'Partisans' sculpture is given a new home

September 2, 2006

BOSTON

The MBTA announced yesterday that a controversial sculpture that was removed from Boston Common this year will be installed in South Boston on Wednesday. The ``Partisans" sculpture, which commemorates the Polish partisan fighters who battled the Nazis and the communists during World War II, will be unveiled at the agency's World Trade Center Station on the South Boston Waterfront near the Institute of Contemporary Art's new home. The statue was removed in January after residents and local organizations contended that it didn't fit in with the Boston Common's historical theme. Its removal prompted nearly 150 Polish-Americans to protest at City Hall Plaza . The sculpture was loaned to the city in 1983 and never reclaimed.

Israel announced a new consul general in Boston yesterday, naming Nadav Tamir to serve as its highest-ranking diplomat in New England. Tamir had served as adviser to the director general in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He joined the Foreign Ministry in 1993 and served as a policy assistant to Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, and David Levy. Tamir received his master of arts from Harvard University in 2004 as a Wexner Israel Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Wendy Van Horne, the lieutenant governor candidate for the Green-Rainbow Party, withdrew from the race yesterday, according to the office of Secretary of State William F. Galvin. Van Horne, 22, a nurse, gave no reason for her withdrawal, but her running mate, gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross, said it was for personal reasons. Van Horne could not be reached for comment last night. Ross must find a replacement by Thursday or forfeit her run, according to state election law.

MALDEN

A gas line break yesterday sent one KeySpan worker to the hospital and forced the evacuation of several apartments and businesses, according to the Malden Fire Department. KeySpan crews had been repairing a leak on the high-pressure line at 30 Lebanon St. since midafternoon. Although he was wearing a mask, the KeySpan worker was hospitalized when a pipe burst and dust irritated his eyes, said a KeySpan spokeswoman. Last night crews were still trying to reduce the pressure in the line in order to perform the necessary repairs, and had closed off about half of Maplewood Square. Fire officials could not say when the repairs would be completed or when people would be allowed to return.

PROVIDENCE

A Providence man was among four soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq this week, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday. A Defense Department statement said the blast that killed Sergeant Moises Jazmin, 25, happened Sunday during combat operations in the village of Taji, about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. The device exploded near the soldiers' vehicle, the statement said. Yesenia Moreira, a sister-in-law, said Jazmin was the youngest son in a family of eight brothers and sisters. (AP)

Prosecutors want to prevent 23 witnesses from testifying for Station nightclub owner Michael Derderian in his upcoming manslaughter trial, arguing that their testimony would be irrelevant. Derderian faces involuntary manslaughter charges for the deaths of the 100 people killed at his club in February 2003 after a pyrotechnics display by the rock band Great White started a fire. In their motions, filed just days before Derderian's trial is scheduled to start Tuesday, prosecutors sought to block testimony mostly from owners and employees of clubs where Great White performed. Prosecutors said their testimony about whether Great White used pyrotechnics at their venues would be irrelevant because all that matters is whether the band's former tour manager, who lighted the pyrotechnics, sought permission to use them at The Station. (AP)

Brown University students can download music for free through an agreement with an online service. Whether on or off campus, they can choose from 1.5 million songs on Ruckus, an online repository. Students cannot keep the music unless they purchase it, and they must pay $20 a semester if they want to download to a portable player. The licenses for the songs expire 30 days after the music is downloaded, but can be renewed. Ruckus is not compatible with Apple computers or iPods.