admission, according to the College Board, which owns the test and offers to waive the $41.50 test-taking fee for needy students.

Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said he would like to see the SAT-taking rate increase, but he doesn’t think the state can afford to pay for all students to take it at this time.

"As much as we brag about the high percentage of kids who take the SAT, we are concerned about the minority and poor kids who don’t," said Driscoll. "It’s a problem."

The Globe studied the test-taking rates of public high schools, including regular, vocational, and charter schools, where the scores were reported by the College Board. Some alternative schools and others had no students take the test last school year. The Globe reviewed results from the 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06 school years.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)

Family's dream comes true

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Tanisha Isaac had a dream. After work sometimes, she would drive by to look at it. At church, she would think about it. She often imagined the feel of the key in her hand, turning the lock in the front door.

The white, 19th-century house at Bowdoin and Holiday streets in Dorchester would have enough space to house four generations of her family.

"I prayed so hard," she said Sunday. "Oh Lord, please."

Sunday, her dream was realized when she got the Christmas gift of a lifetime.

The city of Boston is selling her the three-story, five-bedroom house for $100 and giving her more than $62,000 to fix it up. The city seized the home after its former owner failed to pay property taxes, and Isaac qualified to buy it under an affordable housing program.

Within two weeks, she will own it, and by June, the 29-year-old Isaac hopes to move in, along with her 7-year-old daughter, mother, grandmother, and two godchildren. Mayor Thomas M. Menino toured the house with Isaac Sunday and presented her with a wreath.

"This is the best gift," Menino said, glancing at the house with a broad grin. "This is what we should be doing in government, helping people."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

Six perish in crash in Maine

By David Abel, GLOBE STAFF

Two teenagers and four people in their 20s died early Sunday when two cars collided on an icy highway in central Maine about midnight, making it one of the state’s worst fatal car crashes, police said.

The victims of the collision in Poland were four friends who were returning to the Lewiston area after visiting a friend’s house in Poland and a young man and his girlfriend, whom he had picked up after a shift at a restaurant in Auburn, police said.

"This is the worst [accident] we’ve been involved with in at least 15 years" in the area, said Sergeant James Jacques of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department. "I haven’t seen anything like this before. We cover a lot of fatals, but we’ve never had anything with this number of people, with such young people, all who died on Christmas Eve."

Police identified the victims in one car as the driver, Michael Cournoyer, 20, of Auburn; Jacob Roy, 20, of Lewiston; Matthew Manley, 18, of Lewiston; and Robert Bruce, 19, of Auburn. Manley and Roy died later at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, officials said.

Victims in the other vehicle were identified as Steven Walton, 27, and his girlfriend, Laura Caron, 26, who lived together in Poland. Their dog, a year-old pit bull terrier named Achilles, also died in the crash.

Relatives of victims reached by telephone last night declined to comment.

Jacques and other officers investigating the crash last night said they were reconstructing the scene and could not say whether any of the drivers had been intoxicated or were speeding. The speed limit at that point on Route 122 is 50 miles per hour, police said.

They said the Nissan carrying the four young men was traveling east when it came to a curve in the two-lane road between Verrill and Bishop roads. It apparently skidded on black ice, rotated, and swerved into the westbound lane, where its rear struck the front of a Dodge Spirit carrying the couple and the dog. The Nissan slammed into a utility pole and came to rest on its roof. Both cars were totaled, police said.

"We had a few other accidents throughout the county earlier in the night and had called road crews out to sand the roads," said Sergeant William Gagne of the sheriff’s department. "The roads were definitely slick."

Gagne said it had been raining earlier in the night. At the time of the crash, he said, the temperature was near freezing.

"Every fatality is a tragedy," Gagne said, "but to have six, especially this time of the year, is just unbearable for the community."

At least three victims of Sunday’s crash were former students at Lewiston High School, Gus LeBlanc, the school’s principal, said in a telephone interview. He said about 200 students came to the school Sunday afternoon, etching remembrances and memorial statements onto sheets of paper scattered about a room where they huddled. Many of them were recent graduates.

LeBlanc said Cournoyer, Bruce, and Manley were athletes who played on the football, lacrosse, and soccer teams. The school’s crisis team will be on hand after the holidays. "This is really too bad," he said.

Globe Correspondent Emma Stickgold contributed to this report.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2006

One killed, one wounded in Roslindale

By Emma Stickgold
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
and Raja Mishra
GLOBE STAFF

A 14-year-old boy was killed, and another youth was wounded by gunfire tonight in Roslindale, with Boston police scouring the neighborhood for suspects.

The unidentified 14-year-old was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The second victim, an unidentified male, was shot a block away and was taken to the pediatric unit of Boston Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Officer John Boyle, a police spokesman, said the shootings appeared to be related, but it was not certain whether both individuals were wounded by the same gun.

Police arrived at 631 Cummins Highway, near the Roslindale-Mattapan line, at about 6:05 p.m. and found the 14-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Homicide detectives urged people who have any information about a male wearing a gold or yellow hooded sweatshirt to contact police. Detectives also want to interview potential witnesses who were on board an MBTA bus that was traveling on Cummins Highway at the time of the shooting.

The two victims were shot within a block of each other on Cummins Highway, near the Born Again Evangelistic Outreach Ministry Church, which started its Friday evening service as police investigated outside.

‘‘Any time a tragedy like this happens at the door of our church I have a strong feeling God is saying something,’’ said Bishop Hessie Harris, the church’s founder. ‘‘We need to come together to bring the leaders of our community together.’’

The area, where Cummins intersects Greenfield Road, is known as a gathering spot for young men, and has been the scene of other recent violence. In October, a man was shot at a Sunoco gas station at the intersection. The man survived.

One of the youths shot tonight night collapsed on Keisha Williams’s porch. ‘‘I heard a couple of shots while I was in the bathroom,’’ she said. ‘‘Then there was a guy lying on the porch.’’

Williams, 27, said the male appeared motionless as emergency crews arrived. She said police entered her apartment with guns drawn and questioned her 9-year-old son about the shooting.

The slaying was the 72d homicide in the city this year. Last year, at this time there were 73 homicides in Boston. Boston finished 2005 with 75 homicides.

Police asked anyone with information to contact detectives at 617-343-4470 or remain anonymous by calling the Crime Stoppers tip line at 800-494-TIPS.

Elizabeth A. Ratto of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Posted by mbrelis at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

Santa and the CharlieCard in Dorchester

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

It was the Friday before Christmas and all through the subway system not a token was needed -- not even for Santa Claus.

Or at least that's how the MBTA tried to spin it in Dorchester today when a fellow in a bright red suit ceremoniously tapped a CharlieCard at a fare gate on the Red Line. Santa Claus came to celebrate the unveiling of the automated fare collection system at Fields Corner, the last of the T's 68 stations get the new equipment.

The milestone marked the end of an 18-month project that included the installation of $85 million worth of new technology that will end the use of tokens. With a few taps of a plastic CharlieCard, passengers can now enter any bus, subway or streetcar in the T system.

The news was so good for commuters, said Daniel Grabauskas, the MBTA's general manager, that even Santa Claus couldn't resist taking a quick ride on the T.

"He made a special visit before heading back to the North Pole to get ready to start delivering presents," Grabauskas said. "For the record, Santa said we were very good this year."

Posted by aryan at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

MBTA: Driver, three passengers assaulted on bus

By Globe Staff

Transit police arrested a woman on a bus in Dorchester this afternoon after officers allege she attacked the driver and three passengers.

The driver, who was not identified, was taken to Boston Medical Center with a head wound, according to Lydia Rivera, an MBTA spokeswoman, who said the injuries were not life threatening.

The three passengers were also taken to hospitals with "bumps and bruises," Rivera said.

Investigators said the incident took place when the bus was near the intersection of Bowdoin Avenue and Washington Street at about 11:30 a.m.

Officials did not release the accused woman's name, or give more specific details about the alleged assault.

Posted by aryan at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)

Baby boy from Dracut dies after alleged shaking

By Patricia Wen, Globe staff
An infant boy, who had been allegedly violently shaken, died around 3 p.m. today after he was removed from life-support systems at Floating Hospital for Children in Boston, said Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley at a press conference this afternoon.

Nine-week-old Liam Garvey suffered severe brain injury, as well as skeletal fractures, in what authorities say is a case of "shaken-baby syndrome." Coakley said the boy's organs were harvested for transplantation during a surgical procedure today.

"This is officially a homicide investigation," said Coakley at her office in Cambridge.

She said the boy was declared "brain dead" yesterday.

His body will remain in the custody of the state Department of Social Services, which has overseen all medical and legal aspects of this case since the boy was removed from his parents' custody on Monday.

The boy has a twin sister, Paige, who suffered similar, but less severe injuries. She is under observation at a foster home with medical expertise. Officials said she appears to be recovering from her trauma.

Police have not yet made any arrests and say the investigation is ongoing. The twins lived in an apartment at 32 Frederick St. in Dracut, along with their mother, Sarah Garvey, and their maternal grandmother.

Sarah Garvey also had a live-in boyfriend, Jamaal Williams, who is also believed to be the twins' father, police said. He was also present in their lives. He called 9-1-1 on Monday to get emergency help for the boy, Dracut police said.
At that time of the incident, he was home with the grandmother. The mother was not at home.

Police and emergency personnel arrived at the Garvey home early Monday morning, after receiving the 911 call that stated the baby boy was choking. He was transported to Lowell General Hospital, and later sent by emergency helicopter to the Floating Hospital at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.

Posted by aryan at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

Agreement signed to save Coast Guard Station on Cape Cod

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

State leaders today announced an agreement that will continue the operations of the US Coast Guard Air Station on Cape Cod, as well as maintain an airfield for security and rescue mission use.

The station was put in jeopardy after the Pentagon decided last year to relocate the 102nd Fighter Wing from the Otis Air National Guard Base. The base and the Coast Guard currently operate on the same 5,500 acres and share many resources.

Governor Mitt Romney, who was joined by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Representative William Delahunt, signed the agreement with the US Coast Guard and the National Guard Bureau. Under the agreement, the Coast Guard will pay for its airfield operation, the National Guard will cover the cost of running the base, and the state will fund a fully-functional fire department.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of a resourceful team, the Coast Guard’s presence and mission on Cape Cod are secure," Romney said in a statement. "Continued airfield operations are also critical to the readiness and response capabilities of the Massachusetts National Guard as they work to train the Commonwealth's next generation of soldiers."

The Pentagon has plans to move the fighter jets from Otis by 2008, which will save an estimated $336 million over 20 years.

"I welcome this agreement, which secures the Coast Guard's presence and serves as a foundation for the future of the Massachusetts Military Reservation," Kennedy said in a statement provided to the Globe last night. "We know the special importance of this base to our national security. We're all very grateful for the Coast Guard that patrols our shores and the Air Guard that patrols our skies."

The Coast Guard's Air Station Cape Cod, the Otis Air National Guard Base and Camp Edwards utilize roughly 20,000 acres on the Massachusetts Military Reservation near Bourne and Falmouth.

The BRAC voted in August 2005 to close the facility, but a month later, it changed the wording of its formal recommendation to President Bush to "realignment."

Instead, the 18 F-15 jets based on the Cape, which were the first military responders to New York following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will be relocated to Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield. Barnes will lose a wing of A-10 "Thunderbolt" attack aircraft.

In August, the National Guard announced it will locate a new military intelligence unit at Otis. The unit will review digital images from reconnaissance planes and unmanned flying vehicles

The realignment must be completed by Sept. 15, 2011, although the jets are expected to depart the Cape sooner.

Under the terms of the memorandum of agreement signed today, the operational responsibilities currently handled by the 102nd Fighter Wing will be dispersed. The Coast Guard will take responsibility for operating the runways and taxiways, the Air National Guard will operate the electricity, water, sewerage and other utilities, and "shall facilitate and ensure the maintenance, operation and support of a fully functional fire department" at the military reservation.

The term of the agreement will extend for three years after the departure of the last aircraft operated by the fighter wing.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.

Posted by aryan at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Romney statement on Coast Guard agreement

Governor Mitt Romney, National Guard Bureau Lieutenant General Steven Blum and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Timothy Sullivan today signed a historic agreement that will allow the Coast Guard to maintain its presence at the Massachusetts Military Reservation despite the impending loss of a flying mission for the Massachusetts Air National Guard, which operates MMR's airfield.

Beyond fulfilling its core missions of maritime safety and security from MMR, the Coast Guard currently provides housing that is open to all MMR tenants, operates the base infirmary and provides MedEvac service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

The 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended realigning Otis Air National Guard Base and relocating the 102nd Air National Guard Fighter Wing.

In the absence of a flying mission for the 102nd Fighter Wing at MMR, the Coast Guard would, under the terms of the agreement, assume the cost of operating the MMR’s runways, which they currently use at no cost.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of a resourceful team, the Coast Guard’s presence and mission on Cape Cod are secure,” said Governor Romney. "Continued airfield operations are also critical to the readiness and response capabilities of the Massachusetts National Guard as they work to train the Commonwealth’s next generation of soldiers."

"This agreement ensures that the Massachusetts National Guard will remain ready, accessible and available to answer the calls of the Governor and the President and to respond across the full spectrum of operations from domestic missions here at home to full scale combat operations overseas. It is right for America, Massachusetts and the Guard," said Lieutenant General Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.

"This Memorandum of Agreement enables the Coast Guard, Massachusetts National Guard and Commonwealth of Massachusetts to open a new chapter on the Massachusetts Military Reservation that allows us to continue our long-standing mutual cooperation and unity of effort with our partners well into the future," said Admiral Sullivan. "This agreement enables the Coast Guard to most effectively serve mariners, boaters and the general public along the North Atlantic Coast by keeping our aircraft in the optimum staging point in the Northeast for airborne search and rescue and homeland security operations."

"I welcome this agreement, which secures the Coast Guard’s presence and serves as a foundation for the future of the Massachusetts Military Reservation," said Senator Edward Kennedy. "We know the special importance of this base to our national security. We’re all very grateful for the Coast Guard that patrols our shores and the Air Guard that patrols our skies."

"The United States Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have forged an important alliance for the common good and the security of Massachusetts and our entire country," said Senator John Kerry. "I'm pleased that the hard work of our military leadership has concluded with the successful completion of this uniquely cooperative effort."

"The BRAC report gives us real hope for Otis, the Coast Guard, our Air Guard and all the other vitally important missions at the Massachusetts Military Reservation," said Congressman William Delahunt. "It is a reaffirmation of the critical importance of the base as a regional center for homeland security."

Following the relocation of the 102nd Fighter Wing, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will jointly assume responsibility for base operations and management of the MMR as follows:

Airfield Management: Within three months of the departure of the last Air National Guard aircraft, the Air Force will transfer the Otis airfield to the U.S. Coast Guard by means of a permit for its use and for use by others. The Coast Guard will provide airfield management services at a level necessary to support Coast Guard operations. Other tenants and state agencies would have access to the airfield on an as-needed basis.

Utilities: The Air National Guard will operate and maintain electricity, water and sewer and telecommunications, much of which they currently provide.

Emergency Services: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will facilitate and ensure the maintenance, operation and support of a fully functional fire department at the MMR to provide fire and emergency services to local, state and federal users of the reservation.

The agreement signed today will remain in effect for at least two years after the last of the 102nd Fighter Wing aircraft depart the air base, and continued partnership going forward will be dependent upon each party’s agreement.

For nearly 40 years, the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have been key stakeholders and partners on the MMR. Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Otis Air National Guard Base, and Camp Edwards operate on nearly 20,000 acres of contiguous Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense land and facilities at the MMR.

Posted by aryan at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

Two young men die in crash on Cape Cod

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Two young men died in a single-car accident on Cape Cod early this morning when a 20-year-old home from college missed a turn and hit a tree with his father's car, police said.

"It looks like if anything was a factor, it was speed," said Barnstable police Sergeant Sean Sweeney.

Patrick Wroe, 20, was driving a black 2005 BMW 545-I in Osterville not far from his home. Sitting in the passenger seat was Shane McDonough-Flynn, 19, who lived in Centerville, another village in Barnstable.

At about midnight, Wroe missed a curve on Seapuit Road and hit a large tree, Sweeney said. A computer in the car notified the fire department that the vehicle had been in a crash and a medical crew rushed to the scene.

Both Wroe and McDonough-Flynn were pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation, Sweeney said.

Posted by aryan at 9:31 AM | Comments (0)

Grand jury dismissed; no indictments in murder of Molly Bish

By Jason Rosso, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

The grand jury investigating the disappearance and slaying of Molly Bish has been dismissed without issuing indictments, her father said early today.

"We all hoped for an indictment, but we are grateful for the work that the grand jury has done," John Bish said in a telephone interview. "It has served to preserve testimony that has been collected by State Police, the leads and the evidence that they have had.

"We are going to use this as a spring board. We are not going to stop. We are going to work hard to find out what happened to Molly."

Molly Bish, 16, disappeared from her post as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren on June 27, 2000. Three years later, in June 2003, her remains were found in neighboring Palmer, after a hunter reported spotting a bathing suit like the one she was last seen wearing.

Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte convened a special grand jury in 2004 to reexamine the case. At the time, Conte said the grand jury would review mounds of evidence and interview several potential suspects.

Conte could not be reached last night for comment on the grand jury’s dismissal.

Bish said the campaign to find his daughter’s killer would continue.

"We are still hopeful, and we still need everyone’s help," he said. "We are struggling to live without resolution. It is difficult for our family."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 1:15 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2006

UMass expels rioters

By Raja Mishra, GLOBE STAFF

The University of Massachusetts expelled five students Thursday for their alleged role in an on-campus post-football game riot last week that caused an estimated $100,000 in damage and left parts of the Amherst campus littered with shards of glass and smoldering debris.

In addition, the university suspended one student for a year, deferred two students’ suspensions until after a hearing next month, and placed one student on probation -- the first round of what officials said may be numerous disciplinary actions stemming from the undergraduate mob fracas.

The university and Amherst police have launched a campaign to identify rioters using video and photos from that Dec. 15 night.

"Police report that they are making good progress, and hope to identify additional students from the video evidence and bring additional charges, Ed Blaguszewski, a UMass spokesman, said in a telephone interview.

The riots followed the UMass football team’s 28-17 loss to Appalachian State in the Division 1-AA championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn. Nearly 2,000 students streamed into a residential section of campus about 11 p.m., hurling bottles and tires at police, and setting various objects afire. Ten students were arrested.

The students expelled yesterday were among those led away by police. The students’ expulsion will not be finalized until a disciplinary hearing on campus next month.

The riot came at a time of heightened tension between local police and UMass students. Law enforcement officials have stepped up dormitory patrols and drug searches. Students, in protest, have circulated petitions decrying such actions as authoritarian. But student leaders strongly condemned the riot.

"Most of us in the student government and other student organizations are against the overall spirit of the riots and against destroying our own living space and portraying an image of students ... almost as children," said Elvis Mendez , a 20-year-old junior from Framingham who is the president of the campus student government.

"A lot of students are very upset that tuition and fees continue to rise and on top of this we have to pay for damages and cleanup," he added.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

Twin babies shaken, one critically hurt

By Patricia Wen and Christine McConville, Globe Staff

A baby boy and his twin sister were violently shaken, authorities said, and the boy's injuries were so severe that he was on life support Thursday night at the Floating Hospital for Children in Boston.

The twins, who are just over two months old and from Dracut, have injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, a state official said, and the boy’s condition Thursday night was listed as critical.

"It’s a horrendous situation," said Dr. Brian Gilchrist, chief of pediatric surgery at the Floating Hospital and one of the lead physicians handling the case. "It has shaken up my hospital."

The parents and other caretakers of the twins are being questioned by police and prosecutors, though no charges have been filed, said Emily LaGrassa, spokeswoman for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office. If the boy dies, prosecutors will consider murder charges.

Gilchrist described the boy as having "the most beautiful almond-shaped eyes you’ve ever seen." He said patient confidentiality rules prohibited him from saying more about the boy’s condition.

"I’m sick over it," Gilchrist said. "Who could do this to a child?"

Emergency personnel responded to an apartment at Frederick Street in Dracut Monday morning, after receiving a 911 call that "a baby had stopped breathing," said Dracut Police Chief Kevin Richardson. The boy was taken to Lowell General Hospital, and then flown to the Floating Hospital at Tufts-New England Medical Center, where he remained Thursday night.

Alarmed by the boy’s injuries, investigators removed his twin sister from the Dracut home and brought her for examination to the Floating Hospital. The girl was found to have suffered similar, but less severe injuries. She was released from the hospital Thursday and moved to a foster home with medical expertise, said Denise Monteiro, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social Services.

"Both of them had injuries that are consistent with shaken baby syndrome," Monteiro said.

Monteiro and Dracut officials declined to say who alerted authorities to the boy’s injuries, and the names of the parents and other relatives are being withheld while the investigation continues.

She said the mother of the twins, who is in her mid-20s, does not have other children and had no previous record of child abuse or neglect. She said the father also has no previous history with her agency.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:32 PM | Comments (0)

Coakley: charges may be hard to come by in Big Dig death

By Jonathan Saltzman, GLOBE STAFF

The state’s incoming attorney general said Thursday it will be difficult to bring criminal charges in the death of the Jamaica Plain woman crushed in the Big Dig tunnel collapse, dampening expectations raised by the current attorney general.

Hours after the July 10 death of Milena Del Valle, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly declared the tunnel "a crime scene" and launched a criminal investigation. Last month, he said the probe, including a review of 400,000 pages of construction documents, had convinced him that people and companies involved in the project should face manslaughter charges.

But Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, who succeeds Reilly on Jan. 17, struck a more cautious tone Thursday. She said it will be extraordinarily difficult to bring criminal charges in an intricate case that involves multiple corporations and government agencies with roles in the design, building, and oversight of the mammoth project.

"I think it’s hard in any corporate situation like this to bring criminal charges," said Coakley, who was briefed by Reilly on a special grand jury investigation of the collapse after her election last month. Prosecutors face a "high threshold," including proving that people involved in the construction project acted with "wanton and reckless" disregard for the safety of those who used the tunnel, she said.

Even if the attorney general’s office did bring criminal charges and won a conviction, she said, it is highly unlikely that any individual will go to jail.

"We’re talking about corporate responsibility here, which usually results in fines," she said. "You don’t send corporations off to jail ... I’m just trying to explain that when you talk about corporate criminal liability, you’re usually talking dollars, you’re not talking handcuffs."

Coakley was interviewed after making similar remarks to The Associated Press earlier Thursday.

Jeffrey A. Denner, a lawyer for Del Valle’s family, said it was premature to discuss whether there will be criminal charges and that Coakley seemed to be "trying to balance the expectations that had been generated by Mr. Reilly’s earlier comments." He said Del Valle’s husband, Angel Del Valle, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and nine companies in August, wants people held accountable but has no idea whether the tragedy is a criminal as well as civil case.

"The ceiling collapsed. It killed our client. Obviously, someone is responsible. It’s certainly civil. Whether it’s criminal or not is driven by the facts ultimately determined in the case by the grand jury."

Coakley said the grand jury is continuing its investigation and that she does not know when it will finish.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:24 PM | Comments (0)

Patrick to rescind pact on undocumented immigrants

By Andrea Estes, GLOBE STAFF

Governor elect Deval Patrick said Thursday that soon after taking office he will rescind an agreement between Governor Mitt Romney and federal authorities that allows state troopers to arrest undocumented immigrants.

Speaking with reporters after a luncheon reception with state legislators, the incoming governor said for the first time that he believes he has the authority to overturn his predecessor’s agreement. He said he believes state troopers have enough to do already without being required to enforce federal immigration laws.

"If I have that power, I’m going to rescind that agreement," Patrick, a Democrat, told reporters. He added: "I do believe I have that power."

The 15-page agreement with US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement states it will remain in effect "until terminated by either party." Though Patrick did not sign the document, his office said it appears that state officials can rescind the deal.

On December 13, Romney signed the controversial agreement that would allow specially deputized state troopers to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants and charge them with violating US immigration laws. Unless Patrick intervenes, about 30 troopers are set for a five-week training course early next year to begin implementing the new policy, Romney’s office said.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement "has given us every indication they are firmly behind the program ...," said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. "I can only speak for Governor Romney, and in his view, we need to do what we can to enforce the nation’s laws on immigration. This doesn’t add or detract from the day-to-day responsibilities of the state police. It simply gives them an additional tool to use in their investigations into criminal activity."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

Saudi princess avoids jail for immigration violations

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

A Saudi princess was sentenced today to six months of house arrest and 100 hours of community service for federal immigration violations involving two Indonesian women who worked for meager wages at her Winchester home.

Hana Al Jader, 41, was also ordered to pay nearly $207,000 in restitution to her former domestic servants and a $40,000 fine. She will be immediately deported after serving her sentence.

US District Judge Reginald C. Lindsay, who rejected the government's recommendation to sentence Al Jader to a year in jail, said he wanted Al Jader to serve some time under house arrest because he didn't want her punishment to be "simply financial."

The princess admitted in September that she brought the two women from Saudi Arabia to the United States in February 2003 to cook, work as housekeepers, and care for her family while her husband, Prince Mohamed Bin Turki Alsaud, was receiving medical treatment in Boston following a car accident that left him paralyzed.

The judge said today sending her to prison wasn't appropriate because of her extraordinary family circumstances.

"I am impressed by the devotion you have shown to your husband," said Lindsay, noting that Al Jader has continued to care for him round-the-clock, and accompanied him to Boston for medical treatment.

Posted by aryan at 5:07 PM | Comments (0)

Police rescue driver from sinking SUV

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

Police pulled a driver from his sports utility vehicle as it sank in the Charles River this afternoon after his Honda Pilot swerved off Soldiers Field Road in Boston.

Kevin Im, 23, was driving the Honda SUV west when he collided with a Saab 95 sedan at about 12:50 p.m. near North Harvard Street. The SUV swerved off the road and plunged into the river near the Larz Anderson Bridge, police said. (Initial reports that the SUV plunged off the bridge itself were incorrect, according to a press release issued this afternoon by State Police.)

With the SUV sinking in the water, several passersby jumped into the water and tried to save the driver, according to a witness at the scene. Police officers arrived moments later and they too jumped into the river, according to Cambridge Fire Chief Frank Murphy. The police helped the passersby pull the driver out of the SUV.

The driver of the SUV appears to have had some type of seizure behind the wheel, Murphy said. Im, of Arlington, was disorientated when he was pulled from the SUV and was wearing something that alerted rescuers that he had a medical condition that made him prone to seizures.

Im and the driver of the Saab, Jean Hogan, 57, were both taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital with minor injuries.

The right and middle lanes of Soldiers Field Road were closed for about an hour after the accident. The cause of this crash remains under investigation.

Posted by aryan at 4:20 PM | Comments (0)

Feds seize 20,000 pounds of scallops

By Sarah M. Kneezle, Globe Correspondent

Federal agents seized 20,000 pounds of scallops overnight from a boat two miles east of Martha's Vineyard and charged the crew with using illegal dredges, according to a statement issued today by the US Coast Guard.

Investigators boarded the 93-foot Villa Do Corva II at about 9 p.m. Wednesday as the boat was on its way to its home port of New Bedford. Authorities allege that the crew was using dredges that did not meet federal requirements because the gear did not allow fish to escape.

"The Coast Guard is committed to enforcing fishery conservation and management regulations to help ensure the sustainability of our nation's fishery resources," said Lieutenant Commander Edward Marohn, from the Coast Guard First District's Fisheries Enforcement Branch. "By preventing the use of illegal fishing gear, we help ensure the sustainability of the valuable New England fish stocks."

The scallops were valued at more than $150,000 in what is considered to be one of the largest catch seizures in recent years, the Coast Guard said. The incident is also under investigation by agents from NOAA Fisheries Enforcement.

Posted by aryan at 2:53 PM | Comments (0)

Catholic bishops push for gay marriage vote

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The state's four Roman Catholic bishops mailed a joint statement today to each of Massachusetts' 196 legislators urging them to allow a vote on a ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage.

The single-page letter implored lawmakers on behalf of the state's 3 million Catholics to allow the measure to come to a vote on Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative session.

"Preventing a vote on January 2nd would deny a significant number of our residents from having their voice heard on this issue," the letter reads. "The guarantee that gives citizens the right to seek voter approval for constitutional changes would become an empty promise."

The bishops, including Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, sent the letter by e-mail today and also mailed copies though the US Postal Service, according to Edward F. Saunders, the executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, a public policy office for the church.

Backers of a constitutional amendment had collected 170,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot in 2008. To qualify for a statewide referendum, however, a measure needs the support of at least 50 legislators in two consecutive sessions. Instead of acting on the measure, the Legislature moved to recess until Jan. 2, the last day of the session.

The four bishops issued similar statements in October and July. The Catholic leaders have also issued joint statements opposing the death penalty, the expansion of gambling, the impact of budget cuts on the poor and disadvantaged, and more.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit spearheaded by Governor Mitt Romney that is trying to pressure legislators into holding a vote Jan. 2. A decision could come at any time.

Posted by aryan at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

Former Catholic brother gets 5 years after admitting molesting boys

(Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe)

Edward Anthony Holmes, a former Catholic brother shown at his arraignment last year, pleaded guilty today to molesting two boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A former Catholic brother today admitted he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted two boys in the 1970s and 1980s and was sentenced to five years and one day in prison.

Edward Anthony Holmes, who is now 65 years old and lives in Washington DC, declined to comment after leaving Suffolk Superior Court, where he pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges, including photographing a child for sexual purposes. "I have nothing to say," Holmes said. His defense attorney, Jeanmarie Carroll, also declined comment.

Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Audrey C. Mark said in court that Holmes was a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary and was assigned to work at the now-closed Nazareth Child Care Center in Jamaica Plain run by the Archdiocese of Boston.

Mark said children taken from their homes by the Department of Social Services would be sent to the facility where Holmes was the residential counselor. Instead of offering spiritual guidance, however, Mark said Holmes told the two boys they must have sex with him or he would never let them leave the center.

"The defendant molested them. He violated them and he raped them," Mark said. "In terms of child abuse, this is about as bad as it gets."

One victim was repeatedly sexually assaulted between 1976 and 1980 when he was between the ages of 10 and 14. The second victim was attacked -- and photographed having sex with Holmes -- between 1977 and 1983 when he was between the ages of 9 and 15.

Mark said Holmes kept the photographs with him until his "housemates" discovered them in 1989. A spokesman Congregation of the Sacred Heart told the Globe last year that Holmes had left the order in 2002 for reasons having nothing to do with his crimes.

Mark read a statement from the first victim. "I wish I could forgive you, but right now I can't," he said. "I hope you find peace with God."

Mark asked for an eight to 10 year sentence. Carroll lobbied for probation.

Superior Court Judge Carol S. Ball imposed the five year and one day sentence to be served at the state prison in Walpole and agreed to let Homes remain free until Jan. 8.

Posted by aryan at 1:06 PM | Comments (0)

Fire evacuates 65 from apartments in Roxbury

By Globe Staff

Boston firefighters evacuated 65 people from an apartment building on Humbolt Avenue in Roxbury overnight after a woman smoking in bed ignited her mattress.

No one was seriously hurt. Firefighter got a call about flames in a first-floor unit at the Taurus Apartments at 120 Humbolt Ave. at about 12:05 a.m., according to department spokesman Scott Salmon.

It took crews about 15 minutes to knock down the flames inside the four-story brick building. The occupants of the 38 apartments kept warm in buses provided by the MBTA while fire crews made sure the flames had not spread inside the walls, Salmon said.

The occupants were allowed to return to their homes after about an hour. The fire caused about $150,000 worth of damage to the apartment where it started, fire officials estimated.

Posted by aryan at 9:03 AM | Comments (0)

Nine car crash slows I-93 traffic, causes no injuries

By Globe Staff

A nine car-crash on Interstate 93 south in Medford tied up traffic this morning but did not cause a single injury, police said.

The chain-reaction crash, just north of Mystic Avenue, closed two lanes of the four-lane road for more than an hour, police said.

The crash happened at about 6:15 a.m. The two lanes opened up again to traffic at 7:25 a.m., police said.

Posted by aryan at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)

Patrick to do inauguration differently

By Andrea Estes, GLOBE STAFF

Deval Patrick plans to open the State House to the public, to post large-screen televisions around Boston Common, and to set up a huge outdoor stage where 200 members of the Legislature can watch as he is sworn in on Jan. 4 as the governor.

As part of Patrick’s inauguration, the streets around the State House will be closed to accommodate the thousands of people who are expected to attend the state’s first al-fresco swearing-in. Warm beverages will be provided, aides said.

After he addresses the crowd, Patrick will move to the building’s Grand Staircase, where he will greet members of the public one by one, aides said.

As part of the planning, the departing governor, Mitt Romney, will leave the State House in the centuries-old "lone walk" the night before the inauguration, which officials say is the first time in history, to avoid an awkward public departure in front of thousands of Patrick supporters.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 1:21 AM | Comments (0)

Cape communities open up to homeless

By Jenna Russell, Globe Staff

HYANNIS -- Almost five years ago, responding to a wave of complaints from residents and business owners, police officers drove dozens of homeless people out of woods surrounding the village, breaking up tent camps and carting the debris to the dump.

Thursday, in a symbolic reversal seen by some residents as a sign of changing attitudes, a mock homeless camp will rise on Main Street in Hyannis. About a dozen human-services workers and elected officials plan to sleep there Thursday night, the longest night of the year, in tents erected on the lawn of the handsome, white-steepled Hyannis Federated Church.

"There has been a shift in the last few years, to a hopefulness where before there was a hopelessness, and a feeling of ‘what can we do?'" said town Councilwoman Janice Barton. "People worked together and developed a strategy, and it worked."

The camp-out, to mark National Homeless Persons Memorial Day, will include a candle-lighting ceremony on the village green to remember 10 homeless people who died on Cape Cod since last December, organizers said.

"I think back to July 2002, when police were instructed to tear down the homeless camps, and four years later, we’re erecting a homeless camp on Main Street -- it shows some growth has happened in the community," said Alan Burt, an advocate for the homeless in Hyannis. "It’s indicative of more caring attention to the homeless."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 1:18 AM | Comments (0)

Cardinal to go podcasting about things spiritual

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

The blogging cardinal is about to start podcasting.

On Sunday, Christmas Eve, Boston Catholic Television plans to launch a souped up website that will feature, among other attractions, downloadable Christmas video messages in English, Spanish, and Portuguese from Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston.

And Starting early next year, O’Malley also plans to regularly record video messages for downloading from the Internet.

The Catholic Church, which lags behind some other denominations in its embrace of Internet technologies, is rapidly expanding its use of new technology in its search for souls.

O’Malley, a Capuchin Franciscan friar who has taken a vow of poverty and is a frequent critic of American consumer culture, is rapidly emerging as an unlikely pioneer in the use of new media by a 2,000-year-old church.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 1:12 AM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2006

A father's plea in Hopkinton

By Ralph Ranalli, Globe Staff

With authorities unable to locate the motorist who caused a fatal Hopkinton hit-and-run accident in September, the father of the victim issued a public plea today urging the driver to step forward voluntarily.

Michael MacDonald, 25, of Newton was killed on Sept. 16 while trying to cross Route 495 after the car in which he was a passenger broke down. His father, James MacDonald, called the loss a "terrible tragedy," in a statement released by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.

"Michael was a caring son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew, and friend," the elder MacDonald said in the statement. "As his father, I not only lost my best friend, but the joy of fatherhood, and his positive impact he would continue to have on others."

Read more in Globe West's blog Westword.

Posted by aryan at 5:08 PM | Comments (0)

Romney makes lame-duck appointments

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Governor Mitt Romney announced four more judicial nominations today despite pledging before last month's election that he would not make a flurry of lame duck appointments.

The announcement of the new judicial nominees included statistics from the governor's office that showed that there are now just four vacancies out of the 473 positions in the judicial branch. According to figures provided by the governor's office, there have been 12 judicial nominations since Nov. 1, the day Romney told the Governor's Council that he would not flood it with last-moment appointments.

"My plans are to have all nominees who have made it through the process on your desks" by Nov. 8, Romney told the Governor's Council at the time. "I don't intend to bring you a lengthy list of nominees."

Communications director Eric Fehrnstrom today defended the nominations and pointed to a statement Romney made in November that there would be a handful more judicial appointments to come.

"As the Governor said last month, we only processed those that were in the pipeline, and long ago stopped accepting new applications," Fehrnstrom said in an e-mail.

The eight-member Governor's Council must approve all judicial nominations by the governor.

The four appointments Romney made today are: Robert C. Cosgrove to the Superior Court; Michael A. Uhlarik to the District Court; Robert E. Powers as Clerk Magistrate of Barnstable District Court; and Mark R. Jeffries to the Southeast Division of the Housing Court.

Posted by aryan at 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

SJC hears oral arguments in gay marriage case

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Both sides in a legal battle over a proposed ballot initiative to ban gay marriage acknowledged today that the Supreme Judicial Court can not force the Legislature to take a vote.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Sacks told the seven justices in oral arguments this morning that even though the architects of state ballot initiatives intended lawmakers to bring the measures to a vote, the court could not legally force legislators to act before their term expires on Jan. 2. The people's only recourse, Sacks said, was to vote for different senators and representatives next election.

"Our position is that judicial relief is not available," said Sacks, who argued on behalf of Senate President Robert Travaglini and the Secretary of State.

The lawsuit, spearheaded by Governor Mitt Romney, charges that legislators subverted the state constitution on Nov. 9 when they met in joint session and took no action on a voter-initiative petition to ban gay marriage.

John Hanify, a lawyer representing Romney and 10 other plaintiffs, also gave some ground. He conceded that the court could not force the Legislature to take a vote, even though that is what backers of the ban said they wanted when they filed suit last month.

Hanify did say, however, that the court could pressure lawmakers to act by spelling out the intentions of Article 48, the provision in the constitution that permits citizen initiatives.

"We're not asking you to tell the Legislature how to do their business," he said. "We're only asking you to declare what their constitutional obligations are."

The court did not issue a decision, but supporters of the ballot initiative say they want one before the last day of the legislative session on Jan. 2.

Backers of a constitutional amendment had collected 170,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot in 2008. To qualify for a statewide referendum, however, a measure needs the support of at least 50 legislators in two consecutive sessions. Instead of acting on the measure, the Legislature moved to recess the joint session until Jan. 2.

Travaglini gave an interview that aired this morning on WBUR in which he said he thought the measure should be brought to a vote.

"This vote will be based on personal beliefs," said Travaglini. "I do believe, however, in my own personal and political professional view that a vote is the appropriate action to take on the measure, one way or the other."

Travaglini was one of the 87 lawmakers who voted against taking a recess last November before the Legislature ruled on the proposed ballot initiative.

Posted by aryan at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)

Travaglini pledges millions for stem cells, higher ed

Senate President Robert Travaglini today called for spending up to $60-million for stem cell research over the next five years and millions more to enhance public higher education.

In an interview with WBUR-FM, Travaglini said "public higher education is a top priority here for the Senate'' as is "the continuation of the stem cell research discussion.'' (See partial transcript here.)

"I think it's time for the Commonwealth to make a decision as to whether or not we have a financial obligation to participate in that research and to contribute to that research,'' Travaglini told the station. "I've met with representatives from the Children's Hospital recently and some of the scientists who are doing significant work with sickle cell anemia and leukemia and they are indicating to me that we could potentially realize a breakthrough in a very short period of time with some new revenues on the part of the Commonwealth which demonstrates quite frankly a partnership in this research.''

Pressed on the amount, Travaglini said: "it would be between, oh I don't know, I'd say $40 and $60 million.''

The East Boston Democrat also called for spending $75-million to $80-million on public higher education over the next four to five years, focusing on infrastructure and on research.

"Obviously the infrastructure on all of the campuses is in dire need of repair,'' he said. "It's also time to expand with the new types of research and the white-coat economy that we're starting to trend into where we should provide additional resources and enhance the stability of our faculty at all of the campuses across the Commonwealth and we should also give a shot to the community colleges as well. So I'm talking a lot of money here.''

Last year, the Massachusetts legislature passed a measure endorsing stem cell research and subsequently overrode a veto by Governor Mitt Romney. Travaglini has previously called for state stem cell spending, but later backed off. Governor-elect Deval Patrick has also called for stem cell research spending.

Posted by ddahl at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2006

Turnpike board keeps Fast Lane discount -- for now

By Mac Daniel and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Turnpike board, facing the wrath of commuters and legislators, is expected Wednesday to extend for two months the life of a heavily used Fast Lane discount program when it approves its 2007 operating budget, a board member familiar with the agency’s strategy said Tuesday.

The compromise is expected to allow the board time to review the authority’s larger fiscal picture, study the implication of eliminating the tolls west of Route 128, and determine what effect that would have on continuing the Fast Lane discount, the board member said.

The $12.2 million in potential annual revenue lost from the discount is viewed as a luxury the authority can no longer afford. The agency, which oversees the Big Dig and the turnpike, is weathering a confluence of financial strains, created by rising costs and revenue shortfalls. The authority’s staff has proposed eliminating the discount, which takes 25 cents off the $1 tolls on the Pike’s Boston extension and 50 cents off the $3 toll for the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels.

An estimated 200,000 drivers used Fast Lane transponders in 2005, the vast majority on the turnpike.

Turnpike Board member Mary Z. Connaughton, a Framingham resident who represents western suburban commuters, plans to fight the cut or seek a compromise, she said.

At the same time, state Representative David P. Linsky, a Democrat from Natick, said the five-member turnpike board does not have the authority to eliminate the program and vowed to wage a legal battle.

"The law could not be any clearer. What part of the word permanent don’t they understand?" he said Tuesday. "If they attempt to end the commuter discount program, I will ask the attorney general to enforce the law."

The legislation creating the discount states "the authority shall appropriate the funds necessary to provide said discount on a permanent basis." It was passed in August 2002 as a political peace offering to MetroWest commuters and legislators, who have complained they are paying a portion of the $14.6 billion Big Dig’s cost but not using or benefiting from the road as much as commuters from the north and south. The discount has been renewed every year since 2002.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)

City mulls ban on trans fat

By Stephen Smith, GLOBE STAFF

Boston health regulators could decide as early as February whether to ban trans fats in restaurants, the city’s top health official said Tuesday night.

After hearing from New York health authorities about that city’s recently adopted trans fat prohibition, John Auerbach, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said his agency would continue reviewing the feasibility of a comparable ban.

"It’s a challenging issue," Auerbach said. "I wouldn’t want a regulation that couldn’t be enforced in Boston."

David Mulligan, a former state public health commissioner who is now chairman of the board overseeing the city health commission, described Boston as "just sort of at the beginning of the process. I can just hear cries that we’re becoming the food police and that we’re infringing on rights," Mulligan said.

New York earlier this month became the first major city to ban virtually all trans fat from meals cooked by restaurants.

Usually artificial, trans fats have been linked to increases in the bad form of cholesterol and, by extension, to heart disease. The fat is commonly used in commercially produced cakes, cookies, pies, margarine, and fried foods. Typically, it is used to extend shelf life.

Studies show that during the past four decades, Americans have spent an increasing share of their food dollars dining outside the home. At the same time, their girth has expanded dramatically.

The combination of those two trends has led public-health specialists to consider whether they can battle the obesity epidemic by regulating restaurants. That has made trans fat an obvious target.

Stephen Smith can be reached at stsmith@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

Second suspect charged in beating of BU students

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

Boston and Hingham police arrested a 23-year-old Hingham man Tuesday in the brutal attack on Boston University athletes with baseball bats earlier this month.

Ronald B. Twombly, Jr., who was arrested at his home in Hingham, is set to be arraigned Wednesday in Brighton District Court on charges that include assault with intent to murder with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious injury.

The attack, which occurred on Dec. 3 outside of a house party in Allston, injured three college hockey players and a women’s lacrosse player. Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said Twombly allegedly beat the most seriously injured victim, a 22-year-old hockey player who suffered a broken bone in his eye socket and a dislocated thumb.

A Boston University hockey coach has said the attack occurred after a separate altercation the assailants had with hockey players earlier that night. A police official with knowledge of the investigation has said the students who were attacked were not part of the initial fight.

Four days after the assault, police arrested Sean Melanson, 23, of Hingham for his role in the incident. He is accused of chasing another student -- not one of the injured athletes -- with a hammer.

A woman answering the phone at Twombly’s home Tuesday night declined to comment.

Linda Schaeffer, of South Huntington, N.Y., said her son, Kevin, the most seriously injured of the victims, underwent surgery December 12. She said her son has a chip in his forehead, fractures in his cheekbone, and a fracture on the side of his head. Doctors put plates and screws in his face, she said, to help his broken orbital bone heal.

"We’re very, very happy that someone has been caught," Schaeffer said. "This was really a bad thing that they did ... He really was bashed pretty good."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 7:37 PM | Comments (0)

Alcohol not likely a factor in Tobin crash

(Milton Police Department)

Milton police Detective Michael A. Devin died Monday in a two-car accident on the Tobin Bridge.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Investigators determined today that a medical condition -- and not alcohol -- was the likely cause of a horrific accident Monday on the Tobin Bridge that left two people dead after a car drove the wrong direction on Route 1, according to a spokesman for Suffolk County district attorney.

The crash killed Michael A. Devin, a 35-year veteran of the Milton police department, when his Honda Accord collided with a car driven by Stephen M. Parnell, 50, who was heading the wrong way on the Chelsea side of the Tobin Bridge.

"The preliminary investigation does not suggest that either party was intoxicated," said Jake Wark, the spokesman for the district attorney's office, who added no alcohol containers were found in either vehicle. "Investigators are examining the possibility that Mr. Parnell had a medical condition that may have contributed to the collision."

Wark would not be more specific about the medical issues. He said results of toxicology tests, which are not expected immediately, will be used to definitively rule out alcohol. Autopsies were to be performed today.

Flags were lowered to half-staff at Milton municipal buildings in memory of Devin, 57, as the town tried to come to grips with his death.

"I saw him Thursday night at an affair and we had a good chat," said James G. Mullen, Jr., chairman of the town's board of selectmen and Devin's brother-in-law. "We had a good chat, and he was talking about retirement."

Mullen said the two other selectmen supported his request to lower the flags to honor Devin, who also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Milton Police Deputy Chief Paul Nolan, who worked with Devin for most of his career, said the accident has plunged the small department into mourning.

"The tragedy is for the fact that he puts in 35 years here and does everything you ask him to do and he never gets to enjoy his retirement," Nolan said of the father of three adult children. "Clearly it's a big loss for us ... He was just a class act. He is going to be sorely missed by everyone in this building, that's for sure."

Police said Parnell, of Nashua, had been traveling southbound on Route 1 in a Toyota Camry when the car crashed into another vehicle a short distance before the Tobin Bridge toll booths. The Toyota reversed direction and was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Route 1 when it struck Devin's Honda near Fifth Street in Chelsea, police said.

Both Parnell and Devin were pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital. The passenger in Devin's vehicle, Ann Condon, 50, a mother of three from Milton and a Police Department civilian employee, survived the crash and was at Mass. General, according to police, relatives, and hospital officials.

Posted by aryan at 4:26 PM | Comments (0)

Romney approves two LNG gas ports off Gloucester

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

Governor Mitt Romney today approved two offshore liquefied natural gas ports that have been proposed 7 and 13 miles off Gloucester, the last significant hurdle to construction of the facilities that would boost New England's gas supply by 20 percent.

Tankers would be docked to underwater buoys virtually around the clock and act as floating factories, turning supercooled liquid back into gas and pumping it through a series of pipes to New England homes and businesses.

The US Maritime Administration will issue a final decision by mid-February for the Northeast Gateway and Neptune projects, but in the three cases where a deep water port have been approved, the agency has followed the decision of the governor of an adjacent coastal state.

"These new terminals will allow us to safely expand gas supply without undue harm to the environment or to the fishing industry that is Gloucester’s lifeblood," said Romney.

More than a half-dozen LNG terminals have been proposed in New England to accommodate rising demand for energy, but all have been met with opposition because of fears of explosions from accidents or terrorism. The offshore terminals, while facing some opposition over threats to marine life and fishermen’s livelihoods, have been seen as the lesser of two evils by some environmentalists and politicians who acknowledge the need for more energy. In addition, the companies building the offshore ports have agreed to pay a total of $16 million to offset economic harm to fishermen and lobstermen.

Excelerate, the developers of the Northeast Gateway project 13 miles southeast of Gloucester, has pledged to be in operation within a year. Suez, the developers of the Neptune project seven miles off the coast, say they won’t start construction for at least nine months. Suez owns New England's only currently operating LNG terminal, in Everett.

Posted by aryan at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)

Patrick names communications team

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Governor-elect Deval Patrick today named Nancy Fernandez Mills, a former network news reporter and founder of a website for baby boomers, as his communications director.

Mills will be joined by Kyle Sullivan, spokesman for House Speaker Sal DiMasi, who will serve as press secretary, and Cyndi Roy, spokeswoman during the Patrick transition and the current spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, who will serve as deputy press secretary.

Also named to posts today in the new administration were Richard Chacon, the former campaign spokesman, who will be director of policy and cabinet affairs, and Michael Morris, an aide to State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who was named director of governmental affairs.

Mike Morris was will be the next Director of Governmental Affairs, and Christy Mach was tapped to be the new governor's Director of Scheduling.

The official administration biographies of each appointment are below:

Nancy Fernandez Mills, 59, will serve as the governor's third Deputy Chief of Staff/Communications Director, overseeing and coordinating the governor’s press operation, Correspondence, and the Public Liaison department.

A former producer and correspondent for NBC News in the New England Bureau, Fernandez Mills brings to the team a keen understanding of television news and production and experience designing strategic communications plans. While at NBC, she covered medical news, health care policy, politics, sports, education, and general news in New England, Bermuda, and Canada. Fernandez Mills was also a reporter for WBZ-TV in Boston and WWLP-TV in Springfield, and the Valley Advocate newspaper.

Since 2004, Fernandez Mills has served as Executive Producer and Co-Host of Boomers! Redefining Life After Fifty, a 13-part public television series which aired on 280 stations nationwide. In her role with Boomer Media Properties, Fernandez Mills hired and managed more than 20 staff, freelancers, and consultants; oversaw design and production of a multimedia website; and served as public spokesperson in media and at national conferences.

A co-founder and former director of several media and communications-related firms, Fernandez Mills has an extensive background in media strategy. She is a former Director of Strategic Communications at Radcliffe College. Fernandez Mills holds a BA in Sociology/English from St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford. She lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband Mark. She has three children, Adam Fernandez, Carrie Fernandez, and Lauren Mills.

Fernandez Mills husband, Mark Mills, will step down as executive producer of WGBH's news and current events program Greater Boston in order to avoid conflicts of interest. Through the month of January, Mark will work on WGBH projects unrelated to state government and the Patrick administration.

Richard Chacon, 41, will serve as the Director of Policy and Cabinet Affairs, working directly with members of the governor’s cabinet to oversee his policy initiatives.

Chacon has been Deputy Campaign Manager/Communications Director for the Deval Patrick Committee since May 2006. Chacon joined the campaign from the Boston Globe, where for more than a decade he served in various reporting and editing positions, including Boston City Hall, Latin America Bureau Chief, Deputy Foreign Editor and, most recently, as the newspaper’s Ombudsman.

In 2004, Chacon was awarded a Nieman Fellowship for Journalists at Harvard University. His other journalistic experiences include reporting positions at WCVB-TV and WBUR-FM in Boston, New York Newsday and KTSM-TV in El Paso. Chacon served as Assistant to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development under New York City Mayor David Dinkins from 1990 – 1992, and later as Deputy Media Director for the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York.

A native of El Paso, Chacon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University, and holds Master’s degrees in public administration and in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in Somerville with his wife, Lauren, and their son, Ricardo.

Kyle Sullivan, 37, will serve as Press Secretary to the Governor.

Sullivan currently serves as Director of Communications and Chief Counsel for Education Policy for Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi. Immediately prior to joining the Speaker’s Office, Sullivan was Deputy Campaign Director of Strategies for Children, Inc. and its Early Education for All Campaign.

From 1998 to 2004, he worked on the Senate and Presidential Campaign staffs of Senator John Kerry. On the presidential campaign, Sullivan served as Lead Press Advance for the New Hampshire primary and then for campaign events around the country during the remaining primary and general elections. In addition, he served as Deputy Convention Hall Director for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. In his five years working on Senator Kerry’s Senate staff, Sullivan served as Massachusetts Press Secretary, Deputy State Director, and Interim State Director.

Before joining Senator Kerry’s staff, Sullivan worked in the Massachusetts Senate for five years serving in roles including Press Secretary, Legislative Director and Legal Counsel for then-Senator James Jajuga of Methuen.

Sullivan holds a law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. A native of Salisbury, Massachusetts, he currently lives in Boston with his wife Suzanne and son Michael.

Cyndi Roy, 24, will serve as Deputy Press Secretary to the Governor.

Roy is currently the Communications Director for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, serving as the chief spokesperson for the Democratic State Committee. During the 2006 election cycle, Roy oversaw message creation and development for the 2006 Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Since September, Roy has assisted the Patrick committee with campaign and transition team media.

Before joining the state Democratic Party, Roy was a reporter for the State House News Service, a syndicated wire service covering Massachusetts government and politics. In 2003, Roy was a reporter in the State House bureau of the Boston Globe, covering the new administration of Governor Mitt Romney and the Legislature.

A Chicopee native, Roy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism and Political Communication from Emerson College. She currently lives in South Boston.

A second Deputy Press Secretary will be named at a later date.

Mike Morris, 37, will serve as the Director of Governmental Affairs for Governor Patrick.

Morris has served as the Government Affairs Director for State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill for the last four years. While there, he has worked with legislative leadership and staff to help Treasurer Cahill reform the state's school building assistance program, which ultimately created a new school building authority and solved a $15.5 billion problem.

Prior to becoming Government Affairs Director, Morris served as Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Administration and Finance for Norfolk County Sheriff Michael G. Bellotti from 1999 to 2003.

Morris holds a B.A. in Human Services from Fitchburg State College and a Master's in Public Administration from Suffolk University. He lives in Quincy with his wife Katie Jo and their son Michael Jr.

Christy Mach, 32, will serve as Director of Scheduling.

Mach joined the Patrick-Murray Campaign during the general election as the surrogate scheduling director. Before joining the campaign, Mach was the Campaign Manager for Lieutenant Governor Candidate Andrea Silbert. She has worked as Deputy Finance Director for both the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC.

A native of Arlington, Virginia, Mach holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Master’s degree in French language and civilization from Middlebury’s French language school in Paris, France. She lives in Cambridge.

Posted by aryan at 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

Oil tanker company fined $37M for ocean dumping

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

One of the world's largest publicly traded tanker companies has agreed to pay a record $37 million fine and plead guilty to 33 criminal charges of illegally dumping waste oil off the coast of Nantucket, Cape Cod, North Carolina, California and the Gulf of Mexico, the Justice Department announced today.

New York-based Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. has admitted under an agreement with the government that 12 of its oil tankers were involved in illegal dumping or falsifying log records between 2001 and 2006. The company will plead guilty to violations of the Clean Water Act, conspiracy, making false statements, and obstruction of justice.

During a press conference overlooking Boston Harbor, Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer said the company's tankers often illegally dumped waste oil at night to avoid detection and "engaged in repeated and deliberate pollution of our ocean."

Mercer said the company continued to intentionally pollute the oceans to avoid the cost and time of complying with the law, even after the Justice Department and the US Coast Guard launched an investigation more than three years ago and brought its allegations to the company's management.

The president and chief executive officer of Overseas Shipholding, Morten Arntzen, released a statement today saying that the company believed the comprehensive settlement was in the best interests of its shareholders, employees and customers.

"We are pleased to bring closure to this investigation and believe our cooperation with the government was vital to today's announcement," Arntzen said. "The changes that we have implemented based on what we learned from this investigation support our goal to be the most respected and successful transportation services company in the shipping industry."

Posted by aryan at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

Milton mourns officer killed in Tobin crash

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Flags were lowered to half-staff at Milton municipal buildings today in memory of Michael Devin, a 35-year veteran of the police department, who was killed in a two-car crash on the Tobin Bridge Monday.

The accident on Route 1 in Chelsea remains under investigation as police try to determine "what role, if any alcohol played," according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Autopsies are scheduled for today and may help determine why the other driver was heading the wrong way on Route 1 when his Toyota Camry collided with Devin's Honda Accord, Wark said. In Milton, people were still trying to come to grips with Devin's death.

"I saw him Thursday night at an affair and we had a good chat," said James G. Mullen, Jr., chairman of the town's board of selectmen and Devin's brother-in-law. "We had a good chat, and he was talking about retirement."

Mullen said the two other selectmen supported his request to lower the flags to honor Devin, who also served in the United States Marine Corps.

Milton Police Deputy Chief Paul Nolan, who worked with Devin for most of his career, said the accident has plunged the small department into mourning.

"The tragedy is for the fact that he puts in 35 years here and does everything you ask him to do and he never gets to enjoy his retirement," Nolan said of the father of three adult children. "Clearly it's a big loss for us ... He was just a class act. He is going to be sorely missed by everyone in this building, that's for sure."

Police said the Toyota, driven by Stephen M. Parnell, 50, of Nashua, had been traveling southbound on Route 1 when it crashed into another vehicle a short distance before the Tobin Bridge toll booths. The Toyota reversed direction and was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Route 1 when it struck Devin's Honda near Fifth Street in Chelsea, police said.

Both Parnell and Devin were pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital. The passenger in Devin's vehicle, Ann Condon, 50, a mother of three from Milton and a Police Department civilian employee, survived the crash and was at Mass. General, according to police, relatives, and hospital officials.

Posted by aryan at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

Judge denies Entwistle request for release to UK

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

Neil Entwistle, pictured in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge last week, had his request for bail denied today by Judge Peter Lauriat.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent, and Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

A judge today denied a request by lawyers for Neil Entwistle that their client be released from jail so he could return to his native England until he goes on trial next year for the slaying of his wife and infant daughter.

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Peter Lauriat ruled that Entwistle will continue to be held without bail, according to a statement released by the Middlesex County district attorney's office.

In a three-paragraph order made public this morning, Lauriat said that based on the circumstances of the case, "the defendant's release on conditions of bail which would allow him to reside in England pending trial in this case is neither warranted nor appropriate." The judge did not elaborate.

Entwistle has been held in Middlesex County Jail since Feb. 15, when he was extradited after his arrest in London. He is being held on charges of murdering his wife, Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old baby daughter, Lillian, on Jan. 20. He flew to England near the time of their death. His trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 1.

Last week, defense lawyers argued in court that Entwistle was not a flight and could be outfitted with an electronic monitoring device while he was confined to his parents' home in Worksop, England. As surety, the Entwistle family home would be placed in escrow and could be seized if he did not return for his trial, the lawyers said.

Middlesex County prosecutors, however, dismissed the claims made by the defense, saying that the fact that Entwistle flew to England after the killing of his wife and daughter proved he was a flight risk.

Prosecutors alleged that after the slayings Entwistle stockpiled cash from ATM machines and spent the night in his sports utility vehicle at Logan International Airport so he could catch a plane out of the country.

Defense lawyers had filed a motion earlier this month that outlined several conditions for Entwistle's proposed release, which included him checking in daily by phone with British or American law enforcement authorities.

Entwistle's lawyers said that although their client left the country immediately after the killings, he spoke with the Massachusetts State Police almost daily by phone from his parents' house and did not challenge extradition upon his arrest.

Posted by aryan at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2006

Milton detective, Nashua man killed in head-on crash

By Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff

A Milton police detective was killed along with a second driver Monday in a horrific head-on collision on Route 1 that also seriously injured a Milton Police Department secretary, closed part of the Tobin Bridge, and snarled rush-hour traffic for hours.

Michael Devin, 57, a Milton High School graduate, a former US Marine, and a member of the Milton police force for more than three decades, was killed when a Toyota Camry traveling in the wrong direction collided with his Honda Accord shortly before 4:15 p.m. near the Chelsea end of the Tobin Bridge, officials and relatives said.

Police said the Toyota, driven by Stephen M. Parnell, 50, of Nashua, had been traveling southbound on Route 1 when it crashed into another vehicle a short distance before the Tobin Bridge tollbooths.

For unknown reasons, the Toyota reversed direction and was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Route 1 when it struck Devin’s Honda just south of Fifth Street in Chelsea, police said.

Both Devin and Parnell were pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Deputy Chief Richard Wells of the Milton police said Devin was "a veteran detective, highly respected in Norfolk County" who had "worked on many high-profile cases and had a really stellar career."

The passenger in Devin’s vehicle, Ann Condon, 50, a mother of three from Milton and a Police Department civilian employee, was reported in serious condition Monday night with several bone fractures at Mass. General, according to police, relatives, and hospital officials.

Her son said in a telephone interview Monday night that she was "all right" and had suffered a broken rib and finger.

Her sister, Kathy Burkly, said in a telephone interview from her home in Tennessee that, "It’s a miracle that she lived."

Both Condon and Devin were off-duty at the time of the collision, authorities said.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation Monday night, police said.

Posted by aryan at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)

A warm December is good for the mail (mostly)

Although the warm weather has made the busiest mail season bearable, postal workers still face a host of pitfalls and hazards on the daily route. Above, a tow truck dragged a mail van down Beacon Street today. (David L. Ryan / Globe Staff Photo)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

This time of year, Harry Judd is usually bundled up with two layers under his heavy US Postal Service jacket, trudging his route with a 50-pound sack of holiday cards and packages on his back.

Not this balmy December, with temperatures running 10 degrees above average for the last five days. Judd, who delivers the mail in Bay Village, has almost been tempted to venture out in short sleeves.

"It's like spring," said Judd, who has been with the post office for 23 years. "I feel like we are coming out of winter instead of coming into the winter. Recently, it has really been a pleasure delivering the mail."

Instead of fighting with scarves and gloves and keeping an eye out for patches of ice, Judd and his fellow letter carries have been blessed by unseasonably warm weather at just the right time.

Post office officials expected today to be the busiest mailing day of the year, predicting that some 280 million letters would be sent, or up to three times the daily average. Officials anticipate that Wednesday will be the heaviest delivery day.

Forecasters predict that Judd and other letter carriers should be able to continue walking their routes without really heavy winter gear at least through Christmas.

While temperatures are expected to dip on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs just below 40 degrees, the air is supposed to warm back up over the weekend with temperatures in the 50s.

"It's very unlikely that we would see a white Christmas right now," said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton. "But things can always surprise us."

Christmas Eve is expected to be partly cloudy with a high just shy of 50 degrees, while the next day is supposed to be a littler cooler with a chance of rain. For Judd, a forecast with no snow is like a holiday gift.

"I'd be fine if I never saw snow again except in pictures and mountains," he said.

Posted by aryan at 6:32 PM | Comments (0)

Violent crime drops in 3 Mass. cities, rises in others

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Violent crime dropped in three of Massachusetts' largest cites outside Boston in the first six months of 2006 despite an uptick in murders and robberies across the United States, according to data released today by the FBI.

Cambridge saw its violent crime rate drop by more than 17 percent, according to the data. Violent crime in Springfield tumbled by 7 percent, and Lowell had a 6 percent drop.

In Boston, however, violent crime rose by 11 percent, and in Worcester it edged upward by almost 2 percent.

The data was from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, which are statistics collected from 11,535 police and other law enforcement across the country. Nationwide researchers found that from January through June murders and robberies rose, with an overall increase of 3.7 percent from the first six months of 2005.

In additional to a national overview, the report also detailed finding for all cities with populations of 100,000 or more. The crimes examined in the report include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

Cambridge saw crime fall in seven categories except murders, which rose from one in the first half of 2005 to two in the same period in 2006. Reported rapes dropped to four from 10, robberies fell to 91 from 115; and aggravated assaults went down to 85 from 95 in the first half of 2005.

While Boston experienced a drop in reported rapes, burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts in the first half of 2006, the number of murders rose by 27 percent and aggravated assaults jumped by 13 percent.

As of today, Boston has had 71 homicides as compared to 73 at this time last year, when the city hit a 10-year-high.

There was some good crime news, however, for car owners. All five Massachusetts cities with populations over 100,000 saw a drop in motor vehicle thefts, including Lowell where the number fell by 23 percent.

Boston had 10 percent fewer car thefts in the first half of 2006, with the number dropping to 1,907 from 2,127 in 2005. Over the last six years, the number of auto thefts in the city has plummeted by more than 40 percent, a drop police attribute largely to high-tech security systems in new cars that deter would-be thieves.

Nationwide car thefts dropped by 2.3 percent in the first six months of 2006.

Posted by aryan at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

Baker school in Brookline evacuated after antifreeze spill

By Sarah Kneezle, Globe Correspondent

Antifreeze leaked out of a heating system and forced the evacuation of an elementary school in Brookline today after several students said they felt light-headed, according to a fire official.

About 20 students from Edith C. Baker School were taken to local hospitals for evaluation but none were thought to be seriously ill, said Robert Moran, the Chief of Operations for the Brookline Fire Department. The problem was first reported just before 10 a.m.

Officials said the school, which has about 660 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, will remain closed through at least Tuesday.

The antifreeze, made of a chemical named propylene glycol, is used in heating systems to prevent pipes from freezing during cold snaps. The substance seems to have leaked in a crawl space beneath the stage, Moran said.

The school will remain closed until the building department and school department decide that it is safe for students to re-enter, Moran said.

Posted by aryan at 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

Man pleads not guilty to kidnapping on Boylston

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A homeless man pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other charges today after prosecutors accused him of trying to snatch a 10-year-old boy Saturday from a sidewalk on Boylston Street in a busy Back Bay shopping district.

A lawyer for David Allen Johnson, 39, entered a not guilty plea on his client's behalf in Boston Municipal Court today to charges that also included attempted kidnapping and assault and battery. He was ordered held on $75,000 cash bail after a prosecutor said he had been convicted in 2002 of exposing himself to a group of children.

According to a police report, Johnson put a jacket around the boy from Haverhill at about 5 p.m. on Saturday and tried to force him to walk down the street. The boy yelled, according to the report, and his father came and got him.

Police said that they stopped Johnson a short distance away on Boylston Street and the father said: "That's him officers. He's the one that tried to take my son from me."

According to the report, Johnson told police: "I was only kidding."

In court today, a defense attorney asked Judge Sally Kelly for lower bail. "We just don't know exactly what was going on" at the time of the alleged kidnapping, said the defense attorney, whose name was not immediately available.

Leora Joseph, the chief of the child protection unit at the Suffolk County district attorney's office, argued for the $75,000 bail because she said Johnson had been convicted in Boston Municipal Court of lewd and lascivious behavior and indecent exposure.

The judge sided with Joseph and ordered the $75,000 bail. Johnson is scheduled to appear again in court on Jan. 16.

Posted by aryan at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

Romney meets with press 'off the record' at holiday party

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

An elusive Governor Mitt Romney has finally agreed to meet with members of the local media today after weeks of shunning hometown reporters as his presidential ambitions have taken him to Japan, South Korea, and beyond.

Romney, who spent the weekend in Louisiana and Tennessee, is hosting his annual Holiday Press Party tonight in the Executive Suite at the State House. There is, however, one caveat that his staff made clear on the governor's schedule with bold letters and an asterisk.

The holiday party is "off the record."

Eric Fehrnstrom, the governor's communications director, said in an e-mail this morning that the media holiday party has been "off the record" as long as he can remember.

"It's a social event, not a news conference, and it's a way for the governor to celebrate the holiday with reporters, thank them for their work and wish them all a happy new year," Fehrnstrom said.

This is the first year that the party has been listed as "off the record" because it is the first time the event has been on the daily schedule put out by the governor's office, Fehrnstrom said.

The Globe reported on Friday that Romney has avoided reporters in the face of questions about his support of gay rights and his use of a lawn service that employees undocumented workers despite his tough stance on illegal immigration. Romney, who was once very accessible to local reporters, has increasingly referred questions to his staff.

Romney did, however, grant an exclusive interview last week to the online version of the conservative magazine National Review. The Republican has not formally announced his run for the presidency, but he is widely expected to seek the GOP nomination.

Posted by aryan at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2006

Melee at UMass Amherst after football defeat

By James Vaznis
Globe Staff
and Jason Rosso
Globe Correspondent

At least 10 University of Massachusetts Amherst students were arrested this morning as police in riot gear tried to disperse a massive, raucous throng of hundreds of undergraduates who poured out of their dormitories after the football team was defeated in the Division 1-AA championship game.

University officials and state police said there were as many as 900 students in the southwest residential area, a dormitory complex for several thousand students, and some were throwing bottles, lighting fires and breaking windows after the Minutemen's 28-17 to top ranked Appalachian State in the championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The Massachusetts State Police sent about 22 cruisers and four K-9 units to Amherst to assist campus police in dispersing the throng, which Edward Blaguszewski, director of news and information at the school, described as a "major disturbance."

At least one student said it more like a riot.

"Everybody just went out and pretty much rioted,'' said Dan Nguyen, a sophomore from Dedham who photographed the melee. "Students were throwing trash cans and breaking windows and the riot squad came, and they were throwing tear gas and shooting pellets at the crowd. It was pretty crazy.''

"Two of my friends were shot and they have welts on them, they are not badly hurt.''

Some students lit trash cans on fire and were throwing them and burning clothes on to bushes and shrubs in an effort to set the plants on fire, Nguyen said.

The crowd started to thin, but two hours after the game ended, there were still 200 to 300 students on the scene, school officials said.

Mounted police were helping to clear the area, Nguyen said. By 2 a.m. the crowd was gone, according to state police

Matthew Brelis of the Globe staff contributed to this report

Posted by mbrelis at 2:01 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2006

State to oversee Boston Elections Department

By Donovan Slack
GLOBE STAFF

The Boston Elections Department agreed to be overseen by Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office through the 2008 presidential election Friday, acknowledging that it violated state laws when it failed to supply enough ballots to polling places during November’s election.

According to an agreement signed by Boston Elections Commissioner Geraldine Cuddyer, Galvin will appoint a representative to ‘‘assist’’ Boston’s Elections Department, at least through the 2008 presidential election. The representative ‘‘shall be involved in all aspects of the city’s administration of elections, including but not limited to all preparations leading up to and on the day of elections,’’ the agreement said.

The agreement brings the level of scrutiny on Boston’s embattled Elections Department to a new high. The department was being monitored by federal agents, as part of its settlement of a US Department of Justice lawsuit charging that the city had ignored the rights of voters with limited English skills in 2003 and 2004.

Additionally, an election task force appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino last year was looking at the department in an effort to get problems under control. Then, this fall a string of embarrassing mishaps prompted Menino to hire an outside consultant — Harvard University elections specialist David King — to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the department and propose changes.

‘‘It’s all to the good that there are multiple sets of jurisdictions and multiple sets of eyes looking at this,’’ said King Friday after the agreement between Boston and Galvin was announced.

Despite predictions of high voter turnout on Nov. 7, Boston had distributed far fewer ballots than there were registered voters at polling places. With high numbers of voters coming to the polls, more than three dozen polling places ran out of ballots and police cruisers had to speed ballots through rush-hour traffic as angry crowds waited to vote.

Friday’s agreement concludes that in addition to the ballot shortage — a violation of state law that mandates every polling place be stocked with enough ballots for each registered voter — poll workers were inadequately trained to deal with the situation, communication between the polls and City Hall was insufficient, and department procedures caused lengthy delays in the delivery of more ballots.

‘‘We’ve acknowledged that there were mistakes in the (city’s) election process and feel the partnerships with our own national election expert, the election task force, and now a representative from the secretary of state’s office will ensure we have the best elections system around,’’ said Dot Joyce, the mayor’s press secretary.

Galvin’s office said it found that Boston supplied even fewer ballots to polling places than the city originally reported — about 43 ballots per 100 registered voters instead of the 50 per 100 voters that officials initially said they had supplied. And Galvin’s office found that more polling places that ran out of ballots — 38, up from the 30 the city originally cited — with some polling places out of ballots for more than an hour before replacements arrived.

According to the investigation, Boston election officials began receiving reports that ballots were running low about 3 p.m. on Election Day, and at 5 p.m. the first outage occurred at Ward 13, Precinct 10, in Dorchester’s Savin Hill neighborhood. Still, city officials didn’t get replacement ballots to that precinct until 6:15 p.m.

Galvin’s office began receiving calls from voters about ballot shortages at Boston polling places about 4 p.m., the investigation results said. With calls continuing to come in, Galvin called Menino at 5:45 p.m. and suggested using police cruisers to speed replacement ballots to the polls.

The longest wait was in Ward 8, Precinct 5 in Roxbury, where ballots ran out at 7 p.m. and were not replenished until 8:45 p.m.

The agreement requires the city to cooperate with the secretary’s designated representative in developing a better plan for election preparation, Election Day administration, and post-election issues, as well as a more comprehensive poll worker training program. If the city fails to comply with the agreement, the secretary of state can ask the attorney general to enforce it in court.

‘‘This Agreement and Order, developed with the cooperation of Mayor Menino, gives me the tools necessary to address the management issues in the Boston Election Department which led to the violations of election law that occurred in the recent elections,’’ Galvin said in a statement.

Posted by mbrelis at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)

Groundswell of support tries to sway Obama

By April Simpson
GLOBE STAFF

He wowed them in New Hampshire last week, and everyone seems to be talking about a possible presidential run in 2008. Despite his flirtation with the idea, Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois insists that he hasn’t made up his mind.

But the volunteer group Draft Obama has produced a television ad to air this weekend on cable networks in New Hampshire and Washington, D.C. Composed of recordings of his speeches and wildly applauding audiences, the ad shows an image of Obama with voters and of President Bush while Obama speaks to an enthusiastic audience, saying, ‘‘Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?’’

The ad, viewed 40,000 times since being posted Wednesday on YouTube.com, according to the group — is meant to spark a grass-roots movement and send a strong message to the senator, organizers said.

‘‘We wanted to make sure that ..... [he] knows that there are thousands of supporters ready and rearing to go,’’ said Ben Stanfield, a Maryland computer technician who registered the domain name draftobama.org two years ago and began posting on the site in October.

Political observers say it is early in the presidential campaign season for a draft ad. But some also point out that Obama has a book coming out and is riding a wave of popularity that should be exploited.

Stanfield said he and a representative of www.runobama.com gathered about 12,000 signatures from people who said they would support his candidacy.

Zephyr Teachout, director of Internet Organizing for Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign, has signed the petition, Stanfield said.
Stanfield said he is working with John Hlinko, founder of www.DraftWesleyClark.com, which had urged the retired general to enter the 2004 presidential race. Democratic media consultant Bud Jackson designed the draft Obama ad.

Posted by mbrelis at 9:10 PM | Comments (0)

SJC rules Cambridge courthouse workers complaint can proceed

By Brian MacQuarrie
GLOBE STAFF

In a decision that a lawyer for Cambridge courthouse workers said bolsters their demands for asbestos protection, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that employees can pursue a civil suit to ensure that their health is safeguarded during renovation of the problem-plagued 22-story building.

The ruling dismissed an argument by Chief Justice Robert A. Mulligan, head of the state’s trial courts, that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to sue him for allegedly breaking a promise to stop asbestos removal until all occupants had been moved from the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse.

The courthouse employees, Mulligan’s lawyers argued, had failed to show they suffered harm or were endangered ‘‘as a direct result of a breach of duty purportedly owed to them’’ by Mulligan.

However, the high court ruled that while Mulligan is responsible for the maintenance and repair of court facilities, he also ‘‘has a common-law duty of reasonable care’’ to visitors and occupants of the courthouse.

Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, whose office is in the building, joined the suit after court officials found in April that Mulligan had authorized replacement of elevator cables, which officials said could dislodge asbestos, following a pledge to halt asbestos work until the building’s 800 occupants had been relocated.

On Friday Coakley said she was pleased with the decision, because it is important ‘‘to move forward and get this issue resolved in the best interest of the health and safety of the tenants of 40 Thorndike Street.’’

Ninety thousand pounds of asbestos were used as fireproofing in construction of the building, which opened in 1969 and houses the district attorney’s office, Middlesex Superior Court and District Court, and a county jail.

The case, which seeks to hold Mulligan to a pledge to inform employees about all asbestos-removal efforts, will remain in the high court for further examination.

‘‘This is a really big deal to the people who work in the building,’’ said Chris Milne, lawyer for the plaintiffs. ‘‘The SJC is saying we care about the infantry on the front lines in the courthouse.’’

But Richard M. Zielinski, a lawyer with Goulston & Storrs who represented Mulligan, said the defense prevailed on substantive issues in the case, citing the court’s dismissal of assertions that the courthouse represented a public nuisance, that asbestos exposure had subjected the plaintiffs to assault and battery, and that environmental laws had been violated.

In the public fight over asbestos removal, Zielinski said, what has been overlooked is that ‘‘this whole brouhaha started with an effort by Judge Mulligan ..... to vastly improve the conditions in the building.’’

Employees at the courthouse have complained about unreliable elevators, rainwater leaks, drafts in the winter, and sweltering heat in the summer.

Extensive renovation and asbestos removal are planned for the courthouse. Kevin Flanigan, a deputy director in the state Division of Capital Asset Management, said the building is expected to be vacated by next December. Estimates of the length of the renovation work vary from three years to more than five, and costs are estimated in excess of $130 million.

Posted by mbrelis at 8:51 PM | Comments (0)

More than 7,000 attended Patrick community meetings

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

After 76 meetings across the Commonwealth attended by 7,180 people, groups gathering input for Governor-elect Deval Patrick submitted 15 separate reports today to the new administration with suggestions on everything from ways to revamp the state website to guarding the Quabbin Reservoir from a terrorist attack.

The reports also include some 5,300 suggestions that people submitted online through Patrick's transition website. The outreach over the last few weeks was part of an effort to continue what Patrick aides described as a renewed sense of civic engagement aroused during his campaign.

"We are attempting to harvest the wisdom of the grass roots," said John Walsh, Patrick's transition manager. "The number of people who participated is the thing that gets me excited."

Next week, the leaders of the 15 different discussion groups will meet with Patrick and Lieutenant Governor-elect Timothy P. Murray to present their findings. The administration also plans to post the online submissions, summaries of the draft reports, and testimony from the meetings on its transition website by Wednesday.

"We are going to release them all -- The good, the bad, and the ugly," said Walsh, adding that full final reports would be released in January.

The community groups were divided into 15 categories, which included public safety, human services, health care, and the environment. Online, people could submit a suggestion to a specific group or offer a general comment.

While aides said they had not had the opportunity to assess all the input, the transition team did provide a dozen online comments as a small sample of the feedback. The suggestions given to The Globe only identified the senders by first name and hometown.

Norma from Framingham, for example, wanted to encourage the administration to reach out to citizens though public access television, writing: "Local cable TV is a powerful tool, which can be used effectively to provide information directly to the public and increase interest and participation in the process."

Brian from Stockbridge worked in the hospitality industry and wanted to see more resources dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a tourist destination. A practicing psychiatrist, Patricia from West Newton suggested that officials work to combat the stigma that accompanies mental illness.

Jeanne from Chelmsford begged the new administration to "please find a way to restore our education system" that she said had been decimated by budget cuts. For Laura from Cambridge, the big issue was what she described as a sharp increase in breast cancer in Massachusetts in the past 40 years because of the increase of toxins.

The goal was not to create policies for the new administration, but to solicit fresh ideas and involve people in the process, Walsh said. To do that, the transition team tried to include different points of view. As an example, Walsh pointed to Susan Nickerson, the executive director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which opposed Patrick's support of a wind farm off the island.

Nickerson said she had attended four of the energy and environment meetings and found that there were indeed varying perspectives over a wide range of issues.

"The whole intent of the series of the listening sessions was to gather input across the state," said Nickerson, who did vote for Patrick despite his support of the wind farm. "I think it was a very eclectic experience."

Posted by aryan at 7:00 PM | Comments (0)

Entwistle lawyers argue for his release to UK

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Lawyers for Neil Entwistle argued in court this afternoon that their client should be released from jail so he can return to his native England until he goes on trial next year for the slaying of his wife and infant daughter.

Prosecutors for the Middlesex County district attorney's office dismissed the claims made by the defense, saying that the fact that Entwistle flew to England after the killing of his wife and daughter proved he was a flight risk.

Judge Peter M. Lauriat took the motion under advisement and could issue a ruling at any time.

Entwistle has been held in Middlesex County Jail since Feb. 15, when he was extradited after his arrest in London. He is being held on charges of murdering his wife, Rachel, 27, and their 9-month-old baby daughter, Lillian, on Jan. 20. He flew to England near the time of their death.

Defense lawyers maintained that Entwistle was not a flight risk and would be outfitted with an electronic monitoring device while he was confined to his parents' home in Worksop, England. As surety, the Entwistle family home would be placed in escrow and could be seized if he did not return for his trial, the lawyers said.

Prosecutors rejected the claim that he was not a flight risk. They allege that after the slayings Entwistle stockpiled cash from ATM machines and spent the night in his sports utility vehicle at Logan International Airport so he could catch a plane out of the country.

Entwistle appeared in Middlesex Superior Court in a dark gray suit and said little during the proceeding. When the start of his trial was pushed back to Oct. 1 from April 27, the judge asked Entwistle if that was a problem.

"Not at all," he said.

Defense lawyers filed a motion last week that outlined several conditions for Entwistle's release, which included him wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet and checking in daily by phone with British or American law enforcement authorities.

The lawyers said that although their client left the country immediately after the killings, he spoke with the Massachusetts State Police almost daily by phone from his parents' house and did not challenge extradition upon his arrest. In addition, the lawyers argued, he had an "unblemished personal history and background."

Posted by aryan at 3:47 PM | Comments (0)

Travaglini says he "misspoke''

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Senate president Robert Travaglini today apologized for publicly criticizing Deval Patrick, saying he "misspoke" at a breakfast a day earlier.

The East Boston Democrat appeared briefly with the governor elect at a hastily called press conference at the State House. The Globe reported in Friday's editions that Travaglini had publicly scolded Patrick and threatened to withdraw the Senate's support of the incoming governor's legislative package.

"I misspoke yesterday and I want to acknowledge that publicly to you..." Travaglini told reporters this afternoon. "The position of the Senate continues to be standing ready to partner with the new administration in its efforts to demonstrate that we can conduct the people's business in their absence in a positive way and that's the reason for the visit here this afternoon."

"The relationship between Deval and I is important not only to he and I but to everyone who resides in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to that end we thought it appropriate to demonstrate quickly that the relationship is strong, is respectful, is professoinal and is ready to engage in the issues of the day," he added.

Patrick appeared gracious in accepting the explanation.

"This is my friend and my new partner and we are looking forward to and have started on building a very strong relationship," Patrick said. "We are going to have conversations from time to time that are private and where there are differences. But I've said before and we've said to each other -- not every difference is a controversy. We don't have any significant differences today. What we've been doing is tring to work through our respective... legislative agenda and as much as possible get on the same page from the start."

Posted by ddahl at 3:46 PM | Comments (0)

Patrick names energy and housing secretaries

(Tom Landers for The Boston Globe/file)

Governor-elect Deval L. Patrick today named Ian Bowles his Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Governor-elect Deval L. Patrick this afternoon announced the appointment of two key cabinet posts, naming a fellow former Clinton administration official to be the energy and environment secretary, and tapping a real estate developer to head up housing and economic affairs.

Ian Bowles, the current President and CEO of MassINC. and publisher of CommonWealth magazine, will be Patrick's Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The Cape Cod native served as the Associate Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Bill Clinton.

For Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Patrick chose Dan O'Connell, an attorney and Executive Vice President with Meredith & Grew's Development and Advisory Services Group. O'Connell was the Director of Planning and Development for the Massachusetts Port Authority and served as chief of staff to Congressman Ed Markey.

"Energy independence is going to be a top focus in the coming years, and we need coordination to achieve smarter energy outcomes and protect our environment," said Patrick in a statement. "Similarly, we need close coordination between housing and economic policy because so many workers are unable to afford to live in Massachusetts."

The appointments are the second and third cabinet slots filed by the incoming administration.

In the official announcement, Bowles said: "We have an extraordinary opportunity to build on our state's rich history of leadership on the environment—and chart a balanced, new long-term path toward a clean energy future."

Bowles has an economics degree from Harvard College and a Masters degree from Oxford University, where he remains an adjunct faculty member at the graduate school of the Environment and Geography. He also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Museum of Science, where he chairs a committee on green building issues, and is an advisor to several clean energy technology companies.

O'Connell also went to Harvard College and earned a degree from Harvard Law School. With Massport, he oversaw the completion of the 10-acre Piers Park on Boston Harbor. As a developer, he has also supervised several large-scale projects, including North Point in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, and the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority.

"It is our hope that an increased focus on housing will help the Commonwealth retain and attract the best and brightest we have to offer," O'Connell said in a statement.

To read the official announcement, click here.

Posted by aryan at 3:08 PM | Comments (0)

Official Patrick administration cabinet announcement

Patrick Selects Ian Bowles to head Energy and Environmental Affairs; Dan O'Connell to lead Housing and Economic Development

In a first glimpse at the cabinet reorganization the new administration will undertake, Governor-elect Deval Patrick today announced his selection of Ian Bowles as Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Dan O'Connell as Secretary of Housing and Economic Development.

These appointments mark the second and third cabinet announcements of the Patrick-Murray administration, and reflect the Governor-elect's intention to align cabinet functions with his vision of how best to move the Commonwealth forward.

"Energy and housing are critical elements for our future success and prosperity, and they are linked to other policies," said the Governor-elect. "Both Dan and Ian understand that. I am honored and delighted to have them join our team."

"Energy independence is going to be a top focus in the coming years, and we need coordination to achieve smarter energy outcomes and protect our environment," said Patrick. "Similarly, we need close coordination between housing and economic policy because so many workers are unable to afford to live in Massachusetts."

Governor-elect Patrick will release further details of the cabinet reorganization at a later date.

Bowles is President and CEO of MassINC., a Boston-based research institute, and publisher of CommonWealth magazine. Bowles has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and environmental sectors and served as the Associate Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Bill Clinton and was also Senior Director of the Global Environmental Affairs directorate at the National Security Council.

In those roles, Bowles played a key policy-making role on climate change and on the negotiation of bilateral clean energy agreements between the United States and India and China and on numerous other areas of environmental policy. Prior to joining the Clinton administration, Bowles served in leadership positions at Conservation International, a national environmental organization focused on biodiversity conservation.

Bowles also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Museum of Science, where he chairs a board committee on green building issues, and is a Director or advisor to several leading edge clean energy technology companies.

"Deval Patrick has a particularly compelling vision of where we need to go on energy and on the environment and he has made it a top priority," Bowles said. "He asked me to drive this agenda forward – I couldn’t be more honored to develop a team to do just that. We have an extraordinary opportunity to build on our state’s rich history of leadership on the environment—and chart a balanced, new long-term path toward a clean energy future."

A Cape Coder, Bowles grew up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He holds an A.B. in economics from Harvard College and a Masters degree from Oxford University, where he remains an adjunct member of the teaching faculty at the graduate school of the Environment and Geography. He resides in Charlestown with his wife Hannah and one-year-old daughter, Margaret.

O'Connell is an attorney and real estate developer with extensive management experience. He has worked in federal, quasi-public, and private institutions in Boston and Washington, DC. Since 2005, he has served as an Executive Vice President, Partner, and senior member of the Meredith & Grew's Development and Advisory Services Group.

Before joining the firm, O'Connell served as Principal in the Development Services Group at Spaulding & Slye Colliers, providing strategic counsel and execution capabilities to governmental, institutional, and corporate clients. He was in charge of several large-scale development projects, including Fan Pier, Boston; North Point, Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville; and the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority.

O'Connell has also served in the public sector as former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency, now MassDevelopment, and as Director of Planning and Development for the Massachusetts Port Authority, where he was responsible for the completion of the 10-acre Piers Park on Boston Harbor. He also served as chief of staff to Congressman Ed Markey.

"I'm excited and energized to be part of Governor Patrick's team," O'Connell said. "I look forward to integrating housing opportunities with economic development and job creation, which Governor Patrick has identified as key priorities in his administration. It is our hope that an increased focus on housing will help the Commonwealth retain and attract the best and brightest we have to offer."

O'Connell serves as Co-Chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Real Estate Development Committee, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Beaches, and on the Board of Directors for the Island Alliance, Boston Harbor Islands National Park. He holds an A.B from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

O'Connell lives in Boston with his wife Marilyn. He has three daughters, Brynn, Allison, and Caitlin.

Posted by aryan at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)

A stomach bug keeps 280 students home in Tewksbury

By Globe Staff

A stomach bug has sent at least 280 students and 12 staff members home sick today from an elementary school in Tewksbury.

The virus at the John F. Ryan Elementary School first began making students ill on Tuesday.

"It's a 24- to 36-hour viral stomach bug," said Principal Kevin McArdle, who has not gotten sick. "They just have to get through those tough first 24 hours, and then they are usually on the mend."

Janitors have been working overtime to clean all the desks, doorknobs, and other surfaces at the school with a bleach-based cleaner. Almost 800 students attend Ryan Elementary.

Posted by aryan at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2006

Carter invite fizzles

By Farah Stockman and Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

It seemed like a good idea: Have former President Jimmy Carter come to Brandeis University to talk about his controversial new book, "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid."

But the idea ended -- as many things on Carter’s tumultuous nationwide book tour have -- in disagreement and controversy.

Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz said he agreed with a trustee’s suggestion to invite Carter last month, if Carter were willing to debate one of his most outspoken critics, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz.

Carter, president from 1977-1981, rejected the idea. To Carter, the episode was proof that many in the United States were unwilling to hear an alternative view on what he says is the most taboo foreign-policy issue in the United States -- Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

But others say it shows Carter himself is unwilling to debate his own best -- selling book, which has sparked allegations of errors and omissions, charges of anti-Israeli bias, and protesters at his book signings.

"President Carter said he wrote the book because he wanted to encourage more debate. Then why won’t he debate?" Dershowitz said.

Carter, who brokered the 1978 Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, has said the goal of the book -- including its provocative title -- was to provoke dialogue and action.

"There is no debate in America about anything that would be critical of Israel," he said in an interview Wednesday night.

But a furor has erupted because of the use of the word apartheid, which seems to equate the oppression of Palestinians with that endured by black South Africans under that country’s now-defunct system of state -- mandated racial segregation.

Carter said: "Apartheid is the forced separation of two peoples in the same area and the forced subjugation of one to the other. No one can argue that that is not the situation in the Palestinian territories right now."

Others have praised the 39th president for raising important questions about the cost of the United States' unwavering support for Israel.

The effort to bring Carter to Brandeis began Nov. 14, when computer science professor Harry Mairson sent Carter a letter asking whether he would be interested in coming to talk. Mairson called the letter a "feeler," not an invitation.

Before accepting, Carter called his longtime friend and former adviser, Stuart Eizenstat, a member of Brandeis’s Board of Trustees, for advice. Eizenstat said he advised Carter not to accept because he did not know whether the professor had an agenda.

A member of Carter’s staff later asked whether Reinharz could extend an invitation, and Eizenstat said he approached Reinharz with an idea: invite Carter to debate Dershowitz, who had recently reviewed Carter’s book and who had previously expressed a desire to debate Carter several times.

Reinharz thought the debate was "a terrific idea," he said in a telephone interview.

Carter, however, was stunned by the proposal.

"I don’t want to have a conversation even indirectly with Dershowitz," Carter said. ‘‘There is no need to for me to debate somebody who, in my opinion, knows nothing about the situation in Palestine."

Mairson received a written reply, dated Nov. 17, from Carter’s appointment secretary, saying that he would not visit the campus.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

Needham principal barks back

Lauren K. Meade, Globe Correspondent

After criticism from Rush Limbaugh and a jab from Jay Leno, Needham High principal Paul Richards is firing back, defending his decision to stop publishing the high school student honor roll in a local newspaper.

"With so much competition these days with print, TV, radio, and the Internet, this issue was easily twisted into a ‘politically-correct move to protect self-esteem,'" Richards wrote Thursday in an e-mail to the Globe. "That would sell much better than an intellectual discussion on student stress."

School officials, seeking to lighten the stress load on students in a community from which four youths have committed suicide since 2004, decided last week to end the years-old practice of listing in a local newspaper who made the academic honor roll.

Radio talk shows blasted Richards for coddling his students, and Jay Leno made him the butt of a joke in his Tuesday night monologue on "The Tonight Show."

Limbaugh chided Richards on Wednesday for caving under parental pressure. "So one parent complained, and the school bent over backwards! They just fell, spine turned to mush," he said on his nationally syndicated radio show.

Richards said he never expected that the policy would spark so much attention. "I’m shocked," Richards wrote. "This was simply an FYI to parents, until it was fed to the media by parents who disagreed with this. I had no intention of making a public stand."

In light of the backlash, the principal said he hoped the story would spark debate on how schools can reduce stress among teens.

"The character assassination of Needham public schools and myself was unfortunate, but there is indeed a value in providing 'food for thought' on an issue that many would like to think doesn’t exist," Richards wrote.

Needham Superintendent Daniel E. Gutekanst said in a telephone interview that the decision on the honor roll was not made in isolation, but rather in the context of school district’s efforts to address student stress. (School officials did not cite the recent suicides as a reason for ending the publishing of the honor roll.)

Richards announced the new honor roll policy in a short e-mail to parents early last week. He followed with a second e-mail Sunday, saying he had received a total of 60 messages from supporters and critics.

"By having an honor roll in the first place, the school participates in a sorting of students," Richards wrote. "When we publish this sorting, there are values attached that we should be mindful of."

Richards said critics of his decision contended that publishing the honor roll served to counterbalance excessive media attention to school tragedies and sports.

"He’s running a great high school," said Gutekanst. "He’s tweaking some of the traditions and practices with a focus on the entire learning culture."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)

Ed boss: State should drop 10th grade MCAS

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Massachusetts should scrap the 10th-grade MCAS tests and require sophomores to pass a tougher battery of tests that would give them entry to a public college or university in the state, Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said Thursday.

Driscoll is promoting the change and a slew of others as part of his work on a national commission proposing an overhaul of the nation’s education system, state by state, by 2021.

The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, which included Thomas W. Payzant, former superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and Harry A. Spence, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, released wide-ranging recommendations to improve American education and better prepare students for college. The proposals come as Congress prepares to debate the reauthorization of the 2001 No Child Left Behind law next year.

Driscoll said he will begin describing his ideas for Massachusetts, which stem from the national panel’s work, at next week’s Board of Education meeting.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

Judge resentences convicted neo-Nazis

(Zara Tsanev for The Boston Globe)

Erica Chase, 27, pictured above with her 3-month-old daughter Antoinette Blair Chase, was sentenced to only an additional three months in prison today after she told a judge she no longer held neo-Nazi views.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

A federal judge today added another three months on the 57-month sentence of a young woman who was convicted in 2002 of plotting with her white supremacist boyfriend to blow-up Jewish or African American landmarks in Boston.

Erica Chase, 27, has been free and living in Philadelphia since completing her original sentence in June 2005. She gave birth to a daughter in September, but will now have to return to prison next month.

A jury found Chase and her boyfriend, Leo Felton, guilty of conspiracy to bomb and other charges, including carrying a gun. US District Judge Nancy Gertner had set aside the jury's conviction on the gun charge.

However, a federal appeals court reinstated the gun charge last year, requiring Gertner to consider whether to add up to five years on the sentences of Chase and Felton.

The judge tacked another five years onto Felton's sentence -- increasing it from 21 years and 10 months to 26 years and 10 months.

Gertner said that she recognized that Felton, who claimed he no longer holds racist views, had changed since his arrest in April 2001. However, she said he had not made the kind of profound change in his life that would justify a lesser prison term than called for under federal sentencing guidelines.

"These are offenses that are so bad and so frightening and so dangerous that it takes an extraordinary change to make a difference," Gertner said.

During her sentencing, Chase told the judge that she was "silly" and young when she got involved with Felton five years ago and that every day she spent in prison was important in helping her turn her life around.

"I do recognize the severity of this situation, more so now at 27, than at 21," she said.

Gertner said that Chase's crimes in 2001 were "serious offenses," but that she has seen a "profound change" in Chase. She added, "It simply makes no sense to return you to jail for five years when there is every indication that the five years you've already served has made a difference to you."

Assistant US Attorney S. Theodore Merritt had urged the judge to order Chase to serve another five years in prison, saying, "This was a terrorist plot that she knowingly and voluntarily participated in."

Chase's lawyer, Timothy Watkins, urged the judge to impose only three more months of prison time. He argued that Chase was an impressionable young woman who had been lured into the plot by Felton and no longer held neo-Nazi views. He said,

"She's completely turned her life around," Watkins said.

Posted by aryan at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)

Woman killed as cab jumps sidewalk

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A taxi plowed onto a crowded Dorchester sidewalk this afternoon, killing an elderly woman who was pinned beneath the cab’s front wheels, police and witnesses said.

Witnesses said it appeared the driver of the independent taxi was attempting to go forward but accidentally put the car in reverse. The taxi also injured three people and knocked over a fire hydrant, destroyed a metal bench, and shattered glass windows at the entrance of the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center.

Police said they were investigating the crash, which occurred shortly before 3 p.m. at the busy intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Kimball Street. Police did not name the driver or say if he would be cited.

"It sounded like a big explosion," said Linda Lindenberg of Quincy, a patient at the center who watched the crash while waiting for a ride. "I couldn’t believe it. I was about to go sit on that bench. I’m still in shock."

The woman pinned under the taxi was either entering or exiting the taxi with her brother, who uses a walker and had come to the center for care, said officials at the Dorchester House. They identified him as John Carpenter and her as Ruth, but they did not know her last name. They said both were taken to Boston Medical Center.

Carpenter did not suffer life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The other victims were identified as Helen Anderson, 41, a dental assistant at the Dorchester House, and Ray Stappen, an elderly man who lives at the nearby Kelly House apartments and was known to spend time on the corner, said Pat Morse, a patient advocate at the Dorchester House.

Anderson was apparently pinned between the bench and the taxi and suffered a broken hip and pelvis, Morse said. Stappen complained of being dizzy and having chest pain, she said. Both were taken to a nearby hospital.

"It was a nightmare," Morse said. "We were lucky there was an ambulance nearby and that people responded so quickly."

She and others called a group of men from the nearby Fields Corner Auto Glass “heroes.”

One of the men, Stephen Binsack, rushed to the scene after hearing the crash. He said he and others talked the driver out of driving the taxi off of the woman. Minutes afterward, Binsack said he and a group of men lifted the front end of the taxi off the woman, allowing paramedics to pull her out.

"It’s one of the most awful things I’ve ever seen," Binsack said.

Posted by aryan at 5:23 PM | Comments (0)

Cambridge explosion ruled accident

By Globe Staff

Fire officials ruled today that the transformer explosion at a Kendall Square office building last week that killed an NStar worker was an accident, but investigators could not determine if the blast was a mechanical malfunction or the result of human error.

The probe of the Dec. 8 mishap at One Broadway in Cambridge by a team of local and state fire officials included an examination of the scene and interviews with witnesses, including the NStar employee who survived the blast. The explosion occurred when two employees were working on a transformer in the basement.

"While the investigators have ruled out any criminal act, they are not able determine if human error, procedural error or a malfunction of safety mechanisms was the specific cause," according to a statement released by State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan.

The accident killed Kevin Fidalgo, 28, of Roxbury, and forced the evacuation of the 17-floor office building. Smoke filled the stairwells and some 100 people suffered smoke inhalation.

Fire officials have identified the point at which the smoke entered the fresh air ductwork and have ordered the owner of the office tower to fix the problem before the building can be re-occupied.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also still investigating the incident.

Posted by aryan at 5:14 PM | Comments (0)

A bow from the GOP minority leader

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

During the 14 years Brian P. Lees led the tiny Republican minority in the state Senate, he developed a favorite phrase that his fellow lawmakers grew to dread. The expression -- 13 B -- evoked a rule that calls for a caucus and immediately puts the brakes on any vote or debate.

"The minute I said '13B' you'd hear a groan from the members because they knew we had to stop," Lees said before giving his farewell speech today in the Senate. "Maybe if I wasn't there, everything would have gotten done much faster."

Speed was something Lees' feared in a 40-member chamber dominated by 34 Democrats. By shouting "13B" or asking a question about every budget line item, he could slow down the process and inflate the influence of the six GOP senators.

"That's the function of the minority, to ask questions," Lees said. "It doesn't matter if they are Republicans or Democrats. They have to make the majority explain what they are doing."

After 18 years in the Senate, the East Longmeadow Republican decided to step down so he could run for Clerk of Courts in Hampden County. Lees' Senate seat was won by a Democrat, and the Republican minority in January will shrink to five, marking the low point for the party in the chamber at any time since 1867.

While Lees has always served in a Senate dominated by Democrats, he was able to rely on the influence in the corner office. Lees said previous Republican governors such as William Weld and Paul Cellucci worked with the Legislature to find compromises that helped enact tax cuts and advance the minority party's agenda.

That was less true, however, in the last four years under Governor Mitt Romney.

"It was pretty clear right from the beginning he just had a different style," Lees said. "Working with the Legislature just wasn't productive in his mind."

"Romney is certainly a smart, articulate, charming man," he continued. "But government has three branches. You can't have one branch not dealing with the other two."

The notable exception was the state's universal health care reform that Romney helped mold, Lees said.

But now, with the election of Democratic Deval L Patrick, there will not be someone in the corner office to champion the GOP cause. Lees said Republicans will have to work even harder to make sure the people's business isn't rushed through the Legislature by a single party. He offered some advice for his former colleagues.

"Don't ever get embarrassed about asking questions and don't ever shirk from your duty to let the public know what is going on in the senate," Lees said. "You may not win, but it will be out in the open."

Posted by aryan at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)

911 tape recorded gunman's final moments

(Robert E. Klein for the Boston Globe)

New Bedford police dispatcher Ron Pacheco answered questions at a press conference today about the conversation he had with a gunman who dialed 911 in the middle of a shooting spree at the Foxy Lady strip club.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Minutes before he gunned down two managers at a New Bedford strip club and then shot himself to death, Scott C. Medeiros dialed 911 from a cell phone and spoke in an eerily calm, matter-of-fact voice to a dispatcher.

"I'm the person in the club shooting -- that's me," Medeiros, 35, says, according to dramatic 911 tapes released today by police. "I have a little issue I took care of."

The tapes make clear that Ron Pacheco, the dispatcher on the other end of the line, knew instantly with whom he was speaking, and the mortal threat Medeiros posed. Listen to a recording of the 911 call by clicking here.

Pacheco, a former Marine who fought in Vietnam and served 26 years with the New Bedford police, tried to make a personal connection with the gun-wielding assailant.

"I've done time in 'Nam," Pacheco says on the tape. "I know what it means to be hurt."

What sounds like gunfire crackles through on the tape, and over the next several minutes, Medeiros says nothing. Police say it was then he shot and killed the two managers, Robert Carreiro, 33, and Tory Marandos, 30, who also called 911.

Then Medeiros gets back on the line with Pacheco.

"It's over," Medeiros says. "What am I going to walk out of here for? For what? To spend the rest of my life in jail if I'm lucky."

Pacheco tries to keep Medeiros talking.

"It ain't all over man," the dispatcher says.

"It's over. It's over. Goodbye," Medeiros says.

A gunshot rings out. The phone falls to the ground.

"Hello, hello?" Pacheco says for about 90 seconds.

The line goes silent.

Posted by aryan at 1:48 PM | Comments (0)

Revere police: Man stabs wife, self

By Globe Staff

A man is expected to be arraigned in a hospital bed today after police said he attacked his estranged wife with a knife in Revere and then turned the weapon on himself.

The man, Pasquale Cocchia, 57, faces charges that include armed assault with intent to murder and home invasion.

Police allege that Cocchia broke into the home of his estranged wife early Wednesday and stabbed the 38-year-old woman. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday.

Revere police did not return a phone message seeking more details. Cocchia has been in a guarded room at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Posted by aryan at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

Water Main break at Woburn mall

(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

A note told shoppers that the Woburn Mall was closed today after a water main broke at about 6 a.m.

By Globe Staff

A 12-inch water main broke early this morning at a construction site outside the Woburn Mall, flooding part of a grocery store, a fire official said.

The Woburn Fire Department received a call at 5:51 a.m. The break occurred near an addition that is being built on to the Market Place grocery store.

Work crews remain on the scene.

On Tuesday, a water pipe broke at the CambridgeSide Galleria and closed three stores, including Best Buy. The break also dumped thousands of gallons of water into the parking garage.

Posted by aryan at 8:48 AM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2006

Menino's plan to move City Hall draws praise, criticism

By Matt Viser and Thomas P. Palmer Jr.
Globe Staff

A day after detailing plans to move City Hall to South Boston and sell the current site, Mayor Thomas M. Menino on Wednesday received a half dozen calls from individuals interested in developing the prime piece of downtown real estate.

Menino declined to name the companies, but said one was from Washington and two were from the Boston area.

Meanwhile, as regulators and others mulled Menino’s announcement, the possible bureaucratic hurdles for such a deal began to emerge. Several city councilors raised questions about Menino’s plan to move the municipal hub from a downtown transportation nexus to a drydock on the South Boston Waterfront with limited subway access.

‘‘It is a mistake,’’ said City Councilor John M. Tobin, who is currently running for council president and has sights on the mayor’s seat.

The council technically has authority to kill a sale of City Hall, but Menino could likely structure a deal that sidesteps the council. Still, councilors opposing it could publicize their complaints and make a transaction difficult for the mayor.

Others raised concerns about developing City Hall Plaza. With subway lines below it, some said it would be difficult to construct tall buildings. And state restrictions on developing open space could apply to City Hall Plaza. Security concerns at the nearby JFK federal building, which have stalled plans to build in the area in the past, could resurface.

But among area developers, the proposal continued to draw excitement.

‘‘It’s arguably the best opportunity in Boston real estate,’’ said Dean Stratouly, developer of 33 Arch St. near Downtown Crossing.

To build a new City Hall at Menino’s proposed site on the harbor will require approval from the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. In addition to height restrictions and other guidelines for building near the water, the city would have to meet conditions imposed by the state in the area, an area zoned for port activity. It currently houses the Bank of America Pavilion under a special use permit.

City development officials said they don’t forsee problems meeting those conditions and that no other restrictions could hold back a deal.

‘‘This should not be excessively difficult,’’ said Mark Maloney, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Officials said the city will begin crafting a request for proposals from architects in January. They will also start looking into ways to improve the area’s public transportation system by adding water taxis. City officials are also hoping to keep the Bank of America Pavilion on the property, converting it into a year-round cultural hub for concerts and performing art shows to serve as a similar role as the current City Hall Plaza.

Posted by mbrelis at 7:52 PM | Comments (0)

Dukakis testifies in Limone trial

By Shelley Murphy
Globe Staff

Former Governor Michael S. Dukakis testified Wednesday that he carefully considered every inmate’s request for clemency in the 1980s, even reviewing case files at home at night before deciding whether they should be set free.

But Dukakis said he only recalled one instance when the state’s top federal prosecutor weighed in on a clemency petition — in 1983, when then US Attorney William F. Weld urged him to reject Peter J. Limone’s bid for freedom.

Considering how ‘‘unusual’’ it was to get such a letter, Dukakis said he gave ‘‘substantial’’ weight to Weld’s warning that Limone would ‘‘assume charge of the day-to-day operations of organized crime in this area’’ if released.

The governor said he urged the governor’s council not to commute the life sentences of Limone and his codefendant, Louis Greco, in the 1980s, but obviously would have felt differently if he knew the men had been wrongfully convicted of the 1965 gangland slaying of petty thief Edward ‘‘Teddy’’ Deegan in Chelsea.

Dukakis, who served as governor from 1975 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1990, was called to the stand in a civil trial, where Limone, Joseph Salvati, and the families of Greco and Henry Tameleo, who are both dead, are seeking more than $100 million from the government for falsely imprisoning the men.

Later, on his way out of the courthouse, Dukakis said it was ‘‘disgraceful’’ that two Italian-American members of the parole board were investigated by the FBI for alleged ties to organized crime after they voted to commute Limone’s sentence in 1983.

‘‘Now that we know what was going on in the (FBI) office, we were all deceived,’’ said Dukakis, referring to the racketeering conviction of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. for his handling of longtime informants James ‘‘Whitey’’ Bulger and Stephen ‘‘The Rifleman’’ Flemmi, and to the murder indictment of former FBI agent H. Paul Rico, who died in jail while awaiting trial. ‘‘In fact, the bureau itself was betrayed.’’

Limone and Salvati spent more than 30 years in prison before they were exonerated five years ago after the revelation that secret FBI reports, never turned over at their 1968 trial, indicated they had been framed by the government’s key witness, Mafia hitman Joseph ‘‘The Animal’’ Barboza. Tameleo and Greco died in prison.

Dukakis acknowledged he knew nothing about allegations that then-FBI agent Dennis Condon was aware Barboza was lying and yet vouched for his credibility during the trial.

But on the stand, Dukakis defended the integrity of Condon, who served as public safety commissioner during his administration. He later told reporters, ‘‘There really wasn’t a better public servant walking the earth, in my opinion.’’

Barboza testified during the 1968 trial that Limone, who allegedly had ties to organized crime, paid him $7,500 to kill Deegan and that Tameleo, the mob’s reputed consigliere, sanctioned the hit. Barboza, who was given leniency for his cooperation, claimed Salvati and Greco participated in the slaying.

In earlier testimony Wednesday, former defense attorney F. Lee Bailey testified that Barboza confided to him two years after the convictions that Rico was part of a plot to frame the four men.

Bailey said Barboza claimed that Rico told him the FBI wanted to prosecute ‘‘high-profile’’ organized crime figures and suggested he implicate Tameleo and Limone in Deegan’s slaying.

‘‘He said he was told (by Rico) to give us two and you can name two,’’ said Bailey, adding that Barboza added Salvati and Greco because he disliked them.

Bailey said Barboza admitted protecting one of the true killers, his close friend Vincent ‘‘Jimmy’’ Flemmi, who was also an FBI informant. Flemmi, who died in prison in 1979, was the brother of longtime FBI informant, Stephen Flemmi.

Bailey said he agreed to represent Barboza in his recantation, but only after the mobster said he would take a lie detector test. But Bailey said the test was never given.

Barboza’s possible recantation became public in 1970 when he signed an affidavit saying portions of his trial testimony were false. But later Barboza told federal prosecutors he was only pretending to recant as part of a plot to extort money from local Mafia leaders, according to court records.

Barboza was gunned down by another mobster in 1976 in San Francisco.

Rico died in January 2004, in jail, awaiting trial on charges that he helped Bulger and Stephen Flemmi orchestrate the 1981 slaying of Tulsa businessman Roger Wheeler.

Posted by mbrelis at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)

Westover wins in Air Force base consolidation

By Bryan Bender
GLOBE STAFF

WASHINGTON — The US Air Force announced Wednesday it is expanding the mission of Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, a move that elected officials expect will add 80 jobs to the team of 150 maintenance specialists who repair large transport aircraft at the base.

The Air Force, following last year’s base closures, decided to consolidate the number of facilities that inspect its C-5 Galaxy aircraft from eight to three — one active-duty, one Reserve, and one National Guard.

After a detailed analysis, Westover was chosen as the Air Force Reserve base to oversee the C-5 repair work, in large part because of its relative proximity to overseas military missions in Europe and the Middle East, according to the Air Force.

‘‘Westover has an excellent reputation in the Air Force for C-5 maintenance expertise,’’ the service said in a fact sheet provided to reporters Wednesday. ‘‘This was most recently evident during the build-up of forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom.’’

Like Otis Air Guard Base on Cape Cod, Westover survived the 2005 round of base closures and was angling for a larger role as the Air Force closed other facilities across the nation.

The decision to increase Westover’s workload drew praise from members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who met as recently as this month with Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, called the announcement ‘‘a tribute to the high caliber work done by the dedicated men and women on the base. It is also a recognition of the strategic value of Westover’s location as the closest airlift base in the US to get needed supplies to our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.’’

The Air Force currently has 111 of the lumbering C-5 jets in its fleet, 16 of them assigned to Westover. With the new expansion, set to begin next year, as many as 40 C-5s will pass through Westover each year for a ‘‘nose to tail, wingtip to wingtip’’ maintenance inspection, the service said. The Air Force will decide next year how many additional positions will be needed at Westover.

The C-5 , which first flew in 1968, is one of the largest planes in the world. The cargo bay is long enough, at nearly 144 feet, that The Wright Brothers could have made their first flight of 120 feet within the belly of the plane. It has been a workhorse for US military operations around the globe.

A single C-5 can ferry six Apache attack helicopters, or two M1 Abrams tanks, or a quarter of a million pounds of relief supplies — nonstop — for 2,500 miles, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. With mid-air refueling its range is nearly unlimited.

‘‘The 439th Airlift Wing at Westover plays a critical role in the global movement of US troops, equipment and supplies,’’ said Rep. Richard Neal, Democrat of Springfield, whose district includes Chicopee. ‘‘Today’s announcement by the Air Force will bring more work and new jobs to Westover. It’s great news for both the base and western Massachusetts.’’

Posted by mbrelis at 6:45 PM | Comments (0)

Four construction workers hurt in Lexington

By Elizabeth A Ratto, Globe Correspondent

Four construction workers were injured this afternoon at the Brookhaven Assisted Living Facility in Lexington, when the roof they were working on collapsed.

"Right now we don't know what caused it," said Lexington Fire Chief Bill Middlemiss.

The roof collapsed about 3 p.m. while the men were grouting on top of it. All four men were taken to area hospitals, one of the men's injuries were considered life-threatening.

Posted by aryan at 6:02 PM | Comments (0)

SBA office in Danvers to close next week

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff

The US Small Business Administration on Dec. 19 will close its Disaster Outreach Center in Danvers, set up to assist victims of last month's chemical explosion at an ink-and-paint factory, officials said today.

The agency so far has 10 approved low-cost loans totaling $694,000 to homeowners and businesses, whose properties were either heavily damaged or destroyed during the blast. SBA loan officers have so far met with 81 homeowners, businesses, and renters impacted by the blast, which remains under investigation.

After the SBA's temporary office closes at Danvers Town Hall, the agency still will accept applications for loans and property damage assistance until Jan. 29. Businesses that lost revenue due to the explosion have until Aug. 29 to apply for loans.

Posted by srhee at 4:35 PM | Comments (0)

Big Dig tunnel close to reopening

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

Workers have begun removing the shoring towers inside the eastbound Interstate 90 connector tunnel, where repairs are 95 to 97 percent complete, state officials said today.

Repairs are done in the westbound connector tunnel, which will reopen after inspections by state and federal officials. State officials declined to specify a timeline for when the tunnel could open.

A single lane in the eastbound connector opened in September, while crews put up shoring towers to hold up ceiling panels in adjacent lanes during repairs of deficient bolts. The safety problems were found after a July 10 cave-in of ceiling panels that killed Milena Del Valle of Jamaica Plain, a passenger in a car headed to Logan International Airport.

Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation, said a ramp leading from I-93 northbound to I-90 east should open shortly after the eastbound connector fully opens. A key ramp from Logan International Airport to I-93 opened before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Posted by srhee at 3:58 PM | Comments (0)

After 20 days, Romney makes public appearance in Mass.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The Christmas tree and menorah lighting at the State House late today promises to bring more than holiday cheer to the capitol. It will bring back the state's globe-trotting governor, who has not made a public appearance in Massachusetts for 20 days.

Governor Mitt Romney returned Tuesday evening from a trip that took him to China, South Korea, Japan, and California. The presumptive presidential candidate has visited 10 other states in the last month.

His last public appearance in Massachusetts was on Nov. 22, when he toured the damage from a massive industrial explosion in a Danvers.

Romney, who has yet to formally announce he is running for president, will leave office on Jan. 4 when Democrat Deval L. Patrick is sworn in.

The governor's office did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Posted by aryan at 3:17 PM | Comments (0)

2,000 gather for NStar worker's funeral

(David L Ryan / Globe Staff)

Mourners wept today at the casket of Kevin Fidalgo, 28, the NStar worker killed last week in an explosion at an office building in Kendall Square.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Kevin Fidalgo, the 28-year-old NStar worker who was killed Friday when a transformer exploded in the basement of a Cambridge office tower, was remembered today as a man who had a penchant for bringing people together and who had a passion for fitness.

At least 2,000 people filled St. Patrick's Church, where he was an altar boy, to hear eulogies delivered in both English and Cape Verdean Creole.

"There is an old expression that life is unfair,'' said Father Robert Waldron, head of the church, which sits in the heart of the Roxbury community where Fidalgo grew up. "If we never knew that before, we know it now."

The 90-minute funeral drew several co-workers from NStar, a few of Fidalgo's former football teammates from high school and college, and hundreds of friends from the surrounding community, including peace activist Isaura Mendes.

Fidalgo's shiny, mahogany-colored casket was carried out of the church by male relatives dressed in black suits and bright-red ties, and they were followed by approximately a half-dozen young women wearing bright-red head scarfs. The red symbolized life and celebration, said John Barros, Fidalgo's cousin.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of the explosion that sent heavy plumes of smoke into the 17-story building at One Broadway, forcing the evacuation of as many as 800 people. About 33 people were taken to hospitals and treated for smoke inhalation.

Posted by srhee at 2:39 PM | Comments (0)

Police announce 'significant' break in slaying of gang truce leader's slaying

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

Boston Police announced this afternoon that ballistics tests linked two guns found in Roxbury last week to the slaying of a former gang leader who was working to preserve a gang truce.

The guns, along with crack cocaine, were found in a car being driven by Jerome Brody, 19, of Everett, who was stopped Dec. 4, police said. Brody was arraigned this morning on gun and drug charges, and police are calling him a "person of interest" in the investigation into the death of Jahmol A. Norfleet, 20, who was shot in the head outside his grandmother's Roxbury house on Nov. 28.

At an afternoon press conference, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis called the gun arrest "a significant development in the Norfleet homicide." "But we want to stress that this case is still under investigation," Davis said.

Norfleet, a former leader of the H-Block gang in Roxbury, had been talking to youth about keeping the peace with the rival Heath Street gang in Jamaica Plain since he was released from prison about three months before his death.

Afterwards, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and ministers involved in the truce effort vowed not to let Norfleet's killing end the cease-fire. Police have said that despite the timing of the shooting -- on the first anniversary of the slaying of 17-year-old Heath Street member Carl Searcy -- it was not clear that it was gang-related.

Posted by srhee at 2:30 PM | Comments (0)

NB police cars riddled with bullets after strip club rampage

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Judging from the bullet holes and smeared blood inside the New Bedford police cruiser, it is amazing that either of the two officers inside the car survived Tuesday's deadly rampage by a masked gunman at the Foxy Lady strip club.

Unit 11 had three bullet holes in the windshield. The windows were shattered. Ten rounds hit the right front door where Officer Steven Wadman was sitting. There were bullet holes in the seats and one in a headrest.

"He was trying to kill the cops," said New Bedford Captain Richard Spirlet. "There's no question about that."

But neither Wadman nor his partner, Joshua Fernandes, died.

Fernandes, a five-year veteran of the force, and Wadman, a rookie, were the first officers to arrive at the Foxy Lady in New Bedford shortly after 2 a.m. The gunman, identified as Scott Medeiros, clad in black and brandishing a high-powered rifle, fired on their cruiser as they pulled up, shooting at least 20 times, Spirlet said.

Fernandes, who was shot in the face, returned to the New Bedford police department today after his release from Rhode Island Hospital. Wadman is undergoing more tests for wounds he suffered in both arms and one hip.

Police showed some of the damage that they say Medeiros did with a Bushmaster .223 caliber civilian-style M16 rifle.

Reporters were allowed to inspect three police vehicles that were hit during the standoff, including Unit 11. A second police cruiser had six bullet holes and a flat tire, and a Ford Bronco had been shot at least three times.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are tracing the Bushmaster that Medeiros used in the shooting to try to determine its origin. The Bushmaster rifle is similar to the weapon used in 2002 in sniper attacks in the Washington D.C.-area.

Last week, Bushmaster Firearms of Windham, Maine, agreed to pay $550,000 to eight plaintiffs who sued after the attacks. The gun dealer in Tacoma, Wash., where the snipers' Bushmaster rifle came from also agreed to pay $2 million.

Medeiros, who did not have a significant criminal history, had had a gun license since 1991.

Posted by aryan at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

Romney reaches agreement with feds for troopers to enforce immigration laws

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Governor Mitt Romney announced today that he would sign an agreement with the federal government to give 30 specially trained state troopers the authority to enforce immigration laws.

Romney, who is leaving office in three weeks but is seen as a likely presidential candidate, reached the agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

"The scope of our nation's illegal immigration problem requires us to pursue and implement new solutions wherever possible," Romney said in a statement. "State Troopers are highly trained professionals who are prepared to assist the federal government in apprehending immigration violators without disrupting their normal law enforcement routines."

Governor elect-Deval Patrick has expressed reservations about the plan, saying last week that it was a "bad idea."

The agreement makes Massachusetts the ninth jurisdiction in the United States in which local officers have the power to enforce federal immigration laws.

Romney's staff made the announcement this morning.

In July, the Globe reported that for years the State Police used a company that relied on illegal immigrants to clean its barracks and headquarters. Earlier this month, the paper also reported that undocumented workers employed by a Chelsea-based landscaping firm cut the lawn of Romney’s home in Belmont for years.

The 30 state troopers will be drawn from five units – the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Squad, the Criminal Investigation Section, the Anti-Gang Unit, the Drug Enforcement Unit and the Community Action Team. They will begin a five-week training course with immigration officials early next year.

"I am pleased that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has joined this very successful program," said Julie L. Myers, an assistant secretary with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The goal of the partnership is to seek out those who both break our nation's immigration laws and the laws of Massachusetts by engaging in criminal activity."

Posted by aryan at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

Romney magistrate candidate withdraws

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Governor Mitt Romney's nominee for a top magistrate's position in the Housing Court abruptly withdrew his name from consideration today, amid revelations that he had been reprimanded for sexually harassing a female coworker six years ago.

Stephen G. Carreiro sent a letter to the governor's office saying he wished to express his thanks for the governor's "trust and confidence," but that he had decided to withdraw his name, said Governor’s Councilor Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney.

Carreiro's decision to withdraw came came less than 24 hours before the Governor's Council, an eight-member panel that must confirmation judicial nominees, was scheduled to vote on his nomination.

Romney had been under increasing pressure to withdraw the nomination since last week, when Carreiro acknowledged that as an assistant clerk magistrate in the Southeast Division of the Housing Court, he had been reprimanded for telling a female coworker that he wanted her to give him a lap dance. Carreiro made the remark as he was preparing to go to the Foxy Lady strip club on his lunch break. He told the Governor's Council during his confirmatin hearing last week that the comment had been misinterpreted.

Governor's councilors said they were angry that he had not disclosed the reprimand on questionairres they had sent him prior to his confirmation hearing.

Carreiro is currently acting clerk magistrate for the court.

Posted by ddahl at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2006

Jurors: race talk tainted panel

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Three members of the jury that convicted a black trash collector in the rape and murder of a white fashion writer on Cape Cod said in sworn statements that other jurors made repeated racist remarks during deliberations, at one point almost triggering a fight.

In affidavits filed Monday that lie at the heart of a motion seeking a new trial for Christopher M. McCowen, the three jurors said other members of the panel referred to the defendant as ‘‘an intimidating big black guy’’ and voiced fears that he was staring at them. The affidavits also asserted that one juror described bruises on Christa Worthington, the victim, as the predictable result when a ‘‘200-pound black guy beats on a small woman.’’

The remarks prompted one of the jurors who submitted an affidavit to call another juror a racist and almost led to a fight between the two women, who had to be separated, the affidavits said.

Robert A. George, who defended McCowen in the case, said the three jurors who submitted the affidavits had called him separately shortly after the Nov. 16 guilty verdict that resulted in a life sentence.

"Over the years, I’ve been contacted by jurors after a trial, but I’ve never had three jurors from the same jury contact me," George said in an interview Monday. "If true, it demands a new trial free of racial bias."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)

Inauguration to include shoe drive

By David Abel, GLOBE STAFF

After criticism about the expense of his five-day inauguration, Governor-elect Deval Patrick has asked partygoers to bring new socks and new or "gently used" shoes and boots for needy children to next month's events in Worcester and Boston.

Organizers said they hope the drive will deliver several thousand pairs of shoes and boots to homeless and low-income children across the state. Lynn Margherio -- chief executive of Cradles to Crayons, a Quincy-based nonprofit that is helping organize the drive -- asked donors to bring shoes and socks that "you would be glad to receive as a gift for your child."

"It’s critical that they are new or in very good condition," she said. "No stains, no tears, not stretched out of shape, not missing pieces, and not looking like it’s been worn."

Cyndi Roy, a spokeswoman for the Patrick transition and inaugural, said the announcement was not an effort to deflect criticism about the January festivities. The inaugural events are expected to cost in excess of $1 million, raised in part with donations of up to $50,000 by corporations and other interest groups.

"This is a way for citizens to give back to those who are in need," she said of the effort to collect donated shoes.

The transition team also announced a schedule of inaugural events.

An event for hundreds of high school students from around the state is being planned on Jan. 4 at Tremont Temple in Boston. The students will join Patrick for "a conversation on the importance of civic engagement and leadership and the future of Massachusetts," according to a news release from the transition team, which added that students would be selected by schools.

The inaugural festivities also will include seven events open to the public. Plans include a Worcester event on Jan. 3, the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural celebration in Boston on Jan. 4, a Merrimack Valley-North Shore event on Jan. 5, events in Pittsfield and Springfield on Jan. 6, and more events on Cape Cod and in Fall River and New Bedford on Jan. 7.

Local committees meeting this week will determine their event’s location and theme and organize a "civic engagement or community-building activity in celebration of the inauguration," according to the transition team. The events will occur at different times of day and are expected to attract some 40,000 people.

Organizers asked that the children’s sneakers, boots, and socks be brought to the Jan. 3 event in Worcester and the Jan. 4 gala in Boston, which will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

According to the Associated Press, Patrick Monday rebuffed criticism of his elaborate inaugural, saying it was meant to include people from all walks of life, from all over the state.

"It is about inviting people from all across the commonwealth ... regular people, and making a way for them to participate in an historic occurrence," said Patrick, who on Jan. 4 will become the state’s first black governor, only the second elected in the country.

Tickets and more details about the inaugural are available at jan4th.org.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:59 PM | Comments (0)

Immigrants pledge allegiance

By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff

LOWELL -- Among the 934 immigrants who raised their right hands and promised to protect the United States against all enemies Monday stood four men for whom that pledge may have seemed redundant.

Ariel Montas, born in the Dominican Republic, spent a year defending the United States in Iraq.

Rayon Everett, born in Jamaica and dressed in desert fatigues, expects to be deployed there in July.

Jose Rodrigues, born in Angola, and Jean Bernard, born in Haiti, each did two tours in Iraq.

"I joined up because it’s my way to give back," said Montas, 25, who was a National Guardsman for seven years. "My parents, my whole family, came here in the hopes of a better life, and we found it."

Immigrants from 83 countries surrounded the four men, all of them packed into the Lowell Memorial to take their oath of allegiance to the United States. Some wore jeans and hoodies, others shiny dresses and hats. As Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of the US District Court named each of the countries represented, immigrants from those nations stood.

Soon all 934 were standing. When Wolf declared them American citizens, they cheered and shook a sea of little American flags.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

Harvard won’t force religion on students

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

Professors designing a new curriculum for undergraduates at Harvard University have rescinded their proposal that all students take a class dealing with religion.

Instead, the faculty task force in a revised proposal released late last week suggested a different, broader category, "what it means to be a human being." The human nature requirement would encompass religious thought, art, literature, and philosophy, as well as evolutionary biology and cognitive science.

Harvard made waves in October when the task force released a preliminary redesign for general education -- the requirements imposed on students outside their major -- that included a category called "reason and faith."

The original proposal said students often struggle to make sense of the relationship between their own religious beliefs and the secular and intellectual world they encounter in college. It also noted that wars are fought in the name of religion and that the topic is central to some of the most contentious contemporary debates. It said "reason and faith" courses were not meant to be "religious apologetics," but examinations of cultural and social context.

Professors in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences have spent the last two months debating the general education proposal, which emphasizes what students need to know to be responsible citizens in society. Several professors had objected to the religion category, saying that it gave too much emphasis to only one of many important forces shaping the world.

Alison Simmons, a philosophy professor and co-chair of the general education task force, said her group did not make the switch because of objections to the topic. Rather, she said, they were convinced by their colleagues that the subject would be adequately covered by other categories, including the moral reasoning requirement and requirements covering society in the United States and abroad.

"What it means to be a human being" is an attempt to cover important aspects of the humanities that received less focus in the original proposal, Simmons said, and is not meant as a direct substitute for religion.

The move is sure to disappoint people both inside and outside Harvard who were excited to see the subject considered for elevation to an important place in the curriculum.

"I think secular and liberal Harvard rebelled," government professor Harvey Mansfield, one of the campus’s most outspoken conservatives, said Monday night.

The task force plans to release a final proposal in January. The entire arts and sciences faculty will then decide whether and how to implement their report.

Marcella Bombardieri can be reached at bombardieri@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 8:41 PM | Comments (0)

Authorities try to piece together rampage at N. Bedford strip bar

(Robert E. Klein for The Boston Globe)

Robert Carriero, 33, of New Bedford, Mass., who was shot and killed in a rampage at the Foxy Lady early this morning.

By John R. Ellement and Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

As waitresses and dancers ran for their lives from the Foxy Lady early this morning, the masked gunman who had opened fire inside the New Bedford strip club yelled a message.

"Tell my family I love them," the gunman said, according to Nick Santiago, a taxi driver, who happened to pull up to the club just after 2 a.m.

The rampage and ensuing police standoff lasted 2.5 hours and ended with three people dead and three others shot, including two police officers. When police finally entered the Foxy Lady, they found the gunman dead.

Scott Medeiros, 35, the man suspected of the shooting, killed himself, according to New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang. Employees said that Medeiros had dated a bartender at the club, but that she had broken up with him.

As investigators searched Medeiros' home in Freetown and interviewed witnesses, they began to get a better sense of the bloody and chaotic events that unfolded early this morning.

"We've certainly got a clear understanding that this guy went in with premeditated victims in mind,” said New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang. "This was going to happen wherever the victims were. This was not site specific."

Those targets included Robert Carreiro, 32, of New Bedford, a host at the club who was found dead in the doorway, police said. The second victim, Tory Marandos, 29, of Nashua, N.H., a manager and a nephew of the club's owner, was found dead outside.

A patron, Glenn Goncalves, 46, of New Bedford, was shot in both legs but is expected to survive, police said.

A police tactical team responded to the strip club wearing green camouflage fatigues and holding high-powered rifles. There was a volley of gunfire between officers and the suspect, and several police cruisers were riddled with bullets, police said.

Two of the officers who responded were shot while they were still sitting in their police cruiser, according to police Captain Richard Spirlet. The driver, Officer Joshua Fernandes, was shot in the face. His partner, Officer Steve Wadman, got hit in each arm and in the hip.

"It's just a miracle that these officers did not die with that kind of firepower," Spirlet said, referring to the shooter's rifle.

The officers drove themselves several miles to St. Luke's Hospital and Fernandes was then transferred to Rhode Island Hospital. Both men are expected to fully recover, Spirlet said.

According to witnesses, employees, and police, Medeiros entered the strip club clad entirely in black through a door in the kitchen. He was holding an M16.

Jessica Blair, 19, a waitress who had worked at the gentleman's club for three months, heard single shots and then three round bursts.

"Everybody just scattered," Blair said. "I was first in the main room when he walked in and then I ran out back with all the other girls. He told us to go out back."

"We all just ran and we just went out to the cop cars," Blair said. "He said he was letting all the girls go, that he wasn't there for the girls.

"He was there for the guys."

(Photograph courtesy of Marandos' family.)

Tory Marandos was shot and killed at the Foxy Lady early this morning.

Posted by aryan at 5:30 PM | Comments (0)

Man killed in single-car turnpike wreck

By Elizabeth Ratto, Globe correspondent

An 85-year-old man was killed today when the Toyota sedan he was operating crossed from the right lane and struck the median on the Massachusetts Turnpike eastbound in Brighton, according to State Police.

Around 12:45 p.m., troopers from the Weston Barracks responded to the single-vehicle crash one mile west of Exit 19, which closed the eastbound left lane for about an hour. The driver of the Toyota was taken by ambulance to Boston Medical Center, where he later died. His identity is being withheld until his family is notified.

The crash remains under investigation by State Police.

Posted by srhee at 4:45 PM | Comments (0)

Suffolk jury finds man guilty of fatally stabbing deputy sheriff

By Globe Staff

A jury found a man guilty today of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing an off-duty Suffolk County correction officer who tried to break-up a fight in Charlestown bar last March.

The jury convicted Francis X. Lang, 32, of the slaying of Sergeant Richard Dever, 35. Lang was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors alleged that Dever died after being stabbed four times in the chest and slashed in the face in front of Sullivan's Pub on Main Street in Charlestown shortly before 12:20 a.m. on March 19, 2005.

Lang, of Charlestown, had been released from federal prison three weeks before the stabbing.

According to police, Lang walked into Sullivan's just after just after midnight. He had been banned from the bar. When the bartender told him he was not welcome, Lang became loud and belligerent, according to prosecutors.

Dever, who was off duty and unarmed at the time, tried to escort Lang outside. Prosecutors allege that Lang pulled out a knife and stabbed Dever multiple times before fleeing.

Posted by aryan at 3:05 PM | Comments (0)

Water pipe break soaks CambridgeSide Galleria

By Sarah Kneezle, Globe Correspondent

Shoppers at CambridgeSide Galleria mall may be having a wet Christmas after a water pipe break this morning closed three stores.

The break at about 5 a.m. cut off power and dumped thousands of gallons of water into the parking garage and several stores.

Part of First Street was closed this morning while a crew from the Cambridge Public Works Department repaired the break.

Best Buy remains closed this afternoon, according to Jennifer Nelson, senior marketing director at the mall. Borders and Macy's Homestore have reopened.

Posted by aryan at 2:47 PM | Comments (0)

Natick man charged with murder in bouncer stabbing

By Globe Staff

Boston Police announced this afternoon that they have charged a suspect in the stabbing death of a nightclub bouncer.

Oscar Rosa, 20, of Natick, surrendered at Boston Municipal Court this morning and is to be arraigned later today in Roxbury District Court in the death of Craig Viera, 32.

Vierra was stabbed at about 2:15 a.m. Nov. 26 on Lansdowne Street and died Friday. Police say Rosa was seen discarding a knife. He was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

Posted by srhee at 1:54 PM | Comments (0)

After another high-profile crime, New Bedford mayor decries violence, guns

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang talked to the media today while Police Chief Ronald Teachman looked on.

By Brian R. Ballou and Maria Cramer, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

An exasperated New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang railed against violence and powerful guns today as his city was gripped by another high-profile crime that claimed several victims.

"I actually heard the shots a few miles away and they sounded like cannon shots," Lang told reporters today after a rampage at the Foxy Lady strip club left three dead. "When I first heard them, I thought it was construction noise. Then I realized it was 2:01 [a.m.]"

A man, identified by police as Scott Medeiros, 35, is accused of bursting into the club with an M16 and opening fire. Lang said that the city's swat team may not have guns that powerful.

"To have weaponry out there like this is unconscionable," Lang said.

Freetown Police Chief Carlton Abbott told the Associated Press that Medeiros was issued a weapons license in 2005 that permitted him to buy assault-style military rifles. He was first issued a gun permit in 1991 after he told police he needed a weapon for protection because he carried large sums of money as a salesman, Abbott said.

A police background check, conducted prior to the 2005 licensing, showed that Medeiros had not been convicted of a felony, violent crime or had any restraining orders taken against him, Abbott said.

Medeiros died after a 2.5 hour standoff with police. A host at the club, Robert Carreiro, 32, was found in the doorway, police said. The third victim, Tory Marandos, 30, a manager and a nephew of the club's owner, was found dead outside.

Four other people were injured, including two New Bedford police officers who drove themselves to the hospital after they were shot while sitting in their cruiser.

"This individual went in there hell bent on destruction," Lang said. "Three police cars were torn up like Swiss cheese."

The hostile influences of games, movies, and music have desensitized society to violence, Lang said.

In February, an 18-year-old armed with a gun and a hatchet attacked three men in a gay bar in New Bedford after posting hate-filled, homophobic messages on a website. Jacob D. Robida died several days later after a cross-country chase that ended in a shootout with police in Arkansas. Robida killed two people -- including a police officer -- before turning a gun on himself.

Posted by aryan at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)

Police search home of suspect in NB shooting spree

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

State police carried brown paper bags of evidence out of a house in Freetown late this morning as they seized items from the home of a man suspected of a shooting spree at a New Bedford strip club that left three dead.

The white, single story home on Middleboro Road was surrounded by investigators and reporters. Residents said that Scott Medeiros, 35, lived there alone. Police said Medeiros died this morning after a 2.5 hour standoff with police at the Foxy Lady strip club.

Police also removed a long, white rectangular box from the home. Officers would not say what was inside the box or the brown paper bags.

Investigators said they were waiting for computer forensics team to arrive and seize some computer equipment that belonged to Medeiros.

Posted by aryan at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

After getting shot, two NB officers drive themselves to the hospital

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The first two police officers on the scene of a shooting rampage at a New Bedford strip club this morning didn't even have the chance to get out of their car.

A gunman, who was clad in black and had a high-powered rifle, opened fire on their police cruiser as they arrived at the Foxy Lady on Route 6, according to Captain Richard Spirlet.

The driver, Officer Joshua Fernandes, was shot in the face. His partner, Officer Steve Wadman, got hit in each arm and in the hip.

"It's just a miracle that these officers did not die with that kind of firepower," Spirlet said, referring to the shooter's rifle.

Neither of the officers suffered life-threatening injuries. Once they realized they had been shot, they drove themselves several miles to St. Luke's Hospital, Spirlet said.

Fernandes, who had been hit in the face, was then taken to Rhode Island Hospital. He has been on the New Bedford police force since December 2001.

Wadman, who joined the department last December, stayed at St. Luke's. Both men are in their 20s.

"They were absolutely legitimate heroes," said New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang.

Posted by aryan at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)

Witness: 'I saw him die'

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Security guard Ned Tsouprake had stepped into the foyer of the Foxy Lady to call a cab for a patron at closing time when he heard what he thought were cherry bombs exploding in the main room of the New Bedford strip club.

Tsouprake stepped back into the main room of the club on Route 6 and came face-to-face with a man dressed all in black holding a high-powered rifle. He pointed the rifle at Tsouprake and squeezed the trigger.

"I don't have any idea how it missed me," Tsouprake said.

Three people died and four people were wounded when a man in a ski mask burst into the Foxy Lady. The gunman died after a 2.5 hour standoff with police. Tsouprake, 46, described a harrowing scene as hostages were herded from room to room and employees dove out of the way of bullets.

It had been a slow night with three or four customers working their way towards the door when the gunman entered. After he missed being shot, Tsouprake said he saw another club employee, Bobby Carreiro, dive for cover.

"Bobby was right near the foyer," Tsouprake said. "I didn't see him get shot, but I saw him die."

"I lost two good friends," he said. "Two really good friends."

Posted by aryan at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

Three dead, three wounded in shooting at New Bedford strip club

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

State and local police talked on a bridge on Route 6 in New Bedford this morning after a shooting rampage left three dead at a strip club.

By John R. Ellement and George Rizer, Globe Staff, Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Three people died and two police officers were shot this morning after a gunman wearing body armor and dressed head-to-toe in black stormed the Foxy Lady strip club in New Bedford and opened fire, police said.

Several more people were hurt in the rampage that started shortly after 2 a.m. when the man burst through the kitchen door of the club on Route 6 and told the female workers that he was there for the men.

"This isn't a joke," the shooter said, according to employees, when they asked him if he was holding a toy gun.

The suspect, who police identified as Scott C. Medeiros, 35, died during a 2.5 hour standoff, police said. He had dated a bartender at the club, according to employees. It is not clear if Medeiros was shot by police or if he turned the gun on himself, police said.

A host at the club, Robert Carreiro, 32, was found in the doorway, police said. The third victim, Tory Marandos, 29, a manager and a nephew of the club's owner, was found dead outside.

A police tactical team responded to the strip club wearing green camouflage fatigues and holding high-powered rifles. There was a volley of gunfire between officers and the suspect, and several police cruisers were riddled with bullets, police said.

Two of the officers who responded were shot while they were still sitting in their police cruiser, according to police Captain Richard Spirlet. The officers, who were shot in face and the torso, drove themselves to St. Luke’s Hospital.

"It's just a miracle that these officers did not die with the firepower of his weapon," Spirlet said.

The officer who was shot in the face was transferred to Rhode Island Hospital. Both officers are expected to survive.

At one point, the shooter forced the 10 female dancers and five bartenders and waitresses back into a dressing room. Then, Medeiros let them go, police said.

A law enforcement source said there was a rambling message left for the police by the gunman during the shooting spree. State police and investigators from the Bristol county district attorney's office are still at the scene processing evidence.

"It was a confusing scene...We are still trying to figure out what happened," said the source.

Two other people were shot at the club and are expected to survive, police said. There were about 12 people inside the club at the time.
Outside the club, police found a bag that belonged to the suspect that contained ammunition and other weapons, Spirlet said.

Taxi driver Nick Santiago told NECN he pulled up to the club at the time of the shooting.

"I turned around in the parking lot and the guy with the M16 came and out and he said 'I advise you to get ... out of here,'" Santiago said.

As police pulled into the parking lot, the man started shooting at the officers, Santiago said. Two employees of the club ran into his cab for safety, Santiago said.

Investigators have a command post set up at the scene. A state police helicopter is hovering of the site over the club.

Posted by aryan at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

Club owner says alleged gunman was jilted

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Tom Tsoumas, managing owner of the Foxy Lady, said this morning that the alleged shooter, whom he identified as Scott Medeiros, had what he described as "affections with a bartender who didn't want to see him anymore."

"He was told a couple of weeks ago when he approached the club not to go in because it wouldn't be in the best interests of the club and the young lady" who tended bar, Tsoumas said in a telephone interview.

But Medeiros showed up at the club, heavily armed, around 2:30 a.m., Tsoumas said. "He came back -- in his own mind -- to settle the score," Tsoumas said.

Tsoumas identified the victims as Bobby Carreiro, a host, who had given Medeiros the order to stay away a few weeks ago, and Tory Marandos, 30, a manager. It is unclear whether the shooter killed himself.

"This is just a crazed person," Tsoumas said. "You can't explain unreasonable happenings in a reasonable, logical way. It's just unthinkable what happened."

Marandos had hired Medeiros to install security cameras at the club a few years ago, Tsoumas said. Medeiros had not worked at the club since, he said.

"It's a tragedy beyond words," Tsoumas said.

Posted by srhee at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2006

Judge wants to know about probe of prosecutor

By Raja Mishra and Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

The chief federal judge in Boston is urging the US Justice Department to find out and tell him what happened to an internal investigation of a federal prosecutor accused of withholding evidence in a high-profile Mafia case.

The unusual request, which was filed in court Monday, stems from a botched racketeering case in which two reputed mobsters were released early from prison after Chief US District Judge Mark L. Wolf determined that prosecutor Jeffrey Auerhahn improperly and possibly illegally manipulated evidence.

Three years ago, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan told Wolf that he would get to the bottom of the alleged misconduct. But in a letter sent Friday to Sullivan’s boss, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Wolf wrote that "no information on the status or any results" of the investigation into Auerhahn had been reported to him.

"The apparent inaction of the Department of Justice regarding Mr. Auerhahn has generated considerable concern about the administration of justice in the District of Massachusetts," Wolf wrote.

Auerhahn, who could not be reached for comment Monday, currently works on antiterrorism cases and recently prosecuted a Bosnian war criminal.

Citing Justice Department rules protecting employees’ privacy, Sullivan said Monday he could not comment on the results of the investigation of Auerhahn or whether any action had been taken against him.

Sullivan said he would look into whether prosecutors could somehow share the results of the investigation with Wolf without violating Auerhahn’s privacy.

"Obviously the court has raised some legitimate concerns as it relates to a matter that was before the court, and there should be an avenue to be able to respond to the court on the outcome of any inquiry that was launched as a result of the court’s findings or conclusions," Sullivan said.

A Justice Department spokeswoman in Washington said the agency would not comment on the matter and would direct any response to Wolf.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)

Universities resort to part-timers

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff

More than half the faculty at Boston, Northeastern, Tufts, and Harvard universities are part-time or are not on the tenure track, according to a report released Monday.

These prominent institutions performed poorly compared with their peers around the country, according to the study by the American Association of University Professors, a union organization.

Professors and advocates for students have raised concerns for years that colleges are increasingly turning to less expensive, temporary labor and eroding the tenure system, to the detriment of students and scholars alike. The study, based on fall 2005 data from the US Education Department, heightens such concern.

At private research universities nationally, 55 percent of academic staff are part-timers, known as adjuncts, or full-timers who do not have an opportunity to earn tenure, the AAUP reported.

At well-known Boston-area universities, the proportions are even higher: 71 percent at Boston University, 67 percent at Northeastern, 66 percent at Tufts, and 57 percent at Harvard, according to the study.

The state’s flagship public university, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, did better compared with its peers: 35 percent of faculty fall into the non-tenure-track and part-time category, compared with 43 percent of faculty at public research universities nationwide.

Officials at several universities said the study gives a skewed impression of their campuses.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:58 PM | Comments (0)

Water and sewer rates bubbling over

By David Abel, Globe Staff

The average household in Greater Boston is paying more than $1,000 for water and sewer services this year, the second in a row that homeowners have faced a 6 percent rate hike, according to an annual survey released Monday by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Advisory Board.

The increase, an average of $60, marks the first time average annual bills rose above three figures and reflects a 60 percent increase in the past 15 years. Over the next decade, rates for water and sewer service are expected to increase another 51 percent, or $254 million, according to the advisory board.

Ratepayer advocates said homeowners must accept the rate hike, which state budget cuts may drive significantly higher than the advisory board’s estimate next year. The board’s survey does not take into account the $19 million in debt-service relief Governor Mitt Romney cut this year from the state’s sewer rate relief fund.

"Debt-service assistance is a crucial tool to help the ratepayers," said Katherine Dunphy, chairwoman of the advisory board, which represents ratepayers. "I those funds are not restored, a rate increase halfway through the fiscal year would disrupt communities'budgeting and spending plans and would be a difficult financial setback for ratepayers."

Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Romney, said the administration has no plans to reinstate the money.

And Richard Chacon, a spokesman for Governor-elect Deval Patrick, said the incoming administration is reviewing the cuts. They have yet to commit to reinstating the debt-service relief.

The rising cost of water and sewer services is the result of the state’s effort to comply with a host of federal and state regulations, which includes years of spending to clean up Boston Harbor, said Fred Laskey, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

About 60 cents of every dollar the authority spends pays debt on outstanding bonds for such projects as the $4 billion Deer Island sewer treatment plant and the $2 billion in upgrades to the authority’s water transmission system, Laskey said.

"We can’t fool ourselves," he said. "The mortgage is coming due for a lot of major projects."

He described the advisory board’s survey as a "realistic picture of the worst-case scenario" of future costs. "Our job is to manage the operation and our debt portfolio to minimize these rate increases," Laskey said. "But the pressure is real. We’re doing everything we can to control costs."

The advisory board’s survey reflects the average rate for water and sewer services paid by households in 60 Boston-area communities that use an average 90,000 gallons of water a year.

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said homeowners will have little choice but to pay the rising fees. "There are not many opportunities for savings, given the enormous capital investments and the need to repay the debt," said Widmer. "I’m not saying there aren’t any opportunities for savings, but they’re limited. This is a reality that’s going to hit the ratepayers hard over the next decade.’’

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

BPD seeks murder suspect

By Globe Staff

Boston police today asked for the public's help locating a suspect wanted for the fatal stabbing of a 32-year-old man on Lansdowne Street in November.

The suspect, Oscar Rosa, 20, is accused of stabbing Craig Vierra on Nov. 26 at about 2:15 a.m. Patrol officers spotted a fight on Lansdowne Street and discovered that Vierra had been stabbed. Officers chased several men who ran from the scene and arrested Rosa after they said he discarded a knife.

Rosa, of Natick, was charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and released on bail.

Vierra was taken to Boston Medical Center. He died on Dec. 8 and the charges against Rosa were upgraded to murder.

Rosa is a light-skinned Hispanic man with black hair, and brown eyes. He stands 5 feet 8 and weighs 205 pounds.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Rosa are urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470 or 1-800-494-TIPS.

Posted by aryan at 4:47 PM | Comments (0)

Tufts administrators blast student satire

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

Tufts University administrators today condemned a satirical Christmas carol printed in a conservative student magazine that many students said was racist.

The editor of the journal "The Primary Source" apologized during a student senate meeting Sunday, saying the song was only intended to criticize the school's affirmative action policies.

"We write to express our outrage at the carol published in the recent edition of The Primary Source," read the letter signed by Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow and eight top deans and administrators. "It is antithetical to Tufts University's efforts to establish a community of learning."

University officials took no actions against the student publication or its editors. Administrators also praised the student body for using speech "to counter offensive speech."

The magazine printed a song called "O Come All Ye Black Folk," written from the point of view of a Tufts admissions officer.

"We understand the frustration and anger that result from incidents like this one," the administration's letter read, "and we will work with students, faculty and staff to continue to find ways to promote a climate in which ideas can be exchanged freely while respecting members of our community as individuals."

Dinah Jean, a sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., told the Associated Press she was disturbed by the satire even though she is familiar with the journal's penchant for controversy.

"I was bothered by it. I found it offensive. I understand what the Primary Source does, but I think they crossed the line," said Jean, who is black.

Christina Thomas, 18, a black freshman from Fort Worth, Texas, told the AP, "The reason it's being made into a big deal right now is because you don't have many minorities here, and racial tension is a big deal. I think there's a problem with the general consensus that it's OK to make fun of things like affirmative action."

The AP quoted Jeremy Tyler, 20, a white sophomore from Bangor, Maine, as saying, "I honestly don't believe that it was intended to be racist. Of course, I could see why they (black people) would be offended."

About 8,500 students are enrolled at Tufts, with black students composing about 7 percent of the undergraduate population. The university, which straddles the boundary between Somerville and Medford, is known for its liberal arts, science and engineering programs.

Posted by srhee at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)

Missing Jorge Luis Borges manuscripts found

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

There was no great literary heist from a Harvard Square bookstore after all.

Two handwritten manuscripts by renowned Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges have been found among some boxes at Lame Duck Books, according to an employee at the store. The short stories had not been seen since Nov. 12, when the book store's owner showed the works at an antiquarian book fair in Hamburg, Germany.

The missing manuscripts -- "Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote" and "The Library of Babel" -- were listed in the store's catalog at $450,000 and $500,000. The owner of Lame Duck Books had filed a police report with Cambridge police on Nov. 17, and the works were considered stolen.

The Harvard Crimson reported the potential theft in the edition that came out this morning, and Borges scholars lamented the loss of the first draft of two of the writer's most important stories.

After the story hit newsstands and was picked up on radio, employees at the book store found the missing manuscripts. The works had been misplaced after the book fair in Hamburg.

Posted by aryan at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

Funeral for victim of mob hit held 10 years after her death

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

MELROSE -- Nineteen year-old Aislin Silva was finally laid to rest this morning, 10 years after she was killed and dismembered in an infamous mob hit. About four dozen family and friends attended the funeral at Trinity Episcopal Church, where Silva's remains were carried in a urn.

Silva's remains were found by investigators on Dec. 1 on a hillside near the Welch School in Peabody. She was killed in 1996 by the members of the DeCologero Crew, a drug gang that operated out of a gym in Woburn run by Paul A. Cologero.

Her funeral was a solemn affair, with hymns, prayers, and muffled sniffles as mourners faced the horrifying reality of Silva's death.

The US attorney's office in Boston won convictions against six small-time organized crime figures for killing Silva and for related crimes.

Hair and blood from her was found in a Danvers trash bin in 1997, but her body had not been located until Dec. 1. A police excavation team dug near the school for nearly six months before they found her remains.

Posted by aryan at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

Maine soldier dies in Iraq

By Globe Staff

A 26-year-old soldier from Maine who went to Bangor High School died last week in Iraq, according to an announcement from the Department of Defense.

Staff Sergeant Kristofer R. Ciraso, 26, was killed by a bomb that exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad on Dec. 7. He served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas.

Maine Governor John Baldacci and members of Maine's congressional delegation issued statements of condolence, saying Ciraso served his country honorably and will be missed.

Ciraso served in the high school's junior ROTC program and recognized early on that he wanted to join the army, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Kurtzman told the Portland Press Herald.

"He seemed to take a lot of pride in, at least for that age, wearing a uniform," Kurtzman said.

Almost 3,000 American troops have been killed since the Iraq war began, according to a count by the Associated Press.

Posted by aryan at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

Biological family of Haleigh Poutre lobbies lawmakers

(Boston Globe file photo)

Haleigh Poutre pictured at age 9 before she suffered brain damage.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The biological family of 12-year-old Haleigh Poutre, the girl authorities allege was beaten into a coma by her adoptive mother and stepfather, lobbied lawmakers Monday to release her from state custody.

Haleigh's biological mother and grandmother held a press conference at the State House to coincide with meetings for lawmakers serving on the Committee for Families & Children.

"It seems that everyone on Beacon Hill has forgotten about this little girl," said Susan Molina, executive director of The Yellow Ribbon Kids Club, a nonprofit group based in Whitman that advocates for foster children. "If we have to go ... every week for the next year and talk to every lawmaker, we will."

Haleigh's biological mother and grandmother have been barred from visiting her by a judge.

Her birth mother, Allison Avrett is asking for visitation rights to be restored as part of a $12.5 million lawsuit against the state Department of Social Services, DSS Commissioner Harry Spence, and three employees.

Posted by aryan at 9:40 AM | Comments (0)

S. Yarmouth house sprayed with machine gun

By Globe Staff

A house in South Yarmouth was sprayed with machine gun fire early this morning in an incident that sparked a statewide search for suspects that ended with five arrests 120 miles away in Fitchburg, police said.

No one was hurt, but Yarmouth police allege that the suspects used a Mac-10 45 Caliber Machine Pistol to fire "multiple gunshots" at a home on Winslow Gray Road at about 3 a.m., according to a press release. A half dozen Yarmouth patrol officers responded to scene and determined that the shots were fire from a black Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle.

After sending out a statewide alert, state police 120 miles away in Fitchburg pulled over a black Pathfinder and arrested five suspects at about 5:15 a.m., police said. Inside the SUV, police said they found a Mac-10 45 Caliber Machine Pistol.

The suspects were charged with possession of a large capacity firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without a license, and possession of ammunition. Police identified the suspects as: Jessica L. Schwenk, 19, of South Dennis; Jill M. Parsons, 20, of South Yarmouth; Ronald Lagos, 20, of Fitchburg; Sean N. Mitchell, 24, of Leominster; and William R. Linde, 19, of Fitchburg.

Linde was also charged with possession of a class D substance for some marijuana that police said they found in the car.

Posted by aryan at 9:02 AM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2006

Hospital security worker charged with mailing threats

By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff

For several years, a series of anonymous, typed letters had been mailed to administrators at Tufts-New England Medical Center, expressing unhappiness with leadership in the security department.

But beginning July 28, letters to three top executives turned darker, filled with bizarre threats from an unnamed security employee that the department chief, Thomas E. Atkinson Jr., might be killed or stabbed if officials did not fire him, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in US District Court in Boston.

"Little does he know how close he is to an ice pick in his lung or kidney," read an Aug. 18 letter addressed to the hospital's general counsel. "It's a sad state of affairs when we are talking about having someone poke Tom in the back with a rusty ice pick."

Friday morning, three days after Atkinson received an ominous unsigned letter at his Marshfield home printed on the back of a missing paycheck stub of his, FBI agents arrested Patrick K. O’Neil, 55, at his Jamaica Plain apartment on charges of using the US mail to threaten bodily harm.

According to the affidavit, O’Neil’s final letter contained chilling threats and convincing details about Atkinson’s home. ‘‘I am now planning my third trip to the beautiful town of Marshfield,’’ the letter read. ‘‘Ain’t no lock made I can’t open.’’

O’Neil did not speak during a brief appearance at US District Court. Assistant US Attorney Paul R. Moore said the government wants to detain O’Neil without bail because he poses a risk to the community.

US District Magistrate Judge Timothy Hillman agreed with prosecutors’ request to detain him without bail, at least until a hearing Monday.

Charles McGinty, a federal defender appointed to represent O’Neil, did not comment.

Atkinson could not be reached for comment, but hospital spokeswoman Melissa Sweeney said, ‘‘We take any threat against an employee very seriously.’’

The letters, which went to the vice president of human resources, chief executive officer, and general counsel, cited the author’s fear that the hospital would terminate the security staff and replace it with a contractor, Apollo Security, which provides workers to the hospital on a per diem basis when needed, according to the FBI affidavit.

A letter postmarked Aug. 4 contained this threat: ‘‘This weekend, one soft mild-manner man suggested paying a homeless drug attic (sic) to stab Tom in the back. If he lives, he is going to be out of work for at least a year. If he dies, all the better.

Another, postmarked Aug. 14, said: ‘‘I am going to devote every minute of my free time thinking of ways to get even with Thomas Atkinson and the powers that be at NEMC that are allowing this to happen. There will be no peace while Thomas Atkinson is here.’’

Several of the letters, according to the affidavit, included copies of a newspaper story about the July 22 slaying of a restaurant manager in Dartmouth by a disgruntled employee. In a letter postmarked July 28, the author referred to the killing and wrote, ‘‘So, I did understand how someone could stab Tom Atkinson to death for what he is trying to do. HURT PEOPLE.’’

The FBI narrowed its search for a suspect using identifying markers in the letters. The author indicated that he had been employed at the hospital between 20 and 30 years, was paid about $15 an hour, was not in a supervisory position, and was a Suffolk County deputy sheriff.

O’Neil fit the criteria, according to the FBI.

O’Neil took sick leave beginning Sept. 19, the day after FBI Special Agent Jason D. Costello contacted several other security officers for interviews. On Oct. 3, Costello interviewed O’Neil at his home, where the security officer said he had a back injury and denied any connection to the letters. He resigned from the hospital Oct. 6.

On Oct. 12 during a voluntary second interview at FBI headquarters, O’Neil admitted he had written the letters, according to the FBI’s affidavit.

Shelley Murphy of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Posted by mbrelis at 9:37 PM | Comments (0)

Romney gets snickers, raves from Beijing college students

By Jehangir S. Pocha
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

BEIJING — Governor Mitt Romney’s weeklong trip to Asia took him to the renowned Tsinghua University here yesterday, where he fielded questions from a sometimes skeptical audience of students and sketched out his views on China’s emergence as a world power.

‘‘The question is, for China, how will you use that power? And it is our hope that that power will be used to encourage peace and stability in the world,’’ Romney told a small group of mostly business school students.

‘‘And ..... my experience with my own country is this: We make mistakes as a country; every country does. Mistakes in information, mistakes in judgment. But never mistakes in purpose. America’s purpose, I believe, has always been to help people, to expand their freedom, and to expand their prosperity and their hope.’’

But the audience snickered.

‘‘We think America does things for different purposes,’’ Guo Yanglei, a doctoral candidate at the business school, said after Romney and his entourage left the classroom where he had given his lecture. ‘‘We have our own understanding of the US.’’

The brief exchange reflected the difficult reputation the US faces overseas and the importance foreign relations will play for the next US president. Romney, a one-term governor who is likely to seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, is traveling to China, Japan, and South Korea on a trip widely seen as an attempt to add to his foreign policy credentials.

The students asked Romney about his potential presidential run, his views on Iraq, and banking and trade issues. At times, Romney stumbled over relatively straightforward geopolitical issues: Romney had to ask the US Embassy staff accompanying him the value of the Chinese renminbi to the US dollar, despite the fact that this is one of the hottest economic issues between Washington and Beijing.

The business students also smirked when Romney asserted that the United States believes in free trade. Recent threats by Washington to levy tariffs on Chinese products and continued US opposition to China’s demands that it lift agricultural subsidies have made locals skeptical of that assertion.

Yet the students were clearly intrigued by the thought that they were getting a sneak preview of a politician who could be the next president. Almost as soon as Romney invited questions from the audience, a student asked him if he would throw his hat into the presidential ring. Romney declined to be specific, but it was clear his audience thought he was going to run.

‘‘I’d say he impressed me with his views,’’ said Guo, who, like most Chinese people used to watching stiff and dour Communist Party leaders, enjoyed watching Romney charm the audience. ‘‘Even when I compare him to Bush and Clinton [who also spoke at Tsinghua University in 2002 and 2003, respectively], I think he is good.
‘‘Of course, I don’t really think he will make much difference to US-Sino relations,’’ Guo added. ‘‘No matter who comes to power, things will start well and then slowly become more tense.’’

But the students’ interest in the US economy and American management was sharp, and Romney’s reminiscences about his days as head of Bain Capital had the audience hooked.

The room broke into laughter when Romney described the economic success of Bain Capital as ‘‘almost as good as China’s economic growth.’’

While many American leaders have annoyed their Chinese hosts by speaking up boldly in favor of democratic reform in China, Romney’s subtle but pointed words on how ‘‘debate and discussion’’ ultimately create the best policy went down well.

‘‘I really appreciated his view,’’ said Chen Weima, a 20-year-old senior. ‘‘Though Americans have very different perspectives from China sometimes, I think this 8approach shows he wants to under8stand our side.’’

In the question-and-answer session, Romney was deferential to the Chinese powerhouse.

‘‘I shouldn’t speak for the whole country, of course, but I think many Americans look with great expectation and hope as we see China emerging as a very powerful economy,’’ he said.

‘‘We hope that China will become a partner with other great nations, to encourage stability and peace and prosperity in the world,’’ he said, referring to efforts to eliminate poverty and encourage countries such as North Korea to reject nuclear weapons.

Romney referred repeatedly to North Korea and China’s role in containing the country during his talk, and it was also clear from his itinerary that gaining a better understanding of Pyongyang was high on his list of priorities. When Romney was in Seoul Wednesday and Thursday, he met with Prime Minister Han Myeong Sook, Acting Foreign Minister Cho Jung Pyo, and Unification Minister Lee Jong Seok. Romney also visited the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

Romney’s full agenda in Beijing was not revealed to the media, underlining the low profile the governor is attempting to keep in his Asia trip.

Posted by mbrelis at 9:30 PM | Comments (0)

SJC rules in same-sex parental rights case

By Patricia Wen, GLOBE STAFF

The state’s highest court ruled Friday against a lesbian who sought to establish parental rights to the 5-year-old biological child of her former partner, because she never adopted the child during the two years they were together after the infant’s birth.

The case reflects the Supreme Judicial Court’s view that same-sex couples who fall out of love, while raising children, must abide by the same legal rules as any other dissolving couples: What counts in the court system are birth certificates, marriage licenses, adoption papers, or proof that you share equally in the nurturing of the youngsters.

In a complex legal case that stretched over three years, a lesbian from Middlesex County put forward some novel legal theories to establish her parental role. She said she deserved to be a legal parent because she and her former partner had effectively formed an agreement to raise a child together. She also argued she should be, at least, a de facto parent with visitation rights, because what she lacked in time with the child she gave in money as the primary breadwinner.

Her case was backed by briefs from Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders of Boston, a legal rights group for gays and lesbians, and Fathers and Families, a father’s rights group that represents 8many divorced fathers.

But in a unanimous opinion, written by Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, the court said the woman failed to meet the state’s requirement for legal parental rights or prove that her emotional bond was so strong that she deserved at least court-mandated visitation.

The justices said the woman never took up her option to adopt the baby, which would have given her the same rights as the biological mother. (Same-sex marriage was not an option when the women ended their relationship in 2003, when the child was about 18 months old.) The court also said the woman, who toiled long hours as codirector of a non-profit organization, did not spend enough time caring for the child to establish her parental rights while the biological mother tended to most of the caretaking.

Marshall wrote that while the plaintiff may love the child and the child may derive some benefit from spending time with her, ‘‘these facts are insufficient, in themselves, to accord the plaintiff parental rights.’’

Lawyers for the biological mother — Regina Hurley and John Foskett of the law firm Deutsch Williams — said the court’s opinion shows that courts now apply its child-protection measures equally, regardless of the sexual orientation of the couple.

‘‘They’re neutral on whether they are same-sex or heterosexual,’’ Foskett said.

Elizabeth Zeldin, a Boston lawyer who represented the plaintiff, said her client is deeply upset by the result, especially because the biological mother has said she planned to end the temporary court-mandated visitation if she prevailed in the SJC.

‘‘It’s very sad for this child,’’ Zeldin said.

The full names of the child and the parties were withheld by the court, and the parties were identified only by initials.

Jennifer Levi, senior staff attorney for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, criticized the decision for depriving a child of a ‘‘parentlike relationship’’ that had been established with the plaintiff.

Many adults form parental bonds with children and, for whatever reasons, fail to take the steps toward adoption, she said. ‘‘The child shouldn’t take the fall for the legal missteps of the parents.’’

Zeldin said her client never thought her parental rights were in jeopardy. The couple began their relationship in 1995 and bought a house together in 1998. They jointly decided to have a child together and were declared Parent 1 and Parent 2 in the fertility clinic they visited. The child was born in October 2001.

Within the next year, as the plaintiff was working hard at her job, her relationship with her partner deteriorated. She put off the legal paperwork to adopt the baby. Later, as a legal battle ensued over parental rights, the plaintiff argued that her past financial contribution should be counted as a form of parentlike giving to the child.

Hurley and Foskett, however, said the court only gives de facto parental status to those caregivers, such as grandparents or longtime family friends, who are irreplaceable in the eyes of the child who has closely bonded with them. They do not count breadwinning the same as time spent caretaking.

Also, they disputed the plaintiff’s lawyer’s assertion that the biological mother will terminate all contact between the plaintiff and the child.

Hurley said the biological mother, like all parents, ‘‘will determine what’s in the best interests of her child.’’

Posted by mbrelis at 9:24 PM | Comments (0)

Salem man sentenced to 30 to 40 years for rape

By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff

Usauf Glover, 24, was sentenced today to 30 to 40 years in state prison for raping two teenage girls and pressuring one into prostitution.

In November, a jury convicted the Salem man of two counts of child rape, two counts of inducing a minor into prostitution, two counts of deriving support from a minor in prostitution and two counts of child enticement.

Between November 2004 and January 2005, prosecutors said, Glover lured two young girls into performing sex with customers in exchange for money, and raped one of them. In 2001, he raped another teen and attempted to push her into prostitution.

Glover was sentenced by Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy.

Posted by aryan at 5:50 PM | Comments (0)

Healey announces affordable housing grants

By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe correspondent

Tax credits and grants totaling $85 million will go to support 26 affordable rental developments in 17 communities throughout the Commonwealth, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey announced today.

The completed developments will create 1,203 new rental apartments, 1,089 of which will be affordable for low- and moderate-income working families. Six of the developments will be located in Boston and others will be built in Amherst, Cambridge, Fitchburg, Framingham, Great Barrington, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Marlborough, Mashpee, Middleborough, Northampton, Quincy, Salem, Springfield, and Westfield.

"Although we have significantly increased multi-family housing starts in this Administration, there is more work to be done to build homes in Massachusetts that are affordable to hard working families," Healey said in a statement.

Posted by srhee at 5:07 PM | Comments (0)

Attorney general sues over 'lookalike' weapons

By Elizabeth Ratto, Globe correspondent

Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly filed suit today against six out-of-state online retailers and one Massachusetts store owner to stop sales of "look-alike" BB guns and air rifles to minors.

The lawsuit follows an undercover sting operation conducted by Reilly's office, which enlisted the help of a 16-year-old boy who was easily able to purchase the guns online.

Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. the Sports Authority, GSI Commerce Solutions, Airsoft Atlanta, Inc., as well as a Norwood store, Xtreme Action Paintball, have all agreed to pay penalties and amend their sales policies and procedures.

Reilly is seeking preliminary injunctions against Jungle Toy, LLC, and Tactical Innovations, to prevent them from making any sales to minors in Massachusetts, where the law prevents the sale of an air rifle or BB gun to anyone under 18.

Posted by srhee at 4:34 PM | Comments (0)

A Beth Israel gives birth at Beth Israel?

(David L Ryan/Globe Staff)

The baby in the maternity ward with the ID tag on her ankle that says "Beth Israel" did not have its naming rights bought by the hospital where it was born. Really.

The child's birth Thursday at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston has nothing to do with the name on that tiny ankle.

That's because the baby was a 7-pound, 9-ounce boy named Ross Israel.

It is his mother whose name is Beth Israel -- and that's just a coincidence. Really.

Posted by aryan at 4:15 PM | Comments (0)

Off-duty officer cited for negligent mv homicide in girl's death

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

An off-duty police officer was cited for negligent motor vehicle homicide today after prosecutors alleged he was driving a dump truck last weekend and struck and killed a 10-year-old girl who was riding her bike in Foxborough.

Mansfield police officer Aaron Fine, 33, was also cited for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding greater than reasonable for given conditions, and improper operation while approaching a bicycle, according to the Norfolk County district attorney's office. Negligent motor vehicle homicide is a misdemeanor punishable by 2.5 years in prison.

Rose Shatz died after she was hit in front of her home on Willow Street at about 2 p.m. on Sept. 2. She was a fourth-grader at Mabelle M. Burrell Elementary School.

Fine, who joined the Mansfield department in the summer of 2002, has been suspended with pay while the case is reviewed by the town's legal department, according to Police Chief Arthur M. O'Neill.

Earlier this week, fine was cited for driving a class B truck without having the proper license.

Posted by aryan at 3:57 PM | Comments (0)

One dead after explosion in Cambridge office building

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

A Woman was wheeled out today of the Marriott Cambridge Hotel, which served as a staging area for evacuees after an electric transformer exploded in the basement at an office building in Kendall Square.

By John R. Ellement, Brian R. Ballou, and April Simpson, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan and Sarah M. Kneezle, Globe Correspondents

Office workers described a harrowing evacuation from a 17-story building in Cambridge today after an electrical explosion in the basement filled hallways with smoke and forced people to climb out windows and escape the structure on ladders, according to police and witnesses.

One person died and up to 100 more were treated for smoke inhalation, including 31 who were taken to hospitals, according to fire and hospital officials.

Cambridge Fire Chief Gerald Reardon said two NStar employees in the sub-basement were working on a transformer that exploded and sparked an electrical fire.

Tom May, NStar's chairman, president and chief executive officer, issue a statement that identified the worker who died as Kevin Fidalgo, 28, who had worked for the company since June 2000.

"We appreciate this morning's rapid response by emergency officials who did their best to help Kevin," May said. "While our work continues with authorities investigating the accident, our thoughts at this time are with Kevin’s family and helping them in any way we can."

The other NStar worker, Christopher Carey, was being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital for smoke inhalation, May said.

There were 700 to 800 people in the building at 1 Broadway in Kendall Square, which is owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is at the intersection of Main Street near the Longfellow Bridge, which has been closed.

Workers described suffocating smoke that smelled like burnt rubber and was so thick in places it was hard to see even a few inches.

Just after 11 a.m., occupants reported hearing a faint, low rumble, according to Aaron Read, 30, who was at work on the third floor.

"Immediately the lights started flickering and the electricity went weird," Read said. "There was a hell of a lot of smoke in emergency stairwells."

On the ninth floor, employees at the Syska Hennessy Group engineering and consulting firm started to evacuate. When the group made it as far as about the sixth floor, the smoke got so thick they could only see a few inches in front of their faces, employees said.

The employees said they then broke the windows and were able to crawl out onto the roof of an adjacent parking garage, where they were able to make their way down to the ground.

Katika Janes said she was working at an engineering firm on the fifth floor when an announcement over the public address system told people to evacuate because there was an electrical fire in the basement.

Janes headed for the emergency stairwell where she said she and about 75 other people had to push through smoke and flames to get outside.

"It was scary," Janes said. "Very scary."

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Posted by aryan at 3:19 PM | Comments (0)

Statement from NSTAR Chairman, President and CEO Tom May

"We regret to inform you that one of our employees, Kevin Fidalgo, has died of injuries he sustained during this morning's accident in Cambridge. This is a tragedy and our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with Kevin's family. Kevin was 28 years old and had worked with us since June of 2000.

"We appreciate this morning's rapid response by emergency officials who did their best to help Kevin. While our work continues with authorities investigating the accident, our thoughts at this time are with Kevin's family and helping them in any way we can.

"Christopher Carey, our second worker injured this morning, is being treated at Mass General Hospital for smoke inhalation."

Posted by aryan at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)

UMass Lowell to honor Jack Kerouac

By Sarah Kneezle, Globe correspondent

Fifty years after the publication of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," the University of Massachusetts at Lowell plans to honor the Beat Generation writer posthumously with an honorary doctorate next June.

University officials said today that the doctorate of letters degree will be received by Kerouac's brother-in-law, John Sampas, who handles his literary estate, at the June 2 commencement. Two weeks later, the 120-foot scroll on which Kerouac drafted his manuscript on in 1951 will be displayed at the Boott Mills Cotton Museum in Lowell.

"Jack Kerouac is synonymous with Lowell," Provost John Wooding said in a statement. "His books made Lowell a literary location known to the world, like Thoreau's 'Walden' did for Concord. It is fitting for UMass Lowell to be the university that recognizes his achievement as one of the most important authors of the 20th century."

This will be the only college degree awarded to the famous writer, who dropped out of Columbia University as a sophomore. He died in 1969 and is buried in Lowell.

Posted by srhee at 1:38 PM | Comments (0)

Coast Guard rescues seasick reality TV cameraman

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Reality television can sometimes be too real.

Just ask the 36-year-old cameraman who spent two days on a boat filming for "Lobsterman: Jeopardy at Sea," a reality show on the Discovery Channel. He learned the hard way that he could probably never cut it as a lobsterman.

After two days of severe seasickness, the man had to be medically evacuated by a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter last night about 161 miles east of Nantucket. Crews hoisted the man off the 77-foot fishing vessel Direction as it was tossed by four to six foot waves.

The man, who the Coast Guard did not identify, was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was listed this morning in stable condition. The cameraman had been aboard the fishing vessel Direction, based in Westport, Mass. He worked for Original Productions out of Burbank, Calif.

"Seasickness certainly varies from case to case," said Petty Officer Etta Smith, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Posted by aryan at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

December 7, 2006

Cancer-stricken Kelly could get name on bridge

By Donovan Slack, GLOBE STAFF

In South Boston, he is a beloved figure, seen as a political warrior who repeatedly defended neighborhood interests against outside forces and as a standard bearer for Southie’s native culture. But in other parts of Boston, he also has been viewed as one of the city’s most divisive forces: He was on the front lines against school busing, fought gays who wanted to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and fought a bitter battle to prevent outsiders from getting affordable housing in his neighborhood.

Now suffering brain cancer, Councilor James M. Kelly could soon be honored with a permanent reminder of his life in public service. A group of elected officials want to name South Boston’s Broadway Bridge after him and have introduced legislation that could be approved as soon as next week.

"I think what we fail to do in our society is honor people while they’re still with us," said state Senator Jack Hart, who introduced the bill.

Hart, a Democrat, has been working with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and two fellow South Boston politicians, state Representative Brian Wallace and City Council President Michael F. Flaherty, to find the right piece of public property to name after Kelly. They said the bridge, recently reconstructed as part of the Big Dig, seemed ideal.

Kelly, undergoing treatment since 2003 for colon and later brain cancer, was resting at home Thursday. "It’ll be a tremendous honor for me," he said in a telephone interview. "I’m indeed grateful to the elected officials and to the people of South Boston."

The bill is scheduled to be introduced in the House Friday and could be passed and on the governor’s desk by Monday, Hart said.

South Boston natives seemed to favor the proposal that the bridge be named after him. Ronnie Croake, a bartender at the Quiet Man Pub next to the Broadway T station, said the renaming was a great idea. "It works for me. It’s a fine Irish name," said the lifelong South Boston resident. "He deserves it while he’s still alive."

"I’d go along with that because I like James Kelly," Terry Foley chimed in, between sips of beer. "He never forgot where he came from and he’s a good guy. Whatever they name after him, I’d go for."

At least one person was in opposition, albeit for a somewhat more practical reason. Sitting in a T bus at the Broadway station on his break, Ash Abe, said changing the Broadway Bridge’s name would cause traffic problems. Abel has driven the No. 47 bus through South Boston for 10 years.

"If you call it something else," he said, "people might get confused."

Globe correspondent Michael Naughton contributed to this report. Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

MIT professor emeritus hurt in Hanoi

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

Seymour Papert, a professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and world-renowned pioneer of artificial intelligence, was in a coma in a Hanoi hospital Thursday after a traffic accident in Vietnam, where he was attending a conference.

Papert, 78, an expert on how children learn, was struck by a motorbike Tuesday while crossing a busy street near his hotel in Hanoi. He was left comatose after he underwent brain surgery at French Hospital on Wednesday to remove a blood clot that had formed. As of last night, he was in stable but critical condition, according to Alexandra Kahn, spokeswoman for the Media Laboratory at MIT.

Papert, who co-founded the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT and was a founding faculty member at the MIT Media Lab in the 1980s, was the keynote speaker Monday at a conference on teaching mathematics with digital technology. He was among more than 100 international experts from 30 countries who had gathered for the event hosted by the Hanoi Technology University.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:08 PM | Comments (0)

Judge orders jakes to hire minorities

By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff

A federal judge Thursday ordered fire departments around the state to offer jobs to about 50 minority candidates who had been excluded from working as firefighters by a discriminatory hiring exam.

The ruling ends a 22-month legal struggle over hiring practices within the state’s fire departments that was prompted by a discrimination lawsuit filed by four black men from Lynn who aspired to be firefighters.

In August, US District Court Judge Patti D. Saris ruled that the cognitive ability test administered to firefighting candidates around the state in 2002 and 2004 discriminated against minority applicants and violated federal civil rights law as well as a three-decade-old court order to integrate Massachusetts fire departments.

Saris found that the exam sought to evaluate skills that had little to do with fighting fires.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

After 65 years, they remember Pearl Harbor

(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)

Barney Murphy, a Pearl Harbor survivor who was a sailor on the USS Maryland, saluted just after wreathes were thrown in Boston Harbor today at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Local survivors of the "Day of Infamy" tossed memorial wreaths of ferns and flowers into Boston Harbor today at 12:55 p.m. to mark the exact moment 65 years ago that the Japanese began their assault on Pearl Harbor.

The somber ceremony, attended by about 50 people, took place at the Charlestown Navy Yard aboard the USS Cassin Young, a destroyer named for a naval commander awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery that day in Hawaii. There was a US Marine honor guard, a rifle salute, a recording of a bugler playing "Taps," and a few of the last living survivors who witnessed the attack.

One of the survivors, Donald Tabbut of Winthrop, was an 18-year-old radio operator who been out with friends drinking beer the night before when the bombs jolted him from bed that Sunday morning. The 83-year-old said today he will never forget the sight of men covered completely in oil crawling out of the harbor from the sinking USS Arizona.

"They were walking in, not as men, but moving blobs of black oil," Tabbut recalled today after the ceremony. "The only way I could tell they were men was by the whites of the eyes and their teeth."

Tabbut is the commander of the group Pearl Harbor Survivors and Friends. After 65 years, he still has some of the same thoughts he did on Dec. 7, 1941. Despite the oceans that separate the United States from Asia and Europe, the country is part of the rest of the world -- no matter how isolated some Americans like to think they are, Tabbut said.

There is also the lesson that came after Pearl Harbor.

"The American people, when they are in a heavy war situation like World War II, they get off their seat," Tabbut said.

Posted by aryan at 5:46 PM | Comments (0)

Suspect captured in store robberies

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A 40-year-old West Roxbury man was arraigned in Brookline District Court today on a pair of armed robbery charges — in two of as many as 16 recent hold-ups of area gas stations, coffee shops, and convenience stores that police suspect him in.

Lee Hines pleaded not guilty to the Brookline robberies, and police linked him to at least six more robberies in Boston and suspect him of being responsible for up to eight more in West Roxbury, Roslindale, and the South End.

Police allege that Hines wore a mask or a bandana to hide his face and ordered store clerks to the floor at gunpoint. In one case at a Brookline bakery, police accused him of kidnapping.

"We have removed a dangerous armed criminal from our streets," said Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis at the press conference at Boston police headquarters.

Boston police captured Hines on Wednesday on a Brookline arrest warrant after a foot chase. Police said Hines admitted his involvement in several of the crimes.

Investigators searched his home on Keystone Street in West Roxbury and said they recovered a loaded firearm and clothing associated with the robberies. Police also said that preliminary ballistic evidence showed a matched between the gun and shots fired at two of the robberies.

Brookline detectives said they linked Hines to the bakery robbery on Monday after they found his finger prints at the scene.

Lee is being held in a jail in Dedham on $150,000 bail awaiting arraignment on additional charges.

Posted by aryan at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)

Federal grant will help restore Common sculptures

By Globe Staff

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department will get $200,000 to help preserve three sculptures on Boston Common, US Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy announced this afternoon.

The sculptures are in significant disrepair: the Brewer Fountain, erected in 1867 and the oldest public sculpture on the Common; the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, built in 1877 to honor Civil War veterans; and the Founding of Boston Memorial Tablet, erected in 1930 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of settlers in Boston.

Their restoration will aid Mayor Thomas M. Menino's efforts to spruce up the Common, the oldest public park in the nation. The grant comes through the Save America's Treasures program, said US Representative Michael E. Capuano, a Somerville Democrat.

"The Parks Department and the Mayor appreciate the support of our delegation to help us restore these historic American art treasures," city Parks Commissioner Antonia Pollak said in a statement.

Posted by srhee at 4:22 PM | Comments (0)

A good luck kiss for a toy poodle

(David L Ryan /Globe Staff)

Sanae Negishi gave her toy poodle Marla one last good luck kiss today before the pooch entered the ring at the Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show.

The contest runs through Sunday at the Bayside Exposition Center in Boston and is expected to draw an average of 3,000 pedigree pooches a day competing for best in show honors.

Some 30,000 people are expected to cheer for 160 different dog breeds, from common cocker spaniels and golden retrievers, to the exotic Black Russian Terriers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, German Pinschers and Neapolitan Mastiffs.

Posted by aryan at 3:32 PM | Comments (0)

Lawmaker calls for extension of Safe Haven law

By April Simpson, Globe Staff

State Representative Barry R. Finegold said today he intends to file legislation in the next session that will extend the 2004 Baby Safe Haven Act indefinitely.

The act, which expires in July 2008, waives prosecution of parents who leave an unwanted child at a hospital or police or fire station within seven days of birth. The proposed legislation eliminates the June 30, 2008 expiration clause and adds 911 emergency responders as designated persons who can accept a newborn.

Finegold, an Andover Democrat, also announced at a press conference that a baby has been safely surrendered within the past month. Her name is Iris, which stands for Infant Surrendered Into Safety.

Posted by srhee at 3:22 PM | Comments (0)

Arrest made in Boston University athlete beatings

By Globe Staff

Boston Police announced this afternoon that they have arrested a 23-year-old Hingham man in connection with the beatings of four Boston University athletes this week.

Sean Melanson is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and threats to commit crime. He is to be arraigned today in Brighton District Court. Police said in a statement that they are seeking other suspects.

Three BU hockey players and a women's lacrosse player were injured after a house party early Sunday in Allston. They reported being attacked by three men wearing black-hooded sweatshirts and wielding baseball bats, wrenches, and hammers.

Defenseman Kevin Schaeffer, 22, the most seriously hurt, was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital. He suffered a broken orbital bone, black eyes, and a dislocated thumb. Team captain Sean Sullivan, goaltender John Curry, and lacrosse midfielder Lauren Morton were also hurt.

Posted by srhee at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

Patrick to review Romney trooper policy

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Incoming Governor Deval Patrick said today he may revoke Governor Mitt Romney's plan to have state troopers arrest illegal immigrants.

"I still think it"s a bad idea, and I"m going to get briefed by the secretary of public safety on exactly what the agreement is and what the guidelines are, and then I"m going to be looking at my power and my opportunities to fix what I think is broken," Patrick said at a news conference this morning to introduce Leslie Kirwan as his top budget aide.

When asked by a Globe reporter if he would revoke the Romney policy, Patrick responded, "I'm saying wait and see. I'm going to investigate what power I have."

Patrick has previously expressed skepticism about the Romney plan.

On Sunday, the Globe reported that Romney has reached an agreement with federal authorities that allows the Massachusetts State Police to arrest immigrants who are in the state illegally.

Currently, state troopers have no power to detain people for violations of their immigration status alone, said the spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom. If troopers stop people who they suspect are illegal immigrants, they can call a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Vermont to check on their status and detain them if federal officials request it, he said.

Under the deal, brokered after months of negotiations, troopers can detain people they determine are illegal immigrants during regular police duties, Fehrnstrom said. This authority will be given to two dozen or three dozen troopers who undergo 4 1/2 weeks of training in immigration laws, civil rights, and ways to avoid racial profiling, he said. The troopers will probably be members of special units that pursue violent fugitives or combat street gangs.

Posted by ddahl at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)

Drunk driving suspect assaulted outside court, victim's uncle arrested

By Ted Flannagan, Globe correspondent

WESTBOROUGH – A woman charged in a fatal September car accident that killed a Suffolk University student was allegedly attacked yesterday on the steps of Westborough District Court by the victim's uncle, authorities said.

Alison Voorhis, 47, of Hopkinton, was knocked down by a single blow to the head after stepping out of a grey Jeep Grand Cherokee just after 9 a.m, witnesses told police. She was on her way to a pre-trial hearing.

Court officers arrested Achilles Athansiou moments after the attack. He was charged with assault and battery, and was released several hours after the attack. He is due back in court on Jan. 24.

"I don't think this was an emotional, spur of the moment thing," said Voorhis attorney, Angelo P. Catanzaro. "I think that this was premeditated, that someone was going to assault Ms. Voorhis. He (Athansiou) was determined to get to her."

Catanzaro said he saw Athansiou strike Voorhis once in the face.

Athansiou's nephew, Evagelos Pashos, 21, of Shrewsbury, was killed Sept. 24 when his 2001 Audi was allegedly hit head on by Voorhis' rented 2006 Kia Optima at the intersection of Route 9 and Otis Street in Northborough.

Police arrested Voorhis on a variety of charges, including negligent motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol.

Pashos' family has vowed to protest all Voorhis' court appearances. Today, 18 family members lined the driveway of the courthouse carrying signs calling Voorhis a murderer and demanding a stiff sentence.

Lina Pashos, 18, grasped in court a poster bearing a photograph of her dead brother, where several family members yelled "murderer" when Voorhis left the brief hearing yesterday.

Voorhis is due back in court on Jan. 10.

Posted by aryan at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

Odor evacuates medical center in Kingston

By Sarah M. Kneezle, Globe Correspondent

Eleven people where hospitalized with nausea today after an odor forced the evacuation of the South Shore Medical Center in Kingston, according to a statement posted on the center's website.

The odor was detected around 9:30 a.m. and the fire department was called. Firefighters evacuated the building and are trying to determine the source of the smell.

Ten employees and 1 patient who were dizzy and experiencing shortness of breath were taken to South Shore and Jordan hospitals.

Ten of those taken to hospitals were treated and released. One person was kept in the hospital for observation, according to the center.

Posted by aryan at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

T says bus route improvements will mean faster trips

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

The MBTA announced this morning that it will add buses and make other changes on 13 of its busiest routes, promising riders less crowded buses and faster trips.

The T is also adding a route between Dudley Station and Franklin Park that should reduce crowding on other routes serving the area.

More buses will be put on the 13 routes to provide more frequent service. Also, inspectors and standby buses will be stationed in the middle of the routes so that they can be dispatched if there are backups.

The changes will take effect Dec. 30 on routes serving neighborhoods including Allston, Arlington, Belmont, Brighton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chinatown, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, South Boston, and Watertown. The 13 bus routes, out of 170 total, carry 41 percent of all riders, the T says.

Similar changes several months ago on a route between Everett and Haymarket led to vast improvements, said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Grabauskas said the T also plans to buy 155 buses to replace some of the oldest in the fleet.

Posted by srhee at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Ex-boyfriend to face kidnapping charges for teen disappearance in Wrentham

By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

A New Hampshire man is expected to face kidnapping charges in federal court today after police allege he lured his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend into a car while she was on break from her job at a Wrentham mall and forced her to drive with him across the state line.

Investigators offered few new details about the alleged abduction at a news conference today, but they did say that Nicole Viveiros was not hurt while she was held against her will for almost 19 hours.

Her disappearance Tuesday night while on a 15-minutes break from work at the Eddie Bauer at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets Mall sparked a massive search that involved some 75 law enforcement officers.

Donald Durand, 19, of Rochester, NH, was in custody of US Marshals today awaiting an appearance in federal court in Boston, according to Gail Marcinkiewicz, a Boston spokeswoman for the FBI. Durand was arrested Wednesday in New Hampshire.

Speaking to reporters outside the Wrentham Police Department, Detective Lieutenant William McGrath said media attention, the use of cell phones, and information gathered from the social networking website Myspace.com played a key role in the case. McGrath declined to provide specifics about the disappearance of the Bellingham teen or describe her treatment while she was missing.

"She appeared healthy," McGrath said. "She appeared physically fine."

Posted by aryan at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

Break-in, arrest on Newbury Street

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Another overnight smash-and-grab on Newbury Street. And another arrest.

Officers on patrol just after 3:30 a.m. spotted a man staring at a display window at Louis Boston, a high-end clothier at the corner of Berkeley and Newbury streets, according to a police spokesman.

When officers approached, the man turned and ran. After a brief foot chase, police caught the man and found a black leather coat with a Louis Boston tag stuffed inside the man's jacket.

The store window had been broken, police said, and a crowbar was found in nearby bushes.

The man, identified at Robert Turner, 34, of Everett, was charged with breaking and entering a business and possession of burglary tools. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Boston Municipal Court.

On Tuesday, about 40 Newbury Street business owners met with police officers to discuss ways to combat a surge of break-ins along the chichi shopping corridor. The Police Department has added three walking officers to the Newbury Street area, including an officer on bike between midnight and 7:30 a.m.

Last week, two men pleaded not guilty to charges they smashed a window at the Italian fashion house Valentino and stole a $1,900 handbag. At the time, it was one of six recent smash-and-grabs on the street in the past two months.

Posted by aryan at 8:56 AM | Comments (0)

State inquires about lawn firm

By Jonathan Saltzman and Maria Cramer, GLOBE STAFF

The state Department of Revenue has contacted the city of Chelsea to inquire about a landscaping company following a Globe story reporting that the company used illegal immigrant workers.

City Manager Jay Ash said that an auditor from the Revenue Department called and asked about Community Lawn Service with a Heart, a tiny company that maintains the grounds of Governor Mitt Romney’s house in Belmont, as well as Chelsea parks.

On Friday, the Globe reported that illegal immigrants from Guatemala make up a significant number of employees at the company, which has tended Romney’s 2-acre property on Marsh Street for a decade. Reporters interviewed four current and former employees of the company, and all but one said they were in the United States illegally. The workers said they were paid in cash at $9 to $10 an hour.

Ricardo Saenz, owner of the lawn service, declined to comment. Tim Connolly, a spokesman for the department, said that the agency, which ensures compliance with state tax laws, would not comment on whether it is investigating the company.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)

Women honored for helping win war

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

METHUEN -- It was World War II, and while Rosie the Riveter was helping the military effort in defense plants, most women were not allowed to do much more than to volunteer as nurses overseas or tend to the home front.

But in 1942, 24-year-old Sara Payne Hayden wanted something unheard of — to fly military planes.

Despite her family’s objections, Hayden was one of the few women to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first female pilots in the US armed forces. Her job: to test fly previously damaged planes to make sure that they were ready for the men headed for combat.

"We did things the men weren’t expected to do," said Hayden, now 87, who still fits into her petite 62-year-old navy blue WASP uniform. "I did not think about the danger or anything. I had a job to do, and I did it. And you just knew you had to have it right. There wasn’t any room for mistakes."

Hayden, along with a Tuskegee airman and other notable World War II pilots living in Massachusetts, will be honored at Hanscom Air Force Base on Thursday, the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 12:11 AM | Comments (0)

David Project wants to know who funded trek

By Charles A. Radin, Globe Staff

A critic of the Islamic Society of Boston’s efforts to construct a mosque at Roxbury Crossing demanded Wednesday that the society and the Boston Redevelopment Authority reveal who paid the expenses of the BRA deputy director who traveled to the Middle East on behalf of the mosque project.

The David Project, a Jewish advocacy group, said in a press release Wednesday that the BRA deputy director, Mohammad Ali-Salaam, had made more than one trip to the Middle East on behalf of the mosque project, and that the BRA and the Islamic society are refusing to divulge who had paid Ali Salaam’s expenses.

The group filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court in October seeking to force BRA disclosure of records regarding the mosque project.

A BRA spokeswoman, Jessica Shumaker, said the agency has responded fully to the David Project’s initial requests for information, and is waiting to hear whether the organization is willing to pay for public-records research to fill additional requests it has made.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)

December 6, 2006

Man arrested in August slaying of man who had just proposed

By Globe Staff

Police arrested a Dorchester man on a murder charge today for the August slaying of a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot moments after he proposed to his girlfriend, according to the Middlesex district attorney's office and relatives of the victim.

Bernard Johnson, 22, was shot to death in a Somerville parking lot over a gold chain after he surprised his girlfriend with a diamond ring inside a nearby apartment.

Walter Norris, 20, was arrested today in Boston and arraigned in Somerville District Court. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail until his next court appearance on Jan. 4.

At about 1:07 a.m. on August 30, Somerville Police responded to a report of gunshots on Merriam Street. Johnson was rushed to Cambridge Hospital and pronounced dead.

According to prosecutors, Johnson and his girlfriend left the apartment on Merriam Street and were confronted by a man identified as Valentino Facey, 21. Facey tried to snatch Johnson's gold chain at gunpoint and a fight ensued.

Prosecutors allege that Norris then appeared with a gun and shot Johnson several times. Facey was arrested the day of the shooting and pleaded not guilty with attempting to commit a crime. He is being held on $50,000 bail.

Posted by aryan at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)

Missing 17-year-old found, ex-beau charged with kidnapping

By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

A 17-year-old who went missing Tuesday night during a break from her job at a mall in Wrentham returned unharmed Wednesday, and authorities later arrested and charged a former boyfriend with her kidnapping.

Wrentham police announced last night that the FBI had arrested Donald Durand, 19, of Rochester, but they did not provide details on his court appearance or the charges.

Durand was arrested, police said, in the disappearance of Nicole Viveiros of Bellingham, who went to a police station in an undisclosed area before she was escorted to the Wrentham Police Department, authorities said.

She had disappeared about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday after a 15-minute break from her job at Eddie Bauer at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets Mall, police said.

After she was reported missing, authorities launched a massive search involving helicopters, dogs, and about 75 law enforcement officers.

''She is safe,'' Wrentham police Chief Joseph Collamati Jr. announced late yesterday afternoon.

Early on, Collamati would say only that Viveiros had left the mall with a male friend and returned the next day with a different friend, whom police did not identify.

He said investigators used Viveiros's computer to uncover useful information on MySpace.com, a social networking website used by teenagers.

In a release issued last night, Wrentham police said that during an interview with Viveiros, "it was determined she was taken against her will by an ex-boyfriend to a location in New Hampshire."

Posted by aryan at 5:03 PM | Comments (0)

Despite election loss, Healey acts as governor with Romney away

(David L Ryan / Globe Staff)

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is pictured above on Nov. 14 while Governor Mitt Romney was at political events in Wisconsin and Nebraska.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey handily lost the race for governor, but that hasn't stopped her from acting like one for at least part of 20 days in the month since Election Day.

Governor Mitt Romney's presidential ambitions have taken him to 10 states and two Asian countries since then, leaving Healey in charge, according to both their public schedules.

Romney's latest trip -- California for a family Thanksgiving, the Republican Governor's Association conference in Miami, and on to Japan, South Korea and China -- will leave Healey as acting governor for 17 days from Nov. 23 to Dec. 9. Romney, who has yet to formally announce he is running for president, will leave office on Jan. 4 when Democrat Deval L. Patrick is sworn in.

Since the election, Healey has amended bills, sworn in five judges, and presided over three meetings of the Governor's Council. Yesterday afternoon, she had three gubernatorial appearances, which included swearing in associate justices for the Worcester County Juvenile Court and the Ayer District Court.

Pamela H. Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, a government watchdog group, pointed out that as the "duly elected lieutenant governor,” filling in when Romney is out of town is "part of her job description."

"I think what the people of Massachusetts really want is to have a governor who is actually here governing," Wilmot said. "Unfortunately, it's not unusual for this state. There's has been a long line of governors running for other offices."

A spokesman for the governor's office said that Romney is in regular communication with the office, and that the administration has continued moving forward with its post-election agenda, which includes removing tolls on the western Massachusetts Turnpike and keeping spending in check.

There is no formal temporary transfer or a ceremonial passing of a baton when Romney heads out of town. Many of Healey duties have been ceremonial and the December after an election is a typically quiet for state government.

"Certainly the wheels of government continue to turn," Wilmot said. "But I think it's the proactive agenda that really suffers when a governor has moved on."

Posted by aryan at 4:23 PM | Comments (0)

Andover principal agrees to host controversial speakers

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

Andover High School's principal agreed today to invite a controversial group to speak on campus more than a month after he cancelled their talk at school.

In October Principal Peter Anderson postponed the talk by Wheels of Justice, a group of self-described peace activists touring the nation in a school bus after critics claimed their views were extreme. The speakers are critical of the US and Israeli governments. The group said they offer a variety of views.

Anderson issued a statement today saying the group's talk will be one of a series of discussions offering different viewpoints about conflicts in the Middle East. Dates for the new talks have not been set.

The decision to postpone the talk last month raised protests from the ACLU of Massachusetts and teachers that the principal had stifled free speech.

Posted by aryan at 4:19 PM | Comments (0)

Man charged with manslaughter after deadly bar fight in Lowell

By Sarah M. Kneezle, Glob Correspondent

A man pleaded not guilty today in Lowell District Court to a manslaughter charge stemming from a deadly bar fight overnight, according to a release from the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Alex Adorno, 28, was held on $1,000 cash bail. Police arrested him this morning in connection with the death of William Peters, 35, who was found unconscious at Captain John's Bar on Westford Street at about 12:50 a.m. Peters was rushed to Lowell General Hospital and pronounced dead.

Police allege that Peters died after fighting with Adorno. The two men knew each other before the fight, according to district attorney's office.

The office of the chief medical examiner has scheduled an autopsy for later today.

Posted by aryan at 2:41 PM | Comments (0)

AG-elect Coakley names first assistant and other staffers

By Globe Staff

Martha Coakley announced the first appointments to her new administration today as she prepares to take office as the state's first female attorney general.

Coakley named David S. Friedman her First Assistant Attorney General. The former president of the Harvard Law Review lives in Newton and currently serves as Counsel and Chief Policy Advisor to Senate President Robert E. Travaglini. Friedman has clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

For two other appointments, Coakley turned to her current staff at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. She tapped Sheila M. Calkins to be chief of staff. Since June 2006, Calkins has been Coakley's Deputy First Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex.

Coakley also picked Edward R. Bedrosian, Jr. to be her Deputy First Assistant Attorney General. He has worked in Middlesex district attorney’s office since 1992 and currently serves as the Deputy Second Assistant District Attorney.

"David, Sheila, and Ed are all tremendously talented attorneys and each brings a breadth of experience to the table as members of my leadership team in the Attorney General's Office," Coakley said in a statement. "I'm pleased that each of them has accepted my offer to join my new staff, and I look forward to working with all of them as we begin to address the many important issues facing the Commonwealth."

Posted by aryan at 2:24 PM | Comments (0)

Entwistle asks judge for bail to return to England

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe staff

Ten months after he was arrested in London in the gunshot slayings of his wife and infant daughter, Neil Entwistle has asked a judge to free him from jail and let him return to his native England until he goes on trial next year.

Lawyers for Entwistle acknowledged in the written request that the Hopkinton murders in January generated international news coverage and predicted that his motion would only rekindle media interest in the case.

But the lawyers, Elliot M. Weinstein and Stephanie Page, said they ``cannot be cowed'' by fears that the request for Entwistle's release will be met with ``media reaction and cynicism.'' Entwistle has been held without bail at the Middlesex County Jail.

Although Entwistle flew to England after his 27-year-old wife, Rachel, and 9-month-old daughter, Lillian, were murdered, he spoke with the Massachusetts State Police almost daily by phone from his parents' house and did not challenge extradition upon his arrest, the lawyers said.

The lawyers asked Middlesex Superior Court Judge Peter M. Lauriat to impose several conditions, including requirements that Entwistle be confined to his parents' home in Worksop, England; that he wear an electronic monitoring bracelet; that he report daily by phone to British law enforcement authorities; and that his parents put up their house as security to ensure he returns to the United States.

Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley, said prosecutors will oppose the motion at a pretrial hearing already scheduled for Dec. 15.

``We just don't think this is appropriate, given the nature of the case and the flight risk,'' said LaGrassa, who added that prosecutors will give more detailed reasons at the hearing.

Entwistle is scheduled to go on trial April 27.

Posted by mbello at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

Police transfer staffers at drug evidence warehouse

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

Boston Police announced today that they are reassigning all personnel who had access to seized drugs stored in the department's central depository because of possible continued evidence tampering.

The department also has asked the State Police to help in the investigation, which began in August after a routine audit indicated problems.

"Due diligence requires that we transfer all employees with access to drug evidence," Superintendent-in-chief Albert E. Goslin said in a statement. "This step is necessary to both protect the investigative process and ensure the integrity of the current drug evidence. This in no way should be seen as compromising our original intent behind this investigation: to identify the person or persons responsible without compromising the professionalism and honor of others associated with the unit."

The evidence stored at the warehouse in Hyde Park is tied to thousands of drug cases awaiting trial. After trial, the drugs are destroyed.

Posted by srhee at 1:31 PM | Comments (0)

T ends an era, surprises a commuter

(Lisa Poole for the Boston Globe)

Rubiela Velez, 47, of Boston, showed off her token and her Charlie Card good for $100 after being notified today that she was the last person to purchase a token.

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

The last brass token on the MBTA was sold at 10:23 a.m. today at Government Center station to an East Boston woman on her way to go shopping in Cambridge.

Rubiela Velez, 47, a native of Colombia who spoke little English, was surrounded by cameras as the T's general manager told her the news, handed her a certificate, and a new fare card with $100 on it.

Velez beamed during the impromptu ceremony, saying in broken English that she had run out of tokens prior to buying the last one. She said she couldn't wait to show the framed certificate commemorating the event to her family.

As Velez made her way down the stairs to the trains, T workers began dismantling the last two turnstiles on the system.

The T is installing a new automated fare collection system on bus and subways, which is 90 percent complete. Fare cards loaded with cash will be the system's new currency and the token removed from circulation as riders use them. The installation is expected to be complete by the end of the month on the subway system. The system is installed on buses.

Posted by srhee at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

Funeral today for slain gang member working for peace

(David L Ryan / Globe Staff)

At a funeral this morning at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Roxbury, Boston police stood near the hearse that carried the body of Jahmol A. Norfleet, a gang leader who was shot in the head as he worked to preserve a gang truce.

By Globe Staff

There was an increased police presence at a funeral at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church today for a 20-year-old man who was working for peace between two rival gangs but was fatally shot last month.

Jahmol A. Norfleet, a 20-year-old leader of the H-Block gang, had been helping keep a truce with the rival Heath Street gang in Jamaica Plain. He was gunned down in front of his grandmother's house in Roxbury. His sister was grazed by a bullet. Police are looking for the shooters.

The Reverend Miniard Culpepper held a funeral this morning for Norfleet at the one-room church on Humboldt Avenue in Roxbury that can be seen from the home where he was raised by his grandmother

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino released the following statement:

"Today we remember a young man who helped change his neighborhood from a place of violence to a community of peace.

"Jahmol Norfleet made mistakes in life but in the past year turned it around by taking classes to get his GED, working a steady job, and attending weekly church services. He should be considered a role model to all young people faced with making difficult choices.

"Our thought and prayers are with the family and friend of Jahmol Norfleet. It is our hope that his mission for peace won't be forgotten."

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Jamhol Norfleet was fatally shot near his home on Holworthy Street.

Posted by aryan at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Police looking for missing 17-year-old in Wrentham

(Robert E. Klein for The Boston Globe)

Nicole Viveiros 17, of Bellingham, Mass., has not been seen since she went on break from her job at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets Mall at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

By Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

WRENTHAM -- State and local police are using dogs and a helicopter to search woods around the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets Mall for a 17-year-old woman from Bellingham who took a break from her job at Eddie Bauer Tuesday night and disappeared.

Nicole Viveiros took her 15 minutes break at about 8:45 p.m. and never came back to work, according to police Detective Sergeant William McGrath. Investigators found her car in the parking lot with some other personal items inside.

"Thus far we have no evidence that there is foul play involved," said McGrath this morning at a news conference outside police headquarters.

Police, however, have not ruled anything out. The woman's mother came to police headquarters this morning with Viveiros' computer. McGrath said investigators were trying to determine if she met someone over the Internet, but have found nothing specific that points to an online connection.

Viveiros parents called police at about 11 p.m. Tuesday night. Officers searched the area outside the mall until about 2 a.m., using dogs and inferred equipment.

"No one has reported that she drove away in a car or that someone drove her away," McGrath said.

Her parents told investigators that is was "uncharacteristic" of Viveiros to leave work and not return home.

Viveiros is 5 feet 1 with brown eyes and has brown hair with blond highlights. She was wearing a pink long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call Wrentham police at 508-384-6950.

Posted by aryan at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

Relative IDs shooting victim as former Cambridge police officer

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A relative this morning identified the man who was fatally shot in Dorchester last night as retired Cambridge Police officer Myles "Tony" Lawton.

Boston Police have released few details about the victims or the motive for the shooting, which occurred on Florida Street about 9:35 p.m. It left one man dead and injured another person.

Vanessa Jones said this morning that her sister, Teresa Jones, is married to Lawton and the couple lived in the second-floor apartment on Florida Street. Jones said that Lawton and a friend were watching television when someone started shooting.

Teresa Jones grabbed her grandchild and managed to avoid the gunfire, Vanessa Jones said.

Cambridge City official said this morning they are checking to confirm that Lawton was a police officer. The apartment building on Florida Street was roped off this morning with two police cruisers parked out front.

Posted by aryan at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

Checking a doctor's bedside manner in a blog?

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Before choosing a doctor or starting a new prescription, imagine browsing Internet blogs to check a physician's bedside manner or read about other patients' experience with a drug.

Unfiltered information about the health care industry may not be widely available yet -- but the day of checking up on individual surgeons or doctors is not far off, said Dmitriy Kruglyak, who runs a website called The Medical Blog Network.

"You can now go beyond a dry encyclopedia article [online] and read a blog about real patient experience," said Kruglyak.

Kruglyak is speaking this morning at the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium in Waltham about what doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies can do to keep up with blogs, podcasts, and other social media outlets on the Internet. While the health care industry's presence online has lagged behind political, entertainment, and media outlets, it is growing.

Patients' conversations about their treatment by physicians in coffee shops and at the corner store are increasingly playing out online -- where the information can be read by millions.

"This means consumers have more choices where they get their healthcare information from," said Kruglyak. "It means they have more choices about how [patients] provide feedback for the service they get."

As more blogs and other forms of online expression proliferate, the health care industry is working to establish its own presence beyond mere websites. For example, Paul Levy, the chief executive Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is one of the first hospital executives in the country to have his own blog.

"The genie is out of the bottle," Kruglyak said. "People want more information."

Posted by aryan at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)

December 5, 2006

Harvard narrows hunt for leader

By Maria Sacchetti and Marcella Bombardieri, GLOBE STAFF

Harvard has whittled hundreds of nominees for its next president to a small list, including internal candidates and presidents of some of the nation’s top universities, a source familiar with the process said.

The source would not give a specific number, but said the university is considering a smaller group than the 30 names the presidential search committee presented to Harvard’s Board of Overseers on Sunday.
Harvard is focusing on an elite group of academics, many of them with deep ties to Harvard.

Eleven of the names were reported Tuesday in the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson. The source confirmed those names to the Globe on Tuesday, as well as two others.

The presidential search committee will keep narrowing the list of contenders with the intention of picking a president by early next year.

The Board of Overseers then must give final approval.

On the list of 30 candidates presented to the overseers were three Harvard leaders: provost Steven E. Hyman, a neuroscientist; Elena Kagan, the dean of Harvard Law School; and Drew Gilpin Faust, a history professor and dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The list also included top-tier academic officials in the United States and Britain:University of Pennsylvania president Amy Gutmann; Brown University president Ruth J. Simmons; Princeton University president Shirley M. Tilghman; Tufts University president Lawrence S. Bacow; Stanford provost John W. Etchemendy; Alison F. Richard, the vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge in England; and Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University.

Two former Harvard administrators also were part of the group: Kim B. Clark, the former dean of Harvard’s business school, who surprised many by leaving to become president of Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2005; and Harvey V. Fineberg, a former Harvard provost who is now president of the Washington-based Institute of Medicine. Also on the list is Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former Harvard professor who is the dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Fineberg, Bollinger, and Gutmann were among the top candidates in Harvard’s last search.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Hero’s welcome for Hub’s finest

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

Terrence "Shane" Burke wanted a quiet reunion with his Boston police family Tuesday evening.

He would be met at the airport by his parents, visit his South Boston precinct, and in a few weeks return to a Texas military hospital to get a permanent prosthesis to replace his lower left leg, which was blown off by an insurgent’s bomb in Fallujah while he served as a Marine sergeant.

His fellow officers would have none of that.

Instead, they stopped traffic in South Boston to ensure Burke received a hero’s welcome. He and his family were greeted at the station house by about 50 Marines, some from his company, and about 150 Boston police officers on foot, motorcycles, and horseback.

An American flag, bathed in light and suspended between two Boston fire engine ladders, hung high above West Broadway. A crowd of South Boston residents turned out, as well as the young children of several officers.

As several officers played the Marine Corps Hymn on bagpipes, on- and off-duty officers lined up and saluted a smiling Burke, who used crutches to walk to the station doors.

"We wouldn’t miss this," said Officer Matt Morris, who works the overnight shift in Mattapan and who attended the Police Academy with Burke. "He’s a tough kid."

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and new Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis III greeted the Burke family as a police photographer and a phalanx of television cameras recorded the moment for posterity. "He’s a hero," the mayor said. "A Boston police officer goes over there, doesn’t ask any questions ... to protect our freedoms."

Burke, 28, did not speak publicly before going inside the station to spend time with fellow officers.

He was overwhelmed by the welcome, Superintendent-in-Chief Albert Goslin said later.

"He’s unbelievably thrilled by the reception he got," Goslin said. "He wants quiet time with people who mean a great deal to him, who he’s been communicating with."

Officers also have organized a party for Burke at Florian Hall for Wednesday night.

Burke’s family is well known in Dorchester. T.J. Burke, his father, was elected honorary Dorchester mayor at the annual parade. Burke served in the Marines for four years before entering the Police Academy last year. And when his Marine buddies went to Iraq while he was an officer patrolling South Boston, he volunteered to go as well last December.

Burke wrote letters to friends in the department from Iraq and the rehabilitation hospital. "I’ve come to realize people are people no matter where you travel, and sometimes a smile and a wave can change someone’s perspective," he wrote in April.

Five months later, he suffered serious burns and lost his leg near his left knee when a roadside bomb tore apart his Humvee.

Boston Fire Lieutenant Jim O’Brien, who was attached to Burke’s unit as a Navy medic, said the Humvee was burning, so he and other Marines had to drag Burke and another injured Marine away while under heavy fire from insurgents.

Burke had two collapsed lungs and was struggling to breathe, said O’Brien, who said he tied a tourniquet on Burke’s leg because he was losing blood quickly.

"I couldn’t tell him his leg was gone," he said. "You start talking about something else."

Last night, O’Brien and other men from Burke’s company finally got to see their friend after months apart. O’Brien said he hugged Burke and said, "Good to see you, bro'."

Dorothy Faherty, Burke’s mother, said he was so eager to see his fellow officers that he wanted to go straight to the precinct from Logan International Airport.

Burke’s fellow officers couldn’t wait, either. About a dozen of them stood in the lobby and outside the district station several hours before his scheduled arrival.

Officer Dudley Hill, who supervised Burke when he was a rookie, said Burke is beloved by everyone at the precinct.

Hill said that, like many officers, he was distraught when he heard Burke had been seriously injured. "When I first heard the news my heart was pierced," Hill said.

But Burke’s upbeat attitude about his injuries has kept other officers optimistic. "Terry is the type of guy you’d want on all your radio calls," Hill said. "He’s one of those guys if you’re in the field and you call him you know he’s coming."

Hill said it is unclear if Burke will be able to return to active duty, but if anyone can do it with a prosthetic leg, he can. "The type of guy Terry is, I can just see him doing it again," Hill said. "He’s a great cop."

Goslin said another officer serves on active duty despite having a prosthesis and he saw no reason that Burke couldn’t as well.

Burke has to return to Texas to get his prosthesis, Faherty said, but he could not wait any longer to come home to Boston and see his friends.

"He said, 'Ma, next time I’m back, I’ll have my leg,'" Faherty said.

Suzanne Smalley can be reached at ssmalley@globe.com.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

Shipping lanes may give way to whales

By Beth Daley, GLOBE STAFF

In ship-versus-whale encounters, whales invariably lose. This time, score one for the whales.

This week, the International Maritime Organization, based in London, is expected to vote to shift the busy shipping lanes off Massachusetts up to 10 miles north and narrow them by a mile to reduce collisions with whales -- the first time such a detour would be enacted in US waters to protect an endangered species.

The move, government scientists say, will reduce the risk of ship strikes to the North Atlantic right whale by up to 60 percent and other large baleen whales by as much as 81 percent.

"This makes it more possible for whales and ships to coexist," said David Wiley, research coordinator for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the person who came up with the idea.

The US government has been trying to make the change for several years and has documented the vast number of right whales and other large whales that feed and frolic smack in the middle of the current shipping lanes off Massachusetts. Ship strikes, along with tangles with fishing gear, are some of the greatest threats to the world’s remaining 350 North Atlantic right whales.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:43 PM | Comments (0)

Bedford honors native sons

By Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff

BEDFORD -- United two years ago by the terrible bond of grief, two sets of parents -- one mourning the death of a Bedford Marine, the other the loss of a soldier son -- were together again Tuesday night for the unveiling of memorial plaques honoring the pair.

The sparse and elegant plaques, set beneath photographs of John Hart and Travis Desiato, hang side by side in the main lobby of Bedford High School, permanent reminders of the sacrifice made by the two families and this town of 13,000.

The two young men were remembered yesterday as courageous patriots and the best that Bedford has to offer.

"These were two young men who were highly respected and loved by many," principal Jonathan Sills said earlier in the day. "They are of the best that the school has been privileged to educate in terms of their selflessness and their courage."

For their parents, time has not eased the loss.

"It’s as raw today as it was the day it happened," said Laurie Desiato, Travis’s stepmother. "It doesn’t go away, the pain you get from losing a child."

Travis Desiato was part of unit clearing homes in Fallujah on Nov. 15, 2004, when a group of four Marines prepared to kick down a door. It was another Marine’s turn, but Travis volunteered to do it, Laurie Desiato said. Moments after he burst through the door, he was gunned down by a group of insurgents waiting inside.

Brian Hart, John Hart’s father, was one of the first people at the Desiato’s home to help console the inconsolable. More than three years after their son’s death, Brian and Alma Hart have hired a lawyer to interview the soldiers in their son’s unit to get a full account of his death when he was shot by insurgents while he rode in an unarmored Humvee outside Kirkuk, Iraq, on Oct. 13, 2003.

When the details about the attack that killed him were not forthcoming from the military, the Harts filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Pentagon.

"A year after we sent it, they sent us a letter saying the computer hard drive that had the information on it had been confiscated in connection with a criminal investigation, so we couldn’t have access to it," Alma Hart said. "I was like, are you serious? Do you think we’re just going to say 'That’s all right. It’s only our son.'"

"A lot of families feel they have not gotten the truth," Alma Hart continued.

The Desiatos did not get an account of Travis’s death until nearly four months later, when they were at Camp LeJeune for a memorial service and met several Marines from Travis’s unit.

Laurie Desiato said she still has questions about what happened that day, but what she is sure of is that she wants the fighting to end.

"I want every one of them home now," she said. "These are kids; they’re just kids."

Douglas Belkin can be reached at dbelkin@globe.com

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)

Danvers ink company agrees to work with feds in disaster probe

By Globe Staff

The ink manufacture involved in last month's massive industrial explosion in Danvers began making its employees available today for voluntary interviews with federal investigators from the US Chemical Safety Board.

CAI Inc. had resisted earlier efforts by the safety board, which threatened on Monday to use subpoenas to get access to employees and company documents.

"We welcome this cooperation from the company today; it represents progress for the CSB investigation and allows us to begin to get to the bottom of why this horrific explosion occurred," said John Vorderbrueggen, the lead investigator for the board, in a statement.

The explosion on Nov. 22 damaged some 70 homes but caused no deaths or serious injuries. Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the blast.

CAI employees began speaking with investigators this afternoon after meeting with company officials this morning. The interviews are scheduled to continue tomorrow.

The investigators also gave the company a list of document investigators want to review, including chemical inventories, training records, operating procedures, and safety programs.

Posted by aryan at 6:54 PM | Comments (0)

'Hero's Fund' launched in memory of shooting victim

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Several clergy members held a joint press conference today at the Old South Church to announce the creation of the "Hero's Fund" to honor the memory and continue the work of Jahmol Norfleet who was trying to orchestrate gang peace when he was gunned down last week. From the left are Reverend Ray Hammond; Teah Norfleet, the victim's sister who was slightly wounded in the shooting; and Reverend Miniard Culpepper.

Posted by aryan at 5:46 PM | Comments (0)

Jury convicts man of 2005 gas station slaying in Dorchester

(Wiqan Ang for The Boston Globe)

A jury today found Edwin Mejia guilty of the murder of Lourdes Hernandez at a Dorchester gas station in 2005.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A 28-year-old Everett man today was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering a clerk at a gas station where he had worked, officials at the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

A Suffolk jury convicted Edwin Mejia of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the slaying of 39-year-old Lourdes M. Hernandez, who on the morning of June 11, 2005 worked an unscheduled shift at the LukOil Mini-Mart.

Mejia, a former employee at the Geneva Avenue store, fatally stabbed the Dorchester resident during a robbery he had planned for at least several days, prosecutors said.

Mejia's lawyer did not immediately return calls this afternoon.

Evidence introduced during more than two weeks of testimony showed that Mejia had planned to rob the store's safe, but had expected a different employee to be on duty when he arrived there with a knife between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., prosecutors said. Medical experts at trial said Hernandez suffered numerous stab wounds in the neck, chest, and body during the attack.

Mejia was identified as a suspect when homicide detectives obtained a list of past and present LukOil employees, prosecutors said.

Eyewitness statements put him in the employees-only section of the store on the morning of the incident. Additional evidence showed that he cashed a large amount of money at an Everett supermarket and wired it out of state in the hours following Hernandez' death, prosecutors said.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Patrick Riley sentenced Mejia to the state's mandatory term for first-degree murder: life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones now," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. "I hope our efforts to speak for Lourdes have brought some measure of closure to their ordeal."

Posted by aryan at 5:36 PM | Comments (0)

Judge dismisses end-of-life case brought by family of Buddhist

By Megan Tench, Globe Staff

A Suffolk Family and Probate Court judge today dismissed a controversial end-of-life case involving 72-year-old Cho Fook Cheng, ruling that it is moot because the Buddhist died over the weekend.

But a lawyer for Cheng's family said that they will continue seeking a ruling that points to the delicate issue on how hospitals should reconcile modern technology and patients' religious practices.

"This is [a] situation capable of repetition, and the family does not want anyone else to have to go through this," said the lawyer, Peter J. Unitt.

After Cheng suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and was later pronounced brain dead by doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, his family went to court to keep Cheng on life support systems keeping his organs functioning. The family, who practice a Taiwanese school of Buddhism called Jing-Tao-Chung, said that according to their religious beliefs a person is only considered dead when his heart stops beating.

Under state law, however, a person is considered deceased when their brain ceases to function. Doctors also argued that Cheng's body was rapidly deteriorating.

After a family court hearing Friday, the family reluctantly agreed to let Cheng's medical supply run out so that his heart would stop beating naturally. That happened Saturday afternoon, and his family began 49 days of mourning.

Though Family Probate Judge Nancy M. Gould ruled that the issue before her is now moot, Unitt said he will explore other avenues, including filing an appeal, or taking the matter to the Supreme Judicial Court or the state Legislature.

"This is going to come up again and somebody will have to answer the question," he said.

Megan Tench can be reached at mtench@globe.com.

Posted by aryan at 4:42 PM | Comments (0)

Air Force Thunderbirds to fly over Mass. in 2007

By Sarah M. Kneezle, Globe Correspondent

The high-flying Thunderbirds are coming to the Bay State.

Massachusetts was one of six locations selected to host Air Force Week this summer, which will culminate at the Cape Cod Air Show on Aug. 25 to Aug 26. The Thunderbirds are scheduled to be the highlight of the show.

"Airmen from throughout the Commonwealth continue to be key players in the Global war on Terror," said Massachusetts National Air Guard Commander Brigadier General Michael D. Akey. "Air Force Week gives the citizens of our state the opportunity to pause and remember that there are talented, dedicated, professional Airmen serving around the world day and night to keep America safe."

The other five locations for the 1007 Air Force Week include Phoenix, Sacramento, St. Louis, Honolulu and Atlanta.

Posted by aryan at 3:18 PM | Comments (0)

Newbury Street shop owners huddle with police

By April Simpson, Globe Staff

About 40 Newbury Street business owners met with police officers this morning to discuss ways to combat a surge of break-ins in one of Boston's most popular shopping districts.

Captain William Evans, who supervises the police district that includes Newbury Street, advised the group to hire more staff during the holidays, put merchandise deeper into the store, and keep a close eye on the door. "It's silly stuff but sometimes if you make your business a less attractive target, they'll go elsewhere," Evans said in an interview later.

The Boston Police Department has added three walking officers to the Newbury Street area, including an officer on bike between midnight and 7:30 a.m. Downtown Crossing also has additional officers, Evans said.

Business owners were also encouraged to invest in security cameras and stronger windows. "If someone hits it with a brick, like we've been having, it shatters, but it won't give," Evans said.

Kate Quinn, an administrator for the Newbury Street League, said it is important for the police and community to work together. "I think it was most helpful to putting a face to the police department," Quinn said.

Posted by srhee at 2:53 PM | Comments (0)

Massachusetts sex offender nabbed in Indiana

By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe correspondent

A man on the Massachusetts Most Wanted Sex Offender list for failing to register was arrested in Kokomo, Ind. this morning based on a tip to the State Police hotline, according to authorities.

McKinley R. Quarles, 42, a level three "high-risk" sex offender, was arrested without incident at 8 a.m. Quarles waived rendition and will be returned to Springfield, where he faces outstanding warrants for failing to register and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Quarles was convicted on four charges of aggravated rape in 1994 and was sentenced to seven to ten years in state prison. His arrest is the third of an individual on the most recent Most Wanted Sex Offender list, which was released on Nov. 25.

Posted by srhee at 2:22 PM | Comments (0)

State Secretary of Environmental Affairs heads back to Peace Corps

By Globe Staff

The state Secretary of Environmental Affairs has accepted a post in the Peace Corps, where he will direct relief efforts for the country of Ghana.

Robert W. Golledge Jr. has served as the Secretary of Environmental Affairs since August after spending three years as a commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection. He previously worked for 13 years with the DEP.

"I am honored to be offered the opportunity to serve with the Peace Corps again," Golledge said in a statement.

Before state government, Golledge did a tour with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, where he worked on aquaculture project with local farmers.

Golledge was appointed secretary by Governor Mitt Romney, who is leaving office on Jan. 4 .

Posted by aryan at 1:13 PM | Comments (0)

SJC upholds Sex Offender Registry rules

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The state's high court today rejected three appeals from convicted sex offenders, ruling that the process used by the Sex Offender Registry Board to determine their level of danger to the community did not violate the offenders' constitutional rights.

The offenders were known only by their docket numbers -- 3844, 10216, and 1211. Each attacked a different element of the state's classification system for sex offenders that attempts to gage whether an individual is likely to commit a new crime.

In each case, the Supreme Judicial Court unanimously rejected those legal claims.

The Sex Offender Registry Board is in the process of classifying tens of thousands of men and women convicted of sex crimes dating back to 1981.

The board rates sex offenders on three levels and varies the information released to the public with each different classification. Those classified Level 3 are considered the most likely to re-offend and their names, photographs, crimes and addresses are posted on the agency's website, sorb.chs.state.ma.us

Information about Level 2 offenders is available to the public at local police stations and at the registry board. Details about Level 1 sex offenders are not publicly disseminated.

In the case of offender 3844, his attorney argued that board used subjective rules in classifying the man as a Level 2. He was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a woman in 1991 but had not committed a sex crime in the following 10 years. The registry board noted that it was concerned about the offender's history of abusing alcohol and his plans to attend college, giving him access to women.

He had argued "the board follows a subjective model, granting the board the power to use unfettered discretion when determining the classification of a sex offender," Justice Roderick Ireland wrote. "We disagree."

The SJC said the regulations are broadly objective and that 3844 had rights of appeals, making the registry board’s actions constitutionally acceptable.

Offender 1211 admitted sexually assaulting a girl in 1992, for which he was imprisoned for about a year. Since then, the man has become a Muslim, attends sex offender counseling regularly for treatment of pedophilia, and has been crime free. The board classified him as a Level 1; he wanted to be free of lifetime sex offender supervision because he maintained that he was not a public safety risk.

Justice John M. Greaney said the board got it right. "The fact remains that there is no objective certainty that Doe can be trusted to alone with children," he wrote.

Offender 10216 plead guilty to raping his daughter, niece and two friends in 1998 and the board designated him a Level 3 offender. The man appealed, demanding that the registry board use findings by two experts that he was a pedophilia, but unlikely to re-offend.

Justice Ireland wrote that the law does not require expert testimony and that the registry board acted properly, given the offender's history. "There is substantial evidence that the plaintiff poses a high risk to reoffense and dangerousness to the public," he wrote.

Posted by aryan at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

Jesus statue returned to Mission Hill monastery

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

This statue of Jesus, shown above in an undated photo, was returned today after it was stolen from the Little Brothers of St. Francis monastery in Mission Hill.

By Charles A. Radin, Globe Staff

The statue of Jesus that was stolen last weekend from a small monastery in Mission Hill was returned late Monday or early this morning by a sober penitent who attached a note of regret to the 100-pound image of Christ displaying his sacred heart.

"I am very sorry about stealing your statue," the neatly-penned note said. "I had been drinking and made an extremely poor and out-of-character decision. I wanted to return it yesterday, but I woke up feeling overwhelmed by embarrassment and shame. I couldn't bear to be seen returning it."

Brother James Curran, founder of the Little Brothers of St. Francis ministry to the sick and homeless, said that they were "elated'' at the return of the statue. It was spotted this morning leaning against the side of one of the brothers' two houses in Parker street while members of the order were preparing for morning Mass.

Posted by aryan at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)

Mass. ranks as the country's seventh healthiest state

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Massachusetts jumped two notches and ranked as the seventh healthiest state in the country in an annual report released today, which found that the Bay State had a high immunization rate for children, a low infant mortality rate, and a low percentage of residents without health insurance.

The rankings, by United Health Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit foundation funded by the health care company UnitedHealth Group, also found that the rate of uninsured dropped by 16 percent in the last year in Massachusetts and that the infant mortality rate has fallen by 40 percent since 1990. Out of 50 states, Massachusetts came in ninth in 2005 and held the number 10 spot in 1990.

"Health is not the product of doing one thing well or two things well," said Dr. Archelle Georgiou, medical adviser to United Health Foundation. "It's a combination of personal habits, community services and public policy initiates. Massachusetts seems to be hitting on more cylinders than other states."

Overall Americans are 0.3 percent healthier than they were a year ago, with Minnesota topping the rankings as the country's healthiest state for the fourth straight year. Three New England states -- Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont -- also finished among the top five.

Massachusetts, however, still struggles with AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis, ranking 37th out of the 50 states in infectious disease rates. The state also has a high violent crime rate -- ranking 32 out of 50 -- and has seen the number of children living in poverty jump by 16 percent in the last year.

Two trends thing that struck researchers in the Bay State was the relatively low number of people without insurance and the high rate of immunizations.

"That suggests that the more people have access to health care, the more likely they are to get preventative services," Georgiou said.

Health care advocates will keep a close eye on Massachusetts when the state's landmark universal health care law begins to take effect on Jan. 1. The ultimate goal is to provide coverage for about 400,000 residents who now lack it.

As more residents have insurance and can take advantage of preventative health care, Georgiou expects rates for sickness, disease, and mortality to eventually drop.

Posted by aryan at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

Man arrested in connection with stabbing death in Swansea

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A man is scheduled to be arraigned today in connection the stabbing death of a 52-year-old man overnight in his home in Swansea, according to a spokeswoman for the Bristol County district attorney's office.

Wayne Mendes was killed in his home on Wood Street in Swansea at about 11 p.m., according to spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. Police arrested Robert A. Gonsalves, 21, shortly after the crime and charged him with murder.

Gonsalves, of New Bedford, was still wearing bloodies clothes when he was arrested, according to the district attorney's office, which declined to provide any more details.

Posted by aryan at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)

December 4, 2006

Depression weighs on local Puerto Ricans

By Stephen Smith, GLOBE STAFF

Puerto Ricans in Greater Boston are in the midst of an epidemic of depression, researchers reported Monday, with 58 percent of middle-aged women and 38 percent of middle-aged men diagnosed with the condition.

The findings emerged from a major ongoing study of Puerto Rican health being conducted by researchers at Tufts and Northeastern universities who are using four-hour, in-person interviews and blood and urine tests to look at a range of health issues in the state’s largest Hispanic group. The study, the most elaborate portrait ever of the medical status of Puerto Ricans in the Boston area, also has found alarmingly high rates of diabetes and obesity.

But researchers said it was the findings on depression that especially stunned them — more than two-thirds of the Puerto Ricans who said they were diagnosed with depression reported taking medications to control the disease.

Researchers and specialists in the study of health disparities attribute the high rate of depression to the stress of poverty, social isolation, chronic disease, and poor diet.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)

Men admit to drag-racing death

By Michael Naughton, Globe correspondent

Two Lowell men were sentenced Monday to prison after pleading guilty in the death of a pregnant 31-year-old Leominster woman whose car was struck when the two men were drag racing on the Lowell Connector last year.

Carlos Rodriguez, 19, and Angel Nieves, 25, were racing on the busy highway just before 5 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2005, when Rodriguez lost control of his Acura Integra. The car crossed the median, traveled into oncoming traffic, flipped, landed on a Toyota Camry, and then crushed Deborah Hornberger’s Subaru Legacy station wagon, State Police have said.

Rodriguez, who was seriously injured in the crash, was traveling about 92 miles per hour, authorities said. The speed limit on the Lowell Connector is 55 miles per hour.

Hornberger was pronounced dead at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell. Her unborn child did not survive. The driver of the Camry was treated for bruises.

The wreck prompted changes to the 3-mile roadway, including additional signs, rumble strips, and guardrails.

Rodriguez was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for motor vehicle homicide and another 2.5 years for involuntary manslaughter, according to the Middlesex district attorney’s office. He also lost his driver’s license for 15 years.

Nieves was sentenced to five years in prison for two counts of motor vehicle homicide. He also will serve five years of probation on one count of drag racing.

Both Rodriguez and Nieves changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty on Monday. As a result, additional charges, including counts of involuntary manslaughter and motor vehicle homicide, were dismissed, said Emily LaGrassa, spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney 8Martha Coakley.

Both men began serving their sentences Monday at Middlesex House of Correction in Billerica.

Posted by gwitherspoon at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)

Feds: company not cooperating in blast probe

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

A federal agency investigating the Danvers chemical explosion said Monday that one company is refusing to cooperate with their inquiry and could soon be facing federal subpoenas for names of employees and internal records on chemicals used in the plant.

"They have been cooperative with others, but not us, and I really don’t know why," Stephen Selk, manager of investigations for the US Chemical Safety Board, said in a telephone interview from Washington. "Many companies have a policy of being more cooperative ... I don’t think this is normal at all."

Selk’s comments were directed at CAI Inc., a privately held company that manufactured inks. The second company that operated in the cinder-block building on Water Street, paint and coatings maker Arnel Co. Inc., has met Chemical Safety Board requests, the agency said.

The plant exploded about 3 a.m. on Nov. 22, destroying the factory and damaging some 70 houses in the Danversport neighborhood. Hundreds were evacuated, and residents are returning gradually. Investigators have not established what caused the explosion.

A spokeswoman for CAI, Cheryl McLarney, said in a telephone interview that the company has made employees available for interviews and provided data to the State Fire Marshall’s Office, State Police, Danvers fire investigators, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

She said CAI is trying to do the same with the Chemical Safety Board, but has to arrange employee interviews based on needs of the company and the family schedules of affected workers. The company’s plant in Danvers was destroyed, but it still has an operating facility in Georgetown.

"We have been talking to the CSB trying to coordinate meetings and interviews with our employees," she said. "To characterize us as uncooperative is just an unfair characterization, frankly ... We want to get to the bottom of this."

Posted by gwitherspoon at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)

Boston's new top cop pledges innovation, integrity

By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff

New Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis III vowed today that under his leadership the department will become more diverse, gain credibility in the community, and look for more creative ways of confronting violent crime.

Davis, who was sworn in at a Mattapan middle school with his wife and three children by his side, said he wants to "develop and implement strategies that will once again make the Boston Police Department a home of innovation. I promise you that the best programs in the country will be here in Boston."

In a 10-minute speech delivered to a crowd that included Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Attorney General-elect Martha Coakley, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, a half dozen city councilors, and a couple hundred police officers, Davis expressed solidarity with rank-and-file officers, while indicating that he will expect a great deal of work out of them.

He also pledged to "improve trust within the community" and stressed the importance of officers treating people with respect, at a time when the department is recovering from a string of corruption scandals, including the July arrests of three officers on federal drug trafficking charges and the September federal indictment of an officer who allegedly extorted sex from a teenage prostitute.

"Openness and dependability must rule the day," said Davis, who was police superintendent in Lowell since 1994. "I expect all officers to be respectful, to develop trust in, with, and for the community, to treat even the bad guys with dignity...and to try to be cognizant that our legitimacy comes from the community."

Posted by srhee at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

Driver in fatal collision in Foxborough cited

By Globe Staff

The driver of a landscaping dump truck that struck and killed a 10-year-old girl in Foxborough on Saturday was cited today for not having the proper class of driver's license for the vehicle he was operating.

The citation has no bearing on the ongoing investigation into the death of Rose Shatz as a potential vehicular homicide, according to David Traub, a spokesman for the Norfolk County district attorney.

The driver, Aaron Fine, 33, was cited for operating a class B truck without having the proper license. A class B is a vehicle that is designed to carry more than 26,000 pounds.

A citation is not an arrest, Traub said. Fine has the option to fight the charge and have a hearing in Wrentham District Court.

Shatz was hit in front of his home at about 2 p.m. in front of his home on Willow Street, a winding country road where many houses are tucked behind trees. She was a fourth-grader at Mabelle M. Burrell Elementary School.

Posted by aryan at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)

UMass-Dartmouth signs up for ROTC program

By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe correspondent

The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth announced today that it has agreed with the Army to expand access to ROTC by offering courses on the Dartmouth campus and allowing students to cross-enroll in the Providence College-based Army Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps program.

Ten UMass-Dartmouth cadets have already enrolled in the two military science classes offered each semester at Providence College, said John Hoey, spokesman for UMass-Dartmouth. It joins Bryant University, Brown University, Johnson and Wales University, Rhode Island College, and Community College of Rhode Island in providing cadets to the Providence College program, which dates to 1951.

"With this partnership, the US Army agrees to a permanent commitment to provide on-site military science instruction at UMass-Dartmouth and the university has come back and graciously provided us with the necessary facilities to properly execute the mission," said Army Lieutenant Colonel Paul C. Dulchinos.

The ROTC program, housed in the Public Safety Annex in Elmwood Hall, will also offer its services to UMass-Dartmouth students already serving in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves.

Posted by srhee at 1:43 PM | Comments (0)

Man pleads not guilty in Randolph hit-and-run

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A carpenter pleaded not guilty today to leaving the scene of a hit-and-run in Randolph that left a 57-year-old woman dead.

Shirley A. Sutton was struck and killed on Friday walking home from a bus stop on Warren Avenue as she came home from work.

John F. Kenny, 43, was ordered held today on $20,000 cash bail after he appeared in Quincy District Court. Kenny turned himself in to police after he learned that investigators were looking for him, according to Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Rutley.

On Saturday, Kenny told a friend that he had hit something with his 1993 Ford Pickup truck but wasn't sure what it was, Rutley said today in court. The next day, Kenny's sister told him that police were looking for him and he turned himself in.

"This whole matter shows how Mr. Kenny was trying to elude responsibility for hitting the pedestrian," Rutley said.

Defense attorney Anne McDonough said in court that Kenny never tried to hide from police and was honest with his friend that he didn't know what he had hit. McDonough said that Kenny got out of his pickup truck after the collision and could not see the victim or anyone else.

He is married with two young children and he hasn't been in trouble with the law since 1994, McDonough said. Both attorneys referenced Kenny's criminal record, but neither described his conviction in detail.

The defendant's wife left court without speaking to reporters. Five members of Sutton's family attended today's arraignment.

"We are praying that truth and justice will be achieved," said Joyce Walker, one of Sutton's nieces who flew up from Durham, N.C. to help plan her funeral.

Posted by aryan at 1:26 PM | Comments (0)

Accused mob underboss pleads not guilty to three count indictment

(Evan Richman/Globe Staff)

Police arrested New England mob underboss Carmen DiNunzio on Friday in Boston's North End.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

Reputed Mafia underboss Carmen "The Big Cheese" DiNunzio pleaded not guilty today to a three count indictment that accuses him of shaking down bookmakers and running a sports gambling racket.

DiNunzio, 49, shuffled into Salem Superior Court in leg irons with his hands cuffed at his waist. He said nothing during the brief proceeding as his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to charges of extortion, maintaining or organizing a gaming operation, and conspiracy to maintain or organize gaming operations

DiNunzio was released on bond after posting $20,000.

"We're not discouraged by this case," said Anthony M. Cardinale, an attorney for DiNunzio, adding the statute of limitations was going to expire on the charges next week. "It's to our benefit they waited this long."

Cardinale has defended other accused Mafia figures, including former New England boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, who remains in federal custody. He called the case against DiNunzio weak and rejected allegations that he was the underboss of the New England mob.

"We deny it vehemently," Cardinale said.

DiNunzio declined to speak with reporters after he posted bail. He climbed into a silver Isuzu was whisked away.

Prosecutor John T. Dawley, the first assistant Essex district attorney, urged the judge to set a high bond, noting the suspect's federal conviction in 1993 for extorting $27,000 from a Las Vegas gambler.

"This case involves violence," Dawley said. "It also involves witnesses who remain on the street."

According to a source briefed on the investigation, DiNunzio's extortion and gambling operation had been collecting "hundreds of thousands" of dollars per week and involved a "ton" of operatives. The investigation began in 2001 with court authorized wire taps.

A State Police officer testified in federal court last year that Arthur Gianelli, a Lynnfield bookmaker and brother-in-law of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., was paying $2,000 a month to DiNunzio for permission to operate his gambling business. Gianelli is awaiting trial on federal racketeering charges.

DiNunzio is known as "The Big Cheese" because he owns the Fresh Cheese shop on Endicott Street in the North End. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 22.

Posted by aryan at 1:06 PM | Comments (0)

It's December in New England, after all

(Janet Knott/Globe Staff)

The season's first snowfall dusted Salem Common this morning as Christy Sorensen walked to work.

The unseasonably warm temperatures the last few weeks have made it feel a lot more like early spring than late fall -- and that's not about to totally change. This morning's wet, heavy snow has turned mostly to rain with temperatures expected approach 40 degrees this afternoon.

With ample sunshine, temperatures the next ten days are predicted to stay well above freezing, with highs forecast in the upper 30s to mid 40s through next week.

Posted by aryan at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

CharlieCard makes its first commute on the T

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Joe Kelley was one of hundreds of MBTA workers this morning passing out plastic CharlieCards at stations and bus stops throughout metropolitan Boston. Passengers can put money on the cards by inserting tokens, cash, or credit cards in new vending machines.

Posted by aryan at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)

Husband charged with beating wife near death in Holden

(Holden Police Photo)

Ronald J. Dubovick, 67, is accused of beating his long-time wife with a metal pipe.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

A 67-year-old Holden man is scheduled to be arraigned today in Leominster District Court on attempted murder and other charges after police allege he beat his longtime wife with a metal pipe.

Police found the victim, Janet Dubovick, 67, in a pool of blood in her kitchen hallway Saturday afternoon when officers responded to a 911 call. She was taken to Umass Memorial Medical Trauma Center where her condition stabilized after surgery, according to Police Chief George Sherrill.

Police arrested her husband, Ronald J. Dubovick, at their home on Putnam Lane. Officers allege that Ronald J. Dubovick called 911 at about 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and told authorities that he had just killed his wife.

Investigators met with family members Sunday night to try to determine what sparked the alleged beating, Sherrill said. The couple has six grown children in their 20s and 30s.

"There has been no history [of domestic violence] there that we know of at all," Sherrill said.

Posted by aryan at 8:49 AM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2006

Man held in Downtown Crossing stabbing

By Elizabeth Ratto
Globe Correspondent

A Boston man was ordered held without bail at his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court today, accused of stabbing a man near the Temple Place entrance to the Downtown Crossing MBTA station Thursday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Michael J. Kelsey, 42, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed assault with intent to rob, and possession of a class D substance, in the stabbing of a 19-year-old Wilmington man who Kelsey allegedly tried to rob. The 19-year-old was stabbed when he attempted to flee.

Kelsey was ordered held without bail for allegedly violating the terms of a previous probation, and bail for Thursday's incident was set at $25,000. Kelsey is due back in court Dec. 28.

Posted by mbrelis at 6:04 PM | Comments (0)

Police arrest reputed mobster known as "The Big Cheese"

By Shelley Murhpy, Globe Staff

Reputed New England Mafia underboss Carmen Salvatore DiNunzio has just been arrested by State Police in Boston's North End on illegal gambling and extortion charges, according to law enforcement officials.

The 49-year-old mobster, who has been dubbed "The Big Cheese'' and operates a cheese shop on Endicott Street in the North End, has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury on charges of extortion, maintaining or organizing a gaming operation and conspiracy.

DiNunzio, of East Boston, allegedly rose through the ranks of the local mob to become underboss about five years ago, running Boston's rackets under the direction of reputed New England Boss Luigi "Louie" Monocchio of Rhode Island.

The probe into DiNunzio's alleged mob related extortion of bookmakers has been underway since 2001. Authorities said it is related to the same investigation involving William Angelesco, 35, of Chelsea, who is awaiting trial on similar offenses.

Angelesco was arrested earlier this year on charges of promoting and organizing a gambling operation. Prosecutors said Angelsco supervised 10 people as a middle manager from a Saugus-based ring from which State Police have seized $800,000.

Angelesco was acquitted in 2001 of the slaying of a Revere strip club manager.

If convicted DiNunzio faces up to 15 years in state prison.

Posted by aryan at 6:04 PM | Comments (0)

Judge agrees to review closed-door toll discussion

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

A Suffolk Superior Court judge today agreed to review a recording of a closed-door session of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board last month to determine whether it violated the state's Open Meeting Law during a debate over removing tolls west of Route 128.

Judge Diane Kottmyer gave the turnpike authority until next Friday to hand over an edited recording of the 4 1/2-hour meeting. The judge said she would issue a ruling before the authority board's Dec. 20 hearing.

Unions representing Pike workers asked for the review. The board has not officially voted to remove the tolls in June, but is preparing to find a way to pay off the western Pike bond debt.

Critics say the move is fiscally irresponsible and will result in higher tolls for drivers around the Boston area. If Kottmyer finds the Open Meeting Law was broken, she could rescind any decision stemming from the closed-door session.

Posted by srhee at 6:03 PM | Comments (0)

Feds: Danvers blast would have killed during the day

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

People would have likely died if last week's massive industrial explosion in Danvers had not occurred in the middle of the night when residents were protected in their beds, according to an initial assessment released this afternoon by federal investigators.

The findings from the US Chemical Safety Board came after three entries into the site and interviews with employees from Arnel Co. Inc., one of the two firms that shared spaced in a building that exploded at 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 22.

"This was a powerful explosion, even compared to other significant chemical accidents," said John Vorderbrueggen, the lead investigator for the safety board. "More than 30 windows were broken at a high school one half-mile from the explosion origin."

Eleven federal investigators were on scene today to examine and photograph the debris, interview residents and document the impact in the Danversport neighborhood. The team hopes to calculate the nature of the shockwave that damaged up to 70 homes and businesses but caused no deaths or major injuries.

Investigators plan to walk the blast site on Saturday with employees from both companies to try to understand what was happening the morning of the explosion.

On Monday, officials hope to interview employees from the ink manufacturing firm CAI Inc., which shared the factory with Arnel. They also plan to draw samples from underground storage tanks at the site for laboratory analysis.

After the blast, local and state officials had blocked the team from the Chemical Safety Board from entering the site while investigators were still ruling out arson. The Washington D.C.-based board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and government agencies.

Posted by aryan at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)

Body of mob victim found in Peabody after long search

By Globe staff

What is believed to be the remains of a 19-year-old woman murdered by the mob were found in Peabody after search that involved six month of digging, federal and local officials announced today.

Investigators found the body of Aislin Silva on a hillside near the Welch School.

Silva was killed in 1996 by members of the DeCologero Crew, a drug gang that operated out of a gym in Woburn run by Paul A. DeCologero.

"Today's recovery of what we believe to be the remains of Aislin Silva concludes the investigation into her disappearance and murder," United States Attorney Michael Sullivan said in a statement released today.

DeCologero, 48, was sentenced in federal court to life in prison for ordering the killing of Silva and other offenses.

Evidence presented at the trial showed the DeCologero gang stashed weapons at Silva's Medford apartment. She was a friend of one of the gang's members.

After the guns were found by police and federal agents, the DeCologero gang kept Silva away from law enforcement. They killed her after eight days to make sure she did not cooperate with authorities, investigators said.

Posted by aryan at 4:42 PM | Comments (0)

Charlestown teen indicted in shooting near school

By Stephanie M. Peters, Globe correspondent

A 15-year-old who allegedly fired a shotgun at a group of youths outside Charlestown High School in September was indicted this week as a youthful offender, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office said today.

Under the youthful offender statute George Walsh, of Charlestown, could face up to five years in prison and two and a half years in a house of corrections if convicted on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a single count of unlawfully possessing a shotgun. Or he could be kept in the custody of the Department of Youth Services until he turns 21.

On the morning of Sept. 28, as two groups of youths prepared to brawl outside the high school, Walsh allegedly fired the shotgun in the direction of one group, fled the scene on foot, and discarded the shotgun nearby. No one was injured.

Walsh was arrested Oct. 3, arraigned the next day in Boston Juvenile Court, and is being held on $25,000. He is due back in Boston Juvenile Court on Dec. 18.

Posted by srhee at 3:54 PM | Comments (0)

Stomach bug outbreak at Needham hospital

By Stephanie V. Siek, Globe Staff

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Care Center in Needham is being disinfected after an outbreak of a gastrointestinal virus sickened 22 employees and two patients.

Read more on Globe West's blog Westword.

Posted by aryan at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)

Jury begins deliberations in slaying of woman at Dorchester gas station

(Wiqan Ang for The Boston Globe)

A jury today began deliberating the fate of a man accused of killing Lourdes Hernandez at a Dorchester gas station last summer.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

A jury of six men and six women began deliberating the fate of a 28-year-old Everett man this afternoon who is accused of brutally murdering a gas station clerk during a robbery last summer in Dorchester.

Edwin Mejia wore a black suit today in Suffolk Superior Court and used headphones so he could hear closing arguments broadcast in Spanish. He is charge with first-degree degree murder and armed robbery in connection with the June 11 stabbing death of Lourdes Hernandez, 39, at the Luk-Oil Mini-Mart on Geneva Avenue.

In the trial that began on Nov. 14, prosecutors presented evidence that included a witness who recalled seeing the defendant at the scene and a note allegedly written by Mejia that showed how he planned the crime.

Defense attorney Michael Doolin tried to poke holes in the case, saying that investigators lacked key evidence and credible witness accountants.

Assistant District Attorney John Pappas argued that the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mejia committed the crime. The prosecutor often referred to the plan that he said Mejia wrote on a piece of paper, which was later recovered by police.

Pappas alleged that Mejia stole about $2,000 out of a safe at the gas station and killed Hernandez when he was unable to get her to open another safe that contained thousands more dollars.

"She was a sister, daughter, niece," Pappas said. "She is none of those things anymore because of what he did to her."

Posted by aryan at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)

Lynn police warn of check and money order scam

By Brenda J. Buote, Globe Staff

Lynn police have arrested one suspect in connection with a counterfeit check and money order scam, and are warning area businesses and residents to be wary.

Lieutenant Dave Brown, spokesman for the Lynn Police Department, said a fraudulent $500 American Express gift check surfaced at Century Bank last month, when a customer tried unsuccessfully to cash it.

A subsequent investigation by Lynn detectives and special agents with the US Secret Service prompted officials to intercept a Federal Express package from a 30-year-old Lynn man, Lawrence Unegbu. He was arrested Nov. 13 and charged with possession of counterfeit notes and conspiracy.

The package, which originated in Nigeria, contained 218 counterfeit American Express gift checks, each in the amount of $500, as well as 36 counterfeit American Express traveler’s checks, and 12 fraudulent US Postal Service money orders.

The estimated value of the counterfeit checks was $137,200, Brown said. The investigation is ongoing, he added, noting that Lynn detectives continue to work closely with the US Secret Service on this case.

"We want to get the word out about this, so that other people don't fall victim to this scam," said Brown. "There may be more fraudulent checks circulating in the Greater Boston area."

Counterfeit American Express gift checks have surfaced in several states in recent weeks, including Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Washington. Each had a face value of $500. American Express does not issue gift checks in that amount.

According to Brown, consumers have come into possession of the counterfeit gift checks in one of several ways. In one version of the scam, an individual may receive an unsolicited email, a notification that he or she has won a prize and will be awarded the prize for a fee. The fraudulent checks are sent in the mail, with instructions on how to cash them and instructions on where to send the fee.

In another version, a person who responds to an Internet job posting for a "work at home" position is told he or she will be working for a foreign company, receiving payments on behalf of the corporation’s US company. Fraudulent checks would be sent to the employee, who would be told to keep a percentage of the cash as payment for his or her services.

In either scenario, the checks ultimately would be discovered to be fraudulent, and the person duped of their money, Brown said.

To date, only one Lynn resident has contacted police to say she had received fraudulent American Express gift checks, Brown said. That woman claimed she had received the counterfeit checks in the mail.

Unegbu was arraigned in Lynn District Court and released on bail. He is scheduled to appear in Lynn District Court on Dec. 13 for a probable cause hearing, according to Steve O'Connell, spokesman for the Essex County District Attorney's office.

To verify the authenticity of an American Express check, call 800-525-7641.Anyone who comes into contact with a fraudulent check is urged to call police.

Brenda J. Buote may be reached at bbuote@globe.com

Posted by aryan at 2:43 PM | Comments (0)

Warm weather thwarts ski train

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

The MBTA picked the wrong day to promo its ski train.

With temperatures in the mid 60s today and flirting with another record high, Wachusett Mountain in Central Massachusetts is muddy and brown and bare of snow.

That didn't stop officials at North Station today from giving a media tour of the ski coach, which can hold 34 sets of skis, 10 snowboards, and 42 passengers heading for the slopes.

The train is scheduled to begin service next weekend and will leave North Station in Boston at 8:35 a.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings and head to the commuter rail stop in Fitchburg, where a free shuttle will be available to the mountain. Service returning to North Station will leave Fitchburg Station at 5:35 p.m. and arrive at North Station at 7:00 p.m. The cost is $6 one way.

"With these unseasonable temperatures, Mother Nature continues to play tricks on us as we try to get the winter underway," said a posting on the Wachusett Mountain website. "Rest assured, we will make snow every chance to can as the temperatures allow and will open as soon as conditions permit."

That may change soon. Snow flurries are predicted on Wachusett Mountain on Monday, when temperatures are supposed to dip down near 20 degrees.

Posted by aryan at 2:10 PM | Comments (0)

Crews douse four-alarm fire in Reading

(Wiqan Ang for The Boston Globe)

Firefighters battled a four-alarm blaze this morning on Bancroft Avenue in Reading.

By Charlie Russo and Sarah M. Kneezle, Globe Correspondents

Firefighters from at least six surrounding towns helped douse a four-alarm blaze in Reading this morning that ripped through a century-old home. No one was hurt and the cause remains under investigation.

Neighbors reported seeing flames at the three story wood-frame home on Bancroft Avenue just after 9 a.m. Reading Fire Chief Gregory Burns said he rang the fourth alarm at 9:53 a.m. because the flames were hard to extinguish in gaps between the home's old walls and he worried about fatigue among his firefighters.

"We knew it was it was going to be an extended effort," Burns said.

Witnesses said flames were shooting out all floors of the structure, which was unoccupied at the time of fire. The residence is home to a family of six. Burns estimated that the building suffered $250,000 worth of damage, but could be salvaged.

A preliminary investigation suggested that the fire may have started in the basement, Burns said. Crews from Saugus, Stoneham, Lynnfield, Melrose, and North Reading helped fight the fire.

Posted by aryan at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

Saugus robbery foiled when cop walks into donut shop

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent

Criminals take note: That old cliche about police hanging around doughnut shops proved true last night in Saugus. A uniformed Melrose police officer fetching coffee for the midnight shift walked into a Dunkin' Donuts on Route 1 and foiled an armed robbery.

"It was a terrific job by an alert Melrose officer," said Saugus Lieutenant Mike Annese. "Going to get a cup of coffee and he ended up stopping an armed robbery."

In Melrose, all the coffee shops close early. That prompted police officer Paul McNamara to drive to the Dunkin Donuts on Route 1 at Essex Street when he went to buy java for the crew starting the graveyard shift.

When McNamara walked into the shop, other customers looked at the officer's blue uniform and started nodding their heads toward the register. A man wearing a hood and a handkerchief to obscure his face had flashed a silver handgun and demanded money, according to Annese.

Realizing it was robbery, McNamara pulled his gun and ordered the suspect to get on the ground, Annese said. The man started to get on all fours, but then made a break for the door.

The suspect slipped and fell on his way out of the Dunkin Donuts. McNamara chased him outside, where police said the man's sister was waiting in a van. McNamara was able to pull the key out of the ignition and stop the pair from driving off, but not before they drove over his foot. He was not seriously injured, said Melrose police spokesman Detective Sgt. Barry Campbell.

Police identified the suspects as Allen Freda, 45, and Danielle Freda, 33, both of Saugus. They are scheduled to be arraigned today in court.

Posted by aryan at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)