Mayor seeks law on predatory lending

BOSTON

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced he will file state legislation next month to curb predatory lending practices and help homeowners stave off foreclosure. The Homeownership Protection Act of 2007 would require that lenders disclose loan terms and costs in all advertising and loan documents and that mortgage originators be licensed with the state and adhere to lending regulations. It also would provide funding to homeowners in danger of losing their houses. "We have all seen the dramatic spike in foreclosures, and we know that a large part of the problem is caused by the lax oversight of mortgage companies," Menino said in a statement yesterday. "This legislation will force these lenders to be more responsible in their marketing tactics and will help homeowners who are facing foreclosure." The bill would have to be passed by the House and Senate and signed by the governor to become law.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority board yesterday approved Northeastern University's plans to build two residence halls that can accommodate a total of 1,800 beds. Construction of the first dormitory is set to begin in 2007. One will be at Tremont and Ruggles streets. The second is planned for the site of the school's Cullinane Hall on St. Botolph Street. Neighbors, who opposed earlier proposals at other sites, signed on to the plan.

The Children's Museum will temporarily close to visitors starting Jan. 1 to complete the interior renovation that is a major part of its expansion and renovation project, the board of trustees and president and CEO, Lou Casagrande , announced this week. The closure will reportedly shorten the construction schedule by six months; the museum is scheduled to reopen in April. The $47 million project, which broke ground last April, is the museum's largest in its 93-year history.

The man suspected in the Dec. 5 slaying of a former Cambridge police officer in his Dorchester home was arrested yesterday in the District of Columbia, Boston police announced. Michael Collins , 27, is charged with murder in the shooting of Myles J. Lawton , 62. Collins was arrested yesterday by the US Marshals Service and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police. He is to be arraigned in the District of Columbia as a fugitive from justice. When Collins is returned to Boston, he will be formally charged with murder, assault with intent to murder, and armed robbery, authorities said.

Boston firefighters temporarily evacuated 65 people from an apartment building on Humbolt Avenue in Roxbury early yesterday after a woman smoking in bed ignited her mattress, a fire official said. No one was seriously hurt. Firefighters got a call about flames in a first-floor unit at the Taurus Apartments at 12:05, said department spokesman Scott Salmon. The occupants of the 38 apartments kept warm in MBTA buses while fire crews made sure the flames had not spread inside the walls. The occupants returned to their homes after about an hour. The fire caused an estimated $150,000 worth of damage to the apartment where it started, Salmon said.

LYNN

Lynn officials have agreed to an $8.8 million settlement with architect Symmes, Maini, and McKee Associates of Cambridge and GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. of Norword to end a city lawsuit alleging negligence and breach of contract for construction of a new Classical High School. The first floor of the six-year-old school is sinking, because it was put down without steel support pilings. The school is expected to close next year while the first floor is replaced. The $8.8 million settlement represents 92 percent of the total amount of insurance available from the two firms. "It's a fair settlement," said Lynn Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. "It will go a long way toward the permanent repairs at Classical High School."

BROCKTON

Twenty-seven elementary school pupils have been diagnosed with chicken pox, a state health spokeswoman said yesterday. The children at Hancock Elementary School had been vaccinated, but, like many inoculations, the chicken pox vaccine does not provide absolute protection. All of the cases are mild, the health spokeswoman said.