Judge allows city to close homeless shelter

A Springfield judge has refused to block the city's plans to shut down a homeless shelter. The Warming Place, operated by Open Pantry Community Services Inc., is located in the gymnasium of the former York Street jail. Open Pantry executive director Kevin Noonan said his organization asked Housing Court Judge Dina E. Fein for a temporary restraining order, but the request was denied, and the shelter must be closed Monday. City officials said that they stopped issuing temporary occupancy permits for the shelter because it failed to meet state building codes. Noonan said alternative arrangements at Worthington House, which is operated by Friends of the Homeless, would be inadequate, putting 133 beds in a shelter designed for 48.

WALTHAM

A 66-year-old Nashua man was killed Friday night on Interstate 95 in Waltham when he was thrown from his car during an accident, State Police said. Thomas Cibotti was traveling north on the highway near Route 20 about 8:20 p.m. when he lost control of his car. It veered off the road, flew over another car on a highway ramp, and crashed into a tree, police said. Cibotti was taken by a Waltham Fire Department ambulance to the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where he was pronounced dead. Police said he wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

HARTFORD

Inspectors have removed more than 700 tubes of toothpaste from Connecticut stores as part of a nationwide search for counterfeit and Chinese-made toothpaste containing a toxic substance, state officials said. No illnesses connected to the toothpaste have been reported in Connecticut, but more than 230 of the seized tubes had been tainted, officials said. (AP)

Boston

A rare adult hooded seal has been spotted in the waters off Massachusetts, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium said. Tony LaCasse said the seal, which is 7 1/2 feet long and close to 300 pounds, appeared at Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead around 1 p.m. on July 5. It rested in the crowded marina for about 45 minutes before slipping away. LaCasse said only juvenile hooded seals typically enter Massachusetts waters, and almost always during winter. On Friday, the seal was spotted in the harbor in Hingham, and later in Quincy, he said. Biologists with the aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue team are monitoring its movements. Hooded seals are the largest seals in the western Atlantic. A male hooded seal is distinguished easily by a loose skin around its snout that can inflate to the size of a volleyball when the animal feels threatened, said LaCasse.

NASHUA

The city health department is investigating what made more than a dozen Nashua Pride players, team officials, and reporters sick after eating at Holman Stadium. The first person to get sick felt symptoms of food poisoning on June 28. On average, those affected were ill for four to five days. A week later, most had regained full health, said spokesman Nick Travalini, who was among those stricken. The health department is investigating three vendors that provide meals to team officials, players, and the media, he said. The company that runs the stadium's concession stands is not part of the investigation. (AP)

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H.

Severe winds and impenetrable clouds forced the postponement of a bike race on Mount Washington. The 7.6-mile race, called Newton's Revenge, was scheduled for yesterday morning but was delayed until today. Race officials said that at dawn yesterday, the fog and clouds were so bad that visibility was zero. Winds at the summit were gusting at more than 70 miles per hour. Nearly 300 riders had registered to compete. (AP)

WAITSFIELD, Vt.

At The Tempest Book Shop, the paperback books won't be the only things without jackets Thursday. A "clothing optional" book-signing event will be held by nudity author Jim C. Cunningham, with customers invited to leave their clothes at the door. "The reason for this is to 'put our bodies where our mouths are,' living what we preach," Cunningham said. "The public are invited to express their solidarity with our message by also donning their birthday suits upon entering the bookstore." The event is scheduled for 6 p.m., which is after the shop's usual closing time. And there are rules: Everyone who plans to strip must bring a towel, and there's no gawking. (AP)