Man on tracks killed by commuter train

A man trespassing on commuter rail tracks was hit by a train and killed shortly after 5 p.m. at Lynn Station yesterday, said Joe Pesaturo, MBTA spokesman. The man, who was hit by an outbound Newburyport/Rockport line train near the west end of the platform, was not identified last night. Police said they did not know why the victim was on the tracks, but said foul play was not suspected. The death affected rush-hour traffic, with the MBTA reporting up to an hour delay on both inbound and outbound lines. The trains had to be moved to the other track while law enforcement investigated, police said.

About 8,900 Hingham households received an emergency phone call yesterday from local police, urging caution when approaching railroad crossings along the new Greenbush line. The Hingham Police Department used reverse-911 to make the announcement after they received a report that a train nearly hit a car at the intersection of Hersey and South streets. Police originally believed the gate had malfunctioned, but later learned the car had crossed the tracks illegally. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said a driver crossed the tracks while the warning bells were ringing, lights were flashing, and the gate was not fully open. "The gates operated as they were designed to," said Pesaturo. "There were no malfunctions." The train was stopped at the station, so the car was never in danger of being hit, Pesaturo said.

A surgeon under investigation in connection with 12 patient deaths in Massachusetts and Illinois agreed yesterday to permanently surrender his medical license in Massachusetts under a deal that requires him not to practice medicine anywhere else either. Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, formerly a surgeon at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro before moving to Illinois in 2006, has been under scrutiny by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for allegedly providing substandard care to seven patients in the state, including two who the board says died as a result. The board's investigation began in 2004 but was confidential when the doctor was hired by a Southern Illinois Veterans Affairs hospital. He resigned from the Illinois job in August after 10 patients under his care there died. Under the deal with the Massachusetts board, Veizaga-Mendez also agreed to drop his application for a medical license in North Dakota.

State and federal agencies will be providing funds to open new charter schools in high-need communities across the state, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association announced yesterday. The US Department of Education is providing funding to study the elements that have made existing charter schools successful and to replicate those factors, officials said. The Massachusetts Department of Education is providing grants up to $20,000 to support the development of charter proposals. The communities targeted in the Boston area include Boston, Everett, Chelsea, Cambridge, Lynn, and Revere, officials said. Applications for the grants are due Feb. 1 and are scheduled to be awarded March 1.

A Lynn man has been arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer in order to rob several people in Boston. Anthony T. Burney, 32, was arrested Tuesday after some of his alleged victims identified him through photo lineups presented to them by detectives. He was ordered held on $31,000 bail at his arraignment yesterday in Boston Municipal Court. The most recent robbery took place Saturday night when Burney allegedly approached five men who were drinking beer near Charlesgate East and Ipswich Street. After flashing what appeared to be a badge, he allegedly demanded their wallets and then took about $350, two driver's licenses, and three of the men's cellphones, according to the district attorney's office.

A Woburn man died Tuesday night after he crashed his vehicle into a utility pole in Arlington while fleeing police during a chase that started in Winchester, went through Medford, and ended in Arlington, according to Arlington police. Ernest Williams, 47, was allegedly being pursued by Winchester police about 8:35 p.m. when he hit the pole. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he was pronounced dead. Arlington police and the Middlesex district attorney's office are investigating the crash.