Five hurt in natural gas explosion

WALPOLE
Five people were taken to the hospital last night after a natural gas fire erupted at Winter and Main streets, where a crew from the Bay State Gas Co. was working in a trench, fire officials said. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening . According to media reports, two of those hurt were police officers. The explosion happened about 8:15 p.m., igniting nearby cars and forcing an evacuation of homes in the area, authorities said. Town Administrator Michael Boynton opened the Senior Center at the town hall as a temporary shelter. Fire officials said that part of Main Street, which is also Route 1A, remained closed for hours while the cause of the fire was investigated.

LYNN

A city animal control officer shot and killed a pit bull terrier yesterday after the dog bit a neighborhood resident and lunged at police, authorities said. Authorities responded about 10:45 a.m. to the attack on Mark McKeon, 56, who was bitten on his left arm after being knocked to the ground by two dogs at Grove and Boston streets. Animal Control Officer Kevin Farnsworth found the dogs on Grove Street, where the animals charged at him and he fired his weapon, killing one dog. The second retreated to its owner's backyard, where police contained it. Lynn police were not aware of charges being filed against the dogs' owner.

BOSTON

With rain in the forecast, the city has postponed tomorrow's dedication to rename the Broadway Bridge in South Boston after James M. Kelly, the longtime city councilor who died in January of brain cancer. On Monday, voters elected South Boston native Bill Linehan as Kelly's successor on the City Council. A bill to name the bridge after Kelly was signed into law in December. A new date for the dedication was not announced.

A Chelsea man was charged Wednesday in federal court with selling guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition without a license in early 2006, authorities said. Gregory Benton, 42, and an accomplice allegedly sold four guns and 764 rounds of ammunition to an undercover officer during five separate transactions, four of which were in the parking lots of busy Dorchester retail stores. Authorities have not apprehended the second man, who will be identified at his arrest, said Christina DiIorio, spokeswoman for US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan. If convicted, Benton faces three to four years in prison, in addition to at least three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The 30-foot humpback whale that washed ashore on a Rockport beach was probably struck and killed by a boat, a marine official said yesterday. A necropsy by a team of scientists determined that the juvenile whale died from trauma to its upper left flipper and head, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium. No one has come forward to acknowledge hitting the whale, which was first discovered Monday night. Humpbacks are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Patrick administration officials plan to name a project manager today for the Fall River-New Bedford commuter rail project as they begin a study of economic development and land use along the rail corridor. The estimated $1.4 billion project has no set route and no set funding, though the governor has said he hopes that economic development along the rails will finance the project through the predicted creation of 15,000 jobs. Kristina Egan, a professional advocate for land use policies that reduce sprawl, is expected to be named as the project manager. Egan is director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance.

The commanding officer of a Boston-based cutter was temporarily reassigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly starting a fight with a bartender in Key West, Fla. Commander Michael S. Sabellico, 42, was temporarily reassigned from commanding officer of the cutter Escanaba to the Coast Guard First District staff in Boston while an administrative investigation is conducted, the Coast Guard said. Sabellico was arrested on a charge of simple battery at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday after he got into a scuffle with a bartender at Irish Kevin's, a bar and restaurant in Key West. Police said Sabellico appeared intoxicated. Sabellico could not immediately be reached for comment. (AP)