Patrick picks Superior Court nominee

A Boston lawyer who helped found one of the city's first all-women law practices has been nominated by Governor Deval Patrick to a vacancy on the Massachusetts Superior Court. Christine Roach, 53, is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a former law clerk for the United States District Court. Patrick said Roach has an "impeccable reputation" as a diligent and ethical lawyer within the legal community. Her private practice focuses on business litigation with an emphasis in employment defense, banking, and real estate litigation. Roach also serves as special outside counsel to the City of Boston. If confirmed, she'll fill the vacancy left by Nonnie Burnes, who stepped down to become the state's insurance commissioner. (AP)

A Dorchester man was arrested yesterday for allegedly selling illegal inhalants out of the adult video store where he worked. Hammond Dawn, 30, was charged with drug possession and intent to distribute within a school zone after undercover officers recovered bottles of inhalants and a bag of marijuana, police said. Police received a complaint that inhalants were being sold out of the Amazing.net adult video store on Stuart Street. Undercover officers allegedly made multiple purchases of the inhalants. During a search of the store, officers found more than 80 bottles of inhalants, police said. Two other people, whom police would not identify, will also face charges in the case.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has broken ground for a church in Holyoke that will replace a church established in 1905. Bishop Timothy McDonnell was joined by other church and city officials yesterday at the site of Immaculate Conception Church on North Summer Street. The project is slated for completion late next year. The church in The Flats neighborhood was originally built for a large French-speaking population. It now serves a diverse community that includes a growing number of Latinos. The parish community has been worshiping in temporary locations since 2005, when structural and safety concerns forced the diocese to close the building,. The structure was torn down last year. The construction project is expected to cost more than $1.2 million. (AP)

A burglary suspect who gave a false home address to police after his arrest didn't count on one thing - getting robbed. Police say 22-year-old Daniel Cabral of New Bedford was arrested Wednesday and charged with burglarizing a building at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He was arraigned and released until his next court date. Hours later, he was robbed at gunpoint while walking home from a bar. He reported the robbery to police, giving officers his real address instead of the phony one he gave earlier in the day, police said. Police said they obtained a search warrant for his address and found computer equipment that had been taken from the UMass building as well as power tools that had been reported missing from a local theater. Cabral was arraigned on new charges Thursday, and prosecutors requested bail of $5,000. He was released on personal recognizance. (AP)

Family and friends are saying goodbye to a New Hampshire soldier who died this month in Iraq. Funeral services for Army Private First Class Juctin McDaniel, 19, are scheduled today in Concord. McDaniel died Dec. 17 in Baghdad of injuries that were not combat related, according to the Department of Defense. He was a graduate of Merrimack Valley High School and had enlisted in February. McDaniel, who was married, also leaves his parents, sisters, a brother, and a niece. (AP)

The Fire Department is in turmoil after the town dismissed the chief and more than a dozen firefighters quit in protest. Chief Alan Mazur said he was let go Thursday. Selectman Richard Poelaert said Mazur did not complete the first-responder medical training required by his contract. As word of Mazur's dismissal spread through the department, all but seven of the town's 22 firefighters resigned in protest, including the assistant and deputy fire chief. The firefighters who quit say they'll stop working Dec. 31, which is Mazur's last day. Mazur has served in the Fire Department for 24 years and spent the past 11 as chief. As chief, he is the department's only full-time employee. (AP)