Woman, dog fall through ice on Charles

A Waltham woman and her dog fell through the ice of the Charles River in Natick yesterday, fire officials said. The 27-year-old woman was walking with her dog about 1 p.m. in the Elm Bank area of the river when her dog ran out on the ice and fell through. While attempting to save her dog, the woman broke through as well. Deputy Fire Chief Mike Slattery said the woman was in the river for about 10 minutes before she was able to get out of the ice and back to shore. She was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to MetroWest Medical Center in Natick. The dog was taken by a Wellesley police animal control officer, and is also expected to be fine.

SPRINGFIELD

Thousands of retired municipal employees face penalties from the Internal Revenue Service after the city discovered it has been making an accounting error for more than a decade. Since 1993, the city has calculated health insurance premiums for retired employees based on pretax dollars, Marilyn Montagna, Springfield's director of personnel, told The Republican of Springfield. Two weeks ago, the city learned that the practice was illegal after it hired a contractor to handle payroll services, she said. The city will send notices to 3,000 former employees, alerting them that they may have to refile taxes for the past three years. Montagna said the city hopes the mistake will not result in tax penalties. (AP)

BROCKTON

A woman who killed one person when she plowed her car into a group of pedestrians while driving with a blood alcohol level almost triple the legal limit was sentenced to two years in prison. Lisa O'Connell, 21, of Dedham, pleaded guilty Friday to motor vehicular homicide while operating under the influence. Prosecutors asked for a five- to seven-year sentence, but Superior Court Judge Carol Ball imposed a two-year term. The October 2005 crash occurred before tougher drunken driving laws were enacted that would have mandated a minimum five-year sentence. O'Connell, a Bridgewater State College sophomore at the time, was returning to her dorm when she drove into a crowd outside a popular college bar, killing Jacqueline Nilsson, 21, and injuring two others. Authorities said O'Connell had a blood alcohol level of .22, nearly three times the .08 level considered drunk for drivers 21 and older. (AP)

PLYMOUTH

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station needs just one safety specialist known as a "radiation protection technician" on duty at any given time, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission ruled this week. The decision comes after union workers objected to plans by plant owner Entergy Nuclear Operations to reduce the number of radiation protection technicians on any given shift from two to one. The Utility Workers Union of America Local 369 filed a petition with the NRC last month in an effort to stop the change. But the NRC found that the proposed change was "consistent with the regulations," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan told The Cape Cod Times. According to NRC regulations, having only one radiation protection technician on duty at a time is typical of most other nuclear power plants. The union will continue pursuing its request for a hearing before the NRC on the topic, said union representative David Leonardi. (AP)

MONTPELIER

State and city officials continue to monitor a growing ice jam on the Winooski River and warn that the threat of flooding may increase depending on the weather. An ice jam formed downstream of the city and caused minor flooding of basements last month. Since then, state and local emergency officials said they have been monitoring the river level and plan to install devices that will track pressure and movement of the ice. The Public Works Department plans to use a crane and excavator to keep part of the river open to prevent the buildup of water and ice. The threat of flooding is low during the next week but weather conditions in the next few weeks could increase the risk, officials said. (AP)

EAST HAVEN, Conn.

The owner of dozens of pit bulls that authorities said were left unattended outside in the frigid weather was arrested Friday on animal cruelty charges. Gonzalo Montesdeoca, 42, is facing 37 counts of animal cruelty as well as dozens of counts of failure to vaccinate and license a dog. Acting on a tip, police and animal control officers seized 37 dogs from the property on Wednesday. Most of the dogs were in stacked cages in a shed or left outside. Authorities suspect that the property was operating an unlicensed breeding facility. The dogs were examined by veterinarians for signs of abuse and sent to animal shelters. Montesdeoca was released on a $100,000 bond and is due in New Haven Superior Court on Feb. 21. (AP)