A longtime member of the Bourne planning board has been charged with bribery for allegedly promising board approval of a proposed development in exchange for money, authorities say. Charles Cahill, 63, is charged with accepting or soliciting a bribe or gift as a public employee, according to the Cape and Islands district attorney's office. Cahill allegedly approached John Harding, president of Bourne Financial Development Corp., in August and asked Harding to hire him as a consultant for $500 to secure planning board votes for Harding's 9,600square-foot commercial building in the village of Cataumet, according to court records. Harding alerted authorities. Cahill has been a member of the planning board for more than 12 years and remains on the board . He was arraigned Nov. 29 and faces a pretrial hearing Jan. 17 in Falmouth District Court. (AP)
BOSTON
Construction prompts detours downtown
Road maintenance and continued construction to the Central Artery will cause overnight detours for motorists traveling downtown tonight and early tomorrow morning. The Frontage Road northbound ramp to Interstate 90 west at the Broadway Bridge will close tonight from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. tomorrow for traffic surveillance-and-control system maintenance, according to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Also, the Interstate 93 north ramp at Exit 20 to I-90 west will be closed from 10 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow for continued construction of the Central Artery. Depending on the progress of ongoing work early this morning , I-90 east between Exit 22 and South Boston might close tonight from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. tomorrow for pavement stripping and other work. Direct access to the Ted Williams Tunnel from South Boston will remain open, according to the Turnpike Authority. Drivers should follow posted detour signs.
SOMERSET
Power plant owner seeks deal on water
The owner of the Brayton Point Power Plant in Somerset appealed yesterday a decision last month by the US Environmental Protection Agency requiring the plant to stop using vast amounts of water from a waterway. A spokesman for Dominion, which owns the coal-burning power plant, said the company appealed to the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board but hopes to negotiate a settlement before the case is heard. EPA scientists say the practice, which draws up to a billion gallons of water from Mt. Hope Bay to cool the plant's equipment, has caused or contributed to a dramatic decline in fish in the waterway. The water is released at temperatures as much as five degrees hotter than the bay's normal temperature.
BERLIN, N.H.
3 bodies recovered from rubble after fire
Three bodies were found yesterday in the rubble of a fast-moving fire that destroyed several Main Street buildings the previous night. New Hampshire Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said authorities removed one body from the smoldering rubble of an apartment building as police and firefighters worked to account for all the residents. Two bodies were found last night, Berlin Fire Chief Randall Trull said. Names were not released, but neighbor Tim Ellis told WMUR-TV that he believed the two bodies recovered last night were his daughter and a 5year-old nephew. State safety officials said in a statement that the fire had displaced 13 people and one business. The cause has not been determined. (AP)
BRUNSWICK, Maine
Blue Angels to appear at air show
Brunswick Naval Air Station will host a two-day air show in September featuring the Navy's Blue Angels . The base received word a couple of weeks ago that its application to host the air show had been approved, said spokesman John James. The event will be held Sept. 15 and 16, preceded by a practice show on Sept. 14. There had been conjecture that the 2005 show might be the last in Brunswick following the decision to shut down the base, which is slated for closure by 2011. Nearly 220,000 people turned out for last year's two-day show. (AP)
JAFFREY, N.H.
Maine hiker dies on Mount Monadnock
A Maine man died during a moonlight hike on Mount Monadnock yesterday. Thomas Pummer, 59, of North Berwick went ahead of four companions on an icy and snow-encrusted trail, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game Department officials. Investigators said his companions found him around 2 a.m., three-fourths of a mile from the summit, and could not revive him. (AP)
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