Shipping lanes will shift to protect whales

BOSTON

The busy shipping lanes that feed into Boston Harbor will be shifted today as part of an effort to protect a dwindling population of North Atlantic right whales. The shift will require shipping vessels traveling in and out of the harbor with cars, fuel, and other cargo to add nearly 4 nautical miles to their travels. It is the first time in the United States that shipping lanes have been reconfigured to protect wildlife. "Ultimately, the purpose is to reduce the number of whales that are hit," said Richard Merrick, a federal researcher who helped devise the lane shift. He estimated the population of right whales in the North Atlantic to be about 300.

Newport, R.I.

US Coast Guard officials said they planned to search through the night for Phillip Stevens , a spear fisherman from Watertown reported missing off Brenton Reef about 4 p.m. yesterday . Stevens, 59, was reported missing by his wife after he did not return to shore at 3:30 p.m., when the two had planned to meet, according to the Coast Guard. Stevens was fishing in a kayak, about 20 yards offshore, in water about 14 feet deep. The kayak and his spear were found onshore. He was last seen about 12:30 p.m. wearing a wet suit. The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter from the Cape Cod Air Station and a rescue boat from Castle Hill Station. Rescue crews planned to search until daylight, then reevaluate the situation . "Sometimes spear fishermen do change their mind and go onshore," Petty Officer Etta Smith , spokeswoman for the US Coast Guard in Boston, said late last night. "Hopefully, we'll find him."

MALDEN

An 18 year-old man was killed yesterday after he lost control of his car on Route 1 north in Malden, State Police said. Elijah B. Meadows of Lynn lost control of his 1995 Ford Probe around 5:55 a.m., striking a barrier in the median and spinning into the right travel lane, State Police said. Meadows was taken to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Meadows wasn't wearing a seatbelt, police said in a statement.

TAUNTON

A Taunton man and woman are facing drug trafficking charges after police said they found 5 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of $100,000 to $150,000, in a package being delivered Friday to their house on Maple Street . Ada Rivera , 30, and Orville Perez , 25, were charged with drug trafficking more than 200 grams and conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act, according to Taunton police Sergeant Pete Ferreira . They are to be arraigned in Taunton District Court tomorrow.

SANBORNTON, N.H.

It started with a driver being stopped for littering, turned into a police chase, and ended with drug charges. State Police said a Plymouth officer stopped Mark Clermont, 32, of Dracut, Mass., on Friday night to write a ticket for littering . Police said Clermont sped off after the officer found that his license was suspended. State Police chased Clermont at more than 90 miles per hour down Interstate 93. Troopers put out spike mats, deflating Clermont's tires in Sanbornton. Troopers said they found marijuana, narcotics, and cash in the car. (AP)

MANCHESTER, N.H.

State prosecutors say lawyers for the man accused of killing a Manchester police officer last year are misreading the capital murder law. Michael Addison's lawyers argue that the state Supreme Court has not written special rules to handle a death sentence appeal. They are trying to stop all proceedings in his capital murder trial and three other cases until the court writes rules or prevents the state from seeking the death penalty against him. Prosecutors argue that the Legislature did not intend the high court to create special standards for capital murder appeals. They say the death penalty law sets down the issues the court must consider on appeal and the law offers the court more guidance in death penalty cases than in any other case that comes before it. Addison is charged with fatally shooting Officer Michael Briggs in October. (AP)

BENNINGTON, Vt.

It may be nearly six months away, but some Vermonters are being asked to trim the 60-foot Christmas tree that will stand at the US Capitol in Washington in the winter. The tree is from the Green Mountain National Forest in Bennington County. Vermonters are being asked to design and make ornaments to send along with the tree. The Capitol tree will need about 4,500 . The theme for the ornaments will be "Bringing an Old Fashioned Holiday to the Nation." (AP)