NEW ENGLAND IN BRIEF
Virus-carrying mosquitoes in 3 counties
Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis have been detected in three Massachusetts counties, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced yesterday. Pools of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus were detected in Essex County, in Salem and Swampscott. The other pool was found in Weymouth, in Norfolk County. The two pools with Eastern equine encephalitis were found in Plympton in Plymouth County. Because of the findings, the Department of Public Health will be increasing mosquito surveillance. Officials are urging the public to use mosquito repellent and to drain standing water.
Boy in stable condition after 2d floor fall
A 3-year-old boy was in stable condition after falling from the second floor of a building on Washington Street in Dorchester early yesterday morning. The boy fell more than 10 feet from a window at about 1:30 a.m. Authorities said the boy was rushed to Children's Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Police have notified the Department of Social Services, which will launch an investigation into the fall.
Mass. GOP executive to leave position
The head of the Massachusetts Republican Party has decided to take a new job out of state. GOP Executive Director Brian Dodge says he's going to become communications director for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which has its headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Dodge is leaving seven months after Republicans lost the governor's office after 16 years and membership in the Legislature fell to 19 in the 200-member House and Senate. (AP)
Brighton man denies drug charges
A Brighton man pleaded not guilty yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court to drug-dealing charges filed after Boston police said they discovered thousands of dollars in cash and nearly 25 grams of cocaine in his Brighton apartment in May. Raymond Henderson, who played linebacker at Boston College prior to his graduation in 2005, allegedly told investigators after they found the drugs that his "roommates had nothing to do with this; everything in the apartment is mine," according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office. Henderson's defense lawyer, Aviva Jeruchim, said Henderson lost a football coaching job in Quincy because of his arrest. She said prosecutors have not proven he was dealing drugs in Brighton. Bail was set at $7,500 cash, an amount Henderson's family was expected to post.
WINTHROP
Workers hit with sewage during repairs
Two employees at the Deer Island Sewage Treatment plant were blasted by a pressurized stream of sewage yesterday morning while performing routine maintenance inside a treatment tank, a water authority spokeswoman said. The workers were replacing a valve on a pipe when they were doused in waste sludge at about 11 a.m., said Ria Convery, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The employees were decontaminated at the plant by firefighters before being taken to local hospitals as a precautionary measure, said Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.
NEEDHAM
Woman suffers bite wounds from pit bull
A Needham woman was hospitalized yesterday after being bitten by her dog, police said. Police and the Fire Department responded to Great Plain Avenue where they found the owner with arm and leg wounds. The woman, who was not identified by police, was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for treatment. The dog, which police said may be a pit bull terrier, had received proper vaccinations and was quarantined in accordance with the law, police said.
SPRINGFIELD
Child porn charges lands him prison term
A Springfield man pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing and attempting to distribute child pornography. Leonard Cox, 42, was sentenced to two years in prison, but the sentence was suspended for three years of probation, according to a statement released by the attorney general's office. He must now register as a sex offender and stay away from computers and children under 18. Cox came under investigation in January 2006 after having chats with an undercover Pennsylvania police officer who posed as a 12-year-old. Authorities notified the attorney general's office, and police raided Cox's home in July 2006, finding child pornography images on his computer. 